After greeting an old acquaintance like Tom, Spencer left to continue his work. Once everyone had gone their separate ways, Valthior walked over to Spandine's group with a cheerful smile.
Standing at the front were Lincoln, Tom, and Spandine. Behind them were several CP9 agents. They weren't just there to carry Spandine up the stairs. More importantly, they were escorting Caesar Clown, who wore a flattering smile but didn't dare say a word.
"Hahaha! Spandine, it's been a long time," Valthior said warmly as he approached.
How could Spandine dare stand there casually?
He immediately stepped forward, dropped to one knee, and said respectfully,
"Young Master, your loyal servant offers you his sincerest greetings. I hope everything has been well."
"Get up, get up," Valthior said with a laugh as he personally helped him to his feet. He even patted Spandine on the shoulder in a friendly manner. "You don't need to be so formal here. We're all on the same side. I'll allow you to skip these ceremonies in the future."
"This isn't just etiquette, Young Master. It's from the bottom of my heart!" Spandine quickly replied.
The light pat on his shoulder had nearly made him float with joy. He felt as if his whole body had become lighter.
"Hah, you really are something," Valthior said with a smile.
After speaking with Spandine, Valthior turned his attention to Tom.
Tom immediately knelt as well.
"Saint Valthior, I hope everything has been well!"
"Please, stand up, Master Tom."
Valthior calmly accepted the greeting before politely helping him up.
As for Caesar, he had already dropped to his knees the moment Valthior approached. But he didn't dare speak, and Valthior completely ignored him, leaving him kneeling there.
"You don't need to be so formal either, Master Tom," Valthior said with a smile. "The Oro Jackson was your masterpiece. Captain Roger and Rayleigh praised your skills many times. That old ship carried us across countless seas and eventually all the way to Laugh Tale. Your contribution can never be forgotten."
Tom naturally followed the conversation.
Using the Roger Pirates as a common topic, the two chatted for quite a while.
As they talked, Tom gradually realized that Valthior truly wasn't acting superior.
Between the lines, it almost felt like Valthior already considered him an unofficial crewmate.
In truth, Valthior wanted Tom to stay here.
After all, his crew didn't even have a proper shipwright.
As the world's greatest shipbuilder, Tom's skills spoke for themselves. He was more than qualified to serve as Valthior's shipwright.
But forcing someone to stay never worked.
That was even more true when it came to companions.
So Valthior wanted to respect Tom's wishes and hoped he would choose to stay of his own free will.
"I heard from Captain Roger that you wanted to create a new technology that would make the sea feel smaller," Valthior said. "You must have made some progress over the years, right?"
Of course, the sea itself couldn't become smaller.
But if travel time could be reduced, if islands could be connected, and journeys that once took months or even years could be shortened to weeks or days, then in a sense, the sea really would become smaller.
The Sea Train was exactly that kind of revolutionary idea.
In many ways, it had the power to change the world and improve countless lives.
Valthior even felt that Tom was every bit as great an inventor as Vegapunk.
After all, Tom was creating a world-changing technology completely from scratch.
Tom sighed helplessly.
"To be honest, most people think my idea is impossible. Many of my colleagues in Water 7 say I'm chasing a fantasy. On top of that, funding has always been a problem. I've solved many of the technical challenges in theory, but I've never had the chance to properly put it into practice."
Despite being the greatest shipwright in the world, Tom was genuinely poor.
Tom's fame had only truly spread after the Roger Pirates reached the final island and the Oro Jackson became known throughout the world.
That had only happened recently.
But shortly afterward, he was charged as a criminal and nearly arrested. No matter how skilled he was, few people dared hire him to build ships anymore, let alone invest in his projects.
"I see..." Valthior rubbed his chin before continuing. "I've always liked investing in dreams. Back then, I carried my own dream aboard the Roger Pirates' ship, and together we completed our journey around the world. If you're facing difficulties with your project, I'd be happy to support you. At the very least, money won't be a problem."
Tom looked at Valthior with hesitation.
He wasn't new to dealing with people.
He had spent many years doing business in Water 7 and knew very well that nothing came for free.
Even though Valthior had once sailed with Roger and they shared that connection, Tom knew there had to be conditions.
Seeing his expression, Valthior smiled.
"Of course, I do have conditions. But don't worry. Even if we can't reach an agreement, I'm still willing to personally provide five billion berries to support your research with no strings attached. Consider it my contribution to improving travel across the seas."
Five billion berreis wasn't much to Valthior.
But to most people, it was an enormous fortune, almost equal to Roger's personal bounty.
Tom was deeply moved by such generosity.
"Do you want me to become the shipwright of the Valthior Pirates?" he asked.
"Exactly," Valthior answered honestly. "We've already talked through Den Den Mushi. You know I invited you here because I want you to build a flagship for the Valthior Pirates. At the same time, I'd really like a shipwright of your skill to join us."
Tom nodded before speaking frankly.
"Since you've been so honest, I won't hide my thoughts either. To tell the truth, I need a stable place to complete my Sea Train project. Because of that, I can't spend my time sailing from island to island. Roger invited me years ago, and I was very tempted. But for the same reason, I had to refuse. So I'll be honest with you. If you want me to stay here on Frost Island, that's no problem. Research is research no matter where I do it. If you can accept that, I'd be happy to join your crew."
The reason he had stayed in Water 7 all these years was simple.
He built ships to earn money and used that money to fund his Sea Train research.
Otherwise, he would have returned to Fish-Man Island long ago.
As a Fish-Man, life there would have been far more comfortable.
Now that Valthior was willing to provide funding, there was no need for him to keep struggling in Water 7.
Once he finished building a satisfactory battleship for Valthior, he could devote himself completely to developing the Sea Train.
Naturally, that would greatly speed up his progress.
Valthior's eyes lit up.
"That's not a problem at all. We don't have plans to sail out anytime soon. Frost Island is still developing, and building a strong foundation will take years. Our focus will remain here for the foreseeable future. You'll have plenty of time to pursue your dream."
"Then it's settled!"
Tom immediately agreed.
As a straightforward man of the sea, he didn't waste time with hesitation.
"You've invited me so sincerely. If I refused now, it would be rude. From today onward, Captain, I look forward to working with you."
"Hahaha! Likewise!" Valthior laughed happily.
With that matter settled, Valthior finally brought up the ship itself.
"When you were still at Enies Lobby, we discussed my requirements through Den Den Mushi. Have you made any progress on the design?"
To save time, Valthior had already explained all of his requirements long ago.
The journey to Frost Island took months.
Rather than wasting that time staring at the ocean, Tom could work on the design during the trip.
That way, once they arrived, they could discuss the details and begin construction immediately if there were no disagreements.
It would save a lot of time.
"The first requirement is size," Tom said. "You want it large enough to carry Giants and even Ancient Giants, correct?"
"That's right," Valthior nodded. "There's a good chance I'll recruit companions like that in the future, so I want to prepare ahead of time."
Scopper Gaban was currently living in Elbaf.
The Giants themselves were powerful fighters, and there were monsters like Loki growing stronger every day.
Valthior couldn't be certain yet, but he definitely intended to recruit Giants in the future.
Building the ship large enough from the beginning would prevent problems later.
"If that's the case, normal materials won't be enough," Tom explained. "Even the wood of the Treasure Tree Adam wouldn't fully meet your requirements. More importantly, maintaining a ship of that size would become extremely troublesome."
Valthior nodded.
"Regarding that ancient technique belonging to the Giants meant to reconstruct entire islands into operational battleships, which I brought up previously—do you possess any leads?"
Tom thought for a moment. "I've heard stories about it. Some of the old shipbuilding families and companies in Water 7 supposedly possess related knowledge. Personally, I don't know the technique. But I'm confident that if you can obtain it, I should be able to use it to build what you want."
Water 7 had a long and ancient history.
Centuries ago, even the ancient weapon Pluton had been built there.
It wasn't surprising that the city had once exchanged knowledge with the Giants.
After thinking for a moment, Valthior turned his gaze toward Spandine.
Without needing further instructions, Spandine immediately understood.
"Understood, Young Master. I'll arrange it right away. If that technique really exists in Water 7, I'll find it no matter what it takes."
"Good. I'll leave it to you, Spandine."
Valthior smiled in satisfaction.
Originally, he had planned to preserve Onigashima and use it as the foundation for his future ship.
Now it seemed he would have to find another island outside and transform that one instead.
--------
Read Advanced Chapters on : www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin
~ Every 100 PS = Bonus Chapter!
~ Push the Story forward with your [Power Stones]