"I am none other than Tom who built Roger's ship, and the Hero of the Marines Monkey D. Garp! I've long admired your name, always seeing you in the newspapers. Today I finally meet you in person, and you are completely different from the descriptions in the newspapers!"
Tom also heard what Garp had just said, and his words about beating up Vic were completely different from what he had seen in the newspaper!
Newspapers always describe Hero of the Marines as calm, brave, and powerful, portraying them as tall, wise, strong, and aloof figures. But today, we see a somewhat cynical and interesting character.
" Tom! You know what? I hated you so much back then! During the chase for Roger, he always managed to escape in various ways, and several times it was because of the ship. At that time, I didn't know that you were the one who built the ship, but I still hated the person who built it for him!"
Tom: "..."
Tom was completely stunned. The Hero of the Marines hated him, and now he'd come knocking on his door? Was it too late to beg for mercy? Was he about to kick the bucket any second?
"I've been wondering why his pirate ship is so sturdy? In the same conditions, his ship is much faster than my warship!"
I only found out later, after he was arrested, that you were the one who built the ship. I had originally wanted to hire you to build warships, but they said you were sentenced to death, but were given a suspended sentence because you designed a new type of maritime transportation.
So I knew you definitely wouldn't have time to build me a warship, which is a bit of a shame. But I hope you can build me a personal warship after that vehicle is completed and I'm released on my behalf!
Garp was quite serious at first, but he became more and more sincere as he spoke, without any resentment or blame. Perhaps this was his way of praising Tom for building a good ship.
"Hahaha! Of course, that's no problem. I'm not a professional pirate shipbuilder; I'm just a shipwright."
The ships built won't be categorized as pirate ships, cargo ships, or warships; their purpose is determined by the person who placed the order. Once my Sea Train is built, there will be time!
Hearing what Garp said next, Tom's heart, which had been in his throat, finally settled back into his stomach, and he readily agreed to Garp's request.
He's already built a ship for the Pirate King; if he could build one for Hero of the Marines, wouldn't his life be complete? Although Garp is already Hero of the Marines, it's a bit of a shame he didn't become a legend while sitting on his own ship, but there's always the future, isn't there?
"Hahaha! It's a deal then. Your first ship after being exonerated will be one of my warships, and you won't be shortchanged on the money."
Tom's words pleased Garp, who immediately ordered the first ship. His unwavering confidence in Karp's ability to build the Sea Train made Tom think even more highly of Garp.
Garp and Tom are the same age and know a little about what happens at sea, just with different focuses.
So the two chatted happily, completely ignoring Vic rolling his eyes at them. Tom took Garp to the restaurant and personally brewed Garp a cup of tea, using Vic's tea leaves, which made Kokoro and Rebecca, who were drinking tea, move aside!
"Grandpa! I won't keep you company here! You two have a good chat, I'm going to go look at the blueprints and study!" Vic, seeing he couldn't get a word in edgewise, decided to go study; time was precious, it was time to work hard.
"Go ahead, go ahead! Don't bother us, just don't forget to bring the snacks when it's time."
The old man waved him off, telling him to leave quickly, completely ignoring the main point he wanted to make. He also asked him to prepare some food, but Vic didn't say anything and quietly left to prepare some snacks.
When Vic came downstairs to the dock, he was spotted by Barnett, who had been watching the stairwell. Barnett immediately walked towards him. Frodeku and Wendy, hearing the commotion beside them, also followed the direction he was heading and saw Vic. They immediately went over to him as well.
When the group arrived at Vic's side, Rebecca also came downstairs. Apart from Ain, who was still sleeping on the warship, their small group was now reunited.
Having gone through countless life-or-death battles, they had long since come to believe in Vic, so they usually gathered together when they had nothing to do on the warship.
Although he got along fairly well with the other naval personnel on the Dog-Head Warship, it was just a normal relationship between allies and comrades.
This was also a result of their deliberate actions; they were destined to separate. If they got along too well, they might not be able to bear parting, and the pain of separation afterward would be very painful.
Only Rebecca and the swordsman Bogard on the warship had a good relationship. The two often sparred together. Vic did not take the initiative to get to know the old man, his future adjutant. He was even less likely to do so after Rebecca and Bogard became friends.
"Hehe! The old man wants some snacks, so I'll go make some extra. You can all enjoy them too!" It's only been two or three days, and Vic didn't ask them to do anything; he just had to handle it himself.
" Vice Admiral Garp and Mr. Tom are both legendary figures. I even saw in the newspapers that Mr. Tom was convicted for building a pirate ship for the Pirate King. I thought he was dead, but I didn't expect him to still be alive!"
Barnett was deeply moved to see Tom alive. To keep the world at bay, the World Government hadn't published the agreement between Tom and the judge in the newspapers, so he had assumed Tom had already been executed by the World Government.
" Mr. Tom has an agreement with the Supreme Court of Enies Lobby: he can be exonerated if he builds a train that can sail at sea. The term is ten years, and seven years have already passed, but Mr. Tom is certain he can build it!"
The World Government had not released this information, but because Vic was a member of the Navy, Tom had not previously questioned how he knew about it.
In reality, most people believed that Tom had already been executed. Ordinary civilians from Four Blues rarely knew the truth of the matter. What they knew was what the World Government wanted them to know. At this time, Morgans had a rebellious streak, but he did not have the power to do anything rebellious.
" Vic! Should we get Tom's Workers to build our warships? Vice Admiral Garp is first, so let's put us after him in the queue!"
Although Rebecca had been having tea with Kokoro up there, she had overheard the old man wanting Tom to work building warships for him. Since Tom was such a skilled shipbuilder, she wanted to make the future warships even better.