Title: Of Dreams and Desires
Pairings: Smoker x Ace, Sanji x Zoro, and other side pairings
Ratings: T - NC-17
Chapter: 14 of ?
Summary: Following Orders…
Disclaimer: I do not make any profit from this story; all props go to Eiichiro Oda.
Author Note: Things are really starting to move along. Very proud of this story thus far; I believe it has done better than all of my old ones combined lol.
Favorites: Thanks Derius's Riddler for adding my story to your favorite list, means a lot babe. :3
Beta Reader: descriptionsalive21, thank you so much!
Smoker Tensa
Smoker lay on his back on his bed with an arm draped over his eyes. His cigars dangled from the side of his mouth, the tips occasionally burning a nice cherry red with every inhale he took. There was a knock at his door and Smoker tensed, staying quiet in hopes that the person on the other side wouldn't knock again. After a few moments of silence he heard footsteps move away from the door, and it was only then that he allowed himself to relax again, blowing out the nicotine he held in his lungs.
Yes, as it seemed, Captain Smoker Tensa was hiding; not from his crew, but from his petty officer. He groaned and turned on his side, questioning the gods and their sense of humor. Smoker had seen her that day in the alley and he knew she had witnessed everything that transpired between him and the pirate. A moan passed through his lips; just the thought of what happened caused the front of his pants to tighten and it infuriated him because he'd always shared his bed with beautiful women. Well… there was the one time he attempted to bed a male at a brothel he'd stumbled across on some unknown island trying to see what other sailors experienced in such an act, but in the end he couldn't go through with it because it just didn't seem right to him, and his dick wasn't responding to the other's ministrations. However, it was something about that pirate that caused his blood to boil and make him abandon all rational thought.
His devil came to life, causing tentacles of smoke to dance from his body and Smoker growled in anger, reeling in his devil.
The truth was that he was disappointed in himself. He allowed Moku to overtake his senses and lure him to the alley, but it was he himself that pushed the black haired pirate against the wall and humped him until he found release.
Another knock at his door finally convinced Smoker to remove himself from the bed. He walked through the haze of smoke and opened the door to look at no one other than the woman he'd been trying to avoid. Tashigi shifted her weight and flushed as Smoker stared her down.
He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Do you need something?"
She jumped at his harsh tone and coughed at the overwhelming amount of smoke that was pouring out the room. "We're fully prepped to head towards the city of Rainbase, with your permission the remaining units would like to move out."
Smoker ran a hand through his hair. "Give me a moment to pack and I'll meet you outside."
The petty officer saluted but then hesitated to leave. Smoker noticed she was lingering in the doorway and he felt a headache creep up the back of his neck. He sighed again before he addressed her, "What now, Tashigi?"
"Sir, if I may speak freely," she asked, gripping her ever present kanata tightly to her side.
No… no… he didn't want her to speak, if anything he'd be happy if she didn't talk for a few days, but never the less, he agreed to let her have her say. "Go ahead."
"Sir, I wanted to let you know…" She trailed off, debating on how to phrase the words she wanted to say to him.
Smoker grew impatient at waiting. "Tashigi, either speak now or tell me later."
She sighed and looked him square in the eyes. "Sir, as long as your personal life doesn't interfere with our work then I fully support you and your decisions."
The captain raised an eyebrow, and instead of snapping at her like he wanted to, he grunted. "Like I said, I'll meet you outside."
He closed the door and rubbed his tired eyes. At least the air has cleared a little.
Smoker packed his belongings and exited his room. The walk towards the deck gave him some energy, and he quickened his steps to the ramp and advanced to Tashigi. A large majority of the crew had already taken smaller boats up the river and there were some units who had already begun their walk across the desert to Rainbase.
Smoker looked at what remained of his crew. "Tashigi and I will be taking our leave for Rainbase. The rest of you will be on watch duty," he glared at the ten men standing before him, "and I really mean watch the ship. Should I come back and find anything damaged it'll be your asses that'll pay for it, understood?"
The soldiers saluted. "Sir."
Satisfied that his message had gotten across, Smoker mounted his motorbike that was tailored towards his devil's powers. As he was donning his gear and checking all components on the bike Tashigi approached him. "Sir, I will travel with the units to Rainbase. Please be safe on your journey."
Smoker scoffed and tossed her a helmet. "Nonsense, get on."
She caught the biker hat awkwardly before putting it on her head in a crooked manner as she settled behind her captain. Smoker turned and adjusted her helmet before he called on his devil, revved up the bike, and took off.
The ride across the desert was painfully silent.
Granted, not much could be said over the high winds, but the tension was still present between the duo. Normally, Tashigi spoke often about any and everything, filling Smoker's ear with irrelevant information, but for the majority of the day she hadn't uttered one word and it unsettled the hunter.
The sun had begun to set and the temperature started to dip, causing Tashigi to lean closer to Smoker in an attempt to steal some of his body heat. He felt the cold, but it didn't really affect him, though he knew for her sake that they should probably find a resting place. Smoker had been on enough desert islands to know the sands were just as unpredictable as the seas.
"Tashigi," he yelled over the wind that whipped around them, "find an alcove where we can make camp!"
"Sir!" She shouted in agreement and leaned back to scout their surroundings.
They traveled for a while longer before Smoker felt a pull on his jacket. He glanced over his shoulder to see Tashigi pointing to an area just ahead on their current route. He nodded and directed the bike towards the opening, circling it once to check the area before pulling in and turning off his bike. The pair dismounted and began to set up camp–Tashigi started the fire while Smoker brought out some maps to study the area.
Smoker lit his cigars and mulled over the documents in front of him. He'd need to make another report soon due to the events in Nanohana, they needed to be explained, but before he could produce his pad, Tashigi called for dinner and she passed him a tin plate. He took his meal and set the report on the back burner of his mind, it could be done later, for now he would eat and rest.
Tashigi took a couple bites of her meal, glancing at Smoker and spoke to him in a soft voice, "I'm not saying I fully understand it, but it is ok you did what you did with the pirate."
Smoker groaned and set his plate to the side, having lost his appetite at the mention of his mistake. "This again?"
She glared at him stating, "Sir, Marines have relations with pirates all the time, but it is forbidden by the World Government. Their need to uphold 'Absolute Justice' is stronger than their need for Marines. If you proceed upon this path, I beech you to do it in private away from prying eyes."
Smoker glared at her and huffed out some smoke. "Petty Officer Tashigi, you are forgetting your place. What I do with my personal life is none of your concern."
She hung her head in embarrassment and Smoker let his subordinate understand the situation before he spoke again. "Besides, what happened between Portgas and myself will never happen again. There is nothing for you to worry about."
"Sir, if I may, I am no fool. I know there has been tension between us since Nanohana, and I do not like this strained work environment we've developed over the last week. I did not mean to overstep any boundaries but I can't work this way, the air needs to be cleared, sir." Tashigi pushed her glasses up further than necessary on her nose, feeling the burst of confidence she had dissipate.
Smoker leaned back against the rock and looked up at the starry sky.
When he didn't answer her, Tashigi sighed and started to clean her area to prepare to retire for the night. It wasn't until she was finish with her dishes did he speak again. "Pardon me for the strain put on our partnership. I will make an effort to avoid such a thing between us from now on, and I will be sure that whatever actions I take are made with thought. Now, can we agree to conclude this discussion and never bring it back up again?"
Tashigi smiled at her captain, he was a very stoic man and had difficulties speaking about anything regarding his personal life. She made a noise in agreement before changing subjects. "How much longer do we have to travel before we reach Rainbase?"
Smoker sighed in relief at the switch in topic and pulled the map he'd been previously studying back onto his lap. "We are just outside of Yuba."
"That's where the Rebel Army's headquarters are said to be."
"Then, at all cost, will we avoid it. I didn't come here to speak to the natives about their problems and I don't want to give the impression that the Marines will be taking their side. We will bypass it and continue to Rainbase, it should be a couple more days before we reach the city."
Tashigi looked over their supplies. "We should be fine on food and water if we skip the next town, but we will have to ration it out."
Smoker hummed and stood to clean off his dining wear but was stopped by Tashigi. "Sleep, sir, I will finish cleaning camp."
He handed her his plate then placed more wood on the fire before he bid her goodnight and made way to his tent. He lay down on the cool sand, feeling it give slightly under his weight, and pulled a blanket from his traveler's pouch. Once situated, Smoker pondered over Tashigi's words; he knew she was right, there had been previous sailors he'd trained with that fell in lust with a pirate and had been quickly disposed of by the Marines.
He wouldn't be one of those people though, this was nothing but a phase; his body needed the release and he found it in the first person he'd come across. It was a fit of lust, nothing more.
Or so he kept telling himself.
His manhood slowly came to life at the thoughts of the alley, his body once again betraying him. Portgas D. Ace was his name, and the fucking brat shouldn't be on his mind. He needed to escape the lustful fog that surrounded the pirate but he couldn't, not with his dick swelling every second he thought of him.
Fuck it. He thought as he threw the blanket off of him and unzipped his pants, pulling his now fully erected member from its confines. This will be it and then I'm done with the whole thing. It's not like I'll ever see him again and if I do, all feelings will be gone and I'll jail his ass.
Smoker took off his gloves and slowly began to stroke his length. His mind began to wander back to the alley where slightly chapped lips pressed against his and the hard body fitted against him perfectly. It wasn't like the soft body of a woman that he had to be careful of due to his strength, but it was strong and the moment he threw him against the wall he knew it was what he wanted. Tensa moaned at the memory of Portgas's hand gripping him through his pants before they ground their hips together and he rolled his hips upward, sliding his cock through his now pre-cum soaked fist, loving the feeling of the roughness of his hand mixed with the slickness of his essence.
He wouldn't last long, for he had been waiting to do this for some days now.
Smoker hissed as he ran his thumb over his opening and quickened his pumps, coming to completion with a muffled groan. He laid there basking in the afterglow for a while before he cleaned himself off and lit a pair of cigars, only to take a single puff before butting them out again. Tomorrow would be a new day and he'd be damned if he was gonna let Portgas plague his mind anymore.
S.T
Smoker woke with the rising heat of the sun, her rays making it hard for him to continue sleeping. He huffed as he roused fully from his slumber. He gathered all his items in the tent and, once he was outside of it, collapsed his makeshift sleeping quarters. The Marine captain packed everything onto the back of his motor bike before he went to wake his petty officer. He approached her tent and shook it lightly to grab her attention; he didn't want to enter because he wasn't sure the state of clothing she'd be in.
He heard a sleepy, "Smoker-san?"
"Tashigi," he called out, "get dressed and prepare to leave."
"Yes, sir," came the voice and there was a bit of shuffling before a bed-head Tashigi appeared from the tent. Smoker raised an eyebrow at the chaos on top of her head before he snorted in amusement and mounted his bike.
Tashigi flushed and straightened her hair, gathering all her belongings and placing them on the bike before getting on behind her captain. Smoker waited until she was completely settled before he drove off, leaving the alcove behind and continuing their journey towards Rainbase. The ride, now that the unwanted tension dissipated, had been more active and Tashigi once again filled his ear with prattle. As much as it normally would have bothered him, he was happy for the atmosphere change because he damn sure couldn't take another couple days like the ones he'd been having.
For days the couple rode on the bike, stopping occasionally for food and rest.
It wasn't until Rainbase was in view that Smoker felt Tashigi tap his shoulder. "Sir, there is a Navy Embassy located in the east of the city."
"We'll check in with HQ there. Contact all units and tell them to be on alert and report any suspicious activities."
"Sir!" Tashigi pulled out her baby mushi and relayed orders.
Smoker focused a little more of his devil into the bike, causing it to go faster. He was eager to reach the city due to the fact their water and food supply had depleted earlier that morning. Once they entered the city, Smoker headed east towards the embassy, driving slower than normal to avoid the people on the street. He parked his bike and the riders dismounted, finally getting to stretch their legs after the long journey. The captain and his officer walked through the finely polished wooden doors and stood in line to speak to the coordinator at the front desk. The lobby was packed with bounty hunters attempting to collect their bounties from the pirates they've captured, and after a while the pair made it to the front of the line where a small lady had her head buried in a book, writing up a bounty payment slip.
"Where can I use a mushi to contact HQ?" Smoker's deep voice caused the receptionist to jerk in surprise, having not noticed the pair walk up to her.
She bowed and gestured for them to follow. "It'll be right this way, Captain. There's a den mushi on the desk that will automatically connect you to the admirals once you pick up the dial."
Tashigi thanked the woman as Smoker walked through the officer door and closed it behind himself. He set down his Jitte and sat in an old wooden chair, contemplating what he should report in. Just the fact that he was calling in from the Alabasta Kingdom and not his normal post would raise questions.
Sighing, Smoker picked up the dial and it instantly began to ring. He didn't have to wait long when he heard a female's voice on the other end, "You've contacted Vice Admiral Tsuru, state your status and Marine Code."
"Captain Tensa Smoker. Code M031485."
The snail's eye brows raised slightly. "Purpose of contact."
"Report in."
Tsuru hummed, "Reporting in from Alabasta, Captain Smoker? That's a far ways away from Loguetown."
Smoker ran a hand through his hair wanting to take a drag of nicotine. "Ma'am, there was a pirate crew that escaped from Loguetown and I've been in pursuit of them since. They have lead me here."
Some papers were shuffled before she answered again. "The name of the pirate crew?"
He knew this was where the issue would be. "The Straw Hat Pirates."
There was an uncomfortable silence as Tsuru searched her files for the crew and when her search yielded fruitless she clicked her tongue. "There are no records of The Straw Hat Pirates, Captain."
"Their captain is Monkey D. Luffy."
"Ah, you're hunting a man with a 30,000,000 beli bounty and no known crewmates?"
Smoker sat straight in the chair, "Ma'am."
The vice admiral sighed before she responded, "You are to return to your post immediately, Captain Smoker."
He leaned forward and shook his head. He couldn't do that, not yet.
"I can't do that. There is something going on here in Alabasta. Not only have the Straw Hats arrived on the island, but it seems they are connected somehow with the Shichibukai Sir Crocodile and the missing Princess Vivi might be involved in whatever is going on. I can find out what's happening in this kingdom."
"But nothing has happened yet, has it?"
The corner of Smoker's eye twitched. "No, to my knowledge, nothing has happened yet."
"Then I stand by my previous statement, you are to return to Loguetown, captain. We will wait until something actually happens before we move to act. You are in Shichibukai's territory and if there is no surfaced problem we cannot interfere."
Smoker growled and slammed his fist on the table, causing the snail to bounce. "So you're telling me that we are to not to get involved unless the Shichibukai decides to kill hundreds of people or the pirates do something disastrous to the city?! I'm here now! I can figure out the problem and prevent the situation from getting out of hand!"
"You will do well to mind your tone and remember your place and who you speak to, Captain Smoker! If I give you the order to move out then you move out, there should be no questions. If anything happens in the city of Alabasta we will send someone to take care of the problem but that someone will not be you! You are making me repeat myself, captain. Return. To. Loguetown."
The snail going back to sleep indicated the call was over and it took all of Smoker's willpower not to throw the damn mushi into the wall. He sat the wooden chair for a moment to calm down before he met his subordinate again. Smoker lit two cigars and inhaled deeply, holding the smoke in his lungs until he felt it burn, then slowly releasing. His stomach growled, reminding him he still hadn't ate, so he picked up his Jitte and left the room, Moku trailing smoke in his wake due to his irritation.
Tashigi noticed her captain's foul mood and sighed, "There's a restaurant nearby where we can get a strong drink from."
Smoker looked at his petty officer before he nodded and left the embassy. Once outside, they walked a few blocks over to the Oasis Bar. The pair sat at the far end of the bar and waited for a barmaid to approach them. Neither one spoke, Smoker because he was aggravated and Tashigi because she didn't want to say the wrong thing and further annoy her captain.
A barmaid approached them and seeing the features set on the aesthetically pleasing man's face, she hummed and walked away only to reappear with a double shot of rum. "You look like you need this. What else can I do for you two?"
Smoker drowned the shot while Tashigi ordered her food. When the barmaid looked to him for his order he shrugged. "Just order me what she's having and a large beer."
The slender lady wrote down the meal orders and walked away, leaving the two Marines alone again. Tashigi couldn't stand the silence but she knew she couldn't ask him about his conversation with the higher ups, so instead she asked the question that had been itching her brain. "Smoker-san, why do you think the Straw Hats are in Rainbase?"
The barmaid delivered their drinks and Smoker took a healthy gulp before he answered. "I'm not sure. When I was chasing Mugiwara in Nanohana, he said something about going to kick Crocodile's ass. I can't place my finger on it but there's a shadow lurking behind the scenes in Alabasta that needs to be brought out into the light."
At that moment, two loud individuals rushed into the establishment and sat at Smoker's side, demanding for water and banging on the counter but the captain ignored it. He didn't feel like dealing with people right now. If he could get his drink and drown the rest of the day away he would be ok with that.
"I wonder if Sir Crocodile and the Straw Hats are somehow connected."
Smoker threw a look at Tashigi. "They're both pirates, I wouldn't be surprised if they were somehow involved with each other."
"But sir, Sir Crocodile is a Shichibukai; he works for the World Government."
He snorted, "Shichibukai are nothing but pirates; once a pirate, always a pirate."
The rowdiness of the men next to him irritated his devil and it finally made Smoker turn to curse them out, but he halted mid turn as he saw who exactly it was.
Straw Hat! Red eyes glanced to the curly haired man beside him. He must be affiliated with him.
Fuck the orders he'd received from HQ, the pirate he was after was right next to him, no way in hell he'd let him get away another time.
It took a while, but Luffy and Usopp finally took notice of the Marines sitting next to them. The pregnant silence was almost comical as the situation slowly began to process in the four bar occupants' minds. Both parties waited to see who would react first, and the Straw Hats were never a group to not step up to the plate.
Usopp and Luffy spat out the excess water in their mouths in the face of the Marine captain. A nervous chuckle escaped the long nose as Smoker wiped the water off his face. "Hehehe. So, Luffy, I think we should go."
"Mmhm," Luffy looked at the barrels of water in front of him, "let's go!"
The pirates ran out of the bar, lugging barrels of water they received from the barmaid with them. Smoker quickly stood to his feet and called upon his devil. "Not this time assholes, get back here!" He yelled as he followed them out the restaurant.
Tashigi stood to follow but remembered their unpaid meal, and being the person she was, she couldn't leave without paying. She turned back to the barmaid who watched the entire scene with a hint of amusement. "I hope this can cover everything."
Tashigi handed her some beli and was about to take off after her captain when she heard the lady clear her throat. "You'll need to be paying for those barrels of water too."
Rolling her eyes, Tashigi handed a few more bills to the barmaid and ran out of the shop in hopes to catch up with Smoker.
A little ways up the road was Smoker hot on the escapees' trail. He pulled his personal baby snail from his pocket and shouted commands. "The two closest units to my location, move out! The Straw Hats have been sighted!"
Usopp screamed a little and sped up when he heard the command. "Heeeeyyyy Luffy! He's calling more!"
Luffy just let out a laugh and pointed ahead. "Oh look, it's the others!" He raised his voice a little bit and swung his barrel filled arms wildly. "Hey guys! The Marines are here!"
Off in the distance, in front of a merchant stall, Sanji, Zoro, Vivi, and Nami cringed and gathered their items so they could also make a run for it.
"That's because they are running after you, dumbass!" was Zoro's heated reply as the group began to bob and weave through the citizens, trying to find a way to lose their pursuers.
"You guys, I think we should split up!"
"Nami's right, if we stay together there's a good chance we'll be captured," Vivi concurred.
With it being agreed, the group split into two. Sanji and Vivi going in one direction and Nami, Usopp, and Zoro in the other, but that didn't matter in the least to Smoker because his main focus was Luffy. He sent his units in separate directions and released his devil to catch a now airborne Straw Hat.
Feeling the other's devil closing in on him, Luffy willed his body to move faster, but the smoke had caught him. Upon contact with the Marine's devil, Gomu began to lash out, causing him to squirm in the hold. Figuring a way out of the hold, Luffy called on his spirit and with a yell of "Fusen" his body expanded and he broke through the smoke, landing on the ground.
He didn't live in his freedom for long, because as soon as he was free Smoker once again released his devil in another attempt to capture him. Knowing that if he tried to fight the Marine's devil he would surely lose, Luffy ran in the direction of the pyramid shaped building. Using Gomu once again, he put a little extra speed into his run and for a while, he thought he'd lost his chaser.
Luffy made it to the entrance of the building, whose name he could now see was Rain Dinners, and waited of the rest of his crew. It wasn't long before Usopp, Nami, and Zoro came into view and the Straw Hat captain made a joyful yelp at seeing some of his nakama unharmed.
"Oh good, you guys made it!"
Nami hit Luffy on the back of his head. "Must you ALWAYS bring trouble with you everywhere you go?"
Luffy rubbed the sore spot on his noggin and muttered, "But you got away didn't you?"
The glare Nami threw to Luffy was enough to make Usopp shift uncomfortably as he leaned over to whisper to Zoro. "If that look isn't enough to make your balls shrivel then I don't know what will."
Zoro barked a laugh which pulled Nami's wrath to him. "Where there hell is Vivi, Sanji, and Chopper?"
"Witch, you askin' me like I'm their keeper."
Before Nami could retort Usopp squealed, "Guys no time! That crazy Marine is back!"
Nami groaned as they watched Smoker run down the street towards them. "This guy just doesn't give up does he?"
"Oi, lets lose him in there!"
The four members of the Straw Hat Pirates agreed and quickly ran up the stone stairs and into the fancy establishment called Rain Dinners. They could hear Smoker's yells of "Halt!" from behind them but they kept moving through the sea of people, unsure as to where to go. They gained a few yards on the Marine when the security guards attempted to stop Smoker from entering the Casino area.
"Sir! You will have to turn back. Sorry, but there are no government officials allowed in the casino."
Smoker looked at the two men and then past them to see the Straw Hats running towards the V.I.P lounge, he elbowed the shorter guard and punched the taller, pushing past them in an attempt to catch up with his prey. He followed them through the V.I.P area curiously thinking, what in the hell kind of relationship do they have with Crocodile to get V.I.P treatment?
He spotted the group at the end of a hall, debating which way to go.
"V.I.P to the left!" He heard one of them say.
"Pirates to the right," Luffy argued with Nami, "We are pirates! We go right!"
The group reluctantly followed their captain right and was met with a dead end, and Smoker slid in the narrow hall right behind them. He was about to comment that he'd cornered them when the floor fell from under their feet and the five of them began their downward descent into darkness.
This Luffy, always getting his crew into trouble lol. Hope you guys enjoyed. Again, thanks to everyone who has reviewed, favorite, or liked my story thus far :3 Keep in touch for next chapter: Monkey D. Luffy - Huredhiel