Meanwhile, below the ship in the dry dock, Valeria was guiding the other girls on their work. The hull had already been cleared of barnacles, now they were focusing on repairing or replacing any of the wood that looked rotten or too heavily worn. They wanted the hull of the ship to be as strong as possible to make sure the ship would stay afloat. So far the hull had been in excellent condition as the previous owner had clearly taken good care of it, until it was repossessed anyway.
The next step was working on the interior. They weren't sure what the ship was used for previously as it seemed equally capable of being a merchant ship or a small warship. The bottom deck had the galley, crew mess, magazine, three port cannons and three starboard cannons for a total of six, a cargo hold, and a brig. The bow quarterdeck contained crew quarters, which were just a bunch of hammocks, the officer's mess, and the two bow cannons. Meanwhile the stern quarterdeck was entirely comprised of officer's quarters.
Valeria didn't know much about ships, sure, but did a ship as small as a Carrack need six officers and a captain? With how many hammocks there were that was basically one officer for every two crew! Seemed like a waste. Unless some of those quarters were for passengers? Seemed legit.
Anyway, the last interior space was the Captain's quarters located on top of the poopdeck. Those wouldn't be getting touched for the retrofit. For them a lot of the space dedicated to holds was wasted space. Between the Captain, Merlin, and Vivienne, they had plenty of ways to make expanded storage spaces. A single chest could hold the entire ship's magazine with ease. They could make it two even, one for cannonballs and one for gunpowder. Or just make three of each and split them between the port, starboard, and bow cannons. In short, the magazine area was wasted space for them.
Then there was the hold, which could also easily be replaced by a few chests with expanded space inside of them. They had no use for a brig, and the crew mess was unnecessary. In short, aside from the cannons an the galley, nothing on the lowest deck was useful for what it was meant for. All that space could be converted into much more usable space. In the case of the crew mess, they were going to expand the galley to include that space to give Erina far more area to cook in. They were also going to make it so that the current utilities could be easily replaced when they made better ones in the future. Why use a wood stove when you could use a magic one?
Meanwhile the magazine was being converted into the new crew mess where everyone would eat together. It was right next to the galley at the stern which meant no one would have to carry food up a flight of stairs to the bow quarterdeck where the other mess was. This was especially nice since the stairs leading down to the lower deck were exposed to the elements. Who wanted to risk rain or saltwater slashing into their food while it was carried out in the open? Bad design is bad.
As for the bow portion of the gun deck where the brig and hold were located, those two spaces were being turned into one large one. The newly opened space would be converted into the workshop area that all the creatives would have to share. Even though it was nearly a third of the ship in space, it was still going to be a bit cramped with the Captain, Valeria, Merlin, Vivienne, and now Momo all crammed into it.
That was a problem Valeria was going to be sure was covered on the custom ship she was designing.
Next would be the quarterdecks. The stern quarterdeck was not being touched. It provided six private bedrooms and that was perfectly fine. The bow quarterdeck though, was getting an overhaul and being turned into more bedrooms. They wouldn't need the officer's mess and the hammock filled crews quarters was just insulting to the crew. The two large spaces would be converted into more bedrooms similar to the ones at the stern. It would give them six more room, which was one more than the crew needed.
The overhaul was expected to take a couple of days, but only checking the hull required the dry dock. The rest they just needed to buy the materials for and could easily be done on the ocean. Alex had already put in the order for the materials. Once they were delivered and the hull check and repair was complete, they'd be leaving. The Captain did not want to tangle with the marines or risk an army of reinforcements coming after them. Not yet, at least.
"What the hell do you mean you won't let us leave?"
Peter glared at the clerk behind the counter for the dry dock's office. The man, now shivering in fear under Peter's glare, had just refused to open the gates and let the ocean in so they could leave.
"I-I'm sorry sure, but it's order from Captain Morgan! He sent word that you're not allowed to leave until he gives the say so!" the man explained while cowering.
Peter gave the man one last glare before turning on his heels and leaving the office. He was already trying to decide on which course of action he wanted to take. He could either wait and see what happened, or he could blast the gates open and leave. Either way he was one hundred percent certain he could be getting a bounty afterward.
His decision was made for him when he arrived back at the ship and Mera came up to him, "Captain, two Marine ships have left the main docks and are headed this way."
Peter nodded firmly, "Right. ALEX! Have the crew prepare for battle!" While Alex issued orders and the non-combatants took cover below deck to handle the cannons, Peter got Domino's attention, "Domino, blow the gates and get this dock flooded."
Domino sported a grin as she drew her revolver, yes it was hers now, and made her way to the stern of the ship. She happily loaded an explosive shell into one of the chambers before taking aim and firing it. The sound of the gunshot was nothing compared to the sound of the explosion. A massive force of fire and pressure was unleashed when the bullet collided with the large gates holding the ocean back. The blast was so powerful it obliterated the gates and a good portion of the walls surrounding the dry dock.
Peter couldn't help wondering if the explosive power was maybe a bit too much... Then again, he did enjoy the sound of Domino's joyful laughter at the destruction and mayhem she caused.
With the gates no longer holding it back, the ocean came flooding into the dry dock and quickly filled it, lifting the ship up and allowing it to float once more. Peter turned to Mera, "Mind giving us a push so we can get out of here faster?"
Mera nodded and jumped over the side of the ship and into the ocean. Just a few moments later the ship was moving backward and out of the flooded dry dock. Mera was by far the physically strongest among the crew and it showed as she moved the whole ship by herself.
Sooner than would have otherwise been possible, they were out on the ocean and facing the two incoming Marine ships. For the two full days the ship had been in the dry dock they had been left alone. Peter did not think it a coincidence that the Marines set sail on the same day they were scheduled to leave.
Peter stared at the approaching ships feeling a swirling mixture of emotions. There was some fear in there. He knew, objectively, that he was highly unlikely to die, but that fear hadn't gone away even with his eternal youth, massive healing factor, and other tweaks that should keep him alive through almost anything. He'd been in quite a few street fights, but that was noting compared to this. But then that just led to thoughts of an even worse fate, being captured. He could easily imagine how the Marine leadership would torture him to get all of his secrets and use them for themselves. There was fear for his crew and what could happen to them too given their varied abilities. Poor Momo would be tortured and forced to work just like himself, if captured.
But, far more than fear, there was excitement. He had an amazing crew. He had a good ship. He had power that only veterans of the first half of the Grand Line could comprehend. Perhaps most importantly, he had a dream that he would do anything to see through to the end. He was firm in his resolve and would not quake before his enemies in fear. He would control and use his fears to push himself to be better but he refused to allow his fears to control him.
A booming voice echoed over the ocean as The Coming Storm faced the two oncoming Marine ships, "You, pirates! Surrender and prepare to be boarded! Failure to comply will result in your swift deaths!"
Peter turned to look at his crew, "What do you guys think, should we surrender?"
The scoffs, smirks, and head shakes were all he needed to see. His gaze shifted to Domino while his lips curled into a smirk, "Open fire."
Domino and everyone else laughed as she casually strolled up to the bow, her hips swaying playfully, as she casually draws the revolver and loads all six chambers with explosive rounds. She aims in the general direction of the ships charging toward them but doesn't aim at anything specific, letting her 'instincts' guide her shots. In an less than a second she fires three shots at each ship.