Merman Tom

"Oh no, oh no, the Smokescreen Pirates are back!"

A young shipwright ran back in a panic, shouting and flailing his arms in a mess.

"What? That bastard actually dares to come back?"

Tom the bullhead fish-man flew into a rage, grabbed a massive shipwright's hammer, and charged straight out!

"Tom! Don't be rash! Watch out for Yimi's smoke!" Jerry shouted with all his might, coughing up blood in the process, which sent the surrounding shipwrights into a state of worry.

"Captain Brook, this doesn't look good. These shipwrights seem to think we're the Smokescreen Pirates!"

Shakky saw the bloodshot eyes of the shipwrights and their fierce expressions, as if they wanted to devour them whole, and immediately sensed trouble.

"Yimi, you bastard, I'm going to kill you!!"

They watched as Tom the fish-man rushed out, brandishing his heavy iron hammer, and swung it toward the brand-new pirate ship of the Smokescreen Pirates.

Clang.

A cold, sharp sword aura slashed across the path where Tom was charging, forcing him to stop and realize that the person on the pirate ship was a complete stranger!

"Hurry up and call Yimi out! I'm going to finish him off!"

Tom the fish-man was furious. With his immense strength, he had no fear of a despicable coward like Yimi!

"Smokescreen Yimi has already been defeated by me and is now my prisoner. If you want his life, you'll have to buy it with his bounty. The price is 150 million Berries."

Brook looked at Tom the fish-man, the cold sword aura still lingering on his blade.

"Heaven has eyes! A heartless guy like Yimi gets defeated the moment he sets sail—it's true retribution! Hahaha~"

A shipwright foreman was sobbing and laughing at the same time, looking almost delirious. Countless employees of the Jerry Shipyard cheered, but the shipyard had already been destroyed; how much capital would it take to rebuild it?

"You actually defeated Smokescreen Yimi? That's great! Hand him over to me; I want to slaughter him to avenge my master!"

Tom the fish-man, having no money, automatically ignored the bounty amount Brook had mentioned. Just kill Yimi for revenge, then go exchange him for the bounty and give it to you—can't you even think that far ahead? To actually make such a demand, this strong stranger must be a fool.

Shakky had the same thought and covered her face. Is Captain Brook really so slow on the uptake?

"This ship is my spoils of war now, so don't even think about smashing it!"

Seeing these shipwrights picking up their hammers, intending to destroy the new ship, Brook quickly swung a sword aura to stop the vengeful workers.

"Everyone, stop! No matter what kind of ship is built, it has no concept of good or evil. No matter who a ship you built might hurt, even if it destroys the world, the master who crafted it with their own hands must cherish it. Only we who built it cannot deny it, cannot blame it. A real man must face the ship he built with his head held high!"

Hearing Tom the fish-man's words, not only were Brook and his crew stunned, but the shipwrights behind him also looked at Tom with strange expressions. Weren't you the first one who wanted to rush up and smash the ship just a moment ago?

How are you suddenly spouting such high-minded rhetoric? You're so noble, you're so great, and we're just the clowns!

At this moment, the severely injured Old Jerry walked out, supported by his employees. He looked at the new ship that had been attacking his shipyard just a short while ago, and then at Smokescreen Yimi, who was being held by Brook.

"Thank you, hero, for helping us get our revenge. We are truly grateful! Could you hand Smokescreen Yimi over to us to deal with, and could you return the property he stole?"

Old Jerry had asked for all of Brook's spoils of war in his very first sentence. Shakky, standing nearby, was not happy about this, even though she guessed they really needed the funds to rebuild the shipyard.

"Old man, you're going too far. Even pirates wouldn't rob me like this. You should know that Smokescreen Yimi is a big-time pirate with a bounty of 150 million Berries. Why should I hand him over to you? Besides, I was the one who went through the trouble of defeating him; everything he has is my loot."

"Of course, if you agree to one condition, I will agree to your request!"

Brook first rejected Old Jerry's demand, then proposed his own.

"What condition?"

Old Jerry's already frail, injured body seemed to wilt further. He wondered what kind of condition Brook would propose. Could it be that design? Have I been exposed?

"If possible, I need this bullhead fish-man, Tom, to be my shipwright. Then I'll give you Smokescreen Yimi and the treasure he stole."

"Impossible! Tom is the pillar of Jerry Shipyard and our protector. It's impossible to let him leave to become a pirate!"

Old Jerry strongly opposed the idea. Tom was his most outstanding apprentice, and since he was getting old, he needed a successor. He had already prepared to pass the Pluton design to Tom.

"Don't you want to build a tool that could save Water 7? Perhaps I can offer you some advice."

This remark immediately caught Tom the fish-man's attention. He truly wanted to save Water 7, boost the local commercial economy, and end the chaotic situation among the seven large shipyards.

"What ideas or plans do you have to save Water 7?" Tom the fish-man asked curiously.

"Tom, you can't leave! This place needs your protection!"

Old Jerry hurriedly tried to stop the restless Tom, fearing he might actually be lured away by Brook.

"How about this: let Tom be my shipwright for two years, and I'll pass the concept on to him. How about that? Yimi's bounty plus a few hundred million Berries to rent Tom for two years—that's a great deal, right!"

Brook's words made everyone's eyes light up. This way, Tom could seek the answer to his ideals, Jerry Shipyard would have the funds to rebuild, and everyone would have work.

Old Jerry considered it. Two years—I should still be alive by then, and I can pass the Pluton design to Tom later. It was just that with the shipyards in Water 7 currently fighting each other for business, it would be tough if Tom left!

Tom was also surprised that Brook was willing to spend so much to hire him—it was nearly 200 million Berries a year. And to find a way to save Water 7 in just two years? It was a good deal!

In the end, Old Jerry, who desperately needed money to rebuild the shipyard, agreed to Brook's terms under the persuasion of all the shipwrights and Tom himself.

Smokescreen Yimi, whose memories had been completely devoured by the Memory Seahorse, was handed over to the shipwrights like an idiot. Led by Old Jerry and Tom, they beat him until he was like mush, then tied him up and took him to the Marine branch to exchange for the bounty to rebuild the shipyard.

Brook moved everything from his own pirate ship onto the new one, leaving the old ship for Jerry Shipyard to refurbish and sell.

Old Jerry was still worried that there would be no one to protect the shipyard after Tom left, so Brook had no choice but to leave all the pirates of the Smokescreen Pirates behind for them. They were all talented individuals who had lost some memories, and he told Old Jerry to train them.

Inside Old Jerry's office, the old man was still trying to squeeze a few more Berries out of Brook to get through the two years without Tom's protection.

"Why have these pirates all become so stupid? They're acting like total rookies!" Old Jerry said, sounding a bit puzzled.

"How should I know? Maybe I beat them so badly they don't even recognize their own mothers anymore, or perhaps they're just terrified of me."

After saying this, Brook released his Underworld Ghost Qi and Gloomy Nether Qi, scaring Old Jerry into backing away repeatedly.

"It is indeed a bit terrifying; it's possible these pirates have been scared out of their minds."

Old Jerry had no choice but to abandon the idea of trying to fish all of Yimi's stolen loot out from Brook.

You have provided One Piece: Hell Brook with the Great God Great Karma Fire.