I do not own One Piece.

I love Smoker and Tashigi (whether or not I can write them is another matter). So because of this love, we have the beginning of a series of one-shots that will vary in length. The genres of this story are Family, Friendship and Humour. Each one-shot is going to be based off a one-word prompt. If you have any prompts you'd like to share, let me know and I'll see what I can do.


Prompt: Jar
Length: 671 words
Genre: Friendship, humour


Natural Enemy

Holding a faded green glass plate stacked with fresh scones, Tashigi reached for her canteen of water before carefully maneuvering her way towards an empty newspaper-laden table. The break room was relatively quiet that afternoon, a few other Marine officers gathered on the sofas.

Tashigi set her snack down and quickly realized that she had forgotten the jam to put on top of her scones. She retraced her steps and went to the fridge, yanking it open and wrinkling her nose at the foul stench that emitted from inside. Ignoring the rotting food, she snagged the jar of mixed berry jam. The glass jar was sticky from previous spilt jam, causing her to grimace.

Now I remember why I don't use the staff fridge often.

Taking hold of the lid, Tashigi gave a twist. But instead of the lid popping off like she expected, it stayed firm. Brow furrowing, she tried again, this time with a little more force—but it didn't budge an inch. Deciding that maybe the lid was also sticky from jam, she ran it under warm water. When that didn't work, she tried covering the top with a towel and twisting through the fabric. When that yielded no results, she slammed on the bottom of the jar.

Tashigi hissed in frustration as the jar's lid remained screwed shut. Her nerves were starting to get high-strung, and she was sorely tempted to just smash the infuriating thing against the countertop. But that would result in shattered glass and a sugary-laden mess, and she was so not in the mood for cleaning.

She was sure that the other Marine officers were staring at her, but she ignored them. She would not ask for their help—she didn't need it. She'd faced hardened criminals and nasty pirates. She was a respected Marine. She didn't need help opening some glass container.

Gritting her teeth together, Tashigi braced her back against the edge of the white counter. With all her strength, she pulled on the lid, her hands already throbbing with pain, her arm muscles straining as she pushed them to their full limitations. Her teeth were clenched so hard she would not have been surprised if they cracked.

After a minute of fruitless effort, the remaining shreds of her patience snapped and she cried out furiously, "Open up before I slice you in half! That's an order, damn it!"

So engrossed was she in her mission that she didn't notice the door creak open, or the imposing figure who entered. The Marines, who had been watching Tashigi struggle with amusement, hastily looked away. They did not want to be accused of laughing at the swordswoman—Smoker did not appreciate anyone laughing at his partner.

Slim eyebrow raising, Smoker watched Tashigi for a moment, the girl oblivious to his presence. Though his lips twitched, he did not let the smile surface. He strode over and plucked the jar from Tashigi's hand. She shot her head up in surprise, mouth opening to protest his assistance.

Pop!

Easily snapping the lid off, Smoker set the open jar on the counter. He crossed his arms over his chest, unable to stop the smirk from forming as red bloomed over Tashigi's face, hands tightening into fists at her sides. After a minute of mortified glowering, she finally turned her head to her boss.

"T-Thank you, Smoker-san," she choked out. "But I would have gotten it! I just needed another minute."

"Sure you would have," drawled Smoker. "After a few more threats, you would have intimidated the enemy enough for them to surrender."

A few Marine officers snorted, but quickly ducked their heads when Tashigi glared fiercely at them. "That's not funny, Smoker-san."

"Your scones are getting cold."

Huffing under her breath, Tashigi moodily grabbed the accursed jam jar and watched her boss grab an apple from the fruit bowl before departing from the break room without another word. Shoulders slumping, she shuffled over to her table.

"Damn. He's never going to let me forget this one…"