70. Tom: I have a Girlfriend, How About You?

Amid the cheers of the crowd, Nami and her companions strolled into the Arabasta palace, their steps filled with joy.

"If you wait a bit, the food might get cold," remarked Al, holding a wine glass in one hand, before taking a small sip and jokingly.

Nami frowned, plopping down onto a chair in frustration. She gestured towards Tom, who was still fussing over his pose, and exclaimed, "It's all Tom's fault! As soon as he heard the people of Arabasta were planning to erect a statue, he rushed over to pose gleefully."

"Otherwise, we would have returned ages ago."

Upon hearing Nami's complaint, Tom not only didn't get upset but intentionally stood up, drawing attention to himself.

As Tom flexed his watermelon-sized biceps for everyone to see, Al quietly took a sip of his wine and discreetly signaled for Tom to leave.

Since Tom seemed to enjoy it, Al decided to let it slide.

Seeing Tom's display, the sculptors who were about to depart felt a renewed spark of inspiration ignite within them, reigniting the passion they had momentarily lost!

Nami glanced sideways at Tom and chuckled, saying, "Looks like Tom's got to be a model all night, hehe."

Before her words had even fully left her lips, exclamations erupted from outside the door, along with the clatter of metal and stone colliding.

"Am I actually seeing things?"

"This guy really thinks I'm slow at carving because I hit people!"

"Even though I feel sorry for you, but... How on earth is this cat managing to carve eight stone statues while using all its limbs?!"

"Is this cat even real?"

As the exclamations echoed from outside the door, Al and the others exchanged amused glances and burst into laughter.

"It's just Tom being Tom," Al remarked casually.

"Welcome, Vivi, as our new partner! Cheers!"

"Cheers!" everyone chimed in simultaneously.

Meanwhile, in the World Government meeting room.

The Five Elders slammed the news of Crocodile's defeat onto the desktop, their demeanor one of intense frustration.

"Why wasn't this news intercepted? Crocodile's crimes should not have been exposed!" one of them demanded.

"Tell me, where did that blasted fellow get his information from?"

"Are all 17 of your CP0 agents incompetent?!"

"Why is Nico Robin in Arabasta?!"

Confronted by the interrogation from the four Five Elders, the member of the CPO bowed his head in silence.

The sharp and oppressive atmosphere made him tremble uncontrollably.

Clearly, the Arabasta incident had severely tarnished the reputation of the World Government.

Adding to the concern was the appearance of Nico Robin in Arabasta, alongside the Cowboy Pirates.

Two individuals who posed a fatal threat to the World Government were now seen together, sending an undeniably dangerous signal.

Observing the CPO member's silence, the Five Elders exchanged glances before speaking in unison:

"Alert the Marine group immediately. Regardless of the cost, Nico Robin and Tom must be eliminated!"

"Yes!"

Meanwhile, at Marine Headquarters, when Sengoku and the other officials received word that news of Crocodile's defeat had been spread worldwide, their expressions turned grim.

All Marine executives, including Sengoku, wore somber expressions.

Akainu's rage was palpable as he clenched his back molars and promptly dialed Aokiji.

"Kuzan, where are you right now?"

Aokiji, pedaling his bicycle across the sea, heard Akainu's voice through the den den mushi.

He calmly retrieved it from his sleeve, his expression unruffled as he responded.

"Yeah, no need to be so hasty. I am currently near the Water 7."

Sengoku took the den den mushi from Akainu and delivered the World Government's directive with utmost seriousness.

"Kuzan, the World Government has issued an order to capture or eliminate Nico Robin and Tom's group without delay."

"Remain in the Water 7 for now. We'll devise a plan to draw Tom and his associates there."

"If you believe additional forces are necessary..."

Before Sengoku could finish his sentence, he heard Aokiji abruptly decline and then hang up the call.

As Aokiji came to a sudden halt, the atmosphere around him plummeted to an extreme.

The sea within a 100-meter radius instantly froze as Aokiji stepped off his bicycle.

"Nico Robin? If that's how it's going to be, then I'm rather intrigued," Aokiji muttered to himself.

After stretching his waist, he gazed out at the sea with profound eyes, though his surface demeanor remained devoid of emotion.

Yet within Aokiji's heart, the mention of Nico Robin's name stirred countless ripples.

The news of Crocodile's defeat spread like wildfire across the world, reaching even the farthest corners.

Somewhere in the New World, on an island brimming with sweets, a colossal figure loomed large — one of the Four Emperors, Charlotte Linlin.

Upon witnessing the remarkable photograph of Tom and Spike in the news, a wicked grin spread across her face.

"Mama~mama~"

"What intriguing specimens. It seems I haven't added such peculiar creatures to my collection yet."

"Pekoms, I don't care how you do it, just bring those two peculiar creatures back to me!"

Staring at the photo of Tom and Spike on the news, Pekoms slapped his chest and replied confidently, "I'll get the job done, Mama, no worries."

Meanwhile, in the castle on the island of Kuraigana, Hawkeye sat in his chair with his legs propped up on the table. His gaze was sharp as he watched the familiar figure on the news, a faint smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.

"It seems we'll cross paths soon. I hope your sword skills will have improved by then."

Suddenly, the a laughter echoed from the den den mushi beside Hawkeye.

"Hey, Hawkeye, did you catch today's news?"

"The folks who once clashed with you actually managed to take down Crocodile."

"Better watch your back, don't get defeated, Dahahaha~"

"Hey, Boss, you've had a bit too much to drink again!" came a voice from the other end of the phone, prompting Hawkeye to furrow his brow.

As he ended the call, Hawkeye rose from his seat, his gaze piercing as he stared at the black blade hanging on the wall. He murmured to himself, "If it can accomplish that, then I'm truly intrigued."

Meanwhile, on an unknown island in the first half of the Grand Line, Blackbeard and his crew erupted into wild laughter as they gazed at the photos on the news.

"Zehahaha! It looks like our target has been set."

But before Poison Q, the ship's doctor, could speak further...

Suddenly, a resounding "Fire Fist" rang out!

In an instant, a blaze erupted, launching Blackbeard into the air!

Boom—

A deafening explosion followed, and amidst the wreckage, Blackbeard writhed in agony, clutching the burns inflicted by the devastating "Fire Fist."

Just as Ace was about to resume his task, he let out a small gasp and deftly caught the newspaper that had fallen from Blackbeard's grasp.

Examining the familiar faces on the front page, Ace couldn't help but burst into hearty laughter.

"These guys really have some skill. They managed to take down Crocodile in just a few days."

Tucking the newspaper into his belt, Ace placed his right hand on his hat and sneered.

"Hey, Blackbeard, have you figured out how to meet your end?"

"Zehahaha..."

"I thought it was some other guy, but it turns out to be you, Ace. Are you interested in joining forces with me?"

"The two of us together could overthrow the World Government. I'll find the One Piece, and you..."

Before Blackbeard could finish his sentence, Ace unleashed a barrage of flames using his Devil Fruit ability.

However, instead of retaliating against Ace, Blackbeard seemed lost in his own fantasy of persuading him. He absorbed Ace's attack, enduring twice the pain.

As news of Crocodile's defeat continued to spread across various sea regions.

The news stirred up a massive uproar across various sea regions.

Countless creatures from the depths of the ocean developed a keen interest in Al and his companions.

Meanwhile, Al and the others remained blissfully unaware of the events unfolding around the world, enjoying a lavish dinner within the Alabasta palace.

Even if Al were to discover what was happening, his carefree demeanor would likely lead him to brush it off with laughter and not dwell on it.

However, amidst all this, Al's current focus was on one thing: bringing Tom back!

Ever since Tom crafted his stone statues with vividness and magnificence, a female cat appeared seemingly out of thin air, immediately capturing Tom's undivided attention.

At the banquet table, Tom's eyes filled with affection as he not only ambiguously fed the female cat but also brazenly gestured towards Al.

His smug expression seemed to taunt Al, as if saying, "Look, Al, you lonely singleton, don't envy me."

Al sat quietly nearby, fists clenched, muttering to himself:

"If only Spike's ability usage time hadn't expired, I'd summon him back in a heartbeat!" Al muttered under his breath.

As for Nami and the others, witnessing Tom's blatant provocation towards Al caused them to blush and cast occasional glances at him.

However, consumed by his hatred in that moment, Al remained oblivious to Nami's gestures.

"Stay calm, stay calm. Tom's behavior has nothing to do with you; he's just a lowlife," Al reassured himself internally.

But Tom, far from restraining himself, only grew more arrogant and domineering with each passing moment!

Tom, holding the female cat's hand, strutted confidently, sealing his lips with hers, all the while creating exaggerated "wave" sounds.

Then, with a sudden straightening of his posture, Tom applauded and gracefully ascended into the sky.

"Yahoo!" he exclaimed triumphantly before striding up to Al.

Lying provocatively in front of Al's desk, Tom raised an eyebrow and asked brazenly, "Feeling jealous?"

"Oh, damn it, how the heck can I tolerate this?!" Al muttered in frustration.

Al couldn't contain his anger and cursed under his breath. He retrieved a baseball bat from behind, seemingly prepared to confront Tom head-on.

Seeing Al's mounting rage, Tom shook his head vigorously, his entire body trembling in fear.

Then, with a swift motion, Tom transformed into a bolt of lightning and swiftly darted out of the banquet hall with a whoosh.

What irked Al the most was when Tom reached the hall's entrance. He paused deliberately, making a mocking face at Al before sauntering away.

"Tom!" Al roared in anger, smashing the baseball bat in his hand before retrieving the pumpkin pie Tom had given him earlier.

As they watched the heated exchange between Al and Tom, Nami and the others exchanged glances, their faces flushing with embarrassment.

"Captain Al, what a fool."

"Hehe, more like a colossal fool."

"Nami, Carina, is it really appropriate for us to speak so harshly about Captain Al in his presence?"

Just as Al was about to seize Tom, he saw Tom casually supporting the flower bed with one hand, shaking his head in disappointment.

"Captain, have you never been in love? Not even once?" Tom's tone dripped with disdain, yet there was an underlying hint of anticipation.

Al remained silent, unable to muster a response.

Seeing Al's silence, Tom suddenly pointed at him as if he had struck a chord, bursting into laughter.

In that moment of Tom's mocking laughter, Al grabbed a pumpkin pie from his hand and hurled it straight at Tom.

With a snap, Tom was caught off guard as Al's pumpkin pie smacked him square in the face.

However, Tom didn't react with anger. Instead, he stuck out his tongue, licked the pumpkin pie off his face, and gestured towards his mouth, as if inviting Al to throw another.

As Al watched this, he suddenly understood why Spike had acted without hesitation upon seeing Tom.

There was no other explanation: dealing with Tom's antics was truly exasperating!

Just as Al was about to mimic Jerry by stuffing pepper into the pumpkin pie, Nami and the others approached him with smiles on their faces.

"Captain Al, enough with the playtime. I just heard from Vivi that there's a hot spring nearby!" Nami exclaimed.

Carina chimed in, "Exactly! Why bother getting worked up over Tom? Let's all go enjoy the hot spring together."

After a brief moment of hesitation, Al casually shoved the pepper-stuffed pumpkin pie into Tom's mouth.

Then, following Nami and the others, he made his way to the location of the hot spring.

Al and the others hadn't enjoyed a proper rest since being pursued by the Baroque Works. So, soaking in a hot spring was exactly what they needed to relax.

As Al settled into the hot spring pool, he felt the tension slowly melting away.

Since the hot spring pools were separated by gender, Al and Tom found themselves alone in their respective areas, creating a serene atmosphere.

Having learned his lesson, Tom refrained from provoking Al and simply enjoyed the hot spring in peace.

Despite his usual restlessness, Tom's adorable demeanor couldn't be denied.

After a while of idleness, Tom couldn't resist the urge to do something. He dove into the hot spring pool and began swimming slowly towards Al.

Meanwhile, Al was engrossed in reviewing the applications of potential new crew members in the system space, with only 1% progress left on the progress bar.

Suddenly, a powerful thrust kicked Al out of the water, sending him flying in the direction of Nami and the others.

As he landed in the water, Nami and the others couldn't help but blush upon seeing him clearly.

"Captain Al, you owe me 100,000 Baileys!" Nami teased with a playful grin.

"Nami, that's too low! At least 500,000 Baileys for a show like this!"

"Hey, shouldn't we be yelling 'perverts' right about now, Nami, Carina?"

"Hey, what's all the commotion? Vivi, come join the fun, hehe."

That night, Al found himself inexplicably owing a considerable sum of tens of millions of Baileys!

And the mischievous instigator, Tom, laughed heartily all night long in the hot spring pool!

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