"Right this way! I've secretly watched that guy build ships before—he's insanely skilled!" Franky said proudly.
"Hey, hey… what you just said basically means you've been spying on him. You do know him, don't you?" Leo stared at Franky suspiciously. He was starting to feel that this weirdo wasn't reliable at all.
"Don't worry about the details! That guy is really amazing. If he builds your ship, there won't be any problem!" Franky argued excitedly, looking like a kid who just got caught lying.
The three of them walked through piles of rubble until they reached an extremely old, worn-down house. The building looked like it survived centuries of history and disasters. It was so run-down that Leo couldn't believe the legendary shipwright Tom lived and worked in such terrible conditions.
Leo knocked lightly on the door, but no one answered. Instead, loud laughter came from behind the house.
"Hahaha! Well done, Iceburg! Men should live boldly and work with passion!"Even though the laughter came in bursts, it was full of energy.
Leo and the others followed the sound. Before they even saw the man clearly, a massive ship suddenly fell from the sky. A towering figure caught it with ease, flipped it over, tossed it back into the air, and threw several wooden beams at it. The beams pierced into the hull like spears. Only then did Leo realize it was a three-masted ship.
Leo and the others froze, completely stunned. They looked like three country bumpkins seeing civilization for the first time.
"What… what is he doing?" Leo asked, dumbfounded.
"Uh… uh… uh…" Will was so shocked he couldn't form a complete sentence.
"SUPER! That's the shipwright I wanted you to meet. What's wrong? Scared?" Franky teased.
Tom finally noticed them and beamed. "Young man, is there something you want to say to me? Oh? That little fellow beside you looks interesting too. Come closer—let me take a look!"
Leo quickly calmed himself and stepped forward. "Mr. Tom, I'd like to commission a ship."
"Oh? What kind of ship?"
Leo originally planned to repeat the specifications he told the shipwright at Dock 1, but at the last second, he changed his mind. He looked at Tom with a serious expression.
"I want a dream ship—one that can withstand storms, survive any sea, and take us anywhere in the world."
Will and Franky almost choked.What kind of request is that? We're supposed to list requirements, not recite poetry!
"Haha! Now that's a fine dream, young navigator." Tom laughed heartily and slapped Leo's shoulder. Leo forced an awkward smile.
That night, Tom warmly hosted the three of them. During dinner, Will proudly told Tom about their past adventures and how Leo became a hero of Fish-Man Island. Tom roared with laughter and grew even more impressed with Leo.
The next day, Tom brought Leo to the living room.
"Tell me the detailed requirements."
"I want a three-masted ship—about 50 meters long and 65 meters tall. The keel should be made of Adam Wood. The hull should be streamlined, and I want it to transform. The side panels should lift up and seal the whole ship. That's all I've thought of so far…"
"Oh? Interesting. So, you want an amphibious ship—one that can sail and also submerge?"
"Not just that. I want a ship that can sail, go underwater, and fly. Isn't that perfect?"
Tom froze. "Fly? How am I supposed to do that?"
Leo: "…"
He realized he was completely carried away by memories of the Thousand Sunny and forgot that in this world, only Devil Fruits allowed flight—no flying machines existed yet.
"Ahem… I got too excited. Should I rephrase it?"
"No! Your idea is brilliant. Just imagining it makes my blood boil! I must build this ship!"
Leo hadn't expected his wild fantasy to ignite the old man's passion.Are all legends secretly madmen?
But dreams alone don't build ships. Leo had a bigger problem—money.
"Mr. Tom, we only have 1 million Berries right now. I know that's not enough for a ship this big. Please give me a few days—I'll find the rest."
Tom waved the concern away. "Leo, don't worry about money. Junk Island has plenty of treasure. You'll find enough materials there. Your 1 million is more than enough to buy that Adam Wood. Consider the rest a thank-you for everything you did for Fish-Man Island."
After finalizing the design, Leo handed Tom an old steering wheel.
"Please install this on the new ship."
"What is this?"
"It's from my old ship—the one that brought me here. The ship is gone, and this is all I have left. I want the new ship to inherit its will and continue sailing with me."
Tom burst into hearty laughter."Hahaha! What a romantic thought. Leo, you'll become a fine captain one day. A man should always hold his head high and face forward!"
Tom worked incredibly fast. In just seven days, he completed the blueprint draft. It was only a draft, because integrating a flying mechanism was something he'd never attempted before. During that week, Leo added ideas from his past life's fragmented memories.
Once the blueprints were ready, construction began.
Before starting, Tom gathered Leo, Will, and Franky.
"Will, Franky—would either of you like to become my apprentices?"
Their reactions couldn't be more different.Franky scoffed.Will gasped in shock.
"Why only us? Leo is way smarter than me. Why don't you take him as well?"
"Hahaha! I'm not qualified to teach him. Even without me, Leo will surpass my achievements. Not everyone can come up with ideas like his."
Leo's face flushed bright red."Tom, on behalf of the Wright Brothers and Nikola Tesla, thank you. They've probably never been praised like this by a 2D character."
And so, Will became Tom's apprentice, with Franky reluctantly joining as well.
Then the five of them officially began work. The first step was clearing Junk Island.
After dismantling old ships and recycling usable wood and metal, they worked nonstop for two days and managed to gather everything needed. Looking at the sorted materials, Leo sighed.For ordinary people, trash is just trash. For a master, it becomes treasure.
"Will, fire up the boiler outside. We're assembling the hull in high heat later."
"Why high heat, master?"
"Haha, that's my special technique. Assembly and bonding must be done while the parts are hot. Once the ship cools, it becomes a single solid structure. Temperature helps us tighten the seams. After waterproof coating, the hull is complete."
Tom taught with passion, and Will learned with determination. The little fat fish's skills improved rapidly.
Leo was busy as well—designing the power core, essentially an enlarged version of an Arc Reactor. It would power the ship and the laser weapons.
When Leo gave Tom the blueprint, the old man was stunned. After studying it carefully, he frowned.
"Leo… where did you learn to build an energy core like this?"
Leo blinked, confused by his seriousness."Mr. Tom, my teacher taught me."
"And who might your teacher be?"
"His name is Vegapunk."
Tom: "…"
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