Word spread quickly among the fan club members who hadn't been able to attend, as those present eagerly showed off their close encounter with their idol. With the full support of Galley-La employees forming a protective barrier, Luffy and his companions finally managed to escape the enthusiastic siege laid by his fanatical admirers.

The experience left Luffy feeling oddly touched—this was his first taste of genuine celebrity treatment, and he found he rather enjoyed it.

Before departing, he made a point of addressing his fans directly, thanking them for their support and promising to prepare special gifts for them in the near future. This unexpected acknowledgment came as a complete surprise to the members of the "Heart-Strike" club.

Many of the female fans screamed with excitement, while several appeared to faint from the sheer thrill of being acknowledged by Admiral Luffy himself. Unbeknownst to him, as news of this interaction spread through the club's communication network, members from other locations began making plans to intercept Luffy at his future destinations, preparing to surprise him when he visited the major World Government member nations on his itinerary.

To formally welcome Luffy's arrival, Iceburg, in his dual capacity as owner of Galley-La Company and mayor of Water 7, had arranged a grand banquet. The event attracted all of the city's most prominent figures, from shipwrights to businessmen to local politicians.

Before Luffy could even exchange more than a few words with Iceburg, he found himself surrounded by these civic and business leaders, all eager to make the acquaintance of the Marine's youngest Admiral. He had little choice but to engage in the social niceties expected of his position.

Fortunately, his newly acquired rank commanded respect, and these savvy local powerbrokers understood the value of brevity. Most approached only to exchange a few pleasant words, offer their business cards, and then politely excuse themselves, ensuring Luffy would remember their faces if nothing else.

Occasionally, wealthy mature women or ambitious young ladies—some seeking business connections, others merely drawn by his youthful good looks—would attempt to engage him in extended conversation. However, Ain and Nami, standing vigilant on either side of Luffy, skillfully intercepted these approaches, permitting none to monopolize their Admiral's attention.

Observing Luffy's unexpected popularity from a distance, Iceburg could only shake his head helplessly as he was gradually pushed to the periphery of his own event. Taking a glass of wine, he retreated to a quiet corner of the venue.

"Didn't I explicitly tell you to dress appropriately?" he muttered to a figure who joined him in the shadows. "This is... beyond perverted."

The man before him was wearing what could technically be considered formal attire—a well-tailored black jacket and bow tie that looked quite stylish from the waist up. However, the blue-haired shipwright had chosen to pair this with only a pair of swim briefs below, leaving his mechanical legs mostly exposed.

After considerable hesitation, Iceburg settled on "perverted" as the most diplomatic description of his friend's appearance.

Surprisingly, the muscular, half-dressed man took no offense at this characterization. Instead, he turned with a broad grin and responded cheerfully:

"Hey, ice-for-brains! If you're going to praise me the moment we meet, I'll get embarrassed~"

Looking at his smirking companion, Iceburg was sorely tempted to smash his wine glass against the man's metal-reinforced face.

Praise you?! And what kind of person actually feels happy about being called an idiot?

The underwear-clad party crasher was none other than Cutty Flam, better known as "Cyborg" Franky, former apprentice of the legendary shipwright Tom and Iceburg's foster brother.

During the recent incident involving the destruction of the Pluton blueprints, Franky had gone into hiding with assistance from certain revolutionary connections. It wasn't until several months later, when it became apparent that the World Government had abandoned their search for him, that he dared return to Water 7.

With the danger of the ancient weapon blueprints no longer hanging over their heads, both foster brothers had experienced considerable relief. Iceburg had gradually opened up emotionally, while Franky had returned to his flamboyant, uninhibited self.

Though Franky still operated independently with his Franky Family, conducting salvage operations and occasional bounty hunting, Iceburg would periodically commission work from them. As a result, the living conditions of Franky's followers had improved substantially.

However, Franky showed no interest in returning to traditional shipbuilding. Instead, he had begun focusing his considerable engineering talents on developing advanced weapons systems.

His long-term plan was to establish a company that would complement Galley-La's operations—Iceburg would build the ships, while Franky would supply the weaponry, offering customers a complete package of world-class vessels and cutting-edge armaments.

When discussing weapons manufacturing in the Grand Line, one could hardly avoid considering the Marines as a potential primary client. Marine battleships were traditionally constructed in Water 7, but their weapons systems were typically sourced from other contractors.

Franky's ambition to enter the arms industry had initially met with Iceburg's disapproval, but years of brotherhood eventually won out, and Iceburg reluctantly agreed to provide assistance. This was precisely why Franky had been invited to attend the banquet—Iceburg planned to introduce his unconventional brother to Admiral Luffy, hoping to secure a share of the lucrative Marine weapons contracts.

Before the event, Iceburg had explicitly instructed Franky to dress formally. As anyone could see, the cyborg had complied with the letter, if not the spirit, of this directive—his upper body was appropriately attired, but his lower half remained as exhibitionist as ever.