At this time--
Tom and the others were looking at Rob, especially the younger Iceburg and Franky, who were much younger than him.
"It doesn't matter if we don't know each other!"
Seeing Tom appear, Rob's face lit up with a smile:
"Now! I know Mr. Tom, and Mr. Tom knows me! That's enough! Why worry about those details, being a big man?"
Tom froze for a moment at Rob's words, then laughed out loud:
"Tahaha...that makes sense!"
"Don't worry about the details, you are a reputable man! Tahaha... So, what brings you to this old man? I'm just an ordinary shipbuilder, and I don't have anything special!"
Hearing Tom's words, Rob just smiled, understanding the vigilance in his tone.
This is normal--
Tom holds the design of the Ancient Weapon-Pluton, a ship the World Government desperately wants.
Even though Rob and the others are just children, Tom remains cautious!
Especially Rob—
He's someone who can overthrow the Seven Warlords of the Sea without injury. Who would dare treat him as an ordinary, harmless young man?
It's just that Tom's worries are unnecessary.
Rob has no interest in the Pluton battleship. If he wanted, he could go to Wano Country, where an original and ready-made ancient battleship exists!
And both he and Robin know how to unlock the Pluton ship!
Taking the present from Robin's hand, Rob looks at Tom:
"Although I'm taking the liberty to disturb you, Mr. Tom, don't you plan to invite us siblings to sit in?"
After hearing what Rob said, Tom reacted:
"That's right! This old man is really rude! Tahaha... Come on, please! Iceburg, Flam, you two, hurry up and serve tea! Really, you guys have no manners at all!"
At this time, Franky had not changed his name and still went by Carter Flam.
While speaking, Tom invited Rob, Robin, and Uta into the exquisite cabin. After serving tea, they began to chat.
For this kind of mutual testing, Rob did not use lies but chose to be sincere.
In the process of chatting, he revealed his identity as the only disciple of Crocus, which won more trust from Tom and gradually increased this trust.
Having already successfully connected with Tom, Rob didn't even need to mention Oda!
After talking for a while and building trust, Rob didn't hide his purpose.
Straight to the point, he said:
"Mr. Tom! I came here this time because I want to learn shipbuilding from you as a teacher! I also want to use your workshop to buy a batch of Adam wood. I plan to build an exclusive ship for myself!"
"Of course. I won't just learn your skills; I will pay the tuition, just like I did when I learned forging techniques in East Blue. I'll pay 50 million berries as tuition for shipbuilding technology!"
"In addition, I will give you a reasonable reward for the purchase of Adam Wood. I hope you don't refuse me!"
After hearing Rob's words, Tom pondered for a long time but didn't agree immediately. He said:
"You are Mr. Crocus's only disciple, so logically, this old man shouldn't refuse your request!"
"It's just that you should know the old man once built a pirate ship for Roger. Because of that, I'm now considered a criminal. If you learn shipbuilding technology from me, it could bring you big trouble!"
Rob put down the teacup in his hand, looking at Tom confidently, and said:
"Mr. Tom, you don't need to worry about that! I believe that even if I learn shipbuilding technology from you, the World Government and Marines won't do anything to me if they find out!"
"Because - I am very strong!"
Rob's confidence came from his strength, which was why he dared to come to Water 7 to find Tom, the world's number one shipbuilder, without worrying about being targeted by the World Government.
As long as his ship doesn't resemble an ancient warship, the World Government and Marines won't trouble him!
After all--
He's only eleven years old, yet he already has the strength to crush Crocodile in a one-on-one fight without injury. His potential is immense and visible to the naked eye. It's foolish for anyone to push such a promising future figure to the opposition. Even the Marines likely want to win him over!
Destroying him while he's still young is a tempting idea, but the problem is--
Is the current Rob easy to kill?
Failing to kill him could form an endless grudge, and he could grow stronger over five to ten years, causing massive trouble for the Marines and the World Government!
Rob now has more than just a sword to protect him. No one can ignore his rapid growth!
Perhaps one day, when Rob says that classic line - "Thirty years in the east, thirty years in the west, don't bully the young and poor!", his enemies would do well to take it to heart. Because when Rob says it, he's playing for real.
After hearing Rob's confident words, Tom froze for a moment, then laughed again.
He said:
"Since you are so confident, the old man agrees to teach you! How much you can learn is up to you! But I guarantee I won't hold back any secrets! Tahaha..."
Hearing Tom's answer, Rob nodded with a smile. As long as Tom agreed to teach, even if he didn't plan to share everything initially, that was fine. Rob believed that after seeing his learning ability, Tom, like Crocus and Shimotsuki Kozaburo, would choose to teach him everything and treat him as a true heir to craftsmanship.
Rob is very confident in learning things!
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More 65 powerstones go reach this weeks 1st goal
Check out advanced chapters on P@treon: p@treon.com/CosmicKaminari