Sabaody Archipelago, inside Kael's private villa.
Kael was sprawled lazily on the sofa, reading the newspaper.
The front page headline was about the "Water 7 riot" and "Pirate King's shipwright dies en route during transfer."
According to the paper, a sudden large scale gang war broke out in Water 7, leaving CP5 short on manpower.
During the transfer of the high value criminal Tom, a lapse in supervision led to the prisoner suddenly falling ill and dying despite treatment. CP5 chief Spandam was severely reprimanded by his superiors for the incident.
"Fufufufu… that kid's face must be priceless right now."
Doflamingo's voice came from the doorway. He strolled in arrogantly and casually tossed his pink feather coat onto the sofa.
"Shishishishi… turning merit into a mistake. What a pitiful bastard." Moria followed right after, his tall frame nearly blocking all the light at the entrance.
"Where is he?" Kael lowered the newspaper and asked.
Moria snapped his fingers. The shadow behind him writhed, then spat out a huge figure.
It was the fishman shipwright, Tom.
Uncle Tom was clearly still dazed.
A moment ago, he had been inside an iron cage on the Sea Train, ready to face death calmly.
The next moment, everything around him became warped darkness. Then, he appeared in this absurdly luxurious living room.
He scanned his surroundings warily. The instant he spotted Doflamingo and Moria, two infamous pirates who dominated headlines, his gaze sharpened.
"Who are you? Where is this place?" Tom demanded in a low voice. Even trapped like this, the bold, heroic air of a man of the sea had not faded from him at all.
"Uncle Tom, long time no see."
A familiar yet strangely unfamiliar voice came from the sofa.
Tom turned and saw a young man lounging with one leg crossed over the other, wearing a lazy grin.
Black hair, golden eyes, that face…
Tom's pupils shrank violently.
The floodgates of memory burst open. Countless scenes flashed through his mind.
On the Oro Jackson, there had been that crewmate who always hung around behind Roger and Rayleigh slacking off, yet somehow always revealed shocking strength at the crucial moment…
More than twenty years had passed, and the man in front of him now carried an unfathomable aura.
But those golden eyes, and that cynical, devil may care attitude, were exactly the same as the boy in his memories.
"Kael… Kael, you brat?" Tom's voice carried uncertainty. He stared wide eyed, as if trying to see through Kael's face.
"Hahaha, so you are not senile yet, Uncle Tom." Kael sat up and walked over with a grin.
"It really is you! You little punk!" Tom's face lit up with disbelief and joy. He stepped forward and slapped Kael's shoulder with his fan sized hand. "You… how are you here? And just now that was…"
"I had them rescue you." Kael nodded toward Doflamingo and Moria. "Just a small trick."
Only then did Tom understand. He glanced at the newspaper and instantly pieced everything together.
He burst out laughing, loud enough to make the entire living room hum.
"Well done! Hahahaha! Watching those World Government bastards choke on it feels damn good!"
After laughing, Tom's expression turned complicated. He looked at Kael and sighed.
"Kael, thanks. But for an old man like me, is it really worth causing such a commotion? You even risked exposing yourself."
"Exposing? No, no, no." Kael wagged a finger. "The whole world thinks you are dead. And they will only think it was Water 7 gangs killing each other. Nobody will connect this to me. As for whether it was worth it…"
Kael walked to the liquor cabinet and took out a treasured bottle of rum and two oversized cups.
"Back in Water 7, you treated me to plenty of drinks. Now that I have made it big, I treat you to some good booze and save your life while I'm at it. That's perfectly normal, isn't it?"
He poured two brimming cups and handed one to Tom.
Tom took the cup, staring at the amber liquid. His eyes reddened slightly.
"Roger… when that guy left… was he alright?" After a brief silence, Tom asked quietly.
"He left smiling." Kael clinked cups with him and downed a huge mouthful. "Before he went, he used one line to flip the whole world upside down. Very much his style."
"Yeah… that guy was always like that." Tom drank deeply too. The burn of the liquor seemed to ignite his memories. "What about Rayleigh? Crocus? Is everyone doing alright?"
"Rayleigh is here in Sabaody working as a coating craftsman, living comfortably. Crocus is at Twin Cape with Laboon and Brook. And that guy Gaban…" Kael clicked his tongue. "He went to Elbaf and found himself a super huge wife. Everyone found their own way to live."
"That's good… that's good…" Tom murmured, a heavy stone finally dropping from his chest.
He looked at Kael, then at Doflamingo and Moria, and could not help sighing with emotion.
"Never thought the lazy little brat who used to trail behind Roger's butt would turn into such a big shot. You have Warlords running errands for you now."
"Nothing special. Just making a living." Kael said modestly.
Doflamingo and Moria twitched at the corners of their mouths.
Killing one of the Five Elders and turning Mary Geoise upside down counts as "making a living"?
Kael's ability to downplay himself was getting more shameless by the day.
"Oh, right." Tom seemed to remember something, his eyes turning eager. "The Oro Jackson! That ship… the ship we built together. What happened to it in the end?"
To a shipwright, a masterpiece poured full of blood and sweat was like a child.
"You want to know?" Kael smiled mysteriously. "Go drink with Rayleigh and have him tell you himself. I guarantee the end of that ship is worthy of its legend."
Kael did not say the Oro Jackson had been hidden away. That sort of thing was better left for old comrades to talk about themselves.
He watched the look on Uncle Tom's face, that mix of regret and relief, and then changed the topic.
"Uncle Tom, I did save you, but I'm not running a charity."
Kael rubbed his hands together like a greedy fly, a merchant like grin spreading across his face.
"There's a job. I want the world's number one shipwright to help me out."
"Hahahaha! As long as there's booze to drink and ships to build, anything's negotiable!" Tom slapped his chest boldly.
Kael grinned, gestured "this way," and turned toward a concealed door deeper inside the villa.
"Come with me. I promise once you see it, you'll forget the Oro Jackson completely."
Tom did not understand, but he kept holding his cup and followed, curiosity growing.
The hidden door opened.
A long staircase leading underground appeared before them.
A wave of mixed engine oil and metal washed up into their faces.
Tom's heartbeat accelerated for no reason.
As a top tier shipwright, he had a beast like instinct for that smell.
Down there, something incredible was hiding.