Listless

A few minutes after her abrupt departure, Chloe appeared on the deck of the Feilong with Illya, Ruby, and Astolfo in tow. Thomas spotted them, but it wasn't until Astolfo summoned Griff that he understood their intentions.

Approaching the trio, Thomas asked, "Seriously? You couldn't wait a few more weeks...?"

Though his words were directed at Chloe, the first to react was Illya, who, upon hearing him, abruptly yelped before covering her beet-red face with both hands.

"..."

Grabbing Illya by the arm, Chloe shepherded her toward Griff as she replied, "We'll be back in a few days. Don't slack on your training just because I'm not around to supervise you!"

Finished with what she had to say, Chloe directed Illya to climb on Griff's back while Astolfo hopped and skipped over to Thomas, freeing him from his statuesque state as she nuzzled against him and said, "Even if it's only for a few days, I'm going to miss you..."

Reciprocating the pinkette's embrace, Thomas habitually replied, "I'll miss you as well..."

Adopting a broad smile, Astolfo jumped up and linked her arms around Thomas's neck before kissing him. She would prefer it if he accompanied them, but she also wanted to help Chloe and Illya. The former would have a much easier time convincing Shirou and Miyu if Thomas wasn't present, so Astolfo was willing to part with him for a few days to help her friend.

Sufficiently pepped, Astolfo released her hold on Thomas and teased, "If you miss me, stand on the bowsprit and shout my name at the top of your lungs. I'll fly over like a meteor empowered by our love if you do."

Knowing it would be harder for her to leave the longer she delayed things, Astolfo gave Thomas a kiss on the cheek before hurrying over and joining Chloe, Illya, and Ruby atop Griff. Then, with one final wave, she flicked Griff's reins and had him take off into the sky, racing toward the horizon at a breakneck speed.

While following the group's departure with his eyes, Thomas's expression gradually morphed into a deadpan. He was used to Illya being skittish around him, but her previous response was...different. He hoped it was because she was anxious about him potentially sleeping with someone that looked like her, but his 'intuition' told him a different story...

Momentarily forgetting about the existence of 'flags,' Thomas muttered, "Let's just hope Miyu was able to seduce her brother..."

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With the departure of Astolfo, Chloe, Illya, and Ruby, daily life aboard the Feilong became markedly quieter. Thomas still had Caenis, Benienma, and Artoria to hang out with, but even the former was a little testy without her usual conversation partners. She was the type that 'really' enjoyed talking and messing with people, so, in the absence of Astolfo, she began tailing Thomas a lot more than usual.

While Thomas enjoyed spending time with Caenis, having her heckle him during training and continuously disrupting his magic training was a little annoying. However, as he knew she just wanted attention, he didn't mind it too much. Rather, as silly as it sounded, it made him feel like they were an actual couple.

Fortunately, as much as she enjoyed heckling Thomas, Caenis likewise enjoyed hunting Sea Kings. The Feilong spent most of its time traversing the Sea of the Boundary, but Meng Zhi would periodically have it return to the surface to get her bearings. During those times, Caenis would go for a swim, returning within an hour or two with a Sea King in tow.

As capable as Meng Zhi's crew was, their average strength wasn't much higher than a Marine from Headquarters. There were outliers, such as Meng Zhi herself, but the majority of her 308-person crew would struggle to defeat a Marine Ensign. Sea Kings were far beyond their means to deal with, so having Caenis onboard was a tremendous boon. They had more than enough supplies for the entirety of their journey, but Sea King meat was a delicacy only the strong and affluent could typically afford. Eating it not only filled you to the brim with energy, but if you consumed enough, it would even make you stronger.

With Benienma taking over the ship's galley, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that everyone aboard the Feilong was eating like Kings. The best food was reserved for Thomas, but no one dared to complain openly. Doing so was a good way to get chucked overboard by Meng Zhi, dooming them to return to Hell. As such, Thomas didn't have to worry about them betraying or openly antagonizing him for at least fifty years, the span of Meng Zhi's provisional contract. If he completed his journey sooner and migrated to a different world, they would be free to do as they pleased...

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During one of the Feilong's trips to the surface, Thomas was waiting for Ceanis to return from her fishing trip when he noticed a group of News Coos flying overhead. He doubted there would be any news of the Straw Hats for a while, but he enjoyed keeping up to date on current events.

After purchasing one of the papers, Thomas waited for the News Coo to depart before flipping it open to read the headline. Unsurprisingly, it had nothing to do with Lucy and the Straw Hats. Instead, it was another bold-faced article discussing the appointment of a new Shichibukai to replace Crocodile.

Seeing a 'very' familiar face on the cover, Thomas remarked, "I'm not sure if I should feel relieved or concerned..."

Beneath the emboldened headline was a picture of Drake, standing with her arms crossed in the middle of a large group of predominantly female Pirates. Curiously, though he had never met most of them, Thomas was fairly certain he recognized many of the people in the photograph, two of which were pink-haired women he suspected to be Jewelry Bonney and Sanji's sister, Vinsmoke Reiju.

Speaking of Sanji, he was one of only three men present among the people in the photo. However, rather than a suit or a chef outfit, he was wearing his personalized Raid Suit, Stealth Black. As for the other two men, one was Chiron, while the other was a tall, middle-aged man with slicked-back green hair and an expensive-looking pink suit.

Reading through the article, Thomas's suspicions were proven correct when it mentioned that Drake had forged an alliance with Germa 66 and Gran Tesoro. The latter was rumored to have accumulated 20% of all the money circulating in the world, while the Germa Kingdom had one of the most powerful standing armies. Thus, had she not agreed to become a Shichibukai, it wasn't difficult to imagine Drake being declared the Fifth Emperor of the Sea...

Eyeing the various pink-haired women in the photo, Thomas couldn't help wondering if Drake was attempting to collect them. Alongside Bonney and Reiju, there were five other pink-haired beauties. Thomas had no idea who four of them were, but he recognized the pinkette closest to Drake as the woman who possessed a Devil Fruit that could steal people's luck. Among the One Piece community, this was considered one of the most powerful Devil Fruits in the entire series. Unfortunately, the person who consumed it was an arrogant fool. If not, she would be invincible...

Interrupting Thomas's introspection, a large section of the sea began to bubble up, a tell-tale sign that Caenis had killed something far below the surface. However, as it would take her a while to surface, Thomas made himself comfortable, contemplating his future course.

With the Summit War looking less likely with each passing day, there was a good chance that Blackbeard had never obtained the Yami-Yami-no-Mi. As a result, Thomas had no idea how future events were going to play out. There was even a chance that Lucy and Co would immediately set sail for the New World after reaching Sabaody Archipelago. If that happened, the two years he set aside to expand his influence would be for naught...

While it was difficult to imagine the Straw Hats succeeding in the New World without their post-timeskip powerups, the fact other members of the 'Worst Generation' were able to find success implied they would be fine. They might not be able to take on people like Big Mom and Kaidou right out of the gate, but their growth during the Whole Cake Island and Wano Arcs demonstrated it only took them a few weeks to transcend their limits completely. They just needed the proper motivation.

Deciding that the smartest decision was to focus on improving himself, Thomas set aside the newspaper, rose to his feet, and leaned over the taffrail. Ceanis would be returning any minute, so while the crew of the Feilong focused on processing her catch, he planned to challenge her to an underwater wrestling match. One of the places he planned to establish an Enma-tei was Fishman Island, so learning to endure the pressure of the deep sea and fight underwater was integral to ensuring he wouldn't be at a disadvantage against even the most tenacious of Fishmen...

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With two weeks passing since the departure of Astolfo, Chloe, Illya, and Ruby, Thomas concluded they were probably waiting for him on the island of Amazon Lily. He was half-tempted to have Meng Zhi sail past it, but he wasn't the only one missing Astolfo. Thus, as the Feilong entered the Kuja Tribe's territorial waters, Meng Zhi ordered it to return to the surface only to find a large, predominately red ship being pulled by two serpents a few hundred meters away.

As Thomas spent most of his free time within the Feilong's quarterdeck, he immediately recognized the modified galleon as the ancestral ship of the Kuja Pirates. He promptly informed Meng Zhi of this, who, rather than telling her men to stand down, ordered them to prepare for battle.

Since he had promised not to interfere with Meng Zhi's handling of her ship and crew, Thomas used the time before the ships were in range to ready his countermeasures against Hancock's power. His Valor Skill had the effect of counteracting mental interference, pressure, confusion, and fascination abilities, but it was only E-Rank. Thus, so as not to embarrass himself in front of the 'most beautiful woman in the world,' he prepared a headband bearing the Teiwaz(Warrior) Rune.

With the effect of enhancing a warrior's courage and making them, at least temporarily, fearless, Thomas was hoping the Teiwaz Rune would make him immune to Hancock's petrification ability. If not, there was a very good chance he would spend a brief period as a statue. He likely wouldn't be aware of the passage of time while petrified, but the thought of being turned to stone wasn't the most pleasant...

Fortunately, while both ships uncorked their cannons, making it clear they were prepared to fire, neither unleashed the first volley. The Feilong was smaller than the Perfume Yuda, the name of the Kuja Pirate's ship, but it had more than five times the firepower. The Kuja Pirates also preferred using their strength to conquer their opponents, so they would only open fire if their would-be victims attempted to strafe or broadside them.

Just as Thomas believed things might end peacefully, several bow-wielding members of the Kuja Pirates began unleashing volley after volley of Haki-infused arrows. Each arrow was strong enough to pierce concrete or even dent steel, so the members of Meng Zhi's crew would have been in a lot of trouble if not for the magical barrier that briefly came into view each time an arrow impacted its surface.

Before Thomas could think to try and mediate, Meng Zhi unsheathed her custom Zhanmadao, thrusting it toward the sky as she shouted, "Open fire...!" in a commanding tone.

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(A/N: As expected from a tribe that reveres the strong xD...)