One Piece: Blue Scale Admiral

"Water Seven is indeed a very suitable place to establish a naval base. Do you know why?"

"Because it is an independent island and is not under the jurisdiction of any country."

Rorschach gave the answer almost without hesitation.

Sengoku nodded slightly: "Yes. The City of Seven Waters does not belong to any of the member states. It is an independent commercial city outside of the member states, and its shipbuilding industry is world-class."

Generally speaking, naval branches are not allowed to be established on the territory of a constituent republic and must be located far from the capital of that republic.

This is to prevent the navy from interfering in the internal affairs of member states.

If a naval branch were established on an island like Water Seven, with its world-class shipbuilding industry and a key location on the Grand Line, its control over the surrounding area would be significantly enhanced.

It can also effectively curb the development of pirate forces.

Seven Waters is a neutral and law-abiding city.

Carrera Corporation's shipbuilding business does not prohibit pirates, the navy, or any other force from ordering ships.

Once the navy takes control of this area, it will be extremely difficult for pirates to obtain the ships they desire and set sail.

Sengoku then asked, "Do you know why we don't establish a naval branch in this water city, given its excellent geographical location?"

"Because it does not belong to any of the member states."

Rorschach's answer was exactly the same as before.

Yes, but not entirely.

Sengoku sighed and lamented, "Our navy's duty, though said to be to protect the seas and the world, is actually mostly to protect the 170 member states."

"The world is too big. Even though our navy now has a total strength of over a million people around the world, it is still a drop in the ocean and cannot cover every corner."

“Since the member states have paid taxes, the navy should naturally step in to help them when they are in trouble.”

"Seven Waters is a member state of the World Government, so our Navy has no obligation to protect it."

“Grandpa…” Luo Xia opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but was interrupted by Zhan Guo.

"I know what you want to say, but let me finish first."

A rustling sound came from the Warring States side, as if someone was getting out of bed.

After a while, the voice of the Warring States period continued to ring out.

"Another reason why the Navy did not establish a naval branch in Water 7 is that Enies Lobby is not far from there, on a neighboring island."

Although that island is not within the scope of our Navy's protection obligations, if the Navy stationed on Enies Lobby receives a request for assistance from Water 7, the Navy will be dispatched in the event of a pirate attack.

I remember that among the military achievements that Peng En has made over the years, one was helping Water Seven defend against pirates.

Furthermore, while Water Seven lacks its own armed forces, the shipwrights of the Galleyra Company are all quite strong and not easily bullied by ordinary pirates.

After listening to what Zhan Guo had to say, Luo Xia pursed his lips and said softly:

"Old man, although Judiciary Island is very close, it's only a few dozen miles away."

If the Navy receives a request for assistance from Water Seven, they can indeed arrive in less than an hour.

But within an hour, dozens of innocent people might fall victim to the pirates' swords and spears.

Sengoku remained silent on the other end of the Den Den Mushi, a sense of melancholy washing over him. Rorschach was still too sentimental, too kind.

However, being kind is not a bad thing for someone in the Navy.

To uphold justice, having goodwill is absolutely essential.

With this in mind, Sengoku made up his mind and decided to grant Luo Xia's request.

He said, "I can approve the establishment of a new naval branch and the construction of a naval base in Water Seven."

However, there's one condition: you must obtain permission from that mayor, Iceberg.

In addition, there aren't many troops at headquarters that can be allocated there at the moment.

You'll have to figure that out yourself.

Upon hearing this, Rorschach was overjoyed and quickly replied, "No problem, sir! As for military strength, Water Seven has it. Those shipwrights from the Carrera Company would be perfect for the navy. Water Seven is their home, and they will work even harder to protect their homeland."

"Shipwrights?" Sengoku frowned.

"Yes, I inquired before. Most of the shipwrights at Carrera Company are very willing to join the Navy, but they don't want to leave Water Seven, nor do they want to give up their current jobs..."

Before Luo Xia could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Sengoku.

Sengoku frowned and said, "If you don't want to give up your current job, how can you join the Navy? Joining the Navy requires training. Just having strength isn't enough to form an effective fighting force. If you encounter ordinary pirates, it's fine, but if you encounter stronger ones, you'll probably be defeated at the first touch."

"I don't think they need to give up their jobs."

Luo Xia smiled and explained to Zhan Guo what it meant: in peacetime, they were ordinary people from all walks of life, and in wartime, they were militiamen who took up arms to defend their homes.

"As long as we get the Carrera Company's shipwrights to join the outer navy and become militia, and let them use their spare time to participate in basic combat training, we can quickly form a considerable fighting force."

"Moreover, the biggest advantage of doing this is that our Navy Headquarters doesn't need to spend too much military money on them."

We only need to set up a small team in Water Seven to teach them their daily training, while also recruiting young people willing to dedicate themselves fully to the cause of justice.

"If this continues, within three to five years, Water Seven, this key maritime city, will become one of the most important strategic transit points for our navy on the Grand Line!"

"We can also replicate this model and expand our perimeter navy to every island and village in the world that is willing to protect itself."

After listening to Rorschach's analysis and explanation, Sengoku, who was far away at the Navy Headquarters, was completely stunned.

Militia, outer navy—these simple and easy-to-understand new terms made Sengoku, a seasoned veteran who had held a high-ranking position in the navy for over a decade, instantly realize the immense power they contained.

If Rorschach's theory is successfully implemented, it is conceivable that in the not-too-distant future, the navy will have several times, or even more, peripheral members than the regular navy.

However, this kind of large-scale expansion will certainly not please those above.

The Warring States period was both shocked and sighed.

A general with the talent of a commander!

Zephyr was right; Rorschach truly has the talent of a general.

Seeing that Sengoku had not responded for a long time, Rorschach tentatively made his last request.

“Grandpa Zhan Guo, I request that Peng Enlai serve as the first base commander of the Seven Waters Naval Branch.”

Chapter 227 Hades Battleship Design Blueprints

"These are the blueprints for the Hades battleship?"

Deep inside the timber storage room of Dock One, in a small corner room, three furtive figures crouched in the corner, looking at several old blueprints placed on the ground.

A burst of electric light shot from Rorschach's fingertips, illuminating the dusty room with flickering brightness.

The other two besides him are, of course, Iceberg and Franky.

Rorschach never expected that the Iceberg, under the guise of inspecting Adam's precious wood, would summon him over and then directly ask Franky to take out the Hades blueprints from his body and show them to him.

The design blueprints for the Hades battleship are the biggest secret in the hearts of Iceberg and Franky.

It's safe to say that once the World Government learns of this secret, their fate will be no better than that of their master, Tom.

The fact that Iceberg was able to so readily expose it to Luo Xia shows that he now trusts Luo Xia completely.

This actually touched Rorschach somewhat.

Of course, perhaps the reason Iceberg chose to do this is because Rorschach had already revealed Franky's secret in advance.

Even so, it is enough to show Iceberg and Franky's determination and sincerity.

Rorschach was naturally very interested in the Hades, one of the three ancient weapons, a super weapon capable of destroying the world.

He also knew that the real Pluton's warship was not in Water 7 or Alabasta, but in Wano Country.

In Kaido's territory.

Even if he wanted to take it, he didn't have the ability.

It's unrealistic to tell Akainu or Sengoku this secret now; there are too many things to consider.

However, if we could use the blueprints for the Hades warship to modify our own warship and improve its performance, that would be great.

Luo Xia suppressed his excitement, squinted at the screen for a long time, and finally came to a conclusion.

"What is this thing? I have no idea what it is."

His lips twitched as he looked up at Iceberg and Franky, who were squatting in front of him.

The three of them huddled together furtively, looking as if they were plotting some kind of conspiracy.

“It’s normal that you don’t understand.” Iceberg gave a soft, wry smile and pointed at Franky beside him: “Don’t even mention you, even I have some trouble understanding it. Only Franky, who has loved studying these things since he was a child, can barely understand a little bit of the intricacies. Franky, you explain what’s on this.”

Seeing the two looking at him, Franky casually tousled his hair, his face full of smugness.

"I'll have to step in; you two are complete novices in this area."

Using the electric light flashing from Rorschach's fingertips, Franky picked up a few old papers from the ground and pointed to the very blurred patterns and words on them.

"I won't go into the details of this writing; it seems to be ancient writing from eight hundred years ago. I wonder if there's anyone in the world who can still understand it."

"It took me several years of research to barely understand some of the things described in the patterns."

These are roughly structural diagrams of ancient warships, but it seems that some of these diagrams are missing, and only some of the ship's hull structure can be seen.

It's incredibly complex, ten or even a hundred times more complex than any ship I've ever seen before.

Other areas, such as the combat support system and the water purification system, are somewhat better.

However, even I, in my old age, couldn't understand the most crucial power and weapon systems, and could only manage to devise a compromise improvement plan.

Rorschach was both excited and disappointed.

He didn't interrupt, and all he heard was Franky continuing to mutter, "It's strange, the power source used by these ancient warships doesn't seem to be wind power or steam power."

Because the blueprints do not show either sails or outer hulls.

That must be a more amazing, efficient, and powerful power system.

As he spoke, Franky looked up at Rorschach with excitement and said, "Although I don't understand it, I've designed a solution that can use the compressed gas from cola to create emergency power devices, and even weapons. Hey, do you want me to install one on your warship?"

This guy is talking about the Wind Cannon or the Lion's Roar Cannon, right?

Rorschach squinted at Franky, who was beaming with excitement, and shook his head somewhat listlessly: "Forget it, I'd rather you help me get some kind of water purification system and combat support system instead."