One Piece : Wild Hunt

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...
...
..
.
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...
...
..
.
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...
...
..
.
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...
...
..
.
(A/N: Caenis is still in the running for best girl...)

After learning from Vivi that he had been out for the better part of three days, Thomas asked, "And Baroque Works didn't attack us? That...doesn't sound right..."
Though she also found it strange, Vivi did her best to sound optimistic, suggesting, "Maybe he realized the danger he was in and decided to flee the country?"
"That's...not impossible..." replied Thomas. He couldn't imagine Crocodile running away from a fight, but he didn't want to be pessimistic by voicing his thoughts aloud.
Standing nearby, polishing his swords, Zoro remarked, "We'll find out soon enough. Just try not to hog the spotlight this time. If that Mr. 1 guy shows up, he's mine."
Smiling wryly, Thomas replied, "It's not like I've been going out of my way to hog all the fights. Things just kind of happened that way..."
Holding up his sword to check its edge, Zoro reiterated, "Just remember what I said. Unless shit hits the fan and you have no choice but to fight, leave all the swordsmen to me..."
Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Thomas returned his gaze to the ruins that dominated the shores of the Sandora River. Many of the towns that once ran its length had been wiped out by Pirates or members of Baroque Works pretending to be Pirates. As a result, Alabasta felt more like a post-apocalyptic wasteland than a prosperous Kingdom that had endured for more than 700 years...
Interrupting Thomas's silent contemplation, Vivi leaned her head against his bicep as she asked, "Do you truly believe it's possible to turn Alabasta into a Kingdom of green...?"
Though he was caught off guard by the sudden question, Thomas didn't hesitate to answer, "Of course. It might take a few years without the right Devil Fruit or Install Card, but there's no reason we can't change Alabasta for the better. I guarantee it."
Feeling more at ease, Vivi closed her eyes and allowed herself to envision a brighter future for her people. She was worried about her father, but she chose to believe that Karoo had been delayed or that Pell was simply too busy to come and find them...
...
..
.
Despite Chopper's insistence that he takes it easy for a few days, Thomas was raring to go when the Merry dropped anchor near the remnants of a city called Erumalu, once known as Alabasta's 'Green City' due to its many types of flora. Now, however, most of the buildings were half-buried in the sand, the only observable plant life being a few desiccated trees.
With Rainbase located 118km from Erumalu, everyone was gearing up for a long trek through the desert when Lucy said, "We should split up."
"Split up? Do you mean we should leave someone to guard the ship?" asked Nami.
Shaking her head, Lucy stated, "Vivi is worried about her dad. She and Thomas should fly to Alubarna with Astolfo while the rest of us travel to Rainbase."
Before Vivi could protest, Zoro interrupted to ask, "And what if Crocodile and his goons happen to be in Alubarna?"
Shrugging her shoulders, Lucy casually replied, "This is ultimately Tom's and Vivi's adventure. If they encounter Crocodile before us, I'm sure they can handle it somehow. If not, we'll swoop in to save them."
Interrupting Vivi a second time, Zoro asserted, "Sounds good. We have too many powerhouses with us anyways. Even if we split up into three groups, we should be able to deal with anything Crocodile throws at us."
Understanding that Lucy and Zoro were giving her an excuse to check on her father, a warm smile blossomed across Vivi's face as she said, "Thank you...both of you..." in a faint tone.
Adopting a toothy grin, Lucy said, "Don't mention it," before directing her gaze to Thomas and teasing, "You better hope Crocodile is in Alubarna. If he isn't, you'll have to deal with Vivi's dad on your own."
Forcing a smile, Thomas exhaled a light chuckle before stating, "I'll have to face both sooner or later." Then, as Caenis had been staring at him with a half-lidded expression, he looked to her and asked, "There isn't a lot of room on Griff's back, but will you come us?"
Though she was tempted to answer in the affirmative, Caenis crossed her arms and replied, "Forget it. I'll stay here and make sure no one steals the ship. Just summon me if something happens. Understood?"
Holding up the hand containing his Command Spells, Thomas replied, "I'll do so the moment Crocodile rears his ugly mug."
Nodding her head, Caenis precluded herself from further discussion by promptly leaping back onto the Merry. Shortly after, Thomas, Vivi, and Astolfo split off from the main group, flying over to Alubarna, while Lucy, Zoro, Usopp, Nami, Chloe, Illya, and Ruby made their way to Rainbase. This left Caenis and Atalanta to watch over the Merry while Benienma, as usual, lurked in the shadows...
...
..
.
Though the Desert Island of Alabasta was one of the largest in the first half of the Grand Line, it only took a few minutes for Thomas, Vivi, and Astolfo to reach their destination, a massive city built atop an artificial, perfectly circular plateau.
Situated on the northern edge of the plateau, towering above every other building, was the colossal Alubarna Palace. It vaguely resembled the Taj Mahal from Thomas's previous world, but the domes were constructed from solid gold while a rampart more than 50m tall elevated the structure above the rest of the city.
With Vivi's permission, Astolfo instructed Griff to land directly on the Palace's roof. The centermost dome contained a lush garden that served as King Cobra's rest area, so Vivi was confident they could find her father inside. If not, they would doubtlessly encounter one of the 100,000 Royal Guards that operated in and around the oversized structure.
Providing Vivi hope that everything was normal, well, as normal as they could be given the ongoing drought, guards began to gather the moment they landed. Better yet, they immediately recognized her, shouting things like, "Princess Vivi has returned!" and "Inform the King at once!"
Hearing the Royal Guards' exclamations, much of Vivi's worries dissipated. She was a little overwhelmed by the flurry of questions that followed, but the smile on her face made it clear she was happy to be home.
Interrupting the joyous atmosphere, a fairly tall, sword-wielding man with raven-black hair and brown skin emerged from the central dome. He had a naturally grim countenance, but it lightened when he saw Vivi, a rare smile adorning his face as he said, "Welcome back, Princess. I have been asked to escort you to your father."
Smiling even more radiantly than usual, Vivi exclaimed, "Chaka! It's so good to see you!" before calming herself and asking, "How have things been while I was away? Is my father okay?"
Nodding his head, Chaka adopted a serious expression as he replied, "His Majesty's health continues to deteriorate, but his will remains as strong as ever."
Hearing the first half of Chaka's response, Vivi's enthusiasm waned. Her father had been suffering from a debilitating illness most of her life. The drought and the subsequent rebellion had exacerbated his condition, so even though he was only 48 years old, Cobra was forced to remain in the Palace.
"Please, take me to my father," said Vivi, her expression and tone abruptly becoming resolute.
Lowering his head slightly, Chaka replied, "As you will, Princess..." before raising his gaze to scrutinize Thomas and Astolfo. The moment he did so, Vivi said, "These are my companions, Thomas Jensen and Astolfo. They have come to Alabasta to lend their support. I trust them with my life and would have them accompany me to meet my father."
Though it was a little unorthodox, Chaka didn't hesitate to reply, "Very well," before turning to lead the way. This was far from the first time Vivi had brought one of her 'friends' into the Palace, but even more than that, Chakra trusted in her judgment. If she believed that Thomas and Astolfo could aid them, he wouldn't question them...
...
..
.
After wandering through spacious halls better suited to giants than ordinary people, Thomas, Vivi, and Astolfo found themselves in a room that smelled of herbs and incense. There, a bedridden man with dark skin, sharp eyes, wavy black hair, and a three-pronged beard awaited them, his body garbed in a loose green robe.
Seeing the man, Vivi exclaimed, "Father!" before running over to embrace him. Her actions caused the man to grunt, but the smile never left his face as he gently caressed Vivi's back and replied, "My beloved daughter. You have finally returned to me..."
Releasing her father, Vivi began to tear up but managed to avoid crying as she revealed, "And I didn't come alone; I brought back someone who can save our Kingdom. He may even be able to treat your illness..."
Directing his gaze to Thomas and Astolfo, Cobra maintained his smile as he said, "Thank you for returning my daughter to me. I'll have the guards arrange you a place to stay. I'm sure you're tired after your travels, so we will discuss this matter once you've had the opportunity to rest. For now, please leave us. My daughter and I have much to catch up on..."
Following Cobra's words, Chaka said, "Follow me," before attempting to lead the way out of the room. Instead of following him, however, Thomas held Cobra's gaze and asked, "Are you truly the King of Alabasta?"
Not expecting Thomas's question, Chaka, Vivi, and Cobra himself found themselves at a loss for words. The first to recover was Chaka, shouting, "Even if you are the Princess's friend, you cannot disrespect the King in such a manner...!"
Waving his hand, Cobra said, "That's enough, Chaka. I'm sure our friend here has his reasons for asking such a question."
Bowing slightly, Chaka replied, "Your Majesty is too kind..." before raising his head and directing a 'warning' look at Thomas.
Ignoring the raven-haired swordsman, Thomas continued holding the King's gaze, asserting, "I do. Now, please answer my question..." with a serious expression on his face.
Recalling Thomas's explanation of Mr 2 and his abilities, Vivi promptly separated from her father, causing him to stare at her incredulously as he asked, "Vivi? Do you also suspect me of being an imposter...?"
Instead of answering her father's question, Vivi became serious as she said, "Please answer Tom's question..."
Furrowing his brows slightly, Cobra looked between Vivi, Thomas, and Chaka before stating, I am Nefertari Cobra, the King of Alabasta. Who else-"
Before Cobra could finish speaking, Benienma promptly emerged from Vivi's shadow, whisking her away as she exclaimed, "He's lying...!" in a certain, no-nonsense tone.
In response to Benienma appearing and snatching Vivi, Chaka attempted to draw his sword but was prevented from doing so as Astolfo shouted, "Trap of Argalia...!" before stabbing him in the thigh with her lance. The moment it pierced his flesh, he felt like the world had been flipped on its head, forcing him to stumble face-first into the ground.
While Chaka was temporarily out of commission, Thomas charged toward the man on the bed, shouting, "The jig is up, Bon Clay! Now, tell us, where is the 'real' King Cobra...!?"
Though he initially had an expression of shock on his face, Cobra became serious the moment he heard Thomas's words, flipping backward like an acrobat to evade the latter's charge.
Instead of answering Thomas's question, the false Cobra inhaled a deep breath before shouting, "Guards! Come quick! The Princess is an imposter, and her friends are assassins sent by the rebel army!"
"Oh, fuck no..." said Thomas, aiming his finger at the imposter and firing a laser through his abdomen. It was only around a third the actual speed of light, but that was far beyond the ability of most people to dodge.
Not expecting such a swift attack, the false Cobra's eyes widened as the thin beam pierced cleanly through his body. Then, as Chaka rose to his feet and several other guards rushed into the room, his body 'flickered' violently before his face turned into that of a grimacing man wearing very heavy makeup...
...
..
.
(A/N: Admiral Kizaru would like to know your location...)

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...
...
..
.
(A/N: Rune Magecraft is OP...)

Chapter 79: A Not-so-Peaceful Slumber