Thank you's to these Skypiea pumpkins: HesperideIsis, Riku D, Perpetual Concern, Shiningheart of Thunderclan, SNicole25, Lcinda M. H. Cheshir, Anon, hooligans in hoolahoops, Toraffles, VodkaThief, superattackpea, 10th Squad 3rd Seat, minty, luffys, Nurofen, Jengurl24, XxCupcakeAssassinxX, Mein Liebling, Alkitty, ZabuzasGirl, booksnob, xXLovelyAnimeLoverXx, lilyoftheval5, BatmanSwim2015, Mari, AnimePriest, AyumiUK (wait, now I really want to know what a blue pineapple's called!), Ruritto, Potential Paradox, Meatbun Attack, Sheep, Chell of Aperture, Lucy Jacob, Emma Istrel and Noromaniac!
Anons!
Anon: Here's to hoping this update is just as soothing :)
minty: Heck yeah watermelon-crushing thighs! omg why do people go for unrealistic body types for oc's when they could have rippling washboard abs and a buttock so chiseled it could probably substitute as a nutcracker (ok on one hand I meant it in a clean way, but on another...)
Mari: Thank you! Now I really hope you enjoy this chapter ohoho
sheep: /covers face/ thank you so much!
And thanks from the bottom of my heart to all the favorites and follows! You might notice I've changed the chapter title layout a little. I think it's far more apt now haha. I was going somewhere with the songs early on in the story, but then the idea just kinda went 'pffhth' and I was like… I should change it sometime soon… someday…
Apologies for the wait and I'm super sorry if I couldn't reply to your review, as always. I don't know why I spent this long writing this chapter, but the amount of times I kept editing it was just getting ridiculous. I think it's the best I can do without making it seem too cliché. If anyone's noticed a running gag on why Sophie has such bad luck around animals, it'll be explained in here! Next chapter, we're going back to the Heart Pirates. :D
—
methyl nitrate pineapples
hypothesis #14
one good day
—
There were only so many ways one could infiltrate a Marine fortress.
Through the front door was one option, with an invitation and a twenty-one gun salute. A bit too cliché, and Sophie didn't want to remembered as the idiot who got blown to bits on G-13's doorstep. Second: navigating the sewage system. Out of the question. For as long as she lived here, she never learned how the sewers worked. Finally: every morning at five, when rookies on fishing duty open the shipyard gate and cast nets for the fresh catch of the day.
"The way to a fortress' heart is through its stomach," Sophie mumbled. Alas, no one was here to appreciate her cleverness.
She hugged the gate shadow, treading water right underneath the southeast guard tower. Warm and bountiful was the sea around G-13; anemone tickled her feet and oysters and abalone cluttered the watery depths like opalescent jewels. She remembered the hot days when she used to pick them off rocks and slurp them down raw.
Well, there were oysters and abalones everywhere in the world. So this… whatever feeling in her chest was just because she ate some bad spam.
But thinking of food made her think of the Heart Pirates' loud, crowded galley, which made her think of well, duh. She wondered if they were upset they never got a goodbye. Would they be terribly cross with her if she came back?
If I don't—
Whoa. No.
Sophie ducked into the ocean, water rushing into her ears. She shook out her hands like a boxer underwater and cracked her neck. Focus. Right.
Silver-fished marlins decorated her vision. Hedges of graceful coral thrived, carving the rhythm of the sea.
It really is a pity that doctor can't swim, she thought before she could help herself.
Looking back, she nearly couldn't believe she spent her last days with him silently fuming and refusing to look him in the eye, what a shame, not that she cared anyway, but what a terrible—
The G-13 gate creaked open.
Focus, Sophie! she shrieked, but that window had closed. Osmosis shoved her inside the clear-blue bay, right as Warrant Officer Spinach looked up from his comic book and did a routine sweep of the ocean. Sophie straightened out and dodged around trawls sweeping up fish. The black plume of her hair slithered like the shadow of an eel beneath hooks casted by yawning marines and floating dry docks.
She emerged underneath the wharf.
Massive brigs and schooners concealed her in plain sight. In the early morning, most of the shipwrights were still snoozing. Sophie did a double take and rose out of the water in shock, forgetting she was supposed to be hidden.
A dozen warships were slumped in 'got my stern kicked all the way back home' weariness around her.
But they weren't just any ships. They were the Intrepid, fastest line-o-war this side of the sea; Lady Nemesis, a frigate armed with a hundred cannons; and the elegant Rani Victory, the very clipper that had carried her to Vira. She couldn't have recognized them if not for the few patched letters on the side. It wasn't just 'they'd seen better days'—these ships were blackened by fire, broken-helmed and empty. White Marine flags hung in tatters like lifeless ghosts. But they were her friends, they were—hope, and…
Sophie bit the inside of her cheek.
Focus, she reminded herself.
—
"I DON'T KNOW, BUT I'VE BEEN TOLD!"
"OUR SEAGULLS' WINGS ARE MADE OF GOLD," the recruits chanted through coughs and wheezes.
"I DON'T KNOW, BUT IT'S BEEN SAID!"
"WE'LL HUNT PIRATES UNTIL THEY'RE DEAD," they half-screamed, half-wept.
Marines ambled over the skywalk connecting the Central and South Towers, as the shouting continued below and bugle calls blared over G-13. Just another morning.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS? ARE YOU CRAWLING BECAUSE YOU JUST FARTED IN FRONT OF EVERYONE AND HAD TO LEAVE QUICKLY? YOU ARE? FINE! CRAWL FASTER! THE SMELL IS CATCHING UP! YOU THERE! CHIMICHANGA! I CAN SMELL YOU A MILE AWAY! CRAWL FASTER, YOU EASY BAKE OVENS!" The drill sergeant chased after his terrified recruits, shouting into a megaphone, as they struggled under a net of barbed wire whilst assaulted with mud and failure.
"I'd kill for the day we can wake up to Bump of Chicken," a medic complained as she and her friend hustled across the skywalk.
"Bring it up to Hippo, he and the Vice Admiral are like this." The scientist crossed his fingers. His name was Eban and he was a junior assistant to Lettidore's golden child, which meant he was superbly overqualified and yet still passed over for a teenager.
"Easy for you to say. I haven't seen him come out of his room once in the past week. I've had to take over all his patients. I know he's still in shock, but jeez, we're in a state of emergency here. Three more died from the sickness—oh, sorry, man." She side-stepped an old maintenance officer sweeping the floor.
"I wonder which hurt more, the fact that Sophie-san took to piracy, or that she met death at the hands of the Valiant."
A loud clatter came from behind them. They looked back. The maintenance officer scrambled to pick up his mop.
"You alright?" the medic called.
"Yeah, yeah, git with ya," was his gruff reply.
The marines shrugged at each other.
"I gotta get going. The new director will be announced today."
"Sending good vibes to you! Wasn't Sophie-san chosen at seventeen?"
"Right, but I don't have anyone playing nepotism for me." Laughing, they parted ways.
The maintenance officer finally raised her head, adjusting her beard with a grimace. Wasn't anyone mourning her? They sounded far too blithe for her taste. Hmph. Also, her beard smelled like old cheese, and was actually made out of a mop. Wrinkling her nose, she rearranged it to make sure it covered the gas mask she wore around her neck.
She heard a cry behind her from Central: "Help! Someone's passed out in the laundry room!"
Her steps quickened. Marine uniforms weren't that easy to come by; they often had the price of one tranquilized marine and a very unfortunate surveillance Den Den Mushi.
Marines passed her without a second glance. They raced to breakfast, chattering about mail from their family that came in, or comparing target practice records. She remembered this, all of this. She really was back home. With all her (now sheared short and dyed black) hair tucked in a cap, eyebrows hidden, Sophie floated through them easily.
"How long until we find a cure?" asked a marine, passing by her without a glance. "What will happen to G-13 now? Half our troops are dead or bedridden. How could Sophie-san authorize such a deplorable weapon? The Vice Admiral never should have trusted her…"
Sophie stood still, the broom shaking where she clutched it. Her eye twitched.
"Look at this," two of her scientists passed right by her, right by her, "riots in Vira because of lack of clean water. Cholera outbreak. Death tolls climbing daily. The Revolutionary Army's gonna bleed itself dry trying to handle this! Let's make that the headline of tomorrow's newspaper. Oi! Call HQ and see if we can front page this!"
She fumed all the way up the South Tower and found herself outside the Medical Division director's bedroom in a rage.
Perhaps it was good that never before had she been possessed with such a strong urge to be stupid, death be damned, because all that anger surged out with one glorious purpose: you will kneel before me, pathetic door.
She shoved it open with her shoulder, threw the mop down, and kicked it shut.
A shadow rose from the window. "What the hell are you doing!?"
"I—"
"You are out of line, marine!"
His hair had grown back, a black wiry mess, and he'd lost so much weight. But most of all, Sophie was struck by Hippo's venomous glare. Her throat was stuck. She stood there, stupidly transfixed, numb to the bone and unable to say a single word.
"Get out," Hippo rasped. "I'm not going to warn you a third time."
Her lips peeled apart.
"I-i-i-it's… it's m-me, sensei."
Irritation flickered over his face. "Who?"
They stared at each other for a few seconds.
"Dad," Sophie whispered, "it's me."
She bitterly watched his eyes widen. How did he not recognize her? It had barely been a month, had she changed that much? And, and how could he look at her like that? Her breath hitched and Hippo saw the tremble of her lip, her nose wrinkling in an effort to fight off horrible, angry tears. She'd been so alone, so afraid. And she tried to come back to G-13. She tried to come back home, before it sent Teresa and death and she survived that anyway and how could he look at her like that?
One second he was across the room; the next he was squeezing her as tight as he could. He smelled like whiskey.
"I like your beard," he mumbled. "It's very… it's pretty."
Sophie laughed, burying her face in his shoulder.
—
"Trafalgar Law is a total creep!"
Aghast, Hippo goggled at her as though she announced she was running away and joining a gang—which, well. "Why don't just shove a sword in my gut and call it a day?" he gasped over-dramatically. "Dealing with that would be far less distressing!"
"They were nice people! You can't say anything, you've done horrible and weird things to prisoners of war," Sophie reminded, locking the door and shoving a chair in front of it, and investigating the windows to make sure nobody could see inside.
"But I'm endearing." Hippo pouted. "I have folksy charm."
Sophie snorted. Right.
He was by her side again, fussing over her, brushing off her shoulders and straightening her already perfect necktie. "You look like you've been eating well, good, I'm always scared of you being thrown around like some muppet—your hair!"
He brushed aside her hat. And to think she was almost worried he'd ran out of Horrified Disapproving Dad expressions.
"Oh, yeah." Sophie curled a strand around her finger. "I also got a tattoo of two emus conjoined at the butt—that was a joke, please close your mouth or I'll be tempted to find out what happens when someone swallows a smoke grenade. No, I'm just kidding. I already tested that years ago. Anyway, I'm sorry, but I have to blunt about this—"
"You can still come back to G-13," Hippo said earnestly, and a dark cloud passed of Sophie's expression. "I can make some changes to Teresa's report, like you were being held hostage by pirates—Lettidore will let you stay, albeit barricaded in your lab for a few decades—but it'll be like nothing changed!"
"Hippo-sensei—"
He spun her around with a jubilant laugh. "I made sure to keep your lab spotless! You can get to work right away!"
Sophie's boots skidded on the floor, stopping short. "Did you know about the Cat's Eye genocide?"
His blinked at her. His smile vanished.
"We both know what I'm talking about, so please answer honestly."
"Sweetie," he said, and it sounded so much like Nellie she physically smacked his hand away from her.
He took a step back and regarded her chillingly, the way all parents do when they're actually terrified. "Listen, Sophie-chan. It was the furthest thing from my mind. I had you to raise, my own marines to look out for. There was nothing I could do. Now stay right there, I'm gonna call Lettidore—"
"How much was the Vice Admiral paid to look the other way? Same thing goes for that stupid Wapol jack-off from Drum Island. Where does the revenue I bring in with my weapons go to? I thought my purpose was to help end wars, not fund them."
Hippo slowly set down the Den Den Mushi. She couldn't see his face.
"I thought marines h-hold themselves to a higher standard. I—" Her cheeks, or eyes, or whatever was twitching. She pressed a hand to her face, trying to get her stupid body to calm down, just breathe. Pineapples. "We were s-supposed to be the white hats, the good guys."
"I fix kids up so they can go home at the end of the day. You don't think that's good?"
"But y-you let the Vice Admiral send Teresa after me. You let her kill me."
"No!" Hippo flew to her and grabbed her by the shoulders, on his knees and almost sobbing. "I didn't want that to happen!"
"And calling it Strangways Sickness?" Sophie asked numbly. "Was that you, too?"
"No, no, never—but Lettidore made a point that since you were already dead, and we needed to protect G-13's reputation—"
She moved his hands away from her, feeling ill. It had always been like this, how had she forgotten? Hippo had always loved G-13 more than he loved her. She had known this. She might've been his adopted kid, but G-13, this place Hippo had cultivated and perfected, was his legacy.
Something in his expression changed.
"…You're not coming back," he realized at long last. Those three doctorates really paid off.
"No, I'm here to get you and steal my blueprints." Sophie pointed out the window, at the ocean. "This is our only change to get out of here and live in peace, take up baking or scrapbooking or other mindless activities like normal families."
Hippo had to process this. "You came back here, to this place that wants to see you hang, just to ask me to leave?" His voice grew progressively louder. "Are you out of your mind!?"
Bang!
She slammed her fist on a chair so hard the wooden back splintered.
"I didn't come all this way to take no for an answer," Sophie squeaked through stinging eyes, her palm bright red. "Oh my god that hurt—"
"Hold on, just—wait a moment—"
"I had friends! I actually found people who valued me, and I left them! Do you know how rare that occurrence is?"
"Sophie," Hippo said with forced calm, "I got a report of your death. I spent a week thinking my worst nightmare came true, so can I have a few minutes to think?"
"…Yes, I took necessary precautions to outline time limits on my plan. I'm actually early for the next stage. You have an hour."
Hippo picked up a wooden board, because apparently all quirky doctors had to have a hobby.
"Would you like to play a game of Go?"
Sophie sighed. She'd be lying if she said she didn't expect this. "Would it matter if I refused?"
Her mentor shook the board rather threateningly at her.
—
It wasn't much of a game. Hippo was crushing her.
"Still awful at strategy, I see. Some things never change," Hippo murmured. Sophie stuck her tongue out at him when he wasn't looking. "I saw that." Oops. "If you plan to search for a cure to Vira's sickness, being in a military base is your best option. Where else are you going to find the necessary chemicals?"
Sophie sat cross-legged, her chin cupped in her palm, scanning the desperate position she was in. What would Law do in her place? Probably decapitate him and call it a day. Or maybe... Her gaze lifted to Hippo, watching him study the board. "You tell me; you've been working on it for a month. How far did you get?"
His frown dipped. He set down another black piece.
Sophie swiftly followed in a counterattack.
"Let's sail into the world and see what we can find," she proposed. "A first-rate doctor and a mad chemist."
"We have dozens of marines all over Grand Line working on finding a cure."
The empty spaces in the board quickly decreased. Hippo's brow furrowed, a bit perplexed that triumph was still out of reach.
"But Vira's Revolutionary territory now; do you think this hypothetical Marine cure would reach them? And the Revolutionary Army doesn't have the science we have. The only one I can think of who could've done real help has been locked away in Impel Down." She watched him rub his chin, the concentrated gaze bittersweetly familiar. "You know, everything that kept me alive for the past month, I learned from you."
"Sophie…"
"Or from my lieutenants. Or my own prodigious knowledge."
"You really know how to ruin a moment."
"I should put that on my resumé. I feel like that could be valuable in certain situations."
Click, went the Go pieces. Click. Click. Click.
Hippo scanned the board with the same amount of intensity Sophie usually had on her face when she thought about food. I always could read him like an open book, she thought with a touch of fondness.
"If we do go to Vira, and they find out we're from the World Government, never mind actively participated in the war, things will get very dangerous. Danger was never your strong suit…"
He examined the last empty spaces on the board. There was no way for either of them to win. Sophie managed to wrangle a tie out him.
He glanced up at Sophie, who had been observing him the whole time.
She shrugged. "Things change."
The oddest expression was on Hippo's face. She wished he'd grin or crack a sly joke, like the pirates might've in this situation. Finally, Sophie conceded defeat. "If you don't want to come with me, I understand. I have prior commitments anyway, so…"
"That's why no child of mine sails into the Grand Line alone."
Her shoulders rose with a shaky breath. Sophie pressed her lips together and struggled with something painful. "This… this is your home."
The weight in her chest fell away at the sight of Hippo's shrug and his smile.
"You're my kid."
—
"Here's the game plan: take this jar of qava, dump it into the giant bucket of soup in the kitchen, and—"
"Sophie, this is a very rare black market depressant. And you want to put dump it in food? Supervised by cranky old ladies in moldy hairnets?"
"…Maybeee…?"
"Okay, here's what I'll do. Central has a heating system which uses a water supply to heat the building . A bit outdated, but it still works. Qava in its gaseous form is probably the most powerful natural analgesic I've ever seen, so it'll be strong enough to knock out most of Central for a good while. I'll add this to the water in the boiler room. I have key card access to the Maintenance Office and I can get past the guards no problem. Lettidore will be at Central announcing the new director in an hour, so North will be entirely vacant. We'll meet up at the shipyard later. Is that enough time for you to get in, back your research, and get out?"
Sophie blinked. Hippo just brushed aside the plan she'd been working on all week and immediately came up with a better one.
"Yeah, th-that was exactly what I—good. Yep."
"Take this backpack . And this Baby Den Den Mushi. Also, can I ask what you were planning to do if I wasn't gonna join you?"
"Probably… just start blowing stuff up and pray."
"Ah."
"…Yep…"
"Well, don't die again or I'll ground you… my little scientist."
"Ew! Stop! That's so gross!"
"Ow! Jeez, you've gotten violent…"
—
Inside the North Tower, two marines on patrol duty sipped coffee as they read the newspaper.
"Look at this Kid kid, destroying one town after another. What's the world coming to?"
"I keep saying, we should be sending more marines out instead of worrying about security," the other groused. "Only an idiot would try to break into a marine base. At some point we gotta talk about some standards for human intelligence—mornin'." He absently saluted back at a bearded marine passing by. "Anyway, like I was sayin', my friend from G-8 tells me they have over a hundred cannons armed up to the ass, that place is untouchable…"
Gleaming metal floors and Surveillance Mushis greeted marines walking into North Tower. Loading equipment with hazard signs, announcements over the loudspeaker, and the ubiquitous smell of ethanol and lemon cleanser. Itching her beard and keeping her head low, Sophie quickly hurried up the stairs. A gaggle of scientists turned the corner and walked down.
Sophie pressed closer to the wall, letting them pass. They were enthusiastically taking bets on who Lettidore was going to appoint as the next director.
They all seemed in good spirits! Well, Sophie didn't expect them to be showering rose petals on her alabaster gravestone. Traitors didn't get to have their names inscribed on the memorial wall and receive tokens of appreciation posthumously. But still, Sophie was their ex-boss! She'd gone on coffee runs for them! She did overtime quite frequently! Without pay! (Come to think of it, she never really did get paid… Hippo and Lettidore took care of all her finances…) Did that deserve an epic ballad on her tragic death? Some would say no. Other smarter, better, and prettier people would say yes.
The scientists celebrated that they no longer had to work under an eccentric, socially awkward teenager. Cursing them with bad data and acid burns, the eccentric, socially awkward teenager sidled past them, unnoticed.
—
north tower, level four; living quarters
—
"Hey," a marine greeted, strolling into the elevator.
The other occupant nodded. "Morning."
"Nice weather we're having, eh?"
"Yup."
Ding!
Right as the doors closed, the elevator ceiling crashed open and a figure in a gas mask landed in a crouch between them. A slurred shout of alarm… and they plopped to the ground unconscious, tranquilizer darts filled with qava sticking out of their necks.
"That went a lot better than I thought it'd go!" Sophie said enthusiastically, and then tripped over a flabby arm and smacked her face against the door.
—
north tower underwater, level two; laboratory
—
The mask filled her mouth with the taste of recycled air.
Found you.
It wasn't the insecticide Sophie created to help luckless farmers within World Government-allied islands, though it did have the same base. It wasn't the hydrogen cyanide Sophie thought Lettidore turned it into. He made a new nerve agent entirely.
Preliminary testing ground… Blythe District, Vira… a countermeasure against the Revolutionary Army… up to seventy percent of combatants affected… no cure as of yet…
Her finger chased beneath the words.
…recommended that we halt production… G-13 will continue further research and will not reconsider its plan to keep PSNOHC11 in stock at this time… ultimately, the reward will outweigh the risks we have taken…
Snarling, she ripped out the papers and folded them inside her bra. She emptied out as much of the Archive as she could into her backpack and left it spotless. No one could tell it had just been cleaned out (while being cleaned up, how was that for a twist?). She had already logged all the data in her brain years ago, but it wouldn't hurt to keep hard copies. Besides, they were hers. And if they weren't, Lettidore didn't deserve them anyway.
"Sorry," she muttered, stepping over the ashes of yet another poor Surveillance Mushi.
Sophie crept out the Archive and punched in the code for her laboratory. The dense metal doors hissed open and lights flickered on one by one. She stepped on the mezzanine. Here, she oversaw all her worker bees. Abandoned clipboards and data analysis spreadsheets were scattered on her old desk and—
Sophie screeched to a halt and leaned closer, squinting at the papers.
Unable to help herself, she grabbed a quill and scrawled arrows over the papers, crossed out formulas, and rifled through the data sheets while muttering to herself. "I still got time… I can fix that, and that one… what in the Gorosei's crusty old bears have they been doing since I was gone? Honestly…"
I wasted too much time, Sophie thought half an hour later, clutching her hair in mute panic, and gave the desk and evil glare. She delicately set the quill down and punched the air a few times, before hurrying down the glass stairs.
Sterile, bleached white, shining with a chemical glow. Machines whirred and chugged in the center of the floor. Workbenches and glistening microscopes and empty seats surrounded her. The noises became louder. A scientist precariously measured an ounce of hydrochloric acid. Grumbles, groans, and calls for advice rang over the chamber, permeated by the ever-present smell of coffee. Her assistant stood on a tank of liquid nitrogen coolant and droned out reminders of lab safety. Papers were crumpled in frustration and lit on fire with a blowtorch. Molecular compounds drawn out on whiteboards, spiraling over the glass floor and walls, as a round-table discussion of the latest product descended into a excited shouting match on the significance of hematopoiesis.
She walked through the empty lab without a pause.
Sophie pushed through a door, plugging in another code, and walked down another flight of stairs, metal now, echoing with every clang of her boot. The second floor was hidden deep in the bedrock. It was the second time in her life where she visited this place. Her breath fogged out of the gas mask, due to the chilly temperature.
It had to be freezing down here, to cover up the smell.
She lifted the keyring off the wall. The rattling noise clearly upset some, as feeble whimpering noises filled the air. All the lights were broken but for the one right over Sophie's head, and it seemed the rows of cages stretched forever into the darkness. Something hissed at her. There were little scratching noises, like claws against metal. She took a shaky breath, then schooled herself.
Sophie dialed Hippo's number. He picked up on the first ring.
"Almost ready," she whispered.
"Same."
"You're not our regular jailer," came a rasp from the corner.
"Who was that? Soph—"
She hung up, swallowing. On the other side of the wall were the cells G-13 kept for war criminals, serial killers, and anti-World Government terrorists—Impel Down level six worthy. Instead of death row, here, they were fodder. They looked up at her, at the gas mask gleaming diabolically.
"Here to end our lives?"
She didn't respond, her gaze pulled in another direction. In the back of the chamber were high-pressure gas cylinders pumping clean air and serving as an energy source for all the electricity running in her lab
."Marine!"
Sophie spun around, stuffing the keyring into her back pocket. A marine strode through the hall of cage, shivering and peering through the gloom. Mangoes! She recognized her! They once did training together!
"Thought I heard a voice down here. What are you doing?" Her gaze snapped to Sophie's side, where a skeleton hand was reaching toward her back pocket. "Oi! Back off!" She kicked the cell bars. The prisoners shrunk away and huddled up under their blankets.
"I—I'm new, from Maintenance. I w-was looking for the b-bathroom." Sophie bowed twice in apology, making sure her voice was dropped an octave.
"I'm Maintenance, too. I noticed a surveillance feed cut out and—why are you wearing that thing?"
"Um. My face is ugly. Also, I figured I could clean out the fume hoods and air vents. Got my b-bag of supplies right here." She patted her puffy bag of invaluable chemistry blueprints.
The marine glanced suspiciously at her, then shook her head when she decided her intuition was unfounded. "Well, alright. Come with me back upstairs, then." She motioned for the other marine to walk with her.
An ear-splitting siren blasted through the laboratory. The maintenance worker jumped and swore loudly. Sophie's eye twitched.
"CENTRAL TOWER IS UNDER ATTACK," blared the loudspeaker.
She was out of time.
"I REPEAT, CENTRAL TOWER IS UNDER ATTACK. G-13 HAS ENTERED LOCKDOWN. ALL HANDS, REPORT TO YOUR STATIONS!"
A distant rumbling echoed down the lab. The prisoners began yelling loudly, laughing and hollering at the marines, promising G-13 was gonna explode, better get their asses outta the way.
"Let's hurry upstairs!" Sophie urged. "Come on, o-or the animals will get even more freaked out." They were making anxious noises and rattling their cages.
"Those things aren't animals anymore," she muttered under her breath, then shot her a wary glance. "Show me some I.D."
"Don't get all paranoid now…" Nevertheless, Sophie handed over her badge, blinking quickly beneath her mask.
"AN UNIDENTIFIED GAS HAS BEEN DEPLOYED THROUGHOUT CENTRAL," the loudspeaker bellowed. "COMMISSIONED OFFICERS RANK ENSIGN OR ABOVE, REPORT TO YOUR NEAREST ARMS DEPOT FOR ISSUED GAS MASKS."
"Shou," she read. "Enlisted two weeks ago."
"That's me. There's my service number and our division leader, Jody-san. All in order, ma'am?"
"Yeah, alright," she said finally.
Sophie breathed an internal sigh of relief.
"Just one more thing," she said lightly. "Take off the mask."
Sophie paused. "I don't think you understand. I'm really ugly."
The marine raised her gun.
"I see what you're getting at, but I don't think impromptu surgery's gonna help," Sophie said, staring right into the barrel.
She fired point-blank, the same time Sophie jerked back, flinging a smoke pellet into her face. She heard a scream, followed by bullets pinging over her head as she crawled on her hands and knees. Sooty gunshot residue coated the side of her ear. Her gas mask was sturdy enough to take a bullet graze, she really had to go back to Idyll and thank the smith—
The marine stopped shooting blindly into the fog, and she could hear her stumble to get to the emergency Mushi.
Sophie pulled out the keyring, unlocking cages left and right. "Be free! Ow! D-don't attack m-me! I'm s-sorry for a-all the years of abusing y-you and your friends! It wasn't my fault—or, well, y-yeah, it was pretty much—"
"I'm at the North Lab! I've engaged the enemy!" she heard the marine roar, beating aside furious birds riding chimera monkeys. "We have a traitor on the inside!"
Claws, paws, and hooves stampeded over her as the animals made for the door. Locks thudded to the ground, but there were still too many of them. "Here! Toss it here!" a prisoner rasped, arms sticking out of the bars. "We'll do the rest! They're our friends!"
Sophie threw the keyring into the cell and it vanished beneath the ecstatic prisoners. With that, she sprinted to the propane and oxygen gas canisters, grabbed a wrench hanging from the wall, and started twisting and whacking off every valve in sight. They started to shake, gas whistling out, steam blasting Sophie right in the face. The force was so furious she held up her arms, stumbling a few steps back and biting back a shriek from the sudden heat. Gauge needles flickered to red.
The prisoners were evacuating the last few animals. "Go go go!" she cried, herding them up the stairs. The maintenance officer stumbled after them, swearing and fighting off a fanged gerbil.
Her lab was in disarray. Broken beakers spread toxic fumes in their wake. Fiery acid dripped through the floor and there was a whirlwind of papers and torn wires. A very real, very horrified part of Sophie wanted to wail and shield her precious lab from further destruction, but it was too late. Don't lose focus. Hippo's waiting. Sophie raced up the broken glass stairs, past the Archives, down the wrecked hallway. She took one last glance over her shoulder and then faced forward, leaving her chemwar division's legacy to its inevitable destruction.
"Stairwell!" she cried, and the prisoners broke through the door and herded all the animals through. Sophie was the last one, making sure everyone got out safely.
Ding!
The elevator doors opened and a cavalry of marines aimed a dozen rifles at Sophie. "HANDS IN THE—"
She whirled and punched the emergency button, her fist smashing through glass. The elevator doors slammed shut again and shot up to the ground level right as her lab exploded. Sophie threw herself into the stairwell, a spike of pain lacing through her torso. She fell over on the stairs as the ground shook and—
The roaring ocean crashed in.
Saltwater swallowed her chemicals, gathered up all her shrieking machinery, and dragged them out to sea. Heat pressure roared through the hallway and blew open the stairwell door. Sophie screamed, but not out of fright—she clutched her side, pressing over a wound with a jagged piece of glass lodged in it.
—
The North Tower was sinking.
Marines across the battlements were throwing ropes to those jumping from windows. Massive plumes of smoke suffocated the noon sky and turned it ash-dark, as though G-13 was trapped inside a fiery hellscape. The upper half of the tower cracked apart and the structure hurtled towards the battlement. "Hold the line!" an ensign thundered. A marine bellowed in fear, throwing his rope down and bolting.
A hulking shadow leapt on the falling rock and in seconds, all the flaming debris rained down in a gentle shower of tiny granules.
Vice Admiral Lettidore landed, his white cape billowing behind him. Cheers and hacking coughs rose from the marines.
"Lift the lockdown! Rescue squads, take ships and search for survivors! Contact HQ and all nearby bases and request support! And someone get Hippo! I need him with the rescue ships! While you're at it…" Lettidore pointed at the fleeing marine who had been caught by his comrades. "Leave him out at sea. Cowards don't belong here."
"All our work!" Eban wailed, falling to his knees. "Our precious research!"
Carrying said precious research, Sophie dragged her feet past the rabble of marines racing to help. Cinders drifted through the air like dandelions. She turned her face briefly towards the red pandemonium, her gas mask slung around her neck. She saw something fly out a window and vanish in the flames—it looked like her old bed, maybe, or a dusty lab coat. It looked like vindication.
"Get to the infirmary!" a marine shouted, sprinting past her. How kind.
She made it down to the empty training yard, her vision blurring. Shipyard… yes, Hippo was waiting for her at the shipyard…
Sophie leaned against a cold pillar. She could taste soot in her mouth and blinked slowly. Her hand rested on her bleeding stomach, red and dripping. Need medicine… need to steal…
Footsteps approached her. They stopped right in front of her—scuffed black shoes, pointed at the tips. A wry laugh. "What did I tell you?"
Shut up.
"It hit your liver. You only have a few more minutes." He walked past her. The scent of winterfrost and red hollies drifted behind him. "It's too late."
Hey… wait…
His tattooed hand waved at her. "See you on the other side."
Wait, you dumb pineapple—
Sophie jolted forward—
—and tripped over her feet. A livid stream of invectives involving fruit cobblers and their mothers came from the twitching mess on the ground. Mashing her hand against the bloody faucet that was her side, she pulled out her lighter with a trembling hand and flicked it open, staring at the flame.
We fucking own you, Teresa snarled.
Can you even think for yourself anymore? Kasimir demanded. Who are you and who do you fight for?
Sophie clenched her jaw and yanked out the glass. Then she shoved her lighter against the wound, feeling the flesh bubble and burn and destroy her nerve endings. It hurt so much, this was what it felt like to die, because she was surely dying—
She felt herself sliding into unconsciousness… then shook herself awake through pure force of will. And anger. Mostly anger.
"People with superpowers don't understand how lucky they have it, they really don't," she hissed lividly. "This would be nothing to Bepo-san, mangoes, he would've been able to dodge it in the first place or it'd bounce off him like a marshmallow probably, oh my god, this is so unfair, I'm just a normal girl trying her friggin' best, bad luck should just leave me alone, holy muffins…"
She stuck the lighter back in her pocket, breathing heavily, her head still spinning. The blood had lessened. It was enough to get her to Hippo and have him perform surgery on her. Daylight was a-wasting. She had a lot of one-liners planned and she was running out of time to say them.
Above her, debris burst in the sky like fireworks. All I need is one good day.
Sophie started laughing. "These are gonna be some long, drawn-out minutes…"
If Law had really been here, she was certain he'd be laughing with her.
—
She arrived at the loud, crowded shipyard, scanning the mob. Shipwrights scampered over the sails, making last-minute adjustments. Where was Hippo?
Out of nowhere, a hand tugged on Sophie's wrist and pulled her behind a stack of crates, hiding them from view. Her panic gave way to warm relief and she threw her arms around her sensei with a welcoming hug. "Thank god," he whispered. "I was so worried when I heard explosions from North, that wasn't in our plan, I—"
Sophie yelped. "Ow! Ow ow ow ow—"
He backed off immediately and gaped at her bloody shirt. "You weren't supposed to get hurt!"
"I thought my collection of burst blood vessels was a little lacking."
He wrapped his jacket around her shoulders. "Don't give me sass."
"Okay, but then all our conversations will be mostly one-sided."
Hippo sighed… then held up two flintlocks. "Twenty-two caliber or the thirty?"
"Gimme a sniper rifle." Sophie painfully stuffed her arms through Hippo's jacket. "Thanks."
He passed it over. "When we secure a ship you're immediately going into surgery, young lady."
"You're not the boss of me." Sophie loaded her rifle with ammo and snapped on the safety. Hippo glared at her. "Just kidding. That was just for the sake of being a rebellious daughter, I have to take advantage of every chance I get." He kept glaring. "…I am grateful that you, Hippo-sama, would deign to help a blubbering child like me."
He nodded. "And don't you forget it. You have all your research in that backpack?"
"Yep. And not only that, decades of other projects G-13's worked on, too."
An unreadable expression flickered over his face, but as quick as it appeared, it vanished. "Okay." Hippo peeked around the crates. He held his hand up, signaling her to wait. "Sophie, I just want to remind you—we don't go for the kill today. These people are our friends."
"I know."
"Right, I just—"
"I know," she assured again, and Hippo shot her a relieved smile.
"I missed you, kid. We really are a good team, aren't we?"
"Ew, you're getting gross again."
The world tilted haphazardly and Sophie caught herself on a crate, with a groggy, mildly stunned look on her face. Hippo grabbed her arm before she could stumble over something and stab herself in the eye with the rifle. "Shit—okay, it's okay, just breathe. You're fine." She felt him lift up her eyelids. "I think you fainted for a second, the blood loss is probably… what the hell, you cauterized the wound? On your own?"
"I'm… I'm o-okay… I c-can g-get through this." She struggled back on her feet, pushing down her shirt and ignoring the doctor's alarmed gaze. She could smell her own acid flesh. "I wanna leave," Sophie said very quietly. "N-now."
"Okay," Hippo said, and she could feel his hands shaking where he held her arm. "Okay."
—
Their ship was the first one out into the bay, two more following swiftly behind. Hippo stoically manned the helm as the lieutenant gave orders from below. It was a small ship, built for speed.
A young marine came loping by. "Salutations, sir! Just wanted to say I'm a big fan of yours."
He briefly glanced to the side. "Thank you."
"And I'm really sorry about Sophie-san."
"Ah… it's okay."
They were nearing the end of the bay. The shipyard gates were halfway open. They had to time this just right…
"We were in the same class together as kids," the young marine recollected. "I've always admired her. It's a shame that had to happen to her. I've heard a lot of marines go crazy on the battlefield. Their minds just go kaput. Terrible shame." He scratched his head, laughing. "Well, I hope I fare slightly better when I head off to war!"
"And kill Revolutionaries, huh?" Hippo asked.
"I'll kill as many as I can, sir!"
A gunshot fired.
The marine let out a shout and doubled over. Several more cries came from all over the ship.
"What are you doing, you incompetent buffoon!?" the lieutenant bellowed.
The sniper on the crow's nest swiveled her rifle directly to the officer and shot him in the leg.
"We're under attack!"
"CLOSE THE GATE!"
"No one move or I decorate this ship with his brains!"
A spray of bullets peppered around Hippo. He flinched with a loud curse. Smoke rose up from the perfect circle of bullet holes arrayed around his feet and Hippo was almost impressed. He didn't remember her being this good at shooting.
Sophie turned her rifle at the crew. "Jump into the ocean!"
"We outnumber you!" one marine roared, the same time another shrieked, "Did anyone here bring weapons!?"
Death glares promptly followed.
"No one thought—this was supposed to be a rescue mission! I mean, we, um, have some rope and life jackets?"
Sophie threw her last smoke bomb at the marines and fired in the complete opposite direction, into the ocean. But the sound of gunshots was terrifying enough and in blind confusion, they leaped overboard. They turned into small black dots swimming towards the other rescue ships. Hippo breathed a small sigh of relief and glanced over his shoulder. The North Tower was wrapped in an inferno. Firelight rippled like smooth pebbles in the reflection of the bay. It looked peaceful, in a way…
It was right about then that Warrant Officer Spinach realized something was off and slammed down the lever that controlled the gate.
But it was too late. Their ship cleared the gate right as it slammed shut.
"OPEN THE GATE!" came the distant roar of the marines.
A gust of wind pushed the ship cheerfully along the open waves. Sophie leaned on her bag and unenthusiastically acknowledged she probably couldn't stand up without fainting. It's finally over… As the smoke cleared, Sophie and Hippo had a surprising revelation that there was still one marine standing on the deck. Or not.
"Sensei!" Sophie leaned over the crow's nest. "Hurry up!"
The marine stared at her, in the gas mask, then Hippo, realization dawning over him. "Sir—are you a traitor?"
"Shit," Hippo muttered.
Her throat went dry. All along the battlements, two dozen cannons rolled forward. She peered through the scope; she could see a blurry Vice Admiral arriving in a billow of white cape, giving orders. They had no more time left.
"Are you in this together!?"
The marine whipped out a flintlock. He took a hesitating step forward, glaring at Hippo.
"Hold on, hold on, hold the fuck on—"
"What's going on!?"
"Sensei!" Sophie pressed her sweaty eye to the rifle scope.
"And who the hell are you!?" the marine cried.
"Don't shoot!" Hippo roared.
The marine aimed his flintlock at Hippo's leg and squinted one eye shut, and a horrible vision entered Sophie's mind. Hippo was going to break his facade and punch this idiot, Hippo with a bounty, branded as a traitor, on the run for the rest of his life, unable to be a normal family ever again—
All I need is one good day.
Tattooed hands held her rifle steady. Lips pressed next to her ear, and she felt them lift in a small smirk.
For a second, as her finger pressed the trigger, she wondered whether Hippo's shout was directed at her or the marine.
—
"Zero casualties, sir. No one was caught in the explosion and the gas in Central was found to be merely sleeping gas. Everyone is expected to wake up in an hour or so—"
"Vice Admiral!" A group of marines came running up the battlements. "They took Hippo hostage!"
"Impossible!"
"It's just one enemy! A sniper in a gas mask!"
Lettidore raced over to the edge of the battlement as outraged cries rose around him. The little ship was fleeing as fast as it could. He squinted, searching for any sign of his brother-in-arms. That sniper, that coward, taking his dearest friend hostage. A distant gunshot echoed from the ship and agitation buzzed from the crowd behind Lettidore.
"Was that Hippo!?"
"What happened!?"
"Raise the cannons!" Lettidore ordered. "But just break the ship a little!"
"Sir, what does that mean!?"
He struggled for a moment. "Do we have eyes on Hippo!?"
"No!"
After coming to the only possible choice for him to make, he raised his arm. "On my word, light the cannons! We can't let the intruder escape!"
"We have movement!"
The sniper in the crow's nest stood up and, clearly wounded, fumbled with a large bag. Several marines pulled out telescopes.
"HOLD YOUR FIRE!" bellowed not just the Vice Admiral, but also a horde of scientists who had also made their way to the scene.
The bag opened.
Papers blew out into the wind, years of research stuffed inside like common scrap. In their other hand, the sniper raised a cigarette lighter.
"No!" G-13's chemical warfare division all screamed.
The sniper rolled up a bundle of precious notes and set them alight. They lifted the burning torch high, so all of G-13 could see, from the recruits leaning out windows, to the shipwrights and maintenance officers watching in the guard towers. The scientists around Lettidore were all yelling in horror, telling him to let them go, think of their research, the years they spent. "Even Sophie-san wouldn't stand this," one of them sobbed.
"Prepare a ship," Lettidore ordered.
"Sir, it might be safer to leave them be," an officer spoke up. "A swarm of typhoons are approaching from the south. We're in no shape to be chasing anyone into a storm."
Free and untouched, the ship bounded towards the horizon.
Lettidore slammed his fist on the battlement wall. It splintered in half with a deafening crack! "PREPARE! A GODDAMN! SHIP!"
—
Once they were out range of G-13, Sophie hid in the crow's nest.
"Come down so I can treat your wound!" Hippo called.
"You'll yell at me!"
"No, I won't! I'll smack you 'round the head, because that's real corporal punishment!"
Sophie climbed down the ratlines at the pace of molasses. When she reached the deck, setting her backpack down, a loud splash alerted her attention to the starboard side and there was Hippo, his head bent over a pool of blood. Sophie hobbled up to him, listening to his quiet prayers. Grief clouded his features. She felt worse than she did when she killed Khanwari.
"I'm sorry," Sophie said meekly. "I thought he was gonna—I'm sorry."
Hippo took a deep breath. He did indeed smack her 'round the head. "I'll grab a mop. Blood isn't good for the wood. Sit over there, I'll bring the first aid kit over… you doing okay?"
"Just really craving a cigarette."
He looked at her oddly. "When did you start smoking?"
She didn't hear him. Sophie was already settling down, pulling up her shirt and examining her wound. Didn't look too infected. Hippo shrugged.
"Hey, kiddo, I'm gonna lock your backpack in the hull for safety."
"Right." She nodded, still focused on her wound. After a few minutes, Hippo came back. "Sensei," she said without looking up, "this is so cool, from the right angle it kinda looks like a duck drinking tea. Do you see it? Or maybe it's a butterfly—"
Her arms were forced behind her and a thick, scratchy rope compressed her wrists together.
Sophie shrieked and tried to bolt away, but he yanked her back and pain shot through her body. Her knees collapsed underneath her.
"I secured the ship, Lettidore," Hippo said into the Den Den Mushi. "I can't clear the oncoming storm. I'm going to divert my course to Alabasta and meet you there."
"Good. Can you identify the traitor?"
His merciless eyes focused on Sophie, who was sure she was dreaming.
"You won't believe my words. I'll let you see for yourself," he replied and hung up.
Hippo hoisted her on his shoulder and carried her to the cabin. Sophie was so stunned she didn't even try to kick or scream. This must be another part of the plan. This was just—Hippo had to trick the Vice Admiral, that's why. There was a great explanation for this. He set her down and tied her ankles together. Why was he still looking at her like that? Wasn't this act over?
"…Dad?" Sophie whispered, and hated how small and frightened she sounded, how child-like.
"Don't." His voice was flat and he wasn't looking at her.
"Dad," she said again, stronger, this doesn't hurt, this is nothing, "to think they call me a traitor."
Hippo tightened the rope so it'd bruise, and finally looked at her. "This isn't your world."
Sophie stared at him, not understanding.
"This world…" he sighed, rubbing his face, "this world wasn't made for people like you and me. Marines build fortresses not only to keep criminals from wreaking havoc, but also to keep criminals contained. There are the prisoners in cells, and then…" With an apologetic look, he waved his hand, "there's you. I mean," he laughed suddenly, running his hands through his hair, "we were all worried about you growing up. You were so different, you didn't care about anyone or anything aside from science. Sometimes you barely showed any interest in living. How can you possibly survive outside of G-13?"
Sophie's head spun. She wanted to laugh, she wanted to crack a joke, because he was kidding, right? This was just a screwed up, stupid joke, this was so stupid, why was he being so stupid—
"Being a Director means your skills and creations are property of G-13. Well, you know that." He tied a gag over her mouth, his gaze sorrowful, and he sat next to her, like they were two people at a confessional. "I wish it didn't have to happen this way. But I'm so happy you're alive, and I do want you to be happy again." He reached out to pet her hair.
Sophie jerked her head away. Outside, the waves grew stronger and battered the ship. Hippo didn't seem to notice; he was gazing down at his hands.
Her whole body was shaking, her tics coming back in full force. Sophie tried to suppress her agitation, tried to take back control of her muscles, tried to make sense of this, and failing at all of the above. It was all she could do to just focus on breathing. Hippo didn't seem to recognize that she was having a fit, or maybe he thought she was just upset, which, clearly.
"This work… twists people. Just look at those poor, disfigured hands of you. if only I had never let you become a chemist, maybe you wouldn't have turned out like this…" He shook his head, not seeing the startled outrage crossing Sophie's face. He smiled sadly. "I think… G-13 is the only place for you now. Without it, you'd be a pirate, wouldn't you?"
She squeezed her eyes shut. You're breaking my heart.
"This hurts me, too," Hippo said quietly, and in the back of her head, she heard Law's dry laughter, heard his mocking clap and his sneering Oh, go fuck yourself.
Her eyes flew open.
Nostrils flaring, Sophie cracked her forehead against his.
He fell back and she hopped to her feet, jumping across the cabin like a demented jackrabbit. She threw all her weight into the door and slammed it open. An onslaught of rain poured over her. Sophie frantically grabbed at her lighter in her pocket and flicked it open against the rope on her wrist. She didn't even feel the pain, not a bit—her foot slipped as she jumped down the stairs and landed face-down on the drenched ship deck. A muffled groan escaped the gag. Okay, she felt that one.
"SOPHIE! Shit—" Hippo grabbed the wheel and forced it counterclockwise.
She rolled over on her back, her sputtering lighter still eating away at the rope, forcing her twitching hand to stay still. Come on come on come on—
The sky was singing with lightning. Tumultuous waves flooded the deck. Sophie tore through the burnt rope with a phenomenal flex of her biceps and quickly untied her ankles, then ripped the gag away from her mouth. She had to find something to hold, or the ocean was gonna sweep her under. She grabbed onto the ratlines with all of her limbs, gulping down air and struggling to calm down. Square numbers, detergent, soap, oh pineapples—
A colossal wave loomed over the helm where Hippo was standing.
Sophie was there in a blink, seizing onto the rail with one hand and Hippo's with the other. And then she was submerged, pieces of driftwood and fish swimming past her head, and it must've been an infection-induced fever because she was drowning in Viran waters and the G-13 ship was leaving her behind—
The wave passed and they fell to the ground, panting and coughing seawater. Rain streaked over his face and if she didn't know any better, she might've thought he was—
But I know better.
She was numb to the bone. Sophie scrambled away from him and wrenched the wheel due—south? North? She couldn't discern anything. There was only raging waves, blinding rain, thunder crashing through the skies in the endless Grand Line. This must be karmic retribution. God, I hate storms. Somebody clearly wants me to die today.
Maybe that someone heard, because a bright glow illuminated the sky right above the ship and a split-second later, a lightning bolt collided into the deck. All Sophie saw was scorching whiteness before she faded.
—
The water lapped against her ears, a greeting from an old friend.
She drifted in the shallow lagoon of clear, tropical-warm water. Sophie kept her eyes shut. If this was a dream, this was the best dream she's ever had. She felt the sun kiss her face and in the distance… in the distance…
"…survivors?"
"…just two… don't know much about the 'surviving' part…"
Fish Breath Fabio leaned in close, smelling the girl's wet hair. "Well, I'll be," he murmured. "What's a pirate like you doin' on a Marine ship?"
"Captain, the patrollers are right behind us! We haven't cleared Machinastein waters!"
A fly buzzed over the longarm's hand and jerked away, kicking Sophie over on her back. She didn't move. "This be a ship of death! Nobody touch the bodies!"
Footsteps thudded across the deck, and they left the Marine ship and swung back to their own vessel.
"I know of her! I know the girl!" came a cry from the slaver ship. "I have witnessed her in many dreams." A ghostly face pressed against the bars of her cage, and shrunk back when Fish Breath Fabio nearly planted his boot on her face.
"If you're smart enough to speak all fancy-like, you should be smart enough to keep your mouth shut."
The Alabastian captives whimpered, their chains slithering on the floor. She reached out to the bloody, dying girl on the bloody, dying ship. Her fingers curled gracefully. "I have witnessed you," Lisbeth whispered, tufts of copper-red hair hanging around her gaunt cheekbones.
"Says she was a princess in another life," a slaver laughed to another. "Ain't that grand."
"Weigh anchor, you bilge rats! Sabaody's a long month's sail ahead of us!"
A sigh on the breeze.
Gentle waters crested between her toes. Sophie knew, without opening her eyes, that she was surrounded by palm trees and hot white sand and big puffy clouds. This was heaven. This was peace.
She drifted in the shallow lagoon of clear, tropical-warm water, and in the distance, if she listened hard, she heard the metal heartbeats of a submarine calling her name.
to be continued
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WORLD ECONOMIC JOURNAL
A Traitor Within G-13! A Formidable Fortress Falls!
Explosions yesterday rocked G-13, as the North Tower collapsed and years of research documents were stolen. This is the first time in history where an entire Marine fortress has been compromised by a traitor on the inside. Due to this incident, Vice Admiral Lettidore has been demoted to Rear Admiral.
A mysterious sleeping gas was released over G-13 right before the explosions began—early reports say that it was qava gas, a black market favorite.
The nearest marine branches, the 22nd and 25th, are protecting the currently defenseless base from potential pirate attacks. Vice Admiral Garp has been named interim Vice Admiral of G-13 for the time being (despite his noisy objections, sources say). G-13 is known for being a base that specializes in chemical warfare. Just last week, the Director of the Chemical Warfare Division, who had gone rogue for the past month, was successfully exterminated by Cipher Pol agents. She is believed to have been traveling with the Heart Pirates, captained by Trafalgar "Surgeon of Death" Law.
Strangways Sophie has been described by her colleagues as an 'obsessed' 'pyromaniac' with 'narcissism and crippling arrogance'. She was elected to her position at the age of seventeen and is the shortest ever serving Chemical Warfare Director, barring Dugas Yon, who was forced to retire after scandalous accusations arose of him spending too much time in the animal cells, which could neither be healthy for him nor the animals.
"It's her ghost," one marine swears, who wishes to be unnamed. "The fire, the explosions, they all felt like her. And then Charaka-sensei—her adopted father—goes missing. It's a sign."
Charaka Hippo, 40th Director of G-13's Medical Division and experienced trauma surgeon, had been taken captive during the invasion. In his youth, Charaka received medals of valor during the Tiburon Revolt and the Battle of Greatcastle, alongside comrades "Mustachio" Lettidore and Teresa the Valiant. The latter is rumored to be on the short list as the next World Government Intelligence Branch leader.
Fifty million beli has been placed on the head of Gas Mask (identity unknown).
Meanwhile, strife in the aftermath of the Viran War hits the fan (continued on pg 3).
—
"You look happy," Bepo noted.
Law folded the newspaper and didn't bother hiding his smirk. "Today's a good day."
Shachi leaped onto the table. "Oooooh! Guys! Sophie-chan's on the front page!"
"OOOOH!"
"Holy fuck, that bounty." Anko jabbed a finger at the newspaper. "Are you fucking kidding me? There's no fucking way!"
Penguin snorted. "Oh my god, she looks so stupid in that picture. It's like she's posing as an action hero."
"Wait, is that her?" Shachi squinted. "Dude, you can't see her face at all."
"Yeah, that's her bicep."
"You can tell who someone is by their muscle?"
"You can't? That's because you're a total novice."
"But look at the bounty!" Anko shouted, waving the newspaper.
"Bets on if she makes it out alive?" Hai Xing proposed. The pirates quieted and glanced at each other.
"Um… well… I support Sophie-chan and all…" Shachi said nervously.
Penguin threw down his beli. "Dead."
"Dead!"
"Dead for me, too!"
"You lot are so unsupportive!" Bepo reprimanded, then whispered to Shachi, "Can I wager chore duty? For dead?"
Hai Xing groaned. "I'm gonna be cleaned out… but, alive, I guess."
"I'm going back to sleep," Law proclaimed.