One Piece: My Crew Members Are Legendary 3D Heroines

Bang!

A sharp slap hit the desk. The Den Den Mushi's face contorted into an angry scowl as it shouted, voice booming with fury:

"Who has the audacity to ignore a certificate issued by Navy Headquarters? Do you intend to rebel?!"

Colonel Nezumi recognized the Navy-issued Den Den Mushi immediately. More importantly, he recognized the voice on the other end. His face went pale. Scrambling to his feet, he stammered, "M-my apologies! The sun was too bright, I didn't see clearly. I'll leave immediately! Right away!"

He didn't even dare to spit a threat or reveal his name. Nezumi scurried off with his tail between his legs.

In the World Government's rigid hierarchy, authority scaled directly with strength. Unless you had overwhelming power, your rank dictated your right to speak. As a mere branch colonel stationed in the East Blue the weakest of the four seas Nezumi's rank would've dropped a full level had he been in Navy Headquarters. Maybe two.

So when faced with Hina, a Headquarters colonel, someone of his rank from the East Blue branch didn't even dare breathe too hard. The moment he realized whose voice was on the line, the hat he arrogantly tried to throw on others was now one he couldn't even lift.

"That shrill voice. Was that Nezumi trying to give you trouble?"

"Yep," Ethan Chen said, walking back toward the inn with 2B. "Tried to accuse me of being a pirate. I punched him."

"That man's disgusting," Hina replied flatly. "He's in charge of the waters you're in. Now that you've offended him, be careful when you set sail. He may try to cause trouble for you."

"Offending him was inevitable. What, was I supposed to let them surround me and just surrender? Besides, as a branch colonel, he wouldn't dare move against me in the open."

"You never know."

"Just as long as he doesn't team up with pirates and try to ambush me at sea."

Though Ethan said it with a chuckle, he didn't treat the thought as a joke.

After all, in the East Blue, the Arlong Pirates were still at large.

If he ended up running into them, it'd be a real problem.

Fishmen could move freely underwater, vanishing and striking from nowhere. They were a nightmare to fight on a ship, especially since they could damage or even destroy the vessel mid-battle.

But regardless of whether he'd made an enemy of Nezumi or not, running into the Arlong Pirates in these waters was already a very real possibility.

Hina didn't argue with Ethan's "joke." After all, cases of Navy officers colluding with pirates for profit though never reported to the public were far from uncommon within the Navy itself.

Even this village had its suspicions. The local militia had left for "training" at the naval branch, and not long after, pirates conveniently arrived to plunder the town. Hina had long suspected Nezumi's involvement.

And now, him marching into the village and slandering Ethan as a pirate? Who's to say he didn't just want to rob him of his belongings?

But such things required evidence. You couldn't punish a fellow officer based on gut feelings alone. Without proof, Nezumi was untouchable.

"Just be careful," Hina reminded him. "If anything happens at sea, call me. I'll alert nearby Navy units."

"Thanks."

...

Aboard the Navy ship docked at the pier, Colonel Nezumi now safely back on his turf wore a different face. No longer the coward from before, he glared toward the village with cold malice, spitting out a mouthful of blood-tinged saliva.

"Colonel, are we really just going to let that go?"

"Let it go?" Nezumi sneered. "My face still hurts. Let it go?"

He let out a few dark chuckles. "I thought he was just some no-name swordsman who got lucky defeating Scarface. I figured with Hina gone, I'd swing by and extort some cash. Turns out he's a damn hidden master."

"Acting like that just because he has someone backing him... Thinks he can ignore me? Fine. I'll show him what happens when you cross Colonel Nezumi. Set course for Cocoyashi Village!"

His lieutenant, hearing that name, instinctively swallowed hard. Still, he saluted and replied, "Yes, sir!"

...

After the brief hiccup with Colonel Nezumi, Ethan's life returned to normal.

As days passed, the ship in the village shipyard neared completion. With help from the local fishermen, Ethan and 2B's sailing skills improved by leaps and bounds. They were finally ready to set sail.

Two more weeks passed. Then, on a bright sunny morning, a young shipyard assistant ran into the tavern where Ethan was having breakfast.

"Mr. Chen! Your ship's done! We can begin the launch ceremony!"

Hearing this, Ethan stuffed the last bite of toast into his mouth and downed a tall glass of milk.

"Let's go launch her."

It had been a little over three weeks since construction began five days past the original estimate.

The system had given him a one-month window. If the ship hadn't been finished in time, he would've been forced to take a smelly, fish-stinking trawler out to sea.

Thankfully, it had come together just in time.

Arriving at the shipyard, Ethan was greeted not by a pile of lumber, but a fully constructed two-masted schooner rising over ten meters tall from keel to mast. It was considered a small vessel by this world's standards, but far exceeded the size he'd envisioned when he thought of a "small sailing ship." It was even larger than the training boats he'd used over the past few weeks easily comparable to the Going Merry from the original story.

The hull gleamed with a fresh coat of alternating blue and black waterproof paint. Sleek and slender, the ship's streamlined design offered both impressive speed and a low center of gravity for enhanced stability.

"Well, young man? Satisfied with her?" the shipwright asked.

"Very," Ethan said, laughing as he bumped fists with the craftsman. "You've all worked hard these past weeks."

"Nah," the shipwright chuckled, waving it off. "You did our village a big favor first. Compared to that, this was nothing."

"Let's begin the launch," the village chief said. "By tradition, you need to name the ship, break a bottle of champagne on her bow, then push her into the sea. Have you chosen a name?"

"A name..." Ethan paused, then smiled. "Let's call her the Lexington."

That name held deep meaning for Ethan, and with it came a silent wish. If this ship ever developed a soul, he hoped she would appear as a tall, elegant woman with flaxen hair, a sailor uniform, black stockings, and a blue feather in her hair.

"Lexington? That's a fine name."

"Right?"

The name was painted beneath the ship's stern bridge in both the local script and Chinese.

As for how Ethan could read and write this world's language? That, he chalked up to the quirks of transmigration.

Once the name was painted, the bottle of champagne was smashed against the hull. Cheers erupted as the ship was pushed into the sea. With the waves rolling beneath her, the Lexington settled onto the water, sturdy and buoyant.

She had successfully made her maiden voyage into the sea.

____________________

NEXT CHAPTER : The Blooming of a Sunlit Flower

(Ethan and 2B bid farewell to the village with a joyful celebration and set sail aboard the newly launched Lexington. With the wind at their backs and clear skies ahead, the voyage begins in bliss even more so as 2B opens her heart and body, their bond deepening beyond words.

But just as serenity settles in, a sudden alarm pierces the quiet sea.

Danger is closing in and their journey is about to change.)

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