After dealing with the Marines, Al expressed his disgust by clapping his hands.
"Come on, join us in the fight. Bring a few warships with you."
"Let's go, Tom. It's time to get serious."
Tom nodded, spun around, and swiftly changed into a stylish denim outfit, complete with sunglasses.
Meanwhile, he made sure to give Al a matching set of clothes.
As Al put on the jeans, he toyed with his revolver before holstering it on his waist. He adjusted his sunglasses and smirked.
"Let the hunt begin!"
As soon as he spoke, both Al and Tom's sunglasses suddenly lit up with red, adding dramatic flair to their appearance!
Meanwhile, inside Arlong Park...
The villagers from Cocoyasi Village were all imprisoned in the lowest cell by Arlong's crew.
Arlong sat arrogantly in the center of the room, legs crossed and toes pointed downward.
"Kaneshiro, still no word on the three officers?" he demanded.
Arlong downed a bowl of wine, revealing his sharp teeth, then angrily smashed the bowl to the ground.
Kaneshiro, visibly nervous, stuttered out, "No news yet, Brother Arlong."
Arlong slammed his fist on the table, glaring fiercely at Lace.
"You've got to be kidding me! Are you suggesting that those three were actually taken down by that kid?"
As soon as the words left his mouth...
Al kicked the door open and declared loudly, "Sorry, but those three of yours are no more!"
As the smoke cleared, Al and Tom emerged, striking impressive poses.
The fishmen's eyes turned into heart shapes at the sight of the two, exclaiming, "So Cool!"
Arlong's expression soured as he yelled at the fishmen, who were becoming fans of Al: "Hey! You lot!"
"These are our enemies, stay focused!"
The fishmen snapped out of their admiration and grabbed their weapons, baring their sharp teeth at Al and Tom with menacing looks.
Al grinned, pulling out a small firecracker from his backpack and saying, "Let me show you a baby."
All the fishmen squinted to get a better look at what Al was holding.
They burst into laughter. "Are you kidding? Is that tiny thing supposed to entertain us like a clown comedy?"
"Ha ha ha ha..."
Facing their mockery, Al quietly signaled to Tom to light the firecracker with a lighter.
Al snorted coldly. "Let me show you something special."
He tossed out a mini firecracker, won from a lottery draw. Then he quickly pulled Tom to the side.
Tom covered his ears, remembering the havoc caused by similar firecrackers in the past, feeling a sense of dread.
Having experienced the destructive force of these firecrackers before, the psychological impact still lingered within Tom.
But those fishmen were oblivious to the true power of the tiny explosive!
Al held it proudly.
A fishman pointed to Tom who is covering his ears behind Al, he laughed and said
"Look at that scaredy-cat. Can't handle a little thing like this."
"I'm telling you, there's got to be some other reason why the top fighters lost. They wouldn't go down so easily," he continued confidently.
The fishmen laughed raucously at his every word, egging him on.
Arlong reclined in his chair, a mocking smirk on his face as he observed the two fools.
"3"
"2"
As Al silently counted down in his head, he retrieved his golf club and waved it towards the sky.
The speed was so swift that it left an afterimage!
As Al reached the count of 1, a massive explosion erupted amidst the fishmen!
A small mushroom cloud billowed upwards!
The force of the blast sent the fishmen flying, some crashing into the walls, others embedded into the ground.
Witnessing the devastation, Al couldn't help but gasp in disbelief!
Tom, pointing at the charred fishmen, seemed to see his past self and burst into laughter, collapsing to the ground.
Arlong's expression turned dark with anger. "How dare you harm my people!" he roared.
Al just smirked back at Arlong, pulling out a baseball bat from his backpack system and handing it to Tom, saying:
"I'll leave this foolish fish to you. I'll save the villagers of Cocoyasi Village," Al declared.
Tom wiped away the tears from his eyes and stared at the menacing Arlong with a grave expression, a sense of foreboding creeping over him.
Pointing to himself and then to Arlong, Tom made a pleading face, as if to say, "Would you really let such a cute cat perish?"
Al responded earnestly, "Tom, didn't we already discuss this from the start?"
Tom shook his head vigorously.
Despite their earlier conversation, this Arlong didn't seem foolish at all! It was nothing like the dim-witted and silly impression they had discussed.
Glancing nervously at Arlong, Tom felt his heart pounding in his chest. He blurted out anxiously, "Wouldn't you feel guilty if you betrayed a cat like this?"
"Nope!" Arlong replied coldly.
"Meow?" Tom whimpered.
Al placed a firm hand on Tom's shoulder, his expression grave. "Tom, you've got to trust yourself. I'll go save the villagers of Cocoyasi Village first."
Tom was incensed, but before he could protest further, Al had vanished.
With a grim expression, Arlong grabbed a massive saw from behind him and growled angrily, "Had your fun yet?"
The overwhelming aura sent shivers down Tom's spine, his whole body trembling with fear.
But Arlong showed no mercy, his gaze fixed on Tom with a deadly intent.
With the sharp saw raised high, Arlong charged towards Tom.
Reacting swiftly, Tom widened his mouth, his tongue stretching out tens of meters and then swiftly curling up like a mat, pulling Tom's body away from Arlong's attack just in time.
With a swift movement, Tom transformed into a bolt of lightning, darting around Arlong Park.
....
Meanwhile, inside the dungeon,
Al incapacitated the guard and successfully freed the villagers of Cocoyasi Village.
Genzo stood at the forefront of the crowd, expressing gratitude to Al and inquiring about his identity.
Upon discovering that Nami had enlisted assistance, the entire group welled up with tears of joy.
Nojiko, positioned amidst the crowd, voiced concern, "Brother, thank you. But is Nami alright?"
Al shook his head reassuringly. "Don't fret, Nami is safe and sound."
Upon hearing this, relief washed over everyone's hearts.
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Read 15 chapters in advance in Patr*on: patr*on.com/Cosmic_Kaminari