Chapter 77: Conflicting Ideologies

After procuring clothes, Thomas, Vivi, Nami, Chloe, Illya, and Ruby returned to the port to procure food and water from a business closer to their ship. However, before they could reach their destination, someone Thomas both expected and was surprised to see barred their path.

"Thomas Jensen..." growled Smoker in his usual gravelly tone, a pair of lit cigars in his mouth.

Instead of responding to Smoker's words, Thomas briefly looked at the young, raven-haired woman standing next to him. She had short raven hair, similar to Nami, but her features were markedly more 'average.' She was far from ugly, but she gave off the impression of a 'girl-next-door,' especially with her thick, red-rimmed glasses. As for her body...she was deceptively curvy...

Shifting his attention from the woman, Thomas didn't need Chloe to inform him that they were surrounded by dozens, if not hundreds, of Marines.

While staring at one of the Marines aiming their flintlock rifle at him, Thomas's expression morphed into a frown as he asked, "What's this about, Captain Smoker? You and your little lady friend a long way from Loguetown..."

Maintaining a scowl, Smoker exhaled a plume of thick white smoke as he revealed, "Orders from up top. I was told you stole something important from the World Government. Now, are we going to do this the easy way, with you surrendering peacefully, or are we going to have to involve your friends...?"

Passing his gaze over Vivi, Nami, Illya, and Chloe, Smoker's expression didn't change in the slightest despite the group's scant attire. The girl at his side, however, gripped the hilt of her katana as she grimly remarked, "Captain...unless I'm mistaken, those two young-looking girls with him are the infamous Pirates, Illya and Chloe von Einzbern. Last I checked, both had Bounties of 500,000,000..."

Hearing the woman's words, the Marines accompanying Smoker became even tenser than usual. As for Smoker, he had a faintly incredulous look on his face as he re-evaluated Illya and Chloe, asking, "You're telling me these little squirts have a combined Bounty of one billion? What are their crimes...?"

Before the raven-haired woman, Tashigi, could explain, Thomas stated, "I haven't stolen a damn thing, and I don't appreciate being falsely accused just so you have an excuse to try and arrest me."

After raising his hand to silence Tashigi's response, Smoker reached into his breast pocket, pulling out a piece of wax paper as he said, "I honestly didn't buy it when I first received the order. However, recent events have led me to believe differently..."

Seeing Smoker unfurl the Bounty Poster of Drake, Thomas's expression morphed into a deadpan as he said, "I cut ties with the Wild Hunt before I departed the East Blue..."

Shrugging his shoulders, Smoker responded, "That may be the case, but it doesn't change the fact you were once affiliated with them. You may have critical information that can lead to Francis Drake's capture. If that wasn't a good enough reason to arrest you, you're now traveling with at least two infamous Pirates...how do you plan to explain that?"

Without missing a beat, Thomas retorted, "Easily," before crossing his arms and explaining, "We have something the World Government wants. We didn't steal it, and it never belonged to them, but that won't stop them from labeling anyone possessing the items they seek as criminals. Now, even though we haven't committed any crimes, we're going to be vilified and accused of assaulting Marines just because idiots like you choose to carry out illegitimate orders..."

Before Smoker or Tashigi could respond, Thomas gestured to Illya and Chloe, asking, "Want to know the crimes these girls are actually 'guilty' of...?"

Staring into Smoker's eyes, Thomas's expression and tone hardened as he revealed, "A random Celestial Dragon took an interest in them and wanted to enslave them against their will. Because they refused to become some inbred piece of shit's pet, they were pursued and nearly killed by Admiral Kizaru. Now, unless you intend to explain to me how it's 'wrong' to resist being enslaved against your will, you and your Marines can fuck off before someone gets hurt or someone else's property is damaged..."

Though he had heard the rumors about Celestial Dragons, Smoker had never witnessed their atrocities. He also believed that the Marines were 'necessary' to protect the people and counteract the growing number of Pirates tormenting the seas, so, while he could empathize with Thomas's, Illya's, and Chloe's plights, he was determined to take them in.

Catching Tashigi and his subordinates by surprise, Smoker half-turned away from Thomas's group, saying, "There's a large clearing to the North of the city. If you're genuinely concerned with causing collateral damage, we can settle things there..."

Adopting a severe expression, Thomas replied, "I'll accompany you to the outskirts, but only if you let these girls go. They didn't do anything wrong, and your orders were to capture me, not them."

Surprised by Thomas's words, Vivi attempted to say something but was silenced by the former shaking his head. As heroic as his words sounded, the truth was that he simply wanted to test his strength against Smoker and his Marines. With the EMIYA Install Card and his Command Spells, he could escape even if he was captured and imprisoned.

Seeing the 'resolute' expression on Thomas's face, Smoker only hesitated for a moment before answering, "Very well."

"Captain Smoker...!" shouted Tashigi. "We can't just-"

Before Tashigi could finish voicing her protest, Smoker narrowed his eyes, staring down at her as he said, "As Marines, our top priority is protecting the citizens and ensuring they're able to go about their daily lives without interruption. Also, our mission is to capture Thomas Dale Jensen. We can worry about apprehending other Pirates once we've achieved our primary objective..."

Directing the final few words at Thomas, Smoker signaled his men before turning around and leading the way. In response, Thomas turned to Vivi, greeting her anxious expression with a wry smile as he softly asserted, "Don't worry. Even if I get my ass handed to me, I'll be able to escape the moment I recover..."

Instead of responding to Thomas with words, Vivi threw her arms around him, squeezing him tightly. She didn't doubt his claim about being able to escape, but that didn't change the fact he was 'sacrificing' himself to buy them time and to preserve her people's way of life.

Though he suspected Vivi had misunderstood something, that didn't stop Thomas from returning her embrace, gently cradling the bluenette within his arms as various people stared at them with mixed expressions...

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After parting ways with the girls, Thomas did his best not to mind the small army of Marines surrounding him as he followed behind Smoker, followed by Tashigi. The latter had mellowed out a bit after seeing his interaction with Vivi, but she still had a hand on her sword, prepared to unsheathe it the moment he attempted to flee.

Since it took nearly an hour to walk from the port to the city's outskirts, Thomas attempted to break the ice after seventeen minutes of awkward silence, asking, "Your name's Tashigi, isn't it?"

Furrowing her brows, Tashigi pushed up her glasses as she snappily replied, "I don't fraternize with Pirates..."

Adopting a smile, Thomas retorted, "Then I guess I'm lucky, as I haven't actually done any pirating. If I have, feel free to point out my Bounty and crimes. I'm curious to know."

As the World Government had yet to issue a Bounty for Thomas's capture, Tashigi found herself at a loss for words. All she knew for certain was that Thomas was a fairly honorable Bounty Hunter that had intervened when Pirates attempted to cause a scene and murder a group of policemen in Loguetown. Now, he was willfully accompanying them to the outskirts of the city to avoid causing trouble for the people who inhabited it...

Unable to suppress her curiosity, Tashigi eventually inquired, "What do you have that the World Government would go out of their way to label you as a criminal to possess?"

Raising his right index finger, Thomas produced a wisp of blue 'flame' as he revealed, "They believe there is a connection between my Devil Fruit, the Mana-Mana-no-Mi, and something called Install Cards. However, as there is no direct connection between them, I ended up blabbing to a lot of people about the name and abilities of my fruit. That included a certain cigar addict, so now I get to be hunted and treated like a criminal despite only wanting to help people..."

Hearing Thomas's words, Smoker's perpetually grim expression became even more so as he stopped in place, turned around, and asked, "You're saying this is my fault...?"

Shaking his head, Thomas answered, "This is entirely the result of the World Government being heralded by being greedy, irredeemably corrupt asshats. You and your subordinates just happen to be the instruments they're using to try and get their way. In that regard, you, me, the citizens of Alabasta; we're all victims."

Unwilling to be left out of the conversation, Tashigi asked, "What does this have to do with the people of Alabasta...?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Thomas retorted, "Does it matter? As far as you people are concerned, I'm guilty because someone neither of us has ever met told you I am. There's no evidence linking me to a crime, but you're prepared to detain and hand me over just because someone ordered you to do so. Shit like this is exactly why I became a Bounty Hunter instead of joining the Marines..."

Puffing out her cheeks, Tashigi looked like she wanted to say something but couldn't find the words. Smoker, however, readily asserted, "I won't try to argue that the Marines are perfect. But our existence is necessary to counteract the spread of piracy..."

Adopting a deadpan expression, Thomas countered, "The only thing that makes someone a 'Pirate' in this world is their unwillingness to bend the knee to the World Government. You might be fighting to curb the spread of piracy, but that isn't why the Marines exist. If that were the case, the World Government would have constructed bases near the Twin Capes or before Sabaody Archipelago..."

Shaking his head, Thomas said, "Forget it. These types of discussions are pointless. The World Government has spent 700 years convincing people they're the good guys, so I don't expect you to listen to reason. Once you increase your rank or spend some time at Saboady, you'll understand the true nature of the people you serve. Just pray that your little friend here doesn't catch the eye of a stray Celestial Dragon. She's pretty cute, so if she doesn't want to be labeled a Pirate, her only options would be to kill herself or accept being someone's pet for the rest of her life..."

Refusing to believe Thomas's words, Tashigi exclaimed, "Don't think you can deceive us! If the Celestial Dragons were truly as monstrous as you claim, the people would have revolted years ago...!"

Instead of looking toward Tashigi, Thomas narrowed his eyes, holding Smoker's gaze as he replied, "Literally anyone who's visited Sabaody can verify what I'm saying. I'm just warning you so that you and your Captain aren't forced to become Pirates for 'daring' to resist enslavement..."

Directing his gaze skyward, Thomas added, "We should hurry and get a move on. I have a good woman waiting and a lot of people relying on me to help save, so I don't really have time to play with you. Just make sure that when you report me to the higher-ups, you inflate my feats as much as possible. After all, I'm an associate of the Wild Hunt and a cohort of two people with Bounties of 500,000,000. If I'm going to be forced into becoming a Pirate, I may as well have a sizeable Bounty to wave around."

Furrowing her brows even further, Tashigi asked, "Is this a game to you?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Thomas retorted, "I'm an innocent man about to be attacked by a platoon of Marines for a crime I didn't commit. If I make a single mistake, my life and freedom are forfeit. If I succeed, I'm guilty of resisting arrest and assaulting affiliates of the World Government. There's no way I get out of this without receiving a Bounty, so I may as well have a big one. I mean, I'm a pretty big guy, so it would be pretty embarrassing to have a smaller Bounty than the two girls I'm charged with protecting..."

Understanding that Thomas was referring to Illya and Chloe, Smoker asked, "You're protecting those two?"

Adopting a smile, Thomas replied, "Something like that. Either way, I have something the World Government desperately wants. Might as well have a Bounty that matches their desperation."

Catching Thomas a little off guard, Smoker gave a curt nod and said, "I'll keep that in mind when I make my report..." Then, without another word, he turned around, signaling for his men to pick up the pace so they could wrap things up as quickly as possible...

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(A/N: I had a bacterial infection in my stomach. I'll be doing 3-5 chapters a day next week to make up for the lack of chapters this one.)

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