The Best in the World / Falling Naturally into Place

"Arthur, six hundred million is such a huge amount of money. Was it really okay to just give it to those thugs?"

After leaving the Franky House and retracing their steps, Nami finally couldn't hold back and voiced her concern.

"I'd rather not comment on his character, but if he's really the apprentice of Mr. Tom, the world's greatest shipwright, as you said, Captain, then his shipbuilding skills should at least be trustworthy," Robin said softly, covering her red lips with her slender fingers.

"No one is better suited to the job. Even the shipwrights in this shipbuilding holy land aren't his equal," Arthur said, holding Franky in extremely high regard. "He's the world's greatest shipwright. Even if he isn't now, he certainly will be in the future."

"He's that good?!" Nami's eyes widened in disbelief.

Robin was also very surprised.

"Yeah..." Arthur nodded slightly, a pleasing smile curving his lips.

The Pluton Blueprints were in Franky's hands. Even if he couldn't make complete sense of them, he had to understand at least a little.

Of course, Arthur wasn't counting on Franky installing a "cannon" and a "Coup de Burst" like the ones on the Thousand Sunny in the original story.

Having them would be best, but it didn't matter if he didn't.

There were actually two main reasons Arthur had asked Franky to build his ship.

The first was that Franky could buy Treasure Tree Adam.

Why had Arthur always been unwilling to change ships? Aside from the fact that the small cabin sailboat was his first ship since crossing over, and that it carried the feelings and bonds he shared with Nami and Robin...

It was also because Arthur was a picky person.

Among the attackers Arthur had wiped out, there had been plenty of fine large and medium-sized ships, but he had sunk every one of them.

His ship had to be the best. He absolutely refused to take someone else's.

Treasure Tree Adam was one of the few trees in the world with the greatest toughness.

To build a good ship, Arthur hadn't hesitated to give Franky five hundred million for materials.

That was one and a half times what Luffy and the others had spent in the original story.

Of course, Arthur believed that as long as he paid, Iceburg would certainly use his connections to buy Treasure Tree Adam for him too.

That brought him to the second reason.

Iceburg's trusted subordinates at Dock One of his Galley-La Company were actually CP9 agents planted at his side to steal the Pluton Blueprints.

If they discovered Robin, there would inevitably be a lot of trouble.

Those two reasons were why Arthur had entrusted the construction of his new ship to Franky instead of going to Iceburg.

"I can't wait to see what the new ship looks like!" Arthur thought, smiling slightly.

"I wonder what our new home will look like?" Nami said with an eager smile.

"Oh my... I wish these two months would pass quickly," Robin agreed. It was the first time she had seen Arthur so enthusiastic.

"Let's stay in Water 7 for these two months. After all that busy traveling, it's time we had a proper rest." Arthur turned to look at Nami and Robin and smiled. "So, let the vacation begin."

"That's wonderful, Arthur! I love you to death!" Nami threw herself at Arthur and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. "I'm going to buy lots and lots of pretty clothes, and you have to come with us these next two months."

"I'd also like to add a book collection to my room on the new ship. I'll need to prepare some things to put in it first," Robin said with a gentle smile after resting a hand on her chin and thinking for a moment.

"Go away. Stop clinging to me—"

Arthur pushed Nami away, a trace of amusement in his eyes.

Chapter 58: The Best in the World

Two months was neither long nor short, neither too much nor too little. It made for a lovely vacation.

Aside from Robin, it had been a long time since Arthur and Nami had experienced staying on one island for so long.

During that time, the three of them indulged themselves to their hearts' content.

Nami and Robin explored nearly every part of Water 7's shopping district and central street, visiting all kinds of bookstores, jewelry stores, women's clothing stores, men's clothing stores, and more, each of them more than once.

At night, they went out together to admire Water 7's beautiful night scenery.

In those short two months, Nami and Robin were very "thrifty," spending only one black case of Beli.

During that time, Arthur also received several invitations from Franky to discuss matters such as the interior design.

Finally, the day arrived—

"Behold! This is the super... cool Don Stallion!"

On the coast where the Franky Family lived, Franky ordered a group of his underlings to pull the black cloth off a gigantic object, revealing the large ship beneath it.

It was a magnificent, luxurious three-masted sailing ship, silver-white all over, half again as large as the Thousand Sunny in the original story, with a white horse's head at the bow.

"Ow~~ Built at a cost of five hundred million, using Treasure Tree Adam, the toughest material in the world, with the entire Franky Family giving it their all for two months, this is one of the finest ships in the world!" Franky struck a comical pose, the smiling members of the Franky Family standing behind him, and shouted, "The ship has eighteen kinds of features, including a lawn, swimming pool, aquarium, elevator, library, gym, bedrooms, art studio, kitchen, café, ballroom, bathroom, dock, and storeroom. It also has paddle wheels on the outside. It's got everything you could need! Sir Knight, young ladies, are you satisfied?!!"

"More than satisfied. Thank you all for your hard work." Arthur looked at the new ship with satisfaction and gave Franky a hearty pat.

"It's amazing! Is this really our new home?" Nami said wistfully as she looked at the Don Stallion.

"Yes, it's really cool," Robin said with a smile, seemingly looking forward to seeing her new room and the library.

"Sir Knight, could I have a word in private..."

Franky pulled Arthur some distance away and said in a low voice, "I designed it specially according to your instructions, with a white horse for the figurehead. But building this ship didn't actually cost as much as five hundred million. It only took three hundred and fifty million. Of the hundred and fifty million left over, two-thirds went to furnishing the interior, and I used the remaining third to buy some materials and make you a special weapon."

"A special weapon?!" Arthur's eyes lit up, and he was a little moved.

It went without saying that this special weapon had to be the Gaon Cannon or the Coup de Burst from the original story. It might even be both.

"I'm not going to tell you what this secret weapon is. I've written how to use it in a notebook, but you have to remember to keep plenty of cola on the ship. Cola is the fuel the weapon consumes." Franky smiled mysteriously, took out two notebooks, and handed them to Arthur. He said seriously, "The ship has five levels. The bottommost one is the dock, and your old ship is already stored there. The fourth level has only two rooms: a lumber supply room and a cola fuel room. The remaining Treasure Tree Adam lumber is stored there. I don't know whether you know how to repair ships, Sir Knight, so I wrote the basics of ship repair in the second notebook too."

"Thank you very much, Franky." Arthur took the notebooks and looked at Franky, moved. He promised with a serious expression, "Don't worry. I'll take good care of this ship."

Arthur had experienced Franky's love for ships firsthand.

Such wholehearted dedication moved him deeply.

Arthur understood clearly that he was luckier than Luffy in the original story.

Franky's dream was to build a perfect dream ship. Arthur's recognition of Mr. Tom and the absolute trust he had shown by handing Franky six hundred million without a worry had moved the tough man, who had sworn to himself that he would build the best ship and never let Arthur down.

With that mindset, ample money and time, and the first ship to carry his dream, Franky and the Franky Family who followed him had truly shown what it meant to give their all.

The new ship, the Don Stallion, was undoubtedly a vessel that surpassed the Thousand Sunny.

Franky had fulfilled his dream, and Arthur could no longer be sure whether Franky would still build the Thousand Sunny for Luffy and the others when they came to Water 7, as he had in the original story.

Would Franky still follow the path he had taken in the original story and board Luffy's ship?!

But one thing was certain: Arthur was truly very grateful to Franky.

So Arthur thought for a moment, then suddenly invited him. "Franky, would you like to become my shipwright and go to sea with me?"

"No..." Franky was briefly taken aback by Arthur's words, then shook his head without hesitation. He glanced at the Don Stallion with a gratified look, then looked at his underlings nearby and smiled. "My dream has already come true. I want to stay here."

"Is that so? That's good..." Arthur smiled.

"Yeah... it's good. Ow..." Franky grinned, raised both hands, and struck that comical pose again. Looking at Arthur, he shouted, "Sir Knight, the Don Stallion is really super... cool, right?!"

"Yeah... of course. It's the best in the world!"

"Ow~~ Sir Knight, the things you say always sound super... good!"

Chapter 59: Falling Naturally into Place

On the deep blue sea, the Don Stallion sailed along at a moderate pace, but compared with the old small cabin sailboat, it was more than a dozen levels ahead.

After all, it was dozens of times the size of the small cabin sailboat and had three masts. It was more than just a little faster.

"Ah~~~ Ah~~~ Ah~~~ This new ship is wonderful!"

In the middle of the spacious lawn, a circular basin four meters high and ten meters wide opened up like a machine. Clear water gushed out of four spouts, quickly forming a swimming pool.

Nami, wearing a bikini, lay floating faceup on the water like a corpse, crying out in sheer enjoyment.

"Such a big pool, such a big lawn, swings and swivel chairs, an art studio, and all those rooms, each with its own character. This is wonderful..." Nami seemed lost in it all, her face full of enjoyment and her mood constantly buoyant with excitement.

She had followed Arthur since the East Blue, and her home at sea had always been that little ship. Space had been incredibly cramped; the rooms, kitchen, and bathroom had all been pitifully small. Though the atmosphere had been cozy, Nami preferred this kind of spacious environment.

In the blink of an eye, it was as though Nami had moved from an ordinary wooden house into a luxurious villa.

After looking around the new ship, she couldn't wait to enjoy the pool.

"The library is enormous, and even the bookshelves are made from Treasure Tree Adam. I really like it there." On the lawn-covered deck, Robin sat in a beach chair, resting her chin on her hand as she looked at Arthur, who was reading the notebooks Franky had given him. She smiled gently. "The ballroom's wine cellar, the gym equipment, all the kitchen utensils, the stationery in the art studio, the wardrobes and dressing tables in the bedrooms, and so on... That rough-looking shipwright and his companions have prepared everything for us, and it's all top quality. They're such a thoughtful group."

"Yeah... The Don Stallion isn't just our new ship. It's also Franky's dream ship, like his own son." Arthur looked up at Robin and smiled. "What father wouldn't treat his son well?"

"That's true." Robin smiled, her eyes narrowing.

"Although I gave him a hundred million for building the ship, I still owe him a huge favor," Arthur remarked. He closed the notebook and lay back on a soft sofa, gazing up at the blue sky.

Robin smiled. "Then we can repay him when we have the chance."

"Yeah..." Arthur replied lazily, pillowing his head on his hands.

Without a doubt, the experience of the new ship was excellent.

Its abundant facilities left Nami and Robin immensely satisfied.

Over the next few days, the lively, lovely Nami and the calm, composed Robin rarely shared the same idea: they pulled Arthur along to try out the new ship's various facilities.

When the air was hot during the day, they swam in the pool, freely giving Arthur plenty of pleasing sights to enjoy. When they tired of playing, they rested on the swivel chairs and sofas on the lawn, or simply lay on beach chairs and had Arthur rub sunscreen on them.

At sunset, they drank rich, bitter coffee in the café on the second floor while admiring the setting sun.

At night, colorful neon lights flashed in the ballroom and lively dance music played as the white-clad knight embraced the two beautiful ladies in turn and danced a lovely dance with each.

Only late at night did Arthur and the two women return to their respective rooms.

The three rooms were adjoining, with Arthur in the middle and Nami and Robin on either side.

The night was deep, and the sea had fallen utterly silent.

With its sails drawn and anchor dropped, the Don Stallion lay moored on the sea like a solitary boat, lending the scene a touch of lonely poetry.

A light suddenly came on in one of the three rooms on the third floor, then quickly went dark.

Creak—

The door opened gently, and a graceful figure slipped out. She tiptoed to another room and pushed the door open.

"Nami?!"

On the soft Simmons bed, Arthur opened his eyes and looked at Nami, who was straddling him, both surprised and puzzled.

"Shh..." Nami raised an index finger to her lips, then leaned down and playfully winked her beautiful eyes. A blush colored her cheeks as she suddenly lowered her head and gave Arthur a light peck on the lips.

Then she took Arthur's hand and placed it on her ample breast, exposed by several undone buttons, and asked with a smile, "Is it warm?"

"You're playing with fire, you know..." Arthur said in a strained voice, giving it a firm squeeze.

"You can touch all you like, but it's a hundred million Beli a time." Nami gave him a coquettish look, lowered her head, and breathed warmly on him. She smiled teasingly. "A kiss is fifty million Beli, a touch is a hundred million, the deluxe package is three hundred million, and the full package is five hundred million Beli~~ Want to consider it?!"

"Sure!" Arthur turned the tables and pinned Nami beneath him, saying with a cold smile, "But... you're paying me."

"Oh, stop it..."

Amid the flirtatious atmosphere, everything fell naturally into place.

Soon, in the quiet night, the lonely Don Stallion resounded with waves of an intoxicating symphony, growing more and more out of control.

Little did they know that another person in the room next door was secretly using her ability to watch the entire "battle."

The next day.

Arthur woke up and looked at Nami in his arms, then tenderly kissed her forehead.

He then got up gently, put on his pajamas, and walked out of the room. Feeling refreshed, he stretched.

"Captain, you had plenty of energy last night." At that moment, a teasing laugh suddenly came from beside him. Arthur turned and saw Robin looking at him with her arms crossed and a teasing look in her eyes. Even he, who was always dignified in front of Robin, couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed.