40 Galley-La?

And at this moment, Nicholas finally stood in front of the Galley-La Company.

As a company that controls over seventy percent of the shipbuilding industry in the pirate world, the Galley-La Company undoubtedly belongs to the category of top-tier conglomerates.

"Um... years later, Iceberg should have founded the Galley-La firm. Why is a Galley-La firm operating at this time? So is the butterfly effect to blame for this as well?

As he pondered, he did not know that something is set in stone and an iceberg after Tom's death will take over the Galley-La company in the future due to co-incidents.

After Nicholas stated his purpose, he was quickly escorted to the VIP room by the Galley-La Company as their most esteemed guest.

Meanwhile, in the president's office of the Galley-La Company, many people had gathered.

These individuals were the true behind-the-scenes controllers of the City of Water Seven. They represented the seven largest shipyards in the City of Water, which were also the seven directors of the Galley-La Company.

At this moment, the president of Galley-La, Levanoth, was furrowing his brows. He was unsure how to face Nicholas. After all, when such a prominent figure from the New World came to the City of Water Seven, his visit to the Galley-La Company was likely for shipbuilding, but Levanoth couldn't imagine any other reason.

However, if it were just ordinary ships, Levanoth wouldn't be so troubled. Shipbuilding was their specialty in the City of Water Seven, gathering the world's most outstanding shipwrights. But the issue was that individuals like these from the New World had very high demands for their ships. At the very least, the keel of the ship had to be made of the legendary Adam Wood, and other parts had to be made of top-tier materials. The construction of other facilities would also be extremely difficult, requiring a large number of top-notch shipwrights to build them.

This would inevitably have an impact on other businesses in the City of Water Seven.

While Levanoth and his company had encountered such situations before, such as building ships for the World Nobles, the problem was that during the construction process for the World Nobles, they could even enlist assistance from the World Government. But what help could Nicholas offer?

"Let's discuss our opinions. How should we deal with this guest from the New World?" Levanoth asked the others sitting on the sofa.

"My opinion is to treat him as a normal guest. After all, our shipbuilding business is global, and if a guest comes to commission us, we should proceed," one person suggested.

"But is the guest a normal one? What if he refuses to pay the fee later?" Another person voiced concern.

"I'm more worried about what would happen if we refused his demands. What if he causes trouble in the City of Water Seven? That guy is a natural elemental user, and he possesses the powerful Goro Goro no Mi. Once he starts wreaking havoc, it could cause significant damage to the City of Water Seven," another person added.

Although the City of Water Seven had a certain level of military power, it was not inferior to some major pirate crews. However, in the world of pirates, strength ruled supreme. When individual strength reached a certain level, the number of people didn't matter much. Just like when Conqueror's Haki was unleashed, all the small fry would be wiped out in an instant.

"Alright, I'll go see what the guest's intentions are. If a heavyweight figure doesn't make an appearance, I'm worried he might think we're underestimating him, and things could go terribly wrong," Levanoth said, getting up and heading towards the president's office.

"Also," Levanoth stopped before leaving the room, facing the others, "keep your subordinates restrained, and don't try to resolve the situation with outside help. The reason the City of Water Seven has been able to exist until today is because we've never taken sides."

After saying this, he walked out of the president's office and closed the door.

Inside the president's office, the others fell into silence after Levanoth's words.

Eventually, someone broke the silence.

"Let's do as Levanoth said."

...

"Mr. Nicholas, I apologize for keeping you waiting."

As soon as they entered the VIP room, Levanoth greeted Nicholas warmly. Although the young man in front of him was old enough to be his grandson, Nicholas's strength was enough to warrant Levanoth's attention and warmth.

"I understand. After all, a dangerous criminal like me suddenly appeared in the City of Water seven warrants discussing countermeasures," Nicholas replied, causing Levanoth to feel a bit awkward. However, years of experience as a businessman allowed him to adjust his emotions quickly.

Before Levanoth could say anything, Nicholas continued, "I'm actually not here with ill intentions. My main purpose is to ask you to help me build a ship that's exclusively mine. And of course, the shipbuilder must be Tom."

"This..." Nicholas's words left Levanoth looking conflicted.

Seeing Levanoth's dilemma, Nicholas felt his good mood sour.

"Are you facing difficulties?" Nicholas asked.

Levanoth didn't speak, thinking that shipbuilding wouldn't be a problem, but the issue was that Tom, the shipwright, was currently handling an order for the World Nobles.

"Indeed, there are some difficulties. Currently, Master Tom is in charge of building a ship for the World Nobles, so he may not have enough energy to take on the construction of another top-tier ship," Levanoth hesitated to say.

"Hehehe, you seem to have misunderstood something. Do you think you can't afford to offend the world's nobles but can afford to offend me? Three days. I'll give you three days to come up with a ship design that satisfies me. Otherwise, the people of the City of Water Seven may not see the next Aqua Laguna. Of course, you can convey my message, word for word, to the Marines and the World Government. Let's see if they'll send top-tier forces here to fight me over a ship," Nicholas said, causing Levanoth to be stunned. The term "city destruction" was something he hadn't expected at all, considering the terrifying implications behind it.

Next, Levanoth's first thought was disbelief. He couldn't believe that the person in front of him had the courage to threaten city destruction. After all, once city destruction occurred, even in a city like the City of Water Seven, the World Government would do everything in its power to kill him to establish its authority.

Of course, besides disbelief, Levanoth also had some cards up his sleeve.

"Do you think I'm incapable? Or do you think you can deal with me? Don't worry; I might not even need to take action."

Hearing Nicholas's words, Levanoth thought that Nicholas was somewhat wary, but what he said next made Levanoth break out in a cold sweat.

"For example, in a few days, the City of Water Seven could erupt in an extinction-level epidemic."

Feeling that Nicholas's words weren't a mere threat but a genuine possibility of him causing an epidemic in the City of Water Seven, Levanoth felt his body stiffen. Although the medical ceiling in the world of One Piece was high, it didn't mean that all medical practices were equally advanced. Just like in certain primitive areas where healing methods were akin to witchcraft.

Levanoth could already foresee that if Nicholas did indeed trigger an extinction-level epidemic, the next Aqua Laguna might not just take away some buildings in the City of Water Seven but also a large number of corpses.

"Fine, I agree, but to build the ship's keel with Adam Wood, you'll have to provide it. Although we can provide many materials, Adam Wood is not among them. You should know that this kind of shipbuilding treasure is rarely circulated on the high seas, and we may not be able to obtain it," Levanoth quickly added, seeing Nicholas's furrowed brow.