They had done it, they had achieved all that needed achieving in their lives. Their goals complete.
~Z~X~
12 hours of partying later.
"Sanji?" the blonde cook turned around to look at the newly crowned Pirate King.
"Oh, Luffy, I didn't expect to see you."
"Where are you going?"
Sanji took a deep breath and decided to tell him, ".... I.... got this note..." He gave Luffy a letter he had received during the early start of the party.
"What is it about?" Luffy asked.
Sanji had a sort of angry look in his eye, "It's Zeff....... he's dead.... He died of a stroke. About 3 months ago."
Luffy looked at Sanji with a sad look, "I'm sorry.... I-"
"I'm leaving," Sanji interrupted him, "... I'm leaving because that old man just HAD to place a burden on me."
"The Baratie?" Luffy seemed a little confused.
"No.... he.... Turns out he has a SON. The note said that he came about 5 months ago out of now where. Said he mother died and that Zeff was his father. He tracked him down to be with him. After a while, Zeff accepted this and made the kid his cook apprentice.... But after Zeff died, the kid trashed the old man's room and left back to his island. Patty and Carne are in charge now. Plus I don't feel like going back there now."
"Then what is it you have to do?"
"......... Zeff..... since the kid has no one else..... and Zeff was like a father to me..... In his will the old geezer asked me if I would look after him..... to be his Godfather.... And I can't..... I just can't say no to that man's dying wish."
Luffy thought for a moment, "......... You could have at least told your captain you had to go...." He smiled his infamous smile, "Of course you can go.... I'll tell the others for you in the morning."
Sanji smiled, ".... Thanks Luffy.... I'll sure miss you guys."
~Z~X~Z~X~Z~X~Z~X~
Episode 18 - Episode of Jagger Part 3: "The Justice of MY Justice"
~Z~X~Z~X~Z~X~Z~X~
"Jagger eh?..... Yeah... I think he's back. Left for a while somewhere, about... what do you think dear!?"
"What?.... 6 months I think!"
"Yeah, that's it, 6 months. But he just showed up about 2 months ago. He lives on the edge of town. You here to take care of him? Poor boy ain't been the same since his mother died."
"Yeah, I heard. But his dad sent me to look out for him for a while."
"His dad!? Didn't know he had a dad."
"He doesn't anymore."
After that, Sanji left the nice little house knocked on the door to, to ask if the people living ther knew who or where Jagger Mathius was. The nice couple there did know him and gave Sanji very good information about him.
"Thanks again!"
"No problem boyo! Just give us a shout if ya need anything."
"Sure thing!" Sanji walked off to the end of the village in this SOUTH BLUE island. It seemed like forever since he wasn't in the Grand Line..... it was so, peaceful here.
~Z~
*knock* *knock*
"Who's there!?" The voice sounded angry.
"Um.... Is this Jagger Mathius?" Sanji asked curiously.
"GO AWAY!!!!"
"I'll take that as a yes." He said to himself. Sanji decided not to take any crap from this kid and imediatly kicked the door down.
*BAM!*
"HEY!!!?" The boy sprung up from his bed where he was laying. He had black, shaggy, short hair and was very thin.
Sanji went up and kicked him (lightly) back on the bed. "Look kid, I'm here cause the old geezer wanted me to look after you for a while, just till you reach FULL adulthood. So I'm laying down the law now so you don't think you can walk over me. This is important to him and so this automatically is important to me! Got it!?"
It took a moment for the boy to understand what he was talking about. (Maybe Sanji should have started out with how he was and what he wanted.)
"You.... you knew my dad?"
Sanji blinked, realizing he should have started with that, "Uh... yeah... He was... like a father to me."
He stood back to let the kid have room as he got back to his feet, "You.... You're Sanji!?"
"Uh-huh. Guess the Geezer spoke of me?"
"OF COURSE HE DID! There wasn't a day that went by that he DIDN'T talk about you! You're amazing! You and your whole crew!!!"
Sanji could see the fire in his eyes, the excitement, the happiness. "So, he asked you to take care of me in his will?"
Sanji sat down in chair next to what he guessed was the dining table, it was a very small home. Two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a kitchen/eating room.
"Yeah, he did... I'm your Godfather. Weird huh?"
"Yeah, aren't you like 20? That's only 4 years older than me."
"Yup, but it's happening. I'm just... I guess I'm here to make sure you "Go down the right path" or whatever."
The boy looked like he agreed and understood. Then his face lit up again, "Can you tell me a story!? Of an adventure you've had with your crew!? Please?! Any of them! ALL of them! I wanna be a great pirate some day... like my dad.. and my new Godfather....... my UNCLE."
Sanji smiled, maybe this would all work out.
"Let's start from the beginning, when I first met your dad.... and then when I first met Luffy."
~Z~
Several months had passed by. Each day Sanji had told Jagger a story of him as a Strawhat Pirate. He also grew a rather thick beard. He decided during his trip to the South Blue to just grow it out, and by now it was as thick as the hair on his head.
He was just relaxing off the cliff smoking a cigarette. "UNCLE!!! UNCLE!!!!"
He had gotten so used to that name, he almost believed he was a "REAL" uncle. "UNCLE!!!!!"
"Yeah, what is it kid?" He turned around to see Jagger out of breath, angry, and tears coming down his eyes, "It's the village!!! Pirates are attacking and killing everyone!!!!!!!"
Sanji's cigarette fell out of his mouth, he looked towards the village, there was smoke he could see. And he could tell it were getting bigger each second.
"HURRY!" He dashed up and ran towards the town, Jagger was quickly after him.
("SHIT! WHY DID I NOT NOTICE THIS!?!?!?") "JAGGER!! HOW MANY DO YOU THINK HAVE BEEN HURT!?!?! HOW LONG HAVE THEY BEEN HERE!?!?"
"I DON'T KNOW!"
They made it inside the village an immediately spread out to find the pirates and get rid of them, by ANY means necessary.
"AGAGAGAGAGGAAGAGA!!! This is so damn fun! Nothing like a good kill'n in the morn'n!" A fat drunk pirate shouted. Both Sanji and Jagger found him at the same time, they could tell he was the captain of these bastard pirates.
*WHAM!!!*
Both Jagger and Sanji ran up to him and attacked. Sanji kicked him as hard as he could, and Jagger punched him as hard as he could. (He does not have his Devil Fruit yet)
The drunk pirate fell to the ground. His men around him quaked in fear. "You guys...." Sanji said as he lit a cigarette, "Are not leaving here ALIVE."
~Z~
Most of them were not killed, regardless of the anger he felt, Sanji just could not kill pathetic creatures. Only the ones they tried to kill them met the fate of death.
Sanji put them all on their boat and kicked it out to sea, the kick sent the whole boat flying and left a hole in the ship as well.
"Let's hope that hole doesn't hold long. Come on, we've got to see.... who's still alive."
*SWING!*
"WHOA!!!"
Jagger had swung at Sanji in full blown anger. "IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT! YOU FUCKING PIRATE!!!"
Sanji's eyes widened, "What's wrong with you!"
"I saw them! Villagers! Dozens of them! All dead! You know why!? Because of fucking pirates like you!! YOU MIGHT AS WELL HAVE KILLED THEM YOURSELF!!!"
*BAM!*
Sanji kicked him to the ground in anger, his eyes were furious, "Do you know NOTHING BOY!!?!? This world is not so damn simple! It could have easily been marines!"
Jagger got back up, "BUT IT WASN'T WAS IT!!??! How much of your stories were all damn lies!?!??!? In every single one, you guys were the only GOOD pirates!!! How do I know you didn't make all that shit up and fill my head with lies just to make yourself feel better!?!?! YOU BASTARD!! I HATE YOU! YOU DID THIS! YOU AND YOU PIRATE SCUM! ALL OF YOU! I HATE ALL OF YOU! I'M GOING TO BECOME A GOOD MARINE AND KILL YOU ALL!!!"
Sanji chuckled and took a puff of his cigarette, "Boy... one day you'll understand that PIRATES are evil... and good, and the MARINES hold the same truth to them. There is no black and white, if there ever was... it was all covered in red the day it was made. So hold that truth, and go be a GOOD marine, you'll see what I'm talking about. You think this is a LIFE CHANGING experience!? You're stupid. This will happen again, and a pirate will save a girl and maybe her whole kingdom and ask for nothing in return, maybe a pirate will sacrifice everything for a young follower of his, even his life. A marine will kill a man in cold blood right before his brother's eyes just because he thinks they are a SIN. That sound noble to you!? Make your life boy!! But don't blame PIRATES for your tragedy!! BLAME PEOPLE!!!.......... And people come in ALL forms. Some pirate, some marine, and everything and anything else."
~Z~X~
Jagger left the next day. He could not bear this place no more.... a place of nothing but CORPSES and RUIN. The pirates had killed almost EVERYONE. Only a few left and they had already left by the night. Sanji.... by the time Jagger had set out to see to find a marine base, he was the only one left on that island, just sitting on the cliff smoking a cigarette.
~Z~X~Z~X~Z~X~
{FLASHBACK END}
April's eyes widened, "Sir.... that's all true???"
"Yup.... every word."
"Zeff the Red Leg... was your FATHER!???"
"Yes April.... and I'm PROUD of my pirate father....... and YOU should be too. I don't care what anyone say, Walter Whitney was a good marine, a BETTER pirate.... and an AMAZING father.... What other man would risk his marine status and live the end of his life as a criminal if it meant saving his daughter?"
April began to cry uncontrollably. "My mother... she was so cruel to me.... but all she talked about was how my FATHER was the evil one, because he 'BETRAYED' us..... he saved us... I know he did. That's why I became a marine, to prove the Whitney name is not and was never tarnished!"
She couldn't help herself and hugged Jagger, burying her crying face in his chest. He patted her head and tussled her hair, "Don't worry squirt, it'll all be find. This was exactly why I told you my life's story. So you can take from it what is most important about it to you and use it to become the best PERSON you can be. Don't let the Government control how you see PEOPLE... be your own judge of character."
She looked up at him, "Yes Sir... of course." She took this moment to heart more than anything else she had ever experienced.
Jagger got up, the sun shining brightly now, "Let's go April, I think we're done here."
"Yes sir." She stood up as well and they left for their ship.
~Z~
"Vice-Admiral Yatanatana! Sir! Ma'am!"
"Yes, what is it?" She looked at the marine addressing her.
"The captive Mike "Iron Wall" Tosen is gone ma'am! And the boat that was about to leave caring him was sunk!"
"WHAT!?! Damn it! Most likely an ally. Just finish here. Finish analyzing the crystal and extracting what s left of Jamalil Choren's body. Start the debriefing as well, I'm sure JAGGER is already gone."
"Right away Ma'am!"
~Z~X~Z~X~
"I thank you my friend." Tosen was now normal now (somehow) and was walking on a plank to his ship that was sitting next to another ship, talking to another pirate captain.
"Of course." Ramdevdas smiled.
"So, are all the plans still going on?"
"Yeah, and it might change in some places."
"Where?"
"Some BIG players are coming."
Tosen raised a confused an unbelieving brow, he knew what Ramdevdas meant.
"I didn't know they played our game."
Ramdevdas smile and talked in a voice that he didn't even believe in, "They DON'T."
Tosen's eyes widened, "I see.... so it's going to be THAT bad."
"The WhiteBeard War may disappear as an epic moment in pirate history."
"............... Interesting..."
"Yeah.... it's fucking crazy."
They both smiled at each other and Tosen left on his ship. Ramdevdas on his.
~Z~X~Z~X~
"I guess..... A thanks is in order.... Kaito-kun."
Kaito blushed a little, "Kun!????"
Feather was blushing too, but from embarrassment, not affection.... TOO much. "If it was not for you... I might have stayed and died.... and that is something I can NOT afford to happen at this moment."
"A.... I-I-I'm glad."
Feather walked over to him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheeks and hopped aboard her ship and began sailing off, leaving as stunned Kaito Gunner on his ship, just sitting as still as he was out at sea.
"HOLY SHIT!" "GO CAPTIAN!" "YEAH!" "WE KNEW YOU'D GET HER!" "YEAH!" "GO CAPTAIN!"
His men were all celebrating and cheering for him and he just didn't move an inch, he was to happy.
~Z~X~Z~X~
On a large ship.
"Lord Chopin! Lord Chopin!"
The figure in the dark said nothing as he sat in a chair behind a large steel table.
"Mongo has returned with Eris and.... The marines have found the crystal and.... Sir Jamalil is... dead."
The figure still said nothing as he gripped his fists and then...
"GURAAAAGGGHHH!!!"
*BOOM!*
He had crushed the steel desk with his hands. "Get me Bach and Wolfgang.... tell them I want a meeting NOW!!!"
~Z~X~Z~X~
Marine Headquarters
"Fleet Admiral.... Sir."
"Yes Ross.... I believe it is time. The INVASION will begin soon."
"I will sent squads for all of them."
The man called Ross left, leaving the Fleet Admiral by himself, ".............. Ararararara.... this is going to be SOOO headache inducing."
To Be Continued.....