One Piece: Wild Hunt

Chapter 54: Revelations

With several pairs of arms growing from his back and shoulders, using his own body as leverage to keep his hands pinned behind his back, Thomas remarked, "This is more uncomfortable than I thought it would be..."

Seemingly amused by Thomas's complaint, Robin covered her mouth and issued a dignified "Fufufufu~" before teasing, "Now that your friends have departed, I could capture you and take you back to Crocodile. Make sure to choose your words carefully, Tommy boy..."

Raising his brows, Thomas parroted, "Tommy boy...?" before shaking his head and confidently asserting, "You're not the kind of woman that would condemn another to their fate. I might be concerned if I was your enemy, but I'm probably the best ally you have outside the executive members of the Revolutionary Army."

Stopping in place, Robin turned around to meet Thomas's gaze, looking deeply into his eyes with a practiced smile on her face. She was pretty good at reading people after spending twenty years concealing herself and fleeing from the World Government, so she could tell he wasn't lying when he said they were allies.

"How curious..." remarked Robin. Then, after staring at Thomas for several more seconds, she added, "You speak and behave as if you know me. Yet, as far as I can recall, this is the first time we've met. And I'm very good at remembering people's faces..."

Adopting a wry smile, Thomas replied, "It's because I've seen your past and one of your possible futures. You're one of the people I came to this world to help, so I plan to lend you a hand and help uncover the truth of this world."

Raising her brows, Robin asked, "You're from a different world? You're becoming more and more 'curious' by the moment..."

Shrugging his shoulders, Thomas replied, "My circumstances are pretty crazy. And I'll be happy to tell you about them. Preferably without the danger of you dislocating my shoulders or snapping my neck..."

"Hmmm..."

Catching Thomas a little off guard, Robin suddenly snapped her fingers, dismissing the hands she had binding him. Then, with crossed arms, she said, "Tell me what you know. If your story is compelling enough, I might at least 'pretend' to trust you."

While rolling his shoulders to ease some of the tension, Thomas replied, "I don't mind telling you everything you want to know. Afterward, I'd like you to explain where you acquired that 'Install Card.' I have a pretty good idea of where they originate, but I'd like to hear the specifics..."

Nodding her head, Robin replied with a curt, "Of course," before adopting a marginally more serious expression and adding, "Now, tell me what you know about my past and this 'future' you've seen..."

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Though he couldn't remember everything about Robin's past, the details Thomas was able to recall were more than enough to convince the raven-haired beauty he wasn't trying to pull the wool over her eyes. Several of the things he mentioned were things she had never shared, so unless he had peered into her memories, he couldn't have known about them unless he had witnessed them directly.

As surprising as the revelations of her past were, it was the details of her 'future' that convinced Robin that Thomas wasn't simply trying to deceive her. She had only heard rumors about the Road Poneglyphs, and that was from an obscure text in the Library of Ohara. Hearing Thomas mention them wasn't too much of a surprise, but he also knew of their approximate locations and, most convincingly, the resting place of at least two Ancient Weapons...

With Thomas's recount coming to an end after more than an hour, Robin's usually unreadable expression revealed a hint of excitement as she asked, "Is Poseidon truly a Mermaid Princess...?"

Nodding his head, Thomas revealed, "Her name is Shirahoshi, daughter of King Neptune and the late Queen Otohime. She's currently locked away in a tower due to a stalker named Vander Decken attempting to marry or kill her."

Covering her mouth, Robin issued a somewhat insincere-sounding, "Oh my..." before lowering her hand and expressing, "Your story is undeniably compelling. However, without confirming the existence of the Poneglyphs with my own eyes, I can't simply take your word for it..."

Shrugging his shoulders, Thomas replied, "That's fine. Most of what I just told you relates to an alternate reality, so I can't say for certain everything I said was accurate. I just wanted you to know that neither myself nor the Straw Hats are your enemies. If it takes a few weeks, months, or years to convince you fully, that's understandable."

Sensing no falsehoods in Thomas's words, Robin allowed a faint smile to adorn her face. She was skeptical by nature, like any qualified scholar, but she could tell Thomas was doing his best to be candid and sincere. If she was wrong, he was an impossibly good actor...

Crossing her arms in a way that deliberately emphasized her breasts, Robin mused, "You know so much about me. Now, why don't you tell me about yourself? You claim not to know what Install Cards are but mention you have an idea of where they stem. I'm guessing the power you wield is somehow related...?"

Shaking his head, Thomas answered, "All I have is a guess based on my circumstances. I'm not sure if the two are directly or tangentially related, so it would help if you could explain what the Install Cards are and how, exactly, they function..."

Since Thomas had provided her with far more information than she could have anticipated, Robin gave a curt nod before explaining, "They grant the user the ability to channel an incredible power for a short period. Beyond that, all we know is that if you manage to acquire nine of a specific kind of card, it qualifies you to have your wish granted. As for how they function, you just hold up the card and shout 'Install' with as much spirit as you can muster."

Blinking in surprise, Thomas asked, "That's it?" before questioning, "Do you know where they come from and how many there are...?"

Shaking her head, Robin replied, "The card in my possession seemingly materialized out of thin air a few years ago. When I touched it, a voice in my head explained the card's mechanics and what to do once I obtained the other eight. Unfortunately, even though Baroque Works has spent the past three years searching for them, we've only managed to acquire three unique cards. Mine is the Grade-3 Assassin Card. The two in the hands of Crocodile are the Grade-6 Caster and Grade-3 Lancer Cards."

Though he heard everything Robin said, Thomas focused on one specific part of her explanation, parroting, "Three years...?" with a bewildered look on his face.

Amused by Thomas's reaction, Robin issued a suppressed laugh before smiling as she answered, "Indeed. Crocodile and I acquired cards around a year after we began 'collaborating.' The previous owner of the Grade-3 Lancer Card claimed to have received their card around the same time, so it's reasonable to assume the others materialized within a few days of one another. At the very least, mine and Crocodile's appeared five days apart."

Raising his eyes skyward, Thomas could practically envision Zelretch staring down at him with a shit-eating grin on his face. He didn't know if the elderly vampire had sent him to this version of One Piece 'specifically' because he had already meddled with it or if he had pulled some time fuckery to interfere with the past 'after' his arrival. Either way, things just got a lot more complicated...

Deciding not to let it bother him, at least for the time being, Thomas returned his gaze to Robin, asking, "Do you mind showing me how your card works...?"

Without hesitation, Robin replied, "I'd rather not. Install Cards utilize a form of energy that doesn't exist naturally in this world, so it takes around a month to replenish just one minute of power. Using the card expends all the accumulated energy, so they're best saved for emergencies."

Adopting a wry smile, Thomas asked, "Could the energy you're referring to be Mana?"

Returning a smile of her own, Robin replied, "Indeed. That's the reason Crocodile is so eager to capture you. Your Mana-Mana-no-Mi is of great interest to him, myself, and presumably anyone in possession of an Install Card. If I had to guess, that includes the World Government..."

Prompted by Robin's words, Thomas immediately recalled how he had casually revealed the name of his fruit to Smoker. At the same time, he could practically hear Zelretch laughing his ass off from atop his throne...

Instead of cursing the old man aloud, Thomas reached up to massage his forehead and temples. He knew Zelretch was a troll, so this type of thing wasn't 'completely' unexpected. The old man never made things easy for the people he had taken an interest in, so unless he promptly decided to throw himself into the sea, he was subject to the inconceivably powerful man's whims for the remainder of his time in One Piece. Potentially much, much longer...

Shaking such thoughts from his mind, Thomas met Robin's gaze, asking, "Mind if I take a look at your card? I promise to return it..."

Whipping out her card, Robin replied, "Sure. The cards are bound to the person who discovered them, so it's impossible to steal them. The only way to claim someone else's card as your own is to defeat them in their transformed stare or kill them."

Demonstrating her point, Robin waited until Thomas had accepted her card before making a flicking gesture with her right hand, materializing the card between her index and middle fingers before handing it back to him.

Smiling wryly, Thomas remarked, "Pretty neat..." before trying to channel his Mana into the card. The moment he did, the card released a blinding silver light as a sensation similar to being electrocuted radiated through his hand, causing him to exclaim, "Fuck...!" before grabbing his hand and hissing in pain.

Raising her brows, Robin calmly stated, "That's new..." before snapping her fingers to materialize the card in her hand, adding, "Nothing appears to have changed..." after checking both faces.

Though he heard Robin's words, Thomas was focused on the severe burn marks on his hand. He could move his fingers and feel sensations through them, but he was having trouble channeling his Mana into them, similar to when Chiron inflicted him with a Curse.

While working to expel the invasive energy pervading his fingers, Thomas looked to Robin, discovering the raven-haired woman staring at his hand with a curious look on her face. She raised her gaze to meet his when he looked at her, but she was clearly interested to know what had transpired.

Adopting a pained smile, Thomas revealed, "I tried channeling Mana into the card, but, as you can see, it rebounded and inflicted a curse on me. I was warned this would happen if I attempted to interfere with a magical contract, but this is my first time experiencing a rebound directly...it really fucking hurts..."

Holding up his hand, Thomas demonstrated he wasn't exaggerating by showing Robin the charred 'splits' running down his index, middle finger, and thumb. There was even a bit of bone visible on his index finger, so he was doing his best not to scream bloody murder.

Though she had long noticed the injuries on Thomas's hand, Robin was surprised by how severe the damage was, asking, "Will you be okay...?" in an ostensibly concerned tone. In response, Thomas gave a curt nod as he replied, "Yeah, I just need to expel the energy of the Curse from my hand. After that, it should heal fairly quickly. Just...give me a few minutes..."

As the pain was quickly reaching a point beyond his ability to tolerate, Thomas followed his words by taking a seat and focusing all his attention on fixing his hand. It took nearly a full hour, but if nothing else, it taught him never to underestimate the power of a magical contract. There was a reason magical contracts were considered one of the foundational pillars of Magecraft...

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(A/N: He's lucky he didn't try to 'break' the contract...)