16. Want To Learn? I Will Teach You

But when Genzo insisted, Al decided not to get involved in their personal arguments.

After giving Nami some advice, Al guided them back home.

When Nami heard the news about finding a buyer, she leaped up with excitement.

Then, in a rush, she left, eager to share the good news with the villagers of Cocoyasi Village.

Finally, they wouldn't have to worry about going hungry anymore.

Watching Nami walk away, Al smiled contentedly, realizing that Genzo and the others would handle things.

"Perhaps this is their bond," he thought.

"Meow?"

Tom cocked his head, seeming puzzled by Nami's happiness, but when Nami was happy, Tom was happy too.

Over the past few days, Nami and Tom had formed a strong bond of friendship.

Glancing towards the room where Arlong had been kept, Al asked with confusion, "Tom, where are Arlong and his crew?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Tom seemed to recall something and burst into laughter, clutching his belly.

The contagious laughter soon spread to Al, and he found himself laughing along.

After a good laugh, Tom wiped tears from his eyes, then looked at Al, who was still smiling, with a puzzled expression, as if to ask, "What's so funny?"

"...," Al's smile faded instantly. He coughed twice and said, "Tom, please answer my question from earlier."

After a moment of thought, just as Tom was about to burst into laughter again, Al placed his hand over Tom's mouth and warned, "If you laugh again, I'll give you a small firecracker!"

Tom: "Ok!" 

Under Al's threat, Tom became more forthcoming, nodding slightly, and led Al to a windmill.

Beneath the towering windmill, Chew and Kuroobi were currently bound to its structure. Below them lay a large square stone, upon which Tom had carved hundreds of sharp teeth belonging to Arlong.

With each rotation of the windmill, Chew and Kuroobi had to struggle to raise themselves up, lest they be scratched by Arlong's menacing teeth!

Meanwhile, Arlong and Hatchan were tied to a nearby tree, forced to witness the torment of their comrades while providing teeth and ink continuously.

Tom looked up proudly, as if to say, "What do you think of my masterpiece?"

Al listened to the occasional wails of pain, and he couldn't help but shudder. Just hearing those sounds made him ache!

But it seemed only Tom could come up with such a creative idea.

Patting Tom's head gently, Al activated the system prompt:

[Received 99 EP from Arlong]

[Received 88 EP from Kuroobi]

[Received ...]

[...]

The page was filled with thousands of reminders still refreshing. Al grinned and remarked, "Well, Tom, let's go find something tasty to eat."

At the mention of food, Tom's eyes sparkled with excitement, and he eagerly licked his lips.

Since being summoned by Al, Tom had been eagerly anticipating the promise of delicious food, but many days had passed without it being fulfilled.

Finally, the long-awaited day had arrived!

Accompanied by Tom, Al entered the most luxurious restaurant in Cocoyasi Village. Without even glancing at the menu, Al instructed the waiter to bring out all the dishes.

Before long, the table was adorned with a plethora of dishes.

Taking a quick look, Al chuckled to himself, realizing that it was all seafood!

Tom couldn't contain his joy and immediately grabbed a steamed fish, devouring it eagerly. However, when he spat it out, only a fish bone remained.

Throughout the meal, Al barely touched his chopsticks, instead, he found himself captivated by Tom's antics.

As they neared the end of their feast, with only soup remaining on the table, Tom looked a bit sheepish.

At that moment, through the window, Al spotted Nami and Hatchan searching the streets as if they were looking for something.

"Nami, what are you up to?" Al called out.

Upon hearing Al's voice, Nami's face lit up with joy. She dashed to the second floor and exclaimed, "Captain, the shipbuilding materials are ready. The other octopus, Hatchan, wants to make amends for his mistakes, so he's here with me."

Hatchan, hiding behind the door, trembled slightly, still seeming affected by past events.

As soon as Tom caught sight of Hatchan, he became visibly excited. Taking advantage of the distraction, he sneaked out from under the window, sporting a mischievous grin.

"Nami, the decision is yours. Just ensure that the ink supply remains consistent," Al stated calmly as he took a sip of hot tea.

Nami nudged Hatchan, prompting him to bend down and say, "Thank you. I promise to follow Nami's lead obediently."

Nami smiled and asked, "Captain, now that Hatchan's situation is resolved, what about the ship?"

Before anyone could respond, Tom suddenly appeared behind Hatchan draped in a white bed sheet.

"What!" Hatchan exclaimed, feigning a faint.

Tom couldn't contain his laughter, exchanging amused glances with Al and Nami.

Clearing his throat, Al said, "Tom, I trust you with the shipbuilding."

With a confident pat on his chest, Tom spun around and transformed in seconds, donning repairman's attire and holding a treasure chest in hand.

Initially, Nami was a bit uncertain about Tom's boat-building abilities.

However, after witnessing the confident expressions of both Al and Tom, Nami's doubts vanished. Spending so much time with Tom had convinced Nami that there was nothing Tom couldn't handle.

Al didn't accompany them as he had other matters to attend to.

...

Arriving at the coast, they were greeted by wary villagers. At the sight of Nami and Tom, everyone instinctively prepared to flee. Yet, recalling Nami's decision not to arrest them, they relaxed.

Nojiko stepped forward and asked, "Nami, the materials are ready, but none of us know how to build a ship."

Nami smiled confidently, gesturing towards Tom, and proudly introduced him, "This is the boatman I've recruited."

"What...!" Nojiko's eyes widened in disbelief as she pointed at Tom.

Although Tom was familiar to the villagers of Cocoyasi Village, it was usually in combat situations. 

Clearly irritated by Nojiko's skepticism, Tom rolled up his sleeves and retrieved various tools from the treasure chest.

With a swift movement, a blue lightning bolt accompanied by a gust of wind blinded everyone momentarily. 

When they could see again, Tom had already constructed the frame of a boat.

The onlookers stared in astonishment, struggling to believe what they had just witnessed.

Meanwhile, Tom silently lit a cigarette, took a deep breath, and exhaled, forming a line of words in the air:

"Want to learn? I'll teach you!"

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