"Isn't that the Marine Garp the Hero? I think I've seen him in the newspaper!"
"Yes, look at the dog's head insignia on that warship—isn't that Vice Admiral Garp's flagship? I never imagined Tom could invite Vice Admiral Garp his studio!"
"Has Tom's Sea Train been successfully completed, and is Vice Admiral Garp here to inspect it?"
" Vice Admiral Garp is really something! He threw the warship that far away; he must have incredible strength!"
"That wasn't thrown by Vice Admiral Garp. I've been watching that area since the gates at Tom's Dock opened. Those gates haven't been opened in ages. It was that young officer next to Vice Admiral Garp who threw it out with one hand. I was stunned when I saw it!"
"This young navy man looks familiar! I feel like I've seen him somewhere before, but I can't quite place it!"
Tom's dock gates opened, and the sight of Vic throwing the boat with one hand attracted the attention of the employees at Tom shipyard next door.
Then they saw the Marine Garp the Hero, which made the shipwrights, who loved to watch the excitement, stop and start discussing. Tom was a famous figure in Water 7, a shipwright who could even bargain for a death sentence, while Garp was a legend in the navy, a figure whose name was known throughout the entire sea. It was quite a topic of conversation.
"Let's go, Vic! We'll go to the shipyard, and I'll use the scrap materials there to build a ship. Once you build one just like it, you'll pass the test!"
Tom was very satisfied with the two days of teaching. Vic was learning too fast, and he had nothing more to teach him in terms of theory.
The last part of the time was spent telling Vic about his decades of shipbuilding experience and the unique techniques he had developed, while Iceburg and Franky listened in.
Now that the Aqua Laguna have left, Vic cannot stay here any longer. So Tom wants to test Vic before Vic leaves, to see how much theoretical knowledge he can translate into practical application.
Vic didn't speak, but nodded seriously. Then the group marched towards the shipyard in a grand procession, ignoring the growing number of onlookers.
Being noticed was exactly the effect Tom wanted. Tom believed that the news of Garp and Vic seeking refuge with him would soon spread throughout the island and reach the ears of the World Government, which would more or less dispel some of the World Government's suspicions, and that would be enough.
When the group arrived at the shipwreck site, some people were already browsing the market; after the tsunami, they would bring back some useful items.
So every time after the Aqua Laguna, people come here to search for treasure. Tom's Workers and Vic's small team followed, all wanting to see what Vic had learned in the past few days.
" Vic! Due to time constraints, I'll just build a smaller boat, but it will have a lot of technical structural elements. You can take a look first!"
After finishing his explanation, Tom put the shipbuilding tools aside and went to search for materials among the piles of broken ships. This time, they would use the discarded materials to build a ship, which would test both their analytical and judgment abilities, as well as their technical understanding.
Tom found the materials very quickly, probably because he already had a plan in mind and knew exactly what materials were needed for each part. Moreover, he was a Fish-Man, much stronger than an ordinary Fish-Man, and he carried all the necessary materials back in one go.
Tom's boat was seven or eight meters long, which was relatively small and not very suitable for sailing at sea, but it could be used as a shuttle boat for larger ships.
In some shallow waters, large ships cannot get close at all, so these small boats are the only way to transport people and supplies, and can also be used as escape boats in times of crisis.
It's acceptable to use it only in the waterways and rivers within the island; only the truly powerful dare to sail on the sea in small boats, while most others who do so are eaten by fish.
Tom finished building the boat in just two hours. It was ready to use once the sails and ropes were attached. It was fully functional and quite unique. It was excellent value for money, made from scrap materials, and incorporated various shipbuilding techniques. It was more than enough as a test question.
" Vic! You saw me building the ship just now. There were no blueprints, but with your memory, it shouldn't be a problem. Just build one exactly like this ship, and I'll acknowledge you as a master!"
Tom wiped the sweat from his brow and said to Vic that he had done his best to save time and had managed to compress the shipbuilding process into less than two hours.
"You've all figured it out, now watch me!"
Vic had watched the entire process of Tom selecting materials, except for not being able to see it up close, and he remembered the exact order of the selection.
However, he didn't immediately start selecting materials. Instead, he closed his eyes and unleashed his Observation Haki, scanning all the scrap materials in the entire shipyard. He already knew exactly where the suitable materials were, so he had much less time to select materials than Tom.
Tom and his two apprentices assumed Vic was closing his eyes to recall the shipbuilding process and didn't disturb his Observation Haki.
Then, as if he had used Flash, Vic appeared in various parts of the shipyard and collected all the materials in less than two minutes.
Rebecca and the others had seen it all before and didn't react at all, but the others were completely dumbfounded. Only then did the people from Tom's Workers realize how Vic had become Rear Admiral. Although he was young, he was truly capable and hadn't gotten his position through connections!
With this one move, Vic completely won them over. Vic possessed both strength and speed, along with various other abilities that allowed him to chop wood more than ten times faster than Tom using Sword Qi.
He replicated Tom's boat in just half an hour, with a size and height error of no more than five millimeters. Even Tom was moved. He had only been learning for a few days! It surpassed the efforts of others in a lifetime. People really can't compare themselves to each other, or we wouldn't be able to survive!
Tom's shipbuilding commotion had already attracted the treasure hunters. They were quite astonished to see Tom building a ship; people living in Water 7 knew a little about shipbuilding, and this speed was truly astonishing.
But the young man in the naval justice cloak was even faster, as if he had pressed the accelerator button. It was dazzling to watch, and people couldn't even close their mouths. This was even more outrageous. The two of them seemed to be racing to build a ship. How could it be a test?
" Vic! Your learning ability is indeed outstanding. I was somewhat skeptical when you said you had a strong learning ability before. I thought my two disciples were already exceptional, but I never expected there to be someone even more talented than them."
If you weren't a member of the navy, I would definitely have found a way to keep you here. Your skills have already earned my approval; you can call yourself my disciple anywhere!