CHAPTER 328: THE PIRATE KIDNAPPING INCIDENT

Chapter 328 title page. The title reads "CHAPTER 328: THE PIRATE KIDNAPPING INCIDENT". The illustration shows Gan Fall riding his bird Pierre, delivering a powerful "JET PUNCH!!" to a large, round fish creature wearing a helmet. The impact creates a loud "DOKAHN!!" sound effect. A caption at the bottom reads "GADUS' LIFE IN BLUE SEA VOL. 13 'SKY CAPTAIN VS EARTH CAPTAIN'".

Sanji and Chopper are riding in a Yagara bull boat through the canals of Water 7. Sanji is smoking a cigarette and looks deeply troubled. He thinks, "SHIT... I wonder who that man with the mask was..." Chopper, sitting beside him, says, "Sorry, Sanji. I was too focused on reading those books, and..." Sanji replies, "I was an idiot, too, thinking that the masked guy with Robin was you in human form... You don't need to apologize..." Sanji continues, "I hope nothing went wrong.... I have this strange feeling in my chest..." Chopper panics, thinking Sanji is sick, "Eh...!? Should I take a look? I'm not ill!!" Sanji clarifies, "I'm feeling uneasy about what Aokiji said..."

Chopper asks Sanji, "What did he say? He talked about Robin's past and... Said that soon we will regret having her..." Sanji replies, "Let's just go back to Going Merry for now. I hope she went back there safely..." The scene shifts to the Going Merry, which is docked at a rocky shore. Zoro is seen relaxing and sleeping on the deck of the ship.

At Dock 1, Luffy is shocked and yells, "WHY!!? YOU CAN'T FIX GOING MERRY!!?" Iceburg stands calmly in front of them. Nami asks incredulously, "Aren't you the best ship repairmen in the world!!?" Luffy holds up two briefcases full of money and insists, "If it's money that you want, I have lots!!" Kaku, standing nearby, replies, "That's... not the problem. The ship cannot be repaired no matter how much money you have."

Nami asks, "What do you mean? What's wrong with Going Merry?" Kaku sits down and says, "It's already a miracle that you sailed here safely with that ship... I'm really impressed about that..." Paulie, smoking a cigar, asks Nami, "Do you know what keel is, shameless girl? It's on the bottom of the ship..." Iceburg confirms, "Correct. It's the support that goes from the head to the tail of the ship. It's the most important part of the entire ship." Paulie explains further, "When you build a ship, you have to start with the keel... Then the head, the tail, the spine... The rib, the pillar... Every piece of wood in the ship is put together with the keel at the center. That is the basics of ship construction."

Paulie continues his explanation, "The keel at the center of the ship is the 'lifeline' of the ship... If the keel is broken, you can't just take it off and put in a new one. Replacing the keel is the same as building a whole new ship!!" In the background, workers are busy moving supplies. Paulie concludes, "Thus, no one can 'repair' your ship. Your ship is... nothing more than a pile of wood waiting to be scrapped." Nami yells angrily at him, "Hey... HOW COULD YOU SAY THAT!!?" Paulie calmly replies, "I'm only... telling the truth."

Luffy shouts, "Then... Just remake the ship from start!! Remake Going Merry!!" Kaku replies, "That's not possible either, koo koo." Luffy demands, "Why not!?" Rob Lucci's pigeon, Hattori, speaks up: "While it is possible for us to build a ship that look like yours, it's still technically not 'remaking' the same ship. In this world, there is no two identical ships." Nami asks, "What are you talking about?" Hattori explains, "Are there two completely identical trees in the world? And ships are built from pieces of wood. The size and shape of the ship depends on the wood. So even if we have the blueprint we can't build an identical ship."

Hattori continues, "Even if we do make a nearly-identical ship, the one who will most strongly feel: 'This is not the same ship,' will be yourselves! Koo koo." Nami realizes the gravity of the situation, "So then... You are saying that... Going Merry will never set sail ever again!?" Iceburg confirms, "That is correct. You can either take it apart now, or let it die and sink naturally." Luffy looks down, his eyes shadowed in despair, before looking up and yelling stubbornly, "IT'S FINISHED!! THIS IS OUR OWN PIRATE SHIP, GOING MERRY!!"

Iceburg says, "Nma... The ship has lived out its life. But if you think of it another way... With your old one gone, you can buy a brand new ship. You have the money for it, no? I heard about your ship's caliber, it's a very old model. The sea beyond this point is too rough for it even if it's not broken..." Luffy yells furiously, "NO!! I DON'T WANT A NEW SHIP!! OUR SHIP IS GOING MERRY!! IF YOU JUST FIX IT, IT'LL DEFINITELY KEEP GOING!! PLUS, WE SAILED PERFECTLY TODAY!! WHO SAYS IT CAN'T GO ON!!?" Luffy glares and adds, "I don't believe you!! You have no idea how strong our ship is!!" Iceburg replies coldly, "Then you can just sit in that ship and sink with it..."

Iceburg looks down at Luffy and says, "Lil' punk. You call yourself a captain? Think about it. That's enough talking for today." Luffy stands in stunned silence. Iceburg calls out, "Karifa." Kalifa steps forward, "Yes, sir." She hands Nami a catalog. "Please reconsider. This catalog lists everything from second-hand ships to the newest in production..." Iceburg turns to leave, saying, "Come back when you want to buy a new ship. With those 300 millions, you can easily afford the best ship we can make."

Kalifa informs Iceburg, "Iceburg-san!! They're the representatives of the World Government again. There are customers at the front door." Iceburg sighs, "Should I tell them to leave? Nma... Tell them I'm not here." Peeply Lulu, the Chief Mechanic of Nailing and Sanding, approaches and says, "Excuse me." Iceburg notices his hair, "Also... did you comb your hair after your nap, Lulu?" Lulu has a prominent cowlick. He presses it down, but it immediately pops up on the other side of his head. He replies, "Yes, that's what I'll do. I'll tell them to come back at another time."

A man in a black suit and hat, Corgi, appears. "Hold on a second, Iceburg-kun. Ah. Nfufufufu... I knew you would be here." Paulie whispers urgently to Luffy and Nami, "Hey, you two. Hide. They're from the government!!" Iceburg says, "Nma--!! Long time no see, Kougii. Sorry, but I'm not here today. What? Are you drunk?" Corgi replies, "I sat on the sea train for a long time to get here!! Don't kick me out just yet." Corgi sniffs the air suspiciously. "Sniff sniff... Hm!? I smell pirates... Nfufu. Never mind. I need to talk to you." A caption identifies him as "World Government Officer Kougii".

Iceburg tells Corgi, "I don't like you. Go away. You're acting childish... Don't be so stubborn." Corgi insists, "I have some good news for you. You should let me finish before kicking me out. Let's go to somewhere private first..." Paulie mutters, "These guys are so annoying... What do they want with Iceburg-san this time...?" Kaku says, "It's none of your business. Koo-koo." Paulie suggests, "Let's beat them up! Don't be a fool. They're from the government!" Meanwhile, Nami and Luffy are hiding behind their briefcases. Nami notices something odd, "Huh? What? It's light..." Luffy looks confused. Nami says, "Don't joke around. There's 100 million in there. How can it be light...?" She opens one of the briefcases and gasps, "WHAT?"

Nami screams at the top of her lungs, "AAAAA AAH!!! AAAAAA AAAAH!!!! GONE!!!" Luffy's jaw drops in shock as he realizes, "200-MILLION BERI!!" Nami inspects the cases closely, "If you look closely, these two briefcases aren't even ours!!" Paulie yells at her, "What the hell are you screaming for!? Shameless girl!!! Why do you sit like that!?" Nami snaps back, "Hey... don't scream. What!? I didn't take it!!" Kaku remarks, "So noisy..." Paulie asks Kaku, "Hey, Kaku. Weren't you with the Frankys earlier?" Kaku replies, "Hm? What are you talking about? I haven't seen them at all today."

Kaku realizes something, "That's weird... I'm sure I saw your long nose... Hey! Hold it! What did you just say!?" Luffy and Nami yell in unison, "USOPP". Nami asks frantically, "Is he with the Frankys!?" Paulie clarifies, "More precisely, they were carrying him." Nami is horrified, "Kidnapped!!!?" She immediately orders, "Luffy, go find him!! Luffy, go find him!!" Luffy runs off, but Nami yells, "Wait! Do you know where to go, Luffy!!?" Paulie tells them, "Hey!! Where do the Frankys live!? Their base...? The scrap factory... Go from where you docked your ship... And then go northeast along the beach. You'll see the 'Franky House'."

Nami watches Luffy run off. "Luffy---!! That idiot! How can he find them alone!!?" She jumps into a Yagara bull boat. "There's no time to find him... Please, Yagara-chan. Take the shortest route to the bull rental place!! Nii!!" She thinks to herself, "I have to leave the money on the ship first. I can't take the 100 million with me. That would be too dangerous." As she speeds away, she plans, "I'll take Zoro to take care of those chumps. The Frankys... You must have a death wish to steal from pirates!! I hope Usopp escapes safely..."

Nami rides the Yagara bull rapidly through the city's waterways. "We are now at the ground level, the market district. Travel safely. Go, Yagara-chan!! Nii!!" The boat splashes down a small waterfall. She arrives at a busy plaza. "What a crowd! Ah." She spots something ahead and looks concerned.

Usopp is lying face down on the cobblestones, severely beaten and covered in blood. A crowd has gathered around him. Nami rushes over, "Usopp!! Usopp!! Wake up! Wake up!!" A bystander mutters, "Hey, aren't you pirates? Shut up! What are you looking at!?" Nami kneels beside him, "It's okay!! You'll be fine!" Usopp weakly groans, "Heh... Heh..." Nami asks, "Usopp! Did the Frankys do this to you?" Usopp replies weakly, "Yes... I'm so useless... The money... They took it... Nami..."

A close-up shows Usopp's battered, tear-streaked face. "I'm... sorry, everyone." Nami looks devastated. "We were finally able... to fix Going Merry... yet... I lost the money... I'm so useless... wuwuw..." Usopp continues to cry, "I'm sorry... I'm so useless..." Nami's expression hardens into fierce determination. "It'll be fine, Usopp...!! We will definitely get our money back!!" The chapter ends with a "CHAP 328 FIN" mark.

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