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Chapter 18
After Tom and Victor finished their final discussion, the ultimate blueprint for the new Plant Scholars was complete.
The ship boasted several key features beyond the basics (extreme durability, storm resistance, and heavy cannon armament—which went without saying). It included submarine capabilities, dramatically increasing crew survivability underwater. This single addition greatly enhanced everyone's chances in dangerous seas.
Victor informed Tom about the Adam Wood branch auction. "Tom-san, go buy it. You're the professional—better to let you inspect it personally. No mistakes."
Money wasn't an issue. If it wasn't enough, he could always exchange more gold.
Tom's eyes lit up. "Fantastic! This is great news. Once the keel arrives, we can start construction immediately. Haha!"
He couldn't refuse—he wanted to work with Adam Wood firsthand.
Tom added: "By the way—I found a few shipwrights for you. Meet them when you have time. They'll be part of the team building the Plant Scholars."
Victor smiled. "Perfect. Thank you, Tom-san."
Having shipwrights who helped build the vessel would make future maintenance much easier.
Next, Victor asked Tom to help him buy a ready-made ship for the returning scholars.
Tom didn't hesitate—he took Victor to see available vessels and let him choose.
After purchasing the ship, Victor assigned Trayton (the one who ate the Tiger fruit) to escort the group back to the South Blue.
The Adam Wood purchase went smoothly. Tom's reputation—and the rumor that this was for a "big shot's ship"—kept trouble away. No one dared interfere.
Victor met the three shipwrights who had agreed to join him for the New World.
All three wanted to sail on the ship they helped build—to see the wider world with their own eyes. They were reasonably strong—good physical conditioning, especially one of them being a woman.
The two men were Elijah and Anthony. The woman—Nora—was tall (around 1.89 meters), sharp, decisive, and worked harder than most men.
Victor nodded approvingly. "Not bad. Welcome aboard the Plant Scholars family."
He was pleased—their physiques were solid. With training, they could grow much stronger.
Anthony scratched his head. "Why Plant Scholars? Sounds kinda… artsy. No intimidation factor at all."
Victor laughed lightly. "Because aside from me and our doctor Crocus, everyone else is a botanist. To honor our old ship, the new one carries the same name."
He shrugged. "We don't need a scary name. When your strength is overwhelming enough… people will sing your praises no matter what you call yourself."
Anthony blinked, then grinned. "Ah… yeah, I like the artsy name now."
Elijah and Nora burst out laughing.
Victor joined in—good-natured people. He could work with this.
During this period, Victor continued his daily training while regularly hunting pirates at sea. Water 7 was pirate central—and most of them met unfortunate ends. Victor cut down anyone who approached with hostile intent and fed their bodies to the fish.
Only the rare few who hadn't committed serious crimes were spared—but their treasure was confiscated.
He even acquired another Devil Fruit from the carnage.
Another Zoan: Ushi Ushi no Mi, Model: Rhinoceros.
Zoans were common—getting two in Water 7 was decent luck.
He gave this one to Vinnie. A gang boss needed strength to survive. Victor didn't want Vinnie dying too soon—not while he was still useful for information in Water 7.
Unfortunately, Victor still couldn't break through to advanced Armament Haki. He remained at the peak of mid-level. Same with Observation Haki—both felt tantalizingly close to the next stage. He was frustrated but could sense the breakthrough was near—just needed the right trigger.
His physique and physical techniques, however, improved rapidly. He ate constantly—morning, noon, night. The shipwrights' lasting impression of Victor: always eating. Walking? Eating. Training? Eating. Talking? Eating. Fighting? Still eating.
They genuinely wondered: What is his stomach made of?
Finally, Tom completed the last adjustments on the Plant Scholars.
The ship's color scheme featured botanical motifs—greens, vines, flowers. The figurehead was a massive dragon head—its mouth concealing a hidden giant cannon for surprise attacks.
The deck included planters with fruit trees and vegetables—Heracles' personal garden. No more worrying about fresh produce.
They still lacked a dedicated cook—Heracles and others handled meals for now. A pity, but Victor's endless food storage covered most needs anyway.
During their stay in Water 7, Victor bought massive stockpiles of food and fresh water.
They also purchased weapons for the crew—nothing legendary, unfortunately. Victor felt a twinge of disappointment but settled on a high-quality spear (or lance—he still only really knew polearms).
Heracles designed a flag—not a pirate jolly roger. Just a simple emblem: the Stomach Baron flower pattern.
He explained: "We're not pirates. But we still need our own symbol."
Victor shrugged. "Fine by me. We'll just call ourselves the Plant Scholars crew."
Heracles beamed. The Stomach Baron flower was their origin point—now their emblem.
Crocus just smiled and said nothing.
Before departure, Victor visited Tom one last time.
"Tom-san—thank you. Your shipbuilding is truly world-class."
Tom laughed heartily. "Haha, just doing my job. And getting paid handsomely for it!"
Victor handed him a Den Den Mushi. "Here—my contact. If you ever face a life-threatening situation… call me. And if you need help, Vinnie knows how to reach me."
Tom took it with a smile. "Thanks, Victor-san. I appreciate it. But for now—I'm happy right here building ships."
Victor didn't push further. He just hoped—when the World Government came for Tom—he'd be in a position to intervene.
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