Chapter 60: Design Drawing

Four delightful days flew by quickly, feeling like the blink of an eye. On a bright morning, Sephiroth, after reluctantly seeing the Boa Sisters off on a ship at Wasted Ship Island—an island mostly comprised of ship wreckage—returned to Water 7. He boarded a swordfish boat, sped through the bustling canals, and arrived at a seemingly simple but sturdy shipyard, with a signboard bearing the name "Tom's Workers."

Knock, knock, knock.

The silver-haired youth looked listless, yawning widely as he reached out his right hand and knocked on the tightly shut studio door. The exhaustion from his intense "vacation" with the Boa Sisters still lingered.

"Be right there!" a hoarse but friendly voice called from within.

Not long after, an old woman, still remarkably curvaceous, opened the door. Her hair was long, wavy, and light green, and her facial makeup was striking and thick. From the contours of her face, it was faintly discernible that she must have been very beautiful in her youth—a timeless beauty, even if now overlaid with unique mermaid features.

"Hello, Kokoro," Sephiroth greeted with a faint smile, but his gaze slowly shifted, filled with unconcealed curiosity. It was said that when mermaids reached thirty years of age, their tails could split into two legs. The silver-haired youth was quite curious about the legs of this mermaid named Kokoro, which still looked so perfect in her old age.

"You must be young Mr. Sephiroth who called?" Kokoro asked, a friendly smile spreading across her face, observing the dark circles under the youth's eyes.

"That's right. Where are Franky and the others...?"

"They were busy late last night, so they're still asleep in their bedrooms," Kokoro replied, inviting the silver-haired youth in and telling him to sit at the simple but clean dining table. Only then did she turn and return to the kitchen to continue her busy work, preparing breakfast.

"Young Master, what would you like to drink?"

Sephiroth placed his left hand on the table, yawned widely, and subconsciously asked, "Do you have Goji Berry tea?"

"What's that?" Kokoro frowned, confused.

"If not, I'll have a cup of coffee, thank you!" Sephiroth chuckled.

Not long after, Kokoro brought him a hot cup of coffee. "Young Master, you have dark circles under your eyes, and your complexion isn't so good. Did you stay up late?" she asked with a worried tone, like a caring grandmother.

"Yes! Too much... work," Sephiroth sighed emotionally, picked up the coffee, and sipped it. For the past four days, he had been playing with the Boa Sisters day and night. Besides sword training, he hadn't done any other daily exercises... The Boa Sisters were the same. Although Sephiroth had carefully written down the Six Styles (Rokushiki) techniques, hoping they would learn them, they tossed them aside after seeing them and insisted on dragging him off to play—a persistence that was both draining and delightful.

After waiting for a while, he finally saw Tom, Franky, and Iceberg emerge from their bedrooms one by one, their faces still looking sleepy.

"Young Mr. Sephiroth, you've come to our studio so early!" Tom greeted, yawning widely and rubbing his eyes with his large hands.

"This time, I've come for something very important I want to discuss with everyone. However, the main reason is to find Franky," Sephiroth explained, looking at the strange blue-haired youth.

"Me!?" Hearing this, Franky's face immediately showed an expression of confusion. He hadn't interacted much with the silver-haired youth and didn't understand why the other party was looking for him.

"I have established a weapons company and would like to invite you to be the chief weapon designer, responsible for the company's weapon research and development. I'm curious if you're interested?" Sephiroth stated his offer, his eyes fixed on Franky's reaction.

"Weapon designer!?" Hearing this, a golden light shone in Franky's eyes, and his heart was filled with overflowing joy. He had an inexplicable love for weapons since he was a child. When he was ten, he even used parts from Wasted Ship Island to assemble a cannon! After that, he became even more unstoppable, dedicating more of his energy to weapon research and development. Unfortunately, everyone around him was a shipwright and not very interested in weapons. No one recognized his talent. Now, Sephiroth had affirmed his talent and extended such a tempting direct invitation. It was impossible for him not to be tempted—this was a dream he never thought would come true!

However, Iceberg quickly shook his simple-minded younger brother's shoulder, his expression serious, and shouted loudly, "Wait! Franky, you have to think clearly! Do you want to create more weapons that kill?"

Killing...

Iceberg's reprimand was like a wake-up call, jolting him from his pleasant daydream. Franky was truly fond of researching and making weapons, but he had never thought of using those weapons to take other people's lives. This was a moral dilemma that hit him hard. Thinking this, the blue-haired youth's expression immediately turned pale. His pure hobby now clashed with cruel reality, causing Franky to fall into deep doubt and indecision.

Sephiroth sharply sensed the other party's emotional change through his Kenbunshoku Haki. Before the other party could speak, he spoke first, in a calm but firm voice, "You don't have to rush to give me an answer. You can take your time to consider it."

Franky did not accept his invitation. Although Sephiroth felt a little regretful, he didn't care too much. Talented people in weapon research and development like Franky might be hard to find, but as long as he was willing to spend more Berries, he should still be able to find exceptionally talented people who were slightly less gifted, but still competent.

"Oh, that's right... Mr. Tom, I actually have a difficult request," Sephiroth began, a little awkwardly. "I want to buy the design blueprints for the Sea Train. I wonder if you are willing to sell them to me...? Of course, the price is negotiable."

"Young Master, why do you want that?" Tom asked, his eyebrows raised.

"To be honest, I also want to build a Sea Train for my own company. This way, I can transport the materials needed by my company in a relatively safe and fast way..." Sephiroth explained his vision.

Hearing this, Mr. Tom held his bulging belly and burst into hearty laughter, his voice booming through the room. "Hahaha! I see. Our current Sea Train has been connected to Spring Queen City, St. Poplar, for some time now. There are no operational problems, Young Master, so you can use it with confidence."

"Thank you, Mr. Tom!" Sephiroth smiled broadly and took the thick stack of design blueprints, holding them tightly in his hand. This was a major step towards his goals.

Next, he chatted with the few people for a little while longer. He discussed future development ideas with them, such as combining all the shipbuilding companies in Water 7 to jointly develop the shipbuilding industry, and also suggested that various islands participate in investment and sponsorship to help accelerate the completion of the Sea Train project. Iceberg, upon hearing these ideas, deemed them highly feasible and visionary. After finishing breakfast, he left with enthusiasm, eager to immediately discuss relevant matters with the shipbuilding companies in Water 7, his brain already churning with plans for the future of the water city.

After obtaining the Sea Train design blueprints and picking up the Doa Doa no Mi that he coincidentally found in a small safe, Sephiroth no longer had a reason to stay longer in Water 7. Mission accomplished.

Thus, he boarded a commercial tourist sailboat to the Sabaody Archipelago, using it as a transit point to pass through the Gates of Justice and return to Marineford, where his duties awaited.

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