One Piece : Wild Hunt

While Thomas, Caenis, and Chiron were lugging treasure back to the ship, Astolfo landed next to Drake, revealing, "There are three Marine ships en route to our location, around sixteen clicks out."
Nodding her head, Drake replied, "We'll wait for them to arrive and see if they would rather play games or do their jobs properly. Inform our Master and the rest of the crew. If the Marines try to steal our booty and label us as Pirates, we may as well play the part."
Returning a nod of her own, Astolfo hurried off to pass on Drake's orders while the latter looked to the sky and mused, "I wonder how big the stash of that Nezumi fellow is~?"
...
..
.
A little less than an hour after Astolfo informed them that the Marines were on their way, Thomas stood on the Hind's quarterdeck alongside Musashi, Benienma, and Chiron. Drake was also present, sitting on the quarterdeck's railing with a dauntless smile as she awaited the Marines' response.
While two of the three ships positioned themselves in a way that would allow them to open fire with their canons, the third sailed over to block off the flood gate serving as the entrance and exit to Arlong Park's artificial inlet. Afterward, a tall and skinny man with mousey features, a rat-eared Marine cap, and literal whiskers on his face appeared with a megaphone in hand, stating, "This is Captain Nezumi, Commander of the 16th Branch of the Marines. Unknown vessel. You are ordered to drop your anchor and await boarding. We have reason to suspect you are hauling stolen goods. Failure to comply with our instructions will result in the destruction of your ship and the arrest of your crew."
Turning to face Thomas, Drake narrowed her sapphire blue eyes as she asked, "Well? What do you want to do? If we allow them to board, there is a 100% chance they will try and impound our loot. I know I would..."
Exhaling a sigh, Thomas replied, "I would prefer to avoid sinking Marine vessels and attacking them directly. Doing so would make it harder for us to become Shichibukai, so we should fly over or dive beneath them..."
As the Hind was capable of submerging, albeit at a tremendous cost to its reserves, Thomas chose to flee rather than fight. The Marines didn't have their photos just yet, so it was impossible to assign them Bounties, even if they were regarded as Pirates. As for Arlong and his crew, Thomas was half-tempted to drop them off in the Calm Belt and let fate sort them out. Losing out on sixty million when they just gained a boon of twelve-and-a-half billion wasn't a big deal...
Nodding her head, Drake replied, "Then that's what we'll do." before telepathically compelling the Hind to submerge. She would much rather sink the Marine vessels and be done with it, but she knew it would take something drastic to convince Thomas to stop worrying about the lives of people who would bar his path. You didn't reach the pinnacle of the world by worrying about what others thought about you.
Seeing the Hind abruptly begin to sink, Nezumi's beady eyes widened as he softly asked himself, "Are Arlong and his men still alive...?" If that were the case, he needed to have his men and the other two ships pull back so he could 'negotiate' with the Fishman Pirate.
Before Nezumi could think to give his men their orders, an exceptionally loud 'thud' resonated through the hull of his ship, followed by the Marine at the helm exclaiming, "Captain! Something just took out our rudder! We have no control over the ship...!"
Believing Arlong and his men were attacking, Nezumi hissed, "Shit...!" before ordering his men to prepare depth charges. He knew Arlong would eventually betray him, so he developed several countermeasures against Sea Beasts and Fishmen.
Unfortunately, while Nezumi's men were quick to act, there were no Sea Beasts or Fishmen for them to attack or repel. The person that had torn off their rudder was Caenis. As for the Hind, it had already sailed beneath them and out to sea by the time the first depth charges fell into the water.
...
..
.
Staring up at the bubble-like membrane of Magical Energy preventing the water from crashing in on them, Thomas remarked what he already knew, "This must consume a ridiculous amount of power..."
As the Hind was 37m in length, the spherical barrier of Magical Energy had a similar diameter. The barriers that Thomas produced were much smaller, but even they consumed a significant amount of power. Thus, he wasn't even remotely surprised when Drake remarked, "With the amount of Mana we've stockpiled, we'll last around three-and-a-half hours before we're forced to surface. We'll breach long before then, but you'll still need to return to Engine Room duty to replenish what this little maneuver cost us."
Before Thomas could respond, Ceanis breached the barrier around the boat, briefly producing a highly pressurized spout of water as she landed on the deck, rose to her feet, and revealed, "I took out all three rudders and left cracks in their keels. They're not going anywhere without taking those ships into drydock."
Nodding her head in approval, Drake offered a curt, "Good job," before adopting a teasing smile as she added, "Now, why don't you accompany our dearest Master to the Engine Room? I'm sure he would appreciate the company as he works to replenish our rapidly dwindling reserves."
Looking at Thomas, Caenis adopted a teasing smile of her own as she remarked, "Man, you can't catch a break, can you? Then again, this is the result of your decision to flee, so you can't really complain. Come on. I'll at least accompany you for a bit."
As she didn't have much else to do, Caenis didn't mind chatting with Thomas for a couple of hours. Musashi, Benienma, and Astolfo were also likely to come along, and, if they asked, Beethoven would doubtlessly join them. Her Ode to Wrath, a Symphony inspired by Thomas's explanation of Heavy Metal, was excellent at getting the blood pumping.
Accepting his fate, Thomas adopted a wry smile and made his way to the Engine Room. The interior was like a steam room due to the Equivalence Engine effectively overclocking itself, but he didn't particularly mind as it resulted in most of the girls that accompanied him changing into bikinis...
...
..
.
As Thomas had suspected, the Marines had no way of issuing Bounties on him or the member of the Wild Hunt as they had no photographs. Instead, they issued a notice to nearby Marine Branches to be on the lookout for a red ship bearing a Jolly Roger depicting three vertical lines. What Thomas found insensible was the crime they had been accused of, conspiring with the Arlong Pirates to extort the people of the Conomi Islands.
Fortunately, while a description of the Hind had been given, there were no photos. Nezumi went to great lengths to keep his actions under wraps, so the ships he commanded lacked audio and video recording devices. They even left their Den-Den Mushi back at their headquarters, so they needed to disembark from their damaged ships and row nearly 160km just to file a report back at the 16th Branch.
Because of a freak storm that happened to be passing through the area, the dinghy ferrying Captain Nezumi ended up getting lost at sea. He was eventually found, but only after twenty-three days had passed. By then, the man was hysterical and on the verge of death, requiring him to spend nearly a week in intensive care before he croaked out his report to a Rear Admiral dispatched directly from Marine Headquarters.
With literal weeks passing without incident, Thomas and co managed to pass off Arlong and his crew to Marines at the 45th Branch without much trouble. Drake had to register the Hind as a Free Merchant Vessel, pay a fee, and have her photo taken, but she didn't particularly mind as, shortly after their getaway from Arlong Park, she swapped out their original Jolly Roger for a white flag depicting a red drake.
As red ships weren't uncommon, the only thing linking the Hind to the events at the Conomi Islands was Arlong and his crew. However, as the 45th Branch was located nearly two thousand kilometers away, Drake was only asked a few cursory questions as it was considered impossible for a caravel to travel such a considerable distance in such a short period. More importantly, Asclepius had given Arlong and his crew 'medicine' to help them forget the incident, so there was nothing to contradict Drake's assertions of finding them imprisoned in the brig of a derelict ship floating around the sea with broken masts.
When the Marines inevitably insisted on boarding and searching the Hind, Drake readily complied, having already swapped out the authentic Golden Hind for another ship in her fleet. Thus, the Marines couldn't find anything amiss even after searching the ship from tip to stern. They were looking for indications that the ship had been coated at some point, as not even the actual Hind had received a coating, there was no evidence to indicate they were capable of submerging and traveling underwater.
With most of the suspicion removed from them and Captain Nezumi under investigation, the Hind was able to moor unharassed at a prosperous port city on the northernmost tip of the Polestar Islands, 683 kilometers from the world-famous Logue Town. The latter was famous for being the site where the former Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, was executed. It also placed the Hind just fourteen-hundred kilometers away from Baratie, so Thomas and crew could make their way over once Luffy's name began appearing in the papers. Until then, they made themselves at home within the aptly named Northport City, fully aware that the Marines were keeping a close eye on them...
...
..
.
[Three Months Later]
After purchasing the most recent newspaper from a News Coo, Thomas's eyes lit up when he saw the photo on the front page. Caenis immediately noticed this, questioning, "What's got you all excited? Is there a hot chick on the front page...?"
Shaking his head, Thomas turned the paper around to reveal an article titled, 'New Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates! Fire Fist Ace's Meteoric Rise in the New World!'. Ace was only a Division Commander for a few months before starting his pursuit of the treacherous Teach, so if his understanding of the Timeline was accurate, Luffy's journey would be starting any day now.
Seeing the photo of a fairly handsome man on the front page, Caenis raised her brows and teased, "Have you finally started batting for the other team? I can produce a horse-sized strap-on if you want to try it out."
"..."
Returning his gaze to the newspaper, Thomas flatly replied, "I'll pass..." as he began reading through the other articles. Afterward, he looked through the updated Bounty posters, finding a few Pirates within the 5-10,000,000 Belly range that he could measure his skills against. He had spent the last three months learning Pygmachia and Pal&eacute;, an ancient form of boxing and wrestling that originated in Ancient Grece. Getting consistently dominated by Caenis had its perks, but Thomas was getting weary of having his ass handed to him for 4-6 hours a day...
Finding an updated Bounty poster for Buggy the Clown, a smile returned to Thomas's face. He hated the imbecilic clown at the start of One Piece, but after witnessing his rise to a literal Emperor of the Sea, many within the community, including Thomas himself, considered Buggy one of the GOATs. The man had failed his way to the top of the world as a comic relief character, so Thomas was looking forward to eventually crossing paths with the 'legendary' Pirate...
...
..
.
(A/N: I wonder if Caenis makes Thomas call her mommy...?)

After waiting for Drake to return from one of her usual forrays, Thomas informed her of the news, only for the pink-haired Pirate to exhale a sigh before stating, "If you're this obsessed with the Straw Hats, why not just join their crew? We can become Shichibukai and expand our fleet without your 'oversight,' that's for sure..."
Furrowing his brows, Thomas replied, "I'm not obsessed with them. It's just that most of my knowledge of this world revolves around the Timeline and events their actions inspire. If we-"
Adopting a deadpan expression, Drake stared 'into' Thomas as she said, "That's bullshit, and you know it. Even if you learned about this world by watching the Straw Hats, the people and locations you reference in the Guidebook exist independently of them. All you're doing is making things easier for yourself, fearful that something 'unexpected' might happen. If this Straw Hat Luffy is the kind of person you say he is, do you genuinely believe your actions could derail his path...?"
"..."
Taking advantage of Thomas's silence, Drake added, "I've said this time and time again, but this is 'your' journey, Thomas. You're already planning to pilfer the female members of the Straw Hats. How do you expect to get away with that without 'changing' things up a bit?"
"I'm not pilfering anyone..." muttered Thomas. Before he could say he was just trying to help, however, Drake narrowed her eyes and retorted, "Yeah, using your knowledge of the past and future to manipulate their emotions and make them fall in love with you isn't stealing. Your intentions are 100% noble and pure. I must have just imagined they were exploitative..."
"..."
Exhaling a sigh, Drake's expression softened ever so slightly as she said, "Listen, Tom, I'm not accusing you of any wrongdoing. In fact, using your knowledge to guarantee the outcome you most desire is 'precisely' what you 'should' be doing. Before you came to this world, you were prepared to give up your literal soul for the opportunity to experience an adventure and break away from the mediocrity of your previous existence. Why are you hesitating 'after' you've been given the opportunity you yearned for? If you wanted to be a Hero or a Saint, you wouldn't have thrown yourself into a world of Pirates..."
With a defeated expression on his face, Thomas slumped his shoulders and questioned, "What do you want me to do? Travel around the world, kill whoever I please, and collect women like Pokemon? I'm not that kind of guy..."
Shrugging her shoulders, Drake replied, "I honestly don't care, so long as you're doing what 'you' want to do. Even if you decided to join the Straw Hats or spend the next decade training, I wouldn't protest as long as you lived the life you desired..."
Regaining her usual smile, Drake appended, "Though, if you're asking for my personal opinion, you should fight this Monkey D. Luffy directly. We're already planning to have Musashi steal the spotlight at Baratie. You might as well become one of the future Pirate King's rivals. If you plan to stand at the pinnacle of this world, you'll have to fight eventually."
Blinking in surprise, Thomas parroted, "You want me to fight Luffy...?" as if he couldn't believe Drake would even suggest such a thing.
Nodding her head, Drake explained, "You mentioned that the Straw Hats really grew into themselves after facing and overcoming obstacles. If we give them a 'baptism' of sorts and introduce them to the concepts of Haki early on, they could become much stronger in the future."
Though he suspected Drake had an ulterior motive, Thomas found her words 'very' compelling. If he truly became Luffy's rival, he could measure his growth against the rubbery youth at several points during the former's journey. Depending on the situation, he could even have his Servants help to promote the Straw Hat's growth, ensuring they would be even stronger than their canon counterparts...
After briefly considering the positives and the negatives, Thomas nodded in approval, stating, "It's a good idea. I'm also curious to see how I fare against this world's 'main character.' If I'm consistently around his level or stronger, I'll naturally reach the pinnacle of this world."
Returning a nod of her own, Drake added, "Just remember, our power is 'your' power. Use us well, and there's nothing in this world you can't do. Training with Chiron, learning to cook from Benienma, and fucking Caenis are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. You have the means to cure all diseases, resurrect the recently deceased, advance technology, and rule the world. All you need to do is stop holding back..."
Punctuating her words, Drake adopted a sultry smile and spread her legs slightly. However, as it was the morning after one of her overnight forrays around the town, Thomas furrowed his brows and said, "I'll pass. You are an undeniably beautiful woman, but I'm not comfortable 'sharing.' Even if we never entered an actual relationship, seeing you with other men would piss me off to no end."
Shrugging her shoulders, Drake lazily replied, "It really shouldn't. Love is an illusion at best and a mechanism of control at worst. People should be free to eat, drink, and fuck whoever they please. Institutions like marriage just complicate things and make people miserable."
Though he didn't disagree with Drake's views on marriage, Thomas shook his head, asserting, "Call me a hypocrite if you like, but no man with even an iota of pride would be okay with his partner having sex with other men. It's not about possession...it's something more...primal..."
Rolling her eyes, Drake waved Thomas away, saying, "Yeah, yeah. Just let me know when you're ready to set sail. Speaking with you is frustrating..."
Following her words, Drake rose to her feet and made her way over to her private liquor cabinet. When Thomas had initially refused her, she found it somewhat cute. Now, she found it annoying. The double-standard of him wanting to sleep with multiple women but expecting said women to 'only' sleep with him made her want to kick his teeth in.
Understanding he had overstayed his welcome, Thomas exhaled a sigh before promptly departing Drake's cabin. He knew his views were more than a little hypocritical, but there wasn't much he could do about it. Even though he and Caenis weren't in a 'committed' relationship, he would feel betrayed if she were to have sex with another man. In that same vein, if she weren't okay with him sleeping with other women, he simply wouldn't. As fascinating as the notion of a harem was, having just one good woman was more than enough to keep him happy...
...
..
.
After deciding that his first encounter with the Straw Hats would be at Baratie, Thomas spent his days monitoring the news, training with Caenis, learning how to cook from Benienma, and simply relaxing. Three months later, one of the events he had anticipated occurred: the announcement of the infamous 'Pirate Fleet Admiral,' Don Krieg's entrance into the Grand Line.
Though he couldn't remember every detail of the plot, Thomas knew that Don Krieg only spent around a week in the Grand Line before being forced to flee by Dracule Mihawk, one of the Seven Warlords and the man known as the Greatest Swordsman in the World.
Considering the distance between the Twin Capes of Reverse Mountain and Baratie, Thomas speculated it would take around 3-4 weeks for Don Krieg's ship to reach the floating restaurant. That meant that Luffy and his burgeoning crew were either around Orange Town or the Village of Syrup. Either way, it wouldn't be long before they sailed to Baratie in search of a Cook.
Confident in his assertions, Thomas explained the situation to his crew and made a few last-minute preparations before asking Drake to set sail three weeks later. The subsequent journey only took fourteen hours, so they had a few days to kill before things got 'interesting.' During that time, Benienma had a Shokugeki(Food War) with Zeff and Sanji, demonstrating her superior skill and teaching the duo a thing or two about Japanese and Hellish cuisine. At the same time, Beethoven enamored everyone with her music, while Drake openly flirted and consumed dozens of bottles of wine in a mere three days...
...
..
.
"There's no way..."
Though he knew Zelretch would have done something to fuck with him, Thomas wasn't prepared for the 'reality' that awaited him when he saw the Going Merry approaching from the balcony of the Baratie. Nami was young but attractive, Zoro looked like a bit of an ikemen, and Usopp's nose was as ridiculous as he was expecting. What caught him by surprise was the fact that Luffy, the free-spirited and badass main character that Thomas had looked up to for decades...the man whose ambition it was to become King of the Pirates...the person Thomas was looking forward to fighting...was a woman...
Seeing the disbelief on Thomas's face, Caenis asked, "What's wrong? You look like a maiden that just strayed into a den of Cyclopes without a dress on..."
Tearing his eyes from the prominent pair of tits that were thinly veiled behind Luffy's red shirt, Thomas replied, "This world is different from the one I'm familiar with. You see that person sitting on the sheep's head at the front of the ship? They're supposed to be male..."
Raising her brows slightly, Caenis asked, "The skinny girl with the massive tits and no bra...?"
"..."
Taking Thomas's silence as affirmation, Caenis focused her gaze on Luffy, narrowing her eyes slightly when the wannabe Pirate King looked back at her, tilting her head to the side like a curious monkey. She was wearing a sleeveless red shirt with three yellow buttons on the front, barely keeping her tits at bay. Other than that, she wore blue jean shorts that were frayed where her thighs poked out, a pair of straw sandals, and a simple-looking straw hat.
"She doesn't look very strong..." remarked Caenis. She was pretty good at ascertaining whether someone was a threat, and the only impression she got from Luffy was a friendly, ostensibly harmless girl that had wandered out to sea by complete accident.
Though he still had an awkward, disbelieving look on his face, Thomas attempted to defend Luffy, stating, "For her to be here, she must have defeated Ax-Hand Morgan, Buggy the Clown, and Black Cat Kuro. I'm not sure how powerful she is, but she's at least strong enough to level a five-story building or smash apart a boat with a single kick..."
Breaking eye contact with Luffy, Caenis turned to Thomas, asking, "Will you be able to fight her? You still behave like an overly conservative ninny when we wrestle. Do you actually have the balls to punch a woman in the face if there's a chance you might hurt them...?"
"..."
Unsure of how to respond to Caenis's question, Thomas remained silent. This development was so far beyond his expectations that his brain had effectively shut down. If he hadn't promised to help everyone attain their wishes and make their dreams a reality, he might call out to Zelretch right then and there, demanding to be sent to the 'actual' One Piece. Instead, as the gears in his mind slowly whirred back to life, he started thinking about how Luffy's unexpected change in gender might affect the canon he was familiar with. At the very least, she wouldn't be marrying Hancock in the future...not without some shenaninganery from Iva...
...
..
.
(A/N: I wonder if anyone else saw this coming~? Now, even if he wants to stick to the canon timeline, Thomas has no choice but to deviate. After all, this is no longer 'his' version of One Piece. Who knows, Yamato may be an actual man in this timeline (O w O)...)

Unable to contain herself, Caenis burst out laughing when she heard Arlong's threat. The enraged Fishman charged toward her, but she didn't even bother to dodge as he swung his sawtooth blade, the Kiribachi, at her neck.
To demonstrate just how outclassed Arlong was, Caenis raised her chin slightly, giving the former easier access to her neck as she stood with her arms crossed in contempt. The Endurance Parameter gave Heroic Spirits an exceptional degree of Shock Nullification, so Caenis stood her ground without moving a single centimeter despite the tremendous force behind Arlong's blow.
Parodying Arlong's words to Thomas, Caenis adopted a teasing sneer as she asked, "Seriously? You're this weak and dare to lecture others...?"
Seeing Caenis tank his full-powered blow without flinching, Arlong's eyes wavered as he instinctually took a step back, pulling his Kiribachi as if it were an actual saw. The moment he did so, Caenis reached up to grab the blade with her bare hand, shattering it like glass before kicking him in the gut faster than he could leap backward.
As Arlong was sent skidding across the ground like a stone across a pond, Caenis charged forward, intercepting him with a punting kick that sent the severely injured Fishman flying hundreds of meters into the air. Then, with a predominately red spear in hand, she reared back before releasing it like a crimson beam, piercing Along's body and the clouds above with enough force to create a void revealing the clear skies above.
While Thomas looked on in utter stupefaction, Caenis snorted through her nose, muttering, "Pathetic..." before raising her hand to casually catch the spear that came flying back to her like a sonic boomerang. A few seconds later, Arlong's body crashed into the ground, cratering it slightly as he lay sprawled out, unmoving, on the coral pavement.
Without sparing a glance at her downed opponent, Caenis returned to Thomas's side, asserting, "As feeble as he was, that deranged fish was beyond your capabilities. But don't let it bother you. You only recently completed your basic training. Once we start sparring 'seriously,' you'll get a lot stronger."
Exhaling a sigh, Thomas resisted the urge to dispute Caenis's assertion. He was sure he could have done 'something' against Arlong, but she had intervened the moment he was in danger. Even Luffy sustained near-fatal injuries during his battle against the specist Fishman, so it wasn't like he expected to come out completely unscathed...
Shaking such thoughts from his mind, Thomas adopted a wry smile as he replied, "Thanks for the assist..."
Nodding in approval, Caenis was about to tease Thomas even more but stopped as she noticed Arlong attempting to stand. She hadn't aimed for anything particularly important, but she was surprised to see he was still conscious, remarking, "Tenacious bastard..."
Following Caenis's gaze, Thomas felt a mixture of guilt and determination as he said, "Let me handle the rest." The thought of beating someone who could barely stand felt wrong, but he was well aware of the kind of person Arlong was. The man was many things, but deserving of mercy wasn't one of them...
Rolling her eyes, Caenis dematerialized her crimson spear before crossing her arms and stating, "If you slip up a second time, no fucking for the next two months."
Though Caenis's words nearly caused him to trip, Thomas caught himself, regaining his wry smile as he replied, "Now I can't lose..." before making his way over to Arlong with a vibrant blue haze surrounding his fists. The latter looked up at him as he approached, coughing up a worrying amount of blood as he managed to get one of his feet under him, kneeling on the ground with a sizeable hole in his stomach.
Covering the hole with his left hand, Arlong glared at Thomas as if the latter was his nemesis, stating, "You...coward...needing to gang up...on a single person..."
Furrowing his brows, Thomas was tempted to call Arlong out on all of his bullshit but ultimately decided against it. Treating their battle like he was in a shonen anime had allowed Arlong to sneak attack him multiple times. He also had nothing to prove to the extremely specist man, so he raised his right fist and said, "You talk too much..." before attempting to slam it into Arlong's left cheek.
Though he was too injured to dodge Thomas's attack, that didn't prevent Arlong from trying to slice open the former's hand with his saw-like nose. However, while he managed to angle his nose properly, a sound similar to metal scraping against metal filled the area as the razor-sharp edges slid across Thomas's hand and forearm without penetrating the veil of Magical Energy protecting him.
Realizing what Arlong had attempted, the look on Thomas's face became ugly as he raised his fist and condensed enough Magical Energy to make it seem like his hand was swathed in cerulean flame. As he did so, Arlong stared up at him with an indignant yet fiercely resolution expression on his face, unwilling to bow his head or beg for mercy from a 'human.'
As the Magical Energy in his fist reached the point where pieces of his skin began to peel away, Thomas's expression softened as he said, "Don't worry. Despite your intolerance, Fishmen will eventually be able to live on the surface without fear of humans. Queen Otohime's legacy endures..."
Blinking in surprise, Arlong's expression lost a bit of its ferocity as he opened his mouth to say something. That was the exact moment Thomas was waiting for, his fist resembling a ghostly blue meteor as he smashed it into the left side of Arlong's face. The latter had interrupted him several times, so this was a bit of petty revenge, resulting in the burly Fishman's left eye disintegrating as the upper half of his body spun around, nearly separating from his lower half due to the massive hole created by Caenis.
Though he was still alive, Arlong toppled over, blood leaking from his abdomen and empty eye socket as his body contorted unnaturally, a tell-tale sign that his spine had been snapped in two. It was a terrifying sight to behold, but Thomas felt an emotion similar to catharsis as he exhaled a breath he didn't even know he had been holding.
Shifting his attention from Arlong's collapsed form to the 'flames' around his fist, Thomas's complexion paled when he saw that his ring and pinky fingers were twisted in the wrong direction. At that exact moment, intense pain radiated from his hand and through his arm, but he managed to avoid crying out as he cradled it close to his chest and groaned, "Thick-skinned bastard..."
...
..
.
As Chiron reset and mended Thomas's broken fingers, Drake wandered around the destroyed Arlong Park with a broad smile and sparkling blue eyes. She had been feeling increasingly horny since she disembarked the Hind, so she 'knew' there was treasure nearby.
Reaching a patch of debris that made her especially 'tingly,' Drake pulled out her flintlock and fired a bullet that caused a decently-sized explosion rather than simply penetrating the rubble. When the smoke cleared, Drake found a large trapdoor, the smile on her face broadening as she kicked off the broken lock and opened the hatch to reveal a ladder and a room filled with chests, lock boxes, and a pallet topped with gold bars.
"Jackpot~!" exclaimed Drake before dropping into the secret storage room without hesitation. There were bundles of explosives in each corner of the room, set to go off if anyone attempted to enter the room forcibly, but the triggering mechanism had 'conveniently' been damaged, either by Drake's explosive bullet or the Hind's bombardment.
Kicking open the lid to one of the chests, Drake's eyes lit up as gold coins, gemstones, and neatly stacked piles of Belly entered her view. The Arlong Pirates had been extorting the communities of the Conomi Islands for the past eight years. During that period, they mandated that each citizen pay a monthly survival and protection tax of 100,000 Belly for each adult and 50,000 Belly per child. Most of the communities averaged between 100-300 residents, but that was still an average of 200,000,000 Belly a month for eight years.
Though Arlong had spent millions each month to purchase the silence of the local Marines, Drake's ability to calculate the value of objects revealed the horde to be worth 12,484,058,900 Belly. A standard Caraval cost just over 100,000,000 Belly, while a fully-rigged battleship had a market value of around 1,300,000,000 Belly. With 12.5 billion in additional funds, Drake could manifest at least three Frigates and twelve Corvettes to serve as an escort for the Golden Hind.
As tantalizing as that notion was, Drake immediately dismissed it from her mind as she knew Thomas wouldn't be 'comfortable' with hundreds, if not thousands, of crewmen joining their fleet. Her Master was possessive and a bit of a control freak, so he wouldn't be able to accept recruiting random people to fill their ranks and serve as extra hands. It was honestly kind of annoying, as the Hind was built to complement twelve officers and a crew of eighty. Right now, it felt more like a ghost ship than a proud vessel that sailed the seas without equal...
...
..
.
After receiving treatment, Thomas stood off to the side with Benienma, silently awaiting Drake's return while the Chiron and Caenis transported Arlong and his crew to the ship's brig. He noticed that Hachi was missing from the group of unconscious Fishmen, but as he always intended to let the comparably friendly Octopus go, Thomas didn't mention his absence to the others.
Since it never took her long to sus out the location of treasure, Drake emerged from the ruins of Arlong Park mere minutes after she wandered off, a tremendous smile on her face as she remarked, "Coming here was the correct choice. These damnable fish had close to six-"
With Benienma narrowing her eyes and placing her hand on the hilt of her katana, Drake's smile visibly cramped as she supplanted, "I found a stash of around twelve-and-a-half billion Belly in a hidden cellar. And since we don't have any lackeys, you get to help me carry it. Let's go."
Though he immediately followed after the pink-haired Pirate Queen, Thomas had a disbelieving expression and tone as he asked, "Twelve-and-a-half billion? With a B...?"
Raising her brows, Drake asked, "Why are you so surprised? You're the one who told us about the survival tax. As backwater as this island is, it still has a few thousand residents. Arlong and his crew must have been raking in between 200-400 million each month for the past eight years. If they hadn't spent any of it, we would have been looking at a payday of 20 billion, easy."
Realizing that Drake was telling the truth, Thomas's steps slowed until he had stopped entirely. The former initially turned to him with a confused look on her face, but when she saw the expression on his, it immediately morphed into a scowl as she declared, "We aren't turning over our booty to the people of this island. I don't mind if you want to help the villagers get back on their feet, but these are the spoils of our victory and the price of their lives. Maritime Law dictates that the spoils of a Pirate crew belong to the group that subjugated them. Do you think the Marines would return these funds to the people?"
Though he could see where Drake was coming from, Thomas couldn't help feeling conflicted.
Before Thomas could potentially make an enemy out of Drake, Benienma tugged on his sleeve, a serious expression on her face as she said, "Even spirits must pay a toll to traverse the Sanzu River, dechi. These people did not petition our aid, so we are under no obligation to return their money to them."
Blinking in surprise, Thomas stared down at the petite sparrow, asking, "Even you, Beni...?"
With a completely serious expression, Benienma asserted, "They willfully handed that money over to preserve their lives. We also have a lot of uses for it, so returning it to them would be punishing ourselves for performing a good deed, dechi."
Though he didn't fully agree with Benienma's take, Thomas only hesitated briefly before nodding in approval. He couldn't recall anything about Luffy and co returning Arlong's extorted loot, so it most likely ended up in the hands of the Marines. Thus, even though it made him feel like a complete and utter bag of dicks, he agreed to keep the money they had legally and 'fairly' plundered...
...
..
.
(A/N: Benienma be like, "Just enough money to start up my Inn...")

Chapter 24: Subterfuge