"You're just here to buy shipbuilding materials?"
Harald, the ruler of Elbaf, stared in shock at the massive chests overflowing with Berries.
"You could have just asked. For a small matter like timber, there's no need to give me money."
"That won't do!"
York put down his thimble-sized wooden mug and said in a deep voice, "As the saying goes: Even close brothers should keep clear accounts!"
"Perhaps the wood of the Treasure Tree Adam is just common timber here in Elbaf, but to the outside world, it's a legendary material. Obtaining even a small branch could trigger a small-scale war!"
York pushed the chests forward. "I appreciate you offering it for free out of friendship, Harald. But I can't let Elbaf suffer a loss. As a friend, I have to consider the economic pressure your country is facing!"
Harald's eyes flickered. As a responsible King, he was acutely aware of Elbaf's finances. A quick glance at the chests told him this was easily over 1 Billion Berries.
Even for a nation of giants, that was a massive sum. Especially now, with the World Government tightening the diplomatic noose, this injection of wealth would ease a tremendous amount of pressure.
Harald let out a booming laugh. "Since you put it that way, York, I won't stand on ceremony!"
The next day.
Harald personally led a squad of giant warriors pulling an enormous cart of lumber to Ida's Tavern.
York stepped outside to inspect the delivery and was pleasantly surprised. These weren't rough, freshly cut logs. They were perfectly processed, premium spars and planks—ready for immediate shipbuilding.
He looked up at Harald, who offered a knowing smile.
"These are from our emergency shipbuilding reserves," Harald rumbled. "The scale is sized for giants, but you can easily cut them down for a Blue Sea galleon."
York chuckled. He understood perfectly. This was Harald returning the favor. York paid a premium to help Elbaf's economy, and Harald provided processed, aged Adam wood to save York months of labor.
"Thank you, my friend."
York didn't waste time being coy. He gestured to Stussy, and the giants helped push the massive cartloads of legendary timber through a giant-sized mirror into the Mirror World.
A day and a half later, York and Stussy returned to Water 7 through the mirror network.
The city was exactly as they had left it, with one major exception: a bizarre, high-tech ship bearing the MADS logo was now anchored securely next to York's warship in the secluded cove.
The four brilliant minds aboard—Vegapunk, Queen, Vinsmoke Judge, and Caesar Clown—had already disembarked to meet up with Dragon and the others.
When York and Stussy walked into the designated local tavern, they were greeted by absolute chaos.
The MADS team was indulging themselves to the fullest.
Vegapunk, burdened by his massive, lightbulb-shaped head, sat at a table with his left arm wrapped around a beautiful local woman. He held a wooden tankard in his right hand, his face flushed red from the alcohol.
Queen, who didn't yet possess his notoriously rotund physique, was remarkably skinny. Sporting a sharp Mohawk, sunglasses, and a leather biker gang outfit, he stood on the tavern's stage holding a guitar, screaming rock-and-roll lyrics at the top of his lungs.
Judge and Caesar sat opposite each other at a booth. Their foreheads were pressed together as they violently argued and jabbered over conflicting research theories, completely ignoring the music.
Dragon sat quietly in the corner. He stared at the four "top scientists" of the world, his eyes filled with profound disillusionment.
And Ivankov?
York scanned the tavern and almost missed him. The eccentric teenager was actually up on the stage behind Queen, matching the scientist's wild rock-and-roll dance moves step for step.
"Seriously~~" York sighed softly, dragging a hand down his face.
He knew the MADS scientists were eccentric, but he hadn't expected them to leave such a chaotic impression on their very first meeting.
Stussy stared at Vegapunk, her beautiful eyes wide with shock. She watched the "genius" awkwardly roam his hand over the tavern girl's waist while chugging ale.
"I don't believe it," Stussy whispered. "When I first met him years ago, he was a shy, bookish boy. He perfectly fit the stereotype of a pure-hearted scientist."
She shook her head. "If I hadn't been keeping tabs on him through the Underworld, I wouldn't believe this hooligan is the same Vegapunk."
"Ahem! COUGH!"
York coughed heavily.
The tavern quieted down slightly. Dragon looked relieved. Queen kept playing his guitar.
But when Vegapunk turned and saw Stussy standing in the doorway, his entire body violently flinched.
Like a student caught slacking by a strict teacher, Vegapunk instantly ripped his arm away from the tavern woman. He slammed his tankard onto the table, sat up perfectly straight, and plastered a shy, nervous smile on his face.
"It's... it's been a long time... Sister Stussy..."
Vegapunk stammered the word "Sister" with the bashfulness of a pure-hearted maiden. It would have been endearing if not for the fact that he smelled like cheap ale and still had a confused local woman sitting in his booth.
"Pfft!" Stussy couldn't hold it in. She burst out laughing. "That young man who couldn't even string a sentence together when he met me... he certainly grew up, didn't he?"
Vegapunk's cheeks burned, though the flush of alcohol masked it well.
"Sister... you're still as beautiful as you were back then. You haven't changed at all..."
"How can I not have changed? I'm getting older, after all~~" A flicker of genuine melancholy passed through Stussy's eyes.
She then wrapped her arms tightly around York's bicep, leaning her entire body against him affectionately. "Fortunately, I've found my own happiness now. I don't have to wander the Underworld alone like I did back then."
Vegapunk's expression instantly froze. His eyes darted to York, and a brief, sharp trace of hostility flashed in the scientist's gaze.
York's eyebrow twitched. He rolled his eyes, glancing down at Stussy.
'So that's how it is,' York realized, piecing the puzzle together. 'It's a one-sided crush.'
It wasn't hard to understand. A sheltered, brilliant seventeen-year-old boy meets a beautiful, worldly Underworld broker like Stussy, and they form a brief friendship. Of course the boy would fall head over heels.
York's lips curled into a smirk as a piece of canon lore suddenly made perfect sense.
'In the original story, MADS creates the first successful human clone. And they modeled it after Stussy. It wasn't just a random scientific choice. Vegapunk's unrequited love drove him to use cloning to create a perfect replica of her as a form of solace.'
That event eventually led to the creation of the Stussy clone in CP0, and likely inspired Bakkin to try and clone Whitebeard, resulting in Edward Weevil.
York pulled Stussy closer, his grin widening.
'It's a pity for the scientist, but I got here first in this timeline. That pathetic Weevil clone definitely won't be happening now. As for cloning my Stussy... I might just have to have a word with him about intellectual property rights.'
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