"What? Am I not welcome?"
Aiden looked at Iceburg, who was still on guard. He did not mind and simply smiled.
Just as Iceburg hesitated over whether to force himself to drive him away, a loud voice came from deep inside the warehouse.
"Tahahaha! Iceburg, let the guest in!"
After that laugh, the heavy iron doors swung open with a bang. Steam and the smell of machine oil rushed out.
A huge Fish-Man walked out. He had his signature horns and curly blond hair. His broad body carried the rough strength of someone who had spent his life fighting the sea.
"Mr. Tom!"
Iceburg tried to stop him, but Tom reached out with his large hand and gently pressed it onto his apprentice's shoulder.
"Iceburg, calm down. If this Marine Rear Admiral really wants to fight, do you think you or this door could stop him?"
Tom turned his head and looked at Aiden standing at the door. He did not look afraid or hostile.
"Tahahaha! 'Reaper' Aiden, I've heard a lot about you! A man who dared to face that bastard Roger directly and send him off on his final journey is definitely a proper man!"
"Hm?"
Aiden paused.
Back when he executed Roger in Loguetown, he had not worn a mask, but he had only been an unknown Marine.
The rumors spreading across the sea about the "Reaper" now mostly focused on his record of killing Golden Lion or taking control of the Blacksteel Empire. As for his past as Roger's executioner, it had almost disappeared from public talk. Very few people knew about it, and almost no one brought it up on purpose.
He did not expect this shipwright all the way in Water 7 to point it out right away.
"Come in! My workshop is a bit messy, but I still have some tea."
Looking at Tom's open attitude, Aiden quickly hid his surprise. He smiled, feeling a bit of respect for the legendary shipwright.
"Sorry to intrude."
...
The space inside the workshop was much larger than it looked from the outside.
It looked more like a huge factory than a normal workshop. There were pipes, gear models, and blueprints scattered everywhere.
Aiden and Issho were invited to sit in the guest area. Although Iceburg was still wary, he still brought them tea.
"Alright, let's talk business."
Aiden skipped the small talk and got straight to the point. He had his men bring up the heavy crates they had brought and open them in front of everyone.
Clatter.
A large amount of Berries shone under the light.
"I want to commission two ships."
Aiden held up two fingers.
"The first one is for my instructor, former Marine Admiral Zephyr."
"The request is simple. It doesn't need any fancy new designs. Just build it according to the best Headquarters warship design. The main point is..."
Aiden pointed to the money crates.
"You must use the best materials. The keel, the deck, and every important part. Wherever you can use high-grade materials, use them. Money is not an issue. I want a sea fortress that he can sail for another twenty years."
"For Black Arm Zephyr? No problem!"
Tom glanced at the money crates and agreed without hesitation.
"I've heard of that veteran too. He's a man worthy of respect. This kind of job, where we just need to use good materials, is the easiest. As long as the funding is there, I can get it done for you within a month!"
"Good, then it's settled."
Aiden nodded. Then he leaned forward slightly.
"As for the second ship, it's for myself."
Aiden paused.
"To be honest, I don't know much about shipbuilding. But I don't want a standard warship that looks like every other one."
"I heard that when you designed the Oro Jackson for Roger back then, you promised it was a ship built specifically for him."
Aiden looked at Tom.
"Now, I also want to ask you to build a..."
However.
Before he could finish his sentence.
Tom suddenly stood up. Without saying a word, he turned and walked straight toward a huge, dusty safe in the corner of the workshop.
Aiden stopped mid-sentence.
Did I upset him by bringing up Roger and the Oro Jackson?
After all, Tom was currently on probation because he had built that ship for Roger. Bringing it up at this time was definitely not very tactful.
Just as Aiden was thinking of changing his wording, the sound of gears turning echoed, and the safe opened.
Under Iceburg and Aiden's confused looks, Tom pulled out an old blueprint tube from deep inside.
Thud.
Tom placed the tube on the grease-stained table and pushed it in front of Aiden.
This time, the normally direct Tom looked a little awkward.
He touched his horns, avoided Aiden's eyes, and started to stutter.
"Well... perfect timing! Yes, perfect timing!"
"I have a... uh... a design blueprint I drew by accident. It's been sitting in there untouched."
Tom coughed dryly and tried to organize his words, but the more he spoke, the less convincing he sounded.
"Seeing you today, Rear Admiral Reaper, you really are... a young hero! I think this blueprint... yes, it has a special connection with you! It should be given to someone like you!"
After saying that explanation full of holes, Tom let out a long breath. Then he forced a sincere smile and looked at Aiden.
Aiden looked at Tom.
Tom was clearly bad at lying, but he was still forcing himself to do it. Aiden's mouth twitched.
This is way too fake, isn't it?
Mr. Tom, your acting is worse than a street scammer.
What did he mean by "drew by accident"? What did he mean by "special connection"?
This was clearly something prepared long ago, and he was just forcing it onto him, right?
But looking at the black blueprint tube, Aiden grew even more curious. What kind of blueprint would make the world's best shipwright come up with such a clumsy excuse?
With suspicion in his heart, Aiden opened the tube and pulled out the blueprint inside.
He only took one look.
"This..."
What appeared before him did not look like something from this era.
The warship on the blueprint had a sharp and smooth shape, but that was not the main point.
The main point was its internal structure.
Aside from the usual wind and steam power, there was an extremely complex electrical energy conversion and transmission system.
This world had electricity, but very few people used it this way. This design looked far beyond normal shipbuilding.
More importantly, this was clearly made for a Rumble-Rumble Fruit user.
Only Aiden, with his huge amount of electricity, could bring out the full performance of this warship.
"This... you designed this, Mr. Tom?"
Aiden looked up at Tom.
"Huh? This..."
Tom started sweating under Aiden's stare, and his eyes moved away again.
"Like I said! It was an accident! I designed it by accident! A few years ago, I got drunk and drew it after getting an idea!"
"After I finished drawing it, I realized there wasn't an engine in the world that could provide this kind of continuous high-voltage electricity, so I... I threw it in the safe as a rejected draft!"
"Seeing you today reminded me that I still had this thing! The Rumble-Rumble Fruit... isn't that the perfect energy core?"
Tom spoke louder and louder, as if volume alone could make it true.
"Well? Do you think this meets your requirements?"
Aiden looked at the blueprint in his hand, then at Tom's face, which clearly said, "I'm lying, but I will never admit it." In the end, he swallowed the questions he wanted to ask.
This was way too much of a coincidence.
Something was definitely not right here.
He had just come here to build a ship, and Tom had immediately pulled out a design that fit his Devil Fruit perfectly. It felt like getting the reward before even accepting the job.
Even though Tom's explanation was full of holes, the ship's design was truly perfect.
So perfect that Aiden could not refuse.
It did not matter whether someone had arranged this or if there was some reason he did not understand yet.
Since it had been delivered to his door, there was no reason not to take it.
"Alright!"
Aiden made the decision without hesitation. He put the blueprint back on the table and smiled.
"Since Mr. Tom says it's destiny, then I'll believe in this destiny."
"I'll take this one. Mr. Tom, how much will this ship cost to build? Name your price."
"Money?"
Seeing that Aiden stopped pressing him, Tom clearly relaxed. The passion of a craftsman returned to his face.
"No need for money! Just pay for the materials. I also want to see what that... cough, that crazy idea of mine will look like once it's built!"
"However..."
Tom changed the subject. His face grew serious, and he sighed.
"Although the ship is easy to handle, I have a much bigger problem right now, and I'd like to ask for your help."
"A problem?" Aiden paused.
Here it comes.
He really did have to finish a job after getting the reward.
"Actually, compared to building ships, what gives me a bigger headache right now is the Sea Train."
Tom pointed at the tracks outside the window, which stretched into the sea.
"The train is taking shape, but it's still far from finished. The biggest problem now is that we don't have enough steel to lay the tracks."
"Because of the chaos of the Great Pirate Era, Water 7's trade routes have almost been completely cut off. High-quality special steel is very hard to buy right now."
"Without good steel, we can't lay the tracks, and the project will stall. If this continues..."
Tom clenched his fists.
"Steel?"
After hearing Tom's problem, Aiden's expression became even stranger.
He lacked steel?
Was this not too convenient?
First, Tom gave him the blueprint. Then he asked for materials. And in Aiden's hands, he just happened to have influence over the Blacksteel Empire, a huge steel producer.
This was too smooth. It almost felt arranged.
"Cough, cough..."
Aiden cleared his throat and said calmly,
"If you're just short on steel... then I might be able to help."
"What?" Tom and Iceburg looked up at the same time.
"To tell you the truth."
Aiden leaned back in his chair.
"I have some influence in the Blacksteel Empire right now."
"From now on, the G-17 Branch's trade fleet can transport a batch of their special steel to you every month."
"That should be enough for the Sea Train tracks. The price will also be fair, and we can fill any order you need."
"Really?!"
Tom suddenly stood up, so excited that his horns trembled.
The biggest problem that had troubled them for an entire year was actually solved by this young man in front of him with just a single sentence?
"Deal! Tahahaha! This is great! Iceburg! Hurry and get some liquor! We need to have a good drink today!"
...
At dusk.
After finalizing the delivery time for two months later, Aiden and Issho walked out of Tom's workshop.
As they were being seen out, the setting sun shone over the unfinished sea tracks.
Aiden stopped. He looked at the old Fish-Man beside him.
Tom was still building the Sea Train even with a suspended death sentence hanging over him.
Aiden could not help asking,
"Mr. Tom, you were only given a suspended sentence because you're building the Sea Train. The faster you build it, the closer you get to your execution date, don't you? Why are you working so hard?"
Hearing this, Tom paused.
Then he lifted his head and looked at the tracks stretching deep into the sea. He smiled.
"Tahahaha! Because a man has to do things with a Don!"
He pointed at the city behind him.
"This city can't wait any longer. Even if it costs my life, I have to finish paving this path as quickly as possible!"
Aiden looked at him. After a long time, he sighed in his heart.
What a respectable fool.
Since he had taken such a good blueprint from him and accepted this steel business, they were now on the same side.
He knew very well that the moment the Sea Train was finished, it would also be the time when those flies from the World Government would come to harm Tom.
Especially that piece of trash named Spandam.
Back then, he had killed Spandine in Ohara. He wondered if that would cause any butterfly effect.
He would have someone check later to see if Spandam was even born yet.
Aiden muttered under his breath.
"If he has been born... then I'll just send him down to reunite with his old man."
"Since they're family, the most important thing is staying together."
To Be Continued
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