"Tahaha! I survived after all!"
Back at home, Mr. Tom burst out laughing—tears even welled up in his eyes. That was how truly happy he was.
But perhaps only he understood that his joy came from being able to continue researching the Sea Train—not merely because his life had been spared.
"There's nothing funny about it. Just thinking about that day still sends a cold sweat down my back."
Kokoro watched the situation with a helpless expression.
"But then again… if everything goes smoothly, maybe they really will forget about Roger."
[Knock, knock, knock.]
Just then, someone gently knocked on the workshop door. The two boys sitting at the dining table—Iceburg and Cutty Flam—exchanged glances.
Kokoro walked over and opened the door, only to find five men standing outside. They were dressed in black suits and leather boots. One man stood at the front, while the others flanked him on both sides.
At a glance, she immediately guessed their origin.
"People from the World Government?!" Kokoro frowned with concern. "But Tom's sentence has already been decided—what more do you want?"
Inside, Iceburg and the others had already stood up, especially Cutty Flam, who looked furious. But Tom quickly stepped forward and held him back.
"Apologies for the interruption. We are not from Enies Lobby—we represent the Administrative Division. I'm Coulson, a Senior Councilor," the man in black replied politely, smiling.
"Administrative Division?"
Everyone looked confused. Truthfully, they'd never heard of it before.
"The leaders of the World Government are deeply invested in the development of the Sea Train. Therefore, we in the Administrative Division will do everything we can to assist you in your work."
"And what exactly can you assist me with?" Tom asked with a hearty smile, not the least bit bothered.
Behind him, Iceburg was suspicious—he suspected they were here to monitor them. But being a rational thinker, he held his tongue and quietly signaled the hot-headed Cutty Flam not to act rashly.
"We won't interfere with your research, but we will improve your research environment."
"For example, all the materials needed by Water 7's shipyards will be provided by our Administrative Division at standard market prices, with the Navy responsible for transporting them safely. This way, shipbuilding on the island won't suffer further setbacks."
"Additionally, a force of one thousand Marines will be temporarily stationed here—to prevent harassment by pirates and to provide security for your research."
At this, everyone was stunned. The World Government... this generous?
Tom froze for a moment. But once he came to his senses, he let out a bold, booming laugh.
"Tahaha! That's a huge help! Now the island's residents won't have to worry about their livelihoods. On behalf of everyone, I thank you—and the World Government!"
At that moment, his impression of the World Government improved significantly—even though not long ago, a judge at Enies Lobby had sentenced him to a ten-year stay of execution.
"Furthermore, all the materials you need to develop the Sea Train—including labor and researchers—will be fully supplied by our Administrative Division."
"We will also completely redevelop this abandoned shipyard island into a dedicated manufacturing facility for the Sea Train. It will be equipped with the most advanced technology in the world. As for your daily meals, we'll hire professional chefs to handle them."
Tom and the others fell silent. They didn't even know what to say—the proposal was simply too thorough. They were being treated like nobles!
"I imagine… there's a cost to this, or some kind of condition?" the young Iceburg asked quietly.
Coulson nodded.
"For the first year, we will provide full material support for the shipyards. But starting from the second year, the supply will decrease by 10% annually. In other words, if the Sea Train project isn't completed within ten years, the island will only receive 10% of the original material allocation."
"So please, Mr. Tom, complete the Sea Train as soon as possible. The World Government has a special surprise waiting for you when you do."
...
In Mary Geoise, inside his exclusive training room, Imu was brandishing a sword.
This was part of his daily routine—to maintain familiarity with the feeling of combat.
Ten minutes ago, he had already learned of the events in Water 7 through the Den-Den Mushi brought by a maid.
At first, he hadn't intended to interfere.
Because Imu understood far too well the importance of the 'Sea Train'. It was an extraordinarily advanced piece of black technology: a steam-powered train over a hundred meters long that could travel precisely and reliably on floating, unstable tracks. Not only that, the noise it emitted could even repel fish, including Sea Kings.
But the most astonishing aspect of this 'Sea Train' was that it could operate with minimal impact from extreme marine weather conditions.
It meant that no matter how strong the wind blew or how high the waves rose, as long as the weather wasn't something catastrophic like a sea tornado or an ice storm that could destroy the floating tracks, the train could continue running normally!
Any person with average intelligence could imagine the massive impact such a thing could have on global development.
So what happens if an accident occurs due to his excessive interference?
Why was there such a huge developmental disparity between islands? Some places seemed stuck in the Middle Ages, while others were teeming with high-tech advancements.
It was precisely because transportation between islands was too difficult, and resources could not circulate quickly across them.
It was precisely because Imu was well aware of all this that he had not ordered anyone to stop Enies Lobby from sentencing Tom.
In his eyes, the ten-year suspended death sentence served as a positive driving force for Tom's group—because it forced them to understand that only by completing the Sea Train could they have any chance of saving Tom's life.
Although it ultimately took them fourteen years.
But that only proved that even the original timeline's World Government had recognized the value of the Sea Train and hadn't pursued the issue of exceeding the deadline at all.
As for whether Tom had been wronged—that wasn't something Imu concerned himself with. In any case, under his protection, there was no way Tom would die.
Still, fourteen years felt too long to Imu.
So he had ordered the Five Elders to instruct the Administration Department to provide funding to Tom's workshop, solely to shorten the project timeline by a few years.
At the same time, he gave strict orders not to interfere with Tom's work.
In short—whatever Tom requested, just fulfill it!
Amidst the flurry of brilliant sword slashes, Imu continued to ponder.
The matters related to Tom weren't limited to just the 'Sea Train development project'.
There were also Iceburg and Cutty Flam, both with exceptional talent.
The first, Iceburg, in Imu's opinion, possessed outstanding management skills. Merely becoming a shipwright or the mayor of Water 7 felt like a waste of his talent. This was someone fully capable of taking the stage on a far larger scale.
However, Imu also understood that any talented individual needed a period of growth.
Had Iceburg not learned shipbuilding under Tom, not founded the Galley-La Company, not served as the mayor of Water 7—then who could say what he might have become?
Better to let things take their natural course. Once Iceburg had fully matured, he could be brought into service under the World Government.
As for the other apprentice—Cutty Flam—he was even more of a genius. A prodigy in weapons development!
Top-tier shipbuilding and artillery engineering, self-developed body-modification techniques, a method to convert beverages into special energy, and on top of all that, an extraordinary learning ability… He was practically a treasure of their civilization!
Therefore, Imu had specifically mentioned Cutty Flam earlier, instructing CP2 agents stationed in Water 7 to keep a close watch on him.
Once the Sea Train's development was complete, there would be little left for Cutty Flam to learn from Tom.
After that, Imu planned to have someone bring him into the Scientific Division. He would first study under Vegapunk for a few years, and once he came of age, he would be granted an independent research facility—one where he could focus entirely on developing various weapons, especially warships.
In addition to that, let's not forget—Tom was also in possession of the blueprints for Pluton.
As for the true nature of this so-called Ancient Weapon, Imu already had memories of it. In the past, he had personally witnessed Pluton obliterate an entire island with a single shot.
Yet, despite how terrifying Pluton was, the Great Kingdom still failed to defeat the coalition of twenty nations that Imu had assembled.
Where the damaged and defeated Pluton ultimately ended up—his past self hadn't known.
And it's unfortunate that in his past life when he transmigrated the One Piece Series hadn't mentioned anything about it yet, at that time the Wano Arc had just begun.