Chapter 72 The Capital Of Seven Waters

Grand Line, the Capital of the Seven Waters

Since last year, Mr. Tom of Tom Shipbuilding Company successfully built a sea train capable of traveling on water. This island, once disrupted by the dawn of the Great Pirate Era, had suffered from poor trade, rising costs, restless residents, and a declining shipyard.

Yet, hope had been rekindled.

The World Government recognized the potential of the sea train and chose to delay Mr. Tom's execution, changing the sentence to ten years later.

However, despite the promise of the sea train, the island's residents remained skeptical about its ability to rejuvenate their declining community.

As a result, over the past year, only Mr. Tom and his two apprentices had managed to produce the sea train. The entire cost of manufacturing it had fallen solely on Tom Shipbuilding Company.

Fortunately, the City of Seven Waters had a unique advantage: Hulk Island.

Composed of hundreds of scrap ships, Hulk Island provided Tom Shipbuilding Company with the materials needed.

Just like today...

Mr. Tom, accompanied by his two apprentices and the frog Yokozuna, scoured Hulk Island.

They salvaged everything useful from the wrecked ships—wood, steel, and more.

After a while, a large pile of materials had accumulated around them.

Wood could be left here to be picked up later, but steel required immediate attention.

To ensure that the tracks could support the sea train without damage from Sea Kings, Mr. Tom needed to re-smelt the steel.

"Alright, Ace Bagu, Franky, Yokozuna, we're heading back. We've gathered enough materials for today!"

Mr. Tom, a horned fishman, wiped the sweat from his brow and called out. His apprentices, Ace Bagu and Frog Yokozuna, who were also sweating and covered in grime, stopped their work and relaxed.

"Is that enough, Mr. Tom?"

"Yes!"

Mr. Tom was very pleased with his eldest apprentice, who was both talented and intelligent. He was mature, unlike his second apprentice.

"Eh?"

Mr. Tom suddenly noticed that Franky had disappeared.

Ace Bagu looked around, and fortunately, Franky emerged from behind some debris.

"You idiot, you're being lazy again, aren't you?"

Franky bristled at the accusation.

"I'm not!"

The two began to argue, but Mr. Tom, noticing the newspaper in Franky's hand, asked curiously.

"Franky, what's that you've got?"

Franky stopped arguing and eagerly handed over the newspaper.

"Look, Mr. Tom, this is today's newspaper from Newsbird. I just got it. Look at the headline..."

Before Franky could continue, Ace Bagu interrupted.

"What are you doing buying these useless newspapers? Do you know how hard we worked to collect these materials?"

Franky defended himself.

"It's just 100 beli! How high are the material prices in the Capital of the Seven Waters now?"

Seeing his two apprentices squabbling again, Mr. Tom separated them and read the newspaper with a serious expression.

The front page featured a large bounty notice: "Blood Emperor Gnar, bounty: 1.45 billion beli, dead or alive..."

Ace Bagu was also captivated by the bounty notice. He first saw the pirate's photo under the moonlight, then read the name and bounty amount below.

"Wait a minute..."

Ace Bagu rubbed his eyes, confirming the number, and said in shock.

"Mr. Tom, is this right? It's 1.4 billion beli..."

Ace Bagu had seen many bounty notices since he was a child. Bounties reaching 100 million beli were already extraordinary. A 1.4 billion beli bounty was an astronomical figure he had never imagined.

"What could this pirate have done to warrant such a bounty from the Marine and the World Government? This is unbelievable..."

Seeing Ace Bagu's astonished expression, Franky excitedly explained.

"This guy destroyed Impel Down, the world's largest prison, and released all the prisoners inside. Moreover, seven days ago, during the appointment ceremony of Marine's new Admirals, Marine and the World Government were thoroughly embarrassed. Now everyone in the sea knows this guy's name."

Mr. Tom looked at his apprentices with a headache. Though he had two apprentices, they were completely opposite in personality.

Ace Bagu was mature and reserved, hiding his thoughts. In contrast, Franky was outspoken and impulsive, often causing trouble.

For instance, Ace Bagu's immediate reaction was.

"This sea is going to be in chaos again..."

But Franky was brimming with excitement.

"When can I become as powerful as him? He doesn't look much older than me."

Mr. Tom knew that simple advice wouldn't help; he could only wait for the day his apprentices grew up on their own.

He just hoped that day would come gently.

"Alright."

Mr. Tom fondly ruffled the heads of his two apprentices and spoke in a gentle, fatherly tone.

"This doesn't concern us. Let's pack up and head home for dinner. Cocoro is waiting for us!"

"Oh!"

Amid cheers, the family happily gathered their newly acquired materials and headed home...

Mr. Tom's Tom Shipbuilding Company is located in a warehouse under the bridge in the Capital of the Seven Waters.

To put it simply, it's the sewer outlet of the entire city.

As a water city influenced by the water gods, the drainage system of the Seven Waters City extends in all directions. Abandoned ships from the shipyard above also gather here through these water outlets, giving rise to Hulk Island.

In the past, this area had few visitors. Because Mr. Tom had once built a ship for Pirate King Roger, he was shunned by everyone in the Capital of the Seven Waters. That's why Tom Shipbuilding Company operated in such a harsh environment.

But today, when Mr. Tom and his apprentices returned, they found Kokoro standing at the door with a serious expression, seemingly waiting for their arrival.

"What's going on? What happened?"

Everyone felt uneasy, and Mr. Tom frowned.

Kokoro nodded.

"A visitor has arrived, specifically to see you, Tom. It seems the visitor isn't a friendly sort. Do you want to meet them?"

Mr. Tom frowned further, and his apprentices looked nervous and concerned.

After a moment's thought, Tom replied.

"Alright, let's meet them."

"Okay!"

As they entered the company building, a young man who was both unfamiliar and yet oddly familiar to several people in Tom Shipbuilding Company came into view.

"How... how could this be... It's the pirate from the bounty notice..."

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