章節 95: The Will of a Conqueror
In response to Meng Zhi's command, the Feilong's starboard cannons opened fire, creating a loud, thunderous sound that echoed through the bodies of everyone onboard. Unfortunately, despite receiving a full broadside, the Perfume Yuda barely took any damage. It was one of the few ships whose hull and keel were constructed from wood harvested from the Treasure Tree Adam, so ordinary cannonballs could barely leave a scratch on its surface.
Undaunted by the failure of the first volley, Meng Zhi ordered the ship's sharpshooters to open fire on the Kuja warriors gathered on the Perfume Yuda's deck. At the same time, several of the more fearless members of the Kuja Tribe attempted to board the Feilong by leaping over, weapons in hand and snakes wrapped around their bodies. The barrier protecting the ship was designed to repel fast-moving projectiles, so they had no trouble passing through.
Fortunately, at least for the crew of the Feilong, what awaited the Kuja boarding party was a group consisting of Thomas, Caenis, Benienma, and Artoria. The trio of Heroic Spirits had been asked to avoid lethally injuring their opponents, but that didn't stop Caenis from being her usual brutal self, grabbing members of the Kuja Tribe by the hair before throwing them back to their ship like humanoid cannonballs, willfully aiming for the bright pink 'mansion' that occupied much of the deck.
Seeing how easily their boarding party was repelled, two of the more 'distinct' members of the Kuja Pirates stepped forward. The first had leaf-green hair and an oversized head that sat atop a shapely figure, while the other had orange hair styled to resemble horns and a body whose shape could be compared to an egg.
At 453 and 432 centimeters, the two caped, bikini-clad women were among the tallest members of the Kuja Tribe. They also commanded the respect of the other members, causing the embattled Kuja to shout out, "Lady Sandersonia!" and "Lady Marigold!" like fangirls spotting their idols exiting a venue.
Recognizing the duo immediately, Thomas, guarded by Benienma and Artoria, approached the taffrail of the Feilong to shout, "Sandersonia! Marigold! We're allies of Shirou Emiya!" using Mana to amplify his voice.
As Thomas was already in the limelight as one of the people repelling the boarding party, Sandersonia and Marigold were paying close attention to him. When they heard his words, the two sisters briefly exchanged glances before the egg-shaped Marigold turned around and retreated to the mansion.
While Marigold presumably went to report to Hancock, Sandersonia ordered her women to stand down before approaching the taffrail of the Perfum Yuda, questioning, "What's your name, human man?" with crossed arms and a skeptical look on her face. Shirou had informed them about Thomas, but as the latter had a completely different appearance, she was incredibly suspicious of his words.
Raising his hands to show he meant no harm, Thomas replied, "Thomas D. Jensen," in a calm, assertive tone.
Flicking her snake-like tongue, Sandersonia remarked, "You don't look like Thomas D. Jensen. From what I've seen and heard, you're supposed to be around 220-240cm tall with a mane of brown hair, broad shoulders, and a muscular frame. How did you get so tiny?"
Smiling wryly, Thomas answered, "The same way I got so big in the first place. I used Magic to modify my size and appearance."
To demonstrate his point, Thomas channeled Mana through his artificial Magic Circuits, causing his body to swell gradually and his hair to slowly change color. He couldn't change too much due to the restrictions of his clothing, but his final appearance was fairly close to the one shown on his Bounty Poster.
Raising her brows, Sandersonia remarked, "That's a really useful ability." Then, with a casual gesture of her right hand, the tensions that had been present among the Kuja Pirates promptly disappeared, replaced by smiles and expressions of relief. They reveled in naval and land warfare, but the power demonstrated by Caenis made them feel helpless.
Half-turning away, Sandersonia said, "Though it is typically forbidden for men to board our ship without bindings, you and two of your friends are welcome to come aboard. I cannot guarantee your protection, but if you truly are an ally of Lord Shirou, you shouldn't be made to suffer."
Nodding his head, Thomas replied, "Sounds good," before turning to Caenis and Artoria, choosing them as his escorts. Benienma would also be coming along, but unless shit hit the friend, she would stay within his shadow.
Leaping across the 15m gap between ships without too much trouble, Thomas briefly tensed as the eyes of every Kuja Tribesomwan zeroed in on him like a group of snakes eyeing a single mouse. Amazon Lily was an island that men were typically prohibited from setting foot on, so one of the most important 'resources' collected by the Kuja Pirates were strong men. Their brig served a dual purpose as a breeding stable, so Thomas entering the Perfume Yuda was comparable to a stray lamb wandering into a den of hungry lionesses...
Fortunately for Thomas, he had one of the more ferocious lionesses as his protector. Caenis immediately noticed the 'hungry' glimmer in the eyes of the Kuja warriors, prompting her to sneer as she said, "You lot aren't even in the running. Now, piss off before I toss you overboard."
As Kuja society dictated that the weak obey the strong, most of the Kuja tribeswomen averted their gazes. The few that didn't nearly paid the price, but Thomas intervened, saying, "Just ignore them..." as he followed after Sandersonia.
Though she immediately followed suit, Caenis committed the faces of everyone who didn't avert their eyes to memory. She had experience with the Amazons of her world, so she had a decent grasp of how Kuja society worked. If she didn't discipline those who disregarded her warning, some of the more 'ambitious' women might conspire against her or try to target Thomas. She might not care as much as Benienma, but there was no way in Hell she was permitting some discount Amazons to steal his seed...
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Stopping just outside an ornate set of doors, each more than 5m in height, Sandersonia turned to Thomas and asked, "You have Lord Shirou's Install Card, correct? I suggest Including it before we proceed further..."
Though Sandersonia's words raised numerous flags, Thomas responded with a curt "Understood" before pulling out and making use of the EMIYA Card. Once he had, a broad smile developed across Sandersonia's face as she said, "How nostalgic..."
Without explaining the meaning behind her words, Sandersonia pushed open the double doors to reveal a chamber that appeared larger on the inside than the entirety of the Perfume Yuda. There was plenty of lighting within, but the surroundings seemed unnaturally dark, drawing the eyes of everyone present to the raven-haired woman seated at the back of the chamber. She didn't actually emit any light, but her ambiance, impeccable facial structure, perfect physique, and ostensibly unblemished skin gave her a majesty comparable to the full moon on a cloudless night...
Though Thomas expected Hancock to be beautiful, his mind truly blanked for the first time in his life. For a moment, he even believed he had already been turned into a statue. Fortunately, that wasn't the case as Hancock promptly narrowed her eyes, exuding an aura of bone-chilling fury as she accused, "So, you're the detestable man my beloved Shirou has chosen to inherit his will..."
Before Thomas could respond, an invisible pulse of energy radiated from Hancock's body as she shouted, "Silence! You do not have my permission to speak!"
Rising to her feet, Hancock gave the impression she was twenty meters tall despite barely cresting 191cm as she said, "If it weren't for you, Shirou and his sisters would have continued to depend on me and my Kuja Tribe! You robbed me of my purpose, and now Shirou is more determined than ever to leave this world and return to his own! Just who do you think you are!?"
Without waiting for Thomas's response, the air around Hancock began to crackle with black lightning as she bellowed, "You are nothing but a fool! Now, kneel before me...!"
Following Hancock's assertion, an oppressive aura surged outward, filling the chamber, encompassing both ships, and spreading several kilometers in all directions. As it passed through his body, Thomas felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer directly to his brain. Fortunately, at that exact same moment, the Teiwaz Rune on his headband surged to life, exuding a fiery blue energy that made him feel like someone had poured cold water over his brain and body.
Similar to someone that had been dunked into an ice bath, Thomas felt compelled to shout at the top of his lungs. As for what he said, well, he glared back at Hancock and shouted, "What the fuck is your problem!?" while gesturing for Caenis and Artoria to stand down. They had yet to attack, but both had their armor equipped and weapons in hand, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
Seeing Thomas weather her Conqueror's Haki, a modicum of surprise colored Hancock's face. Based on his initial reaction, she assumed he was the same as the majority of men and women she encountered, becoming completely smitten with her at first sight...
Staring at the Rune glowing on Thomas's forehead, Hancock narrowed her obsidian-black eyes and muttered, "So, that's how it is...you've reinforced your mind using a Magic Spell. It seems you aren't as incompetent as you appear..."
Directing her gaze to Sandersonia, Hancock narrowed her eyes further as she added, "Though, I suspect you had some assistance..."
Raising his hands, Thomas attempted to speak, getting out, "Look, can we jus-" before Hancock snapped back at him, stating, "Leave now, and I will spare you. Stay, or continue to interfere in mine and Shirou's affairs, and I will see to it that you spend the next ten years collecting sediment at the bottom of the sea..."
Furrowing his brows, Thomas asserted, "I didn't come here to meet with you or interfere with your relationship with Shirou. I honestly don't give two shits what the two of you—are you fucking kidding me!?"
Before Thomas could finish what he initially planned to say, Hancock made a heart shape with her hands and fired a similarly shaped beam of pink energy. Thomas counteracted it with his Rho Aias, a seven-layered magical barrier that resembled a pink flower in full bloom, but his anger had reached its peak, compelling him to shout, "Fine! You want to fight!? Let's fucking go...!"
In response to Thomas's words, Caenis bounced across the hall, her eyes blazing crimson as she shouted, "Now you're speaking my language!" with a vicious grin. Marigold attempted to intercept her, transforming into a massive humanoid serpent using her Hebi-Hebi-no-Mi: Model King Cobra. However, despite wielding an enormous polearm that could slice through ordinary ships like a hot knife through butter, Caenis smashed through it with her bare fist before tackling the much larger woman like a linebacker crushing a kindergartener.
At the same time that Caenis leaped forward, Sandersonia transformed using her own Devil Fruit, the Hebi-Hebi-no-Mi: Model Anaconda. She had promised to stand beside her sisters no matter what, so even though she didn't believe they should be fighting Thomas and his friends, she didn't hesitate to charge at them from behind.
Having been keeping an eye on Sandersonia since the beginning, Artoria charged to meet her, declaring, "I'll be your opponent." in an eerily calm tone. The disparity between her size and Sandersonia was even greater than the one between Caenis and Marigold, but the green-haired warrior immediately realized she was the one at a disadvantage when Artoria hit her with a physical 'column' of magical energy, batting her to the side and sending her crashing through a pillar with tremendous ease...
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(A/N: Hancock's haughtiness knows no bounds x_x...)
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