About an hour earlier, Ren and the others had arrived at Water 7.
The young Whitebeard, Newgate, had volunteered to stay behind and guard the ship.
Ren, Rocks, and the Twin Bear Brothers each carried a sack of treasure as they entered Water 7.
Not long after entering the city, they heard about the shipwright competition held once every four years.
They had come to Water 7 specifically to find a reliable shipwright to build them a ship, so naturally, they couldn’t afford to miss such a grand event.
If possible, Rocks also wanted to recruit a shipwright with exceptional skills to join the crew and handle the ship’s daily maintenance.
By the time Ren and the others arrived at the competition venue, the selection event had already ended.
The personal disciple of the president of Galley-La stood proudly on the winner’s podium.
Meanwhile, the young Fish-Man who had come in second was ignored by everyone and quietly left alone.
Rocks and the Twin Bear Brothers immediately decided to find the champion and commission him to build their ship.
Ren flatly rejected the idea.
Others might not know, but Ren knew better than anyone just how extraordinary the shipbuilding skills of the young Fish-Man named Tom were.
The title of World’s Greatest Shipwright wasn’t something he had earned through empty boasting!
Even the future Pirate King Roger’s ship had been built by his hands!
Rather than placing their hopes on some unfamiliar stranger, Ren naturally preferred dealing with an “acquaintance” like Tom.
And that was how they ended up meeting him.
…
…
Water 7, Backstreets, Beneath a Bridge
This was the headquarters of Tom’s Workers.
The small room was packed with all kinds of blueprints, each one filled with bizarre and imaginative ideas.
“Sorry about the mess.
It’s a little…
untidy.”
The young horned Fish-Man Tom hurriedly tidied up a few things before taking several precious packets of black tea from a cabinet.
He brewed a cup for each of the four guests.
The tea’s fragrance drifted gently through the room.
It wasn’t particularly high-quality tea, but it was the best Tom had.
“May I ask how I should address you gentlemen?”
Tom’s gaze swept across the four of them.
When his eyes passed over Rocks, they lingered for a moment.
He felt that the man looked somewhat familiar.
“As for the ship, my vice-captain will be handling everything.”
Rocks pointed at Ren.
“I’m Ren.”
Ren nodded.
“I’m Tom.”
Tom looked at Ren seriously.
“Mr.
Ren, are you certain you want me to build your ship?”
“If we weren’t here to have a ship built, we wouldn’t have come.”
Ren spread his hands.
“Then what kind of ship would you like me to build?”
Tom asked.
They had already discussed the ship’s general design on the way here.
In the end, Ren had been the one to draw a rough sketch.
Ren immediately took out the blueprint and began discussing the design with Tom.
The discussion lasted a full two hours.
By the time Rocks and the Twin Bear Brothers were practically falling asleep, the Fish-Man shipwright Tom furrowed his brows and shook his head.
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do this job.”
“What?!”
Rocks suddenly stood up, his expression darkening.
“If you couldn’t do it, why didn’t you say so earlier?”
“We’ve wasted all this time for nothing!”
Ren waved his hand, signaling Rocks to calm down.
He then turned toward Tom, whose face was filled with hesitation and embarrassment.
“Why can’t you do it?”
“With your skills, this should be well within your capabilities.”
Tom gave a bitter smile.
“I can meet the technical requirements.”
“But aside from my craftsmanship, I have nothing else.”
“If the problem is that you don’t have enough initial funding, there’s no need to worry about that.”
Ren clapped his hands.
Rustle!
Black Bear Big Bear opened several sacks that had been casually tossed near the entrance of the workshop.
Gold poured onto the floor.
Tom was instantly stunned.
“Our budget is more than sufficient.”
“This is the initial deposit.
If we need more later, we can add to it.”
“And once the ship is completed, there will also be a generous final payment.”
Ren explained.
The young Fish-Man Tom rubbed his hands together.
To be honest, he was tempted.
During his years in Water 7, he could only take on odd jobs and barely make a living.
But what tempted Tom even more than Ren’s promised payment was the prospect of building a ship with an unlimited budget.
It was something he had never done before!
Being tempted was one thing.
In the end, however, Tom still shook his head.
“Is there another problem?”
“Even if the budget is sufficient, I’m a Fish-Man, and I’m not well-liked.”
“Those high-quality materials will never reach someone like me.”
“Besides, I’m only one person.
My energy is limited.”
“Building the large ship you want will take a considerable amount of time.”
Tom explained his difficulties.
“So I recommend that you go to Galley-La instead.”
“They have the finest materials, the best shipwrights, and enough manpower.”
“They’ll definitely be able to build your ship properly.”
Tom genuinely wanted to accept such a rare and lucrative job.
But because of his honest nature, he still laid all the advantages and disadvantages out in the open.
“Wahahaha!
What an interesting Fish-Man!”
Rocks looked at Tom and nodded appreciatively.
“Captain, is time the problem?”
Ren asked.
“No!”
Rocks shook his head.
“Big Bear, Little Bear.”
“Are you two willing to help Tom handle things like acquiring materials and other miscellaneous tasks?”
Ren asked again.
“Uh…”
“Leave it to us!”
“Building our own ship will make us feel safer anyway!”
Black Bear Big Bear immediately answered while pressing his younger brother into accepting.
Ren’s gaze returned to Tom.
“Then I believe there shouldn’t be any problems now.”
“All right!”
Since his guests had gone this far, the least he could do was respond to their sincerity.
“In that case, I’ll take the job.”
“Then let me congratulate us in advance on a successful partnership!”
Ren extended his hand and shook Tom’s.
Just then—
Splash!
The sound of water suddenly came from nearby.
“Who’s there?”
Rocks’ figure flashed.
He rushed into the bathroom, which was separated by a curtain.
“Wah!”
A girl’s startled cry rang out.
“Mr.
Tom, help me~”
Behind the curtain was a bathtub connected directly to one of Water 7’s inland waterways.
At this moment, a beautiful young Fish-Man girl was huddled fearfully in the corner.
“Whoa~ It’s a mermaid!”
“This is my first time seeing a real mermaid!”
The Twin Bear Brothers’ eyes instantly turned into hearts.
They had been completely captivated by the Fish-Man girl’s beauty.
Rocks was staring as well.
Only Ren remained completely calm.
The moment he heard the name Kokoro, an image of what she would look like fifty years later immediately appeared in his mind.
In an instant, all his thoughts vanished.
“Mr.
Ren, this is Kokoro.”
“She’s my assistant.
Please…”
Tom hurriedly explained.
“You three grown men are crowding around a young girl.”
“Don’t scare her.”
Ren stepped forward and separated Rocks and the Twin Bear Brothers from her.
“Kokoro, they’re customers who came to have me build their ship.”
“Don’t be afraid.”
Tom gently reassured her.
“Mm!”
The young mermaid Kokoro nodded.
The very next second, she quickly plunged into the water and didn’t come back up.
“Kokoro secretly ran away from Fish-Man Island to find me.”
“You all know what kind of trouble it would cause if people found out there was a mermaid here.”
“So…
I ask everyone to keep this a secret.”
Tom pleaded.
“Don’t worry.”
Ren gave him an OK sign.
“I’ll protect the mermaid lady!”
Black Bear Big Bear even patted his chest and volunteered.
With that, the basic arrangements for building their ship were settled.
The rest of the day was free time.
After leaving the bridge, Ren followed Tom’s directions and eventually arrived at a blacksmith shop in the backstreets.
Rocks had his Western-style sword, Eclipse.
Newgate had his bisento.
Ren also wanted a special weapon of his own.
“Young man, what can I get you?”
The blacksmith shop owner warmly greeted him.
“I want to buy a hammer!”
Ren answered seriously.
The Thunder God’s power naturally called for a hammer.
Ren wanted to forge himself a Hammer of the Thunder God!!!
With Mjölnir in hand, who wouldn’t be a Thunder God?