Kokoro cupped her chin in her hand and grinned at him from across the table. As she listened to him speak, her amused expression barely faltered. While he was grateful for how it helped to ease his tale of some of its gravitas, he also felt her smile gently mocking his youthful naiveté. The older a person got, the more they seemed to think they knew better somehow. By now he knew everyone, regardless of age, went right on making the same kinds of mistakes they always had. And they only seemed to grow more stubborn in their refusal to admit to or learn from them.

"So let me guess then, the guys not let you off the hook about that bet so easy? Real stupid thing to go and do there. What's it they say, play with fire and you're gonna get burnt?" she cackled.

"I knew damn well it was stupid," Paulie muttered. He was annoyed at her lack of sympathy, but more annoyed at himself. He put his own foot into that one. "And I knew damn well I was breaking my promise to Mr Iceburg too. But sometimes a guy's pride overrides his reason and that's why people like me keep getting themselves in trouble."

"Ain't that remarkably insightful? Ha. If you know full well what your problem is, can't you stop yourself before you go putting your foot in it?" she asked.

"Never can," he admitted. "Too much of a hot head for my own good."

"You pick that up from your father too? Sounds like a character."

"Doesn't begin to describe it," he sighed. "And no. My mother's the one with the temper."

"Didn't you say she was some perfect angel or something before?"

"Saint, I said. Long story short, when my dad ran off she became a nun."

"Ha, you don't say? Certainly explains some things."

Her laugh shook the whole wooden table between them.

"Yeah, but I'll tell you more about that later."

He swallowed the last of his drink and let her fill him back up. Giggling as she poured, half the bottle sloshed across the table, staining it in a damp maroon. She reached behind her for a cloth and busied herself mopping it up.

He was starting to feel tipsy. "Right now, I kind of have something else to get off my chest."

"Oh yeah?"

He hesitated a moment, as if to consider taking another drink first. He decided not. He didn't need more liquid courage, but he did need to talk.

He took a deep breath. She stopped laughing.

"So, that night, the night Lucci and the rest of them came back for Mr Iceburg, I probably could have saved myself. But I stayed."

"Uh huh," she coxed him on.

"Course those guys took us all down easily. Injured me badly enough, but he was so weak. And I didn't have the strength to carry us both. They tied us together and left us to the flames," he said.

He hadn't talked about it at all since, had barely even allowed himself to think about it. As he revisited it, he could nearly even smell the building singe. He remembered the dull thud of Iceburg's heartbeat racing against him, and how carefully he'd tried to keep his own steady in response.

"I could probably have got through those ropes, managed to untie them or something, but if I left him alone there to die the guilt would've killed me. I didn't want to have any regrets. So staying and dying there with him… didn't seem so bad. I'm pretty sure I even said something ridiculous like that to him in the heat of the moment."

"What'd he say back?"

"I don't know, not much of course. That's just like him, right? But, maybe when a guy's about to die he hears exactly what he wants to hear to comfort him right before it happens," he thought out loud. "Or maybe he hears exactly what he fears the most, so that death doesn't seem so bad in comparison."

"What'd he say?"

"I thought I heard him thank me for staying. I have this feeling he knew. I expected him to get angry, tell me to go, but the fact that he was just grateful? Honestly, don't know why, thought I'd be glad, but it kind of scared me shitless."

He gave a short, nervous laugh, scratching his head.

"Of course, if he really did say it, he's trying to pretend it never even happened. And if I just imagined it I don't know what to make of it either. I'm damn confused. That's probably why I've been getting awkward around him lately." He paused. "We've never talked about that night. Though I know it's been weighing on both of us."

"Sure. For now just let it be if you don't know what to make of it," she answered calmly. "I've never been about to die, so I can't say I know if you start hearing things or not, but do you want me to talk to him? Find out the truth?"

"No. No, don't. Ah fuck," he cringed. It was enough to make him reach for his glass again. "I shouldn't have said anything. Now you're gonna go and tell me it means I'm in love with him."

"You know there's many kinds of love that'd make a person ok with dying for someone."

Paulie breathed a sigh of relief. "No, you're right, of course. I can love him as as my mentor, or my boss, or my friend, it doesn't have to mean more than that. Right?"

"And even if it did though, there's no crime in it," she declared.

"Don't know. The nuns always taught it was a sin," he sighed.

"He's gay though."

He took another quick gulp of his drink. "I know."

"Anyway, take your time and just think it over. Might mean something, might mean something completely different," she said. "Might even mean nothing at all."

"Yeah, uh, like I said, I want to talk it all over to try and clear the weird air between us, but he's not giving me the chance."

"Maybe I really should grab him by the ear and force him," she fussed. "Anyway though. So come on, what happened next then?"

He was up and out of his door just before eight.

He felt like he ran across the whole of the dusty backstreets before he finally managed to locate Lulu and his team.

"Paulie, you'd better watch out. My guys have been on fire this morning," Lulu grinned. "Already got the station repairs near finished up and it's not even time to start work for the day."

"Look, Lulu. About that bet," Paulie began discreetly.

"What, you scared now? You should be. Ha. Like I said, we're on fire."

"I'm one hundred percent serious here Lulu."

He stared Lulu straight in the eyes. Or where he assumed his eyes were underneath the sunglasses that never left his face.

"I'll even take the forfeit, honest to God," he begged in hushed tones. "You have to call this thing off between us, alright?"

"Hm, I'm willing to do it, but Paulie, you have to tell me what's going on alright? You're in trouble aren't you?"

"Yeah, kind of," he began. "Debt. Needs repaid by the end of the week. And circumstances have changed, turns out I'm out of action for a while."

"Paulie. Look. I'm not saying I won't do it, but damn it, just be straight with me."

"Alright. So I told Mr Iceburg I'm going to start helping him out as a temp secretary. He's struggling on his own around the office lately. You should see his office, mountains of paperwork everywhere," Paulie gestured grandly for emphasis. "So I thought he could use the help. Hate to have to ask you, but do you think you're up to taking over management of the city repair work on your own?"

Lulu's face softened. "Of course, sure."

"Take my team along with you too, they're a pretty fresh faced and scrappy lot, but they're not doing too bad themselves. They'll be a good help." Paulie patted Lulu's shoulder. "Sorry to have to dump the extra work on you."

"Nah, it's fine," Lulu reassured him. "Probably a good idea. Sounds like Mr Iceburg's having a tough enough time being down a secretary. And like I said, my guys are making great progress. Soon enough I'll get your boys up to par with the rest of them."

"Thanks Lulu. Seriously."

"I get it, it's alright."

"I'll definitely make this up to you."

"No, you'd do the same for me. Haven't decided whether or not to make you still take the forfeit or not though."

"As bad as it is, I'm willing to do it if that's what it takes."

Lulu chuckled. "I'll talk it over with Tilestone. As much as I want to just let you off the hook, I think we'd both kinda want to see that."

He sprinted back to headquarters in an effort to make it in by half nine, and just about made it too. But it took him a moment to regain his breath after having jumped the stairs two at a time. Every single fucking staircase worth. If he was going to do that every day, he was going to need to quit smoking. He'd quit rushing instead. It seemed easier.

Iceburg was back over at his drafting table by the window, and turned alarmed as Paulie crashed through the door wheezing.

"Mr Iceburg… sorry… if I'm late," he panted.

"Not at all, I wasn't expecting you so early in fact," Iceburg answered.

Paulie felt Iceburg watch him gasp for breath, with an expression that quickly shifted from concerned to amused once he'd registered that everything was alright.

"You didn't have to exert yourself quite so much. Are you ok there?" he laughed lightly.

"Yeah… fine… give me… a minute. So many… damn stairs…"

"Take a seat if that helps."

"Thanks."

Paulie pulled out the chair at Iceburg's desk and fell into it, allowing himself a moment. He saw Iceburg hesitate as if unsure whether to return to his work and Paulie waved him back to it.

"Anyway," he managed eventually. "I sorted things out with Lulu, and everything's fine. He's taking my team with him. He'll do a great job, I can guarantee it. He and his guys are making record time on those repairs. "

"Well, that's great to hear," Iceburg replied. He didn't look up.

"Yeah."

The office went quiet, and Paulie decided to try to busy himself, taking a fistful of papers off a nearby tower that he was sure wasn't as high the last time he'd seen it. He took a quick flip through. There were pages flooded by lists of figures that he couldn't make heads or tails of. Flipping it upside down didn't help, not that he really expected it to. He realised he'd very little idea what kind of work Kalifa had done for the past five years, but it seemed more technical than he'd imagined.

"So, uh, where can I start? What do you need me to do?"

"Somehow I think if I could answer that I probably wouldn't need your help right now quite as much as I do," Iceburg confessed. He continued to busy himself, nib scratching away at his drafting paper. "Honestly, I've lost track of everything I've fallen behind on."

"So sounds to me like maybe the best place to start would be to draw up a to-do list."

Paulie found a blank page and a pen. He dipped it in ink and scribbled a crude chart with two columns, headed 'job' and 'deadline' respectively. He was more proud of it than he knew it really deserved.

"Or supposed to be working on," Iceburg added.

"Or, yeah. That."

He wasn't overly impressed when Iceburg seemed to shirk unpleasant duties so lightly. He got to his feet and wandered to Iceburg's side, paper and pen in hand.

He peered over Iceburg's shoulder at the culprit that had been distracting him from all else. The papers made no more sense to him than they had the previous day.

"Hm, don't mean to pry Mr Iceburg, but what is it you've been up to lately? From what I can guess, looks like you've been doing a lot of research."

"Well, yes. I'm starting out on a few new projects," Iceburg answered, with a brief glance up at him. "Even though they're not official business, they are taking up a lot of my time."

"Forgive me for being a bit forward here, but if they're not official, can't you put them aside for now?"

"Not really. Well, I wouldn't say they're urgent exactly, but…" He trailed off, busy scribbling numbers.

Paulie wasn't sure if the pause was a moment to make up an excuse, or whether he just got caught up in his calculations. "You don't mind if I ask about them, do you?"

"I don't want to say too much until I know for sure if it's even possible," Iceburg said simply. "As it turns out, I'm struggling to work out the mechanics. That's why I can't really seem to set the two projects aside just yet."

"It's just me, you know? I'm hardly gonna go broadcast it to the papers. Hell, I won't tell anyone."

"Hm, I suppose I can trust you."

"Of course."

Iceburg put his pen down to rest. "I think what that incident proved is that we really don't have much control over the Puffing Tom."

He stared Paulie straight in the eyes with a fixed gaze that made him almost uncomfortable. He was serious about this.

"Technically, I might manage it, but really, there are people from the government all over the train. It's not really Water Seven's in the way Tom wanted it to be. We need to be able to use it freely without compromises."

"And how do we do that exactly?"

"I've thought about it. The only thing I can think of is that we build another. A Puffing Tom Two, so to speak. We'll be able to keep our own conductors, carry our own cargo, and pick our own destinations, though I haven't quite planned its route yet."

"Sounds good, but are you sure they'll just let you use it as you please?" Paulie questioned.

"No, but they already have the Puffing Tom," Iceburg reasoned. "There's no reason why we shouldn't have full legal rights to make another and use it as we decide. Tom made the first sea train under contract with the government to earn his pardon. But I have nothing over my head needing pardoned."

"Hm, it sounds great," Paulie said. "But didn't it take you guys, what was it in the end… twelve years to build the first one?"

"Yes, but that was when Tom was still figuring out how to make it work. It won't take long to build this time."

Tyrannosaurus stirred from his perch at the top of Iceburg's desk.

"Well, if I can, I'd like to also make improvements on the original design of course. I'd love it to be a high speed line, but of course, we always had that problem with the Rocket Man that we never managed to solve."

Iceburg reached a finger out to scratch the little rodent, and Paulie watched him gently coax him back to sleep. It still baffled Paulie that Iceburg had developed such a fondness for a common pest he simply plucked from the ground one day.

"Is that the big struggle you were talking about?"

"No, it's the other project. It's a much bigger undertaking. Like I said, I'm not even sure whether it's possible," Iceburg sighed.

"And… that is…?"

"I've only spoken to Franky about this, so don't talk about any of this out loud Paulie," he asserted.

"I swear."

"Aqua Laguna was bad this year. And each year it's clearer that this city is becoming in real danger of being destroyed by it."

Iceburg turned to gaze out of his window.

"What I plan to do is float the entire city. Turn it into a vessel that can rise and fall with the waves, or if it comes to the worst, we can move her temporarily away to safer waters during storm season if they become too violent to brave."

"I guess I understand now. I've no idea whether that'll even be possible, but if it is… it'd be like a miracle, huh?"

Paulie allowed himself a look out too. The sky was calm and bright, sun beaming warmly through into the airy room. On days like this it was hard to imagine it hadn't been long since the worst storm the city had ever seen.

"Well, I'm not sure about that exactly," Iceburg replied. "But it could work as a possible solution."

He was always too humble, but Paulie knew better than to offer praise he'd not accept.

"So those are pretty big jobs. Projects that are going to be on-going for the next few years at least, right?"

"Yes, I'd say so."

"So, I'm gonna just write those at the bottom of the list for now," Paulie said.

He rested his sheet to the side of Iceburg's and scribbled down the key words.

"We'll work out later how to schedule them in to your regular routine, but you know, hate to break it to you, but just cause you have those on the go, doesn't mean they can take priority over things that need done right away."

"Well, of course I know that," Iceburg answered him, pouting a little childishly.

"Sure," Paulie said. He rolled his eyes. "Anyway, so do you know what else you're supposed to be doing right now then?"

"Well, we received an order for some replacement vessels for the Marine fleets that were destroyed in the incident over at Ennies Lobby. Most of them are our standardised design reissues, so I only have slight adjustments to make to the blueprints where they wanted some customisations made," he explained briefly.

Paulie bent over to write again. "Alright, so that's on the list too. How long do you think that will take you?"

"Maybe a week or two at most. Of course, it'll take longer than that to build them though."

"We might be down a few guys, but Dock One'll still be up to the task I'm sure," Paulie beamed. He was looking forward to getting stuck back into a good hard day's work at the shipyard. "Alright then, any more Galley La business before we move on to your other duties?"

"Only a small design project for fishing vessel," Iceburg replied. He reached beneath his desk to retrieve a scroll and unrolled a sheet of blueprints, spreading them across his table. "Again it's a fairly standard template they've opted for, with some customisation."

They didn't look standard at all to Paulie. Iceburg's drafting work was always immaculate, but again he knew his boss wouldn't accept the compliment even if he gave it.

Iceburg shrugged. "Hm well, that, and there's a fairly lengthy insurance document to be filled out about the recent damages to the company headquarters."

"Great," Paulie enthused, jotting down the last few details to his chart. His make-shift schedule was coming together nicely. "Seems like you're not really that far behind at all."

"Not on Galley La Company business, no."

"Are your, uh… mayor duties another story then?"

"Hm, well, they're pressing me to make a public statement on recent events for the local papers," Iceburg complained. He rolled the blueprints back up and stashed them under his desk again. "I've been putting it off by telling them I need some more time to recover. But they're pressing me to make it tonight if I can, and I haven't quite had the time to work out how to word it."

"Sure… you can't exactly tell the truth about what happened," Paulie replied. "But how do you make up a good enough cover story?"

"Well, how, exactly. "

"Guess that's going to take some thought," he pondered.

What exactly could Iceburg say when all talk of CP9 would clearly be strictly off bounds? Paulie scribbled public statement down on his list.

"Anyway, that's on the list. It's a pretty pressing one, so I'd suggest we get that out of the way ASAP. We'll work on that one today, together… uh, if you'd like me to help you out. Just do the press conference now and get it out of the way and you can get back to your work knowing it's been dealt with."

Paulie always liked to get difficult things done and dusted before he could dwell too long on them.

"Well, I was a little afraid you might say that," Iceburg groaned.

"What else's there to schedule?"

"That's where I start to get a bit unsure, I'm afraid. Well, if you want to try to work your way through all those papers you might have some idea."

"And I was afraid you were going to say that," Paulie sighed.

Paulie worked his way through papers for the rest of the morning, assigning them categories based on any kinds of commonalities he could decipher. He was still left with a heaving pile that he officially labelled misc, but was unofficially calling no fucking clue. Iceburg had busied himself working on his speech, and after a glance at his pocket watch, he broke the silence that had been sitting between them.

"Do you want to take your lunch break Paulie?"

"Is it that time already?" he answered, surprised.

"I think I feel like taking a bit of a walk around the city." Iceburg stretched. "It's been a while."

"I wouldn't mind getting out too for a bit," Paulie agreed. "Would you mind if I came along?"

"No, of course not," Iceburg smiled.

Paulie had expected a quiet afternoon, but Iceburg couldn't go far through the cobbled streets without approach as they walked, as citizens stopped him constantly to talk. Iceburg indulged them and Paulie was stunned at how he referred to each by name without prompt, and asked questions about their personal lives in return. In contrast to how he'd often find him when they were alone, Iceburg's public persona was warm and available.

After a moment's jealousy subsided, he noticed Iceburg's smile seemed strained, and watched how he seemed to jump too soon to fill silences. It was a convincing act, probably not dishonest, but forced none-the-less.

"Does it bother you that you can't get a minute's peace when you're out?" Paulie asked as they walked, just the two of them together again.

"Well, I do appreciate their kindness. But it is a little exhausting," Iceburg admitted. "Anyway, I know a place to get a bit of peace. There's a café close by, the owner doesn't talk much, and the place usually isn't busy."

"Alright. Still, it's kind of amazing. Do you know everyone's name in this city?"

"Hm, I'm sure there's a few I don't know," he mused.

"No need to be modest."

"No, I'm sure there probably are."

"Well, have it your way."

Paulie had expected the place to be grander, but the café was modest. As they sat with their lunch, Paulie allowed Iceburg silence, aware that he needed it, and newly flattered that he allowed it to hang in his company. Iceburg took out a page and scribbled in between sips of tea. He'd taken his speech along with him, it seemed. Paulie considered telling him off for it, but he seemed to be caught up in the flow, so perhaps it'd been an aid to his inspiration to get out and find a change of scene.

"You'll be coming with me. It's your first official duty," Iceburg informed him.

He'd scheduled the conference to take place that evening in the large function room they used for talks and events.

"Oh, I hadn't really expected that," Paulie mumbled, flustered. "Listen, I'm not sure this is a good idea. I mean, it's not like I really am your secretary, and I've never been great at public relations and that sort of thing. I'll just make you look bad."

"You'll be just fine, trust me."

Iceburg smiled, but Paulie frowned sternly back. He didn't do well with the press that hung around Galley La turf. They always tried to catch him off-guard and had the tendency to twist his words out of context. They were a spineless lot with little moral compass.

Paulie crossed his arms. "I trust you just fine, it's me I don't really trust. Not at a big official event at least."

"Hm, you might have to get used to them you know. Kalifa went everywhere with me," Iceburg mentioned off-hand.

Once again, it raised Paulie's less wholesome suspicions.

Iceburg continued. "Well, you don't have to talk, if that helps."

"Is there even any point in me coming then?" Paulie protested.

"I'll put it like this. You'd be doing me a favour if you come along. I could use the moral support."

At that, Paulie relented. "If you're sure I don't have to say anything."

"I promise," Iceburg reassured him.

They sat together at a table at the head of the room as press officials in clean suits began to congregate. He glanced down self-consciously at his sweaty layers of denim. He was going to need to buy himself something much more classy and respectable to fit into Iceburg's social circles without standing out like a lost shabby dock worker who'd wandered in through the wrong door. Not that he'd have the money to spare anytime soon.

"I feel so out of place dressed like this," he mumbled to Iceburg.

"You look fine Paulie, really. But here, if you're really uncomfortable, take this."

Iceburg removed his striped blazer and handed it over to him.

"No really, it's alright," Paulie fussed.

"Well, I insist," Iceburg replied stubbornly.

It seemed like he wasn't going to take no for an answer. Paulie peeled off his jacket and replaced it with Iceburg's. It fit him awkwardly, and looked ridiculous paired with his cargo jeans and work boots. At least his own might have passed for a deliberate casual choice rather than some desperate attempt to blend in. He only managed to feel worse than before. His face matched the blush pink stripes near perfectly.

After another twenty minutes, give or take, the room finally filled to capacity, and Iceburg began proceedings with a casual introduction, then opened up for questions.

"Mr Turino, from San Faldo Express. How are you Mr Iceburg? Is your recovery going well?"

"Yes, I'm keeping well, thank you for asking," he answered warmly. "My rehab has been getting on well. I'm not quite up to full strength just yet, but I have been signed off by my doctor and hope to be up to full duties around the city again as soon as possible."

"Wonderful news!"

"I've been a little behind on my work however, so I would like to thank all the citizens of Water Seven for their patience at this time."

"Paulie, is that Mr Iceburg's jacket you're wearing?" It was another reporter in the crowd. Paulie gave her a side eyed glare, refusing to engage with the remark.

"Well, he spilled something on his own, so I lent him mine," Iceburg laughed, and the crowd followed suit.

"Ever the gentleman Mr Iceburg."

"Why is Paulie with you today sir, if we might ask?"

"Paulie is my acting secretary, I asked him to accompany and assist me today."

"Is this a permanent arrangement?"

"Oh no, only temporary," he assured.

"The Paradise Independent, Mr Iceburg," called a balding journalist with a flared moustache. "Could you tell us about the assassination attempt? Who was really behind it?"

"Well, I'm sure by now, everyone is already aware of the recent events that took place here in Water Seven," Iceburg started.

Paulie had heard him rehearse the speech half a dozen times at least. He could almost have performed it as a duet with him, word-for-word.

"As we all know, the Straw Hat Pirates were initially assumed the culprits behind my assassination attempt. At Galley La, we're known not to discriminate against customers, be they Marine or pirate. We offered a reasonable figure for the repair of their ship, but they drew issue with our assessment. It was assumed they had acted under retaliation, but apparently their crew member Nico Robin, was acting independently of her crew with another organisation. After failing to take my life, not once, but twice, Nico Robin was apprehended and taken to Ennies Lobby. While I do not know any further details of what took place there, I can confirm that the pirates did return to Water Seven having seized back their arrested crew member."

"So, of the crew, only Nico Robin was involved in the assassination attempt?"

"Yes, that's true. In fact, it's now well known in Water Seven that several other members actually assisted me and Paulie to vacate the fire at headquarters."

Another stood up, a stern female reporter with tightly pulled back hair. "Who was she working for then?"

"Unfortunately I can't answer that question. We weren't able to determine the identities of the other assassins due to the masks and costumes they wore. But rest assured that it is under investigation."

Iceburg paused as mumbles spread around the crowd. They didn't seem satisfied by the answer.

"However, I can confirm that Franky, of Water Seven's ship dismantler team the Franky Family, personally built the new ship the pirates now sail, and has joined their ranks as the crew's shipwright," Iceburg continued, and it recaptured their interest.

"Franky, that gang leader from the backstreets?"

"Didn't the Franky Family have connections to Galley La? They visited you for scrap trading, correct?"

"Yes that's true. We have done some business with them in the past. Well, in fact, I recently employed the remaining members of the now defunct group as a specialist dismantling team."

The room erupted with questions, awkward ones that pried for a connection with Galley La and the Thousand Sunny.

Iceburg moved things on. "Anyway. I would also like to use this press conference as an opportunity to make a public announcement concerning the company."

This part of the talk was new to Paulie, and he sat up a little straighter, paying close attention.

"As you know, we recently had three employees leave the company. We are currently advertising for four positions, and I would like to encourage all of those with the necessary skills and experience to put themselves forward to be considered for the roles. I'm looking for a new secretary, and we also have three openings at Dock One, for a sawyer, an evaluator and a rigging foreman."

Paulie shot Iceburg a bewildered glance as he heard Iceburg offer away his position. Iceburg gave him a meek shrug back, as a pre-emptive apology.

"On that note, I would also like to announce my appointment of Dock One's Paulie as GLC's new Vice President. I look forward to working with him, and over seeing his training as the company's eventual successor."

Press crews scrambled to their feet with camera men in tow. They swarmed the table, pointing lenses in Paulie's face from every possible angle.

"Water Seven Times. Vice President Paulie, can we get a statement?"

"Uh, I'm as surprised as all of you are," he stammered. "This is the first I'm hearing of it too, honestly. I don't have anything prepared."

He shot Iceburg another look, part rage, and part desperate plea for assistance.

"Anything at all?"

"Hm well, I'll do my best," he mumbled, beet red.

The crowd chorused in laughter.

"He's adorable!"

"Paulie, I'm with the One-Fifty Beri Daily. Can we ask, are you currently single?"

The woman shoved a large foam microphone in his face.

"No comment," he fumed.

Iceburg came to his aid. "Thank you all very much for attending this press conference. I and Mr Paulie will not be taking any more questions this evening."

He stood, and helped usher Paulie from the midst of the throng safely into the next room. Paulie stood behind the closed door and listened to the muffled noises of the excited crowd as Iceburg attempted to calm them and urged them to leave for the evening.

"Sorry Paulie," Iceburg apologised. "They were starting to ask a lot of questions, I thought it might help divert a bit of attention. Well, it definitely seems to have caught their interest."

"I'm really pissed off you know. I must have looked a complete ass standing up there in front of everyone with my jaw hanging open like that," he grouched back. He struggled off Iceburg's ridiculous blazer and dumped it back into his arms. "You could have told me you were going to pull that one and I could have had a statement ready to go. They'll be thinking some complete incompetent's just gone and become the heir to the most important brand in the city."

"Honestly, it was a last minute thought. I hadn't really planned it out myself. If I had thought of it sooner I would have let you know," Iceburg apologised once more. He placed a hand on Paulie's arm. "And you did just fine, they loved it. It was an honest reaction. Very charming."

"Hm… anyway, what's this about, Vice President?" Paulie blushed. "Even if you just decided to announce it in the spur of the moment, don't think I can't tell you've been thinking about it."

"Well, yes," Iceburg admitted. He took a moment to plan his next words. "I've been thinking it's about time to train a successor for the company. Well, if I had died back then, Galley La would have died with me, and who's to say what might have happened to Water Seven."

"It'd be sunk," Paulie grouched. "It'd probably literally sink too."

"And that's why it's so important that someone's able to continue on my work," Iceburg explained.

If Paulie hadn't been otherwise so caught up in his own frustration, he'd have realised Iceburg was being more frank than usual.

"I was honestly really impressed by you that night. Despite everything we'd just been through, you really stepped up and took charge of mobilising everyone to help the Straw Hats out," he continued. "Maybe you don't realise it, but you've got quite natural leadership skills. And I don't think I'd trust anyone else more to take this on."

Iceburg shrugged.

"And you seemed very capable today, Paulie. I just thought, well, there's no need to delay the inevitable any longer."

"Uh, sure, I understand," he grumbled. "Not that I think I'm the right guy for the job though. But if you're sure about this, all I really can do is just try to do my best."

He scratched his head. It was jumbled with frustrations and worries, but in the midst was a budding hint of pride in the knowledge that Iceburg had genuinely assumed him a good fit to the role.

"Well, that's all I need," Iceburg told him supportively. "Anyway, there's no need to hang around if you want to get home for the evening."

"Yeah, guess I'll take off. I'll come back here early in the morning then?"

"Yes. Same time as always," Iceburg smiled. "Goodnight Paulie. And like I said, you did just fine."

"Goodnight," he huffed back.