The City of Water 7 has pleasant scenery and a beautiful environment. Other than a weak economy, there's hardly anything to complain about here. After Claudius discussed his plans with Tom, he decided to settle in and wait to see his new ship take shape.
Over the past two months, thanks to Claudius' massive investment, Tom's Shipbuilding Company had a resurgence. With the backing of a Celestial Dragon, who in Water 7 would dare to disrespect Tom? And with his unmatched craftsmanship, there was no one who could look down on him. Once on the verge of ruin, Tom had transformed into a prominent figure in Water 7 again.
The ship Claudius had commissioned was enormous, practically the size of a small island. Unlike Gecko Moria's Thriller Bark or Gild Tesoro's Gran Tesoro, which were built around the foundations of islands or giant island turtles with minimal technical innovation, Claudius' ship was a completely orthodox ship structure, designed and built from the keel up.
The timber used was none other than the famous Treasure Tree Adam. Back in this era, its price wasn't as astronomical as it would later become, since pirate bounties hadn't yet reached the crazy levels of the future. This allowed Claudius to use Treasure Tree Adam as the primary material for the ship's frame without breaking the bank. He even incorporated new technologies into the design, including elements of ironclad construction.
The ship was to have every possible luxury, even including an aquarium and a swimming pool. Claudius, an avid reader, had also designed a vast library onboard. He had a unique vision for the vessel, by this time next year, it would be the year 1502 in the Sea Circle Calendar, and O'Hara's fate would be sealed. If nothing changed, the World Government would eventually send Fleet Admiral Sengoku to lead a Buster Call and annihilate O'Hara.
The Tree of Knowledge on O'Hara held an immense archive of rare documents, a treasure trove for humanity. Claudius had already made up his mind: once the O'Hara Incident broke out, he would sail his ship there, empty out all the books from the Tree of Knowledge, and enrich his library with the spoils. It would solidify his family's cultural legacy, ensuring this knowledge would endure into the future.
"Oh, I'm such a good guy, even I can't help but admire myself," Claudius said, shamelessly praising himself as he sat at the top floor of Tom's Shipbuilding Company headquarters, gazing over Water 7 and daydreaming about his plans.
This building was now owned by him and had become the headquarters of Tom's Shipbuilding. Claudius was staying here and didn't plan to leave anytime soon. Tom, a fish-man, was joined by his long-time friend, the mermaid Kokoro. Claudius also brought two other mermaids with him, Mero and Lenny. The four of them were delighted to be reunited and seemed to be treating Water 7 as a second home.
The young Enel was also having a great time, exploring the city with Franky and Iceburg day in and day out, even learning the basics of shipbuilding. His Thunder-Thunder Fruit abilities also had surprisingly useful applications in ship construction. Claudius mused that the boy seemed to have a knack for this kind of work. After all, Enel had later managed to build a spaceship on Sky Island all by himself. The so-called Ark Maxim had technology nearly on par with what Shiki could achieve with his Float-Float Fruit. While Claudius wasn't particularly impressed by the Golden Lion Fruit, he encouraged Enel to push his limits in engineering and see if he could develop this technology for his own ship.
Meanwhile, Nia stayed close to Claudius, ready to assist at any moment. As for Stussy, she was busy setting up a base of operations for Happy Street in Water 7, mobilizing personnel and arranging various resources.
Whenever he had some downtime, Claudius would pull out his Den Den Mushi and make a call. Today, he decided to dial Fleet Admiral Sengoku. After a few rings, Sengoku answered, asking, "Your Highness? Calling me at this hour—do you have orders for me?"
"Hahaha, no orders! Come on, Sengoku, we're equals here. CP-X and the Marines are just cooperating agencies. I wouldn't presume to order you around," Claudius replied with a laugh.
"Hahaha, CP-X might be on equal footing, but you're a Celestial Dragon, Your Highness. The Marines do answer to the Celestial Dragons," Sengoku replied, chuckling.
"All right, enough joking around. Are you busy these days?" Claudius asked.
"Busy? I barely have time to catch my breath!" Sengoku grumbled. "The sea's a mess, thanks to that bastard Roger. He's stirred up every scoundrel out there. Your Highness, you wouldn't believe it, New World is chaos. Whitebeard, Kaido, and Big Mom are all at each other's throats. Every silver-ranked pirate thinks they've got a shot at the top now, so they're all jumping into the fray."
Sengoku sighed, clearly exasperated, but Claudius just listened, amused.
"And those damn scholars, who knows where they're crawling out from? They ignore every warning we send, obsessing over those damn Poneglyphs. We've even had to start hunting down any remnants of Roger's bloodline. The situation is so chaotic, I feel like I need three of me to handle it all!" Sengoku complained.
Claudius chuckled, enjoying Sengoku's rant. The Admiral truly had a tough job, especially with his two former comrades-in-arms either refusing promotions or retiring early. Now, he bore the weight of what had once been three roles all by himself.
"I can only imagine how hard it is to be an Admiral. Just think, Sengoku if you become Fleet Admiral one day, won't you be even busier?" Claudius joked.
Sengoku let out a helpless laugh. "What choice do I have? This is all for the sake of justice, after all. Say, Your Highness, why don't you lend me some capable help? I hear that Miss Stussy is rather talented…"
"Oh, please, Sengoku. The Marines have plenty of people. Do you really need to poach talent from my little organization?" Claudius laughed.
After a short pause, he continued, "Actually, I do have something I'd like to discuss with you."
"Oh? What is it, Your Highness?" Sengoku replied, his tone more serious.
"Are the Marines short on warships?" Claudius asked.
"That's right. We're increasing troop numbers, but without ships, what's the point? We might as well station everyone on the Red Line and call it an army instead of a navy. But building ships takes time, and with the sea being as tense as it is, our losses are way up compared to previous years," Sengoku said, laughing at his own misfortune.
"Well, I might be able to help with that. I've recently acquired a shipbuilding company here in Water 7, and I'm working on consolidating other struggling companies in the area. Their issues are more environmental than skill-based; the craftsmanship is top-notch. But as much as I'd like to invest, I also need to bring some money in to balance the books," Claudius explained with a smile.
Sengoku paused, sensing where this was going. "Are you suggesting…?"
"How about we partner up? Given our relationship, I'll even give you a 20% discount. Think you can send some Marine shipbuilding contracts my way?" Claudius asked, grinning.
"Of course, Your Highness. I trust your integrity, and I know the shipbuilding skills in Water 7 are top-notch. Since you've offered, I have no reason to refuse. I'll make the arrangements," Sengoku replied, not hesitating for a moment.
"Hahahaha, excellent! I look forward to a successful partnership. And if you ever need CP-X's help, Sengoku, don't hesitate to reach out," Claudius said, clearly pleased.
"I'll hold you to that, hahaha," Sengoku replied, laughing as well.