Chapter 124: Ship: Nikko

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When Byakuya returned to Water 7, the construction of his ship was nearly complete. 

With Rob Lucci, one of the top five foremen known for his "recovery from injuries," also contributing, progress has been significantly accelerated. 

Byakuya hadn't been in Water 7 long before Iceburg and Franky eagerly sought him out.

Iceburg, wearing a cheerful expression, announced, "Vice Admiral Byakuya, the ship you requested has been completed. You can inspect it now." 

Pounding his chest, Franky added, "I guarantee that when you see this ship, you'll be blown away by its perfection."

Hearing that the ship was finished, Byakuya's interest was piqued, and he followed the two to Dock One. As they entered, he saw a brand-new ship docked at the pier.

Iceburg began by introducing, "This ship fully utilizes the Treasure Tree 'Adam.' 

It's 177 meters long and 87 meters tall, larger than a standard Marine battleship, and has three decks.

"The first deck houses a dining hall on one side and a leisure and entertainment area on the other." 

"The remaining rooms can be used as storage or detention cells." 

Iceburg had considered Byakuya's Marine duties and the likelihood of capturing pirates during voyages, so the detention cells were deemed essential.

"The second deck is for the crew's quarters, with 217 spacious rooms." 

"As for the third deck, it's your private quarters, and we've built an open-air swimming pool next to it. If the weather turns bad, you can press a button to close the pool."

As he spoke, Iceburg pressed a button in Byakuya's room, and semi-circular metal covers extended from both sides, sealing the pool. 

Byakuya's eyes lit up at the sight of the pool. "Damn, this is exactly what I wanted! With this, every voyage will feel like a vacation."

Byakuya started considering the possibility of hosting pool parties on the ship, imagining only bikini-clad beauties would be allowed. 

Just the thought excited Byakuya as he saw images of Tashigi and Ain in bikinis, playing in the pool. 

At the same time, he lounged under an umbrella, sipping soda and watching the beauties emerge from the water.

"Excellent, I'm very pleased with the ship you've built!" Byakuya said, patting Iceburg's shoulder in approval. 

Iceburg was delighted to receive Byakuya's praise. 

After all, no matter how satisfied a shipwright might be with their work, the ultimate goal is to satisfy the ship's owner. 

Franky was equally pleased and said, "Since you're satisfied, let's finalize it. But it still needs a name."

Every ship has its unique name, and it's the owner's responsibility to choose it.

"A name for the ship?" Byakuya pondered momentarily and said, "Since it's my ship, let's call it Daylight."

"Nikko?" Iceburg and Franky were puzzled by the name. It seemed rather ordinary and not particularly remarkable. However, since Byakuya had chosen it himself, they didn't question it further.

As Byakuya looked at the Akatsuki, he felt a wave of emotions. He had chosen the name with a specific meaning in mind. 

"Nikko," also known as the sun, refers to the phenomenon where the sun remains above the horizon all day, symbolizing a constant light state. 

This perfectly aligned with Byakuya's role in the Marines, representing justice and light.

Moreover, it tied back to the first character of Byakuya's name, "白" (meaning "white" or "light"). 

Just as the "Night" organization derived its name from the word "夜" but operated in the shadows, the Daylight would shine wherever it went, spreading its light. 

However, others could not understand Byakuya's perspective, so they could not grasp the full significance of the name.

....

As Byakuya admired the Daylight, a Marine battleship entered Dock One from outside. 

Judging by its appearance, it belongs to the World Government. 

Lucci and Kaku, working in Dock One, exchanged glances, sensing something was amiss. 

Perhaps this ship was sent by the World Government to investigate the "CP9" incident.

After all, agents like them, who carried out undercover missions under different identities, were only known to their superiors, like Spandam. 

But now that Spandam was dead, they were reassured about being immediately recognized by the government officials sent to investigate.

However, to prevent such betrayals, the World Government had ensured that each agent left behind a portion of their Vivre Card before embarking on a mission. 

This meant that as long as their Vivre Card couldn't be traced, confirming their defection, the World Government would relentlessly hunt them down no matter where they fled. 

This was what Lucci and the others feared most. It seemed their worst fears were about to come true, and the situation was becoming dire. 

Perhaps due to their arrogance from being part of the World Government, the Marine ship, accustomed to others stepping aside for them, immediately set its sights on the best spot in Dock One upon entering—where the Nikko was anchored. 

Without thinking twice, they directed their ship toward the Nikko's position. 

A figure at the ship's bow shouted, "Whose ship is this? Move it out of the way immediately, or I'll sink it right now!"

As he spoke, all the cannons on the ship were aimed at the Nikko. 

The workers around showed signs of panic, which seemed to satisfy the arrogant speaker, who continued to boast greatly, 

"No one's answering, huh? Then I'll count to three... One—Fire!"

At his command, over thirty cannons fired simultaneously at the Nikko. 

The thunderous sound of cannon fire echoed throughout Dock One as more than thirty black cannonballs arced beautifully through the sky, targeting the hull of the Nikko.

Theodore, who had ordered the attack, could almost see the brand-new ship being blown to pieces before his eyes. 

Destroying seemingly perfect things was his twisted pleasure.

Whether it was a newly built ship, a priceless piece of art, or a beautiful maiden, they all fell within his scope of destruction. 

But before Theodore could revel in his excitement, a sudden, blinding flash of light erupted. 

The slash, as sharp as a crescent moon, was so intense that looking at it made his eyes sting and brought tears.

The slash cut through the thirty cannonballs in mid-air, causing them to explode like fireworks. 

The slash continued through the thick smoke from the explosions, heading straight for Theodore's World Government ship.

"Sir, someone's attacking our ship!" Theodore shouted in panic. 

A figure in a white suit with a black, tear-streaked mask suddenly appeared from the cabin—it was none other than "Reisun" from CP0, who had previously encountered Byakuya. 

Seeing the slash hurtling towards them, a flash of fear crossed Zero Three's eyes. Only a master swordsman could unleash such a powerful attack.

The name "Hawk-Eye" Mihawk immediately came to Reisun's mind. 

After all, in the current world, when one thinks of a master swordsman, ninety-nine per cent of people would think of the world's greatest swordsman, Hawk-Eye Mihawk. 

Suddenly, another image flashed in Reisun's mind, and thinking of that extremely cruel person, he muttered nervously, "Could it be him?"

Before Reisun could think further, the terrifying slash was already upon him. 

While he had time to dodge, doing so would have destroyed the ship, and few on board would survive. 

Covering his arms with Haki, he crossed them in front of his chest, bracing to take the attack head-on. 

But the moment he made contact with the slash, the expression beneath his mask changed drastically.

The force behind the slash was far greater than he had anticipated! 

Reisun was sent flying like a leaf in the wind, his Haki shattered, and two deep gashes appeared on his arms, blood splattering through the air as he was thrown back.

If this continued, everyone on the ship would be dead. 

The World Government had entrusted Reisun with the command of CP8, the closest unit to Water 7, to investigate Spandam's disappearance. 

If he failed to gather useful information and lost CP8 in the process, all his efforts in saving the Mary Geoise Palace would be in vain. 

Determined not to let that happen, Reisun pushed himself to the limit and activated his Devil Fruit ability, which allowed him to self-harm for power.

He voluntarily withdrew his Haki, allowing the sword's intent to slash through his clothes and skin, turning his white suit a deep red with blood. 

At the same time, countless iron chains emerged from his wounds, like flexible serpents, wrapping tightly around the slash. 

The clash between the slash and the chains produced a screeching noise that caused everyone around to grimace in pain as the slash broke through chain after chain.

But every time one chain was broken, several more would take place. 

Disregarding his injuries, Reisun pushed his Devil Fruit abilities to the limit, eventually extinguishing the powerful slash within the endless steel cage of chains. 

Seeing this, Reisun let out a sigh of relief—he had managed to block it. 

A slash of such immense power must have come from none other than Dracule Mihawk, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. 

Though Mihawk was formidable, Reisun didn't fear him too much. 

After all, if Mihawk wanted to maintain his status as a Warlord, he couldn't afford to antagonize the World Government. 

Reisun figured he could explain that it was all a misunderstanding and likely smooth things over with Mihawk.

Theodore, who had been hiding at the back, quickly rushed forward as soon as the slash disappeared, flattering Reisun, 

"As expected of Lord Zero Three, you managed to withstand such a powerful attack." 

"With your strength, you could easily become an Admiral at Marine Headquarters."

Though Reisun was well aware of his abilities, no one dislikes a bit of flattery, especially when it's well-timed. 

Reisun scoffed despite the pain from his wounds, "This is nothing for me." 

"Remember, one of the Three Calamities of the Beasts Pirates, Jack 'the Drought,' was also defeated by me." 

"If it weren't for the fact that capturing pirates doesn't bring much credit to our intelligence agency, and with Admiral Aokiji also present at the time, I wouldn't have let the Marines take the glory for that."

Theodore quickly said, "Ah, that's how it was. I was wondering how a mere Marine Rear Admiral could defeat Jack 'the Drought.'"

A familiar, mocking voice suddenly interrupted before Zero Three could continue his charade. 

"Oh? So it was CP-0 Reisun who dared to attack my ship."

Hearing this voice, Reisun's heart skipped a beat. Could I be this unlucky? Was I just caught boasting by the very person involved? 

When he saw Byakuya approaching with Kazemune in hand, his heart nearly stopped, his mind going blank. 

Reisun desperately prayed. He didn't hear that! He didn't hear that! He didn't hear that! But in the next moment, his prayers were in vain.

With a sarcastic tone, Byakuya said, "I must thank Reisun for generously giving me the credit for defeating Jack." 

"If not, I wouldn't be getting promoted to Vice Admiral so soon."

Reisun's response was mournful, as if he had just lost something precious, "Then let me congratulate you in advance, Vice Admiral Byakuya."

But Theodore, oblivious to the tension between the two, pointed angrily at Byakuya and shouted, 

"So you're the Marine Vice Admiral who stole Lord Reisun's credit!"

When Theodore opened his mouth, Reisun knew things would go south. 

Theodore continued furiously, "If it weren't for Lord Reisun, would you have become a Vice Admiral so quickly?" 

"And now you even tried to sink Lord Reisun's ship? You're nothing but an ungrateful wretch!" 

"If you had sunk a World Government ship, could you, a mere Marine Rear Admiral, bear the consequences?"

In his outburst, Theodore conveniently omitted the fact that he had been the one to order the attack on Byakuya's ship in the first place, shifting all the blame onto Byakuya.

Byakuya glanced indifferently at Theodore before turning to Reisun and asking, "Is he one of your subordinates?"

<End Chapter>

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