Chapter 15: Fixation

Though Astolfo also had Independent Action, the Mana within their body was still finite. Whenever she returned to the Hind, it was Thomas's job to replenish her reserves. Fortunately, while sex was indisputably the fastest way to restore and provide a Servant additional Mana, it was far from the only way...

While Astolfo used a towel to cover the front of her body, despite being a biological male, Thomas sat behind her with his palms against her back, slowly directing Mana into her body. She had made a few playful remarks about his Mana piercing deep inside of her and filling her belly until it was about to burst, but she eventually stopped when asked.

"So, how were things in Cocoyasi Village?" asked Thomas. "Did you get a glimpse of Nami...?"

Exhaling a sigh, Astolfo replied, "I hate that place. It took a lot of restraint for me not to sweep through all those cruel and hideous Fishmen. And no, I've yet to see Nami. I located the orchard you mentioned previously, but the only person tending to it was a cute, blue-haired woman."

Since Nami spent most of her time away from home, collecting Belly to buy her village's freedom, Thomas wasn't surprised to hear that Astolfo hadn't met her. The latter had only visited the Conomi Islands twice, so it would have been an amazing coincidence for their paths to cross.

"That blue-haired woman must have been Nojiko, the adoptive sister of Nami. Did the two of you talk?" asked Thomas.

Shaking her head, Astolfo replied, "I didn't stay for long. If I stay around a place like that for too long, I'll 'have' no choice but to take action. It pains my heart to see people being oppressed like that."

Adopting a wry, apologetic smile, Thomas said, "I'll talk to Drake and see if you can't take a break from scouting abroad. You've already done more than enough by establishing a route for us to follow over the Grand Line..."

Smiling broadly, Astolfo replied, "A break would be nice, but I'm not the type that can sit in one place for too long, especially when I know there are injustices occurring elsewhere. I'm thinking of scouting the Red Line and Reverse Mountain next. After that, I'll see if I can't find Wano, so we can sail there whenever you feel like it."

Though he appreciated Astolfo's enthusiasm, Thomas warned, "I've said it before, but the second half of the Grand Line is extremely dangerous. I know you and your Hippogriff are incredibly capable, but if you encounter one of the Four Emperors or their crew, they should be able to attack you. There was a lot of debate regarding the integrity of the calcs, but people in my previous world determined that certain individuals have relativistic, if not faster-than-light speed and reaction times. I always assumed it was Oda utilizing the 'Rule of Cool,' but there are people who can dodge lasers and predict lightspeed attacks at short range."

Leaning back slightly, Astolfo half-turned to face Thomas, a mischievous glimmer in her eyes as she asked, "Are you worried about me~?"

Exhaling a sigh, Thomas replied, "It would be stranger if I weren't...you were a fan-favorite character back in my previous world. Some even said things like, 'sometimes, it takes a real man to be the best girl.' Even I find your appearance pretty cute. I'm just not into dudes..."

Narrowing her eyes slightly, Astolfo asked, "Does that mean you 'would' be into me if I were a woman?"

Without hesitation, Thomas nodded, answering, "One hundred percent..." despite an awkward smile on his face. The truth was that he had thought of at least two ways to turn Astolfo into a girl. It was incredibly selfish and pretty fucked up to consider, but he felt he would regret it immensely if he didn't bone Astolfo at least once before their journey concluded...

Playing into Thomas's hand, even though he wasn't trying to lure her into a trap, Astolfo mused, "Well, there seems to be a lot of mysterious powers in this world. If I find a way to become a girl in the future, be sure to treat me kindly, okay~?"

With a 'serious' glimmer in his eye, Thomas revealed, "I know at least two ways you can become female..."

After blinking several times in surprise, a nervous laugh emanated from Astolfo's throat as she awkwardly replied, "That's...good? To be perfectly honest with you, I was mostly fooling around. However, if you 'really' want me to be a woman, I don't mind giving it a try..."

Though she didn't think their relationship would be very healthy, Astolfo would be lying if she said she wasn't curious about what it was like to be an actual woman. She didn't think people should have to change who they were to receive someone's care and affection, but if it was only for a short while, she didn't mind too much.

Noticing Astolfo's discomfort, Thomas's expression became apologetic as he shook his head and said, "Forget about it. I don't want to force you to do something you're uncomfortable with..."

As there was no way he would become a woman just to let someone fuck him, Thomas wasn't going to force someone else. Astolfo might behave and dress like a girl, but it shouldn't have been difficult for her to become one if she really wanted to. The world she originated from was filled with Magic, various forms of faerie creatures, and even gods. Any one of them could have helped her to change her gender.

Since Thomas had made the proposal and she had already agreed to it, Astolfo adopted her characteristically carefree smile as she replied, "It's fine. I'm actually 'really' interested to know what it's like to be a woman, so I'd like to try becoming one. If nothing else, it will make wearing cute and feminine clothes a lot easier."

Though he got the impression Astolfo was forcing herself, Thomas gave a slight nod before explaining, "There is a Devil Fruit wielded by a shemale named Emporio Ivankov, also known as the Okama King. Their Devil Fruit, the Horu-Horu-no-Mi, allowed them to control and manipulate hormones. They have the power to turn men into women and vice versa with a single injection..."

Blinking in surprise, Astolfo remarked, "That's a pretty terrifying ability..." before asking, "Are there no side effects?"

Though he wasn't certain, Thomas replied, "People who swap genders frequently will end up becoming monstrous-looking Okama. However, if it's just a single injection, there don't seem to be any side effects. If there are, I'm certain that Asclepius could remedy them..."

"Mmm...and what's the second method?" asked Astolfo. She didn't like the sound of receiving an injection that forcibly changed her gender, so she wanted to hear what the alternatives were before making a decision.

Adopting a wry smile, Thomas revealed, "The second option is to ask Asclepius. There are numerous stories of Greek Gods changing people's genders, and if something like a hormone injection can get the job done, I imagine he could do something similar..."

With Thomas bringing up the notion of Greek Gods changing genders, Astolfo couldn't help asking, "Are you sure that's a good idea? If Asclepius truly can change a person's gender, Caenis might ask him to turn her into a man. I noticed the thoughtful looks she kept casting your way at dinner. Your butt might be in danger if you're not careful."

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"..."

While trying and failing to suppress the image of a futa Caenis, Thomas retracted his hands from Astolfo's back, saying, "Let's just forget we had this conversation. You're fine the way you are. In fact, if you weren't right in front of me, I would probably criticize anyone that wanted to make you into a woman. I'm just being selfish..."

Understanding the 'greater meaning' behind Thomas's words, Astolfo narrowed her eyes in amusement as she teased, "No one here is going to judge you, you know? Well, some might, but does it matter? You came to this world to be free and have an adventure. We're even fated to become Pirates, so why should we live according to the conventions of others...?"

Shaking his head, Thomas stated, "It's just a personal preference. I'm not homophobic, but the notion of having sex with a man, even one that looks like a cute girl, makes me uncomfortable..."

Shrugging helplessly, Astoflo asserted, "Then you're arbitrarily limiting yourself. There are beautiful men and handsome women in this world. And if you knew you could change back, wouldn't you want to 'try' at least and be a woman? It sounds like a lot of fun to me."

Offering a casual shrug of his own, Thomas replied, "I guess I'm just not as comfortable with my sexuality as you are. I can easily imagine myself going to town on a beautiful woman, but if the situation was reversed...it's honestly terrifying. If I ended up enjoying it more than when I have sex as a man, it would fuck me up pretty badly..."

Exhaling a faint sigh, Astolfo was tempted to ask 'why' it would fuck him up but decided against it. She knew that Thomas's mentality was likely the result of his upbringing, so, without being 'forced' out of his comfort zone, he would likely remain close-minded on the matter. She believed he would be happier if he just did as he pleased, but not everyone could face the fears that had been ingrained into them since birth.

Rising to her feet, Astolfo kept her chest covered as she said, "We'll put a pin in this for now. And thanks for the top-up."

With nothing else to say, Astolfo promptly departed Thomas's room and made a beeline toward Asclepius to see if it was possible to change her gender. It was a little mean-spirited of her, but if it turned out he could do so without making it 'too' obvious, she intended to have him transition her in secret. Then, when Thomas eventually succumbed to her charms, she would be able to surprise and teach him a lesson...

Unaware of Astolfo's 'mischievous' thoughts, Thomas resisted the urge to sniff his hands as he began a late-evening workout. He only had five days left to complete Caenis's challenge, and he was determined to do so even if he had to sacrifice his sleep...

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With the benefit of Chiron's Recovery Magecraft, Benienma's food, and Beethoven's music to help relax his mind, Thomas's progress was much faster than anyone expected. He advanced more in two weeks than most people would improve in two months. More importantly, his gut had all but disappeared, and while he might not have a six-pack, it was only a matter of time with the perfectly balanced diet Benienma had him on.

What surprised Thomas, even more so than his rapid growth, was that his height had noticeably increased. He had already been fairly tall at 6'2'', roughly 188cm, but after training with Chiron for around a month, he was now 6'4'', just over 193cm. It was a little disconcerting, but as he had girls like Yamato in his sights, Thomas was more excited than anything else. He couldn't imagine surpassing Yamato's tremendous height of 8'8''(263cm), but the closer he got, the better.

Fortunately, while Thomas's height and weight had increased, most of his newly acquired mass was muscle. His gait had also become longer, so if he went all out, he could complete a circuit around the island in under nine minutes. This was fast enough to shatter even the Olympic Record in his previous world, but, as his stamina was far from inexhaustible, Thomas gradually slowed down, barely managing seventeen laps in four hours. He pushed himself far beyond his limits, but it simply hadn't been enough...at least, that's what he believed.

Just as Thomas was preparing to stop and accept his defeat with grace, Caenis surprised him by asking, "Why are you stopping? I know for a fact you can complete twenty laps. Keep going."

As Benienma was already waiting with his lunch, Thomas pointed out, "But it's already been four hours..."

Crossing her arms, Caenis narrowed her eyes in an ostensibly threatening manner as she stated, "Our agreement was that you complete 20-30 laps, not that you do so within four hours. If you stop now, you will 'never' have another chance to be with me. Now show some spirit."

Though he got the distinct impression that Caenis was simply taking pity on him, Thomas wasn't going to protest. The moment he knew he still had a chance, he gained a second wind and increased his speed to around his maximum from a few weeks prior. Then, even though it took an additional six and a half hours, he kept running until he finished all thirty laps...

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(A/N: Thomas when he hears Caenis's words: *Neuron Activation*)

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