Tom had heard from Vivi before that in the eyes of Alabasta's people, Crocodile was considered a hero. But what he hadn't expected was just how tremendously high Crocodile's prestige was in Alabasta.
Just by listening to the people's cheers, one could tell that in this small town where Tom currently found himself, regardless of age or gender, everyone held a nearly fanatical, blind worship for Crocodile. Crocodile could even be said to be the god these people believed in.
Tom didn't know how long Crocodile had spent accumulating such high renown in this country, but he could tell that this small town had certainly been attacked by pirates earlier. Crocodile had come and easily defeated those pirates, earning the undying gratitude of the people here.
It had to be said that Crocodile had coveted the Alabasta Kingdom for a long time. After years of meticulous planning, in the hearts of Alabasta's citizens, he had indeed become an irreplaceable hero.
As long as Crocodile was around, vicious pirates couldn't run rampant in this country. As long as he appeared, the people's lives would be protected. This seemed to have become a consensus among the people of Alabasta.
When Tom witnessed the people in this town shouting Crocodile's name with gratitude, their voices growing louder and louder, he knew he had to do something.
At the very least, he had to shatter Crocodile's perfect image in the hearts of these people.
Even though he understood that he alone might not be able to change much, rather than obediently standing aside and watching Crocodile, that hypocrite wearing a mask of false virtue, put on a show while receiving the adoration of the masses, Tom would rather incur the wrath of everyone and declare war on Crocodile. Ideally, he could force this schemer to reveal his true face in front of all these people.
So Tom stepped forward. Right when the townspeople were most grateful to Crocodile, he loudly declared he would beat Crocodile to a pulp.
Suddenly hearing someone speak rudely to Crocodile, the originally bustling small town instantly fell silent, becoming deathly quiet. Countless pairs of eyes fixed on Tom.
In the eyes of those people, Tom immediately became the target of public criticism. For no other reason than that he had insulted the hero in their hearts.
Crocodile, standing atop the tall tower, only glanced at Tom from the corner of his eye. Before he could even respond to Tom's challenge, Tom was already being raked over the coals by the men, women, elderly, and children of the town, becoming the target of everyone's condemnation.
Thus, the previously silent small town quickly erupted with an even louder noise than before, with all kinds of abuse filling the air.
"Where did you come from, you brat? How dare you be so disrespectful to Lord Crocodile!"
"Judging by your appearance, you're from out of town, aren't you? Get out of this country!"
"Crocodile is this country's hero! Who do you think you are to challenge him?!"
"Are you a pirate too? You despicable scoundrels always try to plunder our country's wealth while it's in turmoil!"
"As long as Lord Crocodile is here, even if you're a pirate, you won't be able to do any evil in this country!"
The people of the town had been loudly cheering Crocodile's name to express their gratitude to him. Now, upon suddenly hearing Tom's words to Crocodile, how could they not be angry? More and more people began gathering around Tom while hurling abuse at him.
These people were able to unite and condemn Tom partly because they saw he was alone, and partly because Crocodile was still here. Since their acknowledged guardian was present, they feared no one. This was the influence Crocodile had gradually instilled in them.
Facing these fervent, angry people closing in on him, Tom had to admit he had never experienced being verbally attacked by so many people at once. It was as if every person's spittle could drown him.
"That's right. I'm a pirate!"
Tom's words rang out with conviction. He swept his gaze across the slowly advancing crowd. Men, women, young children, and gray-haired elders alike glared at him with hostility, as if he had committed some unforgivable atrocity.
His expression unchanged, he quickly took out the fishing rod from his arm-sleeve device. With a sharp clang, he thrust it into the ground. His eyes grew fierce, and the aura emanating from his body actually seemed to suppress the crowd. Those who had been hurling abuse at him suddenly fell silent, as if their voices had been cut off. The scene went quiet once more.
Even though he was only one man, he gave the people trying to surround him the illusion that a huge mountain stood in their way, making them hesitate to act. Some even gulped nervously.
In truth, ever since setting sail, Tom had experienced several life-or-death battles and had struggled on the brink of death. The aura he had unconsciously developed had become increasingly formidable. It was usually unnoticeable, but when he was truly serious, the presence he displayed was far beyond what ordinary people could match, which was why he had momentarily silenced the townspeople.
"This is between me and Crocodile! It has nothing to do with any of you!"
After saying this to the stunned crowd, Tom, still gripping his fishing rod, looked up at Crocodile standing on the tall tower. "Why haven't you come down yet?!"
Crocodile, with a horizontal scar across his face, draped in a fur-lined coat, a cigar clenched in his mouth, looked down at Tom from the high tower. A sinister chuckle escaped his lips. Then he said, "A nobody like you calls himself a pirate? Since you are a pirate, you should know there's an insurmountable gap between you and me."
"On this Grand Line, ignorant, arrogant scum like you can be found everywhere. Since you're so eager to die, I'll grant your wish."
Leaping down from the tower, Crocodile pointed his gleaming golden left hook at Tom. "Whether in status or standing, you and I are worlds apart..."
Before Crocodile could finish, Tom suddenly threw something at him. Then, clenching his right fist, he charged toward Crocodile. "Shut your mouth! Even if I'm an unknown little pirate on the sea, if I'm going to take you on, the status and standing you mentioned mean nothing! I just need to punch you in the face!"
"Throwing stones at me? What a crude move. This isn't children playing rough. Who do you think you're facing?"
Crocodile paid no attention to the round, stone-like object Tom threw at him, making no attempt to dodge. He slowly raised his right hand, ready to defeat Tom in one blow. "I am one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea..."
Splat!
Just as Crocodile was speaking, the object Tom threw struck him square in the face. It immediately shattered, and a strange yellow liquid splattered onto his face. An unbearable stench filled the air.
The moment that foul, nauseating odor hit him, Crocodile's previously composed expression instantly twisted. He couldn't even finish his sentence.
Crocodile never expected that the object Tom had thrown—which looked like a stone—was actually a putrid stink egg. As the foul-smelling yellow liquid dripped down his face, he was immediately enraged.
Given Crocodile's current status, not only was he hailed as a hero by the people of Alabasta, but he was also a member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, one of the world's three major powers. In all his battles against enemies, no one had ever thrown a stink egg at him before. This was unprecedented.
In truth, Tom had gotten the stink egg from Usopp a few days earlier during the food shortage on the ship. Usopp said it could be eaten if he was truly starving.
But the stink egg was so unbearably foul that Tom would rather starve than eat it.
Miss Goldenweek, the little girl, had colored it to make it look like a pebble, which was why Crocodile thought Tom was throwing a stone.
Crocodile was a Logia-type Devil Fruit user. By turning into his elemental form, he could nullify physical attacks. But as a Sand-Sand Fruit user, after having the yellow liquid from the broken stink egg cover his face, he could no longer turn that part into sand.
Although Crocodile quickly recovered from the nauseating stench, just as he was about to react, Tom had already closed in and delivered a heavy punch straight to his face.
"Who would play the childish game of throwing stones?! I just didn't like your pretentious act, so I threw a stink egg at you!"
With a thunderous BOOM, Crocodile was sent flying straight back by Tom's punch, crashing through a wall and into a building.
The people around were stunned. Their revered idol Crocodile had been punched flying by some pirate who appeared out of nowhere, sent crashing to the ground.
"How dare he attack Lord Crocodile!"
"He threw an egg at Lord Crocodile!"
"Don't you dare do that to Lord Crocodile!"
"Let's get him! Don't let him get away!"
The previously quiet crowd grew more and more agitated. They surged forward, not only blocking Tom's path but also beginning to throw things at him.
Seeing the dense crowd closing in, each face filled with righteous indignation, throwing objects at him, Tom found himself unable to advance and continue attacking Crocodile.
After one person started, more and more people began throwing things at Tom—eggs, vegetables, knives, stools, axes—all raining down toward him. He was so shocked his jaw nearly dropped.
And no wonder. Since setting sail, Tom had experienced being surrounded by Marines, fought brutal pirates, crossed a rope hundreds of meters high in a blizzard while carrying someone on his back, been swallowed by the world's largest whale, hunted dinosaurs, and killed a giant goldenfish that could swallow islands. But he had never been treated as a public enemy by thousands of ordinary citizens.
Being a public enemy meant being despised and cursed by countless people, each looking at him with disgust, as if he were something filthy. That was exactly the situation Tom found himself in.
Looking at the crowd pressing toward him—truly a surging tide of people, more and more gathering, as if the entire town had turned out—
"Waaah! You're a bad guy! Don't hurt our hero!"
"That's right! You evil pirate! Get out of here! Get out of Alabasta!"
Many children, no older than ten, tears streaming down their faces, cried out at Tom, as if he had truly done something unforgivable.
Hearing the children's cries, the gathered crowd grew even more agitated. Among them, regardless of age or gender, some cursed Tom, some threw things at him.
Quite a few sturdy-looking people charged directly at him, trying to capture him. More followed, and soon everyone rushed forward. The crowd surged.
A chaotic assortment of objects flew toward Tom, and the crowd advanced like a tidal wave, each face twisted with uncontrollable rage. This time, without any hesitation, Tom turned and ran. "Those people are so unreasonable! Time to get out of here!"
If Tom had recklessly continued attacking Crocodile despite everything, he would have certainly met resistance from these townspeople. And in doing so, he would have hurt those who had been deceived and manipulated by Crocodile.
Because Tom knew clearly that he had come to Alabasta not to beat up its citizens.
Even though everyone in this small town harbored intense hostility toward him, even throwing things at him in disgust, Tom held no grudge against these people. In fact, he pitied them.
Alabasta was in a period of turmoil. Not only was there civil unrest, but pirates frequently attacked the country. It could be said that everyone was terrified. This was how Crocodile had found his opportunity, molding himself into the hero this country needed, constantly building his reputation and winning the people's hearts.
Although this country might genuinely need a hero, the tragedy was that the people had placed their faith in someone who had been manipulating them all along.
Tom also noticed Marines approaching from another direction, led by the woman with light pink hair—Hina. This was another important reason he had to run.
"Heh, it seems I've witnessed something interesting."
From the shadows beneath a tall building, a woman appeared. She wore a tight purple jacket, a long white coat over it, and a white cowboy hat. As she spoke, she watched Tom's retreating back. A faint smile played on her lips, a trace of an unreadable gleam in her eyes, making her appear both beautiful and alluring, exuding a captivating mature charm.
"What's so funny, Nico Robin?"
Crocodile had clearly noticed Robin hiding in the shadows. Though he had taken a punch from Tom, he seemed largely unharmed—not even a bruise on his face. However, he was truly angered by Tom now. He didn't even bother hiding his murderous intent toward his partner. But he knew something important must have happened for Robin to come find him at this time. Adding to that, with the Marines arriving, he temporarily set aside his desire to pursue Tom.
Robin, hiding in the shadows, her smile quickly faded. She said to Crocodile, "According to reports from the Billion-Fold agents gathering in Alabasta, the Marines have also arrived. Quite a few of our men have been taken out by the Marine Headquarters Captain Hina. And she seems to have other objectives."
"There are as many Billion-Fold agents as we need. Their sacrifices won't affect my plans. However, we must find out why that Marine Headquarters 'Black Cage' has come here. If she becomes an obstacle to my plans, we'll eliminate her as well."
Crocodile watched Hina leading a large force of Marines into the small town, a cold gleam in his eyes. Then he received some news from Robin.
"What did you say? That brat from earlier is the one who spoke to me on Mr. 5's Den Den Mushi?"
When Crocodile heard Robin say the one who had run off was the man Baroque Works had been hunting, he was somewhat surprised. "His voice on the Den Den Mushi that time didn't sound like that."
"Never mind. That insignificant ant—next time I see him, I'll crush him with my own hands."
Crocodile assumed Tom had deliberately changed his voice during their earlier call to deceive him. But Tom was already gone. To Crocodile, a small-time pirate with a mere thirty-million Berry bounty was hardly a threat.
Not only Tom, but the entire Straw Hat crew, in Crocodile's eyes, were nothing but insignificant players.
Robin said nothing. She knew Tom had been drunk the night he spoke to Crocodile. A drunk person's tone of voice would naturally differ from normal. But she kept this to herself.
Soon after, Crocodile and Robin left together for their base. Since Tom had appeared in Alabasta, the rest of the Straw Hats were likely here too. He needed to return and make proper preparations, maybe send the Straw Hats some "gifts."
As for the townspeople chasing Tom, they were furious. After all, Crocodile was the man they revered. What Tom had done had thoroughly enraged them.
"Everyone, chase him! Don't let him get away!"
"How dare you do that to Lord Crocodile! I won't forgive you!"
Those chasing Tom were so angry they looked ready to set him on fire, desperate to catch him and give him a thorough beating.
"There really are a lot of them. I'd better run faster."
Tom glanced back at the people chasing him. He had already left the town, but they kept pursuing, as if the entire town had come after him. Truly, it was a surging tide of humanity, with swirling yellow sand filling the sky.
Even though he was far ahead, he could still feel the ground trembling from the massive crowd behind him. Tom was getting a vivid demonstration of the power of the masses.
By the time Hina led her subordinates into the small town, Crocodile and Robin were long gone. So was Tom, whom she wanted to arrest.
Hina had come because she received intelligence that this town had been attacked by pirates.
Throughout, Hina never saw Robin, who had been hiding in the shadows speaking with Crocodile. After ordering her men to arrest the pirates who had attacked the town—now shriveled like mummies but still breathing—she watched Crocodile's departing figure and murmured softly, "One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea... 'Sir Crocodile'... is he truly this country's hero?"
Meanwhile, after running for some time, Tom finally managed to completely lose the crowd chasing him. Parched with thirst, he paused to rest, pulling a mandarin orange from inside his jacket. "If Nami finds out I stole her orange, she'll be really mad."
"But if I don't eat something to quench my thirst, I really might not make it. I wonder how Luffy and the others are doing."
After eating the sweet, tangy orange, Tom immediately picked a direction and started running again.
Given all the commotion earlier, there had been no sign of Luffy and the others. Tom could already conclude that the small town wasn't Nanohana. He really wanted to find Luffy and the others quickly, because being alone made a lot of things difficult.
He had no idea how long he'd been running. Just as he was starting to feel parched again, he finally spotted a city in the seemingly desolate desert.
"Whatever, I'll run there first. If I don't get water soon, I really can't take it!"
The blazing sun in the sky had left Tom's lips chapped. Without a second thought, he dashed toward the city ahead.
"Huff... huff... huff!"
Tom ran into the city in one breath, then stopped, gasping for air after his long run. Looking around, he saw the city was bustling with people. Many were dressed in an Arabian style. It was much livelier than the small town he had visited earlier. Bent over with his hands on his knees, panting, he said, "I feel like I'm dying of thirst... finally found somewhere to get water..."
"You look exhausted. Are you okay?"
A blue-haired woman holding a sword, wearing glasses, saw the man ahead looking about to collapse and kindly approached, offering him a towel.
"Thanks. You're really kind. Do you have water?"
Tom straightened up as he took the offered towel, wiping his sweat while asking the blue-haired woman.
"Are you visiting here for the first time too? It's my first time in this country."
The blue-haired woman handed Tom a canteen as she spoke.
Tom, still wiping his sweat, reached for the canteen. As they looked at each other, both froze.
The blue-haired woman adjusted her thick glasses, staring intently at Tom for a moment, then exclaimed in surprise, "Aren't you the 'Trick-Eye Hunter' from the Straw Hat crew?! What are you doing here?!"
"You're... the sword-wielding, four-eyed Marine from Roguetown..."
Tom, having just realized the kind woman who lent him her towel was Marine Headquarters Petty Officer Tashigi, didn't even finish his sentence. He immediately threw the towel at Tashigi's face and started running.
"Don't run! If you're here, then Roronoa Zoro must be nearby too! I won't let you two escape from me again! And give me back my canteen!"
Tashigi, having pulled the towel off her face, immediately drew her sword and chased after Tom with her fellow Marines.
I haven't found Luffy and the others yet. I can't get tangled up with the Marines now.
Tom used his fishing line to hook onto a sign nearby, swinging through the air to quickly reach another street. Then, while tilting his head back to drink from the canteen as he ran, he spotted a very familiar figure ahead.
It was Luffy, running toward him in his red vest, his mouth stuffed with meat.
Tom felt a surge of relief at finding his crew. He happily shouted to Luffy running toward him, "Hey, Luffy! Don't come this way! There are Marines!"
"Oh, it's Tom! Great! I knew you'd be okay! But I've got Marines chasing me too!"
Luffy, suddenly spotting Tom, grinned and waved at him, his cheeks bulging with food.
Tom was just wondering if the Marine chasing Luffy was that smoke-wielder Smoker when he heard a very familiar voice.
"You have nowhere left to run! Straw Hat Luffy! Trick-Eye Hunter Tom! I will capture you both!"
Now Tom was certain it was the incredibly troublesome Smoker chasing Luffy. He stopped, about to say something, when Luffy ran up to him.
"How come you're so unlucky?"
"Shut up! You're the last person who should be saying that!"
As Tom spoke to Luffy, now reunited, he saw pursuers both ahead and behind. He ran for a side street branching off.
Meanwhile, Zoro and the others were resting behind an inconspicuous broken wall. When they had first landed in Alabasta, Luffy had run off the ship looking for a restaurant and gotten separated. The rest had entered this city, sent Chopper and Sanji, as new faces, to buy supplies needed to cross the desert, and were resting here, waiting for Luffy and Tom to catch up.
"Nami, what should we do? Tom is missing, and there's no word from Luffy either."
Vivi said worriedly to Nami. Having two crew members unaccounted for was indeed troubling.
"Don't worry. Those two will be fine."
Nami smiled at Vivi. Though she too was worried about Tom and Luffy, seeing Vivi's brows knitted with anxiety, she didn't want to add to her concern.
"It sounds a bit noisy out there."
"Probably some idiots getting chased by Marines."
Zoro and Sanji, noticing the commotion of Marines chasing pirates nearby, casually commented.
"Two idiots?"
Chopper and Usopp, resting nearby, heard Zoro and Sanji and felt a sense of foreboding.
Then Zoro and the others, who had peeked out from behind the broken wall to see what was happening, saw Luffy and Tom being chased by a large group of Marines. Their jaws dropped.
"Those two idiots are exactly who we thought!"
"So you're here!"
"There are Marines chasing us! Run!"
Luffy and Tom, spotting Zoro and the others hiding behind the broken wall, excitedly ran toward them.
"You two idiots! Go somewhere else! Don't lead the Marines here!"
Nami saw that Tom and Luffy were safe, but before she could even feel relieved, she saw those two leading a whole bunch of Marines straight toward them—including Smoker. She wanted to punch the two troublemakers all the way to the horizon.
"Idiots! Why do you always end up causing situations like this?!"
"Enough talk! Grab your stuff and let's go!"
Zoro and Sanji quickly gathered the supplies they had bought and followed Luffy and Tom.
"So many Marines are chasing us! What do we do?!"
Chopper saw the massive group of Marines behind them and nearly jumped out of his skin.
"Scared already? You're still too green!"
As Usopp ran, legs trembling, he still managed to boast to the frightened Chopper. "Back in the day, on a certain island, I led eight thousand men in a legendary battle to the death against a hundred thousand Marines!"
"What?! Is that true?!"
The naive Chopper, hearing Usopp's words as they ran, was completely taken in.
"Why are you dressed like that? Isn't it hard to run in?"
As Tom ran, he noticed Nami beside him dressed like a sexy dancer. He took a bundle she handed him and asked curiously.
"It's fine. I like this outfit. Do you think it looks good on me?"
Nami, wearing a long skirt, flashed Tom a bright, sunny smile.
To be fair, Nami's dancer outfit gave her an alluring charm she didn't usually have. Vivi, dressed the same way, also looked more enticing than usual.
"Stinky fisherman, I spent a long time finding those clothes! Any man who sees them would be satisfied!"
Sanji said to Tom, then glanced at Nami and Vivi, his eyes instantly turning into hearts. "Just seeing you two gives me all the energy I need!"
Saying this, Sanji, as if pumped up on stimulants, quickly sprinted ahead.
Tom was about to say something to Nami when she said with a smile, "If you want to look at me now, it'll cost you a hundred thousand Berries."
"No one's paying that."
Zoro ignored Nami's statement.
"You still owe me three hundred thousand Berries. Need me to remind you?"
Nami brought out her trump card, speaking to Zoro.
"You're going to hell!"
Zoro, feeling oppressed, cursed Nami viciously. Nami didn't mind at all, accepting it happily. "Zoro, thank you. Even if I become a ghost, I won't forget that you owe me money."
"Now, please pay back all the money you owe me. That's four hundred thousand Berries total."
As Nami ran, she held out her hand to Zoro to collect the debt.
"Can you say something on my behalf?"
Seeing Nami raise the amount again, Zoro could only appeal to Tom for help.
"He stole my orange. He'll owe me money for the rest of his life."
Before Tom could say anything, Nami revealed something that shocked him. "How do you know about that? I ate that orange before I even saw you!"
"Because I could smell it."
Nami smiled at Tom.
"So that's why you were standing so close to me earlier!"
As Tom said this to Nami, Vivi gave him a gentle smile and said, "I'm so glad you and Luffy are okay. I was really worried earlier."
"Don't worry about us. Since you're in Alabasta now, you should focus on what you need to do."
Tom said to Vivi. He also noticed Miss Goldenweek wasn't here, but with Smoker, trailing smoke, almost upon them, they had to hurry and couldn't ask more questions.
"Roronoa Zoro! I will reclaim the famous swords you carry! Stop running!"
Tashigi, gripping her sword with both hands, shouted ahead at Zoro as she chased.
Zoro, who had no idea how to deal with Tashigi—who looked so much like Kuina from his childhood—could only pretend not to hear and keep running.
"Straw Hat! What are you people doing in this country? What's your real purpose?!"
Smoker, pursuing them, called out to Luffy ahead.
"We came here to beat Crocodile!"
Luffy said this, ignoring Smoker's attempts to guess what connection they had with Crocodile. As he ran, he raised both arms high and shouted loudly, "Everyone, run faster! Our adventure in Alabasta has only just begun!"
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T/N :
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