Tom in One Piece

Past

He used to live on Fish-Man Island before coming to Water 7. He and Kokoro eventually departed and relocated to Water 7 from there. Later, Tom was in charge of constructing the Oro Jackson, Gold Roger's vessel. After his pirate parents abandoned him as a youngster, he also found Franky. Roger paid Tom one more call on his last journey. He was taken into custody when Roger passed away. Although it's not usually a felony to construct a ship for pirates, Tom had to make an exception because the Pirate King was his customer. To avoid being put to death, Tom negotiated a deal with the judge: given 10 years, he could build a groundbreaking Sea Train that could travel through even the worst weather to distribute and receive products and services, saving his dying home city of Water 7.

As a result, Tom's trial was put on hold for ten years before being resumed once the Sea Train was finished. The World Government was also using Tom's trial as a cover for another operation at the time. They were aware that Tom was in possession of a copy of Pluton's plans, a powerful antique cruiser whose name had stood the test of time. Tom's possession of the blueprint prompted other government entities to search for it, including Spandam, who was at the time employed by Cypher Pol No. 5, a shadowy agency not under the Marines' control. Tom was eventually given the opportunity to receive a pardon for whatever crime he wished after successfully completing the Sea Train.

To gain the designs, Spandam recruited someone to kidnap and manage the ships of Tom's pupil, Cutty Flam, to attack Water 7 at the start of Tom's trial. However, Spandam was irate at the inconvenience of attempting to convince Tom to hand over Pluton to him. Tom chose to ask for forgiveness for the attack on Water 7 even though he knew Franky was innocent and opted to take responsibility for the conduct of his pupil's ships. As a result, his previous sentence was reinstated, and he was once more charged with building Roger's ship.

Tom ultimately admitted to creating the Oro Jackson after hearing Franky deny his creations. He also stated that he was glad to have done it in order to teach Franky the true meaning of being a shipwright. Tom was led to Enies Lobby on the sea railway he constructed, where he is said to have been killed shortly after.

Tom was a happy and generous fisherman. He was also incredibly easygoing, able to laugh at practically anything, including the many arguments and insults amongst his students and the fact that he almost received the death penalty for building Roger's ship. He did not harbor any anti-human bias, unlike many other Fish Men. He adopted Franky and Iceburg and taught them the craft of shipbuilding while also making ships for anybody, including pirates. Because of his strong connection to them, he accepted responsibility for the Battle Frankies and agreed to be put to death in return for their release.

Tom also held the opinion that a shipwright must always be in love with his own work, regardless of what they have done. As a result, he smacked Franky for trying to downplay his role in the Battle Franky's and proudly insisted that he had no regrets about building the Oro Jackson for the Pirate King, even if doing so amounted to admitting guilt for crimes that may have resulted in death. Additionally, despite it being his shipwright's responsibility, he refused to provide Spandam with the Pluton designs.

Tom was a large yellow-bodied cowfish Fish-Man with short horns. He was marked under the eyes, had black patches near his gills on his neck, pointed fangs from his lower lip, and a white beard. Under his brown bandanna, white, curly hair appeared behind his neck as well. His massive chest was covered by an unbuttoned light blue shirt with a blue design. He wore brown trousers and plain boots and had a little bottom torso compared to his enormous upper body. On each of his shoulders, he also got tattoos that resembled the Sun Pirates' Jolly Roger but were more floral in nature.

When he was alive, Tom was regarded as the greatest shipbuilder in the entire world. He used wood from the Treasure Tree Adam to build the Oro Jackson, the vessel that Gol D. Roger used to cross the Grand Line. Later, with the help of his students, he built the first Sea Train, the Puffing Tom, which can travel through the sea and connect numerous islands while restoring prosperity to Water 7. Franky and Iceburg, both renowned as outstanding master shipwrights, received his expertise from him.

Tom possessed enormous strength even for a fish-man and could effortlessly carry an entire ship with one hand while holding its three masts in the other without any apparent effort. He displayed extraordinary power and accuracy as he launched the ship a vast distance while simultaneously launching the masts into the proper places. Similarly, he effortlessly disengaged a set of heavy handcuffs. He was also very resilient and robust, enduring a complete bombardment from Battle Frankie's ships that were strong enough to kill a Sea King and yet being able to stand and fight back against the Marines during the trial that followed.

Gol D. Roger

Tom and the late Pirate King had a very strong connection. The Oro Jackson, the Pirate King's greatest creation, was made especially for Roger to serve as his flagship. Roger had a great deal of respect for Tom since he had paid him one more visit before setting out for Laugh Tale and asked him what his future intentions were for the Puffing Tom. Despite the fact that Roger's involvement had led to Tom being labeled a criminal and given the death penalty, Tom had no regrets and even felt the highest satisfaction in having helped Roger.

Iceburg

When it came to helping Tom with his work, including creating the first Sea Train, Iceburg, Tom's first apprentice, was more eager and energetic than Franky. Iceburg had a great deal of respect and appreciation for Tom and his abilities as a shipwright. Iceburg was spotted sobbing when Tom surrendered to the World Government in order to save his trainees. To carry on his mentor's legacy after Tom's passing, Iceburg worked hard to keep improving the conditions and safety of Water 7.

Franky

Franky, Tom's second apprentice, had the highest regard and affection for his master shipwright tutor. Franky's frequently brilliant ideas won Tom's approval every time. Tom taught Franky the most crucial lesson about being a shipwright: that you must be proud of what you've produced, no matter what. When the Battle Frankies were used to harm the defenseless, Franky rejected them as his inventions. This caused Tom to explain that they were both his products. To further support the claim he made Tom said that he was proud of having constructed Gol D. Roger's ship.

Franky was likewise prepared to put his life in danger in order to stop Sea Train Puffing Tom from taking its inventor to Enies Lobby, even going so far as to try and stop the train with his body. Franky made the decision to constantly remain in Water 7 as penance to lessen his guilt for his role in Tom's capture. Iceburg said that his choice to remain in Water 7 and found the Franky Family was an attempt at redemption. The only thing he had to do, according to Iceburg, was to forgive himself in order to go from Water 7.

Tom is not only an anime character but also a video game character:

Video Games

• One Piece: Gear Spirit