One Piece : Wild Hunt

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)...)

With several pairs of arms growing from his back and shoulders, using his own body as leverage to keep his hands pinned behind his back, Thomas remarked, "This is more uncomfortable than I thought it would be..."
Seemingly amused by Thomas's complaint, Robin covered her mouth and issued a dignified "Fufufufu~" before teasing, "Now that your friends have departed, I could capture you and take you back to Crocodile. Make sure to choose your words carefully, Tommy boy..."
Raising his brows, Thomas parroted, "Tommy boy...?" before shaking his head and confidently asserting, "You're not the kind of woman that would condemn another to their fate. I might be concerned if I was your enemy, but I'm probably the best ally you have outside the executive members of the Revolutionary Army."
Stopping in place, Robin turned around to meet Thomas's gaze, looking deeply into his eyes with a practiced smile on her face. She was pretty good at reading people after spending twenty years concealing herself and fleeing from the World Government, so she could tell he wasn't lying when he said they were allies.
"How curious..." remarked Robin. Then, after staring at Thomas for several more seconds, she added, "You speak and behave as if you know me. Yet, as far as I can recall, this is the first time we've met. And I'm very good at remembering people's faces..."
Adopting a wry smile, Thomas replied, "It's because I've seen your past and one of your possible futures. You're one of the people I came to this world to help, so I plan to lend you a hand and help uncover the truth of this world."
Raising her brows, Robin asked, "You're from a different world? You're becoming more and more 'curious' by the moment..."
Shrugging his shoulders, Thomas replied, "My circumstances are pretty crazy. And I'll be happy to tell you about them. Preferably without the danger of you dislocating my shoulders or snapping my neck..."
"Hmmm..."
Catching Thomas a little off guard, Robin suddenly snapped her fingers, dismissing the hands she had binding him. Then, with crossed arms, she said, "Tell me what you know. If your story is compelling enough, I might at least 'pretend' to trust you."
While rolling his shoulders to ease some of the tension, Thomas replied, "I don't mind telling you everything you want to know. Afterward, I'd like you to explain where you acquired that 'Install Card.' I have a pretty good idea of where they originate, but I'd like to hear the specifics..."
Nodding her head, Robin replied with a curt, "Of course," before adopting a marginally more serious expression and adding, "Now, tell me what you know about my past and this 'future' you've seen..."
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Though he couldn't remember everything about Robin's past, the details Thomas was able to recall were more than enough to convince the raven-haired beauty he wasn't trying to pull the wool over her eyes. Several of the things he mentioned were things she had never shared, so unless he had peered into her memories, he couldn't have known about them unless he had witnessed them directly.
As surprising as the revelations of her past were, it was the details of her 'future' that convinced Robin that Thomas wasn't simply trying to deceive her. She had only heard rumors about the Road Poneglyphs, and that was from an obscure text in the Library of Ohara. Hearing Thomas mention them wasn't too much of a surprise, but he also knew of their approximate locations and, most convincingly, the resting place of at least two Ancient Weapons...
With Thomas's recount coming to an end after more than an hour, Robin's usually unreadable expression revealed a hint of excitement as she asked, "Is Poseidon truly a Mermaid Princess...?"
Nodding his head, Thomas revealed, "Her name is Shirahoshi, daughter of King Neptune and the late Queen Otohime. She's currently locked away in a tower due to a stalker named Vander Decken attempting to marry or kill her."
Covering her mouth, Robin issued a somewhat insincere-sounding, "Oh my..." before lowering her hand and expressing, "Your story is undeniably compelling. However, without confirming the existence of the Poneglyphs with my own eyes, I can't simply take your word for it..."
Shrugging his shoulders, Thomas replied, "That's fine. Most of what I just told you relates to an alternate reality, so I can't say for certain everything I said was accurate. I just wanted you to know that neither myself nor the Straw Hats are your enemies. If it takes a few weeks, months, or years to convince you fully, that's understandable."
Sensing no falsehoods in Thomas's words, Robin allowed a faint smile to adorn her face. She was skeptical by nature, like any qualified scholar, but she could tell Thomas was doing his best to be candid and sincere. If she was wrong, he was an impossibly good actor...
Crossing her arms in a way that deliberately emphasized her breasts, Robin mused, "You know so much about me. Now, why don't you tell me about yourself? You claim not to know what Install Cards are but mention you have an idea of where they stem. I'm guessing the power you wield is somehow related...?"
Shaking his head, Thomas answered, "All I have is a guess based on my circumstances. I'm not sure if the two are directly or tangentially related, so it would help if you could explain what the Install Cards are and how, exactly, they function..."
Since Thomas had provided her with far more information than she could have anticipated, Robin gave a curt nod before explaining, "They grant the user the ability to channel an incredible power for a short period. Beyond that, all we know is that if you manage to acquire nine of a specific kind of card, it qualifies you to have your wish granted. As for how they function, you just hold up the card and shout 'Install' with as much spirit as you can muster."
Blinking in surprise, Thomas asked, "That's it?" before questioning, "Do you know where they come from and how many there are...?"
Shaking her head, Robin replied, "The card in my possession seemingly materialized out of thin air a few years ago. When I touched it, a voice in my head explained the card's mechanics and what to do once I obtained the other eight. Unfortunately, even though Baroque Works has spent the past three years searching for them, we've only managed to acquire three unique cards. Mine is the Grade-3 Assassin Card. The two in the hands of Crocodile are the Grade-6 Caster and Grade-3 Lancer Cards."
Though he heard everything Robin said, Thomas focused on one specific part of her explanation, parroting, "Three years...?" with a bewildered look on his face.
Amused by Thomas's reaction, Robin issued a suppressed laugh before smiling as she answered, "Indeed. Crocodile and I acquired cards around a year after we began 'collaborating.' The previous owner of the Grade-3 Lancer Card claimed to have received their card around the same time, so it's reasonable to assume the others materialized within a few days of one another. At the very least, mine and Crocodile's appeared five days apart."
Raising his eyes skyward, Thomas could practically envision Zelretch staring down at him with a shit-eating grin on his face. He didn't know if the elderly vampire had sent him to this version of One Piece 'specifically' because he had already meddled with it or if he had pulled some time fuckery to interfere with the past 'after' his arrival. Either way, things just got a lot more complicated...
Deciding not to let it bother him, at least for the time being, Thomas returned his gaze to Robin, asking, "Do you mind showing me how your card works...?"
Without hesitation, Robin replied, "I'd rather not. Install Cards utilize a form of energy that doesn't exist naturally in this world, so it takes around a month to replenish just one minute of power. Using the card expends all the accumulated energy, so they're best saved for emergencies."
Adopting a wry smile, Thomas asked, "Could the energy you're referring to be Mana?"
Returning a smile of her own, Robin replied, "Indeed. That's the reason Crocodile is so eager to capture you. Your Mana-Mana-no-Mi is of great interest to him, myself, and presumably anyone in possession of an Install Card. If I had to guess, that includes the World Government..."
Prompted by Robin's words, Thomas immediately recalled how he had casually revealed the name of his fruit to Smoker. At the same time, he could practically hear Zelretch laughing his ass off from atop his throne...
Instead of cursing the old man aloud, Thomas reached up to massage his forehead and temples. He knew Zelretch was a troll, so this type of thing wasn't 'completely' unexpected. The old man never made things easy for the people he had taken an interest in, so unless he promptly decided to throw himself into the sea, he was subject to the inconceivably powerful man's whims for the remainder of his time in One Piece. Potentially much, much longer...
Shaking such thoughts from his mind, Thomas met Robin's gaze, asking, "Mind if I take a look at your card? I promise to return it..."
Whipping out her card, Robin replied, "Sure. The cards are bound to the person who discovered them, so it's impossible to steal them. The only way to claim someone else's card as your own is to defeat them in their transformed stare or kill them."
Demonstrating her point, Robin waited until Thomas had accepted her card before making a flicking gesture with her right hand, materializing the card between her index and middle fingers before handing it back to him.
Smiling wryly, Thomas remarked, "Pretty neat..." before trying to channel his Mana into the card. The moment he did, the card released a blinding silver light as a sensation similar to being electrocuted radiated through his hand, causing him to exclaim, "Fuck...!" before grabbing his hand and hissing in pain.
Raising her brows, Robin calmly stated, "That's new..." before snapping her fingers to materialize the card in her hand, adding, "Nothing appears to have changed..." after checking both faces.
Though he heard Robin's words, Thomas was focused on the severe burn marks on his hand. He could move his fingers and feel sensations through them, but he was having trouble channeling his Mana into them, similar to when Chiron inflicted him with a Curse.
While working to expel the invasive energy pervading his fingers, Thomas looked to Robin, discovering the raven-haired woman staring at his hand with a curious look on her face. She raised her gaze to meet his when he looked at her, but she was clearly interested to know what had transpired.
Adopting a pained smile, Thomas revealed, "I tried channeling Mana into the card, but, as you can see, it rebounded and inflicted a curse on me. I was warned this would happen if I attempted to interfere with a magical contract, but this is my first time experiencing a rebound directly...it really fucking hurts..."
Holding up his hand, Thomas demonstrated he wasn't exaggerating by showing Robin the charred 'splits' running down his index, middle finger, and thumb. There was even a bit of bone visible on his index finger, so he was doing his best not to scream bloody murder.
Though she had long noticed the injuries on Thomas's hand, Robin was surprised by how severe the damage was, asking, "Will you be okay...?" in an ostensibly concerned tone. In response, Thomas gave a curt nod as he replied, "Yeah, I just need to expel the energy of the Curse from my hand. After that, it should heal fairly quickly. Just...give me a few minutes..."
As the pain was quickly reaching a point beyond his ability to tolerate, Thomas followed his words by taking a seat and focusing all his attention on fixing his hand. It took nearly a full hour, but if nothing else, it taught him never to underestimate the power of a magical contract. There was a reason magical contracts were considered one of the foundational pillars of Magecraft...
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(A/N: He's lucky he didn't try to 'break' the contract...)

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...!)

Chapter 53: Fury : Surprise