After a full day of deadlock, Spandam eventually agreed to Tom's deal.
There was no other choice; no matter how much Spandam threatened him, Tom remained resolute and unyielding.
As long as Tom, the one who knew the secret, was in his hands, the Pluton designs wouldn't slip away. The others were just small fry.
So, after some hesitation, Spandam released them. But not before warning them of the consequences if they went back on their word.
Did Tom reveal the location of the hidden Pluton designs to Iceberg and the others?
Of course not. What Tom instructed Iceberg to do was to find Wood as quickly as possible after leaving Enies Lobby and to escape from Water 7 with Wood's pirate crew.
Tom had used himself as a bargaining chip to secure the release of the other members of Tom's Workshop, as well as Ruth and the others.
If Spandam was willing to let Tom's disciples go, then releasing Ruth and the rest—mere nobodies—didn't concern him in the slightest.
To be honest, in Wood's pirate crew, the only person who caught Spandam's attention was Wood himself, due to his considerable strength. As for the others, like Ruth, they were beneath Spandam's notice.
Tom's plan was simple: if he sacrificed himself to save the Nirvana Pirates, it wouldn't be too much to ask their captain, Wood, to take his two disciples and escape, right?
Indeed, Tom had no intention of saving himself. As long as Iceberg and Franky could escape, Tom was ready to meet his fate.
To prevent his disciples from returning to rescue him, Tom deliberately didn't reveal the location of the designs to Iceberg.
A terrifying ancient weapon like Pluton, if it fell into the wrong hands, would only bring disaster to the world. Tom planned to take this secret with him to the grave.
Spandam believed that as long as Tom was in his custody, he was in control. But he never considered that not everyone clung to life as he did.
As long as Kokoro and Franky escaped, Tom had nothing to fear!
After Iceberg and his group were sent back from Enies Lobby to Water 7, Iceberg immediately asked Ruth if he could contact their captain, Wood, as he had a proposition to discuss.
However, before Iceberg could finish his sentence, Franky landed a punch right on his face.
"At a time like this, why are you thinking about making deals with Wood? We need to find that damn design and go back to Enies Lobby to save Tom!"
Despite the heavy blow to his face, Iceberg didn't retaliate against Franky as he usually would. Instead, he removed his bandana with a dejected expression and said, "Tom never told me where the designs are hidden. He asked me to request that Wood take us out of Water 7."
The Nirvana Pirates' ship, the Dark Maru, had been confiscated by Enies Lobby, but Tom, who had been building ships for so long, surely had other excellent ships hidden away.
The deal Iceberg wanted to propose to Wood was to exchange a new pirate ship for safe passage out of Water 7 for the remaining members of Tom's Workshop.
This was Tom's final wish, which he only shared with Iceberg and not with Franky, knowing that Franky's impulsive nature wouldn't allow him to accept it.
"You bastard! Are you just going to abandon Tom and run away like a coward?" Franky, unable to contain his emotions, grabbed Iceberg by the collar, his voice laced with desperation.
But this time, Iceberg wasn't going to take it. He retaliated with a punch, knocking Franky down and then sitting on top of him, raining blows on his face.
"Do you think I feel any better about this? If you had just listened to me, instead of getting involved in all that nonsense, none of this would have happened! Now the entire Tom's Workshop is paying for your mistakes!"
As Tom's disciples, both Iceberg and Franky were like sons to him. Iceberg's emotions were just as raw when Tom entrusted him with his plans. He was devastated.
Tom knew that Franky was too impulsive and immature, which is why he entrusted this responsibility to the more level-headed Iceberg. But this also meant that Iceberg bore a heavier burden than Franky.
"If you want to run, then run! But I'm going back to save Tom, even if it costs me my life! This whole mess is my fault, and I have to make it right!"
Franky got up from the ground, not holding a grudge against Iceberg for hitting him. Iceberg was right; this disaster was his fault.
But because of that, Franky couldn't just sit back and watch Tom die for his mistakes. Even if he escaped Water 7, the guilt would haunt him forever.
"When will you ever grow up, you idiot? Do you even understand why Tom is doing this? It's obvious that Spandam has no intention of keeping his word. Even if we handed over the designs, he'd still kill us!"
"And what can you do with your strength, huh? If you go back to Enies Lobby, you'll just be another pawn for Spandam to use against Tom. If we all die at Enies Lobby, who's going to avenge Tom? Do you even get it?"
Franky's actions were just the spark; Spandam would have found another reason to target Tom and his crew. But Iceberg didn't care about that right now. He needed to make Franky understand the gravity of the situation.
"If you really want revenge, we don't have to wait until later. Enies Lobby may be one of the three major agencies of the World Government, but its overall strength is nowhere near that of Impel Down or Marine Headquarters."
"But it seems that Enies Lobby has requested reinforcements from Marine Headquarters, and the ones coming are quite formidable. However, if we plan carefully, saving Tom might not be entirely impossible."
The voice that suddenly cut in belonged to none other than Wood, who had previously broken through the encirclement.
In fact, since Franky and the others had returned to the workshop, they had been under Wood's watchful eye.
Or rather, it wasn't just Wood keeping an eye on them—Gion, who hadn't made it to Enies Lobby, was also involved.
Spandam had indeed sent people to follow Franky and the others, but they were no match for Gion and Wood, who easily took care of them.
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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 280+ at pat_reon.com/Betek.