In the heart of Water Seven, on Central Street, Number 136, a magnificent three-story garden villa stood firm beneath the bright blue sky. Before its tightly shut iron gate, Sephiroth paused, his hands burdened with heavy shopping bags. A small sigh escaped his lips. The house key, he realized, had somehow sunk into the sea, swept away by the unpredictable currents of recent events.
With a slightly comical grumble, Sephiroth carefully set all his belongings on the ground, arranging them neatly beside the gate. He rolled up his sleeves, then nimbly, like a cat preparing to scale a tree, began to climb the iron gate, seeking a three-finger-wide gap for a foothold.
"Sephiroth, is this really your house?" asked Sandersonia, the green-haired girl, looking up at him suspiciously from below.
"Uh!? The main key went missing when I found the shipwreck," Sephiroth replied from atop the fence, slightly breathless. "But don't worry, I have a spare..."
No sooner had he spoken than he leaped from the over five-meter-high iron fence, landing smoothly in the villa's front yard. His steps were quick as he headed toward the villa's mahogany door, then stopped beside a Betel nut pot on the right side of the entrance. He crouched, lifting one corner of the pot with his right hand, and with his left, he fumbled at the bottom until he found a string of keys.
The original owner secretly left a spare key here, wasn't he afraid of his house being robbed? Sephiroth mused inwardly, a faint smile playing on his lips. He turned and walked to the iron gate, opening it with a soft creak for the three girls.
The villa's front yard appeared pleasant, well-maintained despite being a little quiet. Besides the lush plants and flowers thriving along the walls, there was also a large swimming pool whose water was drawn directly from the sea. It was twenty-five meters long, eleven meters wide, and one and a half meters deep. The original owner seemed to be very fond of swimming and was an excellent swimmer. But what about him now?
Staring at the shimmering swimming pool, Sephiroth felt a strange burden. As a Devil Fruit user, he knew the dangers of seawater well. If he dared to immerse himself in water that deep, he would likely drown instantly, losing all his strength in a flash.
He used the key to unlock the villa's main door, and a spacious living room immediately greeted the four of them. The villa's interior décor was European-style, with an intricately detailed design. From the hollowed patterns on the walls, the fireplace's position, to the furniture's layout, everything strove for visual elegance. Sephiroth casually touched the long sofa and table, finding that even though he had been gone for almost half a month, not much dust had accumulated on the furniture. Everything was still within acceptable limits, and he wouldn't need to call a cleaning company.
Boa Hancock gazed around the living room with sparkling eyes, then she said hesitantly, "Sephiroth, do you have a Den Den Mushi at home?"
"Yes, it's in the study on the second floor," Sephiroth replied, nodding. He gestured with his chin, then turned and led Hancock toward the stairs, leaving Marigold and Sandersonia still admiring the living room.
Inside the spacious room, besides a tidy workbench and two full bookshelves, there was also a glass cabinet containing various ship models. Sephiroth's father, despite being a purchasing manager at a shipbuilding company, was also a skilled shipwright who harbored a deep love for ships. However, the original Sephiroth hadn't been particularly interested in ships. He believed that the island's shipbuilding industry was nearing its end—a view that seemed logical at the time.
For him, having such a thought back then was quite natural. After all, with the advent of the Great Pirate Era and rampant pirates, Water Seven's shipbuilding business became increasingly difficult.
But... the current Sephiroth knew that once the Puffing Tom (sea train) was successfully built, this island would regain hope, and the shipbuilding industry would rise again!
As this thought crossed his mind, inspiration suddenly struck, like a bolt of lightning on a clear day. In the original story, the Puffing Tom used a steam engine, so its energy conversion efficiency wasn't high. What if it were replaced with an internal combustion engine? In terms of energy utilization, internal combustion engines completely surpassed steam engines. He knew that petroleum existed in this world, and even diesel fuel had been refined! Yet, until now, no one had considered it as fuel for mechanical power. So, would changing the power system accelerate the completion of the sea train? After all, this was his hometown. He certainly wouldn't refuse to help. This action could also help him befriend Tom and his apprentices. With the skills of those three, he would surely need their help someday... a strategic thought hidden beneath his good intentions.
The Den Den Mushi was placed inside a glass box on the table. Boa Hancock stretched out her small hand and gently tapped the shell of the ball-sized Den Den Mushi, rousing it from its slumber. After waiting for the Den Den Mushi to fully open its eyes, the long-haired, black-haired girl used her slender fingers to press the number buttons one by one on the right side of its shell, dialing a number.
Blururururu~!
A moment later, the Den Den Mushi call connected, and a young woman's voice, laced with worry, emerged from the Den Den Mushi's now wrinkled face. "Hello! Who is this?"
"Is that Belladonna? It's Hancock!" Hancock replied, a smile of relief spreading across her lips.
"Ugh...! Hancock, where have you three run off to all this time? We searched for you for so long and couldn't find you, do you know how worried we were about you?" The voice on the other end sounded relieved yet annoyed, its breath catching slightly.
"Sorry! Here's what happened..." Hancock quickly explained their experience of being captured by slave traders and their escape to Water Seven. She spoke rapidly, eager to dispel the worry on the other end. Because the Kuja Pirates' current location was quite far from Water Seven, the Den Den Mushi decided to ask the three girls to wait on the island for a few days before they could come and pick them up to return to Amazon Lily Island.
There were many empty rooms in the villa, so Sephiroth prepared separate rooms for each of the three girls, offering them privacy and comfort after their exhausting adventure.
In the afternoon, after the three girls finished the delicious lunch Sephiroth had prepared—who, it turned out, was quite a proficient cook—they changed into the cool swimsuits they had just bought at the clothing store. Sandersonia confidently chose a bright green bikini, while Boa Marigold looked graceful in a pink one.
Due to the warm invitation from the three beautiful women in their swimsuits, which was, of course, difficult to refuse, Sephiroth had no choice but to schedule the task of drawing internal combustion engine blueprints for that evening. With a resigned sigh mixed with a hint of enthusiasm, he donned a life jacket, dipped his lower body into the pool's seawater, and began playing water volleyball with the three lovely girls. Laughter and splashes filled the previously quiet pool area.
It must be said that the suppressive effect of seawater on Devil Fruit users was highly significant. Sephiroth only had his lower body in the swimming pool, yet his body felt a sudden helplessness. His strength and speed were reduced by more than half, and his stamina consumption was also severe, making him quickly fatigued even from light play.
However, Sephiroth was surprised to learn that even though he was currently in seawater, if he willed it, he could still rapidly restore his stamina by consuming lifespan, though its efficiency was much lower compared to normal conditions. Seawater only caused Devil Fruit users to become helpless and sink into the sea, but it didn't completely nullify their abilities. This was similar to Aokiji freezing the sea, he might fear seawater and be unable to move in it, but he could still freeze the seawater itself.
Did that mean that if he adapted to the helplessness caused by seawater in the future, could he convert lifespan into stamina to allow himself to swim in the sea without drowning...? An intriguing thought flashed through Sephiroth's mind, hinting at new possibilities awaiting him in the vast and mysterious Grand Line. His brain began to work furiously, weaving together unexpected ideas.