"Huh?! Are you out of your mind?!"
"We are Marines! Why the hell would we help a pirate build a ship?!"
The soldiers cursed, yelling from the perimeter of the scrapyard, expressing utter disdain for York's wishful thinking.
But Garp fell silent. He stood there, picking his nose thoughtfully for a long moment. Then, without a word, he walked over, hoisted a massive Adam Wood log onto his shoulder, and carried it toward the dry dock.
The entire Marine detachment froze, their jaws dropping to the dirt.
The veterans who had followed Garp for decades watched their commander, then shook their heads helplessly.
"Well..." an old sergeant sighed, rolling up his sleeves. "The pirate actually makes a little sense. The sooner we help him build his ship, the sooner we can capture him, throw him into Impel Down, and go home to our families. Come on, boys. Let's get to work."
With that, the scarred veterans followed Garp and joined the pirate shipbuilding team.
The new recruits exchanged baffled glances. Since when did Marines and 3-Billion-Berry pirates get along so well?!
But recalling the roaring tavern party from the night before, the lines had already been blurred.
"Forget it," a young recruit muttered, tying a bandana around his head. "Vice Admiral Garp is leading the charge anyway. If Headquarters wants to court-martial anyone, they'll have to court-martial him first. Let's go help."
York sat on a crate, silently watching the group of Marines—who were vocally reluctant but physically honest—swarm the shipyard to haul timber and pull ropes. A genuine smile played on his lips.
He turned to Ivankov and Kaido.
"You see? Human nature isn't that complicated."
"Treat someone to a drink, share a meal, bleed a little sweat together, and natural enemies can become friends," York mused. "Our interests and stances will inevitably lead to conflict, but beneath the uniforms, everyone is basically the same."
York's eyes darkened slightly. "Of course... the old nobility who have discarded their humanity, and the trash pirates and Marines who slaughter civilians for fun, are excluded from this rule."
Kaido and Ivankov listened thoughtfully, watching the bizarre, harmonious scene of pirates and Marines building a ship together.
With the manual labor provided by hundreds of elite Marines, the massive flagship—which Tom had estimated would take at least a month to assemble—was perfectly completed in just eight days.
All that was left was for York to hoist the Crimson Harvest flag and push the galleon into the water.
"It's finally finished..."
A large group of Marines, exhausted, covered in sawdust, and panting heavily, collapsed onto the ground. They gazed up at the colossal, Eastern-style Treasure Ship looming over them, unable to hide their awe.
"It's huge..."
"A standard Marine cruiser is only 70 meters long. This monster is five times that size!"
"Hey! Lord of Corruption!" an exhausted Marine yelled up at the deck. "How many people do you plan to recruit?! Why build a ship this big?!"
On the main deck, Stussy held a towel, gently wiping the sweat from York's brow. York leaned over the railing, putting his hands on his hips.
"This ship can comfortably hold 3,000 to 5,000 people," York shouted back with a grin. "But the main reason it's this big is because my crew members are very tall!"
York gestured to the massive Kaido standing behind him.
"And in the future, I plan to recruit from the Giant Race! If the ceilings aren't built high enough in advance, am I supposed to make my giant crewmates crouch all day?"
"That makes sense," several Marines nodded in agreement.
Thanks to King Harald's recent policies in Elbaf, the Marines had absorbed quite a few Giant Vice Admirals (like John Giant). Their enormous size made standard warships incredibly cramped, forcing Marine Headquarters to custom-build massive, 100-meter battleships just for them.
"HEY! BRAT! STOP RECRUITING GIANTS!!"
Garp's booming voice suddenly snapped the distracted Marines back to reality.
"If you set sail today, I'll sink you today! You're going straight to Impel Down! There won't be a 'future' for you to recruit anyone!!"
The Marines violently snapped out of their stupor.
"T-That's right! We're the Marines! We're here to arrest you!!"
"We only helped you build this so you'd leave Water 7 and we could sink you without destroying the city!"
"Don't misunderstand our teamwork, you damn pirate!!"
York burst into loud, unapologetic laughter.
"Of course! How could I forget?!" York yelled down. "KAIDO!!"
"WORORORO!"
The towering Kaido grinned maliciously. He leaped from the deck, his body instantly expanding and transforming into the massive, mythological Azure Dragon. He soared into the sky, casting a massive shadow over the shipyard.
"Worororo..." Kaido's thunderous laugh echoed from the clouds as his massive, horned head lowered toward the Marines.
"You've been doing hard labor for eight days straight! You must be completely out of stamina by now, Marines!!" Kaido mocked.
It was true. Although York had paid for their food and drinks every night, the Marines had worked themselves to the bone out of a misplaced sense of duty to finish the ship faster.
The Marines belatedly realized the tactical disaster they were in.
"OH NO!! IT WAS A TRAP!!"
They scrambled to their feet, gasping for breath, reaching for their weapons to attack the ship.
They grabbed nothing but air.
"DAMN IT! To carry the logs easier, I left my rifle at the inn!!"
"My sword! My sword is still on the warship!!"
"AHHH! My bazooka! I didn't bring my bazooka to the dry dock!!"
"That bastard pirate is too cunning! He tricked us into doing manual labor so we'd put our weapons away!!"
Garp's face turned dark as a thundercloud. He watched his men running around like headless chickens. These scoundrel pirates knew exactly what they were doing!
Fortunately, Garp didn't need a sword or a bazooka.
BOOM!
Terrifying red and black Haoshoku lightning erupted from Garp's fists. He bent his knees, preparing to launch himself at the ship and smash the hull to splinters.
"V-Vice Admiral Garp..."
Suddenly, a dozen Marines tackled Garp from behind, grabbing his arms and legs.
"WAIT! WAIT A MINUTE, SIR!!"
"We worked so hard to build that hull! You can't just destroy it now!"
"My squad sanded that portside railing for three days straight!!"
"Don't forget the plan, Vice Admiral! We helped them build it so they'd leave the city! Let them launch!"
Garp struggled, dragging a dozen crying Marines across the dirt. He could easily throw them off, but hearing their desperate pleas about their hard carpentry work made him hesitate. If he smashed the ship now, their eight days of blood, sweat, and tears would literally be for nothing.
Seizing the momentary distraction, Kaido activated his Flame Clouds.
Massive, swirling clouds gathered beneath the keel of the 360-meter Treasure Ship. Bypassing the water launch entirely, the colossal galleon slowly lifted off the ground and ascended straight into the sky.
"DAMN IT! LET GO OF ME! THE SHIP IS FLYING AWAY!!" Garp roared, trying to shake his men off.
"No, Vice Admiral!" a weeping sergeant yelled, holding onto Garp's leg for dear life. "They're flying straight up! If you punch the ship down now, it'll crash right back onto Water 7 and crush us all!!"
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