"You can't deal with me," Miss Goldenweek said to Tom, holding up her palette and brush.
Despite Tom's threat of a spanking, the little girl didn't seem afraid at all. Tom found her statement rather baffling, wondering where this kid got such confidence.
He'd already witnessed Miss Goldenweek's ability. If she painted one of her strange patterns on him, who knew what weird thing would happen. So, Tom decided it was best not to get too close to her to avoid falling into her trap.
"If you're going to be a hindrance, I'll have to take action." Just as Tom was about to use his fishing rod to fling Miss Goldenweek far away, she simply walked past him, seemingly unwilling to block his path.
Seeing Miss Goldenweek head toward the Pteranodon that had crashed earlier and no longer being in his way, Tom ignored her.
"You're still alive. How wonderful," Mr. 3 said with a sinister smile as Tom charged toward him. "I'll turn you into a perfect wax statue, a fine addition to my collection."
Candle Sculpting - Harpoon!
Mr. 3's right hand secreted sticky candle wax, shaping it into a large harpoon which he hurled at Tom.
"I'm a fisherman, and you think you can use a harpoon on me? Don't make me laugh!" Tom dodged the wax harpoon, planted his fishing rod in the ground with his left hand, and swiftly threw a punch in Mr. 3's direction. "Don't get in my way! Scram!"
Mr. 3 hadn't expected Tom's attack to be so varied, capable of striking from a distance. With a Boom!, the air in front of him vibrated violently, and he was sent flying backward.
After sending Mr. 3 flying, Tom moved to rush toward Nami and Zoro, but he heard Miss Goldenweek's childish, doll-like voice. "Look over here. Doesn't this seem interesting?"
"Sorry, I don't have time to appreciate your artwork," Tom said, though he still glanced over his shoulder to see what the little girl was up to. He was at a distance, so even if she tried to paint on him, she couldn't reach. He just wanted to keep an eye on her.
As Tom helped Nami, who was sitting on the ground, to her feet, he caught sight of the bright red pattern Miss Goldenweek had painted on the Pteranodon's head. At that exact moment, he was about to use his fishing rod to shatter the Candle Shackles binding Nami's hands.
But somehow, his strike, aimed at the shackles, suddenly changed direction. The fishing rod extended, and the blow shot toward the Pteranodon instead. Because of this sudden shift, and before Tom could let go of Nami's hand, he found himself charging toward the Pteranodon, fishing rod in his left hand, dragging Nami along with his right.
"What are you doing?!" Nami couldn't believe it. With a perfect chance to rescue them, Tom was choosing to play with a dinosaur? She couldn't stand it.
"He seems... drawn to something," Zoro, sitting nearby, observed.
"I don't know what's happening. As soon as I move to attack, I just want to hit that Pteranodon," Tom explained.
As Tom's strike flew toward it, the Pteranodon woke from its stupor, saw the attack coming, and immediately flapped its wings, taking to the sky. It flew higher and farther, putting distance between itself and Tom on the ground.
"You've fallen for my Color Trap - Bullfighting Red," Miss Goldenweek said in her childish voice, blinking her big eyes beneath her little red cap. "You're now like a bull charging at a red cape. All you want to do is attack that red pattern I painted on the Pteranodon's head."
Tom was utterly exasperated. He'd been wary of Miss Goldenweek, not letting her paint on him. He never expected she had this trick up her sleeve—she didn't need to paint on him directly to ensnare him.
"Well, this is troublesome." Having missed the Pteranodon now high in the sky, Tom's body involuntarily chased after the fleeing creature. He felt like he had to hit it to make himself stop. His original plan to help Nami and Zoro break their shackles was now impossible.
"Where are you trying to take me?!" Nami cried, being dragged along. With her hands bound behind her back, running was very uncomfortable. She initially wanted to tell Tom to let her go, but then thought anywhere was better than being captured. "Can't you just carry me?!"
Hearing this, Tom, who was chasing the Pteranodon in the sky, didn't think twice. He simply hoisted Nami onto his shoulder and kept running, swiftly carrying her away.
"Zoro! I'll come back as soon as I can!"
"You have to hold on, Zoro!"
After leaving those words, the man and woman vanished from sight in an instant.
Zoro, his hands still bound by Candle Shackles, watched Tom and Nami abandon him, leaving him all alone with the enemy. His jaw nearly hit the ground. It was no wonder he had that reaction. From Tom's arrival to his departure, barely half a minute had passed. He came and went in a flash.
Brogy, lying nearby with his limbs immobilized by wax, didn't even get a good look at Tom before he disappeared.
"There are giant tigers chasing us! Deal with them!"
"I can't! I can only attack that Pteranodon in the sky now! It's getting too far, I have to catch up!"
"A huge snake is coming from the side! Dodge it!"
"Wow, the venom on its fangs is potent. It melted that huge tree and boulder."
"Dinosaurs! So many T-Rexes are chasing us, trying to bite us! Think of something!"
"Don't be so scared. Think of it as a 'Jurassic Park Hell Tour' where you can't fight back, only survive. Fun, right?"
"You idiot! How can you say such weird things at a time like this? I was almost eaten just now!"
"So, is it thrilling? Hahahaha!"
"Waaaaah! No! Someone save us!!!!!"
The voices of Nami and Tom echoed from deep within the forest. Hearing their conversation, Zoro genuinely felt lucky not to have been rescued by Tom. At least he was safe here... for now.
"You two should worry about yourselves," Zoro thought, his mind conjuring an image of Tom carrying Nami on his shoulder, scrambling through the forest, chased by all manner of beasts, unable to fight back, only able to run and dodge, one dangerous situation after another. A sweatdrop formed on his brow. Will they be okay?
Normally, Zoro wouldn't worry about Tom. But he'd noticed earlier that Tom's right hand was injured, and not lightly. Otherwise, Tom wouldn't be using his left hand for his weapon. Plus, Tom was now under Miss Goldenweek's Color Trap, unable to attack anything except the red-marked Pteranodon in the sky, all while carrying Nami. In this state, escaping this predicament quickly would be difficult.
Meanwhile, Usopp and Vivi's combined assault on Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine ended quickly due to the vast difference in strength.
Vivi was captured alive by Mr. 5. Usopp fared worse. Miss Valentine floated in the air, used her Devil Fruit power to increase her weight, and dropped from a great height, slamming directly onto him. His body was driven into the ground, with only his head visible. He looked half-dead, as if partially buried.
Mr. 5 told Luffy and the others they wouldn't be killed just yet—those were Mr. 3's orders. Mr. 3 wanted to turn them into candle dolls.
"You dared to attack me back then. Now you'll see how powerful I am!" Mr. 5 said, standing before Luffy, who was pinned under the boulder. With a dark expression, he began relentlessly attacking the temporarily helpless Luffy with Nose Fancy Cannon bombs.
Boom! Kaboom! Boom! Kaboom!
Explosions rang out one after another. Luffy endured nearly twenty kicks from Mr. 5, each one detonating on impact, covering Luffy's body in soot and scorch marks. Even Usopp, buried in the ground, and Karoo received some "care" from Mr. 5, getting blasted several times until they were more dead than alive.
"Yahahahaha! A man with a 30,000,000 Berry bounty, beaten to such a state. It's too funny!" Miss Valentine laughed frivolously, seeing Luffy fall silent after Mr. 5's bombardment. She taunted the captive Vivi, "See? This is what happens when you resist us. Did you really think you could escape Baroque Works?"
Vivi looked at Luffy, Usopp, and Karoo, all covered in black burns. Though filled with indignation, she couldn't speak. She knew meaningless resistance only brought more suffering.
"Being able to repay you for what you did to me in Whisky Peak feels so good," Mr. 5 said, acting as if he'd defeated Luffy fairly when he'd simply taken advantage of the situation. He spoke with a victor's arrogance. "Pirates shouldn't meddle in affairs that have nothing to do with you. Your crewmates—that swordsman and the other woman—have already been captured. And that drunkard from last time should be dead by now. I wanted to get revenge on him personally, but it seems I've missed my chance."
In Mr. 5's view, Tom had most likely sacrificed himself to let Vivi escape from the maw of that terrifying goldfish.
"You captured Zoro? Then he'll definitely cut you down! And you say Tom's dead? His life is tougher than that! If you went looking for him, you'd be the one suffering!" Luffy's words irked Mr. 5.
"Hmph, still talking tough?" Mr. 5 sneered. "You can still speak after taking my Dynamite Kick to the face?"
"That was just a tickle! I'll punch you all into next week!" Luffy, still pinned, lifted his head and spat defiantly on Mr. 5's shiny brown leather shoe.
"How disgusting," Miss Valentine muttered, her face darkening as she held Vivi. Mr. 5 was so angry a vein throbbed on his forehead. He sneered, delivering a powerful kick to Luffy's face, followed by another, and another, continuously stomping on Luffy's head. "Just die already!"
KABOOM! BOOM! KABOOM! BOOM!
Loud explosions rang out repeatedly. Thick black smoke and dust billowed, obscuring the half-buried Usopp and the fallen Karoo.
"Hmph. Now you can't talk anymore, can you?" Mr. 5 said, finally venting his anger after viciously kicking Luffy's face over a dozen times. Seeing Luffy unresponsive, he stopped and turned to Miss Valentine. "We can go back now."
"Luffy!"
"Usopp!"
"Karoo!"
Vivi couldn't bear to look at the motionless figures, at the smoke still rising from Luffy's body. She turned her head away as Miss Valentine led her off.
Back with Mr. 3, while Tom had rescued Nami, he wasn't worried. As long as Tom and Nami were still on the island, there would be chances to recapture them. To be safe, Mr. 3 added a few more layers of wax restraints to Brogy, who lay immobilized on the ground. After all, giants possessed monstrous strength, and Brogy might break free if he wasn't careful.
Once Mr. 3's wax solidified, it became hard as iron. Brogy, trapped and unable to move, glared furiously at Mr. 3. Having just concluded a century-long duel with Dorry, only to be ambushed by such a despicable man, how could he not be enraged?
"Don't look at me like that. Your long duel finally has a winner. Even if someone helped you achieve victory, you are still the genuine victor, aren't you?" Mr. 3's words made Brogy recall something. During their duel, Dorry had stumbled unnaturally, allowing Brogy to seize the opening and strike him down. Otherwise, even in his weakened state, defeating Dorry would have taken much longer.
Brogy now understood Mr. 3 had secretly injured Dorry during their duel, giving him that advantage. Fury ignited in his heart. He remembered thinking the God of Elbaf had finally favored him when he felled Dorry, declaring himself the victor with overflowing pride. Now that pride had vanished like smoke, replaced by a raging fire of anger in his chest.
What infuriated Brogy even more was that Mr. 3 had interfered merely to claim their heads and collect the total 200,000,000 Berry bounty, handing him a victory that utterly defiled a warrior's honor. His eyes nearly bulged out of his skull with the desire to slaughter Mr. 3.
Just then, Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine returned with Vivi. Hearing Mr. 3's words, Vivi shouted angrily, "Mr. 3! So that was your goal all along! Your methods are too despicable! You planted a bomb in Dorry's mouth?!"
Hearing Vivi's words, Brogy recalled his conversation with Dorry before the duel. Dorry had said the liquor tasted "like the nectar of the gods." Brogy had thought he was exaggerating. That was the truth.
Having dueled Dorry for a century, how could Brogy not understand his friend's nature? If their roles were reversed, if he had drunk the bomb-laced liquor and gone to duel Dorry, he probably would have said the same thing.
"Whatever you say is useless now," Mr. 3 said, very satisfied with his successful plan. He smugly said to Brogy, "He was too foolish to realize his opponent was injured. When he personally struck down his friend of a hundred years, he cried tears of joy! So he was either incredibly foolish, or perhaps he was weeping for his fallen friend."
Hearing this, Zoro, who had been wondering where Luffy was when he saw Vivi captured, turned his gaze toward Brogy.
"When we exchanged our first blows, I knew Dorry was hiding something from me!" Brogy's voice was surprisingly calm, but the rage on his face only intensified, becoming truly terrifying.
Mr. 3 didn't believe him. "If you knew, why didn't you stop the fight? You attacked him so decisively! There was no sign of sympathy!"
"You brat, who doesn't even know how to write the word 'duel,' how could you possibly understand why I wept?! What do you know about shaming a warrior who, despite hiding his weakened state, still fought his opponent with all his effort?!" Brogy's anger grew with each word, his voice becoming thunderous. "HOW COULD I PITY A WARRIOR WHO SO BADLY WANTED TO DUEL ME?!"
That was it. Brogy's tears were more for his friend Dorry. Not out of pity, nor sorrow for Dorry's defeat. They were born from a profound respect for his opponent. Knowing he faced certain defeat, yet still upholding his honor to come and duel, fighting to the very last moment, losing utterly and completely before his rival—such courage, such composure, how could it not command the deepest respect?
Mr. 3 was so frightened by Brogy's sudden, terrifying aura that he stumbled backward. They saw the veins bulge on Brogy's thick arms as he actually began to snap the wax binding his hands! "Now I know the reason! I will settle this with my own hands! This... is the proper courtesy to show my friend, Dorry!"
Crack! Crack! Crack! More and more of the wax binding his body began to fracture.
The sight instantly panicked Mr. 3, his face paling.
BOOM!
Just as Brogy was about to break free, Mr. 5 threw a bomb into his face, followed by several more explosions on his body, temporarily stunning the giant. "This monster is way too talkative!"
After subduing the furious Brogy, Mr. 3, to prevent any further resistance, didn't just seal his limbs with wax. He used wax to create four massive swords, impaling them through Brogy's hands and feet, completely robbing him of any ability to fight back.
Seeing what Mr. 3 did to Brogy, Vivi found him even more cruel.
"Wasn't there another woman? Where is she?" Mr. 5 asked Mr. 3, puzzled.
"She was rescued. But we'll capture her again soon enough," Mr. 3 said, creating another massive candle structure. "Grand Service Candle Banquet!"
"What is he doing?" Vivi looked at the enormous candle tower nearby, resembling a fancy cake topped with a Halloween pumpkin. Hearing Nami had been rescued, her first thought was that Tom had been here. But why had he only saved Nami, leaving Zoro behind?
Soon, under Mr. 3's orders, Vivi and Zoro were escorted onto the candle tower. Their feet were fixed in place with wax, immobile. The large pumpkin above began to rotate. Candles burning on its surface shed white wax flakes as it turned, sprinkling down onto them.
"We can't move, Mr. Bushido," Vivi said, trying to struggle but finding her feet firmly stuck.
"Obviously. They're the enemy, of course they won't let us move," Zoro replied matter-of-factly, also trapped on the tower. "Also, look at that spinning thing above us. It's like a candle stuck in a cake, don't you think?"
Vivi felt more and more of the hot, sticky substance falling on her. It was very uncomfortable. Before she could speak, Mr. 3 announced, "The wax falling from above will slowly turn you into wax statues. It's a perfect human form even my sculpting skills couldn't create. Now die for my art!"
Meanwhile, Luffy remained pinned. Karoo was desperately using its flat bill to dig at the earth around Luffy, trying to free him.
"Usopp... can you forgive them?" Luffy asked, taking a breath, addressing the half-buried Usopp nearby.
"I will NEVER forgive them!" Usopp declared, voice muffled but full of force despite his beaten state.
"Do you feel... unwilling to accept it?" Luffy asked, seeing Karoo, covered in wounds, still digging for him.
"QUACK!" Karoo let out a spirited cry, its eyes filled with fighting spirit.
"Good... Let's go together!" As Luffy said this, he began gathering his strength, ready to break free from the boulder.
As for Sanji, after teaching a giant boar that tried to attack him a lesson, he used it as a mount to search the forest, calling out for Nami and Vivi the entire time, completely forgetting the male crew members. During his search, he didn't find the girls, but he did discover a small house made of wax and went inside to investigate.
Back on the tower, Zoro and Vivi were now covered in a layer of wax. Their limbs were gradually stiffening. They found it hard to breathe, their chests tight and uncomfortable. This was because they were inhaling the fine wax dust floating down, beginning to turn into wax from the inside out. This was Mr. 3's goal—to make them die as painfully as possible. The "art" he pursued was the expression of agony on people's faces. He wanted to etch that final scene into his wax statues.
Vivi asked Zoro if he had a plan. If this continued, they were dead.
"Old-timer, you can still move, right?" Zoro said to Brogy, who lay nearby, most of his body also covered in white wax. "Even if you lose your hands and feet, you can still be more useful than a dead man."
"I can still move," Brogy replied, half his head covered in wax, somewhat confused by Zoro's words. Every day, they had fought each other, dueling solely based on the honor they believed in from the warrior village of Elbaf. If this was to be his and Dorry's end, Brogy felt utterly unwilling to accept it!
God of Elbaf! You are too cruel! Why not let me die in battle! For a warrior with a strong sense of honor, to be turned into a wax statue and die so ingloriously... Brogy would rather die fighting!
"I'm going to cut off my own feet. Will you join me in taking them down?" Without hesitation, Zoro drew the swords at his waist.
"Mr. Bushido! This is no time for jokes! Even if we free ourselves by losing our feet, we'll be captured again immediately!" Vivi was shocked, thinking Zoro might be serious, and hurriedly tried to dissuade him.
"We don't have time to think about that anymore. We won't know unless we try," Zoro told Vivi. "Will you join me? Standing here means death anyway. Might as well fight with everything we've got. I refuse to be killed by scum like this!"
Mr. 5 saw Zoro draw his swords, thinking he was insane. Mr. 3 also believed Zoro was just bluffing, incapable of such an act.
"GAHAHAHAHAHA!" Brogy suddenly burst into loud laughter. "I see! I almost lost the will to fight! For the sake of your unwavering resolve, I'll fight alongside you!"
"But, Mr. Bushido! How will you fight if you lose your feet?!" Vivi asked urgently, seeing Zoro was dead serious.
"I don't know," Zoro admitted. "But that doesn't matter. Because I've already decided to defeat them. That's enough!" As he spoke, his eyes, like Brogy's, blazed with intense fighting spirit. The aura made Mr. 3 and the others feel a chill, causing them to involuntarily step back.
Suddenly, Vivi remembered when she and Tom faced that terrifying goldfish. Tom hadn't run either. He chose to fight desperately. When escape is impossible, the only way out is to face it head-on. The moment you muster the courage to confront despair, you might just see a glimmer of hope. To turn despair into hope...
Vivi recalled something Igaram had once told her: "Do you have the resolve not to let yourself die, Princess Vivi?"
She had always remembered his words but never fully understood them. She thought he meant she should flee with all her might when in danger to survive. Only now did she realize his true meaning: to have the courage to live on, no matter how difficult the situation. Not to run, but to face it. To face every obstacle before her. Only then could she survive, only then could she return to Alabasta! Endless escape would eventually lead to a dead end.
Before, with Tom, he had handled almost all the trouble. Vivi had simply thought he was strong. But now she finally understood. The biggest difference between her and Tom wasn't strength, but courage. Tom had the courage to face any hardship. She did not. That's why she was so weak!
"W-wait! I'll fight with you too!" Vivi finally shouted the words and asked to borrow one of Zoro's swords.
"You seem to have gotten braver," Zoro remarked as he handed her a blade.
"What can you possibly do? I'll kill you all!" Mr. 3, intimidated by the rising fighting spirit of Brogy, Zoro, and now Vivi, changed his mind. He decided to kill them quickly.
Ignoring Mr. 3's threat, Zoro raised his two swords, aiming for his own feet. At that exact moment, three figures came charging out of the nearby woods with furious roars!
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"I'LL PUNCH ALL OF YOU INTO NEXT WEEK!!!!!!"
The three figures shot past Mr. 3 and the others, kicking up a powerful gust of wind that sent dust flying and ruffled hair and clothes.
CRASH! Luffy, Usopp, and Karoo tumbled to a stop nearby.
Simultaneously, a Pteranodon came flying from the sky. As it plummeted from high altitude, a male and female voice could be heard.
"You absolute IDIOT! Why did you have to knock it out? Now we're going to fall!"
"I didn't mean to! I was just so angry, I accidentally whacked it unconscious! Don't worry, I fell from the sky before and was fine. You'll be okay too!"
BOOM! Another crash as the large Pteranodon hit the ground, creating a deep crater. Dust billowed everywhere, obscuring everyone's vision.
Tom walked out of the dust cloud, gently setting down the Nami he had been carrying. Both of their clothes were now tattered and torn, looking utterly disheveled.
"You're still alive?!"
"And that Straw Hat is here too?!"
Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine, seeing Luffy and Tom appear simultaneously, were so shocked their faces drained of color.
"Get out of my way! You're not the one I want to punch!" Tom threw a single punch that sent Mr. 5, who was trying to dig for a booger bomb, flying through the air.
"Tom! You're here too! But I'm the one who's going to punch them!" Luffy declared.
"Luffy, you can have the others. But there's one person I have to deal with personally!" Tom replied.
Hearing this, Luffy didn't hesitate. "Okay, if it's just one, no problem! But you can't interfere with the rest!" Pressing down his straw hat, Luffy said to the battle-ready Usopp and Karoo beside him, "Let's go! Usopp! Bird!"
"Right!" Usopp and Karoo responded in unison, charging toward Mr. 3 and the others with Luffy.
"And you! Still trying to make trouble?!" Tom arrived beside Miss Goldenweek and grabbed the brush from her hand, his expression dark and terrifying.
Looking down at the cute little girl with her twin braids, little red cap, and faint pink dimples, Tom's pupils gradually shifted to a deep, bloody red. He stared at the seemingly ten-year-old cute little girl. "You're far too mischievous, little girl. Drawing graffiti wherever you please? I need to teach you a proper lesson!"
Miss Goldenweek had wanted to help Mr. 3, who was now fighting Luffy. But with her brush snatched and seeing Tom's terrifying expression, his pitch-black pupils now crimson like a demon's, she was immediately frightened to the point of tears welling up in her eyes, her nose sniffling, on the verge of a loud wail.
SMACK!
"I'll teach you to doodle wherever you want!"
SMACK!
"I'll teach you to join the underworld at such a young age!"
SMACK!
"I'll teach you to become some damned elite agent!"
SMACK!
"I'll teach you to be a naughty little troublemaker!"
Tom lifted the terrified Miss Goldenweek and, without a moment's hesitation, brought his palm down on her bottom.
"WAAAAAH! Y-you... you're a bully!" Utterly defenseless and getting a spanking from Tom, Miss Goldenweek immediately burst into loud sobs. "WAAAAAH! IT HURTS SO MUCH!!!!!"
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T/N :
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