Chapter 13: Internal Combustion Engines

On Abandoned Ship Island, amidst piles of rusted wood and iron, Mr. Tom—the towering bull-horned fish-man—stood gallantly. Beside him were purple-haired Iceburg, Franky with his distinctive blue hair, and a large frog named Yokozuna. Three people and one frog, they all gazed at a massive steam locomotive before them, the fruit of their hard work over the past three days.

Franky couldn't hide his excitement. He hugged Yokozuna tightly, shouting gleefully. "Mr. Tom! This is awesome! We've assembled the locomotive. Next, as long as we can make it run on the sea train tracks, we'll succeed!"

Mr. Tom burst into hearty laughter, his booming chuckles filling the air. "Hahaha! It's too soon! Let's do a test run first!" He lifted the hundreds-of-tons-heavy steam locomotive with his burly hands, as if it were a toy, then effortlessly placed it at the starting point of the short track they had built near the shore.

Before Mr. Tom could even give instructions, Franky's eyes were already shining with eagerness. "Mr. Tom, let me drive this train!" he offered impatiently.

"Hahaha! It seems you're impatient, so you start it up!" Mr. Tom chuckled with amusement. Franky immediately ran to the locomotive's engine room, beginning to shovel coal and stoke the fire.

A moment later, thick black smoke billowed from the steam locomotive's chimney, accompanied by a rhythmic 'boom boom boom!' rumble. The locomotive slowly moved forward, its metal wheels spinning faster and faster. However... the steam locomotive traveled less than twenty meters when its entire front end plunged uncontrollably into the sea. Franky, startled, immediately leaped from the train and splashed into the water, narrowly avoiding the fate of being buried at the bottom of the ocean with the gigantic machine.

Seeing the situation, Mr. Tom immediately leaped into the sea with a loud 'splash!' that sent copious amounts of water flying. He didn't rush to save Franky—he knew his student's swimming abilities well. As long as Franky wasn't thrown into a large ocean vortex, he could basically swim back alive and well. What he would save was the steam locomotive! If the steam engine had to be discarded every time it broke down, his wallet wouldn't be able to handle such extravagance!

As a Fish-Man, the sea was their home. Compared to land, they could fully utilize their racial talents in the sea. Soon after, Mr. Tom emerged from beneath the waves, carrying the steam locomotive on his shoulder.

Franky, who had just swum to shore, shook his wet blue hair, then said with a slightly disbelieving tone, "Mr. Tom, didn't you say the locomotive you built could run on the sea? Why did it plunge into the sea..."

Hearing this, Mr. Tom immediately laughed and scratched his head. "Ah hahaha! Nothing can be done about it... This situation happened not only because the track's buoyancy and the vehicle body's suspension device were insufficient, but also because the sea train's speed wasn't fast enough... I'm very troubled too! If the steam engine's efficiency could reach more than fifteen percent from eight percent, it should be able to enter a state of equilibrium, right?" A hint of frustration showed on his face.

"What if another mechanical device were used to provide power, and the energy efficiency could reach more than twenty-five percent, or even forty percent?"

That somewhat familiar voice made Mr. Tom turn in surprise, staring at Sephiroth who was slowly walking from a distance.

"If that were truly the case... then it would be absolutely incredible! Maybe the sea train could run directly on top of the sea, hahahaha!" Tom's laughter boomed again, imagining the extraordinary possibility.

"Oh!? In that case, I imagine you'd be very interested in this." Sephiroth unfolded the design drawing he held, spreading it out in front of Mr. Tom. Although the drawing was very simple, almost without detail, this was all he could recall after racking his brain for the past few days.

"Can you tell me how it works?" The shipwright, Mr. Tom, observed the mechanical principle diagram and rough cross-section of an internal combustion engine in the young man's hand, and he couldn't help but ponder deeply. His eyes scrutinized every line, his mind racing.

He had dared to boast before the judge that he could build a sea train connecting several islands within ten years. That was because his own mechanical engineering skills were quite impressive, and he knew that as long as he successfully overcame a few technical difficulties, he could make the sea train a reality. Therefore, when the shipwright Mr. Tom saw this diagram of an internal combustion engine, he immediately understood a great deal.

"This is a thermal engine that uses diesel as fuel and can convert thermal energy into power..." Sephiroth explained the science of internal combustion engines that he had learned in high school as meticulously as possible to the number one shipwright in the One Piece World, hoping he could quickly grasp the existence of such a machine.

Franky, who had approached, listened to Sephiroth's explanation from the side, and a joyous smile immediately appeared on his face. "Mr. Tom, this thing is very interesting! I think we can give it a try!" his eyes sparkling with ideas.

"Hahahaha! Truly amazing! Young man, if you're willing to tell me the operating principle of this machine, you are truly extraordinary!" Mr. Tom laughed heartily, astonished by Sephiroth's understanding. Franky could even understand it, so for Mr. Tom, his teacher, understanding it would certainly no longer be a major problem.

"Young man, could you show me the dimensional drawings of the relevant parts?"

Hearing this, Sephiroth firmly shook his head. "I don't have anything like that," he said casually. "These are all things I came up with spontaneously." As a surgical doctor, if someone asked him about medicine, Sephiroth could discuss it in detail and fluently. But... Mechanical Engineering? Every field is like a separate mountain. It was already good that he could draw a rough principle diagram of an internal combustion engine. Asking him for dimensional drawings of components and the like was truly asking too much of someone!

"Oh! Is that so! Well then, you're still very impressive, young man..." Mr. Tom said, smiling understandingly. "By the way, what's the name of this machine?"

"Internal combustion engine."

After concluding the conversation about the internal combustion engine with Mr. Tom, Sephiroth rode the Yagara Bull towards home. Leave professional matters to professionals. In the matter of the sea train project, this was all he could do. Of course, he didn't gain nothing else. At the very least, he earned the support of Mr. Tom, Franky, and Iceburg. If he ever needed something from the three of them in the future, given their personalities, as long as it wasn't too much trouble, they would certainly help.

As Sephiroth arrived home, a guest had already arrived in his living room, and the Boa Sisters were seated on a nearby sofa, awaiting his return with the visitor. This guest was the President of Hughes Shipbuilding Company, Hughes Hilk. He was a burly, stern-faced middle-aged man with red hair, wearing a striking black suit.

"Sephiroth, it's really you... I'm so glad you're alright!" Hughes Hilk stood, his eyes radiating genuine relief. "I heard your passenger ship was attacked by pirates... By the way, where is your father, Parl?"

Sephiroth's face dimmed. He sighed softly, his eyes looking somewhat dull as he replied, "He was killed by the pirates while protecting me..." The man named Karl D. Parl was a great father, capable of sacrificing his life for his son. Karl D. Sephiroth's mother died of illness not long after he was born, and only his father raised him. Therefore, in the original body's heart, his father was the most important person.

Hearing that, Hughes Hilk also sighed softly, an expression of sympathy clearly etched on his stern face. He looked at Sephiroth and said earnestly, "How about this!... Sephiroth, how about you work at Hughes Shipbuilding Company from now on? Although the company isn't doing well right now, if you come to work for the company, you'll have a stable income..."

Sephiroth shook his head. "No, thank you for your kindness! Uncle Hilk, frankly, I'm preparing to join the Marines..."

Hearing that, the Boa Sisters sitting nearby immediately cried out in unison, startled.

"Marines!!!" ×3

"Sephiroth, why do you want to become a Marine?" Boa Hancock slightly furrowed her brows, her tone full of doubt, unable to understand Sephiroth's decision.

"Because...! I not only need power, I also need power capable of rivaling the Beasts Pirates for revenge..." Sephiroth lowered his eyelids, his expression unreadable, but his tone sounded very firm, full of determination. "Joining the Marines is my best option right now."

The Marines in the One Piece World are organized by the World Government and serve the World Government member nations and the Celestial Dragons. The Marines have no authority to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, nor do they have the right to disobey orders issued by the World Government. Their duty is simply to maintain order at sea, suppress pirate forces, and assist the World Government with some dirty work. Sometimes, even when a Celestial Dragon commits murder, they have to help cover it up...

However, despite the Marines having various constraints and shortcomings, it couldn't be denied that the Marines had a fairly mature system for developing talent. After all, after this period of training, Sephiroth had also realized it. It was true that he possessed Haoshoku Haki (Conqueror's Haki) and a Vampire-type Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit, but he lacked a systematic way to become stronger, and couldn't fully utilize these things to their maximum potential. As a result, even though he spent ten hours training every day, he only felt a slight increase in his physical fitness. In terms of combat experience, he was still like a blank slate.

This world never lacked top powers who grew through continuous combat: Roger, Kaido, Charlotte Linlin, Edward Newgate... But... Compared to self-taught individuals, Sephiroth, who received systematic education in his previous life, still trusted formal training more, and the Marines were one of the more reliable options in this regard.

"Is that so? Power and influence are both necessary..." Boa Hancock murmured softly, lost in thought, as if comparing Sephiroth's considerations with her own life principles.

Seeing this scene, Hughes Hilk stood from the sofa, patted Sephiroth's shoulder gently, and sighed. "Alas! Sephiroth, since you've made up your mind, I won't try to persuade you any further. If you ever need anything from me in the future, you can come see me..." He nodded, showing his sincere support.

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