A few days later.
G-17 Branch military port.
"Bastard! Why am I the one staying behind again?!"
Smoker had two cigars in his mouth. He crushed the stamped Temporary Acting Base Commander Order in his hand and shouted at Aiden, who was already standing on the deck.
"I want to go to Water 7 too! I heard the Water Meat there is delicious! Plus, I want to get a new hairstyle!"
"It can't be helped, Smoker."
Aiden leaned on the railing and spread his hands.
"The base can't function without you. How could I leave the base without worrying if you aren't staying here?"
"Cut the crap!" Smoker cursed in annoyance. "You just want to slack off! And why do you have to bring Issho? Wouldn't you feel at ease if he stayed at the base?"
"Issho is my special advisor, and..."
Aiden glanced at Issho, who was resting his eyes next to him, and said,
"I'm going on this trip to custom-order a ship. With the help of Issho's Gravity-Gravity Fruit, wouldn't moving the keel and installing the armor be much faster? Once the work goes faster, I can come back sooner."
Smoker stared at him, speechless.
So you're using a man that strong as a crane?
"Alright, stop complaining. I'll bring you back some local specialties."
Without waiting for Smoker to say anything else, Aiden waved his hand to signal their departure.
Actually, Aiden had wanted to go to Water 7 to custom-order his own warship for a long time.
He was now the famous Rear Admiral "Reaper," after all. He was also one of the strongest Marines on the sea. With his status, what would it look like if he always traveled on a standard Marine warship when going out on business or traveling through the New World?
If others saw it, they would think Aiden couldn't afford a custom ship!
This time, he was using the excuse of compensating Instructor Zephyr with a ship to properly customize one for himself as well.
On this trip to Water 7, he wasn't just going to build a ship. He was going to build the best one.
Every wooden part that mattered would use Treasure Tree Adam. He would use whatever was most expensive.
The main point was simple: don't ask if it was necessary. If anyone asked, the answer was that he had money and was happy to build it that way.
...
Days of sailing were always dull.
However, for Aiden and Issho, this was also a rare time to relax. The two occasionally drank tea and played board games on the deck, and sometimes they sparred and exchanged ideas about using Observation Haki. It was quite relaxing.
After sailing for about five days.
Different sights began to appear on the previously empty sea.
Rumble... Rumble...
Along with deep, steady rumbling, pillars of white steam rose from the sea in the distance.
A faint smell of soot and machine oil filled the air.
Aiden stood at the bow. He held the railing and looked ahead.
There, a long steel track stretched across the rough sea. It went all the way to the end of their sight.
"How amazing..."
Issho stood behind Aiden. Although his eyes were slightly closed, his Observation Haki allowed him to sense the scale and difficulty of the scene before them far better than an ordinary person.
"Building a fixed road on the sea itself. Tom really is an amazing shipwright."
"Yeah."
Aiden nodded and explained.
"The Sea Train. This is the method Water 7 came up with to save itself. Although this city is prosperous, it suffers from the yearly tsunami, Aqua Laguna, every year. On top of that, the sea level around the island keeps rising, and the old city area is being swallowed by seawater little by little."
"If they can't connect Water 7 to other islands through this railway and restore trade, this capital of shipbuilding will eventually die between lost trade and the yearly tsunami."
Right at that moment.
Boom!
A muffled explosion suddenly rang out near the section of track being built in the distance.
Immediately after, a small armed ship with a skull flag, though it did not look like a real pirate ship, released black smoke as it rammed the newly built bridge piers.
"Damn Government dogs! Tear all this scrap metal apart for me!"
A blue-haired young man wearing flashy swim trunks and sunglasses stood at the bow. He fired a homemade rocket launcher again and again while shouting.
"Mr. Tom doesn't need to rely on this kind of thing to atone for his crimes! This is a disgrace! It's the disgrace of bowing down to the Government! I, Cutty Flam, will never accept this thing!"
A Marine in the crow's nest immediately reported, "Base Commander! An unidentified armed ship has been spotted destroying public facilities ahead. Should we sink it?"
"Hold on."
Aiden raised his hand to stop his subordinate.
He looked at the young Franky in the distance and smiled.
"Relax. Those aren't pirates."
Aiden waved his hand, signaling the warship to sail around.
"That's just a stubborn brat throwing a tantrum in his own way."
"Throwing a tantrum?" Issho paused slightly. He then sensed the anger and pain in the boy's heart. He couldn't help but smile. "I see. His methods are a bit extreme, but his reasons aren't bad."
"Let's go. Ignore him. We're here to do business, not to discipline a rebellious teenager for his parents."
Aiden looked away.
The current Franky didn't yet understand Tom's greatness. One day, when he understood, he would truly inherit Tom's will.
...
Two hours later, the warship slowly sailed into Water 7's outer port.
However, the scene before them was very different from the busy Water 7 Aiden remembered.
The sky was gloomy and low.
The port, which should have been full of ships, seemed unusually deserted right now. Large numbers of dockyard gates were tightly shut. Rusted iron locks hung on the doors, making it clear they hadn't been working for a long time.
Most of the shipbuilding company signs that once represented Water 7's glory had peeled and faded. Only a few were still holding on.
Although the entire city was still grand, and the layers of buildings built along the water remained impressive, the streets were far too quiet.
It felt like a city slowly falling apart.
"Is this Water 7..."
Issho tilted his head slightly. Though they hadn't entered yet, his Observation Haki sensed the emotions around him.
The city did not feel lively. It felt afraid.
"This city doesn't sound prosperous. It sounds afraid."
Issho sighed. He gently tapped his cane sword against the deck.
"The people here are scared."
"That's normal."
Aiden looked at the dykes crumbling in the wind and waves.
"After the Great Pirate Era began, pirates became more active. Merchant ships didn't dare set sail, so trade decreased. Without orders, the capital of shipbuilding naturally took the hardest hit."
"On top of that, the yearly Aqua Laguna can become a fatal disaster for the people here."
The two changed into casual clothes and stepped off the warship.
There were very few pedestrians on the streets. Most people hurried along with tired, worried faces.
Only an odd-looking sea creature mount, the Bull, occasionally passing by was the only lively thing on the street.
"Let's find a place to eat first."
Aiden led Issho to an open-air restaurant nearby that was still open for business.
The owner was an elderly man. Seeing customers arrive, he forced out a smile and recommended the local specialty.
"Guests, would you like to try our local specialty, Water Meat? This meat is tender and juicy. It's something you can't eat anywhere else."
"Then bring us two large plates and a jug of good liquor."
It didn't take long for the steaming Water Meat to be served.
The meat had a unique texture and looked translucent. Taking a bite, the savory juices burst in the mouth. It was indeed a rare delicacy.
"Mhm! Delicious!"
Issho's mouth was covered in grease as he ate.
"Is this Water Meat? It certainly lives up to its reputation. Paired with this liquor, it's perfect."
Aiden looked at the rows of empty tables and chairs around them. The owner kept glancing at the empty seats, then at the street outside.
"The taste is good, but a pity..."
Aiden put down his glass. He looked out the window at the rising water level and the residents moving away in the distance to avoid the tsunami.
"This city is in bad shape."
"If they don't open up traffic on the sea, and if they don't restore trade, Water 7 will sooner or later collapse completely from being cut off from supplies."
"I see. No wonder you said earlier that the child attacking the sea railway was just a stubborn brat."
"He only saw the humiliation in front of him. He didn't see that Master Tom was trying to save Water 7."
"Yeah."
Having said that, Aiden stood up. He slapped a large handful of Berries onto the table. It served as payment, and he left extra money for the owner.
"Let's go, Issho."
Aiden straightened his collar. He didn't choose to keep strolling through the depressing city. Instead, he turned his gaze to the edge of the city, toward Scrap Island piled with discarded shipwrecks.
That was the dark side of Water 7. It was where abandoned ships ended up.
But in Aiden's perception, it was also the only place in this quiet city that still felt active.
"Since we're here, let's take care of business first."
"Let's go meet Mr. Tom."
The two left the city district. They followed the rundown coastal road and walked straight toward the direction filled with the smell of machine oil and the sound of hammering.
As they got closer to Scrap Island, the rotten smell in the air faded. Taking its place was the sharp smell of rust and the steady sound of hammering.
At least here, people were still working.
Scrap Island, Tom's Workers.
Under the old bridge, next to piles of scrap iron, a few shipwrights were working hard.
When Aiden arrived with Issho, followed by a few soldiers carrying money chests, the noisy hammering gradually stopped.
Everyone looked over warily.
Especially when they saw Aiden's group and the large chests behind them, the atmosphere became tense.
"Marines?"
A young man wearing glasses and a striped suit immediately blocked the large, faded iron door of the workshop. It was Iceburg, who was still Tom's secretary at the time.
He pushed up his glasses and blocked the door more firmly.
"If you are here for official business, please go to Dock 3 in the east for the regular government inspection. Someone there handles that."
"If it's about something else..."
Iceburg quietly stood in front of the entrance. His tone was stiff.
"Mr. Tom is currently in the critical phase of the Sea Train project. He's very busy and has no time for guests."
Ever since Tom received a suspended sentence for building the Pirate King's ship, this place had become a key surveillance target for the World Government and Cipher Pol.
Over the past few years, whether it was for the blueprints or simply to pick a fight, all kinds of people showing up under the excuse of an inspection had never stopped. As his disciple, Iceburg had long mastered the skill of turning people away, and he was full of caution toward these so-called officials.
"Don't be so tense."
Aiden took off his sunglasses, showing his now-famous face.
"I'm not here to arrest anyone, and I'm not here to pick a fight. I'm here to do business with you."
"Are you... 'Reaper' Aiden?"
The moment he saw Aiden's face clearly, Iceburg stopped moving for a second. His hand shifted closer to the short gun inside his coat.
This was the Marine rising star everyone was talking about, known for being ruthless with pirates. He was the new Marine hero who had defeated Golden Lion.
For Tom, who carried the crime of being Roger's shipwright, someone like this suddenly showing up with people didn't look like he was here for business at all.
Instead, it looked more like...
A purge.
Was the World Government going to cancel Tom's suspended sentence?
Iceburg's body tensed. His fingers rested near the gun inside his coat, but he did not pull it out.
To Be Continued
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