Robin stood there, stunned as she watched Wood being warmly received by Tom. She felt as though she had been tricked by that wretched man once again. However, her curiosity was piqued. How exactly did Wood know the Fish-Man hero, Fisher Tiger? And what was that golden fish scale?
"Brother Wood, what are your requirements for modifying the pirate ship? Do you want to reinforce the hull, or perhaps add some combat-enhancing features? Whatever you need, as long as it's feasible, I'll make sure it gets done," Tom said with enthusiasm.
Most Fish-Men were straightforward and bold in nature, and Tom had no particular prejudice against humans. After confirming that there was no issue with Wood's identity, a few mugs of ale later, he was already calling Wood "brother" and talking shop.
Tom was a famous figure on Water 7, and even across the Grand Line, he was renowned as a master shipwright. However, on Fish-Man Island, Tom wasn't particularly well-known. After all, Fish-Men and Merfolk didn't need ships to traverse the seas; they could swim freely through the ocean.
In fact, many of Tom's fellow Fish-Men harbored a certain bias against him because most of the ships he built were for the humans they disliked.
"As for the modifications to the pirate ship, I don't have any special requirements," Wood replied, adopting a serious expression. "But there's one thing you mustn't forget: the newly modified Dark Maru must have at least two separate rooms!"
Tom nodded, not fully understanding the importance of this, and waited for Wood to continue. But when Wood just stared back at him without saying anything else, Tom was left puzzled.
"Brother Wood, I'm asking if you need any additional features—like entertainment facilities or a cold storage system for food?" Tom clarified.
"My only requirement is that there be more than two separate rooms..." Wood began, only to be interrupted by a swift smack to the head, courtesy of Robin, who had clearly reached the end of her patience.
Robin, who had initially been waiting for Wood to start negotiating the price after seeing that he indeed had connections with the Fish-Men, was now furious. All this time, he had been harping on about his need for a private room, ignoring everything else!
"Apologies, Master Tom. Our captain tends to get a bit unfocused at times. I'll be the one to discuss the specifics of the Dark Maru's modifications with you," Robin said, stepping in to take control of the situation.
"First, we need cold storage facilities for food, a space for growing plants, and adjustments to the deck space. We also need to upgrade the materials used in the ship's construction. The weather on the Grand Line is much harsher than in the West Blue, and the current ship can't withstand the rough seas. And about the costs, Master Tom, considering our captain's connections with the Fish-Man hero, could you perhaps offer us a discount?" Robin smoothly took over the conversation, laying out the requirements and negotiating on behalf of the crew.
With Robin now handling the negotiations, Wood was quickly sidelined. Tom listened attentively as Robin laid out a series of requests, occasionally adding his own suggestions.
To be honest, while Robin's demands were numerous, they were all well within Tom's capabilities. In fact, he found it more challenging to work with clients like Wood, who had no clear requirements—such customers were often the hardest to satisfy because it was difficult to gauge their expectations.
Meanwhile, Iceburg, wearing his white bandana, couldn't help but admire Robin's ability to manage everything so efficiently, despite being around his own age. If their Tom's Workers had such an excellent secretary, perhaps the three of them wouldn't be struggling so much.
Cocoro's looks weren't the issue, but her habit of spending half the day drinking was definitely detrimental to the image of Tom's Workers.
As Iceburg observed the incompetent Wood and the capable Robin, he silently resolved that if he ever had the opportunity to start his own shipyard, he would make sure to hire a competent and attractive female secretary.
Unlike the already ambition-driven Iceburg, who was planning to hire capable female secretaries in the future, the swim-trunk-wearing Franky had simpler thoughts. When he learned that Wood's pirate ship was being modified at their workshop, Franky eagerly squeezed over to Wood and sneakily handed him a thick stack of papers.
Don't get the wrong idea—Franky was a gentleman. The perverted behavior was just a facade; he was nothing like Iceburg, who secretly harbored fantasies about competent female secretaries.
Women were of little importance to Franky. His true passions were steel and cola, so the papers he handed Wood were actually his weapon designs.
Franky's dream was to build the most powerful ship and take it to the ends of the world. And to him, "powerful" meant equipping the ship with all sorts of weapons. Franky was undeniably talented in weapon design.
However, his obsession with destructive power often clashed with Iceburg's more practical approach, leading to frequent arguments.
In the past, Franky's creations, like the "Franky Battle Frankies," were left to gather dust in the workshop since Tom's Workers had long ceased taking on projects. Franky was left with little choice but to entertain himself.
Now that Tom's Workers had finally accepted a commission, and it was to modify a pirate ship, Franky naturally jumped at the chance to pitch his powerful weapons to Wood.
Franky had initially wanted to discuss this with Robin, as it was clear that the black-haired girl was the one truly calling the shots. However, Franky wasn't great with women, and for some reason, whenever he looked at Robin, he felt an inexplicable chill in his nether regions...
"You're the captain, right? So you should be able to make decisions about how the ship should be modified. Why not try installing these weapons? In battle, a pirate ship's firepower is crucial!" Franky urged Wood, trying to sell him on his vision.
At this point, Franky hadn't yet been gravely injured and turned into a cyborg. The young man before Wood was still just a dreamer with a vision.
"While I agree with your idea, adding too many weapons will burden the ship, reducing its maneuverability, right? And these things don't look cheap. Our budget..." Wood began to say, but Franky, already excited by the prospect of someone agreeing with his ideas, cut him off eagerly.
"Since you're the first customer of the future most famous shipwright Franky, the weapon modifications will be completely free this time! And you don't need to worry about maneuverability. If the weapons are powerful enough, there'll be no need to run. With strong enough firepower, you can just blast your enemies to pieces!" Franky declared with a proud stance, trying to instill his philosophy in Wood, his first customer.
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Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 230+ at patreon.com/Betek.