Chương 55: Separation : Anxiety
After healing his hand, Thomas told Robin about himself, his past, and what he wished to accomplish in the world of One Piece. The existence of the Install Cards was bound to shake things up a bit, but it didn't change his penultimate goal, only what he would be doing in the interim.
As Thomas's explanation included the existence of Zelretch and Heroic Spirits, Robin eventually asked, "Will you use your Heroic Spirits to defeat Crocodile? I saw the explosion in the sea earlier this afternoon. That was one of your companions, yes?"
Though he would have felt inclined to shake his head previously, Thomas wasn't entirely sure Lucy would be able to defeat a Crocodile empowered by an Install Card. Even the weakest of Heroic Spirits could probably net a Bounty in the hundreds of millions, and Casters were especially tricky to deal with...
Inhaling and exhaling in mild exasperation, Thomas replied, "I'm honestly not sure at this point. If shit hits the fan, I'll doubtlessly ask for their help, but I'd like to try and settle things before then."
"I see..." muttered Robin. Then, after a contemplative silence, she added, "Then this is where we part ways, at least for the time being. Once you've defeated Crocodile, I may or may not make an appearance."
Following her words, Robin's body began to 'dissolve' into thousands of pink flower petals, starting from her feet. The process happened rapidly, but she still had enough time to adopt a teasing smile, saying, "See you around, Tommy boy..." before disappearing completely.
As the last of Robin's flower petals vanished into thin air, Thomas exhaled a faintly exasperated sigh, muttering, "There she goes..." before glancing at his surroundings. There was a decently high chance that Robin had left one of her eyes or ears behind to observe his actions or hear what he had to say, but he couldn't find any.
Shaking his head, Thomas dismissed his wayward thoughts and decided to return to the Going Merry. It was paramount that he updated Vivi and the rest on the situation. Crocodile's Install Cards likely wouldn't be used until the 'climax' of their encounter, but they were still something that had to be taken into consideration.
According to Robin, the power of the Install Card depended on its Grade, one being the weakest and nine being the most powerful. Crocodile was in possession of the Grade 6 Caster, so they would need to be cautious as even a minute powerup, combined with his Logia powers, would make him exceptionally dangerous. On a more positive note, once they defeated the oppressive Shichibukai, Thomas would acquire Crocodile's Install Cards for himself. They could be just what he needed to overcome his current bottleneck...
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Upon returning to the Merry, Thomas was unsurprised to learn that Usopp had been taken away by a giant named Broggy. The latter had also invited Caenis and Atalanta to come and join him for a feast, but the duo declined on the grounds they needed to repair and safeguard the ship.
Fortunately, Broggy's arrival had taken place while Thomas and the others were away, so Vivi, Nami, and Astolfo were present upon his return. There was no pressing need to inform them of what he had learned, but he liked to get such things out of the way as soon as possible. Once he was done, he took a much-needed bath, accompanied by Astolfo.
With the bubbly pinkette reclined against him with a content look on her face, Thomas asked the question that had been lurking at the back of his mind, specifically, "Do you think your ability to find things would work with Install Cards...?"
Without needing to consider her response, Astolfo replied, "I don't see why not. Unless they have a nature that allows them to remain hidden, I should be able to locate them. Want to try flying around for a bit after we get out...?"
Since the Merry would be out of commission for several days, Astolfo's words were extraordinarily tempting to Thomas. He also 'needed' an Install Card if he was to assist Lucy during the battle against Crocodile, so he only hesitated for a moment before responding, "Sure. If possible, we should track down any unclaimed cards. If they each have an owner, we should target someone with a Caster Card. With my Mana-Mana-no-Mi, even the Grade 1 Caster should be busted..."
Nodding her head, Astolfo replied, "Then that's what we'll search for. My ability works best when looking for something I 'want' to find. I also have super high Magic Resistance, thanks to my Casseur de Logistille, so even if they use the card against us, I should be able to deal with it. Just make sure to pamper me and shower me with praise afterward."
Exhaling a light chuckle, Thomas wrapped his arms around the loveable pinkette and replied, "Of course..." before planting a kiss atop her head...
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Early the next morning, Thomas informed everyone of his intention to depart, at least for a few days. Vivi inevitably asked to come along, so, with Astolfo's approval, the three of them set out in search of Install Cards.
With the Hippogriff's tremendous speed and a barrier of wind keeping them from being knocked off, traveling just about anywhere was a breeze. If not for them having no idea where they were going, relying purely on Astolfo's intuition, they could have reached a destination on the opposite side of the world in just a few hours. Instead, they spent six hours flying around before reaching a small island whose central mountain had been carved to resemble snakes...
"You've got to be kidding me..." muttered Thomas. He couldn't read the massive Kanji inscribed into the face of the mountain, but he knew where they were even though it was his first time seeing it in person.
Hearing Thomas's utterance, Astoflo asked, "What's wrong? Is this not a good place to land...?"
As she could actually read Kanji, it was Vivi who responded to Astolfo's query, exclaiming, "No way! Isn't that Amazon Lily!? Did we really fly all this way in just a few hours...!?"
Smiling proudly, Astoflo replied, "Of course! Hippogriffs are some of the fastest flying creatures, and Griff is exceptionally even among his kin! If he was serious, we could have easily flown here in less than half an hour."
Opening her mouth, Vivi wanted to respond but found herself at a loss for words. As for Thomas, he had a serious expression on his face as he said, "The culture of Amazon Lily forbids men from entering the island without the express permission of their Empress. We may have to look elsewhere to obtain an Install Card..."
Instead of feeling deterred by Thomas's words, Astolfo's eyes lit up like the 4th of July. She had been waiting for this kind of development for a long time, so she directed Griff to land on a rocky outcrop detached from the island before pulling out a tiny glass bottle filled with circular pink and blue pills.
Before Thomas could ask what the pills were, Astolfo happily explained, "If the only restriction is based on gender, we should be able to enter the island freely. You just need to eat one of these pink pills, and it will rapidly transform you into a woman...!"
"..."
"..."
With Thomas and Vivi staring at her as if she had lost her mind, Astolfo rolled her eyes before popping open the glass vial and ingesting one of the blue pills. The moment she swallowed it, her shoulders became broader and her facial features marginally less delicate. Then, despite the presence of Vivi, she lifted the front of her skirt to reveal a sizeable bulge in her black panties...
"See? It works quickly, and there are no side effects," asserted Astolfo. Then, when Thomas opened his mouth to reply, a 'fierce' glimmer flashed across her eyes as she shouted, "Bottoms up...!"
With Astolfo flicking a pill into the back of his throat, Thomas swallowed it on instinct. When he realized what Astolfo had just done, his eyes became as round as saucers as he stared at the smiling pinkette in disbelief. At the same time, his height decreased drastically, but that was frankly the least of his concerns...
Unlike Astolfo, who didn't change much between transitioning from male to female, Thomas's chest and ass swelled as his waist contracted. Once the rapid transformation was complete, he was around 190cm tall with a physique comparable to Robin, Nami, and Vivi. The latter even felt a little jealous upon seeing him, a stark contrast to the feeling of existentialism Thomas was experiencing after the loss of a certain part of his body...
Seeing the disbelief and 'dread' on Thomas's face, the realization she might have done something wrong finally crossed Astolfo's mind. The look in his eyes made it clear he felt betrayed, causing the smile to fade from Astolfo's face as a sensation similar to her heart being gripped filled her chest.
Holding up the pill bottle, Astolfo meekly uttered, "Please don't be too mad...so long as you eat one of the blue pills, you'll be back to normal. I just thought it would be fun if..."
Feeling overwhelmed by guilt, Astolfo's words trailed off as she hung her head and began to tear up. The thought that Thomas might never forgive her was too painful to bear, nearly causing her to collapse on the spot and cry her heart out. Fortunately, just as she felt like her world was about to come crashing down, Thomas exhaled a clearly exasperated sigh, shook his head, and said, "It's fine..." in a faint, nearly inaudible tone.
Hearing the sound of his own voice, a frown marred Thomas's face as he reached up to massage his throat. One of the few redeeming qualities he carried with him from his previous life was a fairly deep voice. Now, while it was still deep, the sound coming from his throat was unmistakably the voice of a woman...
Before Thomas could ponder his situation further, Astolfo pounced on him, burying her face into his bosom and causing him to feel strangely flustered. Luckily, she had already downed a pink pill shortly after flicking one into the back of his throat. Had she not, Thomas would have been a lot more upset. Instead, he grimaced awkwardly, patting the pinkette on the head as he whispered, "You're so emotional..." in a wry yet soothing tone.
Baring her heart, Astolfo revealed, "I thought you might hate me..." in a chipper tone tainted by melancholy. She was still a little teary-eyed, so it would only take a few harsh words to set her off completely.
Exhaling a sigh through his nose, Thomas gave Astolfo a comforting pat on the back as he said, "I could never hate you. I am, however, going to ask you to get off of me. This is really uncomfortable..."
Though she was reluctant, Astolfo separated from Thomas, allowing him to get a good look at himself. The pills in Astolfo's possession were a type of Mystic Code, so they didn't simply alter his body but his outfit. It was really strange, but, considering the pills originated from the literal God of Medicine, Thomas wasn't 'too' surprised...
Suppressing his discomfort, Thomas attempted to stay positive, forcing a smile as he said, "This is actually pretty convenient. I was worried about how I would approach Hancock and other Amazons in the future. In this form, I can at least rest assured she won't immediately turn me to stone."
Comparing his situation to a scene from a niche yet amusing anime called Interspecies Reviewers, the tensions in Thomas's body gradually relaxed. He still wasn't comfortable being a woman, but he could endure it for a short while if it meant he could increase his strength and get closer to the woman regarded as the most beautiful in the world. Luckily, as he was in a completely separate reality, he didn't have to worry about his friends, family, and the people on his discord condemning him for getting gender-swapped...
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(A/N: Don't worry, Tom. There are plenty of people in the comments section who will happily condemn you (U w U)~!)
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