Part 2 as promised. Again, super sorry you guys waited two days for an update.
"You know… Lying isn't very nice", Katie heard to her left. The familiar voice of Kuzan made the young woman's heart stop. The female startled, giving a loud yelp as her eyes and body turned towards him. Her distraction helped the admiral land his knuckle on the top of her head. Pain shot down the brunette's spine, placing her on her knees. "Ouch! Jerk", she accused. Both hands covered the top of her head as the twenty-three year old arched her back. Tears stung her blue orbs as Garp's granddaughter bit her lower lip.
Lazily Kuzan sauntered around the front and laid his jacket over the desk top. "Can one of you beautiful babes get me a cup of coffee", he asked politely before resting his entire chin in the palm of his hand. His arm supporting his weight as the marine watched Katie slowly stand to her feet and gently massage the large knot on the top of her head. The man with midnight hair couldn't help but give a half smile. His sharp eyes softened. Even upset, the brunette was charming.
"Here", he heard Tashigi say while sliding the large white cup in front of him. This forced the man to lift himself. A polite thank you was given to the younger marine and she saluted in kind before joining the three women who began sipping their coffee with joy. The admiral watched Katie's face grow serious. Her shoulders shuddered slightly before the young woman leaned forward. This left the officer in confusion.
"Um… I'm going to confess something right now. I don't hate the man or really dislike him but he makes me feel uncomfortable. Mind staying for a little? I'll throw in a strawberry cream doughnut I made with Tashigi last night." Her voice was low and nearly cracking. This had been the very first time Katie had ever asked anything of Aokiji. She expected him to say no since his day had just begun and probably had a bit of work to do.
"Alright", he spoke clearly. Kuzan wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to help out a friend. Especially since he knew that the brunette was someone to never reach out unless it was important. A large mitt slipped over her own. She was trembling which drew in the ranking official's concern. The officer's stomach turned when he saw that disgusting false smile of hers. Many may have seen it delightful but to the admiral who had seen her true expression, this one was utterly repugnant.
The source of her uneasiness came into picture. Bogard had stood next to the admiral after giving him a salute. The eyes under the fedora shifted to Katie who withdrew her hand and bowed graciously to the commodore. There was a long moment of silence between them before Aokiji watched the naval officer swallow hard. From inside his breast pocket of his grey suit, the marine produced two white envelopes. One was plain and white for letters, the other was clearly an invitation from the decorative markers over it.
"How's mom", the brunette asked with her head still lowered. The female's hands were folded neatly in front. It was the picture-perfect greeting one would usually give to the upper echelon. This was completely formal which Aokiji could remember she did the same when he first met her, but since then Katie has loosened up a bit. He would expect her to act differently towards her grandfather's right hand man.
The question caused the blonde to flinch back. He cleared his throat before the little woman continued. "I can smell her perfume on your tie. She helped you put it on. I've known about you two for some time now. I'm comfortable enough to ask that much", the brunette held her head low. She wouldn't even gaze up to look at the swordsman.
"She's fine. Worried over you two. The first is a letter from her. The second envelope is an official invitation to your brother's promotion. He sent it to your mother but you know she's too ill to travel", he impassively spoke.
"If he wanted me there, he would have sent me an invite", she retorted in a toneless manner.
Bogard cleared his throat once again before adjusting his hat. "I have reports to make and you should be happy to hear, your grandfather is on his way." The officer's tone insinuated that he wasn't comfortable chatting with Katie. Aokiji had never seen the young woman speak so officially to anyone before. Not even to the admirals themselves. Her tone was usually warm with kind things to say. This conversation was dry, short, and distant.
"Thank you", the brunette conveyed. The naval commodore gave a slight nod before stepping away. Katie stood before taking in a ragged breath. "Bogard… Would you like a cup of coffee", she asked before making light guttural noises. The young woman was clearly nervous.
The man paused. "Another time perhaps", he answered as he tipped his hat and disappeared among the staff arriving.
"Same answer every time", she pointed out before rubbing the top of the admiral's hand while her eyes followed the marine who just departed. Aokiji couldn't help but enjoy the texture of her soft digits. He just didn't care for the trembling. Both of his large hands clasped over her own and kept her in place until he could feel the young woman's pulse slow. The man took a long sip of his coffee before letting the petite female go. He watched her disappear behind the door only to return with the treat in her hand.
"Oh my", he chuckled. "That looks and smells good", the man added before taking the plate it was placed on. "Don't cause too much trouble. I have to get to work", the officer hissed with a wrinkled nose. With a cup of coffee and a doughnut, he was set to tackle a day of napping. The young women waved him off, just to add to his ego. In the background, lower ranking guardsmen could be heard that they'd do anything to at least become a vice-admiral. They would love to have such hot women to wish them a good day.
Tashigi asked Katie if she was alright. With a smile and a hug, she let the petty officer know that she was fine. Smoker had returned and was treated well. Enough to call the women idiots for thanking him in the first place. It was something he planned on anyways. The white-haired hunter also gave a good thump on top of the brunette's head for not telling a good enough lie. The captain did, however, finally thank the twenty-three year old for giving him the excuse he needed to teach the weasel a lesson. The officer wished them a good day before departing to his own endeavor.
Twenty minutes ticked by quickly. The seemingly slow morning picked up into a full rush. This time the women were overwhelmed. Marines of nearly every rank and stature came to the counter with hearts in their eyes. Katie had never been asked so many personal questions before. Female marines were no exception either. Tashigi and her quickly apologized to the three greeters who were also distressed.
"Where are you from", the brunette would hear. She couldn't even answer before another question popped up regarding her living situation. "Where are you staying", added someone else. The female could feel the life drain from her. Katie kept her head lowered as she remained polite. She really didn't want to make either of her grandfathers appear abhorrent because of her actions.
Making matters worse, the granddaughter had to cover her own nose and mouth just to breathe. The perfumed cologne didn't mix well with the overpowered scent of cigars and cigarettes. Katie began feeling sick to her stomach. She cursed for being born with a strong sense of smell. Tashigi had to place a hand on her shoulder to help. "Maybe we should go", the raven-haired marine offered but couldn't figure out how to get through the line of people herself.
The cracking of knuckles seemed to settle down the louder voices as a giant, looming, shadowed figure appeared behind the large group of marines. From all the way at the top of the colossal character, eyes shimmered like diamonds. A dark intimidating scowl formed as clenched teeth bared. Slowly heads turned to face the man behind them. Blue hues of fear formed over their eyes before many started screaming and running. A large fist came down blowing a hole through the wooden floor where most had stood.
"You brats think you're trained enough to approach my granddaughter or her friends?! Huh?! Come here! Let me show you how a real marine handles things! I'll work your hides over until you feel like you're back in basic", Garp bellowed out before giving chase. Easily the vice-admiral caught up with many and handed out his own version of training. Bodies flew and many were sent screaming through walls. In a blink of an eye, only murmurs and pain filled groans were left; many broken fixtures and torn paintings littered about. Evidence of the pure madness that had been exhibited.
"Katie", Garp returned with his arms wide open. Like a piece of paper hitting a pole in high winds, the smaller female had wrapped herself around the vice-admiral's upper body in a mere flash. The tight hug had the man laughing hysterically and hugging back. It was very clear to any bystander just how happy the brunette in his arms made him.
Kuzan, who had come down the check on the noise, saw how truly brilliant her smile could be. Katie was breath taking. It really made him swallow hard. The man couldn't understand why he wanted to see her smile like that so badly. The admiral was at a loss as copper visions watched Garp plop on his rump on the floor before crossing his legs. It didn't matter where he was as long as he had his granddaughter in his arms. The high-ranking official leaned on the wooden stairway banister. His eyes watched as his friend practically disappeared in the hero's grip.
The man in white clad wearing his trademark blue button up gazed about briefly. Bodies unconsciously laid half way through walls. Punch holes peppered the large entry. Windows were busted as well as furniture. Aokiji spotted sword slashes where a few tried to fight back. A mistake he had made himself in the past. It was frightening to think a man his age could easily clean out a greeting hall full of highly trained marines, in a blink of an eye. There were roughly fifteen bodies that he could count and that's not including the ones that got away.
Katie was dangerous but not by herself. She was like the priceless treasure every man would love to get their hands on. It would be easy to get distracted enough to not see the looming dangers in the dark. Between Garp and Sengoku, the admiral wondered how the marines were going to survive. Worst yet, how was he? Kuzan didn't like it but if he were going to be honest with himself, every day it was harder and harder to take his eyes off that priceless treasure.