Kalifa, Be My Shipwright

The next day.

Ye Zhuo stretched and walked out of an alley onto the street.

"Good thing I have Fire Chi. I don't feel cold at all."

[ Ding! ]

[ Side quest completed: Check in at Water 7 ]

[ Quest reward: 500 million Beli shipbuilding fund ]

Ye Zhuo glanced at the quest panel.

This time, he had finally returned to the main quest.

[ Main chain quest refreshed: Treasure Ship Plan I, find Iceburg and request a large ship worth 500 million Beli ]

[ Quest reward: Adam Tree wood ]

Oh?

Ye Zhuo had not expected this main quest to be so simple.

Only the words "chain quest" gave Ye Zhuo a faint sense of unease.

Iceberg Company was the strongest shipbuilding company in Water 7.

As long as one was willing to spend enough money here, one could obtain the finest ships on the sea.

At the shipbuilding docks, one familiar figure after another came into view.

Ye Zhuo paid no attention to their gazes whatsoever.

These people were CP9 agents hiding within Iceberg Company.

"Five hundred million Beli?"

Iceburg looked Ye Zhuo over, wanting to confirm whether he could truly produce such an enormous sum.

"If you agree, I'll pay."

Ye Zhuo saw the hostility in Iceburg's eyes.

Beside him, Kalifa tapped the frame of her glasses with a slender finger. Her golden hair swayed as she rapidly calculated how five hundred million Beli could be spent.

"Your fishnets look nice."

Ye Zhuo glanced at Kalifa beside him. He spread his hands, and gold and Beli instantly appeared all over the ground.

The system had temporarily stored them for him after granting the reward.

The moment Ye Zhuo selected them, they appeared without delay.

"Hmph! What a frivolous remark!"

Kalifa shot Ye Zhuo a glare.

"It's enough for five hundred million Beli!"

Someone quickly counted it, then looked at Ye Zhuo in shock.

At that moment, the CP9 members in the crowd had already been watching Ye Zhuo from the corners of their eyes.

Iceburg studied him carefully. As he signed the shipbuilding contract, he muttered,

"Why do I feel like I've seen you somewhere before?"

A newspaper bird suddenly dropped a wanted poster.

He casually picked it up.

Iceburg held the wanted poster beside Ye Zhuo's face to compare them.

The man in the poster wore an especially arrogant grin, completely unlike the approachable Ye Zhuo before him.

"You appeared in the Sabaody Archipelago?"

"Yeah. Can you still build the ship?"

Ye Zhuo had not expected Iceburg to remain so calm.

His Observation Haki had already sensed that everyone, including Kalifa, had begun to grow tense.

"Of course. The contract is already signed. Why wouldn't I earn five hundred million Beli?"

Iceburg put his hands in his pockets and had only taken a few steps.

Another massive log appeared in front of Ye Zhuo.

Every shipwright turned their heads. Even Iceburg spun around, his expression changing.

Adam Tree wood!

Such an enormous piece of Adam Tree wood that Ye Zhuo had brought out!

A small piece alone could sell for two hundred million Beli on the black market.

This huge log was worth two billion Beli!

"I told you, it's a big ship!"

The system notification in Ye Zhuo's ear had not yet stopped.

[ Ding! ]

[ Main chain quest completed: Treasure Ship Plan I ]

[ Quest reward: Adam Tree wood ]

Just as expected.

He knew chain main quests would not be so simple.

[ Main chain quest refreshed: Treasure Ship Plan II, invite Kalifa to become a shipwright ]

[ Quest reward: ancient weapon, Pluton Blueprints ]

Huh?

Ye Zhuo was delighted that the quest was so simple. He could complete it without lifting a finger.

It was only an invitation. Wasn't it just one sentence?

"Miss Kalifa, my large ship will sail around the world.

It happens to need an excellent shipwright. Would you like to go to sea with me?"

Ye Zhuo's invitation left Kalifa, who had been pretending to be annoyed, frozen in place.

If not for the need to continue infiltrating Iceberg Company.

If not for the Pluton Blueprints of the ancient weapon.

CP9 would have long since taken action against this insolent man, Ye Zhuo!

Besides, Ye Zhuo had killed a Celestial Dragon, and his bounty had reached one billion Beli.

Forget about building a ship.

A Marine warship might arrive at any moment to pursue him.

"How could I? I'm Mr. Iceburg's assistant!"

Kalifa angrily launched a flying kick.

Ye Zhuo easily dodged it.

Very nice. He also felt Kalifa would make a decent shipwright.

She had mastered the Six Naval Powers and was surely skilled in combat. Having spent so much time around Iceberg Company, she ought to have picked up some technical ability too.

"I have no objections, though Miss Kalifa does have quite the temper."

Iceburg smiled faintly.

Ye Zhuo was not the only major figure to come here for a ship. Important people from the Grand Line and the New World came often as well.

In the words of his master, Tom.

As shipwrights, this was their job.

[ Ding! ]

[ Main chain quest completed: Treasure Ship Plan II, invite Kalifa to go to sea ]

[ Quest reward: ancient weapon, Pluton Blueprints ]

Just as expected.

He knew chain main quests would not be so simple.

[ Main chain quest refreshed: Treasure Ship Plan III, publicly display the blueprints, draw CP9's attention, and defeat them all ]

[ Quest reward: Dog-Dog Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Nine-Tailed Fox form ]

"Though it looks like a Mythical Zoan, it's actually quite ordinary."

Ye Zhuo had no interest in any Animal-type Fruit.

He could completely replace it with the Monkey Talisman, and there would be no side effects.

"Mr. Iceburg, I don't know whether my ship can be built according to these blueprints."

Ye Zhuo took out the blueprints and deliberately spun around in a wide circle on the spot, as though afraid someone might fail to see them.

"What is this?"

Iceburg's eyes widened.

At last, something had appeared that could truly shock even him.

The Pluton Blueprints!

There should only have been the set passed down by Mr. Tom in this world.

Why was there another copy?

"These blueprints? I happened to acquire the Pluton Blueprints by chance!"

Ye Zhuo deliberately shouted at the top of his lungs.

He would not have been happy if anyone failed to hear him.

"Really? What is that?"

Iceburg pretended to know nothing.

"Kalifa, take them and help me see whether it can be built. After all, you'll become my shipwright in the future."

"Who wants to be your shipwright?!"

Kalifa was angry, but she still snatched the blueprints away.

She only took one look and could not understand a thing.

But Iceburg beside her directly seized them.

"I'm sorry. Take it away, sir. These are completely fabricated blueprints. They follow no scientific principles and cannot be built."

Iceburg looked at Ye Zhuo solemnly.

Ye Zhuo smiled and put away the blueprints. This sight had already made Kalifa and the other CP9 members deeply uneasy.

It would have been better if Iceburg had not reacted this way. Precisely because he did, it proved the blueprints were real.

"It's fine. Use my giant log for the timber. There's no material cost. I'll take that bit of gold and go have a bath."

Ye Zhuo picked up a piece of gold. He truly just wanted to take a bath.

As he left, Iceburg kept watching his retreating figure.

CP9 secretly took note of this scene.

No matter what.

They would definitely make a move against Ye Zhuo tonight!

Better to kill ten thousand by mistake than let a single one go.

Water 7.

At another port.

The pirate ship from Amazon Lily had already arrived.

The Pirate Empress stepped onto the street and, after looking around, began searching for Ye Zhuo.