Caution

Like many of the islands in the Grand Line, Little Garden had a river running through its center. Explorers in the distant past carved such channels to ensure their ships could moor safely, outside the influence of Sea Kings. Thus, after sailing around the island's perimeter for several minutes, the Merry began making its way inland, propelled by Caenis's power.

After reaching an area with a suitable clearing, Zoro dropped the anchor, prompting Lucy to remark, "This place smells like adventure...!" from her perch atop the Going Merry's figurehead. Before running off, however, she turned back and shouted, "Tom! Can you ask Beni to prepare me a lunch? I'm going to go explore the island...!"

As Benienma served under Thomas, Lucy rarely told the petite sparrow girl what to do. Instead, she always went to Thomas first, respecting the peculiar yet well-defined hierarchy within the crew.

Nodding his head, Thomas turned to Benienma, asking, "Do you mind preparing a few bentos? We're going to be stuck here a few days, and I imagine Zoro will want to go hunting or training while we're here."

With the amount of damage the Merry had sustained, it would take at least a week for Caenis to complete the repairs. Zoro had already donned his bandana/blindfold, so it was obvious he planned to use the delay to hone his Observation Haki against some of the most ferocious creatures from the Prehistoric Era.

Thumping her non-existent chest, Benienma responded with a curt, "Understood, dechi!" before hurrying to the kitchen. In the process, she nearly ran into Karoo, Vivi's horse-sized duck. It had been sleeping inside the lounge when the explosion occurred and was just now poking its head out since the ship had stopped.

As Karoo made its way over to Vivi's side, the blue-haired Princess gave it an affectionate caress before looking to Thomas and asking, "Will you be going ashore? If so, may I accompany you...?"

Adopting a wry smile, Thomas replied, "I will be going ashore, but I don't plan to explore just yet. I'm a fairly cautious guy, so there are a few things I want to confirm before heading out."

Inserting herself into the discussion, Nami asked, "Does it have anything to do with those giants you mentioned...?"

Shaking his head, Thomas revealed, "Broggy and Dorry are honorable warriors from Elbaf. Unless we go out of our way to attack or antagonize them, they'll probably greet us as guests. Being trapped on an island for a hundred years makes them pretty accommodating to guests..."

Before Nami could ask why the duo had been fighting, Thomas went on to answer her initial question, stating, "I'm more concerned about Baroque Works. With the amount of time that's passed, we should expect at least one or more groups of agents to surprise us."

Agreeing with Thomas, Vivi supplied a nod and appended, "Mr. 3 and his partner, Miss Goldenweek, often spend their free time at a nearby resort island known as Kyuka. If the Unluckies spotted us while flying overhead, there's a good chance they arrived at Little Garden before us."

Undaunted by the news, a vicious grin developed across Zoro's face as he remarked, "Sounds interesting," before leaping off the Merry and onto the shore, still blindfolded. He had already mastered the basics of sensing his surroundings and detecting life forces, so he was fairly confident he could hunt and fight without removing his bandana. Rather, even if he received a critical injury in the process, he was 'determined' to do exactly that...

Though he trusted that Zoro could care for himself, Thomas called out, "Watch out for ticks! And if you encounter a member of Baroque Works, send out a signal! Even if you can take care of them yourself, it's better to be safe than sorry...!"

Without turning around or responding, Zoro raised his hand to indicate he had heard Thomas's warning before disappearing into the dense jungle. In his wake, Nami asked, "Is there a particular reason you warned him to be cautious of ticks...?"

Adopting a slight deadpan, Thomas replied, "Nah, I just say random stuff for no reason whatsoever..."

"..."

Narrowing her eyes, Nami was about to call Thomas out for being rude but ultimately decided against it. Fortunately, he wasn't the only person onboard the Merry who was knowledgeable about the Grand Line. Once Vivi heard Thomas mention ticks, a specific species popped into her head, prompting her to divulge, "There is a type of tick native to the surrounding isles known as a Kestia Tick. If you get bitten by one, there's a possibility you'll contract a rare illness known as Five-Day Disease. It got that name because, without treatment, you'll be dead within five days of contracting it..."

Blinking in surprise, Nami asked, "Seriously? And there are ticks like that on this island...?"

Since it was a good opportunity, Thomas gave a curt nod, appending, "Indeed. For that reason, and many others, we should prioritize finding a Doctor before reaching Alabasta. Sir Crocodile is known to store poison in his hook, and Alabasta is home to many poisonous plants and animals. I can summon Asclepius in the event of an emergency, but we shouldn't be overly reliant on him and the other members of the Wild Hunt..."

As she was waiting for Benienma to return with food, Lucy decided to join in on the conversation, stating, "Tom's right. Caenis and the others are too powerful. Before we enter the new world, I want to recruit a Cook, Doctor, Musician, Shipwright, and Helmsman. We can't always rely on Tom and his Spirits."

Though he wanted to say they 'could' rely on him, Thomas knew there was a reasonably high probability that his path would diverge from the Straw Hats, at least for a short while. Lucy and Zoro were growing much stronger, much faster than he was. He was training hard to keep up, but his ability to peruse his status made it clear his progress was stagnating. Unless he achieved a major breakthrough, such as obtaining a Divine Core, he wouldn't be able to keep up with the monsters awaiting them in the New World...

Exhibiting a startling amount of awareness, Lucy adopted a broad smile as she confidently asserted, "If the people in Alabasta need him, I think Thomas will stay and lend them a hand. Once he's done, he can always fly over to us on Astolfo's Hippogriff. It's a lot faster than our ship, so he can catch up to us in no time."

Surprised and elated by Lucy's words, Vivi grabbed Thomas's arm and asked, "Is it true, Tom? Will you really be staying in Alabasta...!?"

Smiling wryly, Thomas admitted, "I have given it a bit of thought. Alabasta will take time to recover, so I was thinking about training there and giving you a hand in restoring your Kingdom..."

Reading a little too much into Thomas's words, imaginary hearts appeared in Vivi's lilac eyes before she narrowed them and clung happily to his arm. The thought of him departing shortly after Crocodile's defeat had worried her greatly. Now, even if he just stuck around for a few weeks longer, she was confident she could 'convince' him to return there once he completed his journey abroad.

Interrupting the awkward tensions that were starting to build, Benienma emerged from the galley with a large rucksack of neatly wrapped onigiri, passing it over to Lucy and cautioning her not to eat anything she hadn't checked for poisons or parasites. In response, Lucy just snickered before bounding into the forest, ultimately disregarding Benienma's warnings as she swung from tree to tree with her stretchy arms, collecting any fruits and vegetables she happened to pass...

...

..

.

With nothing better to do, Thomas enjoyed a lengthy lunch with Vivi, Nami, Astolfo, and Atalanta before spending a few hours revitalizing the damaged tangerine trees.

Though Reinforcement Magecraft couldn't really 'heal' things, it could promote growth and natural recovery. The amount of Mana required was tremendous, but with a functionally infinite amount, Thomas only needed time.

Observing Thomas's actions alongside Nami, Vivi muttered, "Your power truly is miraculous. Not only can you turn sand into fertile soil, but you can even promote the growth of plants and animals..."

Adopting a smile, Thomas responded, "This is just the tip of a very large iceberg. Once I master this power, anything becomes possible. Right now, I'm primarily focused on strengthening my body and learning how to alter my size at will..."

Raising her brows, Vivi asked, "Why would you need to change your size? I think you're fine just the way you are."

Since Benienma was present, sitting between the two beauties, Thomas's smile became wry as he asked, "Do you want the honest answer...?"

Though she could already guess where things were headed, Vivi adopted a 'serious' expression as she replied, "I would..."

Inhaling a deep breath, Thomas ceased pumping Mana into the tangerine trees, facing the trio before answering, "Though I honestly wouldn't mind settling down with a single good woman, I've decided to live 'freely' until I reach the end of this journey..."

Adopting a serious expression, Thomas revealed, "It should be obvious by now, but I'm not originally from this world. In order to trespass this one, I had to form a contract with a righteous yet devilish entity. He's the person who gave me the Mana-Mana-no-Mi, and, in exchange, I need to do him a favor once I attain my dream of standing at the pinnacle of the world..."

Meeting Vivi's surprised gaze, Thomas's expression and tone softened as he added, "I'm not sure what he will ask of me, so I intend to live this life to the fullest. To that end, there are people I'd like to encounter, places I'd like to explore, and, as shameless as it sounds, women I'd like to sleep with. That's one of the reasons I tried to discourage you...while I sincerely want to help people, I don't consider myself a good person..."

Before Nami or Vivi could respond, Benienma adopted a frown, asserting, "Master is a very kind and considerate person. You should not speak ill of yourself, dechi."

Recovering from her momentary stupor, Vivi gave an affirming nod as she placed her hand over her chest and added, "Benienma's right. Even if you have a somewhat...passionate nature, it doesn't change the fact that you desire to help others. So long as you remain the good and honest man I know you to be, I will support you with all my heart..."

As Thomas had expressed his intention to sleep with other women even before they had sex, Vivi wasn't going to condemn him for it now. She was a little surprised by the revelation that he was from another world and had made a deal with the Devil, but it was far from the strangest thing she had heard or experienced.

Hearing Vivi's heartfelt words, a discernible layer of moisture developed across Thomas's eyes. She was the best woman he had met and infinitely more than he deserved. If she asked it of him, he would probably give up his ambitions completely. What made her so exceptional was the fact that she never would...

Shattering the rosy atmosphere, Benienma gave an approving nod before asserting, "You will make a good Seishitsu, dechi. Once Master becomes one of the rulers of this world, you will serve him well as his official wife."

Surprised by Benienma's statement, Vivi issued a confused "Eh...?" before tilting her head adorably to the side. She had considered asking Thomas to become her consort, but the notion that she might be the one to marry him seemed so...outlandish. That, and a little exciting...

...

..

.

(A/N: Benienma best wing-birb...)