Iceburg

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"..."

Nami and Usopp exchanged incredulous looks at Akira's proclamation of wanting 'world peace'. They had both seen him take down a pirate with a 55 million Berry bounty effortlessly—this guy wasn't fooling anyone.

"Yeah, right! Peace-loving, huh?" Usopp muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Don't believe it!!" Nami scoffed.

Luffy, unfazed, simply shrugged, taking Akira's words at face value as always. "Aw, that's too bad!" he said cheerily.

"Hey! Keep it down!" came an annoyed voice. The group turned to see the legendary shipwright, Mr. Iceburg, approaching.

Nami jumped up, holding out a slightly crumpled letter. "Ah, you're Mr. Iceburg! This is a letter of introduction from Grandma Kokoro. Can you help us repair our ship?"

Iceburg took one look at the paper—with its sloppy handwriting and a big lip print at the end—and swiftly tore it to shreds.

"Hey! We're serious!" Nami protested. "We'll pay!"

Iceburg sighed, ignoring the torn-up letter. "Fine, where's your ship?"

"It's over at Rocky Cape," Nami replied. "But it's kind of far, you know…"

"Kaku, check it out," Iceburg called to one of his employees.

A young man with a squared-off nose stepped forward and immediately took off at breakneck speed toward the cliff. Within seconds, he was gone from sight.

Nami, Luffy, and Usopp gaped at the speed. "Did… did he just run off a cliff?!"

Iceburg laughed. "Don't worry. That's Kaku, foreman of Dock1, known as 'Mountain Wind.' Ten minutes is plenty for him."

There was five foreman in Dock 1: Paulie, Peepley Lulu, Tilestone, Rob Lucci and Kaku.

Akira watched Kaku disappear over the cliff with a thoughtful smile. "the six Rokushiki… interesting," he murmured, admiring the speed and control. Learning techniques like that would be a nice addition to his skillset.

Just then, Kalifa, Iceburg's assistant, returned with a report. "Mr. Iceburg, we've confirmed the identities of the Straw Hat crew members: Monkey D. Luffy, pirate hunter Roronoa Zoro, and Nico Robin. Their combined bounties are 239 million Berries."

"Ah! We're exposed!" Usopp stammered, looking around nervously.

Kalifa then looked over at Akira. "As for this gentleman… it doesn't appear he's affiliated with any pirate crew."

Iceburg turned his gaze to Akira. "What can I help you with, sir?"

"My name is Uchiha Akira," he replied. "I'd like to commission a large ship. Something sturdy and grand."

Iceburg nodded, and Kalifa quickly pushed up her glasses. "Mr. Iceburg, in ten minutes, you're scheduled for meetings at the Sand Dunes Hotel and the glass factory, followed by a speech in the Shopping District. Afterward, you're meeting with chief of..... and finally attending a press interview."

"Cancel all of it!" Iceburg declared, exasperated.

"Understood," Kalifa said without hesitation, jotting down the changes.

Usopp's eyes bulged. "Isn't this a bit… too easygoing?"

"I'm the mayor here," Iceburg shrugged. "I can cancel whatever I want."

Seeing the casual way Iceburg handled matters, Akira decided to make his own request. "I was actually considering opening a branch office here. Are there any requirements?"

Iceburg gestured to Kalifa. "Kalifa, take care of it."

Kalifa took out her notepad. "What's the nature of your business?"

"Security," Akira replied. "The company's focus will be protection services for people, property, and goods."

"And the name of the company?"

"Uchiha Security Company."

With that, Kalifa took out a document, had Akira sign it, and handed him his new business license. "You're all set!"

"So fast!" Nami gasped, hardly believing her eyes.

Kalifa adjusted her glasses. "With Mr. Iceburg's authorization, things can happen swiftly here in the Seven Waters City."

"Well done, Kalifa"

"It's my job, sir"

Luffy turned to Akira, his eyes wide with curiosity. "So you're a security guard, huh? How much would it cost to hire you?"

Akira smirked. "100 million."

"100 million?!" Everyone's jaws dropped.

"Per day," Akira added.

"100 million a day?!!"

"Why don't you just go and grab it?!" Usopp, Nami, and even Luffy blurted out, echoing the same reaction as Blackbeard when they heard Akira's 100 million a day price.

Akira shrugged casually. "Is robbing as efficient as making money this way?"

That left everyone silent for a moment, unsure of how to respond.

Iceburg suddenly let out a hearty laugh. "Hahaha! Quite the bold statement, young man! You must be incredibly confident in your skills to charge such a price. I'd be interested to see if you're worth it."

With a faint smile, Akira replied, "Simply put: if you hire me, no one in the world can touch you—not the Shichibukai, the Four Emperors, or even the Three Admirals."

For a few stunned moments, the entire dock went silent, then burst out in laughter.

"Hahahaha!"

"This kid sure talks big!"

"Shichibukai? Four Emperors? Admirals? As if!" The dock workers laughed, shaking their heads. Names like those weren't thrown around lightly. These were the world's top combat forces—powerful enough to crush cities and entire nations.

One of the dock foremen, who was handling the rigging and mast fittings, chuckled, clearly amused. "Kid, have you even seen the Shichibukai, the Four Emperors, or an Admiral?"

Akira shrugged. "I've seen one Shichibukai. Haven't crossed paths with the Admirals or Four Emperors yet, though."

The foreman scoffed. "Talking big without knowing the reality—don't blame us for laughing."

"Laugh all you want," Akira said, unfazed. "It's not like I lose anything."

Suddenly, a soft yet commanding voice cut through the chatter.

"Akira!"

That voice stopped him in his tracks. He turned, surprised, to see a woman in a hat and robe approaching. She slowly removed her hat, revealing a face so breathtaking that nearly every man in the dock froze, spellbound.

"Who is she?!"

"A goddess..."

"She's beautiful!" Gasps filled the air as men fell silent, entranced.

The only exception was Luffy, who just tilted his head, uninterested.

"Lady Hancock, what brings you here?" Akira asked, genuinely surprised.

Shisui, standing nearby, gave a helpless shrug. "she insisted on coming along. I couldn't do much to stop her."

Hancock's gaze softened as she looked at Akira. "You're not unhappy to see me, are you?"

Akira quickly shook his head. "Not at all. I'm glad you're here."

"Hehe, good," she smiled warmly. "And please, don't call me 'Lady Hancock.' Just Hancock."

She looked every bit the image of a woman in love, and the dockworkers could hardly believe it.

Akira, however, was silently baffled. In his original plan, he'd imagined he'd have to defeat the Celestial Dragons to earn the Empress's favor. Yet here she was, already enamored, before he had even begun.

"Hancock, it's fine to accompany us today since Shisui and Itachi are with you. But don't wander off alone again. It's dangerous out here, especially for someone as beautiful as you."

Hancock blushed, nodding obediently. "Alright."

Someone nearby gasped, staring at Hancock in shock. "W-wait! Isn't she…?"

The man's voice trembled as he continued, "The Pirate Empress! Boa Hancock—the 'Most Beautiful Woman in the World!'"

"The Pirate Empress?!"

"Boa Hancock?!"

Everyone gawked, dumbfounded. Men everywhere had heard of Boa Hancock, the dream woman for many. It took them a moment to register who she was, having been too mesmerized by her real-life beauty, which far surpassed any wanted poster.

"It's really her!"

"One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea! The Pirate Empress herself, Boa Hancock!"

Iceburg quickly stepped up, trying to handle the situation as the mayor. "Welcome, Ms. Boa Hancock," he said diplomatically. "It's an honor to have you in the Water 7 City"

Hancock's attention, however, remained solely on Akira. "Don't worry about me," she replied. "I'm just here to enjoy a stroll with Akira."

This left the dockworkers stunned, their jaws practically on the floor.

"Mr. Iceburg," Akira interjected, "shall we look at the ships?"

"Of course! Right this way," Iceburg said, quickly leading the way to the ship exhibition area.

As they walked off, murmurs erupted among the dockworkers.

"He was serious… he's met a Shichibukai!"

"Did you see her look at him? She actually cares about him!"

"Who is this kid?!"

Meanwhile, outside the docks, a reporter was frantically snapping photos, his face filled with glee.

"Big news! The Empress, here in the City of Water 7 and she's with a man! This will make headlines across the world!"

...