Nami's concerns were not unfounded.
This Ark was massive, and if it appeared flying over Water 7, it would probably be gawked at by everyone.
At that time, the gold on their ship would be seen by everyone, causing some people to become envious and scheme.
However, Luffy was not worried about this.
With their current strength, who could snatch the gold from them?
But he did have one thing he cared about.
That was, if he was going to build a new ship next, he planned to find Franky, and then, with the help of the Heaven-Defying Comprehension, have Franky design the thousand sunny, which he had already designed, into an enlarged version.
Enough to allow the renovated merry go to be stored in its dock.
And the adam treasure tree, the wood for building the brand new thousand sunny, would also need to be bought in greater quantities depending on the situation.
Only then could they build a dream ship that would be able to carry them through their future voyages.
But the most crucial problem now was that he didn't know Franky at all.
If he just went directly to Franky like this, the other party would definitely not trust him.
After much deliberation, Luffy decided to first buy the adam treasure tree wood needed for shipbuilding.
Once they established trust with Franky, they could then directly start building.
Having thought all this through, Luffy then spoke to everyone on the ship.
"Have you heard of the adam treasure tree?"
Hearing Luffy suddenly ask such a question, everyone else was momentarily stunned.
Only Nojiko suddenly spoke excitedly.
"I know!"
"I saw an introduction to the adam treasure tree in a botany book."
"The book said that there are only a handful of such trees in the whole world, but their wood is exceptionally tough."
"Legend has it that a certain island often suffered cannon attacks, but an adam treasure tree on that island always stood firm and grew vigorously."
"It's a very strong and tough treasure tree!"
The others, hearing Nojiko's explanation, were all amazed.
"sugei! There's even such an amazing treasure tree!"
"Only a few in the whole world, this tree is too precious!"
"It can grow vigorously even under cannon bombardment, this tree's vitality is too tenacious."
While everyone was sighing, Nojiko suddenly asked Luffy curiously.
"Luffy, why are you suddenly asking about this tree?"
The others also stopped marveling and looked at Luffy in confusion.
Then they heard Luffy say,
"I plan to use this tree to build our next new ship!"
"Look at the merry go!"
Luffy reminded them, and the others all looked at the merry go lying on the Enel's Ark Maxim's deck.
Then they heard Luffy continue,
"Although we've always protected the merry go very well."
"But even so, the merry go still has many scars."
"And in the future, we will encounter more enemies, experience more battles, and even go through more difficult seas."
"So we must have a strong enough ship to help us overcome these difficulties."
Listening to Luffy's explanation and looking at the various patches and scars on the merry go, everyone agreed with Luffy's words.
Indeed, as Luffy said, their future voyages would be even more difficult, and if they continued to rely on the ordinary wood used for the merry go, they would probably have to repair it frequently, and there was even a possibility of it being destroyed.
A stronger ship was very necessary.
At this point, Luffy continued to speak.
"So next, we'll first go find Mr. Iceburg, whom Kokoro introduced to us, and see if he can help us find this special wood."
"And if possible, let's also find a shipwright to join us!"
"At that time, the new ship and the merry go will be better protected."
Hearing Luffy say he wanted to find new companions to join, everyone became excited.
"Indeed, we've never had a shipwright on this ship! We've always relied on Usopp's crude craftsmanship for repairs, and I always feel a bit sorry for Merry!"
"Hey! Sanji! What are you talking about? I'm a sniper, I've tried my best to do that much, alright!"
"Are we getting new companions? I'm so excited!"
"We might not find one yet, Chopper!"
"Didn't Kokoro say this is the place with the best shipwright skills in the world? If we can't find one here, where else would we go?"
"That's true, but finding someone willing to be a pirate with us might not be so easy."
While everyone was discussing this matter, Luffy suddenly said,
"Alright, let's go in and see first!"
"This city is so big, we'll definitely meet a shipwright who's willing to join us."
Hearing Luffy say this, the others stopped talking and nodded in agreement.
Nami, however, was stunned for a moment and couldn't help but look at Luffy and ask,
"Huh? What about this flying ship?"
"You haven't answered me what to do about it yet!"
Luffy smiled and said,
"Just fly it in!"
"If you leave it outside, you'll probably be even more uneasy leaving, right!"
Nami was taken aback by this.
Thinking about it carefully, it was true.
With so much gold, it would attract attention no matter where it was.
If she didn't keep it by her side and guard it, she would feel uneasy.
Luffy continued,
"Besides, aren't we also going to renovate the merry go?"
"Might as well bring the merry go in and have them help us renovate it."
In fact, Luffy had another reason for doing this.
That was, the adam treasure tree wood was only traded on the black market.
He didn't know if Iceburg could get this material.
If he couldn't get it, then if they entered the city so brazenly, the news would definitely reach Franky.
With Franky's family's propensity for plundering pirate treasures, how could they not be tempted by this trillion-worth of gold?
At that time, not only could he take the opportunity to get to know Franky, but he could also get this wood through his channels.
It was killing two birds with one stone.
After making his decision, Luffy had Nami restart the Enel's Ark Maxim, preparing to fly into Water 7.
...
Water 7 was a water city.
The city's streets were mainly waterways, and people usually traveled by riding a creature called a Bull as transportation.
And because the city had excellent public order, the residents living here were not afraid of pirates, and would even enthusiastically give them directions and greet them.
At one of the entrances to the island, a man riding a Bull was greeting someone on a ship not far away.
"Hey there, young man, where are you going?"
"Oh?! The backstreet!"
"Follow this waterway in, and turn right at the first fork in the road, and you'll be there."
"Hehe... You're welcome!"
The man responded very happily.
At this moment, he suddenly heard another voice from behind him.
"Hello! Excuse me, do you know where Mr. Iceburg is?"
The man heard this, turned around, and replied with a smile,
"Mr. Iceburg!"
"He's usually very busy!"
"If he's not at the Karera Company headquarters, then he's probably at Dock 1!"
"The Karera Company headquarters is at the highest point on the island, and Dock 1 is in the central street... Uwaaaah..."
The man was halfway through his sentence when he suddenly opened his mouth wide, his eyes filled with shock, his expression extremely astonished, and he stammered,
"The ship... the ship is flying in the sky!"
Just as he exclaimed, the man's jaw dropped, his eyes popped out, and his voice trembled extremely.
"Gold...gold! So...so much gold!"
Having received the answer he wanted, Luffy smiled and thanked the man.
"Thank you!"
Then, they piloted Enel's Ark Maxim towards the interior of the island.
Only that man remained frozen in place, like a puppet.
With a target in mind, Nami asked Luffy.
"Where do we go first? The Karera Company headquarters, or the shipyard?"
Luffy thought for a moment and said.
"Let's go to the shipyard first! We can leave Merry there and have them start the modifications for us."
"If Iceburg isn't at the shipyard, then we'll go to the Karera Company headquarters."
...
Inside Water 7!
In the past, Water 7 would have been bustling with people, a continuous flow, filled with laughter and greetings.
However, today.
The people in Water 7 had all become like puppets, each with an astonished expression, all staring blankly up at the sky.
They watched the enormous ship above their heads, slowly flying through the air.
"A ship...a ship flying in the sky?!"
"Is this real or fake? How can a ship possibly fly in the sky?"
"This is simply like the sea train, a miracle!"
As the city's residents expressed their shock and admiration, someone suddenly exclaimed.
"Hey! Look quickly! There's so...so much gold on that ship!"
Instantly, everyone noticed the glittering, seemingly vast quantity of gold.
In an instant, everyone's eyes went wide.
"How is that possible?! That quantity?! It's simply unimaginable!"
"It's just like a dream!"
"With so much gold, it must be worth at least 10 billion Berries!"
"10 billion? I think it's worth at least 5 trillion!"
"5....5 trillion?! This...this...."
Hearing this incredibly exaggerated number, everyone was too shocked to speak.
Some even fainted on the spot.
This number was simply too astonishing!
At this moment, someone couldn't help but ask curiously.
"Who are the people on that ship? They're so rich! They must be some incredibly powerful big shots!"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone immediately focused on the people on the ship.
Soon, an exclamation came from the crowd.
"It's Straw Hat! Look quickly, the person peering down from the side of the ship... that's the Super Rookie Great Pirate Straw Hat, with a bounty of 500 million Berries!"
As soon as this name spread, the crowd erupted.
"It's actually Straw Hat, who became world-famous in the live broadcast a few days ago! Has he come to our Water 7?"
"I watched that live broadcast! Straw Hat are ridiculously strong monsters! It was simply too shocking!"
"I heard that Straw Hat are extremely vicious pirates; they won't come here to cause destruction, will they?!"
"They shouldn't, right?! Don't we still have the shipwrights of Karera Company? They're all ridiculously strong too!"
"I don't think you watched that live broadcast! Otherwise, you wouldn't say such foolish things! The shipwrights of Karera Company probably can't even compare to one hand of Straw Hat!"
"Hey! Hey! Is that true? What you're saying is too outrageous, isn't it? Are Straw Hat really that powerful?"
"Even if I tell you, you won't believe me! In short, as long as Straw Hat wants to cause destruction in this city, no one can stop them...."
"But I didn't expect Straw Hat to be a super-rich pirate crew! They're too rich! I really want all that gold!"
"Who wouldn't want it?"
The news of Straw Hat's arrival quickly spread throughout Water 7.
Everyone was in a state of panic, fearing that they would cause widespread destruction in the city!
However, there was another piece of news that also spread throughout the city.
That was, Straw Hat was actually a super-rich pirate crew possessing over 5 trillion Berries worth of gold.
This exaggerated number left everyone who heard it incredibly shocked and drooling!
As for these matters, Luffy and the others were completely unaware.
They remained immersed in their search for Shipyard No. 1.
Finally, after some time flying, they found the enormous shipyard located in the city center.
With the appearance of Straw Hat, the entrance to the entire shipyard quickly became crowded with people.
Everyone watched Straw Hat with incredibly fervent gazes, astonished to see them in person, as well as the flying ship, and the gold that made everyone envious.
After landing Enel's Ark Maxim on an open space in Shipyard No. 1, Luffy leaped down and came before the shipwrights who had already gathered.
And he was pleasantly surprised to find that Iceburg was also here.
But before he could say anything, he first heard the exclamations of Iceburg and several foremen.
"This is truly astonishing! It's my first time seeing a flying ship!"
"It is indeed very unexpected! Even we, the foremen of Karera Company, never imagined being able to build a flying ship!"
"Who built this ship anyway? For such a huge ship to fly into the sky, how much powerful energy would it need to be driven?!"
"And...that gold is too exaggerated! It's simply impossible to look away from!"
Seeing Iceburg and the foremen still astonished by their flying ship and gold, Luffy couldn't help but cough twice.
"Cough, cough..."
At this reminder, the people opposite him finally came to their senses and looked at him.
And Luffy naturally recognized them.
Besides Iceburg, the remaining people were the hidden CP9 organization members and several unsuspecting foremen like Paulie.
Iceburg was the first to speak.
"I apologize! We were just lost in thought looking at your flying ship!"
"Allow me to introduce myself, I am Iceburg, the president of Karera Company, and also the mayor of Water 7!"
"May I ask what brings you to our Karera Company shipyard?"
Although he knew there were CP9 members opposite him, Luffy didn't mind.
He knew that these people were very serious and responsible in their work as shipwrights.
He handed Kokoro's letter of introduction to Iceburg, then spoke.
"I am Monkey D. Luffy!"
"We were introduced here by Kokoro."
"I'd like to ask you to help us modify a ship."
Afterward, Luffy informed Iceburg and the foremen of his ideas.
And after listening to Luffy's words, Iceburg and the others were once again shocked.
The foreman, Paulie, couldn't help but complain.
"What kind of pirate crew are you anyway?"
"You actually have two hundred of those Wind Dials, which are extinct on Sky Island?!"
As shipbuilders for the whole world, they naturally had extensive knowledge.
How could they not know how rare Wind Dials were?
But who would have thought that Luffy could casually produce 200 of them.
The level of wealth this brought to Iceburg and the others was no less shocking than their 5 trillion Berries worth of gold.
And each of them at this moment couldn't help but secretly think enviously.
"This pirate crew... is simply inhumanly rich!"
At this moment, Iceburg spoke.
"If you have 200 Wind Dials, it is possible to modify it into the ship you desire."
"However, first, we need to inspect your ship, and only then can we determine the modification plan and price!"
Afterward, Merry was unloaded from Enel's Ark Maxim's deck.
Luffy's request to them was that it should be as light and fast as possible, yet sturdy, and the hull should be slightly reduced in size, so that it would be easier to store in the future Sunny's dock.
Because this modification was essentially like turning Merry into a large Waver, it didn't require overly complex technology.
And Iceburg, as one of the best shipwrights in the world, quickly finalized the modification plan and price.
The modification of Merry began immediately.
After Merry's matters were arranged, Luffy then spoke to Iceburg.
"I have one more thing I want to ask you."