Chapter 265: The Pluton Scheme

"Senior Chopper~"

Bepo tightly clenched the medicine bottle in his hand, his eyes brimming with hot tears.

After leaving Zou, the main camp of the Mink Tribe, he had drifted along, meeting many people; apart from Law, this was the first time anyone had treated him so well.

For a moment.

Bepo's eyes were filled entirely with emotion.

Chopper bent down and patted Bepo on the shoulder:

"You are an existence I acknowledge, a man destined to become a Pioneer... no, a male bear!"

"I look forward to the scene where you tear apart the very sky with your own two fists!"

"That will surely be incredibly shocking."

"Mm!"

Bepo nodded heavily; encouraged, he wiped his eyes with his hand and then joined Chopper in changing dressings for the wounded in the camp.

The two moved with extreme speed, their bodies clinking as they walked, their wide outer robes swaying in the wind, vaguely revealing the dense array of weighted blocks attached to their bodies.

Clearly, they had never stopped cultivating; internal competition had become part of their lives.

Outside the house.

Gao Wen, who saw everything clearly through the glass window, twitched the corners of his mouth wildly.

He truly could not imagine what reaction Law would have upon seeing this thing.

"I hope Law will still recognize Bepo when the time comes."

Gao Wen shook his head, then turned and walked toward the depths of the camp.

Before he even drew near, fierce sounds of argument erupted from an unfinished ship cabin in the distance.

"No, no, no!"

Franky's words were intense; even from a great distance, Gao Wen's hearing could still make out the general content.

"This kind of thing might fool laymen, but trying to deceive the top craftsmen within the Four Emperors or even the World Government is simply impossible!"

"I have said it many times already: the Pluton is a ship beyond imagination."

"Therefore, what we must do now is build a ship that exists only in fantasy, not upgrade upon a previous foundation!"

This ship cabin served as a temporary meeting room for the shipwrights of Water Seven, used as a makeshift site for forging the Pluton blueprints.

Yet from early morning until now, several hours had passed without the slightest result; even Gao Wen was growing impatient.

In just one night, Van Augur had discovered traces of many pirate ships around the perimeter of Water Seven, a number that would only grow larger as time passed.

The next wave of attacks would soon erupt, yet the plan to forge the Pluton had still not been implemented.

Not to mention that after drawing it up, they would still need to mass-produce copies to ensure every pirate arriving here received one.

All of this required time, and what Water Seven lacked most right now was time.

"Then come up with a feasible plan yourself!"

Paulie slammed his palm onto the conference table.

He had always been short-tempered, so naturally, he ignited instantly.

Tilestone and Peepley Lulu likewise looked at Franky with hostile expressions.

Franky had dismissed their finalized proposal as worthless; naturally, the foremen of the Galley-La Company, led by Paulie, harbored resentment.

After all, even a clay figure has some temper, let alone the already strained relationship between the Franky Family and the Kyuuka Workshop?!

"Simply vetoing our suggestions does not prove your worth; if you want to demonstrate your ability, present a feasible plan."

"Otherwise, don't act as if you know everything; those who don't know better might think you've actually seen the Pluton blueprints!"

Franky opened his mouth.

He subconsciously reached out to touch his stomach, feeling only a patch of icy coldness, a texture like steel.

What those present did not know was:

He was a cyborg, and the Pluton blueprints were hidden within his body.

Therefore, Paulie and the others were right.

Franky had indeed seen the Pluton blueprints and knew exactly what kind of warship that was.

Beyond imagination, overturning logic.

Based on Franky's understanding, even under the most ideal conditions, gathering the most cutting-edge technology of this era would still be insufficient to bring the steel behemoth from the blueprints into reality.

Compared to the Pluton, what they had designed was at best merely a slightly larger fishing boat.

"Something of this caliber cannot even fool us, let alone great pirates or the shipwrights under the World Government?!"

Franky tore the sketch in his hand to shreds, then pushed the door open and left with a cold expression.

Boom!

The heavy sound of the door slamming shut fell.

Everyone looked at each other in silence.

"Was I a bit too harsh just now?!"

"He was just trying to make things better."

Paulie took his feet off the table; recalling what he had just said, he couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt in his heart, yet the only response he received was silence from the others.

He lowered his head again to look at the blueprint in his hand; after calming down, he could easily find many obvious problems.

"The load-bearing design of the keel is not perfect."

"The firepower configuration is also far from reaching the rumored level of destroying an entire city with a single shot."

"Relying solely on wind power for navigation also means being limited by the wind..."

"A blueprint of this level indeed has many problems; perhaps Franky was right."

……

The crowd exchanged words back and forth, quickly resuming their deliberations.

Yet their gazes kept drifting toward Franky's position, guilt swelling in their hearts, though they didn't know how to voice it.

……

Outside the house.

The moment Franky pushed open the door, he saw Gao Wen standing there.

He paused briefly, then, as if having made up his mind, beckoned to Gao Wen:

"Little Lancelot~"

"Shall we chat?"

"Mm."

Gao Wen nodded.

The two found a corner piled with miscellaneous goods and sat down casually.

Franky's gaze fixed on Gao Wen.

Holding two bottles of cola, he handed one to Gao Wen, then immediately lifted the other and took a huge gulp.

"Haa—!"

Then Franky spoke:

"You lot... probably aren't Marines, are you."

Gao Wen remained silent for a long while before giving a slight nod.

Aside from their crew's impressive appearances, their disguise was actually quite mediocre.

After all, the people on Gao Wen's ship were pirates, accustomed to freedom and laxity, worlds apart from an army that emphasized discipline and obedience.

It might pass for a short time, but over a longer period, flaws would easily become apparent.

In fact, that it had taken until now for someone to see through them, and that someone being Franky, left Gao Wen somewhat surprised.

Clearly, this man from the Straw Hat crew, who was more comedic than serious and nine parts pervert out of ten, also possessed a rational and calm side.

"As expected, the Marines—no, the World Government—abandoned this city from the very start; if not for what happened back then..."

"Never mind, there's no point discussing this with you."

Franky set down his cola bottle, turned, and stared straight into Gao Wen's eyes:

"Since you aren't Marines, why are you playing the role of vigilantes here?!"

"Who knows?!"

A faint smile curled Gao Wen's lips:

"At first, I just wanted to bring Luqi back; although that fellow stayed in Water Seven for a few years, he is my companion."

"Originally, once we found him, we were ready to leave."

"But some cold-blooded person on my ship suddenly grew a conscience; he couldn't bear to watch the people here die, and as captain, I couldn't just let him stay here waiting to die, could I?!"

"Hmph~ The so-called romance between men?!"

Franky snorted lightly.

He raised a hand to adjust his glasses; the gaze beneath his sunglasses turned sharp, and when he looked at Gao Wen again, several degrees of approval had been added:

"With such strength, you are absolutely no nameless figure; who exactly are you?!"

Gao Wen said indifferently:

"Knight—Gao Wen!"

"One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea! The most righteous man in the East Blue?!"

Franky's pupils contracted sharply; he stood up directly:

"So the legend is true; you are different from other pirates."

Recalling everything Gao Wen and his party had done since landing on the island, Franky couldn't help but feel a surge of respect.

He was utterly certain in his heart that this man, just as the rumors claimed, upheld the path of benevolence and righteousness, even willing to stand up for people who were utterly insignificant to him.

Some called him childish, some called him hypocritical, and others said he was merely putting on an act.

But Franky, having experienced the predicament of Water Seven, knew the truth.

In a disaster like this, for someone to risk their life to lend a hand, and from start to finish show no concern for the existence of the Pluton blueprints...

... such a person could absolutely not be a hypocrite!

If Gao Wen is hypocritical, then what exactly are the Marines, who don't even bother pretending?!

Loyal hounds of the World Government?!

Moreover, Franky had already concluded that the so-called 'companion couldn't stand it' and 'I had to stay' was merely an excuse fabricated by Gao Wen.

After all, he was that kind of person himself.

He was all too familiar with this kind of operation where the mouth denies what the body honestly does.

Stubborn mouths!

Men are just stubborn-mouthed!

He shot Gao Wen a look that said 'I understand you,' making the latter's scalp tingle:

"Uh... you're the pervert, not me."

"Oh~ Little Gao Wen, you really have a sweet mouth~"

Gao Wen couldn't help but reach up and support his forehead.

Damn it, he forgot that calling him a pervert was equivalent to rewarding him.

"In that case, then this thing, I think, should be able to help you."

The voice landed.

A stack of somewhat worn blueprints appeared before Gao Wen, rustling loudly in the wind.

He immediately realized what these things were:

"The Pluton blueprints? You have this thing?!"

"That's right."

Franky nodded and continued:

"This is only part of it; the other part concerns power source technology, which I cannot hand over to you."

"Even though Water Seven represents the pinnacle of shipbuilding technology in this era, a ship born purely from our imagination still falls short of Pluton by half and cannot deceive those high-ranking figures."

"Only by mixing truth with falsehood, modifying based on the genuine article, can this be achieved."

Gao Wen reached out to take the Pluton blueprints; upon opening them, his gaze tightened slightly.

Having lived two lives, although he was not a shipbuilding specialist, he had still seen nation-destroying weapons such as aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines.

Yet now, seeing Pluton's blueprints, he still felt it was inconceivable.

"This is... a ship? This is really a ship?!"

"Surprised, aren't you?!"

"When I first saw it, I had the same expression as you; if this thing could truly be built, I really cannot imagine anything that could stop it."

"Ah."

Gao Wen slowly closed the blueprints in his hand, a mocking smile curling the corners of his mouth:

"Aren't you afraid I'll take the blueprints and run straight away?!"

"Hmph."

"I am very accurate in judging people; you are not that kind of person, nor would you do such a thing."

"Then this thing is now handed over to you."

Gao Wen stuffed the blueprints back into Franky's hand and said:

"Based on these blueprints, forging a design capable of deceiving everyone—is there any problem?"

"Understood!"

"Vice Admiral Lancelot!"

"Hahahaha~"

"Super!"

Franky brought his arms together, striking his signature pose.

The slight trace of dejection born from his earlier argument with Paulie and the others vanished instantly; his entire being recovered its usual vigorous demeanor at this moment.

Gao Wen looked at him, feeling somewhat moved in his heart.

Although he already had Roubo Luqi, a first-class shipwright, under his command, when it came to shipbuilding technique, Franky was truly the foremost existence, not to mention that he himself possessed certain scientific research capabilities.

This could be seen from the numerous black technologies Franky produced two years later in the original story.

Although the vast majority of these techniques came from Vegapunk, being able to apply what he learned within just two years was sufficient to demonstrate Franky's ability.

Moreover, the Munch-Munch Fruit originally in Wapol's possession should have already been reborn somewhere in this world by now.

The Munch-Munch Fruit had the ability to fuse ingested inorganic or even organic matter to create entirely new materials, making it extremely convenient for use in shipbuilding or weapon manufacturing.

Furthermore, the abilities of the Munch-Munch Fruit and the characteristics of Franky as a cyborg could be said to coincide perfectly.

Under the combination of the two, they might even collide to spark something entirely new!

Thinking of this.

Gao Wen could not help but speak:

"After the matters of Water Seven are settled, would you consider joining my ship?! Even if the title of Warlord of the Sea proves useless by then, my blade will still work."

"Ao~"

The smile on Franky's face could not be suppressed no matter what; after hesitating for a few seconds, he firmly shook his head:

"The little cuties of the Franky Family still need my care."

"If Kiwi and Moze were left without me, they would quickly revert to their former delinquent girl selves, and that would be very bad."

"Isn't it even more dangerous to stay by your side?!"

"Gao Wen... saying such things, Vice Admiral Lancelot, is quite troubling for me~"

Franky shrugged his hands.

His voice grew increasingly distant, leaving only Gao Wen standing alone in place, watching Franky's retreating figure.

With these craftsmen of Water Seven creating imitations based on the genuine article, the speed was much faster than creating something from nothing, and the result was far more reliable.

Gao Wen gradually set his mind at ease; all that was needed next was to wait.

However, before Gao Wen could catch his breath, merely a few minutes later, several guards with panicked expressions approached from the distance.

Vice Admiral, my lord, the pirates along the coast have acted again; several pirate ships have broken through the patrol line and are attempting to land at the port.

"Once they succeed, the pressure we face will increase dramatically, and other pirates will also take action."

"I understand."

Gao Wen gave a response, spread the twin wings on his shoulders, leaped into the air, and sped toward the location where the pirates were landing.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Mere minutes later, the alarm sounded once again in Water Seven.

Crimson lotuses bloomed throughout the city.

Even within the innermost camp, one could feel the earth beneath their feet trembling continuously.

The hearts of the common folk trembled along with it.

At this moment.

In the center of the refugee camp, inside a sickbay, T Gu, bearing severe injuries, slowly opened his eyes.

(End of Chapter)