Duolun collected his thoughts and turned to Kong Tai, asking, "Customer, I heard you wish to order a medium-sized sailing ship. May I ask what your requirements are?"
"Have a seat and let's discuss it."
Kong Tai turned and sat on the sofa, picking up his teacup and taking a sip.
Seeing Duotuo sit on the sofa opposite him, he finally spoke, "Actually, there aren't many requirements. Other than one thing, there's nothing else. It's just one point, but it's essential."
"What is it?"
"That it must be sufficiently sturdy."
Kong Tai relaxed, leaning back against the sofa, and looked up at Duotuo with a smile. "Since you know our identities, you must also know where we are headed!"
"If we're going to sail in that place, a ship that isn't tough enough won't last long!"
He put his hand down and continued, "I don't want to be replacing ships frequently!"
"Mmm!"
Duotuo nodded, then stroked his chin in thought.
He certainly knew where Kong Tai and his companions were going. To sail in that place, they would indeed need a sufficiently sturdy ship.
Ordinary ships could sail in that ocean, but they would easily fall apart due to the weather and giant waves.
Given Kong Tai's status, it was obvious he wouldn't be ordering an ordinary ship.
Thinking of this, he looked up and said to Kong Tai, "A ship sturdy enough to sail in that sea, our shipyard can definitely build it."
"Our Carter Company, over the years, has built countless ships, many of which have gone to the 'New World.' So, whatever you desire, our company can build it."
"Mmm! I believe you."
Kong Tai nodded.
Looking at the photos on the wall, he realized that most of them were custom-made ships for pirates.
And pirate custom ships were definitely destined for the New World.
That these years had passed without any pirates causing trouble for Carter Company was a testament to their shipbuilding technology.
Although their overall strength might not match that of Water 7, they were quite close.
Shipbuilding, after all, relied heavily on materials.
With that thought, Kong Tai sat up, put down his teacup, and looked up at Duotuo. "Mr. Duotuo, do you happen to have any wood from the 'Adam Tree'?"
"Uh..."
Duotuo paused in his drinking, then put down his teacup, a wry smile appearing on his face. "Customer, please don't joke. That's a legendary timber! Let alone our Carter Company, even Water 7 wouldn't have it at this time."
"Is that thing that rare?"
Kong Tai's face showed a look of curiosity.
As far as he knew, while it was rare, there were still a few of them in this world.
Even if he didn't know their exact locations, these world-renowned shipyards would surely know where to find them.
"Mmm! Very rare."
Duotuo nodded, then looked up at Kong Tai. "There are only a few Adam Trees in existence. Every year, indeed, Adam timber flows out from the legendary 'Adam Island,' but timber suitable for shipbuilding is hard to come by, perhaps one in several decades."
He paused, then continued, "Most of this Adam timber that circulates can only be used for things like ship masts or other components. To make a ship's keel, you'd need a main branch of the Adam Tree."
"A branch like that, one emerges from Adam Island only every dozen years or so."
"And every time Adam timber goes up for auction, it's a feast for shipyards."
As he spoke, he turned to look at the photo wall.
"And our Carter Company, in all the years it has been established, has only managed to acquire Adam timber suitable for a ship's keel at auction once."
"Since it's so rare,"
Kong Tai asked curiously, "Then why not go to that Adam Island yourself and cut it down!"
"Impossible."
Duotuo shook his head, retracted his gaze, and looked at Kong Tai. "Firstly, Adam Island itself is a legend, and people don't even know where that island is. Even if someone truly reached that island, they wouldn't be able to bring back Adam Tree timber."
"Oh! Why is that?"
"Why..."
Duotuo picked up his teacup and took a sip, moistening his throat, then began, "Naturally, it's because the Adam Tree cannot be cut down by ordinary people or with ordinary weapons!"
"You must understand that even transporting Adam timber back, we can't process it with ordinary tools. We can only grind it slowly with a grinding method to process Adam timber."
*Thump!*
He put down his teacup and continued, "And this is dead Adam Tree timber, let alone a living Adam Tree?"
"So even if someone truly reached the legendary Adam Island, they wouldn't be able to bring back Adam timber."
"In fact, the Adam timber that circulates every year is all automatically shed branches of the Adam Tree; it's never been manually felled from the tree."
"Oh..."
"Is that so!"
Kong Tai nodded.
No wonder, in the world of One Piece, many people knew that ships made of Adam timber were the sturdiest and best, yet very few ships in this world were actually made from this material.
As far as he knew, only the ship of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, the 'Oro Jackson,' and the Straw Hat Pirates' ship, the 'Thousand Sunny,' were made of this wood.
As for others, he was unaware.
Kong Tai looked up and smiled at Duotuo. "Mr. Duotuo, since your shipyard doesn't have Adam timber, you must have other kinds of timber, right? May I know what they are?"
He paused slightly, then added, "Let me be clear! We're building a ship, and even if it's not the best, it must use the best timber. I don't want the ship breaking down halfway through our voyage."
"Haha!!"
Duotuo burst into laughter. "Customer, you worry too much. We at Carter Shipbuilding Company are not a small company!"
"Although, due to our geographical location, we don't build as many ships as Water 7 each year, but over a hundred years, our company, without boasting, is definitely among the top three in the world."
"So, customer, you have absolutely no need to worry about these things. While our shipbuilding timber here might not be as good as the legendary Adam Tree, it's not bad either."
"Come with me to the shipyard later, customer, and you'll see for yourself."
"Our timber here is transported from the Calm Belt and from ancient islands!"
"Ancient islands!"
Upon hearing this, Kong Tai straightened up immediately and asked Duotuo, "Can you tell us the specific route? Since they are ancient islands, they must be very interesting!"
The timber from ancient islands was indeed better than that from ordinary islands; they had discovered this on Little Garden.
"Uh..."
Duotuo was momentarily speechless and could only pat his head and laugh awkwardly. "Hahaha! Customer, you're heading to the New World. Why would you go to ancient islands? If you're looking for fun, with your strength, you should be going to Skypiea!"
"Hehe!!"
"Hahahahaha!!"