Leader of the Wild Hunt

Despite the Sun descending over the horizon, Thomas continued pumping Mana into the Captain's Card. With what he knew of Zelretch, the elderly man was a massive troll, but he was also a 'good' guy. He was the kind of fellow who hated villains but laughed in the face of those that struggled to oppose fate. Once he took an interest in you, there were only two fates that awaited you: excellence or becoming a cripple.

After living a mundane life filled with regrets and failures, Thomas was determined to turn things around. One Piece was a world where even a weak cabin boy with absolutely no talent could become a Captain, on the verge of becoming a Rear Admiral, in just three years. So long as you had a strong enough will, you could even reach the point of slicing mountains in half or destroying entire islands with the force of your punches...

Though he didn't know what 'fate' awaited him at the end of his journey, Thomas intended to make the most of the situation he had found himself in. He had stumbled into a scenario that most people could only dream of, and, if given a chance, he was certain that many would forsake even their families and friends for the opportunity to swap places with him.

Determined to change his fate and experience a thrilling adventure he could only imagine previously, Thomas continued channeling his Mana into the Captain's Card late into the evening and into the early morning. He eventually passed out after eating some of his rations, but he held the card and logbook close to his chest as he curled up atop a makeshift bed made from palm leaves...

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Stirring Thomas awake, a deep yet feminine voice asked, "How long do you intend to sleep? It's already past noon."

Before Thomas could open his eyes, he received a face full of hot sand, startling him awake and compelling him to shout, "What the fuck!?" as he glared at the person responsible. Immediately afterward, his face and jaw went slack as a woman who transcended the traditional beauty standards appeared before him. She had wavy, crimson-pink hair, fierce blue eyes, and while there was a large scar that ran across her face, it only served to give her a 'heroic' appearance.

Lowering his gaze from the woman's face, Thomas's eyes widened when he got a good look at her massive tits, practically on full display beneath a stylish red captain's jacket. Below that, she had on a leather corset that hugged her slender waist, form-fitting white trousers that emphasized her wide hips and plump thighs, and dark boots that extended past her knees.

Instead of chastising Thomas for his rather overt ogling, the pink-haired woman crossed her arms under her breasts, the two enormous melons threatening to burst out of her vest as she mused, "It seems my Master is a bit of a deviate. Not that I mind, mind you. We just have more important matters to attend to right now. First and foremost, the name's Drake, Francis Drake. I'm the Captain of the Golden Hind and Commander of the Wild Hunt. I'd say it's a pleasure to meet you, but you don't seem all that reliable with those scraggly arms and your indolent appearance..."

Catching Drake a little off guard, Thomas practically jumped to his feet, punching the air as he shouted, "Jackpot!" He had already expected the cards to summon characters from the Fate series, but he never imagined his first ally to be Drake, a legendary pirate and an absolute bombshell of a woman.

Raising her left brow, Drake asked, "Has the Sun cooked your head? You had best get ahold of yourself. You might be the Master who summoned me, but don't think I won't beat you into shape if you keep behaving like a fool."

Calming his excitement, at least on the surface, Thomas managed to meet Drake's gaze as he said, "Sorry, but you have no idea how happy I am to see you. Yesterday, I could only imagine something like this in my wildest dreams. To be here, in this place, and to see you, standing right in front of me...I feel like the luckiest man in the world..."

Narrowing her eyes slightly, Drake mused, "You have a glib tongue. If you're truly grateful, you'll work hard to shave off that fat and become someone reliable. I hate incompetents, so don't expect me to go wagging my ass or spreading my legs unless you can prove yourself worthy of my time."

Blinking rapidly, various thoughts raced across Thomas's mind. He would be lying if he said the thought hadn't crossed his mind, but the notion he might actually be able to fuck Drake left him at a complete loss for words. He wasn't sure what he looked like after being thrown through a cartoony filter, but she was 'way' out of his league...at least, she would have been if a certain Kaleidoscopic Mage hadn't given him the chance to seize hold of his destiny and change his fate...

Feeling more motivated than ever, Thomas's expression was more serious than it had ever been as he stated, "I might be weak now, but I'll prove to you I can become stronger. Just you wait..."

Looking to Thomas's right hand, Drake questioned, "Is that an order, or are you expecting me to save myself for a greenhorn that probably hasn't even sailed on a ship before?"

Following Drake's gaze, Thomas's eyes widened when he saw a pattern resembling a blood-red skull and crossbones on the back of his hand. He immediately understood what they represented, his expression becoming incredulous as he whispered, "Command Seals..."

As their name implied, Command Seals were a special form of contract magic that permitted a Master three claims of absolute obedience when dealing with their Servants. They had other functions, such as healing all wounds, empowering attacks, enabling Noble Phantasms, or summoning a Servant across vast distances instantly. However, their most common use was compelling a Servant to obey an order they might have otherwise refused. If the Master was especially malicious, they could even deprive a Servant's free will altogether...

Though he had read 'a lot' of Doujins where errant Masters ordered their Servants to become cum dumps or living onaholes, Thomas shook such thoughts from his mind, lowering his hand as he stated, "It's not an order, but I will make it clear...now that I'm in this situation, one of my goals is to make you my woman. I know how 'free-spirited' you are, so I'll do my best to become strong enough that you readily stand beside me..."

Narrowing her eyes in amusement, Drake playfully retorted, "Well, you certainly know how to talk. Once you become a real man, you'll let your actions speak for you. Now, tell me, what's the plan? Based on what I've been 'informed,' you should have advanced knowledge of this world. My job is to get you to a place called Laugh Tale, so how do we get there...?"

Blinking in surprise, Thomas parroted, "Laugh Tale...?" before asking, "Why is it your 'job' to get me there? Don't tell me there's a Holy Grail among the One Piece's treasure..."

Leaving Thomas a little speechless, Drake nodded her head, revealing, "If there weren't, why would any of us bother answering the call? We all have hopes and ambitions that drive us, so in exchange for helping you achieve your dream, you will help us attain ours. That's the only reason we're here, so if you can't fulfill your end of the bargain..."

Pulling out an ornate-looking flintlock pistol embellished with gold, Drake aimed it at the center of Thomas's head, adding, "Then you're wasting our time..."

Raising his hands on instinct, Thomas's pulse and breathing accelerated as he exclaimed, "Calm down! I have no problem heading to Laugh Tale, okay!? I was just surprised to hear you bring it up...!"

Adopting a teasing smile, Drake retracted her pistol from Thomas's head, adopting a casual posture as she mused, "Then it seems we've reached an accord. Now, tell me, where is the Laugh Tale? And is there anything you want to accomplish before we make our way there?"

Though he was still recovering from the shock of having a gun pressed to his head, Thomas managed to reply, "I want to become strong enough to stand at the pinnacle of this world. Reaching Laugh Tale will require all of us to possess such strength. As for where it's located...we would need to find all of the Road Poneglyphs and have someone translate them if we're to locate it..."

Since she had no idea what a Road Poneglyph was, Drake just nodded her head, trusting that Thomas knew what he was talking about as she asked, "Do you know anyone that can translate them for us?"

Returning a nod of his own, Thomas replied, "There is a woman named Nico Robin who possesses the ability to translate them. Other than her, there is a boy called Momonosuke. The problem is, I have no idea where we are, much less 'when' we are. We need to find a town or flag down one of the seagulls that distribute the news. By monitoring world events, we can plan our actions accordingling."

Nodding her head in approval, Drake said, "Sounds good." before turning around and abruptly walking over to the shore. Before Thomas could ask what she was doing, the pink-haired woman extended her hand toward the sea, shouting, "Come forth, my fated vessel! It's time to set the Sun anew...!"

Following Drake's shout, a large wooden vessel breached out of the sea like a whale before crashing down. It would appear diminutive next to the larger ships in the world of One Piece, but its spear-like bowsprit, sleek hull, twin masts, and numerous cannons gave it the impression of a swift, exceptionally fierce vessel that could cut through larger vessels like a hot knife through butter. After all, despite having a modest length of 37m, it was outfitted with four artillery cannons near the bow and fourteen flank cannons along its port and starboard sides.

Turning to the stunned Thomas, Drake narrowed her eyes in amusement as she mused, "You have my permission to come aboard. We'll sail around the island and see if we can't find a harbor or port city. If there isn't one, we'll lay anchor somewhere and come up with a different approach."

Without waiting for Thomas to respond, Drake casually leaped the more than sixty-meter distance between the shoreline and her ship. She was far from being considered the most powerful Heroic Spirit, but her power and agility were beyond anything a normal human could hope to achieve. As for Thomas, thanks to his Devil Fruit, he couldn't even swim...at least, he 'assumed' he couldn't.

With Drake watching him from the bowsprit with a teasing smile on her face, Thomas inhaled a deep breath, placed his logbook into the water-tight satchel, and stepped into the sea. He didn't feel anything at first, but the moment the water reached past his knees, he felt like he had chugged an entire bottle of tequila. What little strength he had immediately left his body, his legs giving out and his vision swimming as he sank beneath the gentle waves...

Nearly as soon as Thomas submerged, Drake removed her hat and jacket and dove in after him. She already knew he couldn't swim due to the Devil Fruit he had consumed, but she was curious to see what its actual effects were. Now that she had confirmed that Thomas was a stone that couldn't even tread water, she would either need to keep a close eye on him or tie a rope around his waist during inclement weather. If he fell overboard and plunged to the bottom of the ocean, they were all sunk...

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(A/N: This is a weak-to-strong story, so don't lose patience if the MC isn't tea-bagging Whitebeard by chapter 5.)