Gildarts

Grabbing the tanuki by the scruff of its neck, Hughes pulled the blue-nosed tanuki the system had identified as Chopper out of the cage.

In the system's judgment, the Fairy Tail guild counted as a pirate crew. Makarov had stamped Hughes with the guild emblem while he was unconscious.

The quest [Join a pirate crew] had automatically been completed, and the Haki template unlocked as its reward had already appeared on the panel.

So as long as he stamped the blue-nosed tanuki with the guild emblem, it would count as having joined a new pirate crew, and the quest [Save Tony Tony Chopper] would be successfully completed.

Makarov had the guild stamp, and when Hughes found him, the old man was drunk again in broad daylight.

"Master, I have a companion here. It's admired our guild for a long time and dreams of joining us."

Makarov belched. "Fairy Tail welcomes anyone. Bring him over and let me have a look. If he's suitable, we'll take him in."

Hughes immediately showed him the blue-nosed tanuki, which was sleeping soundly in his hand. Half asleep, Chopper even let out a couple of meows.

"See? It wants to join our guild even in its dreams!"

Makarov: (・ω・?)

Had he drunk so much that morning that he was hallucinating, or was something wrong with Hughes's head again?

Seeing no reaction from the old man, Hughes held the blue-nosed tanuki right up to his face. "Wake up, wake up!"

Blue-nosed tanuki: Purr... meow... purr...

Makarov turned his face away and reluctantly put down his glass. "Hughes, you have to understand, our guild is a wizard guild. Even if I'm open-minded enough to let nonhuman species join, they should at least be able to use magic!"

If he stamped the guild emblem on a little animal that could be found anywhere and had no magical ability, their peers would laugh at them.

Makarov suspected there might be something wrong with Hughes's head again. "How about I take you to see Porlyusica?"

It was a good suggestion, but he'd better not suggest it.

Hughes shook his head vigorously. After seeing Porlyusica last time, he'd come away with a debt of 20 million J. It had been deeply traumatic, all right!

It was better to avoid meeting that evil Celestial Dragon Porlyusica unless necessary.

"Master, Chopper is amazing!"

There were indeed mutated species in the magic world. Sometimes, even among ordinary species, mutants capable of using magic appeared.

Hearing Hughes say that, Makarov grew interested, thinking this tanuki was a mutant too. "What kind of magic can it use?"

"No, Chopper is super amazing. It was actually forced into it by the magical beast Pupil Kitten."

Makarov: ...What did that have to do with being amazing? Wasn't that a sad thing for the tanuki??

"Master, look again, it has a blue nose!"

"Hughes, tanukis have noses of all colors. Blue-nosed tanukis aren't rare.

You'd better come with me to see Porlyusica!"

Makarov raised a hand and pointed gently at his forehead, but the gesture hurt deeply. Fortunately, Hughes was a very generous person, and he chose to forgive Makarov!

"All right, I'll tell you the truth. If you stamp this tanuki with the guild emblem, my strength will increase!"

Makarov: ...How was he supposed to play along without upsetting Hughes?

This was no longer a question of whether to let the tanuki join the guild. He needed to consider whether Hughes's condition was getting worse.

Just listen to him. Wasn't he trying to fool Makarov like an idiot?

Stamp a tanuki with the guild emblem and his strength would increase? If that were true, Makarov would burn his entire cherished collection of photo books.

The disdain on Makarov's face was far too obvious. Hughes knew the old man didn't believe him and pointed at Lisanna. "I'm not lying to you. You can keep an eye on me in a moment.

Lisanna's Take Over Magic, Animal Soul, will take over this tanuki. This tanuki can also be considered a member of the guild, so stamping it with the guild emblem makes sense."

Makarov rubbed his beard. Going by what Hughes said, stamping the blue-nosed tanuki with the guild emblem did make sense.

"Let's get one thing straight. If your strength doesn't increase in a moment, you have to come with me to see Porlyusica!"

That was Makarov's real goal. Stamping a tanuki with the guild emblem was a small matter; Hughes's condition was what mattered.

After Hughes thumped his chest and gave his assurance, a blue Fairy Tail emblem appeared on Chopper.

[ Ding! Quest "Save Tony Tony Chopper" completed! ]

[ Quest reward: improved physical attributes delivered! ]

As the system notification sounded, Hughes distinctly felt a warm current flow through his body and merge into his limbs and internal organs, sending him into bliss.

This feels even better than Madam Yasulien... Pah! You damn freak, get the hell out of here.

Hughes shuddered and opened his eyes, only to see Makarov's huge face mere millimeters away. It nearly made him shudder again in fright.

Makarov, startled by Hughes, clutched a handful of gray-and-white beard hairs he had accidentally pulled out moments ago. His eyes burned as he asked, "Hughes, boy, how did you do that?"

With his strength as one of the Ten Wizard Saints, he could naturally tell that Hughes's physique had improved by leaps and bounds in an instant.

This didn't conform to the usual principles of magic at all. Still, the kid's already outrageous physique had become even more monstrous!

"Huh? How did I do it? It was thanks to you, of course, Master. If you hadn't stamped Chopper with the guild emblem, I couldn't have improved!" Hughes was telling the truth. He could guarantee there wasn't a shred of exaggeration in it.

The fact that Hughes was from another world crossed Makarov's mind. He asked no more, instead patting Hughes on the shoulder. "Everyone has their own secrets. I won't pry, but remember to tell me if you're in danger!"

With that, the magic around Makarov dissipated, and his body, which had been as tall as Hughes, returned to its original size. He sat back down at the bar, picked up his glass, and resumed drinking.

Hughes stayed where he was, puzzled by the old man's words.

Just then, the guild doors were suddenly kicked open, and Reedus shouted in horror, "This is bad, Master! Gildarts is back!"

"So Gildarts is back! What's all the fuss about?" Makarov gulped down several large mouthfuls of his drink and spoke indifferently.

The guild's children went out on jobs and came home when they were done. Wasn't that perfectly normal?

"No, no, Gildarts was spacing out as he walked, and more than half of Magnolia Town has been destroyed!"

"Pfft!" A huge spray of alcohol burst from Makarov's mouth. His eyes first widened, then turned white; his hands fell limply to his sides, and his glass dropped to the floor with a crash.

Hughes saw his soul float out of his open mouth and hurriedly grabbed it and stuffed it back in.

"Oh, my dear Master, you still haven't told me where you keep your retirement savings!"

The old man slowly regained consciousness, his eyes full of sorrow. "Hughes, it's over, it's all over. All the retirement money I've saved over the years will be paid out in compensation."

Hughes nodded sympathetically. Although Makarov had a lot of retirement savings, after this, he would probably be buried in debt just like him.

Gildarts had mastered the super-advanced destruction magic Crush, a terrifying magic that could reduce anything to powder.

Unfortunately, he had a bad habit of spacing out from time to time, and his magic would activate involuntarily when he did, especially while he was traveling.

Come to think of it, hadn't Magnolia's Gildarts Mode been established yet?