The East Blue, a certain sea area. On a small escape boat, Tom rowed with a massive bump on his head. From afar, it looked like he was wearing a large top hat, very conspicuous.
After the unfortunate incident, Nami immediately switched into she-dragon mode and, without hesitation, gave the still-stunned perpetrator a thorough beating.
If the Marines hadn't been chasing them, forcing them to focus on escaping, someone might have really been beaten by Nami's "Haki"-filled iron fists until even Luffy couldn't recognize him.
Those familiar with Luffy knew the guy could mistake the real Zoro and a Zombie Zoro for the same person.
With Luffy's top-tier eyesight almost failing to recognize Tom, you can imagine just how thoroughly Nami had beaten him.
Remembering Nami's back turned to him, her delicate earlobes tinged with an alluring flush, Tom sighed. No need to guess, Nami's face must have been bright red then.
Luffy, you bastard!
Tom had cursed Luffy a thousand times in his heart. If that idiot hadn't suddenly slapped him, he wouldn't have ended up in this mess.
While some might call it unexpected luck, Tom hadn't meant to take advantage of Nami. It was due to external factors. Yet he suffered Nami's violent abuse, couldn't blame Nami who was also a victim, and the person he really wanted to hit wasn't here. His mood was beyond miserable.
Faced with the boundless sea, Tom had nowhere to vent his frustration except to row like mad. Was he supposed to knock Namy flying?
If Nami had beaten Tom to a pulp for no reason, he definitely wouldn't have taken it lying down. He might even have done just that—knocked her flying.
Unfortunately, Nami's violent iron fists this time had a cause, and he was slightly in the wrong, so he couldn't do anything to her.
Luffy's earlier attempt to grab Tom by stretching his arm had failed, missing the chance to retrieve him, as the boat he and Koby were on was already far away.
And so, after briefly seeing Luffy from afar and then being screwed over yet again by that walking disaster, Tom was separated once more.
Now, Tom was on a small boat with Nami. Their destination was Shells Town, where Nami said they needed to find a map of the Grand Line.
Looking at Nami sitting on the other side, still sulking, Tom never dreamed that on the very first day he met her, such a thing would happen.
On the very day he met Nami, he fully experienced the terror of her iron fists. It was unforgettable, heart-pounding, and something he never wanted to taste again.
What surprised Tom even more was that after the incident and thoroughly beating him up, Nami, face flushed and panting, said her first words to him. Just four words.
"One hundred million berries!"
Nami's bright eyes emitted a chilling coldness as she spoke to the temporarily dazed Tom, her tone full of lethal intent.
Seeing the blush on Nami's lovely face, Tom truly couldn't tell if it was from the exertion of beating him or from shame and anger over the earlier incident.
But those four words from Nami touched a soft spot in Tom's heart, making it impossible for him to be angry with her, because he remembered her backstory.
Others might not understand the significance behind Nami casually mentioning "one hundred million berries," but as a transmigrator, Tom knew very well what that sum meant to her.
A ten-year-old girl, for the next eight years, risking her life countless times, constantly stealing from vicious pirates, all for the sake of those she cared about.
A little girl who should have been spoiled in her parents' arms forced herself into a life of theft, just to gather one hundred million berries to save their lives.
That sum contained Nami's hope for the future.
Though Nami's words stirred Tom's sympathy, he wasn't foolish enough to admit he owed her one hundred million berries just because of that.
"Which direction should we go now?"
Tom looked around at the endless sea. Without Nami's guidance, with his barely-half-baked navigation skills, he really didn't know which way to sail to reach their destination.
Earlier, under Nami's direction, Tom had managed to outrun a Marine warship in this tiny boat.
This truly showed Tom the power of Nami's navigation skills and also gave him a great sense of achievement.
Don't underestimate the Marine warship with its size, awesome looks, and advanced equipment. With Nami here, I, rowing this little wooden boat, can leave you in the dust.
The Marines on the pursuing warship watched the small escape boat with just two people, a man and a woman.
But despite driving their warship with full effort, the small wooden boat kept getting farther away, eventually leaving them completely behind.
The Marines were dumbfounded. Did that little boat have some special power source? How could their entire warship's rowing effort be slower than one man rowing a tiny escape boat?
What the Marines found hardest to accept was that the man rowing the small boat, compared to the beautiful orange-haired girl with him, was practically a beauty-and-the-beast combo.
Couldn't be helped. Tom had just been beaten by Nami then, so his appearance was indeed rather pathetic.
"Left!"
Nami's reply was simple and direct, not even looking at Tom.
Tom was glad Nami ignored him, lest he accidentally offend her and get beaten again. That would be terrible.
At first, Tom was annoyed about being separated from Luffy. Normally, he should be heading with Luffy to where Zoro is imprisoned, rescue him, and get him on board their "pirate ship," bringing their crew to three.
But now Tom was with Nami, giving him a disorienting feeling of being out of the script. However, following Nami meant he'd likely meet up with that glutton Luffy later anyway.
With that thought, Tom wasn't too worried.
After sailing peacefully with Nami for several days, they finally reached Shells Town.
During that time, apart from routine questions about navigation, Tom and Nami didn't exchange a single word. Nami looked at Tom somewhat strangely, leaving him completely baffled about what she was thinking.
Though sharing a boat, they were like strangers. Tom didn't mind. He started emulating Luffy's carefree attitude, completely forgetting the chest-grabbing incident from days ago as if nothing happened, and resumed his relentless training on the boat.
Tom figured: since Nami demanded one hundred million berries from him and didn't ask him to "take responsibility" or anything, and since it happened, neither side seemed interested in taking it further, might as well just forget it. Don't mention it and avoid awkwardness.
When training tired him out, Tom would lie down on the boat and sleep soundly. Sometimes he'd wake to find someone had covered him with a blanket.
Tom once curiously asked Nami where the blanket came from, but Nami completely ignored him, saying nothing.
"Listen. We're going to infiltrate the Marine base and steal the map to the Grand Line."
Nami whispered to Tom as they secured the small boat.
As Nami spoke, she was quite close. Tom caught a whiff of her faint hair scent.
"Wait, you said there's a Marine base here?"
Tom asked Nami in surprise.
"So what? You're not going weak in the knees just hearing 'Marines,' are you?"
Nami still wore a cold face, as if Tom owed her hundreds of strings of coins. Her pretty eyes fixed on Tom. "That day I heard you shouting something about a 'weakling.' What does that mean? Was that your old nickname?"
Hearing this, Tom was instantly speechless.
Good grief. 'Weak in the knees'? And casually guessing my old nickname was 'weakling'? That's outright slander.
Tom snorted. "Never mind that. Tell me, is there a man named Zoro imprisoned at this Marine base?"
Just then, a few passersby walked near them. Hearing Tom's words, they immediately jumped back a dozen steps as if they'd seen a ghost.
"Idiot! Don't mention the name of that notorious pirate hunter Zoro here. Look how you've scared those people."
Nami righteously scolded Tom, then put on a bright smile and asked a nearby vendor, "Don't be scared. We're not bad people. We just wanted to ask: is the captain in charge of this Marine base that 'Axe-Hand' Morgan guy?"
After hearing Nami's question, the remaining nearby residents, faces filled with fear, vanished in an instant, not a single one left.
The residents found it strange. Not long ago, a straw-hatted boy and a short, pudgy pink-haired kid had come asking about Zoro and Captain Morgan. Now, barely any time later, two more outsiders were mentioning them. What a weird day.
Nami's friendly, amiable smile froze awkwardly on her face. Tom almost burst out laughing.
Silly girl. Telling me not to mention Zoro's name, and then you go and scare everyone away yourself?
Tom thought this, giving the still-stunned Nami a calm, indifferent glance.
"People here are so strange. Being scared of the infamous pirate hunter Zoro is one thing, but why do they seem even more scared when the Marine captain's name comes up?"
Nami said, very puzzled.
"Who knows. Not our business. You wanted to go to the Marine base, right? Let's hurry."
Tom shrugged, urging Nami. Right now, he was somewhat eager to get to the Marine base and see Zoro.
Once Zoro joins, when I sail with Luffy later, maybe Luffy won't screw me over anymore. He can go bother Zoro, that tough guy, instead.
With that thought, a happy smile appeared on Tom's lips. Nami, watching from beside him, felt a chill rise from her feet involuntarily. She raised her right fist slowly and barked at him, "Don't smile so creepily, you Idiot !!!
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T/N :
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