Chapter 234: Professionals Only Do Professional Things
"However, this isn't something that can be achieved overnight. Ten years is my estimated timeframe. If all goes smoothly... in ten years, we will see the Sea Train running across the ocean!"
"Good grief, why is your shipbuilding company located under such an isolated bridge? It was way too much of a hassle to find!"
At this moment, a group of men wearing suits and ties, escorted by several Marines, arrived outside Tom's Workers. They started complaining the second they walked through the door.
"It's not like we wanted to move here! If it weren't for you... mmph!"
"Franky!"
Iceburg clamped a hand over Franky's mouth, stopping him from finishing his sentence.
Because of the incident involving building a ship for Roger, Tom's Workers had faced ostracization from quite a few people.
While some believed Tom was innocent, others felt he got what he deserved. In an environment like Water 7, there was no shortage of people who utterly despised pirates.
It wasn't until today, when the officials formally declared that the ship had been stolen by Roger, that public opinion finally began to shift.
But in Franky's eyes, the root cause of all this misery was the officials who had interrogated Tom in the first place.
"Baka-burg! Don't stop me!"
"You're the idiot! Don't do anything stupid, Baka-ky!"
The two immediately started brawling on the sidelines. Though they fought fiercely, their relationship was actually quite good.
Franky's real name was Cutty Flam; "Franky" was just an affectionate nickname used by those close to him. The nicknames "Baka-burg" and "Baka-ky" followed the exact same logic.
Just like Shanks and Buggy fighting, they were nowhere near actually falling out with each other.
"Quiet down, both of you!"
Tom ended the dispute with a loving, crushing hug, tucking one disciple under each arm. He then turned to the World Government officials with a broad smile.
"My apologies. You must be the representatives His Majesty Nereus mentioned, right? I am Tom. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me."
"Specific details and required funding will be handled by dedicated personnel. That is not my department," the official said flatly. "I am merely here to ask you a few operational questions.
"Water 7 will serve as the pilot site for the Sea Train, but this area regularly experiences massive tsunamis. How will your tracks withstand the 'Aqua Laguna'?"
"There is no need for fixed, rigid tracks," Tom explained. "We will let them float a certain distance beneath the surface. The tracks will fix the direction, and the train will act like the slider on a zipper, pulling it together."
The World Government still had their own experts in certain fields. The representative sent to negotiate knew a thing or two himself. Finding Tom's explanation highly logical, he moved on to the next question.
"And how do you plan to deal with the Sea Kings in the ocean?"
"Sea Kings rarely leave the Calm Belt. I am currently researching a way to use the friction between the wheels and the tracks to generate a sound frequency that repels Sea Kings and schools of fish, thereby avoiding their interference..."
In truth, Nereus possessed a far more direct method for driving away Sea Kings. He only needed to take Chloe for a walk along the tracks, and the Sea Kings would naturally understand exactly what to do.
However, doing so was completely unnecessary. It was much safer and more reliable to let Tom develop the sonic repulsion method.
Given the demographic makeup of Fish-Man Island, if Merfolk and Fish-Men suddenly claimed to have a method to repel Sea Kings without being able to explain the scientific principles behind it, anyone well-informed would easily connect the dots to Poseidon.
Over the following few days, Tom's Workers got to witness the World Government's "efficiency" firsthand. Without direct orders from the highest echelons, their bureaucratic processes were excruciatingly tedious.
Those discussing funding only discussed funding. Those mapping routes only mapped routes. They absolutely refused to handle a single task outside their exact purview, requiring constant reconnections down the line. It was a masterclass in "fragmented bureaucracy."
Tom, however, reveled in it. He loved this city and firmly believed the Sea Train was its ultimate hope. Seeing the project nearing realization, he naturally possessed endless patience to deal with the World Government officials.
But Franky had no such interest. The frequent visits from government officials drastically cut into the time Tom had to teach him shipbuilding. This made Franky deeply despise those men in suits.
"Mr. Tom, no matter what anyone says, you're the one who built the greatest pirate ship in the world! Teach me the blueprints for a pirate ship!"
"Tahahaha! Franky, there are no blueprints for 'pirate ships' in this world! Hoist a Jolly Roger, and it's a pirate ship! Hoist the seagull emblem, and it's a Marine warship! No matter what kind of ship you build, a man must always puff out his chest and be proud of the ships he creates!
"I happen to have a blueprint right here. You and Iceburg should study it together."
In Tom's eyes, Franky and Iceburg's current abilities were already on par with the elite shipwrights of Water 7. Possessing the competence to hold their own, he confidently entrusted this task to them.
However, this was no ordinary ship. It was the blueprint for a submarine—a vessel prepared specifically for Douglas Bullet.
Bullet had challenged Nereus one more time recently. The result was entirely unchanged: a swift, instant one-shot defeat.
Bullet, to his credit, kept his word. Unable to defeat Nereus, he honestly served as Nereus's private enforcer, handling various problems in the New World and growing stronger in the process.
The submarine was prepared precisely to facilitate his mobility across the seas.
Regardless, Fish-Man Island had nothing to fear from such vessels. Whether it was a coated ship or a metal-hulled submarine, sinking them was effortless for the kingdom.
The Sea Train speeding across its tracks followed the exact same logic. The Fish-Men could use their technology to build this revolutionary transportation method, and they could just as easily sabotage the rails silently underwater.
As long as it remained within the domain of the ocean, it would always be the absolute home turf of Fish-Men and Merfolk.
"A single-pilot operation function..."
"It's a commission from Fish-Man Island. They require a vessel of this exact specification. Give it a try. If you mess it up, I'll be here to cover for you."
Tom had absolute faith in his own abilities, which was why he dared to let his disciples handle such a critical commission. He would conduct a final inspection anyway; even if they made mistakes, he could easily correct them.
According to his grand vision, once the Sea Train project was implemented, Water 7—a city that once shone brilliantly due to its shipbuilding industry—would experience a complete renaissance.
When that time came, his disciples could remain here, forging ships that carried their own dreams and turning those dreams into reality.
Even if they ultimately disliked shipbuilding, ship-dismantling was perfectly fine too. Fish-Man Island was actively recruiting elite ship-dismantlers as instructors. No matter what happened, he could secure a bright future for his disciples.
At the same time, a small squad dispatched from Fish-Man Island arrived at Water 7. Their ship was loaded with a vast quantity of premium lumber—materials delivered specifically for Tom.
While ships weren't strict necessities for Fish-Man Island, on this sea, a ship represented one's status and facade. Possessing an exclusive, custom-built flagship was highly necessary.
This squad was here to deliver the materials for exactly that purpose. Although Tom had taken on the colossal Sea Train project, it didn't mean he was restricted to only doing that for the next few years.
"You're Arlong, right? Thanks for the hard work. Given Water 7's current environment, securing premium lumber isn't easy."
Tom greeted him with warm familiarity. But this single, simple sentence left Arlong feeling immensely refreshed and invigorated.
Only Arlong himself knew exactly how much blood, sweat, and tears he had sacrificed to reclaim his own name, ensuring he was no longer exclusively known to the world as "Shyarly's older brother."
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