“Looks like the cartridges are incompatible with the design of your weapon,” Dom said after much though. He moved one part to the rest. “The problem is that the cartridge itself doesn’t guarantee that it will hold the amount of force inside the barrel. I am surprised that the whole weapon didn’t implode. If you load the stock and the butt with this amount of black powder, you’d never know if it becomes a bomb.” Dom said with the wisdom of someone well-read.

“So what should I do about this?”

Dom studied the weapon parts. “Honestly, the lever and locking system is pretty clever. The ammunition doesn’t seem compatible. Have you tried making custom bullets with this? Reinforce the barrels so it doesn’t explode. Pretty lucky that you didn’t get your hands blown up.”

Gabrio clicked his tongue. “I thought about it. Looks like this design won’t do.”

“Hold on,” Dom stopped him. “How about letting the smiths take care of this? Give them the plans so they’d do the work. I know you are an excellent physician, but you are far from being an excellent smith.”

Gabrio didn’t deny it. He might know the basics, but he was still not good enough to invent his own. He could customize a weapon of his own, which he was confident on. Nodding his head, Gabrio gathered the parts on the workbench. He moved to the workshop inside the Galleon where the smiths were doing their work. Though the forge was sitting on a sandbox and there was a pipe system that led the smoke of the forge out of the Galleon. It still gave Gabrio a headache that there was an actual forge inside the Galleon. It was a serious fire hazard they don’t seem to mind at all. Then again, he was sitting inside a Galleon filled with black powder that could blow up if some fool smoked near the powder.

“What’s up, Doctor?” one smith stood up. He looked at Dom, then to the parts that Gabrio carried. His eyes squinted as he picked up a part. “This isn’t one of our guns, hmm, this lever and lock, is this perhaps yours, Doctor?”

“It is,” Gabrio nodded. “I have tried to make my own gun, but I have no talent on it, it seems.”

“The gun looks like a mess, Doc. I’m guessing that there was a problem with the firing system. And the barrel is atrocious, who made these?”

One of men behind flinched. Gabrio acted as if he didn’t see that. “I had it made for me and placed in my chest. But it looks like the barrel isn’t enough to handle the blast.”

“Looks like it,” the man said. “The cartridges are inside the stock?” He fondled the stock and took out the paper cartridges. He dug the primer on the side and took it out. “This is a delicate design, convoluted, and I don’t think it would work without proper refining.”

Gabrio could only agree. “So, can I leave it to you?”

“Sure,” he studied the lever and locking system. “Doctor, the design of the whole rifle is honestly the most painful design that I have seen, but the lever and locking system of this rifle deserves praise. The cartridges, primer, inside the stock makes me want to gouge my eyes out, Doctor.”

It was awful trying to reload the weapon with paper cartridges. Gabrio took his time to load the weapon, so he didn’t put much thought on the matter until the gunsmith mentioned it.

“I get it. The design is awful now that you say it.”

“You aren’t the only to think of this design, Doctor. We’ve been trying to make it so we could fire a gun faster. The reload time is hazardous and we need to have better weapons to fire hordes of beasts like the ones in the atoll.”

During that battle, the fleet realized how lacking they were with waves of enemies with tough scales coming after the gunners. A gunner has a paper cartridge that contains the powder and the lead ball. From the reports that Gabrio collected, a professional gunner could fire three rounds a minute. The less experienced ones fires one round in three minutes. They could fire faster when they were not in a stressful environment, but the panic and fear caused slower firing speed.

They won the battle in the atoll because they fired volleys upon volleys of cannon balls and rifle fire that tore through the scale of their enemies. If they have weapons that could fire multiple times, it would be a blessing. Who knows what waits for them as they continue on this voyage?

“I hope you can put this to good use then,” Gabrio handed the parts to the gunsmith. He looked around the scorching workshop filled with smiths working without a rest. From spears to rifles to chipped swords. Across the room was this constant banging noises of a hammer meeting steel. Gabrio felt thankful that they didn’t think of placing over two forges inside the Galleon.

There are days where he would forget that this was a Grand-Galleon, not the typical Galleon where one wouldn’t even dare to think of doing something such as placing a workshop on a wooden ship. Rarely one would find a vessel this big and extremely retardant and sturdy. Since he was inside the workshop, Gabrio took out the small notebook that he carries around. Upon seeing the notebook in the hands of Gabrio, the gunsmith sighed. “Boys,” he called to the crew inside the workshop. “Looks like the Doctor needs to know if we are healthy enough.”

“Can’t blame me now,” Gabrio tapped the end of his writing stick. “I have to know that you guys are well-fed and able to work your damnest. I am in charge of making sure that none of you people are sick.” He looked at Dom. “Help me, will you?”

“Where’s your assistant?”

“Wiles is probably with Millie. I let the lad go take a break since he might just have his head explode from all the learning he is getting.”

“Aren’t you a wonderful mentor?”

“I try my best and that he needs to work it out with Millie.”

“What about you, Doc?”

Gabrio eyed at Dom. “I don’t think about it. Do you know how many people I am looking after, Dom? There are about hundreds of people inside the ship and I have to listen to their problems and make sure they aren’t skipping their duties. Four women are currently pregnant, and every four days they come to the clinic to make sure they are healthy enough. I have to make sure that our noble blue bloods could get proper treatment. Sailors usually come and complain about their backs while the rest are trying to get their bodies checked because their injuries are still awful.”

“I have to spend a day going to every single person inside the Galleon to make sure they have no complains about their health. That is like having hundreds of foster sons. Hate me. Like me. I have to care of you since it is my job inside this ship. Why do you think I have two assistants while my Surgeon usually handles the matter inside the clinic while I go around treating people? Uon, how many times have I visited this place in the past week?”

“Thrice,” Uon, the one that took the parts from Gabrio answered. “One for the idiot that slept on the anvil, second for the moron who hit himself with a hammer, and the one that almost burned his eyes. There was also the problem with this place turning into an oven.”

Dom nodded as if he understood the weight on Gabrio’s shoulder. He took the notebook from Gabrio, preparing to take notes. The hammering inside the workshop stopped as they gathered around Gabrio. He started with the ones with previous injuries, making sure that they were not having any bruises or infection. Their bodies were sturdy from all the work they do. Mostly, they didn’t have any need for treatment.

Gabrio had to make sure they are working, and those who were not working had to meet with the Inquisitor who will put them back into a working mindset. Though it was good that he was taking care of them. Gabrio didn’t dare to care for them to where they would have to rely on him all the time. He warned them. Threatened them that if dare to be careless, he would not administer treatment for them. He had to remind them. He knows when they are lying about their injuries or sickness. He had spent time with the vilest people in the known world, and throughout the years he had discovered how people lie about their conditions.

He might be their physician, but Gabrio would not make them rely on him. That’s why every treatment and advice that comes out of his mouths has a fair warning. If they don’t treat themselves well, then forget about going to him. Gabrio made it a point in his visits to warn them that the medicine in the fleet was sparse. He cannot treat everyone everytime, unless they want to empty their supply of medicine.