Chapter 350: The Charged Crime and the Sea Train Business
"Mr. Tom, you've returned to Fish-Man Island?"
"Yeah," Tom shook his head helplessly. "If I stayed in Water 7 any longer, I don't know what kind of outrageous actions the World Government's intelligence agencies would take."
"Huh?" Eric was confused. "Mr. Tom, what do you mean by that?"
"That CP5 officer, Spandam, used some method to have the charges for attacking the judicial ship erased, and his bounty was also revoked."
"Ah..." Akame had a mocking smile on her face. "The World Government can just erase the crime of attacking the judicial institution like it's nothing. It really is just as expected."
"But that's not all." Tom bit into a piece of roasted meat, the brown sauce staining his mouth. "He was reinstated as the head of CP5!"
"..."
"Heh, that's really something," Eric laughed, his shoulders shaking. "A failed mission, losing the government's face, damaging the government's credibility, and yet this guy gets reinstated as the head of CP5? His father must have used a lot of connections and effort."
"Would the ordinary citizens of Water 7 be happy about this?" Da Vinci curiously asked. "I remember that when they tried to catch Spandam, the whole city of Water 7 got involved, and the anger was enough to burn him alive."
"Well..." Tom scratched his thinning hair, a hesitant expression on his face, before finally Speaking the truth. "It seems like the highest-level intelligence agents of the government came to Water 7 to back up Spandam. The World Economy published a special edition, limited to Water 7, to clear his name."
"Here..." Tom pulled out a newspaper from his clothes. "It's this one."
Eric took the newspaper and read it carefully:
"The truth about the port attack! CP5 Officer Spandam is falsely accused by the Dawn Pirates!"
"The real culprit behind the port explosion is someone else!"
It included a photo of someone with a yellow ponytail, wearing a black cloak, and a curved smile. Only their eyes were obscured by a thick black line...
"This mosaic was pointless," Eric laughed as he threw the newspaper at Deidara. "Is there anyone who wouldn't recognize that it's you?"
"Why cover my eyes?" Deidara grumbled, clearly annoyed. "I look great. Hmm."
"..." Everyone was a bit speechless.
"Then, the citizens completely believed this?" Artoria, her face as pale as a corpse, looked incredulously.
"…Yeah," Tom nodded after a brief pause. "Sorry, I tried to argue on your behalf with Iceberg and Franky, but they wouldn't listen at all. Their anger burned away any sense of reason."
"…"
"Because you guys were too far away, some of the more extreme ones directed their hatred at us for Speaking up for you."
Tom shrugged. "I thought it was time to leave Water 7, so I said Iceberg and Franky were acting on my orders, drawing all the anger towards me and taking it with me."
Erza nodded sympathetically. "You've worked hard."
"Hahaha..." Tom laughed loudly. "I've saved Water 7 from its march toward death, and now I can leave with my head held high!"
Tom's pride was heartfelt, and the members of the Dawn Pirates applauded his spirit.
"In any case..." Tom said nonchalantly, "If I stayed in Water 7, I would probably bring trouble to Iceberg and Franky."
Akame directly said, "But, no matter how much trouble there is, I don't think Iceberg and Franky would ever hate Mr. Tom."
"Yeah, I know they're such fools." Tom's eyes showed concern. "It's because of this that I decided to leave Water 7."
Akame was stunned by his words.
"Fire brings warmth to humans, but getting too close will burn you. The relationship between people is just like this."
"Besides, I've already taught them all the shipbuilding knowledge. The next step is for them to move forward on their own!"
Tom felt like he was watching two ships he had taught sailing together on the sea of life, leaving behind two shining but distinct paths.
Eric asked, "So, Mr. Tom, what are your plans for the future?"
"Well..." Tom scratched his forehead, looking confused. "I came back to Fish-Man Island just to see my brother, Dan. I happened to meet the Dawn Pirates here. As for my future plans, I haven't figured it out yet."
"However," Tom added confidently, "No matter what difficulties come my way, I will face them head-on!"
"Mr. Tom's attitude towards life doesn't seem like that of an old man," Akame lightly laughed. "He's full of youthful energy."
"Hahaha..." Tom laughed so hard he almost cried.
"Mr. Tom, why don't you join us?" Eric extended an olive branch.
"Join the Dawn Pirates?" Tom was stunned, then waved his hand a smile . "I'd rather build all kinds of ships."
"Not now, later," Eric continued persuading. "Besides, the sea train technology Mr. Tom designed is amazing."
"Exactly." Da Vinci agreed. "The floating track connections, the sound of the wheels grinding out noises that sea kings hate... it's all excellent design!"
"Hahaha..." Tom spoke with a hint of nostalgia. "I just wanted to save Water 7 back then."
Eric spoke seriously, "Mr. Tom, please don't rush to refuse. Let me finish what I'm saying."
Tom nodded, agreeing to listen.
"I need Mr. Tom's sea train technology," Eric said as he laid out his grand plan. "I want to connect the entire world with a sea railway!"
"!" Tom was stunned. He and Iceberg and Franky had built the sea railway, connecting five islands and successfully linking their economies. Water 7 revived, and the island's economy was thriving, better than before.
Tom's eyes widened, trembling as he reached out, gripping Eric's shoulders tightly. "You... you're serious?"
"Yes," Eric nodded, giving a thumbs up. "To get rich, we must first build the road!"
"This phrase definitely wasn't your own conclusion," Scáthach commented dryly. "But it's true."
"Stop Speaking the truth all the time," Eric pouted. "Pride is your selling point, you don't need to compete with Akame for honesty."
Scáthach eyed Eric mischievously, seemingly wondering where to strike him.
"Eric, is all this really true?" Tom shook Eric's shoulders again, wanting to confirm. "You really want to connect the world with a sea train?"
"That's right." Eric responded seriously. "The Great Line's special weather causes unbalanced development among islands, and the difficulty of sea travel and cargo transfer traps people, leaving them stuck in their little corners."
"But the sea train is different!" Eric said enthusiastically. "It can easily pass through storms, unaffected by the waves, ensuring the safety of passengers and goods. I can't think of any other transport that can compare to the sea train."
Da Vinci interrupted, "What about planes, high-speed trains, submarines? Do those count?"
"…" Eric ignored Da Vinci's provocations and stared into Tom's eyes. "Can you help me achieve this goal?"
The others said, "Are you just going to gloss over that?"
"I'd be happy to!" Tom was as excited as seeing a prized horse, but then he thought of something and sighed, shaking his head. "Eric, your idea is great, but this plan is hard to realize."
Everyone paused.
Eric curiously asked, "Why is it so difficult to achieve?"
After a brief silence, Tom carefully considered his words, worried he might scare off this ambitious decision-maker. "You may not know, but even if we cut labor costs to the extreme, just the cost of construction materials is incredibly expensive for this sea railway."
"Building a sea railway between two ordinary islands will take decades to recover the construction costs."
"The reason we connected Water 7, Queen of Spring Island, Gourmet Island, and Carnival Island with one line is because these islands are tourist spots with high traffic, rich areas that can quickly recoup the construction cost, then invest the money into building the next line."
"Even then, it took us 13 years to build four lines, earning money from shipbuilding, researching the sea train, and constructing the sea tracks."
Upon hearing this, Eric nodded, understanding Tom's point.
"The construction cost of the sea train is high. In this era of pirate kings, no force would spend large sums to build a sea railway that's difficult to make a profit in the short term, and might not be useful in the long run."
"After all, even the current sea emperors can't guarantee they'll be alive for the next fifty years," Artoria agreed. "Spending all that money on a sea train is less useful than building warships, recruiting armies, or manufacturing weapons."
"Even then, do you still want to build the sea railway?" Tom's eyes gleamed, as if trying to see through Eric's true intentions.
Eric answered resolutely, "I want to build the sea railway."
"!" Tom's eyes widened, showing his surprise.
"The sea train can connect all of humanity, no, Eric's eyes burned with intensity. "It can connect all races, bringing everyone together!"
"Clang!"
Tom suddenly stood up, knocking the chair behind him over. Even Dan looked at him with astonished eyes, carefully studying this young man.
Erza , who had recently joined the team, looked at Eric in shock and quietly asked Wendy, "Has the captain always been like this?"
"Yeah," Wendy replied quietly. "Big Brother Eric has always wanted to overthrow the World Government and create a new nation where all the good and hardworking people can live rich lives!"
"I thought he was just a guy who likes pretty women..." Erza mumbled.
"Ahahaha..." Wendy twitched her cheek, forcing an awkward smile, 'Though Erza 's right…'
Recalling her past, that blue-haired man who enslaved others for his own purpose, Erza 's eyes held an unknown emotion.
[Erza Shukareto's affection greatly increased, bond level raised from 1 (ordinary friend) to 2 (close friend), gaining 1 bond point.]
Tom said excitedly, "If you really want to build the sea railway, I must join!"
"No, you should let me join!" Tom grabbed Eric's shoulders earnestly.
"Mr. Tom, don't be so forceful..." Eric's face turned a little unnatural. Tom had the strength to throw a ship like a baseball.
"Sorry," Tom quickly released his hands.
"This isn't a small project," Scáthach 's wise eyes stared at Eric. "It'll require a huge amount of funds, manpower, and time. Even then, do you still want to do it?"
Eric spoke with unshakable determination, "The returns from building the sea railway shouldn't just be calculated by its operation but also from the economic benefits it will bring to surrounding areas, and the national development strategy."
Once a king, Scáthach and Artoria nodded thoughtfully.
"Providing more jobs, letting more people earn money, promoting goods trade, and increasing the flow of capital." Eric carefully recalled what he learned in high school political classes, showing off his shallow economic knowledge.
"Money can only have value when it circulates!"
Perona muttered quietly, "Then give me some of the gold from the treasure room! Let me buy land and build a castle, make money generate value..."
"That's for nation-building funds!" Eric gave her a sharp glare. "Stop talking, or you'll never get to sneak into the treasure room for a gold swim again!"
"Captain, how did you know?!" Perona tilted her head. "Hmph, nothing can stop me!"
Eric turned to Da Vinci and said, "Make more sea stone. I need to renovate the cabin."
Perona quickly apologized. "I'm sorry!"
"Got it," Tom nodded. "Was this all your idea?"
Eric looked at the crew, who were filled with admiration, and without hesitation, admitted, "Yes."
Akame was about to speak when Eric swiftly stuffed a chicken leg into her mouth.
Though the three sea emperors, Whitebeard, Kaido, and Big Mom, ruled with their territories, Whitebeard only used flags to protect the people.
Kaido used weapons made in Wano to trade with the World Government.
Big Mom used bloodlines as a bond, bringing all races into her Totto Land kingdom, except for giants.
In the end, they were merely lacking constructive, developmental ambition, unlike Eric, who hailed from a "national infrastructure" country.
Tom asked, "When will we depart? Where will we build the sea railway?"
"This..." Eric looked at Tom, excited beyond measure, and awkwardly said, "I'll need to take over some territories first."
"I see," Tom nodded and bowed to Eric. "I may not see that day, but with a 'fool' like you, I can imagine it coming!"
"I'm willing to join the Dawn Pirates and build the sea train!"
(END CHAPTER)
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