One Piece: Blue Scale Admiral

"You bought all that timber to build a good ship, right? Perfect timing, I was just planning to ask Mr. Iceberg to help me build a larger warship. By the way, how much timber did you buy? How big of a ship can it build?"

Rorschach picked up a long skewer of grilled meat and stuffed his cheeks full.

His gaze swept through the crowd and landed on Margaret and her daughter barbecuing by a pool not far away.

Tonight, people from all over Water City came to the banquet.

There is a severe shortage of chefs.

There's no one here as capable as Chef Denor, who can cook for thousands of people all by himself.

As a result, many residents volunteered to join in cooking.

Margaret and her daughter, who are experts at grilling meat, also volunteered to cook the meat dishes for the guests.

Suddenly, Luo Xia's eyes lit up when he saw Lark running over to Margaret's stall, smiling as he started helping her with the barbecue.

Franky counted on his fingers for a moment, then said carefully, "Uh, it can probably build a large ship forty or fifty meters long, a two-masted sailing ship."

"Only forty or fifty meters? Five hundred million Berries, and they only bought this little bit of timber?"

Rorschach was somewhat incredulous.

It's worth noting that the cost of a large naval warship is only two or three hundred million Berries.

This also includes a large number of cannons and steam power rooms mounted on the warship.

"That's the Adam Tree, the most expensive shipbuilding material in the world. It's already pretty good that 500 million Berries can buy so much. If the timber merchants weren't thinking about selling it all and leaving as soon as possible, that kind of good material would definitely go to the auction house, and the price would have increased by at least 50% then."

Franky held up five fingers and protested.

Rorschach stroked his chin, frowned, and couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "Five hundred million Berries only bought this little bit of wood. Even if we add the remaining money, it probably won't be enough to build the warship I want. Where am I going to get the money now? Ask Sengoku-sama? How long would that take? I don't have the time to waste here."

"I wonder how big a warship Brigadier General Luo Xia wants to build?"

Iceberg, who had been listening nearby, suddenly spoke up and asked a question.

"It must be at least 100 meters long."

Without a second thought, Luo Xia replied directly.

The conclusion he reached after many days of contemplation was that the warship should be 100 meters long.

The Navy Headquarters classifies warships into five categories based on size.

Ships over 100 meters long are called extra-large warships. They are usually commanded by high-ranking officers from the Navy Headquarters. There is no specific upper limit, but their length generally does not exceed 300 meters.

Ships between fifty and one hundred meters in length are called large warships, which are the warships used by vice admirals and generals on their daily missions.

Rorschach's ship was also of this size.

Further down are medium-sized warships of 40 meters, small warships of over 20 meters, and mini warships of over 10 meters.

With a giant like Palmer standing ten meters tall on his boat, the space he needs to move around in also needs to be increased accordingly.

Two hundred people crammed onto a fifty-meter-long warship—to be honest, it was a bit crowded.

"One hundred meters long? Hiss... If such a large warship were to be entirely constructed from Adam Tree wood, the amount of wood required would be at least three to five times that of what Franky bought."

Iceberg took a deep breath.

This is quite expensive.

"So much?" Rorschach's eyes widened. "Does that mean we need to buy another two billion Berries worth of timber?"

"I'm afraid so, if you want to make it entirely from the wood of the Adam Tree."

Iceberg said this.

Building a warship that is 100 meters long costs a staggering two to three billion peggs.

This was something Rorschach hadn't anticipated at all.

In the manga, the Thousand Sunny, which Franky helped Luffy build, appears to be only thirty or forty meters long.

It seems the timber cost 300 million pegories to purchase.

That timeframe is still three years from now.

Pele's purchasing power now is definitely stronger than it will be three years from now.

Rorschach originally thought that spending seven or eight hundred million would be enough, and he could even save some money so that they could buy some furniture, clothes and other daily necessities in Water Seven.

Perhaps they sensed Luo Xia's confusion.

Iceberg, a master shipwright, offered an explanation.

A ship that is 100 meters long has more than four times the space of a ship that is 50 meters long.

The most expensive parts of the entire ship are the keel and mast.

These two key parts need to be built with whole pieces of wood; they cannot be pieced together.

Otherwise, if the strength is insufficient, the warship will be easily damaged in battle.

A single 100-meter-long log of the Adam Tree is estimated to cost two to three hundred million Berries.

It's still a case of high price but no market.

Nobles from some kingdoms, and even nobles from around the world, enjoy buying this extremely rare wood to carve works of art.

Seeing Luo Xia's somewhat dejected look, Iceberg's eyes flickered, and then he smiled:

"Brigadier General Rorschach, actually, my Carrera Company also has some Adam Tree wood stored in its timber warehouse. If needed, I can take it out and help you build the warships you need."

Upon hearing this, Luo Xia quickly waved his hand: "No, no, those timbers are very expensive, I can't take them."

"Just some timber. Brigadier General Rorschach is a great benefactor of Water Seven..."

Iceberg wanted to persuade him further, but Luo Xia flatly refused.

Water City isn't wealthy either; everyone has a tough time. Rorschach isn't shameless enough to think about taking advantage of someone's kindness.

Seeing this, Iceberg sighed helplessly and suggested:

"How about this, Brigadier General Rorschach will contribute 300 million Berries, and I will take out some Adamite wood stored by the Carrera Company."

Don't worry, there isn't much timber, just one 110-meter-long log and some scraps.

That log is perfect for making the keel.

"As for the remaining materials, I think we can dismantle Brigadier General Rorschach's warship and use the materials from the warship to fill the gaps."

The large warships of the Navy Headquarters are also made of extremely tough and sturdy materials.

Although slightly inferior to the timber from the Adam Wood, it was perfectly adequate for filling decks and cabins.

Luo Xia's eyes lit up upon hearing this.

Right, how come I didn't think of that?

The large warships at headquarters are naturally extremely sturdy.

Ordinary pirates' cannonballs cannot cause much damage to the ship's hull.

Just look at the two Marineford warships that were decommissioned and used as sandbags to illustrate this point.

They were beaten by Garp and Kuzan for several years, and more than ten years later, they were beaten by Rorschach for more than half a year, but they still did not disintegrate.

Its toughness and sturdiness are evident.

"The dismantling of the warship can be handled by the Franky family. We're professionals in this area. Brother, this time, let me help you, my great benefactor, build a warship capable of circumnavigating the world!"

Franky patted his chest and laughed.

“I might add some special devices to the warship, but I don’t know if it’s possible to manufacture them.” Rorschach looked hesitant.

"Don't worry! Whatever device you want to add to your ship, just tell us, and our Carrera shipbuilders can perfectly build it for you. We are the world's strongest shipbuilding company!"

Barry and Dariuston, who had been eavesdropping for a long time, had long since developed an eye-opening gleam.

Upon hearing this, he immediately jumped out and said with great conviction.

"What special devices would you like to add to the warship?"

"Frankie asked curiously."

"There's no rush. We can discuss it at a later time. But right now, I have a good suggestion that I'd like to share with you all."

Luo Xia picked up his wine glass and smiled at the people around him.

"What suggestion?"

The people sitting in a circle all looked up.

Rorschach grinned, raised his glass, and said:

"I would like to invite you all to join the Navy."

Chapter 225 Conscription

"Inviting us to join the Navy?"

Iceberg, Franky, and the others were all stunned.

It seemed that Rorschach hadn't expected to say such a thing.

Especially Iceberg, who looked at Luo Xia and saw that he was the first to look at him, and his expression did not seem like he was joking.

Iceberg couldn't help but smile wryly: "Commodore Rorschach, I'm just an ordinary person, and my combat strength is even inferior to Barry's, so I'll pass. As for the others, I won't stop them if they want to join the Navy."

“Mr. Iceberg, you’re exaggerating.” Luo Xia shook his head. “Military force is not the only criterion for naval recruitment. Within our navy, there are also staff, logistics, and research departments that are intelligent but whose combat capabilities are not particularly outstanding.”

"With your talent, Mr. Iceberg, you are more than qualified to obtain a high-ranking position in the Navy's research department."

Rorschach's words were not meant to flatter Iceberg.

As one of the two disciples of the fishman Tom, Iceberg's shipbuilding skills are absolutely world-class.

Even Franky was able to turn himself into a cyborg, which shows that what the fishman Tom taught also covered other scientific and technological aspects.

Not to mention, the two brothers had even seen the design blueprints for the Hades warship.

Iceberg paused for a moment, then shook his head.

"I think I'll pass. I have to be the mayor of Water Seven and also oversee the operations of Carrera Corporation. I simply can't spare the time."