Come On, Ride That Train

This fucking guy. A coward, a moron, but also a sadist with a massive ego and a huge sense of entitlement. Sure hope he's not going to be a major part of the next 7 volumes!

OK, recap going into One Piece, volume 38: The Straw Hats got their asses beat by government assassins. Robin's turned against them, Usopp (no longer on the crew) and the Going Merry were taken hostage by Franky. Franky, in turn, has been captured by the government assassins, who want the plans to ancient battleship he supposedly has.

The volume wraps up Franky's flashback, showing he somehow survived being run over by a train, and somehow rebuilt himself into a cyborg. When he returned to Water 7, Iceberg gave him the plans for the battleship and told him to change his name and scram. He did the first, but not the second, and now he's a prisoner. Worse, the guy commanding CP9 is the same dickhead that got Franky's mentor arrested in the first place.

Back at Galley-La HQ, Chopper gets himself, Nami, Iceberg and Paulie out of the burning building, and Iceberg explains that Robin is working with CP9 in exchange for the Straw Hats' safety. Leaving two of them to die in a burning building would suggest the promise isn't being kept, but at any rate, Robin's entirely willing to sacrifice herself (and possibly the rest of the world) for this little crew. This is great, because it means the Straw Hats can activate the Power of Friendship to go with the Power of Overcoming Odds! John Cena has nothing on shonen protagonists when it comes to overcoming odds!

But first they've got to find Luffy and Zoro, who were sent flying into the city by Rob Lucci, and do it before the Aqua Laguna inundates most of the city. Nami and Chopper manage it, barely, but the Sea Train's already departed to the Government judicial island, Ennies Lobby. So they've got to find another ship or train and pursue. A train that can't be stopped once it starts is perfect for Luffy.

But Robin has at least one friend aboard, as Sanji snuck aboard, and starts making his way to the front of the train. He finds Franky and Usopp, the latter of whom appears unwilling to help. But Usopp might just put in a call to the mysterious hero, the Sniper King, and see what he can do. . .