**For me, that was probably the biggest indication that Tom is still alive. I think if Oda intended to kill Tom, he would've done it in a manner that would've had the maximum effect on the reader. I think the fact that tranquilizers were used, should've raised suspicions from the outset.
Now we know a little more about Eneas Lobby/Impel Down, there'd be no way that Tom's supposed execution would've been something witnessed or documented by the general public. It's all the government's confirmation, that Kokoro, Ice, Franky & the citizens of W7 had to go on, coupled with the general belief that if you're brought to the 'gate of justice', you'll never come back from it.
Anyways, if there's one theory in this arc, that I'll stand strongly behind to the end, it's my Tom theory.**
I like your theory B)
**And if he would return now to Water 7 it would give a bad picture on the World Governments determination to keep their system intact. Besides if Tom would be alive and if he would get fried I doubt that it´ll happen by convincing dialog. It´ll be actually more that the Strawhat-Galley-la-Franky-Family Union will kick the crap out of everyone either wherever Spandam and Tom are located.
So this leaves us with the problem that Tom would be a guilty criminal who escaped from his prison and returning to a normal life would make no sense because the WG could come back at W7 eacht time they want to and take him with them again.
I seriously doubt that they will let him live in peace because as I just said he would be taken by force and that would actually mean that the World Government was directly opposed and even beaten. They just can´t remain quiet on that matter. At least it wouldn´t make much sense to me.**
well you are right but if tom does end up still being alive at the end of this arc its not going to be a matter of simply returning to water 7 as if nothing happened, chances are they would go somewhere else besides water 7 or perhaps even joining the straw hats (i think tom going somewhere else makes more sense though, remember what hachi did when he escaped from the marines? he went to live under the ocean, and what is tom? a merman too
and if anything i think it will end up like the end of the alabasta arc, the government covering up the incident (only this time they will be covering up the fact that they were defeated by a group of pirates at one of their main strongholds in the grandline)
they will probably put a gigantic bounty on the strawhats AND franky/tom too
but lets look at it logically for a second, franky has gone off with the strawhats while iceberg is staying at water 7, after this all goes down franky is the one who is gonna be on the hitlist for the government, not iceberg, and besides iceberg is the mayor of water 7 and even if he learned that tom was still alive and after all the rotten things the government has done to him (having cp9 try to kill him), he is still the mayor of a gigantic city, he isnt simply going to cut off ties with government just cuz of what happened (if he did that would be the death of water 7 and i dont think he would do that)
but anyways the way things are going its hinting bigtime that tom is still alive and that franky will join the strawhats
so to put it simply, tom wont go back to water 7 and will go live somewhere else instead and franky wont be able to return to water 7 either so he will join the strawheats… all while tom stays as the mayor for water 7 and helps the city prosper just like tom wanted (everything will end good and they will split off into their seperate ways)
I just think Tom returning would be hokey. I already found it cheesy enough when everyone that'd been shocked by Ener or beaten up otherwise got up in Skypiea. Then Tom smiling like a buffoon after all the fighting? I don't think it'd make much sense, partly because of Ivotas' reason. And also because I think it'd be stupid to let a big, dangerous fishman sit there for eight years.
I agree 100%, all of them getting up after being electocuted by eneru was hardly believable, but still comparing tom returning to that is alot more believable if you ask me (it wouldnt be nearly as hokey either i think)