Hi! Hope you enjoy this chapter. I'm a little worried that I'm giving too much information away and ruining the mystery, if that's the case please tell me. Also I really like Zephyr. Who doesn't? Also OneWhoReadsTooMuch Garp is a boss of a man but away at the moment. Remember he's working so have patience! He will return in an epic manner! I promise! :D
All good things must come to an end, at least that is what Kuzan thought once he felt Akainu's presence enter the building. He let out a heavy groan. His copper orbs picked up on the subtle change in Borsalino's facial expression and it didn't seem to fit in his mind. The officer in yellow was a man who loved to show off but the appearance the admiral saw caused his back to become moist with sweat. That man never stopped smiling and in this case, Kizaru did. The corner of his lip was straight while the other side was still turned up. Some would see it as a smirk but the quirky officer wasn't like that. This was a worried, if not, serious expression.
"Katie dear…~ You can pour the coffee now…~" Kizaru casted a sympathetic glance to the young woman as she nodded and did as he asked.
Kuzan felt a shiver of apprehension. "Oye… What are you not telling me", he snapped using a deep undertone. There was something he was missing and it felt extremely important.
Borsalino merely lifted his cup to his lips and took another sip of his coffee. He didn't even bother looking in Aokiji's direction. Black eyes behind gold and amber glasses studied the brunette. He noted it didn't take long for Katie to return with Akainu's cup and a large plate of biscotti. The aroma of cranberries hit the two's senses, ending any hostile overtones the admiral in blue was exuding.
The warm aura the room had gained seemed to have instantly disappeared. The young woman had to rub the back of her neck. It felt like a dark, heavy presence had descended upon the three. Large blue orbs blinked at the shadowy figure in the door frame. It was as if all light had been blocked by this one colossal character. Her sensitive nose could pick up traces of expensive cigars and cologne. The aromas weren't thick but still enough to force the female to wrinkle her nose a bit. Katie bowed politely and held her position as the sinister appearance entered the room. His bark colored orbs casted downward at the tiny female with dark hues of copper and chocolate hair.
"So are you the one responsible for making this place smell like a damn café in here", Sakazuki asked with a stern tone. His face remained hidden in the shadows under the bill of his cap.
Katie arched a brow as she bit back the thoughts rushing through her mind. She was struggling to not speak her mind. The young female let out a breath before opening her mouth to answer. Unfortunately, the other two couldn't come to her rescue. If they spoke in her place, it would appear that she could easily hide behind another as if she were just another woman. The young lady needed to stand her ground.
"I apologize if this had caused you any trouble", the young woman spoke clearly before extending her arm out; ignoring the tone of his question prior. "There is a cup that Admiral Kizaru-sensei has designated for you. Please enjoy", Katie invited.
Every prickled nerve was firing off in Sakazuki's personality. She didn't act the way she was supposed to. The woman was allegedly to get offended or angry. Instead the brunette kept her head low. Invited the mad animal to the table. He was already in a severely poor mood because of the Big Mom pirates. Their antics were costing the marines several beri in damage and good men. It was going to be a mass funeral procession in a few days and this glory hound was making this part of headquarters smell like a god damn kitchen!
The admiral in red shivered as his blood ran cold. He finally came to some of his senses as an image of Angela appeared. She used to sneak into the extending office, reserved for vice-admirals and cook for Borsalino and he. The twit before him appeared like her so much… It was painful. His chest even began to throb. His strong jaw clenched. It had been twenty-four or five years since the tsunami incident. This young female would have no ties to the woman whom he only ever cared for and would go as far as, threaten to throw his whole career away. Angela was his and his alone. If she could have just seen that back then, she would have been his wife by now instead of a victim of the sea.
Katie felt awkward. The silence was deafening. The two onlookers could only watch as their colleague stared ominously at the female. Kuzan was ready to jump in if needed since she was HIS responsibility. The admiral had told her to join him today. The lightly tanned officer merely sought to show off a bit but didn't expect things to turn out like this. The shadowy man in the red suit had started to take things too far like he had always done.
The bizarre feel to the room seemed to have shattered once a familiar lavender haired man stepped in. He donned a black suit with his white marine jacked hung over his shoulders like a cloak. "What's going on here", the vice-admiral asked in a low-pitched tone.
It was evident that the man's growl didn't pass over Akainu's personality well. The slightly shorter admiral snapped his head around with a deadly scowl. Zephyr simply raised a thin brow as he peeked over his thin rimmed glasses. The marine didn't rattle nor scare him. Dark grey eyes narrowed instead. He let out a sigh. It was too early in the morning to deal with the hot head, the vice-admiral thought as he adjusted his glasses.
"Katie dear… I spoke with your grandfather last night", his eyes dropped to her bowed presence who immediately stood straight and gave him a sincere smile in return. The bigger man couldn't help but to chuckle before continuing. "We both felt it wise to get you a female escort for the short bit while you familiarize yourself with your surroundings."
The female slouched forward with her head dropping in the process. "I told grandpa not to give me special treatment", she whimpered. "I can make it on my own. He doesn't need to worry", Katie voiced her defense as she returned her gaze to the much taller man.
"Really", Zephyr questioned. "Right now, I see three admirals alone with a vice-admiral's granddaughter. How do you think this will reflect on him? Also let me touch on the fact, she's also the fleet-admiral's adopted granddaughter standing by herself with three men she doesn't even know." The marine knew he sounded somewhat harsh. If the young woman was a puppy, he would have watched her ears drop. Luckily, he was a father and used to those expressions. If he hadn't, the vice-admiral's demeanor would have crumbled.
"Oye", Kuzan snapped. He wasn't some high-strung teenager who just joined the marines to get the girls. His sharp eyes met cold steel grey orbs. Between the two men, they evenly matched in power. Zephyr's large body eclipsed both Sakazuki and Aokiji. The admiral in blue and white stood to his full height before setting down his empty mug of coffee. He was then reminded the purple haired vice-admiral was over a foot taller.
"Katie is with me. She's volunteering today to get familiar with the people and places", the admiral dryly responded.
The vice-admiral was impressed and relieved but he wouldn't show it. He was a father and completely understood Sengoku's worry. Zephyr even had his fears about leaving someone like the young woman alone on a base full of marines. The man's wife thought it was quite humorous since she began reminiscing her adventures on another base. She also stressed that Katie would need a female around that was a little wiser.
The larger man cocked his head to the side to a degree. "So, you'll take responsibility for this debacle?" Zephyr pointed through the open shoji to the various staff and marines walking by in the halls.
Aokiji crossed his arms and clicked his tongue. He hated to admit it but the vice-admiral had him. The curly haired admiral knew who Katie was and yet it by his actions he put her in a situation where people would get the wrong impression of her. If he didn't know any of the context, it would appear that she was a typical glory hound. A term used for women who did unsavory things to gain favor from the higher-ranking officials.
Katie blinked. She really was unsure what to think. Luckily for her there was an admiral in yellow who was quite good at handling peculiar situations. Blue eyes saw his long finger motion for her to come over to him which the brunette did without hesitating. To her surprise the officer stood up and tugged the shoulder part of her sweater to follow him. The duo walked over to the counter while the three men barked at each other. The noise was almost deafening as Kuzan defended Katie and the actions taken that morning. Sakazuki didn't care to be insulted and tried to verbally reprimand only to have the taller gentleman bite back.
The tall admiral in yellow put the young woman on the opposite side of the three. He literally read the situation and understood how quick Akainu would be to fight. Not wanting to see her get hurt, he wedged himself between. Zephyr and Aokiji would definitely hold back in hopes to not get the Angela look-alike caught in the fall out but the monster in the red suit, wouldn't care. He was the only one Borsalino worried about.
"What's all this racket", another voice sharply interjected. A familiar white haired woman walked in. The scowl she bore deepened. Her dark eyes shifted around the room as she took in the situation.
Katie peeked her head from behind Kizaru. Blue orbs widened as a squeal of happiness escaped. "Auntie!" In a flash the twenty-three year old had wrapped her arms around Tsuru. The brunette was hugged in return as the two rocked each other back in forth in excitement.
Zephyr had to give a smirk of admiration. Her speed was frightening. The mountain of a man wondered if his would even be enough should they need it. She clearly moved on instinct just as he had been warned about. Last night, the young woman apparently had gone swimming sparking a concerned report from the watch towers. The fleet-admiral had summoned those he was close too as a response. Even Garp was on a den-den mushi. The commander-in-chief wasn't happy to hear she was residing on Marineford, not without a leash at least. He even referred her to a beast in human skin. She was a demon and should not be taken lightly.
It made the vice-admiral wonder if her personality had been an act but Sengoku and Garp both sharply interrupted their formal fleet-admiral. Under proper care and supervision, she hadn't had an episode in nine years. A testament to their love and devotion and in kind, her returned adoration for them. The vice-admiral rubbed his temples. His head still rang from all the bickering and arguing the three had engaged last night. The men finally concluded the young woman needed an escort for a little while. Something about getting familiar with the sights and smells which also struck him odd. Most would say sights and sounds but her sense of smell was legendary. Garp said it was so keen she could keep track of him in a thick jungle after a week of raining.
"Tsuru… When you're done, can you take her to my office? I'll summon the two we discussed about last night. Also, these guys allowed a pretty girl to turn them into uttering buffoons. Can you lecture them for me? I need to go have a smoke."
Katie had buried herself into her auntie's light pink button up. She was always stylish in the brunette's eyes. The elderly woman wore a tie that matched the hue of her pants; like today it was burgundy in color with a pink floral pattern. The grey haired officer had donned dark brown leather gloves and her typical sunglasses sitting on top of her head to add to her appearance. The one thing she never took off was the earrings that the brunette had given her a few years prior.
When Zephyr had gone to place his hand on top of Garp's granddaughter's head he found it stopped by a tiny grip. The speed and accuracy was shocking. Even the other three admirals looked on with astonishment. Katie lifted her head and offered a painful smile. The vice-admiral grew cold. He had been warned she was quick to learn situations and adapt accordingly. They were all specifically told not to tell the young woman about their plan and yet he had a deep trepidation in the back of his mind that he spoke too much.
"You said summon… I'm guessing between your words earlier about me needing an escort and you having auntie take me to your office, it means that you had a meeting with grandpa." Katie's voice cracked but not out of anger. It appeared she was fighting not to cry. The man would be right. She was desperately trying to swallow that hard painful lump in her throat when anyone was about to break down.
"Grandpa Sengoku and Garp trust me to the fullest and would never make decisions behind closed doors without consulting me. There is one who absolutely hates me though... and I'm sure something happened to earn his attention. Kong is forcing grandpa to do this, isn't he", she asked.
Zephyr retracted his hand. She wasn't painfully holding it or even threatening. It felt like the time his son was scolded at school for fighting and he asked his dad why the teacher treated him differently after he had served his punishment. This was excruciatingly tearing at his heart strings. If she would just simply stop smiling like that, he could answer but instead found his breath stuck in his throat.
"Don't be silly", Tsuru swatted the back of Katie's head. "That old fool is just worried that he and Garp didn't teach you enough about crafty marines…", she accusingly spoke to the three behind the young woman and her. "Besides, that spiked haired blowhard doesn't hate you. He just doesn't know how to deal with those he's worried about", the older vice-admiral assured while cupping the female's jawline.
The brunette placed her hands over Tsuru's gloved fingers which laid spread over her cheeks. The painful smile faded while a nervous one replaced it. "Going to throw up", the elderly woman asked in such a gentle tone that scared the men in the room.
"Hai", Katie answered meekly.
"Turn left once step out; it's straight at the end of the hall." The vice-admiral bumped her forehead to Katie's before letting the young woman go. Quickly the brunette left leaving the elderly woman crossing her arms and glaring at three men who watched the whole scene unfold.
"It's really true then…", the lavender haired man asked in disbelief.
"Unfortunately…", the white haired officer answered with a sigh. "It all started when she was little and those bastards pushed her too hard, too fast just because she was Garp's granddaughter." There was a sterile tone to the woman's voice that sent a shiver down Aokiji's spine.
"Damn it. She would have made an incredible marine", Zephyr lamented before stepping away.
"Kuzan", Tsuru called out. "I heard she's living close to you", the woman stated out of curiosity.
The admiral nodded. "She's my neighbor", the man answered without hesitation before leaning against the counter top. He could feel the heated gazes from two others in the room. Aokiji didn't want to admit it but it felt good.
"Excellent", she chimed casting a warm yet deceitful grin. "You wouldn't mind her helping around your office on days like this, do you", Tsuru inquired without skipping a beat or knowing that's what his plan was in the beginning.
"Not at all", the towering man smirked. There was so much he wanted to know now. Even mentioning the legendary Kong's name forced the hairs on the back of his neck to stand up. Between secret meetings and her suspicions about them, not to mention others spying on her; Kuzan had a feeling his boredom was about to end along with his precious naps.