One Piece : Wild Hunt

Hearing the mustached man say he was no longer welcome in Baratie, Fullbody's expression turned especially ugly as he growled, "Don't say anything you're going to regret, Chef Zeff. The neutrality of Baratie and the surrounding seas is predicated on the fact that the Marines allow it. If I informed Headquarters that your restaurant willfully serves Pirates, how long do you think your permit would last?"
Undaunted by Fullbody's words, Zeff snorted through his nose, stating, "As if a mere Lieutenant possesses such authority. Go ahead and file a false report, you little shit. I've been operating this business and paying taxes for twelve years without incident. We'll see how long you maintain that little commission of yours once your actions come under the scrutiny of your superiors. Cowards like you can't prevent the more honest men on their crews from disclosing the truth."
Though he clenched his teeth and balled his hands into fists, Fullbody didn't say anything. Baratie was one of the most reputable restaurants in the world and one of the most prominent locations in East Blue. Several higher-ups from Marine Headquarters frequented the floating restaurant, so it wouldn't take long before someone questioned the integrity of his report.
As his career was marginally more important than petty revenge, Fullbody took a moment to pop his collar as he said, "I'll remember this incident..." Then, with a nasty expression on his face, he directed his beady-eyed gaze to Drake, adding, "I'll be monitoring the activities of the 'Wild Hunt' closely from now on. Greedy bastards like Bounty Hunters always turn to piracy sooner or later. The moment you do, I'll be there waiting to arrest you..."
Exhibiting even less concern than Zeff, Drake mused, "You can run along now, little boy. Pray our paths don't cross again. Because if they do, I can promise you'll live to regret it."
Narrowing his eyes, Fullbody cast one final look at Drake's breasts before storming out of the restaurant. As much as he resented her, she was still one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. If she were willing to express a bit of 'sincerity,' he was certain they could reach an agreement. Until then, she and her Wild Hunt had secured the second spot on his shit list...
As Fullbody stormed off, Drake shifted her attention to Zeff, a teasing smile on her face as she asked, "Are you going to kick me out as well? I don't mind, but a certain member of my crew would be disappointed."
Shaking his head, Zeff replied, "Though you violated the sanctity of these waters, it was in self-defense. As this is your first visit to Baratie, I will not disbar you for standing your ground."
Finished with what he had to say, Zeff turned around and retreated to the kitchen. In his wake, a slim, muscular, long-legged man with short blonde hair, a sparse goatee, and swirly eyebrows made his way over to Drake with a bottle of wine in hand, saying, "A bottle of wine for the pretty lady. Consider it an apology for the trouble you've had to go through."
Narrowing her eyes in recognition, Drake mused, "My, what a gentleman," as she accepted the bottle of wine, uncorked it, and downed its contents in a single go. As she did, she felt the blonde-haired man's gaze shift to her breasts, but by the time she exhaled a contented sigh, he was staring at her face with a cool and composed look.
Adopting a fairly charming smile, the swirly-browed man mused, "Quite the drinker, aren't you?" before pulling out a handkerchief, offering it to Drake as he added, "My shift ends at eight. If you're still around by then, I'd be happy to pour you a few drinks privately..."
Exhaling a light chuckle, Drake left the blonde-haired man disappointed as she teased, "Sorry, kid, but I like my men with a bit of meat on their bones. You're plenty handsome, I'll give you that, but your arms and legs are even thinner than mine. Feel free to ask again once you fill out a bit."
Punctuating her words, Drake gave the tall and lanky man a comforting pat on the shoulder before walking past him with confident strides. In her wake, the swirly-browed man pulled out a cigarette, stepping out onto the balcony before lighting it up, inhaling a deep drag, and exhaling a sigh as he watched Drake depart the Baratie and return to her ship...
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Although Caenis's thighs weren't as soft as Benienma's, they were pliant, springy, and comfortable. Before Thomas realized it, he had dozed off for nearly six hours, only waking once Musashi came over to inform them that dinner was ready.
As he was originally planning to eat at Baratie, Thomas was more than a little confused when he heard Musashi's words and noticed the ship was swaying from side to side, accompanied by the familiar vibrations of the Hind cutting through the water.
Preempting Thomas's query, Musashi explained, "Because of an incident that occurred at the restaurant, the Captain decided to weigh anchor and vacate the premises. Don't worry; we weren't booted out or anything. Our fearless Captain just had a bit of an altercation with a Marine and refused to step down when he tried to throw his weight around. We already shook them off, but we should expect them to badger us for the rest of our stay in the East Blue."
Exhaling a sigh, Thomas said, "I'm not surprised. Not with Drake, but with the Marines. Since East Blue is considered the 'weakest' of the Four Blues, it's where outcasts and troublemakers with no upward mobility are sent to rot. When Luffy and his crew first embarked on their journey, nearly every Marine Officer they encountered was either a swindler or a corrupt tyrant ruling over their posts with an iron fist. If not for a literal rat-themed cunt named Captain Nezumi, Nami's village wouldn't have had to suffer under the tyranny of Arlong and his crew..."
Shrugging her shoulders, Musashi replied, "Well, the Conomi Islands are less than a day's journey away. If we sail through the night, we can be in the area first thing tomorrow morning. Once we get there, Benienma or I can take out this 'Captain Nezumi' without anyone realizing it."
Though she didn't have Presence Concealment, Musashi's Emptiness(A) let her move about undetected and even phase through objects. If they wanted to make it look even more like an 'accident,' they could also have Caenis attack the ship from below. She could breathe underwater and, if given time to prepare, conceal their movements by generating a powerful storm. Either way, this Nezumi guy clearly needed to die if they wanted to avoid being demonized by the Marines.
Hearing Musashi's proposition, a serious and somewhat conflicted look marred Thomas's face. He was initially planning to wait until Luffy made his debut, but if he could end the suffering of Nami and her village sooner, shouldn't he? The only reason not to was to ensure she met Luffy, but so long as he didn't recruit her to join the Wild Hunt, there was a fairly high chance they would meet.
As it was the 'right' thing to do, Thomas eventually nodded, saying, "We'll discuss our plan of action tonight. I kind of wanted to learn how to control my strength a bit before we fought, but I vaguely remember Luffy leveling a multi-story building to take Arlong out. I'm nowhere near that level yet, so I doubt I could defeat him if I held back..."
Deciding to chime in, Caenis assured, "I'll keep a close eye on you during the battle. If it looks like you won't be able to defeat him, I'll intervene and beat the shit out of him. Though, if he's only 10-20x stronger than an ordinary human, you should be fine. Your punches have high penetrative power, so he should drop pretty quickly if you catch him in a soft spot on his body."
Prompted by Caenis's words, Thomas recalled the scene of his fist sinking into the body of the watermelon-themed man. His complexion noticeably paled, but his stomach didn't twist and turn as intensely as before. He still felt a little queasy, but he willed himself to overcome it as he said, "Arlong is a specist asshat that has tormented humans for decades. When the two of us face one another, I won't hold anything back..."
Understanding that Thomas's words were more for himself than either of them, Caenis and Musashi remained silent, permitting his words to settle before the latter suggested, "Let's discuss this over dinner. Come on; you must be hungry after skipping lunch."
As he had gotten used to eating upwards of five meals per day, Thomas nodded his head, answering, "You're right." before rising to his feet and following after the buxom samurai. Then, alongside Caenis, the three of them made their way to the galley. Benienma had prepared a light meal that was easy on the stomach, so, even though he still felt a little sick, Thomas managed to get down quite a bit as they discussed their plan of action...
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As Drake was more than happy to see some action, she violated her usual policy about never sailing at night to ensure they would reach the Conomi Islands by morning. Astolfo had already circled the entire archipelago and made stops at each of the twenty-three communities occupying. She had also flown over the base of the Arlong Pirates, Arlong Park, several times, so they had a detailed map of the enemy base and its surroundings.
Before conducting their raid, Drake dispatched Astolfo to scout the sky, Benienma to scout the interior of Arlong Park, and Caenis to survey the sea floor. The Arlong Pirates were known to swim out and sink any ships that tried to come close, but that wasn't much of a concern for Drake as even Musashi would struggle to cut through the Hind's hull, at least with 'normal' attacks. The only reason she dispatched the trio to scout was to ensure there were no civilians present before she started bombarding the park from afar.
Though she had every intention of letting Thomas fight, Drake wasn't just going to sit on the sidelines. She was the Captain of the Golden Hind and the Wild Hunt, so she at least wanted to lay siege to Arlong Park and take out most of the fodder. According to her, if Arlong and his Officers were too weak to withstand even a 'light' salvo, they weren't worth the time it would take to disembark and face them directly.
Once Astolfo and Benienma had returned, Drake sneered as she made the Hind rise into the air. She wanted Arlong and his crew to feel as helpless as the people of the Conomi Isles, so she planned to bombard them from the sky while Caenis blocked off the sea route. The latter was markedly more powerful underwater than she was on land, so she could intercept and incapacitate any Fishmen that attempted to flee into the sea.
With most of her preparations completed, Drake turned to Thomas with a vicious smile, sapphire eyes glistening as she asked, "Do you know what time it is, my esteemed Master~?"
Though he had misgivings about Drake's plan, Thomas adopted a smile of his own as he answered, "Hunting time...?"
Blinking in surprise, a look of genuine bafflement briefly adorned Drake's face before she regained her grin and shouted, "Ding, ding, ding! That's the correct answer~!" before aiming her pistols toward Arlong Park. The moment she did so, four additional canons materialized around her as the front-facing batteries of the Hind hummed to life. Overhead, dark clouds began to gather rapidly, followed by rainfall as Drake began to unleash a salvo of highly destructive lasers on the unsuspecting Fishmen...
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(A/N: There's no kill quite like overkill...)

Once Drake was satisfied with the destruction she had wrought, she lowered the Hind into the harbor attached to Arlong Park. Then, while Atalanta and Astolfo kept watch over their ship, she disembarked with Thomas, Chiron, Musashi, and Benienma.
Seeing the destruction caused by Drake's Noble Phantasm, Thomas couldn't help asking, "Think you might have overdone it a bit? We were supposed to capture, not kill them..."
While he had no intention of holding back against Arlong, Thomas would rather the group end up rotting in Impel Down than six feet under. One of their members, Hachi, an Octopus Fishman, also had a close relationship with one of Thomas's favorite One Piece characters, a man known as the Dark King, Silvers Rayleigh. The latter was the second in Command of the Roger Pirates, so Thomas would rather not make an enemy out of the kind yet exceptionally powerful old man.
Giving Thomas a sidelong stare, Drake remarked, "Yet again, you appear to have forgotten who you're dealing with. With my EX-Rank Luck, do you think I would 'accidentally' kill someone? A few of them might have grave or fatal injuries, but I can pretty much guarantee they're alive."
Though it was difficult to believe, Thomas nodded in response to Drake's words. He recalled a scene in Avengers Endgame where Thanos's flagship bombarded the Avengers' Compound with dozens of missiles, completely leveling the heavily reinforced building and even cracking apart the earth beneath it. Yet, despite the destruction, several ordinary humans emerged from the plasma-based explosions completely unharmed...
Lending credibility to Drake's claim, a rather disgusting-looking man with massive red lips, light-blue skin, and curly brown hair crawled from the wreckage of a nearby building. He was covered head to toe in injuries, but he was very clearly alive as he raised a pair of maraca-like clubs and said, "You...despicable humans! You dare...sneak attack...the Arlong Pirates...!?"
Seeing the maraca-wielding Fishmen, Thomas inadvertently scowled. He didn't consider himself specist, but the blue-skinned man was a lot uglier than he was anticipating the Fishmen to be. While there appeared to be a cel-shaded filter applied to the world, it possessed a touch of realism that even the most advanced anime lacked. The Fishman in front of him might have appeared fairly ordinary through the lens of anime, but he resembled a 'monster' in real life...
Voicing Thomas's thought aloud, Drake remarked, "That's one ugly fish..." before aiming her pistol at the severely injured man and asking, "And you want to try and 'befriend' these monsters?"
As Thomas had explained the circumstances surrounding Fishman Island and characters such as Neptune and Shirahoshi, Drake had been looking forward to visiting the mysterious underwater kingdom. Now that she saw what Fishmen actually looked like, she was significantly less enthusiastic.
Though he felt similarly, Thomas forced himself to say, "We can't judge people based on their outward appearance. There are kind-hearted and noble Fishmen. Mermaids are also famed worldwide for their beauty, so we shouldn't base our opinion of their entire species on a few outliers..."
Since Thomas knew more about the world than she did, Drake replied with a half-hearted, "If you say so..." before pulling the triggers of her ornate flintlocks, shooting the maracas out of the wounded Fishman's hands. For good measure, she also blew out his knee, leaving the blue-skinned man curled up in pain as she turned to Thomas and said, "Let's get this over with."
Despite feeling as though things had already ended, Thomas gave a curt nod, following silently and attentively as Drake led the way into the heart of the destroyed park. Along the way, they found several other severely injured Fishmen, but, as Drake had attested, none of them were dead. A few looked like they were barely clinging to life, but the rain pouring down on them from above caused their wounds to slowly close up, healing at a rate visible to the naked eye.
Noticing how rapidly some of the Fishmen were recovering, Drake ordered Chiron to begin tying them up. Even the weakest member of Arlong's crew had a Bounty of around 3,000,000 Belly. When summed up, the Wild Hunt was looking at a minimum payday of 72,500,000 Belly, 64,500,000 if they excluded Hachi, so Drake wouldn't permit a single one of them to escape.
While Drake was envisioning the Hind's cargo bay filled with treasure, a large stone came barreling at her head with enough force to leave a trail through the rain. She effortlessly destroyed it with a casual shot from her pistol before narrowing her eyes in amusement as the person who threw it at her, a hulking Fishman with pale-blue skin, visibly pulsating gills, shark-like teeth, and a nose resembling a saw blade.
Recognizing the 263cm tall, incredibly fierce-looking Fishman as Arlong, a teasing smile developed across Drake's face as she turned to Thomas and said, "Look's like you're up."
Recovering from the horrified stupor he had fallen into upon seeing Arlong in person, Thomas resisted the urge to back down, replying, "Just leave it to me..." as he stepped forward, a hazy blue aura immediately enveloping his fists and body. Arlong was 'a lot' bigger than he was expecting, but he wasn't going to back down without a fight...
Seeing Thomas approaching him, Arlong's eyes became increasingly bloodshot as he growled, "You disgusting and cowardly humans...you can't defeat us fairly, so you attack us from a distance with weapons instead of depending on your pathetic strength..."
Exhaling through his nose, Thomas continued to gather Magical Energy into his fists as he responded, "Listen, man. I honestly don't give a damn about the hate between humans and Fishmen. I know you went through some shit as a child, but all you've accomplished since then is ensuring your people will continue to suffer and be discriminated against..."
As his left arm was both broken and dislocated, Arlong waved his right hand, propelling drops of rain like sharp needles as he bellowed, "Don't you dare talk down to me, you human trash!"
Crossing his arms to protect his eyes, Thomas's heart beat like a drum as his body was peppered with a stinging sensation. None of the droplets managed to pierce his defense, but they stung like decently-sized pieces of hail. Had he not veiled his body with Magical Energy, the casually flung droplets might have pierced several centimeters into his flesh...
Realizing it wasn't the best time for a dialogue, Thomas followed Arlong's surprise attack by rushing at the much taller man. Arlong's massive frame, sharp teeth, and saw-like nose filled him with alarm, but he knew that size wasn't the deciding factor in a world like One Piece.
Though he was slightly surprised by Thomas's speed, Arlong stood his ground and swept his webbed hand toward his would-be attacker like a horizontal guillotine. The hazy blue aura around Thomas's body made him feel slightly apprehensive, but he would never turn his back and flee from a human. Not after the last time...
Ducking under Arlong's chop, Thomas landed a right straight in the man's muscular abdomen. A sound comparable to a sledgehammer striking a metal plate echoed through the surroundings, but, even though he was sent skidding back several meters, Arlong adopted a contemptuous sneer as he dusted off his abdomen and asked, "Seriously? You want to take me out with 'that' level of strength? Pathetic..."
With his left arm healing thanks to the rain, Arlong spread his arms in a challenging manner, his body visibly swelling until he was nearly three meters tall as he said, "You should have stayed on your ship and attacked from a distance. You, humans, were born inferior to Fishmen, so you have no hope of defeating us in a fair and just contest. All you can do is rely on your numbers, technology, and the power of Devil Fruits. Now, thanks to this blessing from the Heavens, I will show you where you stand..."
Punctuating his words, Arlong charged at Thomas with terrifying speed; his shark-like maw opened wide as he intended to take a bite out of the latter's shoulder. Fishmen were roughly ten times stronger than humans on land but twenty times stronger in the water. With rain blanketing the battlefield in sheets, Arlong was nearly as powerful on land as he was in the sea.
Panicking a bit, Thomas instinctually erected a magical barrier to protect himself from Arlong's charge. It cracked like glass as the latter's saw-like nose pierced into it but managed to hold its form and arrest the massive Fishman's momentum. Even Thomas wasn't expecting this, however, so he wasn't able to capitalize on the opportunity he had created. Instead, he stepped backward as Arlong grabbed the barrier and crushed it with his monstrous strength.
Spitting away the glass-like shards of Magical Energy in his mouth, Arlong adopted a taunting sneer as he said, "As I suspected. Just another human who ate a Devil Fruit and misconstrued the power it awarded as their own. Without relying on cheap tricks and outside power, you humans are just a bunch of pathetic worms..."
Furrowing his brows, Thomas asked, "And what about people like Gol D. Roger, Silvers Rayleigh, and Monkey D. Garp? Humans who haven't eaten a Devil Fruit yet can overpower even the strongest Fishmen with ease? Do they simply not exist in your distorted version of reality...?"
"..."
Taking advantage of Arlong's silence, Thomas added, "And don't forget about Dracule Mihawk, the fruitless members of the Revolutionary Army, the Happo Navy, and one of the literal Four Emperors, Red-haired Shanks. Then there are the members of Cipher Pol, Marines that have mastered-"
Annoyed by the countless examples discrediting his assertions of innate Fishmen superiority, Arlong swept his hands toward Thomas, interrupting him with a volley of hundreds of water droplets. Then, as Thomas moved to protect his face, Arlong charged toward him, using his webbed hand to grasp his opponent's head as he shouted, "Know your place...!"
As Arlong raised him from the ground with ease, the pupils of Thomas's eyes shrank to the size of pinholes as he abruptly changed direction, his face barreling toward the ground. He was fairly confident in his durability, but a tremendous amount of panic washed over him as he closed his eyes and prepared for the impact.
Before Thomas could eat hardened coral pavement, Arlong was sent flying back by a powerful kick, his body becoming a blur as he crashed through several ruined walls and disappeared into a mountain of debris. At the same time, an arm wrapped around Thomas's body, preventing him from crashing to the ground, as a familiar voice flatly remarked, "Once this is over with, I'm going to teach you how to wrestle properly..."
Opening his eyes, Thomas was both relieved and ashamed to find he was being held under Caenis's arm. The latter had been watching his fight as intently as she promised, so the moment it looked like he was in danger, she immediately stepped in to rescue him.
Setting Thomas on his feet, Caenis gave him a once-over, pretending to dust him off despite rain pouring down on them in buckets. Once she had confirmed he wasn't injured, she exhaled a faint sigh before crossing her arms in a condescending manner as she remarked, "You're really pathetic, you know that? Six months of training, and you can't even defeat a fish on land? From now on, you should stay back and leave everything to us until you've gained enough strength and experience to fight without tensing up or cowering like an idiot."
Though Caenis's words were more than a little biting, Thomas adopted a faint smile as he realized she was actually worried about him. He could be mistaken, but her action of checking him over for injuries before sighing in relief was pretty telling.
Before Thomas could potentially say something he might regret, Arlong erupted from the mountain of debris with bloodshot eyes and a gigantic sword resembling the teeth of a shark in his right hand. There was a literal footprint in the center of his chest, but even though he was clearly in immense pain, he pushed himself to his feet and growled, "Both of you are fucking dead..."
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(A/N: Caenis is letting her dere, not just her derriere, show...)

Waking less than a minute after he had collapsed, Thomas attempted to jerk to a seated position but found his head pressed down by a tiny yet powerful hand, its owner, Benienma, stating, "Please calm down, Master. You just fainted from shock. Give yourself a chance to recover, dechi..."
Though he relaxed a bit after hearing the familiar voice, a fresh wave of nausea and vertigo nearly overwhelmed Thomas as the aroma of blood invaded his olfactory senses. In response, Benienma did something he never expected, using her apron to cover his face as she supported his head with her tiny yet pillowy thighs.
In the most soothing tone she could manage, Benienma whispered, "It's going to be okay, Master...those men were evildoers who would have wronged many others throughout their life. You should not feel guilty about sending them to Hell..."
As a former torturer from Hell, Benienma had very little compassion for those who lived life at the expense of others. Gally and his crew were far from the worst sinners she had encountered, but the auras that exuded from their bodies were far from righteous. They weren't beyond redemption, but they could always discover it in their next life, once her fellow torturers had finished purifying them of sin...
With Benienma reminding him that there was, in fact, an afterlife, some of Thomas's anxiety waned. That was one of the things that hit him hardest once he came to terms with the fact he wasn't dreaming. Before, he wasn't sure if 'anything' awaited him after death. However, with people like Zelretch existing, alongside the possibility of moving between worlds, he now knew with absolute certainty that someone or something would be waiting to judge him. It was the kind of thing that made a guy want to live on the straight and narrow...
After taking and exhaling several deep breaths, Thomas muttered, "I'm fine now...thanks..."
Though she removed her surprisingly fragrant apron from Thomas's face, Benienma didn't let him rise immediately, stating, "You should stay put for the time being. Taichou can handle negotiating with the Marines and the staff of the Baratie. Master need not push himself, dechi..."
To incentivize Thomas to stay put, Benienma placed her hand on his forehead before running her fingers through his increasingly mane-like hair. He hadn't cut it since his arrival in the world of One Piece, but as it didn't make him look like a homeless person like it did in his previous world, Thomas was letting it grow out. It frequently got in the way, but he was willing to tolerate a few minor inconveniences to look cool...
Closing his eyes, Thomas allowed Benienma to comb through his hair for several minutes until Caenis abruptly returned from searching the enemy ship, landing next to them as she asked, "What happened? Did you take a stray shot or something...?"
Smiling wryly, Thomas rose from Benienma's lap, nearly regretting it immediately as there was still a tremendous amount of blood covering the deck. The nausea he had only recently gotten over returned, but he did his best to maintain a brave facade as he awkwardly replied, "I overestimated the durability of my opponents and ended up making a bit of a mess..."
Looking around at the bloodied deck, Caenis's eyes narrowed as she remarked, "I can see that." Then, with an 'approving' smile, she added, "Congratulations on your first kill. You might not think it now, but it will get easier with time. Also, don't let the deaths of this trash bother you. You know damn well what would have happened if we were too feeble to protect ourselves."
Punctuating her words, Caenis waved her hand in a seemingly casual manner that produced a strong, persistent gust of wind that gradually removed the blood from the deck. Her Divine Core of the Sea God(B) gave her the Sub-Skills Authority of Water and Authority of the Ocean. The former, as its name implied, allowed her to manipulate water. The latter sounded similar but manifested as an authority over weak-willed sea creatures, ocean currents, and storms. Once she reached her final Ascension, she would even be able to produce continental hurricanes and smite foes with divine lightning.
Once the deck was slightly cleaner, Caenis met Benienma's gaze as she said, "I'll take over from here. The only thing of note on the enemy ship is a few barrels of fresh water and poor-quality ale. They have a fully-stocked larder, but the only items inside are dry biscuits, canned beans, salted beef, and some dried tangerines. If they have any actual treasure on board, I couldn't find it."
As she didn't possess EX-Rank Luck or the coveted Golden Rule Skill, Caenis decided to return early and leave the more thorough search to Drake. She didn't mind hauling things over, but it seemed like a waste of time. The only thing of value on the enemy ship appeared to be the ship itself.
After shooing the petite sparrow girl away, causing the feathers on Benienma's apron to become visibly ruffled, Caenis sat down in a surprisingly girly manner, smacking her meaty thigh as she said, "If you're still feeling dizzy or nauseous, come and put your head down. I'm sure you would prefer my thighs over some brat's."
With the feathers around Benienma's collar ruffling to the point it appeared she had a fluffy mane, Thomas half-expected her to get in an Iaido, sword-drawing stance. She clearly didn't approve of Caenis's attempts to supplant her care but didn't lash out. Instead, she turned her attention to him, ostensibly awaiting his response.
As tempting as Caenis's offer was, Thomas didn't want to see the two at odds with one another. He also felt it would be kind of pathetic if he continued lying in the middle of the deck and letting someone comfort him, so he said, "Thanks, but I'm mostly okay now. If anything, I need to get up, walk around, and get some fresh air..."
Following his words, Thomas forced himself to stand, fighting against the weakness in his knees. When he attempted to stand upright, his guts felt as though they were twisting about, the color draining from his face as he adopted what he intended to be a reassuring smile but came across as someone in desperate need of a toilet.
Staring at Thomas with furrowed brows, Caenis remarked, "There is a difference between bravery and folly. Pushing yourself during training is fine; pretending you're okay when you're not is just stupid."
Rising to her feet, Caenis stepped in before Thomas could respond, wrapping her arm around his body to support him as she ordered, "Put your arm over my shoulder. I'll help you over to the sick bay. And no, this isn't up for debate. Say something stupid, and I'll carry your dumb ass like a princess..."
Swallowing the words that were about to leave his lips, Thomas did as Caenis instructed, linking his arm around her shoulders and letting her walk him over to Asclepius's laboratory-like examination room. He felt like he 'needed' to push through the discomfort he was feeling, but he wasn't going to protest if someone like Caenis insisted he takes it easy or receives treatment...
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While Thomas was receiving treatment, Drake had a smile on her face as she sat across from a fairly tall man with brown skin, pink hair, thick eyebrows, a scar on his right cheek, and metal bolts seemingly drilled into his knuckles. He was presently out of uniform, wearing a pinstripe suit over a dark blue dress shirt, but he was actually a Commissioned Officer in the Marines, specifically holding the Rank of Lieutenant. This was the third-lowest Rank an Officer could have, but as he hailed from Marine Headquarters, the pink-haired man was extremely proud of his status, flaunting it every chance he got.
Despite Drake informing him that they were the ones attacked, the pink-haired man, Lieutenant Fullbody, 'insisted' that she accompany him for a meal so they could discuss the matter in greater detail. His intentions were as transparent as a glass of water, but Drake humored him to see how far he was willing to exploit his authority. The moment he crossed the line, separating himself from the 'naive fools' that just wanted to protect their friends, family, and the innocent masses, she would shoot him square in the forehead.
While waiting for their meals to arrive, Fullbody openly ogled Drake's substantial cleavage as he asked, "So, you and your crew are Bounty Hunters? If that's true, why have you set sail with a black flag? Even children understand the implications of doing so..."
Adopting a sly smile, Drake mused, "You should consider familiarizing yourself with the ordinances you're intended to uphold. There are no statutes outlining the color and appearance of a ship's flag, only that it is easily identifiable and doesn't misrepresent their association to any publically recognized organization or group."
As he didn't appreciate being lectured about Marine bylaws, the smile on Fullbody's face faded as he restated, "I'm a Lieutenant from Marine Headquarters. You would do well to remember that when you speak to me. Depending on the contents of my report, both you and your crew will be labeled as Pirates for the rest of your lives..."
Maintaining her smile, Drake narrowed her eyes in amusement as she questioned, "Is this the reason you became a Marine, Lieutenant? To lord your status over others and threaten them with false accusations? You must suffer from the world's worst 'handicap' if you need to resort to threats to have your way with women..."
Understanding what Drake was insinuating, Fullbody's already furious expression turned into a cold glower as he practically growled, "Only a Pirate would dare speak against a Marine Lieutenant like this..."
Shrugging her shoulders, Drake replied, "My crew has never attacked a civilian vessel, confronted the Marines, or assailed a coastal city. If you want to label us as Pirates just because your feelings are hurt, feel free to do so. Just know that your stupidity will jeopardize the lives of countless Marines. My crew won't just hold out their wrists and accept being apprehended for crimes we never committed. You can take your tyranny and shove it up your ass, Lieutenant Foolhardy."
Slamming his fist on the table with enough force to shatter it, Fullbody rose to his feet, bellowing, "You've crossed the line, wench! Now both you and your crew can rot in Impel Down...!"
Rolling her eyes, Drake was about to cripple Fullbody when a glass of wine suddenly flew by the pink-haired man's face, followed by a loud and gruff voice shouting, "The Marines have no jurisdiction here, and I won't tolerate violence against women in my restaurant! You and your men are no longer welcome here, Lieutenant Fullbody...!"
Accompanying the voice, a tall, elderly-looking man with blonde hair, a braided mustache, a peg leg, and a comically tall Chef's hat walked over with an enraged look on his face. Drake had noticed him among the people watching the 'show' earlier, but now that she was seeing him up close, her sapphire blue eyes narrowed at the number floating above his head. It was hazy, unlike the pure white Bounties of others, but the number 87,000,000 floated above his head...
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After a quick examination from Asclepius, Thomas was informed that he was in shock, the symptoms of which were low blood pressure, an increased heart rate, and a debilitating degree of nausea bordering on incontinence. Instead of providing him medicine, however, the taciturn God of Medicine provided him a cup of cocoa and told him to lay down on Caenis's lap. Trying to suppress the effects of shock with medical intervention could leave sequelae in the form of mental trauma, so his 'prescription' for Thomas was hot chocolate and a thigh pillow...it was surprisingly effective...
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(A/N: Drake is about to ignite a powder keg...)

Chapter 21: Release