Sea Train

"Great work, Mr. Tom!"

"With all this iron and wood, we can start building the Sea Train right now!"

Iceburg stared at the mountain of shipbuilding materials Leon had brought back and spoke to Tom with immense excitement.

"What are you thinking, Iceburg!"

"These materials don't belong to us—they're for Leon to repair his ship!"

"A real man should earn what he needs with his own hands, through honest, clanging labor!!!"

Tom rarely spoke with such stern seriousness, lecturing his apprentice.

"Sorry, Mr. Tom..." Iceburg realized his mistake and lowered his head. "It's just that with this much material, even building a new ship wouldn't use it all. We could buy the leftovers from Mr. Leon with money."

"That depends on what Leon wants..."

"Not a problem at all."

Leon's voice chimed in at the right moment.

"I really don't need this much material. I'd be happy to give it all to Mr. Tom for free."

"Well..."

Seeing Tom about to refuse, Leon cut him off directly.

"But I'm very interested in that Sea Train Iceburg mentioned earlier. Could you tell me more about it?"

"Ah, that..."

Over the next while, under Tom's explanation, Leon finally understood how the Sea Train worked.

In simple terms, under such-and-such conditions, using this-and-that principles, a massive steam-powered sailing vessel loaded with cargo could glide freely across the sea along underwater tracks laid between islands...

A miracle. It was nothing short of a miracle.

Supporting a train on tracks floating in the water...

Leon convinced himself internally—after all, this was a strange world, and it was perfectly reasonable for things to occasionally defy the laws of physics...

Seeing Leon lost in thought, Tom laughed and patted him on the shoulder.

"What's wrong, Leon? Do you think this old man is daydreaming?"

"No, Mr. Tom!"

Leon shook his head firmly.

"I truly believe you can build the Sea Train successfully."

Hearing this, Tom burst into laughter.

"The Sea Train won't be built overnight..."

"Where's the warship you need repaired, Leon? We have enough materials now—I can start work right away."

Leon slapped his forehead. He'd forgotten to tow the Dog Head Warship over when he came. Now he'd have to make another trip...

"Mr. Tom, wait a moment. I'll be right back."

Watching Leon jump straight into the water without another word, Tom swallowed the words he'd been about to say—that he could go help tow the ship.

Maybe this was just Leon's special way of training...

Just as Leon went back to fetch the ship, a massive warship sailed into the port of Water Seven.

"The government's Judicial Ship is here!"

"What's a Judicial Ship?"

"It's a mobile court."

"Who are they here to judge?"

Under the gaze of Water Seven's residents, a squad of fully armed Marines disembarked from the Judicial Ship and rushed toward Scrap Island.

"Confirmed—this is the criminal Tom's residence!"

"Be careful. He's a fishman—don't let him escape!"

At the entrance to Tom's Shipbuilding Company, led by the mustachioed Marine at the front, the soldiers prepared to break down the door.

Just then, a massive shadow fell over the ground. The next moment, a half-wrecked warship crashed down from above, shaking the entire Scrap Island.

"Enemy attack!!!"

The Mustache Marine hadn't expected Tom to actually resist. The soldiers immediately raised their rifles toward the direction the warship had come from.

"Cough, cough, cough~"

Leon coughed a little from the dust kicked up.

"Hold on!"

The Mustache Marine stared at the warship that had descended from the sky, as if recalling something.

Only when he saw Leon emerging from the dust, his entire body wrapped in bandages, did he snap to attention and immediately give an order.

"Put away all your guns, now!"

"Chief Petty Officer Leon! I never expected to meet you here!"

Leon looked at the unfamiliar Marine with some confusion. After graduating from the training camp, his rank had been Seaman Recruit—when had he been promoted to Chief Petty Officer?

"Do you know me?"

"Chief Petty Officer Leon! We came from Judicial Island. Your feat of bravely capturing Bullet has already spread across Judicial Island."

"I'm sure the entire Marine Headquarters now knows your title as the 'Rookie of the Marines'!"

Hearing the Mustache Marine's words, Leon coughed even louder.

He hadn't expected the fabricated news in the newspaper to have such power.

He certainly didn't have the nerve to shamelessly claim he had single-handedly captured Bullet. If he did, then even A Dou could boast about fighting alongside Zhao Yun at Changban Slope, charging through Cao's army seven times in and out...

Leon brushed past the topic and asked the Mustache Marine, "Excuse me, what are you all doing here...?"

"By order of the World Government, we are arresting the accomplice who built ships for a world-class vicious criminal—Im, the shipwright!"

The Mustache Marine said this, but his heart was tense.

He had no idea what Leon's purpose was for showing up here.