"Hmph. Red-haired brat, rein in your Conqueror's Haki, or else…"
On the deck, Whitebeard watched as one by one, his weaker sons collapsed simply from the pressure of Shanks' Haki as he walked forward.
Whitebeard couldn't help but feel annoyed.
This kid… he always has to pull this kind of stunt when he visits!
It's as if he can't have a proper conversation without knocking out a few people with Conqueror's Haki first.
With a slight squint of his eyes, Whitebeard released his own overwhelming Haki in return—no intention of backing down.
In an instant, two immense auras collided mid-air. Even the sturdy deck of the Moby Dick began to crack slightly under the invisible pressure.
One had to understand—while the Moby Dick wasn't built from the legendary Adam wood, it was still constructed using some of the finest materials available.
Which just showed how intense the clash of Haki between the two emperors really was.
After a tense ten seconds or so, both parties withdrew their Haki in perfect synchrony.
"Speak. What do you want from me?"
"It's about Blackbeard."
"Hmph. My son's business isn't yours to meddle in."
Whitebeard let out a cold snort.
Of course, this kind of response was well within Shanks' expectations. He knew this old man far too well.
"Whitebeard, I hadn't planned to bring this up with you originally. But now that the matter's been exposed, everything changes."
"Tell me—what do you think will happen when a man who's hidden beneath your nose for over twenty years suddenly gets exposed?"
"From what I've heard, he's currently with Thatch on a mission to Fishman Island."
"Thatch... is no match for Teach!"
Shanks said gravely.
Whitebeard's brow furrowed deeply.
As much as he hated doubting his sons without solid proof, he had to admit—Shanks had a point.
Someone capable of leaving three scars on Shanks' face, someone who had hidden within his crew for over two decades without raising suspicion...
Whether it was in terms of strength or cunning...
Thatch stood no chance.
Still, it was all just speculation at this point.
As long as there was no hard evidence, he refused to doubt his beloved sons.
Just then, he noticed Jozu rushing over to Marco in a panic, whispering urgently.
Marco's expression suddenly darkened.
"Jozu! What's going on? You're acting like the sky's falling!"
Whitebeard roared.
"Dad… Thatch… Thatch is in trouble!"
---
Time passed quietly. Another half month flew by.
The Super Naval Academy was finally completed.
As for the island-grade propulsion system, due to the massive scale of the project, even though it had started at the same time as the academy, it still required more than twenty days to finish.
Several other projects were completed alongside the academy—such as the Ship Design Bureau, a new villa district, and five dormitory buildings.
With the current influx of marines, scientists, and workers, the base now had several thousand people in total.
But the majority of them had no place to live, relying on temporary tents.
Not only did it look disorganized, those tents didn't have the durability or benefits of system-constructed buildings.
And with the base growing larger day by day, Luo Lan had no choice but to plan a massive residential area deep within the jungle.
After all, dormitories were cheap and fast to build.
So, he issued a bold command: twelve five-story C-grade dormitories and a full-fledged officer villa district.
Construction was already underway at full throttle.
As buildings rose one after another, a wave of joy spread across the workforce. People finally had proper homes to move into.
---
Aside from construction, recruitment nearly drained Luo Lan's entire stockpile of system points.
To begin with, the handful of instructors the system gifted for the Super Naval Academy were nowhere near enough.
In the end, he had to purchase a full A-rank instructor as the Chief Instructor, along with over a hundred C-rank instructors, each assigned to different fields.
He had initially wanted to use all B-rank instructors.
But… over a hundred B-ranks?
Way out of budget.
So, he had to settle for C-rank ones for now—at least to keep things running.
The Ship Design Bureau received a similar setup: one A-rank lead designer, two B-ranks, and twenty D-rank apprentices.
Once all the personnel and building traits were sorted out, Luo Lan felt like he'd been completely wrung dry.
He was left with barely 3,000 points.
"Still broke…!"
"Looks like it's time to get my hands on that one billion Berries Nami's holding!"
Luo Lan sighed, already plotting.
---
[Ship Design Bureau]
Grade: C
Building Trait 1: +50% Design Efficiency
Building Trait 2: +80% Structural Precision
Both traits directly benefitted ship designers.
Luo Lan was quite satisfied with the results.
Today, he had come here because Roy had reported that the first generation naval battleship was complete in design.
Inside the Director's Office, aside from Roy and Luo Lan, the heads of the shipyard (Kairo), the Science Division (Seras), and newly appointed Vice Branch Commander Hina were also present.
"Captain, this warship is unlike anything we've built before. Its entire frame is forged from steel, and it integrates numerous new technologies developed by the Science Division."
"It includes a full-power propulsion system, advanced weaponry, and even a long-range reconnaissance module!"
As Roy finished, most people remained calm.
But Hina was stunned.
"Wait a second—did you just say the entire ship is made of steel?"
"That's correct." Roy nodded.
"But… steel can't float on water, can it?"
As expected, to a native of the One Piece world, this concept was a bit too radical.
Luo Lan could only smile helplessly as he watched Hina's doubtful expression.
"Captain, is the waterline of a fully loaded ship the same as an empty one?"
"Of course not. A heavier ship sits lower in the water." Hina responded, thinking this was common sense.
Roy chuckled.
"Then have you ever wondered why, when the ship sinks lower, it eventually stops sinking instead of going straight to the bottom?"
"I… don't know."
Everyone knew that phenomenon.
But no one had really thought about why.
"That's because of buoyancy. When the weight of water displaced by the hull equals the ship's weight, the upward force balances it out."
"As long as the buoyant force exceeds the total weight, even a steel ship will float."
"Of course, a solid block of steel wouldn't work—because the water it displaces wouldn't weigh more than the steel."
As Roy explained, he unfurled a design blueprint.
"This is a completely new structural concept I call the 'Hollow Core Structure.' By maximizing internal space and minimizing unnecessary weight, we increase overall volume, which displaces more water and thus increases buoyancy."
Hina's eyes glazed over halfway through.
She quickly interrupted before she fell asleep.
"Alright, alright. Bottom line—this steel ship can float, right?"
"Absolutely." Roy affirmed with confidence.
Satisfied, Hina didn't press further on that topic.
Roy then continued with the rest of the presentation.
"Next is the new propulsion system developed by the Science Division. It's called…"
"The Cola Engine!"
At that, Luo Lan's face twitched violently.
Good grief. You really went and made that thing...
Does Franky even know about this?!