Chapter 35: Intervention

Chapter 35: Intervention

Immediately following Benienma's warning, Thomas's eyes widened as a tall and curvaceous woman approached the execution platform wearing a white cowboy hat and a pale pink cloak covered in hearts. As she moved through the crowd, men and women alike parted like Moses splitting the Red Sea, not because of the massive spiked club resting on her shoulder but because her beauty had compelled them to make way.

"Holy shit..."

Though the woman had yet to identify herself, Thomas recognized her as Alvida, one of the first Pirates Luffy faced during the version of One Piece he was familiar with. She started as a nearly ball-shaped woman with a horrendously ugly face, large feet, massive lips, and freckles, but after eating a Devil Fruit that turned her into a 'Smooth Woman,' she shed all of her weight and became one of the most beautiful women in the world...

While Thomas was momentarily awed by her beauty, much like the rest of the crowd, Alivda approached the base of the execution platform before calling out to Lucy, declaring, "I finally found you, Monkey D. Lucy. You're going to pay for what you did to me...!"

Unlike her original counterpart, who had become infatuated with Luffy for being the first man to strike her, the current Alvida hated Lucy to the core. She had nearly succumbed to dehydration after being stranded on a deserted island, and one of the only fruits she discovered ended up being a Devil Fruit that tasted like dog shit.

Not recognizing Alivda, Lucy tilted her head to the side and asked, "Do I know you...?" with a confused look on her face.

As she was incapable of telling how much her beauty had improved after eating the Sube-Sube-no-Mi, Alvida's expression darkened as she asked, "You forgot about me, Iron Mace Alvida, the most beautiful woman in East Blue...?"

Blinking in surprise, Lucy replied, "Huh? Alvida was a fat old hag covered in freckles. You look nothing like her."

"..."

Hanging her head in a way that allowed her cowgirl hat to conceal her face, Alvida smashed her gigantic mace into the ground, her voice a low growl as she asserted, "I will never forgive you..."

Interrupting Lucy's and Alvida's reunion, a bunch of men dressed in grey outfits, Loguetown's local militia, approached the execution platform, led by a mustached man with a bullhorn. His eyes widened when he noticed Alvida, but he eventually managed to return his gaze to Lucy, raising his bullhorn to shout, "Get down from there! This is a special execution site under the jurisdiction of the World Government! If you refuse to remove yourself, you will be apprehended and placed under-"

Before the man could finish issuing his warning, Alvida attempted to bat him aside with her spiked mace, aiming for his head. Even without her superhuman strength, such an attack would be fatal against an ordinary human. Thus, the moment the group appeared, Thomas moved forward, intending to intervene. The moment Alvida swung her mace, he emerged from the gathering crowd, intercepting her mace with his bare hand as he said, "Not today..."

Though she was 6'6''(198cm), Alvida had to look up at Thomas, her green eyes widening slightly as she asked, "And who the hell are you supposed to be?"

As he didn't want to ruin the rapport he had painstakingly established with Nami, Thomas's expression remained serious as he replied, "In this instance, your enemy..."

Without elaborating or providing his actual identity, Thomas destroyed Alvida's mace with a burst of Magical Energy. Then, even though her Devil Fruit provided her immunity to most physical attacks, causing them to slide off her body as if she was a frictionless surface, he grabbed her left wrist without issue, pulling her off balance before planting his knee in her lower abdomen.

Despite possessing superhuman strength, Alvida was ultimately a Pirate whose Bounty had stagnated at a mere 5,000,000 Berries. Thomas held back considerably, but she ended up stumbling forward like Cell after getting his guts punched in by Gohan, eyes bulging out as she held her stomach. nove(l)bi(n.)com

Spitting in the face of Thomas's good intentions, a fast-moving stream of smoke attempted to overtake him by passing around his body. Instead, it crashed into him with the force of a small car, surprising the ashen-haired Marine that tried to obstruct his path. Shortly after that, the two of them crashed through the exterior wall of a bakery, destroying several displays containing fresh bread and pastries.

Bounding to his feet, Thomas's expression morphed into a scowl as he exclaimed, "Are you serious!? Couldn't you have flown around instead of attempting to pass around me for dramatic flair!?"

Rising to his feet alongside Thomas, the Marine that had crashed into him had a comparably ugly expression on his face as he pulled out several cigars from his jacket, lighting them up before asking, "Was that Haki? I didn't expect an upstart Pirate from the East Blue would have access to something like that..."

As he had yet to do any actual pirating, Thomas snorted through his nose and asked, "What upstart Pirate? I stepped in to save that Police Captain from having his head splattered and then repelled Buggy the Clown. Your men surrounded and aimed their rifles at me for no reason, and now we've ruined someone's business because you wanted to show off...!"

"..."

Though his expression became even uglier, the bare-chested man, better known as Captain Smoker, didn't lash out or attempt to refute Thomas's words. Instead, he looked around at the destroyed bakery, narrowing his eyes at a middle-aged man standing behind the register with a mortified look on his face.

Despite wearing an expression that made it appear as though he was about to skin the man alive, Smoker's gravely voice was calm as he said, "Send an invoice to my office before the end of the week. I'll see that you are properly remunerated for the trouble we've caused you."

Without waiting for the man's response, Smoker turned his attention back to Thomas, revealing, "I am Captain Smoker of the Marines. If you're truly not a Pirate, you'll follow me outside. I have some questions for you."

Shrugging his shoulders, Thomas replied, "So long as you don't ask me to accompany you down to your headquarters, I don't mind answering a few questions. I'm having trust issues after having a dozen men point rifles at me for no fucking reason..."

Exhaling an enormous plume of smoke, Smoker remained silent for a few seconds before replying, "Fair enough. Once I ascertain your identity and confirm you're not a Pirate, I'll lower my head and publically apologize on my men's behalf."

"..."

Though he vaguely recalled a scene of Smoker apologizing after a little kid bumped into him with her ice cream, Thomas didn't expect him to be so...agreeable. He was originally thinking about how he could escape the man's pursuit, but, as there wasn't a thunderstorm raging outside, he doubted that Dragon, Lucy's father, was present. Even if he was, there was no guarantee the man would step in to save him. Thus, after several seconds of deliberation, he replied, "Fine, let's talk..."

...

..

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(A/N: Thomas is a feminist, confirmed...)