31 Cunning and Deception

Seeing Thomas and Benienma emerge from belowdecks, the nearby Zoro remarked, "Looks like that creepy doctor wasn't just talking out of his ass. I expected you to be out for at least a day or two."

Before Thomas could respond, Lucy, who had been seated atop the sheep-like figurehead at the front of the Going Merry, bounded over to say, "You're awake." with a broad smile on her face.

Nodding his head, Thomas returned a smile as he replied, "Yeah. Despite his appearance, Asclepius is probably the greatest doctor in the world. So long as their head and heart aren't destroyed, he can even resuscitate the recently deceased."

Blinking several times, Lucy asked, "Really? Maybe I should have pushed harder to get him to join us..."

Shaking his head, Thomas replied, "I can't imagine him accepting. As far as I'm aware, there are no medical facilities aboard this ship. He also isn't very sociable, so he would be miserable sharing a room with several other people..."

"Ah..."

Looking around at the Going Merry, Lucy adopted a thoughtful expression as she revealed, "I was just thinking about that. With this many people on board, we'll probably need to upgrade the Merry in the future. That Drake woman offered to give us a Full-rigged Galleon, but..."

Directing her gaze to the quarterdeck, the location of a very disgruntled-looking Usopp, Lucy's usual smile turned slightly wry. Usopp had refused the moment Drake proposed giving them a ship. Lucy empathized with his desire to hold onto the Merry for as long as possible, but she also knew it would be impossible to become King of the Pirates on a Caravel designed to navigate gentle rivers, not fearsome seas...

Surprising Lucy and Zoro, Thomas confidently asserted, "The Going Merry is a fine ship. We'll eventually have to swap her out for a larger vessel, but I'm certain she'll hold up until we reach Water 7, the city where the former Pirate King's ship was constructed."

While Lucy's eyes practically lit up, Zoro preempted her fangirlish line of inquiries by asking, "Are you familiar with the Grand Line...?"

Nodding his head, Thomas answered, "Not just the Grand Line. I know all kinds of things about this world, including the identities of the Yonko, the Shichibukai, and several other important figures. Most importantly, I know about the existence of Haki, the energy that separates the truly powerful in this world from the rabble. Haki is what makes people like Gol D. Roger, the Four Emperors, and the Admirals of the Marines so powerful. Without it, we wouldn't even last a week in the 'New World,' the name given to the second half of the Grand Line."

Adopting a 'very' serious expression, Zoro asked, "Is that what made that woman, Musashi, so powerful...?"

Since Benienma was practically standing in his shadow, Thomas had little choice but to reveal the truth, admitting, "The Spirits I summoned with my Mana-Mana-no-Mi are an exception. However, Dracule Mihawk, the man currently regarded as the World's Strongest Swordsman, is a master of all three varieties of Haki. He is even the rival of one of the Four Emperors, Red-Haired Shanks, the man considered to have the most powerful Haki in the world."

Hearing Thomas mention the name of the man who inspired her to become a Pirate, Lucy's eyes widened to their fullest as she asked, "Is Shanks really powerful...?"

Nodding his head, Thomas revealed, "Except for Mihawk and his fellow Emperors, there isn't a person in this world that can compete with Shanks in terms of strength and mastery of Haki. You saw Musashi's sky-splitting attack, right? Shanks can perform similar feats when he clashes with his fellow Emperors."

Sensing no falsehoods in Thomas's words, Lucy removed the straw hat from her head, staring at it with a thoughtful expression as she remarked, "I never realized Shanks was such a big deal..."

Though the look on Lucy's face gave Thomas a sense of foreboding, he promptly suppressed it. Even if Lucy viewed Shanks as 'more' than just a mentor, it didn't really matter. Lucy was pretty cute, but Thomas couldn't imagine the bubbly Pirate as a potential love interest...it just felt wrong...

Getting straight to the heart of the matter, Zoro asked, "Do you know how to train this Haki? You wouldn't speak about it like this if you didn't have at least some clue about how to develop it."

As he never imagined he would be teaching 'the' Roranora Zoro, Thomas couldn't help grinning as he crossed his arms and replied, "You're right. Not only do I know the method to awaken Haki, but I also know how to advance and refine it to the peak. However, each person has a different affinity with Haki, and only a select few can awaken the most powerful variant, the 'Color of the Supreme King,' also known as Conqueror's Haki. Without that, becoming the Pirate King or the Strongest Swordsman in the World are impossible dreams."

Preempting Zoro's next question, Thomas's smile broadened as he said, "Since we're friends or, at the very least, allies, I don't mind revealing the method to awaken Haki. I decided to accompany you because I thought we could grow stronger together. Keeping secrets to try and preserve an advantage wouldn't be very sporting of me."

Though he initially thought Thomas and his 'Servants' would be a pain to deal with, Zoro adopted a smile of his own as he said, "If you're not just talking out of your ass, I wouldn't mind calling you my friend. Just try not to get upset once I defeat that Musashi woman."

Shaking his head, Thomas surprised Zoro by stating, "I would honestly be relieved. Musashi's swordsmanship has reached a point where she has no real opponents. If you can reach her level and pose a legitimate challenge to her, I'm sure she would be grateful."

Adopting a serious expression, Zoro firmly asserted, "I won't stop training until I surpass her, Mihawk, and every other swordsman in this world. You have my word..."

Nodding his head in approval, Thomas left Zoro feeling at a loss for words as he responded with a sincere, "I believe you," before adopting a smile as he mused, "After all, you're the First Mate of the future Pirate King. If you weren't one of the strongest people in the world, you'd be a liability..."

As Zoro's expression became markedly more severe, Usopp walked over, inserting himself into the conversation by asking, "Hey guys, what are you talking about with such serious expressions on your faces?"

Before Thomas could respond, Lucy answered, "Tom was telling us about something called Haki and how it's required to be one of the strongest in the world. You should listen in, Usopp."

Shifting his attention to Thomas and Benienma, Usopp's had a skeptical look on his face as he asked, "What's this Haki? And why should we trust you? Magicians are known for their cunning and deception..."

Though he was still reeling due to how 'distinctive' Usopp looked with his long nose, perfectly rounded eyes, and thick lips, Thomas replied, "I'm not asking you to trust me. I'm sharing information and letting the results speak for themselves. Besides, didn't I already warn you about Beni? So long as she's around, I don't have a choice but to be truthful..."

Directing his gaze to Benienma, Usopp's expression became even more distrustful as he asked, "But how do we know you were telling the truth when you warned us? It could be a ploy to try and trick us into disclosing the truth while you lie to our faces."

"That's easy to prove," replied Thomas before turning his attention to Benienma and stating, "Beni, I'm going to ask these people to tell you a combination of truths and lies. It will be your job to distinguish between them, preferably 'without' cutting off their tongues..."

Nodding her head, Benienma responded with a curt, "Understood, dechi," before staring intently at Lucy, Zoro, and Usopp. The latter gulped when her eyes fixated on him, but he managed to stand his ground despite his visibly trembling legs.

Comparably undaunted, Lucy raised her hand and exclaimed, "I'll go first~!" in a spirited tone. Then, without hesitation, she stated, "I love vegetables, my dream is to be King of the Pirates, and...umm...uhh..."

As she wasn't good at telling lies, Lucy promptly fell into a contemplative silence, seriously considering what she was going to say. When she failed to come up with something even after thirty seconds, Zoro adopted a wry smile and said, "Let me have a crack at it..."

"No!" responded Lucy, her expression morphing into a frown. She wasn't sure what she was going to say, but she was determined to come up with a good lie that would trick Benienma.

Exhaling an exasperated sigh, Zoro crossed his arms and decided to wait for Lucy to complete her turn. Unfortunately, she couldn't come up with a lie even after several minutes had passed, so their game was interrupted by the appearance of Caenis, Astolfo, Atalanta, and Nami, emerging from the Going Merry's interior.

Before Nami could ask why Lucy had shouted, Caenis and Astolfo perked up, the latter exclaiming, "You're awake~!" before rushing over to Thomas and hugging him until he began to appear uncomfortable. While that was happening, Caenis walked over, crossed her arms, and adopted a teasing smile as she remarked, "You got your ass handed to you."

Though he expected such a response, Thomas couldn't help smiling wryly as he, "I did my best..."

Nodding in affirmation, Caenis replied, "Yeah, I know. But if that were a 'real' fight, doing your best would have gotten you killed. If you don't want me 'babysitting' you all the time, we're going to need to up your training in the future."

Suppressing a tired sigh, Thomas responded with a half-hearted, "I'll do my best..." He appreciated Caenis's desire to help him grow stronger, but the harshness of her words left him feeling more defeated than when he lost to Lucy...

Once Atalanta and Nami had walked over to join them, the latter asked, "What was that commotion earlier? I heard Lucy shouting..."

Since Lucy was still thinking of a lie, Zoro replied, "Usopp doesn't believe we can trust Thomas, so we were testing his claim about Benienma being able to tell when someone was lying. Lucy volunteered to go first..."

"Ah..."

Understanding what the problem was, Nami walked over and whispered something into Lucy's ear, causing the obsidian-haired girl's eyes to light up before shouting, "The sky is purple...!"

Though everyone knew Lucy's words were a lie, Benienma had a serious expression as she asserted, "That's a lie, dechi."

As if she was genuinely surprised by Benienma's response, Lucy reacted with a shocked expression, exclaiming, "Whoa! She really 'can' tell when people are lying...!"

Demonstrating a similar lack of awareness, Benienma puffed out her non-existent chest with pride, the feathers of her apron puffing noticeably as she replied, "Of course, dechi...!"

While everyone else adopted wry smiles or slightly exasperated looks, Usopp maintained a serious expression as he stated, "It's my turn. Let's see if your ability can see through me, the Great Captain Usopp...!"

Before Usopp could proceed any further, Benienma narrowed her eyes and asserted, "You're lying."

"..."

Recovering from his brief stupor, Usopp's left brow visibly twitched as he said, "I haven't even started yet..."

Shaking her head, Benienma clarified, "The statement about you being a Great Captain was a lie, dechi."

"..."

Too taken aback by Benienma's words, Usopp lost the courage to speak further. Instead, Thomas seized the initiative to assert, "You may not be great right now, but you'll eventually become one of the most renowned people in the entire world. Certain groups will even refer to you as 'God Usopp,' the Great Warrior of the Sea."

Blinking in surprise, Usopp met Thomas's gaze, pointing to himself as he asked, "You're talking about me...?"

As he was planning to reveal a number of things during his journey with the Straw Hats, Thomas responded with a curt nod, stating, "Every action we make changes it somewhat, but I can accurately predict the futures of certain individuals. If their fate is especially powerful, I may even possess knowledge of their past..."

Directing his gaze to Zoro, Thomas took a gamble by adding, "So long as you never lose sight of your goal, you will be able to make good on your promise with Kuina..."

Hearing Thomas casually name-drop Kuina, Zoro's eyes became as round as saucers. He hadn't even informed Lucy about the 'reason' he wanted to become the World's Strongest Swordsman, so he never expected, not in a million years, for Thomas to expose him...

...

..

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(A/N: Lucy is too pure for this world xD...)