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Chapter 14
Once the crew recovered from the wild descent, they immediately got to work checking the hull.
Heracles inspected the damage with a worried frown. "That was thrilling, sure… but our ship's barely holding together. It's just an ordinary vessel, after all."
Victor nodded in agreement. "You're right. Next stop: Water 7. We've got plenty of money now—time to build something bigger and better."
Heracles looked relieved. "Good. Let's hurry then. I'm worried this thing might not make it."
The crew patched up the worst cracks and leaks, then set sail again.
Naturally, another banquet broke out—supplies were plentiful, after all.
No matter how much they ate, Victor always out-ate everyone.
He pulled out food and drinks, raising his glass of juice high. "Brothers and friends! To celebrate our safe return from Skypiea—cheers!"
The crew roared back, raising their cups in unison. Laughter and cheers filled the deck once more.
Crocus watched the lively scene with a soft smile.
During the voyage, they stopped briefly at Long Ring Long Land to resupply daily necessities and rest. For Victor, this whole journey still felt like his first real adventure—almost like a vacation.
But growing stronger remained his top priority. Still, experiencing local culture and customs for a few days here and there wasn't bad.
For the botanists on board, though? Torture. They desperately wanted to study Long Ring Long Land's unique plants—the urge was almost painful.
Victor could only sigh helplessly. Scholars were like this. It's why they'd risked Boin Archipelago in the first place.
He dreaded the future—every new island would trigger the same passionate requests to stop and research. It would slow everything down.
Heracles handled it better—he could control his impulses. His current strength rivaled an elite Vice Admiral, not far behind Victor himself.
Crocus was strong too—roughly average Vice Admiral level. If he hadn't dedicated most of his life to medicine, he might have matched Heracles.
In short: the core fighting power consisted of just three—Victor, Heracles, and Crocus. The rest were scholars along for the ride and research.
Victor realized taking this group into the New World wasn't practical. Too dangerous—even if they ate Devil Fruits, they wouldn't have time to master them. And their obsession with stopping at every new plant species would drag the journey to a halt.
He decided: once they reached Water 7, he'd discuss it with everyone.
The closer they got to Water 7, the more ships appeared—merchant vessels, Navy warships, pirate crews.
Pirates usually targeted any non-Navy ship they saw.
But when they approached Victor's vessel… they picked the wrong target. Especially when Victor was in a bad mood.
Any pirate ship that came too close met a swift end.
Victor reaped quite a haul: treasure piles—and even a Devil Fruit.
An unexpected bonus.
Unfortunately, it was the Neko Neko no Mi, Model: Tiger—a Zoan-type, easily recognizable by its tiger-head pattern.
This pirate crew had probably planned to sell it in Water 7. Now it belonged to Victor.
He held up the fruit to the crew. "Got a surprise on the way here—a Zoan Tiger fruit. Anyone interested?"
Heracles shook his head. "Not for me. If it were a plant-based fruit, maybe."
Crocus agreed. "Same here. I'd only be interested in something healing-related."
The other scholars felt the same. Devil Fruits held little appeal for pure researchers.
Victor shrugged and stored it away. "Alright—backup plan then."
He respected their choice. No point forcing it. With the three powerhouses on board, ordinary threats couldn't touch them anyway.
Since they weren't officially pirates, they entered Water 7 through the main gate.
Victor even planned to collect bounties on the pirates he'd killed.
After docking, he gave the crew free time.
Heracles took a few people sightseeing. Crocus headed straight for pharmacies and medical shops—his priorities clear.
Victor went alone to collect bounty rewards and exchange some gold scraps for Berries.
After half a day of running around, he walked away with over ten billion Berries. A true multimillionaire now.
"Not bad. Even the leftover scraps turned into serious cash."
Victor grinned. "Time to find Tom the shipwright. This rich guy's commissioning a new ship."
He located Tom easily—the legendary shipwright was busy working in his dock.
At this point, Iceburg and Franky weren't yet his apprentices—or perhaps not even born.
Victor greeted politely. "Hey! Konnichiwa, Tom-san."
Tom looked up from his work. "Konnichiwa, young man. Here to commission a ship?"
Victor smiled. "You can call me Victor. Yes—I'd like you to build a ship capable of sailing through extreme conditions."
Tom nodded enthusiastically. "No problem. But you'll have to wait—I've got other orders to finish first."
Victor wasn't fazed. "I can pay extra. And feel free to incorporate any new ideas you've been wanting to test."
Simple strategy: money talks.