A/N: On we go!
Chapter 28
Revelations
Harry was sitting out on the deck, watching the sunrise and sipping his tea, when Mona approached from behind.
"Morning! Whatcha drinking?" she asked cheerfully as she swung herself onto the railing.
Harry chuckled and tossed the cup at her.
"Eeep!" Mona squeaked, her body jerking around awkwardly as she simultaneously tried to catch the incoming projectile and dodge the hot liquid she was sure would come spilling out.
"Whoa." It was with wide eyes that the bounty huntress finally caught the cup, upside down but full, its contents seemingly held in the cup with an invisible lid.
"Try it," Harry offered, but the girl merely furrowed her brows and stuck her tongue out.
"No thanks," she declined. "I don't like tea."
Harry shrugged and, swinging back onto his feet, hooked the cup handle around his finger from Mona's grasp, continuing to enjoy his hot drink.
"Hot chocolate is nice, though," she continued hopefully.
Harry snorted and turned to face Mona, wagging his finger in a mock-scolding fashion. "Don't think you'll be taking my chocolate that easily, little missy. You've already reserved a large slice of chocolate mousse cake from last night."
Mona pouted. "But that's for Uncle Roxy!"
"Who is not here, and has already made it clear that he would like nothing more than to completely ignore our existence and enjoy his vacation."
"He'll be coming. With three Blues in the same ocean, we're bound to all meet up together again, you know. The last time Mom and I visited the Grand Line, we bumped into Uncle Roxy in less than a week even though he wasn't scheduled to be in the area. Turns out the pirate he was hunting led him backwards through the Grand Line. And the time before that, when I went to the Grand Line with Dad and Cousins Mark and Supa we found all four Blue Captains in the same bar just two days later."
Harry stared a moment at these strange, almost supernatural, examples of the ties between those of the same blood. It was almost as weird as the bond he had shared with Riddle.
Almost.
"Marine ship ahead! It looks like it might be Warrant Officer Blue again!" yelled the lookout.
"Uncle Johnny!" Mona exclaimed.
"There's another rowboat approaching from the port bow, as well!" the lookout continued. "It might be the Vice Admiral!"
"And Uncle Roxy!"
"Merlin's pants," Harry sighed. "If I didn't know better, I'd think Shanks predicted this and planned it out."
Not half an hour later, the pirate crew and captain were all gathered on the deck, staring across at the crew of marines on the marine ship and the Vice Admiral standing in his rowboat.
"What wonderful timing," the Vice Admiral smiled, his hands clasped delicately before him as he glanced between Shanks and his younger brother who was busy glaring at the pirate captain. "I was just about to tell Johnny here that the Marine Headquarters has come to a decision about your report and decided that it would be convenient for me to relay the message," he explained, an eyebrow twitching in irritation at having to play messenger again. "Back off, he's beyond you. As long as Red Hair avoids destroying any islands under your immediate jurisdiction, you are to ignore him. The object in question will be dealt with later upon the criminal's return to the Grand Line. That's that, Johnny; be good and go away now, will you?"
"Uncle Johnny, Uncle Roxy!" Mona finally called, jumping from out of the crowd of pirates to wave at her family.
"Mona!"
"Mona," John continued firmly. "Just what do you think you're doing here with this group of ruffians?"
Mona gave a dramatic sigh of disappointment as she explained. "I was trying to catch a few of them to collect on their bounties, but I'm thinking it's not quite possible at my skill level just yet."
The Warrant Officer frowned. "Are you still into that bounty hunter nonsense? Working purely for the sake of money, it's disgraceful to the Blue name."
Mona stuck her tongue out. "At least I don't have to worry about idiot superiors, or being stuck in a single place under orders, or having to give up a target because some old men hundreds of miles away are too scared."
John growled at these references to his own unfavorable position and snapped back sharply. "At least I'm working for an honorable organization for a great ideal. Rock-aniki, it's really about time you talked some sense into Mona," he added sternly, glaring at his older brother.
Roxy merely shrugged. "There's not much I can say anymore to promote the marines without sounding hypocritical. I sent in my resignation notice this morning when I got the message for you."
"You what?" The last Blue marine exploded in indignation over this revelation and spluttered in a rather unattractive manner. "How could you? You! I! Argh, that's it! I'm through with you blood-traitors. I have half a mind to open fire on the lot of you!"
"But you can't," Rock reminded him calmly. "You have orders to leave the Red Hair pirates alone."
"Ah," John sneered, "but surely a message relayed from a simple civilian isn't reliable."
The soon to be ex-Vice Admiral did a face palm, too tired to maintain his lady-like manners and, with an explosive leap, jumped from his rowboat and practically flew upwards to land on the pirate ship.
"I haven't lost my position just yet, Johnny-boy, and I likely won't for another week considering how slow paperwork is in the Employment Department. Now, for the last time, this man is beyond you, and if you can't see that for yourself, I'll just have to show it to you more clearly. Tell me Johnny, do you believe you will ever defeat me in a fight as you are now."
John looked like he was being forced to swallow a lemon as he bit out a negative response.
"And so it stands to reason that if I cannot defeat this pirate, you won't be able to either, right?" Roxy turned to Shanks and unsheathed his katana with a smooth movement. "How about it? Willing to have a go with me?"
The pirates backed away to give the pair room as Shanks withdrew his saber and held it loosely in a double-handed grip. "You seem better than your brother with a blade," the pirate captain commented.
The marine smirked and tossed his katana upwards into the air and swiftly shed his Marine-issue coat and tied back his hair before catching the sword from midair. Standing there with his sword brandished, Vice Admiral Rock Blue positioned himself ready, muscled arms bared in his sleeveless shirt and feet firmly planted in a wide stance on the floor. "I've never gone one on one with the Greatest Swordsman in the World, but I think I can at the very least give you a bit of a workout."
With a low roar, the blue-eyed man started with a forward rush, sword glinting in the sunlight as it approached its target with a horizontal slash from the right. Shanks parried it by bringing his saber up vertically and sweeping to the left, spinning with the motion and bringing his blade to attack at his opponent's chest upon completion of the circle.
During the spin, the ex-marine had recovered his grip on his katana and parried the incoming blow, connecting the block with a swift counterattack and stepping forward to extend the reach of his blade. The pirate used the strength of his double-handed grip to meet the slash head-on, the blades clashing momentarily before Rock was forced to pull back as Shanks slid his blade across and drew first blood with a short cut across Rock's left bicep. Taking advantage of his position as the attacker, Shanks followed up with a vertical attack from above.
Forced on the defensive at such close range, Rock blocked the attack with a reverse-grip on his katana and used the additional leverage of the grip to shove the pirate back a few feet before switching his grip back in preparation for attacking, simultaneously sliding backwards to lengthen the distance.
Growling, the marine lunged forward with a thrust that Shanks dodged and, as Rock planted a foot before himself to halt his forward motion, placed his blade alongside the Vice Admiral's neck, its point pressed threateningly next to the jugular vein.
"I yield," Rock finally admitted and the two broke apart, re-sheathing their weapons.
"Do you understand now, Johnny?" Roxy asked, replacing his coat and releasing his hair while shaking it lightly so that it settled floatingly on his shoulders.
The Warrant Officer was staring blankly from his place on the marine ship, his knuckles white from the grip he had on the railing while he ground his teeth harshly.
"That's enough," John finally states, "I'm through with all of you," he continued, glaring directly at Roxy and then Mona before turning away. "Let's go men."
"Hai, Warrant Officer Blue!" The marine ship slowly turned around and sailed away from the pirate ship.
"Uncle Roxy?" Mona asked timidly, somewhat thrown by this family quarrel.
"Don't worry about it, Mona dear. Your parents have already accepted your career choice, haven't they?"
"But you – , Grandpa will be so mad!"
"I wonder about that," Roxy hummed. "The Blue family has been dying for a long time now and I suppose I might as well explain it, since I doubt we'll ever be the same after your generation. Do you remember, Mona, the story of the two brothers that founded our family in Mariejois during the rise of the World Government?"
"Story time!" Shanks yelled. Several pirates groaned and scattered, choosing not to stick around now that there would be no fight.
"I'll ask for some tables and chairs, Captain," Beckman sighed.
"I'll get the cake," Harry added, choosing not to question how he ended up on a ship with an infamous pirate, a bounty huntress, and a former Vice Admiral for the marines gathered together while not killing each other.
"Do you Mona?" the man asked again, walking over to the railing and gesturing to his men in the rowboat to join him aboard the ship.
"Well, yes, of course. Wielders of our family's twinned blades, the two fought as a duo no pirate could defeat." The chairs, tables, and food arrived at this point and Harry, Spaz, Shanks, Mona, Roxy, a few pirates, and Roxy's subordinates gathered around. Harry placed the cake in front of Roxy and served everyone else a flagon of beer – he certainly felt like he needed one right now.
"How wonderful! It's chocolate," Roxy exclaimed, daintily picking up the offered fork and moaning in an incredibly embarrassing manner at the first bite before continuing his explanation to Mona. "What you know is true, but not the whole story. For one thing, the duo back then were Admirals in the new marine force, and from then on, every generation the swords are passed down to the best swordsman from the Sky and Sea Houses to inherit that partnered sword style and eventually the positions as Admirals. Tell me Mona," he requested around a mouthful of cake, "have you ever wondered why so few of the elders gave you trouble over your decision to break the family tradition and become a bounty huntress?"
"Well," Mona blushed, holding onto her beer nervously without drinking from it, "I always kind of assumed they thought it was a phase and I'd get over it."
"Ha!" Roxy barked. "A phase. It's true that some may have thought that, but three generations ago you would've be married off before the family allowed you to disgrace the Blue name in such a way. Something you should know is that the last pair to inherit the partnered sword-style was the generation before mine. My and Johnny's fathers were prodigies, though not yet Admirals, and if they were together that fateful day, Johnny's father might not have been killed. I think Father feels somewhat guilty about that, actually…" he trailed off, tapping the fork thoughtfully against his lips. "But that's not the point. The fact of the matter is that with Johnny having no talent with a sword and there being no other members of the Sea House, this family style is as good as dead. Blue will probably continue to be a predominantly Marine family, but our influence will likely fade and thus so will the limitations on how each person is to live their lives. Some of the more stubborn and oblivious members of the family will protest your and my decisions, but my father already understands our decline and as head of the family, once he accepts our choices the rest of our relatives will just have to deal."
There was a moment of silence that was soon broken by the sound of a snore.
"Captain, please wake up," Beckman requested, tipping Shanks' chair so that the pirate awoke with a cry of shock. "You were the one who was excited about the story."
Shanks pouted. "But there was no action! Next time," the pirate captain said, speaking to Roxy, "tell an adventure story, yeah?"
"Next time, then," Roxy agreed, "though to be honest I'd rather avoid future conversations with filthy outlaws such as you. I may have resigned as a marine, but don't think this means I agree with a pirate's way of life. I still find the pillaging and violence to be very unattractive."
Shanks merely laughed and left to direct his crew to their next destination.
Harry sighed and downed the rest of his beer as the remaining pirates left. "I don't think I'll ever understand how carelessly all of you can act with each other."
Roxy chuckled. "I don't think I ever imagined sitting down on Red-Hair's ship either, or even resigning from my post before marriage as is traditional in my family, but I have you to thank for that, Magician."
Harry tensed, a hidden hand up his robe sleeve clutched around his wand as his mind raced, wondering about the implications of this man's title for him. Was it possible he'd seen Harry wield magic? How? When? While there was a small possibility the reference was to muggle magic, Harry highly doubted such parlor tricks could have enough an impact to make a Vice Admiral flip his life upside down. Thus, the most important question was why this man believed that what he saw was real magic and not skilled sleight-of-hand, or even Haki or a Devil Fruit power.
Before the wizard could say anything in return, Roxy rose from his seat and made his way back to the ladder that led back to his rowboat, his men following close behind. "Thanks for the chocolate cake; it was absolutely luscious. And Mona," he continued, turning back to look at his niece, "would you like to come with me? You aren't catching anyone on this ship."
Mona smiled. "Mmkay, I will! Oh, one sec," she muttered, digging out her cards again and flipping through them. "Here," she said, handing one over to a shocked Spaz who had been twirling his beer bottle on the table. "That's you, right? I don't think they'll believe me, though, if I tried to give you up, so you might as well keep the card. Thanks for everything!" she yelled out across the ship, then leapt from the railing to land in her uncle's boat.
Within minutes, the pirates and their tag-along duo were left alone aboard their ship.
"Merlin," Harry breathed, slouching back into his chair. "Bloody hell, I wonder if this means we'll be seeing that Roxy person again soon. Though, if he resigned, that means he doesn't plan on letting the marines know about magic, right Spaz?"
The wizard turned to his friend who was staring pale-faced and looking a tad queasy at the card Mona left him with.
"What's that you got there, Spaz?" Harry asked worriedly, lifting the card lightly from loose fingers to look at the photo. On the card was a picture of young girl with long brown hair and brown eyes, expression pulled in an embarrassed frown. What was it Mona said again, that this, er, girl, is Spaz?
Harry whistled. "Damn, you were quite a pretty-boy before puberty, huh?"
A/N: Yeah, this was totally just because I liked the thought of guys pretending to be girls instead of the overdone girls pretending to be guys thing :P
I've decided to skip a few months about here, just 'cause, to speed up the time until Luffy eats the fruit. The next update may take awhile too because I have classes starting Monday. Sorry.
505 reviews 25 of August, 2011