One Piece: Wild Hunt

Chapter 47: Show of Force

Once Thomas and the rest of the Straw Hats had fallen 'asleep,' the members of Baroque Works met up outside the tavern to discuss how they would deal with them.

Unable to suppress her discontent, the pink-haired, incredibly muscular Miss Monday asked, "Why did we waste two days of food and supplies on these people? We're already running low on supplies, and that Captain of theirs was able to put down enough to feed thirty people."

After clearing his throat in his usual 'Ma-ma-ma~' manner, Igaram replied, "This was a necessary precaution. According to the information obtained by Miss Wednesday, members of that group were involved in the downfall of Buggy the Clown, Black Cat Kuro, and Saw-Tooth Arlong, Pirates worth 15, 16, and 20 million Berries. Furthermore..."

With Igaram shifting his attention to her, Vivi adopted a sly smile as she added, "According to that big lug I have wrapped around my pinky, they have more than a hundred million Berries worth of supplies and treasure hidden in a secret cache on their ship. Thanks to my efforts, I now know where it's hidden."

Though the other Numbers had been dissatisfied with the delay caused by Vivi's selfishness, they immediately forgave her when they heard more than a hundred million Berries were at stake. As for Igaram's claims about the Straw Hats taking down several infamous Pirates groups, they simply didn't believe him. If that were true, at least someone in their crew would have a comparable Bounty.

Adopting a wolfish grin that revealed a desire for more than treasure, the orange-haired Mr. 9 asked, "So, how are we going to do this? According to our surveillance teams, the people assigned to protect the ship appear to be beauties. If we include those two passed out in the tavern, that makes six high-quality slaves to be 'sampled' and processed..."

As the Mayor of Whiskey Peak, Igaram was very familiar with how they processed female Pirates. It made him sick to his stomach, but, much like Vivi, he was willing to endure for the 'greater good' of Alabasta.

Nodding his head in approval, Igaram replied, "We will capture each of them alive. And take special care with that man, Thomas. He possesses a Devil Fruit ability that would prove advantageous to our organization. You can maim or seriously injure him, but no killing."

Before the group could ask what made Thomas special, the man himself remarked, "How thoughtful," drawing the attention of everyone gathered around the tavern. Their eyes widened when they saw not just him but the green-haired man seated next to him atop the tavern's roof.

Adopting a fearless smile, Zoro 'complained,' "You ruined the surprise. Now we'll have to fight all one-hundred of them directly..."

Feeling 'a lot' more confident than he had the previous day, Thomas adopted a smile of his own as he replied, "You can thank me later," before leaping off the roof and landing in a superhero pose with a ghostly white aura rising from his body. When he rose to his feet, he seemed even taller than usual, his eyes glowing as he tore away his shirt and said, "Those of you who prioritize your lives over your jobs, I suggest you run..."

With Thomas tearing his shirt away to reveal a remarkably ripped body, a faint red hue colored Vivi's cheeks. Unfortunately, the same could be said for the muscular Miss Monday, who cupped her cheeks as she remarked, "You have an incredible body..."

"..."

Instead of responding to the pink-haired bodybuilder, Thomas manifested two baseball-sized spheres of Magical Energy before lobbing them into the crowd to create two large explosions. That was more than enough to show the gathered Bounty Hunters he meant business, prompting several to open fire on him with their pistols and rifles.

Though he could have dodged by rolling to the side or leaping back onto the tavern's roof, Thomas stood his ground, barely flinching even as more than a hundred metal projectiles struck his face and body. Most aimed for non-vital areas, but several of 'Miss Wednesday's' secret admirers figured they could use the confusion to 'accidentally' shoot him in the face.

Snorting through his nose, Thomas remarked, "You'll need to do a hell of a lot better than that..." before leaping into the crowd and grabbing the rifle of a man that had shot him in the face. By turning his wrist, he was able to bend the barrel as if it were made of weak plastic before 'casually' kicking the man in the chest, knocking him into several others.

Voicing the thoughts of many of her fellow Bounty Hunters, one woman shouted out, "He's a monster! Switch to nets and bazookas...!"

As both Chiron and Caenis had warned him to be careful of nets, Thomas bolted toward cover the moment he heard the woman's cry. At the same time, he fired dozens of cannonball-strength projectiles, largely aiming at the ground but occasionally firing them directly at people.

Seeing the random devastation he caused, combined with the fact he could casually leap onto a building that most of them would need a ladder to climb, many of the Baroque Works agents pursuing Thomas decided to focus their attention elsewhere. Those with the classification of Millions and Billions typically relied on their numbers and firepower to take down dangerous Pirates, so there wasn't much they could do against someone who was bulletproof, incredibly destructive, and agile.

Realizing he wasn't being pursued, at least by the weaker members of Baroque Works, a frown marred Thomas's face. Before he could think to follow one of the larger groups, however, several tiny pieces of metal impacted him like buckshot, courtesy of Igaram and the shotgun he had concealed within his Saxophone.

Instead of emulating a cannonball, Thomas pointed his index finger in Igaram's direction, firing a laser-like beam from its tip. Magical Energy didn't generate heat by default, but it packed a tremendous amount of force when concentrated. Thus, like a Water Jet Cutter, he cut a deep trench in front of Igaram's feet, declaring, "Cross that line at your own peril..."

Seeing how fast Thomas's attack was, Igarama's beady eyes opened to their fullest. He was originally planning to put a bit of pressure on Thomas to test his 'caliber,' but there was nothing in his arsenal that could protect against the laser-like attack Thomas had just casually displayed...

While Igaram was lost in thought, Thomas leaped from one roof to another, peppering groups of Baroque Works members with weaker explosive projectiles. A few were able to return the favor, hitting him with cannonballs fired from bazookas, but the force of the explosions were only enough to knock him off balance, not break the barrier he had honed while sparring against Lucy...

Ruining his chance to catch Thomas by surprise, Mr. 9 approached him with a series of rapid cartwheels, shouting, "Eat this, you damned ape...!" while attempting to smash him in the back of the head with a set of iron clubs. In response to his shout, Thomas spun around and thwarted the surprise attack with his forearm, barely feeling the impact as he remarked, "Seriously...?"

Instead of immediately responding to Thomas's question, Mr. 9 flipped away from him, creating a few meters of distance between them before shouting, "Talk all you like! With my agility and acrobatic prowess, all you can do is wait to be hit...!"

With a deadpan expression, Thomas pointed his finger toward Mr. 9, firing a laser-like beam through the man's left thigh.

"Aaaaaah! You bastard! What have you done...!?" screamed Mr. 9. He had been trying to sneak up on Thomas from behind, so he hadn't witnessed the latter's interaction with Igaram.

Channeling his inner Frieza, Thomas fired beams through Mr. 9's remaining thigh and shoulders, effectively robbing him of his mobility before warning, "Keep blathering, and I'll make you eat that crown..."

Demonstrating he wasn't a Number for nothing, Mr. 9 ignored the pain in his legs and shoulders, forcing himself to stand. It didn't make sense, as Thomas was pretty sure he had burned a hole through the man's bones, but it wasn't the first time he had witnessed something that defied logic in the world of One Piece.

Before Mr. 9 could say whatever he was preparing to say, Thomas blasted him off the roof with a weak explosive projectile. Then, as there were no other members of Baroque Works trying to attack him, he took a moment to catch his breath, watching as Zoro dealt with the bulk of the group.

Though Zoro would defeat Thomas pretty handily in a fight, the power he wielded made him a lot more terrifying to normal people. Zoro could slice through iron and dodge bullets without looking, but he was just a 'normal' guy in the eyes of laymen. If given a choice between an average-sized man that ran around swinging swords and a bulletproof giant that fired off lasers, 9/10 would choose the former as their opponent...

Representing one of the exceptions, Vivi scaled the roof behind Thomas, climbing onto it with the aid of a ladder. She was the assigned partner of Mr. 9, so she needed to put on a show to avoid exposing her status as the Princess of Alabasta.

Hearing the sound of Vivi's movements, Thomas turned around to find the blue-haired beauty smiling wryly as she wiped a few beads of sweat from her forehead. Attempting to keep up with him on the ground while he jumped between buildings was easier said than done, so she was a little tired after running around for several minutes. She would normally utilize her super spot-billed duck named Karoo as a mount, but she didn't want to risk him getting injured during her 'performance.'

After catching her breath, Vivi raised her hands over her head, swaying her hips seductively as she asserted, "You've done well to make it this far. Now, let's see how you fair against my hypnotic dance..."

While the swaying of her hips and the pattern of her blouse were certainly mesmerizing, it was the specialized perfume in Vivi's hands that made her dance hypnotic. It was infused with special pheromones that caused men to feel light-headed, and, unless they looked away, they would soon find themselves paralyzed as the swirling pattern on her breasts and abdomen seemed to come alive.

As he could breathe underwater with sufficient preparations, Thomas was unaffected by the effects of Vivi's perfume, filtering it out completely. He did enter a daze, however, narrowing his eyes and smiling as he muttered, "I could get used to this..."

Averting her eyes, a faint blush colored Vivi's cheeks as she replied, "Then you should burn it into your eyes...as it will be the last thing you ever see!"

Punctuating her words, Vivi pulled out a razor-sharp jewel that resembled the tip of a peacock's feather. It was attached to a ring by piano wire and had decent cutting power when spun around her pinky finger.

Charging at Thomas, Vivi trusted that he would be okay as she swiped at his raised arm. As expected, her 'peacock slasher' bounced off his guard as if she had struck reinforced metal.

As they had rehearsed their play in advance, Thomas responded to Vivi's 'shock' by planting his fist into her gut. He held back and didn't channel even a speck of Magical Energy into the blow, but she appeared to have the wind forced out of her lunge, collapsing to her knees and cradling her abdomen. Thomas felt a wave of guilt wash over him like a bucket of ice water, but before he could say or do anything, Vivi whispered, "I'm fine..." before pretending to pass out...

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..

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(A/N: I think I figured out what Thomas's epithet will be. Because he is a source of energy, possesses great durability, and can fire various types of projectiles, the WG shall label him Thomas the Tank Engine...!)