Tashigi POV:
Commander Eiji has very light blue eyes, to the point that they're almost grey. They are simultaneously searching, yet closed off. Calculating, analytical, but this vein of desperation clashes through them. Dark, greedy, sacrificial desperation. I should know. Cause he hasn't stopped staring at me the past 3 minutes while the lieutenant stands next to him, whispering a report on my arrival and actions since then.
At first I tried my best to return his relentless glare with my own bold gaze, but soon decided that he was not trying to have a staring contest of power and turned my eyes to other things in the room. The clock that reads 12:40 am, the glorious tapestries woven with artful care, the windows letting in soft moonlight that gets drowned in the light of the recently lit golden chandelier hanging from the outrageously tall ceiling. Every time I look back, Commander Eiji is still staring at me. Why? Idiot Roronoa is right beside me, and he's much more intere- er, terrifying and important. My intestines twist as my suspicions about the role this commander has played in abandoning my village are confirmed more every second.
The sound of the lieutenant's footsteps in the soft, thick carpet pull my eyes to him until he joins the rest of our navy escorts, the 10 of them standing around me and Zoro in a semicircle. Looking forward again, Commander Eiji leans against his mahogany desk, his eyes still fastened on me, eyebrows knitted together and his arms crossed. Dark anxiety slithers into tight knots through my whole torso.
I don't like this. I don't like him.
"Captain Tashigi, your boat was supposed to land today at an island base that's 20 days travel east of here. Your presence here is quite the direct fail at following orders and should be punished as such, although," The commander's look finally flit away from me to Zoro, a flash of fear in his eyes almost hidden by the cocky smirk he dons as he takes the green-haired swordsman in. "you brought in quite the legend as an excuse for your actions. Roronoa Zoro, I hope you've enjoyed your time under Navy control thus far. I can assure you the treatment only gets more fascinating from here on out."
I feel the disgusted rumble from Zoro who stands right beside me, and I offer every prayer possible that he doesn't snap in these next few minutes. I REALLY shouldn't have tested him so much on the way here. Worrying about the pirate pulls my focus back to my immediate goal, and as the commander turns his attention back to me I silence my suspicions and step into my bold persona.
"Permission to explain this disorderly presence, sir?" I ask, offering a short bow with the words.
"Please. Expound." Commander Eiji stands straight and walks to his plush office chair as he grants permission for me to weave my story. I open my mouth to start, when the commander plops into the chair and reaches for a low drawer, pulling out a bottle of wine and a platter of cheese and crackers. How rude! Telling someone to talk then not paying attention! And who on earth just keeps a cheese plate in an unrefrigerated space? Bacteria and mold will grow so quickly, how can he- "Captain, I said talk. Do you need someone to move your mouth for you?"
Once again I feel a rumble from Zoro, this time of silent mirth, and it melts the knots in my gut as I burst with indignant rage. Don't mock me your idiot pirate!
"Sir, my crew and I ran into a severe storm early in our travels and were shipwrecked on a nearby island. Unfortunately, several pirate crews, including the Straw Hats, were also shipwrecked. The pirates killed our scouts before they could report back, and then attacked our camp at night, killing most of the crew. We were then thrown into a melee battle as the assorted pirates turned on each other. During the battle, I found and ate the slap-slap fruit with hopes of restoring justice and protecting my men. But by the battle's end, all I managed to do was capture the dog beside me. Due to the limitations of my new powers, I was unable to save any of my crew, so I escaped the battle and headed for the nearest base that I knew could hold Roronoa and leave no chance for his being freed." I allow bitterness to seep into my voice as I recount the made up story, running other details through my mind in preparation for follow up questions. Commander Eiji shifts in his chair, popping a cube of pepper-jack in his mouth as his sharp glare gains a hint of legitimate curiosity. Behind me, I hear several of the marine guards sniffling, apparently moved by my sad story. Good, good...
"And pray tell what are the limitations you speak of, that led to the death of your entire crew." the commander's head tilts as he shoots the question at me, and I wince at its implication. Wether he's guilty of dooming my village or not, I am not a fan of this man's leadership strategy.
"Of course, sir. With the slap-slap fruit, I slap someone and then give a verbal order and they have to obey that order. If the affected person completes the order, then they stand still for 5 minutes to await another order before being freed from the fruit's power. If the order has no end, such as how I simply ordered Zoro here to stay by my side, then they continue that order until I slap them again and give a new order, or until they die." my hands move while I talk, trying to make the explanation understandable and not sound like a total load of BS. "However, if the affected person is physically touched by another person, then my control ends."
"So, Roronoa here is guaranteed to be on his best behavior as long as your by his side, hmm?" the commander tries to gain clarification, and I can almost see the gears in his head processing my explanation, looking for the cracks.
"Well, not quite. I could command him to obey the soldiers orders, and as long as they didn't get rough with him there would be no problem getting him secured in the dungeons below." I hint at the course of action, hoping my suggestion isn't too forward or obvious. Eiji snorts at the idea, and his eyes narrow as he leans forward to glower at me.
"Captain, it sounds like you're trying to shroud your duties."
"Sir, respectfully, I have sailed for several days without sleep, food, or water. I have lost my crew, my ship, and my ability to swim. I have delivered one of the most wanted men in the world to your doorstep, and all I want in return is my Berri reward and to be rid of the whole ordeal." I pause, then in full boldness add "Are you implying your men are not capable of escorting a single man to a dungeon located in this very building?"
I can feel the energy in the air shift around the marines, several of them shuffling their feet and murmuring to each other. Eek, that definitely didn't gain me any friends...
"I have full faith in my men's capabilities. To be honest captain, I am still having a hard time believing you were able to capture this monster in the first place." Commander Eiji stands up from his chair, and walks around his desk towards us. "The legendary Roronoa, taken down by a woma-...rookie official? This, pirate, captain, lives for nothing but blood and achievement, his fragile pride desperate to prove his pathetic worth- even if it meant stabbing friends in the back." Eiji stops not a foot away from Zoro, his breath stenched in wine and disgust.
The words are a challenge, bait. I glance sideways at Zoro. Please don't move, please don't-... move... the swordsman's eyes stare straight ahead, listless. I quickly activate my observation haki, and my lip twitches upwards as I sense Zoro's sheer lack of respect and care for the words uttered by the man in front of him.
"Roronoa Zoro, a pirate of pirates. Is it hard, Roronoa, to pretend you care for the way of the sword when you're really just a slave to bloodlust. You wouldn't hesitate to kill your own brother if it meant a moment's pleasure for you, and would do it twice as fast if it advanced your personal goal of greatness." Commander Eiji leans in even more, his face inches from Zoro's as he whispers hoarsely "that gloriously horrendous monster, captured by a woman? Really? How pa-"
SHING!
My sword quivers in-between the whites of Eiji's eyes and Zoro's own steeled gaze.
"Commander Eiji, I must respectfully ask you to step back from the prisoner. You are correct, he did not take kindly to being captured by a woman and I do not feel like subduing him again." Zoro's highly controlled emotional state flares in irritation for a moment at the words, and I struggle to not roll my eyes at the big sensitive baby, before directing my focus back to Eiji. "I do not wish for any man to die because we were unable to professionally handle a sensitive situation." At my words, the commander glances over at me, his pupils dilated with indignant shock, before he takes a step back. I lower my sword, and continue.
"If you want to insult my gender, please do so to my face. And if you want to test the authenticity of my story then I am more than happy to demonstrate my power. However, it is late. I am tired. The longer this man remains outside a prison cell the worse, and if you have no other immediate concerns or questions then I kindly beg you to dismiss me for the night. I will collect my bounty in the morning, as well as any punishment you wish to dole for disrespectful behavior I display now due to my lack of sleep and traumatic past."
The clock ticks away in the silent tension, as Commander Eiji rakes his eyes up and down my whole body before solely regarding my face with deadly intent. After almost 10 seconds, he scoffs then turns on his heels and walks back to his desk.
"Make him sing the marine spirit ballad. Once he does that, I will allow you to transfer jurisdiction to my men and go to your much needed rest. Clearly nothing productive can get done as you are now." Eiji leans against his desk and grabs the bottle wine again, taking a swig and wiping his mouth as he motions to get the show on the road.
Absolute relief washes through me and I turn towards Zoro, barely containing a grin as I try to keep a serious faces for the still peeved (although now more freaked from their commander's actions) marines. Placing a hand on my hip I raise the other one and deliver a slap, lighter than my past ones, and order "Sing the marine spirit ballad!"
...
"Commander Eiji, I do not believe the prisoner knows the marine spirit ballad." I rub the back of my head sheepishly as Zoro tries very very hard to melt me with spiteful wrath. I raise a single eyebrow at him. So someone accuses you of having fragile pride and your fine but you can't sing a single song? You really are a big baby!
Zoro POV:
WHY THE HECK WOULD I KNOW SOME STUPID MARINE SPIRIT BALLAD?! HOW MORONIC DOES A GROUP HAVE TO BE TO HAVE THEIR OWN THEME SONG?! I ONLY SING WHEN I'M DRUNK TASHIGI GET A HINT! OOOOOOHHHHHHH THIS IS IT I SWEAR I'M GOING TO SLAP MYSELF AND KILL EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM IF YOU-
"Well then make him sing that stupid Bink's Sake song those stupid Straw Hats always get stuck in everyones head. Stupid skeleton man. Whole stupid crew."
...
Our group of idiots is stupid enough to have a theme song. Of course. I let out a very, very deep and regretful sigh.
Tashigi's lips purse, making her look rather cute and impish as her eyes twinkle and she slaps me again, the action more of a pat than anything else. "Sing Bink's Sake pirate legend!"
I glare back for a second, but staying peeved at her victorious face is damn near impossible. So, at precisely 12:50 pm I lost all pride as a man and sang Bink's Sake for a group of marines all because this stupid navy brat concocted some crazy plan to steal a 'mysterious item' from the archive room at Rieno.
Yes, the whole. damn thing.
"Yo hohoho, yo hohoho Yo hohoho, yo hohoho
Yo hohoho, yo hohoho Yo hohoho, yo hohoho
Gather up all of the crew, it's time to ship out Binks' brew.
Sea wind blows, to where, who knows? The waves will be our guide.
O'er across the ocean's tide. Rays of sunshine far and wide.
Birds they sing, of cheerful things, in circles passing by."
I tried stopping here, cause she never clarified the 'whole' song and my two voice cracks and the mocking laughs as a result were enough for me. Unfortunately, the commander knew the entire song and insisted I go to the finish, clearly enjoying my misery.
"Bid farewell to weaver's town, say so long to port renowned.
Sing a song, it won't be long, before we're casting off.
Cross the gold and silver seas, a salty spray puts us at ease,
Day and night, to our delight, the voyage never ends.
Gather up all of the crew, it's time to ship out Binks' brew.
Pirates, we eternally are challenging the sea.
With the waves to rest our heads, ship beneath us as our beds,
hoisted high upon the mast, our jolly roger flies."
It was at this point that I realized that this women really must have me under some weird spell because where did I go wrong?! why?! HOW! I literally gain nothing from this!
"Somewhere in the endless sky, stormy winds are blowing by,
waves are dancing, evening comes, it's time to sound the drums.
But steady men, and never fear, tomorrow's skies are always clear.
So pound your feet and clap your hands 'til sunny days return.
Yo hohoho, yo hohoho Yo hohoho, yo hohoho
Yo hohoho, yo hohoho Yo hohoho, yo hohoho
Gather up all of the crew, it's time to ship out Binks' brew.
Wave goodbye, but don't you cry, our memories remain.
Our days are but a passing dream, everlasting though they seem.
Beneath the moon we'll meet again, the wind's our lullaby."
This is where I remembered that damn these are deep existential lyrics but the tone is just so nice and damn I really like being a pirate. I love being free. My voice gained a boost of confidence cause you know what? Screw you navy. I am living the dream and you're stuck here playing politics. HA! So yeah I'll sing my pirate ballad loud and proud cause ya'll suck and we're amazing. Yeah.
"Gather up all of the crew, it's time to ship out Binks' brew.
Sing a song, and play along for all the oceans wide.
After all is said and done, you'll end up a skeleton,
so spread your tale from dawn 'til dusk upon these foamy seas.
Yo hohoho, yo hohoho...Yo hohoho, yo hohoho...
Yo hohoho, yo hohoho...Yo hohoho, yo hohoho...
Yo hohoho, yo hohoho...Yo hohoho, yo hohoho...
Yo hohoho, yo hohoho...Yo hohoho, yo hohoho..."
I finish my best performance of the song with a satisfied nod and crossed arms, taking it as a sign of victory when I hear a few emotional sniffles from the navy bastards behind me. Commander idiot pinches the bridge of his nose and lets out a disgruntled moan before waving his hand at a few of the marines.
"You 8 on the right escort Roronoa to Dungeon block B. Make sure you don't touch the prisoner while escorting him. The two that are left, show Captain Tashigi how to find the mess hall and set her up in a room. Everyone's dismissed."
The commander's approval given, Tashigi turns towards me, the laughs I'd watched her try to hold back during my pirate solo now replaced with hidden anticipation. It's strange to watch someone who normally isn't afraid to share what she thinks trying to disguise her thoughts. I like her better when she can be wholly honest.
Not that I like her.
Her presence is less revolting when she's honest. there.
SLAP!
"Alright scumbag, listen good." Tashigi's voice snaps me back to now, and I raise an eyebrow as I realize she's making a personally exasperated face while she gives her order, her eyes very purposefully glancing from my face, to my handcuffs, then back to my face. What gives idioooohhhhh the handcuff keys. I'm supposed to catch them when she flips them up to my hands while no ones looking during her last slapped order. She informed me of this literally in the boat on our way here, probably because I refused to pay attention to her or any plans while on the Sunny.
"Obey anything that these soldiers tell you to do when they give you an order and say your name at the end of it." Tashigi gives the command, stepping forward to go around me with her back turned slightly towards the commander. The escorts have all moved towards the door, and the moment none are looking I feel the small metal keys fly into my hands as she tosses them up while she keeps her hand by her side. She now stands on my left facing the large wooden doors to the office, and tells the lieutenant who got tasked to my escort "Try calling him over!"
"Right, captain. Come stand 3 feet from me Roronoa." The lieutenant demands, and I start walking. Glancing at the clock on the wall in front of me, I internally grin. 12:55. Although I guess I shouldn't really count on them to be right on time. I stop 3 feet from the lieutenant, and he gives a nod to Tashigi and commander idiot behind me. I can feel Tashigi watching me as they order me to leave the room, and I wonder if she's using observation haki. It doesn't matter. I am 5 minutes away from flipping this hell on them, so if she's worrying about my part she can stop. Heh, she should be worried about getting me to leave before I take down every last marine in this base.
"Go down these stairs keeping time with our pace Roronoa."
People bossing me around expecting me to listen and they're not even slapping me. How refreshing. Soon, I won't even have to listen and I'll just get to kill them all. I hold back a slightly evil maniacal grin at the thought.
Third Person POV:
Commander Eiji continues to pinch the bridge of his nose as Tashigi leaves the room, the door shutting behind her. What an absolutely infuriating woman he thinks as he finally stands and walks over to a window, taking the wine bottle with him. She really did have new powers- Roronoa's enthusiastic performance combined with the lieutenants report convinced him of that. But her intentions... drawing a sword on a commanding officer? Her records show not a single incident of disorderly conduct in the past. In fact, the Captain Tashigi recorded on paper was very different from the one who stood before him tonight, whose brazen, reckless behavior certainly pointed to desperate circumstances.
Shaking his head, Eiji walks back to his desk and picks up his den den mushi, his fingers shaking as he punches in a snail transponder code. Why did she have to show up, make him look bad. There's no way he can let her see the light of morning. She must die. He dials the number and waits for the other side to pick up.
"Commander, how can I be of service?" a man's rough voice answers, and Eiji wastes no time in responding.
"Agent 5, come to my office. I have an assignment for you. I expect you in 5 minutes."
"Yes sir."
click!
The call ends, and Eiji collapses into his chair, stroking his goatee as the seconds tick by on the clock. She never mentioned the item she was looking for... maybe this really was just a convenient spot to drop off that idiotic pirate? Eiji shakes his head, chiding himself for the foolish thought.
Suddenly, the large wooden doors creak open, and Eiji lifts his head to greet the person who entered.
"Agent 5-..."
His voice goes quiet as he realizes there's no one in the room. But the door...
"5 minutes for your special agent to get here, and the woman has already been gone for 3. The guards you sent with her will surely by dead by the time your spy catches up."
The shadow man's voice slithers into Commander Eiji's ears from right beside him, causing the large man to jump in his seat.
"Damn you.. we don't know that. She could have given up her cause. Not that I'll let her live anyways, but it might be worth it to learn more about this new fruit she found. I want her alive." Eiji eyes the shadow man beside him, watching his every move with hyperventilated detail.
"Ever distracted from the larger picture. A new devil fruit means nothing when you're at risk for enraging the doctor." the shadow man grins, tilting his head almost 90 degrees to the left as he lets out a short cackle. "Luckily, I have already taken precaution against whatever scheme this small woman has concocted."
"What did you do?"
"I made it so I shall enjoy playing with my dinner, appreciating the journey more than the process. Do not concern your small mind with my actions though. Send your spies, your loyal stupid dogs. Either way she ends up neutralized." Shadow man reaches over Eiji to pluck a grape from a bunch sitting in a fruit bowl. "You haven't been eating your daily refreshments commander. More for me I suppose." Shadow man offers a twisted grin, showing clean white teeth, before suddenly disappearing from sight right in front of Commander Eiji's eyes.
The commander gasps audibly, before letting out another string of curse words and turning to glare at the door, waiting for his man. That infuriating, disgusting, pathetic man. Creeping in corners, never leaving him a moments privacy. Eiji bangs his fist on the table, and lets out a short yell of frustration. He WILL handle this situation, and will not be bested by some...
The commander's spiraling thoughts continue as the second and minute hand reach 12, the hour hand resting exactly at 1. A minute passes. Two, three.
A knock on the door, before it slowly swings open.
"Commander sir, Agent five report-"
"What took you so long fool. Get over here. I need you to capture-"
BUHWDABUHWDABUHWDABUH
The den den mushi begins to ring, but Eiji ignores it. What could anyone POSSIBLY need at this hour anyways?!
The snail goes silent.
Agent 5 nods as he glances through Tashigi's report.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
"Commander, Commander!"
Eiji practically growls as he storms to the doors, throwing them wide open as he shouts- "What the hell is going on here!"
"Commander, the mint is under attack!"
Eiji freezes at the words, his vision tunneling at the meaning behind them.
".. what.."
"Yes! The thieves are standing in the jungle, shooting bombs and missiles up at the production facility! Sir, what do-"
"I WANT EVERY UNIT SENT TO THE MINT ON THE DOUBLE! Wake everyone up for this- no one, who, NO ONE GETS AWAY WITH ATTACKING RIENO LIKE THIS!"
Commander Eiji rushes back into his office, grabs his naval jacket and throws Tashigi's file on the ground. "Forget her, I need you in your normal position officer." Eiji orders Agent five, before both men rush out the door, the commander muttering the entire time about the audacity of anyone to attack his esteemed base.
On the wall, beside the large double doors, the clock strikes 1:04.
