Chapter 148: Unusual
Iceberg stared at Axel in disbelief.
For a moment, all his composure vanished.
He had gone to such lengths to obtain those blueprints, only for this child to say he wanted to burn them?
What kind of person would make that decision?
There were clearly better ways to handle something like Pluton. Axel could hand it to the World Government and receive enormous merit. He could use it to bargain for rank, power, or protection. Any Marine who obtained such a thing would be able to rise instantly.
So why burn it?
There had to be a reason.
And because there had to be a reason, Iceberg found it difficult to believe him.
Rather than accepting that Axel truly wanted to destroy the blueprints, he was more inclined to think the boy was lying.
"Why burn them?" Iceberg demanded.
Axel did not answer directly.
"Who do you think arrested Mr. Tom? And why?"
Iceberg's expression shifted.
The answer came quickly.
Tom had been arrested by the World Government.
And the reason was Pluton.
If Axel's purpose in burning the blueprints was to save Tom, then it made sense. Once the blueprints were destroyed, the government would no longer gain anything by keeping Tom. There would be no reason to continue squeezing him for information.
But would Axel really do something so thankless?
Iceberg still doubted it.
"You already know the answer," Axel said. "Mr. Tom wasn't arrested because he attacked a judicial ship. And he definitely wasn't arrested for catching Jerry the Mouse."
"Jerry the Mouse…?"
Iceberg was momentarily thrown off.
"Oh, that part was just for my own amusement," Axel said casually. "The point is, Mr. Tom was arrested because of those blueprints. The government wants Pluton, and Tom happens to be standing in their way. It's that simple."
Iceberg grew impatient with Axel's roundabout way of speaking.
"That still doesn't explain why you want the blueprints. You haven't told me why you would burn them."
"I thought you were smart enough to understand by now," Axel said. "Burning the blueprints is the only way to bring Mr. Tom back."
He paused, then added, "Unless you expect me to openly snatch him from the World Government. Though that does sound interesting."
Iceberg's face twitched.
That matched his guess, but he felt like he had just heard something he should not have.
"How can I trust you?"
Axel smiled.
There was no hesitation in his expression.
"I have no reason to trick you. I already know the blueprints are in your hands. If I wanted to, I could report you to the World Government right now. They would have plenty of ways to take them from you."
His gaze settled on Iceberg.
"But I haven't."
Iceberg said nothing.
Axel continued, "Besides, you have to trust me, don't you?"
That last sentence was not really a question.
It was closer to a warning.
Iceberg lowered his head and fell silent for a long time.
He did not know what to do.
If it were Mr. Tom, what would he choose?
A scale seemed to appear in Iceberg's mind.
On one side was Tom.
On the other was Tom's instruction.
He knew what he should say.
No.
That should have been the only answer.
But the moment he thought of Tom, and then of Franky, the balance broke.
Rather than protect those cold blueprints forever, Iceberg wanted those two people back.
He wanted the days when they could argue, build, laugh, and live under the same roof again.
Iceberg bit his lip.
Reluctance showed clearly on his face.
But as Axel had said, he had no real choice except to believe him.
"Fine," Iceberg said at last. "I agree. But I want to know about Franky first."
"No," Axel replied. "Give me the blueprints first."
"…"
Iceberg stood in silence for a long moment.
Then he turned and walked into the small room beside him.
A while later, he came back carrying a set of blueprints he had hidden somewhere inside the house.
He handed them to Axel.
"Now tell me."
Axel accepted the blueprints and said, "Franky is in Water 7."
The air froze.
Anger flashed in Iceberg's eyes.
"You lied to me!"
He lunged forward, trying to snatch the blueprints back.
But compared to Axel, his strength was far too weak.
His arms swung through the air, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not get any closer. It was as if an invisible wall stood between them.
Axel did not let him struggle for long.
With a thought, the air around Iceberg surged and wrapped around him, binding his body in place like ropes. He was held in an awkward, unbalanced posture, unable to fall or move.
Before Iceberg could shout, Axel spoke first.
"I'm not lying. It will probably be some time before Franky comes to find you."
At this stage, Franky should be modifying his body.
If someone interfered with that process now, it might cause irreversible problems.
Iceberg stared at him helplessly.
"…Really?"
In that moment, he sounded almost like a child.
"Of course," Axel said. "If it were a lie, I could have killed you the moment I got the blueprints."
It was blunt, but effective.
Iceberg believed him a little more.
He looked at the blueprints in Axel's hands.
"You absolutely cannot let those be released. It would be better to destroy them than allow such a weapon to be built."
His voice tightened.
"They are the wisdom of our ancestors. Destroying them is a pity, but it's still better than letting them bring disaster to the world."
Letting them be buried in history was better than letting Pluton reappear.
That had also been Tom's wish.
"Don't worry," Axel said. "I said I would burn them, so I'll burn them."
He had no intention of arguing with Iceberg any further.
With a slight movement of his thoughts, the air restraints vanished.
Iceberg dropped back onto his feet.
Axel glanced at his hands and reminded him, "You'd better treat those wounds."
Iceberg's hands and arms were bleeding.
When he had tried to snatch the blueprints earlier, he had not held back at all. Axel had only blocked his movement, but the force of Iceberg's own struggle had rebounded into his hands.
Iceberg ignored the injuries.
"Mr. Tom has already been taken away for three days," he said. "He should be behind the Gates of Justice at Enies Lobby by now. Even if you burn Pluton in front of the government, you may not be able to bring him back."
Enies Lobby, the Island of Never Night, was called a court, but everyone knew what it truly meant.
Those sent there were already treated as criminals before any trial began.
No one had ever come out alive.
The massive steel gate leading beyond Enies Lobby was called the Gates of Justice.
To many, it was also the gate of despair.
Even if Axel burned the blueprints there, Enies Lobby might still refuse to release Tom. It concerned the court's authority and the World Government's dignity.
Even so, Iceberg had chosen to believe in that tiny hope.
He did not even fully understand why.
"Whether it works or not," Axel said, "we'll only know after trying."
Iceberg could not help raising his voice.
"Didn't we agree that you would save Mr. Tom and tell me about Franky? You aren't fully prepared for either?"
"Guarantees are weaker than results," Axel replied. "You just need to wait and see."
Iceberg had never met a child like this.
Cunning.
Calm.
Completely unconcerned with other people's feelings.
What annoyed him most was Axel's confidence, as if everything remained within his grasp.
It made Iceberg feel both disgust and fear.
And yet, he had also never seen a child capable of such things.
A child who dared demand someone from the World Government.
A child who claimed he would burn the very thing the government wanted.
An unusual child.
Far too unusual.
.....
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