By the time Tom finally dragged the weakened Luffy and the half-dead Fatty back onto land, he was exhausted, panting heavily with pale lips. Obviously, carrying both of them back had nearly drained him. Luffy had sunk more than a hundred meters away from shore. Normally, Tom could swim that distance easily. But Luffy, helpless in seawater, had to be carried entirely on Tom's back, and the drag made it ten times harder. Worse, after swimming toward land with Luffy, Tom glanced back and saw Fatty slipping beneath the surface—his wooden plank no longer supporting him. Fatty was the first friend Tom had made since arriving in this world, and Fatty's family had saved his life. Seeing him in danger, Tom couldn't just watch. So he grit his teeth, turned back, and rescued Fatty as well. One hand supporting Fatty, the other dragging Luffy, Tom swam with everything he had toward the shallows. If not for half a year of fishing strengthening his arms and body, he never could've hauled both of them back. But by the time he saved them, Tom's consciousness was fading. He collapsed and blacked out. It was normal. For an average person, saving two drowning men at once was already beyond his limits. When Tom woke, it was already nighttime, and he heard noise outside. Looking around, he realized he had been carried back to his room—likely by another fishing group who found them unconscious on the beach. "Alright! Time for a feast!" Tom had barely sat up, shaking the dizziness from his head, when he heard an energetic voice. A boy in a red vest and straw hat burst into the room, grinning brightly. "You're awake! Come on, the feast has started! Our main dish is that Sea King we caught this morning. Its meat is delicious!" You almost drowned earlier, and now you're acting like nothing happened… the energy of this guy is terrifying. Tom stared speechlessly at the lively Luffy. Compared to him, Tom definitely looked drained. Moving even slightly made his muscles ache. Overexertion had caught up with him. He planned to lie down longer, but Luffy dragged him out to the feast anyway. "We're setting sail tomorrow! So today we gotta enjoy ourselves! This meat is amazing!" Luffy said between giant bites of Sea King meat. Tom was about to clarify again that he wasn't going with him, but Fatty suddenly ran over, dropped to his knees, and hugged Tom's leg, sobbing loudly. "Tommy! You're alive! Your face was so pale earlier—I thought I'd have to attend your funeral!" "Get off." Tom snapped. The village was lively with bonfires, dancing, and cheerful laughter—Fatty's crying face ruined the mood entirely. Villagers greeted Tom happily. A few blushing young women invited him to dance, but he refused. His head still felt foggy; with his luck, he might fall into the fire. Luffy, however, was having the time of his life. He danced with the girls, then suddenly felt unsatisfied and switched to belly dancing, making everyone laugh. He drew a face on his stomach, inflated it with his rubber body, stuck chopsticks in his nose, and sang some strange pirate tune. The villagers were delighted. With Luffy around, the feast was livelier than any Tom had seen in this village. Tom ate while watching Luffy's antics and asked Fatty, "Aren't you supposed to know how to swim? How did you drown?" Fatty, as a fisherman, of course could swim. Tom simply hadn't had time to think when he saved him earlier. Tom took a bite of Sea King meat—fresh, flavorful, surprisingly good. But once Fatty explained what happened, Tom immediately lost his appetite. It turned out Fatty had been dizzy from vomiting. When he accidentally inhaled seawater, he discovered that the seawater contained his own vomit… which made him throw up again. While gasping for air afterward, a small wave washed more of it into his mouth, making him throw up yet again. His reaction was too violent, and he cramped—then sank. Fatty kept describing his "tragic experience" nonstop, almost making Tom vomit in his face. In the end, Tom lost patience and punched him unconscious. Damn it… even saints have limits. Tom felt instantly better once Fatty stopped talking. "Are you a Devil Fruit user?" the village chief asked when he saw Luffy stretch his arm to grab meat, startling everyone. "Yeah! I ate the Gum-Gum Fruit! I'm a rubber man!" Luffy said, stretching both arms to grab more meat—including the one Tom was about to eat. Tom had just adjusted his mood to enjoy the Sea King again, but before he could take a bite, the meat disappeared. Seriously!? You've eaten two-thirds of that Sea King already! Cut it out! He grabbed another piece—only for it to stretch away into Luffy's mouth again. With no choice, Tom switched to vegetables, which Luffy clearly didn't care about. "Our village also has a Devil Fruit," the elderly chief said, stroking his long white beard. He looked at Tom, then said to Luffy, "You're planning to invite him to sea, right?" "Yeah! He's reliable. I can tell! We get along great!" Luffy said, swallowing a huge bite that bulged his neck comically. "You're Monkey D. Luffy?" the chief asked, his sharp gaze briefly flashing beneath his wrinkles. "What about it?" Luffy said, oblivious. Before the chief could say more, Luffy stretched over to Tom and suddenly appeared in front of him. Startled, Tom spat vegetable bits into Luffy's face. "What's your name?" Luffy asked, shaking his head. The bits flew onto his meat, and after tasting it, his eyes lit up. "Adding this makes it taste even better!" Tom's stomach lurched again, but he held it down and told him his name. "Thomas Sin?" Luffy repeated. "Weird name." Your names are the weird ones—every one of them is long and ridiculous. Before Tom could reply, the old chief said, "Thomas Sin, come with me. I have something to tell you." Tom followed him to a quiet corner, confused. The chief said, "A little over a year ago, someone left a Devil Fruit in our village. He said if we found the right person, we should give it away." Tom's heart tightened. Could it be from Silvers Rayleigh—the same year he saved Fatty? Did Rayleigh come to the East Blue to deal with this Devil Fruit? Tom's mind spun with possibilities. When he snapped out of it, the chief continued, "If you truly wish to sail with that boy, I can give this Devil Fruit to you." The chief's gaze sharpened. "I can see it. Deep down, you want to go out to sea. This world is vast. For a man, longing for the great ocean is normal—especially for someone who doesn't belong here. If you leave, you may find what you're searching for. It's your choice. I won't force you." He paused, then asked with a knowing smile: "So—what is your answer?"
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T/N :
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