Steel Heart

Ch 10 - Comrades and Cannons

The train pushed through the underground canals at breakneck speed. Luffy sat outside at the front with his rubber arms wrapped tightly around the chimney. All the passengers were holding on to whatever they could in order to stop themselves from falling over or injuring themselves...Everyone, except Nana.

She had her back turned to the window and was oblivious to where they were heading. Instead, her attention was focused on the steam gauge and the firebox. She would check on the water pressure and then swiftly throw in more coal into the furnace after a few minutes. The temperature in the cab was steadily rising and Granny Kokoro had her head stuck out the window, partially to keep cool but most importantly so she could spot the tracks when they reach the sea. Nana was undeterred by the heat and wasn't even sweating that much under her helmet. By her feet, Pygmy was curled up into a ball and was napping comfortably.

The further they pulled away from warehouse, the more worried Nana was for Franky. When they had shot off, Nana had caught the distressed look on Iceberg's face. She knew he was feeling the same thing as her...and although she had never met Nico Robin, Nana was concerned for her too. The image of Luffy angrily defending her back at Dock #1 was imprinted firmly in her brain. Robin should know how highly her crew thought of her...but then again, considering she had laid down her life in exchange for theirs, she probably already did.

"Get ready, Nana-chan," Granny Kokoro warned with an inebriated laugh, "We're coming out to sea in a few minutes."

Nana said nothing and just placed her hammer on the steel floor with the head down while continuing to check on the pipes and steam gauge. She held onto the handle with one hand and placed her other hand on her hip.

Granny Kokoro chuckled, "Is that going to hold you down?"

"There is a strong magnet in this hammer," Nana replied, "i just turned it on so it should be locked to the floor now."

Granny Kokoro took a gulp from her bottle and smiled at the back of Nana's head. She liked the girl a lot. She had a lot of spunk.

Nana felt the floor shift beneath her feet. The train had started to tilt down without any signs of slowing. They flew down the canal like a chute in a water park, causing enormous water and wind to fly out from the sides of the wheels.

"H-H-Hey, monster granny!" Luffy shouted from outside, "Are we falling?"

Kokoro laughed, "The exit is real close now. We'll keep on going and go down in one shot."

"What?! No way!" Nana heard Nami's voice call out from the passenger car behind them.

"Almost there, Nana," Kokoro warned and that's when Nana turned to look out the window. She held her hammer tightly and a smile sprouted across her lips.

They shot out of the canal like a cannon and were rocketing out 30 feet above the sea water. "Wahoooo!" Luffy cheered.

There was a loud crash from the back of the train and Nana felt a slight push forward as they slammed into the water. It slowed down the train tremendously. Granny laughed as she continued to lean out the window. "Looks like the Franky Family's got the highest grade bulls."

Nana stuck her head out of the other window and looked behind. The Franky Family had fired their connection cannons to the back of the train and it was now pulling them and their two King Bulls, Sodom and Gomorrah. Behind the bulls was the Franky Family's own ship.

"You idiots!" Zoro's head popped out from a window and he shook his fist angrily at the King bulls, "Don't be so reckless!"

"Thank you for your help!" The Franky Family replied cheekily.