"Oh, you must be Captain Luo Chen. Mr. Monbuma has often mentioned you to me. He said it would be an honor for him to be your crew member and sail with you. Are you going to retrieve the ship and set sail again this time?" Upon hearing Luo Chen's introduction, Trian became very talkative, excitedly telling him.
"Uh... really? That's truly an honor, to hear my partner praise me from the mouth of you, the heir to Newport!" For a moment, Luo Chen didn't know how to continue the conversation, so he could only awkwardly exchange a few polite words before changing the subject. "By the way, Mr. Trian, could you please take us to find the Isel, which is docked here and under your care for maintenance?"
"Uh... of course, please follow me!" After being asked by Luo Chen, Trian seemed to realize that his behavior had been too presumptuous and unbecoming of the heir of the Newport family, and replied awkwardly.
"Alright, after talking with you for so long, I'm sure my companions are all itching to see their long-separated 'partners,' they're incredibly eager. Trian, please take me and my companions there!" At this moment, Monbuma also stepped in to smooth things over.
"Alright, everyone, please follow me. I'll take you to the dock of the Isel. I'm sure your companions are getting impatient!"
Following Monbuma's lead, Trian turned and began to lead the way for the group.
"Heh, I'm afraid it's not that Isel can't wait, it's that they can't wait!"
George then chuckled coldly and muttered something, but before he could continue, Phil beside him stopped him, shaking his head to signal him to shut up.
"Huh?! What did George just say? What did he mean by 'they can't wait'?! I really don't understand him. After all this time apart, he still can't see through them!!"
Although George was stopped by Phil in time and didn't finish his sentence, Lulith heard everything he had said before.
After eating the Bright Butterfly Fruit and undergoing a long period of training, her five senses became exceptionally sharp. Although she had not yet awakened Observation Haki, she could still sense something was amiss from the changes in her captain and Phil George. Seeing that they neither said anything nor revealed it, her vigilance only deepened.
Several cold voices rang out from the darkness.
"Yay! They'll be here soon!!"
"Slurp! Yes, they're almost here! Who knows what surprises await them when they do, given the grand gift we've prepared for them!!"
"Hahahaha, if this mission goes smoothly, we'll have leverage to pledge our allegiance to that person. Maybe he'll be so pleased that he'll agree to let us join his ranks, and then we'll be able to follow him. We won't even be afraid to go head-to-head with the Four Emperors!!"
"Alright, shut up, everyone. Everything's just talk until it's done. Let's do a thorough check before they arrive, so the plan doesn't fail because of a small oversight!"
Just as they were having a pleasant conversation, a dignified voice rang out, interrupting them and giving them instructions in a superior tone.
"Yes!!" The group didn't dare to continue joking and immediately accepted the order to conduct a thorough inspection of the trap.
Tap... Tap... Tap...
"It's right here. Inside is the ship entrance where we store and repair Isel. You can see it by going in from here. Let me take you there!" After a while, footsteps sounded outside the door, followed by Trian's slightly excited voice.
"They're here! Hide yourselves and don't give yourselves away beforehand!!"
"Yes!!"
Inside, upon hearing Trian's voice outside the door, everyone jumped up and quickly took their positions to prevent Luo Chen and his group from noticing anything amiss as they were about to enter.
"Please follow me inside..." As soon as he finished speaking, Trian led Luo Chen and the others inside.
"Wow, this is... such a spacious and refreshing view! I never expected to feel the fresh air of nature while repairing a ship!"
As soon as she stepped inside, Nayako was stunned by the scene. The ship's entrance was enormous, and the rooms were incredibly spacious, capable of accommodating four or five small to medium-sized ships that had come for maintenance and repair. The fresh air that filled the room made her even more astonished and incredulous.
"Haha, this is to ensure the boatmen's work efficiency and keep them in a good mood, so they don't fall behind in their work even in this confined room. My father adopted my suggestion and bought many special plants from outside to plant here, making the air incredibly fresh. The boatmen are working even harder!"
Trian laughed heartily, touched his nose, and said proudly.
"Wow, that's amazing! I never expected you to come up with such a brilliant idea, and you know so much about the shipwrights. As the heir to Newport, you truly live up to your reputation!" Monbuma, knowing his personality, didn't hold back her praise and complimented him directly.
"Hahaha, not at all! It's just that as a shipwright, I feel the same way. There's nothing to brag about..." Trian waved his hand modestly.
"Heh, and what about them?! Are they all boatmen here?" George, on the other hand, showed him no respect whatsoever, pointing directly at the workers dressed in boatmen's clothes who were busy at work not far away, and sneered.
"Yes, of course, they're all from the Newport Family... Uh?! Wait, am I seeing things? These guys are our family's shipwrights?! I don't think I've ever seen them before, are they newly recruited?!"
Just as Trian was confidently introducing himself to them, his eyes suddenly caught sight of a rather unfamiliar figure. He thought he was seeing things, so he rubbed his eyes and took another look before realizing something was wrong and exclaimed in surprise.
"Oh no, what do we do? Boss, it seems they've already found us..."
"What should I do? Should I continue to hide?"
"Hey, you guys, are you the newly recruited shipwrights? Why haven't I seen you before..." At this moment, Trian finally realized what was happening and asked them loudly.
"Well, it seems their identities have been discovered, so there's nothing we can do..." The middle-aged man wearing a hat and keeping his head down, who was pretending to be a ship repairman on the Isel, sighed and then spoke.
"Hey, why aren't you saying anything? I'm asking you a question!!"
This is the designated place specifically for Mr. Monbuma and his esteemed guests to maintain their boats.
"How did you get in? Why have I never seen you before? The boatman couldn't have gotten in either. Who are you? Tell me now!!" Trian spoke again, loudly questioning their identities.
"I'm sorry, Master Trian, we only entered here with your father Kurd's permission. As for our purpose, well, it's... to take action!!" He only got halfway through his sentence before he immediately ordered his men to attack the group.
"Yes!!"
Swoosh... Swoosh... Swoosh...
Upon receiving their leader's order, the boatmen immediately drew their Seastone weapons, aimed them, and pulled the triggers.
One after another, steel wire meshes mixed with Seastone were unfurled and rushed towards the group.
"Oh dear, this is terrible! Most of the people on our ship are Devil Fruit User. If they catch us, what will happen?!" George said, sounding terrible, but his expression was incredibly confident, clearly not afraid of the trap these people had carefully prepared for them.