Chapter 37: Twin Capes

Once Thomas finally returned to the Going Merry, Nami and Caenis were there waiting for him, the former pointedly remarking, "You sure took your sweet time. Were you the one that caused that strange phenomenon that knocked everyone out...?"

Doing his best to appear more confident than his status made him out to be, Thomas adopted a relaxed smile as he replied, "My path was blocked by a Marine Captain named Smoker. And no, that was caused by someone else. If I possessed that kind of power, I would already be standing at the pinnacle of the world."

As everyone else on the deck had walked over in response to Thomas's arrival, Zoro, now wearing two new swords on his hip, asked, "Anyone we need to worry about?"

Shaking his head, Thomas replied, "Not anytime soon," before adding, "And nice swords. I was a little worried you wouldn't be able to locate them. Did you also meet Tashigi...?"

Furrowing his brows slightly, Zoro answered, "Yeah...I was going to ask you about her. She isn't who I think she is, is she...?"

Though there was 'a lot' of speculation about Tashigi and Kuina being the same person, especially after the reveal that Sabo had survived, Oda, the creator of One Piece, had gone on record saying they were different. They just happened to look identical, had a similar obsession with swords, and were around the same age as one another...

Shaking his head, Thomas replied, "I'm not omniscient. You'll have to find the truth to that question on your own."

Clicking his tongue, Zoro seemed dissatisfied by Thomas's response but didn't press him further. Instead, he split off from the group to continue testing his newly acquired swords, the cursed sword, Sandai Kitetsu, and one of the 50 Skillful Grade swords, the Yubashiri. He felt like the pair of katanas were made specifically for him, but he still wanted to familiarize himself with their weight and balance before fighting a proper opponent.

As Zoro walked off to do his own thing, Nami suggested, "We should set sail as soon as possible. I don't want to be here when the Marines begin searching for someone to blame for the citizens losing consciousness..."

Before anyone else could reply, Lucy responded excitedly, "Yosh! Weigh anchor and unfurl the sails! Next stop, Reverse Mountain! After that, the Grand Line...!"

Though everyone had varying degrees of enthusiasm, even Caenis responded with a half-hearted, 'Aye aye, Captain..." before moving to her assigned position. She had been tasked with piloting the ship, so she moved to the interior steering column while Thomas coiled the anchor and Usopp unfurled the sails alongside Astolfo and Zoro. Atalanta was already in the crow's nest, so Nami made her way onto the quarterdeck, the location of five tangerine trees, while Benienma moved to the kitchen. The only person who didn't have anything to do was Lucy, who, as usual, moved to her perch atop the Going Merry's sheep-like figurehead, a broad smile on her face as she gazed toward the horizon...

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[Six Days Later]

Seeing the 'legendary' Reverse Mountain for herself, Nami couldn't help remarking, "Incredible...I've heard the stories, but I never expected to see the sea flowing up the side of a mountain like this. Even if the current is exceptionally powerful, it shouldn't be able to drive water ten thousand meters at such a steep angle..."

Despite originating from an era of myths and Gods, Caenis found herself agreeing with Nami, retorting, "It's fucking ludicrous. Even with my power over the seas, a feat like this is impossible. This is clearly manufactured in some way..."

Though she could generate massive tidal waves with enough prep time, Caenis couldn't fathom the force required to push a 100m, 50m deep river up a steep incline at more than a hundred knots(185km/h). Not even Poseidon could pull off such a ridiculous feat with his power alone, so she was convinced there was a hidden mechanism driving the feat. She even suspected the entire mountain to be artificial. Otherwise, such a powerful current would have cut through it long ago.

"We'll worry about that near the tail end of our journey," said Thomas. "For now, our immediate objective is to ensure the Going Merry isn't destroyed as we ascend the mountain. It's rumored that more than half the ships entering the Grand Line are destroyed before they reach the Twin Peaks near its entrance..."

Snorting through her nose, Caenis asserted, "With me on board, we don't have to worry about crashing into any walls. Just don't fall off as we make our ascent. If I have to choose between the ship and rescuing your dumb ass from drowning, it isn't much of a choice."

Though Caenis's words seemed to suggest she would prioritize the ship, both Nami and Thomas knew she would readily abandon the Going Merry to ensure his safety. Thus, while Caenis manipulated the currents to keep them from crashing into the walls, Zoro and Usopp teamed up to control the steering column, just in case. Nami had proposed having Thomas stay inside the ship, but there was no way in hell he was going to miss such an incredible view...

As the Going Merry was invariably drawn toward the Reverse Mountain, the strength of the current increased to the point it became impossible for them to turn around. The only way they could go was forward, so, while Lucy shouted, "Yahoooo~!" at the front of the ship, Thomas clung to the rails of the quarterdeck hard enough to leave indentations in the wood as the Going Merry began its steep ascent towards the clouds. Of course, as exciting as the two-hour ascent was, it was comparably boring compared to their six-minute descent...

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As the Going Merry escaped the Reverse Mountain's current and entered far stabler seas, Thomas joined everyone onboard in celebrating despite feeling confused. In the timeline he was familiar with, Laboon, a massive, island-sized whale, was waiting for the Straw Hats during their descent. It was also where the Straw Hats first encountered Crocus, the doctor of Gol D. Roger, and Nefertari Vivi, the disguised Princess of the Kingdom of Alabasta.

Noticing the conflict in Thomas's eyes during their celebration, Nami waited until things began to calm down before approaching him to ask, "What's wrong? We just entered the Grand Line. Shouldn't you be a little happier...?"

Choosing to believe they were a little early, as the opposite would almost certainly mean that Vivi was dead, Thomas forced a smile as he replied, "I was hoping to see the Island Whale that has been known to linger around these parts for the past fifty years."

Narrowing her eyes slightly, Nami moved a little closer to Thomas, her breasts nearly touching him as she asked, "What's the 'real' reason you're disappointed? For someone who flew over the Calm Belt and witnessed Sea Kings the size of islands, I refuse to believe you're this troubled over a simple whale..."

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Instead of answering Nami's question directly, Thomas suggested, "We should moor the ship near the coast and speak to the Lighthouse Keeper. As useful as Astolfo's ability is, we should get in the habit of navigating the Grand Line properly. Without a Log Pose, we're bound to get turned around in one of the region's many storms..."

Rolling her eyes, Nami replied, "Fine, then. Keep your secrets. Just know that I'll hold you personally responsible if something happens to Lucy or anyone else in the crew..."

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With Nami turning and walking away from him, Thomas followed her with his gaze until Astolfo approached to ask, "Lover's quarrel~?" in a teasing tone.

Exhaling a sigh, Thomas forced a faint smile as he replied, "I wish..." in an ingratiating tone. He liked to think he and Nami had grown closer the past two and a half months, but there was a particular 'distance' between them that never seemed to shrink. She came to him for advice and to probe him for information, but that was about it. Unless Lucy was around, they never simply 'chatted.'

As there was quite a substantial difference in their heights now, Astolfo had to stand on the tips of her toes to pat Thomas on the head, saying, "There, there..." in a comforting tone. She was only 164cm in height, so Thomas was nearly 60cm taller than her.

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Gazing down at the smiling, pink-haired Paladin, a number of conflicting thoughts crossed Thomas's mind. His updated logbook recorded Astolfo's gender as female, but he lacked the courage to 'confirm' whether or not it was true. He would be stepping on a rather sizeable landmine if it wasn't, but he would have to be a massive cunt to take advantage of the situation if Astolfo truly were a woman...

Shaking such thoughts from his mind, Thomas issued a faint "Thanks..." before 'rewarding' the petite trap with a headpat of her own. The size of his hands had increased with his height, so he covered nearly the entirety of her crown as he gently ruffled her silky smooth hair. That was another reason he had yet to extend his clutches to the petite pinkette, as, even at 174cm, Caenis was beginning to have difficulties accepting all of him. She argued she could easily endure 30cm, but Thomas had serious doubts as he was nearing 24 and felt like he was pushing up her guts...

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While Thomas's thoughts wandered all over the place, the Going Merry carefully pulled up to the cliffs surrounding the Twin Capes. There were at least 40m between the surface of the sea and the lowest ridge, but Lucy was able to use her Gomu-Gomu-no-Bazooka to propel herself up without issue. Then, using her stretchy arms, she pulled up everyone who wanted to go ashore.

As he wanted to speak to Crocus about Vivi, Thomas accompanied Lucy, Nami, and Zoro while Usopp, Atalanta, and Benienma protected the ship. Caenis and Astolfo used the opportunity to collect food, the former diving into the seemingly bottomless sea while the latter boarded her Hippogriff to search the surrounding cliffs for fruit-bearing trees.

Fortunately, while Crocus was initially encountered in the belly of Laboon in the original series, the flowery man eventually answered after they rang the doorbell at the entrance to the Lighthouse.

Despite his advanced age, Crocus gave off a fairly intimidating aura due to his intense gaze, 208cm height, and muscular, scar-covered body. His strength had weakened greatly, but he was still a former comrade of the Pirate King. In the anime and manga, he tanked several cannonballs with his body, barely sustaining any injuries despite being in his 70s and acting as a Lighthouse Keeper for 50 years.

With an intense gaze that looked like he was about to activate a powerful Conqueror's Haki, Crocus glowered at Thomas, Nami, Lucy, and Zoro for several intense moments before stating, "Whatever you're selling, I'm not interested...!"

While Lucy made an off-handed remark about the literal flower petals growing from Crocus's head, Thomas adopted a wry smile as he revealed, "We were actually hoping to purchase something from you. Do you have any spare Log Poses...?"

Opening his eyes as if he were shocked to his core, Crocus stared directly at Thomas, the atmosphere around him nearly becoming palpable until he replied with a curt, "I do...!"

Before Thomas and Nami could sigh in relief, Crocus abruptly closed the door to his Lighthouse, locking it behind him as he added, "Not for sale...!" in a loud, codgerly tone.

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(A/N: For those that are concerned, the Straw Hats are quite a bit ahead of schedule due to the time spent reconstructing Nami's village in canon. I wouldn't kill someone as significant/popular as Vivi just to spice things up...at least not off-screen (O w O)...)

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