"Captain, this man is the one who saved that female thief from us before. He's her boss."
Three pirates with bruises still on their faces saw Tom and immediately remembered the person who had beaten them up badly before. They rushed out of the bar and reported to Buggy.
"A thief boss dares to cause trouble for pirates? This is the Great Pirate Era! Since when do thieves get to run wild! And he dares to challenge me with a dog in tow? What a joke!"
Buggy's face was frighteningly dark. He lowered his head slightly, closed his eyes, veins bulging on his forehead. The loud barking from Shushu in his ears made the anger in his heart burn hotter.
"You big idiot, why did you provoke him on purpose?"
Nami came to Tom's side and asked him. She saw Buggy lowering his head, his shoulders trembling occasionally, veins popping out one by one on his arms—clearly enraged.
Though annoyed by Tom disregarding his injuries and openly challenging Buggy, Nami couldn't help but worry about him.
She even thought that if things turned bad, she would immediately drag Tom away by force. That's why Nami now stayed by Tom's side, not daring to leave even a step.
"You're wrong. I wouldn't be bored enough to actively provoke someone dressed like a clown with a big red nose."
Tom's face was colorless, but his expression was firm. After speaking to Nami, he stared at Buggy and said word by word: "You big red nose, listen well! I'm not some thief boss. I'm a pirate. A real pirate!"
Nami, beside Tom, heard him say those words with an unquestionable tone. She froze for a moment, suddenly thought of something, her face changed, feeling her mind go blank. For a moment, she couldn't say anything, just stared blankly at Tom, ripples stirring in her heart.
"Even if you're a pirate, so what? From the moment you shouted those words at me, no matter who you are, I will never let you or your friends off!"
Buggy raised his head, face full of anger, eyes wide open as he roared at Tom.
"Just bring it on! The moment you fired cannons at me, you were destined to be punched away by me here!"
Tom yelled at Buggy: "Enough nonsense! Come here and die, you ridiculous super big red nose!"
"Woof! Woof woof woof!"
Shushu stayed at Tom's feet, barking at Buggy even louder than before.
"You go die!"
Buggy, hearing Tom insult his nose again, felt like his chest was about to explode from anger. He immediately charged toward Tom.
There was no helping it. Buggy hated people mentioning his nose more than anything in his life. But today, his nose was first insulted by Luffy, then insulted twice in a row by Tom. How could he tolerate it?
"Go, Tom! Punch him away!"
Luffy, not far away, saw Buggy about to make a move and immediately waved his fists, cheering Tom on.
"What are you doing? You know he's seriously injured, yet you're not stopping him! Is this how you act as his partner?"
Nami saw Buggy charging over. She tried several times to pull Tom away, but Tom stood as steady as a mountain. No matter how hard she pulled, she couldn't move him an inch. She was already holding back her anger.
Now seeing Luffy not only not stepping forward to help Tom but instead standing aside cheering him on, she felt even more furious and bared her sharp teeth at Luffy.
"Exactly because I'm his partner, that's why I support him now!"
Luffy looked at Nami and said very seriously: "You already know, right? He's a pirate! If he doesn't fight back when attacked by another pirate, then he has no need to continue sailing."
"Next, we're preparing to go to the Grand Line. There, there are pirates even more formidable than this big nose. We might encounter situations a hundred times more dangerous than now. How can we retreat here!"
Luffy glanced at Tom, showed a confident smile, and said to Nami: "Don't underestimate him. He's not someone who dies easily. I know that very well. And he has his own dignity. Before he asks for my help, I won't interfere."
"What's wrong with you people? Which is more important, dignity or life? He's so badly injured, still fighting others. He could die at any moment."
Nami held her head, stole a glance at Tom, and said to Luffy.
"Are you stupid? Of course, choose to live with dignity. Tom is doing exactly that now."
Luffy's words left Nami speechless. She somewhat guessed the reason why Tom insisted on fighting Buggy despite his critical condition, but she still couldn't agree with Tom's approach.
"Brat, before I tear you to pieces, enjoy this last bit of sunlight!"
When Buggy was still a few meters from Tom, he took out several throwing knives: "Take this, Chop-Chop..."
Tom saw Buggy was very close. Not letting Buggy finish shouting, he took out a large fishing net he had prepared earlier and threw it at Buggy. In an instant, it caught Buggy, who hadn't had time to split his body.
Then, before Buggy could react, Tom tightened the net in his left hand, took a swift step forward, arrived in front of Buggy, stomped his foot heavily on the ground, cracking it, clenched his right fist, gathered all his strength, and with thunderous force, punched Buggy's round red nose hard: "Chop your ass!"
This was the first time in Tom's life that he had ever cursed so crudely during a fight.
Buggy's perfectly round red nose was punched by Tom into a flattened oval shape. He felt like the bones in his face were shattered, the pain making his face twitch. He rolled his eyes on the spot, nearly losing consciousness. He didn't even notice Shushu taking the chance to bite him several times.
Whoosh!
At this moment, Buggy, punched by Tom, broke through the tight fishing net that bound him and flew out in a straight line.
And just then, the pirates on top of the bar behind Buggy happened to fire a cannon toward Tom.
"Oh no! Captain Buggy was punched away by that guy!"
"Captain Buggy, watch out for the cannonball!"
"Split and dodge it, Captain Buggy!"
The pirates saw Buggy was about to collide with the cannonball they had just fired. Their faces changed, panicking, continuously shouting reminders to Buggy.
"I... I..."
Buggy's head was dizzy; he couldn't think at all. How could he hear his underlings' shouts clearly? He never imagined that Tom, injured so badly, could still punch with such power, nearly knocking him out with one punch.
"Not good! Captain Buggy knocked the cannonball back!"
"Danger! Run!"
The pirates on the bar's top floor saw Buggy collide with the cannonball and fly toward them along with it. They panicked, some even jumping directly from the top of the bar, breaking their arms and legs, crying out in painful agony.
BOOM!
Buggy and the cannonball flew into the bar, then a deafening explosion sounded, flames shooting into the sky.
A spacious bar was blown into ruins in the blink of an eye. Several buildings near the bar also collapsed with a roar. The scene was filled with billowing dust and smoke.
"I'm a pirate. You pirates dared to fire cannons at me. This is the consequence. If anyone still disagrees, step forward. I won't run, I won't hide. I'll wait right here for you."
Tom stood in place. Behind him were several strikingly bright red bloody footprints. He swept his gaze over the pirates lying in the rubble, blasted into a miserable state: "Looks like no one dares to cause me trouble anymore. That's that, then."
Several pirates, their faces covered in soot from the smoke and fire, bodies bleeding profusely from the blast, not a single patch of good skin, struggled to crawl out of the ruined rubble.
Through the thick smoke and dust, Tom's unwavering figure was deeply imprinted in the depths of their minds. Feeling Tom's gaze upon them, they hurriedly looked away, simply lying on the ground playing dead, trembling with fear, not daring to look at Tom again.
Where did this freak come from? Too terrifying. He looks like he's on the verge of death from heavy injuries, yet he punched Captain Buggy and the cannonball back. Captain Buggy is called the immortal, but is that guy the real immortal?
At this moment, the pirates were truly afraid. These pirates, accustomed to living by the sword, felt their very souls tremble in that instant. They felt their whole bodies go cold, their fighting spirit completely gone.
Unfortunately, these pirates didn't know Tom was truly at the end of his rope. If they could muster their courage and attack Tom again, Tom wouldn't even have the strength to run away.
"Damn it, you可恶的混蛋 (hateful bastard)! I will definitely kill you!"
Buggy looked at Tom, murderous intent all over his face. He was covered in black scorch marks. His nose still hurt terribly. He was nearly knocked out, but getting hit by a cannonball actually blasted him back to full alertness, his hair standing on end with rage. From this, one could see he was truly a bizarre character.
But Buggy felt that his vision seemed worse than before, as if something was blocking his sight.
Soon, Buggy knew what was obstructing his vision: his red nose.
Because now, Buggy's red nose was swollen from Tom's punch. His nose was already big; now, enlarged by several sizes, of course it would block his vision.
Plus, when Tom punched Buggy, he used his battered right hand. When his fist touched Buggy's nose, the blood on his fist inevitably got on Buggy's red nose.
Therefore, to some extent, Tom did fulfill his earlier words: making Buggy's nose redder and rounder.
"Haah... Haah... Haah..."
Tom's face had a sickly pallor from excessive blood loss. He couldn't stop gasping for breath. Seeing Buggy split his body in two and come over, he knew he had no strength left to hold on. He said to Luffy: "Next is up to you. I've reached my limit."
"Rest well. I'll handle him."
Luffy stepped on the hand that had split from Buggy's body—the one holding a small throwing knife aimed at Tom—then loosened the joints in his hands and shielded Tom behind him.
Tom chuckled lightly, didn't look at Buggy again, and just fell straight back, powerless. With Luffy in front of him, what was there to fear?
"You're hopelessly stupid. Was it necessary to fight like that?"
Nami caught Tom before he hit the ground. She felt her hands were sticky; this man was covered in blood. She felt both shocked and angry, her tone carrying three parts blame and seven parts concern.
"Tom, will you blame me for making you so badly injured?"
Luffy shook his hand, preparing to fight Buggy, when he suddenly asked this.
"Do you feel guilty now for injuring me?"
Tom, held by Nami, smelled a familiar scent of hair, forced himself to perk up, and replied to Luffy.
"No, I don't feel guilty at all."
Luffy turned his head, stretched his arm, and punched Buggy while grinning and saying to Tom.
He was telling the truth. Even though Tom was now seriously injured, largely because of Luffy, he truly felt no guilt. This wasn't because Luffy was cold and heartless, but because when he fought Tom, he had a clear conscience. Since his conscience was clear, how could he feel guilty?
When Luffy fought Tom with all his might, Tom never denied bullying Nami. Luffy saw Nami cry because of Tom, determined to punch away a Tom who would even bully a crewmate. His heart was open and aboveboard. If he felt guilty, that would be strange.
If Tom had strenuously denied bullying Nami, and Luffy continued to beat him, then Luffy would truly feel guilty.
The key was Tom didn't deny it. In Luffy's understanding, beating someone who made a mistake, and a big mistake at that—he could beat them with peace of mind. So he could tell Tom straight out: he didn't feel guilty at all.
As for Tom, he had met Nami twice, taken advantage of her both times. He already felt quite embarrassed about it. When Nami cried in front of him then, how could he deny the fact that he had bullied Nami?
That was nonsense. This guy felt her up and kissed her. Saying he didn't bully her might get him struck by lightning.
Therefore, the cause of Tom and Luffy's fight might seem absurd, but if things continued, he and Luffy would have fought sooner or later. Better to fight early and be done with it early.
Besides, Tom had a little bit of selfish desire then: he wanted to know the real gap between him and Luffy. Through this fight, he really did figure out the gap.
If he went all out, he could injure Luffy, but seriously injuring Luffy would be difficult.
However, during this fight with Luffy, Tom was already injured. If he were in perfect condition, the result might be different from now.
Tom wanted to fight Luffy with all his heart. In this situation, how could he fault Luffy?
"Then why even ask! Next time you say you'll punch me away, I won't be polite either."
Tom also laughed and said to Luffy. He didn't know that when he said this, several bright red stripes faintly appeared on his back, overlapping with the blood on his body, making them hard to see clearly.
Luffy, hearing Tom's words, laughed like a monkey, said nothing more, and focused on dealing with Buggy.
"Sometimes, I really think you guys are strange."
Nami began bandaging Tom's wounds, resting his head on her lap. After a moment of silence, she said softly: "You haven't answered me. Why did you fight like that?"
"Don't you really know?"
Tom's throat was dry, but he still stared at Nami and said: "I just wanted to tell you, woman, I'm a pirate. A thoroughgoing pirate. Now you won't say I deceived you anymore in the future, right? Heh heh."
"I knew it was like this. That's why I said you're stupid. You could have just told me. Why make yourself so badly injured just to proclaim to me that you're a pirate? You big idiot!"
Nami's heart trembled. Earlier, when Tom said he was a pirate several times in front of her, she vaguely guessed Tom's purpose. But hearing it from Tom's own mouth, she still couldn't help feeling shocked. This man acted so crazily; he really was a madman!
But Nami couldn't help feeling a sweet sensation rise in her heart. A man fought nearly to death just to tell you one thing. She truly felt the importance Tom placed on her.
Although this kind of importance was very special, so special it was a bit hard to accept, Nami still gradually became happy, a trace of a smile unconsciously appearing at the corner of her mouth.
"Sometimes, just saying something with your mouth and proving it with actual actions are very different. I just wanted to tell you, not all pirates are the same. You've seen that now, haven't you? Don't cry so easily anymore. I never intended to deceive you. After today, you'll probably remember for a lifetime that I'm a pirate, right?"
Tom said this, breathing heavily. He paused, then continued: "Also, you look ugly when you cry. I don't like seeing you cry."
It could be said that Tom, fighting Buggy in his critically injured state, firstly really wanted to punch Buggy, and secondly wanted to use his own actions to tell Nami: he was a genuine pirate.
Nami, hearing Tom's words, originally felt warm and very moved. Who knew his last sentence immediately made Nami's face darken.
Actually, Nami also understood the deeper meaning in Tom's words: to stop living in past hatred. Pirates are also different. Not all pirates are like the ones who destroyed her childhood happiness, detestable.
But Nami was still angered by Tom's last sentence. While bandaging his wounds, she pulled the bandage tightly. Tom immediately gasped sharply in pain.
"Oh right, because of you, I almost forgot. I still need to steal Buggy's treasure. You come with me too."
Nami secretly turned her head, wiped the tears from the corner of her eye. Tom didn't see that when Nami turned to speak, she was smiling very happily, her face full of sunshine.
"Hey, I'm an injured person. You can do that yourself. I want to lie on the ground and rest."
Tom was exhausted, his whole body in severe pain. How could he be in the mood to care about Nami's treasure?
"Don't talk nonsense. If you don't go, who will help me carry the treasure? Don't think about slacking off."
Nami unceremoniously pulled Tom up, thinking to herself: Idiot, with you by my side, I feel more at ease. Can't you be more considerate of me? If you keep complaining, I'll beat you up!
Tom felt that although Nami smiled brightly at him, behind that smile lurked danger. He opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing.
You woman, just wait. When I'm healed, I'll deal with you!
Tom thought it better not to provoke Nami now. Anyway, after resting a bit, he had regained some strength. Might as well accompany her. Better than getting beaten.
Thinking this, several orange stripes appeared on Tom's back, intertwining with the red stripes hidden beneath the blood, gradually spreading across his body...
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T/N :
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