Chapter 38: Theodore the Boatman
The next day, Ain came to Axel's residence again after school.
The moment she stepped inside, she froze.
The room was a mess.
The wall looked as though it had been attacked by a wild beast, scar after scar carved into it. The surface was chipped, pitted, and uneven, and yet in the middle of all that destruction, Axel sat calmly in a chair as if nothing were wrong.
Ain could not help blurting out, "Were you attacked last night? How did the house end up like this?!"
Of course, she did not literally believe that. This was Marine territory, the town under Headquarters' jurisdiction, the very place that symbolized justice. How could anyone casually invade it?
It was just the only thing she could think of to express her shock.
Axel coughed a few times to hide his embarrassment.
"It happened while I was testing something," he said.
"Testing something?"
Ain narrowed her eyes and looked carefully at the ruined wall.
Even though the surface had already been thoroughly shredded, the marks were still sharp and distinct. They looked like clean cuts more than blunt damage.
After staring for a while, Ain suddenly arrived at a conclusion.
"Could it be," she said slowly, "that you're actually a swordsman like me? And one who can already unleash sword slashes?"
Only that seemed to explain those marks.
After all, during Axel's fight with Binz, what she had mostly noticed was his speed and that strange way he broke through the plants. Whether or not he had revealed his full strength was another matter entirely. Maybe he had been hiding the fact that he was also a swordsman.
Axel shook his head. "No. This was caused by another ability."
Ain nodded, though her thoughts immediately followed their own path.
Right. I'm being ridiculous.
Sword slashes were the mark of a true swordsman. Among the Marines, anyone capable of releasing one was already considered elite. Besides, if this had really been sword energy, the wall would not have merely looked like this. It should have been cut straight through.
Still, the room was undeniably a disaster.
Axel glanced helplessly at the wall.
"So I wanted to ask you," he said, "are there any people in town who can repair houses?"
Ain thought for a moment, then her eyes lit up.
"There's an old man who used to build warships," she said. "Now he repairs houses instead. He should be able to handle this. I'll take you there."
Led by Ain, Axel passed through the center of town and followed her into a secluded alley.
"This is the place," Ain said. "Come on."
Deep in the shadows at the end of the alley was a door so inconspicuous it would have been easy to miss if one was not looking carefully.
Axel raised an eyebrow.
Anyone who opened a shop in a place like this really had some talent.
Ain pushed the door open, and the bell hanging above it rang crisply.
The two of them stepped inside.
The shop was spacious, though it looked a little empty. There was only one person present—an old man around fifty, with an ordinary face, a messy beard, and a cigarette dangling from his lips. He lay slumped in a chair, looking completely at ease.
When the bell rang, he glanced at them lazily but did not even bother to stand.
"This is the housing repair office," he said in a tired voice. "What do you need?"
Axel got straight to the point. "Can you repair a house?"
"Of course," the old man replied. "But where are your family members? Two little girls can't handle the paperwork. You need an adult."
Axel had long since stopped expecting peace on the gender issue.
"First, I'm a man," he said flatly. "Second, no one's home. I'm here alone."
The old man took a drag on his cigarette and slowly exhaled a smoke ring. He did not seem especially concerned by Axel correcting him, nor was he particularly surprised that there was no adult around. In a town like this, with Marines constantly away on duty, children being left home alone was not that unusual.
"Then fill out your address, pay the deposit, and I'll go take a look when I have time," he said.
"Deposit?" Axel repeated.
The old man immediately understood.
"You don't have any Berries, do you?" he said bluntly. "This isn't charity. Of course I charge money. Did your family not leave you anything? At the very least, you could request supplies from the Marines."
Axel's expression stiffened.
If it were Garp, then of course there should have been money. After all, Marines could earn rewards through capturing pirates.
The problem was that Garp had not left him a single Berry when he left.
As for the money Axel had squeezed out of Bluejam's old men, he had not brought any of it with him.
At present, he was truly penniless.
Seeing the troubled look on his face, the old man softened slightly.
"Who are your family members?" he asked. "Write down the address first. I can report the repair expenses to the Navy for you."
So that was how it worked.
Axel's eyes moved slightly.
Then a thought surfaced in his mind.
He looked at the old man and asked, "What happens if someone's an orphan?"
The old man shrugged. "Then they don't have any income, so the fees get waived."
The moment he finished speaking, Axel said without hesitation, "I'm an orphan."
Ain, who had been standing nearby the whole time, instantly exclaimed, "Eh?!"
The old man, on the other hand, barely reacted. From the way Axel had spoken earlier, it was not impossible that he really was alone.
Ain immediately pulled Axel to the side and whispered, "Isn't your grandfather Garp?"
She clearly meant: your grandfather is still alive, so how can you call yourself an orphan?
Axel waved a hand dismissively.
"Just kidding," he said. "My grandpa's Vice Admiral Garp."
Compared to pretending to be an orphan for free repairs, it was obviously far more satisfying to pin the bill on Garp and make that old man pay for it. As revenge for all those "Fists of Love," this much was only fair.
"Vice Admiral Garp?"
The old man's eyes widened. The cigarette hanging from his lips dropped straight to the floor.
For a moment, his whole expression was frozen in disbelief.
Axel, however, looked perfectly calm.
He had already noticed it.
In the Marines, Garp's name had absurdly high value. No matter where it was heard, it always caused a reaction.
"Don't hold back," Axel added helpfully. "Charge as much as you can. He's got money anyway."
Ain's eyelid twitched.
The old man's lips twitched too.
So this brat really had no shame when it came to setting up his own grandfather.
Still, the old man got up, stepped on the fallen cigarette butt, and walked to the desk at the front.
"Give me the address," he said. "I'll go repair it tomorrow."
Out of respect for Garp's name, he had already decided to move the matter up the schedule.
As for why not today, that was simple. It was already around four in the afternoon. Even if he went now, there would not be enough time to finish the job.
After Axel gave him the address, he brought up the second thing he had come for.
"Old man," he said, "can you build ships?"
The old man's half lidded eyes suddenly sharpened.
The lazy air around him vanished at once.
"Of course I can," he said. "I'm Theodore, a shipwright from Water Seven, kid."
Axel blinked.
"Who's that? Never heard of him."
Theodore instantly deflated, as though he had been dealt a critical blow.
"So many years without building ships..." he muttered gloomily. "Looks like I've really been forgotten."
Axel did not let him wallow for long.
"Old man Theodore," he said, "how good are your shipbuilding skills?"
That question immediately revived Theodore.
He straightened up and said proudly, "Needless to say. Back in the day, I was one of the men who worked on warship construction. My skill speaks for itself."
"Then why is someone so amazing repairing houses in a back alley?"
Axel's follow up was merciless.
Theodore's expression sank again.
"It's all because of Vegapunk," he muttered. "Once he added Seastone to the hulls, Marine warships could cross the Calm Belt without being bothered by Sea Kings. After that, the design got standardized. There was no longer any need to keep improving the warships, so a lot of shipwrights got pushed out."
Vegapunk.
A scientist said to be five hundred years ahead of the world.
If it was because of him, then that really was not surprising.
No wonder the warships in the original story always looked nearly identical.
Axel looked at Theodore again. "So can you still build one now?"
"Of course," Theodore replied at once. "Give me the materials, and these old hands can still do the job. But what do you need a ship for?"
From Theodore's point of view, it was a fair question.
As Garp's grandson, Axel only needed to stay in the Marines and rise through the ranks. If he climbed high enough, ships would be assigned to him anyway.
Axel naturally could not explain that he wanted a ship for a future escape route.
"I'll handle the materials later," he said. "That part doesn't concern you."
Theodore stared at him for a moment, then nodded.
Rarely did someone openly acknowledge his value anymore. Even if it was just a child, Theodore could not deny that it stirred something in him.
"Fine," he said. "Bring me the best materials, and I'll build you the best ship."
Axel gave a slight smile. "Then it's a deal."
After saying goodbye to Theodore, Axel returned home with Ain.
Then came another round of noisy tutoring.
Once that was finally over and he sent Ain off, Axel shut the door behind him, turned back toward the wrecked room, and resumed his training.
.....
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