In the abandoned shipyard of Water 7, this place was once home to the famous Tom's Workshop.
The legendary ship Oro Jackson, which belonged to the Roger Pirates, and even the Sea Train were built here.
However, after the Fishman Tom was executed at Enies Lobby, Tom's Workshop was destroyed along with him, leaving behind nothing but ruins.
Even so, many people still made a living around this area.
Among them was the infamous Franky House of Water 7 and a shipbreaker who wielded an axe.
That shipbreaker was none other than Gaban, the left-hand man of the Roger Pirates!
Gaban was a well-known name in the pirate world as one of the key members of the Roger Pirates. He was famous for his strength and unique fighting style, earning him the title of "Left Hand."
Ever since the Roger Pirates disbanded, Gaban had disappeared from the public eye.
Now, seeing him working as an ordinary shipbreaker in the ruins of Water 7's old shipyard was nothing short of shocking.
Yesterday, when Hog first saw Gaban, he noticed the man swinging a massive axe, skillfully dismantling an old, broken ship.
At the time, Hog didn't know who Gaban was. He was simply drawn to the man's axe and his technique.
Excited, Hog approached Gaban and greeted him. But Gaban didn't stop his work. He merely glanced at Hog with an indifferent expression and gave no response.
Hog felt a bit disappointed but refused to give up.
However, the moment Gaban saw the axe on Hog's back, his attitude changed dramatically.
He stopped working and started talking to Hog.
As their conversation went on, Gaban became increasingly interested in Hog. Eventually, he even began teaching him how to fight with an axe.
Hog, eager to learn, absorbed everything like a sponge, memorizing every bit of Gaban's teachings.
And just like that, the lessons continued into the next morning.
At some point, the rest of the Dream Crew had arrived at the scene, but none of them interrupted Hog and Gaban.
"Something feels off."
"They look really familiar with each other. Leah, have you seen that guy before?" Nojiko asked curiously.
It wasn't just her. The rest of the Dream Crew also found the way Hog and Gaban interacted to be strange.
It felt like watching a mentor guiding his student.
"Honestly, I was thinking the same thing. But I can say for sure that my brother and I have never met him before," Leah replied.
Now that she had found her brother, the uncertainty in her heart had finally settled. But seeing him learning axe techniques from an old man left her feeling a little uneasy.
"Don't mistake him for just some random old man. He's actually pretty famous," Ryuen said in a low voice.
"Ryuen, you know who he is?" Nami asked.
The others also turned their attention to Ryuen. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ NovᴇlFɪre.ɴet
"I've seen him in an old newspaper a long time ago. His name is Gaban. Just like Crocus, he was part of the Roger Pirates. He was known as the left-hand man of the Pirate King, Roger," Ryuen explained.
"The left-hand man of the Pirate King?"
After learning Gaban's true identity, the Dream Crew gasped in shock.
Just then, a pair of sharp eyes turned toward them.
"Didn't expect anyone to still recognize me," Gaban said with a hint of surprise.
Seeing Gaban pause his lesson, Hog followed his gaze and looked over as well.
"Why are you guys here?"
"Uncle Gaban, let me introduce them to you. They're all my friends!" Hog said excitedly.
"You've got some nerve saying that. Disappearing without a word—do you know how worried your sister was?" Ryuen said, clearly annoyed.
Hearing Ryuen's words, Hog suddenly realized and turned to look at Leah. Sure enough, she was glaring at him, puffing her cheeks in anger.
"Uh... Leah, everyone, I'm sorry..." Hog quickly apologized.
He had just been so fascinated by Gaban's axe techniques for dismantling ships. And when Gaban enthusiastically offered to teach him, he completely forgot to inform his friends.
"Enough. We'll deal with you later. Uncle Gaban, thank you for teaching us this shipwright axe technique!" Ryuen shot Hog a glare before turning to express his gratitude to Gaban.
"I just don't want my skills to be lost, that's all. Besides, this kid and I have a bit of a connection." Gaban laughed heartily.
The way he looked at Hog was full of satisfaction.
"Uncle Gaban, do you know my father?" Hog asked eagerly.
The rest of the Dream Crew looked confused, except for Robin. The others all knew about Hog and Leah's background.
But now Gaban was saying he had a connection with Hog's family?
"You could say that. It was a long time ago, so I won't go into details."
"Alright, kid. I've taught you everything I know. You can go now."
With that, Gaban turned away and disappeared into the dark underground shipbreaking yard, paying no further attention to the Dream Crew.
"Uncle Gaban, thank you for your guidance! I promise I won't let your skills go to waste!" Hog said gratefully.
They stood there for a while, but no more sounds came from the shipbreaking yard. Finally, Hog turned and walked back toward the Dream Crew.
"Let's go back," Ryuen said softly.
The former members of the Roger Pirates were really something else. Even though their crew had disbanded, each of them had settled in crucial places.
It was almost like they were carrying out some plan or plotting something big.
The only question was—where were the rest of Roger's crew?
Everyone nodded. Now that they had found Hog, they headed straight back to the villa inn.
Back in the abandoned shipyard, Gaban watched the Dream Crew walk away, feeling a bit sentimental. These young people had so much potential.
"Truly an incredible next generation... The Dream Exploration Team, huh? Mapping the entire world—that's a grand dream.
But to draw a complete world map, they'll have to reach the final island, Laugh Tale.
I can't wait to see it happen. Hahahahaha~~~"
As he spoke to himself, Gaban suddenly burst into laughter.
Ryuen was walking at the back of the group when he suddenly had a feeling. He turned around and glanced at the abandoned shipyard.
"Ryuen, what's wrong?" Nami asked when she saw him stop.
"It's nothing. Let's go," Ryuen said, shaking his head as he looked away.
Having spent so much time with him, Nami could tell he had noticed something just now.
But she didn't overthink it and continued walking toward the villa inn.
Inside the abandoned shipyard, Gaban was slightly surprised and muttered to himself,
"That's some sharp intuition... This young man is something else..."