40. Tom's Skating Rink

In the middle of the laughter, the party ended well.

But there's a funny part: Tom and Spike drank too much and ended up putting their chopsticks in their noses and mouths.

Now they can't get them out!

"Carina, have you figured out a solution?"

On the deck, Nami walked back and forth nervously.

But despite trying to hold it in, seeing Tom and Spike's hilarious antics, he couldn't resist bursting into laughter.

"Hey, Nami, do you know how hard it is to keep from laughing, huh?"

Carina stamped her feet in frustration, but then she couldn't help but join in the laughter.

Al held a cup of coffee in his hand, gazing at them with a headache and a sense of helplessness.

Dealing with a couple of troublemakers was already headache-inducing, but now, with another pair of mischievous lovebirds, all he could say was, "It's just perfect!"

Al sighed and exclaimed, "Jerry and Tyke are bullied!"

As soon as the words were spoken, Tom and Spike seemed to be jolted by electricity, their fur standing on end from the tip of their tails.

Suddenly, much to the surprise of the two women, a cat and a dog stood up in front of them.

"Jerry?"

"Tyke?"

Afterwards, Tom and Spike couldn't contain their laughter upon seeing each other's comical appearances.

They leaped over the chopsticks and even managed to knock down two seagulls!

Nami and Carina watched in disbelief, then turned to Al and gave him a thumbs up.

Al calmly took a sip of his coffee, shook his head, and smiled helplessly.

Seeing that Tom and Spike were alright, Nami and Carina also headed back to the cabin.

Suddenly, Carina remembered the money she had stolen earlier and realized she hadn't returned it yet. She exclaimed, "Captain Al, the money still hasn't been returned!"

"Small change that not even Spike cares about, if it's lost, it's lost, no big deal," Al remarked casually.

Carina fell silent, reflecting on her actions.

....

As the ship resumed its normal course, everyone busied themselves with their own tasks.

Al flipped through the Devil Fruit illustrated book, searching for fruits that would be suitable for Nami and Carina.

The book was a gift from Zeff during his time at the sea restaurant.

Meanwhile, Nami was busy charting the course, while Carina assisted her.

As for Tom and Spike, after leisurely sipping on their fruit juice for a while, the two creatures wandered off somewhere.

Al didn't pay much mind to them, as long as they didn't cause any trouble.

They disappeared into the basement beneath the cabin.

Spike casually slung his arm around Tom's shoulder and jokingly demanded, "Hey, Tom, hand over the refrigerator!"

Tom tilted his head in confusion, wondering what refrigerator Spike was talking about. He couldn't recall having such an item.

Seeing Tom's puzzled expression, Spike playfully grabbed him and started shaking him wildly, teasing him.

After being shaken around for a bit, Tom, still a bit dizzy, suddenly seemed to recall something. He reached out and covered Spike's nose with his hand.

Then, with a dramatic flourish, he pulled out a double-door refrigerator from behind him, much to everyone's surprise.

The instant Spike laid eyes on the refrigerator, he promptly tossed Tom aside. However, his throw was too forceful, causing a large hole to be smashed into the bottom of the boat!

In an instant, the turbulent seawater rushed in through the gaping hole, flooding the boat.

Tom was terrified, his hair standing on end as he attempted to block the gap with his body. However, he was swiftly swept away by the rushing seawater.

Realizing his mistake, Spike's body trembled uncontrollably. He grabbed hold of Tom, who had been washed out by the sea, and while shaking him vigorously, he also made sure to push Tom's protruding tongue back into his mouth.

"Tom, snap out of it! Think of something!" Spike urged, shaking Tom awake.

Tom, still trembling, put his hand to his mouth and looked around anxiously.

Then, as he caught sight of the refrigerator, a sudden realization dawned on him, and an idea formed in his mind.

Tom broke free from Spike's grasp and dashed towards the refrigerator.

With quick movements, he emptied all the food from the refrigerator and then climbed inside it himself.

Just as Spike thought Tom was going to seek refuge in the freezer...

"Tom, quit fooling around and come up with a plan!" Spike urged anxiously.

Ignoring Spike's plea, Tom grinned excitedly as he held two blue wires in his hand.

Then, without hesitation, he dipped the wires into the seawater and twisted the knob labeled "refrigeration."

In the blink of an eye, the once turbulent seawater was frozen solid into ice!

Impressed, Spike gave Tom a thumbs up and praised, "You've always got a trick up your sleeve, Tom."

But Tom didn't bother responding to Spike. Instead, he pulled out a pair of skates from behind him, wearing a mischievous smirk.

Seeing Tom's skates, Spike demanded that Tom get a pair for him too, threatening to make Tom understand what suffering truly means if he didn't comply.

Reluctantly, Tom fetched a pair of oversized skate shoes from behind him and tossed them over.

Then, to Spike's envy, Tom began his performance on the ice.

Upon hearing the commotion beneath the cabin, Carina promptly got up and led Nami to "Tom's Skating Rink."

They found Spike squatting on the ice, his head full of bags, looking dejected as he watched Tom performing daring maneuvers.

Joining Tom on the ice, the two women gracefully glided across the rink, executing various challenging moves with ease.

"Can you still keep up with us?" Carina asked incredulously, her jaw dropping in amazement.

The two girls exchanged glances before requesting Tom to provide them with two more pairs of skates.

Initially reluctant, Tom eventually acquiesced to their request.

Reluctantly, Tom handed over two pairs of skates in response to Nami and Carina's pleading.

Meanwhile, Al, sensing that something was amiss, hurried over to join them.

Seeing Tom enjoying himself with Nami and the others, Al couldn't help but feel a bit exasperated.

"Tom!" he called out sharply.

Startled by Al's voice, Tom frowned and quickly turned off the refrigeration.

As the ice surface vanished, Nami and Carina plunged into the cold seawater, struggling to catch their breath as they choked several times.

Tom, feeling embarrassed, flashed a sheepish smile. He swiftly tossed Spike over and used him to block the hole.

Spike remained silent, perhaps feeling a mix of emotions.

"Tom, you have one hour to restore this place to its original state!" Al declared sternly.

"And you!!!" he added, turning his attention to the others.

Nami: (◎_◎;)

Carina: (oωo)

Spike: (?_?)

....

The group fell silent, each processing the situation in their own way.

At the same time, inside the Marine branch in the Logue town.

"Moshi Moshi, is that Colonel Smoker?"

"Cowboy Tom and his gang are heading towards Logue Town, please apprehend them!" the message came through the phone.

Smoking two cigars simultaneously, Colonel Smoker, with his distinctive white hair, hummed to himself before hanging up the phone.

Gazing out at the sea with a determined expression, he spoke with cold resolve, "With me here, no one will be able to enter the Grand Line from Logue Town!"

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