That Ship

Warehouse beneath the bridge.

Thump, thump... thump, thump...

Under the bright lights, a young man with short blue-violet hair wrapped in a white headscarf held a hammer, meticulously pounding away at a wooden sailing ship.

Outside the warehouse doors, Reg caught sight of this from the corner of his eye and rubbed his chin... This must have been the young Iceburg.

But Reg preferred his other name: Iceburg.

This diligent and earnest young man would one day consolidate seven shipbuilding companies... establish the Galley-La Company, and become the mayor of Water Seven.

"A textbook elite character template..."

Reg took off his black hood and entered through the half-open warehouse doors... Since it was built beneath an arched bridge, the interior was quite spacious.

Immediately to the left of the entrance was a waterway that occupied half the space, through which completed ships could sail directly out into the sea.

On the right was a floor for people to walk on, while the remaining space was filled with all kinds of shipbuilding tools and several wooden doors leading to other rooms.

Thump, thump... thump, thump... The hammering continued, and the focused Iceburg was utterly unaware of Reg's arrival.

Reg approached the dark red wooden ship without making a sound, quietly observing the flat-bottomed, sharp-prowed, multi-masted sailing vessel... It was over thirty meters long and more than ten meters wide.

Red canvas sails were wrapped around the masts of the nearly finished large sailing ship.

A fixed cannon sat at the pale earthen-colored, hollow-patterned prow, while two mermaid statues embraced the projecting bowsprit from either side.

Beneath the mermaid statues was a pair of carved wings... Having read so many books on navigation, Reg had picked up some knowledge of sailing ships through analogy: most seagoing vessels in this world relied on sails for power.

Pirates who had only just set sail used single-masted ships like Luffy's... highly maneuverable, but not very fast.

After reaching the Grand Line, pirates with sufficient funds would upgrade their ships... double-masted sailing ships: fast and highly maneuverable.

The Marines' warships were the most advanced... multi-masted sailing ships with more than four decks, immense power, and high carrying capacity.

Unless they encountered harsh weather or unusual sea regions... Marine warships could easily catch up to other types of vessels.

"I didn't expect to actually see it here... The keel alone must be worth over a hundred million Beli."

Though Reg appeared calm on the surface, his heart was racing with excitement... This great red sailing ship was undoubtedly the Oro Jackson, nearly identical in size to the Thousand Sunny from his memories.

Its main core, the keel, was made from a portion of Treasure Tree Adam.

Treasure Tree Adam was renowned in this world as... the most resilient tree.

Roger's Pirate Crew had sailed aboard this ship to Laugh Tale during their "final voyage," achieving the feat of conquering the entire Grand Line... When word spread, the world hailed him as the Pirate King.

"This counts as a pilgrimage in another sense."

As a One Piece fan, Reg's feelings were rather complicated... Should he go up and take a closer look?

"Hey... This isn't a place for children."

A mildly reproachful voice interrupted Reg's thoughts.

He looked up and met Iceburg's gaze... There was little difference from his memories: distinctive dead-fish eyes, broad lips, and a resolute, somewhat imposing face that instantly made people feel distant.

If Reg had truly been a mischievous child, he probably would have apologized and hurried away by now.

But he was not... He had come to order a ship, so Reg politely gave a slight bow. "Good evening. I'm looking for Mr. Tom."

"Oh? What's your name, and what is your relationship with Mr. Tom?"

Iceburg tilted his head and frowned. Grabbing a rope, he nimbly jumped down, then carefully sized Reg up: a black cloak convenient for concealment, around seven to ten years old, fair and delicate skin, very polite—he looked like the child of a wealthy family.

"My name is Reg... I have no relationship with Mr. Tom. I just want to order a ship." Reg took off the bag on his back and casually opened it.

"How old are you this year?"

"Eight."

"This Beli... It's not something someone your age should have. Do your parents know?"

Iceburg glanced at the Beli Reg had displayed, his expression turning strange... Could this be some brat who had stolen money from home to play pirate?

Noticing Iceburg's subtle look, Reg's eye twitched. "I'm an orphan."

Reg's words brought an apologetic look to Iceburg's face. "Sorry..."

"It's fine. Could you take me to see Mr. Tom... I'm in a hurry." Reg sighed.

"Sorry, sorry... I spoke out of turn. Follow me."

Iceburg scratched his head and began leading the way... Their company accepted commissions, and there was no age restriction.

Knock, knock, knock... Iceburg gently knocked on the door. "Mr. Tom, there's a guest."

"Hahaha... Coming, give me a moment."

A hearty laugh sounded from within. More than ten seconds later, the wooden door opened, revealing a... or rather, an enormous, plump "raccoon dog," nearly four meters tall, with an overwhelmingly imposing and impactful presence.

This was Tom... the world's greatest shipwright, a fish-man of the bullhead shark tribe.

"Hm?! Is this your guest?"

Tom looked around after opening the door, then lowered his head before finally spotting Reg outside his line of sight.

"Mr. Tom, his name is Reg... He wants to order a ship." Iceburg's mouth twitched... This really was unusual.

"Good evening, Mr. Tom... I want to build a ship that won't be smashed apart by the waves."

Reg did not keep staring at the Oro Jackson. Instead, he stated his request directly.

"Hmm... won't be smashed apart?"

Tom sat down casually... at least this way, Reg would not have to crane his neck too much to speak with him.

Beside them, Iceburg scratched his head... other customers usually asked for sturdiness, durability, the ability to withstand pounding waves in harsh weather, and so on.

Reg's request was as strange as he was... what kind of waves could possibly batter a ship to pieces?

"A Knock Up Stream."

Reg spread out his Observation Haki... other than these two, he did not want anyone else to hear.

As if sensing something, Tom gave Reg a glance... this child was no simple person.

"Hahaha... Iceburg, go close the doors. Mr. Reg, let's discuss this in my workshop."

"Yes, Mr. Tom."

Iceburg, who had been deep in thought, set his thoughts aside and hurried toward the warehouse doors... as far as he knew, Knock Up Streams appeared near Jaya Island, some distance away from Water Seven.

There was a town on Jaya Island called "Mock Town." It was an illegal region beyond the Marines' jurisdiction, where large numbers of pirates gathered.

That town was often in an extreme state of chaos... murder, theft, brawls, gambling, and more were all commonplace.

"Wait... that has nothing to do with the town."

Having reached the warehouse doors, Iceburg looked at the backs of Reg and Tom as they departed... there was a legend surrounding Jaya Island: an island in the sky, known as "Sky Island."

It was merely a legend. No books recorded this ethereal island... this strange child was rather cute, but judging by the Beli, his manner of speaking, attire, and behavior, he did not seem like some child indulging in wild fantasies.

This grown-up had not only come in asking to commission a ship "that won't be smashed apart by the waves," but his tone had been utterly certain... could the legendary Sky Island actually exist?

With that thought, Iceburg's hands moved a little faster... if things were truly as he imagined, then it really was something to look forward to.

"Treasure Tree Adam should be able to meet the requirements. There should still be a piece of material left..."

Muttering to himself, Iceburg looked at the nearly completed red ship, then turned toward the storage room... a Knock Up Stream was a natural disaster with an extremely high fatality rate.

It was not as though no one had tried before, but every one of them had been destroyed along with their ships, leaving nothing behind... over time, people gave up on such impractical ideas.

Even pirates who valued treasure as their very lives would take a detour when they encountered such a disaster.