At Tom's Workers, Doflamingo and Enel had arrived, only to find that the long-renowned Mr. Tom was not present. Instead, they had met his two apprentices.
The "friendly" exchange just now had left Franky with a very poor attitude toward them, and the subsequent conversation between him and Iceburg only served to irritate him further.
Doflamingo quietly observed the exchange between the two apprentices, not interrupting them.
To be honest, although the current Franky wasn't yet a pervert—in fact, he was quite a hot-blooded youth—Doflamingo had no interest in him. He wasn't even interested in the more sensible Iceburg.
However, the two of them were objects that could be used. Since the World Government was so concerned about the blueprints for Pluton, how could Doflamingo not get involved?
Good things, of course, should be held in one's own hands. That was the unchanging truth. How could he give his enemies an opportunity to grow stronger?
Iceburg finished his conversation with Franky and finally turned to the two visitors.
"I wonder what our two honored guests need help with? I can offer what little assistance I can," Iceburg said very politely, his attitude far better than Franky's.
"Now that's the proper attitude," Enel said, still annoyed with Franky but quite satisfied with Iceburg's much more sophisticated manner of dealing with people.
Hearing Enel's outburst, Franky felt a surge of anger, but he didn't say anything more, simply burying his head and continuing with his work.
"I was hoping Mr. Tom could repair my ship. I've heard he's the best shipwright here," Doflamingo said, pleased with Iceburg's politeness. He responded in kind, stating his purpose.
"Ah, I see. I understand your reason for coming, but unfortunately, Mr. Tom no longer does this kind of work," Iceburg said with regret.
"Oh? And why not?" Doflamingo asked, feigning ignorance.
"Well... it's..." Iceburg looked troubled.
"Is there some secret reason?" Doflamingo pressed.
"It's not that it can't be said. It's just that Mr. Tom is too busy. He has to build the Sea Train, so he has no time for these smaller jobs. I'm afraid your wish will be difficult to grant," Iceburg slowly explained.
He then continued, "However, we have many other excellent shipwrights here. Perhaps our two guests would be willing to give one of them a try?"
Iceburg's tentative suggestion left a good impression on Doflamingo and Enel.
So, Doflamingo took the opening offered. "In that case, do you have any good candidates in mind?" he asked.
Hearing Doflamingo's words, Iceburg's face lit up with excitement. It seemed he had convinced them.
"Do you see him?" Iceburg said excitedly, pointing.
Doflamingo and Enel followed his finger and saw Franky, who was still absorbed in his work.
"You're not going to tell me that guy is the best shipwright here, are you?" Enel asked, looking at Franky with a playful expression.
"That's right. Franky's craftsmanship is actually very good. We were both taught by Mr. Tom, so our two honored guests can rest assured. If it's really not to your satisfaction, I can also be of service," Iceburg said, doing his best to promote Franky.
Doflamingo glanced at Franky, his face showing no sign of annoyance. Since Iceburg was so enthusiastically recommending his junior, he couldn't very well refuse his kind offer.
You brought this upon yourselves. Doflamingo had been wondering how to get in contact with this future pervert.
"Franky, hurry up and come over here!" Iceburg urged.
"I know, I know," Franky said impatiently, putting down his tools and walking over to Doflamingo and Enel.
Iceburg was about to say more good things about Franky, but Franky himself looked completely indifferent.
Doflamingo looked at Franky and Iceburg. These two brothers were truly interesting.
"So be it. He'll do," Doflamingo decided in an instant.
Hearing this, Franky's spirits lifted, and he said excitedly to Doflamingo, "SUPER! You've absolutely made the right decision!"
Iceburg also watched this scene with satisfaction.
Next was the matter of negotiating the price. Iceburg was about to suggest that Doflamingo take him to see the condition of the ship before they discussed the cost.
However, Doflamingo was not short on cash. Not to mention his many black market businesses, in the past month alone, so many pirates had come to deliver treasure to him that he was rolling in money. He simply told Iceburg to name his price, saving them both the trouble.
It was the first time Iceburg had ever met such a generous customer. He didn't even haggle, just settling on a price immediately. Although he hadn't seen the extent of the damage to the ship, the man was clearly a fool with more money than sense. He gave them his highest price, and how could he not be delighted?
After all, whether they were pirates, Marines, or merchants, everyone who came here was a penny-pincher, trying to get a deal wherever they could.
Although most pirates were ill-intentioned bullies, they wouldn't dare to cross the shipwrights. They would obediently pay up. After all, they were buying their own lives. If a shipwright decided to play some little trick on them, it would be too late for tears.
As the saying goes, it's better to offend a gentleman than a petty person.
Shipwrights were the backbone of society. They had seen it all, knocking about in the world. If someone used their status to do something disadvantageous to them, like not paying, while they might not do anything on the surface, they could certainly cause trouble for them behind their backs.
If you played that game with them, you had to be prepared for their retaliation.
For the sake of their own ship's safety, everyone tacitly agreed to the unwritten rule that you absolutely could not easily bully a shipwright.
Their discussion concluded, Doflamingo took Franky to where the Ark was docked.
Along the way, Doflamingo observed this energetic young man. A flamboyant blue pompadour, goggles on his forehead, a deep orange spotted T-shirt, and brown shorts. He didn't yet have the perverted look of his future self.
Franky saw Doflamingo sizing him up and, thinking the man didn't trust his skills, puffed out his chest and guaranteed, "Don't worry! My skills are second to none here!"
"Oh? And how do your skills compare to Mr. Tom's?" Hearing Franky's words, Doflamingo took the opportunity to close the distance between them, preparing for what was to come.
"Of course Mr. Tom's skills are better! But I will definitely surpass him one day!"
Doflamingo could see the determination on Franky's face.
"I believe your wish will come true! I wonder what Mr. Tom is busy with now. Why would he leave such a large company to you two? Is he planning to retire?" Doflamingo praised Franky's dream, then changed the subject, steering the conversation toward Tom.
Franky was a warm-hearted person. Seeing that Doflamingo was so polite and didn't seem like a bad person, he happily answered, "Mr. Tom! He's working on a huge project!"
"A huge project?" Enel couldn't help but ask.
Franky was very pleased with Enel's surprise. He cleared his throat and prepared to continue, "It's the Sea Train! Have you ever seen a train running on the ocean?"
Seeing Franky's excitement, Doflamingo didn't shatter his dream.
"That certainly is a huge project. The Sea Train... what an unprecedented idea. The person who came up with that plan is a genius," Doflamingo said, going along with Franky and praising Mr. Tom.
Mentioning the Sea Train, Doflamingo was genuinely impressed by Tom's imagination and talent.
"Right? Right?! It's super SUPER!" Franky looked at Doflamingo excitedly.
Doflamingo nodded in agreement.
The conversation had gone far enough. Pushing it further would be overdoing it. Franky had completely forgotten his earlier displeasure and seemed ready to take Doflamingo, a man of good taste, as a confidant.
After walking for some time, Doflamingo finally brought Franky to where the Ark was docked.
"Is this your ship? It's really something," Franky said, admiring the Ark Maxim with an expert's eye.
Although the current Franky hadn't seen the blueprints for Pluton, his talent was undeniable.
"That's right. This is our ship, the Ark Maxim," Enel said, looking at the Ark with pride. This was the greatest masterpiece of their sky island, a vessel that could travel both the sky and the sea.
"It seems your ship is quite the creation," Franky praised.
Looking at the gold covering the Ark's exterior, Franky was also struck by its extravagance. Just how rich are these people? To display it so ostentatiously, weren't they afraid of being robbed by pirates?
But that was Doflamingo's business and had nothing to do with a humble shipwright like himself. If he did a good job, maybe he could even get a bonus. After all, they weren't short on money.
No one knew about Franky's little thoughts.
Franky calmly approached the Ark Maxim and began to inspect its injuries. Although he had set a price without even looking at the damage, which was against all reason—and even Iceburg thought Doflamingo was a sucker—he was still determined to do his best for him.
His reputation couldn't be tarnished. A craftsman had to rely on his good name.
After bustling about for a long time, Franky finally finished his inspection.
He came before Doflamingo, the owner, organized his thoughts, and said, "The damage to this ship isn't too severe. The internal power supply system and everything are intact, and it's mostly functioning well. It's just that the exterior damage looks quite serious. It seems you've been through a brutal battle."
A professional doing a professional's job. Doflamingo was very satisfied with Franky's serious attitude.
"I'll leave it to you. I trust your skills will make the Ark Maxim look brand new," Doflamingo said to Franky.
Franky gave a thumbs-up, striking his "super" pose, and said happily, "Of course! I guarantee you'll see a brand-new Ark Maxim! My skills are amazing, SUPER!"
With everything settled, Doflamingo handed the Ark over to Franky to be taken for repairs.
As for the members of the Donquixote Pirates, they began a rare vacation in Water 7.
It was a rare time of leisure. However, beneath the calm waters, unknown dangers lurked.