Ugggg! I'm sorry. Work is my killer of fun. I make plans and they somehow know this and call me at the worst times. I did warn you guys but still makes me feel awful that you guys have to wait.
Hope everyone is going well! Forgive this chapter I got it out as quick as I could without having the time to really proof read it. Again, SORRY!
Sakazuki watched as the brunette female disappeared. He had to hand it to Angie. Thus so far, she had raised a polite and well-mannered daughter. The admiral half expected to chime in and tell the young woman that it was a private matter but it seemed that it was necessary. Instead he scowled back at the glare Kuzan had projected in his direction. A small smirk tugged at the corner of the man's lip as his sharp hearing caught the click of the door's lock. Just like her mother, she wasn't interested in the kinds of things young women her age were into. It didn't appear that anything was going on between the two of them like what the old men were expecting.
Gingerly the officer took a few gulps of his beverage before settling down. A large black clad covered hand reached into the left side of his inner breast pocket and retrieved a manila folder that had been stuffed with paperwork. A loud snap of the thick stack filled the kitchen as the admiral had dropped it on the wood.
"I think your guy was looking for that", Sakazuki's gruffly spoke. He ignored the sharp glare in his direction from his younger colleague.
"How did you get your hands on this", Kuzan questioned while he dropped his annoyed expression and genuinely shifted his attention over to the information laid out. Kizaru gave a whistle of approval before finishing off his drink.
With trembling fingers, the curly haired marine opened the file and began reading. Borsalino watched as his brows twitched from time to time. Curiously, the older man slipped a hand over and lightly pulled out Katelyn's medical documentation while his colleague read the brunette's service record.
Sakazuki had already read every bit of information in that file. What he saw disgusted him. Future marines abused to the point of death, in some cases and what was worse, was the state Katelyn was put in. This healthy child was placed in the care of the supposed best and came out to be nothing but a broken heap of bones and blood.
Akainu took another long swig of his drink. He had to admit it did wash the flavor of bile building in his throat back down. It was clear he was full of disappointment and rage. Kane was going to suffer by his own hand, that much he was sure of. Not because he was some glorified hero but unlike the other idiot in the room, the admiral was honest with himself.
The officer in red had already sat and thought about his feelings that had resurfaced. He had let Angela go but now there was another. Someone who didn't shy away from him. A common reaction that Sakazuki found himself used too. There were several years between them and one could argue the marine could be the age of her father. He wasn't looking for that kind of intimate relationship. The large man just wanted what he lost, back.
Angela never once made him feel like a stranger but instead she trusted him. The woman did everything right and he put his hands on her. In retrospect, it may have not been the best idea the officer ever had but at the time the man could have sworn it was what she wanted of him. Now some moron was trying to take the life of Sengoku's granddaughter; a very important man and figure to the marines. Did anyone understand the ramifications if the assassin did succeed? How it would make them look?
Not only did Sakazuki feel the responsibility and stress of caring for Katie's well-being but he also had to deal with world nobles. He wasn't at all thrilled to hear the only reason Kane was walking around today was because of his slight attachment to some damn family member. Luckily the admiral in red could pull some strings and get the retracted black listed files returned.
Midnight orbs shifted to Kizaru's expression as the older marine sifted through photos after reading the dreadful report. "~I'm amazed she survived~", the man in the green button up spoke with a darkened expression.
The bigger marine scoffed. "She's the official adopted granddaughter of that bastard Garp and the adopted granddaughter of our fleet-admiral. It would have been more surprising if she didn't. The brat even managed to hurt our commander and chief, Kong. Naturally Katelyn snapped when Kane attacked her during his hearing; so Kong's intention wasn't to kill her but he bruised his reputation by getting hurt and it wasn't some small scratch either."
The follower of absolute justice leaned forward in his seat and skimmed through official papers before pulling out a photo of the great Kong being bandaged by the nurses on hand at the incident. Blood had pooled everywhere and his lower left side was soaked with his own life fluid. Sakazuki leaned back as both men drifted forward to take a look.
"Geez… what did she do to him", Kuzan asked in astonishment.
"She imbued her hand with armament haki before skewering him and instead of pulling it out, she ripped it sideways like one would with a blade." Sakazuki finished off his drink. The sweet tantalizing flavor made for a good distraction. He was simply disappointed to find just fruit on the bottom.
"She incapacitated him to move onto her target", the curly haired officer muttered while he swam in his own thoughts.
"~Who stopped her~", Borsalino asked while he plucked up a few investigative reports.
"Garp. It doesn't say how he did it but he was quoted for saying it's a grandpa thing", Sakazuki answered with irritation oozing into his words.
That single statement gave Kuzan the idea of how it was done. The towering officer finished off his own drink as he continued to read more and truly get the idea how bad it was for those kids under Kane's care. What he saw next didn't just sicken him, the youngest admiral had to check his rage. It was a photo of Katelyn's class. Many were underweight but a select few. Dead panned eyes with blank expressions filled the picture revealing more than just words. Most of the children were dead inside with their spirits gone.
"Please tell me it doesn't get any worse", the curly haired admiral bemoaned with dread. Pushing himself away from the table, the man stood as his back felt suddenly heavy. With an objective in mind, Kuzan made his way into his kitchen and pulled a large bottle of Jerez that had been well hidden.
"Then don't read the report", Borsalino warned without a trace of his normal haughty tone. It was quite serious in nature as it sent a chill down Sakazuki's spine. That particular timbre was only ever heard once since the man had known his friend and colleague. It was when the older officer challenged him over Angela. The ONLY reason the admiral dressed in red won that day, was simply because the demon in yellow was out to kill him and pushed him into a survival mentality.
The sound of the cork breaking free of the air tight confines of the bottle brought Akainu back to the kitchen entry way he was sitting in at the moment. The admiral felt restless. The officer needed to kill Kane by any means. In his dark reaches of the man's mind, it was the only real way to apologize for how things turned out or handled.
Disappointment and anger were the only things keeping Sakazuki up this late. He had already had his piece with Sengoku over the old man's blunder on the case and later he's going to tear into that Bogard bastard. So many names on a list compiled during the investigation that the young Katie had reached out too. How she was so ignored to the point of near death, was beyond him; not to even touch on the fact that eight children perished in her class alone and that wasn't even the highest number in a single class under that monster's tutelage. It dug deep into the core of his heart to know his marines would turn a blind eye to their own. It was expected of pirates but these were marines!
This wasn't hard to understand, the officer snarled in his thoughts. Their leadership's hesitancy against Kane burned him worse than the actual crimes committed. These kids weren't the children of criminal but the future of their own! Sakazuki clenched his teeth. The leather in his gloves crunched while his fists tightened. Aokiji remained quiet as he saw the familiar signs of his colleague slowly going into a blind rage.
The tallest admiral's aura filled the room once he took to his feet. "I'm heading out. Something needs to be done about Kane." With those parting words, the largest of the three officers left. His stewing nature made him the most dangerous and volatile of the three. Even Kuzan felt the need to remain silent. Any smart rebutting would earn the older officer's ire.
It didn't take long for the other admiral to follow in suit. "~He maybe an admiral but Akainu is painfully short sighted~", Borsalino added while he slipped on his yellow blazer that Katie had hung prior.
"You're not going after Kane", the curly haired officer asked curiously.
"~That man is a living corpse. Between Garp, fleet-admiral Sengoku, and now Sakazuki, there won't be any need for me to get involved. Kane didn't stab Katelyn. I'm sure one of his own kids did. Clever man if you ask me…~", he paused to button up his suit. "~He was trying to create an empire for himself here in Marineford using the future generations of marines. Only those whose parents aligned with his own beliefs were spared and turned against all opposition. To them, he probably was like a father and the three of us know exactly how effective that is.~"
The younger officer cocked his head to the side slightly with an over shadowed expression forming upon is facial expression. It was quite the reminder of his own upbringing. "You know… for a man who can't remember which den den mushi to use, you're frightfully cunning when it comes to figuring out people's motives and backgrounds."
"~I've grown a habit to applying myself when I feel like it.~" The marine officer paused as he opened the front door. "~Katelyn is special to someone who was close to me.~" Kizaru subconsciously thumbed the wood of the door. "~If anything happens to her again, you'll take full responsibility while she's under your care.~"
"Don't threaten me", Kuzan warned in ominous tones. With both men's tempers flared, ice had begun to crystallize on the younger admiral's cheek. Copper orbs watched the man in yellow slightly turn his head back in his direction. The shorter marine caught Kizaru eyeing him from the corner of his own eye. Their silent threats were louder than their voices could ever carry. Quietly, the older officer sauntered off leaving a bitter flavor in Aokiji's mouth. To wash it down, he finished off his bottle of wine and waited before deciding to check on the little woman who was occupying his bed.