Hope everyone is having a great day!
Ok, since the next chapter will be explicit I will be posting two chapters. The kind of safe one here and the not so safe on the AO3 site. I will link it in both the author's note and my description.
Garp slowly descended into the isolated cells bellow the main headquarters building. The narrow path twisted and turned into a spiral of darkness with the occasional marine stationed. They all saluted as he sauntered by, practically ignoring their presence. The further he traveled downward, the closer he could hear fists pounding into what sounded like wet meat. Chains clinked and grated with high pitched noises. He knew the familiar sounds and deducted she must have been hung up.
Once the old man entered the enclosed block he could see through the bars, his granddaughter hanging from a chain wrapped around her torso and arms. She was swaying from side to side like a gentle breeze had blown through. Her features weren't as bad as he assumed. A black eye, a swollen lip, a small streak of blood dripping from the corner of her brow. What upset him the most happened to be the view of her in the buff. The animals had stripped her of her hospital wears. The metal wrapping gave her top portion some decency but all that was left was a pair of thin pink underwear to cover her lower half.
Large blue eyes blinked at the man in dark blue and white. Once he reached the edge of the bars, her grandfather took a seat. She could see the shadow falling over his eyes. Katie saw the man blaming himself right before her own visions.
"Grandpa what are you doing", a tender voice asked.
"I've come to see you. I'll be here to watch over you through it all", he added. "It's my duty, you know?" His voice was calm but gruff. Years of shouting at the top of his lungs would do that to anyone.
A wide grin touched supple bruised lips. "I'm glad I'm not by myself anymore", she added with a subtle chuckle. "But I'm fine. This isn't as bad as when you threw me into the pit of crocodiles or to that family of tigers."
"Oh", the grey haired man perked. "How about the time I threw you down the mouth of the volcano?"
"Oh yeah! That was pretty scary. I can definitely say not as bad as that", the young woman laughed.
It had only been an hour since Katelyn had been in custody, Vergo thought. He was getting an idea just how tough she really was. This wasn't just physically but mentally. No wonder when they took her clothes and hung her up, the woman was nearly unfazed. Sure, the brunette struggled but that was out of modesty not intimidation.
The black haired vice-admiral's eyes shifted to the men who had obscured blank expressions. The officer began to wonder if they realized just how hard this nut was to crack. After all, beating her wasn't working. The young woman was clearly used to being hit and hit hard.
"Are you going to your brother's promotion party", the older vice-admiral asked.
Katie shook her head gingerly. "No. I don't think so. I look like a mess. Sure I might heal up enough to hide all this under makeup but me being there will really take away what he's worked so hard to achieve", the female added.
"I'll be there", Garp resumed in hopes to bait her into going.
"I know and you'll be the most handsome grandpa", the brunette continued to smile.
"Stop that", the grey-haired officer ordered. "You know flattery will get you nowhere", he added with a hint of pink to his cheeks.
"I'm not flattering you", she protested. "But if you do find it in your heart to share those crackers, I'd be really appreciative of the gesture", a sly grin followed. The sound of a growling stomach filled the small moment of silence.
The older man whipped his head back and released a bellowed laugh. "Of course sweetie", he delightfully agreed. With a warm grin the vice-admiral reached into his breast pocket and plucked an open bag of rice crackers. One by one he'd feed her and then eat one himself.
"Mmm", she happily squealed between bites. "So yummy!" The female's cooing was accompanied by excited kicking of legs.
The two bystanders were surprised of the man's long arm that easily fit through the gaps in the bars. The old officer's expression revealed exactly how gleeful it was for him to feed his own granddaughter. Lucci was more perplexed by this. It was a waste of time, prolonging her inevitable end but if the situation was a little different he'd seek some investment into her. The woman was, without a doubt, useful. A tool to keep an eye on the movements of the marines.
"What are they waiting for", Garp pointed out while looking at the two listening in on their conversation.
"They are keeping their distance", Vergo answered. "I had to issue a warning earlier."
"They tried to use a martial art I'm not familiar with. Vergo-san saw it and jumped in before they could do anything", Katie explained between bites.
"The sound I heard earlier coming down the stairs then", Garp asked out of general curiosity.
"Was the warning", the raven haired vice-admiral claimed.
The hero released a whistle of approval. "Never underestimate a marine doing his duty", the older gentleman added before realizing he ate the last cracker. The man turned his back to call for a seaman to come down. Without hesitating the large officer ordered ten bags of doughnuts.
"Grandpa…", Katie rebuked. "You better get some to share with Vergo-san. Coffee too. Milk for me though", she ordered before the younger marine could salute and run off.
The marine with charcoal hair couldn't believe his eyes. This was to be an interrogation but it turned out to be a picnic. All he had to do was keep her safe as he was allowed for the next twenty-two or three hours. The two sent from the World Government were highly skilled in Rokushiki. Vergo had seen it only a few times in his life and each time was protecting his young master from nobles who wished to have him eliminated.
The three men were standing at an impasse. Katie being in the center. Vergo's mind worked similar to Lucci's. The young woman could be used to not only keep an eye on the marine's movements and judgements but also earn their trust with some of the highest ranking officials. His cover would easily be masked and his motives would remain unquestioned.
"Grandpa", the young woman chimed.
"What is it sweetheart", the older man asked as he crossed his arms over his barreled chest while remained seated.
"Can I ask some questions", the long haired brunette sighed. A simple nod let her continue. "How long is this going to keep up? I mean we all know they…", she used a dangling leg to point towards Lucci and Kaku. "Were sent to kill me. It's really not that hard to put together. I mean Kane didn't even come into the picture until after I was attacked and he just so happen to have these two with him? I'm not that dumb… Jeeze", she spouted as large blue eyes rolled.
Lucci and Kaku's backs grew ridged but they refrained from moving or protesting. Both wanted to hear where this conversation was going. It wasn't like either of them wanted to be there; they had other missions! More important things to do than to go out of their way to kill a woman.
"Tell me what makes you think all this", he asked with a wide grin. "Report to me like you used to do when you were little", the older man suggested with the kindest of grins.
"Hai", she chimed with joy. "Well let's see… My first hint was his smell in the hallways. I was tired and on morphine but I knew that cologne anywhere! It's awful! So, I asked Kuzan to close the door. After that Tashigi, Maya, and Smoker showed up but then I was hungry! I wanted meat. When we went to the cafeteria I had a bowl of chicken soup. Tashigi said solid meat isn't good for my stomach…", the young woman whined.
As Garp listened he broke out in fits of laughter but Katie digressed. "Then I smelled that nasty sweet cologne again but then suddenly remembered what my younger brothers told me which had me laughing. I'm not afraid of him anymore grandpa", she grinned with pride.
"That's my granddaughter", the older vice-admiral announced with pride.
"But that's not all! When he started swinging, I smelled things; like the papers he's been signing and the expensive ink! I know it's pricey because it lacked the metallic aroma that normal ink pens have. It's the same ink and parchment that they have on them. So, I'm guessing he wrote up the directives. I'm also one hundred percent certain the elders who are actually in charge didn't order this. If they did, I would have been a goner a long time ago."
The older assassin's hairs bristled on the back of his neck. Sharp eyes widened. A devil fruit user? Rob had an idea pop into his mind. Kaku watched as his colleague disappear as he left the cell. Upon his return, he carried a wooden bucket. The contents of the container were unknown to most but Katie.
"Sea water… That was fast", she hummed. In response Lucci remained quiet as he took off his hat and midnight colored blazer before revealing a matching button up with a white tie underneath. The man rolled up his sleeves before walking over.
"I'm under authority to ask again… What did you tell your friends?" The brunette's response was heavy sighing and rolling of blue eyes. An insult which he didn't take lightly. Before Katelyn knew, she was soaked. The cold water poured over her forcing an abrupt shiver.
"That's cold!" Legs flailed and sharp teeth bared. "Uhg! Now I'm cold! I'm wet! I'm also naked! To make things worse, I'm also in a room with three strangers who happen to be men! Grandpa warned me about guys like you!" Katie was a ball of growls and snaps as she swayed lightly due to the flailing of her two limbs.
Surprised, Lucci bent at the waist to look Katie in the eye. "You're not a devil fruit user", he questioned in astonishment.
"No! What gave you that idea?!" Her bark resulted in a pinch of her bruised snout. "Ye…ow! Stop that!"
Strong rough fingers held onto her dainty nose. "Your sense of smell… Prove it", he demanded.
"Your cologne is Caron's Poivre. It's highly expensive but my grandfather Sengoku wears it on special occasions. I presume you don't like coffee since I don't smell any of the beans on you. You're a wine drinker; I can get a whiff of North Blue's Grange Emilion red wine. It's really faint, so I assume it's from lunch today. The only reason I know you drank that particular wine is the rich aromatic bite it has. There is no other wine like it. Oh, and last but not least, you had a chicken marinated in a lemon sauce. It's pretty strong so I think you may have gotten a little on your blazer."
Rob felt prickles of excitement rush through him. She was an apex predator! What disappointed the man was how this lioness was forced to think like the sheep. Katie wasn't tamed like she should have been. At first the man thought she was merely a tool to be used on a whim but this petite brunette had far more potential than that.
Garp didn't care for the smug smirk that developed on Lucci's lips. The man was planning something in his head. The grey haired man turned his gaze at Vergo whom no longer had his bamboo stick tucked under his arm but held behind his back. The officer was winding up to strike but not for the same reasons the hero assumed.
The younger vice-admiral was fighting to keep the blood from rushing to his cheeks. As professional as he normally was, the sight of the fleet-admiral's granddaughter soaking wet did cause blood to pump in areas to prove he wasn't dead. The officer was a legs type of fellow and hers were in fantastic shape! It took every ounce of discipline not to stare.
Vergo had been putting off his lust for some time until streams of water poured down ivory flesh and literally made the man's hand's jealous. Each drop found a cleft or crease of muscle to follow until it broke free from her pointed toes. It didn't help Katelyn was flexing her legs at the knees to try and keep what little of her modesty she had left. The undercover pirate snapped his eyes over to drink in her thighs all the way up to the shape of her taut rear.
The gentleman in white wasn't the only one affected by the sight. His eyes watched Kaku turn away. The light-haired man's eyes dropped to the large bust that had threatened to break free of its chains. Water followed her gifted mounds as the valley of her cleavage released small droplets of water. Unbeknownst to everyone, the assassin was also a sucker for a woman with long hair. Katelyn's dark ringlets stuck to pale flesh forcing his eyes to follow down to her gifted endowments again. Like an endless loop that caused his heart to race.
The younger agent had been tempted by flesh before but never in his life had he been prepared for someone like Katie. She was as tough as they came. He'd seen dozens of men crush under the pressure Rob was putting on. To add to his desire, the woman didn't scream or cry; not a word was muttered until the brunette saw her grandfather. The little female was smart and right on the money with the logic behind the two of them being there. From the reports he received, she was supposed to be this spoiled brat but nothing about her remotely touched it.
The long-nosed gentleman also picked up the vibe Lucci was also attracted to her. Most likely not because of her physical appearance either. The curly haired assassin didn't retaliate when she affronted him by insinuated that he was some sort of pervert. Kaku pondered what the man's game was. Rob was a sociopath and always hated being insulted to the point of outright striking without warning. It didn't matter who it was but this time he held back. Why did he? The answer might be more frightening than the answer.