Short Summary
After the rather terrifying encounter with Aokiji, the crew make their way to Water 7, a island known for its shipwrights, to get the Going Merry repaired. However reaching the island proves to be the only good thing about the journey as a series of bad news and incidents threaten to tear the crew apart.
Main Summary
What's more, Usopp gets mugged by a gang of ship demolitionists and thieves, the Franky Family, causing them to lose two-thirds of the money. In retaliation, Sanji, Zoro, Luffy, and Chopper destroy their hideout and beat up the Franky Family, but their boss, Franky, has already taken the money and left. Usopp, distraught about being much weaker than the rest of the crew reaches his breaking point when Luffy announces that he will get a new ship. After Usopp challenges Luffy to a duel he knows deep down he won't win, Usopp is left on an abandoned Going Merry while Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Sanji, and Chopper vacate the premises.
Meanwhile, Robin disappears on the first day shortly after passing a man in a mask and cloak (who says "CP9") while out shopping with Chopper, and does not appear by nightfall. The next morning, there is news that Iceberg was shot by assassins in his own home. The shipwrights (and by extension the rest of the city) cannot figure out who would want to hurt Iceberg. When Paulie suggests that the government might be behind it (as some officials had been visiting Iceberg about something as recently as the day before and he had been turning them away each time), Kaku rebukes him and suggests it may be pirates instead.
Indeed, when Iceberg wakes up, he identifies Nico Robin as one of the attackers, and by extension, the Straw Hats. Luffy and Nami, unaware of Robin's involvement, try to meet Iceberg, but are stopped by Franky himself, a Speedo-wearing cyborg who can shoot fire, accompanied by his cheerleaders, the "Square Sisters" Mozu and Kiwi. The fight is interrupted by the shipwrights, who are fully convinced Luffy and the others are behind the attack. Franky, angry that the shipwrights are taking his prey, destroys the shipbuilding yard, with Luffy and Nami escaping in the confusion. Despite Luffy now a wanted man throughout Water 7, Luffy still tries to seek out Iceberg anyway. At Iceberg's request, Kalifa lets Luffy in and distracts the mob. Iceberg confirms himself to Luffy that Robin was one of the attackers and demands to see her personally. Meanwhile, Franky goes to Blueno's Bar where it is revealed (unbeknownst to the Straw Hats) that Kokoro and Franky are acquainted, where Kokoro shares her own theory on the assassination attempt—a shadowy government organization called Cipher Pol No. 9, which Franky doubts even exists (officially, it only goes up to CP 8)...though the next scene shows that CP9 does in fact exist and Robin is working with them, somehow.
As Luffy and Nami are on the run, Zoro, the only other Straw Hat with a bounty, evades the employees from Galley-La. Usopp gets suspicious as to why people are at the Going Merry, while Sanji and Chopper (who don't have bounties and aren't recognizable as Straw Hats) start wondering why there's a single departure headed to Enies Lobby late in the night, despite the fact that a legendary annual typhoon, Aqua Laguna, is coming and will flood Water 7.
Eventually, Sanji and Chopper find Robin, who apologizes that the Straw Hats are blamed for the attempted assassination but announces her departure from the Straw Hats. She confirms that she was there at Iceberg's house that night and walks away. Sanji instructs Chopper to go find the others and tell them what happened. As Chopper rendezvouses with Nami, Luffy, and Zoro, Usopp is out trying to buy lumber and tools himself in a futile attempt to fix the Going Merry single-handedly.
Zoro figures that Robin is probably planning to finish the job, but if the Straw Hats are anywhere near the scene, they'll be pinned for the crime. Because Robin was seen with a mysterious masked man, they're not sure if she's being forced to do so or if Aojiki was right about Robin and her Chronic Backstabbing Disorder. Luffy makes the decision that either way, the four of them must capture Robin themselves. As night begins to fall, the shipwrights call off the search and defend the Galley-La Company, with Paulie, Kaku, Lucci, Lulu, and Tilestone guarding the door to Iceberg's bedroom. The streets of Water 7 are abandoned thanks to the citizenry fleeing from the upcoming Aqua Laguna, but Franky is ready for round two of their fight, and decides to kidnap Usopp in an attempt to bring Luffy out of hiding.
Iceberg tells Paulie of a hidden safe in his office, but approaching the heavily-guarded Galley-La complex, an explosion breaks out, and Robin (with a cloak and just a Domino Mask) with the mysterious masked man (wearing a bear mask) go into action. With the explosion, Lulu and Tilestone run off towards the commotion, leaving Kaku and Lucci to guard the door.
A third masked assassin attacks the employees with a spiked whip; meanwhile, Chopper, Nami, and Zoro find that Luffy has run off without telling them. As Paulie finds the safe's contents, two more masked men (in a bull mask and a skull mask) announce them selves as Cipher Pol No. 9, an elite intelligence agency, and having defeated a string of employees, decides that Paulie knows too much.
Robin and the first masked man infiltrate Iceberg's bedroom and bypass the guarded main door through the man's Door-Door Fruit (basically allows him to go through walls), where the masked man reveals that they're looking for a blueprint to some sort of ship, which Paulie found.
It turns out that Luffy got stuck between some buildings, which is why he wasn't there when Chopper, Luffy, and Zoro went after him. With Bear Mask shown to use his power to defeat even the massive Tilestone (having already defeated Kaku and Lucci), Iceberg tells Robin that she is the only one that can read Poneglyphs, which is considered a high crime by the government and the real reason she has had a bounty since age 8. Iceberg reveals that what Pluton, the superweapon first alluded to back in the Alabasta arc, is the name of a battleship built on Water 7 many years ago, and that's what Iceberg had been hiding from the government. He also refers to his predecessor Tom, was concerned about a girl who escaped from the "Ohara Incident" twenty years ago.
In the other room, Paulie has been shot by Bull Mask and Skull Mask but reveals the plans are a fake, and that he doesn't know that yet. Bull Mask and Skull Mask restrain Luffy and Paulie with metal bars that are part of their Devil Fruit powers and make their escape. Gathered in Iceberg's room, CP9 reveal themselves. Bull Mask is Lucci, Skull Mask is Kaku (their beat-up selves in the hallway were defeated others that were dressed up as Kaku and Lucci), the masked person with the spiked whip is Kalifa, and Bear Mask is the bartender, Blueno.
Suspicious that Iceberg may never had control of the plans to begin with, Lucci has Kaku check his pulse to find if he was lying about having control of the plans, citing the fake's signatures of Tom, Iceberg, and Cutty Flam, of "Tom's Workers". Cutty Flam was Tom's other disciple, who supposedly died in an accident eight years prior. Lucci reveals (and confirms with Iceberg's quickening pulse) that Cutty Flam somehow survived and changed his name to Franky.
CP9 resolves to go find Franky and leave Iceberg alone, just before Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Paulie, and Chopper burst into the room, who are shocked to find the Awful Truth about what half of Iceberg's inner circle was up to (especially Paulie). Robin reveals that she has some sort of ulterior motive herself that was incompatible with being part of the Straw Hats.
CP9 are incredible fighters and are basically able to No-Sell both Luffy and Zoro. They reveal that the building is rigged to burn down, but not before Lucci reveals his ace in the hole to the Straw Hats, the Cat-Cat Fruit: Leopard Model. Lucci's Tempest Kick causes the building to partially collapse while CP9 makes their escape to look for Franky. Paulie and Iceberg are tied up and left to die in the flaming wreckage, Zoro and Luffy were defeated and thrown out the window, Chopper sacrifices himself to save Nami and gets trapped under the rubble. Nami is also thrown out of the window, but much closer to the building, leaving the foreman to suspect that she was involved in the fire.Meanwhile, at a hidden dock where Usopp and the Going Merry are kept (high and safe from Aqua Laguna), Franky (accompanied by Mozu and Kiwi, as always) bonds with Usopp, admiring his dedication to the ship and telling him a bit about Water 7 and the Sea Train, which was created by Tom about a decade prior. Franky asks what Usopp wants to do with the Going Merry (ultimately return to the East Blue) and tells him that the same thing Galley-La said...the Going Merry is beyond repair and can only be demolished (justifying himself by telling Usopp the Going Merry cannot reach even the next shore, much less the East Blue), and starts breaking apart the ship himself. When Usopp tries to fight back, Franky throws him underwater and Usopp sees the extensive keel damage for the first time himself.Usopp breaks down and tells Franky he knew deep down the Merry was unsalvagable, but confirming to himself that he really did see someone that night at Upper Yard repairing the ship...and reveals for the first time that the person talked to him, telling him not to worry and "I'll carry you guys for a little bit longer". Franky tells him that Usopp saw a Klabautermann, a legendary fairy that lives on well-loved and well-cared for ships. The doorbell rings, with Franky thinking its the Franky Family with Luffy. This is not the case, as CP9 was fleeing the scene, they happened to come across the Franky Family, trying to get the message out that Usopp has been captured, and interrogated them for where Franky is.It turns out that the dock is the office of Tom's Workers, where Franky/Cutty Flam and Iceberg grew up under the apprenticeship of Tom, a Fishman. Franky protests that the plans are not there and they shouldn't destroy the office looking for it. Kalifa restrains Franky with her spiked whip as a flashback explains the history of Tom, Iceberg, and Franky.Some 22 years ago, Iceberg, Tom, and Franky worked together building ships. Other employees included a younger Kokoro and Yokozuna. Tom speaks of the town's troubles, that problems resulting from the Great Pirate Era has ultimately led to a shortage of customers for Water 7 and eventually the town will sink into the sea. One night, Tom tells Franky that he's designing a ship that will "save Water 7". However, the next day, the Marines arrive and arrest Tom. The charge is that because he built the recently-executed Gold (Gol D.) Roger's ship, he is considered to have aided and abetted him, and will be taken to Enies Lobby to be executed. At the court, Tom reveals his plans for the Sea Train. Intrigued by the plan and with a request to connect it to Enies Lobby, Tom is paroled on the condition he build it.After ten years and Water 7 now in deep decline, the sea train Puffing Tom has its first successful run, and while the economy hasn't picked up due to trading issues, the population is no longer demoralized and Tom's acquittal by the World Government is a certainty. However, he is visited by an ambitious Cipher Pol No. 5 agent, Spandam, who is sure that Tom has the blueprints to a dangerous battleship that would be a problem if it fell into the wrong hands.
One night, he shows them to Franky and Iceberg and explains the situation. Franky, who likes building battleships (now up to "Battle Franky No. 35", able to kill a Sea King) of his own (much to Iceberg's annoyance, as he thinks that they're too dangerous and could attract attention), thinks that it should be built, but Iceberg explains the situation.
On the day of the trial, even the judge is impressed with the Sea Train and readys Tom's acquittal, but a fleet of Franky's ships attack the ship where the trial is to be held. Tom and Iceberg attempt to meet the fleet where the ships are returning to the scrap heap where Tom's Workers is located, but they are injured by Spandam's other fleet where the Battle Franky ships are destroyed. Iceberg figures out that this is a trap by Spandam to persecute Tom anyway and blames Franky for his incompetence and foolishness by building and leaving out the battleships.
Spandam arrives and arrests Tom, Iceberg, and Franky, intending to hold them for the trial of attacking the judicial ship. When Iceberg blames Spandam and denounces the "Battle Franky" fleet, Tom punches Franky hard enough that he flies into the wall. Tom declares that he still built those ships, whether they were used for good or evil, and should not ever denounce his own creations. Knowing that the government both set him up and is putting him on trial, Tom attacks Spandam in retaliation for Franky's guilt. Tom makes a deal with the judge—the Sea Train counts for the acquittal of Tom, Franky, and Iceberg, while accepting the death penalty for assisting the King of the Pirates.
As Kokoro tearfully explains to Franky, Iceberg, and Yokozuna, no one has ever returned from Enies Lobby. Unable to hear it, Franky attacks Spandam, causing even more injuries to his face and body. Franky makes a run for it. Later, he chases down the Sea Train with a large handheld cannon, and attempts to shoot the train from the front to no avail. He is then seemingly killed by the Sea Train.
Back in the present, Lucci explains that the charges for Franky/Cutty Flam were annulled due to his death, but since he is still blamed for the incident, he will be taken to Enies Lobby. Blueno uses a Transponder Snail to connect to their boss: Spandam.
CP9 takes Franky away but Usopp attempts to stop them (for one second); unfortunately, Kaku recognizes him, releases the Going Merry to her apparent doom, and apprehends Usopp, as even though he is no longer a Straw Hat and doesn't even carry a bounty, he's still a pirate.
Back at the fire, Chopper manages to escape from the rubble and rescues Paulie and Iceberg, but collapses from his injuries. Nami and Iceberg regain consciousness, and requests to talk to Nami alone.
Iceberg apologizes for suspecting the Straw Hats and explains what happened in the room with just him and Nico Robin. Nico Robin was forced to team up with CP9 to prevent a "Buster Call", a rare and inescapable call where top Marine admirals are called in to execute criminals on the Straw Hats. The "ulterior motive" as listed above was that the other six Straw Hats could safely leave the island, because they were the only group of people that she was allied with that cared about her and weren't going to betray her. Iceberg's main issue with her was that her desire to read the Poneglyphs and discover the "real history" could still inadvertently hurt people, much how Franky's ships led to the trouble all those years ago. Nami is re-invigorated and overjoyed that Robin is still on their side, and wakes Chopper up.
Meanwhile, Sanji, having run off on his own secret mission, figured out the unusual departure was for CP9, and that Robin was probably coerced into doing the government's bidding. He also spies CP9 (who he doesn't recognize) bringing in Franky and Usopp.
Paulie recovers, attests for the Straw Hats' innocence, and asks the workers to assist Chopper and Nami in finding Zoro, Luffy, and Sanji. (He leaves out the parts about Kaku and Lucci, lying and saying they weren't there and that he didn't know the masked men). They don't have much time, after the Sea Train leaves at 11pm, service won't be restored until after Aqua Laguna, and Enies Lobby is off-limits to the general public. However, the train leaves early due to the inclement weather.Paulie and Nami arrive just after the train has left the station, and Nami demands a ship to borrow to go after Robin. Paulie refuses, citing the Aqua Laguna storm surge, and narrowly saves Nami (plus two railway employees forbidden from watching the passengers board) from the flood. However, Paulie notices the departures board was ripped in half, which indicates Aqua Laguna this year is far, far stronger than usual.A letter left by Sanji reads that he boarded the train himself (and Franky and Usopp are also aboard), as well as a Transponder Snail, with a promise that he'll call when he finds the train's snail. As Nami, Chopper, and the rest of the foremen resume their search for Zoro and Luffy. Chimney and Kokoro are watching from above, with Chimney noticing "something stuck between two buildings"—Luffy, to which Nami rushes off. However, the tide has ebbed so much that Water 7 and the water around it have dried up, meaning an unbelievably powerful flow will go back in. Still, Nami goes off to rescue him, despite warnings from the foremen and Kokoro that the backstreets are too dangerous. Meanwhile, Chopper spies Zoro, who got himself stuck upside-down in a chimney, and goes off to save him too.Gaining a second wind by Nami telling him that Robin didn't betray them after all, Luffy breaks out by breaking the buildings between them, and Zoro slicing through the chimney. Even with Paulie's help, they barely make it back.
Paulie and Nami arrive just after the train has left the station, and Nami demands a ship to borrow to go after Robin. Paulie refuses, citing the Aqua Laguna storm surge, and narrowly saves Nami (plus two railway employees forbidden from watching the passengers board) from the flood. However, Paulie notices the departures board was ripped in half, which indicates Aqua Laguna this year is far, far stronger than usual.A letter left by Sanji reads that he boarded the train himself (and Franky and Usopp are also aboard), as well as a Transponder Snail, with a promise that he'll call when he finds the train's snail. In the train, the more powerful people are placed in cars closer to the engine, but Sanji handily beats the government agents in the last car, including the very tall Jerry.Meanwhile, Nami, Chopper, and the rest of the foremen resume their search for Zoro and Luffy. Chimney and Kokoro are watching from above, with Chimney noticing "something stuck between two buildings"—Luffy, to which Nami rushes off. However, the tide has ebbed so much that Water 7 and the water around it have dried up, meaning an unbelievably powerful flow will go back in. Still, Nami goes off to rescue him, despite warnings from the foremen and Kokoro that the backstreets are too dangerous. Meanwhile, Chopper spies Zoro, who got himself stuck upside-down in a chimney, and goes off to save him too.Gaining a second wind by Nami telling him that Robin didn't betray them after all, Luffy breaks out by breaking the buildings between them, and Zoro slicing through the chimney. Even with Paulie's help, they barely make it back.When Paulie insists that there's no way they can safely make it back to the island, Nami pleads with Paulie that the judicial court at Enies Lobby is a Kangaroo Court and one someone passes through the "Doors of Justice", they won't ever see the light of day again. Paulie argues that if you go after Enies Lobby, you are picking a fight with the World Government.Kokoro and Iceberg have the same plan: show the Straw Hats a long-mothballed prototype Sea Train, the Rocketman. Despite restoring it to workable condition, the Rocketman's speed can't be controlled. However, Luffy is not feeling well due to his being impaled by Lucci earlier, but luckily, Nami had thought ahead and sent the railway employees to find and gather as much meat as they can.Kokoro pilots the train, with Luffy, Nami, Zoro, and Chopper, followed by Mozu, Kiwi, and the Franky Family. A number of stowaways (Paulie, Chimney, Peepley Lulu, and Tilestone) also find their way on board. Iceberg, left alone, reflects more on the past. Kokoro, now taking up drinking in the dissolution of Tom's Workers, reports to Iceberg that Cutty Flam has died after being hit by the train. Iceberg continues to take up Tom's will, building a new company, the Galley-La Company. A younger Kalifa reports that a "Cutty Flam" is here to see him, but he turns him away, at least publicly. Franky explains that he rebuilt himself using iron scraps, though the only real visible part of that is his metal nose. Franky is angry that Iceberg builds ships for the Government, while Iceberg is still angry that it was Franky's ships that got Tom into the whole mess to begin with. Iceberg gives the blueprints to Franky, and tells him not to use the name Cutty Flam again since the Government believes Cutty Flam to be dead (unfortunately, he already gave that name to Kalifa, who was a government agent from the start).Rocketman continues to fly toward Aqua Laguna. Realizing they all have the same goal, the Straw Hats, the Franky Family, and the shipwrights make an alliance to get the train through Aqua Laguna at any cost. Unfortunately, their cannons are useless, requiring Zoro and Luffy to save the day.Back on the Puffing Tom, Sanji works his way up to the communications room (Car #6, after handily beating Car #7) and frees both Franky and Usopp, neither of whom he's on great terms with, finally making contact with Nami. Nami fills in Sanji about Robin, but Usopp is still not ready to rejoin the Straw Hats. Just as a Marine finds Sanji and Franky, a mysterious masked man named Sogeking appears who is definitely not Usopp wearing a mask and cape. Sanji guesses that this is a coping mechanism but plays along anyway. The cars further to the front are filled with more powerful agents, with CP9 in Car #2 and Robin in Car #1.Because they're vastly outnumbered, Franky, Sanji, and Sogeking engage in Guile Hero maneuvers, like sending as many Marines and agents (including Captain T-Bone, a swordsman) as possible over to Car #7 before cutting it Car #6 and #7 from the rest of the Puffing Tom. Franky shows off how he's impervious to bullets (but only from the front) in Car #5. In Car #4, the three meet Kanze, a CP7 agent and cook. He engages in battle with Sanji (and he is quite the formidable opponent). Franky engages with battle with Mr. Nero, the newest member of CP9 on the roof of Car #3 while Sogeking bypasses Car #2 entirely and makes contact with Nico Robin, informing her that Sanji and Franky are on the train, with Luffy and others on a different train following (of course, Robin isn't fooled by the disguise). Robin refuses, even after Sogeking tells her that Iceberg survived and told them everything.With the disconnected Car #6 and #7 in sight, Luffy flies over to check for Sanji and Franky (they aren't there), so Zoro slashes the cars in half, leaving the hapless Marines on what have turned into small boats floating on the ocean. Rocketman catches up Captain T-Bone, who left the disconnected cars to chase the Puffing Tom on foot, though Zoro defeats him, and he is eventually picked up by the floating cars.Going back to the Puffing Tom, Sanji beats Kanze and Franky beats Nero. Sanji walks into CP9 in Car #2 just in time for Nero and Franky to fall in. For his failure, Nero is killed by Lucci. Lucci briefly explains that Robin is dangerous and should be put to death, but also needs to be kept alive for years so the World Government can extract information from her. Sogeking and Robin emerge from Car #1, but Robin still refuses to join Sanji in getting out of there. A smoke bomb by Sogeking allows Usopp (er, Sogeking) to grab Robin and make a run for it with Sanji and Franky, disconnecting the train at Car #3. CP9 isn't willing to give up that easily, and Kalifa and Blueno (with her whips and his strength) pull the train back together. After a brief scuffle, Franky sacrifices himself and falls onto Car #2 while letting Car #3 with Robin, Sogeking, and Sanji float away. Unfortunately, by losing Robin CP9 will initiate the Buster Call...not that it's a problem since Blueno appears on Car #3 (his Door-Door power can also use air as a medium to get between places) and defeats Sanji and Sogeking. Robin leaves with Blueno, but before they leave, Blueno explains that the Buster Call can wipe out an entire island with Robin being the only survivor of it.With Robin and Franky now back in the custody of CP9, Franky assures Robin that her existence isn't a sin as CP9 and others have said before, and Robin tells Franky that CP9 did not succeed in killing Iceberg.Yokozuna also joins up with the Straw Hats after jumping in front of the train, causing most of the Franky Family (following behind) to separate, though they rejoin with Sanji and Sogeking. Kokoro can talk to Yokozuna, and the reason why Yokozuna jumps in front of the Puffing Tom (or the Rocketman, in this case) is to be strong like how Franky was.The Franky Family and the Rocketman manage to reunite, with Luffy being "introduced" to Sogeking (everyone else of course, recognizes him as Usopp...except for Chopper). Even with their newfound allies, the Straw Hats are up against one of the most powerful bases the World Government has to offer...
Water 7 has the following tropes:
- Aerith and Bob: Iceburg, Cutty Flam, and... Tom.
- Anti-Villain: Franky, at first. His presence as the premier mob boss of Water 7 is actually his way of protecting the city he loves, especially from the WG, alongside keeping tabs on his adopted family.
- Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: Sodom and Gommorrah.
- Arc Villain: Franky initially, before the CP9 reveal themselves.
- Armor-Piercing Question: When Zoro protests that Sanji should wait till they meet up before trying to rescue Robin from CP9, Luffy bluntly tells Zoro that if he heard why Robin sacrificed herself, would he have waited. Zoro's only response is to look down in silence.
- Badass Crew: The Galley-La shipwrights; not only are they the best in their field, they are all immensely strong and expert fighters who can handle pirates in a fight without breaking a sweat. It helps that many of them are actually World Government Black Ops agents that infiltrated the company to get close to Iceburg.
- Bait-and-Switch: The arc starts with the Straw Hats looking for a shipwright to join their crew and meeting the colorfully quirky Galley-La carpenters while having some run-ins with the Franky Family, who don't seem like too much of a threat but Iceburg warns that their leader Franky is dangerous. While this is happening, Robin disappears after encountering a man in a mask and cloak and when Franky appears in the flesh he's in similar attire and has undisclosed plans for the money stolen off Usopp. This seems to be setting the stage for the Straw Hats to run into an underground conspiracy, perhaps while making a crewmember out of one of the Galley-La. Instead, the conspiracy is amongst members of Galley-La, Franky has no connection to it, and he's the one who the Straw Hats befriend and joins the crew.
- Batman Gambit: Nami, Zoro and Chopper attempt one regarding Luffy when he runs off to break into the now-heavily guarded Galley-La HQ a second time. Figuring he'd break in through the front door, they decide to do the same, figuring the guards would all be busy chasing after him... only to jump the gate and realize all the guards are right where they're supposed to be, and Luffy isn't there (though to be fair, their guess was right; Luffy was planning to go in the front door, but he got incapacitated along the way).
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Paulie laments that Iceburg is going to be killed by completely unknown strangers. The Reveal that the assassins are actually close friends of his is not taken very well.
- Berserk Button: Never attack one of the Straw Hats, and rob them. Bad idea.
- Paulie keeps criticizing women who wear Stripperific outfits.
- Since Sanji hates wasting food, he really hates those who battle using food, considering them a disgrace to the name "chef".
- Bittersweet Ending: The arc ends with CP9 successfully recapturing Franky, stealing Robin back from Usopp and Sanji, and arriving at Enies Lobby. However, the Straw Hats now all know that Robin did not betray them and are determined to rescue her, and the entire crew is separately on their way to Enies Lobby as well, with a large group of new allies to back them up.
- Bond Breaker: Usopp and Luffy's argument over the Going Merry and the subsequent duel.
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Pretty much all the workers of Galley-La. They all have strange and silly quirks, but they are some of the world's best shipwrights and extremely badass when they beat up any pirate looking for trouble. Their leader and mayor Iceburg is also this.
- Catchphrase: Kalifa: "That's sexual harassment".
- Cerebus Syndrome: By and far one of the darkest arcs of the series.
- Chekhov's Gun: The unmentioned item Franky purchased with the Straw Hats' money. In this arc it is nothing more than the reason Franky isn't present at the Franky House when the Straw Hats' come a-knocking, but after Enies Lobby it becomes very important.
- Combat Pragmatist: Usopp, during his fight with Luffy. He uses every trick in the book to try to fight Luffy on as close to equal footing as possible. Even so, Usopp knows he's not going to beat him.
- Combination Attack: Luffy and Zoro vs a tidal wave from Agua Laguna: GUM-GUM 300 POUND CANNON!
- Conflict Killer: The Straw Hats find themselves at odds with both Galley-la Company and Franky over Iceburg's assassination attempt and the complete defeat of Franky's subordinates, respectively. It wasn't until CP9 is revealed (kidnapping Franky along the way) that Galley-la and the Franky Family decide to join forces with the Straw Hats to take CP9 down.
- Curb-Stomp Battle:
- Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Chopper vs the Franky Family. Result: Bye-bye, Franky House.
- The Straw Hats vs. CP9. This time they're on the losing end; see The Worf Effect below.
- Curb Stomp Cushion: When fighting Luffy, Usopp goes down in all of two hits. But thanks to knowing Luffy's abilities and preparing his tactics and equipment to counter him, Usopp makes him work for those hits.
- Cycle of Revenge: This was fortunately averted. The Franky Family beat up Usopp while stealing the crew's money. The Straw Hats retaliated by destroying their house and everyone in it. Franky finds out his True Companions were beaten up and hunted down Luffy to get even. However, due to certain circumstances, the Straw Hats and the Franky Family would become allies and they forgive each other.
- Darkest Hour: An entire arc of it. Things don't get this dark again until Sabaody.
- Decoy Protagonist: At first, Paulie or Kaku were expected to be the next Straw Hat member with their unique fighting styles and personalities. Then it turns out to be Franky.
- Didn't See That Coming: Iceburg had a pretty good plan in place to outmaneuver the World Government agents coming after the Pluton blueprints. He would send Paulie after fake blueprints to lure them out of hiding, then he would shoot and kill Nico Robin, denying the World Government the means of finding the existing Pluton while the real blueprints are safe in Franky's care. Two things he didn't anticipate caused this plan to fail, however. The first was the 'demon' Robin telling him she was sacrificing herself to save her friends, which humanized her in his eyes enough that he couldn't bring himself to kill her. The second was the CP9 members having been undercover in Galley-la for longer than he thought. They had been present when Cutty Flam returned and knew he was still alive, and therefore the obvious person to have the blueprints after they confirmed Iceburg had given them to someone already.
- Did We Just Have Tea with Cthulhu?: Franky actually turns out to be a pretty decent person after capturing Usopp, offering him tea and ultimately even planning to let him go (not before CP9 enters, anyway).
- The Dog Was the Mastermind: The four masked CP9 members who forced Robin to work with them and tried to kill Iceburg turn out to be 1) Rob Lucci, the pigeon-ventriloquist shipwright; 2) Kaku, the polite long-nosed shipwright; 3) Blueno, the barkeep at the bar where Franky, Kokoro, and Chimney were drinking; and 4) Kalifa, Iceburg's Sexy Secretary. Bet you didn't see that coming. Especially notable in Kaku's case since, up until The Reveal, some fans were hoping that he would become the Straw Hats' new shipwright crew member.
- Drowning My Sorrows: Kokoro is not seen drinking in the flashback sequence until Tom's been taken to Impel Down and Franky is believed dead. Iceburg mentions that when they next meet, they'll drink to something happier.
- Evil All Along: Lucci, Kaku, Kalifa, and Blueno, Iceburg's friends who were actually government CP9 assassins sent to spy on him and who later try to kill him.
- Exact Words:
- CP9 promised Robin that the Straw Hats, excepting her, would be free to depart Water 7 alive. They carry this out by not explicitly killing or imprisoning any of the crew, but that's about all. Luffy and Zoro were both flung into the sea, Nami was knocked unconscious and dropped at the feet of the Galley-la employees who wanted to lynch her for killing Iceburg, Chopper was buried under a pile of rubble in a burning building and since Usopp had left the crew they arrested him for being a pirate.
- Iceburg refers to Kokoro as an old drinking buddy of his. They do meet up for drinks these days, but the flashback sequence shows them to be practically family when they were both part of Tom's Workers.
- Face–Heel Turn: Robin appears to have done one. Turns out she was given a Sadistic Choice.
- A Father to His Men: Franky immediately ran out in search for Luffy after the latter and three other crew members beat up the former's gang and wrecked his house.
- Fighting Your Friend: Refusing to believe the Going Merry is beyond saving, Usopp's argument with Luffy escalates to a duel to decide what to do with it.
- Foreshadowing:
- Before arriving at Water 7, Luffy draws a picture
◊ of what his future shipwright should look like. It happened to look a lot like Franky. - Enies Lobby is mentioned in passing before it becomes the focus of the next arc.
- When talking about the Franky Family, Iceburg warns not to underestimate Franky himself. This hints two things; one, that Franky isn't some common thug, and two, that he and Iceburg are closer than you'd suspect.
- The Gates of Justice, Impel Down, and Marineford are also mentioned in passing, foreshadowing the Summit War Saga.
- Franky's conversation with Kokoro has the latter warn him about a branch of Cipher Pol so secretive that its existed in rumor, and their possible involvement with Iceburg.
- It's also mentioned how strange it is that there's a Sea Train scheduled to arrive during the Aqua Laguna. It's later revealed that CP9 plan to make their getaway on it.
- Paulie and Lulu express suspicion and hostility towards the World Government agents that keep harassing Iceburg, while Lucci and Kaku try to dismiss the concerns and warn against antagonizing the World Government. Guess which pair are secretly World Government assassins?
- Usopp and Franky's talk about the Going Merry establishes that the ship is alive to some extent and capable of moving and acting on its own. It sails itself to rescue the Straw Hats at the conclusion of the following arc.
- A minor example: after being forced to give the money back and whacked upside the head, Paulie ropes Lucci and swings him in an attempt to throw him into the ground. Lucci manages to break the fall, landing perfectly on one hand, with his fingers digging into the cement. Of course, it's later revealed that Lucci's a member of CP9, skilled in Rokushiki which includes the ability to strengthen muscles to protect from damage as well as reinforce their fingers for the shigan (finger pistol) attacks.
- When Luffy asks Paulie for a ship through Aqua Laguna and Paulie explains only the Sea Train could make it through and there's only one that's already left, a cutaway shows Kokoro taking a swig of her drink while listening closely to the conversation. After Luffy makes it clear that the Straw Hats don't care about the risks and is about to fight Paulie for a ship, Kokoro defuses the conflict by revealing she knows of another Sea Train.
- On the way to Enies Lobby, Kokoro is seen understanding and casually chatting with the frog Yokozuna. The next arc would reveal she's a mermaid.
- There are a number of disparaging comments directed at Tom, particularly from Spandam, that reference his being a Fishman. The Sabaody Arc establishes that endemic racism towards Fishmen has been a long time problem.
- Before arriving at Water 7, Luffy draws a picture
- Frame-Up -> Clear My Name: As a result of Robin, a known Straw Hat member, working with Iceburg's masked shooter and being present for the shooting, Iceburg (and everyone else) assumes that the Straw Hats were behind the assassination attempt, and the entire town immediately turns against them. The Straw Hats then decide to catch Robin in the act to figure out who's really trying to kill Iceburg, although it's less about changing public opinion of them and more about trying to find out what's really going on with Robin.
- From Bad to Worse: Let's see — being told the Going Merry is irreparable, losing their hard-earned money from Skypiea, Usopp leaving the Straw Hats and fighting Luffy over the ship, Robin disappearing and the crew being pinned the blame on Iceburg's assassination attempt, and of course the incident in the city's town hall the following night.
- Giant Wall of Watery Doom: The Aqua Laguna.
- Harsher in Hindsight: In-Universe, as lampshaded by Nami: after Usopp quits the crew and Robin disappears, the adventures that the crew has had together are this for all of them.Nami: All the fun times we had up until this morning...it's like they never happened!
- Hope Spot: Near the end of the arc, Usopp/Sogeking, Sanji, and Franky succeed in getting Robin away from the CP9 and separating their train carriages. Then one of the CP9 uses his Devil Fruit Powers to re-capture her. It doesn't help that Robin resists the attempts to rescue her due to her deal with the CP9 to not hurt the Straw Hats.
- Hourglass Plot: When the arc begins, Franky is set up to be the Arc Villain and the Galley-La employees are friendly enough that any of them could potentially join the Straw Hats as their new shipwright. However, as the arc progresses, the shipwrights of Galley-La were revealed to be moles working for the World Government and Franky becomes an ally.
- Hypocrite/Moral Myopia: The Franky Family tries to kill Zoro and rob the Going Merry while he's alone on board; when that, naturally, fails, they later kidnap Usopp, beat him up quite badly, and steal the money he was carrying, then beat him up again when he tries to come get it back. Their actions, of course, piss off the rest of the Straw Hats, and all of the other male members proceed to break into their fortress, destroy it, and beat the crap out of everyone there (which does not include Franky himself, since he was gone at the time). Franky then has the gall to swear revenge against the Straw Hats and treats what they've done to his men as an unforgivable crime, even though those same men were the ones who started the whole conflict in the first place. While they were bounty hunters stealing from pirates, the Straw Hats specifically did not do anything to incur their wrath; the Franky Family just wanted the money, and so their attacks were entirely unprovoked. Franky seemed to see it as Pay Evil unto Evil, as he assumed that as pirates, the Straw Hats stole the money in the first place.
- Improbable Weapon User: Most of the Galley-La use saws, scalpels, and wooden beams as weapons. Paulie even uses ropes and knots.
- I Warned You: In Franky's flashback, Iceburg was constantly telling Franky not to build battleships for hunting Sea Kings and then leave them lying around. Spandam uses these ships to frame Tom, leading Iceburg to drop this trope onto Franky one more time.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Kaku throwing the Going Merry out into the sea to scrap it is cold and callous, but also the correct course of action. All the shipwrights who opine on the matter, even the more sympathetic ones like Iceburg and Paulie, agree that Merry can't sail further and should be decommissioned. A few minutes before CP9's arrival, Franky was about to dismantle the ship himself, albeit in a more delicate and respectful manner.
- Kick the Dog: Invoked. Lucci tells Paulie that if the idea that himself, Kaku, Kalifa, and Bluneo are actually Government agents is too hard to believe, he is willing to step on Iceburg's face to help convince him.
- Local Hangout: Blueno's Bar serves as one for Franky, Kokoro (and Chimney), and implicitly most if not all of Dock One's foremen. Which makes it an extra kick in the teeth when the big reveal rolls around.
- Loved by All: Save for the government spies, everyone on Water Seven adores Iceberg, and immediately turn against the Straw Hats when it looks like Robin shot him. It's also implied that even CP9 like Iceberg, as Kalifa outright states that they wanted to be able to complete their mission without hurting him.
- Love Dodecahedron: The railway employees think this is going on with Nami, Paulie, Sanji, Franky, and Usopp.
- Mêlée à Trois: Luffy and Franky are fighting over their respective grudges (Luffy wants revenge for the Franky Family attacking and robbing Usopp while Franky wants revenge against Luffy for destroying his house). Then the Galley-La shipwrights attack Luffy, mistakenly believing that he sent Robin to shoot their leader Iceburg while also attacking Franky for getting in their way.
- Misblamed: See "It Got Worse".
- The Mole: It's quite frightening that three of the moles were actually in Iceburg's inner circle and the fourth one was a regular he interacted with. Kalifa was even planted by the government even before Iceburg became mayor, knowing he had the blueprints for Pluton.
- Moment of Weakness: While in a heated argument with Usopp, Luffy tells him that if Usopp didn't like the way he did things then he should just leave the crew. Sanji immediately stepped in to shut Luffy up, and Luffy apologized as soon as he realized what he'd said. But the damage had been done, Usopp took Luffy at his word, and (temporarily) left the crew. However, Zoro does point out that Luffy was indeed the captain and he ultimately has to do what's best for the crew even if the rest don't always agree as in this case, otherwise he'd never grow as a captain.
- Mood Whiplash: As Chopper happily claims the crew's arrival in Water 7 is the best day ever, Robin has an encounter with a CP9 agent, and things get dark after that.
- Mook Horror Show: the Straw Hats' raid on the Franky House. As Luffy, Zoro, Sanji and Chopper plow through the Franky Family's defenses, slap aside their attacks, and systematically block the exits, the gang members keep freaking out over what's happening.
- Mr. Vice Guy: Paulie, whose Establishing Character Moment was running from a bunch of debtors.
- Mugging the Monster: In the Franky Family's first appearance, they attempted to attack Zoro while he was sleeping. After that, they attacked Lucci and Paulie. And later, after they beat up Usopp and stole the crew's money, they had to deal with Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Chopper.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: Iceburg. He kept government agents at bay for years thanks to this.
- Paper-Thin Disguise: Usopp's Sogeking disguise consists of him wearing a mask and cape. With his long nose still sticking out of the mask. And while still wearing his regular clothes and all his bandages. And calling out attack/shot names that Usopp uses. Sanji nonetheless tries to play along and call him "Sogeking", but slips and calls him "Usopp" during tense situations.
- Poor Communication Kills: Usopp interprets Luffy's decision to stop trying to fix the unfixable Merry in the worst possible way, assuming he's just 'dumping' whatever becomes useless. He also fails to tell anyone that he suspects Merry's sentient, which would've gone a long way toward explaining his behavior.
- Also, Luffy struggles with this a little bit; rather than tell Usopp straight away that the Merry can't be fixed, he goes out of his way to avoid saying this (since he himself doesn't want to admit it), instead just saying that he's "decided to change ships." This greatly offends Usopp, and by the time Luffy finally forces the words out to say that Going Merry is irreparable, Usopp is already too angry with Luffy to listen to reason.
- Properly Paranoid: Iceburg handed the Pluton blueprints off to Franky (who was thought to be dead) because he believes the World Government is on him. He was right.
- Rage Breaking Point: Luffy and Usopp's argument over keeping the Going Merry gets increasingly heated, but what provokes Luffy into tackling Usopp and about to tell him to leave the crew is Usopp accusing him of having never cared about the Merry. Sanji breaks up the fight for a while, warning Luffy that he may not be able to take back his words if left unchecked.
- Rank Scales with Asskicking: Subverted with Iceburg. He is a very good shipwright, but lacks any fighting ability.
- The Reveal:
- The identities of the CP9 assassins who tried to kill Iceburg; see The Dog Was the Mastermind above.
- Iceburg possessed blueprints to an ancient weapon, but passed them to his fellow apprentice under Tom. The apprentice? Cutty Flam, currently known as Franky.
- Robin didn't truly betray the Straw Hats, but was forced into a Sadistic Choice in order to save their lives.
- Senseless Sacrifice: A non-fatal version happens on the sea train, when Franky helps separate the car Sanji, Robin and Sogeking are from the one the CP9 agents are on, in hopes that it will help Robin get away. Unfortunately, Blueno uses his Devil Fruit powers to bridge the gap between the cars and take Robin away, resulting in the heroes losing both Franky and Robin for the moment.
- Shoo Out the Clowns: As an employee of Galley-La, Lucci is a charming, quirky shipwright who speaks through a pigeon. When he's revealed as a member of CP9, he speaks normally.
- Something Only They Would Say: When Kalifa tells Iceburg that "Cutty Flam" is here to see him, he knows it's really Cutty despite the man supposedly having died years ago because he's wearing a speedo, Cutty's trademark choice of attire.
- Tears from a Stone: During Luffy and Usopp's fight, water splashes on Merry's figurehead in a way that makes it look like the ship is crying.
- Theseus' Ship Paradox: Discussed. Luffy suggests that Galley-la build a new Going Merry exactly the same as the original, but the shipwrights explain that would be impossible; Ships are made from wood, and no tree is exactly alike. Ergo, the second ship would still be different, and the ones who would feel that the strongest would be the Straw Hats themselves.
- Took a Level in Badass: Usopp during his fight against Luffy. He doesn't win, but surprisingly manages to give Luffy a very tough time during the bout with his use of weapons.
- Undying Loyalty: Franky Family are extremely loyal to Franky, willing to go to Enies Lobby to rescue their leader. Likewise, Paulie, Lulu and Tilestone wanted to get even with their previous friends who tried to assassinate Iceburg.
- Use Your Head: In episode 239, in the anime only, Nami escapes from a man holding her by headbutting him.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: It's revealed that Franky and Iceburg were once this. The "vitriol" part was really emphasized as their reunion since Tom's death had both of them viciously arguing over his memory, and blaming each other for it. However, Iceburg was reduced to tears of joy from Franky alive again, and likewise Franky was stunned when CP9 told him that they had killed him (they didn't thanks to the last minute rescue from Chopper but still...).
- Wham Episode: Try a Wham Arc!
- Wham Line: The shipwrights tell Luffy and Nami that they have no way of fixing the Going Merry because the keel, the crucial backbone of any ship, is too damaged and there is no way to replace it. Things go downhill from here.
- Wham Shot: Franky throwing a stubborn Usopp underwater to show him the irreparable damage to Going Merry's keel.
- The Worf Effect: Luffy and Zoro both get owned easily when fighting the CP9 members in Iceburg's room. This trope especially comes into play when considering that, the next time they meet (at Enies Lobby), the battles aren't nearly so one-sided. That's because...
- Worf Had the Flu: Nami states that, since the rest of the Straw Hats were confused and uncertain due to Robin's abandonment, they were fighting with hesitation in their hearts. However, once they know that Robin did not betray them and needs saving, they will all fight much harder in the ensuing Roaring Rampage of Rescue.
Story Impact
- Franky and his past are introduced leading to him becoming the Shipwright of the Straw Hat Pirates.
- More of Roger's life as a pirate is shown, as his ship was called the Oro Jackson and was built by Franky's mentor Tom.
- Luffy and Zoro first begin being recognized for their bounties in this arc. The Franky Family identifies Zoro upon attacking him on the Going Merry, and recognize Luffy once the Straw Hats attack the Franky House.
- More of the World Government's secret actions are revealed, such as their underhanded methods of willing to do anything for what they want. Such as in Franky's past would show how Spandam and other government agents were fine with framing him, Iceburg and Tom and killing of other people without remorse, foreshadowing their ruthless nature into Robin's past in the Enies Lobby Arc and their doctrine of Absolute Justice.
- The Ancient Weapon Pluton, first mentioned by Crocodile in Arabasta, is revealed to have blueprints that have been passed down through various shipwrights of Water 7.
- Secret agents of the World Government, that are assassins are shown called CP9, as well as others mentioned that go from CP1 to CP8.
- The maintenance check on the Going Merry reveals that it cannot be used anymore leading Luffy to abandon their previous objective of using their new money to fix the Merry, and instead the money would be used to purchase a new ship, which would eventually lead the Straw Hat Pirates to get the Thousand Sunny.
- Most of the money that the Straw Hats acquired from Sky Island would be taken by Franky for him to buy the Adam Wood, which would be used to build the Thousand Sunny in the Post-Enies Lobby Arc.
- Robin and Usopp leave the crew for their own reasons:
- Usopp leaves over his own weakness as a fighter and his stubbornness over how he believes Luffy is giving up the ship like he's abandoning a friend and his refusal to abandon the ship. However, he is fully aware that the Going Merry cannot be used again and yet his stubbornness caused him to leave. His desertion would also cause him to masquerade as Sogeking during the battle at Enies Lobby though everyone excluding Luffy and Chopper are not fooled by his disguise.
- Robin's reason is over her being blackmailed by CP9 and if she does not do what they want the rest of the crew will be killed and she'd rather have the whole world destroyed than lose the first real friends she's ever made. This would result in the Straw Hats traveling to Enies Lobby the following arc to save her.
- CP9, a secret organization, is introduced, along with the fighting technique they use, Rokushiki. Other Marine officers would be seen using this.
- Luffy cites his observation of Rokushiki this arc, specifically Soru, as a direct inspiration for Gear Second during his fight with Blueno in Enies Lobby.
- CP9 is revealed to have the authority to summon an island-destroying fleet of battleships, known as the Buster Call.
- Nami introduced the Gates of Justice and the three main government facilities that it guards: Enies Lobby, Marine Headquarters, and Impel Down, foreshadowing the Summit War Saga.
- Nami unveils the completed Perfect Clima-Tact, an upgraded model of the original Clima-Tact created by Usopp after he had mistakenly designed a joke weapon. This was his last work before he left the crew, fashioned by implanting Dials from Skypiea in her staff. Now that the Clima-Tact is a competent weapon instead of a comedic party favor, Nami begins to engage in more riveting and serious fights against her opponents.
- Sanji using knifes as a fighting method similar to swords will later be revealed to be related to his distant past.
- The Straw Hats make their first alliance with outside organizations in order to achieve a mutual goal, allying themselves with the Galley-La foremen and the Franky Family in order to defeat CP9.
- The events of this arc again bring the Straw Hat Pirates in direct conflict with the World Government, as the actions of CP9 against Iceburg and Robin pull Luffy into the fray.
