Chapter 100: Water City, Robin Leashing Zoro?
"Such a frightening young lady."
Kokoro turned her head to look at Nami, ignoring the young man sprawled at her feet, charred black and smoking.
"Speaking of which, you're going to Water 7 to repair your ship, right?"
"Yes. We heard the shipbuilding technology there is world-class," Nami nodded in reply, the electric sparks on her hands gradually fading.
"But of course! Hahaha! Looks like you folks know a thing or two."
Kokoro grinned widely, her golden curly hair bouncing with the movement. "Water 7 basically started and built its reputation on that trade. It absolutely has the world's most first-class shipyards."
"The World Government itself uses ships built there. At the same time, it's also a gathering place for renowned master shipwrights from all over the world."
"That's truly wonderful!"
Luffy raised his hands, clenching his fists excitedly. "We're actually planning to recruit a shipwright there! Granny, do you know who the most skilled shipwright is? We want to find him and have him join our crew!"
"Quite discerning, aren't you? As for the most skilled shipwright I know..."
At this, Granny Kokoro paused, lifted her liquor bottle, and took a long swig, draining half of it before bursting into laughter.
"He's been dead for many years now! Hahaha! You're pirates, right? Getting someone to join your crew isn't easy!"
"You'll just have to find one yourselves. I have a feeling you'll get along quite well with the shipwrights there."
"Is that so? Makes sense, hahaha!" Luffy pressed his straw hat down, grinning foolishly.
"However, I can write a letter of introduction for you. Wait a moment," Granny Kokoro said, turning and walking back into the house.
After a short while, she came out with a letter and a piece of paper, handing them to Nami. "The shipbuilding company there is called Galley-La."
"Take this to them; it might get you a bit of a discount. The other paper is a map of Water 7."
"Oh my! Thank you so much, Granny!"
Nami accepted the envelope and map with a smile, feeling more at ease. "With a letter of introduction, they'll likely put in more effort for us."
"Hahaha! Then you underestimate the shipwrights there."
Granny Kokoro laughed heartily, then sat back in her chair, waving her hand dismissively. "The only concern is if they're unwilling to take the job. But as long as they accept it..."
"Even without a letter of introduction, they will definitely see it through to the end. You can absolutely rest assured on that point. Those folks are all truly worthy of the name 'shipwright'."
"Is that so?"
Nami was taken aback for a moment. Since Kokoro asserted it so confidently, it seemed the "world-class" reputation was backed by genuine skill.
This also made the crew feel somewhat more at ease, increasing their anticipation for Water 7.
After all, it concerned the Going Merry, which had carried them all the way from the East Blue to here, and the ship had become 'covered in scars'.
All of them had developed deep affection for the Merry and usually cherished the ship greatly.
Only then did Reiner climb up from the ground where he had been zapped, smoothed down his golden hair, patted his clothes, and walked back to the group. He turned to Kokoro and smiled.
"Anyway, thank you, Granny. Let us give you a small gift in return."
With that, several undead brought some items down from the ship – a few bottles of wine and some fruit.
Handing over the wine, Reiner then opened two iron-hard coconuts, inserted straws, and gave them to the little girl Chimney and her rabbit.
"We brought these down from Sky Island. You can try them."
"Sky Island? Is that an island in the sky, big brother?"
Chimney took a sip from the coconut, which was bigger than her head, and her eyes immediately widened in amazement. "Wow! Granny! This is so light and sweet!"
"Hahaha! Sky Island... a name I haven't heard in a long time."
Granny Kokoro ruffled Chimney's hair, then turned to look at the crew. "So, you've already been to Sky Island, huh?"
Nami nodded with a smile. "Yes. Granny, do you know about Sky Island too?"
"I've never been there myself. Just heard stories from others a long time ago."
Granny Kokoro grinned, a vague image surfacing in her mind. "It was a very long time ago..."
"Back then, I was still working at a certain 'workshop'. Anyway, thank you all! A wonderful gift."
"Mah~ Don't mention it."
Reiner ruffled Chimney's hair and stepped back. "It's getting late, and we still have a ways to go to Water 7. We should probably get going."
"Right you are. In that case, goodbye then," Granny Kokoro said, pushing herself up from her chair.
And then...
Reiner and the crew boarded the Going Merry, raised the anchor, furled the sails, and continued following the direction of the Log Pose, slowly sailing away from the sea-moving station.
"Goodbye, Granny! Chimney! And the rabbit!"
Nami stood at the ship's rail, waving the envelope towards those below. "Thank you for the letter of introduction and the map!"
"Smooth sailing!"
Granny Kokoro shouted back. "If we have the chance to meet again next time, let this old lady treat you to drinks!"
"Goodbye, big brothers!"
Chimney jumped up and down, waving her hands rapidly, until the Going Merry gradually receded into the distance. Her attention was then drawn to a white wave suddenly appearing on the sea surface.
Looking closely, it was a giant brown frog swimming rapidly on the sea. Surprisingly, it was using a freestyle stroke.
"It's Yokozuna!"
Chimney took a sip of her coconut juice, blinking her big eyes. "He's come to challenge the Sea Train again. Such a headache."
"Tell me about it."
Granny Kokoro walked straight back to her chair and sat down, watching Yokozuna squatting on the tracks and the Sea Train returning in the distance.
"That idiot... after all these years, still... ai~~"
Whoosh~~
A gentle breeze blew. After entering the sea region influenced by Water 7's magnetic field, the weather became even more stable.
The refreshing breeze carried a slight coolness, and the sunlight was warm and gentle.
The excitement among the crew on the Going Merry grew, as a small black dot appearing on the distant sea horizon indicated they were nearing their destination.
Beside the balcony at the entrance to the second-floor living area, two people sat at a small table, upon which lay the envelope and map obtained from the sea-moving station.
"Granny Kokoro is really enthusiastic."
Nami picked up a folded white paper, slowly unfolded it, and smiled.
"Good thing too, since you didn't manage to get a map of Water 7 before. With this, it'll be much more convenient. At least we won't be clueless about where to dock."
However, she merely glanced at it, and her entire body froze.
BANG!!
Nami slammed her palm down, directly snapping the table in two! She jumped up in a rage. "What the heck is this!?"
"Hey~~ What's wrong?"
Reiner broke out in a cold sweat, unable to help but glance at the paper fluttering to the ground.
On it, a railway track was drawn in a crooked, misshapen line, leading straight to a lump of islands at the end. The artistry... was on par with Luffy's.
He had thought Granny Kokoro had given them an official map, not expecting it to be hand-drawn, and such an indescribably bad hand-drawing at that.
Reiner silently picked up a pen and paper, adding a new line to the shopping list: 'One table (steel-made)'.
Emmm... steel conducts electricity. What if she gets excited...
Not good. Reiner crossed it out, pondered for a moment, then rewrote:
'One full set of furniture (Adam Wood-made)'.
As they sailed slowly, they drew closer and closer to the island, until it was fully revealed before them, leaving everyone speechless with amazement.
Rather than an island, it was actually a city built up bit by bit, relying on foundations constructed in the sea.
The prosperous metropolis – Water 7!
At its highest point was a giant, pointed fountain. Water cascaded down in layers, diverging and then converging into several main river channels that flowed downwards through the entire city.
The outermost perimeter was a towering surrounding wall, with several huge sluice gates. The main river channels flowed from here into the ocean.
European-style buildings stood in dense rows, arranged layer upon layer.
Innumerable canals of various sizes branched off from the main river channels, crisscrossing and interweaving throughout the entire city.
A single glance at this prosperous metropolis revealed the distinctive charm of the City of Water.
"What a huge fountain!"
Luffy, seated in his special seat, couldn't contain his excitement. The city's appearance truly brought a considerable shock.
"But... where are we supposed to dock?"
Nami walked forward, looking left and right. She didn't see any port, wharf, or similar facilities.
Only a few small, drifting boats were nearby, with some men on them, fishing rods in hand.
"Let's just ask someone directly."
Reiner walked up beside her, leaned his hands on the railing, and shouted towards the people fishing nearby:
"Hey! Hello there, everyone! Excuse me, is there a place nearby where we can dock our ship!?"
Hearing the voice, several fishermen turned their heads, looking towards the golden-haired man shouting at them.
Among them, a man wearing a duckbill cap yelled back, simultaneously raising his hand and pointing in a direction.
"To the right! Over there, there's..."
"Hey, wait a minute! Look at that! They're pirates!"
Another man, bald and burly, interrupted, pointing at the black flag fluttering in the air, reminding the duckbill-capped man.
"Ah, didn't notice just now."
"There have been quite a few pirates coming to Water 7 lately."
"It's not really suitable for pirates to just swagger in like that."
After muttering amongst themselves for a few sentences, the duckbill-capped man raised his hand again, pointing in another direction, and yelled towards Reiner:
"This way! Go around to the back! You can dock at Rockyard Bay!"
"Got it! Thank you!"
Reiner waved in response, then turned back to the others with a smile. "All settled. Let's go."
That's it? The crew watched this exchange, finding it quite amazing.
"Why? Aren't they afraid of pirates?" Chopper tilted his head up and asked, puzzled.
"Basically, the more prosperous a place is, the less afraid it likely is of pirates."
Reiner leaned his elbows on the railing and explained to the crew:
"After all, piracy is rampant. Without strength, it's difficult for a place to develop well, because it would constantly be plundered by pirates."
"Conversely, places that can develop must have powerful protectors overseeing them, or be under the protection of renowned strong individuals. Besides, Water 7 is a shipyard; how could it not welcome pirates?"
Hearing this, Zoro rubbed his chin with interest. "I get it. To them, pirates are also a continuous stream of customers, right?"
The crew looked at the docks on the surrounding wall, numbered one by one, various giant lifting cranes partially visible from behind the wall.
"Let's go dock the ship first. We can make detailed plans later," Reiner suggested.
After a while, they sailed halfway around and arrived at Rockyard Bay at the rear.
This area was mostly for pirates. Besides them, about ten other pirate ships were scattered docked in the distance.
Dropping anchor and securing the Going Merry, the crew gathered on deck.
"Alright then. Let's plan everyone's activities next."
Nami looked around. "First, Reiner and I need to go exchange the gold. Then... emmm..."
After pondering for a moment, she added, "Luffy and Usopp, you come with us too. That way, after exchanging the money, we can go check out the shipyards."
Nami thought that since they needed to find a shipwright, the captain naturally needed to be present.
Additionally, Usopp usually handled the Merry's repairs part-time; he knew the ship better than others.
Plus, with her and Reiner handling the finances, that made four people responsible for matters concerning the Merry.
"Well then, I'll go check out the market here."
Sanji said, smoking his cigarette, "Maybe there are some specialty ingredients. You all just look forward to it."
"I want to go play too! Sanji, I'll go to the market with you!" Chopper jumped onto Sanji's shoulder.
"Mah~ Then I'll just go for a walk," Zoro said with a yawn.
Usopp scratched his head, looking at him. "Are you sure you'll be okay, Zoro?"
"Asking that kind of question, there's definitely a problem, right?"
"It'd be a miracle if he finds his way back."
Reiner and Sanji scoffed simultaneously. Zoro gritted his teeth, veins popping on his forehead. Just then, Robin spoke up.
"Ara. Then I'll go with Zoro."
Robin smiled, taking out a thin string and walking towards Zoro. "I'd like to take a walk too. If we tie this on, there won't be any problem."
"Hey, wait a minute!"
Zoro panicked, raising his hand to stop Robin. "Don't use that kind of thing! It's too embarrassing to be led around like that on the street!"
"Pfft-hahaha!"
"I think that's a great idea, Zoro."
Seeing Zoro's frustrated look, the others couldn't help but roar with laughter.
"Ara~ You really don't want to?"
Robin seemed to have some mischievous idea, unable to resist trying again. "If I'm holding the leash, you won't have to worry about getting lost, no matter where we walk."
"No! Absolutely not!"
Zoro yelled resolutely, "I'd rather die! Jump off here! Than be led around by you on a leash in the street!"
"Alright then. Guess that's that."
Robin put down the string, still smiling.
Reiner took out a black suitcase from the cabin and opened it. "Alright then. Time to distribute some pocket money."
"Two million Beri each. Keep whatever's left. If you need extra, tell me in advance later."
"Woohoo! Rich!"
"Tsk tsk. Looks like I can drink to my heart's content."
"Reiner! I have extra expenses!"
Luffy grinned, holding out his hand. "I want to buy a bronze statue to put in my special seat! Give me a few more million!"
Duang!
Nami unceremoniously slammed a fist onto his head, scolding angrily, "What kind of extra expense is that!? Two million is already extravagant!"
Soon, after distributing the pocket money, Nami went back to the girls' dormitory to change clothes.
Reiner summoned undead to guard the ship, while the others dispersed to go ashore.
"I'm ready! Let's go," Nami emerged from the cabin, smiling brightly as she linked her arm with his.
Reiner couldn't help but look down at the meticulously dressed Nami.
She now wore a blue-striped short shirt, an orange tie at her collar, and a beige pleated miniskirt.
Her fair, beautiful legs were half-exposed, her slender figure exuding a fresh, girlish charm.
"You look exceptionally beautiful today, Nami," Reiner praised generously. Her usual attire and today's Nami complemented each other perfectly.
"Mm-hmm. But of course."
The corners of Nami's lips curved slightly, revealing shallow dimples. Her delicate body leaned even closer as she looked up and smiled.
"The weather is so nice, a rare treat. After we finish our business later, we can properly relax and have some fun."
"Okay. Let's get Luffy and Usopp. We're off."
Soon, they jumped off the ship and landed. He, Nami, Luffy, and Usopp formed one group.
The Blue and Red Ogres followed behind them, carrying two large sacks of gold, as they entered this far-renowned City of Water together.
(End of this chapter)
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