Chapter 18: Setting Out

With Drake insisting every 'active' member of the crew be on deck while they were sailing, a precaution against any attacks and the like, Thomas joined Atalanta in the crow's nest, enjoying the feeling of the sea breeze and wind blowing through his hair.

Though she ordinarily got a little testy when people invaded her space, Atalanta stood next to Thomas with a calm and focused look as she also enjoyed the breeze. At the same time, her cat-like eyes scanned the sea and horizon for any signs, alert for any signs of danger.

While they rarely converted with one another, Thomas liked to think he was on good terms with Atalanta. She occasionally appeared in his room and never failed to join him whenever he went on a run. The only other people she got along with were Benienma and Beethoven, the former for providing her with delicious food and the latter because of her music.

Deciding to try his luck, Thomas asked, "Are you happy to be setting sail? I know my selfishness caused Astolfo a bit of hardship..."

Instead of responding with words, Atalanta combed through her wild, unkempt bangs as she offered a curt, "Nn..." in response. She usually wasn't sociable, so if it were a yes or no question, she would generally nod in affirmation or frown in apparent disagreement.

Catching Thomas a little by surprise, Atalanta eventually stated, "I'm going to miss the jungle...I prefer the tranquility of forest over residing in human settlements..."

As someone who had literally abandoned his world due to how fed up he was with the backasswards, increasingly toxic society he had been born into, Thomas was sincere as he replied, "Yeah, it was challenging at the beginning, but I enjoyed training outdoors and camping. It felt a lot more 'natural' than living within a city and abiding by laws that only situationally apply to those who created them..."

Nodding her head, Atalanta softly muttered, "Laws that only apply to the masses are suppression. I hate people who cheat and tell others what to do for personal benefit..."

As someone who had been forced into marriage by a father who had abandoned her to die as an infant, Atalanta wasn't particularly fond of society and its control mechanisms. That's why she had no misgivings about becoming a Pirate, even if it was only in name.

Not wanting to overstay his welcome, Thomas waited a few minutes before saying, "Well, I'll get out of your hair. See you later, Atalanta..."

Instead of trying to stop Thomas from leaving, Atalanta offered a curt "Nn..." while keeping her gaze on the seas. She didn't mind Thomas's presence, as they had similar ideals, but his persistent 'arousal' was a distraction. He had never attempted to seduce or proposition her, but she could smell the arousal oozing from his body whenever they were together...

Unaware of Atalanta's thoughts, Thomas climbed down the mast and walked over to the bow. As usual, Drake was standing on the bowsprit rather than at the helm, a wide smile on her face as she stood with her arms crossed, hair swaying, and coat flapping in the wind.

Not wanting to disturb Drake as she actively piloted the ship, Thomas simply observed her for a while before turning his gaze to the crystal clear, sapphire-blue waters below. The thought that monsters the size of islands could be lurking within the depths beneath caused his heart to race. He knew the majority of Sea Kings lived within the Calm Belt, so the closer they got to the windless stretch of sea, the more anxious yet excited he became.

Though he had seen Sea Kings in anime and manga, Thomas still had trouble imagining how the massive behemoths would look in the real world. The Going Merry was small enough to sit on the nose of a Sea King, resembling a speck. If something similar happened to the Hind, Thomas was certain it would be a 'very' memorable experience...

Interrupting Thomas's reverie, Caenis walked over wearing her usual attire, a black bikini veiled by tight-fitting blue jean shorts and a white windbreaker, saying, "Hey, sorry about my little outburst at breakfast. If you want to learn carpentry and shipbuilding, I don't mind teaching you the basics."

As he was no longer surprised by Caenis's periodic bouts of sincerity, Thomas just offered a friendly smile as he said, "I'm looking forward to it." He didn't have much of an interest in carpentry or shipbuilding, but if Caenis was the one teaching him, he was more than willing to learn.

Nodding in approval, Ceanis moved to stand next to Thomas, leaning against the bow close enough that their elbows occasionally touched as she brashly stated, "With how long we spent on it, I was starting to think we might never leave that shithole of an island behind. Are you looking forward to getting your dick wet with those girls you have your eyes on?"

Smiling wryly, Thomas insisted, "I just want to help and get to know them. I certainly wouldn't mind if things developed that way, but I'm pretty satisfied with how things are. The two of us might never be a couple, but I don't mind if things stay this way for the next couple of years..."

Furrowing her brows, Caenis softly groaned, "There you go being all sentimental again...you know I hate that, don't you?"

Nodding his head, Thomas replied, "Yeah, yeah, I know. It's just, until I actually start sleeping with other women, I can't help feeling a little attached to the way things are..."

Rolling her eyes, Ceanis surprised Thomas by leaning into him slightly as she remarked, "Whatever. So long as you don't go proposing to me or acting all lovey-dovey in the future, I don't mind if you behave like a fool. At this point, I've just about given up on you behaving sensibly..."

Before Thomas could respond, Drake looked over, shouting, "Oi! If the two of you are going to flirt, take it somewhere else. You're ruining my ambiance with your chatter."

Though Thomas was going to insist they weren't flirting, Ceanis beat him to the punch, asserting, "Mind your own business, scarface! We'll fuck right here on the deck if we feel like it...!"

Scoffing in response to Caenis's words, Drake remarked, "You might be an animal, but our Master isn't anywhere near as bold. Now, shove off before I toss you overboard and force you to swim."

Despite being 'much' weaker than Caenis, Drake wouldn't even bat an eye if a tidal wave large enough to blot the horizon was about to crash down on her. Before her death, she even insisted on being buried in her armor, sword in hand, and nearly a hundred boxes of ammunition buried alongside her. Others feared the abyss of the afterlife, but she embraced it willingly, eager to begin her next adventure.

With her eyes shifting from aquamarine to a faint shade of crimson, Caenis was tempted to throw Drake from her own ship. Instead, she grabbed Thomas's arm rather forcibly, saying, "Let's blow this joint..." before dragging him away without waiting for his response. She was pretty bored since Musashi was polishing her swords, so she planned to have Thomas keep her company.

Though Caenis's actions were somewhat forceful, Thomas didn't mind them too much. Rather, he not-so-secretly enjoyed it when she acted a little possessive of him. It made her seem like a tsundere, even if her glowing red eyes were far more evocative of a yandere...

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As most ships steered clear of the Calm Belt, for good reason, the Hind didn't encounter any other vessels as they drew nearer to the implicitly restricted stretch of sea.

With the Sun having already begun its descent toward the horizon, Drake directed the Hind toward an island that Astolfo had scouted during one of her expeditions. Its northernmost tip actually extended into the Calm Belt a few hundred meters, but it was fairly safe as the seabed was too shallow for a Sea King to get anywhere near it. There were a few amphibious species that could walk on land, but they had no reason to attack an uninhabited island whose largest animal was a species of SUV-sized crabs that moved so slowly they had grass and other plants growing from their shells.

After Benienma and Asclepius confirmed the crabs were safe to eat, Thomas received his first cooking lesson, silently observing the petite sparrow Oni as she demonstrated the process of making a dish known as Kani Nabe, Crab Hot Pot. He apparently wasn't ready to move on to preparing ingredients and cooking, so Benienma had him watch as she explained each step in meticulous detail. She would quiz him on what he learned later, so Thomas did his best to pay attention from start to finish.

Fortunately, while he would never dare to call himself a chef, Thomas had spent an inordinate amount of time watching shows on the Food Network when he was younger. He also really enjoyed anime such as Shokugeki No Souma, Toriko, and even the parody show where some of the characters from Fate Stay Night lived fairly ordinary lives.

Had he not read the most recent chapter of One Piece a few hours before his abrupt encounter with Zelretch, Shokugeki No Souma could have been a serious contender for the world Thomas decided to isekai into. He doubted he would be able to enroll in Totsuki, not without a cheat and some age regression, but the foodgasms displayed in the anime and manga had earned it a place in Thomas's Top 10 worlds he would like to reincarnate or isekai into.

While the food Benienma cooked had never caused anyone's clothes to explode or disintegrate, each dish she prepared gave the feeling of home cooking prepared by someone who cared. She even stated that her food tasted as good as it did because she put her heart into it and seasoned it with love. It sounded a little cliche, but, as someone who had starved and frozen to death in her first life, Benienma had a slight obsession with ensuring others never suffered a similar fate. She took cooking and hospitality 'very' seriously, so Thomas made sure to pay close attention to everything she taught him...

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Shortly after dinner, Drake invited Thomas into her quarters to look at the magical diorama that served as their map. Instead of being a flat piece of paper spread out across a table, it was a holographic display that allowed Drake to zoom in so close that they could make out the individual trees, plants, and buildings that Astolfo had seen during her travels. It made Thomas think of a futuristic version of Google Earth, as the only aspects of the scene that were high-definition were those that had been observed by Astolfo directly.

As they would be sailing within 300km of it during their journey, Drake zoomed in on the Desert Kingdom of Alabasta, asking, "This is one of the places you mentioned in the guidebook you provided, right? Want to make a stopover and deal with that Crocodile fellow while we're in the area?"

While it was a fairly tempting offer, Thomas didn't hesitate to reply, "I don't want to 'derail' the Straw Hat's journey that much. Once we save Cocoyasi Village, we'll either search for Weatheria or sail over the Red Line and enter the North or West Blues. The North Blue is known to be the 'most dangerous' of the Four Seas, and it's also the location of the Germa Kingdom. We should be able to increase our fame fairly rapidly there. As for the West Blue, it's the domain of the Happo Navy and the presumed location of the Jewel Ice Sheet. With Astolfo's ability to find whatever she's searching for, the vast horde of treasure is practically waiting for us to come and pick it up."

Though she gave a curt nod, Drake argued, "That's good and all, but if we intend to become Shichibukai, exposing and eliminating one of the existing Warlords is probably the best course of action. That Crocodile fellow seems like the most sensible person to eliminate, as it places us in the good graces of a benevolent Kingdom and gives you a chance to impress upon their Princess. I know you don't want to interfere with these 'Straw Hats' too much, but this isn't their journey. If you weren't going to make the most of the situation, what was the point of coming to this world?"

As Drake's argument was fairly compelling, Thomas took a moment to consider his response before saying, "It's not a bad idea. However, the Kingdom of Alabasta is where the Straw Hats meet and initially recruit Robin. I wouldn't mind recruiting her as a member of 'our' crew, but it would jeopardize our status as Shichibukai. The safer option would be to have Musashi defeat Hawkeye once he appears in East Blue. If she is elevated to the status of 'Strongest Swordswoman,' our crew would be an obvious candidate for the position of Shichibukai once Luffy and Co defeat Crocodile."

While he wasn't absolutely certain that Musashi could defeat Mihawk, Thomas had 'a lot' of confidence in her ability. Her Heavenly Eye and 'State of Nothingness' practically made her invincible if she decided to take a battle seriously.

Nodding her head a second time, Drake said, "Then we'll go with that. Just make sure you don't get too caught up in what the Straw Hats are doing that you forget to enjoy our journey, okay? If you just wanted to see what they would accomplish, you could have done so back in your previous world. Now that you're a resident of this one, you should be more...daring."

Punctuating her words, Drake sat on the edge of her desk and raised her left leg with a mischievous smile adorning her face. His physique and appearance had improved tremendously since their arrival in this world, so she wouldn't mind 'accompanying' him for a short while.

Though he felt his throat tighten, Thomas earned a twinkle-eyed smile from Drake as he asked, "Is there nothing else...?"

Resisting the urge to telepathically slam and lock the doors to her cabin, Drake mused, "You've grown..." before spreading both of her legs and asking, "Are you 'sure' you want to leave...?"

Inhaling a deep breath, Thomas controlled his almost instinctual urge to say yes. Instead, he adopted the most serious expression he could manage, stating, "You're a stunning woman, Drake. But even I have my pride..."

Finished with what he had to say, Thomas did his best to appear resolute as he departed the captain's cabin with Drake staring at him with a massive grin on her face. She wasn't even remotely offended by his refusal. Rather, by resisting her enticement, Thomas's value as a man increased substantially within Drake's mind...

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(A/N: Thomas is playing with fire...)

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