“This verdict is wonderful…”
“Seriously, that was nerve-racking. It dragged on for so long. But was that ship really stolen back then?”
“You idiot, what are you talking about?! Of course it was stolen by that Roger!”
The residents of Water 7 discussed the matter animatedly, and many were happy for Tom.
As for Tom himself, he had already returned to his home with the others and did not seem to have taken the trial to heart at all.
“Honestly, if you had sent word back to Fish-Man Island earlier, there wouldn’t have been any need to spend all this time worrying.”
Kokoro complained from the side. It was obvious that the year-long trial had been mentally exhausting.
“Ta-ha-ha! Our King has so many things to deal with. How could he waste his energy on just one person like me? Besides, everything turned out fine, didn’t it? If something had really happened, it wouldn’t have been too late to contact him then.”
Tom did not seem to care. From his perspective, the outcome was excellent.
A weak nation has no diplomacy. No matter the world or the era, that saying has always been true.
On this cruel sea, weak nations had even less of a voice.
And it was not enough for a country to be strong. It also needed sufficiently powerful individuals within it to gain enough say.
Otherwise, no matter how vast the territory or how large the population, a king would still hold no status before the World Government.
Kings and princesses alike were regarded by the Celestial Dragons as little more than slaves, playthings to be manipulated at will.
If they were killed, the only thing that needed consideration was what excuse would be released to the public afterward.
Among all the nations interacting with the World Government, only Harald was a special existence who received special treatment.
At least before Imu personally stepped in and micromanaged everything into a mess, the Five Elders’ attitude and plans regarding Harald had been fairly reasonable.
Combined with Elbaf’s enormous number of powerful warriors, the nation had become one of the few “sanctuaries.”
“So those people didn’t actually think Mr. Tom was innocent? They just changed their minds because of a nation?”
Beside Tom and Kokoro were two other people and a large frog. The frog was Yokozuna, an unusual frog with above-average intelligence that could swim freestyle.
The two people were Iceburg and Franky, Tom’s disciples.
“Of course. Iceburg, both Tom and I come from the Ryugu Kingdom on Fish-Man Island. Nowadays, that’s a powerful nation.”
Even while living abroad, Kokoro still felt a sense of confidence whenever she mentioned the Ryugu Kingdom.
“Recently, another merchant ship carrying lumber was looted by pirates. Ever since the Pirate King was executed, pirates have been increasing, and merchant ships are always easy targets for looting.
“But if a ship flies the flag of Fish-Man Island, some pirates will choose to avoid it on their own.”
In the original timeline, Fish-Man Island had relied first on Whitebeard’s flag and later on Big Mom’s flag to establish itself during the Great Pirate Era. Otherwise, with its terrible governance, Fish-Man Island would have long since become a complete lawless zone.
Under Nereus’s rule, however, Fish-Man Island possessed a status it never had in the original timeline.
Tom’s trial had reached a different outcome precisely because of that.
Tom was neither a pirate nor a criminal; rather; he was a renowned shipwright in Water 7. Most of the locals in Water 7 recognized this Fish-Man uncle who lives by the sea.
According to the investigations conducted by World Government personnel, Tom not only possessed exceptional shipbuilding skills but also occasionally returned to Fish-Man Island.
Based on reports from Cipher Pol agents, Tom was suspected of holding a special permit issued by the Ryugu Kingdom, though its exact purpose was unknown.
Fish-Man Island was not entirely without influence in the outside world either. Tiger in the North Blue was a prime example.
He was an officially recognized “Governor-General of the North Blue” by Fishman Island, making him the highest-ranking administrative official from Fishman Island stationed abroad. Most kingdoms in the North Blue treat him with great courtesy.
None of that was because of Tiger himself, but because of Nereus standing behind him.
A technical talent like Tom was obviously not someone Fish-Man Island would simply abandon. And trials involving people connected to Roger always generated massive attention. If word of the final outcome were ever to reach Nereus’s ears…
As long as Nereus wanted to get involved, he would definitely make a fuss about it. Given the World Government’s current attitude toward Fish-Man Island, a minor matter like this could only be smoothed over.
The officials handling the case would undoubtedly become the perfect scapegoats.
Do more, make more mistakes. Do nothing, make no mistakes. The person originally responsible for the case at Enies Lobby had only one year left before retirement and had deliberately dragged things out and passed the problem on to his successor.
And this new judge personally believed Tom was innocent. If they truly wanted to investigate the matter of building ships for pirates, half the shipwrights on the Grand Line would have to be thrown into prison immediately, while the other half would be investigated afterward.
In the end, the deceased Roger became the one who bore all the blame.
After all, Roger already had a devil-like reputation in the outside world. Accusing him of stealing a ship could hardly be considered slander.
Although the trial had been conducted on a grand scale, it ultimately amounted to making a big show of things and then letting the matter go lightly. Tom was merely fined financially for inadequate supervision, and he was not even required to pay immediately.
“Because of the periodic tsunami known as the Aqua Laguna, Water 7 has to import both lumber and iron from other islands. Now that pirates are disrupting trade, business is poor, and shipbuilding companies have started fighting viciously over customers.
If this vicious cycle continues, Water 7 will become a diseased island doomed to be swallowed by the sea.”
“That’s exactly why this island needs saving. A response regarding that proposal has already come back from King Nereus.
The construction of the Sea Train can begin immediately. According to the message, it won’t be long before World Government representatives arrive to discuss the details.”
The Sea Train was a rail system designed by Tom that could travel across the sea. By connecting nearby islands through tracks laid in the sea, it would establish an entirely new form of transportation.
In the original timeline, after Tom’s trial, that proposal had also earned him a stay of execution. If things had not gone wrong, the achievements of the Sea Train alone would have been enough to secure his complete acquittal.
But now, Tom had submitted the proposal to Nereus ahead of time, and it had been presented as an official proposal during last year’s Levely.
Fish-Man Island would provide technical guidance, while the connected islands and the World Government would provide funding to jointly construct the Sea Train.
The problem was that the World Government’s efficiency was generally terrible. Even approval for going to sea could be delayed for two or three years, and only recently had a concrete plan finally been established.
Over the past few years, Fish-Man Island had built a reputation for itself, proving to the world through action that it was not some pushover that could be bullied at will.
It then forged deeper ties with other nations through undersea surveys, charting sea maps, escort and insurance services for special sea regions, and other initiatives. The Sea Train project, meanwhile, was an infrastructure undertaking aimed at the entire world.
Once this sea railway became reality, anyone who rode or witnessed the Sea Train would gain a deeper understanding of the nation that lay beneath the sea…
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