"Ever since Teacher Tom rescued me that time, he's been shut up in the factory, and I don't know what he's been doing... But he told me that if you came, I should bring you to see him." Franky led Sig, Arlong, and the others to the factory.
It was already evening, but faint lamplight and flashes of dazzling light still shone through the workshop's battered doors and windows. Tom was clearly still hard at work.
"Teacher Tom! Teacher Tom! Sig and the others are back!" Franky pounded on the door with his good arm.
Iceberg, dark circles under his eyes, opened the door. He gave Franky an irritated look, then invited everyone inside.
Tom was sitting in front of what looked like a crude locomotive, apparently welding something. For a moment, Sig thought Uncle Tom seemed to have lost weight.
"Your timing is just right..." Tom set down his tools.
He turned around and took off his protective mask. Beneath it was indeed a weary face. Tom knelt and bowed his upper body. "I'm truly ashamed to face you. You protected Water Seven, but I failed to protect my fellow citizens here..."
Seeing this, Sig hurried forward and caught Uncle Tom, preventing him from bowing all the way down.
Arlong also said, "It's got nothing to do with you, Old Man! Just tell us what's going on. If there's nothing, we still have to go after those bastards!"
Without Fisher Tiger and Jinbe keeping an eye on him, don't expect Arlong to be polite.
"That's exactly what I wanted to tell you... They stayed in Water Seven for twenty-seven days. That happens to be how long it takes for Water Seven's magnetic field to be recorded, so I suspect their next stop is Lanster Island. That's the island connected