Starting with One Piece, a Multiverse Simulation

"If that's the case, then we can just find other shipwrights on the island, not Tom."

Wood initially wanted to have Tom modify the ship because of Tom's reputation, since Tom had built ships for the Pirate King.

Leaving aside the technical aspects, just the name of the other party alone can significantly elevate the prestige of Dark Ball.

It's a masterpiece created by the same creator as One Piece. Who knows, it might be able to go ashore in the future and sell the pirate ship for a fortune!

"But we've already made an appointment with Tom's workshop, and the other shipwrights on the island respect Master Tom very much, so they probably won't take our order anymore."

If it were just a matter of insufficient payment, that would be one thing, but deceiving the other party into knowing about the Fishman Hero would probably make them very angry, wouldn't it?

Robin had heard beforehand that the shipwrights of Water 7 were not to be trifled with, as they had dealt with many pirates who tried to renege on their debts.

Chapter 147 A Token from Mermaid Island

Most of the ships built on the Seven Islands of Water are pirates from the high seas.

Pirates are usually arrogant and domineering, relying on their numbers and fierce appearance, and it is not uncommon for them to try to renege on their debts.

But why have the seven islands of water been able to stand for so long? It's because the shipwrights on the islands are not only united, but also not to be trifled with.

Those pirate crews with real strength and spirit wouldn't stoop to renege on their debts, but those pirate crews that do try to renege on their debts are destined to be no great figures.

As evening approached, Wood and Robin reluctantly went to Tom's studio and met the legendary Master Tom.

Tom is a horned fishman of the fishman race. His body is round and bulging like a large barrel. His skin is bluish-yellow, and he has red tattoos on his arms. He has a pair of small horns on his head, and his beard and hair are white. He looks like a fat raccoon.

Beside Tom were two young boys, one with blue hair, wearing goggles and swim trunks.

The other one had purple hair and wore a white headscarf. When Wood and the others arrived, the two were still fighting.

"Kokoro said you know Tiger, and that you're friends he introduced?"

However, I have seen your bounty posters. You are Wood, the Navy traitor with a bounty of 120 million Berries, and Nico Robin, the devil's child with a bounty of 80 million Berries.

How could a former naval lieutenant commander and a wanted criminal by the World Government possibly have any dealings with us fish-men?

Old Tom, holding a beer mug, looked at Wood and Robin with a scrutinizing gaze.

It's not surprising that he knew their identities; after all, it's mandatory for shipwrights on the island to investigate the pirates who are their clients when they take on a job.

Pirates who renege on their debts are everywhere, so who knows if the orders they take on are reliable? Besides, shipwrights usually refuse to work with pirates who are too troublesome.

Since the incident involving Pirate King Roger, Tom has stopped building ships for pirates, as he is currently on trial.

While the achievement of building the sea train was enough to offset the crimes of building the ship for the Pirate King Roger, Tom did not want to make any mistakes at this critical juncture and thus be caught out by Enies Lobby.

"Actually, we..."

Faced with Tom's suspicious gaze, Robin was about to speak when Wood interrupted her.

"Actually, we do know Fisher Tiger, or to be more precise, the person who introduced us here is a guy who calls himself the Fishman Sword Saint Yasuo."

Robin was stunned when he heard what Wood said, because it was completely different from what they had agreed on.

Didn't we agree to abandon this commission because we didn't have enough money? What's with this whole mess now?

Wood wasn't naive enough to think that changing their excuse from knowing Fisher Tiger to knowing another important figure among the merfolk would make them believe them...

"Ever since I proudly built the 'Oro Jackson' for Roger, I haven't built any ships for other pirates in a long time."

If you don't want to build a ship, but only modify one, then that's not an exception. Moreover, since you were introduced by your compatriots, there's even less of a problem.

But how can you prove that you know my compatriots Tiger or Yasuo?

Although Tom's workshop is always busy with the work on the Sea Train, Tom also needs to eat. Under normal circumstances, Tom doesn't mind taking on other jobs in his spare time.

However, Wood's identity was too sensitive; the other party was actually a former Navy Headquarters Lieutenant Commander.

Tom is still a criminal, and the reason he hasn't been punished is entirely due to the Sea Train's achievements.

However, recently, a man named Spandam from the World Government learned that he possessed the blueprints for the ancient weapon "Pluto" and forced him to hand them over.

Naturally, given Wood's sensitive background, his presence here at this critical juncture was clearly interpreted by Tom as someone sent by Spandam.

Their purpose is likely to use a sting operation to coerce him into handing over the blueprints for "Pluto".

Wood didn't get angry at Tom's questioning. Instead, he took out a piece of white paper and a golden fish scale from his pocket.

"This paper is Fisher Tiger's life paper. As for this scale, I believe Master Tom and Granny Kokoro should be able to tell who it belongs to."

When parting ways with Fisher Tiger, since Tiger had acknowledged Wood as a friend and recognized him as a benefactor of the merfolk, it was impossible for him to leave him without any token.

The life paper and golden fish scales in Wood's hand were the things Tiger left for him on the deserted island.

The Life Paper did indeed belong to Tiger, but to be honest, Wood had no idea what the golden fish scale was.

However, according to Tiger at the time, if Wood were ever fortunate enough to visit Mermaid Island, he could receive the hospitality of the island's inhabitants simply by presenting this golden scale.

When Tom and Granny Kokoro saw the life paper and golden fish scales in Wood's hand, the suspicion and doubt in Tom's and Granny Kokoro's eyes had completely disappeared.

The Life Paper is something that can easily track a person's whereabouts and dangerous situations, and it is generally only given to people who are important to them.

Tom and Granny Kokoro couldn't tell whether the Life Paper in Wood's hand belonged to Tiger, but they couldn't possibly be unfamiliar with that golden fish scale.

Different species of creatures identify each other in different ways. Humans simply look at faces, but fish-men and mermaids can identify each other by skin, smell, and even scales.

If they weren't mistaken, the golden fish scale that Wood took out should belong to Queen Otohime of Mermaid Island!

Queen Otohime is a goldfish mermaid, and the scales on her tail are this dazzling gold. Tom and the others also know that Queen Otohime sometimes uses her scales as lucky charms to give to outstanding mermaid warriors who go out.

Otohime is the wife of King Neptune of the Dragon Kingdom and the Queen of the Dragon Palace Kingdom. However, she is more popular than Neptune among the basic population of Mermaid Island.

Because of her passionate and compassionate personality, and her ability to hear others' feelings and understand their pain, Otohime is affectionately known as "Lady Otohime" on Mermaid Island.

Being able to produce something like this means they are friends of Mermaid Island, and their identity is naturally not in question. After dispelling his concerns, Old Tom warmly invited Wood to come over for drinks and inquired about the modifications to the pirate ship.

Chapter 148 Finding a Capable Female Secretary

Seeing Wood being warmly greeted by Tom, Robin stood there stunned, feeling that she had been tricked by that damned Wood again.

However, she was also quite curious about how Wood knew Fisher Tiger, the hero of the merfolk, and what that golden fish scale was.

"Brother Wood, what are your requirements for the modification of the pirate ship? Do you plan to make the hull more robust, or do you plan to modify some devices to increase combat power?"

Whatever your request, as long as it's within my power, I, Tom, will do it for you without hesitation.

Most merfolk are bold and generous, and Tom has no prejudice against humans, so after confirming Wood's identity, he and Wood became sworn brothers after a few drinks of ale.

Tom is a celebrity on Water 7, and even throughout the entire Grand Line, he is a renowned shipwright.

However, Tom isn't actually that famous on Mermaid Island. After all, the fish-men and mermaids don't need boats at all to swim freely in the ocean.

Many of his fellow fish-men even harbored prejudice against Tom, because most of the ships he built were provided to humans, whom they disliked.

"I don't have any special requirements for the modification of the pirate ship, but there is one troublesome thing you must not forget."

That's the modified Dark Pill; it must have at least two separate rooms!

Seeing Wood's serious expression, Tom nodded, puzzled but impressed, and waited for him to continue. But to his surprise, Wood just stared at him in silence.

"Brother Wood, I mean, what are your requirements for the renovation? Do you need to add some entertainment facilities or a refrigeration system for storing food?"

"My requirement is that there must be at least two separate rooms..."

Before Wood could finish speaking, he had already been punched on the head, and the culprit was undoubtedly Robin, who had reached his limit behind him.

Seeing that Wood actually had some connection with the fish-men, Robin was waiting for him to start haggling, but after all that rambling, he just kept talking about his private room.

"I'm sorry, Master Tom, our captain is sometimes a bit unreliable. As for the modification plan for the Dark Pill, I can discuss it with you."

First, there's the refrigeration equipment for storing food, and then there's the area on board where greenery is planted; the deck space needs to be adjusted.

Please also replace the materials used for the ship's hull with better wood. After all, the weather on the Grand Line is far worse than in the Western Sea, and the original hull simply cannot withstand the wind and waves.

Regarding the fees, Master Tom, considering our captain's acquaintance with the merman hero, could you perhaps offer a discount...?

After Robin left the field, Wood, the lazy bum, was practically left out. Tom listened to Robin's questions, occasionally offering supplementary information and suggestions.

To be honest, although Robin made many demands, these were not problems for Old Tom's skills.

What he feared even more were guests like Wood, who had almost no demands. Those with no demands were the hardest to satisfy, and Tom knew exactly how to handle such guests.

Iceberg, wearing a white headscarf, looked at Robin, who was about the same age as him but managed everything perfectly, and couldn't help but sigh. If Tom's Studio had such an excellent secretary, the three of them wouldn't be in such a miserable situation.

It's one thing that Grandma Kokoro isn't good-looking, but she spends at least half the day drinking heavily, which really damages the image of Tom Studio.

Looking at the good-for-nothing Wood and then at the capable Robin, Iceberg secretly decided that if he ever had the chance to start his own shipyard, he would definitely find a capable and beautiful female secretary!

Compared to the icy young man who already aspires to start his own company and find a capable female secretary, the boy in swim trunks, Blanche, is much less cunning.

Upon learning that Wood and his crew's pirate ship was going to be remodeled in their workshop, Blanche, quite familiarly, squeezed next to Wood and secretly slipped him a large stack of small slips of paper.

Don't get me wrong, Franky is a gentleman. His perversion is just a facade. He's not like Iceberg, that repressed pervert who's obsessed with his capable female secretary.

Women were meaningless to him; Franky only had eyes for steel and cola. So the scraps of paper he gave Wood were actually weapon design drawings he had made himself.

Franky's dream is to build his own most powerful ship and take me to the ends of the earth.

His definition of "power" was to equip the ship with all sorts of weapons. And Franky did indeed possess a remarkable talent for weapon manufacturing.

However, his blind pursuit of destructive power led to a clash of ideas between him and his senior, Bing Shan, and they often quarreled.

The "Frankie Battleship" that Franky built in the past can only gather dust in the shipyard. After all, Tom's Workshop hasn't taken on any work for a long time, so Franky can only entertain himself.