One Piece: Nico Robin Collection

Chapter 134 Iceberg
call--

Half a month later, in the City of Seven Waters.

The 300-meter-long warship slowly docked in Water 7. Its majestic hull resembled a small mountain, drawing everyone's attention.

Ships passing by quickly gave way, and even the most arrogant pirates hurriedly retreated after seeing the flag flying on the ship, fearing that they would be killed.

Anyone with even a slight understanding of the various forces on the high seas knows which force the black hole flag pierced by the sword represents.

King Caesar, the Sky Emperor, is the ruler of the Sky Island with a bounty of 2.8 billion.

It's worth mentioning that this title was given by Morgans, who claimed that there were at least eight hundred or a thousand small organizations on the high seas called Dawn, and arbitrarily changed Caesar's country's name to the Kingdom of Heaven.

However, this is only the literal meaning. In the cultural interpretation of the One Piece world, it means the top of the clouds, which carries a sacred meaning. It can be understood as a holy heaven, the kingdom of gods, or the holy kingdom on the cloud.

The old fox didn't even bother consulting Caesar; he just published it in the newspaper.

Caesar was very unhappy, but after learning that the Celestial Dragons were even more unhappy than him and were causing trouble for Morgans all over the world, Caesar was happy again.

The old birdman was a stubborn fellow; he wouldn't change a single word of what he published, and he stubbornly resisted even when the World Government sent people to hunt him down. In the end, the matter had to be dropped.

Morgans may not be strong, but his survival skills are top-notch; no one has ever seen his human form.

The World Government, unable to locate his stronghold, dared not press him too hard, fearing he might reveal information detrimental to unity.

“That’s… the ship of King Caesar, the Sky Emperor!”

Why would something like this appear here?

"Could they be here to plunder?"

"No way? He's the ruler of a country, possessing 100,000 tons of gold."

"Idiot, who would complain about having too much money?"

"You're the idiot! How could someone like that be short of money? He's definitely here to build a ship!"

At the port, crowds surged, curiously watching the large ship slowly approaching the shore.

Unlike other factions, the large black ship did not have symbolic decorations carved on its prow. Its overall appearance was very understated, but the black hull gave it a very somber look.

As the ship docked, the sailors on the pier set up long planks, and Caesar and his entourage leisurely disembarked.

"Mr. Iceberg is here!"

The crowd parted to make way, and Mayor Iceberg of Water City, accompanied by his secretary, came to the front of the crowd.

"Hey, long time no see, Mayor Iceberg."

Upon seeing the newcomer, Caesar waved cheerfully.

"It has been a long time, Your Excellency Caesar."

Iceberg smiled slightly and shook hands with Caesar: "I never imagined that in just over a year, you would have become such a famous figure."

"It's all luck, a coincidence."

Caesar smiled, his attitude very polite.

He and Iceberg were old acquaintances; one was in resource extraction and the other in shipbuilding, and they had a supply partnership. Before Caesar set sail, Water Seven was one of Caesar Group's largest clients.

Iceberg once went to the East China Sea to discuss cooperation with Caesar. At that time, Water Seven was still in chaos, with several shipyards fighting each other to the death for business.

It wasn't until Iceberg unified the shipbuilding industry in Water Seven that Caesar invested a considerable amount of money to help with the acquisition, and that's when this stake came in.

Therefore, while their relationship wasn't particularly close, they could still be considered friends.

"Who is this…"

Caesar glanced at the blonde beauty with glasses beside the iceberg, his tone enigmatic.

"This is Kalifa, my secretary."

Iceberg introduced Caesar, subtly standing between the two.

He had no particular interest in Kalifa, but rumors circulated that Caesar was quite lecherous, and that he was indeed accompanied by four beautiful women, which made Iceberg cautious.

"Nice to meet you, Your Excellency Caesar."

Kalifa pushed up her glasses, looking quite capable.

Facing someone like Caesar, she felt a sense of pressure; a bounty of 2.8 billion was definitely not something she could afford to provoke.

So even though Nicole Robin was openly following him around, she didn't dare to have any thoughts.

They didn't even have the courage to look at the other person, for fear of being exposed in front of Caesar.

"What brings you here, Your Excellency Caesar? Are you just passing through? Or are you building a ship?"

Iceberg took over the conversation again, asking in a familiar tone.

"We're just passing through. We'll leave once the record pointer is full."

Caesar chuckled, "I'm just showing my men around. It's our first time in Water Seven, so Mr. Iceberg, you'd better treat us well."

"That's natural."

Iceberg chuckled, feeling a slight sense of relief.

As long as Caesar isn't here to cause trouble.

Of course, if he had a choice, he would prefer that Caesar didn't come.

It's not that I have any prejudice against Caesar, it's just that his status as a wanted criminal with a bounty of 2.8 billion makes him a walking eye of the storm.

There was no other way, after all, Caesar had shown ambition and established his power.

If he were to become a mere street hustler like Shanks, the World Government wouldn't bother with him at all.

Now that Caesar is the ruler of a country and has a partnership with Kaido, even if he's just here for tourism, people will still think he has ulterior motives.

And it will inevitably attract some fools who are ignorant of their own limitations and dare to step on the heads of these 2.8 billion people to rise to power, thus posing a threat to the people of the Seven Waters City.

"Please follow me, everyone. Our company has a hotel for guests. Please stay there for a while."

Iceberg beckoned to everyone and walked towards the dock.

The crowd was like Grandma Liu visiting the Grand View Garden, full of excitement and chatter.

Since this voyage brought along a hundred Imperial Guards, there was no need to leave anyone behind to watch the ship.

These imperial guards were all selected by Yixiao, and their personal qualities were absolutely top-notch. However, due to their curiosity about Qinghai, the group was staring at the people on the deck and the dock.

In addition to Connie, the head maid, and Dezaia, the former sheriff of Loguetown and now the commander of the Skypiea Guard, also set sail, but both of them stayed on the ship.

These two are the crew candidates chosen by Caesar. He doesn't yet have suitable successors for the Float-Float Fruit and Door-Door Fruit, but whether or not to give them to these two depends on how much their strength improves in the future.

Nami is, after all, the female lead, and Caesar's type, with a halo effect. Even if her strength doesn't increase in the short term, Caesar won't be stingy with a Rumble-Rumble Fruit.

However, these two don't have the aura of important female characters. Although their loyalty is sufficient, both of these fruits have high strategic significance and require a lot of physical strength from the users, so Caesar naturally won't give them away easily.

"Uncle Iceberg, what's that?"

Bonnie pointed to the enormous seahorse carrying a small boat in the river beside the road, her eyes full of curiosity. "That's Blue, a creature unique to Water Seven. It's very strong and is Water Seven's main transportation force."

Iceberg chuckled, "There are places in town that specialize in renting out Blues. If you're curious, you can go to Blue House later and rent a few; the price is very cheap..."

As he spoke, Iceberg looked up at the seven-meter-tall bear and added, "However, the larger ones will be relatively more expensive."

"Hey, Uncle Iceberg, what's that? It looks delicious."

Yamato pointed to a roadside shop with chunks of meat hanging on the ground, his mouth watering.

"You don't need to call me 'uncle' anymore..."

Iceberg chuckled dryly: "That's Water Meat, a specialty of Water Seven. However, Water Seven doesn't have many delicacies, as it's famous for its shipbuilding industry. If you're interested in food, you can take the sea train to the nearby food city of Pukki. For sightseeing, you can visit the carnival city of Sanfarud."

As soon as he finished speaking, Iceberg turned to look at Caesar.

Caesar appeared in front of the shop at some point, being held in Yamato's arms and with Bonnie hanging around his neck. He handed a wad of banknotes to the old woman who was buying the watery meat.

"I want it all."

Upon seeing the banknotes in Caesar's hand, the old woman's eyes widened in surprise: "What?! One million?! The shop is yours!"

"...No need for that."

Soon, the group arrived at the hotel, booked their rooms, and then left in twos and threes.

Caesar was received by Iceberg and taken to a high-end restaurant for a meal. Because he had business to discuss, he only brought Nami and Robin with him, while Yamato and Baby 5 went to the city with Kuma and his daughter.

Inside the restaurant's private room, Nami and Robin sat on either side of Caesar, while Iceberg and Kalifa sat opposite them.

The group sat around a round table chatting, and soon one exquisite dish after another was served. Only after the last dish was served did Iceberg get straight to the point: "I think Lord Caesar's trip this time... is probably more than just a simple stopover, isn't it?"

"I'll just talk to you about a business deal, but it's nothing more than a casual matter."

Caesar waved his hand gently. Iceberg was an upright and honest man, and there was nothing for him to hide.

As the saying goes, if you are poor, you should take care of yourself; if you are rich, you should help the world.

Although Caesar proclaimed his desire to unify the world and achieve universal harmony, he knew he had no such aspirations. He could just shout slogans and get the goal done, but he couldn't actually deceive himself.

Even though everyone in Loguetown respects Mr. Caesar, and even though everyone in Wano Country is grateful to Mr. Caesar, for Caesar, doing good deeds is more of a means of governance, and he doesn't really value these people that much in his heart.

But Iceberg is undoubtedly a rare breath of fresh air in this sea full of sin and chaos.

As the mayor of Water City, he is upright and dedicated to serving the people, and possesses exceptional talent. He is one of the few people on this vast sea whom Caesar can regard with special regard.

Now that he has transformed into a wanted criminal with a bounty of 2.8 billion and the ruler of a country, it's normal for Iceberg to be uneasy.

Caesar, having finished his meal, then put pressure on the other party. After all, when it comes to business, harmony brings wealth, and it's best to get straight to the point.

As he spoke, Caesar flipped his hand and took out a seashell.

"Wind Shell?"

Iceberg's tone was slightly surprised, but not entirely unexpected.

Not necessarily all over the world, but now everyone in the Grand Line knows that this thing is a specialty of Sky Island, and Caesar is the lord of Sky Island.

Iceberg nodded slightly: "This stuff is quite good, very suitable as a power source for ships, so I also collected some."

"It's not just wind-blown shells."

Caesar laughed and said, "There are many functional shells on Sky Island. Of course, for shipyards, wind shells are the most practical, but there are more than just one that can be used in shipbuilding."

"I did study a type of shock shell before; it's quite interesting because it can absorb and release shocks..."

Iceberg thought for a moment: "I originally wanted to use it as a propulsion system, but unfortunately the shell is too small, and the energy storage and power are not enough."

"I have a kind of shock-absorbing device that is ten times more effective than the impact-absorbing device."

Caesar readily agreed, explaining that the shock-absorbing shell was actually the one Caesar had previously used for experiments; it was in fact a high-intensity shock-absorbing shell, but Caesar had strictly controlled it.

While this thing posed no threat to him, it could still be a threat to his men.

If it were to fall into the hands of the Navy, even if it didn't have Haki, it would still be enough to give them a hard time.

"Really?"

Upon hearing Caesar's words, the iceberg's eyes lit up: "If that's the case, how do you intend to cooperate?"

"Don't rush. The power of the shovel shell is too great and is strictly controlled, so the method of selling this shovel shell must be made clear."

Caesar said calmly, "First, the outer shell must be removed, leaving only the screw core."

"Remove the outer casing? Will it still work then?"

Iceberg hesitated for a moment. Caesar's conditions were not excessive, but they were troublesome. However, since Caesar had said so, he should not have to worry about the processing.

"The shellfish on the Sky Island can be used as long as the core is still intact. Removing the shell is only to prevent them from being used as weapons."

Caesar explained, "The shell of the oyster is harder than steel, so even if it is disassembled and replaced with a steel shell, its effectiveness will be greatly reduced, but it is just right for use on a ship."

"Is this so..."

Iceberg nodded; he could understand Caesar's meaning. "Judging from what you're saying, you must have conducted related experiments?"

"My ship was built using shell technology. It is 300 meters long and has 20 detachable and replaceable shell-exploding systems embedded around its hull, which can perform short-distance emergency evasion in case of an emergency."

“That’s pretty impressive.”

Iceberg nodded repeatedly; this shipbuilding method was quite similar to Franky's.

"In addition, there's the blower shellfish, which is even more effective than the wind-blown shellfish, but it also falls under the category of controlled shellfish..."

"I want this!"

Iceberg's tone was urgent, and he almost got hooked by Caesar.

The two ate and drank for two hours straight, until Iceberg was slightly tipsy, before finally settling on a result that satisfied everyone.

Caesar also turned his gaze to Kalifa beside him.

Before he could say anything, a pair of beautiful brown eyes appeared beside him.

Nami: Stare—

Upon seeing this, Robin couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle.

Kalifa's cheeks flushed slightly as she gently pushed up her glasses.

Perhaps the harmonious atmosphere made her relax a bit, and she unconsciously uttered her usual catchphrase: "Mr. Caesar, this is sexual harassment."

Caesar chuckled, pointed at Kalifa, and said to the iceberg, "She's my love interest!"

Kalifa: "!!!"

Your mother...

(End of this chapter)