Tom could now be described as covered in wounds. He had abrasions, burns, cuts, and even his bones ached dully all over.
He had been wrapped in numerous bandages earlier, but now they were all soaked through and stained crimson with his blood.
Having smashed through several thick walls, the wounds on his back that had nearly healed split open again, the pain so sharp he nearly blacked out.
Looking at the white dog that had just saved his life, Tom saw it was not only dirty but also injured. The wounds seemed to be from a fierce beast's claws.
Tom also noticed the dog's round eyes were clearly brimming with tears. Its dirty face was streaked with wet tracks from its weeping.
This white dog must be Shushu. If it was crying, then the pet shop left by its deceased owner—the place it had guarded for so long, filled with precious memories—had probably been burned down by Buggy's men.
The injuries on its body were also left from a desperate battle against a ferocious lion while protecting that shop.
The loyalty and courage of a dog willing to fight to the death against a lion many times its size to protect what was important to it was truly staggering.
Tom gazed at the fiercely burning buildings not far away. Shushu beside him kept barking incessantly toward them, tears streaming down its face.
Dammit, why did the Buggy Pirates suddenly show up to cause havoc? Was it because the commotion from my fight with Luffy was so big that Buggy sent people to investigate?
Tom could hear a lot of noise in the distance. Gasping for breath, he crouched down and patted Shushu's head. "Don't be sad. How about I take you to fight the bad guys?"
"Woof! Woof!"
Shushu looked at the bone-deep wound on Tom's right hand and barked.
"Haha, you're a smart one. Don't worry, a little injury like this won't stop me from punching people!"
Tom was telling the truth. Buggy firing cannons at him twice was reason enough to decide to beat the crap out of that clown.
Besides, if not for Shushu earlier, he really would have been blown to dust by Buggy's cannonball.
Shushu had saved his life, and the Buggy Pirates had destroyed what was most important to Shushu. Both personally and on principle, Tom decided to go find Buggy.
Who knows if that bastard Luffy has calmed down yet. If he's still on a rampage, things will get complicated.
Dragging his wounded body, Tom walked slowly forward with Shushu. Every few steps, he left a bloody footprint, a shocking sight that showed just how severe his injuries were.
After walking a short while, Shushu gave a happy bark, ran ahead, picked up an empty pet food bag in its mouth, and brought it to Tom. It wagged its tail happily and rubbed against Tom's leg.
Tom understood immediately. This empty pet food bag was the last one Luffy had snatched back for Shushu from Buggy's subordinate, the Beast Tamer Mohji.
It seems Shushu was able to find me, most likely because of Luffy. Luffy helped it, moved it deeply, and it smelled Luffy's scent on me, which is why it became friendly and woke me in a crisis.
In a way, Luffy indirectly saved me too.
Thinking this, Tom felt both exasperated and amused. Sometimes things in this world were just this coincidental, so much so it was hard to believe.
Actually, Tom's decision to go find Buggy despite his critical condition had another reason: he wanted to confirm the situation with Luffy and Nami. Otherwise, he couldn't rest and recover peacefully.
Ever since Zoro nearly died under a hail of bullets last time, Tom knew that every action he took in this world, if he hesitated even slightly, things could veer toward an extreme opposite.
If he hid somewhere to quietly heal because he believed Luffy and the others would be fine no matter what, and that led to some irreversible mistake, where would Tom go to cry about it?
Just like at the Shells Town Marine Base, if Tom hadn't acted decisively and smashed Morgan's head with a rock, Zoro would really be dead.
So Tom didn't dare to gamble. Even if he had to crawl there, he needed to confirm with his own eyes that Luffy and the others were safe.
After walking a few streets, Tom unexpectedly saw a bruised and battered Mohji riding his pet lion, Richie, looking utterly dejected.
"Woof! Woof!"
The moment Shushu saw Mohji and his big lion, it charged forward, barking loudly, a low growl in its throat. All its fur stood on end, looking ready to pounce and bite at any moment.
"You wretched dog again! Get lost!" Mohji, though badly beaten by Luffy, wasn't afraid of a dog. He immediately prepared to order his lion Richie to teach Shushu a lesson.
"Looks like you haven't had enough. Are you that eager to get beaten up?" Tom was breathing heavily, but he still forcefully endured the intense pain from his wounds, looking coldly at Mohji.
At first glance, Mohji looked like he was wearing a doll-like headpiece, which was rather comical, but that was actually his hair.
Mohji, riding atop the big lion, holding a whip, looked down at Tom from his high position. Seeing Tom's pale, blood-soaked, clearly severely injured state, he felt reassured. "Do you know who I am? I'm the First Mate of the Buggy Pirates. You dare speak to me like that?"
"Woof!"
Shushu suddenly charged and tried to bite the lion Mohji was riding, but was swatted away by the big lion's paw.
"It was just a lousy pet shop! That straw-hatted brat actually came after me specifically because of that. You wretched dog is too damn hateful! Kill it, Richie!" Remembering his earlier beating by Luffy, Mohji felt a lingering fear, but it also made him resent this white dog even more.
Seeing Shushu again now, Mohji couldn't tolerate it. He immediately ordered his pet lion to bite Shushu, wanting to tear the white dog to pieces.
"With me here, you won't touch it!" Tom took a large step forward, shielding Shushu behind him. His gaze toward Mohji and the big lion grew even colder.
"You're covered in wounds, barely able to stand, a complete wreck, and you still want to stand up for a dog? Are you insane?" Mohji saw Tom's body sway uncontrollably every few moments as he stood, as if he might collapse at any second. Yet he still dared to step forward to protect the dog. This guy was clearly a madman.
"I actually feel sorry for you." Tom glanced at Shushu, still unable to get up after being swatted by the lion, and slowly walked toward Mohji. "You and your stupid lion just got beaten up not long ago, but soon I'm going to beat you up again. Are you ready?"
"What? With that wounded body of yours? With one hand crippled, gasping for breath after just a few steps, a wreck like you wants to fight me?" Mohji and the lion he rode actually laughed at Tom together upon hearing his words, especially the big lion, which let out a disdainful, huffing snort, clearly not taking Tom seriously at all.
This was understandable. Tom looked like someone gravely injured, his aura very weak. His right hand hung unnaturally at his side, the white bone visible between his fingers—anyone who wasn't blind could see it. That's why Mohji thought Tom was just bluffing.
"I'm covered in wounds? One hand is crippled? I can barely walk? Even if I really am a wreck, none of those are reasons for me not to beat you up!" Tom's face darkened. His voice gained strength as he spoke, and by the end, it was like thunder, startling Mohji and his pet lion into a daze.
Before Mohji could react, Tom leaped up and kicked him off the lion's back.
THUD!
Mohji was kicked hard to the ground, crying out in pain immediately, rolling around, the long whip in his hand lost somewhere.
"ROAR!"
The big lion, snapping back to its senses and seeing its master Mohji kicked down, let out an angry roar. It opened its maw wide and ferociously bit at Tom, who had just landed.
"Your breath stinks. Don't open your mouth so casually!" Tom's left foot shot upward, kicking the lion's wide-open jaws shut.
"YELP!"
Because its mouth was suddenly kicked shut, the lion tragically bit its own tongue, letting out a pained whimper. But this also stirred its beastly nature, making it even more vicious.
When the big lion swung its massive paw at Tom, Tom avoided the attack and then slammed his head hard into the lion's skull. The impact left the big lion dizzy and disoriented, letting out another pained cry.
"Take this!"
A prominent bruise appeared on Tom's forehead, but he ignored it completely. With his left hand, he grabbed the fur and neck skin of the dazed lion and executed a powerful over-the-shoulder throw.
BOOM!
Using only one arm, Tom slammed the massive lion hard into the ground. The ground even shook slightly, kicking up a cloud of dust.
After being slammed down by Tom, the big lion was completely flattened, twitching occasionally, unable to get up for a while.
"Next is you." Tom shook his left hand and slowly walked toward Mohji, who had just gotten up, his legs trembling with fear.
Having moved around, Tom was breathing heavily again. His steps were slow but steady, though the blood flowing from his wounds seemed to have increased.
Watching Tom gradually approach, Mohji felt his whole body go cold. His eyes were wide with terror, his body trembled, as if he were seeing a monster.
Mohji's mind screamed at him to run away, but he was pinned by Tom's cold, knife-like gaze, filled with a fear as if some unknown, terrifying thing had tightly bound him, making him unable to move his feet.
What frightened Mohji most was that earlier, Tom had been swaying unsteadily just standing still. But once he entered combat, he moved like an uninjured man, his steps extremely steady, without the slightest wobble.
The injuries on this guy couldn't be fake. Anyone else would have collapsed long ago. But not only had he not fallen, he easily defeated Richie. Was he even human?
Mohji opened his mouth, his throat dry, and stammered, "How can you still be standing? You monster!"
"Sorry, but when fighting an enemy, I don't have the habit of being the first to fall!" By the time Tom reached Mohji, his face seemed even paler. But he still raised his left hand, ready to deliver a powerful blow.
"Are you really going to oppose the Buggy Pirates over a dog? Wait, are you with that straw-hatted brat?" Seeing the look in Tom's eyes, Mohji suddenly remembered the boy who had beaten him so badly earlier. His eyes then and Tom's eyes now were exactly the same.
Thinking this, Mohji trembled all over, his face turned ashen, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead unbidden. In a final effort to avoid being beaten, he spoke up.
"Congratulations, you're correct. We are indeed together. I'll be going to find your captain soon. Beating up his First Mate first isn't bad either. And that dog you mentioned saved my life. Isn't it only right for me to do what I can for it?" Tom said, then drove his fist hard into Mohji's face. "Was it so fun for you and that stupid lion to bully a dog that's both loyal and brave?!"
With a loud BOOM, Mohji was punched by Tom directly into a house, falling silent.
"Haah... Haah..." Tom gasped rapidly for air, took a few steps back, shook his dizzy head, then turned to Shushu, who came trotting over. "Let's go. We'll go beat up that bad guy leader named Buggy together."
"Woof! Woof!"
Shushu rubbed against Tom's leg a few times, seeming to understand his words. Its barks grew louder.
And so, Tom walked forward, step by step, with Shushu.
At that moment, Mohji, with his face mangled from Tom's punch, struggled to crawl out from a pile of rubble and wreckage. He stared at Tom's retreating back with intense hatred, but that jealous hatred soon vanished from his face, replaced by endless terror.
Because Mohji saw very clearly: now, with every step Tom took, he left behind stark, neatly aligned crimson footprints. Yet his back remained straight, like a man who would never fall.
Captain Buggy... this is bad. We seem to have provoked some incredible monsters!
That was Mohji's final thought before losing consciousness.
The fierce sunlight from the sky shone down on Tom and Shushu, stretching the shadows of the slowly advancing man and dog very, very long behind them...
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T/N :
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