"Boss! Those three from the Straw Hat Contractors just smashed all the ships! Even ours is gone! What do we do?"

"Destroyed?" Franky, piloting his bulky lumberjack mech, looked surprised for a moment before grinning. "If they’re destroyed, they’re destroyed! No need to panic. Actually... those guys did me a huge favor."

He had stayed up all night building the ’Franky Lumberjack Shogun’ just for this event. He had prepared for every possible contingency to secure first place and claim that Romance Dawn VIP card.

He glanced down helplessly at the Straw Hat Kid, whose eyes were still sparkling with unrestrained excitement.

"Hey, have you looked enough? We’re in the middle of a competition here!"

"Can I pilot it for a bit?" Luffy hadn’t heard a word Franky said. "That’s amazing! It’s a real robot! Do you want to join my crew?"

Franky sweatdropped. Could this kid even understand human speech? And shouldn’t he be worrying about his own stranded team?

He didn’t have time to fool around. He needed that VIP card.

"Your friends are here," Franky pointed toward the beach.

Sure enough, three figures emerged from the tree line, all grinning maliciously at Franky’s mech.

"So you’re the bastard who sank our boat?"

"You made us search everywhere for you."

"It’s a robot, too."

Seeing their menacing expressions, Franky felt a brief wave of panic inside his cockpit. But before the trio could attack, Luffy turned his head in surprise.

"Huh? You guys are here?"

Instantly, the three glares shifted from Franky directly onto Luffy.

"You have the nerve to act surprised?!"

"You just took the ship and abandoned us!"

"Do you know this Moss Head almost drowned?!"

"Who almost drowned, Curly Brows?!"

"You did, Moss Head!"

Luffy just laughed as Zoro and Sanji immediately resumed their bickering. "Shishishi! You guys get along so well! Do you want to be friends and join my crew, Curly Brows?"

"Who gets along well? Are you blind? And I’m not your friend!" Sanji shouted. He flicked his cigarette away in annoyance. "Join your crew? To do what, chop wood together?"

Why would he abandon his culinary dreams to work construction?

But before Luffy could respond, the mech interrupted them.

"Alright, shut up! This game ends now. I’ve got a date at Romance Dawn!" Franky’s metallic voice boomed. "Also, thanks for destroying the competition’s transport!"

That pulled their attention back immediately.

"You’re too arrogant!"

"The Premium VIP card is mine!"

"All the ships are gone. How are you going to transport your wood?" Sanji demanded.

"Ship?" Franky’s mech hoisted its massive bundle of timber smoothly. "Who said I was going to sail back?"

The three of them stared blankly.

"Lumberjack Shogun, show these ignorant fools what you can do! SUPER! Transform!"

Under everyone’s bewildered gaze, the robot retracted its electric saw and spread its bulky arms. Then, from the back of the chassis... a single propeller extended.

Where was the transformation? It was literally just a propeller.

"Speechless, right? I can fly!" Franky announced proudly. "Well then, goodbye. The prize belongs to the Robot Team."

The propeller spun to life, kicking up a strong gale. Carrying several heavy logs, the mech slowly lifted off the ground. With all other ships destroyed, he was the only one who could make it back. He had won.

Franky was already debating which premium meal set to order at Romance Dawn when a very happy voice rang out right outside his cockpit.

"That’s amazing! It can fly?! Let me ride it! Please!"

Franky panicked. "Hey! How did you get on my back?! Get the hell off!?"

--**--**

"All the ships have been destroyed! Every single one was smashed by the Straw Hat Contractors!" Genny’s voice echoed across the main island.

"What are they trying to do? They didn’t leave a single vessel intact!"

"Wait, the Straw Hat Team is making moves at the main base too! Usopp and the tanuki are burning down the other teams construction zones! And that tanuki... it actually transformed into a giant monster?!"

"I’m a reindeer! I told you I’m a reindeer!" Chopper’s furious roar echoed through the microphone.

"I see!" Genny said, realization dawning. "They plan to destroy everyone’s bases, forcing this competition into a draw!"

"But aren’t they worried about retaliation?" 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"The other teams on the island have all been beaten down by Zoro, Sanji, and Helmeppo! As for the bases... the guards left behind are no match for Usopp and the giant tanuki!"

"It looks like this will end in a draw! No, wait, another unexpected development! The Robot Team’s mech can fly?! Did Usopp anticipate this?"

"He did not! His jaw has hit the floor. The flight capability caught the Straw Hat Team completely off guard!"

"Will the Robot Team take the win? Oh, no, another accident! Luffy has latched onto the flying robot! His body is stretching like rubber! He’s a Devil Fruit user! The mech is starting to wobble under the shifting weight. It can’t maintain altitude! Is it going to crash?!"

"This competition is pure chaos!"

Outside the arena, the spectators watched with bated breath. This was too exciting. What was supposed to be a simple tower-building contest had devolved into a brutal survival match just to bring a single plank of wood back.

Now, whoever managed to stand a single piece of timber upright would be crowned the winner.

Dante watched the screens speechlessly. He had organized this just to clear some dead timber off the neighboring island, but with those troublemakers involved, a normal outcome was impossible.

Noticing Mihawk stand up, Dante turned his head. "Not watching anymore?"

Without a word, Mihawk turned and walked away.

"I suppose it’s over," Dante murmured, unbothered by the swordsman’s departure. He watched as Franky’s crashing mech was swarmed by the furious competitors. Then, he noticed Usopp pulling a small, pristine wooden strip from his overalls on the main island.

Dante shook his head and smiled. "It really is over."

===============

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