The heavy snow started falling around 4 a. m., but the strength of the Treasure Tree Adam Wood was too great, the sound insulation was too good, and Gawain was sleeping too soundly.
So he didn't notice at all.
Hancock was awakened by the heavy snow...
She tiptoed into Gawain's room, only to be grabbed by the neck from behind by Gion.
So the two of them had a huge argument...
This explains why the two women were filled with mutual resentment when Gawain left...
Of course, Gion and Hancock were always the same: a woman who was a slut off the bed, but best friends in bed.
Less than two hours later, once the snowball fight started, Hancock and Gion were no longer in the mood to bicker.
After all, that man was beaten so badly, who would be in the mood to cause trouble?
Meanwhile, on the deck, near a cluster of floating red balloons.
Gawain struggled to evade Rayleigh's pursuit.
While being beaten by snowballs, he also had to listen to Gion's instructions from afar.
"Sir, try not to dodge. Be mindful of your body and face the attack. You must take the initiative!"
First, practice with Tekkai. Once you've mastered Tekkai, the pain of practicing Kami-e in the future will be greatly reduced!
There are no special techniques for hitting Tekkai; it's all about hitting them. When you're being hit, you need to engage your muscles like I'll teach you, making your whole body tense up!
Watch your face!!!
Bang!
Gawain clearly saw the blood he spat out. If Rayleigh hadn't held back, he probably would have knocked his teeth out with that blow.
Thump, Gawain fell to the ground.
Brush!
He did a graceful somersault to his feet, and he was no longer the weakling he used to be!
Bang!
A snowball struck right where it hurts, and Gawain was completely defeated.
Although it's much, much better than three months ago, compared to the guys on the ship, there's still a long way to go...
The Kuma, barefoot, slid across the snow using the Paw-Paw of its feet to reach Gawain's side.
Poof! Another red balloon flew out. Only then did Rayleigh check the time and continue speaking.
"It's ten o'clock, let's stop playing the game here for now. Next, follow me to train your Conqueror's Haki!"
Simply knowing how to entangle isn't enough; Conqueror's Haki has many other wonderful uses, so hurry up and use it!
"Good."
Gawain nodded, then rubbed his lower back and ribs.
Even though the pain was dispelled by the Kuma, I still felt uneasy, like with phantom limb syndrome—I felt pain even though I didn't actually feel any.
Watching Gawain gently massage her sore spot, Gion sighed softly and murmured to herself.
"Adults' willpower is truly astonishing. Even if the actual injuries and pain can be masked, the mental fatigue and suffering will inevitably continue to accumulate."
But even now, months later, he's still managing to maintain this meticulous approach...
"Yes, Gawain is really too harsh on himself, but that's one of the reasons why you and I admire him!"
Hancock responded softly.
After responding, Hancock couldn't help but glare at Gion.
Why did she mention you and me?
Why should I be with her?!
After being glared at by Hancock, Gion couldn't help but glare back.
And so, Gion and Hancock clashed once more, the sounds of Supreme Grade Sword clashing against Supreme Grade High Heel filling the air.
The sight made Shirahoshi and Uta, who were playing in the distance, gasp. After watching the battle, they couldn't help but look at each other.
After a moment of eye contact, Shirahoshi asked in a worried whisper.
Why do the older sisters like to fight so much? Are all older sisters like this?
Uta, when we grow up, let's not fight, okay? I'm afraid of getting hurt.
"No way, how could that be!"
Uta waved her hand confidently, and the next moment, she was happily hugged to Shirahoshi's chest again.
At that moment, Uta frowned.
I should change my tune, shouldn't I?
I want to take action right now!!!
Uta's frustration, Jinbe, who was fishing by the side of the ship, sighed softly.
"Sigh... the adults and Grandpa Rayleigh are going to start practicing Conqueror's Haki again. This fish is really impossible to catch..."
Upon hearing Jinbe's words, Shiryu, who was lying sprawled out nearby watching the snow Shiryu.
"Jinbe, even if you don't use Conqueror's Haki, you've never caught a single fish, have you?"
"Ahem, what are you saying? It's Fish-Man's job, how can you say you can't catch anything?"
As Jinbe tried to argue, Gawain unleashed his Conqueror's Haki, causing all the fish in the surrounding sea to roll their eyes and float to the surface.
Seeing this, Jinbe swung the fishing line hard, and the huge hook caught a large salmon.
"Hehe, ahahaha, Shiryu, look, I've caught a fish!"
"Yes, we did catch one..."
Before Shiryu reply, Yixiao, who was drinking tea not far away, said with a smile.
"Although I am blind, please believe me, I truly saw you being fished out..."
Upon hearing this...
Jinbe:(_|||)
"Ahhh, how can you look down on my fishing skills as Fish-Man!"
I used to be a super angler who lived with fish!!!
Jinbe was going crazy. Was his fishing skill really that bad?
It wasn't like this before! I used to be able to catch fish so easily!
Seeing Jinbe of tears, Franky, who was repairing the wings of the Dark Bird Ship, spoke up in a fair way.
Franky was applying oil to his wings when he spoke to Jinbe.
"Jinbe, with the size of our ship and the Siphon System I set up, no matter where we swim, it'll be like an explosion in the fish's ears..."
So you're fishing near our boat? Isn't that a huge joke?
"Why?!!"
As soon as Franky finished speaking, Jinbe's face lit up with joy.
It really wasn't my fault, haha!
Amidst the laughter and merriment of the crowd and Gawain's training, the Dark Bird Ship left the snowy area and arrived near Enies Lobby.
This time, the group didn't stop, but continued their journey towards Water 7 under the rapidly brightening sunlight.
Last time, Gawain took the Sea Train from Enies Lobby to Water 7, so it only took about six or seven hours.
But when they were on the boat, it took them two whole days to finally see a glimpse of Water 7.
Compared to three months ago, Water 7 now even more bustling, after all, they've landed a big job.
Even in the shipyard of Water 7, the keel of another colossal ship is being erected, which is clearly Rosward's future trillion-dollar ship.
Since Iceburg did not reside in Water 7, but rather ran the Casino Islands Sabaody Archipelago.
So, after resupplying in Water 7, Gawain and his group continued their journey towards the more distant Long Ring Long Land.
Of course, before setting off, Franky had meticulously recorded the location of the new Water 7 station. After the group arrived at Long Ring Long Land, Franky would also need to pinpoint the location of the Water 7 station to facilitate the future connection of the Sea Train.
Unlike the area near Sabaody, perhaps it's because Sabaody is closer to the Red Line.
The islands in that area are all relatively close to each other, and you can almost reach them within a day or two.
However, after leaving Water 7 and heading to Long Ring Long Land, as they got further and further away from the Red Line, the distance between the islands also gradually increased.
At 10 p. m., on the Dark Bird Ship, Gawain, having finished his workout, lay on a beach chair to rest. Kalifa gave Gawain a brief report on the latest information.
Nothing noteworthy has happened in the last few days. Gawain's Heavenly Tribute continues to be transported to Water 7, and in the case of Fish-Man Dan, the plan to expand the existing Sea Train route has also begun.
The progress on the Danish side is quite good; the Sea Train route between the two stations is expected to be completed in two months.
However, this time was still too slow for Gawain.
After talking with Kalifa, Gawain then called Franky over.
Soon after, Franky awkwardly approached Gawain, sat down, and chuckled.
"Boss, what's going on? Do we need to add any new features to our Dark Bird Ship?"
"No."
Gawain waved his hand and tossed another can of beer to Franky.
As Franky opened the bottle, Gawain asked thoughtfully.
"Dan reported to me on the current progress. If it's just the expansion, it will take at least two months to build a railway line between the two islands, which is the two stations."
Is this a bit slow...?
"Sigh, there's nothing we can do about it being slow, boss..."
Upon hearing this, Franky had no choice but to explain.
"Our Sea Train is very easy to build; both the materials and the structure are much simpler than those of ships."
The only troublesome part is laying the tracks.
The Floating Stone used as bases are relatively easy to handle; there are quite a few of them, almost every island has some in stock, and they only need a little processing to be usable.
However, sir, our railway tracks are in trouble. At different intervals along each track, we need to synthesize special metal materials specifically designed to cope with the local hydrology.
Building a railway between two islands in two months is very difficult, and while Water 7 doesn't really have much experience in the metal manufacturing industry.
Moreover, Dan is still a beginner in the area of metal synthesis, so he will be slower at the beginning, but his speed will definitely improve as he becomes more proficient."
"Therefore, now that you have actually taken over the construction of the Sea Train, you only have two difficulties."
One challenge is the hydrological and meteorological observation issues faced by the newly established Sea Train. For example, the sudden heavy snow a few days ago required the Sea Train's carriages to be reinforced and the tracks to be protected against the cold.
As for the process of expanding the Sea Train, the only difficulties are the materials and speed of rail production at each stage, right?
Gawain's insightful comment earned him repeated nods from Franky.
After a moment 'Gawain thought, Gawain asked Franky in a low voice.
"Alright, let's leave this question here for now. Once we reach the Drum Kingdom, we'll try our best to give you the Munch-Munch Fruit."
"If Vegapunk has the ability to extract the Devil Fruit from Devil Fruit users, I hope that you, having eaten the Munch-Munch Fruit, can accelerate the Sea Train project!"
"Okay, sir, you can leave it to me, Super Franky, haha!"
I really want to build Sea Train all over the world as soon as possible, so that my master's dream can come true!
At this point, Franky wore a hopeful expression.
Just then, Kalifa was not far away, received a phone call.
A moment later, Kalifa came to Gawain's side and said softly.
"Gawain, our lookout has just spotted the massive tsunami Akula Ragnar!"
"Oh?"
Upon hearing this, Gawain stood up with interest.
"Is the annual Super Tsunami of the Gods of the Sea that Water 7 forming today this year?"
"Yes, sir!"
Kalifa nodded.
"Although Akula Ragnar occurs every year, the timing is never fixed, so it seems we're quite lucky."
Before you leave Water 7, you can still enjoy this once-a-year spectacle!
"Yeah, haha, we're really lucky. Let the lookout ring the warning bell; the Gods of the Sea are definitely worth watching!"
"Yes, sir!"
Kalifa immediately nodded and left. A moment later, a leisurely warning bell rang out on the Dark Bird Ship.
The officers who had been on deck immediately approached Gawain. The first to arrive was Shiryu, who excitedly gripped his Raiu without saying a word.
"My lord, who should we kill!"
"Well..."
Seeing Shiryu's menacing expression, Gawain gently punched him in the chest.
"You've been cooped up for the past few days, haven't you? But there's really nothing we can do. Our ship is probably too big; it can be spotted by other pirate ships from hundreds of nautical miles away."
But when they saw us, we couldn't see them at all, which meant we couldn't even encounter a single pirate..."
"Hehehe, thank you for your concern, sir, but it's nothing. I haven't had any particularly strong cravings lately."
After all, with the adults' support, I really had a blast chopping off some chips a while ago, haha!
After Shiryu finished speaking with a loud laugh, he lowered his head again and said seriously to Gawain.
"So, sir, what does the warning bell mean?"
As Shiryu this question, all the officers around him arrived, and even Uta climbed onto Shirahoshi's head and followed.
Looking at everyone, Gawain smiled and clapped his hands.
"There's no need to be so on guard. This warning isn't about engaging the enemy, but rather a tsunami."
"The annual Gods of the Sea of Water 7, which once unleashed the Akula Ragnart tsunami thousands of meters high, is hurtling towards us, and also towards Water 7 behind us."
"Whoa!"
No sooner had Gawain finished speaking than Grandpa Rayleigh burst into laughter.
"This is great news!"
He excitedly told everyone.
"Lately, I've felt that the cooks on our ship don't put any emotion into their cooking, and then Akula Ragnar came along."
With this tsunami, our salt can finally be upgraded! Haha!
As soon as he finished speaking, Rayleigh took off the military cap he had just put on. Since it wasn't a group battle, he didn't bother with formalities.
As he tossed his general's hat nearby, Rayleigh continued speaking.
"You should know that every time Akula Ragnar roars, it sweeps up pure seawater buried tens of thousands of meters deep into the seabed to the top of the tide."
Sea salt extracted from seawater is the finest of all salt seasonings in the world!
As long as we sail straight through the tsunami, we can hang pure seawater brought by the Gods of the Sea on our ship. Once the ship dries up, we'll have the salt of the Sea God in our hands!
At this point, Rayleigh shook his head in complaint.
"In the past, only Water 7 could extract Sea God Salt in this way, but although Water 7 is large enough, its population is too large."
The Sea God Salt is divided up bit by bit, and even with you, the Celestial Dragon captain, on board, we can only eat Sea God Salt for two or three days a month.
But now, no one can take the Sea God Salt we left behind on the Dark Bird Ship!
Rayleigh grinned excitedly.
"So what are we waiting for? Let's speed things up! A ship this big can't be destroyed by a tsunami!"
Shakky frowned slightly upon hearing Rayleigh's words.
"That's a good suggestion, the Sea God Salt really does taste good."
But whether our ship can withstand a tsunami is another question...
As she spoke, Shakky looked over at Franky.
Noticing Shakky's gaze, Franky pondered for a moment, then nodded decisively.
"Absolutely no problem. Even the buildings in Water 7 couldn't possibly be entirely made from Treasure Tree Adam!"
Besides, the Dark Bird Ship is a super ship that I, Franky, built myself!
We can not only charge through tsunamis, we can even slightly spread our wings to leave behind more sea salt!
But..."
Franky looked at Gawain with a pitiful Gawain.
"But boss, if we face the tsunami head-on..."
"We estimate that we'll need to add around 80 million Beli to the budget for hull maintenance!"