As expected, there were people watching. At this stage, the ones keeping an eye on Tom should be CP5.
So this needed to be planned carefully.
Trying to commission a ship from Tom under these circumstances was far too risky. It would be very easy to get marked.
Ethan hesitated over whether it was appropriate to use the identity of Mr. Adam again. If that persona kept popping up in sensitive places, it would attract suspicion. The CP agents were not idiots.
But on the other hand, if he had official backing, he could openly approach Tom's Workers.
After all, he was going to build a ship of his own. It would make a big splash and take a lot of time. There was no way to hide it.
So he might as well find a solid justification for the contact. It would be best if some government-affiliated people were the ones to make the introductions.
In the end…
"Welcome, renowned author Mr. Adam, to Water 7!"
"Why is his very first official book signing being held here?"
"A great writer and the Water Gods: an appointment with inspiration."
Ethan had not expected that the journalists of the One Piece world had cultivated such deep roots in entertainment news too. Their headlines were surprisingly poetic.
After thinking it over, Ethan decided to reveal his identity. He "accidentally" took off his sunglasses and mask, and was immediately recognized by a rabid fan. The whole city exploded in an instant.
Then came a formal reception with the mayor, and after the pleasantries he was invited to a noble's ball.
At the ball, social elites, high-society ladies, and the mayor himself all gathered around Ethan. His center position was secure.
It was not that everyone there was actually his fan. They all had their own motives.
The nobles prided themselves on noble status. Talking with a man of letters could enhance their reputation.
The wealthy merchants wanted to pretend to be refined, using him as a stepping stone upward. The society ladies, on the other hand, were more into "collecting" famous acquaintances.
Perhaps only the young men and women were genuine fans of Ethan.
When someone asked him why he had come to Water 7 this time…
"I heard that Water 7's shipbuilding prowess is among the very best on the seas. This time, I came to commission a ship of my own for travel.
"As a writer, I often need to go out to sea to gather material. Always riding passenger ships is too inconvenient."
"Oh, then you came to the right place, Mr. Adam. Water 7 has many world-famous shipyards.
"But you know, sailing on the seas means you might run into pirates. Maybe you should reconsider and live here in Water 7 instead. If you occasionally go out with our fleets, it would be much safer," the mayor suggested.
The people of Water 7 truly hoped Adam would settle there.
Besides shipbuilding, Water 7 was also a city built on tourism. Having a great writer living there would raise the city's status and stimulate economic growth.
"There is no helping it. If I want to write good stories, I have to be traveling and collecting material all the time. It is hard to settle down anywhere.
"But do not underestimate me. I do have a bit of strength, you know," Ethan said lightly.
Everyone present maintained polite smiles.
Ethan's build really did not look like that of a powerhouse. He was far too "normal."
Most strong fighters on the seas had some sort of unusual trait. And given Oda's stylistic choices in his drawings of the One Piece world, everyone was extremely distinctive.
Height alone was a common differentiator.
Whitebeard, Big Mom, and Kaido's builds went without saying. Aokiji was 2.98 meters tall, Akainu 3.06 meters, and Kizaru was about the same.
Even someone on the shorter end like Mihawk was 1.98 meters tall. Look at that, the heights were not exactly humble.
If Mihawk were even a bit shorter, he probably could not even lift his black blade Yoru.
Even those of more "normal" height tended to have unique designs and outfits.
Some chewed baby pacifiers. Some wore gaudy makeup on their faces. Some kept a bird perched on their shoulders. Even the one with the most ordinary design so far, Shanks, had a straw hat.
After he no longer had the straw hat, he still had to rely on his one-armed silhouette to force out a unique image.
That was the sea for you. Perhaps the will of freedom was also reflected in this diversity of character designs.
Later, after repeated requests from the nobles at the ball, Mr. Adam finally agreed to hold a personal signing event in Water 7.
When the news came out, it made waves across the seas. Many readers flocked to Water 7, and the city's consumer spending skyrocketed.
The mayor then decided to build a large-scale shopping festival centered around the signing event.
As he watched the tax revenue climb higher and higher, the mayor and the big merchants were grinning from ear to ear. They all said that, as far as getting a ship built, there would be no problem at all. In Water 7, Ethan could go to anyone. Who would dare not give them face?
"Tom? Tom is… a bit tricky," the mayor blurted, then mentally slapped himself.
Tom was a sensitive name in Water 7. This was the man who had built a ship for the Pirate King, Roger.
He was indeed famous, and his craftsmanship was undeniably top-level. If it were not, Roger would never have approached him. But getting him involved was not easy at all.
The current mayor was aware that Tom was probably under surveillance by the World Government. He did not become mayor just by popular vote; of course he had his own backing, so he knew a few things.
The problem was that he had already bragged so much, which made things complicated. He had really not thought it through.
The signing had not even started yet. If Adam got angry and left Water 7 over this, it would blow up into a huge problem.
He immediately gathered a few big nobles and merchants to discuss countermeasures.
"What is the big deal? After the signing, when the mayor takes Mr. Adam on a tour of Water 7, they can just 'happen' to pass by Tom's Workers.
"They go in to have a look, and by the way we ask Tom to make a contribution to Water 7 to pay off his crimes. Then the ship is practically in our hands.
"And all of it is in broad daylight. What is there to be afraid of? You think anyone is worried some famous writer will sail off in that ship and become a pirate?" one of the merchants said with a laugh.
"Hahaha, you are right. I was overthinking it. We will do it that way," the mayor agreed.
Once that matter was settled, he felt light as a feather. He immediately went off to sort out the signing event.
This time, Adam also contacted the World Economy News Paper. They were very experienced in these sorts of events. Rumor had it Morgans himself would be attending.
The mayor needed to coordinate certain details with the newspaper.
First, the venue had to be large. There would definitely be a lot of people. Before the signing, the author would need to talk about his creative journey and inner path, boosting the prestige of his work.
Ethan had to prepare well for that, because he did not actually have any so-called inner journey to share. So the only solution was to work overtime with Robin and fabricate one.
Next was cooperating with Water 7's commercial plans.
The shops along the route needed a large variety of goods and big discounts, shaping a great shopping experience to empty tourists' wallets.
In this respect, the Golden Emperor Gild Tesoro had done a great job, but his methods were too extreme and did not match the atmosphere of a city like Water 7.
Order also had to be maintained. It would be best to request some Marines to be stationed there to keep the situation under control, especially since some pirates would likely sneak in in disguise.
With Marines holding things down, at least there would not be any major incidents.
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/euridome]
[Thank You For Your Support!]