A Road Across the Sea

Several days later, at Marineford.

"Yo, little Ron, catch~"

Borsalino tossed a Den Den Mushi through the air.

Ron reached out and caught it, then paused.

"It really shrank?"

The big creature that had once been the size of a calf was now only a little plumper than an ordinary Den Den Mushi. The Elbaf sun pattern remained on its shell, and it looked much more delicate.

"Old man Vegapunk was really interested in it~"

Borsalino strolled over. "He checked it inside and out three times, cleared out all the hidden listening devices, and modified its communications structure."

"Can I use it now?"

"Independent encryption. Yours can only call the one paired with it in Harald's hands."

He extended his index finger and gently tapped the tabletop. "Don't go handing it to anyone else~"

Ron's smile faded, and he nodded. "Got it. Thanks, uncle."

"Oh my, you're being so well behaved all of a sudden. It's a little scary~"

After Borsalino wandered off, Ron tried placing a call.

Buru buru.

"Hahahaha! Young man! You finally remembered me!"

The booming voice made the teacup on the table jump, and Ron hurriedly held the receiver half a foot farther away.

"It's one thing for you to be loud, but why is the Den Den Mushi so noisy too?!"

"Hahaha! That's the spirit of Elbaf!"

"No wonder you managed to raise a Den Den Mushi as big as a cow."

Harald laughed even harder.

After a bit of small talk, he mentioned that he was still traveling around in an effort to get Elbaf into the World Government.

"By the way, that fellow Shanks seems close to becoming a full-fledged member of the God's Knights."

Ron's gaze darkened slightly. "You need to keep an eye on that. I still don't think that position is anything good."

"Oh, you worry too much, boy."

Harald brushed it off. "I've spent time in the Holy Land myself. I can make my own judgments."

Ron didn't argue.

He couldn't exactly talk a giant king out of his ideals over the phone.

Then Harald suddenly sighed. "Speaking of worries, my two boys are the ones who are really hard to handle."

"You have family troubles too?"

"Hajrudin goes on every day about sailing out to become a pirate. I told him the Marines would catch him, and he said he'd just beat them!"

"He's got ambition."

"If you ever run into him, go easy on him! As for Loki... sigh, that boy gives me even more headaches."

Ron couldn't help laughing as he listened to the giant king complain in all seriousness.

Toward the end of their conversation, Harald once again invited him to Elbaf for a drink.

"Sure, I'll go when I get the chance."

"Hahaha! I'll get a big human-sized drinking cup ready for you!"

"A cup is fine. Don't try to fob me off with a plate again."

The call ended.

Ron touched the cool Den Den Mushi and casually tossed it into his space behind the door.

Time slipped quietly by, and the year became Sea Circle Calendar 1508.

"Water 7, escort duty for the Sea Train's maiden voyage?"

Ron held the transfer order and looked up at Sengoku.

"Old man, you're sending me all that way to be a bodyguard for a train?"

"Sakazuki and the others are all on missions, and there are Admiral promotions to arrange afterward. You're the only one at headquarters with far too much time on his hands."

Sengoku kept his head down as he worked through his paperwork. "The route passes through government territories, including Enies Lobby, and Tom's circumstances are special. A senior officer must be present for the maiden voyage. Don't cause me any trouble!"

Ron looked at the black track winding out to sea on the map and nodded.

"All right. I've been wanting to meet the man who builds roads across the sea anyway."

Water 7.

When Ron reached the port, the docks were quieter than he had expected.

The doors of several shipyards stood half closed, workers sat on wooden crates waiting for jobs, and transfer notices were posted outside many shops.

"The shipping routes are getting harder and harder to navigate."

An old shipwright squatted by the shore and sighed. "The weather changes in an instant, merchant ships have stopped coming, and it's been tough for shipbuilders too."

But beyond the old district, a gleaming steel track stretched straight out toward the sea.

Waves slapped against the sleepers as the rails extended steadily into the distance, disappearing at the horizon.

Ron followed the rails with his eyes out over the sea.

This thing really was interesting.

He relied on the Door-Door Fruit to cross the sea, but Tom intended to let ordinary people cross it by train.

"That old Fish-Man really has some skills."

Just then, a booming voice came from the workshop.

"Are you Rear Admiral Ron?"

A burly Fish-Man strode out, followed by two young craftsmen who kept reaching over to press each other's faces as they walked.

Tom's Workers

Tom, Iceburg, and Cutty Flam (before Franky changed his name).

Behind them came Kokoro with a pipe in her mouth, and Yokozuna the frog, hopping along with a load of timber on his shoulder.

Ron was just about to speak when the goggle-wearing boy rushed over like a gust of wind.

"Whoa! That's a huge sword! Let me see it!!"

"Flam!"

Iceburg frowned. "Say hello first!"

"I have to say hello just to look at a sword?"

Ron laughed and casually handed Zhenyuan over. "Make sure you've got it."

"Don't worry! I'm—waaah!!"

Flam's arms plunged downward, and he nearly dropped to his knees.

Seeing this, Iceburg hurriedly reached out to support the hilt, and both boys strained until their faces turned red.

"What the hell is with this weight?!"

"It's just an ordinary sword."

Iceburg looked up at him, his face flushed. "You call this ordinary?"

Tom roared with laughter and slapped Ron on the shoulder.

Bang!

Ron's shoulder actually dipped slightly.

Good grief, this old Fish-Man's really strong.

Aside from Garp and Zephyr, there weren't many at headquarters who could make his shoulder dip with a slap.

It seemed the story about him lifting a ship with one hand was true.

"A real man should live with his head held high!"

Tom laughed. "But is a Marine Rear Admiral really willing to have tea with a criminal like me, who built a ship for the Pirate King?"

Ron took Zhenyuan back from the two boys. "You built the ship. What Roger did with it was Roger's business."

"Oh?"

"But the World Government wants to convict me for it."

"By that logic, shouldn't every blacksmith who forges a blade go to prison for every pirate who kills someone with one?"

Tom paused and took another look at Ron.

"You, boy..."

He suddenly broke into a wide grin.

"Well said!"

Kokoro smiled and poured Ron a cup of strong tea.

Beside them, Flam had already fixed his eyes on Zhenyuan's scabbard. His eyes were wide, and his face made it plain that he wanted to take it apart.

Ron tucked the sword through a space door behind him. "Hey, stop looking at it like that."

When Flam saw such a large sword suddenly vanish, his eyes lit up even more.

On the day of the maiden voyage, Water 7 was packed with people for the first time in a long while.

Woo—!

The whistle suddenly sounded a long blast.

The Puffing Tom slowly pulled out of the station, steam rising around it.

Waves kept pounding beneath the carriages, but the train continued steadily along the tracks.

One carriage, then two, then three...

Only when the entire train had entered the sea did the crowd on the shore finally burst into cheers!

"It's moving! It's really moving!"

"Now we can ship our goods out on time!"

Shipwrights, merchants, and residents holding children crowded along the shore and cheered. Some elderly people laughed as they wiped away tears.

Tom stood at the very front, his hand on the railing, laughing louder than anyone.

He didn't look back at the government officials behind him, only watching as the train gradually made its way into the distance.

The cheers from the shore grew louder and louder.

As Ron watched the train recede, the corners of his mouth lifted too.

"That guy Tom..."

"He really did build a road across the sea."

Just then, a lookout suddenly shouted.

"Pirate ships! Two of them! They're heading straight for the train!!"

"Blast that tin-can train into the sea! Let's see how they ship their goods after that!"

Two pirate ships closed in rapidly, their cannons all aimed at the distant train.

"Flam! Get the escort speedboat out!"

Tom spun around.

"Iceburg, go with him! Kokoro, tell the driver to keep going!"

"Got it!"

The two young craftsmen turned and ran for the docks.

Tom was about to follow when he suddenly saw that Ron had already stepped ahead.

Click.

A cannonball fired by the pirates plunged straight into a space door, then flew out from their own ship's stern the next instant.

Boom!

The cannonball blew the rudder clean off the first pirate ship!

"Captain! The rudder's broken!"

"Lower the sails! Quick!"

The ship lurched sharply on the water, spinning out of control and veering away from the tracks.

The other ship had evidently spotted the Marines and was trying to turn around and flee, but Ron had already drawn Zhenyuan and slashed down.

Clang!

Several extremely thin black lines appeared directly across the pirate ship.

Crack, crack, crack!

The entire ship was instantly cut into several sections, and broken timber splashed into the sea.

The people on shore all stared wide-eyed, too stunned even to cry out.

The train didn't slow down, continuing steadily into the distance.

Flam had only just climbed into the speedboat. He leaned halfway out, his eyes practically popping out of his head.

"How exactly is that sword of yours built?!"

"You finished them off with one swing???"

Ron slid the sword back into its scabbard. "It's an ordinary sword."

"Shut up!!"

Tom held the railing and watched the train gradually travel into the distance.

After so many years of effort, there was finally a result.

His grin grew wider and wider, and he couldn't help giving the railing a few hearty pats.

The Sea Train's maiden voyage was a success.

In an office belonging to the World Government's Cipher Pol No. 5.

A report lay on the desk.

[The Sea Train's maiden voyage was a success. The proceedings to pardon Tom are about to enter their final stage.]

Someone pushed another confidential report beside it.

[The Ancient Weapon blueprints are suspected to be in Tom's possession.]

A gloved hand slowly pressed down on Tom's name.

The person with their back to the light chuckled, their voice low and cold.

"A pardon?"

"First, we'll have to see whether this old man still has something he hasn't handed over."