Garp acted swiftly. After boarding his warship with the detained CP9 agents, he immediately reviewed the recorded interrogation footage provided by Yoriichi and his team.
After giving it some thought, Garp sighed and chose to temporarily suppress all news of what had transpired in Water 7. In this world, communication is extremely limited, aside from the mysterious News Coo birds that fly across the seas, information only spreads through Den Den Mushi calls or by ships.
Since all the CP9 agents stationed in Water 7 had been captured in one swoop, they had no chance to alert anyone. The shipwrights who witnessed the incident had no reason to broadcast it either, they'd be asking for trouble.
Even the family of the slain shipwright, once they learned he had been killed by CP9 but that the Navy had avenged him, quietly buried their loved one without asking too many questions.
Surprisingly, it was Yoriichi who reached out to Tom the next day, providing compensation to the fallen shipwright's family. Though money couldn't mend the pain of loss, at least it eased their burden.
Because the world's communication was so sparse, even the Fleet Admiral Kong didn't find out about the Water 7 incident until it made the front page of the newspaper.
When Kong saw Yoriichi's name in the headline, he was furious and summoned Admiral Sengoku, Yoriichi's direct superior.
Sengoku had no idea what had happened, he'd been busy training his adopted son and hadn't read the papers. But when Kong slammed the newspaper in his face, Sengoku was stunned.
To be fair, the article written by Morgans' staff was… impressively well-written.
It dramatically retold the Water 7 incident, casting Yoriichi Tsugikuni as a bold, justice-driven Marine hero who stood up to corrupt government agents.
The article also included a glowing biography:
Heavily wounded the Golden Lion.
Wiped out the airborne pirates who came for revenge.
Personally slew the legendary pirate, Shiki.
As the article spread, Yoriichi's image as a champion of justice became crystal clear to the public.
Since the average person had limited access to information, the newspaper was often the sole source of truth. Yoriichi instantly became a global sensation.
This was the first time a Marine-versus-CP9 conflict was openly reported. Normally, such events, if they happened, were buried. But Yoriichi had no qualms about trampling on the World Government's dignity, using CP9 as a stepping stone for public opinion.
And it worked brilliantly.
Meanwhile, in Marineford…
In the Fleet Admiral's office, Sengoku scanned the newspaper and immediately pulled out his Den Den Mushi to contact Yoriichi, but then remembered Garp had taken him on a mission.
He called Garp instead.
Before Sengoku could even scold him, Garp launched into a passionate rant:
"Oh, Sengoku! I was just about to call you!"
"You wouldn't believe what those CP9 bastards did in Water 7!"
"They don't act like government officials at all!"
Sengoku and Kong both tried to cut in multiple times, but Garp didn't give them the chance. He went on and on, playing up his righteous outrage as if he had been there himself.
"They've completely embarrassed the World Government! Good thing Yoriichi handled it. He's a true Marine of justice, Zephyr trained him well!"
The emphasis on "Zephyr trained him" felt suspiciously like Garp trying to wash his hands of responsibility.
Kong and Sengoku sat there silently fuming, chests rising and falling with restrained anger.
Before they could respond, Garp abruptly hung up.
They redialed immediately…
Back in Water 7…
While Garp was busy smoothing things over, Yoriichi and his team were invited to Tom's home.
Tom's purpose? To finalize the warship design.
"Vice Admiral Yoriichi, thank you again for everything."
"I've completed the ship's design. I wanted you to take a look and confirm the details before construction begins."
Tom then pinned an enormous blueprint onto a large iron board using magnets. The diagram featured:
Top view
Front view
Two side views
All meticulously annotated.
Stacks of detail diagrams were also visible on his desk, each likely containing internal systems or parts.
Yoriichi was shocked that Tom had completed so much in under two weeks. This kind of speed was inhuman.
He walked over, studying the layout carefully. Fujitora, Mihawk, and Kōshirō gathered around in curiosity.
"I don't really understand the diagrams…"
"But I like how it looks."
"Tom-san, could you give us a quick rundown?"
To Yoriichi, the ship resembled a miniature Type 052D destroyer, streamlined, with its main cannon mounted midship and seemingly able to rotate 360°. It looked modern and deadly.
What surprised him most?
It had no sails.
Tom laughed gleefully:
"Vice Admiral Yoriichi! This is the crowning achievement of my career!"
Then he began explaining with pride:
Advanced thermal propulsion system
Streamlined hull for maximum speed (25 knots!)
Length: 100 meters
Displacement: 3,000 tons
Range: 4,000 nautical miles
Crew capacity: 200 for 15 days with full supplies
Integrated Fire Control System , all cannons can target the same spot with one operator
Armored ramming spike designed to pierce enemy ships at speed
As Yoriichi listened, he grew increasingly suspicious. These technologies far outclassed what even Vegapunk's prototypes had achieved.
"Tom-san… What's the ship called?"
Tom stopped.
"Of course, it's the, "
"Ahem… I mean… Vice Admiral Yoriichi, I've named it..."
"The Ship of Dawn!"
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