After the tsunami, the air in Water 7 became refreshing and pleasant.
A few hours later, night fell once again.
Though there was no moon or stars in the sky, the top of this maritime city was as bright as day, with flickering lights everywhere.
Rising wisps of smoke, bustling crowds, and food stalls emitting various aromas stretched from the spacious City Hall square all the way to the even larger Dock 1.
"What? Commodore Rorschach single-handedly defeated the Rakuyona tsunami?" Palmer's eyes widened as he listened to Bepo's animated retelling of the thrilling experience.
Amid the noisy and lively crowd, with exclamations and stories rising and falling, Palmer's face was filled with regret.
"Damn it! Just hearing about it, I can imagine the epic and heroic scene. Such a thrilling event, and I wasn't there to experience it firsthand!"
"Yeah! What an incredible feat. Commodore Rorschach is truly amazing," said Oimo and Kashi, fellow giants standing beside him.
The two giants held three to four-meter-long skewers of roasted meat, eating heartily while expressing their admiration.
They had been approved to join the Marines and could leave Enies Lobby.
This time, they had come with Palmer on Rorschach's warship.
"Hey! Giants, are you planning to join the Commodore's crew too? There aren't rooms big enough for you on the warship," Bepo said, looking up at Oimo and Kashi with some wariness.
He felt his position was being threatened.
Having one giant, Palmer, on Rorschach's ship was enough.
Sensing the silly white bear's hostility, Oimo and Kashi exchanged glances and laughed heartily.
"Hahaha, we'd love to serve under a powerful warrior like Commodore Rorschach. But we still have some things to take care of. White Bear, we'll see you in Marineford next time."
"I'm Bepo," Bepo said, relieved, sniffing his nose.
This way, he would still rank fourth on Rorschach's warship.
Well, in terms of strength.
In the center of the dock square, Rorschach, Iceburg, Franky, Bari, and others sat on the ground, enjoying the food and drinks piled in front of them.
Amid the clinking of glasses, laughter and chatter filled the air, creating a lively atmosphere.
"Let's toast to the hero who saved Water 7, Commodore Rorschach!" Iceburg, who rarely drank, had made an exception today.
His usually composed face was flushed, and he wore a genuine smile as he raised his glass high.
"Cheers!"
Bari, Franky, Dored, Law, Kaku, and others raised their glasses in unison.
The surrounding crowd also erupted in loud cheers, raising their glasses from afar.
"I told you, no need to be so polite, Iceburg. I'm a Marine. Protecting everyone's safety is what we, as upholders of justice, must do," Rorschach said, raising his glass and downing it in one go.
"Commodore Rorschach's determination to uphold justice is truly admirable," Iceburg said, his expression complex, filled with both emotion and moving.
To be honest.
Due to the execution of Tom many years ago, Iceburg didn't have much fondness for the World Government or the Marines.
Being naturally composed, he never revealed these feelings to outsiders.
But over the years, first with T-Bone, who was stationed in the waters near Enies Lobby, guarding the Sea Train route, and now with Rorschach, who had saved Water 7, these Marines who upheld the ideals of justice had greatly changed Iceburg's perception of the Marines.
At the very least, he no longer saw the Marines and the arrogant officials of the World Government as birds of a feather.
"Big brother Rorschach, drink less," Hibari, dressed in the sky-blue princess dress she wore yesterday, sat gracefully beside Rorschach, whispering her advice.
"It's fine. My alcohol tolerance has improved a lot," Rorschach said with a smile, patting Hibari's head.
Suddenly, he noticed Franky's sneaky movements and shouted, "Franky! What are you doing, sneaking around, trying to replace alcohol with cola? Hurry up and drink three penalty cups, or I'll drag you to Enies Lobby for trial tomorrow!"
Franky, startled by the shout, dropped the cola he had secretly taken from his abdomen.
"Alright, alright, I'll drink," Franky said with a sheepish smile, picking up a bottle of alcohol and pouring himself three cups of ale, downing them with a grimace.
Compared to alcohol, he preferred cola.
Rorschach suddenly stood up, holding his bottle, and squeezed between Franky and Iceburg, slinging an arm around Franky's shoulder, causing him to stiffen and his muscles to tense.
Rorschach curiously examined Franky, making him feel uneasy.
Rorschach pinched Franky's shoulder with his right hand, confirming that his body was indeed incredibly hard, with a steel structure beneath the surface.
Rorschach wanted to ask how Franky had managed to transform himself into a half-human, half-cyborg on his own.
It was no easy feat.
Not to mention replacing flesh and bones with metal, modifying the digestive system, and installing cannons and weapons inside the body.
Just the process of stripping away flesh would likely kill an ordinary person from the pain.
It was hard to imagine how Franky, after being hit by the Sea Train, had endured such inhuman pain to transform himself into Iron Man Franky.
But with so many people around, including Rob Lucci, Kaku, and Kalifa, Rorschach couldn't ask openly.
"I heard you used my money to buy Adam Wood?" Rorschach's words made Franky want to dig a hole and hide.
But he admitted it outright.
"Yes, I did take 500 million berries to buy Adam Wood. I'm really sorry. I messed up, stealing money from my savior. But don't worry, I'll return the wood tomorrow morning and give you back the 500 million berries."
"Who said anything about returning the money?"
Rorschach rolled his eyes, leaving Franky stunned.
Franky asked, confused, "What do you mean, not returning the money?"
"You bought that wood to build a good ship, right? Coincidentally, I was planning to ask Iceburg to help build a larger warship. By the way, how much wood did you buy? How big a ship can you build?"
Rorschach picked up a long skewer of Water Water meat, stuffing his cheeks full.
His gaze drifted through the crowd, landing on Margaret and her daughter, who were grilling meat by a nearby pool.
Tonight, the entire population of Water 7 had come to the banquet.
Naturally, there was a shortage of chefs.
There was no one like Chef Denou, who could handle cooking for thousands alone.
Thus, many residents volunteered to join the cooking efforts.
Margaret and her daughter, skilled at grilling Water Water meat, took charge of the main guests' barbecue.
Suddenly, Rorschach noticed Hibari running over to Margaret's stall, smiling and helping with the grilling.
Franky counted on his fingers, considering, "Hmm, probably enough to build a ship about forty to fifty meters long, a two-masted sailing ship."
"Only forty to fifty meters? For 500 million berries, that's all you got?"
Rorschach couldn't believe it.
After all, a large Marine warship cost only about two to three hundred million berries.
And that included the numerous cannons and steam engines installed on the ship.
"That's Adam Wood, the most expensive shipbuilding material in the world. 500 million berries for that much is already a good deal. If the wood merchant hadn't wanted to sell quickly and leave, such good material would have gone to auction, driving the price up by at least fifty percent," Franky explained, holding up five fingers.
Rorschach stroked his chin, frowning, and muttered, "500 million berries for just that much wood. With the remaining money, I doubt we can build the warship I want. Where can I get more money now? Ask Fleet Admiral Sengoku? That would take too long. I don't have time to waste here."
"What size warship does Commodore Rorschach want to build?" Iceburg, who had been listening, suddenly asked.
"At least a hundred meters long," Rorschach replied without hesitation.
A hundred-meter-long warship was a conclusion he had reached after much thought.
The Marine headquarters' warships were divided into five size categories.
Ships over a hundred meters were classified as super-large warships, usually captained by giant officers from headquarters, with no strict upper limit, though they generally didn't exceed three hundred meters.
Fifty to a hundred meters were large warships, used by vice admirals and admirals for missions.
Rorschach's ship was of this size.
Next were medium-sized warships at forty meters, small warships at twenty meters, and mini warships at around ten meters.
With Palmer, a ten-meter-tall giant, on board, the required living space needed to be increased accordingly.
Two hundred people crammed onto a fifty-meter-long warship was, frankly, a bit crowded.
"A hundred meters long? That's a big warship. If built entirely from Adam Wood, it would require three to five times the amount Franky bought," Iceburg said, taking a deep breath.
The cost would be enormous.
"That much?" Rorschach's eyes widened. "So we'd need to buy another two billion berries' worth of wood?"
"Probably, if you want to build it entirely from Adam Wood," Iceburg replied.
Building a hundred-meter-long warship would cost an astronomical twenty to thirty billion berries.
This was something Rorschach hadn't anticipated.
In the manga, Franky built the Thousand Sunny for Luffy, which was only about thirty to forty meters long.
It supposedly cost three hundred million berries for the wood.
And that was three years later.
The purchasing power of berries now was certainly stronger than three years later.
Rorschach had thought seven to eight hundred million would be enough, with some left over to buy furniture, clothes, and other daily necessities in Water 7.
Perhaps sensing Rorschach's confusion, Iceburg, a master shipwright, explained.
A hundred-meter-long ship had more than four times the space of a fifty-meter-long one.
The most expensive parts of such a ship were the keel and masts.
These critical components needed to be made from single pieces of wood, not spliced together.
Otherwise, the ship's strength would be compromised, making it vulnerable in battle.
A hundred-meter-long piece of Adam Wood would likely cost two to three hundred million berries.
And that was if you could even find it.
Some nobles, even Celestial Dragons, liked to buy this ultra-rare wood to carve into art pieces.
Seeing Rorschach's dejected expression, Iceburg's eyes flickered, and he smiled.
"Commodore Rorschach, actually, Galley-La Company has some Adam Wood in storage. If needed, I can provide it to help build your warship."
Rorschach quickly waved his hand. "No, no, that wood is too valuable. I can't take it."
"It's just some wood. Commodore Rorschach is a great benefactor to Water 7..." Iceburg tried to persuade him, but Rorschach firmly refused.
Water 7 wasn't wealthy, and everyone struggled to get by. Rorschach wasn't shameless enough to exploit his good deeds for personal gain.
Seeing this, Iceburg sighed and proposed, "How about this: Commodore Rorschach provides three hundred million berries, and I'll contribute some Adam Wood from Galley-La's storage.
Don't worry, it's not much—just one hundred and ten-meter-long log and some scraps.
That log can be used for the keel.
As for the remaining materials, I think we can dismantle your current warship and use its materials to fill in the gaps.
The materials used in Marine headquarters' large warships are extremely durable.
Though slightly inferior to Adam Wood, they're more than sufficient for the deck and cabins."
Rorschach's eyes lit up.
Right, why hadn't he thought of that?
The Marine headquarters' large warships were incredibly sturdy.
Ordinary pirate cannons couldn't do much damage to them.
Just look at the two decommissioned warships at Marineford, used as punching bags.
After being pummeled by Garp and Kuzan for years, and then by Rorschach for over half a year, they still hadn't fallen apart.
Their toughness and durability were evident.
"The dismantling work can be handled by the Franky Family. We're experts in that. Brother, this time, let me help you, my great benefactor, build a warship capable of sailing around the world!" Franky said, thumping his chest.
"I might want to add some special features to the warship. I'm not sure if they can be built," Rorschach said hesitantly.
"Don't worry! Whatever special features you want on your ship, as long as you can describe them, the shipwrights at Galley-La Company can build them perfectly. We're the world's strongest shipbuilding company!" Bari and Dored, who had been eavesdropping, jumped in confidently.
"What special features do you want on the warship?" Franky asked curiously.
"That can wait. We'll discuss it later. Right now, I have a proposal I'd like to share with everyone," Rorschach said, picking up his glass and smiling at the group.
"What proposal?" Everyone sitting around looked up at him.
Rorschach grinned and raised his glass.
"I'd like to invite all of you to join the Marines."
(End of Chapter)
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