"Welcome, welcome!"
Everyone welcomed the new companions, though a bit of stiffness was inevitable since they were meeting for the first time.
Seeing this, Yemu clapped in welcome, then began making arrangements.
"Dr. Indigo is an extremely skilled doctor, so I'd like him to become Ayala's teacher. Would you be willing to accept?"
Yemu had already discussed this with him on the way here. Bringing it up again now was simply to let everyone know his decision and to help Dr. Indigo feel at ease.
"No problem. I'll teach Miss Ayala everything I know about medicine."
Ayala obediently bowed to her new teacher as well.
"Teacher Indigo, please take care of me from now on!"
With that arrangement made, most of the distance between people from different pirate crews disappeared in an instant.
Even Erik began looking at Dr. Indigo as if he were one of their own.
"As for Doug Rice, Erik, you two should talk more. After all, you'll be forming your own pirate crew next."
Erik's eyes immediately lit up, and the look he gave Rice grew even more eager.
Doug Rice felt Erik's gaze. Although he was still a little nervous, he felt much more reassured about his future, and the two of them instantly grew closer.
"As for Dr. Furumi, starting today, he and the Kuro Brothers will form the Sky Pirates' fourth major fleet, the Science Corps, separate from the three fleets led by Enel, Tiger, and Erik. I'll be in direct charge of it."
This time, Dr. Furumi was the one delighted. He looked at the Kuro Brothers with satisfaction, as if he were looking at precious treasures.
"Alright, that's the general arrangement."
After finishing the arrangements, Yemu looked at Erik and asked,
"Has there been any news from Enel and Tiger?"
"Yes, Captain. But there's good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first...?"
"!!! The bad news first."
"Mm. The bad news is that Tiger-san told us he failed to persuade Tom-san. Tom-san isn't willing to leave Water 7. Or at least, not in the short term."
"What happened?"
"It's like this. Tom-san told Tiger-san that he made a promise. Until he builds a train that can run across the sea and saves Water 7, he won't leave."
"I see."
Yemu immediately understood Tom-san's thinking.
But Dr. Furumi, sitting nearby, brightened when he heard that.
"Did you just say a train that runs on the sea? That's quite imaginative! But now that I think about it, it doesn't sound impossible... I'd really like to meet a genius like that."
"There'll be a chance. With your help, Dr. Furumi, Tom-san might even be able to build the Sea Train sooner."
Yemu's eyes lit up as well. Then he looked back at Erik and continued asking,
"What about the good news?"
"The good news... Captain, do you remember Umit, the Shipping King, the one you and First Mate Enel dealt with when we left Totto Land?"
"Mm, of course I remember him. He was the hidden boss behind Water 7's Seven Great Shipyards, wasn't he? But what does that have to do with your good news?"
"Well, after you took care of Umit, Captain, those people all wanted to become the new boss. As a result, the whole of Water 7 fell into chaos. On top of that, there are more and more pirates now, so life is getting harder and harder for the shipwrights of Water 7..."
Yemu understood at once, and his eyes brightened.
"Tiger-san's idea is that instead of letting those people go somewhere else, we should recruit them to our country. With the strength and skills of those shipwrights, our future nation can build itself around the shipbuilding industry just like Water 7 and use that to develop the entire country."
Yemu's eyes lit up completely, and his thoughts went even further.
He looked toward Tadas Fes, the former treasurer of Baterilla Island.
"Fes, do you know anything about shipping?"
Fes froze when his name was suddenly called. Then he quickly realized what Yemu meant and said,
"Captain Yemu, are you planning to get involved in shipping too?"
"That's right. Umit's death reminded me of something. Shipbuilding is certainly a good industry, but only by combining shipbuilding with shipping can we make one plus one greater than two. This is a very good opportunity for us."
"I do know a little about it. Baterilla Island's own shipping industry is quite prosperous as well. But since we're talking about different waters, I'll need to learn more about the situation before making any plans."
"No problem. I'll leave this matter to you. As for Tiger, tell him to go ahead without worry. No matter how many people there are, we can take them in."
"I understand, Captain. Tiger-san is thinking the same thing. He's already started. But there is one problem. He's worried that spies from the World Government might slip in and expose our existence."
"That's fine. Tell Tiger to proceed with confidence. A few spies won't change anything. Once you're ready, it'll be time to announce our existence to the world anyway. That day isn't far off."
As his words fell, everyone's eyes widened in surprise. They seemed to realize something, and excitement began to stir among them.
"That's great. Speaking of which, I heard First Mate Enel has already found himself a very skilled shipwright in Water 7. I can't fall behind either."
"Then next comes another important matter. Kuromu, bring out what we gained this time."
"Got it, Boss!"
As Kuromu spoke, he entered the ship's alternate space. A short while later, he came back out carrying a huge bundle.
When Kuromu opened the bundle and placed the strange, oddly shaped fruits in front of everyone, even the well-traveled Erik could not hold back a cry of shock. His eyes were filled with disbelief.
"This... Captain, you didn't rob the Marines and the World Government, did you? How do you have this many Devil Fruits?"
The others looked no better.
For most of the people here, Devil Fruits were not exactly unheard of, but seeing this many brought out all at once...
Even Dr. Indigo, who had once been Shiki's ship's doctor and had seen plenty of the world, had never seen so many Devil Fruits at one time.
"This is way too many..."
Of course, there were also people who had no idea what Devil Fruits were.
Aming, for example, quietly asked Fes beside her,
"What are Devil Fruits?"
Fes was not as calm as usual either. He took a deep breath and said,
"Devil Fruits are known as treasures of the sea. After eating one, a person gains incredible abilities."
Seeing that Aming still did not seem to understand the value of Devil Fruits from that alone, Fes explained it in the simplest terms.
"Each Devil Fruit is worth at least 100 million Belly..."
"O-one hundred million..."