OPTC Chapter 227 City of Water, Tom's Workshop
"Dahahaha, that Dan guy—said he was going to study the Sea Forest, but his shipbuilding skills clearly haven't gotten rusty at all."
Tom the fishman walked a circle on deck. He hadn't returned to Fishman Island for a long time, and seeing a ship built by his younger brother made him truly happy.
"This really is a remarkable ship." Iceburg followed beside Tom. "As expected, Tom-san's younger brother is also a master shipwright."
Only Franky couldn't sit still. He patted the deck, tapped the mast, then hung upside down over the side to inspect the cannons. Finally, unwilling to accept reality, he shouted:
"So this is the ship that destroyed my 'Franky Battle Fleet'? No way! These are just normal cannons. There aren't any super-powerful weapons here at all!"
Zhang Da Ye remembered the Ferris wheel-shaped cannons on Franky's ships, the harpoons strong enough to pierce a Sea King's hide, and the dome-shaped mobile fortress. He had to admit Franky was indeed a genius when it came to weapons.
"It wasn't this ship that defeated your fleet, it was us." Zhang Da Ye shamelessly included himself in the credit.
He believed that if he hadn't been so occupied with defense and had rushed straight into the enemy fleet, he could have dismantled a few ships himself. Just maybe not as cleanly as Artoria had.
Franky still refused to believe it. "You've gotta be joking! My Number 35 battleship once took down a hundred-meter-long Sea King!"
"Forget a hundred meters, even a two-hundred-meter Sea King isn't enough to withstand a single slash from her." Zhang Da Ye pointed toward Artoria, who was sharing snacks with Cat Tom.
Artoria's conscience ached for Tom. Even though she had won all his snacks earlier, she still shared them back. The two of them were eating together happily, completely forgetting about Perona, who had also lost her snacks.
"One times three is three, I lost three cookies… Two times three is six, I lost six strips of dried meat… Three times three is nine… Will I even have any snacks tomorrow?"
Muttering multiplication tables, Perona suddenly felt a pang of sadness. "We said tomorrow we'd go shopping for toys. I should be happy, so why do I feel so gloomy?"
Franky stared at the little girl with the twitching ahoge as she munched on food. No matter what, he just couldn't picture her slashing through a Sea King.
"Looks like my battleships still aren't strong enough. Time to start building Number 36!"
"You still want to build those things, you idiot!?" Iceburg exploded. "Do you even understand the situation!? Today your battleships were used to attack a judicial ship—what's next, bombarding Enies Lobby!?"
"You're the one who doesn't get it, you moron! Attacking the ship was those agents' doing, not the battleship's fault!"
The two argued until they came to blows, with Yokozuna the giant frog flailing around, not knowing how to stop them.
"Iceburg, Franky." Tom's deep voice cut through. "Be careful. Don't damage anything on the ship."
They froze mid-brawl and shouted in unison: "Got it, Tom-san!"
Then they locked eyes and promptly started fighting again.
Bringing out tea, Rui Meng Meng muttered, "Shouldn't you have warned them not to damage each other instead?"
"They're tough. Dahahaha." Tom, long used to his disciples' quarrels, just laughed as he checked the ship for damages at Zhang Da Ye's request.
Not long after, the Amber finally reached the Scrap Ship Island.
This was considered the rear side of Water Seven. From a distance, the city resembled a mountain, with a gigantic fountain at its peak. Seven torrents of water cascaded down along seven main waterways, dividing the city into seven sections.
Those main waterways split into countless smaller canals, around which all sorts of buildings were constructed.
Besides small boats and sea bulls as transportation, bridges were everywhere.
The Amber docked beside a large bridge. At the end of it was a tall floodgate marked with the number "5." Clearly, the other sides of the city had the remaining numbers.
Everyone was called up on deck to witness the sight. Each one couldn't help but gasp in awe.
It was sunset, and the golden-red glow of the sun reflected off the massive fountain high above. The cascading waters sparkled, fine mist scattering into the air, with small rainbows appearing here and there. The entire city gleamed like a jewel.
But that was the distant view. Up close, things were the opposite—damaged ships, discarded timber, the name Scrap Ship Island fitting it perfectly.
"My place is a bit shabby, sorry." Tom, though hearty by nature, still felt awkward hosting benefactors in such a place.
Zhang Da Ye waved it off. "Not at all. Honestly, you and Dan really are like true brothers. He also lives surrounded by broken ships in the Sea Forest."
Rui Meng Meng chimed in, "Huh, Boss, when you put it that way, you're right."
Artoria and Shark Chili also nodded, recalling the Sea Forest.
Only Ye Yan and Brook, who hadn't been to Fishman Island, looked completely lost.
Meanwhile, Cat Tom and Perona were busy rummaging around, clearly treasure-hunting.
Franky suddenly asked, "Was Tom-san's younger brother also shunned?"
"Shunned? Why do you think that?" Zhang Da Ye asked.
"Because Tom-san was ostracized after building the Pirate King's ship. That's why his workshop is stuck under this bridge! He's the greatest shipwright in the world…"
"That's not it. Dan chose to live in the Sea Forest out of his own interest," Zhang Da Ye replied. "Besides, once Tom-san finishes the Sea Train, his fame will skyrocket. Moving away from here will be easy then."
"Dahahaha, doesn't matter to me." Tom didn't care. If it were just him, he'd be fine living directly in the ocean.
Iceburg snapped, "Idiot Chi! If you hate this place so much, just move out yourself. Staying here just makes things worse."
"Ah! Pervert!" Perona suddenly covered her eyes. She had just realized this blue-haired guy was the same swimsuit-wearing pervert she'd seen through her negative ghosts on the judicial ship.
"Ah-ooh~ Miss, are you praising me? You're making me feel su~per~ embarrassed!" Franky replied with exaggerated tongue rolls and fake shyness.
Iceburg smacked him with a fist. "What the hell are you proud of!? Put some pants on, you bastard!"
"You bastard!"
The two immediately clashed again.
"Welcome back, Tom-san!" A "beautiful lady" stepped out from a warehouse under the bridge. "Looks like the misunderstanding's cleared up. Those two still have plenty of energy, I see."
"Indeed, Kokoro. Thanks to these benefactors here. Make dinner a feast tonight." Tom introduced her. "This is Miss Kokoro, the secretary of Tom's Workshop."
Kokoro greeted them with a warm smile, and Zhang Da Ye's group responded politely.
Though she already looked middle-aged, her figure was still decent—nothing like a decade later when her drinking and weight would make it hard to believe she was once a mermaid.
As Zhang Da Ye followed Kokoro inside, he sighed inwardly. Time is a butcher's knife. But if Tom survived this time, perhaps Kokoro wouldn't end up bloated and drunk in the future.
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