"Sister Kokoro!"
Roy had made a special trip to see Kokoro, bringing her some fine liquor.
"Roy, kid! Good to see you again. Hmm? This guy looks familiar... Hic... Oh, a fish-man?" Kokoro laughed.
"This is Namur, my companion," Roy introduced. "This is Sister Kokoro, a mermaid."
"Ah? Nice to meet you!" Namur was surprised; he hadn't expected her to be a mermaid.
"I haven't been back home in decades. So, kid, what brings you here this time?"
"Nothing much, just passing through. Thought I'd drop by and visit you."
"Not much to see, really."
"What's going on around the island?"
"Someone's got a crazy idea."
"What kind of idea?"
"He wants to turn the entire island into a ship."
"Why?"
"Every year, the sea level around Water 7 rises. If you dive underwater, you can see the ruins of buildings that used to be above sea level. Large portions of the island are already submerged. The land is vanishing. Remember that little patch of land from thirty years ago when you came here? It's almost gone now," Kokoro explained.
"That's quite an undertaking…" Roy said in realization.
"Yeah, but they want to do it, so let them try. The world's a big place, full of crazy ideas. Who would've thought sea trains were possible back then?" Kokoro laughed.
"Actually, I'm here to talk to Iceburg about something."
"Oh? What about?"
"I want to share the sea train technology. Relying on ships for transport in the New World is too slow. I plan to connect a few islands with sea trains. It'll be way more efficient."
"Is the New World's weather even suitable for that?"
"It's fine. The islands I picked are relatively stable."
"That's good, then. I'll take you to see him."
With Kokoro leading the way, Roy met Iceburg for the first time. He'd seen him in newspapers, but never in person. Iceburg now had a young secretary who looked a lot like Kalifa.
After hearing Roy's proposal, Iceburg didn't hesitate and readily agreed to share the technology.
The tech focused mainly on two areas:
Track materials – Materials resistant to seawater corrosion, along with buoyant materials that allowed the sea train to glide over the ocean.
The Locomotive – A design that minimized weight while maintaining the power to move across the sea.
"As expected, the core technology lies in the tracks."
Roy wasn't ignorant; he'd read extensively over the years and spent time tinkering with inventions. Most of what he built had to do with civilian life, like brewing and mechanical tools.
Having seen so much of the world, he could often spot design flaws at a glance.
"Exactly. The key is in the rails. Two main materials are used, one is super corrosion-resistant buoyant wood. Ideally, wood from the Treasure Tree Adam. The other is the main rail material, which must be made from seastone," Iceburg explained.
"No wonder Tom initially struggled to get the sea train running. The seastone must've come from the World Government."
"At first, Mr. Tom paid out of pocket and bought some from black market dealers."
"I see… So once the train was built and proved useful, the World Government saw the value and started funding seastone procurement."
It now made sense why the sea train had only become widespread in the last ten-plus years; it was limited by access to seastone.
Even the World Government's supply of seastone depended on Kaido. If he hadn't conquered Wano, there wouldn't be enough to build the rails.
Kaido's open-source exploitation of Wano had allowed seastone to flow beyond the country.
Otherwise, with the Kozuki Clan's closed-off mentality, getting seastone from Wano was nearly impossible, only through smuggling by some merchant.
So yes, thanks, Saint Kaido!
Two critical materials: one in Wano, the other in Elbaf. It was obvious how rare and valuable these resources were. Without World Government support, even if the sea train worked, they wouldn't invest unless it brought profit.
Ships were cheaper. Slaves were cheaper. Why waste manpower and money building sea trains?
Did the World Government not see the value in them?
Of course they did. But they didn't care about the world's development; they wanted to control the world.
Tom had good intentions, but he never considered that the World Government had no plan to popularize sea trains, only to use them for their own benefit.
Now with the sea train tech in hand, Roy had plenty of ways to use it. Back home, he could install systems on several islands for more convenient travel, but he'd also need to clear out pirates outside his sphere of influence.
After all, pirates thrived off raiding.
Although the Whitebeard Pirates still flew a pirate flag, under Roy's influence, they had become more like a merchant guild, or even a nation.
Whitebeard was the king. Roy? The prime minister.
"Do your best, I have high hopes for you," Roy said as he bid farewell to Iceburg.
"Tch. Who does he think he is, talking like that?" said the mini Kalifa-type secretary.
"He's an incredible person," Kokoro said with a smile.
"Big bro, the sea train is impressive, but is it really suitable for the New World? You know how the climate is," Thatch asked.
"There are still a few islands that can be connected. It's not like I'm trying to connect all of them," Roy replied.
"What's the point of connecting them? Isn't shipping by boat enough?"
"You'll come to understand it. Time is money, time is wealth. This Water 7, you see now? It's not the same as the one we saw decades ago. Back then, people here were starving."
"Now look at them, everyone's doing fine. This island doesn't even produce food. Aside from its booming shipbuilding industry, the real game-changer is tourism. Haven't you noticed?" Roy said."
"Now that you mention it…"
"Every island has its own value. Maybe not now, but in the future."
Maybe the so-called "One Piece" was just a plan.
When the sea levels rose 200 meters, it brought a global crisis.
The five great continents were broken into scattered islands. Joy Boy once sailed in search of a solution, hoping to unite the world.
But there was betrayal. The great kingdom vanished. The original plan was scrapped.
Maybe the treasure never existed. No wonder the Roger Pirates laughed when they found it; it must have been a naive dream.
Roy didn't know what the final treasure was, but based on current information, he believed it was meant to help the world resist rising sea levels. Maybe it was something wild and idealistic.
Using sea trains could be a way to reconnect the world. The worsening seas might be caused by rising waters.
The Celestial Dragons living high above? That was just fear of death. But had they ever considered, if the world flooded, could they even survive on the Red Line?
Revolutionary Army attacks had cut off their supply ships. Without food, the Celestial Dragons were suffering. Roy couldn't understand what those people were even thinking.
Just after leaving Water 7, they encountered an unexpected visitor.
...
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu