The massive gear structure that supported the entire island was a marvel to behold. Hearing Luffy's awe, the mayor and his wife smiled with pride.
"This is the result of our town's efforts. Even the Diamond Clock was crafted by everyone here as a gift to us."
"If you like it, we could make a smaller version for you."
"Really? That would be amazing!" Uta cheered, her voice echoing in the elevator.
Nami gazed down, feeling as though they were ascending into the clouds.
Bellemere smiled warmly. "The world sure is vast. There are miracles everywhere."
Upon reaching the island's platform, Nami and Uta excitedly dashed toward the town, where various mechanical marvels were displayed—music boxes that played melodies on their own and wooden puppets that moved by themselves.
"Miss Uta, everyone here loves your music. Every music box in town plays your songs," the mayor added.
Uta looked back with a happy smile before turning and bounding over to explore the shops, her white dress fluttering as she went.
"What a joyful, peaceful town," Nami remarked.
"Thanks to all of you, we're safe. Otherwise, we would've been enslaved by those pirates. They wanted us to make weapons for them, but our town refused. When they blockaded the island, we couldn't get away…" the mayor explained.
"Because Luffy is a true hero of justice," Nami said, looking fondly at her brother, who was examining the gears. He always ended up saving people, often without even realizing it.
"I don't want to be a hero," Luffy muttered, poking her cheek in response.
For now, Luffy and his crew stayed on Clockwork Island while the town's people helped them upgrade their ship as a thank-you. They even crafted a set of armor for Moo Moo, transforming the sea cow into a fierce, armored beast with enhanced defenses and combat capability. Moo Moo, now a powerful force, would be tough to handle even for Luffy himself if it weren't for its dislike of pain.
The islanders, fascinated by their first close encounter with such a sea creature, enthusiastically measured Moo Moo, hoping to create a mechanical sea beast of their own. The idea of building a mecha-like entity like this—almost a Gundam—excited them, and they spent an entire month just sketching blueprints.
---
"Nami, happy birthday!" Luffy gifted Nami and Nojiko with hand-forged bracelets made from the island's gold and diamonds.
"Thank you, Luffy!" Nami's eyes sparkled with tears as Luffy gently fastened the elegant bracelet on her wrist.
"It's beautiful! My birthday gift too, please!" Uta watched with envy, feeling a pang of unexplainable emotion.
"Just you wait, Uta," Luffy said, smiling as he presented her with a necklace crafted from diamonds, rubies, and gold in the shape of a heart.
"It's so pretty!" Uta looked down at the glowing heart pendant, reminiscing about the first time she'd asked Luffy for a gift. Back then, he had only drawn a simple heart on her shoulder.
While they waited for the ship to be fully upgraded, they spent time enjoying life on the island.
Another two months passed, and on December 3, the girls surprised Bellemere with a birthday celebration. Bellemere's birthday was two months after Uta's, making this an extra-special occasion.
"For me too?" Bellemere said in surprise, taken aback.
"Of course, Bellemere! You work so hard for us!" Nami said, holding up a cake and beaming.
Bellemere's eyes glistened with tears. "I just wish you girls would stop causing so much trouble!"
"Well, that's impossible! Nami's clumsiness always leads to something," Nojiko teased.
---
In the year 1514 of the Sea Calendar, even pirates seemed to settle down a bit, knowing that this was the year of the World Conference. True rulers of the sea, the Navy and World Government, were showing their teeth, issuing warnings against any disturbances.
At Marine Headquarters…
"Forget about the pirates. Our top priority is ensuring the kings' safety for the World Conference. Not a single mistake will be tolerated!" declared Fleet Admiral Sengoku. The word "Justice" was emblazoned on his back, asserting his resolve.
"Any obstruction will be eliminated. Show the lawless our strength!"
Sengoku looked at the three newly appointed admirals standing before him. After losing his family, Admiral Zephyr had retained his position only in name. Following the loss of his arm, he had been removed from the admiral rank, prompting the World Government to hastily seek new replacements.
Now, three admirals—known for their monstrous power even as vice admirals—stood in his place: Blue, Red, and Yellow.
"Garp, you'll handle security for your own country…" Sengoku ordered.
"Not interested," Garp replied, lounging with his legs crossed and picking his nose, disrupting the otherwise serious atmosphere.
"Excuse me?" Sengoku shot him a confused look.
"You go home often enough, don't you?"
"Going home and protecting those royals are two different things. The ruling family of that wretched country disgusts me. If I go, I might end up punching those weird faces of theirs," Garp said.
"Fine, then go to Alabasta instead!" Sengoku barked, folding his arms.
"That desert kingdom? Sure."
Sengoku continued assigning duties. The three admirals were stationed at strategic locations, poised to display the Navy's might.
---
By March, Luffy's ship had completed its final tests and was ready for long voyages.
"This is a mechanized ship. It doesn't require manual loading and can automatically fire cannons using gears and springs. The downside is that it's limited in flexibility since it can only target fixed positions," the mayor explained, giving them a tour of the new upgrades.
The ship had been expanded to twice its original size and was outfitted with elevators, automated cannons, various clockwork features, and defenses against pirate boarders. The upgrades made it capable of long-range attacks without human intervention.
"Nice," Luffy said, wearing his straw hat with a sword slung across his back, testing out his new pistol. The pistol, enhanced with the island's clockwork technology, had greater stability and precision.
"It's simpler than I expected. No wonder some old workshop masters brag that they could build a gun from scratch," he thought, admiring his new firearm.
The urge to create was strong on this island. Seeing pipes and gears, he couldn't help but think about rifling, brass casings, and precision bullets. Besides the pistol, he'd also crafted a semi-automatic rifle and a machine gun.
"Not really my fault," Luffy thought, watching a partially completed three-meter-tall Gundam-like figure in the distance, born from the islanders' collective ambition.
-Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LegendaryTL
Thanks!