50 48. Tom's Fur Coat!
After hearing Sengoku's words, Garp's smile faded away slowly.
It felt like a mix of unpleasant flavors spilled over in my heart.
"Hey, little buddy, let's put off our fight for another day. The old man's got some pressing matters to attend to."
"Smoker, I'm leaving this to you."
With those two sentences, Garp departed from Rogge Town without glancing back.
Al, sensing that something was off about Garp's demeanor, furrowed his brow, unable to pinpoint the source of Garp's unease.
Even though he hadn't managed to engage Garp in combat, he couldn't shake off his sense of confusion.
Yet, it wasn't entirely without merit.
At least Al now had a better grasp of Garp's current prowess.
"Pirate Al, I suggest you surrender now. Perhaps you can spare yourself from further agony!"
Smoker positioned himself directly in front of the Marine, his voice devoid of any emotion.
Al paid no mind to Smoker's presence, heading straight for the pit and addressing Tom.
"Tom, wake up. We need to locate the Barrier-Barrier Fruit once we're done dealing with these fellows."
Upon hearing Al's call, Tom cautiously poked his head out and scanned the surroundings.
Not finding Spike anywhere, Tom broke into a cold sweat, swiftly retreating back into the pit and tearing the suicide note into shreds.
With a mace slung over his shoulder, he leaped out of the deep pit, moving with an odd, unrecognizable gait towards the center of the encirclement.
Casting a disdainful glance around, he let out a bored yawn and shot a puzzled look at Al, as if asking, "Is that the best you've got?"
A twitch formed at the corner of Al's mouth uncontrollably, sensing that Tom was acting a bit too cocky now!
Provoked by Tom's insolence, the marines flushed with anger and began to curse loudly:
"I've been mocked by a mere cat? Unbelievable!"
"That filthy cat! I'll have you in cuffs soon enough, and you'll learn the meaning of true punishment!"
"..."
But Tom paid them no mind. He leisurely cleaned out his ears and even indulged in munching on the watermelon in front of him!
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"..."
In a panic, the Marine quickly fired at Tom.
Despite hundreds of shots aimed at him, Tom miraculously dodged them all, emerging unscathed.
Growing increasingly arrogant, Tom sat in the center, casually lifting a table from behind.
With elegant grace, he poured himself a glass of red wine and savored it leisurely.
Smoker with strong psychological resilience, became extremely grim-faced with anger upon witnessing this scene.
Meanwhile, upon waking up, Spike couldn't help but feel resentment upon seeing Tom's arrogant demeanor.
In a flash, he transformed into white lightning and appeared before Tom.
With a swift motion, he snatched the red wine glass from Tom's hand and gulped it down in one go.
Tom, noticing something missing from his hand, shook his head with a scowl.
But upon seeing Spike, his angry expression vanished instantly, replaced by an awkward yet polite smile.
"You little troublemaker. I was just getting bullied, and here you are, enjoying the show?"
Spike grabbed Tom with one hand, displaying his sharp teeth.
"Gulp~"
Tom swallowed nervously, trembling, and pulled out a bone from behind.
As Tom was about to lure Spike away and escape, he was abruptly interrupted by Smoker.
"You two scoundrels, you're going down with me!"
Smoker, his face extremely grim, brandished a weapon tipped with seastone and advanced towards them, intent on attacking and eliminating them.
Tom was so startled that his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets and scattered in different directions.
Seeing Tom's terrified reaction, Spike was on the verge of laughter when he was abruptly struck on the head by Smoker.
In an instant, a large bag, ten centimeters long, popped out of Spike's head.
Tom's heart pounded as he quickly shed his cat coat and dashed behind Al, who was wearing a flower themed pants.
It couldn't believe that Smoker was about to be pummeled by an enraged Spike!
"Tom, you..."
Al pointed to the cat coat in Spike's hand and glanced at the floral-patterned pants Tom was wearing, his expression filled with bewilderment.
Wanting to say something but unable to find the words, Tom felt it was inconsequential. Life, after all, mattered more than clothes!
However, the Marines had a different perspective.
They all gawked at the floral-patterned underpants Tom wore, feeling as though their entire worldview had been shattered!
"Underneath all that fur, he's still wearing pants?"
"You're asking me? Who should I even ask? This is a first for me!"
"Don't you have a cat at home? Go ask it!"
"Are you daft?!"
"..."
The Marines continued to bicker over the issue for a while!
Even bystanders watching from a distance exchanged puzzled glances, their minds swirling with questions.
Some even went as far as visiting the barber, specifically requesting their cats to be shaved to check if they were wearing underpants.
While everyone was preoccupied with their arguments and validations, Spike angrily seized Smoker's weapon.
"How do you want to meet your end?" he demanded furiously.
Smoker let out a cold snort, a glint of icy determination flickering in his eyes as he sneered, "A mere mink like you, what audacity you have to speak to me in such a manner!"
"White Out"
With those words, Smoker's entire body transformed into smoke in an instant!
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