Peeling Back the Veil

Though Smoker initially tried to usher him to a bar, Thomas insisted they have their discussion in a nearby alleyway. The spirits and wines of One Piece didn't suit his palate, and he had no intention of allowing himself to be entrapped or sedated into a confession.

After reaching said alleyway, Smoker crossed his arms and asked, "Who are you, and what brings you to Loguetown?"

Mirroring Smoker's posture, Thomas replied, "Thomas Jensen. As for the reason I'm, it should be fairly apparent. I'm preparing to enter the Grand Line to hunt down Pirates with higher Bounties."

Furrowing his furrowed brows further, Smoker asked, "So, you're a Bounty Hunter?"

Nodding his head, Thomas appended, "I used to belong to the Wild Hunt, the Bounty Hunting company responsible for turning over Arlong and his crew. There aren't any notable Bounties left in the East Blue, so I'm going to enter the Grand Line to test my strength and try to make these seas a bit safer."

"If that was your intent, you could always join the Marines..." asserted Smoker.

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Thomas replied, "Don't look at me as if I'm some snot-nosed brat who doesn't know how the world works. While the average Marine is undoubtedly on the side of justice, corruption runs rampant throughout your ranks. Besides, if I have the option of being paid a fixed salary and earning tens of millions hunting Pirates on my own, why would I willfully place myself in the service of others?"

Exhaling a large plume of smoke, Smoker's expression hardened as he said, "No long-lasting organization is free from corruption and nepotism. So long as you're powerful, you would be able to rise through the ranks and change things from the inside..."

Shrugging his shoulders, Thomas replied, "I wish you the best of luck doing exactly that. As for me, I relish my freedom and the prospect of increasing my wealth. More importantly, my position as a Bounty Hunter allows me to target Pirates that are considered 'off-limits' to the average Marine. Your organization drafted a provision that legalized piracy for the Seven Warlords, and some of those asshats are at the top of my shit list in terms of Pirates who deserve to be put behind bars."

Suspecting that Thomas may have been victimized by one of the Seven Warlords, Smoker gave up trying to convince him to join the Marines. The minds of people who sought revenge were nearly impossible to change, so he exhaled a plume of smoke from his nose and said, "Fine. You seem like a decent enough guy, so I'll let you off with a warning this time. Next time, don't run away from the Marines. You'll only cause an even greater misunderstanding."

Smiling wryly, Thomas replied, "I can't make any promises. I mean, just look at me. I don't exactly give people the impression of a disarming and reasonable person. And you know how 'sensitive' young Marines can be, especially when you put a rifle in their hands. When they feel threatened, they would rather shoot first and ask questions later."

As there was a considerable amount of truth to Thomas's words, Smoker exhaled a thick plume of smoke in the form of a sigh. Thomas was around 40cm taller than him and possessed a broad, muscular frame, sword-like eyebrows, sharp, hazel-brown eyes, and overall rugged features. He was far from the tallest and most physically intimidating man in the world, but it wasn't difficult to imagine poorly trained Marines shaking in their boots when they encountered him.

Shaking his head, Smoker decided to change topics, asking, "That power you utilized before...was that Haki? Have you already traversed the Grand Line?"

Raising his hand, Thomas condensed a small amount of Magical Energy around his fist as he replied, "I am familiar with the concept of Haki, but this is the power of a Devil Fruit, the Mana-Mana-no-Mi. I'm not going to go into the specifics, but it functions similarly to Armament Haki against inexperienced Logia users. No offense."

Exhaling smoke through his nose, Smoker turned around and said, "Stay out of trouble," before taking off like a rocket toward the city square. He now had all the information he needed to complete a profile on Thomas, so he would leave it to the higher-ups to decide whether or not the man was a threat that needed to be apprehended or eliminated...

Immediately following Smoker's departure, Benienma appeared out of nowhere, revealing, "Nami is safe back at the Going Merry, dechi. Shall we return to our companions, or does Master have other matters to attend...?"

Shaking his head, Thomas answered, "Nah, I've seen enough. And thanks for looking after Nami for me."

Puffing out her non-existent chest, Benienma replied, "Of course. There is a possibility that Nami-dechi will become one of my Lord's Seishitsu in the future. Benienma will do her best to ensure her safety."

Hearing yet another new word from the petite sparrow, Thomas raised his brows and asked, "What's a Seishitsu...?"

"Seishitsu is the official wife of a high-ranking official or Lord, positioning them above Sokushitsu, the designation of concubines and mistresses. It is only a matter of time before Master becomes a Lord, so there is a need to secure your successor, dechi."

Though he had learned to appreciate Benienma's 'dedication,' Thomas couldn't help smiling wryly when the petite sparrow mentioned securing a successor. If he wanted children, he would have had them long before he turned thirty-six. He was also twice Nami's age and 'much' larger than she was, so he only hesitated for a brief moment before asserting, "If I'm to have a 'Seishitsu,' it will likely be a woman named Yamato. I still want you to ensure Nami's safety, but don't say or do anything to pressure her into becoming my wife..."

Lowering her head and cupping her hands together, Benienma replied, "Understood, dechi." It didn't matter to her who Thomas's first wife was, so long as he had plans to marry and produce a successor. He could also adopt one, but she considered it one of her duties to ensure at least one person existed to perpetuate his line...

Unaware of Benienma's thoughts, Thomas was about to suggest they return to the Going Merry when a deep, gravelly voice caused both him and the petite Oni to tense as it remarked, "The two of you are not of this world...how curious."

Accompanying the voice, seemingly materializing out of thin air, was a man wearing a dark-green cloak. The moment Thomas met the man's piercing eyes, it was like every nerve in his body tensed, freezing him in place. At the same time, Benienma appeared in front of him, hand on her sword as she warned, "Withdraw your intent, or I will be forced to cut you down, dechi..."

Instead of taking offense to Benienma's words and actions, the man adopted a wolfish smile as he remarked, "Good spirit. However, I am not your enemy. Stay your hand, young one."

While advising Benienma to calm down, the cloaked man retracted his Haki, relieving the tension on Thomas's body. Then, as they were standing in an alleyway, he removed his cloak to reveal an unkempt mane of spiky, obsidian black hair and a ferocious countenance. Most notably, a crimson tattoo adorned the left side of his face, resembling diamond-shaped eyes running from above his brow to his jawline.

Noticing the 'recognition' in Thomas's gaze, the man adopted a menacing smile as he asked, "You recognize me...?"

As if compelled by the man's words, Thomas instinctually nodded. The former was Lucy's father, also known as Monkey D. Dragon, the Supreme Commander of the Revolutionary Army and the most wanted man in the world. As such, even when he had retracted his aura completely, Thomas felt as though there was a hand grasping his heart, ready to squeeze it the moment he gave an unsatisfactory answer.

Maintaining his inherently malicious-looking smile, Dragon mused, "Relax. You're one of my daughter's precious crewmen. So long as you answer my questions honestly, I will not harm either of you."

Without waiting for Thomas to respond, Dragon got to the heart of the matter, asking, "How did you come to be in this world? Are you visitors from the outer system, or did you enter into our world using some other means...?"

Before Thomas could answer the Dragon's question, a familiar-looking gateway appeared behind him. Dragon reacted by spinning around and unleashing a powerful burst of Conqueror's Haki, forcing Thomas to his knees and knocking out nearly every civilian within Loguetown. However, despite his immediate reaction, he was powerless to escape the gate as it overtook his position and transported him tens of thousands of kilometers away in an instant...

"..."

While Thomas was struggling to process what had occurred due to the effects of Dragon's Conqueror's Haki, Benienma was largely unaffected, a concerned expression on her face as she cupped his cheeks with her tiny hands and asked, "Are you okay, Master...?"

Swallowing despite his throat feeling drier than a desert, Thomas took a moment to collect himself before replying, "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just a little shaken, that's all. Dragon showing up was one thing, but Zelretch yeeting him was outside my expectations..."

As the gate that swallowed Dragon was visually similar to the one that had deposited him on the beach, Thomas was certain its appearance had something to do with Zelretch. He seriously doubted anyone in the world of One Piece could deal with the legendary Revolutionary with such ease, so it was the only thing that made sense.

All but confirming Thomas's suspicions, the logbook he generally kept in his room abruptly appeared above him, hitting him on the head before falling onto the ground and opening of its own accord. Then, as he and Benienma stared blankly at the exposed page, several lines of text slowly materialized, stating, 'It appears there are a few individuals in that world who can interpret the flow of fate. Worry not; I will ensure your paths do not cross again in the near future. Also, as you have diverged from Drake, I have modified your tome to allow you to view the Parameters and Skills of yourself and your Servants. You will find the information you seek in the back of your journal.'

"..."

Instead of questioning the old vampire's intervention, Thomas picked up the logbook and turned to the last page. What he saw caused his eyes to light up as the backmost page resembled a character profile/status page from a typical RPG. There was even a full-body image of the person in the upper left-hand corner of the page. In this instance, the person on display was himself, so Thomas's eyes practically exuded flames of intrigue as he read his status for the first time. The smile on his face cramped when he read certain sections, but it was still exciting to know how he compared to his Servants...

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[Profile]

Name: Thomas D. Jensen

Species: Human, Mana Progenitor

Gender: Male

Age: 36

Height: 221.8cm

Weight: 127kgs

Blood Type: O

Likes: Anime, Manga, Beautiful Women, and Thick Thighs

Dislikes: Himself

Talents: None

Natural Enemy: Himself

[Parameters]

Strength: E(13)

Endurance: E(17)

Agility: E(13)

Mana: EX(*)

Luck: EX(*)

NP: Unknown

[Class Skills]

N/A

[Personal Skills]

Wayward Traveler(EX), Mana-Mana-no-Mi(EX), Self-Doubt(C), Monstrous Strength(C-), Cooking(D), Lesser Regeneration(E)

Wayward Traveler(EX): A unique but ultimately useless Skill denoting the bearer as someone who has transcended their original world and chanced upon another by happenstance.

Mana-Mana-no-Mi(EX): The bearer has a unique constitution capable of generating and emitting a functionally infinite amount of Mana.

Self-Doubt(C): The bearer is plagued by a lack of confidence, sabotaging themselves and diminishing their capabilities.

Monstrous Strength(C-): The bearer is capable of drastically increasing their strength, speed, and durability but lacks proper control, causing him to damage himself in the process.

Cooking(E): Barely qualified to help prepare ingredients, dechi.

Lesser Regeneration(E): After consuming highly nutritious food over a lengthy period, the user has gained the ability to regenerate faster than an ordinary human.

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(A/N: I will most likely be posting an AUX Chapter that includes the profiles and parameters of each character, as well as an explanation of how Paramters function. If not today, then sometime in the near future.)