"God, allow us to attend to your bath," six young girls knelt and said.
"Hm, rise," Leno replied. By now he was becoming more accustomed to this identity as a God. As a former 996 corporate worker, who would have ever thought he'd experience this? Something like this could only be enjoyed in a high-class club back on Earth. (T/N : work schedule of 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., 6 days)
Seeing the fiery, worshipful gazes of the six girls, Leno accepted their service with peace of mind.
"I've spent months painstakingly cultivating. Can't I at least enjoy myself a little? This is what I deserve."
The girls were thrilled. It was the first time they had personally served their God, the first time they had approached him so closely. For the Skypieans, being God's attendant was the highest honor.
"Alright, you may go. If I need you, I'll summon you."
After bathing, Leno steeled his heart and waved the disappointed girls away.
Sometimes, Leno wanted to indulge himself—but indulging once would mean indulging endlessly, and his willpower would erode little by little. By then, regret would come too late.
Not thinking further, Leno collapsed onto the cloud bed and quickly fell asleep.
At dawn the next day, the girls came again to serve him. After breakfast, Leno vanished instantly, leaving behind six awestruck young women.
At the top of the enormous vine, his figure appeared, sitting cross-legged on the ground. Staring at the endless sea of white clouds, his heart gradually calmed. He expanded his Observation Haki, stretching farther and farther... sensing the breath of people, the breath of trees, the breath of that great serpent near the ruins, the breath of all things.
Over the next few days, Leno continuously trained his Observation Haki. In between, he also practiced his swordsmanship, feeling the aura transmitted by his Armament Haki and his mental will.
Leno's goal was clear: step by step, to reach the realm of a great swordsman.
Two months later, while he was cultivating—
"Purupuru, purupuru..."
Click.
"Hey, Leno-kun, your ship has been completed," Iceberg's voice came through.
"Alright, I'll be there as soon as possible." Hanging up, Leno returned to the temple and summoned Wyper. After giving him some instructions, Leno was just about to leave, but seeing the six girls gazing longingly at him, he went over to pat their heads one by one, offering a few words of comfort. He reminded them to train when they had time.
Then, with anticipation swelling in his chest, Leno traveled again to Water 7. At last, he would have his very own adventure ship.
At Galley-La Company, he entered Iceburg's office. Iceburg was seated at his desk, while on the sofa nearby sat a blue-haired man in briefs and a floral shirt, legs propped on the table, whistling in boredom. This had to be Franky.
"Leno-kun, you came quickly," Iceburg said with a smile as he stood.
"Of course! I've been waiting for this ship for so long, hahaha!" Leno grinned.
"So you're the owner of the ship Iceburg asked me to help build? Oooh it's a super amazing super~ ship!" Franky exclaimed, striking a bizarre pose as he praised.
Leno froze for a moment, then forced a polite but awkward smile. "Yeah, I'm really looking forward to it."
"Ooooh~ You should! This ship will blow your imagination away!"
"Alright, enough chatter. Let's go—we'll show you your adventure ship," Iceburg said, leading the way.
At the docks by the sea, Iceburg and Franky stopped in front of a massive curtain.
"Leno-kun, don't blink. It's time to witness a miracle," Franky declared as the two pulled the curtain aside.
Whoosh! With the curtain pulled down, a giant ship was revealed. Its main color was light blue, accented with golden wave-like patterns, the blue-gold hull radiating grandeur. At the prow was the sculpture of a fierce azure beast—a bull's head with dragon horns. This was the Raiju, the Thunder Beast, carved at Leno's request.
"Come aboard, I'll introduce the structure and functions," Iceburg said, leading the way.
"The hull is 135 meters long, 32 meters wide, built with lightweight conductive alloy materials. The thunder-launcher that was supposed to be mounted on the bow, I've relocated to the stern. Also, we've set up a lookout tower at the stern with a large open platform.
The ship has three decks. The first deck contains storage rooms, utility rooms, tool workshops, and other logistical spaces.
The second deck includes the main dining hall, kitchen, art studio, training room, infirmary, and five bedrooms.
The third deck, per your request, has fewer but larger rooms—ten bedrooms, each with an attached bath."
As they entered the control room, Franky cut in before Iceburg could speak: "At the bow, thanks to my super genius invention, the Raiju's mouth houses a retractable barrel capable of firing an electromagnetic cannon!"
"Excellent, truly excellent! Impressive, Franky!" Leno praised.
"You bastard, don't interrupt. We're not done yet—this is the key part!"
"The ship has two side propellers. During sea travel, they retract. When flight is needed, they extend. With the two additional stern propellers providing thrust, the ship achieves lift-off during high-speed runs."
'In other words, this baby's a sea-plane!' Leno thought to himself.
"But most importantly, those stern propellers free this ship entirely from dependence on the wind!
So long as there's sufficient electricity, this ship can pass through the Calm Belt without hindrance.
I'm not exaggerating—if this ship runs at full power, it will be the fastest vessel in the world!"
"Galley-La Company truly lives up to its name!" Leno exclaimed.
"Ooooh Of course! This is the best ship ever built by Super Franky! Super!!" Franky shouted, pulling another ridiculous pose.
"This miracle ship deserves the title of fastest in the world. May it roam the seas like the wind, famed across the world!" Iceburg added in admiration. After all, such a legendary ship would bring fame to Galley-La too.
"Like the wind, free to go anywhere! Then this ship shall be named the 'Gale'! The 'Gale'!" Leno declared, inspiration striking.
"Ooooh~ The 'Gale'! Super cool name!"
"Indeed, a fine name."
Leno handed over the remaining Berries to Iceburg, then went to the charging room.
"Then farewell, my friends. Once more, thank you, Iceburg and Franky, for building me such an incredible ship! Until we meet again!"
Atop the lookout tower, Leno raised a red flag with golden characters spelling "Adventure", a golden star shining in the middle.