Grand Line, Water Seven
As the sun began to set, the sky above Water Seven, the city of water in the first half of the Grand Line, was painted in hues of red and twilight. In front of Tom's Studio, a loud knocking echoed.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Sephiroth raised his right hand, rapping on the door, while in his left hand, he held a large briefcase. Beside him stood Boa Marigold, with long, waist-length orange hair and a striking figure.
Click!
"It's Brother Sephiroth! Come in!"
Granny Kokoro, wearing an apron and heavy makeup, opened the door. After seeing the two outside, she quickly invited them in. Then, Granny Kokoro returned to her busy work in the kitchen.
"Long time no see! Mr. Tom, Franky, Iceburg."
Sephiroth smiled and greeted the dusty, tired-looking trio, who were seated at a table. The three shipwrights often spent a month or two adrift at sea, living on a ship to build the Puffing Tom, the sea train. They would only return home to rest for a while once they had completed a certain stage of the work.
When Tom, the legendary shipwright, saw who had arrived, he immediately burst into cheerful laughter and said, "Hahaha. Long time no see! Brother Sephiroth, you seem to have grown much taller!"
"Well! That's normal, after all, I'm still growing," Sephiroth replied casually. "Right, how is the construction of the Puffing Tom coming along?"
"The sea line from Water Seven to Enies Lobby has been built! It's all thanks to your previous proposal to attract sponsors, and other islands have also provided assistance, which has greatly accelerated the project's progress!" Tom explained proudly.
"Really? That's great." Sephiroth nodded with satisfaction. "Who is this woman?"
"Her name is Boa Marigold, my girlfriend," Sephiroth replied, gesturing towards Marigold.
"Hello!" The orange-haired girl smiled and nodded slightly at the three of them.
"Mr. Tom, this time I've come here to ask you something!"
As he spoke, Sephiroth placed his briefcase on the dining table, opened it, and revealed a large Wind Dial inside. Upon seeing the basin-sized Dial, the shipwright Tom suddenly exclaimed with a surprised expression, "That's... an Impact Dial?"
"Yes! A specialty of Sky Island. This size, I have two hundred thirty of them!"
As he spoke, Sephiroth took out another Wind Dial from his chest and gently flipped its side.
Whoosh--! Whoosh--! Hmph--!
In an instant, a strong wind blew out from the Dial's mouth, making it impossible for Franky, who was directly facing it, to open his eyes.
"You managed to collect so many, truly amazing!" Tom exclaimed.
"Mr. Tom, I want you to help me design a spacecraft that can fly directly into space and reach the Moon."
Hearing this, a look of astonishment flashed across the shipwright Tom's face.
"Brother, flying into space or something... Do you want to use the Wind Dial as a power source? Although the Wind Dial is very powerful, this is a bit unrealistic!"
"No, the Wind Dial is only used as temporary thrust.... The real power source is her!"
Marigold nodded slightly, raised her right hand, and a blue-white lightning glow immediately appeared in her palm, making a "crackling" sound.
"She is a Goro Goro no Mi (Rumble-Rumble Fruit) user, capable of continuously emitting high-voltage currents. Now her ability limit is 60 million volts...."
"Hahahaha! Is thunder and lightning the normal power source, and the Wind Dial the temporary power source? This way, it doesn't seem impossible to fly into space! Little brother, you thought of a good idea! I should be able to design a spacecraft for you to go out," Tom laughed and said.
With the help of the world's leading shipwright, Sephiroth suddenly burst into laughter, "Thank you, Mr. Tom! Rest assured, in terms of compensation, I definitely won't treat you badly...."
"That's all. Hahaha!"
The two parties discussed the other details, and only then did Sephiroth, satisfied, leave Water Seven with Marigold, and return to the Sabaody Archipelago.
Actually, if the shipwrights from his own Umbrella Corporation hadn't been ineffective and failed to produce a viable spacecraft design after such a long time, he wouldn't have needed to trouble Tom. Indeed! The number one top shipwright in the world, compared to ordinary passers-by, the two parties were not in the same dimension at all. Tom could even make equipment that electrolyzed water to produce hydrogen and provide stable gas fuel....
Furthermore, it made Sephiroth feel a little regretful. In fact, when he took the time to spare, he had already used the Doa Doa no Mi (Door-Door Fruit) ability to rummage through Tom's studio inside and out, but he still didn't know where Tom had hidden the Pluton blueprint. What kind of technology was contained in that extremely fierce battleship that could destroy an island with just one shot! Sephiroth sighed silently in his heart.
Sabaody Archipelago, Island 41
At night, above the sky, stars dotted the darkness. On Sabaody Archipelago, Island 41, specifically inside the three-story villa's restaurant.
"Sephiroth~! Come and try your concubine's cooking!"
Hancock, wearing a purple qipao, saw Sephiroth and Marigold walk out of the "Spatial Door." The girl with long, straight black hair quickly pulled Sephiroth and ushered him to sit at the table.
"That...."
Sephiroth looked at the fried rice placed in front of him, and the corner of his mouth couldn't help but twitch slightly. On the dinner plate, among a steaming pile of fried rice, he saw a chicken leg, a fish head, a slightly burnt omelet, and entire pieces of sea cucumber.
"This is the love fried rice I made for you! I have plenty of ingredients in there to make me well-nourished."
Hancock, with a rosy complexion, clasped her hands, and an expectant expression, stared at him as if waiting for his praise.
Sephiroth took the spoon, scooped a mouthful, put it into his mouth, and chewed a few times. Um!... It lacked salt and had a slight fishy smell. If you didn't consider too many details, this food still fell into the edible category!
"How does it taste?" Hancock asked expectantly.
"Erm!?... It tastes alright!"
"Then when I'm free, I'll cook for you every day!"
"Ah! This... In the future, I should leave the rough work of cooking to me!"
For the sake of his stomach, Sephiroth quickly and affectionately held Hancock's fair and delicate hand, his tone filled with sincerity.
"Sephiroth~! This is my duty, no matter how hard I work, I will try my best to do it."
"No! Hancock, you are responsible for being as beautiful as a flower."
On the other side, Perona ignored the frantic "dog food" spill, sat in a chair, picked up a spoon, scooped a mouthful, and put it into her mouth.
The next moment.
The little pink-haired lolita's entire face twisted in pain. She subconsciously wanted to spit the rice out of her mouth, but she remembered Hancock's kind smile this afternoon.... Perona quickly grabbed a glass of juice from the table, swallowed the fried rice from her mouth, and drank it down.
Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!
"I'm full!"
After saying that, the little pink-haired lolita jumped out of her chair with a teddy bear in her arms, without looking back, and ran down the stairs "thumping!" Then she ran to the bedroom on the second floor!
Sandersonia and Marigold, the two beautiful girls looked at the fried rice in front of them, and they sighed in unison. The two skillfully picked all the meat from the food and chewed it indiscriminately in their mouths.
After a simple dinner, and after taking care of the housework, Sephiroth came out of the kitchen and prepared to walk to the bathroom to bathe with the three Boa sisters.
However.
With long pink hair and a black silk nightgown, Perona stood in front of him with a ghost storybook in her arms, demanding that he tell her a horror story before bed.
"...."
In response, Sephiroth could only sigh helplessly, picked up the little lolita, and went to the second floor, to her bedroom.
After the little pink-haired lolita covered the bed with a quilt, Sephiroth sat on the bed, opened the ghost storybook, and slowly recounted the contents of the book in a slightly low voice:
"That summer, it was exceptionally hot, around eleven o'clock at night...."
Three long ghost stories were told in succession, with horrifying and terrifying content, making Sephiroth himself feel a little creepy, and Perona fell asleep in a daze. This naughty child was good at everything, but her hobbies were a little too peculiar! Sephiroth muttered in his heart.
He put his books on his bedside table, carefully closed the door, and walked out of the aisle.
Sephiroth quickly took a hot bath in the bathroom, and after putting on his white yukata, he rubbed his hands, "Hey, hey, hey!" Laughing and pushing open the door of his own bedroom.
However.
He found with a disappointed expression that the three Boa sisters were already asleep. Sephiroth thought for a moment, carefully lifted the quilt, and got inside. Immediately, he tossed his yukata from the bed and draped it over Hancock's back.
"Don't worry about waiting for you!"
Hancock rubbed her sleepy eyes, and she grabbed Sandersonia, who was pushing her side.
"Go and help him moisturize it!"
"Oh~!"
Sandersonia, while persevering in a daze, crossed over Hancock and sat right next to Sephiroth.
Puff!