One Piece: Wild Hunt

Chapter 56: Stress Relief

After reluctantly accepting Astolfo's and even Vivi's offer to help him change into something more 'appropriate' for his new form, Thomas had the former fly them over to the central island with a stone-faced look on his face.

As he couldn't help feeling a 'little' curious, Thomas had checked himself out in a mirror provided by Astolfo. What he found left him at a complete and utter loss for words as he was way hotter than anticipated. Not only did his female form have large, perky tits, a toned body, and a voluminous ass, but it also had somewhat 'heroic' features, similar to Yang from RWBY or Leone from Akame ga Kill.

Thomas had always had a thing for the big sister type women who liked tearing shit apart with their bare hands, so he couldn't help thinking his reflection was hot. This left him feeling confused and at a loss as he had never considered, not even in his wildest dreams, that he would find any version of himself attractive...

Fortunately, after a few flattering remarks that made Thomas increasingly uncomfortable, Vivi and Astolfo realized it probably wasn't a good idea to keep talking about his appearance. Even Vivi couldn't help feeling he was being a little dramatic, as he could change back whenever he wanted, but she didn't speak her thoughts aloud and just tried to be supportive.

After reaching the main island, Thomas asked, "So, what now...?" while directing his attention to Astolfo. He suspected they would have to enter Amazon Lily proper, but he wanted to be certain before trespassing upon a nation famous for its fierce female warriors.

Bringing her finger up to her chin, Astolfo tilted her head to the side and responded, "I'm not entirely sure?" after several seconds of deliberation. Then, in response to Thomas's deadpan, she exhaled an awkward laugh before clarifying, "My intuition is telling me there are Install Cards all over the island. I'm not sure which is the best to go to first."

"Ah, I see..." responded Thomas before crossing his arms. His breasts got in the way, but he did his best to ignore them as he considered the most suitable course of action.

Shaking his head, Thomas decided to forgo a more comprehensive plan, stating, "We'll seek out the closest one and then decide what to do from there. Amazon Lily has a battle arena, so we should be able to acquire the card without resorting to killing. We'll see how things play out."

As she wasn't particularly fond of killing, Astolfo adopted a broad smile and replied, "Okay~!" before bringing her fingers up to her temples as if she was trying to focus her mental energies. Her ability to locate things wasn't a power she could actively control, but she could influence it by focusing her intent.

After several seconds of looking like she was straining her last brain cell, Astolfo perked up and pointed 'away' from the central mountain, stating, "It's not the closest, but there's an Install Card all on its own over in that direction. Should we check it out~?"

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Nodding his head, Thomas replied, "Sounds like a plan," before taking the initiative to step forward and lead the way. The island wasn't very large, and the mountain at its center served as a suitable landmark, so he was fairly certain he wouldn't get lost. Thus, with Astolfo and Vivi following close behind, Thomas made his way into the jungle surrounding Amazon Lily, eager to punch something. Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long...

As could be expected from an island filled with fierce warriors, Amazon Lily was full of dangerous plants and animals. Thomas and co hadn't even entered the jungle for more than three minutes before a massive leopard, more than 7m in length, attempted to pounce on them from the canopy of a giant tree. Its speed was swift, and its power was immense, but Thomas was aware of its presence in advance, thanks to Astolfo pointing it out.

The moment the colossal leopard leaped at them, Thomas jumped up to meet it, shouting, "Your pelt is mine...!" before decking the much larger creature in the snout. Unfortunately, its momentum carried it forward, causing it and Thomas to crash into the ground before the latter kicked it away with a feminine grunt.

Before the leopard could recover its senses, Thomas charged at it like an enraged berserker. The leopard hissed and batted him away with a fierce swipe, but Thomas bounded back instantly, firing a concentrated blast of magical energy into its soft underbelly to limit its mobility before beating it with his fists.

Seeing Thomas's 'berserk' state, an awkward smile developed across Vivi's face as she asked, "Does he always get like this when he's stressed out...?"

Adopting a wry smile of her own, Astolfo replied, "Yes, but this is also the way he 'wants' to fight. He wants to be able to beat people like Kaido in a contest of strength, so he goes all out when fighting against wild animals or people he knows to be powerful."

"Ah, I see..." replied Vivi, a thoughtful expression developing across her face. She had never met Kaido, but she was aware of the existence of the Four Emperors. Kaido was known as the 'World's Strongest Creature,' so Thomas would need extraordinary strength and durability to match him. Imagining her future 'husband' possessing such tremendous might made her feel a little...excited.

Noticing the faint blush developing through Vivi's cheeks, a teasing smile blossomed across Astolfo's face. She wasn't nearly as 'enthusiastic' as Benienma, but she was starting to see how Vivi would make a good 'first wife' for Thomas. Even when the latter was rampaging, his fists and body covered in blood, Vivi looked at him like a maiden in love...

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Though it weighed well over a thousand kilograms, Thomas emerged on the opposite side of Amazon Lily, dragging the leopard he had beaten to death. The smell of its blood caused several other monstrous animals to attack them, but the only creature of note was a giant boar that died after he sank his arm into its eye socket and released a blast of magical energy into its incredibly durable skull.

Looking around the cliffside clearing, Thomas didn't notice any obvious signs of habitation, asking, "Are you sure someone lives around here...?"

Stepping forward, Astolfo emulated Thomas's action of looking around before pointing toward a rocky outcrop that towered several meters over its surroundings, saying, "The card is in that rock. Maybe the person who owns it has a secret hideout~?"

Seemingly in response to Astolfo's words, a figure emerged from the base of the monolithic stone structure as if it were a hologram. More surprising was the fact that it was a young man with auburn hair tainted by patches of white. 'Most' surprising was that Thomas recognized who the man was, just not from the world of One Piece...

Catching the weary-looking man by surprise, Thomas tentatively uttered, "Shirou Emiya...?" in a faint tone, his expression a mixture of disbelief and shock.

Since he could sense the Mana exuding from Thomas's body, Shirou's expression became serious as he grimly remarked, "You're not from this world," before directing his steely gaze to Astolfo as he asked, "Tell me, why have you come here...?"

Raising his hands to show he wasn't there to pick a fight, Thomas replied, "Calm down. I don't mind answering your questions. But before that, are you going to be okay? You look like shit..."

With more than half his body covered in brown, scar-like tissue, a large cut over his left eye, and predominately white hair, the Shirou in front of Thomas looked like he had gone through a dozen Holy Grail Wars, losing each of them. Most of his body was wrapped in red bandages, and there was a powerful stench of antiseptics exuding from his body.

Sensing no hostile intent from his 'guests,' Shirou relaxed his body but didn't completely lower his guard, answering, "I'm...fine. The past few years have just been a little rough, that's all. Now, tell me, why are you here? Are you fighting to restore your world as well...?"

Blinking in surprise, Thomas parroted, "You're fighting to restore your world...?" in a confused, questioning tone.

Realizing that their circumstances were drastically different, Shirou exhaled a sigh of relief before adopting a wry smile as he remarked, "At least we won't have to compete to see whose world gets saved. I have enough weight on my shoulders as is..."

Before Thomas could ask what he was talking about, Shirou preempted him, questioning, "I'm guessing you came here in search of Install Cards? How many have you been able to collect so far...?"

After a moment of deliberation, Thomas shook his head, admitting, "I've been in this world for over a year but only recently learned about Install Cards. One of our enemies owns two of them, so we came here in search of the means to defeat him."

With a skeptical look on his face, Shirou shifted his gaze from Thomas to Astolfo, asking, "If you only recently learned about Install Cards, why is there a Heroic Spirit standing next to you?"

Waving her hand, Astolfo reacted with a playful "Yahoo~" while Thomas went on to explain, "Before I was sent to this world, I was granted a Devil Fruit known as the Mana-Mana-no-Mi and nine Class Cards to summon a 'crew.' Astolfo here was summoned using the Navigator Card."

Crossing his arms and biting the nail of his thumb, Shirou adopted a serious and thoughtful expression as he contemplated what he had just heard. The presence of a Master capable of sustaining nine Heroic Spirits was a game changer...

Interrupting Shirou's thoughts, Thomas asked, "Aren't men prohibited from trespassing Amazon Lily? Does the Kuja tribe know you're hiding out here...?"

Leaving Thomas at a complete loss for words, Shirou regained a wry smile as he replied, "I'm friends with the ruler of Amazon Lily, Boa Hancock. She gave me permission to encamp here while my..."

Instead of continuing what he was about to say, Shirou changed topics, asking, "You said you know the location of two Install Cards? If you tell me where they are, I'll help you deal with whoever possesses them. So long as they aren't an Admiral or one of the Four Emperors, I should be able to handle them."

Raising his brows, Thomas asked, "Seriously? Just how strong are you? Do you have a Bounty...?"

Nodding his head, Shirou's expression became melancholic as he replied, "I went on a bit of a rampage around a year ago and acquired a Bounty of 713,000,000 Berries after killing several Celestial Dragons. I was originally up for a position as a Shichibukai, but those bastards..."

Allowing his words to trail off, Shirou once again changed the topic, his expression becoming serious and firm as he said, "If your presence in this world is independent of the Install Cards, please don't get in the way of me collecting them. The fate of my world hinges upon those cards, so if you seek to collect and hold onto them...I'll have no choice but to cut you down..."

Furrowing his brows, Thomas remarked, "Man, you're one edgy bastard, you know that? And don't worry, I already have my own adventure going on. I might make use of the Install Cards, but I don't mind handing them over once I've picked up a few useful skills."

Sensing no lies in Thomas's words, Shirou hesitated for a few moments before half-turning towards the rock face he had emerged from, saying, "Please, come inside. I'll make tea for you and your friends, and then we can talk."

Without waiting for Thomas's reply, Shirou stepped through the rock face as if it didn't exist. Moments later, Thomas, Vivi, and Astolfo followed after him to find a cozy Japanese-style villa within, complete with an attached forge, a bathhouse, and a small bamboo forest...

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(A/N: O_O...)