The two boys were both hot-headed, neither willing to back down. As they argued, they actually started fighting.
But just as they started, a loud thump landed on each of their heads, forcefully interrupting them.
"If you want to fight, you can do it later. Answer my question first."
Nao had somehow already stepped into the alley. Looking at the two boys clutching their heads in pain, almost in tears, he said with a smile:
"Well then, you've been following me for quite a while. What exactly do you want?"
The two boys exchanged nervous looks. In the end, it was the short, chubby one who couldn't hold back and spoke up first:
"You're Vice Admiral Natsuya Nao, right?"
"Oh?" Nao adjusted the sunglasses on his nose bridge, somewhat surprised.. "Ara… so even a couple of brats managed to recognize me, huh…"
"Hehe, actually it was just a coincidence! Because earlier, right outside Helena Shipbuilding Company, I happened to overhear those guys shouting—"
The short, chubby boy was brimming with smug pride, but before he could finish speaking, the tall and lanky Franky secretly kicked him from behind.
The boy turned around angrily, only to see Franky shoot him a subtle look before hurriedly jumping in to speak first
"Don't listen to this idiot, Vice Admiral! It was me! I was the one who recognized you at first glance!"
Franky's voice trembled with excitement, his eyes sparkling with adoration. "Maybe you don't know this… but, but I've actually been your most loyal fan for years! I've admired you for—uh, I don't even remember how long anymore, but it's been a long time!"
"Every newspaper with your photo on the front page, I've collected them all! My dream… my dream is to become just like you—a righteous, great Marine!!"
What the hell?
The short, chubby boy gawked at Franky in stunned disbelief.
Weren't you always saying you hated the Marine? Since when did you start idolizing this guy? And your dream's never changed—it's always just been to become the world's greatest shipwright…
"..."
The look in Nao's eyes behind his sunglasses was also somewhat strange, but he didn't show it on his face. He just smiled politely:
"Thanks for the compliment. But the two of you still haven't said what you want from me…"
"It's like this, Vice Admiral!" Franky jumped in immediately. "You just placed an order for a ship at Helena Company, right? If I guessed correctly, the fact that you personally went there must mean it's your exclusive flagship?"
"Mm."
Nao had no intention of hiding it. He nodded. "The order's already placed. Why—something wrong with that?"
"Of course there's a problem!"
Franky's excitement burst out, his booming voice no less loud than it would be twenty years later:
"Helena Company? You call that a shipbuilding company? There's not a single decent shipwright in there. They're just a bunch of scumbags who got rich early and monopolized the high-end market!"
He clenched his fist fiercely, his face full of indignation. "The ships they build are plain, crude—beneath even my standards! How could something like that ever be worthy of you?!"
Nao said nothing, only gave him a half-smile.
He already had a good guess what the boy was angling for.
And sure enough—
Before Nao could even ask, Franky puffed out his chest and eagerly started pitching himself:
"As your fan, I just can't stand by and let this happen! Vice Admiral, instead of waiting two months for a mass-produced piece of junk with no soul, why not let my master do it? He could build you the greatest warship in the world!"
"Big words for a kid."
Nao felt amused, and deliberately shook his head with mock impatience. "Maybe Helena really is as you say, with no famous shipwrights. But they are still one of Headquarters' official suppliers. Naturally, they have skill, and the ships they produce are definitely above standard."
"Compared to that, you seem to be from a small-scale shipbuilding workshop, right?
Nao looked Franky up and down, raised an eyebrow, and chuckled. "The scale is completely different... What, are you that confident in your master?"
"Of course, Vice Admiral!"
Franky puffed out his chest, grinning wide as he declared loudly:
"My master is the world's greatest shipwright, Mr. Tom!"
…
Clang, clang, clang!
The sky was growing darker, the sun nearly sinking into the sea. Yet at the shipbuilding site, the roar of engines and the shouts of laborers showed no sign of stopping.
Everywhere Nao looked, shipwrights were hard at work, drenched in sweat, straining their bodies with tireless determination.
"Vice Admiral, follow me, this way!"
Franky led the way excitedly. As they turned down a corner, he thumped his chest again. "Although it is as you said, we are just a small workshop in a remote old street, once you meet my master, you will definitely not be disappointed! Even if you ask around randomly, no one will deny that he is the most outstanding master in our Water 7!"
"Is that so?"
The further they went into the alley, the more rundown and grimy the surroundings became. Nao glanced around at the squalid conditions, then smiled faintly. "I'm looking forward to it."
Truthfully, Franky didn't need to oversell him—Nao already knew exactly who his so-called master was.
Fish-man Tom.
Across the whole history of the Sea Circle Calendar, Tom was counted among the greatest shipwrights of all time—and in this era, he was the undisputed number one in the world.
Even the Pirate King, Roger, when passing through Water 7, specially requested Tom to build a ship for him.
But it was precisely because of this act that Tom was later ostracized by the residents of Water 7, forced to live in a place like this, little different from a junkyard. In that same year, he was sentenced to death by the World Government.
However, in court, Tom the fish-man presented his concept and design for the sea train, successfully moving both the judges and everyone present.
As a result, his death sentence was postponed, and the judge granted Tom a ten-year reprieve to build the sea train.
At this point in time, the sea train should have only just left the drawing board, maybe reaching the earliest stages of experimentation.
But Nao, with knowledge of what was to come, knew well how profoundly this invention would change everything for the city.
Is Water 7 prosperous now?
Of course.
Its world-renowned shipbuilding industry and unique scenery brought in considerable revenue, making the city more prosperous than most islands along the Grand Line.
However—
This was only a facade. The underlying decay and depression couldn't be hidden no matter what.
Every year, the city was struck by "Aqua Laguna"—the great tidal waves.
During that time, the people would flee to higher ground. But every time the waves receded, the sea level in the city rose a little more, and the habitable space on the outskirts shrank step by step.
And ever since the Great Pirate Era began, pirates rampaging across the seas only grew more numerous. Add to that the strange and violent weather of the Grand Line, and trade between islands became increasingly difficult.
Resources for shipbuilding grew scarce. The major shipbuilding companies, desperate for clients, turned on each other, sparking conflict after conflict and plunging themselves into cycles of ruinous competition.
The life of this city was being taken away little by little each year.
It was only the fifth year after the start of the Great Pirate Era, so this feeling might not be too obvious yet.
But Nao knew better than anyone that in the near future, due to the vicious competition between shipbuilding companies, there would be more and more unemployed people on the streets.
To numb themselves, alcohol became rampant. This, in turn, led to the further deterioration of public security in the entire city, and its reputation as a tourist destination became worse and worse. This caused a catastrophic chain reaction, and all industries were rapidly declining…
It was in this desperate moment—
That Fish-man Tom wagered his very life, racing against time. It took him a full fourteen years to invent a track that floated on the sea and was not affected by the Aqua Laguna, as well as the Sea Train.
From then on, the surrounding islands were completely connected to Water 7. Tom's hard work was not in vain. He rekindled the hope in people's hearts and saved the city!
So…
Nao really wasn't just humoring Franky.
To have the chance to meet this legendary shipwright, he was genuinely looking forward to it.
In fact, if he were not a transmigrator who didn't care as much about personal warships as the natives of the One Piece world, and if he wasn't in the middle of his honeymoon and didn't want to spend too much energy on a ship.
His first choice when coming to Water 7 would definitely have been Master Tom, not those shipbuilding giants.
…
After winding through alleys for over ten minutes, Nao followed Franky to a shabby little hut tucked away at the far end.
The rusted, decaying iron door bore a crooked sign with the words "Tom's Workers" scrawled across it.
Inside, in the dim light, a blue-haired young man with a beard was bent over, meticulously checking a row of parts.
Hearing footsteps outside, he frowned and turned with irritation: "Franky, didn't I tell you and Zambai to go to the city to buy wood? Why are you back so late…"
His words cut off abruptly as he noticed the tall figure following behind Franky. He blinked in surprise.
"And this is…?"
"A very important guest, Iceburg!" Franky pushed up his goggles and laughed proudly. "Hurry up and get the tea ready, I'll go call Master—huh? Where'd he go? I don't see him inside."
So this is Iceburg?
Nao gave the bearded young man a curious glance. Tom's top apprentice—if he remembered correctly, they should be the same age.
The future mayor of Water 7, president of Galley-La Company, destined to become a prominent figure. Too bad his shipwright crew would later be infiltrated by CP-9, with Rob Lucci at the lead, and even his secretary Kalifa wouldn't be an exception.
Mm, that's rough. Pretty much the Gin of the One Piece world…
"He ran out of blueprints and said he went to the shopping district to buy some."
Iceburg gave Nao a glance, sensing something vaguely familiar about his presence, and frowned slightly. "Should I go out and get him?"
"Yeah, probably a good idea. Otherwise the old man might not make it back before dark." Franky waved carelessly. "You go ahead. I'll take care of Mr. Nao here. Don't worry."
"You're coming with me."
Iceburg didn't bother arguing. He simply grabbed Franky and dragged him out.
Franky scowled, grumbling about "what the hell" under his breath, but in the end let himself be dragged off.
At the door, he turned back, waving apologetically.
"Sorry about this, Vice Admiral! Just wait here a bit—we'll bring Master back right away!"
Nao smiled and picked up a cup of water, signaling that he didn't mind.
After watching the two of them leave, he was the only one left in the dim workshop.
He boredly crossed his legs and was about to call Gion and the others to tell them he would be back late when a long-lost notification sound suddenly rang in his mind.
Huh?
Nao was slightly stunned. As if he had realized something, he quickly opened the system panel.
Just as he expected.
As soon as the blue panel opened, a conspicuous notification box popped up:
[System has completed its upgrade and maintenance. All functions have been fully reopened. Please check.]
[Some new features have been unlocked. Please explore them yourself.]
[Love cell cultivation stage has ended.]
[Based on the changes in the game stage, the system has been renamed to "Sea King Cultivation System."]
…
The 60-day maintenance and upgrade period was due to end around these last two days, but he hadn't expected it to finish at this exact moment.
But…
Sea King Cultivation System?
Nao frowned slightly. He had a love system, didn't he? Why did it suddenly change its style and go from a dating simulation to a game of conquest?
Wait a minute...
He suddenly noticed something, and his eye twitched.
It seemed like the style hadn't changed after all if you took away two words from that terrible name...
Damn it!
The system's malicious sense of humor was as shameless as ever. It was obvious that, with his personality, there was no way he could ever become some "Sea King" running around raising fish everywhere!
[Name: Natsuya Norsha]
[Age: 21]
[Strength: 34 (Current stage: 1,000,000 points/level)]
[Agility: 32 (+3) (Current stage: 500,000 points/level)]
[Stamina: 36 (Current stage: 2,000,000 points/level)]
[Intelligence: 12 (Current stage: 500,000 points/level)]
[Charm: 21 (Current stage: 5,000,000 points/level)]
[Current Points: 1,250,000]
[Standard Skills]: Dual Blade Swordsmanship (Advanced), Rokushiki (Advanced), Firearms Proficiency (Advanced), Close-Quarters Combat (Advanced), Self-Discipline (Master), Armament Haki (Advanced), Observation Haki (Advanced), Drawing (Advanced), Fishing (Master) Swimming (Master), Sweet Talker (Advanced)]
[Innate Skills: Conqueror's Haki, Diamond Body, Voice of All Things, Radiant Smile, Craftsman's Spirit, Wind Barrier (Advanced), Thick Skin (Advanced), Iron Head (Advanced), Limb Regeneration, Amphibious Breathing]
[Currently Equipped: Guardian Angel, Boots of Lightness, Thornmail]
[Special Items: Shop 20% Discount Coupon * 2]
...
Finally, he could see his stats again.
Nao quickly glanced over them. His stats hadn't changed much compared to a few months ago, except that his Agility had increased by one point.
But compared to that…
All he could think about right now was unboxing.
His last mission reward had been not one, but two whole S-rank boxes—and he still hadn't opened them yet. He'd been holding back on this for way too long!
His eyes shifted to the reward list. With a thought, he opened the first S-rank boxes.
A familiar yet unfamiliar blue die appeared, and the words on each side were the same.
Attribute Point, Consumable, Weapon, Skill Scroll, Defensive Item, and Eggs.
"It really has been… a long time, huh."
After all, this was an S-rank boxes. It had been almost half a year since he'd last opened one. Proper ritual was required. Rubbing his hands together, Nao silently made a wish in his heart, then shouted softly:
"Open!"