32. Hawkeye Was Stunned! What Kind Of Creature Is This?

"Hey Shanks, where are you headed?"

Buggy suddenly blocked Shanks' path, his face filled with anger.

"That feline hasn't squared off with Hawkeye yet, and I haven't had my fill of watching! How can I leave now?"

Shanks furrowed his brow slightly as he glanced at the ongoing scuffle between a lone figure and a cat. With a smile, he replied, "It's settled."

Buggy was about to protest, but then he seemed to recollect something, and beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

"Shanks, could it be that you've..."

Shanks gazed deeply at Hawkeye, his smile widening. He let out a soft chuckle and said,

"Hawkeye emerged victorious in this duel."

As soon as the words were spoken, a deafening explosion echoed through the restaurant.

Immediately afterward, from the billowing smoke emerged a figure sporting a straw hat, hurtling through the air and crashing into the mast of Krieg's boat. The impact was so forceful that even the figure's head was lodged into it!

"Captain, it's that fellow Luffy!"

Upon seeing Luffy, the crew of the Shanks showed a sense of relief.

Just as everyone was preparing to locate Luffy, Shanks spoke up:

"Young ones, prepare to set sail. There are matters left unfinished that we must attend to."

"Captain, aren't you going to check on Luffy?"

Shanks shook his head and remarked, "The time hasn't come yet. Remember our agreement with him?"

The crew quickly understood the situation and fell silent, resuming their duties to prepare for departure.

The sight of Luffy ignited a fiery rage in Buggy, his eyes turning crimson as he displayed a wicked grin. However, upon learning that Shanks was leaving, his anger escalated instantly, and he cursed:

"Hey, Shanks, drop me off the ship! I'm going to take down that guy in the straw hat!"

"Buggy, save your antics for another time. We must depart."

"Are you joking? Set me down now!"

As the restaurant on the sea gradually vanished from view, Buggy gnashed his teeth in frustration, feeling a wave of regret wash over him.

"Why did I ever board Shanks' ship instead of having my own vessel follow along?" As a twinge of regret crept into his heart, Buggy suddenly recalled something and cursed, "Shanks, why did you drag me onto your boat?"

....

Not long after Shanks departed, Al also noticed a weariness settling on Tom's face. Although Al didn't show much concern outwardly, inwardly he couldn't shake off his worries.

Hawkeye appeared to have sensed this as well, and his attacks grew more frequent. Tom gritted his teeth, his arm swings becoming increasingly fierce and rapid!

"Click!"

A crisp sound of breaking bones echoed through the air.

Tom's arms were suddenly propelled forward, driven by momentum, the two arms clutching the knife hurtling towards Hawkeye!

Yet Tom appeared oblivious, his eyes shut tight as he remained suspended in mid-air, an expression of despair etched on his face.

Hawkeye intercepted the two arms wielding the sword, gazing deeply at the motionless Tom.

A ripple stirred in his heart.

"What an intriguing being."

Inside the restaurant, everyone watched Tom in bewilderment, a common question arising in their minds:

"How is that cat able to float in mid-air?"

Nami was so astonished that she covered her mouth in disbelief.

Shocked, yet more concerned, for both of Tom's arms were now gone!

Tom opened his eyes in mid-air, gazing at himself suspiciously, as if questioning why his body felt lighter.

Upon realizing that his arms had vanished, he breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself, "So it's just the arms that are gone," and many more thoughts raced through his mind.

After Tom's initial reaction and a careful survey of his surroundings, the terror on his face gradually gave way to calm.

Silently, Tom retrieved a cigarette from behind using his feet, skillfully creating sparks by rubbing his toes and tail, then lighting the cigarette.

After taking a drag, he descended from the sky with a composed demeanor.

"Boom!"

The resounding noise caused Nami to break out in a sweat for Tom.

When the smoke and dust cleared, another large pit in the shape of a cat was revealed on the deck.

Hawkeye sheathed his black knife and cast a cold glance at the humanoid pit.

"I'll be waiting for you at the Grand Line. I hope you'll come up with more powerful techniques and we can have a good fight!" he said sternly.

With those words, Hawkeye boarded his boat, which seemed somewhat like a coffin to Al, and departed without a backward glance.

Once Hawkeye was gone, Nami hurriedly approached the humanoid pit and carefully lifted out Tom, now resembling a flattened cat cake.

"Tom, are you okay?" she asked, tears shimmering in her eyes.

It was evident that Nami was deeply concerned about Tom.

Al picked up Tom's arm, giving Nami's shoulder a gentle pat as he offered reassurance, "Don't worry, Nami. Tom will be alright."

As if to confirm Al's words, Tom slipped from Nami's hold and drew a sharp breath. Like a balloon, he suddenly regained his original form with a loud pop.

With Al's assistance, the two arms were reattached seamlessly, as if twisting screws.

Witnessing this spectacle, Nami became even more convinced that Tom wasn't human.

Wait a moment, Tom isn't human!

"Monster!" Nami pondered for a while in her mind, unable to conjure any other word that could adequately describe Tom.

It seemed that "monster" was the only term that could even remotely apply to Tom.

However, Tom remained unaware of Nami's thoughts. At that moment, he was still double-checking to ensure that his arm was properly reattached.

Tom vigorously shook his arm, confirming that everything was in order. Then, he retrieved another sword from behind, casting a vigilant gaze around as if expecting a formidable adversary.

"Tom, there's no need to search. Hawkeye has already departed," Nami informed him.

Al gently stroked Tom's head and said, "You're already amazing."

Tom, feeling frustrated, sheathed his sword and then, as if recalling something, angrily retrieved a mace from a nearby corner.

Even though the battle had ended, everyone in the restaurant remained in a dazed state until Zeff's roar jolted them back to reality.

"What are you all waiting for?" he bellowed. "Get moving and fix up this restaurant! It's a disgrace!"

The staff, startled by Zeff's outburst, quickly picked up their tools and began clearing the battlefield.

In the midst of the commotion, Al tossed a large bag of gold coins into the restaurant and offered an apology:

"Sorry for the trouble my crew has caused you," Al apologized sincerely.

Zeff's serious expression softened into a smile filled with admiration as he responded, "You're a fine captain."

"Thank you for the compliment," Al replied gratefully.

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