~Grace~

Chaos. That's the only way I can describe the state of the sea at the moment. Things definitely hadn't gone the way the we had hoped. There were more pirates infesting the seas than ever before, thanks to the Pirate King's last words. With the last flicker of his life, he managed to start a blazing new era of piracy.

One Piece...There isn't a soul anywhere that hasn't heard of it. The accumulation of Gold Roger's wealth hidden somewhere on the Grand Line. Those two words are all it takes to ignite a person's curiosity. All the things that could be done with that treasure...Oh, the possibilities are endless! For a moment, even I felt the urge to look for it. However, that feeling passed as soon as I saw how many desperate men and women scrambled to set sail after the Pirate King's execution.

For a time, I thought I'd get what I wanted. I thought I'd been gifted with the chance to hunt down pirates like I've wanted to for so long. There were plenty of targets on the sea now, plenty of people who abandoned the law to indulge in their own greed. I was wrong. I was assigned a different task. Vice Admiral Garp had warned me that I wouldn't like it. He told me he wouldn't make me go through with it if I didn't want to, that there were plenty of others who could take my place.

I didn't back out. But I should have. Then I wouldn't have seen the dark side to my profession.

How could the higher-ups approve of this? It's sick! I understand going after Gold Roger's crew and allies, but this...This is inhumane!

I can't do anything but steel my nerves as I watch my fellow marines forcefully guide a woman out of her home. I clench my fists hard enough to feel my nails digging into my palms. This woman looks like she could give birth any day now. She looks afraid, and it sickens me because it's our fault. Her husband looks angry and fearful, and he has every right to be. I can see right away that these people are innocent, but they would still be interrogated. It doesn't seem to matter to my comrades—I don't even want to call them that—that we're inflicting unnecessary stress on expectant mothers. I shut my eyes, fighting the instinct that tells me to step in and stop this. How could the World Government stoop so low?

So what if Gold Roger's blood line still lives on? It's true that his temper has led to terrible things, but that doesn't give anyone the right to take a child's life away! Besides, there's no guarantee that the man even has a child. We're going off of a small bit of information that said the Pirate King appeared to be acting like a father. But there isn't any tangible evidence. It could be a rumor for all we know. Yet my superiors didn't want to take a chance, apparently.

I'm not gonna lie. Seeing this has made me lose faith in the government. If this is their idea of promoting justice...I'm not sure this is the right way to go about doing it.

Please let this end soon...

~Shanks~

I subconsciously reach up and make sure my hair is still in place. I'm not really afraid of what people would think about my new scar. Frankly, I don't really care what they think. It's just that, personally, I'm not ready to come to terms with it. I'm somewhat ashamed of it, knowing who it came from. I'll square with it one day, but for now I don't really want to deal with it.

I step into the bar and look around. This island is probably my last stop before I start gathering up a crew of my ownI'm more than ready to start my own adventure. It's been almost a year since Captain Roger died, and this whole time I've been lying low so I wouldn't draw attention to myself. I'm tired of the quiet.

Just as I'm about to choose a place to sit, I spot an all too familiar figure sitting at the counter. It's none other than my one and only favorite marine. She was slouched in her seat at the bar with a bottle of saké in her hand. I head over curiously. It's been a little over a year since I saw her last, and something seems different. "Grace?"

She looks at me, cheeks colored because of the alcohol. "Huh? The heck're you doing here, Red Hair?" she asks with a slight slur. I'm guessing she's been drinking for a little while.

"I think I should be asking you that." I reply. I take a seat next to her. "How come you're all by yourself?"

"I wanted some time away from everything." she murmurs as she looks away.

"What's the matter, sweetheart?" I ask.

"Nothing..." She replies.

"You can talk to me, yo know..."

"I can't talk about it. It has to do with a job I had this past year, and it has to stay a secret." She mumbled.

"Okay." I guess I shouldn't press any further. "Will you let me try to cheer you up?"

She looks at me hesitantly for a moment, and the shrugs her shoulders. "Fine. Just don't keep me out too long. I'm here with Valeska."

"She's here?" I ask. That's a surprise. "How come?"

Grace scowls. "She's moving. Some dumb pirate crew decided it would be just fine to waltz in and take over the island. Val doesn't wanna live there if its gonna be a pirate port."

"Oh. Well, uh...Sorry about that, I guess." I reply. "So, is she gonna live here then?"

"No. She hasn't decided where to go yet. We've kinda just been island hopping for now."

"Both of you?"

"Mm-hm. I wanted to take some time off..." She seemed to contemplate something in her head, and then went ob to say, "I need some time away from the marines." she admitted. I'm surprised. Very surprised. I wonder what happened that would make her of all people want time off. It couldn't be good, whatever it was.

"Hm...C'mon, sweetheart. It's kinda gloomy in here." I stand and tug her out of her seat. "Let's go somewhere else."

"Where?" Grace asks.

I shrug. "We'll find some place." I grasp her hand in mine and pull her toward the exit. She seems reluctant for a moment, so I smile reassuringly. "You trust me, don't you?"

"More or less." Grace mumbles in response.

"Come on." I pull her to the exit. She sighs and gives in, but it looks like she's only humoring me. "Don't look so unhappy..."

"Well you're the one who said you'd make me feel better." the marine replies tartly.

I roll my eyes and tilt her chin toward me with my index finger. "You have to be willing to cheer up, sweetheart." I smile when I see her cheeks turn pink.

Grace smacks my hand away. "What do you mean?"

"I mean you have to relax!" I reply. I move to her side and hook my arm around her waist. Oddly enough she doesn't try to escape right away. "Quit being negative and just focus on me for a little while."

She seemed a bit wary for a moment, but then she sighed and I felt a bit of tension leave her body. "Fine, Shanks, you win. I'll try."