Chapter 13: Dreams, Ambitions, and Desires

Chapter 13: Dreams, Ambitions, and Desires

After a peaceful night's sleep, Thomas awoke early and headed toward the kitchen. Benienma was still in the process of cooking breakfast, so he just mulled over his thoughts as he waited for everyone else to trickle in gradually. Once everyone but Astolfo and Asclepius had arrived, he revealed, "Now that we've gathered our entire crew, I've been thinking about our path moving forward..."

Raising her brows slightly, Drake mused, "Oh? Isn't it a bit too soon for you to be leaving the nest? You only recently started your training, and it hasn't even been a full month since we arrived."

Undaunted by Drake's teasing, Thomas explained, "I intend to continue my training. However, we can't just idle about forever. My idea is to have us act as Bounty Hunters, clearing the surrounding area of Pirates to both collect their Bounties and begin building our reputation. It's only a matter of time before we're labeled as Pirates by the World Government, but if we only target other Pirates, the Marines won't feel as inclined to get rid of us. Once a spot opens up, we could even be appointed the position of Shichibukai, allowing us to travel freely." Follow current novels at novelhall.com)

Though she didn't think Thomas's proposal was bad, Drake pointed out, "We can already travel freely. Also, didn't you say the World Government is filled with wannabe Gods who tyrannize, suppress, and enslave others? Do you really want to work with them 'just' to make things easier for us? I believe a certain cat and horse girl might oppose such an approach..."

Prompted by Drake's words, Caenis said, "I'm done for hunting Pirates, but you're out of your fucking mind if you think I'll cooperate with these 'World Nobles' in any way. If we didn't have an agreement, I would go to that Mary Geoise place and slaughter the lot of them."

Following Caenis's words, Atalanta was much more succinct, stating, "The World Government is the enemy..." with slightly narrowed eyes.

Nodding his head in approval, Thomas replied, "You're right. However, we aren't in a position to declare war on the World Government. I'm nowhere near powerful enough, and the strength of the Marine Admirals is no joke. We don't even know if the powers you all wield can harm a veteran Logia user, so we should take things slow and pretend to play nice until we're in a position to stab them directly in their heart..."

With no one offering a rebuttal, Thomas felt a little more confident as he added, "Besides, if we 'do' become Shichibukai, we can actually claim the Bounties of other Pirate crews, even the Four Emperors. Defeating them as regular Pirates would be the same as giving up billions of Belly. I'm not overly concerned with our finances, but it's better to have an abundance of money than none..."

Changing her tune immediately, Drake stated, "I'm with our Master on this one. I'm down for crushing other crews just for the hell of it, but if we can profit off it, we might as well. The power of my Noble Phantasm is highly dependent on the amount of wealth and treasure I've accumulated. With enough funds, I could produce a flying armada and an army of phantoms numbering in the tens of thousands. Then it won't matter what the World Government throws at us."

Following Drake's words, Thomas attempted to convince the two animal-eared girls by saying, "I'm not suggesting we jump at the chance to ally with the World Government or do their bidding. I'm proposing we take advantage of a loophole within the current system so that we can travel, punish the wicked, and aid the helpless with impunity. Not everyone on the side of the Marines is a villain. Most are people who genuinely believe in justice and helping others. If possible, I would rather focus our efforts on eliminating the truly malevolent actors within this world, not the honest fools who simply wish to protect their friends and families."

Snorting through her nose, Caenis retorted, "It's fools like those who let tyrants stay in power. Listen, I'm fine with playing along if this is what you want to do, but the moment one of those 'Celestial Dragon' bastards gets on my nerves, that's it. I'm killing them. If you try and stop me, I'll kill you as well."

Narrowing her eyes slightly, Musashi adopted a challenging look as she mused, "You can try, but things might not end the way you expect..."

Meeting Musashi's gaze, Caenis's eyes gained a hint of bloody red as she said, "You're playing with fire, Musashi..."

Responding with a wink, Musashi mused, "And you're playing with all five elements, my dearest Caenis..."

Taken aback by Drake's unexpected praise, Thomas found himself at a loss for words. He still felt betrayed after she slept with Chiron, but as neither of them 'belonged' to him, he at least pretended it didn't bother him. Now that she was abruptly saying she respected him...he honestly didn't know how to feel...

Instead of waiting for Thomas to recover, Drake directly her piercing blue eyes to Caenis, asking, "What about you, horse girl? You give off the vibe of a woman spurned, so I imagine you're out for revenge of some sort...?"

Narrowing her eyes into a scowl, Caenis unhesitantly replied, "I won't be satisfied with ordinary revenge. I intend to supplant Poseidon as the God of the Sea and then slaughter every God who regards humans and those beneath them as playthings. Since I have been summoned to this world, I will start with these Celestial Dragons. I'll plan my next move once they're all dead."

Adopting a fairly vicious smile, Drake remarked, "I like you. You're hung up on the past, but you're not clinging to it. You've also got a pretty amazing body, so let me know if you ever feel lonely. I'm more than willing to keep you company."

Clicking her tongue, Caenis left Thomas wide-eyed as she asserted, "If I have needs like that, I'll go to our Master. I wasn't bestowed Independent Action like the rest of you, so I'll need to store excess Mana before we get into any major conflicts."

Directing her penetrating gaze to Thomas, Caenis's blue eyes narrowed as she asked, "That won't be a problem, will it?" in an overtly threatening tone. Thomas got the impression she wouldn't take no for an answer, but, at the same time, he had absolutely no reservations about having sex with a Divine Spirit that could humble even the most attractive sports models from his previous life. Thus, before his brain could fully process what he was being asked, his mouth replied, "Not at all. In fact, I would consider myself one of the luckiest men in the world..."

Furrowing her already wrinkled brows, Caenis was about to ask what Thomas meant by his words, but we preempted by Drake interjecting to say, "The two of you can argue as much as you want later. For now, let's hear what everyone else has to say. Now that we're talking about it, I'm actually a little curious to hear what everyone's wishes are."

Though her horse-like ears twitched in frustration, Caenis tore her gaze away from Thomas, directing it to Benienma. She and Musashi talked a lot, so she already knew the pink-haired samurai just wanted to continue honing her swordsmanship. If she were to wish for anything from the Holy Grail, it would be a worthy opponent.

With everyone directing their gazes to her, Benienma readily revealed, "I plan to wish for everyone to have full stomachs and for no child to starve as I once did. If that is beyond the Grail's power, I will remain at Master's side and help him fulfill his ambitions, dechi."

Hearing Benienma's response, a wry yet appreciative smile developed across Thomas's face. He suspected that if anyone were to stay at his side, it would probably be Benienma. He had no plans of accepting her 'services,' but he had come to appreciate her care. She could be a little overbearing at times, but it was nice to have someone constantly thinking about his well-being...

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(A/N: It seems Caenis found a ship other than the Hind to work on...)