One Piece: King of the World

The city of Water 7, in front of Tom's Shipbuilding Company.

Barry, the company's chief foreman, stood near the entrance with a cigar clamped between his teeth. He held a stack of documents in one hand as he spoke to the two customers in front of him.

"I'm really sorry," Barry said, voice casual. "If you're on a budget, you might be waiting a long time. I'd suggest buying one of last year's stock ships instead. We've got a few left. I can give you a 20% discount."

He exhaled a plume of smoke and shrugged.

Across from him, Nami blinked in disbelief. "Wait... ninety million berry isn't enough for a proper order?"

Ninety million berry.

That was the entire savings she'd managed to scrape together after months of Zoro risking his life and defeating pirate crews. She'd always heard that Water 7 built the best ships in the world, and she was more than willing to invest in a reliable vessel.

But now... they were being told to settle for leftovers?

Barry gave a sheepish chuckle and scratched his head. "Yeah... ninety million isn't really a big order here."

He tapped the logo on his jacket. "Tom's Shipbuilding Company uses the world's most advanced shipbuilding techniques. We build the Navy's warships, after all. These days, Marineford's been ordering like crazy. Each contract runs into the tens of billions."

Nami paled. Tens of billions?

Suddenly, her hard-earned ninety million felt embarrassingly insignificant.

Zoro crossed his arms. "Why not go to a different shipyard? Tom's Shipbuilding can't be the only game in town, right?"

Barry looked genuinely apologetic. "Uh... actually, we kinda are."

Zoro's brow furrowed. "Seriously?"

Barry nodded. "Yeah. We've either absorbed or out-competed every other major yard in Water 7. There are a few small studios around, but those guys only make fishing boats."

Zoro stared at him. Your company monopolized an entire city's shipbuilding industry?!

Barry's nonchalant expression practically said, Yeah. We're just that good.

Nami sighed. "Okay... so, if we want a new ship from you, how long would it take?"

Barry flipped through his paperwork again, puffing thoughtfully on his cigar.

"Fastest timeline? Two years," he said.

"Two years?!" Nami yelped.

Logically, she knew that was fast. Custom ships often required years of planning and construction. But waiting two years didn't exactly align with their current plans.

She leaned forward and gave Barry a sweet, pleading smile. "Come on... isn't there any other way?"

Barry hesitated, glancing around as if checking for eavesdroppers. Then he lowered his voice.

"Well... there is a scrapyard outside town. The guys there build ships for pirates, no backlog, good craftsmanship."

"Wait, wait, wait." Zoro raised a hand. "You build warships for the Navy... and pirate ships for the criminals they hunt?"

Barry shrugged. "Gotta meet demand. If we didn't provide pirate ships, they'd just go to some black-market builder. This way, we can monitor the orders and track pirate movements."

"And the Marines are okay with that?" Nami asked, incredulous.

"They turn a blind eye," Barry said with a smirk. "If we completely monopolized shipbuilding and cut the pirates off, Water 7 would become a warzone overnight."

Nami groaned. "Great. And here I thought I'd stumbled across some juicy blackmail material to lower our price."

Barry chuckled. "Sorry to disappoint."

Before they could respond, two men in black suits strolled past them and into the shipyard.

Nami's eyes narrowed. "Who are they? Employees of yours?"

Barry didn't even look up. "CP-X."

The word hit like a thunderclap.

CP-X.

Nami and Zoro stiffened.

They'd spent months trying to track down information about the organization. Every inquiry had led to dead ends. Even Happy Street, the world's premier underworld intelligence network, refused to discuss CP-X.

And now... they were casually walking around Water 7 in broad daylight?

Barry noticed their stunned expressions. "What? It's not exactly a secret here. CP-X has an office at the shipyard."

"An office?" Zoro echoed.

Barry nodded. "Sure. We pass along pirate intel when it comes our way. And bounty hunters use the office to cash in their captures. Standard stuff."

Nami and Zoro exchanged a glance. All this time... we've been chasing ghosts, and here they are, working openly.

Barry took another drag of his cigar. "We've got offices in other spots, too. Fish-Man Island's got one. And obviously, Marineford."

He paused. "Why? You two looking for CP-X?"

Nami hesitated. "Uh... yeah, actually."

"Well, come on. I'll take you to the office," Barry said, waving them forward. "Might as well help you out since I can't sell you a proper ship."

As he led them into the shipyard, Barry cast a sidelong glance at them. "So... why exactly are you trying to find CP-X?"

"We're looking for someone," Nami said lightly.

"Who?" Barry asked.

Zoro answered without hesitation: "Donquixote Claudius."

Nami winced. "Idiot! Do you have to say it out loud?!"

Barry tripped over his own feet. "Wait... what? You're trying to find that guy?"

Nami forced an awkward laugh. "Haha... yeah, uh... funny story. We actually know him. Sort of."

Barry stared.

The two of them launched into a convoluted tale about an encounter years ago in East Blue. They described meeting Claudius, how he'd helped them, and how they'd set out to find him again.

Barry scratched his head, trying to reconcile their scruffy appearance with their supposed connection to one of the most powerful men in the world.

But their details were oddly specific. And if they were lying... well, CP-X would figure that out pretty quickly.

He exhaled deeply. "Okay. Let's see if you're telling the truth."

Nami frowned. "Wait... so you believe us?"

Barry gave her a wry grin. "Let's just say... I'm skeptical but curious."

He turned and gestured toward the shipyard's towering drydocks.

"Besides," Barry added with a chuckle, "if you really know Claudius, we can bump your order to the front of the queue. After all... he's our company's largest shareholder."