It Might Be Soon

"Tom's skills are extremely useful. We absolutely can't let him die." Miming placed Pluton's blueprints on the table and slapped them. "I still need him to build ships for me!"

"But that old man is stubborn as a mule. I'm afraid he won't agree." Spandine looked concerned.

"Where is he?"

"In public, he was declared guilty by the chief judge and taken away, so according to procedure, he was sent to Impel Down for imprisonment," Spandine explained. "Because his injuries are severe, that old man can't be interrogated for the time being. But keeping him here in Water 7 is dangerous too. It might provoke a civil uprising, so we sent him to Impel Down to recover before interrogating him. My son Spandam personally escorted him the entire way, so nothing will go wrong. That old man Tom is a bullhead Fish-Man. He's incredibly tenacious. Didn't you see? He possesses enormous strength. When he caused trouble, he was practically a dangerous criminal! Counting the days, he should be almost there by now, right?"

Iceburg gritted his teeth and glared hatefully at Spandine, but he did not dare speak. Now that Saint Sanming had brought up releasing Tom, whether it happened would depend on whether the other side cooperated.

"There's no need to interrogate him," Miming said. "After all, that was what I promised in exchange."

"Yes! I'll call my son immediately! Please allow me to take my leave!" Spandine knocked his head against the floor again, filled with delight. They had already obtained Pluton's blueprints, so there was naturally no need for any interrogation. As long as the old man remained alive, that was enough. If the call came too late, he feared that Spandam, in his impatience, might use some vicious medicine and kill old Tom.

"Go." Miming smiled