Water 7

Chapter 67: Water 7

Galley-La Company

This shipbuilding company excels in ship construction, maintenance, and upgrades. Among the world's shipbuilding companies, it ranks among the top three, and striving for the first position is within reach.

The company's president is said to be the disciple of the legendary shipwright Tom. After Tom's death, he founded the Galley-La Company, spending eight years to merge seven other shipbuilding companies. He made Galley-La Company the shipbuilding company authorized by the World Government, ensuring that the World Government could not openly target him.

This man is highly capable, and his shipbuilding craftsmanship is among the best in the world. Apart from Franky, there are few who can surpass him. Rodney would never ask that maniac Franky to make his ship. He felt that after coming into contact with that guy, he would drift away from anything important.

Upon Rodney's arrival, Iceburg hurriedly came out to greet him. Not only was Rodney a major client, but he was also one of the Shichibukai and must be served well.

"Hello, Mr. Iceburg. I'm Rodney, pleased to meet you," Rodney greeted with courtesy.

"Hello, Mr. Rodney. You flatter me; we're just artisans, after all," Iceburg responded modestly.

After some casual conversation with Rodney, they were led to Dock 1. This was the best dock of the Galley-La Company, where many excellent ships were built.

Though they had orders from the World Government, they did not produce warships here. How could they allow Iceburg's company to manufacture such strategic resources? What if daring pirates came to raid them?

Hence, they provided the World Government with merchant and civilian ships only.

"I wonder what type of ship Mr. Rodney needs. Please state your requirements, and I will do my best to fulfill them." 

Although Iceburg was a skilled shipwright, he didn't want to boast too much. What if this man suddenly came up with some bizarre demands? It would be embarrassing if he couldn't meet them.

Rodney said, "In terms of size, it should be similar to an ordinary battleship. As for the appearance, you can let your creativity flow, just don't make it too ugly. Use the sturdiest materials you can get. Inside, the basic facilities will do, and additionally, I want a training room with walls sturdy enough. That's all."

"Is that all? No other requirements?" Surprisingly, Iceburg found these demands not too difficult and believed that other shipwrights could handle them.

Behind Rodney, Kalifa, a CP9 secret agent, carefully noted down Rodney's requirements and pushed her glasses up. She thought, "Is this Shichibukai joking? How can he have such low requirements for a ship? We've been undercover here for quite some time and have seen the bizarre requests made by those important figures. This person's requirements are surprisingly low."

"Um... Make the kitchen walls sturdier; I'm afraid it might explode later."

Iceburg : ??

Kalifa: ??

"What are you doing in the kitchen? Why would the kitchen explode?"

Rodney's crew stifled their laughter, and Reiju whispered, "Captain, do we really need that? After all, we won't let you touch the kitchen ever again."

"Uh..."

Robin said, "The library needs to have more bookshelves, and it would be best to position it near the windows for ample sunlight."

"Okay."

"The bedroom should also have good lighting," Reiju added.

"In that case, let's put the crew's resting area on the upper deck. Make it comfortable and spacious. Put the kitchen, bath, and training room on the first floor. About ten resting rooms should be enough. Oh, if the space is insufficient, expand the ship."

"Understood." Iceburg nodded. The requirements were not excessive, and the task could be easily accomplished.

After further discussion, Rodney handed the down payment to Iceburg , and the final payment would be made upon completion.

A normal procedure, and Iceburg didn't object. He nodded and had Kalifa record the details.

"It will take about a month for delivery, as it's not a large vessel. However, the cost will be relatively high, around two billion. A good ship easily costs billions due to expensive materials, while the labor costs are relatively insignificant."

Iceburg was not the type to cut costs or use inferior materials to present them as superior. Such actions would be an insult to their shipwright profession.

"No problem. I'm in no rush. I'm planning to visit the Food Capital anyway. Two billion? I'm still short by fifty million. Well, Iceburg, the payment day might be postponed; I need to deal with some pirates first."

"That's alright. Since you're one of the Shichibukai, we know you'll pay."

"Then, I'll leave it to you, Mr. Iceburg. We'll be on our way."

"Goodbye!" Iceburg exhaled and said to his secretary, "Kalifa, it looks like we'll be working overtime tonight."

The shipwrights around saw Kalifa's long legs and whistled, "Boss, you'll be working overtime with Kalifa tonight. Enjoy!"

Iceburg : ??

Kalifa: ??

"You guys! Kalifa, wait a minute! It's just some...pardon..."

Bam!

Iceburg hit the ground, realizing that he had earned some extra money. He decided not to mind it...

As the trio left, Kalifa subtly exchanged information with some shipwrights. Afterward, a man with a white pigeon on his shoulder left the crowd, secretly following them.

"Captain, there's someone following us," Robin suddenly said when they reached the street.

Activating her Flower-Flower Fruit powers, an eye and an ear appeared in the stalker's blind spot, surveilling the peeping man.

"I know," Rodney nodded. "Among those people from earlier, several are from CP9. He should be one of them. Don't worry." As the strongest member of CP9, how could he not sense that someone was tailing him?

However, when he turned to look, there was nothing.

Or rather, there was no suspicious individual among them. Everyone seemed to be minding their own business, with nothing unusual. Still, that nagging feeling persisted, quite strange.

"Excuse me," a burly man carrying a wooden beam walked past him.

Silently stepping aside, he suddenly felt something missing from his shoulder.

Turning back, he saw that the pigeon on his shoulder was gone.

"Hattori?"

Calling the pigeon's name, there was no response. Unfortunately, he had lost the pigeon that had been following him. The darn thing, who stole it?

The first person he suspected was the burly man who had walked past him.

But among the crowd, where was the figure of that burly man?

Moreover, not only had he lost Hattori, but the figures of the Shichibukai Rodney and his companions had also disappeared, as if they had never appeared.

This time, Rob Lucci had lost something valuable!