Chapter 45: Apotheosis

After recovering from a prolonged stupor, Thomas met Astolfo's gaze and asked, "Seriously? For how long...?"

Instead of answering, Astolfo responded with a playful, "Who knows~?" before donning a black, side-tie bikini and adding, "Looks like you won the contest. Would you...like a reward...?"

With Astolfo shifting her gaze to his cock, Thomas felt his throat tense as he defied the urge to answer in the affirmative. He wanted to, but he and Astolfo needed to sit down and have a long talk before they did anything overtly sexual. They had grown fairly close over the last fourteen months, so he felt like he would be doing her a disservice if he suddenly started acting like a sex-starved monkey just because she had a slit between her legs...

Closing his eyes, Thomas took a deep, steadying breath, holding it for several seconds before exhaling. Afterward, he smiled faintly and replied, "Maybe some other time. We need to talk first..."

Exhaling a faint yet visibly relieved sigh, Astolfo returned a smile as she replied, "That's probably for the best. Still, now that my secret has been exposed, you should expect me to be 'a lot' more affectionate. If I have to keep holding back, I might go crazy..."

Nodding his head, Thomas adopted a faint smile. However, before he could offer a verbal response, Caenis chimed in to say, "Save the chit-chat for when you're alone. We're currently in the middle of a game, and I'm not done venting my frustrations."

While fixing his clothes, Thomas asked, "Frustrations? Did something happen...?"

Directing her gaze to Atalanta, Caenis revealed, "I have to deal with this little shit staring at me with contempt every time I return to the women's cabin after having sex. And don't even get me started with that tangerine bitch..."

Without being prompted, Caenis added, "If she's going to keep getting in your way and trying to turn others against you, we should leave this ship, sail ahead, and let them figure things out on their own. If that isn't an option, you should at least stand up for yourself and put your foot down. If she can't show you a basic amount of respect, answering her questions and providing information to her makes you a patsy. Do you have any idea how annoying it is for us to see you waiting on that dumb bitch when she hasn't done a damn thing to earn your favor...?"

Blinking in surprise, Thomas looked to Astolfo, Benienma, and Atalanta, asking, "Do the rest of you feel this way...?"

Adopting an awkward smile, Astolfo replied, "I don't feel as strongly as Caenis, but seeing her walking all over you and the rest of the Straw Hats is kind of annoying. I understand she needs to take command since Lucy doesn't know how to manage a ship, but..."

Piggybacking off of Astolfo's words, Atalanta curtly appended, "She is very bossy and does whatever she wants..."

Nodding in affirmation, Benienma added, "She acts like the Head of the House despite possessing no vested power or authority. If Master were to marry her in the future, Benienma has no doubt she would try and dictate how you live and interact with others, dechi."

Shaking his head, Thomas replied, "That ship has already set sail. Unless something pretty drastic happens in the future, I can't imagine being in a 'committed' relationship with Nami. If things with Yamato don't work out, I will probably return to Alabasta and assist Vivi as a Minister or something similar. Who knows, I might even become King..."

Though he wasn't entirely sure how it happened, Thomas wasn't so dense that he couldn't realize that Vivi had developed an inordinate fondness for him. She seemed to regard him as the savior of her people, and, thanks to the miracles of Magecraft, he could remedy most of her country's issues. To that end, it could be argued she only cared about him because of what he could offer her, but that was pretty much how most women chose their partners...

Hearing Thomas mention becoming King, Benienma's eyes practically lit up as she stated, "Benienma approves of Lady Vivi as Master's Seishitsu. Alabasta shall become the first of Master's territories, dechi."

As Benienma interpreted Thomas's 'dream' of wanting to stand at the pinnacle of the world as a matter of status, not just strength, she was determined to make him into a ruler. They already had plans to overthrow the World Government and depose the Celestial Dragons, so it was only 'natural' that the person responsible for their downfall would ascend the throne in their absence. After all, without a powerful and just leader, the world would quickly succumb to anarchy.

Following Benienma's statement, Caenis caught Thomas by surprise as she crossed her arms and remarked, "It's not a bad idea. If the people of Alabasta are suffering to the point of rebelling against the family that has ruled them for generations, circumstances must be pretty dire. If you can supplant yourself as a messianic figure in their hearts, you could become 'more' than a mere King. The belief of ten million faithful is enough to earn you to the status of a God..."

Blinking in surprise, Thomas asked, "Seriously? I know that 'belief' is one of the pillars of Magecraft, but isn't that a little exaggerated...?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Caeni replied, "During my era, the population hovered around 8-10 million. That was enough to sustain several Gods, so you can easily achieve apotheosis with the faith of ten million. The caveat is that your power would be limited beyond the borders of Alabasta. Did that horse bastard explain to you the concept of Enthronement? Generally speaking, Gods can only exercise their true power within locations where the belief in them is strongest. That's the reason Temples and Holy Lands exist."

"So, you're saying all I need to become a God is to put on an act...?" asked Thomas.

Shaking her head, Caenis asserted, "It isn't an act. You perform miracles, and the masses reward you with their faith. Accumulate enough, and you become a Deity out of their unified desire to continue benefitting from the blessings and guidance you provide. At least, that's how it's 'supposed' to work. There are exceptions to every rule and more than a few beings that can 'subsume' the Divinity of others. Demons, Devils, and monsters are a good example."

Adopting a vicious smile, Caenis added, "That's where Heroes come in. A lot of Gods are too chicken-shit to fight their own battles because even a minor mishap could cause people to lose faith in them. They treat Heroes as their pawns, hoarding the credit when they succeed and pinning all the blame on them when they fail. It's pathetic."

Narrowing her eyes, now containing a faint red glow, Caenis said, "If you become a God, don't become the type that relies on others to ensure your status. No matter how much power is vested in you, never let it go to your head. Any power that is 'given' can always be taken away, so if you truly wish to stand at the peak, you'll need to be able to stand on your own..."

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No longer in the mood to play, Caenis rose to her feet and said, "I've lost interest in drinking. I'm gonna take a swim around the island, maybe hunt a few Sea Beasts."

Without waiting for anyone to respond, Caenis made her way over to the mast and climbed up through the hatch leading to the deck. In her wake, an uncomfortable silence permeated the men's cabin until Astolfo forced a smile and asked, "Should we continue with just the three of us...?"

Before Thomas could respond, Atalanta suppressed her more animalistic urges, rising to her feet as she said, "I should be keeping watch to ensure the enemy doesn't attack while our guards are down."

Though there was a damp outline of her butt on the wooden floor when she rose, Atalanta maintained a mask of calm as she leaped up through the open hatch. She also felt like she could use a dip in the sea, but she didn't like getting her ears wet...

After eyeing the spot where Atalanta had been seated, Thomas raised his head only to find that he was now alone with Astolfo. Benienma could disappear as quickly as she materialized, so she quietly excused herself when Thomas wasn't looking, scampering off to prepare a hearty meal so that he and Astolfo could have some privacy.

Preempting anything Thomas could say, Astolfo asked, "Want to stick it in my butt...?"

"..."

Undeterred by Thomas's silence, Astolfo adopted an awkward smile as she revealed, "I know you want to talk, but I don't have much to say. I didn't really put a lot of thought into becoming a girl. I just wanted us to be able to spend time together without you being uncomfortable. As for whether or not this is permanant, I'm not really sure. All I know for certain is that I want to do naughty things with you..."

Punctuating her words, Astolfo pulled the strings keeping her black bikini bottoms in place. Threads of clear liquid briefly connected her glistening mons to the piece of fabric, coating her thighs with a tremendous volume of fluids the moment she removed it.

"..."

Seeing Thomas staring intently at her crotch, Astolfo covered it with her hands, feigning bashfulness as she turned her body to the side and said, "I would have gladly let you use my front a few months ago, but I'm afraid you might break it at your current size and girth. I'm pretty confident with my butt, though..."

Turning around completely, Astolfo bent over before using her index and middle fingers to pry open her exceptionally clean-looking anus. It was a pretty shade of pink that defied all reason, but the most surprising thing was how 'easily' Astolfo pried it open...

Divulging the reason, Astolfo began panting as she revealed, "You aren't the only one who's been training this past year. Now, please jam Master's massive cock into Astolfo's little ass-pussy. If she has to wait any longer, her heart won't be able to take it..."

Though he internally remarked, ("What the actual fuck...?"), Thomas made his way over to Astolfo, placing his hand on her smooth bottom. It wasn't nearly as firm and elastic as someone like Caenis, but the texture was in a league of its own, almost like her skin was made from satin.

Instead of asking Astolfo if she was sure about what they were about to do, Thomas removed his trousers and inserted his cock between her thighs, lubricating it with her voluminous love juices. She wasn't the only one that had been holding back the past year, so he only hesitated for a brief moment when he pressed the tip of his glans against her 'bussy.' As he did so, Astolfo took matters into her own hands, pressing her weight against him and gobbling up his cock in one fell swoop before turning to face him with a mischievous look as she said, "Om nom nom..."

Feeling something 'snap' within his mind, Thomas placed his left hand on Astolfo's hip as he said, "You damned Succubus..." before pulling back his hips and thrusting into her with enough force to send a ripple through her body. A deep, throaty, and ostensibly theatrical-sounding moan emanated from Astolfo's throat as he did so, but the pinkette wasn't pretending. Part of her 'agreement' with Caenis included letting the latter use a strap-on to fuck her in the ass, so she had been anticipating Thomas's intrusion to the point of losing sleep. Now that he was finally inside of her, tears began to well in the corners of her eyes due to how happy she was...

To make it clear she wasn't in pain, Astolfo stared directly into Thomas's eyes as she pleaded, "Please stop teasing me...Astolfo wants Master to fuck her so hard she can't even think straight..."

Though Astolfo's sudden shift to third-person left him feeling all kinds of ways, Thomas decided to focus on the task at hand, saying, "Then give me your hands..." before clasping her wrists and going to town on her for the better part of twenty minutes...and that was just round one...

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(A/N: Asstolfo be like, "I didn't wait a year just to have a conversation...")

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