Title: Of Dreams and Desires
Pairings: Smoker x Ace, Sanji x Zoro, and other side pairings
Ratings: T - NC-17
Chapter: 4 of ?
Summary: A Beautiful Day…
Disclaimer: I do not make any profit from this story; all props go to Eiichiro Oda.
Author Note: Thank you all who favorite and followed my story, it means a lot to me. Once again I would like to stress that this story is slight AU, means that it follows the Anime/Manga but there are moments where it varies in order to fit the flow of the new material I introduce to you guys. If there are any questions or comments then please leave a review and let me know, thanks. :D
Reviewers: Thank you Saix and Redangeltree for reviewing.
Beta Reader: descriptionsalive21, thank you so much!
Smoker Tensa
Muddy boots thumped loudly against the stone floor of the Marine base. The footsteps stopped as the solider paused to catch his breath before running up the flight of stairs that lead to the second floor - to their Master Chief Petty Officer Tashigi. He raised a fist to knock on the door, but his loud breathing must have alerted the officer in advance because he heard a soft "Come in".
The solider bowed to his superior in acknowledgement then saluted as he gave his report. "Tashigi-sama, scouts gave word that there are sightings of pirates on the island."
Tashigi looked up from the report in her hand, pushing her glasses further up the bridge of her nose. "Has Smoker-san been made aware of this?"
"No ma'am, Captain Smoker isn't in his office, but word has been passed to the lookouts to inform him of the situation upon first sight."
Tashigi stood from her seat and pulled her jacket from the back of the chair. "Gather some troops. We will start a search for the pirates. If anyone gets word to Smoker-san, let him known we'll rendezvous in the town square."
The solider let out a "Ma'am yes ma'am", before he exited the room. Tashigi picked up her katana, Meito Shigure, and followed her subordinate into Loguetown in search of the pirates and possibly her captain.
S.T
Meanwhile, the White Hunter – formally known as Smoker – was sitting on a half finish brick wall balancing rocks, something he found to be an enjoyable pastime. He looked up at the sky, noticing the sun was at its highest point.
I've been out of the office for too long.
Smoker stood and pulled a long drag from the two cigars wedged between his teeth, walking back in the direction of headquarters. It was a nice day in Loguetown, no signs of storms, just the sun and a few puffy white clouds in the sky. A commotion coming from one of the town merchant stalls drew his attention. He listened to the buyer and seller argue over the price of an item, waiting to see if there would be an altercation. When the woman come to an agreement with the merchant, Smoker continued his walk towards HQ.
Oof!
Smoker rolled the cigars between his teeth as he glanced down at a little girl sitting on her butt, looking at the ground. In her hand was an empty cone, the ice cream itself plastered on the hot ground, slowly melting in the summer heat. Smoker sighed, which caused the girl's head to jerk up to look at him, tears clouding her eyes. He squatted to get a better look at her before glancing down at the now dirty ice cream.
"I'm sorry," she whispered softly, voice quivering.
Smoker looked at her before reaching into his pocket and pulling out some beli. He gave her two coins and she took the money with mild befuddlement. He took a drag of his smokes and stood at his full height. "Double scoop on me."
They stared at one another as the child processed his words; but once she had, she smiled, bowed, and then ran off to get more ice cream. Smoker watched until she was out of sight then he continued his walk. Turning off the main road, Smoker headed down a side alley to emerge on another open road. He took a left and walked towards the arms store. He never bought anything, he had no need to, but he always did like to look. A soldier's yell stopped his progression into the establishment.
"Captain Smoker, Sir!"
Smoker spat out his cigars after noticing they were not burning any longer as he turned to address his subordinate. He lit up two more cigars and took a deep drag, waiting for the man to speak.
The Marine gulped and wiped away some sweat that had accumulated on his forehead, sweat that had nothing to do with the heat of the day. "Sir! Reports of pirates running loose in town. In addition, there is an unknown boy on the execution platform, sir! Tashigi-sama has requested the rendezvous be at the town square."
Smoker dismissed the Marine, directing his steps towards the town square. Tashigi could handle a few pirates until he dealt with the problem on the execution platform. His slow walk turned into a quick stride, pushing through the crowd of people in the streets. As he approached the town square that held the execution platform where the infamous Gol D. Roger died, he noticed a crowd had already formed. He moved forward to blend in with those gathered, as to not draw attention to himself. On the gallows and strap into a pillory, was the boy whose bounty had showed up on his desk that morning.
Monkey D. Luffy was his name, captain of the Straw Hat Pirates. Curiosity filled Smoker as he slipped through the crowd to get a better assessment of the situation. There, standing next to Straw Hat, was another pirate, a clown looking man with a sword in his hand. Smoker remembered him from the stack of bounties – Buggy the Clown.
A unit of Marines came into the center of the town square, shoving their way through people. Tashigi's unit attempted to capture a slim figured woman who wore a white cowgirl hat that had a large red plume on it. Alvida, he recalled, another bounty that had been on his desk. Smoker watched on as the unit of Marines failed to apprehend her. He moved to the front of the crowd, ready to act, but he paused as he noticed the look on Straw Hat's face.
"It was not the best idea to anger me, Mugiwara Luffy! It's costed you your life!" Buggy raised the sword, one foot poised on the edge of the pillory.
At that moment, a commotion from the left caught the attention of everyone in the town square. Two men appeared, one wearing a nicely pressed black suit and the other a white shirt with dark colored trousers and boots. Upon their entrance, Luffy grinned. "Ah, Zoro! Sanji! You made it!" He tilted his head up to grin up at Buggy. "This is my first time seeing a real execution."
Pirate Hunter Zoro, a Straw Hat Pirates?
Smoker mentally checked off all the pirates who were in the square, pairing each face with a name and storing them to memory as the two men began their fight towards the execution stand in an attempt to get to their captain.
Seeing some members of the Straw Hats, Buggy began spewing threats in a loud and shrilled voice. "Don't come any closer! Anyone who tries to interfere will cause this beheading process to move along faster than needed!" He raised his voice to address the gathering crowd at the base of the platform. "People of Loguetown, feel honored! For this is the day that you all will live to see the beheading of Monkey D. Luffy!"
A low shishishi floated from the platform, steadily growing louder until it rivaled the rumble of the sky. White clouds thickened in the sky, casting a dark gray hue over the area as they filled with vapor. A smile graced the childish features of the straw hat wearing teen and Smoker's hands squeezed into fists…he'd seen that look before. This was not the first execution he had witnessed where the captive graced the spectators with a smile before his death. A flash of lighting illuminated the boy's face, and the Marine could have sworn he saw the late Gol D. Roger on that platform.
With the biggest possible grin on his face, Luffy made a statement that shocked everyone in the area. "Zoro! Sanji! Usopp! Nami! I'm sorry," he smiled. "I'm dead."
Why…why does he smile? Smoker thought as his face screwed up in concentration. Why? Does he have faith that his crew will save him? His eyes followed the two pirates, who were fighting valiantly against Buggy's crew. No. He decided. In this instant, he must understand that his life is going to end. He watched the pirates get closer to the platform. Death. The white haired man pulled a deep drag from his cigars. He accepts it. He released the smoke after feeling the burn in his lungs. He has fully prepared for it and that is why he smiles.
A Marine's touch shook him from his thoughts. "Sir, Tagish-sama's unit has arrived, is there a plan?"
Smoker heard the question, but another on burned on his brain. "Have you ever seen someone smile at the promise of their death?"
"No, sir," was the response as he waited for orders.
Tensa observed the happening of the battle before saying, "Close all roads around the square and the port. We will wait until the end of the execution. We strike then."
The Marine saluted before weaving his way through the crowd, whispering to the snail in his hand, relaying orders. Buggy's shrilled laughter filled the town square as lighting flashed and the thunder clapped, drawing a cringe from those in the area at how high pitch the unpleasant noise was. It was at this moment that Buggy swung the sword in a downward swipe, directly for Luffy's neck.
Smoker, who was not a religious person, had but one explanation he could and would give in his later report of events…an act of God had occurred. A clamorous buzz filled the square, the platform creaked, and a stream of lightening connected to the clouds above. The electricity hummed through Buggy, freezing his body just mere moments before his sword would have made contact with Luffy's neck. A greenish flame-like glow surrounded Buggy and Luffy, illuminating the town ominously.
When the light faded, there was a collective gasp, and then nothing as the citizens of Loguetown held their breaths, staring in awe at the burning stand. The trickled pitter-patter of rain falling steadily was the only noise as everyone watched the platform with anticipation, waiting to see the outcome. The old structure whined as it disassembled, collapsing to the ground in pieces. Smoker waited patiently, mushi in hand, for the exact moment he could tell his units to move in. He had almost dropped the snail when he saw Straw Hat stepping out of the clutter that was once an execution platform.
Luffy's laughter pulled Smoker from his shocked state, and he commanded all units to move out, spurring the square into action. Pirates pulled their weapons, firing as they ran towards the docks. The citizens of Loguetown ran in complete disorder to get out of the line of crossfire. The Marines who rushed in let out a vicious yell as they fought to subdue the criminals. An elderly man bumped into Smoker amidst the confusion, stumbling back a few steps, but Tensa caught him before he fell.
"Get to safety," Smoker said, calling out to Moku, feeling parts of his body detach as he sent out wisp of smoke to apprehend those attempting to flee. After securing Buggy and Alvida under sea stone nets, he turned to survey the damage to the square around him, taking note of that the Straw Hat Pirates were nowhere in sight. He cursed under his breath, turning to a subordinate. "Take care of all of this scum. Put them in the holding cells and do not let them get away. There are still a few more pirates to capture."
If I were a pirate, where would I go? Smoker thought before grunting an answer to the question. I would go back to my ship.
He ran towards the harbor, the rain battered against him, plastering his hair to his forehead –oddly, the water had no effect on the two cigars hanging out of his mouth. He looked down each alley as he passed to see if he could catch sight of the pirates on another street. After a few blocks, he spotted Straw Hat and the one he called Sanji on the next street over. He pumped his legs faster to get ahead of the two, and then he dashed through the next alley with plans to cut them off.
He slid to a stop in front of the two startled men. "No pirate leaves this island under my watch." Smoker said, once again calling upon Moku to release smoke, which he used to grab hold of Luffy. The curly brow one jumped into action, attacking Smoker with a swift kick to his side. Smoker's trust in Moku to confine Luffy, he confronted Sanji, blocking the flurry of kicks aimed at him. He found an opening in Sanji's barrage of kicks and his fist collided with Sanji's gut, the impact launching the cook into a nearby building. While Tensa was distracted, Luffy managed to escape from the wisp of smoke that surrounded him and made a run for Sanji. Noticing Straw Hat was no longer in his grasp, Smoker turned his arms back to smoke and sent out two massive clouds after the boy.
Catching him, Smoker shifted his entire body into smoke, morphing into it before appear behind Luffy. Wrapping himself around the pirate, Smoker lunged them into the air before he began a downward decent with Luffy under him. They hit the ground, Luffy acting as a cushion with Smoker sitting on his back. "As I said before, boy, you will not be getting away."
The ferocity of the winds ruffled Smoker's hair as the flashes of lightening continued to rip through the sky, their thunderous counterpart following not too far behind. Smoker suddenly felt the presence of another and he quickly turned his upper body – one hand grasping the hilt of his Nanashaku – ready to strike, but a tan hand reached out stopping the Jitte.
"Well, I wouldn't think too highly of myself."
Smoker eyed the figure in the dark green cloak; the man's presence was not one he had encountered around town. "You are?" He yelled over the raging storm. Lightning flashed, revealing the red crossing tattoo on one side of the man's face and Smoker huffed in recognition. "The World Government is looking for you."
The man tilted his head and smiled at Smoker. "The world is waiting for our answers." A tornado of winds encircled the man and with another hit of thunder, he was gone. Unnatural was the strength of the wind and the sheer force of the gust lifted Smoker and his captive up, throwing each in a different direction.
Smoker tried to rise from his position, but every time the wind would beat against him, knocking him back to the ground. So, he sat - or rather - he laid until the harsh element ceased. Even after the wind had passed and the sun started to peek out over the rain clouds, he still laid there. Tensa reached into his pocket and pulled out a lighter, his old cigars forgotten in the storm, and grabbed a set of new ones off his jacket and lit them. He sucked in the well-earned nicotine and sighed - strange things were happening indeed.
Poor Smoker is in for a hell of a run. Thank you all for reading, I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I did writing it. Please review, flames are welcomed as well. Stay tune for next chapter: Portgas D. Ace - Huredhiel