Chapter 39: Entrapment

Once Astolfo returned with Zoro, who somehow got lost on a straight stretch of land, the Going Merry set sail for its first destination in the Grand Line, Whiskey Peak, the sole town on an island known as Cactus Island.

Instead of actual cacti, Cactus Island was named as such due to a series of massive stone structures known as Cactus Rocks. From a distance, the island resembled a collection of gigantic spherical cacti floating atop an arid stretch of land. However, when you got closer to the colossal stone structures, you would quickly discover that the countless spines adorning the giant cacti were actually gravestones.

As there were no freak blizzards or thunderstorms during their brief, six-hour journey, Thomas spent most of it standing on the quarterdeck with Caenis and Nami, lifting weights and answering whatever questions the latter threw his way.

After calling Thomas's 'bluff' and asking Caenis directly what she thought about the possibility of him having relationships with other women, Nami found herself humbled as the pale-haired horsewoman didn't care in the slightest. Rather, the moment she brought it up, Caenis encouraged her to 'give Thomas a go' before he outgrew her completely...

Though she had no plans of heeding Caenis's advice, Nami's perception of Thomas shifted. Previously, she viewed him as someone who might use his future knowledge to manipulate her and Lucy. There was still a case to be made in that regard, but Thomas's willful admission, combined with his claim that he had given up on her, left Nami feeling a combination of relief and a peculiar sense of conflict. She was no longer 'afraid' of him, but she also had a strange impression that she had lost something...

Garnering the attention of everyone onboard, Atalanta tersely called out, "People are gathering on the shores..."

With her position at the front of the Going Merry, Lucy had a decent view of the sea and surroundings. However, despite her rapid advancements with Observation Haki, she couldn't make out so much as a single person on the distant shore, asking, "Are you sure? I don't see anyone."

Without hesitation, Atalanta calmly replied, "There are 113 people present, each carrying concealed weapons."

Hearing Atalanta's words, Usopp panicked, exclaiming, "Oh, no! Could they be planning to board us!?" while Zoro just approached the bow of the ship, a somewhat vicious grin on his face as he remarked, "I finally get to test out these new blades of mine..."

Though Thomas had already informed her that Whiskey Peak was a nest for Bounty Hunters, Nami said, "Don't get too carried away, Zoro. Except for Astolfo, none of us have active Bounties. Unless they intend to rob us, we should be able to pass through this town without a fight."

Clicking his tongue, Zoro muttered, "Boring..." before sitting with his back against the taffrail and preparing to doze off. If there wasn't any fighting to do, he would rather 'meditate' to refine his Observation Haki...

As the Going Merry got closer to the channel cutting through Whiskey Peak, many of the people gathered along the shores began to disperse. The Going Merry was flying a Jolly Roger with a Straw Hat on it, but, as Nami had pointed out, not even Lucy had a Bounty. Even if every citizen in Whiskey Peak was a Bounty Hunter, they had no reason to antagonize a group of 'no-name' Pirates.

Fortunately, while most of Whiskey Peak's residents dispersed, some of the more notable ones remained. Among these was a fairly tall, broad-shouldered man with a small red nose and pale-blonde hair resembling a powdered wig. Accompanying him was an orange-haired man wearing a golden crown, a tall and muscular woman with black skin and contrasting pink hair, and, most notably, an attractive young woman with wavy, light blue hair tied up in a ponytail. She was wearing makeup, both as a way of masking her identity and making herself appear older, but the thing that caught Thomas's were her form-fitting white short-shorts, fur-lined coat, and skin-tight top, the latter of which had a blue and white pattern of swirls that accented her breasts and abdomen, drawing peoples' gazes and making them feel dizzy if they ogled her for too long.

Waiting until the Going Merry had slowed to a crawl, the powder-wigged man placed his hand over his chest, his voice loud and carrying as he issued a musical, "Ma-ma-ma~" before spreading his arms and shouting, "Welcome, brave Adventurers! My name is Igarappoi, Mayor of Whiskey Peak! Our town is famous for its hospitality, music, and bountiful liquors. Before you continue your journey, let us welcome you to the Grand Line by hosting a small banquet in your honor! Ma-ma-ma~!"

Never one to refuse an invitation to a party, much less a banquet, Lucy unhesitantly replied, "Sounds like fun~!" before jumping off the ship and leaving everyone else to furl the sails and fall the anchor. Once they had, everyone except Caenis, Atalanta, and Astolfo disembarked. Igarappoi noticed this, adopting an inviting smile as he suggested, "Why don't the rest of you join us as well? I can assure you, so long as you're within the confines of Whiskey Peak, there is no risk of anything happening to you or your ship."

Before Caenis could tell Igarappoi to fuck off, Thomas remarked, "Even the most inexperienced of crews know to leave a few hands on deck to secure our cargo and prevent our ship from being stolen. Even if Whiskey Peak is as hospitable as you claim, expecting us to forgo security entirely is a bit suspicious, don't you think?"

As it wasn't uncommon for their quarries to show some degree of caution, Igarappoi maintained his friendly smile as he replied, "Ma-ma-ma~! Then at least allow us to present your friends with food and drink to make their wait more enjoyable."

Though Thomas had no intention of refusing Igarappoi's suggestion, his heart skipped a beat when the blue-haired woman suddenly hugged his arm, pressing her breasts against him as she practically purred, "Don't be so uptight, big boy. Come, let Miss Wednesday pour you a drink and make all your troubles go away..."

Accompanying the blue-haired woman's words, an intoxicating fragrance invaded Thomas's nose, causing him to feel muddleheaded. Fortunately, both for Thomas and Miss Wednesday, better known within the One Piece community as Princess Nefertari Vivi, the former had already told Caenis and the others that she wasn't a threat. Had he not, Benienma might have appeared from his shadow, slicing off Vivi's hands at the wrists. Instead, thanks to the effects of the perfume, he was allowed to place his hand directly on the Princess's pillowy bottom, eliciting a playful yet slightly awkward laugh from the blue-haired beauty as she escorted him toward the tavern where the banquet would be held...

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While observing Usopp regaling people with tales of his heroism, Lucy eating to her heart's content, and Nami and Zoro engaging the people of Whiskey Peak in a drinking contest, Thomas enjoyed the company of Vivi at an isolated corner of the bar. She had attempted to pawn him off onto some other girls several times, but he insisted he would rather drink with the woman who had invited him over in the first place.

Though she was doubtlessly uncomfortable, Vivi remained seated atop Thomas's lap, actively flirting with him as she probed him for information and brought alcohol directly to his lips. Her body tensed when he touched her butt or grabbed her breasts, but she didn't condemn, chastise, or coil away from him. Instead, she leaned into him, asking increasingly personal questions about himself, the members of his crew, and whether or not he had any interesting treasures or other valuable items.

Despite sobering up thanks to a handy little spell that Chiron had taught him to avoid this exact situation, Thomas pretended to be intoxicated as he willfully tested the limits of Vivi's 'resolution.' His actions could be seen as scummy due to knowing the Princess's circumstances, but the truth was that 'she' was the one attempting to take advantage of him and his crew.

Before encountering the Straw Hats in canon, Vivi had been an active member of Baroque Works for two years, working her way up through the organization's ranks until she had become a single-digit Frontier Agent. In order to attain her current position, she had been forced to kill or assist in the capture of countless pirates, so her hands were far from clean. When the Straw Hats first met her, she was actively trying to kill Laboon, fired a bazooka at Crocus, attempted to kill Zoro, and took an unconscious Luffy hostage, threatening to kill him if Zoro didn't comply with their demands.

Though it was eventually revealed that Vivi was a brave and determined girl who would do just about anything to protect her friends and citizens, it didn't change the fact that she had ruined hundreds of lives in pursuit of her goals. She justified her actions by convincing herself that most of her victims were 'evil' Pirates, but the situation with Laboon and Crocus, a harmless whale and a retired old man, made it clear Pirates weren't her 'only' victims. If she was ordered by Baroque Works to deal with a group of people or a threat to the organization, she had 'no choice,' as it was the only way to protect her status and cover.

With such thoughts in mind, Thomas happily 'endured' Vivi's attempts to seduce and get him drunk. He even egged her on by providing her with a few useful tidbits of information. So long as he answered her questions in a relatively straightforward manner, she felt less inclined to get him drunk, prolonging their flirtatious encounter for several hours. At some point, Vivi even began enjoying herself, imbibing quite a few drinks until Igarappoi, better known as Captain Igaram of the Alabasta Royal Guard, walked over with a forced smile on his face, questioning, "Are the two of you enjoying yourselves~?" while staring daggers at Thomas.

Though she sobered up a bit in response to Igaram's intervention, Vivi made no attempt to extricate herself from Thomas's 'clutches,' arguing, "Everything's under control, Igarappoi. Thomas was just telling me about a process called 'drip irrigation.' You should hear some of his ideas about enriching soils and distributing water through arid regions. He's a lot more scholarly than I *hic* expected..."

Blinking in surprise, Igaram gave Thomas a double-take, not expecting the 'brutish' man to be anything more than his appearance suggested. He also knew about his Princess's fondness for knowledge and fervent desire to improve the situation of their people. If Thomas possessed knowledge that might prove useful to improving conditions in Alabasta, she would try to squeeze every ounce of it from his head.

Suppressing an exasperated sigh, Igaram made a hand gesture behind his back, effectively signaling the other members of Baroque Works that they would not be executing their plan that evening. It wasn't uncommon for them to butter up more powerful Pirate crews over multiple days, waiting for them to lower their guard, so while people like Mr. 9 and Miss Monday expressed discontent with their expressions, the lower-ranking members of Baroque Works immediately got to work cleaning things up, even going so far as to put blankets over the 'sleeping' members of the Straw Hats as a means of building rapport.

Before leaving to have a private discussion with the executive members of their opportunistic organization, Igaram narrowed his beady black eyes at half-conscious Thomas before directing his steely gaze to Vivi and saying, "Enjoy the rest of your evening...Miss Wednesday..."

Confident she had everything under control, even though she was more than a little tipsy, Vivi gave an affirming nod as she replied, "Just leave it to me." Then, while Thomas acted as though he could barely stand, she guided him to a nearby room so they could speak 'privately.'

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(A/N: When you set a honeytrap, and a bear shows up...)

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