Doflamingo had already pinpointed Tom's location in secret: Tom's Workshop. He also planned to meet this legendary shipwright who had built the Oro Jackson.
When Doflamingo arrived at Tom's location, the Fish-Man was still hard at work. It made sense; there was still some time before the Puffing Tom was complete, and Tom certainly had no time to rest.
Whether it was the World Government's sword hanging over his head, forcing him to hurry, or his own desire to complete his dream, he had no time to stop and rest his weary feet.
Doflamingo watched the busy Tom from a distance. His Observation Haki, which he had sent surging out, also sensed the World Government agents hidden in the shadows. As expected of the World Government.
Doflamingo walked toward Tom, paying no mind to the hidden agents. They were all insignificant pawns, and their time of death would come soon enough.
Tap, tap, tap.
The sound of Doflamingo's footsteps grew closer, but Tom didn't look up, still engrossed in his work.
While Tom didn't look up, his assistants did. They looked at the newcomer with annoyance and demanded, "Hey, who are you? This isn't a place just anyone can enter."
Doflamingo's uninvited visit had drawn the attention of everyone present.
Even the hidden World Government agents frowned, feeling that the newcomer was a troublesome variable.
"What do we do?" one of the hidden agents asked his leader.
"Let's just watch for now. If it comes to it, we'll report to Chief Spandam," the team leader said with a frown.
"Yes, sir!"
With that, they continued to watch Doflamingo's every move.
Unfortunately for them, they didn't know they had already been exposed. Their lives were completely in Doflamingo's hands, yet they remained oblivious.
"Me? Oh, I'm just an admirer of Mr. Tom's great name, here to see him in person," Doflamingo explained with considerable patience, not stooping to the level of the man who had questioned him. "Oh, and I forgot to mention, I'm a major customer of your Tom's Workers. I'm also acquainted with Mr. Tom's apprentices, Iceburg and Franky."
"Oh, is that so? Well, you can't disturb our work," the questioner was a hot-tempered man. Seeing that Doflamingo just wanted to see Mr. Tom and was a familiar customer of his apprentices, he saw no reason to stop him.
Hearing the commotion, Mr. Tom finally stopped his work and looked up at Doflamingo.
"And you are?" Mr. Tom asked kindly.
"My name is Doflamingo. I'm a pirate," Doflamingo introduced himself.
"A pirate?" Hearing his words, everyone present took a second look at Doflamingo. With his aristocratic bearing, it wouldn't have been an exaggeration to call him a noble. To think he was a pirate was truly unexpected.
"A pirate, you say? Then what business do you have here?" Tom wasn't surprised that Doflamingo was a pirate. He had seen too many pirates in his long life. He had even met the Pirate King himself; what was one more like Doflamingo?
"I heard from Franky that Mr. Tom is overseeing a major project. I was curious, so I came to see for myself who could have come up with such a genius idea."
Doflamingo was a smooth talker, and his words made Tom very happy.
Hearing Doflamingo's praise, a warm smile spread across Tom's face, and his heart swelled with pride. For technical people like them, praising their work and ideas was the most fitting compliment.
"Not at all. It's still in the experimental stage. I, too, look forward to the day the Sea Train is a success," Tom said humbly.
"Such a great project will surely succeed. I look forward to seeing the Sea Train in operation," Doflamingo continued.
"Yes, it will definitely succeed! We're looking forward to it too!" the others chimed in.
"Thank you for your praise. I also believe my Sea Train will definitely be a success," Tom said, thanking Doflamingo.
Doflamingo sized up Tom, and Tom sized up Doflamingo. Then, the two of them looked at each other and smiled.
The others didn't understand what they were smiling about, but they started smiling along with them.
The atmosphere was very cheerful.
The hidden agents, however, were speechless, not knowing what was so funny. They just kept a close eye on them, afraid that something unexpected would happen.
"Mr. Tom, won't you give me a tour?" Doflamingo asked, his smile fading slightly.
"This is the Puffing Tom. It's not yet complete. The previous model, the Rocketman, was scrapped due to some uncontrollable factors," Tom explained carefully, a smile on his face.
"I see," Doflamingo nodded after listening.
He examined the unfinished trains, and a thought popped into his head. I wonder if the technology for these Sea Trains uses anything from the Pluton blueprints? Most likely it does. Otherwise, relying on Tom's own abilities, it would probably be impossible.
That must be it. Doflamingo gave the Sea Trains a deep look, his mind already scheming how to get his hands on the blueprints.
If he directly confronted Tom, he probably wouldn't hand them over. Tom certainly knew the power of Pluton and would never give them up easily.
Even when Franky got into trouble, Tom took the blame himself and refused to hand over the blueprints in exchange for their lives. This showed that Tom valued Pluton more than his own life. A man like that would never hand over the plans just to save himself.
As things stood, the only way was to go through his two apprentices, with whom he had a deep bond.
Iceburg was serious, calm, and composed—a difficult target. Franky, on the other hand, had a frivolous and hot-blooded personality, a magnet for trouble. He was the perfect target to exploit, and a great opportunity for Doflamingo to create a chance for himself.
Tom saw Doflamingo staring at the Sea Train and thought he was just amazed by it, unaware that the man was already plotting against him.
A soft ahem broke Doflamingo's train of thought, bringing him back to reality.
"My apologies, I was lost in thought," Doflamingo apologized to everyone.
"It's alright, young man," Tom said with a smile.
"In that case, I won't disturb you any longer."
Doflamingo made to leave. The cough had been a clear signal that it was time for him to go. He was not an unreasonable person; why would he do something to annoy them?
"Then we won't see you out," Tom said bluntly.
"Business is important," Doflamingo said, not angered by Tom's bluntness. In his mind, he already considered Water 7 his own. Not just the shipwrights here, but everything in the city—Doflamingo wanted to grasp it all in his hands. This was a valuable asset; why would he let it sit here untouched?
By taking control of Water 7 and its shipwrights, the construction of Pluton could proceed smoothly. This was why Doflamingo was willing to get along with them. If you want them to work for you, you first have to make a good impression, don't you?
Doflamingo left Tom's Workshop at a leisurely pace. The workers in the workshop were already talking about him.
"That young man just now really didn't seem like a pirate. I'd believe it if you told me he was a noble lord."
"Yeah, yeah."
"It's a shame. So young, and he's already a pirate."
The workers chattered about Doflamingo. It had to be said, his performance just now had left a very good impression on them.
"Alright, back to business!" Tom stopped their discussion.
"Yes, sir!"
The workshop once again fell into a fervent atmosphere of work.
The Sea Train, Doflamingo mused. It really was a wonderful thing. As someone from a modern world, Doflamingo naturally understood its convenience. He, too, was looking forward to its debut. After all, it would all be his.
Having figured everything out, Doflamingo's mood improved greatly, and he felt a spring in his step as he walked, completely ignoring the little mice watching him from behind.