At that moment, a pirate took an interest in the man's ship and asked bluntly,
"Hey, kid, where's your ship? I've only ever seen all-steel ships on the Navy's side. By the way—how much?"
The man's face immediately bloomed into a radiant smile as he replied enthusiastically,
"It's parked just outside Dock One. Thirty-six meters long, fully steel-built. Only one billion Beli!"
Just as he was about to lead the pirate over to take a look, he noticed the pirate had frozen in place, stiff as a board.
"…How much?"
"One billion?"
"Hey, hey, big brother pirate, the price is negotiable! I can give you a two-percent discount!"
"Get lost!"
With that, the pirate turned around and walked away without a shred of hesitation, completely ignoring the man's attempts to stop him.
The man clearly wasn't surprised by the rejection. He merely shrugged helplessly and immediately began looking for his next target.
That was when he noticed Chenos watching him—and he rushed over at once.
"This handsome young master! Are you interested in buying a ship? Fully steel-built—technology that only the Navy possesses! And the Freedom even has a special power system. It can sail through the Calm Belt!"
Chenos tilted his head slightly and smiled.
"Navy ships can cross the Calm Belt not because of their engines, but because their hulls are inlaid with Seastone, which keeps Sea Kings away. Is your ship's hull also lined with Seastone?"
Seastone was an extremely rare material. Only the World Government could afford to outfit Navy vessels with it. Just lining the bottom of a ship with Seastone would cost far more than one billion Beli.
Even the Navy itself only had a handful of such ships.
Realizing that Chenos knew his stuff and had instantly seen through the exaggeration, the man didn't panic at all. Instead, he continued pitching confidently:
"Haha, I only said the Freedom can sail through the Calm Belt—I never said it repels Sea Kings. But the ship itself is incredibly sturdy. If it slammed into a wooden pirate ship like the one that guy sailed, the Freedom could smash it to pieces at full speed—and come out completely unscathed!"
Chenos's eyes lit up as if he'd been hooked.
"Take me to see it. Money isn't a problem. Oh—what's your name?"
In reality, Chenos didn't even have a single Beli on him—he'd handed everything over to Tesoro to invest and multiply.
But the way he casually said money isn't a problem made him sound like some noble young master born into wealth.
The man's eyes instantly turned into Beli symbols.
"My name's Shark! You can call me Little Shark or Little K—whatever you like! Come on, I'll show you!"
Money really did make people polite—anywhere.
Chenos shook his head slightly and followed Shark toward the ship.
"Shark, you don't look like a shipwright. Why are you selling ships here? And an all-steel ship like this—there's no way one person could build it alone."
Shark raised his chin proudly.
"I'm not a shipwright. But the Freedom really was built by me alone."
"Oh? You're not a shipwright, yet you built a ship?"
"I'm a scientist—an engineering scientist. I heard shipbuilding was profitable. Everyone wants to go out to sea these days. As long as I can make money, I can buy better equipment for my research!"
Chenos looked at Shark in surprise.
He looked young—naturally curly hair, a black top hat, casual suit.
He didn't look like a scientist at all—more like a stylish guy pretending to be mature.
And judging from his earlier sales pitch, he seemed anything but rigorous.
Seeing the doubt in Chenos's eyes, Shark didn't mind at all. He simply smiled.
"Once you see the Freedom, you'll believe me."
Since the ship was parked just outside Dock One, they arrived quickly.
But the moment Chenos laid eyes on the Freedom, the doubt in his gaze deepened.
There was no way this ship had been built by one person.
From the outside, the vessel looked like a single seamless structure—no visible weld marks at all.
Over ten meters tall, about seventeen meters wide, and thirty-six meters long.
On the deck was a small orchard, several fruit trees in full bloom.
Beside them—a massive swimming pool, and even a swing.
Both sides of the ship were lined with heavy cannons, each with an intimidating caliber.
At the bow stood a gigantic dragon-head figurehead, its mouth housing an even larger cannon—one that looked more powerful than standard Navy artillery.
Inside the ship—
The first floor housed a massive aquarium, taking up nearly half the space.
Across from it were several rooms. When opened, they revealed interiors as luxurious as first-class cabins on a passenger liner.
Each room had:
A private bathroom
A bed over two meters wide
Large sofas
A wine cabinet
Wardrobes
And even a huge safe
Between the rooms and the aquarium was an enormous granary, large enough to store food for ten people for two full years.
The second floor contained more rooms, plus:
A large gym
An open kitchen and dining area
A library
A medical room
And a fully stocked pharmacy
The third floor featured a massive design room and a powerful telescope, capable of observing the sea ten kilometers away.
There was even a basement level, used for storing weapons, maintenance tools, and equipment—along with a control room for the ship's power system.
Whoever designed this ship had thought of everything.
A pirate crew could step aboard and sail immediately—no modifications required.
After a long silence, Chenos finally spoke, his tone earnest.
"Shark… it's fine if you didn't build this yourself. But if you didn't, you really shouldn't steal a Navy warship, modify it, and then claim you built it."
That was the last straw.
Shark exploded.
"Bullshit! I didn't steal a damn thing! I built this ship myself! If anyone stole anything, it was the World Government stealing my technology to build their ships!"
Chenos's lips curved upward.
"Oh? The World Government stole your technology?"
"…Now that's interesting."
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