Being born in the Grand Line, and rising through the Marine ranks often meant a lot of training. Smoker was used to training. It meant getting stronger, better. He didn't rise to the rank of captain by being a slouch.

He punched an old ship as hard as he could. Smoker decided to train in the "Boat Graveyard". Plenty of room to train and try out new moves. He turned his entire body into smoke, and split off into different directions quickly, until reforming on the deck of an old rusted ship.

Smoker needed to get faster, stronger, better. The ship became blanketed in smoke and his body disappeared. He reformed a fist to smash into the hull of an old freighter, his jutte punctured a hole through an old engine. He turned back into smoke again.

If his crew was going to survive here, Smoker needed haki. He had seen its use many times when serving under Admiral Zephyr.

Smoker closed his eyes, and focused after reforming his body. He focused on the feeling he felt during his fight with Lung.

"RAAAAAA." Smoker focused into his fist and punched the hull, his fist going through. Nothing. He stared at his fist, turned the lower half of his body into smoke and flew up into the air, eventually turning all of himself into smoke.

He was going to need to train harder. Smoker was going to push himself to his limits. Lung was simply the start. Soon, Kaiser and his 'Empire', and Skidmark with his parasites. Smoker would be the exterminator this city needs. He reformed his body on the top of a ship's bridge.

Ring ring ring. His pocket started vibrating. Was Tashigi calling him? He took his phone out. Hmm, an unknown number. Not many people knew Smoker's personal phone number.

His eyes narrowed as he pressed the answer button, and placed it near his ear.

"I-Is this Smoker?" A young familiar voice said. The bug girl who was there with Lung. Smoker looked around slowly before answering.

"It is."

"I-I need help. I think the Undersiders know who I am." She said softly.

Smoker clenched his other fist. Damn cowards targeting a new hero in her civilian identity. While he didnt agree with wearing a mask and secret identities, it seemed like a necessity for those who don't wish for their families to become involved.

"Tell me where you are. I'll be right there."

Smoker was going to enjoy capturing them. He wouldn't make the same mistakes he did with Luffy.

He was sure of it.

Tashigi smiled when she heard the familiar whistle from her kettle pot. Yay! It's time for her coffee. She drank it black of course. Quickly preparing her cup by grinding some beans, Tashigi was enjoying her drink not even ten minutes later. Ahhh, bitter just like she liked it.

Sitting on her new coach, Tashigi let herself relax. Captain Smoker would work them all to death soon. He had already given her a few books on rokushiki. She would have to see which ones fit her style the most, but she would do her best to master them!

She took a few sips from her coffee mug, when she heard a knock at the door. Oooo her guest was here. Carefully placing her mug on her coaster, Tashigi went to answer the door.

"Hi Hannah!" Tashigi said happily. Miss Militia stood at the entrance to her door in her civilian clothes.

"Hi Tashigi." Hannah smiled in return. Tashigi felt honored that Hannah trusted her enough to reveal her secret identity.

"Come in." Tashigi motioned her in. "Would you like some coffee?" Hannah simply nodded with a small smile.

"Sit wherever you want." Tashigi said as she prepared another cup of coffee. Hannah went and took the seat across from Tashigi's.

"How do you like your coffee?"

"I like it black. Thank you."

Tashigi placed it on a coaster in front of Hannah and went back to her seat. She liked her talks with Hannah, it's not like she could talk about girl stuff with the guys. That would make most of them uncomfortable, and she was their superior officer. Plus Hannah's powers involving weapons were so cool!

"How was work?" Tashigi asked as she took a sip of her beloved coffee.

Hannah took a sip of her coffee as well.

"It was...ok. Armsmaster placed me in charge of the Wards." Hannah said and took a longer sip. Tashigi nodded along.

"It's tough?" Tashigi knew what she felt like. While most of the Marines were grown men, some acted like they were younger than they actually are. Most Alby.

"You have no idea. Shadow Stalker has been antagonizing the team, Clockblocker still keeps pranking Vista." Hannah sighed. "It's much harder than I thought it would be."

Yup, being in a position of authority was a lot of work. Organizing training, overseeing said training, dealing with Captain Smoker, the list just went on and on.

"It's hard being the one in charge." Tashigi said, finishing up her coffee. Hannah continued drinking her coffee nodding.

"Do you miss home?"

Tashigi paused for a second and thought about it. She did miss it a little, and her few friends that she had made back home.

"A little. I just had to change some of my goals.." Like her goal of gathering the meito's. Tashigi still had her book about them. "But as long as Captain Smoker is here, I'll be fine."

"You trust him that much?" Hannah asked, her coffee cup now empty.

"Yup. I trust Captain Smoker with my life." Tashigi looked into Hannah's green eyes with determination. "He believed in me when no one else did. I won't misplace his trust in me."

"I see." Hannah leaned back in her chair slightly, and looked out the window that faces the backyard. "Is all that a training dummy?"

"Yup! Most of it arrived yesterday." Tashigi had ordered some wooden swords, and an assortment of training equipment to turn her backyard into her training center. "Want to check it out?" Tashigi often trained with the other Marines, fighting up to five at a time, but it seemed they were tired of losing.

"Sure."

Too bad Alby wasn't here for shooting practice. He made an excellent target.

Adjusting her mask, Taylor swallowed the build up in her throat that she didn't know she had. It was...creepy. How did those criminals know who she was? Why did they want to meet her? Taylor's attempt at finding information on them was mostly a bust as there wasn't much information on the Undersiders period.

Everyone knew that Tattletale was a thinker who claimed to be a psychic, and it was obvious that Trainwreck was a tinker, but there was less information on Grue and Regent. Only Hellhound had the most news about her, a murderer. Her swarm covered Taylor's blind spots.

Taylor wasn't going to take any chances, even if she did help arrest Lung. That's why she called Smoker. Armsmaster would most likely want to get her to join the drama filled Wards, but Smoker just screamed badass rebel, despite the military theme the Marines had going for them.

Now she was standing at the mouth of an alleyway in the uninhabited part of the Docks. She had called him with a payphone across the street.

Taylor was soon taken out of her thoughts by the appearance of white smoke. Is he here yet?

"Boo." A voice said behind her, and Taylor squeaked, sending her swarm to her would be attacker. Turning around, she saw Smoker's grinning face as bugs flew around trying to swarm his smokey body.

Taylor quickly called her swarm back. "I'm sorry! You scared me." She felt...dumb.

Smoker simply waved it off and reformed his...body that seemed like a Greek gods. Damn fanart.

"You did the right thing. Killer instincts you have there." Smoker puffed out some smoke, yet Taylor didn't smell its signature odor?

"I-I guess." He was easily way taller than Taylor.

"You said the Undersiders, a group of criminals, have figured out your identity?" Smoker said simply with a calm voice.

Taylor nodded. "I was at a library when one of them texted me through PHO, wanting to meet up."

"Suspicious indeed."

Taylor had done the math. Independants didn't last long in Brockton Bay. She would be dead in six months or less. The Wards seemed so...untouchable, New Waves had an open mask policy, but the Marines seemed so...chill?

Their uniform literally included a baseball cap that said Marine in all caps. Plus they didn't seem all professional the night Lung was captured when they all scrambled to stop Smoker from killing that Alby guy.

Smoker fought for Taylor to get credit for Lung's capture, even standing up to Armsmaster for her. Hopefully her trust wasnt misplaced...like all those other times before.

"You said to call whenever I needed help."

Smoker nodded. He came immediately too, probably dropping everything he was doing to come meet her.

"I-If I join the Marines, would I have to unmask?"

Smoker kept looking at her smoking.

"I dont care."

What? Of course he wouldn't care about her-

"I don't care if you choose to unmask. That's your business. If you want to unmask to the public, your choice. If you want to unmask to the Marines, your choice." Smoker started speaking. Taylor stared at him in shock.

"If you want to unmask to a select few, that's your choice. Just know that if you join the Marines..."

Taylor felt his gaze burn through her mask's goggles.

"...I won't ask more of you than I would anyone else." She saw...the determination and passion in Smoker's eyes.

Smoker extended his hand. "It's your choice if you want to join or not. Just know that we will be by your side."

Taylor stared at his large hand and slowly, slowly reached out to grab it.

"Welcome to the Marines.." Smoker said slowly. Oh! He wanted to know if she had chosen a cape name. Shoot, she forgot to choose one. Glancing to her right, Taylor saw a spider she hadn't called into her swarm, weaving its web.

"Weaver."

Smoker grinned again, his cigars not falling out.

"Welcome to the Marines, Weaver."

A/N

This arc is finally over. Next chapter is going to be a PHO one. Mostly. Spoiler but it's going to be a Q and A. So feel free to dm/pm me some questions privately or post them in the thread. I'll put your username as the one asking the question. The chapter will be posted once I have enough so no hard feelings if yours isn't chosen.

BAM. Taylor is now part of the Marines. If anyone has a better name for her let me know and if I like it I'll go back and edit it in. You'll get credit of course.

Confession time

I listened to Gfriend when I wrote this