One Piece : Wild Hunt

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...
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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...
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"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...
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(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)...)

As innumerable thoughts filled Thomas's mind, the Going Merry, Luffy's ship, pulled around to the opposite side of the Baratie. This gave Thomas the idea of having Drake relocate the Hind, not to put them closer to the Straw Hats but to ensure they wouldn't be in the firing line when Mihawk showed up to slice Krieg's ship into three pieces.
With such thoughts in mind, Thomas turned around and made his way into the Baratie. As unexpected as this development had been, he still planned to meet Luffy and the other Straw Hats. Fullbody wasn't around to try and sink their ship, so the odds of Luffy accidentally destroying the roof of the Baratie were slim. On that same note, there was a real possibility that Gin, the Combat Commander of the Krieg Pirates, wouldn't show up. Without him to lure Krieg over, the events of the Baratie Arc, including Mihawak's arrival, may not occur at all...
Realizing how drastically even minor actions could shape the course of 'set' events, Thomas exhaled a sigh. If Mihawk didn't show up, they would have no choice but to depose one of the other Shichibukai to secure their nomination. However, the two best options, Crocodile and Geck Moria, were opponents that the Straw Hats 'needed' to overcome to ensure their growth, forge future alliances, and recruit members to their crew...
As Thomas moved over to sit at her table, Musashi remarked, "You look like someone who just found their childhood pet lying dead in its kennel. What happened?"
Smiling wryly, Thomas answered, "Luffy is a woman...and I now have no idea what to expect..."
Raising her brows slightly, Musashi mused, "That must have been quite the shock. However, considering there are many Heroic Spirits who were men in the 'greater' history of their worlds, you shouldn't be too surprised by such an outcome. After all, we wouldn't even be here if this were the One Piece you're familiar with."
As there was a considerable amount of truth to Musashi's words, Thomas inhaled deeply before exhaling a long, exasperated, and accepting sigh. Unfortunately, this was immediately followed by Caenis remarking, "Look on the bright side. If things go well, you might have another hole to shove your cock into. With a body made of rubber, she should be able to accept you no matter how big you grow."
While Musashi's smile became wry, Thomas reached up to massage his abruptly aching forehead. He would be lying if he said the thought hadn't crossed his mind, but there was a difference between thinking something and voicing it aloud...
Before Thomas could fully recover from how taken aback he was, the front entrance to the Baratie was practically kicked open, followed by the petite future Pirate Queen shouting, "Give me some vegetables~!" loud enough to shake the restaurant to its keel. Behind her, Zoro, Usopp, Nami, and two other men whose names Thomas couldn't remember off the top of his head, entered with wry, curious, or bored looks on their faces.
Following her outburst, Luffy looked around the dining area, zeroing in on Thomas, Caenis, and Musashi. Her gaze caused the remaining Straw Hats to look over, Usopp exclaiming, "Holy sea cows!" while Zoro narrowed his eyes, his hand naturally gravitating to his swords when he met Musashi's gaze.
After punching the back of Usopp's head, causing him to bite his tongue, Nami turned to Luffy, asking, "Do you know those people, Lucy?"
Shaking her head, Lucy unhesitantly replied, "Nope. But I can tell those two girls are 'really' strong."
As the group was speaking loud enough that everyone could hear them, Thomas exhaled another tired sigh. He knew his strength was nowhere near Caenis's and Musashi's, but he never expected to be 'disregarded' while sitting between them.
Adding insult to injury, Nami asked, "What about the guy? He seems like their leader or something, doesn't he...?"
As if she only noticed him once Nami mentioned him, Lucy looked at Thomas before crossing her arms in a manner that made it look like her breasts would burst out at any moment. Then, after several seconds of silence, she tilted her head to the side and remarked, "He seems kind of weak...?" as if there was an invisible question mark over her head.
Suppressing yet another sigh, Thomas rose to his feet, forcing a smile as he said, "For now, perhaps. However, so long as I never give up, it's only a matter of time before I stand at the pinnacle of this world..."
Blinking in surprise, Lucy issued a curious "Oh?" before adding, "If that's the case, then you should join my crew. I'm the woman who's going to be the future Pirate King. If you're going to be strong one day, we should be Nakama."
Inserting herself back into the conversation, Nami had a helpless look on her face as she said, "You can't just go around inviting everyone you meet to join your crew, Lucy. Besides, look at the situation. He already has two beautiful women eating with him. Inviting a womanizer onto the crew will jeopardize the safety of our female members..."
Tilting her head to the opposite side, Lucy asked, "How? He doesn't seem like one of the bad guys my Grampa and Dadan told me to avoid. I get the feeling he actually wants to help us."
Blinking in surprise, Thomas opened his mouth, but no words came out. He knew Luffy/Lucy had a powerful intuition, but he didn't think he would be seen through so...effortlessly. She also seemed a lot smarter than the character he was familiar with...not to mention her call for 'vegetables' in place of meat. It was almost like she was a completely different person...
Adopting a broad smile that would be impossible for a normal person, Lucy asserted, "We can trust him." before making her way over to sit at Thomas's table. Nami reluctantly joined her while Zoro, Usopp, and the two 'nameless' Bounty Hunters sat at the table next to them. Around the same time, Sanji emerged from the kitchen with a plate of vegetable soup, asking, "Who ordered the veggies...?"
Raising her hand much higher than a normal person, Lucy replied, "Me, me, me! Bring it over here~!" in a spirited tone.
Following the direction of the voice, Sanji's eyes widened when he saw the bevy of beautiful girls seated around a single table. The presence of Thomas bothered him, but he had already gotten accustomed to ignoring the brutish eyesore that seemed to have the Devil's luck.
Making his way over, Sanji set the soup in front of Lucy, a charming smile on his face as he mused, "One vegetable soup, for the beautiful lady. This one's on the house."
Hearing Sanji's remark, a mischievous smile appeared on Nami's face as she leaned forward slightly, accenting her still-developing charms as she asked, "And what about me, Mister Waiter? Do I get a free meal as well~?"
Though the expression on his face remained fairly calm and composed, everyone at the table heard Sanji swallow as he met Nami's hazel-brown eyes and struggled to hold her gaze. In response to her words, he gave a slight bow and smoothly replied, "Of course. For beautiful ladies, being given the opportunity to prepare your meals is payment enough. It would be criminal of me to charge you more..."
Narrowing her eyes in amusement, Nami replied, "Then we'll need a lot more than a single plate of soup. Despite her diminutive appearance, my friend here can eat her body weight in fruits and veggies. As for me, I'll take the house special and a bottle of your finest wine."
Despite a bead of sweat appearing on his brow, Sanji retained his smile and replied, "As you will, my lady." before returning to the kitchen without bothering to ask Zoro, Usopp, and the others what they wanted. He also didn't look toward Thomas until the latter said, "Get Beni to help you. I'll also foot the bill and the cost of the ingredients, so feel free to show off as much as you like."
Realizing he had given Thomas a chance to flex his wealth, Sanji clicked his tongue and returned to the kitchen without responding. Immediately following his exit, Nami's eyes were practically sparking as she leaned across the table, smiling radiantly as she asked, "Are you perhaps super wealthy, mister...?"
Though it felt awkward being referred to as a 'mister,' Thomas replied, "Thomas D. Jensen. Feel free to call me Tom. And yes, my crew is...fairly wealthy..."
Keying in on the word crew, Lucy asked, "You already have a Pirate crew of your own?"
With Musashi and Caenis leaving the discussion to him, Thomas shook his head and replied, "Not quite. We might become Pirates at some point, but our current occupation is Bounty Hunters. The three of us are members of the Wild Hunt, sailing aboard a vessel called the Golden Hind."
Hearing Thomas refer to himself as a Bounty Hunter, the bodies of Nami, Zoro, and Usopp tensed. Lucy, however, was completely carefree as she asked, "The three of you are 'members' of the Wild Hunt? Does that mean you have a Captain...?"
Nodding in affirmation, Thomas revealed, "The Wild Hunt currently has ten members, and our Captain is Francis Drake. These two remarkably beautiful women are Caenis and Musashi, the Shipwright and First Mate of our crew. As for me...you could say I'm their patron? I basically get to pick and choose our destination and target."
Exhibiting a complete disregard for the antagonistic relationship between Pirates and Bounty Hunters, Lucy replied, "You seem pretty important. As for me, my name is Monkey D. Lucy, the future Pirate King. And these are my friends and crewmate, Nami, Zoro, and Usopp. If the three of you are Bounty Hunters, I guess that means you'll be chasing us in the future...?"
Shaking his head, Thomas seized the opportunity to assert, "Our group only targets evil and malicious Pirates, the type that harms others and commits all kinds of heinous acts. As far as I'm aware, none of you even have Bounties. Even if you did, I don't think you're bad people. Certainly not like that Arlong fellow we took down a few months ago..."
Slamming the table, Nami rose to her feet, shouting, "What did you just say!? Did your crew really take down Arlong...!?" with a disbelieving yet hopeful look on her face.
Though he was a little taken aback by Nami's outburst, Thomas managed a smile, nodding his head as he replied, "Indeed. We handed them over to the 45th Branch of the Marines around three months ago. We managed to earn around 65 million after turning them in."
Plopping onto her seat, Nami's gaze became unfocused as she muttered, "I can't believe it..."
Choosing to chime in, one of the nameless Bounty Hunters, a bronze-skinned man with short black hair and sunglasses, stated, "He's telling the truth. The Bounties for Arlong and his crew were rescinded around three months ago. However, the identities of the people who defeated them were never made public..."
Nipping Nami's disbelief in the bud, Zoro added, "Johnny's right. I was originally planning to take out Arlong and his crew after dealing with the other infamous Pirate crews in the area, but his Bounty was canceled a few months ago. If these people really took him out, their power must be pretty incredible..."
Seeing another excellent opportunity, Thomas narrowed his eyes as he replied, "Strong enough to take out pretty much any crew in the East with ease. I'm the weakest member of the Wild Hunt, but I'm fairly confident I could give your Captain a run for her money..."
Raising her brows, Lucy offered a surprise "Oh?" before adopting a toothy grin as she questioned, "Are you challenging me to a fight? I may be a girl, but you'll regret it if you look down on me."
With a 'serious' expression, Thomas shook his head, firmly asserting, "I'm not looking down on you. In fact, I 'know' you have tremendous potential. It's one of the many reasons I want to fight you...I want to test my power against the future Pirate King..."
"Hmmm..."
Placing her index finger on her chin and tilting her head slightly to the side, Lucy appeared to be seriously considering her response. She would prefer to fight Thomas's Captain, but if he was 'serious' about fighting her, she didn't see the harm in accepting his challenge. He had also offered to pay for her meal, so she 'owed' him at least that much.
Nodding her head, Lucy replied, "Okay. Once we're finished eating, let's find a nearby island where we can cut loose. I'm pretty curious about the abilities of your crew, so we can have a friendly match to determine who's the strongest."
Immediately following Lucy's words, Sanji emerged from the kitchen with a silvery pushcart full of food, effectively bringing the conversation to an end. Nami looked like she still had a lot she wanted to ask but ultimately remained silent, deciding she would wait until after the fight to ask about the details of Arlong's defeat...
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(A/N: For those who weren't aware, Oda actually revealed a genderbent version of Luffy in one of his AMA/SBSs. According to the man himself, the genderbent version of Luffy is a vegetarian with the same dream, just a more 'delicate' personality.)

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~?"
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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.
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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...
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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...
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[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...?)

Chapter 25: Reality Check