"How the hell did they even build that fountain?" asked a puzzled Anna, looking at the city of Water 7—the place where the best shipbuilders in the world resided.
Although Anna asked a genuine question, it fell on deaf ears, because I was just as puzzled as she was. But of course, I wouldn't let that show on my face like her.
"We can find that out after we place an order for shipbuilding. The construction will likely take months, so we'll just leave a few subordinates here to monitor the progress and return to Drum Kingdom after sightseeing a bit," I ordered.
Water 7 was under the watch of the CP organization, especially due to the existence of Tom, the shipbuilder who made Roger's ship. I might be very confident in my strength, but for the ease of completing my plans, I could only continue to keep myself hidden for a bit longer.
So, going to Tom was clearly not an option. Thankfully, there were many other famous shipbuilders here, and I was about to commission them instead. No, they were not inferior to Tom per se—Tom was famous just because he built the Oro Jackson, which sailed the entire world. That didn't explicitly mean Oro Jackson was the best ship in the world, or that Tom was the best shipbuilder.
And the ship I wanted to commission was more inclined toward luxury and durability. I didn't require over-the-top functionality capable of sailing all seas and possibly reaching the final island. I simply didn't see the need to go there. Yes, I could read the ancient text, but that didn't signify that I must be interested in the Poneglyphs.
After all, whatever is written there is probably just history—and history is just a set of lies agreed upon. The one told by the World Government is the version designed by the victors, and the one written on the Poneglyphs is the cry of the defeated. So, no need to study that...
"Hmmm, don't worry, we'll make the ship as comfortable and aesthetic as possible, as per your demands. And don't worry, the materials you've provided are top-notch. The keel can be made entirely from Adam's wood, which would ensure a long life. The total cost of the ship comes to only 500 million bellies. It would've been more than a billion, but since you've already brought most of the materials, just leave the rest to us," the shipbuilder from the largest corporation of Water 7 explained.
Orders for such expensive ships were rare, and the president had no qualms about acting as the salesman himself for an order this big. They would probably make hundreds of millions in profit from this order, but eh, who cares—I'm rich, and soon, I'll be above paltry concepts like money.
After touring for a bit, I decided to leave once again for Drum Kingdom, intending to wait there until the ship was completed. Then, I could continue my journey with the new ship. The Grand Line was running out of things for me—I would need to leave soon...
At first, I had planned to go to the New World first and then think about expanding my forces. But now, I planned to go to West Blue first. I would go there to make a kingdom under my control, and the reason would be specifically that I was going there to check on Ohara and its survivors. It was all for Robin—to make her further devoted to me.
—Timeskip—Half a year later.
"It's beautiful..." said a starry-eyed Anna, looking at the massive ship in front of us. The ship was ready, and I was back at Water 7 to pick it up. Sure, it could have been delivered directly to me at Drum Kingdom, but hey—I didn't want my ship's first cruise to be without me.
"How are we even going to manage such a large ship?" said Robin, again trying to ruin the mood by adding logic to it.
"Simple. We recruit more people." I shrugged.
"Recruit?" asked Robin, a suspicious look on her face.
"Obviously."Not.Of course, I'd just mind-control a few more people until I made a crew or something. But I couldn't tell Robin that—she's too young to know all that right now. She might have figured some of it out already, but hey, I didn't teach her any bad stuff now, did I?
"Well, I have to agree, this ship is as beautiful as I had imagined it to be. The pristine white finish really brings a calming aura, and the interior is beautiful too. The matte black and gold finish nails it... hmmm... The Flying Seraph. She will be called the Flying Seraph," I declared and ordered the workers to inscribe the name of the ship.
"It's a good name, but I just had one question—why have you kept the outside so bright while the interior is so dark? Wouldn't it make more sense for it to be the other way around?" asked the curious Robin, clearly showing the reason why she had no friends when she was young. I need to train her more—she can't keep being a nerd.
"Well, there's nothing too significant about it. I just had it painted according to my preferences. Sorry for not asking about your choices before, little Robin." I smiled and replied, patting her head and ruffling her hair, which she seemed to enjoy despite her protests.
Anyway, the real reason behind the color scheme was that it defined me—bright and kind on the outside, keeping up a good front, but dark-hearted on the inside. But hey, I still had some golden parts in my heart. Of course, that's just for me to know, and anyone else is free to understand it... if they can.
I won't continue to bore you with such minor details anymore, so a summary of what happened next:I went back to the Drum Kingdom, spent some time there, 'recruited' some more crew members, and then finally set sail toward West Blue after convincing Anna and Robin. Of course, I had many talks with Robin about whether she was alright with going there now, and my sex life was completely ruined, since Robin frequently snuck in to sleep and cuddle with me.(Not the bad kind, you creeps. She's just a child—not even 10. We are literally just hugging and sleeping.)
Then, after a long and very arduous journey, here I was in West Blue, to start the next phase of my plans. I stopped at the Kingdom of Ilisia, a World Government-affiliated nation with a seat at the Levely.
This kingdom was already one of the richest in West Blue, and I just needed to develop it further. So I would start with the same basics: control the royal family and the nobles, turning the entire system into an efficient one without any blocks. Frankly, that alone would boost the kingdom significantly.
But I would also enhance a large number of soldiers for training, and grant better brains to a large number of scientists, businessmen, diplomats, etc. And all of this would hardly take a few days—bringing almost all of West Blue under me.
Maybe one day, just one order from me... and all four seas would be conquered by my forces within hours.