Chapter 605: Golden Lion
Chapter 605: Golden Lion
At this point, what else could he do besides boarding the ship? He couldn’t possibly demoralize his subordinates. Though Kuro often acted irrationally and disregarded his subordinates’ dignity on regular days, he still knew how to act appropriately in critical moments.
Every monkey had its own way of being tethered. Take Klah, for instance—he could throw tantrums, but Kuro understood him well now. Although there had been some troublesome incidents in the past, after Kuro’s “training,” Klah had finally learned his place. Besides, Klah was already accustomed to Kuro’s “special training” and didn’t mind it anymore.
As for someone like Wilbur, he wasn’t at fault—he had simply misunderstood the command. To Wilbur, the command he received was correct, and he had carried it out with utmost dedication. Kuro simply couldn’t bring himself to scold him.
As for Kas… Forget it. Better to pretend he doesn’t exist.
Kuro groaned.
“Mr. Kuro,” Wilbur began, his voice brimming with excitement as Kuro ascended the staircase to the deck, “please allow me to present your flagship!”
“This is a steam-powered warship!!” Wilbur declared, barely containing his enthusiasm.
“I can see that with my own eyes,” Kuro muttered, his lips twitching. “What materials did you use? Why does it gleam like gold? Don’t tell me this entire ship is made of gold? Where did you even get it? I don’t recall having that much gold.”
He was wealthy, yes, but Wilbur hadn’t touched his funds—Klah managed the finances, and even he hadn’t reported any expenditures. The golden bow alone was worth a fortune. Acquiring that amount of gold wouldn’t be easy.
“No, no!” Wilbur clarified. “The exterior carvings are made of gold and gold lacquer, while the bow’s sculpture is solid gold. These were all sponsored by World Noble Charloss the Holy. He also provided materials from the Adam Tree ‘Adam.’ Except for the keel, every wooden part on this ship is constructed from Adam wood.”
“Charloss?” Kuro frowned. “That pompous fool actually gifted me something? Meddling idiot! What else?”
“The metal components!” Wilbur’s excitement surged as he patted the ship’s steel hull beneath the golden carvings. “This is no ordinary steel—it’s the ultra-strong defensive metal used during the Top War to withstand Whitebeard’s attacks! Cutting it into plates was incredibly laborious, too!”
Metal capable of resisting Whitebeard’s attacks during the Top War? That was the same material used to form the encirclement net at Marineford! Wasn’t that rare? Why had Headquarters been so willing to hand it over?
“This entire steam-powered warship can comfortably accommodate over three thousand personnel,” Wilbur continued, gesturing to the vast space around them. “The area is like a small island—plenty of cabins for the Marines to stay in.”
The central fortress cluster housed the Marines’ activities. The ship lacked traditional watchtowers and masts, replaced entirely by fortified structures. The taller ones served as surveillance points.
Not bad—no need to worry about personnel safety even in storms.
“The ship is equipped with thirty-six cannons, plus a secondary cannon at the rear and a primary cannon at the bow,” Wilbur explained. “The main cannon isn’t a conventional one—it was developed by Admiral Lucius Kro in collaboration with the brilliant scientist Vegapunk, incorporating Pacifista’s structural technology to enhance its firepower.”
Wilbur rushed to the bow, thumping the golden sculpture. “The main cannon’s hidden here! At your command, Mr. Kuro, it can fire anytime!”
“Gramps’ ability?!” Kuro pinched his brow. “No wonder he mentioned troubling Vegapunk earlier. That’s what he meant.”
“Now then, Mr. Kuro!” Wilbur beamed. “Please command the warship and set sail for its maiden voyage!”
“Yes, Mr. Kuro!” Kas clenched his fists. “With such a mighty warship, we’ll instill fear in Grand Line’s criminals! We’ll sail from the Grand Line back to the East Blue, proving to pirates that evil will always be eradicated before the Navy!”
You want Gramps to sail this thing to his death? This ship’s too conspicuous wherever it goes.
“Right! Kuro, let’s sail this ship back to the East Blue! I miss Baratie,” Lida chimed in, her eyes sparkling.
Others, too, seemed eager for the voyage. Such a majestic ship would make an excellent flagship.
“I’d love to,” Kuro countered, “but the Red Line separates Paradise and the New World. We can’t just fly over it.”
He gestured to the ship. “Let’s leave it here and take a regular warship back.”
No ship could legally cross the Red Line. To bring this one, they’d have to go through Fishman Island. The Navy’s flagship would have to take that route too—but Kuro had no intention of going there.
Though the Navy had safer methods, there was always the “what if.”
Lida pouted. “You could just fly the ship over yourself, Kuro.”
Her words stunned him.
Right! He’d been so focused on figuring out how to leave the ship behind that he’d forgotten—he was a Devil Fruit user. He could just fly the entire ship over the Red Line.
“Fine,” Kuro sighed, rolling his eyes at Lida. He patted the golden sculpture on the deck. “Let’s move out.”
“Yay!” Lida cheered.
Fen Ni hesitated before speaking. “Shouldn’t we name the ship first?”
The group fell silent. Of course—a flagship deserved a name.
“I suggest Golden Ice Cream!” Lida jumped.
“If we’re going for grandeur, how about World Domination?” Klah adjusted his glasses confidently.
“Lion Ambition sounds better,” Sazil offered.
“Chopping Board!” Ju Geng blurted.
Donald suggested, “Sincere sounds nice.”
“Justice!” Kas roared.
“I agree with Mr. Kas! Justice!!” Wilbur echoed.
The cacophony made Kuro’s temple throb.
“Enough! Who cares about a stupid name?” He massaged his temples. “Let’s just call it Golden Lion. Using my codename fits the ship’s design. Final decision.”
(End of Chapter)
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