Chapter 46: Alabasta Kingdom

Grand Line, Water Seven Island, Number 1 Shipyard.

"Iceburg-san, I was asked by Fleet Admiral Sengoku to come here to check on the ship ordered by us" Gion said calmly after meeting with Iceburg and Kalifa who were currently in front of him, "If I may know, what happened? the reason for the sudden increase in the price of the ship?"

"Maaa… The price increase was due to the materials we used, Vice-Admiral Gion" Iceburg said calmly, "The wood that you build your ship with is wood from the Fortis Kingdom"

"The wood from the Fortis Kingdom?" Gion raised her brow.

"Our company has changed places to prepare wood supplies and the Kingdom of Fortis is the place. We get a pretty high price from them. This has also become an increase in our current selling price. Not only your ships but also the ships ordered by others have now increased in price due to the use of different base materials."

"I see" Gion nodded, "Can I check the finished ship and see the quality for myself?"

"Maa… Of course" Iceburg nodded and immediately walked into the number 1 shipyard and started to take Gion to the Navy ship which was currently completed.

"How many of our ships have been completed?" Gion suddenly asked.

"Maa… Kalifa, how many ships have been completed so far?"

"Currently 17 ships have been completed and only need to build 3 more," Kalifa answered quickly.

"WHAT?!" Suddenly there was a very loud scream from behind them.

The three of them immediately stopped walking and turned to look at Pauli who was looking at Gion with a blush on his face, "Women…. Why are you wearing clothes like that? That shirt… Those pants… Damn it! Hurry up and put on some more revealing clothes!"

Gion immediately frowned upon hearing this.

"Please don't anger Vice Admiral Gion. He is Pauli, one of the great Foreman our company has. He is indeed very strange when it comes to women" Kalifa answered calmly.

"You too Kalifa! How could you wear clothes like that when you're with Iceburg-san! Change your clothes even more covertly!" Pauli said with a red face.

"Maaa… Pauli, calm down" Iceburg said calmly, "This is Vice Admiral Gion. She came here to check on the finished ship."

"Vice Admiral?" Pauli was quite surprised to hear this.

"You can continue your work, Pauli, I will continue accompanying Vice Admiral Gion to see the finished ship" Iceburg said again and immediately turned to leave Pauli who was there.

"You freak" Gion muttered quietly then continued, "By the way, I heard some news that Hashirama Senju had come here. How's his attitude?"

"Maa… He came here before and he is also the one responsible for the transactions that happened" Iceburg said calmly, "Really, it's hard to believe that the person behind the various events that shook the world a while ago was him."

"Through your words, he almost looks like someone who isn't strong" Gion said.

"If you meet him in person. You won't be able to tell the difference between him and an ordinary person. Hashirama was also a jovial person and also in several places in this city where he had previously resided for a while. Hashirama was quite surprised among the people who were there because he liked to help others, especially for elderly mothers. Hashirama often brought their belongings to his house. You wouldn't be able to tell that Hashirama was a strong person if you saw him in person."

Gion was quite surprised by the assessment Iceburg made of Hashirama. It didn't take long for them to arrive at the ship ordered by the Navy.

The three of them immediately boarded there and through his Observation Haki, Gion could feel the change in the quality of the wood used on the ship.

"This ship is indeed different compared to our previous ships…" Gion said with eyes full of joy, "The quality of this ship has improved several times compared to the ships we used before"

"Maa… It's because of the wood we used. That way, the quality of this ship has also improved compared to before" Iceburg then sighed, "Nevertheless, the quality of this ship compares to the quality built by the Fortis Kingdom. The ships we have are still inferior compared to theirs."

"Still lost?" Gion was surprised to hear this.

"The ships belonging to the Fortis Kingdom are ships made by their own shipbuilders. The way of manufacture, structure, and various other things is perfect. In addition, their ship no longer uses candles as lighting but uses electricity to light the ship. Then, their ship also has a water filter that can convert seawater into ready-to-drink water and then the waste water that the ship can also turn into clean water that is ready to be discharged. It can be said that the ship will never run out of clean water even if they don't have land or a city to supply it."

Iceburg sighed and continued, "Maa… I already asked the shipbuilder how to build the ship. Too bad… It's a secret of their kingdom and can't be divulged to the public"

Gion fell silent hearing this and then continued, "Iceburg-san, can I have the Fortis Kingdom's contact number for a den-den mushi please?

"Den-den mushi number? What does Vice Admiral Gion want to do with the number?" Iceburg asked back.

"This ship itself is a ship made using the wood they produce. In the battle that will take place using this ship, this ship is likely to be damaged or various other things. Of course we have to be able to have the same stock of wood to be able to maintain the quality of this ship. Instead of asking the Gally-La Company for help in repairing the ship. We will do it ourselves especially we also have a shipwright who can help in repairing it"

"Maa… I see" Iceburg nodded and immediately took out a piece of paper containing the number of den-den mishi, "I don't have the direct contact number of King Fortis. I only have the contact number of Hashirama Senju. He is usually the one in charge of delivering goods. If possible, please contact him directly"

"Thank you"

Even though it was a fugitive's den-den mushi number. However, Hashirama is a special fugitive where the Navy itself will not interfere with his arrest because the actions taken by Hashirama are only related to royal politics and others and not about pirates and so on. In addition, Hashirama himself had also assisted them in capturing quite a number of powerful pirate groups during the war that took place in the Prodance Kingdom.

Grand Line, Naval Headquarters, Fleet Admiral's Office.

"Is that so? All right, you can come back. We need to discuss with the other higher-ups about purchasing wood to the Fortis Kingdom"

The communication line is disconnected.

"I think… I already know the reason why the World Government is so eager to get this Fortis Kingdom" Tsuru said seriously, "Resources, abilities, and technology. Almost all of them are in the kingdom. The World Government must feel a huge threat to the power they wield with the emergence of this kingdom."

"Too bad~ Just because of too hasty decision making. That's what caused the World Government to suffer a very fatal loss" Sengoku nodded and looked at his aide, "You call all the top Marines and ask to gather in the meeting room immediately"

"Alright, Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"

Grand Line, Kingdom of Alabasta, Tamariska City.

"Wow! Is this the Kingdom of Alabasta?" Hashirama who had just arrived in the territory of the Kingdom of Alabasta was currently standing in the sky and was looking down, "I guess, I need to buy clothes to match"

Hashirama quickly got off near Tamariska Town and took a leisurely stroll into the city. Like the cities on the western continent in the middle ages. Upon entering the city, Hashirama was immediately shown a view of a merchandise shop with various kinds of sales selling their wares to passers-by.

Hashirama casually passed the shops and started to search for the clothing stores that were there. It didn't take long for Hashirama to find a clothing store. Hashirama immediately entered and started looking for clothes that matched him. After finding clothes that matched him, Hashirama bought some clothes for him to use and also later on when he returned.

"Master, how much do all of them cost?" Hahsirama asked kindly.

"Please wait a moment, young man. I'll count them first" The shop owner said excitedly looking at the large number of clothes Hashirama bought, "Young man, are you a newcomer here?"

"Yes" Hashirama nodded, "I just got here. Oh yes. Sir, do you know this perfume selling place in the Kingdom of Alabasta?"

"Perfume? If you are looking for perfume. You can go to Nanohana City. You just go west from this town. You will be able to find the city. The city itself is very famous for selling perfumes. There are many shops selling perfume there."

"Thanks for the information." Hashirama paused and continued, "Oh, yes. Also, could you give me information regarding the location of Crocodile's Casino?"

"Casino?" The owner of the shop was suddenly taken aback and looked at Hashirama doubtfully, "Young man, just a suggestion. You better not go there. Many of my friends go there to get a lot of profit. However, it didn't take long for all of their possessions to run out due to losing the gamble."

"There's no need to worry, sir. I know about my abilities. I came here also one of the goals was to go there because I wanted to meet someone there"

"Meeting someone?" The owner was a little curious and took a good look at Hashirama's face, "Young man… Your face… I seem to have seen you before"

"Hahaha… Maybe you've seen me in a newspaper or whatever. I'm also quite famous lately. But, forget about it. Sir, could you tell me the location of Crocodile's Casino?" Hashirama asked again with a smile.

The shop owner sighed, "Alright. But, I warned you, young man. The location of Crocodile's Casino is in a town called Rainbase. The city is located in the western part of the island. You have to pass through the Sandora River to reach that place."

"Thank you for the information, sir." Hashirama smiled and continued to say, "What is the total cost of all my purchases?"

"Total everything is 3450 berries"

Hashirama nodded and immediately took out the money and then handed it to the shop owner. Hashirama immediately put all his belongings into the storage bracelet and turned around.

"Wait young man, your change…." The owner quickly called out.

"No need, sir. You can take the rest. You have helped me provide the information I need at this time." Hashirama immediately walked out of the shop and then quickly left the city.

"I'm sure I've seen that person in the newspaper before" muttered the shop owner seriously then quickly moved to find the newspaper that was published a few days ago.

"This is it." The shop owner's face was very excited to find a newspaper that was discussing about Hashirama. By the time the shop owner returned to reading this newspaper. The shop owner's face immediately paled.

"He… He… That person Hashirama senju?!"

Kingdom of Alabasta, City of Nanohana.

Hashirama didn't take long to arrive at Nanohan City. Hashirama had previously changed his clothes to match the clothes worn by the citizens of the Kingdom of Alabasta. Hashirama immediately went to look for the order the women had asked for. Without much thought about which perfume to buy. Hashirama immediately bought the perfume selected by the employees who worked at the store in the amount according to the desired order. After finishing his business in Nanohana City, Hashirama immediately rushed to Rainbase City which was the location where Casino Crocodile was located.

Although the distance between Nanohana City and Rainbase City is quite far and one must pass through the sandora river to reach it. Hashirama with his flying ability quickly arrived there.

"Wow! Is this the Casino owned by Crocodile? Looks like what Ars said was true. Crocodile must have had a lot of treasure in his possession right now. Just taking a few won't make him mad, right?" Hashirama's gaze was currently filled with joy.

Ever since he came to this world, Hashirama had never gambled because he had a lot of work to do. Although Hashirama currently has the passion to play and earn a lot of money. However, Hashirama didn't leave right away but instead went to find a hotel where he would rest for the day especially on the way here which required a lot of energy.

Hashirama had a plan to go to the Casino in the evening after he finished resting and recovering all his stamina.

The hotel Hashirama chose to stay was a hotel built next to the Casino. The hotel is a hotel that is quite luxurious with a room rental fee per night for the room used by Hashirama of 7500 berry. After booking a room, Hashirama immediately went straight to his room and took a break to recover his energy by ordering a lot of food and drinks from the hotel.