One Piece : Wild Hunt

After reaching their destination, a large clearing surrounded by rocky buttes, Smoker said, "This is far enough," before drawing his custom-made, seastone-tipped jitte from its sheathe.
In response to Smoker's words, Tashigi got into an iai stance while his subordinates, numbering seventy-three people in total, formed a loose encirclement around the area, rifles aimed at Thomas.
Though he was practically bulletproof, Thomas still felt 'itchy' whenever someone pointed a gun at him. Despite this, he did his best to appear calm, staring down Smoker as he asked, "How do you want to do this? As much as I'd like a high Bounty, I don't want to severely injure or kill any of your men."
With a characteristically grim expression, Smoker stated, "My men aren't cowards. They knew what they were getting into when they signed up to become Marines..."
Without waiting for Thomas to respond, Smoker's left arm turned to dense white smoke before his still-solid hand, wielding his jitte, shot forward fast enough to break the sound barrier.
Though he wasn't at the level of being able to dodge supersonic attacks, Thomas surprised Smoker, Tashigi, and their subordinates by standing his ground. The tip of the jitte should have pierced his shoulder, disabling his Devil Fruit powers. Instead, a sound similar to a sledgehammer striking metal echoed through the area as the flesh beneath Thomas's clothes gradually turned black.
Feeling a little more confident, the nervous expression on Thomas's face became noticeably more relaxed as he said, "Time to earn my Bounty..."
As Smoker retracted his jitte, Thomas ripped away his shirt to reveal his muscular upper body. His physique was eye-catching in and of itself, but the thing Smoker and Tashigi paid attention to was the black metallic hue spreading through his skin and the circuit-like pattern emanating from the glowing 'ᛇ' between his shoulder blades.
Taking advantage of the duo's surprise, Thomas charged toward Smoker, his movements leaving behind a bluish-white trail as he accelerated far beyond his physical limitations. Smoker dodged by launching himself into the sky like a smoke-propelled rocket, but the Marines behind him weren't as lucky. Thomas controlled his momentum to ensure he didn't turn them into meat paste, but with the Eihwaz run making his skin and muscles as hard as tungsten, even his casual 'swats' were enough to dent metal and shatter bone.
Before Thomas could 'rampage' too much, Smoker sent a massive column of smoke crashing into him like a bullet train. A normal person would have been blown away, but Thomas was barely sent stumbling, almost as if his body weighed thousands of kilograms.
As the smoke attempted to coil around him, the magical energy veiling Thomas's body gained a luminous green hue, followed by a fierce wind swirling around him.
Seeing Thomas counteracting his powers by simply blowing his smoke away, the expression on Smoker's face darkened. Ordinary wind had no hope of dispersing his smoke, but the peculiar green swirl surrounding Thomas's body seemed like a natural counter to his Devil Fruit abilities.
Recalling Thomas mentioning that his 'Mana' functioned similarly to Haki, Smoker concluded it would probably be impossible for anyone below the rank of Vice-Admiral to apprehend him. He wasn't going to give up, but there wasn't much he could do against Thomas's apparent invulnerability and ability to resist seastone.
Sheathing his jitte, Smoker punched both fists into the ground, grunting, "White Eruption...!"
Feeling the ground beneath him rumbling, Thomas looked down just in time to see it explode, an enormous geyser of smoke propelling his body into the air faster than he could disperse it.
Determined to test the limits of Thomas's durability, Smoker extended his limbs as smokey tendrils, grabbing two of the larger pieces of debris and attempting to smash them together.
Realizing Smoker was trying to crush him between two boulders, any thoughts Thomas had about holding back disappeared. It didn't matter that he could easily endure such a blow in his current state, protected by the Eihwaz Rune Chloe had carved into his nape. Such an attack would be lethal in most other circumstances, so Thomas's expression darkened as he extended his hands outward, obliterating the two boulders with blasts of magical energy.
With the threat of the boulders taken care of, Thomas suspended himself in the air, shouting, "You're starting to piss me off!" as he aimed his finger in Smoker's direction. There was no bright light, but, having seen Kizaru's light-based powers in action, Smoker immediately realized Thomas's aim, exploding into a massive cloud of smoke just as a laser-like beam pierced the area where his left thigh had been.
Though it wasn't the first time someone had evaded his much-slower-than-lightspeed laser, Thomas clicked his tongue, muttering, "Tricky bastard..." before making finger pistols and taking aim at the Marines scattered throughout the area. His training with Chloe, Illya, and Ruby included lessons in Rune Magecraft. He wasn't at the point of being able to carve Runes directly, but he could now utilize one of the core skills of any 'proper' Magus, Gandr Shot.
As tiny black spheres collected at his fingertips, Thomas began rapid firing beams of magical energy that contained about as much power as a strong punch. More importantly, they were hundreds of times more cost-effective than his standard laser attack. As a result, he wouldn't exhaust himself even if he unleashed hundreds of 'rounds' per minute.
Feeling a little like a mecha, Thomas strafed the Marines that had been peppering him with gunfire the moment he was launched into the air. His attack was eventually interrupted by Smoker's jitte erupting from a cloud of smoke and striking him in the back, but it didn't cause him any harm. It did, however, knock him out of the sky.
As he was still under the effects of the Eihwaz Rune, Thomas impacted the ground like a meteor. The penalty for increasing his durability to rival tungsten was a weight increase of nearly 20x. This clocked him in at over 5200kgs, so his collision with the ground created a thunderous sound and produced a rather sizeable crater.
Fortunately, as the Eihwaz Rune also increased the density of his bones and muscles, Thomas's Strength Parameter was boosted from 15 to 30, roughly the same as a Heroic Spirit with C-Rank Strength. He felt like he was trying to move through syrup or an area of increased gravity, but he could still move about freely.
Rising to his feet, Thomas swept his hand, producing a gust of wind to clear away the cloud of dust obscuring his vision. What awaited him when he did so was an encirclement of rapidly moving white smoke, giving the impression he was in the eye of a hurricane.
Just as Thomas began to wonder what Smoker's aim was, a foul aroma assaulted his senses, causing his throat and lungs to feel itchy. One of the traits of the Moku-Moku-no-Mi was a debilitating effect on other people's respiration. Smoker rarely made use of this ability, but seeing Thomas fire off hundreds of black lasers caused him to get 'serious.'
Having endured a gas chamber while in boot camp, Thomas immediately realized what Smoker was attempting to do. Fortunately, he had already developed countermeasures during his anti-sea training with Chiron. If he needed to, he could even breathe in a vacuum by recycling his breath and converting it using Material Transmutation, so filtering out a bit of smoke was relatively simple.
Cracking a smile, Thomas condensed magical energy around his body as he confidently asserted, "You'll have to do better than that if you want to take me out. Now, what say we wrap this up before more of your men get hurt? They may have joined the Marines with the conviction to face death but are you really going to force them to go all out against someone who hasn't even committed a crime? Well, besides defending myself."
Realizing that Thomas wasn't being affected by his asphyxiation attempt, Smoker emerged from the swirling white vortex to state, "We can't just let you go. Whether or not you were falsely accused doesn't matter. We have our orders..."
Exhaling a sigh, Thomas muttered, "I thought you might say that..." As someone who had served in the armed forces in his previous world, he understood the pressure of 'having' to follow orders. He couldn't count the number of times he had been forced to do something against his will, so he couldn't condemn others for doing the same.
Meeting Smoker's gaze, Thomas asked, "Then how do you propose we settle this? As it stands, neither of us can harm the other. Your attacks are too weak to penetrate my defenses, and I'm too slow to land a solid hit on you. If I find myself backed into a corner, I'll have no choice but to target your subordinates or utilize one of my trump cards..."
Understanding that Thomas's words were an expression of reluctance, not an implied threat, Smoker took a moment to consider his response before asking, "Why did you come to Alabasta? You mentioned that the people here were 'victims' of the World Government..."
Shaking his head, Thomas replied, "I also said it doesn't really matter. As it stands, you and your men are patsies of the Celestial Dragon, incapable of exerting your own will. Even if you learned one of the Shichibukai was breaking the law and tormenting the people of an affiliated Kingdom, you would have no choice but to ignore it. Now, enough chatter. Let's end this before things become even more complicated."
Without waiting for Smoker to respond, Thomas pulled out a bright purple gemstone with a Rune resembling the letter M. When he told Smoker his attacks were too slow to land, he hadn't been lying. However, the moment he smashed the gem-like stone against his chest, right over his heart, the world around him slowed to a crawl as his own 'time' accelerated.
Accepting that he would spend the next few hours bedridden, Thomas forced his arms and legs to move, enduring the pain as he rushed toward Smoker. The latter blinked in surprise, but his actions were so slow that his eyelids were still in the process of closing when Thomas slammed into him with his shoulder.
As time abruptly started flowing normally, Thomas clenched his teeth and clutched his shoulder while Smoker was sent flying into a butte more than 300m away in an instant. However, instead of crashing into it like a normal person, his body exploded into a large plume of smoke before reforming a few seconds later, revealing a still-conscious Smoker with blood pouring from his mouth.
Adopting a blood-stained smile, Thomas remarked, "Tough bastard..." before pulling out a green Runestone with an angular 'ᛒ' carved into its surface.
Instead of smashing the Runestone against his chest, Thomas threw it into his mouth and swallowed. Doing so without water was difficult, but it was worth it as the moment it reached his stomach, steam rose from his body as his wounds rapidly healed. Even his dislocated shoulder set itself, allowing Thomas to roll his right arm as he shouted, "You ready for round two!?"
In place of Smoker, Tashigi abruptly appeared behind Thomas, answering, "I'll be your opponent!" as she drew her green-hilted katana in a sweeping arc. Unfortunately, while her attack managed to land, it only left a thin red line across Thomas's back, failing to break the skin.
Resisting the urge to backhand the bespectacled swordswoman, Thomas stared down at Tashigi as he stated, "Try against once you've learned the Rokushiki techniques or mastered Haki..."
Undeterred by Thomas's words, Tashigi tried to slice across his chest but only succeeded in dulling the edge of her katana. In response, the former aimed a blast of air at her, blowing her off her feet and sending her flying back several meters as he said, "Tend to your Captain and subordinates. This fight is over..."
After looking over to confirm that Smoker was still sitting on the ground, too injured to pursue, Thomas allowed the effects of his Eihwaz Rune to dissipate before leaping into the sky and 'flying' away. It was extremely Mana intensive, but running away was a lot slower and incentivized the Marines to give chase. Seeing him fly into the sky gave the impression it was impossible to chase him, so none bothered trying. That was fortunate for Thomas, as, midway through his flight, he nearly fell out of the sky and crash-landed in the middle of Nanohana. Instead, just as he began to fall, Astolfo and Griff appeared out of nowhere, the former catching him in her arms before carrying him back to the Merry...
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(A/N: Rune Magecraft is OP...)

As powerful as Rune Magecraft was, it wasn't without its downsides. The foundation of Thaumaturgy was Equivalent Exchange, so you couldn't just power yourself up without paying the price. For Rune Magecraft, this price was the Runestone itself. They were single-use items that required a large gemstone and a tremendous amount of Magical Energy to produce. Since Thomas had used the Eihwaz Rune directly on his body, the price was his vitality.
Fortunately, thanks to his Chrono Dysplasia, Thomas didn't have to worry about dying of old age. Mana could also be converted into vitality, so the 'real' cost of using the Eihwaz and Ehwaz Runes was tremendous muscle fatigue and a shit ton of pain. The Berkana Runestone he swallowed was meant to counteract these effects, but it also came at a cost. Swallowing it caused his core temperature to briefly shoot up to 100&deg;C, hot enough to boil and vaporize blood...
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Feeling paradoxically hot and cold at the same time, Thomas opened his eyes to find that he was naked, submerged in an ice bath. He also had an IV attached to his arm, complete with a morphine drip.
Noticing Thomas was awake, Chopper, presenting in his 'human' form, said, "Don't try to get up just yet. You're suffering from anasarca, edema to the entire body. The water you're submerged in is to help regulate your temperature and extract excess salt from your body. If it isn't extracted quickly, you could suffer from kidney or liver failure."
"Sounds about right..." groaned Thomas. He was currently suffering from one of the worst headaches of his life, so excess salt in the body made sense. He couldn't fathom how it got there but trusted that Chopper knew what he was talking about.
Just as Thomas was thinking about falling back asleep, Chopper said, "It would be best if you stayed awake. I need to assess your condition, and having a responsive patient will make things a lot easier."
Though he was tempted to go to sleep anyways, Thomas forced himself to stay awake long enough to answer Chopper's questions and perform a series of tests. Fortunately, other than the anasarca he was suffering, he was perfectly fine. He just needed to rest and avoid salty foods for a few weeks and he would make a full recovery.
As a 'few weeks' was far too long, Thomas waited for Chopper to leave the bathroom before using Reinforcement to remove the excess salt from his body. Doing so left him exhausted, but the morphine drip and the ice bath made it exceptionally easy to fall asleep...
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Feeling a pleasant warmth around his groin, Thomas gradually regained consciousness. Instead of immediately opening his eyes, however, he pretended to be asleep, his mind sluggishly attempting to make sense of the situation.
Based on the sensation, Thomas suspected the Benienma or someone else was giving him a 'thorough' cleaning with a warm rag. Alongside the person cleaning his junk, there were at least two buxom women present, lying next to him with his body sandwiched between them.
As he couldn't really imagine Nami snuggled up next to him, Thomas concluded that he was currently sandwiched between Vivi and Caenis while Benienma gave him a sponge bath. More surprisingly, he could feel his body swaying slightly, indicating they were either out at sea or sailing up the Sandora River. Since the men's cabin didn't have a proper bed he could rest on, the only explanation for the softness beneath him was that he was currently resting within the women's...
Confirming that the person giving Thomas a sponge bath was Benienma, the marginally more mature Oni remarked, "Master is vigorous, even in his sleep..."
Emanating from Thomas's right, Caenis teased, "Wipe that hungry look off your face. Tom may have let you wash his back, but that doesn't give you a license to suck his dick while he's unconscious. If anyone has that right, it's Vivi and me."
Confirming that the person to Thomas's left was Vivi, the latter remarked, "Caenis...while I don't disagree with what you've said, you don't need to be so confrontational. Beni just wants Thomas to be happy..."
Seemingly disagreeing, Caenis asked, "Does she? If that were the case, she wouldn't continue to force her views and values on Tom. He might be a hypocritical idiot, but that's the result of the world he comes from. This little brat is basically trying to turn him into some kind of Shogun when he isn't even Japanese."
Placing her hand on Thomas's chest, Caenis added, "If she cared about Tom's happiness, she would let him figure out what he wants to do on his own. Everyone keeps forcing responsibilities on him when all he wants to do is have fun, travel the world, and fuck beautiful women..."
Nearly causing Thomas's body to tense, the voice of Nami could be heard remarking, "Tom was the one that said that people with power had an obligation to use it responsibly. Nobody is forcing him to do anything. He lets himself be taken advantage of because he believes it will benefit him in the long run..."
"At least he no longer has to worry about being taken advantage of by you..." replied Caenis, her voice deep and threatening.
Though Thomas couldn't see it, he could imagine Nami adopting a pout as she argued, "It was never my intention to take advantage of Tom. I won't deny that I did, but I was doing what I thought was necessary to protect myself and Lucy. Unlike Thomas, I didn't have the advantage of knowing everything about his past. If I did, I wouldn't have treated him that way..."
Snorting through her nose, Caenis retorted, "Literally, the only thing you had to do was ask. Instead, even though your Captain basically forbade it, you kept pestering Tom for information about the Grand Line and what to expect in the future. You even threatened him, saying you would hold him accountable if something bad happened because he withheld things from you."
Unable to argue against Caenis's claims, Nami and the rest of the room fell silent. For a brief moment, Thomas considered waking up to try and ease the tensions, but he promptly decided against it when the voice of Chloe could be heard musing, "You're all so dramatic~" in a teasing tone.
With everyone's attention focused on her, Chloe added, "Tom isn't all that complicated. It's just like the horsewoman said; all he wants to do is have fun, travel the world, and have sex with cute girls. Once he's done fooling around, he'll probably devote the rest of his life to helping people. Instead of worrying about making amends right this instant, you should just focus on doing your own thing until he makes another pass at you..."
Before Nami could say something, Chloe explained, "Tom was given the option to choose 'any' world to migrate to. It isn't difficult to imagine why he chose this one, so you should just focus on the journey ahead instead of fretting over your past actions. Unless you find someone else, it's only a matter of time before Tom makes another pass at you."
Though Thomas couldn't see her, Chloe briefly stared at his face, a faint smile developing across her own as she mused, "All you truly lost was the chance to have Tom all to yourself. However, considering the number of girls around, that's probably a good thing. After all, with his strong desire to attract women, it isn't just his appearance that is gradually becoming more appealing..."
Answering the question that popped into Thomas's mind, Vivi abruptly sniffed him before remarking, "He does smell really good, doesn't he...?"
"That's right," replied Chloe, explaining, "That's one of the scary things about the 'adaptive' Sorcery Trait. It is similar to the wish-granting trait but only applies to the person who possesses it. So long as Tom has enough Mana, he can eventually become anyone or anything he desires. In this instance, he is becoming someone 'everyone' desires."
Inadvertently voicing Thomas's concerns, Nami asked, "Isn't that kind of like mind control?"
"Not even close," replied Chloe, adding, "In fact, Thomas has the 'worst' aptitude for Magecraft dealing with the mind. Back in my world, memory erasure and perception alteration are among the 'fundamentals' taught to all Magi. Tom can't even utilize his Command Spells without being forced, so you don't have to worry about him trying to control your mind. He cares too much about his image and how people perceive him."
"So, you're saying he smells nice because he's afraid people might think he smells bad...?" asked Nami.
Shrugging her shoulders, Chloe replied, "It's a little more complicated than that. Once his power matures, his appearance will change to reflect the desires of the people around him. It's kind of like the yokai within the Enma-tei, but less 'intrusive' since he can't read our minds. At least, not at his current level. If he experiences enough betrayal or becomes jaded at the world, he could become a literal 'monster' in the future..."
Understanding that Chloe was speaking directly to him, Thomas fell into a deep, contemplative silence. When they initially learned his Sorcery Trait, she mentioned that the only 'creatures' who possessed it were Daemons, Elementals, and legendary monsters such as the Tarrasque. It wasn't a trait typically associated with humans, but thanks to the Mana-Mana-no-Mi, he had already become something...more...
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To avoid suspicion, Thomas tuned out of the girls' conversation until he eventually fell asleep. When he next awoke, he once again found himself surrounded by warmth. This time, however, the people snuggling up to him were Astolfo and, somewhat surprisingly, Lucy. It wasn't just the two of them, either. Rather, as many of the girls shared a single massive bed, Thomas found himself as the meat of a six-girl sandwich...
Despite his efforts to extricate himself without disturbing the two sleeping girls, Astolfo awoke the moment Thomas started moving. Then, before he could think to stop her, she startled everyone awake by shouting, "You're awake~!" before nuzzling against him with unfettered enthusiasm.
While Thomas would have been happy to have a cute girl rub against him in any other circumstance, his scalp tingled when Lucy sat up, revealing she was topless. He managed to avoid staring, but his efforts were in vain as the bubbly Pirate promptly hugged him, pressing his face into her soft yet noticeably rubbery breasts as she exclaimed, "I knew you would wake up~!"
Freeing Thomas from his 'torment,' Nami pulled Lucy away from him, her left brow twitching as she tossed the topless Pirate aside and shouted, "Put on some damn clothes!" despite wearing nothing more than a t-shirt and panties.
As she was standing on the bed, Nami looked down at Thomas and said, "Now that you're awake, you need to leave immediately. This isn't a place for boys."
Before Caenis, Vivi, or Astolfo could speak out in his defense, Thomas replied, "That's probably for the best," with a wry smile. However, before he could get up, Lucy abruptly yanked the covers, shouting, "You didn't have to throw me...!" with an indignant expression and tone.
Losing her footing, Nami turned and fell toward Thomas, her surprisingly hard butt landing squarely atop his lap. As he was completely naked, this could be called a 'lucky pervert' moment. However, while Nami was fairly light, weighing only 47kgs, even a gentle 'tap' to the testes could cause a lot of pain. Having a person drop their entire weight onto your pelvis was an experience few walked away from with fond memories...
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(A/N: Caenis is still in the running for best girl...)

After procuring clothes, Thomas, Vivi, Nami, Chloe, Illya, and Ruby returned to the port to procure food and water from a business closer to their ship. However, before they could reach their destination, someone Thomas both expected and was surprised to see barred their path.
"Thomas Jensen..." growled Smoker in his usual gravelly tone, a pair of lit cigars in his mouth.
Instead of responding to Smoker's words, Thomas briefly looked at the young, raven-haired woman standing next to him. She had short raven hair, similar to Nami, but her features were markedly more 'average.' She was far from ugly, but she gave off the impression of a 'girl-next-door,' especially with her thick, red-rimmed glasses. As for her body...she was deceptively curvy...
Shifting his attention from the woman, Thomas didn't need Chloe to inform him that they were surrounded by dozens, if not hundreds, of Marines.
While staring at one of the Marines aiming their flintlock rifle at him, Thomas's expression morphed into a frown as he asked, "What's this about, Captain Smoker? You and your little lady friend a long way from Loguetown..."
Maintaining a scowl, Smoker exhaled a plume of thick white smoke as he revealed, "Orders from up top. I was told you stole something important from the World Government. Now, are we going to do this the easy way, with you surrendering peacefully, or are we going to have to involve your friends...?"
Passing his gaze over Vivi, Nami, Illya, and Chloe, Smoker's expression didn't change in the slightest despite the group's scant attire. The girl at his side, however, gripped the hilt of her katana as she grimly remarked, "Captain...unless I'm mistaken, those two young-looking girls with him are the infamous Pirates, Illya and Chloe von Einzbern. Last I checked, both had Bounties of 500,000,000..."
Hearing the woman's words, the Marines accompanying Smoker became even tenser than usual. As for Smoker, he had a faintly incredulous look on his face as he re-evaluated Illya and Chloe, asking, "You're telling me these little squirts have a combined Bounty of one billion? What are their crimes...?"
Before the raven-haired woman, Tashigi, could explain, Thomas stated, "I haven't stolen a damn thing, and I don't appreciate being falsely accused just so you have an excuse to try and arrest me."
After raising his hand to silence Tashigi's response, Smoker reached into his breast pocket, pulling out a piece of wax paper as he said, "I honestly didn't buy it when I first received the order. However, recent events have led me to believe differently..."
Seeing Smoker unfurl the Bounty Poster of Drake, Thomas's expression morphed into a deadpan as he said, "I cut ties with the Wild Hunt before I departed the East Blue..."
Shrugging his shoulders, Smoker responded, "That may be the case, but it doesn't change the fact you were once affiliated with them. You may have critical information that can lead to Francis Drake's capture. If that wasn't a good enough reason to arrest you, you're now traveling with at least two infamous Pirates...how do you plan to explain that?"
Without missing a beat, Thomas retorted, "Easily," before crossing his arms and explaining, "We have something the World Government wants. We didn't steal it, and it never belonged to them, but that won't stop them from labeling anyone possessing the items they seek as criminals. Now, even though we haven't committed any crimes, we're going to be vilified and accused of assaulting Marines just because idiots like you choose to carry out illegitimate orders..."
Before Smoker or Tashigi could respond, Thomas gestured to Illya and Chloe, asking, "Want to know the crimes these girls are actually 'guilty' of...?"
Staring into Smoker's eyes, Thomas's expression and tone hardened as he revealed, "A random Celestial Dragon took an interest in them and wanted to enslave them against their will. Because they refused to become some inbred piece of shit's pet, they were pursued and nearly killed by Admiral Kizaru. Now, unless you intend to explain to me how it's 'wrong' to resist being enslaved against your will, you and your Marines can fuck off before someone gets hurt or someone else's property is damaged..."
Though he had heard the rumors about Celestial Dragons, Smoker had never witnessed their atrocities. He also believed that the Marines were 'necessary' to protect the people and counteract the growing number of Pirates tormenting the seas, so, while he could empathize with Thomas's, Illya's, and Chloe's plights, he was determined to take them in.
Catching Tashigi and his subordinates by surprise, Smoker half-turned away from Thomas's group, saying, "There's a large clearing to the North of the city. If you're genuinely concerned with causing collateral damage, we can settle things there..."
Adopting a severe expression, Thomas replied, "I'll accompany you to the outskirts, but only if you let these girls go. They didn't do anything wrong, and your orders were to capture me, not them."
Surprised by Thomas's words, Vivi attempted to say something but was silenced by the former shaking his head. As heroic as his words sounded, the truth was that he simply wanted to test his strength against Smoker and his Marines. With the EMIYA Install Card and his Command Spells, he could escape even if he was captured and imprisoned.
Seeing the 'resolute' expression on Thomas's face, Smoker only hesitated for a moment before answering, "Very well."
"Captain Smoker...!" shouted Tashigi. "We can't just-"
Before Tashigi could finish voicing her protest, Smoker narrowed his eyes, staring down at her as he said, "As Marines, our top priority is protecting the citizens and ensuring they're able to go about their daily lives without interruption. Also, our mission is to capture Thomas Dale Jensen. We can worry about apprehending other Pirates once we've achieved our primary objective..."
Directing the final few words at Thomas, Smoker signaled his men before turning around and leading the way. In response, Thomas turned to Vivi, greeting her anxious expression with a wry smile as he softly asserted, "Don't worry. Even if I get my ass handed to me, I'll be able to escape the moment I recover..."
Instead of responding to Thomas with words, Vivi threw her arms around him, squeezing him tightly. She didn't doubt his claim about being able to escape, but that didn't change the fact he was 'sacrificing' himself to buy them time and to preserve her people's way of life.
Though he suspected Vivi had misunderstood something, that didn't stop Thomas from returning her embrace, gently cradling the bluenette within his arms as various people stared at them with mixed expressions...
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After parting ways with the girls, Thomas did his best not to mind the small army of Marines surrounding him as he followed behind Smoker, followed by Tashigi. The latter had mellowed out a bit after seeing his interaction with Vivi, but she still had a hand on her sword, prepared to unsheathe it the moment he attempted to flee.
Since it took nearly an hour to walk from the port to the city's outskirts, Thomas attempted to break the ice after seventeen minutes of awkward silence, asking, "Your name's Tashigi, isn't it?"
Furrowing her brows, Tashigi pushed up her glasses as she snappily replied, "I don't fraternize with Pirates..."
Adopting a smile, Thomas retorted, "Then I guess I'm lucky, as I haven't actually done any pirating. If I have, feel free to point out my Bounty and crimes. I'm curious to know."
As the World Government had yet to issue a Bounty for Thomas's capture, Tashigi found herself at a loss for words. All she knew for certain was that Thomas was a fairly honorable Bounty Hunter that had intervened when Pirates attempted to cause a scene and murder a group of policemen in Loguetown. Now, he was willfully accompanying them to the outskirts of the city to avoid causing trouble for the people who inhabited it...
Unable to suppress her curiosity, Tashigi eventually inquired, "What do you have that the World Government would go out of their way to label you as a criminal to possess?"
Raising his right index finger, Thomas produced a wisp of blue 'flame' as he revealed, "They believe there is a connection between my Devil Fruit, the Mana-Mana-no-Mi, and something called Install Cards. However, as there is no direct connection between them, I ended up blabbing to a lot of people about the name and abilities of my fruit. That included a certain cigar addict, so now I get to be hunted and treated like a criminal despite only wanting to help people..."
Hearing Thomas's words, Smoker's perpetually grim expression became even more so as he stopped in place, turned around, and asked, "You're saying this is my fault...?"
Shaking his head, Thomas answered, "This is entirely the result of the World Government being heralded by being greedy, irredeemably corrupt asshats. You and your subordinates just happen to be the instruments they're using to try and get their way. In that regard, you, me, the citizens of Alabasta; we're all victims."
Unwilling to be left out of the conversation, Tashigi asked, "What does this have to do with the people of Alabasta...?"
Shrugging his shoulders, Thomas retorted, "Does it matter? As far as you people are concerned, I'm guilty because someone neither of us has ever met told you I am. There's no evidence linking me to a crime, but you're prepared to detain and hand me over just because someone ordered you to do so. Shit like this is exactly why I became a Bounty Hunter instead of joining the Marines..."
Puffing out her cheeks, Tashigi looked like she wanted to say something but couldn't find the words. Smoker, however, readily asserted, "I won't try to argue that the Marines are perfect. But our existence is necessary to counteract the spread of piracy..."
Adopting a deadpan expression, Thomas countered, "The only thing that makes someone a 'Pirate' in this world is their unwillingness to bend the knee to the World Government. You might be fighting to curb the spread of piracy, but that isn't why the Marines exist. If that were the case, the World Government would have constructed bases near the Twin Capes or before Sabaody Archipelago..."
Shaking his head, Thomas said, "Forget it. These types of discussions are pointless. The World Government has spent 700 years convincing people they're the good guys, so I don't expect you to listen to reason. Once you increase your rank or spend some time at Saboady, you'll understand the true nature of the people you serve. Just pray that your little friend here doesn't catch the eye of a stray Celestial Dragon. She's pretty cute, so if she doesn't want to be labeled a Pirate, her only options would be to kill herself or accept being someone's pet for the rest of her life..."
Refusing to believe Thomas's words, Tashigi exclaimed, "Don't think you can deceive us! If the Celestial Dragons were truly as monstrous as you claim, the people would have revolted years ago...!"
Instead of looking toward Tashigi, Thomas narrowed his eyes, holding Smoker's gaze as he replied, "Literally anyone who's visited Sabaody can verify what I'm saying. I'm just warning you so that you and your Captain aren't forced to become Pirates for 'daring' to resist enslavement..."
Directing his gaze skyward, Thomas added, "We should hurry and get a move on. I have a good woman waiting and a lot of people relying on me to help save, so I don't really have time to play with you. Just make sure that when you report me to the higher-ups, you inflate my feats as much as possible. After all, I'm an associate of the Wild Hunt and a cohort of two people with Bounties of 500,000,000. If I'm going to be forced into becoming a Pirate, I may as well have a sizeable Bounty to wave around."
Furrowing her brows even further, Tashigi asked, "Is this a game to you?"
Shrugging his shoulders, Thomas retorted, "I'm an innocent man about to be attacked by a platoon of Marines for a crime I didn't commit. If I make a single mistake, my life and freedom are forfeit. If I succeed, I'm guilty of resisting arrest and assaulting affiliates of the World Government. There's no way I get out of this without receiving a Bounty, so I may as well have a big one. I mean, I'm a pretty big guy, so it would be pretty embarrassing to have a smaller Bounty than the two girls I'm charged with protecting..."
Understanding that Thomas was referring to Illya and Chloe, Smoker asked, "You're protecting those two?"
Adopting a smile, Thomas replied, "Something like that. Either way, I have something the World Government desperately wants. Might as well have a Bounty that matches their desperation."
Catching Thomas a little off guard, Smoker gave a curt nod and said, "I'll keep that in mind when I make my report..." Then, without another word, he turned around, signaling for his men to pick up the pace so they could wrap things up as quickly as possible...
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Chapter 78: The Power of Runes