One Piece: Wild Hunt

Chapter 40: Pandering

After allowing Vivi to guide him to a fairly isolated room, Thomas's eyes widened slightly. There was a large canopy bed in the center of the room, several large bookcases, and a disorganized desk. However, what stood out more than anything else were her innumerable bottles of perfume, her fully-stocked liquor cabinet, and her dozens of stuffed animals...

Though she felt a little embarrassed by Thomas's reaction, Vivi did her best to maintain a bold front as she directed him toward the bed, saying, "Why don't you make yourself comfortable while I mix us some drinks...?"

Instead of responding with words, Thomas made his way over to the bed, spreading his arms before plopping face-first onto the thick, comfortable, and fragrant bedding. He knew the odds of Vivi having sex with him were astronomically small, so he simply relished the opportunity to rest on an actual bed for the first time in months. Sleeping in a hammock at his size got very old, very fast...

Seeing Thomas plop down onto her bed, Vivi delayed lacing his drink with a sedative, asking, "Are you going to sleep...?" in a curious tone. Similar to Igaram, she didn't exactly 'trust' Thomas. If he were to force himself upon her, there wasn't much she could do except endure until Igaram came to her rescue.

Without raising his face from the bed, Thomas slowly shook his head. He was currently thinking of the best way to take advantage of his situation without being an 'irredeemable' scumbag, so his mind was racing despite his growing desire to sleep.

Had Vivi not gone out of her way to honeytrap and drug him, Thomas would have looked for an opportunity to reveal that he was aware of her identity before offering his assistance. Nami would probably be annoyed, but there was no way Lucy and Zoro would turn down the opportunity to take down a Warlord. Thomas was equally excited by the prospect, but he was also a very 'forward-thinking' individual. If he was going to risk his life to help stabilize a Kingdom, he should receive more than just gratitude for his assistance...

Pouring half the usual dose of sedative into Thomas's drink, a very strong and expensive brand of bourbon, Vivi approached the bed and took a seat, her voice a sultry purr as she said, "Here, something to sip on while we talk..."

Rolling onto his side, Thomas accepted the offered glass, taking a sip as Vivi made herself comfortable, lying on her side and staring back at him with a sultry smile. However, unlike when they were sitting together at the bar, a bit of distance separated them. Just enough so that Vivi could turn and run if he attempted anything 'remiss.'

Voicing his honest thoughts, Thomas remarked, "You're beautiful..." before taking another sip of his drink. In response, the drunken glow on Vivi's face became slightly more prominent as she changed the subject, asking, "How did you become so knowledgeable about so many things? Were you a noble or the son of a scholar before setting sail...?"

Adopting a genuinely melancholic smile, Thomas replied, "My father was a Civil Engineer, and my mom was a fairly successful Architect. I used to look up to them when I was younger, so I studied hard to try and make them proud. Unfortunately, I got into trouble when I was around fifteen, cutting off many of my career paths. After that...let's just say my parents were no longer very caring or concerned about my future..."

Punctuating his words, Thomas took a 'big' drink of his bourbon, nearly emptying the glass. He wasn't fond of talking about his family or personal life, but he was getting better at it. After a year in another world, he was even beginning to miss some of the people he had become estranged to...

Feeling genuinely apologetic, Vivi averted her eyes and softly whispered, "I'm sorry to hear that...maybe one day, you can make amends with your parents. Even if you're never as close as you once were, I'm sure it would put their hearts at ease knowing you're happy and healthy..."

Returning her gaze to Thomas, Vivi presented a somewhat awkward smile before taking a sip from her own bourbon and questioning, "Is your family the reason you decided to become a Pirate?"

Shaking his head, Thomas lazily replied, "We became Pirates to be free and to pursue our dreams. We're not the type of Pirates that go around harming people or pillaging villages. Instead, we hunt down bad Pirates and do our best to lend a hand when people are in trouble..."

Blinking in surprise, Vivi issued a somewhat adorable "Eh...?" before asking, "What kind of Pirates go around helping people? It sounds more like you're Bounty Hunters or Missionaries..."

Before responding to Vivi's words, Thomas emptied the remnants of his glass, feeling slightly confused. The bourbon hit his brain like a truck at high speeds, but he didn't feel sleepy or have any difficulties moving his body. He was certain that Vivi had spiked his drink, but she either mixed up their glasses or used a very small amount of sedative...

Dismissing his concerns, Thomas explained, "One of our Captain's dreams is to be King of the Pirates. She believes it will make her the freest person in the world. If it weren't that, we would probably refer to ourselves as the Straw Hat Mercenary Group or something similar..."

"..."

Though there was a chance Thomas was lying to her, Vivi got the distinct impression he was telling the truth. If that were the case, they were about to rob and execute a seemingly innocent group of philanthropists.

Recalling how the Straw Hats' vessel was a miniature Caravel with a derpy sheep as a figurehead, a mixture of realization and panic washed over Vivi as she leaned a little closer to Thomas and whispered, "You should leave this place as soon as possible. It's not-"

Adopting a relaxed smile, Thomas surprised Vivi by stating, "We are fully aware that Whiskey Peak is a den for Bounty Hunters. Don't worry; even if everyone in the city were to band together and attack us, we could settle things without severely injuring or killing anyone..."

Tensing in response to Thomas's words, Vivi asked, "How did you figure it out...?"

Maintaining his smile, Thomas replied, "Your organization, Baroque Works, attempted to recruit Zoro in the past. I'm also fairly knowledgeable about the Grand Line, particularly the islands in Paradise..."

Though Thomas didn't directly imply he was aware of her identity, Vivi felt her throat tighten, compelling her to take a large gulp of her bourbon. The moment she did so, the dizziness in her mind compounded, causing her to drop her glass and fall limp despite screaming ("Oh no, oh no, oh no! I got the drinks mixed up...!") in her mind.

Seeing Vivi fall limp, her expression becoming absentminded as a bit of drool leaked from her lips, Thomas waved his hand in front of her, asking, "You in there...?"

As the sedative she used functioned as a muscle relaxer, Vivi's response to Thomas's words was an insensible, "Auwaaah..." as she tried to turn her body and move away from him.

Exhaling through his nose, Thomas remarked, "Calm down. I'm not going to take advantage of you, especially while you're defenseless. Just blink twice if you can understand what I'm saying..."

After calming down, Vivi blinked twice, indicating she wasn't without her mental faculties. In response, Thomas gave a curt nod before asking, "Do you mind if I pick you up and move you? I have a few things I want to tell you, and I can't imagine it's comfortable lying in bourbon..."

Though she would prefer it if Thomas left her room and gave her a few hours to recover, Vivi only hesitated for a short while before answering with another two blinks. When she did, Thomas got off the bed before taking special care not to touch her anywhere inappropriate as he picked her up in a princess carry, relocating her to the left side of the bed, close to where she usually slept. Then, to make her feel a little safer, he picked up one of her larger teddy bears, placing it into her embrace before moving to the opposite side of the bed and lying down with nearly 2m of space separating them.

As he had laid her on her left side, facing him, Thomas could see the combination of alarm and panic in Vivi's eyes when he revealed, "I know your true identity..."

Adopting a faint smile, Thomas said, "Relax...if I wanted to harm you, we wouldn't be having this conversation. Now, go to sleep. We'll discuss the specifics once you recover your faculties..."

Though he originally planned to lay out his intentions while Vivi listened in silence, Thomas could see the alarm in the blue-haired woman's eyes. He reasoned he would be pretty frightened in the same situation, so instead of surprising her with additional revelations, he rolled over, allowing Vivi to stare at his broad and muscular back instead of having to worry about him opening his eyes and ogling her throughout the night...

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Believing that Thomas was only pretending to be asleep, as she had already had time to wake up, take a shower, and fix her makeup, Vivi's tone was tinged with exasperation as she said, "You don't have to keep pretending. I'm ready to continue our conversation from the previous night..."

"Hmmm...?"

Stirring awake, Thomas reluctantly separated from the comfort of Vivi's bed, sitting up with a curmudgeonly expression on his face as he glanced at the window and groaned, "It isn't even morning..."

Realizing that Thomas may have actually been sleeping, an apologetic smile developed across Vivi's face as she replied, "Sorry. I thought you were pretending to be asleep so I wouldn't kick you out while I took a shower and changed clothes..."

As he was still half-asleep, Thomas issued a long yawn before replying with a lazy, "Looks like I missed a golden opportunity..."

Smiling wry, Vivi got to the heart of the matter, asking, "Do you truly know who I am...?"

Nodding his head in affirmation, Thomas replied, "You're the one and only Princess of Alabasta, Nefertari Vivi. And that man with the wig-like hair is the Captain of the Royal Guard, Igaram."

Furrowing her brows, Vivi questioned, "If you knew who I was, why didn't you mention it sooner? I wouldn't have acted so...brazenly when we were at the bar."

Adopting a teasing smile, Thomas replied, "If that's the case, I'm glad I didn't say anything. Beyond that, it was more 'convincing' to let you play your part as a Baroque Works agent while others were around. If I tried broaching the subject of your identity in public, your reaction might have given us away."

Unable to argue with Thomas's words, Vivi exhaled an exasperated sigh. At the same time, she felt a slightly fluttery feeling in her chest due to the 'shamelessness' of Thomas's past behavior and openly flirtatious remarks. There was a rather significant difference in their ages, but Thomas was a tall, muscular, and handsome man. After sitting on his lap and flirting with him for more than six hours, followed by sleeping in the same room, she couldn't help being 'aware' of him.

Unaware that he had inadvertently nudged his way into Vivi's maidenly thoughts, Thomas caused the young Princess's heart to skip a beat as he abruptly rose to his feet, walked over to her, and declared, "I want to help save your Kingdom..." with a serious expression on his face. He towered over her by more than fifty centimeters, but instead of feeling frightened, Vivi felt nervous and uncharacteristically demure as she averted her eyes and pressed the tips of her index fingers together...

"O-Okay..."

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(A/N: Could this be the legendary EX-Rank Luck in effect...!?)