29 Divergence and Choice

Though the crimson didn't fade from Caenis's eyes, she stood at attention with the pommel of her spear embedded in the ground. At the same time, Drake pointed her flintlock pistols toward the sky, the cannons behind her fading as the weather and seas began to calm.

As two of Thomas's Command Spells faded from his hand, accompanied by a burning sensation, an uncharacteristically fierce glower developed across his face as he exclaimed, "We're supposed to be allies, not fighting one another!"

Gripping her spear tight enough that her fingers were nearly white, Caenis barked, "That bitch isn't our ally! All she cares about is herself and doing as she pleases! You can't let her fool you...!"

Instead of refuting Caenis's words, Drake retorted, "What are you talking about, you foam-brained bimbo? I'm not trying to fool anyone, and this arrangement is for our Master's good! How do you expect him to achieve his dream of standing at the pinnacle if you keep babying him all the time? He'll never reach his full potential if we continuously remove every fucking obstacle in his path!"

Hearing Drake's words, conflicted looks appeared on the faces of Astolfo, Atalanta, and Benienma. Caenis wasn't even remotely convinced, but the crimson glow in her eyes wavered when Thomas abruptly stood in front of her, pleading, "Please, calm down..." in a soft, placating tone.

Looking up to meet Thomas's pained expression, a hint of blue returned to Caenis's eyes as she said, "But she's deceiving you...she wants to take away the Hind and do whatever she pleases..."

Shaking his head, Thomas replied, "The Hind has always belonged to her. And even if she 'does' leave, that's fine..."

Realizing that Drake might be trying to ostracize herself rather than him, Thomas placed his hands on Caenis's shoulders before giving the pink-haired Pirate a profound look as he added, "Even if people part ways, they can still support one another..."

Returning his attention to Caenis, Thomas's expression softened as he said, "Besides, there is some truth to her words. My power has increased tremendously over the past year, but it feels like I've been trapped in one place. Even if it's only for a short while, I want to try spreading my wings and experiencing the adventure that has captivated me these past twenty years..."

As her eyes alternated between red and blue, Caenis asked the question at the forefront of her mind, specifically, "Can I come with you...?"

Feeling a fluttery sensation in his chest, Thomas couldn't help smiling as he replied, "Of course. If Drake and I have decided to do our own thing, it makes sense that everyone else would be given a similar choice..."

Exhaling a faint, audibly relieved sigh, the crimson glow faded from Caenis's eyes, her animalistic ears perking up as she adopted a snide smile and remarked, "Then that settles it. I mean, you would pretty much be helpless without me around. After all, I'm the only one qualified to be your sparring partner. You also need to help replenish my Mana if it starts to run low, so, yeah...I'm coming with you..."

Feeling slightly embarrassed, Caenis broke from Thomas's grip on her shoulders before glaring at Drake as she asked, "You got a problem with that, 'Captain'...?"

Shaking her head, Drake maintained her usual calm and confident smile as she replied, "I firmly believe people should walk the path they choose. If you want to keep dragging our Master down, feel free. Who knows, the additional 'weight' might prove useful?"

Directing her gaze to the remaining members of the Wild Hunt, Drake asked, "What about you guys? I imagine Musashi will want to roam the world in search of powerful opponents?"

While Musashi adopted a wry smile, Benienma unhesitantly replied, "I am Master's Kosho, dechi. Even if I must remain in his shadow and become a kagemusha, Benienma will remain at Master's side, dechi...!"

Following Benienma's dutiful response, Astolfo was uncharacteristically reserved as she met Thomas's gaze and said, "I would also like to stay at your side. However, if it's true that we're holding you back...I might just fly around helping people...?"

Deciding to lend Astolfo a hand, Drake pointed out, "You would need him to recharge your Mana if you're going to fly around saving people on your Hippogriff. Besides, this is supposed to be us deciding what we 'want' to do. Forcing yourself to do something else because you're afraid of getting in the way is senseless. Isn't that right, Master~?"

Though his smile was wry, Thomas was sincere as he stated, "I would be happy to have you accompany me..."

Regaining her usual vigor, Astolfo smiled before darting over like a pink phantom, nearly knocking Thomas off his feet as she squeezed his body and replied, "Thank you, thank you, thank you~!"

Feeling the inordinate softness of Astolfo's body, Thomas floundered a bit as he freed himself from the petite pinkette's clutches, saying, "It's not a big deal..." with a flustered look on his face. His reaction earned him a sly smile from Astolfo, who, after a moment of hesitation, grabbed Thomas's arm and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"..."

Amused by the look on Thomas's face, Astolfo was tempted to tease him but ultimately decided against it. The atmosphere was still pretty tense, and the Straw Hats had been watching them with a mixture of confusion, intrigue, and fear on their faces. As tempting as it was, she didn't want to steal the spotlight and complicate things further.

As Astolfo gave Thomas a bit of space, Chiron felt compelled to offer his response, smiling apologetically as he stated, "I will accompany Drake. I have already taught you the fundamentals of Reinforcement, Alternation, and Projection Magecraft. Whether or not you master them will depend on your effort."

Though Caenis clicked her tongue, muttering, "Traitor..." Thomas returned a smile, stating, "That's probably for the best. Drake will need someone to act as her moral compass and train her future crew members. I'll trust you to keep things from getting out of hand..."

Placing his hand over his heart, Chiron gave a slight bow as he said, "You have my word." before raising his head and adding, "You have tremendous potential and a kind heart, Thomas. Follow the voice within, and it will never lead you astray..."

Nodding in affirmation, Thomas replied, "I'll keep that in mind..." before shifting his gaze to Musashi. In response, she exhaled a faint sigh through her nose, stating, "I would like to travel this world and measure myself against the strongest it has to offer. Also, the Pirate lifestyle doesn't suit me, so I'll most likely travel to Wano or join the Marines. I figure we would benefit from having someone on the inside, so I might give becoming an Admiral a go. If I can manipulate everyone's Bounties, that would put us in a pretty good position."

Blinking in surprise, Thomas parroted, "You want to become an Admiral?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Musashi replied, "I honestly don't care. My only purpose in life is to refine my 'zero sword' to the highest possible level. I'm just thinking about how I can help everyone else achieve their goals. We don't have anyone in the Marines, so I figure I can secure one of the top spots, collect information, inflate everyone's Bounties, and then stab them in the back once everything comes to a head."

Though he had no idea how Musashi would fare in the Marines, Thomas knew she could take care of herself. He would miss their chats, but if she could become an Admiral, it would benefit them tremendously. After all, this was a world where Luffy was a woman—having someone in the upper echelons of the Marines could give them access to important information about the world's structure, major events, and important characters that could drastically impact their plans moving forward.

Nodding his head in approval, Thomas said, "If it's you, I'm sure you could become an Admiral in no time. Just don't do anything to compromise your morals or integrity. If the World Government or the inbred Nobles backing them attempt to force you into something..."

Rolling her eyes, Musashi mused, "If that happens, the world will have a lot fewer Nobles. I would also receive a pretty hefty Bounty, so everyone wins. Easy peasy."

Inserting herself back into the conversation, Drake mused, "Then I guess that settles it. Our resident kitten will doubtlessly accompany you, so that leaves me with a centaur, a mad doctor, and a deaf/mute musician. Things are starting to get exciting."

Furrowing his brows, Thomas was about to 'insist' that Beethoven would accompany him, but Drake saw through him, asking, "Do you really think that girl would want to abandon the modern conveniences of the Hind...?"

"..."

Taking advantage of Thomas's silence, Drake asserted, "She'll be much safer and more content with us. And besides, you haven't even secured your 'own' position among the Straw Hats. At this rate, I may have to lend you a ship to start your own journey..."

With Drake suddenly looking toward her, Lucy perked up and replied, "I don't mind. You all seem like pretty interesting people, so it would be fun to travel together for a while. I just don't know about letting you become permanent members of my crew."

Electing to offer her input, Nami added, "Yeah. And what's the deal with you all referring to Tom as your Master? Is he like some kind of Noble or something...?"

With everyone looking at him, Thomas's body briefly tensed before he adopted a wry smile and replied, "It's complicated. I'm not a Noble or anything, but I do have a Master-Servant relationship with everyone in the Wild Hunt. The simplest explanation I can provide is this..."

Holding up his hand, Thomas began to condense Magical Energy around his fist as he explained, "I ate a Devil Fruit known as the Mana-Mana-no-Mi. It provides me with innumerable abilities, but the one most pertinent to this situation is something akin to summoning magic. It might be hard to believe, but everyone here is a Spirit I manifested with my power..."

While Nami, Zoro, Usopp, Johnny, and Yosaku had looks of disbelief on their faces, Lucy's eyes lit up as she exclaimed, "So you're like a Wizard or something!? That's so cool...!"

Smiling wryly, Thomas replied, "The technical term is 'Magus.' However, I'm more of a punchy-kicky kind of Magus than one who weaves complex magical spells. I can create barriers and fire blasts of Magical Energy, but I prefer to enhance my physical parameters and fight with my fists. It's a lot cooler..."

Punctuating his words, Thomas unleashed the gathered Magical Energy in his hand, destroying a small boulder a few dozen meters away. It was an incredibly inefficient way of utilizing his Magical Energy, but being able to unleash energy beams was every Otaku's fantasy. He had even created a version of the Kamehameha, but it was horrendously unstable and burned the shit out of his palms...at least for now.

Inserting himself into the conversation, Usopp's teeth clattered as he asked, "D-D-Does that mean everyone in the Wild Hunt is a g-g-g-g-g-ghost!?"

Shaking his head, Thomas replied, "No, though Benienma is technically a Demon from Hell. It would be best if you didn't tell lies around her. If you do so with malicious intent, she'll cut off your tongue..."

As the Straw Hats shifted their gazes to her, Benienma surprised them by speaking from the beak on her forehead, stating, "It's not good to tell lies, dechi..."

...

..

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(A/N: Who could have imagined the people who spent the last year at Thomas's side might want to accompany him on his journey...?)