Lelouch's Romance Dawn

by Ordinn Beaucephalis

"That's some impressive presence you've got there, kid. Tell me, how come you're not a commander yourself?"

14. Tomorrow's Romance Dawn

Author's Note: Oh hey, guys! Welcome to this new chapter—where Lelouch might actually get some answers. I hope you're all safe and sound, shit is getting crazy in this world. Out of the second lockdown in France (a bit too soon if you want my opinion and we got yet another useless curfew) and probably about to fall head first into the third. Our french government is playing Monopoly with our lives. Oh, bliss.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Anyway, anyway, on with it!

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Chapter Fourteen: Tomorrow's Romance Dawn

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Lelouch inhaled deeply, then exhaled as he gingerly looked up at the dark sky with a serious expression. The female Cipher Pol agent who'd managed to crawl away from the bloodbath lay limp and lifeless in his grip, her limbs dislocated in weird angles—if he looked closer, some bones were sticking out as well. At the very least, she babbled all she could think of before dying painfully and Lelouch may have some answers to some of his questions. Her mouth was hanging open in one last scream of terror that would never get out of her throat while he was torturing her (away from the prying eyes of the nosy Straw Hats, as his business couldn't be out in the open). As for her eyes... they'd been gouged out very carefully. While it wasn't everything, it was still something and he'll need to sort it out before deciding what to do next. He really was on the clock on this one and with Vergo on his way to end his life, the decision will most certainly have to be taken now.

Alabasta just came out of the fight for its life, I can't risk the security of the Nefertaris by indulging in their generosity, Lelouch thought with a scowl as he glanced back at the top of the plaza, where his best friend and the Straw Hats were looking for his Vivre Card on the Cipher Pol agents he'd just murdered. If these lackeys managed to find him this easily instead of wandering around the Kingdom and asking about his whereabouts, then surely one of them had his Vivre Card—with another unknown name that just wasn't Lelouch at all. Though the World Government wouldn't do anything to Vivi and Cobra because of the misdeeds of one of their 'leashed' dogs, anything could still happen. Literally anything with those million-headed hydras.

As he thought so, Spandam really was the one who sent those dead agents onto Lelouch's trail. They hadn't received the order to kill him but to bring him to Enies Lobby first, so the leader of CP9 could gloat and bask into an anticipated glory of having captured the prized wielder of the Terror-Terror Fruit. This couldn't be a mere coincidence and this wasn't even an invitation to join the ranks of the Cipher Pol: it was bait, trying to gauge if he'd take it without seeing who was holding the hook. And if these agents had succeeded in apprehending Lelouch, had shackled him up with Sea Prism Stone and had dragged him back on their ship, it could have been their 'victory' (Assuming they had no idea if Sabertooth possessed his Vivre Card to follow, catch up and slaughter them in one fell swoop).

Vergo wouldn't have told anything to Spandam, this idiot is just as worthless as his father and should have his spirit toyed with until there's nothing left to fix. All this is Spandam trying to score a higher position and riches within the World Government. There was a pensive hum as the Wraith mused about something. But for the time being, you're right: you need to leave Alabasta. As soon as possible.

Not now. I need to have a word with Captain Smoker, Lelouch countered, pushing his damp locks up his forehead until they were slicked back and wouldn't stick to his wet face. And Captain Black Cage Hina too, since she's come to Alabasta as well. Believe it or not, those two might be the only Marine officers worthy of any kind of trust and integrity.

The entity scoffed in derision. Really? How can you be so sure Smoker won't fall in line and take you into custody? The Marines obey the World Government as well, boy.

If he values both his life and true morals as an upstanding Marine officer, he'll do what he believes is really right, Lelouch replied with a grim smile, jumping back on the plaza to join everyone with the corpse still in his hands. Smoker is anything but stupid. He must have seen what I did to Crocodile prior to his defeat at Saber's hands. Besides, he'll want to hear what I'll have to say and read what I'll give to him. If Doflamingo wants me out of the game just because he said so, he best be prepared because I'll drag him to the grave. Not even his status will be enough to protect his business.

He strolled back towards Sabertooth, the Straw Hats and the Nefertaris. Vivi was one of the firsts to notice him and she took hesitant steps in his direction, taking in his state of dress and his facial expression. He didn't even try to give the young princess a reassuring smile, as this would be lying to her and she's had enough after the battle against Crocodile. Though the rain was very much welcome in washing the blood off his face, he wished it could also have the power to wipe away the creeping dread that came with the theory his brain was coming up with—it was becoming harder to keep a poker face when disastrous revelations came to light one after the other. Because the mere idea of him being a World Noble or something akin to that...

Hell. Even suggesting such possibility as disgusting as this one was making his skin crawl and the fresh pounding rain had nothing to do with him shivering a little.

"So, did you find anything of value on them?" he asked everyone, weary.

The reindeer perked up. "I got a piece of paper!" Chopper exclaimed, waving his hooves. And sure enough, he was indeed holding a piece of paper that had been folded twice. "There's a name on it, but..."

"But...?" Lelouch coaxed him softly, tilting his head.

"It's not yours," Cobra elaborated warily, his face grim. "It doesn't say 'Lelouch'."

Lelouch almost wanted to snort in derision, his mismatched eyes glittering under the moonlight and his teeth gritting. Why wasn't he that surprised? He'd already considered the possibility of him not actually being who he thought he was, as it would seem that he was missing a good deal of memories from his life—for example, those past seven years he couldn't remember even if he tried hard to rack his brains were probably the biggest mystery of his life, competing with his Devil Fruit.

Nonetheless, he let go of the dead agent, crouched in front of Chopper and extended his hand. Startled by this very different demeanor, the reindeer took an hesitant step back, blinking his round eyes owlishly at him with a slightly fearful expression. Lelouch didn't even look offended one bit, as he completely deserved this reaction from the Straw Hats who were the most scared of him—like that long-nosed coward who called himself a sharp-shooter and the orange-haired screeching witch.

Unperturbed, Lelouch smiled at the little reindeer with a much kinder and softer expression. "You're absolutely terrified of me, aren't you?" he asked. Without waiting for an answer, he hummed. "Figures. I wasn't exactly friendly earlier, I took out my frustration and anger at you because you... just happened to be there. You didn't deserve it."

"Yeah, no kidding," Monkey D. Luffy, Roronoa Zoro and Usopp all replied sarcastically (though the latter's legs were still shaking like fragile noodles). "You were being a bit crazy."

"Heh. I've heard much, much worse from previous enemies back in the New World, so that actually counts as one of the nicest compliments I've heard," Lelouch snorted, standing back up. His eyes landed on Monkey D. Luffy. "Besides, it's surely not every day you run into an interesting pirate crew that's just starting out in Paradise and might actually be the real deal. Most would run in fear after finding out that a Warlord is the enemy, but you didn't. You really helped Vivi and Alabasta."

And was his hostility towards them justified? Completely. While Lelouch had no excuse for not having been there to deal with Crocodile during the three years he'd been preying on Alabasta, he'd never thought that a young bunch of pirates would actually try to turn the tables and stop the madness from overcoming the Desert Kingdom. Yet, they knew next to nothing about their enemy: how to thwart his plans, if he had a Devil Fruit, how to fight his powers and how to stop the impending bloodshed that would have destroyed this country. Hell, Vivi herself hadn't known what to do about the Warlord before arriving to the capital. Cornelia would have had a field day with her strategy, had she heard what the princess had first intended to do. So yes, Lelouch had wanted them to understand that they could have lost because of their lack of knowledge and skill about the whole situation. How could he take them seriously?

These Straw Hats may have some brewing potential, but they were still so young. So inexperienced. They were like tiny flames of a candle among the fierce infernos that have been raging in the New World—in other words, they still had so much room to grow. But somehow, they seemed a bit too hasty to live and too eager for his taste; Lelouch could sense the green-haired swordsman's burning motivation to strive and thrive. It was rolling off him in waves, itching to grow stronger by the minute. The same could be said about Sanji and Luffy—they all had that kind of ferocious aura that would make them recognized threats to the World Government one day. Just not now.

But still—

Lelouch scoffed as he turned away from them with an aggravated face. "Nevertheless, I stand by my belief: you could have lost," he stated in an annoyed drawl, one hand shuffled in his pocket. "Following Vivi's lead wasn't smart at all, it was stupid. Who even believed this could have been a good idea in the first place, considering her little experience in warfare and strategy? Not to mention her idealistic outlook? You're all idiots."

As predicted, all of the Straw Hats (including the offended princess and king) reacted strongly to his insult while Sabertooth chuckled in silence. "SHUT IT, YING YANG EYES!" they all yelled, riled up and looking ready to clobber him.

He clicked his tongue lazily, snatching the Vivre Card from Chopper's hooves at lightning speed. "And you're in no position to insult me because it's pissing you off," he retorted back, tucking the precious paper in his pocket for safekeeping before gazing at an irate Luffy with an insolent grin. "Though I'm amazed you survived that wound from Crocodile's hook. You're tougher than you look, Straw Hat."

"And your friends aren't too bad either," Sabertooth added, though his eyes still remained on Lelouch. "You actually pulled through and didn't die on the princess."

"Shishishishishi! They're the best, aren't they?" Straw Hat laughed, rubbing his nose.

Usopp apparently found some courage and put on a proud face with a big grin. "W-Well, of course we're good! I completely counted on you two to take care of both the bomb and Crocodile!" he boasted futively, his nose in the air and his hands on his hips. "My plan worked perfectly!"

Haaaa? Just who is this fool?

The annoyance on his friends' faces was unmistakable, which made Lelouch even more aggravated for real this time around. Sabertooth rolled his eyes. Being the coward he truly was on the highest level there could be, Usopp must probably do this on a daily basis and this must grate on the others' nerves. Plus, this long-nosed idiot was probably the one who was scared of him the most, seconded by the sea witch and the reindeer. Lelouch could both sense and smell his fear (maybe if he managed to learn how to master the Sense Mode, he'd be able to see it as well). Usopp's fear smelled like... ashes and gunpowder, while Nami's smelled like fruits—tangerines, maybe? As for Chopper, the scent of medecine was tickling. Was the reindeer a doctor? How intriguing. What an interesting pirate crew.

But still—

"See? Just a bunch of fools."

Luffy's broad grin and weird laugh were almost relaxing to hear and see for Lelouch. Almost. Seeing such laidback nature following a very heated battle during which they could have been killed at the slightest moment was... refreshing; since the navigator had always been on his toes around the members of the Donquixote Family and the Marines most of his life, the idea of relaxing around the Straw Hats was starting to sound a bit appealing—he had somewhat of a taste of their carefree attitude and their crazy antics at dinner tonight before heading out, and Lelouch had to admit it, this circus of a pirate crew might not be so bad.

Quite different from those he and Sabertooth had confronted back in the New World for years. Then again, the Straw Hats are just rookies for now, Lelouch thought as he looked back at the king with an apologetic nod.

"Forgive me for slaughtering a bunch of agents of the World Government on the palace's grounds, but I don't think they'd have given me the chance to get away any further," he stated in a mild tone. "It was either coming out or fighting them inside while you're still recovering from the injuries you've sustained in the battle. The blood would have been a pain to clean up and I'm not taking any chance of leaving you to explain this... incident to the World Government, should they come knocking on your doors for answers."

Cobra shook his head, approaching Lelouch to grab his shoulder. "Never mind that, they don't have any excuse for the damage one of their dogs has caused to this country. Worry more about yourself, Lelouch," he told him grimly. "Because if the World Government chose to send so many of their agents to capture you, it can't be a mere coincidence."

Lelouch scoffed with a scowl. Shocker. "Of course it's not, there's no coincidence with them and although I might have an idea as to why they'd want me, it might not be the only reason," he shot back. "The main one has got to be my Devil Fruit. As for any other reason, I have hypothesises."

"And what else could it be? What else? Does whatever is happening to you have anything to do with the fact that you're missing seven years of your life and can't remember them, no matter how hard you try? Yes, Lelouch, Sphinx told me about the nature of your headaches after your departure from Alabasta," he confirmed upon seeing the look of pure shock on the navigator's face.

Words couldn't begin to express the feeling of betrayal that shot and tore through him. It stung. So Sphinx couldn't keep his feeble attempts at remembering the memories he'd mysteriously lost a secret between them, could he? He couldn't take them to the damn grave with his disease and had tasked the king to confront him over his plausible identity crisis in his stead? Lelouch snarled as he shrugged the king off and crossed his arms over his chest as a defensive shield to hide the intensifying turmoil.

"And what of it?" he snarked.

Cobra looked stupefied. "What do you mean, 'What of it?'? Have you ever wondered why you mysteriously stumbled in the middle of this desert thirteen years ago, naked and without any memories of how you ended up here, where you came from and who you are? Who you really are?" He got into Lelouch's face, grabbing the young man's shoulders once again. "If the World Government is involved, then—"

"This matter doesn't concern you, Cobra!"

Cobra inhaled sharply, then sighed. Long and loudly. At this instant, it seemed the fatigue of having endured so much during these three years caught up to him second by second, with his face falling as if the battle for Alabasta was still going. Lelouch flinched and gritted his teeth, but refused to yield and apologize. Not now. And just when he was about to add something, this happened at the most unexpected moment. Since he recognized the weird sensation tied to his Observation Haki, it still managed to shock him.

"No, it doesn't," Cobra relented. "But you can't just shrug this off because you believe it doesn't matter, not when the World Government is going after you for reasons you can't even explain. If anything, try to get some answers first, Nue."

Lelouch froze up on his spot, his eyes going wide at the mention of this name so unknown, yet so bloody familiar at the same time. The pupil of the right eye spread out, swallowing the rich purple of his eye color. But it wasn't so much the name that stilled him into near shock—it was the nagging, painful sensation that something was trying to... twist his brain inside out and upside down. And succeeding, as the navigator suddenly relaxed three seconds later with an unusual candid expression. This particular face was what made Sabertooth perk up in confusion, even the Straw Hats, Vivi and Cobra.

Then horror replaced the Mink's face, as Lelouch drew his arm back and aimed his hand towards the king's chest, so fast that the Straw Hats and Vivi could barely react to this attack—only Sabertooth managed to move fast enough to block him, yelling at his best friend in utter disbelief...

When the nightmarish vision ended, Lelouch recoiled harshly with a shocked gasp and his breathing harried, his hands and face twitching from the unexpected reaction he'd had in this vision of the future. Hell, his whole body was shivering uncontrollably and the rain had nothing to do with his condition—no, he wasn't cold at all, it was an entirely different emotion. One that his Devil Fruit commanded with absolute mastery and he'd obtain one day, should he finally stop cowering. He felt like he'd been seriously prickled over multiple times in the gut, in the mind and—shit, Cobra!

"... you can't even explain," the king was saying—the exact same words in his vision of the future. "If anything, try to get some answers first, N—"

Shut him up now! Save their lives, Lelouch!

The Wraith had seen it too. He'd watched him attempt to assassinate the king of Alabasta right after hearing this particular name. Lelouch had never moved so fast in his life—he'd congratulate himself on his speed if he could, but the timing was so wrong that he needed to forget about it. He hadn't even waited for the Wraith to really finish his frantic orders that he'd already struck. He slapped a gloved hand over Cobra's mouth, preventing the good king from pronouncing the name that could have ended his life. Everyone jumped in surprise at seeing Lelouch right in front of the king in less than a second, as if he'd just warped.

"Don't!" Lelouch hissed to Cobra. "Don't say that name in my presence! Neither should any of you Straw Hats!" he added as he stared wildly into the eyes of each Straw Hat and especially Sabertooth. "The same goes for you too, Saber!"

Chopper frowned and tilted his head. "Huh? But why?" he asked innocently. "Isn't it your real name?"

"Doesn't matter if it's my real name or not, don't you dare pronounce it!" he suddenly shouted at them. "You didn't see what I just saw, so erase that name from your minds forever!"

"What are you on about now?" Zoro demanded suspiciously. "What is it about your real name that's so dangerous that you don't even want it pronounced by anyone?"

He glanced at the green-haired swordsman, taking him in. Trying to see the shape and smelling the essence of his fear was completely useless right now, because he wasn't scared at all. Not of him, as Lelouch hadn't given him a valid reason to be scared shitless. Unlike Usopp, Nami and Chopper, Roronoa held himself in composure very easily. Was it even possible for that man to feel fear?

"This... can't be good, can it?" the Mink asked in a shaky breath.

The tone of his voice was too calm. Way too calm for Lelouch. And that was freaking him the hell out.

The pure confusion he could read on the Straw Hat's, Vivi's and Cobra's faces did nothing to appease the cold, gut-wrenching sensation that has taken over him, but the look of frozen dread on his best friend's face mirrored his frantic state of mind and all the fearful 'what ifs' that were now springing to life in his head to give him a splitting headache—Lelouch couldn't even scold himself for losing his nerve right now and almost babbling about Haki, as the vision his Observation Haki had just made him see was downright frightening. Oh yeah, now he remembered what emotion it was that was making him shiver so much like a leaf.

It was fear.

If he could laugh right now, like he did when the Wraith had been conversing with the Poneglyph, Lelouch would be on his knees and laughing as if he'd lost it. Because, how could he not? Wasn't it a riot? He, who was the literal embodiment of fear itself, was now standing in a pounding rain and shaking uncontrollably as he was processing the contents of the future he'd seen a few minutes ago. There was so much Lelouch had just found out, yet it still didn't feel like it was the whole story; the fact that his real name was never Lelouch in the first place was one of the biggest mysteries of his life and one that shouldn't matter, but still did. He couldn't believe it at all. What else don't I know that will change my perspective? the navigator thought as he slowly released Cobra from his painful hold and allowed the king to breathe, turning his back on everyone with his arms crossed against his chest.

There was so, so much he needed to mark down in his Logbook so he could think it over and over while waiting for Vergo to catch up to him.

If his name—his real, real name—was indeed Nue like this Vivre Card suggested, then... did that truly mean he actually wasn't Lelouch Lamperouge? Could it be that he didn't reincarnate in some other world or dimension and actually was born here? How come? How the hell could he have Lelouch Lamperouge's memories when he wasn't even his reincarnation? More importantly, was the real Lelouch truly dead or had C.C found a way to bring him back to life after Suzaku had dealt him the fatal blow in front of the world? If he was still alive, then he must have become an immortal like the green witch. In that case, he was nothing more than his doppelganger from another world and another era.

Still, it didn't explain how and why he had Lelouch Lamperouge's memories. Had someone seriously messed with his mind before he wound up in Alabasta all these years ago? To the point he'd actually forget about the memories from before? Who the hell could have the technology and brains to manage such—wait.

His mismatched eyes widened in realization and his breath was knocked out of his lungs. In this crazy world where everything was possible, where islands in the sky actually existed, Lelouch had quickly learned to expect even the impossible from absolutely anything and anyone. So if the World Government had become the most powerful and corrupt organization he'd ever seen (Britannia itself couldn't even possibly compare), then it was of course possible for them to have access to the most advanced technology. After all, they already owned the greatest mind this world had ever birthed and only he could have succeeded in messing with Lelouch's mind with enough skill to erase the memories of his past. Vegapunk is, at the very least, five hundred years ahead of this world, so I wouldn't be surprised if he managed to solve the formula of time travel... or to erase memories from someone's mind, the navigator thought with a wild shake of his head.

Only this man could have managed such feat, not his mad colleague Cesar Clown—who worked for Doflamingo in order to create these accursed SMILES and was also tasked by Big Mom to manage something biologically impossible to do (turning normal children into giants? Just how damn desperate was that big witch to gain the favor of the Giants from Elbaf, even after what she'd done years ago?). So no, Lelouch definitely wasn't surprised. He was livid. Who the hell could have had enough power to turn him into a lab rat for Vegapunk? Who the hell was he so that his real name could be used as a trigger to turn him into a killing machine with a deadly Devil Fruit to boot? Why would the World Government mess with his mind? He couldn't be that special... could he?

"Hey. Hey, Lulu."

The voice was firm, yet kind in his ears. He slowly turned towards Sabertooth, his face unchanged. The Mink had a sympathetic expression that Lelouch knew all too well and was acquainted with—he had an idea as to what was going through his mind, but had no words for comfort. Not that the navigator was looking for any at the moment. All he could do was walk back mechanically inside the palace, being nudged from behind by Sabertooth's sword guiding him (he hadn't even noticed that the Straw Hats, Vivi and Cobra had left the plaza). Being too numb to move by himself, he'd likely have stayed in the rain and would have caught a cold. Stupidly so.

My theory thus stands—someone did mess with your mind before Vergo made you eat my Devil Fruit, resulting in memory loss... but for what purpose, I wouldn't know. There's a wall in your mind I can't even breach and go through to access your memories. You might need to come back inside and take a look at what I'm talking about, Lelouch.

"It's been a long day, we're all exhausted by everything and a break is in order," Sabertooth whispered to him as they walked at a slow pace through the palace. "Whatever we've just learned can wait until morning. We don't have to talk it out now. Not with Vergo coming our way to kill you."

Lelouch exhaled loudly, his face scrunched up. "Right, there's that problem too," he grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I need to come up with a deceitful strategy to overcome Vergo."

He stopped short in front of Sabertooth, firmly planting his feet on the ground. He ignored his best friend's annoyed hissing, already planning on countering the foster father (and probably crippling him before defeating the bastard). He may have helped in scoring the freedom of this kingdom and destroying a greedy Warlord's insane dreams of domination, there was no fricking way he'd be able to catch a single wink of sleep with everything he's just uncovered—he had too much to think about, many strategies to come up with.

This wouldn't be like using a chessboard and ordering the Black Knights on the field, this was a totally different domain. No Knightmare Frames to pilot, no pawns to follow his lead as the king marching before his army. Lelouch would be on his own, with his brains, skills and deceit. Once Vergo got to him on the open sea, it wouldn't be for a nice chat to reminisce. It would be for an execution. And knowing his former mentor, he'd go all out to kill him so he wouldn't feel the slightest remorse over ending his young pupil's life too early.

"There are ways to force Doflamingo to let us live, but only one that would hurt him enough to consider me a threat to actually leave alone," he declared as he perked up, his eyes lighting up. He looked skyward, a faint grin on his face. "And I'll need your help with this plan, Saber. Vergo will be the cornerstone. Everything is centered around him."

Sabertooth hummed noncommentally and nodded absent-mindedly, pushing him again so he'd walk. The young Mink yawned loudly and shook his tail, the overgrown tuft twitching a little.

"Yeah, I know," he slurred. "Later, okay? We need to sleep a little if you're to speak with Smoker about exposing Doflamingo's faithful lapdog and even having him executed. No way are you going to make any sense if you're too exhausted and I'd rather not nurse you back to health, I've got too many bad memories of your miserable self to do it all over again."

Lelouch snorted. "Such a kind best friend," he yawned, stretching. "Devil Fruit and origins aside, I truly believe I've been blessed. You're really a life-saver sometimes, Saber."

This time, Sabertooth 'gently' whacked him beside the head with his sword. Faltering in his step, the navigator swayed on his knees a little, groaning in pain as he cradled the stinging area. Then he shook his head, blinking his bleary eyes under his best friend's annoyed and disgruntled gaze.

"Fine," Lelouch huffed. "Let's go to bed."

"Yessssss," the Mink hissed with a scowl before nudging him again.

As stressed as he was after such revelations, Lelouch wouldn't be able to think clearly—he'd be moody, hot-headed and prompt to snap very easily at the first person to piss him off. His blunt words would hurt as well, which begged the question as to how he was still popular among the female Marine officers. And the Marines are now after me because they've been given their orders like obedient little dogs, Lelouch thought with a weak snarl as he sluggishly made his way towards the rooms upstairs, Sabertooth's sword still nudging his back to keep going. And if he wanted to make any sense at all, he needed to sleep properly.

Between the World Government, Big Mom and the Marines, he actually had his pick as to whom would capture him and get rewarded with a hefty lump of money or an excellent position—although, Lelouch had a feeling that Big Mom's reward would be a place in her ever hungry stomach. That cannibalistic Emperor wasn't so keen on offering gifts to someone out of her crew, unless it benefited her somehow. If she ever got his hands on him, what the hell would she make him do? Use his Devil Fruit in irrational ways to force her fellow Emperors to yield and make way for the new Queen of the Pirates once she's gotten her hands on the One Piece? As if that overgrown, woman-child (whore) and sweets-lover was fit to succeed the great and mighty Gol D. Roger.

As. If. This world was already fucked up as it was, it didn't need Charlotte Linlin to become the next Queen of the Pirates and turn it into her playground. Lelouch yawned again and stretched like a cat, still nudged by Sabertooth's sword until he found his room. He didn't even have the necessary energy to smack his best friend, as his body wouldn't listen at all anyway (but a smartass comment wasn't beyond his level of fatigue, which was rewarded with a good smack of the hilt on his head).

Later. All this mess could wait until morning and a good meal, only then would he go to see Smoker and devise a plan. As he flopped unceremoniously on his bed after getting rid of his soaked clothes with mechanical gestures, Lelouch lazily dragged his tired body under his covers and buried his face into his fluffy pillow with a relieved, exhausted sigh.

---

Four to five hours of sleep was absolutely nothing and did nothing to alleviate his mind from his inner turmoil. Because it had been a while since Lelouch had been this restless and disturbed over informations—especially when it concerned him, as he'd somewhat convinced himself that his missing memories were nothing more than a nuisance he shouldn't even dwell on while growing up. Alternating between Dressrossa and G-5 to complete his training over the years, Lelouch had just... given up on trying to remember anything, as the damn headaches weren't worth it. But now that he might have gotten some potential answers from the female Cipher Pol agent he'd murdered, he just couldn't wait until morning to go over it.

So when he couldn't just take it anymore, he fled from his room like a comatose zombie and settled somewhere in the western aisle of the palace to think. The rain was still pounding outside, attempting to wash away the last traces of spilled blood by Crocodile and Baroque Works. The sound was somewhat soothing, yet didn't completely lull the navigator to slumber. As he propped himself up on a windowsill, Lelouch groaned in annoyance, crossed his legs and slightly bumped his head against the cool wall behind him. He must look like a zombie, some bags under his eyes and a somewhat permanent frown on his face; his hair was mussed and some wet bangs were slicked back up his forehead. His mismatched eyes were half-lidded with sleep, and yet he never faltered on his way here. There was so much to think about, so much to mull over and discuss with someone who might have the right answers he wasn't even looking for. He had half a mind going to the palace's crematory to grab one of the mangled corpses of the government agents, drag it to wherever Captain Smoker's ship was anchored without any care in the world and shove it at the Marine's face before demanding to speak to a high-ranking officer of the World Government. If he wasn't so exhausted, he'd do it in a heartbeat.

Vergo was part of this sick joke and just went on with the flow, Lelouch thought with a derisive snarl. Because he had no choice but to protect the bastard he was so loyal to, he'd accepted playing dog for the World Government by forcing him to swallow the Terror-Terror Fruit, taking him under his wing and training to become a killing machine for the relics who called themselves the rulers of this world. Vergo had also been playing babysitter for a decade, shaping him as told or he'd be exposed, thus not only losing his position in the Marines as a plant but also facing an execution—Admiral Akainu would have leaped at the chance to kill the traitor himself and would gladly do so, since Vergo was nothing more than a pirate who infiltrated their ranks. Absolute Justice would always prevail in this madman's mind and beliefs.

But what Lelouch was now suspecting was his former mentor's knowledge of his past. There was no way he couldn't know about him, starting from his real name and origins—aside from the fact that Sphinx had called him for a favor (last wishes of dying people really were a pain), he was now starting to think that Vergo and Doflamingo had known about him ever since. Considering how careful and mindful the Warlord had been of him in his younger years, even before he'd accidentally used his Devil Fruit powers on him, it was very likely that he did. His subordinate never lied, never hid anything from him...

Lelouch grinned a derisive smile, feeling his cold anger surge back in his veins. It was actually burning like lava, enticing him to act on his instincts and purge himself of these nerve-wrecking emotions. In his case, who exactly had the other by the balls? The Heavenly Demon or the World Government? If the mastermind after him was a high-ranking officer in the organization, they might have enough influence and sway to get the Five Elders to flay Doflamingo's status and bring him back down to being a common pirate with a high bounty, thus fucking up all his deals with the powerhouses in the New World (Kaido would be the first one to suffer from the lack of SMILES to feed his army, and if the Marines were to capture Cesar Clown and find out about their relations to Big Mom, access their files, there would be so much to lose for Doflamingo). He'd be captured, stripped of everything and sent to the lowest level of Impel Down, just like Crocodile—his return back to Mariejois as a World Noble was shot to hell and back.

What the hell would Doflamingo gain by killing the little bird he'd helped taking care for? Lelouch certainly wasn't Trafalgar Law, who'd obtained the Devil Fruit that could grant immortality to anyone. If anything, his own powers would only spell doom, terror and death. While he understood that he knew too much about his operations and deals with the Emperors, taking him out would piss off his pursuer in the World Government, who would take action and have him destroyed. Doflamingo was a smart bastard, so why risk sending his lackey to do the work? It just couldn't be because Lelouch posed too much of a threat to him, it had to have something to do with his damn origins. Did his real name really have that much impact? What kind of troublesome 'problem' was he?

I don't belong in that mysterious list of people who have the letter "D" in their names, so what the hell? Lelouch thought tiredly as he sighed silently. Law secretly was a "D", which had driven him away from the accursed Donquixote Family thanks to the late Donquixote Rocinante—had he stayed, he'd have died anyway, as the Amber Lead disease was slowly rotting his body. The "D" people were the sworn enemies of the World Nobles, as they also possessed the will to shake this godforsaken world. Lelouch had the faint feeling that Monkey D. Luffy—that stupid, hyperactive, bouncing ball of sunshine—would surely grow to become more powerful and fearsome one day, but that day had yet to come.

But who the hell was Nue? To be hunted down by the World Government and brought back in one piece, he had to be very important to someone... so why was he cast away, his memories messed with and with no other choice but to learn how to survive on his own? Had it been done to test him, to see if he wasn't a failed experiment or some other fucked up toy? They'd also commissioned Vergo to train him and take care of him all these year, all of this done so they could leave Doflamingo in peace and get their successful experiment back. Lelouch knew the World Government was shady as hell, but this literally took the cake; nothing had been a mere coincidence, everything had been going according to plan from the start and Vergo, along with Doflamingo, had gone with the flow to avoid getting exposed.

"So I'm nothing more than a gamble?" he wondered out loud, a brow raised.

More than likely. And you've brilliantly exceeded their expectations. You aced the test, Lulu.

Surprisingly enough, there was no sarcasm in his tone. No mocking remark or anything. Maybe the Wraith was just as exhausted as he was and couldn't be bothered with insults for the time being. Lelouch curled his mouth into a half-smirk, his mismatched eyes gazing into the dark sky outside.

Is that right? And they're expecting me to abide by their orders and go back to Mariejois like an obedient little child? I will only disappoint them: the first Marine officer who tries will most certainly and seriously be harmed.

And if that Marine officer turns out to be Smoker himself? Or that pink-haired witch who speaks in third person?

Lelouch made a displeased face. Right, there was still the slight chance of Captain Smoker heeding the order he must have received by now—he knew for a fact that Hina would at the very least try to be as civil as possible while coaxing him to come onboard her ship, but Smoker? This guy was some no-nonsense Marine officer who was very loyal to the cause he defended, proud to be a soldier and uphold justice in the best way he could and he had promise. He and Hina were two of the only Marines Lelouch could think about 'trusting'. But now that they must have had been told to capture him, he wasn't sure if he could still view them as 'allies'.

I won't lay a single finger on these two. Can't promise the same about their subordinates, but Smoker and Hina are quite alright. Commander Jonathan, despite being one of Akainu's favorites, is also surprisingly decent and would make an excellent ally. Although I'd need to find myself going to G-8 somehow, getting the man to talk to me without calling the World Government is an entirely other story. Surely he wouldn't want to fall from grace.

The Wraith hummed.

But getting to G-8 uncaptured is the problem, isn't it? After finding your Vivre Card with your real name on these Cipher Pol agents, one can only wonder how many more Marine officers and spies have a scrap of paper leading to you. If anything, you'd be as vulnerable on land than at sea because you can't afford to get caught and you wouldn't even know where they are. Or what they look like.

They could be anywhere, mingling among pirates and civilians so easily because they were formed for any kind of situation—it was part of their training as Cipher Pol agents. I'm even surprised there's no one who hasn't tried to jump me here in the middle of the night; considering the legion of spies scattered all around the world, I'm actually half-expecting one or two to turn up and have a go at me while I'm practically at my lowest. Half-relieved, Lelouch closed his right eye. By the way, why have the Straw Hats called me 'Ying Yang eyes' earlier?

Are you telling me you haven't noticed yet? You must be seriously tired. Your eyes have changed shape and have finally taken their final form—mine. It was a long-time coming.

He blinked twice, brows furrowed. His eyes had... changed? Again? The golden eye wasn't enough and now, taking a step closer to mastering his Devil Fruit powers meant changing his physique? His mismatched eyes were drawing enough attention as it is, he didn't need such flashy symbols. Then again, the symbol of the Geass was kind of flashy and odd as well, Lelouch thought with a huff as he hopped off the windowsill and stretched with a body-shuddering yawn. His arms flopped back down uselessly, limp and tired, and he swayed a little as he made his way back to his room.

Annoying.

Nevertheless, to think that a mere name could throw his life upside down and uncover more questions about his real background. Being a gamble to have control over a blacklisted Devil Fruit was another insult to his name, as the World Government must have believed he'd be the one to be in perfect symbiosis with the Wraith. But how? Just how the hell could they have thought Lelouch—Nue, he thought with a snarl—would have been compatible? For all he knew, he could have completely lost his battle against the deadly powers of the Devil Fruit and have committed suicide, as being the embodiment of fear would never a walk in the park. He hadn't needed that mess to add more stress and annoying troubles, as if being hunted was actually fun.

If Spandam ever got his hands on him, the bastard would be gloating to the heavens: gathering the plans for the Ancient Weapon, capturing Nico Robin and also bringing the wielder of the Terror-Terror Fruit 'back home in Mariejois' would ensure him a very high-ranking spot in the World Government. He'd be hailed as a hero, which would be so gratifying to his ego. The thought of seeing his smug face he'd love to bash in with his foot, hearing his obnoxious laughter while raving about his greatness, was unsettling. Anything about Spandine's son was already pissing Lelouch off and he hadn't even met the guy yet. Should they ever get to CP9's headquarters, it was going to be a riot to foil his plans.

Smoker, Vergo, the trap to get Doflamingo off his back permanently and the World Government that was also after him so he could 'get back to Mariejois'. He could do all that after sleeping. He could even bear Monkey D. Luffy's incessant probing, the witch's questions and Vivi's worrying for the next day. Yeah, yeah. He could totally do this until Smoker presented himself.

---

Some time before dawn, Lelouch got up again, bags under his eyes and looking even moodier than a few hours ago, and headed straight for the crematory of the palace. The few guards he encountered in his way exchanged uneasy glances after taking a good look at his disheveled and exhausted state, which he ignored royally. No one attempted to stop him or talk to him—maybe because the atmosphere around him was dark and cold at the moment. Insomnia could be a colossal bitch to anyone and Lelouch could attest to that; he could remember the last time he'd had a shitty night following such ground-breaking revelations, as it'd been during the first days of attempting to fight off the powerful influence of his Devil Fruit. Euphemia's first visits may have freaked the hell out of him, but when he'd found out they were a manifestation of his mind, he'd brushed them off and had gotten used to them. Since his memories as Nue were 'locked' for the time being, he'd just concentrate on the present until he found a way to see what the hell this was all about. If he really couldn't get a full night's sleep, then he might as well do something productive until Smoker and Hina either requested a meeting or would try to follow orders like good, obedient soldiers.

Key word being 'productive'.

When he got to the crematory, Lelouch yawned tiredly, bleary eyes blinking twice, shuffled inside and closed the door behind him. The sound of the lock echoing right after sounded like sweet music in his ear, much like the way he cracked his neck.

---

He lied to himself. There was no way he could do this.

Hina looked a tiny bit worried as she inspected him over with critical eyes while Smoker seemed indifferent to his state—not that Lelouch particularly cared about their opinions at the moment, he wasn't even in the mood for their criticism. So he'd opted to sport the most epic resting bitch face he could muster at the moment (a gloomy expression that matched the bags under his eyes). That, or it must be his new eyes that were drawing so much attention. Either way, after shoving his foot into Luffy's face fifteen seconds before the Marines' arrival into the palace to get him to sit still because whatever he was going to discuss with Smoker and Hina had nothing to do with him, Lelouch wasn't going to take any complaints.

"No offense, kiddo, but you look like shit," the pink-haired Marine huffed, a frown marring her pretty face.

The navigator clicked his tongue, aggravated. "Must be because I had an incredibly messed up night after dealing with your dog of a colleague from the World Government when you, the oh so proud defenders of Justice, didn't do a damn thing," he retorted in a drawl. "You've given the word 'useless' another new meaning. Congratulations."

The way Smoker's right eye twitched in irritation and his teeth bit harshly into his two cigars until they broke was as satisfying as seeing Hina's reprimanding and warning look. Next to him, Sabertooth didn't even try to conceal his amused grin while patting him on his back as if he'd done a good job. It almost made Lelouch smile. Almost. Because the Marines had been useless in this matter and rookie pirates had helped instead—the World Government ought to save face by stripping Crocodile of his status, throwing him in the sixth level of Impel Down and somehow giving all credits to a 'very deserving and promising Marine officer' that just happened to be in Alabasta when all this mess went to hell.

Nah, he couldn't do this. Not without getting a certain kick out of this and mock Smoker for probably getting a promotion he never worked hard for (it had to be coming, Lelouch had a feeling it was). The man was just too decent to just take it while Hina wouldn't dare incur the wrath of executives in the most powerful organization in this world and would just accept it with gritted teeth.

Sighing, Lelouch crossed his legs under the table and tucked his chin in his fist with his face slightly tilted. "Shall I assume that you've received your new order from your employers after the Alabasta debacle?" he asked coolly.

"You're guessing right, kid," Smoker groused, his arms crossed against his powerful chest. "Though I'm curious as to why one of the heroes of this affiliated country has to be captured, we're obligated to do our duty. By order of the Five Elders, leaders of the World Government, you, Canterbury Lelouch, are to be apprehended and delivered to Mariejois. Alive and in one piece." He narrowed his eyes at the navigator. "Care to explain us why you suddenly became so important?"

A single brow was raised half in defiance, half in suspicion. "Funny, I was about to ask you the same thing because my theories are just that—theories that might not even be the real reason of this sudden and unexpected turn of events," Lelouch said. "Nonetheless, the Cipher Pol agents who've been coming after me had enough time to squeal that the Chief of CP9 was responsible for unleashing his rats before I took care of the swarm. Nothing good ever comes from having the Cipher Pol after you. Yes, I killed them and why are you acting so surprised?" he asked when Smoker and Hina gave him an astounded look. "Shall I have invited them for tea despite their orders and patiently waited for you to join our party?"

Sabertooth snorted, his green eyes crinkling. "Would have been a great party, aye," he muttered, grinning as he combed his fingers through the giant mane of his tail.

"So CP9 is actually real and not some kind of ghost story or urban legend, like I've been told so many times over the years as a rookie," Hina wondered, leaning back in her chair. "The inner dwellings of the World Government are such a pain to keep up with."

"Ghost stories and urban legends suddenly lose all their appeal when you realize you've been lied to, although it doesn't take away the fact that Cipher Pol agents have tried their best to capture me last night and failed to complete their mission. Maybe I should have allowed one to survive and go back to their master like the obedient dogs they all were, it would have been a worthy message to pass. But I've got much better."

Lelouch reached out from under the table, grabbed the bag he'd brought with him and rummaged inside to grab all the most important contents. First, he set down three fedora hats and piled them up in front of two surprised Marine officers, then grabbed the most gruesome elements he'd taken on the corpses of his victims to set them down next to the fedora hats. And just because he was feeling like it, Lelouch watched their expressions greedily and tiredly as he set down the first vial containing the tokens.

Bloody, bloody teeth. Lots of them.

They stared at the vial intently, frowning in incomprehension. Once Smoker and Hina realized what the things were, both paled, their eyes widened and their cancer sticks fell off. They didn't even seem to notice either, as the shock appeared to be too much to handle. Next to him, Sabertooth looked both aggravated and disgusted at the same time, and was glancing at him as if asking 'Really? Did you have to do that?'. He truly could have refrained from looting the corpses, but he needed his message to be passed on—Spandam himself would probably be able to put two and two together if these elements got to him safely. His face blank, Lelouch set down the second vial.

Full of other bloody teeth from another agent. Some bad ones too.

"Extracting the teeth was a bit of a pain, but proved to be rather distracting when I couldn't finish the night," he muttered while stifling a tired yawn. "Kept me a bit... sane. Well, as 'sane' as I can be most of the time. I pulled them out one by one, dare I say carefully so, as I was in no hurry. Since I won't be suffering any retaliation from dead agents for a while, I'm sure they don't mind."

"Not that they can even care about it," Sabertooth added in a huff, rolling his green eyes.

Lelouch rubbed his tired eyes. "Your sarcasm is very much appreciated right now, thank you."

The sound of a fist hitting the table echoed in the room, along with the table shaking and rattling just a little. Both best friends shut up and looked up at the white-haired captain, whose face had gradually gotten somber upon seeing Lelouch's spoils—and what it could mean for the bastards in the World Government.

"Stop talking!" Smoker exclaimed, his eyes glittering. His gaze settled on Lelouch, who didn't even flinch. "Do you have the slightest idea of what you've done, boy? By killing direct representatives of the World Government, you're literally spitting in the faces of the ones who run this messed up organization and this entire world! They'll just send more after you if they somehow find out you've killed the first ones they've dispatched!"

Lelouch nodded, his resting bitch face still on. "I'm aware of the possibility, since this must mean that my days of 'leisure' are most likely over and I'll now be on the hunting list for reasons I'm not even completely sure myself," he said. Then he gave a lazy, bitter half-smile. "However, let's not pretend the World Government dispatches its operatives while ensuring they'd be taken care of; although their agents are committed to them, the same can't be said for their superiors who view them as expendable tools. Why do think the training directed by Cipher Pol targets children at a young age? Drilling their brainwashing inside your head when you're still impressionable and naive would be so much easier than attempting to forcefeed an adult with their vision and goals. Thus, their operatives will do the impossible to capture me as a priority." He blinked slowly. "You're right, Smoker—they will keep sending out more after me until I'm finally captured and I will keep murdering them because I refuse to turn myself in like an obedient child."

"Does it have anything to do with those eyes of yours?" Hina suddenly asked, her voice ashen. She frowned at him, her gaze intense. "Because Hina certainly doesn't remember you having the Ying Yang symbol as pupils! And why are they mismatched in colors?"

At this, Lelouch hesitated and furrowed his brows too. Figures they mustn't have been told the real reasons behind their orders, he thought, holding back a snarl. Hina and Smoker didn't even know about the Terror-Terror Fruit, neither would the others after him. Giving the Marines, followers and even bounty hunters informations about his skills and his Devil Fruit could either pressure them to bow down and hunt him down relentlessly or give them enough motivation to get him to further whatever dark goals and desires they might nurture. It was logical and clever not to disclose the most precious information about a prioritized target, but what did that say about Nico Robin? Knowing that she was the only one left who could read the Poneglyphs would make her a prize target for those who understood the real value of these stones and their role in this world. If Big Mom were to hear about her...

Considering how long she'd been an Emperor and her age, Lelouch wouldn't be surprised if she'd figured out that the Poneglyphs weren't just giant blocks of stone with weird scriptures. If her whoring ways had managed to gift her an offspring that could understand and decipher them, she might get to the One Piece. That or she'd use every way possible in the book to capture Nico Robin and get her to Whole Cake Island. Gods, Lelouch didn't even want to start imagining the craziest things if she ever got in the wrong hands; Spandam and Big Mom were both problems.

The woman needs to be hidden, constantly on the move. Just like you from now on.

Blinking, Lelouch met the woman's suspicious stare head on. "I'm not obligated to answer, Captain Hina," he retorted, calm and cool. "We're no longer on the same side, so there's no reason to inform you two whatsoever."

"Enough with the defiance, we can just force you to spit it out," Smoker ground out as he leaned forward a little, menacing.

Ah, a little action. And maybe some blood quite early this morning (without actually endangering either of the captains' lives). Judging by Smoker's scowl and the way his hand was already reaching for the jitte next to him, he was prepared to play rougher if necessary. That would probably do Lelouch some good—desecrating corpses of World Government cronies wasn't practicing at all and some acrobatics might actaully manage to fully wake him up. Flexing his fingers, the navigator straightened up on his chair and slowly cracked his neck from left to right with a lazy grin.

"I'm not really up for useless fisticuffs but if you really wish to test me out, let's just make sure you don't die in the process, alright?" Lelouch suggested, his tone light.

"Don't get too cocky now, kid," Smoker sneered, his scowl deepening. "Just because you ripped Crocodile's arm off doesn't mean you can also stand a chance against me."

"Shall we see then? Please don't hate me while I'm stuffing your cigars down your throat, I don't want to choke one of the only Marines I have some respect for." He mulled over something for a few seconds, before smirking to the walking chimney chainsmoker. "Does that mean you could have handled Crocodile on your own? If so, then why didn't you?"

Sensing that the atmosphere was shifting and turning tense, Hina abruptly stood up from her seat. "Oh no, you don't!" she exclaimed loudly, slapping her gloved hand on the table to glare at the two men—Sabertooth didn't count just yet, as the Mink was too busy enjoying every last second of this. "There will be no fighting as this is nothing more than a courtesy call! So take it easy, both of you!"

The navigator scoffed. "Courtesy call? Captain Hina, do you believe us to have been born yesterday in a ditch?" Lelouch sounded almost amused, but his grin was ice cold. "Among all the Marine officers I know or heard of, you and Captain Smoker are two of the most dutiful soldiers and will do their best to abide by the orders. Courtesy calls mean absolutely nothing to you and the World Government, as there's a good chance I might walk out of this palace in handcuffs, get secured in a room inside your ship and en route to Mariejois."

"We're not here to arrest you, Lelouch," Hina insisted. "Hina gives you her word."

"Sadly, your word means nothing anymore," Lelouch countered, one eye closed. "Not that you can do anything about it, as the Fleet Admiral must have also accepted the order. Therefore, you have to fall in line."

Ain't that the truth. Hina may spin this situation however she wanted, the navigator was in the hot seat right now and there was no way he couldn't mistake the tension in the air; Smoker wasn't relaxed at all and was gripping his jitte too hard, his hard gaze never straying from him, Hina looked too conflicted and at war with herself and there was also the fact that some of their soldiers were waiting outside of the room and right at the entrance of the palace. Tashigi herself was right here, almost hopping up and down with impatience, and was eyeing Sabertooth with nervous glances. Lelouch's Haki could pick up the presences of all his new enemies one by one, counting them. Although the Marines looked relaxed, their stiff stances and the smell of their fear clued him in. He didn't even have to try the Sense mode to look at their aura to confirm they were scared shitless.

Lelouch was surrounded. The Marines were actually expecting a confrontation and a fight, which explained why he could feel so much dread, tension and terror with his senses. And though the Straw Hats were still here and pirates unlike him, it was more than likely that Smoker could give up on his decision to hunt down Monkey D. Luffy and focus on the most important target—the man who would certainly have the highest bounty in Paradise for being the most dangerous person in the first half of the Grand Line. I could kill them right now, Lelouch thought as he contemplated his options. But he wouldn't take their lives. No, he wouldn't.

Inhaling and exhaling, he glanced at Smoker and opened his mouth when the sound of hurried footsteps echoed in his ears.

"Captain Smoker!" a Marine officer shouted as he entered the room, breathless and carrying a Transponder Snail. He took the time to get himself together, as he must have been running all the way from the ship, then headed for his superior. "HQ for you on the Transponder Snail!"

Oh? The World Government was already calling one of their other dogs to announce what the navigator had been expecting? Or would he be reminded that he, along with so many other colleagues, had a very important target to capture? They were quicker than he thought. Lelouch perked up at that, his keen mismatched eyes snapping towards Smoker, whose expression darkened instantly. His teeth threatened to bite his new cigars in two (when the hell had he pulled out these two and lit them up?) and it seemed to be taking everything he had in him not to snap. A mocking grin pulled at Lelouch's lips as he watched with rapt eyes the captain rip the mic and hold it to his mouth. Next to Smoker, Hina was staring at his expression with a calculating gaze, her arms wrapped against her cleavage.

"This is Marine Headquarters calling," they all heard distinctly. "Can I speak with Captain Smoker, please?"

Smoker tried his best to look composed in front of so many eyes. "Smoker here," he answered nonchalantly—well, as nonchalantly as he could at the moment.

When the Transponder Snail started grinning, Lelouch knew they were in for an excellent display of irony and he had to bite his tongue to avoid grinning as well. Besides, he didn't want the man on the end of the line to know he was merely a few feet away, should his voice be recognized.

"Congratulations on subduing Sir Crocodile, Captain. As a result, the top officials of the World Government have rewarded both you and Sergeant Major Tashigi medals for your efforts."

If Lelouch had some object that could record both the conversation and the reactions, he and Sabertooth would be filming right now, because the unexpected surprise they could see on Smoker's face and the complete indifference on Hina's were worth more than the future price on his head. Even Tashigi was showing her bafflement by doing an excellent impression of the pufferfish, wide-eyed and her mouth hanging open.

Smoker turned towards the Transponder Snail, fully ignoring Lelouch and Sabertooth. "'Subduing'? No, wait, hold on a minute. We aren't the ones that took down Crocodile, it was Canterbury Lelouch and Quarin Sabertooth!" he retorted, correcting the man. "Did anyone even bother to read the report?"

As expected, the other soldier carried on as if Smoker hadn't even spoken. "Furthermore, as thanks for your courage, it's also been decided that each of you will be promoted by one rank."

And the Transponder Snail just kept smiling, showing just how much the Marine really cared about Smoker's input. Such bold statement, laced with wrongful lies and deceit, was met with the captain's irate face; a vein throbbed at his forehead and his expression was thunderous as he stared down at the smiling Snail. On their end, Lelouch and Sabertooth were just savouring the shit show with bated breath, containing their mockery.

Truly. Amazing.

"Hey, I told you!" Smoker exclaimed. "For the umpteenth time, it wasn't us! Me and Tashigi weren't the ones to stop Crocodile and Baroque Works, it was those damn two problems you've just ordered us to capture!"

Eventually, Captain Hina had to step in as well to stop an oncoming verbal misconduct. "Stop, Smoker, it's no use," she hissed, scowling. "It's obvious at this point that the Government is going to cover up this entire incident. Think of the scandal if word hadn't really gone out: Alabasta was almost destroyed and wasn't saved by the Government but two former protégés of a Vice-Admiral now wanted alive'—or worse, a group of wanted pirates."

"And of course, we expect both of you to attend the award ceremony where your medals will be—"

"LIKE HELL WE WILL!" Smoker roared, cutting off the soldier.

Would you look at that, the World Government really cares about the people they protect and the image they want to project, was what Lelouch was burning to say in a drawl, as cruel and true as it was. These bastards would rather lie to the population and die choking on their blood before even thinking about telling the truth about such incident where one of their dogs was the perpetrator. People would lose faith and trust in the organization, would probably start rebelling against them and give them trouble. And to add insult to the injury, there was a tiny chance they might even start giving their support to the Revolutionary Army and Dragon—the World Government would never let that slide.

Never. They'd self-combust and find a way to brainwash the population into forever believing they were the only reliable organization in this world if they could. Maybe that was why they wanted to retrieve Lelouch.

This time, Lelouch couldn't hide his smirk as he stared tiredly at Smoker's enraged expression from his seat, his head cocked to the side and cradled in his fist. The navigator could understand the captain's predicament and, to be honest, was pleasantly surprised to listen to the Marine soldier snapping and losing it over congratulations he knew he never deserved in the first place, because it showed that he had integrity. And he'd forever choose integrity in an entirely corrupt organization. Smoker, you and Hina might be the only ones redeemable, Lelouch thought whilst crossing his arms.

The disapproving scowl on Hina's face deepened. "Smoker, don't be dumb!" she admonished loudly. "Accept it! If you disobey the brass, you could get court-martialed!"

"Well, better that than live a lie," Smoker ground out angrily. "We didn't take Crocodile down, my subordinate is ashamed because we couldn't."

A quick glance towards Tashigi confirmed the Marine's words: the rage that was taking over her expression did absolutely nothing to conceal the utter shame she was feeling in her gut. Worse, the tears she was trying her damnedest to hold back showed just how disgusted, defeated and humiliated she was at being rewarded with a rank and a medal she never deserved as well. And therein lied one of the many prices to becoming a proud Marine in order to uphold 'justice'. Something that had become nothing more than a transparent, empty concept that Lelouch would scoff and spit at anytime he'd encounter a Marine nowadays.

Smoker's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Hey, you!" he coldly and boldly addressed the other Marine on the end of the line. "Could you pass on a personal message from to your geezers at HQ?"

This time, Hina looked alarmed and shot up from her seat, incredulous. "Don't do it, Smoker!" she shouted.

And this time, Lelouch himself had to lean back against his seat with bright eyes and a smirk, full of cruel and cold mirth, as the righteous Marine royally ignored his colleague and his subordinate's baffled stare. These eyes were holding nothing but deep contempt and rage at the realization that all his previous beliefs about the Marines had been spat on.

"Tell 'em I said: "Go to hell!"," he growled.

The mic was brutally hung up with a 'click' that seemed to echo loud in the room, reduced to stunned silence at the bold and indifferent act of Captain Smoker, who didn't even flinch at his own insubordination. His words had been final and curt, unexpected. All the soldiers who'd listened to the exchange looked aghast, gawking at their superior as if he'd just gone insane—hell, maybe he had and he was fine with it. Smoker had chosen a path when he'd enrolled, so straying from it would bring dishonor and shame to his name and Lelouch was damn sure he'd take his own life before that happened. Nevertheless, that didn't mean the brass at HQ would let this insubordination slide that easily.

And this act of righteousness deserved some praise, no matter how mocking, insulting and derisive it was.

A first, loud clap echoed in the room. Then a second. Then a third. Right after, Sabertooth was chuckling uncontrollably along with his best friend clapping his hands, seemingly congratulating both Captain Smoker and Sergeant Major Tashigi for their new ranks in the most insulting way. Not even the harsh glares from the righteous Marine and his young subordinate could deter Lelouch from clapping mockingly, his Ying Yang eyes taking in Smoker and inspecting his aura; the grey color was surrounding the man and had been lighter moments ago before the call from HQ, which had considerably worsened his foul mood, and was now a shade darker. Is this another side of my Devil Fruit I don't know about? Lelouch wondered, blinking in interest.

Whatever it was, it sure piqued his curiosity. He needed to get a better grasp of the Terror-Terror Fruit.

We'll work on it once you're safe on the ocean. Now get rid of them.

"Long live the World Government and the Marines!" he drawled mockingly and as loud as he could while he finished his last clap. "The perfect picture of integrity and justice that this world needs, even when they're failing their subjects! Marvelous, isn't it? And you, Captain Smoker, are the unwilling laughing stock! Do tell, how does it feel?"

The answer to this?

Smoker rushing and leaping over the table to get to him, jitte in hand and looking absolutely murderous. Excellent, because Lelouch had been looking forward to some more excitement. Grabbing one of the fedora hats, he embued it with Haki and threw it at the irate soldier at lightning speed. Not checking to see if Smoker's reflexes were good enough to allow him to dodge the object, he shot up from his seat, slammed his hands on the table before lifting himself up on a handstand while hooking one of his feet under the chair and kicking it in the air.

"Heads up!" Sabertooth exclaimed with a bright smile.

Having jumped up to intercept the chair, he kicked it in direction of Captain Hina, who also jumped out of the way before it could hit her full force. She landed near the Sergeant Major, bafflement on her face at the escalating situation, while the chair crashed loudly on the ground. The sudden movements and commotion prompted the present soldiers to snap out of their stupor, especially Tashigi. A flare in Lelouch's Haki told him that nearby soldiers from the Royal Army of Alabasta were heading their way, along with Chaka and Pell up front, Cobra, Vivi and even the Straw Hats.

"Captain Smoker! Captain Hina!" Tashigi shouted, running towards them with her sword in hands.

Hina turned back to her, a warning in her eyes. "Stand down, Tashigi!" she barked at the subordinate. "All of you stand down! You're no match for them! You saw what Lelouch did to Crocodile, right?"

Tashigi gaped, swallowed thickly, and struggled inwardly. "But Captain Smoker...," she insisted.

"Won't get stupidly killed, don't worry!" Sabertooth chirped in cheerfully. He pointed his sword at them, grinning and his green eyes crinkling. "But if you're gearing up for a duel, I'd be more than happy to give you one. That is, if you still got the energy to wield that sword right now."

"Why, you..."

Ah, do shut up, the navigator thought fiercely as he and Sabertooth separated to counter their opponents. When Lelouch was on his feet after flipping himself forward, Smoker thrust his jitted at him and aimed for his head. He easily evaded the blow with a nimble side-step, ducked under his arm while holding onto it and flipped the man over him with his knee on his chest. The Marine fell quite hard on the table with a grunt, which shook it a little, but was able to block Lelouch's boot that was about to slam on his head with his jitte. When the heel collided with the stone, the table shook even more and the ground beneath it cracked loudly, as if it was about to give out. The force behind the kick from the Haki-imbued limb shook the hard stone almost all over the length of the weapon, to which Smoker gaped at in stupefaction while struggling to hold on.

So that was how strong Sea Prism stone was. Lelouch had to admit he was very impressed by the resistance of such element, blinking at the soldier's trembling jitte. It was as hard as a diamond and he didn't know any other mineral that could beat a diamond in terms of sturdiness. Breaking out of cuffs made of that shit would be downright impossible without a key. He hadn't even been able to crack it, but the results were more than satisfying—though there might be a way to break Sea Prism stone (someone among the Seven Warlords must have the power and the skills to do it), the fact that he was able to give it a good shake was something. Totally worth pissing Smoker off.

"Enough, Lelouch! Smoker, stop this!" Captain Hina shouted just as the other residents of the castle stumbled into the room. "Remember what you said: you wouldn't capture him unless you had a good reason to! We haven't come here to place him under arrest!"

Cobra chose this moment to speak up. "Place who under arrest? What's going on here?" he demanded, staring at the slight mayhem in disbelief and anger.

They must make an interesting picture to all of them: Sabertooth who's got Tashigi tied up and trapped in his long tail like a sausage, her stolen sword in his hand, Hina about to hit his best friend to release the young swordsman, Smoker trying his damnedest to repel Lelouch's foot with his jitte—if he tried to turn into smoke to escape, the navigator would just have to swoop down with a Haki-imbued fist and punch him straight in the gut. And the other soldiers having both the new two fugitives at gunpoint, ready to open fire despite the fact they might actually escalate the situation even further. It was bad enough that they had to arrest Sir Crocodile—one of their supposed 'allies' from the World Government—and strip him from his status when they didn't do a damn thing.

Funny picture indeed. The king should snap one and hang it somewhere.

Nevertheless, Lelouch felt like he had to enlighten the king about the situation. Looking up to gaze at the man, he smiled pleasantly while still applying pressure to 'attempt' to crush Smoker, who cursed angrily at him.

"They're about to arrest me," he casually informed everyone, shrugging innocently.

"WHAAAAAT?!" the Straw Hats, Vivi, her father, Chaka and Pell all yelled in disbelief.

Growling in irritation, Hina whirled around towards him, a thunderous expression on her face. "For the last time, we're not going to—" she started.

The loudest, menacing crack interrupted her rudely. Everyone froze and stopped shouting as the sound echoed around them, shutting them all up. All of a sudden, the ground underneath the table almost caved in and Lelouch's stomach churned uneasily while he balanced himself on top, blinking fast.

Ah. Ah. Maybe he'd applied too much force into the kick. Slowly looking down at Smoker, he registered the accusation and the rage in his eyes. He had the audacity to give another mocking grin before the floor gave out beneath them, taking them both down.

---

"You idiot!" Smoker managed to growl during a coughing fit.

"What's the matter with you? You lived. There's no need to be mad." Lelouch coughed as well. "You kind of started this in the first place."

"Because you provoked me."

"Oh, what a fine excuse. Do I have to remind you of your 'reward', captain?" Then he hissed painfully. "Oh, my head..."

Smoker snorted. "Serves you right."

"Alright, give me your arm. It seems you're in need of some 'readjustment' and some bones might be 'misplaced'."

---

Monkey D. Luffy blinked owlishly.

"The World Government wants you captured alive?" he asked the navigator once Lelouch had finished his explanation—sans the most crucial details. He frowned in incomprehension. "Why? I thought you two were with the Marines?"

From his seat, Lelouch narrowed his eyes at the rubbery captain while pressing a pack of ice on the side of his head. "Didn't you listen yesterday? We weren't really with the Marines per se, just...," he trailed off, hissing in pain. "Protégés. We never enrolled."

Luffy cocked his head to the side, frowning even more. "It still feels like it."

"Would a Marine soldier have killed all these Government agents on a whim, knowing full well this would get them court-martialed for treason and murder?" Lelouch countered dryly. "But given the mystery surrounding me, there's a chance they'd have overlooked this as a 'mishap'."

"You'd never tell us what's really going on, wouldn't you? Given how much you trust us now, we shouldn't even be hoping to be enlightened," Hina admonished him lightly.

How astute. Despite his manners, Lelouch didn't grace her with a worded answer, just a snort. Hina huffed in annoyance as a retort while Sanji gave him a glare.

"Mind your manners, you're around a lady!" he snipped testily, fuming.

Hardly, Lelouch thought derisively, knowing just how much of a good fighter Captain Hina was under her beautiful appearance. She hadn't earned the nickname 'Black Cage Hina' just because of her Devil Fruit, she'd been trained by one of the best Marine there had been in the history of this organization—she'd told him a bit about former Admiral Zephyr, whom Lelouch had actually heard about. The man was a powerhouse despite his old age, having trained the beasts of the Marines and having been a colleague of Garp the Hero. He was still active in the New World to this day, crushing pirates and destroying their hopes and dreams.

Hina would give Sanji and the rest of the Straw Hats a good run for their money if she felt like it.

Sighing tiredly, he turned towards Smoker and Hina. "I won't be this foolish to ask a favor, but if you ever mention that you failed to capture Sabertooth and I in Alabasta, they'll pressure you two even more," he said. "The bounty they'll put on our heads will be enough to have all bounty hunters, Marines and even pirates to hunt us down. The competition will be tough. You should keep your mouth shut."

After cooling off a little, everyone had moved to another area of the castle where the different parties were seated on opposite sides—the Marines on one, the pirates, the royals and their guards, and the two fugitives on the other. Cobra had been very reluctant to allow them one more second inside his palace, since he was still mad about their impressive lack of reaction for three years and the ignorance from the World Government, but Lelouch had managed to convince him to let them hear out what he had to say. Since the matter was about him and the mystery behind his identity, Smoker and Hina kind of deserved some insight into this mess.

"Just who the hell are you, Lelouch?" the white-haired soldier demanded, glaring at him.

Nami rudely pointed at him. "Yeah, and how come these agents had your Vivre Card like Sabertooth called it?" she exclaimed incredulously, her brown eyes wide. "Why did you freak out when the king was about to say your real name?"

Lelouch almost facepalmed right here. That damn banshee! She couldn't shut the hell up, could she? This was one of the times he'd have loved to have mastered his ability to see into the future so he could have told her to keep her mouth shut with a glare. All at once, Hina and Smoker's attention zeroed in on him and they looked just as incredulous.

"They had your Vivre Card? How is this possible?" Hina exclaimed in disbelief, slamming her hands on the table. "You couldn't have possibly given it to them!"

He gritted his teeth in irritation, his mismatched eyes flashing. "I would have never given the World Government my Vivre Card, not even under a death sentence, and this is where the plot thickens and gets stranger," he hissed. "The fact that agents from the Cipher Pol possessed such object, without my knowledge, could mean many unpleasant things I'm not ready to find out. This is worrying." He sighed, long and tiredly, and grabbed his glass of water. "Since Sabertooth and I are no longer associated with the Marines and the Government, we'll now be on our own."

Smoker exhaled a lot of smoke. "Have you spoken to Vice-Admiral Vergo about this?" he asked.

The glass in Lelouch's gloved hand suddenly broke in pieces before he could even take a sip, water trickling down his fingers. The sound was so unexpected that it seemed to echo loudly in the room. All at once, the atmosphere around the young navigator turned cold and so sinister that some of the Straw Hats—Nami, Usopp and Chopper, ever the fearful trio, felt the shift in the air almost instantly and immediately backed away from Lelouch, holding onto each other in sheer fright. Roronoa Zoro and Sanji looked quite uneasy, flinching imperceptibly, while their captain gazed at the navigator with twitchy eyes and a baffled expression. Vivi and her father, along with Pell and Chaka, flinched rather violently with strangled gasps, their faces contorted in terror.

However, the sudden pressure was gone almost as soon as it dropped on them. Inhaling and exhaling, Lelouch gingerly wiped his lap to get rid of the broken glass with a stormy, gloomy face under his best friend's concerned gaze. The navigator nodded at him, silently saying he was alright—despite both of them knowing he wasn't alright. There was still the matter of Vergo on his way to kill him.

"I'll take that as a no, then," Smoker muttered, his forehead creased as he exchanged an uneasy glance with Hina. "Looks like you got a lot more than you've bargained for, kid. What I just felt from you right now might actually explain your future bounty and why you're so important to these bastards." He took a drag from his cigars, then exhaled the smoke. "Nonetheless, I'm not going to capture you."

Such statement would have relieved Lelouch at any other time, but not right now. Not when he was reminded by another Marine that the traitor in their ranks was about to disobey orders. Fortunately, he'd now come up with a plan to fuck up Vergo and Doflamingo.

"How kind of you, captain," he drawled.

"Shishishishishi, I've got an idea!"

Hearing Luffy's laugh suddenly put Lelouch on edge and he turned very slowly to face Straw Hat, only to be met with his wide grin and—wait a minute, were his eyes sparkling? This sudden change of behavior and expression didn't bode well, as Lelouch's gut was telling him that whatever was about to come out of his mouth next just couldn't be good. And apparently, his friends suddenly tensing up around them seemed to be thinking the exact same thing.

Luffy leaned towards him and slammed both hands on the table, almost shoving his face into his.

"Both of you join my crew!"

Hell. No.

Huh. This guy is even crazier than you.