One Piece : Wild Hunt

In the middle of Thomas's discussion with Vivi and Nami, Astolfo returned from surveying the island, leaping from her Hippogriff before it landed on the deck.
"I'm baaaaaaaack~!" shouted the bubbly pinkette, leaping toward Thomas before he had the chance to return her greeting.
"Oof..."
As he had been sitting cross-legged, Thomas ended up on his back as a result of Astolfo tackling him. His hand instinctually moved to her head, but it soon ended up on her rear end as she crawled up his body to steal his lips.
Observing Astolfo's antics, Nami exhaled an exasperated sigh while Vivi covered her mouth and giggled. Then, with narrowed eyes, she remarked, "Thomas's Spirits are very devoted to him..."
With a skeptical look on her face, Nami questioned, "That's your takeaway from this...?"
Maintaining a calm, unperturbed demeanor, Vivi softly replied, "Everyone has their own circumstances, Nami. Thomas left behind his past life to live in our world for a reason. Until he has found what he is searching for, I will continue to support and wait for him..."
Exhaling a tired sigh, Nami leaned back and stared at the dimming sky above as she muttered, "You're a much stronger woman than I am, Vivi..."
Adopting a sad smile, Vivi replied, "I have borne the responsibility of more than ten million lives since I was a child. Once people have something to protect, they can endure anything..."
Hearing Vivi's silent utterance, Nami couldn't help recalling her adoptive mother, Bell-mere. If the latter had lied and said she didn't have any kids, Arlong wouldn't have killed her. Instead, she proudly announced she was the mother of herself and Nojiko, utilizing the 100,000 Berries that would have ensured her survival to protect them...
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After Astolfo had gotten her fill of kissing, Thomas sat with the bubbly pinkette on his lap as she gave her report. She easily managed to find the camps of Broggy and Dorry, each occupying the skulls of the Sea Kings they had slaughtered. More importantly, she found two ships concealed within a grotto and a house made of wax on the far side of the island.
Hearing Astolfo mention wax, Vivi's expression became serious as she said, "If it's really made from wax, it must belong to Mr. 3, Galdino. His Bounty is only 24,000,000 Berries, but he is a skilled tactician and one of the more terrifying members of Baroque Works. When it hardens, his wax is said to be more robust than steel..."
Nodding his head, Thomas demonstrated his own knowledge, adding, "And his partner, Miss Goldenweek, can hypnotize and control people by painting symbols on their bodies. She possesses no combat ability, but she's more dangerous than Galdino if she manages to leave her mark on you. If given time to prepare, she can even create an army of animals to overwhelm her opponents."
"So, what will you do?" asked Nami, her voice uncharacteristically calm.
Shrugging his shoulders, Thomas replied, "I can't reach the pinnacle of the world sitting on my ass. I'm going to at least 'try' fighting them."
Though she wasn't surprised by Thomas's response, Nami crossed her arms and asked, "You don't want to wait for Lucy and Zoro to return first?"
Shrugging a second time, Thomas replied, "They went out to experience an adventure. Sending Astolfo to locate the members of Baroque Works was something I decided. I wouldn't mind backup, but I'm not going to tell Lucy and Zoro how to spend their time. Besides, unless they fell into a trap, opponents like this are nothing to them."
Following his response, Thomas rose to his feet, picking up Astolfo as he did so. At the same time, Vivi asked, "Can I come with you? My strength might be lacking, but I'm sure I could be of assistance."
Since he was planning to take Astolfo and Benienma with him, the latter concealed within his shadow, Thomas answered, "Sure, but you'll have to leave Karoo behind since we'll be taking Astolfo's Hippogriff."
Hearing Thomas's words, the nearby Karoo exhaled a very human sigh of relief. It might be as fast as a leopard, but plenty of creatures were faster and stealthier. In a jungle dominated by dinosaurs, it barely qualified as a snack to a Tyrannosaur...
Nodding her head, Vivi adopted a smile and was about to respond in the affirmative when Nami asked, "What about me? Can I come along...?"
Before Thomas could respond, Astolfo responded, "Due to Master's size, three people is already pushing it. The weight isn't an issue, but there isn't enough space on Griff's back for four people."
Thinking of potential solutions, Astolfo proposed, "If you insist, our best options are to make two trips or have Griff carry Master with his talons."
"Yeah, I'll pass on that second one..." responded Thomas. He was no longer as afraid of heights as he used to be, but the thought of being transported in a Hippogriff's claws unnerved him.
As she didn't want to be left out or forced to cower back at the ship, Nami surprised everyone by stating, "I don't mind being carried. Either that or I could ride on Thomas's back. So long as we don't accelerate too quickly, I'm pretty confident I can hang on."
Scratching the back of her head, Astolfo's smile became awkward as she exhaled a nervous laugh and replied, "If anyone is going to ride Master, it should be Vivi or myself. You kind of missed the boat on that one..."
Crossing her arms, Nami narrowed her eyes and gave Thomas a side-long glance, asking, "Really...? So if I invited him back to the woman's cabin to have some 'fun,' he would refuse?"
Without missing a beat, Thomas replied, "Probably not. I just can't see our relationship developing any further than 'fuck buddies.' Not as you are, at least..."
Though she was tempted to ask what was wrong with her, Nami returned her gaze to Astolfo, affirming, "See? It's fine."
Smiling wryly, Astolfo awkwardly replied, "Well, if Master's okay with it..." before bringing her fingers to her lips and whistling loudly. As she did so, her Hippogriff burst out of the void, veiled in rainbow-hued light before it manifested completely and landed on the deck. Then, with Astolfo and Vivi seated in front of him and Nami pressing her voluminous breasts into his back, Thomas enjoyed the short flight over to where the unsuspecting members of Baroque Works were waiting...
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After reaching their destination in less than a minute, everyone alighted Astolfo's Hippogriff. Once they had, Thomas directed his gaze to Astolfo, saying, "Keep them safe." in a firm tone.
Reacting with a salute, Astolfo replied, "Leave it to me~!" in a voice that was a little too loud for comfort. This was one of the downsides to her Evaporation of Reason(D+), as she rarely considered the consequences of her actions.
Fortunately, even though Astolfo's outburst had garnered the attention of his enemies, it didn't matter. Thomas had decided to borrow a page from Lucy and Zoro, forgoing a plan entirely. If he had wanted to play it safe, he could have just gathered a ton of Magical Energy from a distance and nuked the wax house without getting close...
Immediately causing Thomas to regret his lack of preparation, four people promptly emerged from the wax house. There was a lanky, bespectacled man with his hair styled in the number three, a dark-skinned man wearing sunglasses and a trenchcoat, and two girls. The first was a fairly tall and attractive woman with bobbed blonde hair, a blue and yellow parasol that resembled a target, a yellow cap, and a pale yellow dress with a pattern of lemon slices. The second was a petite girl with reddish-brown pigtails and a very 'peculiar' outfit that consisted of a wide-brimmed pink hat, a jacket resembling a cloudy sky, a turquoise undershirt, a dark pink skirt, striped leggings, and an apron suitable for a painter. She looked like an art-obsessed 10-12-year-old, but she was fairly 'famous' within the One Piece Community for being a 'legal loli.'
Though Thomas took note of the little girl, Miss Goldenweek, she was like a background character compared to the attractive blonde, better known as Miss Valentine. Under more 'opportune' circumstances, Thomas might have attempted striking up a conversation with blue-eyed, lemon-themed Bounty Huntress. Instead, he removed his shirt normally before tossing it to Vivi as he said, "Hold that for me. I'll be back in a few minutes."
Hugging Thomas's shirt as if it were a bouquet, Vivi replied, "I believe in you, Tom..." before observing silently as he made his way toward a group that would have terrified her days prior...
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Seeing Thomas approach, Galdino snorted in contempt as he remarked, "Another brutish lug with more brawn than brains. Does he really think he can take on the four of us on his own? Such arrogance..."
Markedly more amused by the situation, Miss Valentine, also known as Mikita, issued a unique "Kyahahaha~" laugh before remarking, "He really is a hunk, though. If he manages to survive our onslaught, I think I'll take my time crushing him~."
Pushing up his sunglasses, Mikita's partner, Mr. 5, remarked, "Remember. The boss ordered us to take him alive. Don't get ahead of yourself, Miss Valentine..."
Instead of responding to Mr. 5, also known as Gem, with words, Mikita issued another one of her characteristic laughs before jumping well over a hundred meters into the sky with extreme ease. At the same time, Mr. 3, Galdino, said, "If it's capturing prey alive, you can leave it to me..." before the three on his head suddenly ignited like a candle's wick.
Waving his arms forward, Galdino shouted, "Candle lock...!" as torrents of candle wax emerged from his body at high speeds, crisscrossing as they attempted to ensnare Thomas's feet. Fortunately, while Galdino probably wouldn't make his Top 100 One Piece characters, Thomas recalled most of the man's moves and, more importantly, his weaknesses.
The moment Galdino launched his attack, the hazy white aura around Thomas's body became flame-like as he charged forward, leaping over the waxy torrent and propelling himself toward the group like a meteor.
Rather than contempt, Galdino's expression became one of shock as he exclaimed, "He can manipulate flames!? Why wasn't this mentioned in the report...!?"
Instead of answering Galdino's question, Gem aimed an ornate revolver at Thomas, pulling the trigger to discharge invisible projectiles that exploded on contact. The resultant explosions failed to penetrate Thomas's barrier, but they were able to slow his momentum enough for Mikita to drop down from above, shouting, "10,000 Kilo Press~!"
As he hadn't simply forgotten about Mikita's presence, Thomas dodged to the side as the lemon-themed blonde impacted the ground like a meteor, shattering the ground beneath her and causing a large explosion of dust and debris. Her Devil Fruit drastically increased her durability and allowed her to adjust her weight from 1kg to 10,000kgs in an instant. This was well beyond Thomas's lifting capabilities, so he needed to be careful not to get caught under the blonde-haired beauty's admittedly perky-looking ass.
Instead of waiting for the dust column produced by Mikita's attack to dissipate, Thomas charged directly into it, surprising the cackling blonde within with a lariat to the throat. Striking her was like clotheslining a metal statue with incredible inertia, but he still managed to inflict some damage to her since she wasn't expecting him to 'sneak attack' her.
Falling onto her butt, indenting the ground beneath her, Mikita massaged the front of her throat as she shouted, "You asshole! You're going to pay for that...!"
As the cloud of dust still hadn't settled, Thomas aimed his hand in the direction of Mikita's voice, firing off a continuous blast of Magical Energy that hit her like a truck and prevented her from rising. She could endure falling from hundreds of meters while weighing 10,000kgs, so he assumed she would be okay even if he unleashed a fully charged blast right at her. If she couldn't, well, it wouldn't be the first time he had killed someone...
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(A/N: Feminism, ho...!)

After maintaining his energy blast for several seconds, Thomas retracted his hand to find Mikita within a crater, glaring at him with a vengeful look on her face. The durability granted by her Devil Fruit extended to objects in her hands and clothing covering her body, but she was still a bit worse for wear, her hair frazzled and dress visibly worn.
"You bastard..." growled Mikita. However, before she could even think to launch an attack, a series of explosions compelled her to shield her face as Thomas was forced backward by Gem's invisible 'bullets.'
Like Mikita, Gem had eaten a Devil Fruit, specifically the Bomu-Bomu-no-Mi(Bomb Bomb Fruit). It allowed him to generate strong explosions from any body part, including his breath and blood. It also made him immune to shockwaves, especially those produced by explosions, so he was a fairly troublesome opponent unless you had a cutting or piercing weapon.
Following his sneak attack, Gem brought his revolver to his mouth and breathed into the chambers. Once he was finished, he aimed at Thomas, suggesting, "You should just give up and allow yourself to be captured..." before firing six more invisible rounds in rapid succession.
After blocking the attack with crossed arms, Thomas emerged from the explosions with a fierce expression as he growled, "You're getting on my nerves..."
Hmphing in response, Gem prepared to reload his revolver but was forced to dodge when Thomas abruptly fired a penetrating laser at him. The fact that he could dodge caught Thomas by surprise, but it turned out the man was simply reacting to the movement of his hand, not the laser itself. By sweeping his finger in the direction Gem had evaded, Thomas cut several centimeters into the man's legs, drastically reducing his mobility.
Though he was surprised by the efficacy of his attack, Thomas didn't let it distract him. Immediately after disabling Gem, he formed several barriers with his left hand, blocking a literal wave of wax before leaping into the air with his hands over his head like the Hulk about to smash something.
Preempting Thomas's attack, Galdino constructed a thick wall of wax, hardening just in time to block a destructive blast of fiery magical energy. The outer layers of the wax melted rapidly, but he was able to increase the wall's thickness even faster.
Landing on the ground, Thomas brought his right hand near his waist, his expression cold as he punched forward, creating a drill-like construct that rapidly burrowed through Galdino's barrier. Had the waxy man not dodged at the last moment, it likely would her pierced through him as well.
Pushing up his glasses to prevent them from falling, Galdino exclaimed, "Just what is your power...!?"
Ignoring Galdino's outburst, Thomas turned around, surprising the 'little girl' that had attempted to sneak up on him as he said, "Even if you're not a little kid, I'd rather not hit you. Mind sitting this one out...?"
Before Marianne could answer, Gem fired off another round of explosive bullets, impacting Thomas from behind. The consequent explosion was 'much' stronger than any of his previous attacks, so it knocked Thomas into Marianne, allowing him to act as a kind of shield against the resultant inferno.
Seeing his partner enveloped by Gem's sneak attack, Galdino shouted, "What do you think you're doing, Mr. 5!? We're supposed to be capturing him alive!"
Unable to stand due to the massive gashes running across his thighs, Gem glared at Galdino as he groaned, "He's too dangerous to be left alive. Just look at my legs. If we don't finish him off, he'll kill each of us..."
Dissipating the explosion with a burst of wind, Thomas rose to his feet, staring at the injured but still alive Marianne before shifting his fury-filled gaze to Gem. Before he could 'execute' the man for sneak attacking him at the expense of one of his allies, however, Mikita abruptly drop-kicked him from behind, shouting, "Don't forget about me, asshole...!"
Though his barrier was strong enough to endure high-caliber cannon fire, Thomas felt a sharp pain spread through his back and body as Mikita sent him crashing through several trees with her heels. All of her 10,000kgs had been focused on two points, so Thomas's barrier shattered like glass, resulting in him gaining two deep puncture marks around the small of his back, mere centimeters from his spine.
Despite feeling as though his back was on fire, Thomas sprang back to his feet the moment he gained control of his momentum, his expression akin to a wild beast as he glared at Mikita and growled, "Now you've pissed me off..."
As the coating of magical energy around his body became 'much' thicker, Thomas squared his feet and adopted an iconic pose. Fortunately, there was no one around to sue him for copyright infringement, so he brought his hands together and began condensing a terrifying amount of magical energy.
Realizing she may have poked a sleeping dragon, Mikita promptly leaped into the air, screaming, "Stop him, you nitwits...!" toward Galdino and Gem. The latter reacted by scooping up his blood with his revolver, but Galdino seemed to realize they had lost the fight, turning around and retreating as fast as his feet could carry him.
Seeing Galdino run off, Mikita's expression became even more panicked as she shouted, "You sniveling coward! And you call yourself an Officer of Baro-"
Before Mikita could complete her outburst, a column of energy more than 3m in diameter enveloped her body. Fortunately, she had kept her weight low, so she was propelled backward at extreme speeds rather than simply getting caught up in the energy blast. Unfortunately, she ended up being launched several thousand meters into the air, hovering over the sea and being propelled 'away' from the island due to a strong wind...
Though he didn't know the fate of Mikita, Thomas didn't care, launching himself toward Gem the moment he sent her flying. The latter attempted to stop him with explosive bullets formed of blood, but while Thomas was knocked around a bit, he was ultimately uninjured, releasing a loud battle cry once Gem ran out of ammunition.
Fearing for his life, Gem activated his ultimate technique, generating an explosion from his entire body just as Thomas reached him. The resultant explosion was so powerful that it enveloped more than a hundred meters of the surrounding forest with just the fireball. The shockwave it produced was much stronger, rippling out for several hundreds of meters, uprooting multiple trees, and severely burning Thomas's face, chest, and arms.
Despite burns covering his body and blood pouring from his nose and ears, Thomas wasn't pushed back by Gem's explosion. He had expected the man to do something desperate, so he had created a wedge-shaped barrier in front of his body at the last moment. It had shattered like glass but succeeded in redirecting much of the force of the explosion, leaving him with more burns than anything else.
Staring down at the severely injured, clearly exhausted Gem, Thomas's expression and voice were cold as he declared, "If you live a life killing and hunting others...you have no right to complain...about being hunted..."
Before Gem could respond, Thomas raised his foot and stomped on the man's face. To his surprise, Gem's head didn't immediately explode under the force of his stomp. Rather, since impact force was effectively a wave of energy passing through an object, much like a shockwave, Gem's Devil Fruit allowed him to endure what should have been a lethal blow. He was severely injured, having his nose crushed and several teeth knocked out, but he was still alive.
Not wanting to ruin the impression of Vivi, Astolfo, and, to a lesser extent, Nami, Thomas didn't continue stomping Gem's face after he failed to end the man's life. Instead, he closed his eyes and used Reinforcement on his body, accelerating his natural recovery to the point the burns on his body appeared to 'evaporate.' The holes on his back also healed, but the thing Vivi, Astolfo, and Nami noticed when they approached him was his hair. It was around shoulder length before, but it now extended halfway down his back after growing at an accelerated rate.
Suppressing her other questions, Vivi approached Thomas, caressing his bloody, soot-covered face as she asked, "Are you okay...?" in a concerned tone.
Returning a smile, Thomas replied, "Don't worry. I just need a bath, and I'll be good as new. Before that..."
Looking in the direction Galdino had fled, Thomas paused to consider letting the man escape. If Lucy somehow ended up in Impel Down in the future, she would need Galdino's help breaking free. Turning him over to the Marines directly was an option, but the Going Merry didn't really have a place to store captured prisoners...
Shifting his gaze to where he had left Marianne, Thomas found the girl had fled when he wasn't looking. With that being the case, he shook his head and muttered, "Forget it..." before returning his attention to Vivi and adding, "Let's head back to the Merry. I'm not so vindictive that I would pursue someone that has already given up..."
Adopting a smile, Vivi was about to respond that magnanimity was an important trait for a ruler but tensed when a feminine voice remarked, "My, how considerate of you..."
Following the sound of the voice, Thomas, Vivi, Nami, and Astolfo found a raven-haired woman seated atop a tree branch, her body veiled in a dark purple, incredibly revealing cowgirl outfit. Her top was similar to a corset that showed off her ample cleavage, while her skirt was incredibly short, adorned with white tassels. Over that, she wore a rather stylish fur coat, its color predominately white but accented with solid gold buttons.
Staring at Thomas with her piercing blue eyes, the woman cupped her cheek as she remarked, "You're a bold one, aren't you? You must have a fairly compelling wish to challenge a Warlord willfully."
Blinking in surprise, Thomas parrotted, "Wish...?" before directly asking, "What do you mean...?"
Exhibiting surprise of her own, the cowgirl-hat-wearing woman raised her brows as she questioned, "Are you trying to take me for a fool? The power you possess is clearly the result of an Install Card. Aren't you challenging Crocodile to claim the cards in his possession...?"
As he genuinely had no idea what the woman was talking about, Thomas replied, "We're taking on Crocodile to help Vivi and restore the Kingdom of Alabasta. I've never even heard of an Install Card."
Reaching into the breast pocket of her fur coat, the raven-haired woman pulled out a very familiar-looking card. In fact, besides the silver coloring and the image drawn on the front, the card was virtually indistinguishable from those given to Thomas at the start of his journey. As for the image, it depicted what appeared to be an Assassin and the roman numeral for the number three(III)...
Seeing the recognition and shock on Thomas's face, the woman adopted a teasing smile as she playfully mused, "So you 'are' familiar with Install Cards. Now, if you don't mind my asking, which cards do you possess? No need to be coy. Who knows, we may even be able to work together if you possess a powerful enough card..."
Recovering from his stupor, Thomas shook his head and asserted, "First off, I don't possess any Install Cards. Secondly, I know your identity and have been waiting for you to appear so we can converse. Mind joining me in Mr. 3's wax house...?"
Raising her brows, the raven-haired woman asked, "You know who I am?" before adopting a smile and adding, "Humor me..."
Nodding his head, Thomas replied, "You're Nico Robin, the sole survivor of Ohara's Archeologists, the woman seeking to expose the truth of the Void Century..."
Though she was surprised by Thomas's response, Robin didn't show it in her expression. Instead, she narrowed her eyes and adopted a smile as she replied, "It seems we've much to discuss. However, I won't enter any place I can't escape. If you really want to have a discussion, you'll let me bind your arms and accompany me into the jungle..."
Without considering his response, Thomas replied, "Sure," before turning to Vivi, Nami, and Astolfo, advising them to return to the Going Merry and promising he would meet them in a few hours. Vivi was reluctant to leave him alone with Baroque Works' top-ranking female agent, but, trusting he knew what he was doing, she wished him luck before accompanying Nami and Astolfo without a fuss...
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(A/N: The plot thickens (O w O)...)

Like many of the islands in the Grand Line, Little Garden had a river running through its center. Explorers in the distant past carved such channels to ensure their ships could moor safely, outside the influence of Sea Kings. Thus, after sailing around the island's perimeter for several minutes, the Merry began making its way inland, propelled by Caenis's power.
After reaching an area with a suitable clearing, Zoro dropped the anchor, prompting Lucy to remark, "This place smells like adventure...!" from her perch atop the Going Merry's figurehead. Before running off, however, she turned back and shouted, "Tom! Can you ask Beni to prepare me a lunch? I'm going to go explore the island...!"
As Benienma served under Thomas, Lucy rarely told the petite sparrow girl what to do. Instead, she always went to Thomas first, respecting the peculiar yet well-defined hierarchy within the crew.
Nodding his head, Thomas turned to Benienma, asking, "Do you mind preparing a few bentos? We're going to be stuck here a few days, and I imagine Zoro will want to go hunting or training while we're here."
With the amount of damage the Merry had sustained, it would take at least a week for Caenis to complete the repairs. Zoro had already donned his bandana/blindfold, so it was obvious he planned to use the delay to hone his Observation Haki against some of the most ferocious creatures from the Prehistoric Era.
Thumping her non-existent chest, Benienma responded with a curt, "Understood, dechi!" before hurrying to the kitchen. In the process, she nearly ran into Karoo, Vivi's horse-sized duck. It had been sleeping inside the lounge when the explosion occurred and was just now poking its head out since the ship had stopped.
As Karoo made its way over to Vivi's side, the blue-haired Princess gave it an affectionate caress before looking to Thomas and asking, "Will you be going ashore? If so, may I accompany you...?"
Adopting a wry smile, Thomas replied, "I will be going ashore, but I don't plan to explore just yet. I'm a fairly cautious guy, so there are a few things I want to confirm before heading out."
Inserting herself into the discussion, Nami asked, "Does it have anything to do with those giants you mentioned...?"
Shaking his head, Thomas revealed, "Broggy and Dorry are honorable warriors from Elbaf. Unless we go out of our way to attack or antagonize them, they'll probably greet us as guests. Being trapped on an island for a hundred years makes them pretty accommodating to guests..."
Before Nami could ask why the duo had been fighting, Thomas went on to answer her initial question, stating, "I'm more concerned about Baroque Works. With the amount of time that's passed, we should expect at least one or more groups of agents to surprise us."
Agreeing with Thomas, Vivi supplied a nod and appended, "Mr. 3 and his partner, Miss Goldenweek, often spend their free time at a nearby resort island known as Kyuka. If the Unluckies spotted us while flying overhead, there's a good chance they arrived at Little Garden before us."
Undaunted by the news, a vicious grin developed across Zoro's face as he remarked, "Sounds interesting," before leaping off the Merry and onto the shore, still blindfolded. He had already mastered the basics of sensing his surroundings and detecting life forces, so he was fairly confident he could hunt and fight without removing his bandana. Rather, even if he received a critical injury in the process, he was 'determined' to do exactly that...
Though he trusted that Zoro could care for himself, Thomas called out, "Watch out for ticks! And if you encounter a member of Baroque Works, send out a signal! Even if you can take care of them yourself, it's better to be safe than sorry...!"
Without turning around or responding, Zoro raised his hand to indicate he had heard Thomas's warning before disappearing into the dense jungle. In his wake, Nami asked, "Is there a particular reason you warned him to be cautious of ticks...?"
Adopting a slight deadpan, Thomas replied, "Nah, I just say random stuff for no reason whatsoever..."
"..."
Narrowing her eyes, Nami was about to call Thomas out for being rude but ultimately decided against it. Fortunately, he wasn't the only person onboard the Merry who was knowledgeable about the Grand Line. Once Vivi heard Thomas mention ticks, a specific species popped into her head, prompting her to divulge, "There is a type of tick native to the surrounding isles known as a Kestia Tick. If you get bitten by one, there's a possibility you'll contract a rare illness known as Five-Day Disease. It got that name because, without treatment, you'll be dead within five days of contracting it..."
Blinking in surprise, Nami asked, "Seriously? And there are ticks like that on this island...?"
Since it was a good opportunity, Thomas gave a curt nod, appending, "Indeed. For that reason, and many others, we should prioritize finding a Doctor before reaching Alabasta. Sir Crocodile is known to store poison in his hook, and Alabasta is home to many poisonous plants and animals. I can summon Asclepius in the event of an emergency, but we shouldn't be overly reliant on him and the other members of the Wild Hunt..."
As she was waiting for Benienma to return with food, Lucy decided to join in on the conversation, stating, "Tom's right. Caenis and the others are too powerful. Before we enter the new world, I want to recruit a Cook, Doctor, Musician, Shipwright, and Helmsman. We can't always rely on Tom and his Spirits."
Though he wanted to say they 'could' rely on him, Thomas knew there was a reasonably high probability that his path would diverge from the Straw Hats, at least for a short while. Lucy and Zoro were growing much stronger, much faster than he was. He was training hard to keep up, but his ability to peruse his status made it clear his progress was stagnating. Unless he achieved a major breakthrough, such as obtaining a Divine Core, he wouldn't be able to keep up with the monsters awaiting them in the New World...
Exhibiting a startling amount of awareness, Lucy adopted a broad smile as she confidently asserted, "If the people in Alabasta need him, I think Thomas will stay and lend them a hand. Once he's done, he can always fly over to us on Astolfo's Hippogriff. It's a lot faster than our ship, so he can catch up to us in no time."
Surprised and elated by Lucy's words, Vivi grabbed Thomas's arm and asked, "Is it true, Tom? Will you really be staying in Alabasta...!?"
Smiling wryly, Thomas admitted, "I have given it a bit of thought. Alabasta will take time to recover, so I was thinking about training there and giving you a hand in restoring your Kingdom..."
Reading a little too much into Thomas's words, imaginary hearts appeared in Vivi's lilac eyes before she narrowed them and clung happily to his arm. The thought of him departing shortly after Crocodile's defeat had worried her greatly. Now, even if he just stuck around for a few weeks longer, she was confident she could 'convince' him to return there once he completed his journey abroad.
Interrupting the awkward tensions that were starting to build, Benienma emerged from the galley with a large rucksack of neatly wrapped onigiri, passing it over to Lucy and cautioning her not to eat anything she hadn't checked for poisons or parasites. In response, Lucy just snickered before bounding into the forest, ultimately disregarding Benienma's warnings as she swung from tree to tree with her stretchy arms, collecting any fruits and vegetables she happened to pass...
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With nothing better to do, Thomas enjoyed a lengthy lunch with Vivi, Nami, Astolfo, and Atalanta before spending a few hours revitalizing the damaged tangerine trees.
Though Reinforcement Magecraft couldn't really 'heal' things, it could promote growth and natural recovery. The amount of Mana required was tremendous, but with a functionally infinite amount, Thomas only needed time.
Observing Thomas's actions alongside Nami, Vivi muttered, "Your power truly is miraculous. Not only can you turn sand into fertile soil, but you can even promote the growth of plants and animals..."
Adopting a smile, Thomas responded, "This is just the tip of a very large iceberg. Once I master this power, anything becomes possible. Right now, I'm primarily focused on strengthening my body and learning how to alter my size at will..."
Raising her brows, Vivi asked, "Why would you need to change your size? I think you're fine just the way you are."
Since Benienma was present, sitting between the two beauties, Thomas's smile became wry as he asked, "Do you want the honest answer...?"
Though she could already guess where things were headed, Vivi adopted a 'serious' expression as she replied, "I would..."
Inhaling a deep breath, Thomas ceased pumping Mana into the tangerine trees, facing the trio before answering, "Though I honestly wouldn't mind settling down with a single good woman, I've decided to live 'freely' until I reach the end of this journey..."
Adopting a serious expression, Thomas revealed, "It should be obvious by now, but I'm not originally from this world. In order to trespass this one, I had to form a contract with a righteous yet devilish entity. He's the person who gave me the Mana-Mana-no-Mi, and, in exchange, I need to do him a favor once I attain my dream of standing at the pinnacle of the world..."
Meeting Vivi's surprised gaze, Thomas's expression and tone softened as he added, "I'm not sure what he will ask of me, so I intend to live this life to the fullest. To that end, there are people I'd like to encounter, places I'd like to explore, and, as shameless as it sounds, women I'd like to sleep with. That's one of the reasons I tried to discourage you...while I sincerely want to help people, I don't consider myself a good person..."
Before Nami or Vivi could respond, Benienma adopted a frown, asserting, "Master is a very kind and considerate person. You should not speak ill of yourself, dechi."
Recovering from her momentary stupor, Vivi gave an affirming nod as she placed her hand over her chest and added, "Benienma's right. Even if you have a somewhat...passionate nature, it doesn't change the fact that you desire to help others. So long as you remain the good and honest man I know you to be, I will support you with all my heart..."
As Thomas had expressed his intention to sleep with other women even before they had sex, Vivi wasn't going to condemn him for it now. She was a little surprised by the revelation that he was from another world and had made a deal with the Devil, but it was far from the strangest thing she had heard or experienced.
Hearing Vivi's heartfelt words, a discernible layer of moisture developed across Thomas's eyes. She was the best woman he had met and infinitely more than he deserved. If she asked it of him, he would probably give up his ambitions completely. What made her so exceptional was the fact that she never would...
Shattering the rosy atmosphere, Benienma gave an approving nod before asserting, "You will make a good Seishitsu, dechi. Once Master becomes one of the rulers of this world, you will serve him well as his official wife."
Surprised by Benienma's statement, Vivi issued a confused "Eh...?" before tilting her head adorably to the side. She had considered asking Thomas to become her consort, but the notion that she might be the one to marry him seemed so...outlandish. That, and a little exciting...
...
..
.
(A/N: Benienma best wing-birb...)

Chapter 52: To the Wind