4. Al: I Still Need To Prepare for Arlong?

After the somewhat awkward dinner by candlelight, Tom sprawled out on the sofa and drifted off to sleep, his satisfied expression highlighted by his hands cradling his full stomach.

Blushing, Nami tidied up the dining table, her mind buzzing with intense curiosity about Al and Tom's backgrounds.

Meanwhile, Al remained seated in the armchair, delicately sipping his coffee as he reflected on the emotional lessons learned from past battles.

"Received 57 EP from Kaneshiro,"

"Received 23 EP from Take,"

"Received 33 EP from Shioyaki."

[Note: EP (Emotional points) can only be obtained from opponents when they're being roasted by the summoned character.

The tougher the opponent, the more miserable the opponent after roasting, the higher EP.

EP can be used to purchase from the store or by drawing from the lottery machine.]

After reading the system introduction, Al turned his head to glance at Tom, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.

Suddenly, Tom, who had been sleeping peacefully, felt a chill and swiftly stood up, scanning his surroundings before hurrying over to Al's side to resume his slumber.

To Tom, the safest spot was always beside Al.

Al affectionately ruffled Tom's hair and opened the system store.

Tom's Accordion: 300 EP.

The baseball bat Spike gnawed on: 500 EP.

Knight Tom's Western sword: 20,000 EP.

....

He scoured through a lot, finding all sorts of bizarre items, yet none within Al's budget.

Frustrated, Al angrily shut the system store and shifted his focus to the lottery machine nearby.

Ignoring the items in the prize pool altogether, Al solely focused on the EP required.

Luckily, only 100 EP were needed for a lottery draw, which seemed rather considerate.

Without hesitation, Al used his only one hundred EP to try his luck with the lottery.

"Ding, you've won a baseball bat that Spike gnawed on."

What in the world?

The baseball bat chewed by that dog?

Al's expression turned peculiar as he retrieved the baseball bat.

Tom let out a meow and abruptly sat up, pointing at the baseball bat and laughing, clearly recalling the silly dog that had been bullied by it.

Al toyed with the bat for a moment, then glanced at the system introduction, which stated: "[Extremely sturdy, durability 5]"

"[Cannot be destroyed until durability reaches zero!]"

"Nice find!"

Al swung it a couple of times, feeling quite satisfied.

The most remarkable thing is that as long as the durability isn't zero, this is indestructible!

Stashing away the baseball bat, Al flashed a wicked grin.

'Doesn't Arlong's teeth grow back quickly?'

'Well then, let's see if it's his teeth that grow faster, or my bat!'

After clearing the table, Nami approached Al, helping him refill his coffee cup, and said, "Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Nami. Nice to meet you."

"Al, nice to meet you too," Al responded politely.

Just as the words left his mouth, Nami's expression turned serious.

"Mr. Al, can you tell me how you plan to take down Arlong?"

"Wait here and let him come to us. We'll deal with it after dinner, just enough for an after meal exercise," Al suggested casually.

Nami slammed her hand on the table, disbelief evident on her face. "Are you seriously telling me you're not prepared at all?"

Tom, looking perplexed, shifted his gaze between the two, unable to comprehend why the atmosphere had suddenly shifted from the enjoyable candlelight dinner to this tension.

After hearing Nami's question, Al slowly set down his coffee, a smile playing on his lips.

"Come on, what preparations do we need to take out Arlong? Wouldn't it be enough for Tom to go up there and give him a thrashing?" Al proposed.

Tom nodded in agreement, flexing his biceps, patting his chest confidently.

'As for those dim-witted fishmen, they're no match for Jerry.'

....

At Arlong Park,

A Marine Colonel, bearing a resemblance to a mouse and sporting the word "justice" on his attire, smirked as he pocketed the money on the table.

"Mr. Arlong, you truly grasp the ways of the world," he commented.

Arlong, seated across from Colonel Nezumi, let out a rough chuckle. "Though I despise humans, I like sensible ones like you."

"In that case, my thanks, Chichichi!" After collecting the money, Colonel Nezumi prepared to leave.

"Why do leave without sharing a few drinks?" Arlong inquired.

Colonel Nezumi wore a sinister grin. "I've heard that the thief Nami is back."

Upon hearing this, Arlong immediately grasped the situation and burst into hearty laughter. "Shahahaha, you seem anxious. I wish you luck."

At that moment, the three fishmen, whose fins had been severed by Al, leaned on each other for support as they pushed the door open. Weakly, they addressed Arlong, "Brother Arlong...someone...refused to pay the protection fee and attacked us!"

"He even threatened to turn you into fish head soup, Brother Arlong!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the audience erupted in uproar!

"Who's making all that noise? Didn't he hear of the Arlong Pirates?" Arlong's voice boomed.

"Brother Arlong, you can't let the one who harmed our comrades get away!" one of the fishman pleaded.

"Quiet!"

With a grim expression, Arlong rose to his feet and demanded, "Kaneshiro, tell me, who did this to you?"

"It was a kid and his cat! And Nami!" Kaneshiro confessed.

"Brother Arlong, that cat is incredibly strong. The three of us couldn't stand a chance against it!" another fishman added.

Arlong's expression darkened significantly upon hearing this.

'Could a cat really defeat them?'

The fishmen take great pride in their physical strength, which is dozens of times greater than that of humans!

Could it be possible that a mere cat is more powerful than a formidable sea creature?

Even Colonel Nezumi, standing nearby, was shocked by what he heard.

If a cat capable of defeating three fishmen could be captured and presented to headquarters, there's a strong chance of receiving a promotion and reward!

"Kuroobi, Chew, Hatchan, go and eliminate that kid and his cat!" Arlong commanded.

Kuroobi looked disdainful upon hearing this. How many of them are needed to deal with a mere child and a cat?

"Brother Arlong, aren't we overestimating this kid a bit by sending three officers at once? Isn't it a bit excessive?" questioned the younger brother beside him.

Arlong let out a cold snort, baring his sharp teeth as he rose to his feet, his expression deadly serious.

"It's been far too long since anyone dared to challenge the might of our notorious Arlong Pirates, looks like the people forgot out means. This time, we must show no mercy!"

"I want those lesser beings to understand that the Arlong Pirates are a force not to be trifled with!"

"Did you all hear me clearly?"

The atmosphere grew tense as everyone present was intimidated by Arlong's commanding presence, breaking into nervous perspiration.

"Go forth and bring me the heads of that kid and that cat."

"Yes, Brother Arlong, we promise to complete the task!"

The three officers gripped their weapons with sneers etched on their faces. In their minds, the fate of that kid and his cat had already been sealed.

After conversing with Arlong, Colonel Nezumi trailed behind the officers.

However, what he truly cared about was Nami's bounty, and the cat that could potentially earn him a promotion and a raise!

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