In short—
Thanks to some heavy "modifications" by Vegapunk, the Navy's transitional warship design had finally been finalized.
Its primary features included:
Five twin-mounted 180mm main guns with a maximum effective range of 2.8 nautical miles
Fourteen 127mm dual-purpose secondary guns
Cruising speed of 10 knots, maximum speed of 12 knots
Heavier armor than even the King's Landing-class battleships, with a displacement of...
18,000 tons
Though this was a top-secret document, it still landed on Luo Lan's desk almost immediately.
Why?
Because the Navy had no shipbuilding capabilities of its own.
So, as usual, the first batch of eight warships—though designed and equipped by the Navy's Special Science Division—had to be outsourced to Galley-La Company for actual construction.
Naturally, Iceburg had faxed the schematics sent by the Navy directly to Jun Lin.
And honestly, Luo Lan was shocked.
He had underestimated the capabilities of the One Piece world's locals—especially Vegapunk.
Although the design was still significantly inferior to the warships of Jun Lin, it was a beastly upgrade nonetheless:
The original three main gun turrets had been modified into five.
The number of secondary guns had increased to 24.
The armor? Virtually every section had been thickened by 30%, bumping the total weight from 10,000 tons to over 18,000 tons.
To move this 18,000-ton monster, in addition to traditional propellers, the ship was also fitted with four massive auxiliary paddles, a hallmark of traditional Navy craftsmanship.
Even the cola-powered engines had been upgraded—from two units to six full sets.
In short: If the tech isn't good enough, just make it stronger and heavier.
Very reminiscent of a certain brute-force design philosophy from Luo Lan's past life—like the old Soviet Union's approach.
Just by appearances alone, it was an intimidating war machine.
However...
Each ship cost a staggering 1.2 billion Berries.
No wonder—even with full backing from the World Government, the Navy could only afford to build eight in the first batch.
Too expensive.
As for construction time? Just the hull alone, according to Galley-La Company, would take 20 days per ship. And since only two could be built at a time, it would take almost three months just to finish the bodies—not counting outfitting and final assembly.
In other words, these eight warships wouldn't become combat-ready for at least four to five months.
And by then, Jun Lin's two current fleets—each with 16 second-generation battleships—would already be roaming the seas. Maybe even third-generation models would be underway.
---
Knock knock knock...
At that moment, someone knocked on the office door.
"Come in!"
The door opened, revealing a tall figure.
It was Robin, the current head of Jun Lin's Intelligence Department.
"Robin, what is it?"
"There's something I need to tell you."
"Alright, go ahead."
Luo Lan gestured for her to sit as she began:
"You asked me to find someone, right?"
"Did you find them?"
Luo Lan's eyes lit up instantly.
"Hawk-Eye hasn't shown up at sea recently. Most likely, he's been staying on Kuraigana Island."
"As for Aramaki/Green Bull and Issho/Fujitora—the former is still completely off the radar. But the latter..."
"Our agents spotted him at the Rain Dinners casino!"
Alabasta?
Yes, the Rain Dinners in Alabasta.
After defeating Crocodile and capturing the Baroque Works agents, Robin had followed Luo Lan's orders: every captured member was investigated. Those who had killed civilians were executed; the rest were absorbed into Jun Lin's outer intelligence network, continuing operations from Rain Dinners.
So... was Issho just walking into their net?
The only issue now was: Luo Lan couldn't eat Devil Fruits.
If he could, the Rumble-Rumble Fruit would've made travel way easier.
Still, even without it, that didn't mean he was stuck taking ships.
"Robin, how about a little trip to Rain Dinners?"
"Danaan's not back, and the four warships you sold to the Navy are gone. How are we getting there?"
"Simple. I'll take you for a spin in the sky!"
---
They walked outside.
Luo Lan wrapped his arm around Robin's waist, and then—
They took off into the air.
Robin's eyes went wide.
Wait—wasn't he incapable of using Devil Fruits? Then how was he flying?
The truth was, Luo Lan's ability to fly wasn't all that mysterious.
With the steady improvement of his mental power and the unlocking of his second genetic gate, his psychic power (telekinesis) had grown significantly stronger.
Not only could he fly, he could now lift an entire small mountain using his mind.
At this rate, he could soon do things like floating islands—just like the Golden Lion from the original story.
Right now, while not as fast as the Rumble-Rumble Fruit or Light-Light Fruit, his flight was more than sufficient—and getting faster by the day.
And now that his second genetic gate had been unlocked, Luo Lan's mental power had no limit.
Which meant: his telekinesis also had no upper ceiling.
Terrifying, really.
---
About an hour later.
Luo Lan and Robin descended from the sky, landing just outside the Rain Dinners casino.
"He's still inside?"
"I've got people watching him. If he leaves, they'll let me know."
"Alright. Let's go meet him... one of Jun Lin's future admirals."
Luo Lan nodded and walked in.
The moment they entered, they saw a large crowd gathered around something—or someone.
Using Observation Haki, Luo Lan could instantly sense a powerful presence in the center. Physically, the man far outmatched him. And overall? Possibly even stronger.
Yeah... it had to be Issho.
After all, there weren't many people with strength at this level in the world. Plus, Robin's agents had confirmed his appearance matched Issho perfectly.
Even without direct visual confirmation, Luo Lan was certain—
This was Fujitora, the future Navy Admiral from the original story.
---
Luo Lan slowly walked toward the crowd.
As he did, the people surrounding Issho seemed to be pushed aside by an invisible force, parting to clear the path.
It was as if an unseen wall stopped anyone else from approaching the table.
Robin raised her hand slightly, and the dealer girl gave a nod before stepping away.
Luo Lan took her place behind the table.
Now, it was just Luo Lan and Issho, face to face.
"Uncle Issho, I've been looking for you for a long time."
Luo Lan grinned as he spoke.
---
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