A few days later,
The unique cityscape of the Water 7, resembling a floating opera house, finally came into view.
Huge fountains erupt intermittently in the city center square, with water flowing along a complex network of waterways that permeates the entire city.
All sorts of ships are docked in the harbor, including some with unique designs and obviously valuable vessels.
In the shipyard next to the dock, many workers are building ships.
"Is that Water 7? It truly lives up to its reputation as a holy land for shipwrights!" Stella exclaimed.
"We've finally arrived! I can already imagine piloting this ship through the skies!"
Tesoro, standing nearby, was also leaning over the side of the ship, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.
Upon arriving at the Water 7, Roy had already landed the White Dove on the sea and let Stella take control.
If he were to fly directly there, it would attract too much attention. If it drew the navy's attention, how could he possibly finish building the ship safely?
Stella steered the White Dove slowly into the port near Dock One.
Led by Roy, the group slowly disembarked, and their group immediately attracted a lot of attention.
Especially with Bullet's nearly five-meter height and the invisible aura emanating from Roy himself, Hawk Eyes's increasingly sharp presence, and the youthful faces of the group.
Many eyes were now focused on them.
"Hey, hey, hey, that ship looks like it's flying a skull and crossbones flag."
"Those guys... they don't look like trouble."
"That tall blond guy, why does he look so familiar?"
Roy ignored the surrounding chatter and led his companions straight ashore.
He stopped a dockworker who was unloading timber and asked, "Excuse me, do you know where Master Tom is?"
Seeing that the worker seemed nervous, Roy took a gold coin from his pocket and placed it in his hand.
Once the worker could clearly see what the gold coin looked like, he immediately gripped it tightly and pointed to the back of the city.
" Mr. Tom, his... his workshop is over at the abandoned shipyard in the backstreet, but... he seems to have gotten into some trouble lately; the World Government is looking for him."
"Trouble?"
Roy raised an eyebrow. Roger hadn't become the Pirate King yet, so building him a ship shouldn't have attracted the World Government's attention.
Why would World Government personnel contact him so early?
Thank you.
He thanked the worker, then used his mental energy to hypnotize him, making him forget the question he had just asked.
He then left the dock with the others.
"I'm going to Tom now. Those of you who want to come can come along, and those who don't can still explore the island; there's plenty of good food here."
"Yay! Long live the boss!"
The Savi immediately tethered Enel and Pea, excitedly eager to try the local cuisine.
Hawk Eyes also expressed his desire to check out the weapon shops here, hoping to find a decent Famous Sword.
Stella, on the other hand, wanted to buy some things for girls.
Only Tesoro hesitated, glancing at Stella, then at Roy, and finally at the White Dove.
Roy instantly understood his thoughts.
" Tesoro, if you're worried, go back and keep an eye on that gold!"
Upon hearing this, Tesoro stopped hesitating and, disregarding the large number of people around, instantly transformed into lightning and appeared on the deck of the White Dove.
Tesoro's greed once again left Roy speechless; he had never noticed it before.
He didn't believe that anyone in Water 7 could escape his senses, sneak onto the ship, and steal his gold.
He glanced at Bullet, who was still beside him, and said helplessly.
"Let's go, Bullet. Let's see what a legendary shipwright who can earn Roger's praise looks like."
The two walked through the bustling streets, ignoring the curious stares, and soon arrived at the edge of the city, an area piled with the wreckage of abandoned ships.
Here, a simple, small-scale shipyard comes into view.
A chubby Fish-Man with a thick beard was repairing a boat with two little ones by his side.
On the small boat, a boy of only three or four years old, wearing briefs and a floral shirt, with sky-blue hair, suddenly screamed in panic.
He then scurried away and hid inside the cabin.
The fuse of the cannon, which had not yet been removed from the small boat, was smoking. The muzzle was pointed directly at the two people walking towards the boat. Apparently, they had lit the fuse out of curiosity and playfulness.
"Get out of the way, Iceburg, Mr. Tom!"
"Aaaaaaah, it's going to explode!"
"Bang--!"
Facing the oncoming cannonball, the older boy who was with the Tom looked up at the sound and saw the cannonball coming, and the tools in his hands involuntarily fell to the ground.
"You're dead!!"
"Buzz~~!"
Just as the shell was about to hit them, an invisible force acted on it, causing it to stop in mid-air before veering off course and crashing into the distant sea, splashing water everywhere.
This scene startled the two men. Then, disregarding why the cannonball had veered off course, the boy charged straight at the child peeking out from the small boat.
I gave him a sharp rap on the head, and a big bump immediately appeared on the kid's forehead.
" Franky, you bastard, are you trying to kill me and Mr. Tom?"
"Not only do they not help, but they also spend all their time doing these dangerous things!"
Franky rubbed his head, and seeing that the two were unharmed, he grumbled defiantly.
"It's so noisy! I just wanted to test the power of the ship's cannons, and then you all showed up."
Then he lowered his voice, clearly lacking confidence.
"Besides, aren't you all alright?"
"Idiot, we were lucky, otherwise you would have blown us up long ago. You'd better not touch these dangerous things again before I get really angry."
"Otherwise, next time it won't be enough to just throw a punch."
"You idiot, Iceburg! I won't listen to you. This is an abandoned shipyard. It's my freedom to research things here. Once I build a 'super' amazing ship, you'll be envious."
"Stop daydreaming. You'll never succeed with this kind of nonsense."
"You damn Iceburg, I can do it! Just you wait and see!!!"
Just as the two were arguing, Tom had stopped in his tracks, looked at the person who had come from behind him.
"Oh, what a true man! Thank you for saving me just now."
" Master Tom, you're too kind. With your strength, a small cannonball shouldn't be able to harm you."
"Oh hahaha~"
Tom put down the huge repair kit and laughed happily.
"That's true, but it's still quite a hassle for me."
"I wonder what brings you two gentlemen here to see me?"
Roy stepped forward, took out the design blueprints for the ' Ark Maxim ' from his pocket, and handed them to Tom.
"I've long admired Mr. Tom's name. My name is Roy, and I'd like to ask you to build us a ship. I believe you'll find the contents of this document interesting."
"After all, this is a one-of-a-kind ship!"