Chapter 11: Coating Craftsman Blue – The Shady Contractor

Words : 1208 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

"Hey, do you know a coating craftsman named Blue?" Roy stopped a random man on the street. "Piss off, brat. Don't block my way." The man, clearly annoyed, shoved Roy aside without a second thought. THUD! He collided with something hard—a wall? No. Looking up, he found himself staring at the towering figure of Whitebeard, his naginata resting on his shoulder. The man's blood ran cold. "Y-You're... Whitebe—" Whitebeard's massive hand grabbed him and gave a slight squeeze. CRACK The sound of bones grinding together was clearly audible. "You laid hands on my son?" His voice was dangerously calm. "Let me go! I didn't mean to! I-I didn't know he was your family! Please! I'm begging you!" the man whimpered, pain twisting his face. "Newgate, we're here to find someone," Roy called. "We asked you a question. Do you know where the coating craftsman Blueis?" Whitebeard growled. "I-I don't know!" "You don't know?" "I-I'll find him! Just let me go!" "Then hurry up. If you don't find him, you're dead." Whitebeard dropped him, and the man bolted like a scared rabbit, whether he'd actually find the guy, that remained to be seen. They were currently in Grove 3 of the Sabaody Archipelago. There were lots of casinos here, and according to Whitebeard, Blue was a gambling addict. They had already searched seven or eight casinos and asked around, but no one knew anything. "Do you think he might be near the shipyard?" Roy asked. "No. That guy's a wanted man. He wouldn't show up there. His main job is coating ships for pirates," Whitebeard replied. "Still no luck." No one else in the group recognized Blue. The others had gone off shopping, so even if they crossed paths with him, they wouldn't have known. "Newgate, let's get the human traffickers to help us search," Roy suggested a rather nasty idea. "Oh? That works too." They rounded up a bunch of human traffickers and made them search the island. In Grove 13, Shakky's Rip-Off Bar didn't exist yet. At this point in time, she might still be the ruler of Amazon Lily, the empress of the Kuja tribe. Or maybe not anymore, after all, she did say she retired 40 years ago. That means the current Kuja empress is someone else, and Granny Gloriosa was probably a former ruler who returned after the dissolution of the Rocks Pirates. The traffickers were surprisingly efficient. They eventually found Blue in Grove 21, near where they had docked. He was found in a tavern. Still dazed, he was brought over. "What the hell do you traffickers want? You're not gonna sell me, are you? Hahaha, who'd want someone like me?!" The traffickers threw him to the ground. Roy got a good look, he was a man around 50 or 60, had a big, red, bulbous nose from drinking, and was quite tall, three to four meters. "Hey, Blue, it's me, Newgate," Whitebeard stepped forward. "Well, well, if it isn't Whitebeard, the top enforcer of the Rocks Pirates! Long time no see," Blue said, blinking before bursting into laughter. "Yeah, it's been a while," Whitebeard nodded. "Why'd you send these slave traders after me? Not trying to recruit me, are you? I've got no interest in joining a pirate crew or playing your little pirate games," Blue said, sitting up. The slave traders had already fled, leaving only the group behind. "So these are your new crewmates? Just a bunch of brats, and even a couple of fish-man kids! Hahaha! Newgate, are you seriously playing pirate make-believe?" Bru laughed, spotting Namur and Aruwan, the two young fishmen. "They're my family," Whitebeard said firmly. "Hahaha, I get it now. Your dream, huh? Alright, what do you want me for? If it's nothing serious, you better treat me to a drink." "I'm heading to Fishman Island. I need you to coat my ship," Whitebeard said. "Sure. Where's the ship?" "In Grove 27." "Bring it over. Leaving it out there's too conspicuous. Dock it in Grove 23." "Alright. Come with us." "Afraid I'll run off?" "Yeah." "Just so you know, it's not free. And the price depends on the size of your ship. You know my rates." "Don't worry, money isn't an issue," Roy cut in. Blue glanced at Roy, slightly surprised. Seeing Whitebeard's lack of reaction, he nodded. With the craftsman found, they went back to move the ship. When Blue saw the Moby Dick, he quoted a sky-high price. "One week. Eight million Berries," Blue said. "That expensive?" Roy had done his research. For a ship like the Going Merry, the coating cost would be in the hundreds of thousands. For big ships like theirs, three million Berries was the norm. Yet Blu was asking for eight million. "That's my price. Ask Newgate if you don't believe me. It's been this way for years. If you can't afford it, maybe you should reflect on why you're so broke. There are plenty of rich folks on this island. Go rob some if you're short on cash." "We're too close to Marine HQ. Better not cause trouble. Eight million it is. Roy, do we have the money?" Whitebeard asked. "Yeah," Roy nodded reluctantly. "Pay him." With the price agreed, Blue got to work. He gathered materials and hired ten helpers, paying each 200,000 Berries. The guy was outsourcing labor, spending 2 million while pocketing the rest and watching the others work. "Relax, kid. You won't regret spending this money." Blue grinned at Roy, who was fuming. "You'd better make sure it's safe. Otherwise, I'll kill you first," Roy snapped. "Hahaha! Feisty little brat. Newgate, this one's got spirit. Don't worry. I'll get it done, my craftsmanship will make it worth every penny." The others returned with supplies. Coating work on the ship began. Roy had Blamenco follow them to learn. Blamenco loved shipbuilding and had studied under Tom for a bit. This was a good chance for him to learn coating, too. Everyone else stayed on the island. They could only move around the lawless zone. After a few days, it was getting dull. "Hey, kid, you got money?" Blue asked Roy. He hadn't been working, just drinking with Whitebeard. Over the past few days, Blue had learned that Roy was the crew's treasurer, the one who controlled the money. "What do you want?" Roy asked. Besides the daily sign-in gold coin, Roy also did business. On every island, he'd buy local specialty goods and sell them on the next island. Plus, they'd loot other pirates every now and then. The Whitebeard Pirates weren't as poor as he made them out to be. Roy just didn't want them to waste money, always telling them they were broke. Whitebeard knew the truth, Roy never hid it from him. "Interested in buying this? I'll sell it cheap." Blue pulled out a pouch and revealed a square-shaped fruit.

Chapter 11: Coating Craftsman Blue – The Shady Contractor

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