Episode 248: Franky's Past! The Day the Sea Train Ran

  • English Title: Franky's Past! The Day the Sea Train Ran

  • Japanese Title: フランキーの過去！海列車が走った日

  • Romaji: Franky no kako! Umiressha ga hashitta hi

  • Air Date: 2005-11-06

  • Manga Equivalency:

Pre-intro

One of the girls gets knocked back. When Franky looks to see what was happening, Kiwi gets knocked down by Kalifa. CP9, or the Galley-La foremen as Franky knew them, have arrived.

Franky leaps to attack but Blueno stands in his way with Tekkai (Iron Mass). Both of them have their fists at each other's head with Franky having a slight advantage, but before Blueno fights back with Shigan (Finger Gun), Lucci steps in and kicks Franky away. They needed him alive.

Usopp's at a loss. Lucci gets to the point and tells them who they are and what they want. They even know Franky's real name and his past. What could possibly be going on?

Apart from meeting someone who knew him as Cutty Flam, there was one thing Franky didn't expect - being told that Iceburg was dead.

Post-intro

As Lucci speaks about Franky's past, thoughts run into Franky's mind. The thing is, how does someone like Lucci know everything when it was concealed many years ago? Franky refuses to give them the blueprints but is powerless against Lucci. Franky gets sent towards the wall, revealing a secret room. It seemed like a drafting room for blueprints. CP9 step in to investigate, and find out that the drawing desks indeed belonged to the people once known as Tom's Workers. Franky gets up and stops Lucci from touching the photo that held Franky's memories of the best shipwright of the world.

Twenty-two years ago, young 12-year-old Franky sailed in his "Battle Franky 8" in a hurried and panicked state towards Water Seven. A Sea King rises from the depths below and attempts to take Franky's life! Franky uses the cannons on his ship but they did nothing but anger the beast. In a giant splash, Franky flies over 16-year-old Iceburg's head who was busy working away at their scrapyard. Iceburg narrowly escapes from the assaulting Sea King.

Iceburg lectures Franky about creating such monstrous war ships but a childish arguement ensues. The giant ship beside them suddenly rises followed by singing! A man lifts up the giant galleon into the air with one hand and throws three masts into it, finishing his ship. This man was a Fishman named Tom.

Both him and Yokozuna return home to eat with Franky and Iceburg following behind them.

Tom asks Franky about his ships but another arguement between Franky and Iceburg begins again. Tom can't help but laugh. Tom's young secretary Kokoro comes in and gives Yokozuna some food to enjoy and talks about the great increase of pirates because of the recent beginning of the pirate age. Water Seven was also dying away and it was a matter of time before everything was finished. Franky asks to see Tom's blueprints to a pirate's ship but Tom laughs again. It doesn't matter what is built. Whatever the people paint on the ship's flag, it becomes just that.

Late at night, Franky wakes up to see Tom working at a blueprint. It was what Tom believed to be the island's hope; the blueprint that will finally revive Water Seven.

The next day, the waves sway as a giant judicial ship docks at the port. Iceburg and Franky suddenly sees Tom handcuffed and taken away by the Marines. Tom just tells them not to worry, and laughs.

Tom stands before the judge and is told of his crime: building the Oro Jackson, a ship that belonged to the Pirate King Gold Roger. Franky and Iceburg make it through the crowd only to hear of Tom's fate, to be sent to Enies Lobby where he will be executed. The Marines attempt to escort Tom out but he quickly tells everyone the thing that will revive Water Seven, the steam engined sea train that will travel from island to island on the sea. The judge finds a bit of interest in this topic.

The sea train will carry anything and travel from island for trade. It will be unaffected by weather and the floating tracks will be made so that sea kings would hate to be near them. Trade would stabalize and allow the cities to grow. The sea train would be Water Seven's hope! It would take 10 years to build, so the judge prolongs Tom's execution to 10 years. Franky is the only one feeling uneasy about this, not because of the prolonging, but because of the reason Tom was arrested.

Back at home, Franky reflects his earlier feelings by quickly leaving after his meal to teach Yokozuna how to do the crawl stroke. Before that, Franky gets angry at the fact that Tom was getting executed for building the greatest ship ever. Iceburg didn't like Franky's attitude but Tom laughed. He recognized Franky's ship-making abilities at a very young age. In the past, Franky was tossed out and was found on the scrapyard. He asked Tom to take him in and he did.

So, Tom and Iceburg worked on the sea train alone. Time had passed, and Franky managed to create Battle Franky 9. Watching his friends work, he felt somehow obligated to help...

Through rain and terrible weather, Tom, Iceburg, and Franky worked for 10 straight years. There were some failures and harsh struggles, but the shipwrights continued to work. On the 10th year, the people of Water Seven had fallen to its worst, its people wanting to die.

There is suddenly shouting within the city. The sea train is finally finished! After 10 long years, Tom's Workers finish Puffing Tom, its first test run across the sea (with Kokoro as the train's conductor!) is cheered by all of Water Seven!

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Anime/Episodes/248 (last edited 2006-07-04 20:14:03 by Cinder)