"Where is he? Whose blueprints are these? Who wants me to build their ship?"
Just as Lin Yuan and his companions sat down, a giant horned Fish-Man rushed over, followed by Iceburg and a young man.
Lin Yuan didn't speak, but carefully examined the three of them. Tom was indeed a fat Fish-Man, looking like a giant ball, but his arms were unusually strong.
As for the two behind him, Iceburg already knows them. The other one should be Franky, the Straw Hat Pirates ' repairman. He's still a young man, and it's unclear why he'll later like to transform himself into a robot.
"Is this blueprint yours?"
Tom suppressed his excitement, looked at the group of people, and then spoke to Lin Yuan.
"Hehe, Master Tom, you truly live up to your legendary shipwright reputation. Just call me Lin Yuan. So, how about it, are you interested in this Ark Maxim?"
Tom glanced at Lin Yuan again, then at the blueprints in his hand, his face showing a mixture of excitement and regret.
"Alas, if it were before, I would have been overjoyed to see such a masterpiece, but now, although I wish I could help you build it, I no longer have the time."
Lin Yuan was fully aware of Tom's situation, and he didn't need the Ark's " Ark Maxim " for the time being, since it required countless amounts of gold.
"Hehe, I am well aware of Mr. Tom's situation, even the Nezumi outside know. But Mr. Tom, I don't want you to manufacture it according to the blueprints."
"In your opinion, building the Ark Maxim would require countless amounts of gold, so I would like to ask Master Tom to see if it's possible to modify it and replace the gold with other materials."
Upon hearing Lin Yuan's request, Tom stared intently at him, admiring the blueprints of the Ark " Ark Maxim " once more, and then began to calculate in his mind.
Tom asked Iceburg to bring him some paper and pen, and began to do some calculations. Iceburg and Franky also offered their opinions from time to time.
Seeing the three of them discussing something, Lin Yuan wasn't in a hurry. Instead, he looked outside.
He sensed that four people were watching him from outside, some even openly so.
Lin Yuan glanced at them and saw that they were all unfamiliar faces; Rob Lucci and Kalifa from the original story were nowhere to be seen.
Come to think of it, Lucci and his crew are probably still being trained by the World Government, and these people should be their Lucci.
Lin Yuan had absolutely no goodwill towards these CP9 members. If Tom and the others weren't still around, Lin Yuan probably would have wiped them out on the spot.
Tom and his two companions discussed for a full hour before finally stopping, and a look of satisfaction appeared on Tom's face.
"Brother Lin Yuan, the person who developed this spaceship is truly a genius, truly admirable. However, according to your requirements, I can modify it a bit."
Lin Yuan laughed upon hearing this. It seemed he hadn't come to the wrong place; Tom's shipbuilding skills truly lived up to their reputation as the pinnacle of the pirate world.
If he can't modify it either, then the only option is to make it out of gold.
Although the people around Lin Yuan are not lacking in the ability to fly, both Enel and Stella can do it, and he himself has even thought of the space battleship.
However, I can't stay by their side all the time. If we can build flying warships, it will definitely be a great asset for future development.
"Then, Mr. Tom, could you please offer your advice?"
"Hehe, no problem. A spaceship built according to these blueprints would be far too extravagant; it's probably just the creator's own hobby."
"Actually, the reason so much gold is used is for energy transfer. In my estimation, we don't need that much; even five percent of the gold would be enough."
Tom continued speaking, explaining some shipbuilding expertise. Although Lin Yuan and the others couldn't understand it at all, they listened patiently nonetheless.
Tom talked for a good ten minutes before finally stopping, seemingly still wanting to say more.
However, Tom was satisfied with Lin Yuan and the others' attitude. For him, apart from his own apprentices, this was the first time anyone had listened to him.
"Five percent? That would be enough to build a dozen or so Ark Maxim."
Hearing Lin Yuan's words, Tom smiled and said.
"Hehe, Lin Yuan, do you know how much gold it takes to build a ship like this? Even five percent is a terrifying number, worth at least tens of billions of Beli."
"Furthermore, it requires other materials, all of which are very expensive, beyond the reach of most people, and it also requires a special energy source to operate."
Tom didn't think anyone would spend so much to build such a spaceship; the energy source alone would be difficult to solve.
Upon hearing this, Lin Yuan and the others immediately burst into laughter. They lacked nothing but money; possessing hundreds of billions of Beli, they were simply outrageously wealthy.
" Mr. Tom, let me put it this way, if it were possible, how long would it take you to build this Ark Maxim?"
Tom's face showed a hint of regret. He didn't have much time left and only wanted to build the Sea Train. As for anything else, he neither planned nor could he build it.
"I'm sorry, I don't think I can help you. You said you know my situation, so you should know that I'm no longer able to manufacture this thing."
"It's nothing, I was just asking, Mr. Tom, how long would it take if you were here?"
Tom gave Lin Yuan a deep look, as if trying to see through him, but apart from his indifference, he couldn't discern anything else.
"If I were to build it myself, I should be able to complete one in six months. Iceburg, Cutty Flam, what about you?"
Iceburg and Cutty Flam were taken aback. Cutty Flam, also known as Franky, thought for a moment, their eyes filled with eager anticipation.
"With a teacher's guidance, I estimate it will take eight months."
Me too.
Lin Yuan was overjoyed upon hearing this. If the three of them were to build them, wouldn't they be able to build four ships in a year, and more than a dozen ships in three years?
"Could we purchase the other materials for crafting the Ark Maxim from you?"
This time, Tom didn't speak; instead, Iceburg answered Lin Yuan's question.
"Mr. Lin Yuan, the other materials can be obtained. Apart from gold, the other materials, although precious, are quite common."
" Iceburg, if we need materials for twelve ships, is it possible to procure them?"
"What?"
Iceburg's face showed shock, and he looked at Lin Yuan as if he had seen a ghost, while Tom and Cutty Flam were also stunned on the spot.
"You heard me right, I meant materials for twelve ships!"
"Do you know what you're saying? Putting aside other materials, building twelve ships would require around 15 million Beli in gold alone, and the other materials would cost approximately 30 billion Beli. Nobody can afford that."
"Hahaha..."