NOVEL WEB Chapter 188: 188 Whitebeard Guest, Tom vs Teach
This... Tom Cat's head had clearly been smashed by Jozu—They saw it with their own eyes. There was no way to survive that.
Yet, Tom suddenly sprouted a new head.
Could the rumors be true? Is the "immortal swordsman" really unkillable?
"I don't believe it! Step aside, let me try!" Vista pushed through the crowd, gripping his swords tightly.
"Mr. Tom, let me test your strength!" he declared, readying his blades.
Tom nodded calmly, hands behind his back, maintaining the aura of an untouchable expert.
Seeing Tom's confidence, Vista hesitated no longer and launched his attack without holding back.
A cascade of petals rained down as Vista's swordsmanship filled the air with a flurry of dazzling attacks.
Swish, swish, swish!
In moments, Tom Cat was sliced into hundreds of pieces by the relentless sword light, his fragmented body falling to the deck.
The sight left everyone frozen, torn between two conflicting fears:
What if Tom Cat had truly died?
What if he hadn't?
The tension on the ship was tense, and the crew collectively held their breath, unsure of what would happen next.
"Did... did I get him? Shouldn't he be dead now?" Vista muttered, staring uneasily at the remains.
This was a moment unlike any Vista had faced before—a test of the impossible. Could a foe chopped into pieces still be alive? His doubt only deepened as silence lingered.
"Lynch..."
Marco glanced at Lynch, and from his calm expression, he instantly understood—Tom Cat was perfectly fine.
Sure enough, before their eyes, tiny hands and feet sprouted from every piece of Tom Cat's "remains."
The fragments began wriggling and moving, slowly reassembling themselves into a complete body.
Strangely, there wasn't a single drop of blood, nor did Tom Cat seem to have any internal organs. It left everyone wondering: Where does all the food it eats even go?
Piece by piece, like assembling building blocks, Tom casually put himself back together.
In just two seconds, the familiar, fully intact Tom Cat stood proudly once more.
With his hands in his pockets and a confident smirk, Tom exuded an air of invincibility, as though declaring to the world: I'm unmatched, and loneliness is my only rival.
"Mr. Tom, I surrender."
Vista dropped to his knees, completely overwhelmed by Tom's resilience.
Before this, apart from Pops, Vista had never admired anyone as much as he now admired Tom.
Standing still, immune to death—what kind of unparalleled master was this?
Vista thought to himself, Even if I dedicated my entire life to training, I might never reach such a level.
Tom Cat, seeing Vista's sincere surrender, beamed with pride.
Patting Vista's shoulder, Tom puffed his cigar, and the smoke formed a line of bold words in mid-air:
[You're not bad, but compared to my old friend, you still have some catching up to do.]
"Blackbeard Brother, what do you think? Want to give it a try?"
Lynch asked, giving Teach's shiny bald head a playful pat.
[Ding! Blackbeard's negative emotion +1. ]
"This... isn't a good idea. What if I accidentally beat Mr. Tom to death?" Teach feigned hesitation, masking his true intentions.
"Hahaha, Teach, you're hilarious! Did you not see that even Vista and Jozu couldn't lay a scratch on the immortal swordsman? And you think you can kill him?" Marco laughed, clearly amused by Teach's boldness.
"It's fine. If you manage to kill Tom, I'll take responsibility," Lynch added with a confident smile.
"Alright, this is what I've been waiting for!" Teach exclaimed inwardly, his excitement barely contained.
Don't compare me with muscle heads like Jozu and Vista, Teach. I'm Teach, the man who left three scars on the face of Red-Haired Shanks, one of the Four Emperors!
If Lynch dared to cut his hair this ugly, just wait and see how him deal with Lynch cursed cat!
He had already convinced himself that Tom Cat must be a Devil Fruit user.
Just drag him into the sea, and it's game over.
"Please, go ahead."
Tom gestured with a smirk, holding up a sign that read
[Hahaha, you damn fat guy, you look ridiculous!]
Tom held up a sign, mocking Teach mercilessly.
[Ding! Blackbeard's negative emotions +3. ]
"Hmph, Tom, you'd better watch out. My old black fists are tough as steel"
Teach said with a sinister grin, slipping on three sharp steel claws.
Teach calculated his move carefully. He didn't want to reveal too much of his strength but still needed to knock Tom into the sea.
Without giving Tom a chance to react, he suddenly launched a surprise attack, aiming a sweeping kick directly at Tom's lower body.
Tom Cat smirked mischievously, grabbing his tail with one paw and effortlessly lifting himself into the air, defying gravity entirely.
If Newton were alive, he might have just crawled out of his coffin in disbelief.
"Ah?" Teach stammered, his sweeping kick missing entirely.
The crew aboard the ship stared in stunned silence, as if they'd just witnessed a ghost.
What kind of Devil Fruit is this? Ignoring the laws of physics? That's just cheating!
"What's the meaning of this, Tom? Didn't you say you wouldn't dodge?"
Teach growled in frustration.
Tom casually puffed on his cigar, exhaling smoke that formed glowing words in midair:
[I haven't even started yet, little black fat man. You're welcome to try again.]
"This cat is as annoying as his owner," Teach muttered through gritted teeth, though his smile remained forced.
"Well then, Tom Cat, let's see how you handle me, Marshall D. Teach!"
With a fierce swing of his claws, Teach sliced Tom into ten pieces and followed up with a powerful kick, sending the pieces flying.
However, before the crew could react, Tom's scattered pieces quickly reassembled mid-air, shrinking into a small, playful kitten.
To everyone's shock, Tom stood above the sea, arms folded, hovering effortlessly.
Teach gulped, his voice trembling, "You... you're can float?"
"Yeah! And that doesn't even look like Moonwalk! Senior Tom just... flies!" one of the crew exclaimed, their awe evident.
In that moment, the entire Whitebeard Pirates were utterly captivated by the seemingly invincible and mysterious Tom Cat.
The strength of the immortal swordsman was indeed as legendary and mysterious as the stories claimed.
Despite the combined efforts of two captain-level fighters and Teach, none of them were able to harm Tom.
It was no wonder Hawkeye had given him the title of Immortal Swordsman.
[Ding! Congratulations on completing the mission and earning Tom the respect of all the Whitebeard Pirates.]
[Superman·Tom·Three Moves Experience Card·Movie Version, rewards are being distributed...]
[Distribution successful!]
As Tom floated mid-air, he seemed to be reminded of something.
He covered his eyes with one paw, unwilling to look down, and began poking around with his feet, as if searching for a spot to land.
"Gulp~"
Tom sensed something was wrong. He swallowed nervously, looked down, and realized that there was no air beneath him. Suddenly, he began to fall, as if he had stepped off a cliff.
Tom, still the idealistic cat, had believed it could float as long as it tried. But when it discovered there was nothing to support it, its ability to float disappeared.
"Roar~"
Out of nowhere, a Sea King emerged from the depths of the sea and swallowed Tom whole in one swift gulp.
"Tom Cat!"
"Tom Cat!"
The expressions of everyone in the Whitebeard Pirates changed drastically.
Devil Fruit powers can't touch seawater, and if Tom was taken deep into the sea by the Sea Kings, he would be doomed.
As the crew sweated for Tom, a red beam of heat pierced through the Sea King's body like a laser.
The giant Sea King, over a thousand meters long, collapsed instantly. The heat vision continued, cutting through obstacles, and narrowly missed before hitting Teach.
"Ahhhh!!! Pops, help me!!!"
"Tom, please show mercy!"
"Teach!"
.
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TO BE CONTINUED
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