Chapter 104 Billion Dollar Ship Drop, Iceberg's Suspended ItineraryWith a "snap," the box opened, revealing a dazzling array of brightly colored Berries.
"I'm so broke I only have money left! I'm hoping Mayor Iceberg will 'personally' refurbish this Going Merry for me."
"The reward will absolutely satisfy you."
As he spoke, Luffy tossed over several more suitcases overflowing with cash, displaying an outrageous extravagance.
Keep in mind, just buying the Adam Tree only cost 200 million Berries. Even with all the miscellaneous materials, building a top-tier ship like the Sunny wouldn't cost more than 300 million Berries.
So Luffy's display of wealth was a whopping 1 billion Berries in front of Iceberg!
Watching this, Nami clutched her chest, her heart bleeding as if a piece of her flesh was being torn away.
Kalifa adjusted her glasses, pulled out a small notebook, and coldly addressed Luffy.
"My lord, allow me to remind you."
"Our mayor is having dinner with glass factory executives at the Dodgeza Hotel in ten minutes."
"Afterwards, he has a speech at Liguria Square."
"Following that, he will meet with Mayor Bimine of Gourmet Town and give an interview to the press there."
"There simply isn't time to refurbish your dilapidated antique ship."
Usopp and the others looked at Kalifa with astonishment at her meticulously planned schedule, down to the second, and couldn't help but admire her.
"Wow, amazing! Is this what a professional secretary is like?"
But Iceberg turned around abruptly, saying defiantly, "No way! It's so annoying! I'm not going!"
Kalifa calmly nodded, closing her notebook. "Understood, cancel everything then."
Everyone: "..."
"Hey! You can do that?!"
Iceberg proudly raised her chin. "Of course, I have that much power. I can choose not to go."
At that moment, Luffy suddenly appeared in front of Kalifa, extending a finger to gently lift her chin, a teasing expression on his face.
"This beautiful and sexy secretary, interested in switching jobs?"
"Our ship has high salaries, great benefits, and not only five social insurances and one housing fund, but we also get time off when others work overtime."
"Want to consider it? I guarantee that once you come, the secretary will handle everything, and if there's nothing else..."
Before Luffy could finish speaking, Kalifa unleashed a barrage of kicks.
"That's sexual harassment! You rude wretch!"
Suddenly, Kalifa stopped, a blush creeping across her cheek, and adjusted her glasses.
"Smimas, I just lost my temper."
"But I'm Mr. Iceberg's personal secretary, I would never consider switching jobs."
Iceberg, standing beside her, his face dark, covered his face and said to Luffy.
"Hey, don't make Kalifa angry anymore, I'll take this job, okay?!"
"Once this woman gets angry..."
Everyone swallowed hard, watching him nervously.
Iceberg turned his face, revealing his bruised and battered, gruesome face.
"It attacks indiscriminately, friend or foe! It's a completely random attack! Waaaaah, it hurts so much!"
Everyone: ╯‵□)╯︵┻━┻!
Just as Luffy was bargaining with Iceberg, Hadley, the pigeon on Lucci's shoulder, fluttered its wings and quietly flew away.
"Luffy, we're going shopping! Want to come?"
Sanji and the others waved to Luffy from the shore after navigating the Going Merry into the dock.
"You guys go have some fun. I'm staying here to oversee the ship repairs."
Luffy waved his hand, declining the shopping temptation.
After all, this matter concerned the survival of the ship spirits, and he wasn't sure if the Ship of Theseus's experiment would succeed; he had to keep an eye on it himself.
The group nodded, rented some seahorse mounts named "Blue," and happily went to explore Water 7.
Iceberg was looking around, carefully examining the Going Merry's hull structure.
"Your ship is very well maintained; you clearly take great care of it."
"However, the materials and design of this ship are far too outdated. It's completely unsuitable for sailing in the harsh environment of the Grand Line."
"Especially the keel; many of the planks are severely rotten."
Luffy nodded. After all, this was just a merchant ship designed by an ordinary butler in the East Blue; it was a miracle it had lasted this long.
It was only because Luffy had deliberately protected the Going Merry on many occasions in this life, preventing some devastating collisions.
Even so, according to the normal storyline, the Going Merry wouldn't last more than a few islands.
"That's why we need you, the master shipbuilder, to refurbish it."
"After all, you learned your craft from the legendary shipbuilder Old Tom, right? I trust your skills."
Luffy said with a matter-of-fact smile.
Iceberg stiffened instantly upon hearing Luffy mention "Old Tom," his eyes instantly becoming wary.
Luffy chuckled and waved his hand reassuringly.
"Don't worry, I'm not interested in that Pluton thing."
"Destroy an island in one hit? Sounds impressive, but unfortunately, I happen to have someone under my command who can do it."
While Enel's Lightning Bolt requires charging, its power in a single strike is comparable to the so-called Pluton battleship.
Furthermore, Pluton's primary function is as a strategic weapon to deter nations, not for battles between the strong.
Therefore, apart from Shirahoshi's Ancient Weapon, which can summon living Sea Kings, Luffy has no interest in the other two.
He'd rather spend his time developing his Gum-Gum Fruit abilities than searching for blueprints.
Luffy in the parallel world has already mastered Gear Fifth, catching lightning with his bare hands; he still needs to work harder.
And although his Devil Fruit has eliminated the side effects of seawater, top-tier combat power in the pirate world still relies on Haki.
To be honest, his current mastery of Haki is still incredibly weak.
Looks like I need to put my plan to find that old man Zephyr to teach me Haki on the agenda.
As for finding Rayleigh?
Pah! He's only taught me the basics in two years, even a dog wouldn't go! He's a disgrace!
Even a fool knows that the most powerful teacher in the One Piece world is Kaido.
One hit teaches you Ryuo, two hits teach you Binding, and three hits directly awaken your Devil Fruit ability.
Guaranteed to teach you everything, if you can't learn it, it's because you can't withstand the blows.
Next on the list is Zephyr, who taught the three admirals.
With his current strength, going to Kaido would likely result in him being utterly humiliated. While he could use his revival coins for sit-ups, being captured would still mean enduring brutal torture.
It would be better to first seek out Zephyr to hone his skills and catch up, since Zephyr is a genuine Admiral-level fighter.
Although his age has diminished his strength, in the movie, if it weren't for Luffy's overpowered abilities, he could normally hold his own against the current three Admirals.
Once he's strong enough to contend with Kaido, he can then seek out Kaido to learn the art of binding and reach the pinnacle of piracy.
Just thinking about it makes him feel wonderful.
However, Iceberg was completely unaware of Luffy's wild ideas. Upon hearing the words "Dark King," his heart nearly jumped out of his chest.
He immediately and vehemently denied it, shaking his head vigorously.
"What Pluton blueprints? I have no idea what you're talking about!"
"Master destroyed everything before he died, really!"
Seeing Iceberg's anxious expression, Luffy didn't bother to explain further.
Anyway, he wasn't a pirate and didn't need to rely on his ship's performance to evade the Navy.
In Luffy's view, the purpose of a ship was simply for comfort.