One Piece: Wild Hunt

Chapter 81: Helplessness

Though Thomas had a decent impression of Bon Kurei from the anime and manga, his presence indicated that Vivi's father had been abducted. Time was of the essence, so his expression and tone were severe as he said, "I don't want to kill you. I know, deep down, you're someone who cherishes friendship above all else. Just tell me where Vivi's father is, and I'll let you go..."

Having recovered from his forced tumble, Chaka exclaimed, "That isn't your decision to make! This man-"

Before Chaka could finish, Vivi silenced both him and the Royal Guards clamoring into the room, shouting, "This matter is already outside the Royal Guards' ability to control! Commence searching for my father and leave things here to myself and Thomas...!"

"..."

Taken aback by Vivi's outburst, Chaka fell silent and looked around the room, his fierce gaze focusing on Bon Kurei before shifting to Thomas as he said, "The Princess trusts you. Do not disappoint her."

Without waiting for Thomas's response, Chaka ordered his men to begin searching the palace before storming out alongside them.

While the Royal Guards cleared out, Thomas kept his gaze firmly fixed on Bon Kurei. Once they were gone, he said, "King Cobra is a good man who has treated his citizens fairly. I'm not sure what relationship you have with Crocodile, but he doesn't deserve your loyalty..."

Pushing himself to his feet, Bon Kurei seemingly ignored the hole running through his body as he lunged toward Thomas like a professional danseur leaping across a stage. The tips of his toes impacted Thomas's chest like a spear but ultimately failed to deal any damage as a thick magical barrier protected him.

Grabbing Bon Kurei's ankle like a vice, Thomas's expression became even more severe as he lifted the man like a gavel before slamming him to the ground. He wasn't lying when he said he didn't want to hurt him but now was neither the time nor the place for sentiments.

While Thomas's raw power couldn't compare to either Lucy or Zoro, Bon Kurei's 110kgs was nothing to him. His grip was also like an iron manacle, so he could fling the man around like the Hulk thrashing Loki if he really wanted to.

Despite having his face and upper body smashed into the marble floor, Bon Kurei managed to bounce back and pepper Thomas with a series of sharp kicks as he shouted, "A true Okama never betrays his allies...!"

Though Bon Kurei's kicks weren't able to damage him, having someone kick him in the face, throat, chest, and abdomen wasn't a very pleasant experience for Thomas. Thus, after seeing Bon Kurei take being slammed into the ground like a champ, he flung him toward the nearest wall before following up with a palm thrust that shot out a massive hand, pinning the man in place like Naruto utilizing Kurama's chakra.

While gradually increasing the force he was exerting on both Bon and the wall, Thomas shifted his attention to Vivi, saying, "He's not going to tell us where your father is. We'll need to find him ourselves."

As she could also tell that Bon wasn't the type to betray his allies, Vivi responded with a curt nod, asking, "Then what will we do with this one? Are you going to let him go...?"

Shaking his head, Thomas replied, "This is the path he has chosen. Your father can decide his fate once we rescue him."

With Bon eventually passing out, the result of Thomas converting the air he was breathing into carbon dioxide, Benienma quickly tied him up while Astolfo focused on trying to sense Cobra's location. Thomas suspected he was being kept in the Tomb of Kings, but he trusted Astolfo's intuition more than his own.

Fortunately, or perhaps not, Astolfo only hesitated for a short while before stating, "He's somewhere nearby. Maybe underground...?"

As the Tom of the Kings should be a fair distance away from the palace, Thomas's expression soured as he turned to Vivi and asked, "Does the palace have something like an underground dungeon or catacombs...?"

Unsurprisingly, Vivi replied, "There is an ancient waterway that connects to an underground water reservoir, but it fell into disrepair long before even my father was born. There have been several attempts to reclaim it over the years, but it has become a nest for Bananwani and other fierce predators..."

Imagining fighting Crocodile in an underground waterway, Thomas fell into a contemplative silence. Even a blind man could see this was a trap, and their enemies held most of the cards. However, so long as there was water present, Caenis could probably sweep through anything that came their way...

Though the notion of handling things himself crossed his mind, Thomas wasn't so self-obsessed that he would permit Vivi's father to remain in jeopardy just to 'prove' how strong he had become. He could wait until Crocodile appeared before summoning Caenis, but he imagined it would be pretty disorienting to be pulled through space and expected to fight without a proper understanding of the situation.

Having made his decision, Thomas balled his hand into a fist, focusing on Caenis as he said, "Come to me." in a faint yet assertive tone.

Following a harsh 'whooping' sound, Caenis manifested next to Thomas in an instant, spear in hand and eyes glowing red as she looked around for a target.

Holding up his hands, Thomas said, "Calm down. I called you a little early so you could help us search."

Retracting her bloodlust, Caenis brandished her spear and rested it on her shoulder as she clicked her tongue and retorted, "Do I look like a hound to you? Sniffing people out isn't exactly my specialty."

Shaking his head, Thomas clarified, "Our enemies have captured Vivi's father and holed themselves up in an abandoned waterway populated by dangerous creatures. They've likely set traps and other obstacles in the way, so I'd rather have you close by."

Adopting a wolfish grin, Caenis questioned, "So, you want me to protect you? And here I thought you were a man. What happened to your pride, hmm~?"

Catching nearly everyone by surprise, Thomas questioned, "What use is pride if it hurts the people I care about? Vivi's father wouldn't even be in this situation if we rushed over. Now, let's hurry. Every moment we waste is another moment Cobra is forced to pay for our mistakes..."

Furrowing her brows, Caenis replied, "I was just joking..." before looking away with a slight pout. She was tempted to point out that it wasn't her fault they were late but managed to restrain herself out of consideration for the circumstances.

Resisting the urge to apologize, Thomas maintained his intensity as he looked to Astolfo and instructed her to lead the way. Chaka and the Royal Guards intercepted and attempted to accompany them, but it only took a few seconds for Caenis to completely body them. Their heart was in the right place, but against a foe like Crocodile, a large group would only slow them down and get in the way...

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After traversing a hidden stairway that led deep underground, Thomas and company found themselves in a vast chamber with massive steel doors barring what he assumed to be the entrance to the underground waterway. Vivi quickly confirmed this, saying, "I hope Astolfo's ability to locate things holds up. The underground waterway is like a labyrinth that runs beneath the entirety of Alubarna. If we get lost, it would be difficult to find our way back..."

Snorting through her nose, Caenis said, "If that happens, I'll just blast a hole through the ceiling."

Recalling the massive explosion that accompanied Caenis taking out the Island Eater, a panicked expression marred Vivi's face. Before she could appeal to Caenis not to do anything rash, she and the other Heroic Spirits became tense, Benienma stating, "Someone is here..." while gripping the hilt of her sword.

Following Benienma's warning, the face of a woman materialized from the surface of the massive steel doors. It was one of the most uncanny things Thomas had ever seen, but he immediately recognized the face as Robin, commenting, "Long time no see, Miss All Sunday..." while gesturing for the others to remain calm.

Adopting a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, Robin remarked, "I was kind of hoping for a bigger reaction..." before materializing the rest of her body, fully clothed, from the door's surface.

"You and your friends should turn back," said Robin. "I understand your desire to save the King, but attempting to fight Crocodile on his terms is suicide."

Before Thomas could respond, Caenis interjected to say, "Eat a dick. We came here to beat Crocodile's ass. Get in our way, and I'll shove my fist so far up yours you'll be able to lick my fingers."

With everyone at least a little taken aback by Caenis's words, an awkward silence descended upon the chamber. Somewhat surprisingly, the first to break it was Robin, covering her mouth to stifle a laugh before cupping her cheek as she remarked, "What a curious choice of words. It's been a long time since I heard such a crude yet humorous rejoinder..."

Intervening before Caenis could make good on her promise, Thomas stepped forward to state, "We're going inside. If you could show us the way, we'd appreciate it greatly..."

Seemingly exasperated by Thomas's words, Robin exhaled a tired sigh before looking him in the eyes and revealing, "Even if you manage to rescue the King, Crocodile is a vindictive man. If he can't have Alabasta for himself, he's willing to bury it completely."

"What do you mean?" asked Vivi.

Shifting her gaze to Vivi, Robin casually revealed, "Baroque Works has spent the past week spreading high-yield explosive charges throughout the underground waterway. If that wasn't enough, there is an even larger bomb scheduled to be set off in the city's center. The moment Crocodile feels as though he might lose the battle, the entire city and its people will go up in smoke..."

Overwhelmed by what she was hearing, Vivi fell to her knees and covered her mouth in horror. Thomas also felt a bit cowed by Robin's words, but he forced himself to appear calm as he asked, "What triggers the explosives underground?"

Raising her brows, Robin questioned, "Do you seriously intend to charge in after everything I've just revealed? I thought you were smarter than that..."

Shaking her head, Robin added, "The smartest thing you could do is flee the capital and enact your plan to restore Alabasta's rain. Crocodile only intends to destroy the city as a last resort, so dragging things out forces him to come to you."

Though he could see the reasoning behind Robin's argument, Thomas still wanted to know how the explosives worked, stating, "I'll come up with a plan after you tell me how the explosives are triggered..."

Exhaling a faint sigh, Robin seemed more exasperated than ever. In spite of this, she replied, "There are two ways. The first is a manual trigger that will set the explosives to detonate precisely thirty minutes after the initial press. Crocodile intends to teach you a lesson, so he made sure he would have time to play with you beforehand..."

Adopting a wry smile, Robin allowed her words to settle for a bit before revealing, "The second trigger is a deadman switch linked to a Den Den Mushi in Crocodile's left breast pocket. If it breaks, all the explosives will detonate within a minute..."

Though Vivi felt even more helpless after hearing Robin's words, a fiery light emanated from Thomas's eyes. One of the distinctive properties of Mana was that it interfered with things like electricity and radio signals. He even had a method of dealing with the Den Den Mushi tucked away in his pocket, so even though the tips of his fingers were trembling, the look on his face expressed conviction as he helped Vivi to her feet and offered his usual, "Just leave everything to me..."

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(A/N: You know what they say. Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face xD...)