Maxim

You all are welcomed to my Discord Channel!

discord.gg/8qYFSnHHAs

--xLOVEx--

Later that day, the Straw Hat crew made their way back to the ruins of Shandora, moving quietly through the thick jungle. Last time, they had failed to locate Enel's flying ship, Maxim, but this time, Coby was there.

Coby led the crew through the dense jungle, pushing aside thick vines as they moved deeper into the cave systems beneath the ruins of Shandora.

"This place gives me the creeps," Usopp whispered, his eyes darting around nervously.

"Quit whining," Zoro grumbled, though he kept a hand on his swords, ready for anything. 

With a final turn the crew found a massive cavern inside. The crew's eyes widened as they took in the sight before them. Maxim, Enel's flying ship, stood in the center of the cavern, its golden frame gleaming even in the dim light. The ship was enormous, far larger than any of them had expected.

Luffy's jaw dropped. "Whoa! It's huge!"

"How the hell are we supposed to move that?" Sanji muttered, taking in the size of the ship.

Robin, more intrigued than worried, examined the intricate designs carved into the ship's hull. "This is no ordinary vessel. The craftsmanship is incredible."

Usopp, ever the inventor, couldn't help but marvel at the ship's structure. "It's like a floating fortress! I bet it's got all kinds of crazy weapons."

Nami, who had been calculating the logistics in her head, shook her head in disbelief. "There's no way we can take this thing with us. It's way too big."

"That is what she said," Coby grinned, making Nami choke on her words.

Nami's face turned red as she coughed, glaring at him. "What did you just say?"

Coby squeezed his chin, pretending to be deep in thought. "That choking is familiar too."

Nami slapped his arm, still sputtering. "You're such an idiot!"

Chuckling, Coby finally relented. "We're not taking the whole thing anyway. I had planned to copy Enel's power to fuel this ship with lightning, but right now, I can't do that."

Nami looked like she was about to cry. "Another treasure I can't take away? Why did you bring me here then?"

Luffy, curious as always, turned to Coby. "How does your power work anyway?"

Coby paused, considering his answer. He didn't want to lie to his friends, but he couldn't reveal everything either. So he went with a vague explanation. "As I fight, I gain insights into different abilities, but I need to build up enough points to actually turn those insights into usable skills. Basically, I have to fight a lot."

The crew's reactions varied. Usopp's eyes widened, clearly impressed. "So, you get stronger the more you fight? That's awesome!"

Sanji raised an eyebrow, taking a drag from his cigarette. "Sounds like a convenient way to level up, but it also means you're always looking for a fight."

Zoro nodded approvingly. "Fighting to get stronger, huh? I can get behind that."

Luffy, always eager for a challenge, grinned. "That means more fights! Let's keep going and get stronger together!"

Coby smiled, appreciating their reactions. They were his crew—his friends—and even though they didn't know everything about his powers, they accepted him without question.

As they stood in the massive cavern, surrounded by the awe-inspiring sight of Maxim, Coby gestured toward the ship. "We might not be able to take the whole thing, but there's plenty we can salvage. This ship has a lot of unique components—gold, dials, and other tech we can use."

Nami perked up at the mention of salvageable treasure. "Well, that's more like it! Let's see what we can get."

Coby looked around at the massive ship. "Don't remove any essentials from the ship. Only take things that aren't attached. I plan to come back for it later when I've figured out how to use lightning."

The crew nodded in agreement and entered the ship, ready to salvage whatever they could. The interior of Maxim was just as impressive as the outside—golden fixtures, advanced dials, and strange machinery lined the walls. It was clear that Enel had spared no expense in creating his flying fortress.

Luffy, of course, went straight for the dials. "Look at all this cool stuff!" He began grabbing the biggest ones he could find, completely ignoring whether or not they were actually detachable.

"Oi, Luffy! Don't take anything attached!" Zoro reminded him, grabbing a stack of weapons that looked like they'd come in handy.

Sanji wandered through the ship, his eyes landing on the luxurious kitchen. "I could make some serious meals with this setup," he muttered to himself as he inspected the high-end cooking gear. He carefully removed a set of pristine knives and a few unique spices, stashing them in his bag.

Meanwhile, Nami's eyes were practically glowing as she spotted stacks of gold coins and other valuables scattered throughout the ship. "Jackpot!" she exclaimed, stuffing her bags with as much as she could carry. "Don't worry, Coby! I'm only taking the loose stuff!"

Usopp and Chopper worked together, focusing on smaller dials and gadgets that could be useful for their ship. "These Jet Dials could come in handy if we ever need a quick power boost," Usopp said, pocketing a few of the devices.

Robin examined the ship calmly. Though she was more interested in the historical aspects of the ship, she didn't hesitate to take a few items of interest—particularly a set of old maps that looked like they might lead to other lost civilizations.

As they moved through the ship, Coby kept an eye on what they were taking. He didn't want to risk damaging Maxim before he had the chance to return for it. 

"Remember, no messing with the engine or any of the main controls," Coby called out, making sure everyone stayed on task.

Zoro hefted a large bag of weapons over his shoulder. "Yeah, yeah. We're not stupid."

Sanji nodded, adjusting the knives he had taken. "We're just grabbing the good stuff."

Luffy, now struggling with a pile of dials, grinned. "I'm taking all this! We're gonna have so much fun with these!"

Nami shot him a look. "Just don't lose any of it, Luffy. That's valuable!"

The crew spent the next hour carefully collecting everything they could carry, making sure to leave the main components of the ship intact. By the time they were done, they had gathered a sizable haul of dials, gold, weapons, and other treasures.

"Alright, that's enough," Coby said, looking around at the loot they had gathered. "Let's get out of here before someone notices we're gone."

Once they stood at the entrance of the cave, Nami wiped the sweat off her brow and turned to Coby, her expression serious. "What now? What if they find the ship before you come back to take it?"

Coby didn't hesitate. He raised the golden trident—Enel's weapon, which had remained in this form. Holding it firmly, he took a deep breath and struck the cave wall with all his strength.

The impact sent tremors through the cave, and the walls began to crack and crumble. Rocks and debris fell from above, and the entrance started to close up. The sound of collapsing stone echoed throughout the cavern as Coby continued hammering the trident against the walls.

Zoro stood nearby, arms crossed, watching as the cave began to collapse. "Looks like you've got this handled."

Luffy, always eager to help but with little understanding of subtlety, joined in by grabbing a boulder and throwing it against the wall. "Take that, cave!"

Nami rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile at Luffy's enthusiasm. "At least now we don't have to worry about anyone finding the ship."

Robin nodded thoughtfully. "It's a good solution. The ship will be safe here until we can return."

With the entrance now completely blocked off by a mountain of rubble, the crew stepped back, satisfied with their work. The cave was sealed tight, and no one would be getting inside without a considerable effort.

Coby wiped his hands on his pants, "That should do it. When we're ready to come back, we'll dig it out."

Nami tapped her foot impatiently. "Alright, then let's get out of here. We've got everything we need, and I don't want to hang around here any longer than we have to."

The crew gathered their haul and started making their way back through the dense jungle, heading towards the coastline where the Going Merry was anchored.

With that, their saga of Skypiea ended.

--

Read up to 100 chapters ahead!

patreon.com/pinkisjustice

Tell me what you think!