One Piece: Alucard the Immortal

Water 7, renowned as one of the Grand Line's premier trade cities in its first half, also drew in the world's top shipwrights. However, its prominence often invited animosity from other trade hubs, leading to frequent disputes.

"So, so rotten..."

Ship-breaking workers watched from a distance as a vessel slowly approached. Upon discerning its appearance, they couldn't help but exclaim.

Their job was to dismantle unseaworthy ships, effectively turning rotten vessels into recycled timber.

Yet, even they were shocked by this ship's state. It was utterly dilapidated; from afar, no two planks seemed intact, and its sails were tattered rags. They wouldn't be surprised if such a ship plunged into the sea the next moment.

Many shipwrights put down their tools and headed toward the decrepit vessel. In their professional opinion, this ship absolutely needed to be dismantled. While they wondered what miracle had allowed it to sail this far, the probability of it reaching the next island was definitely zero.

Under the curious gazes of several shipwrights, Alucard slowly descended from the ship. Seeing only a young man, seemingly under twenty, the shipwrights were taken aback. What was going on? Was he alone?

"Who's the best shipwright on this island?" Before the shipwrights could speak, Alucard posed the question.

"Uh... at, at the west side of the island, there's Tom's Workers. He's, he's the best shipwright... on the entire island." A shipwright, for some reason, answered nervously.

Usually, in such situations, they would recommend themselves or an acquaintance's shop, rather than speak the truth. But for some reason, Alucard's mere opening words instilled in them an inexplicable sense of awe, prompting them to blurt out the truth.

"West side, then? I see."

Alucard walked in the direction the shipwright indicated. After a long moment, the few shipwrights snapped out of their stupor, all surprised by the strange deterrence they had just felt.

"Hey, that guy didn't even anchor his ship!" one shipwright exclaimed, looking at the dilapidated vessel Alucard had piloted. After a ship docks, it should be anchored to the pier to secure it, otherwise it could easily be stolen or drift far away due to ocean currents.

"Does that guy not want his ship anymore?" the bewildered shipwright who had answered Alucard's question earlier asked.

"Hey! Another ship's coming! It's a wreck too," another shipwright suddenly pointed into the distance.

Everyone turned to look.

Indeed, a ship was approaching. Upon closer inspection, it bore a skull flag—a pirate ship!

Even with the shipwrights' discerning eyes, they could tell this ship was severely damaged. But a pirate ship being damaged wasn't surprising, given their constant battles and skirmishes with the Marines.

However, ordinary civilians still held a deep fear of pirates. Seeing the pirate ship, several quickly fled the area, fearing robbery.

But those closely following pirate news would immediately recognize it: the flag of the Roger Pirates, the great pirate crew making waves in the Grand Line!

About fifteen minutes later, the Roger Pirates' ship docked. After the gangplank was lowered, Shanks excitedly rushed off first, exclaiming, "Oh, oh, oh! We're finally here! We'll be in the New World soon, won't we?"

"Don't get too excited, Shanks," Rayleigh said, stepping off the ship with a light chuckle. "This place is very close to Marine Headquarters. We should try to keep a low profile."

Another main combatant of the Roger Pirates, Gaban, also disembarked. He laughed, "Our ship's unusable. This trip to Water 7 is a perfect chance to replace it. It's tough to let go, but we have to if we want to keep sailing."

"How's Roger doing?" Rayleigh asked.

"He's recovered from the loss of our comrades, but he's furious about the Marines using those bizarre monsters. The Captain's ready to go full throttle in the next fight," Gaban chuckled. "Anyway, let's go find a shipwright first. The Roger Pirates' ship must be built by the best."

...

Water 7, West Coast, Tom's Workers.

"Hah!!"

As Alucard arrived, he saw an exceptionally tall, yellow-skinned fish-man with bull horns hefting a pair of massive logs, placing them alongside a ship that appeared nearing completion.

"He's very strong," Alucard observed, watching the fish-man's back. Fish-men possessed physical constitutions far superior to humans, but the sheer quantity of timber he was hauling wasn't something an ordinary fish-man could manage.

"You're Tom, the best shipwright on the entire island, correct?"

Hearing the voice from behind, Tom, wearing a blue short-sleeved shirt, turned to see a young man in a crimson coat who had appeared behind him without a sound.

"That's right. Can I help you?" In an instant, Tom realized the man was no ordinary individual. If he were a pirate, he could easily command a bounty of over 20 million Berries with that strength alone. It was impossible for an ordinary person to approach him so silently from behind.

"Are you interested in building a unique ship, Tom?" Alucard asked, intrigued.

"What kind of ship?" Tom's interest was piqued.

"An ironclad," Alucard replied, a slight smirk playing on his lips.

-------

Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my patreon ——— patreon(.)com/JuanFiction [remove the parentheses ( )]

There are over 100 advance chapters available for you!