Chapter 201: The Revealed Mystery
Just as Ain was about to ask who they were waiting for, a voice came from outside the door.
"Sorry. I got too absorbed in my research last night, so I'm a little late this morning."
Late?
Axel did not think so.
He glanced at the dim morning light outside. It was only around six o'clock.
By any normal standard, this was far too early.
Clearly, every one of these people was more excited than the last. Otherwise, a normal person would have waited until at least seven or eight before visiting someone else's home.
Rather than letting everyone crowd into this tiny room and disturb his peace, Axel felt it would be better to set off immediately.
Maybe he could still find some leisure once they were on the ship.
"Everyone's here," Axel said. "Let's go."
Time passed aboard the ship.
Unfortunately, Axel did not find the peace he had imagined.
On the contrary, because there were no other distractions at sea, he became even more exhausted from Ain's constant questions.
"Finally arrived."
Axel sighed.
After a long voyage, the group finally reached Newport Island.
Even with a specialized nautical chart to follow the ocean currents, the journey had still taken nearly a week.
That was the inconvenience of traveling by sea.
At least Axel did not find anything interesting about it. The feeling of having both feet firmly on land was much more reliable.
"I'm telling you, your viewpoint is wrong," Theodore said firmly. "A ship must rely on itself to be called a ship. If it relies on external things, then it's no longer a proper ship."
Tom laughed loudly.
"Sails, masts, oars, timber, aren't those all external things too? Only when they're combined together do they become a complete ship. If something can make the ship better, why shouldn't it be used?"
Tom's words had some merit, but Theodore's understanding of shipbuilding was very traditional due to the way he had been trained.
In Theodore's eyes, Tom's argument sounded more like sophistry.
"Sails, masts, and oars are originally parts that make up a ship. How can they be considered external objects?" Theodore retorted. "But adding extra things onto an already completed hull is no different from damaging the ship's overall structure."
The two of them had been debating ships almost from the moment they stepped aboard, and they still had not stopped.
Although Theodore admitted that he was inferior to Tom in many areas, he refused to yield even an inch when it came to maintaining the structure of a ship.
Tom, on the other hand, pursued openness. He built ships according to his heart and likewise refused to back down.
And so, their dispute continued all the way here.
Personally, Axel agreed more with Tom.
A ship was built to serve people.
If one lost sight of that purpose because of a refusal to innovate and an obsession with primitive purity, what was the point?
However, the current matter was not about who was right or wrong.
It was about investigating the situation on the island.
Because Theodore had mentioned his friend, Axel decided to begin the investigation with Newport Island.
"Theodore, where's your friend?"
"Not far from the shore," Theodore replied. "It's more convenient that way. Once a ship is completed, it can be launched into the sea at any time."
Following the coast for several miles, a large shipyard soon appeared in their field of vision.
Theodore pointed toward it.
"That's where my friend lives."
Axel could not help teasing him.
"You're both shipwrights. Why is the difference in treatment so big?"
It was not only Theodore's friend. Tom had also owned a shipbuilding company in Water 7 before he helped Pirate King Roger build his ship.
Theodore, on the other hand, had fallen all the way down to being an ordinary house repairman.
"I call this professional dedication," Theodore said stiffly. "A true shipwright doesn't get distracted by external things."
His expression was somewhat unnatural.
Clearly, that was just a forced excuse.
They entered the shipyard.
Inside, the shipwrights were busy building a ship.
Although it was still unclear what kind of ship they were making, judging by the hull, it was an extremely massive vessel.
Looking at the molds currently being produced, this huge shipyard was only building the foundation, and even that foundation had not yet reached the curvature of the hull.
In other words, this was not even the complete base.
Axel and the others naturally drew attention as soon as they arrived.
After a while, a slovenly man with thick limbs and an unkempt appearance walked out.
"Theodore, why does an idiot like you have time to come to my place?"
"Brad, do you think I'm happy to be here?"
"Well, happy or not, you still came. You're just saying one thing and meaning another."
Brad grinned.
"Are you jealous that I get to touch the legendary strongest tree? I told you back then that becoming a Marine shipwright was a mistake. Look at you now. You can't even change jobs. You can only grow old and die alone like that."
In this world, once someone became a Marine shipwright, they were not allowed to change careers.
The reason was simple.
The Marines would never allow a shipwright to leave under any circumstances, because it might involve secrets concerning warship construction.
Theodore had only been able to come out this time because of Axel.
Otherwise, while they would not interfere with his freedom on the island, he would be watched strictly whenever he went out or sent messages.
After hearing Brad's words, Theodore was suddenly unable to answer.
When he first became a Marine shipwright, he had bragged to his friends for quite a while.
After all, becoming a Marine shipwright had once meant gaining access to the best materials, the best equipment, and the best technology.
But everything changed after Vegapunk added Sea Stone to Marine warships.
Because warships were no longer attacked by Sea Kings, the Marines' enthusiasm for improving warship design was no longer what it had been.
Shipwrights were laid off.
Budgets were cut.
The position of Marine shipwright suddenly became something no one envied.
Although that was indeed the truth, Theodore still could not afford to lose face.
"It was my choice. What's it got to do with you?"
Brad smiled.
Then, very carefully, he took out a small piece of wood from behind him.
It was not because he was afraid the wood would break. It was simply out of respect for such a precious object.
It was like knowing a golden bowl was sturdy. Even then, no one would casually throw it around for fun.
Brad held up the wood as if showing off.
"This is the strongest tree, Treasure Tree Adam. How about it? Jealous? I can let you smell it, but of course, don't touch it with those dirty hands of yours."
At that moment, a hand reached out from the side and took the piece of wood.
"So this is Adam... huh."
Brad was just about to get angry.
But the moment he saw the person who had taken it, his anger vanished.
"You are... Tom? Tom, the world's greatest shipwright?"
Although Tom was still a stranger to many ordinary people, among shipwrights, he was a genuine legend.
Tom admitted it calmly.
"That's right. I am Tom."
The moment Tom confirmed his identity, Brad became even more excited. He nearly lost his composure.
He completely ignored Theodore beside him and turned respectfully toward Tom.
"I've heard so much about you. There are many questions I've always wanted to ask."
The difference in attitude made Theodore want to punch someone.
Before Tom could answer, another voice interrupted from the side.
"What kind of ship are you trying to build?"
Brad turned around and saw a child.
At first, he wanted to give a casual answer and brush him off, but when he saw Axel's eyes and the aura around him, his heart suddenly tightened.
In Brad's line of work, he built ships either for merchants or for pirates.
When building for merchants, he had to be careful not to let them infringe on his interests.
When building for pirates, he had to consider whether he would survive afterward.
Over time, he had developed a certain eye for reading people.
Although he did not know why this child made his heart pound, he followed the fear in his instincts and answered honestly.
"I don't know what kind of ship it is either. I only know it's a giant ship. A giant ship without precedent."
"Oh?" Axel asked. "How big?"
"Big enough to build a small city on top of it."
"...How do you know?"
"Although the design blueprints they gave me are all fragmented, I've been building ships for many years. I still have some eye for this sort of thing. Naturally, I can tell."
When Brad said the ship would be the size of a city, and Axel connected it to the wealthy people Theodore had mentioned, he already had an answer.
Even so, he still asked, "How are they paying the construction fee?"
"Gold," Brad replied. "They're paying in gold."
As expected.
Axel's gaze shifted slightly.
If he was not mistaken, that person was the Golden Emperor.
Gild Tesoro.
.....
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