Chapter 78: Glorious Achievements
“…Prince Elus, please allow me to reconsider.”
The beautiful maids traveling together attracted countless gazes.
However, after the maids pulled out guns and swords from their skirts and, with the momentum of an autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves, defeated all the unwelcome individuals who had surrounded them, no one dared to underestimate these cute and beautiful maids anymore.
Raccoon Dog Hotel.
Elus was sitting on a lying chair, clipping his fingernails. He enjoyed doing this himself, clipping his slightly long nails with nail clippers. Amidst the crisp sound, he meticulously trimmed the nails of all ten fingers, and finally, looking at the trimmed nails piled at the corner of the table, he felt a peculiar sense of accomplishment.
It was like how, when digging out earwax, one would always place the removed earwax on conspicuous paper to admire, even presenting it to others as something impressive, without minding the disgusted looks they might receive.
“Fran, have you gained anything these past two days?”
“I’ve basically figured out the situation at the Franky House. Their base is in the backstreets of Water 7. That area is practically the dark side of Water 7, where pirates, gangsters, human traffickers, and other shady elements have taken root. Franky House is quite a… reputable group in Water 7.”
As she said “reputable,” a smile flickered across Fran’s face.
“Their profession is ship breakers, and their side job is bounty hunting. They hunt pirates, exchange pirate heads for money with the Navy, dismantle pirate ships, and sell usable parts to shipbuilding companies… If not for the leader named Franky being such a pervert, their reputation on the island wouldn’t be bad!”
It was true that the maids went out to sightsee, but in addition to their outings, they also dedicated some energy to gathering information about Franky House. After three days of careful investigation, they collected various pieces of intelligence on Franky House, such as personnel composition, activity areas, and daily routines… They obtained this information without much effort.
In the end, Franky House is not a true criminal organization like a gang; they don’t engage in any shady business, so there’s no need for secrecy. One only needs to put in a little effort to find out about Franky House.
“Your Highness, is it true that the Pluton Blueprint is hidden on this Franky? From the intelligence, he seems like a thug and a pervert. How could such a person possess the Pluton Blueprint?”
Fran blinked her eyes, an uncontrollable curiosity showing on her face.
That was the Pluton Blueprint!
The legendary super warship, said to be able to destroy an island with a single shot… Such rumors have always been persistent. The World Government erased corresponding records in official documents, but it couldn’t stop people from spreading the word, especially with historians from Ohara constantly exploring lost history.
Therefore,
fragments of history always trickle down.
Crocodile, who was busy with his “country-stealing” scheme in the Alabasta Kingdom, obtained information through covert channels that Pluton was hidden somewhere in the Alabasta Kingdom, which is why he spared no effort and spent a long time lurking in Alabasta causing trouble.
“Don’t underestimate him. While that guy who likes to walk around wearing only swim trunks is indeed a pervert, he is also one of the most skilled shipwrights on Water Seven Island…” Elus broadly explained the tragic story of the Fish-Man Tom and his two human apprentices being persecuted by World Government agents.
The story itself wasn’t particularly interesting, but the intelligence involved was extremely valuable.
However, since even the World Government isn’t sure of the Pluton Blueprint’s whereabouts, why is His Highness so certain that the blueprint is with this pervert who changed his name to Franky? Isn’t Mayor Iceberg a more suitable heir? Fran suppressed her curiosity this time; after all, it wasn’t the first or second time His Highness had been so cryptic.
Moreover, she wasn’t particularly interested in the late world’s greatest shipwright; what she wanted now was to witness how powerful the Pluton Blueprint was!
“So, Your Highness, when do we make our move?”
“Have the copiers been checked?”
“They’re all new products bought from Marineford, not a single issue.”
“And the aged paper?”
“All kinds of common and uncommon old papers are prepared.”
“Check them again twice, make sure all preparations are in order, and then, we’ll make our move tonight.”
The act of taking the Pluton Blueprint from Franky was not difficult for Elus himself. The reason was that Elus did not want the World Government to suspect he had obtained the Pluton Blueprint, ideally not even a hint of suspicion.
After all, it was a legendary Ancient Weapon. Even without concrete evidence, as long as the World Government became suspicious, it would definitely lead to a very troublesome situation.
Of course,
even so, this matter was still not particularly difficult.
All that was needed was to obtain the Pluton Blueprint without alarming anyone. The plan decided by Elus was to swap the real item with a copied fake. According to the plan, he himself would not be involved; he would act as a visible target to attract attention, both overt and covert, while Fran would be responsible for the actual operation. With the skills of Miss Maid, it wouldn’t be difficult at all.
At this moment,
a knock sounded.
“Your Highness, Mayor Iceberg has arrived.”
A maid’s voice came from outside the door.
“Please have Mayor Iceberg wait in the reception room.” Elus stood up, rubbing the trimmed nails on his thumbs alternately. There were no sharp edges or points, and only then did he discard the nail clippers on the coffee table with satisfaction. “Fran, you go and prepare! You’re on ‘vacation’ from now on. Take a few people out for a stroll, and when the opportunity arises tonight, act on your own.”
“Then I’ll leave now, Your Highness.”
“Hurry along! I also need to continue this protracted battle with Mayor Iceberg.” The Pluton Blueprint was the target, but apart from this blueprint, which he might or might not use, the Sea Train manufacturing technology of Water 7 was also a target for Elus. These past few days, he had spent a great deal of effort trying to obtain this technology from Iceberg, and finally, he saw a glimmer of hope.
Fran left the room to begin preparations for the night’s operation.
Elus, meanwhile, took a turn and headed to the reception room.
“My apologies, Mayor Iceberg, for keeping you waiting.”
Elus walked in and sat down on the sofa opposite Iceberg.
“I only arrived a minute or two ago.” Iceberg thanked the maid who offered him hot tea, and then extended a finger to touch the scalding teacup. The prick of heat made his attention sharpen. The negotiations over the past few days had made him realize that Elus disliked making useless pleasantries.
As a man of action, he also disliked wasting energy on meaningless matters.
Without any further preamble, he got straight to the point.
“Prince Elus, the technology for the Sea Train is my teacher’s life’s work. If it’s possible to see his life’s work flourish, I am naturally willing. However, as the mayor of Water Seven Island, I also need to be responsible for this city and this island.”
“Because of the influence of Aqua Laguna, also known as the Water Gods (Tsunami), and the fact that Water 7’s shipbuilding technology experienced a generational gap at the time, this shipbuilding city was in danger of decline and extinction. It was my teacher who built the Sea Train and saved this city with his world-class shipbuilding technology. Therefore, I absolutely must protect the city that my teacher saved.”
Elus narrowed his eyes, listening to Iceberg repeatedly emphasize his ‘responsibility.’ This statement likely held genuine sincerity; Iceberg’s feelings for his deceased teacher were not fabricated. However, this did not prevent him from finding ways to inflate the price of the Sea Train’s technology.
When Mayor Iceberg grew tired, he stopped to drink tea.
Elus then spoke, “Mayor Iceberg, I have heard about Mister Tom’s situation and deeply regret his unfortunate circumstances. However… clearing Mister Tom’s name is not something a Seven Warlord like myself can accomplish.”
He spread his hands, as if to show his difficulty.
The reality is indeed difficult.
If it was about money, honestly, even a billion Beli wouldn’t matter, but the condition Iceberg proposed was to clear the name of the deceased Fish-Man Tom. Elus never expected this condition, causing the negotiation to stall.
The identity of the Seven Warlords is neither high nor low; it depends on who you are facing or what the situation is.
But on the whole, apart from Doflamingo, who is a former Celestial Dragon, the Seven Warlords of the Sea mostly deal with the Navy and basically don’t have contact with the high officials of the World Government, so this kind of thing, cleaning someone’s name, is really difficult to handle.
Especially as the target was Fish-Man Tom, who once built the “Oro Jackson” for the Pirate King, and was consequently executed by the World Government.
It’s really difficult to handle this since it involves the Pirate King.
“Is there truly… no way at all?”
Iceberg, unwilling to give up just like that, widened his eyes and looked pleadingly at Elus.
Since his teacher willingly allowed himself to be taken away by World Government agents to protect his junior disciple Franky, and was ultimately executed at Enies Lobby on the charge of building ships for the Pirate King, he died bearing an indelible ill repute, his life’s achievements completely erased. He held a burning resentment in his heart.
He wanted to vindicate his teacher, to have his teacher’s statue erected in the center of Water 7, so that the island’s residents would know who had saved Water 7 from its former decline.
To know,
Besides the old people on the island, the residents of Water 7 don’t even know who the creator of the Sea Train is anymore.
The world’s greatest shipwright of the past, Fish-Man Tom.
It has long been forgotten by people.
Iceberg worked hard to establish the Galley-La Company, climbed to the high position of mayor, and cooperated with the World Government he most detested, making Galley-La Company the World Government’s official shipbuilding company. However, all this he worked hard to achieve could only help him avoid assassination by World Government agents and try his best to protect his junior disciple Franky’s safety…
Besides this,
He couldn’t do more.
Having stood at the peak of Water Seven, he deeply realized that there was no longer any position for him to climb; if he wanted to gain more, he could only seek external force.
Elus, who showed great interest in the technology of the Sea Train and held no negative views towards his teacher, was naturally seen by Iceberg as an external force he could utilize, much like a lone boat that had been sea drifting for a long time finally spotting land.
Even if it’s just a mirage, Iceberg doesn’t want to give up so early before this illusion is shattered.
“This matter… I hope it’s basically zero.”
Elus shook his head slowly. “Let’s not even mention how the World Government takes an extremely cold approach to everything related to the Pirate King. Just the World Government official who framed Mister Tom with trickery back then has now been greatly promoted. For his own future, he will absolutely do everything in his power to prevent this case from being overturned.”
This is absolutely the truth.
Iceberg actually understood this reason too.
It’s just that humans are the kind of creatures who will try something even when they know it’s impossible.
His gaze dimmed, and his straight back slowly bent, as if he were carrying a heavy burden.
“However, it’s not completely hopeless—”
Suddenly,
Prince Elus changed the subject.
Iceberg, who had bent down, suddenly straightened up, his bright eyes fixed on Elus.
“Mayor Iceberg, I cannot give you a hundred percent guarantee on this matter. If, if you believe me… I can promise that in the future, I will absolutely help Mister Tom clear all his charges. I truly cannot do it now, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done in the future.”
Prince Elus said word for word.
“The future?”
Iceberg frowned slightly.
What’s the difference between that way of speaking… and getting something for nothing? There’s no difference at all, right?
“Yes, the future. Since there’s no hope now, why not entrust this hope to the future? Mayor Iceberg, you’ve waited so many years, what’s a few more? The Great Pirate Era began almost twenty years ago. Perhaps in the near future, we will see hope that will change the world!”
Prince Elus’s remarks were like those of a swindler.
However,
This is not a lie.
Changing the world—this is exactly Elus’s ambition!
He took over Umit’s maritime transport network and expanded his influence, seized the title of Seven Warlords, deceived Zephyr, probed Kuzan, plotted to obtain the Pluton Blueprint and Sea Train technology, and continuously used the power of the Hogyoku to cultivate reliable subordinates… All of this was to change the world.
Eight hundred years ago, the twenty kings established the World Government in Marie Geoise.
Eight hundred years later, with the Hogyoku in Elus’s hands, why couldn’t he achieve the same glorious feat?
His personal martial power was already at the peak of the world, and it was difficult to make any breakthrough progress in a short period of time. Therefore, he shifted the focus of his efforts to building influence, wanting to achieve great accomplishments like the Twenty Kings. Fighting alone had no future.
“This is the highest price I can offer. If Mayor Iceberg, you are not satisfied, then I can only think of another way!”
“Prince Elus, please allow me to consider it again.”
After a long silence, Iceberg ultimately did not give an immediate answer.
Elus was not in a hurry, as he hadn’t gotten the Pluton Blueprint yet!
“I hope to receive your reply soon, Mayor Iceberg. I cannot stay in Water 7 for too long.”
“I will come again tomorrow.”
Iceberg stood up and took his leave.
Elus glanced at the clock on the wall; it was almost 6:30. They had been talking for over four hours without realizing it. He invited Iceberg to have dinner together, but his offer was politely declined, as the Mayor had to return to handle his backlog of official duties.
Night slowly descended at this time.
