A/N: These next few chapters will be considerably short after these last few. Please enjoy!

Thanks for reading/faving/reviewing! Y'all are as awesome as a pound of chocolate fudge that is going to be entirely consumed and thoroughly enjoyed by one person.

Warnings: Slight language here and there.


Chapter 31: The Floating Islands Finale: Snuzu's Investigation and Rorrim's Wrath

**Countdown: Two Months, 11 days left**

Vice-Admiral Snuzu and his men looked at the thick vines and roots of the odd trees curiously, and upon docking, eyed the wrecked Marine vessels, curtesy of Orin the Fishman. In a matter of hours things had relatively calmed down and had been somewhat straightened out, so Snuzu and his men were talking to those who had faced off against the Straw Hats and the Heart Captain, along with the trading post workers who had connections with the Revolutionaries. They were also working with a number of the locals to get rid of the thick stalks. Cutting and then burning the vines and roots as soon as they were cut seemed to be the only thing that they could do that worked. Upon further investigation to the damage, it started to become obvious that trying to rid the island of the vines was a lost cause, as they had sufficiently wrapped themselves around the disk and chain that connected it to the ocean floor.

"We're going to have to make a new island for the Marine Base…" one of the locals said with a sigh as he wiped his brow. "And look here…the roots split the island, right down the middle…Right now, these roots are what are holding the ground we're walking on together…"

"Hm…Well, on the bright side, there were a few locals who wanted another forest island here, weren't there?" a young man questioned. Someone else wearily nodded in confirmation.

"The Straw Hats have new members?" Snuzu questioned, upon hearing the news. "Those kids? Hmm…These Pirate recruits are getting younger every year…Shame, really."

He then turned to one of the G-24 Marines, and asked, "Can you tell me where I can find one Petty Officer Borges Jonas?"

The Marine motioned to a young man with thick, messy blue hair, and whether it was due to him being caught in a fight or simply being natural, it was unclear. He had thick, squared glasses which had been cracked at some point within the last few hours, and he was nursing a busted lip and a swollen cheek.

"I'm telling you, a robot fell out of the sky!" he was insisting to a few of the others. He stopped and stared at Snuzu curiously as the Vice-Admiral approached him.

"You're working under me now, Petty Officer Borges Jonas. Welcome to my team." Snuzu said, and he simply left the young man staring at him open-mouthed, wondering just what was going on, and why.

As he continued to explore the Base, Snuzu passed a woman who was absolutely furious, and the air around her was frighteningly cold. "That girl! She defeated me! Me! If I ever find her again, I…I will rip off her arms!"

A man was casually laughing as he recounted fighting a young girl with an odd sort of fondness and amusement. "She certainly showed a lot of promise, you know," he was saying. "I'm looking forward to what else that Toph Beifong girl can do. The Toph family line will certainly be a force to be reckoned with."

It was obviously proving difficult to get a full report from another one of the Marines, as he kept talking while facing the other direction and talking in complete opposites from his recounting of events, and fortunately for those who were talking with him, they had a great deal of patience after serving under a Vice-Admiral like Snuzu.

Snuzu meandered into the medical ward with a yawn, and his Captain nearly ran into him as Snuzu fell asleep on his feet right on the spot.

"Snuzu-san, wake up!" the Captain shouted, giving his Vice-Admiral a kick to the side of the head.

"Oh, I fell asleep." Snuzu said casually, and yawned again. "Thank you for waking me, Ceal."

"Of course, Snuzu-san."

One of the Base's Doctors and a nurse were presently wrapping bandages around the face of Rorrim's assistant, commenting, "I wonder just what happened to him…? He's been beaten so badly, I honestly don't even recognize him…"

Rorrim stared at Snuzu in mild curiosity and bewilderment as he looked around the medical ward while another Doctor was treating his wounds, and he smiled casually as Snuzu finally approached him.

"Vice-Admiral Rorrim Ijdel, nice to meet you…"

"Snuzu. Vice-Admiral Snuzu. But you can call me Snuzu, as I find formalities so bothersome. Nice to meet you too, Rorrim-san."

Rorrim had to wonder at how Snuzu introduced himself, but quickly got straight to the point.

"Might I ask what you are doing here?"

"I was called. I would like to carry out the rest of our conversation in your office, if that's alright. At your convenience, of course."

"Sure…who called you though?"

"One of your officers. Now, office?"

After the Doctor had finished treating Rorrim's injuries, the Vice-Admiral guided Snuzu and Captain Ceal to his office, while he secretly wondered why. Snuzu whistled and snapped his fingers, ordering a few more men to come along with them. They vines that led into the office had been burned away, and upon entering it, the Marines took in the mess of the place. Broken and overturned furniture, the busted safe, the exposed secret entrance, and burn marks along the wall showed that the Revolutionaries had been quite busy. Rorrim made a face at the broken safe, while Snuzu on the other hand made a face at the desk and file cabinets. He eyed the safe and narrowed his eyes. Who knew what those who had broken into the office had taken?

Snuzu got straight to the point. "You two, search over there, and you two over there. You, search the desk. Ceal, help him out. And be sure to look over everything carefully. I don't care if it seems unimportant, don't put anything to the side before double-checking – triple checking if you have to." The men nodded in affirmation. "Yes, Snuzu-san, sir!" Turning to Rorrim, he continued. "Please, have a seat, Rorrim-san. Now, may I have your recounting of the events that transpired tonight?" He pulled out a pen and a pad of paper from his pocket, and eyed Rorrim, waiting for him to start.

"Uh…what are they looking for…?" Rorrim motioned to the men who were digging through his desk and the file cabinets.

"Information," Snuzu responded. "Now, might I ask what happened here?"

Clearing his throat, Rorrim began. "I have reason to believe that the workers at Vidu's Trading Port are escaped slaves of the Tenryubito, and I have plenty of evidence to back up my claims. I also have proof that the children of Saoirse Kiba were with them. I attempted to interrogate one of them, but…as you can see, things got out of hand. The presence of the Straw Hat Pirates and the Heart Captain is proof enough."

"I see, I see…" Snuzu nodded as he took notes. "That evidence might be what they were after, and tried to use the contents of the safe as a cover for what they actually took."

"Sir…? Uh, Snuzu-san…sir?" One of the men who had been searching through the files spoke up. "…You'll want to look at these. Right now."

Snuzu turned to address the grim-looking man who was holding a number of documents in his hands.

"What are those?" Rorrim tried to ask, but Snuzu didn't answer. His tired-looking eyes simply scanned the papers, and as he did so, his eyes widened and his expression became very grim. "Is there anything else?" He was wordlessly handed a few more folders by one of the men who had been searching through the papers in the desk. The overall mood in the room was slowly becoming more and more serious, and Rorrim found himself shifting uneasily under the weight of it. After almost an hour that seemed to drag on had passed, he replied tonelessly, "I have to make a call. Don't go anywhere, Rorrim-san. Ceal, keep an eye on him, the rest of you, continue searching for anything else."

He left quickly after learning that the closest transponder snail was unavailable, so he went to his ship. Rorrim overheard one of the men in the room whisper, "I've never seen Snuzu move like that…I didn't know he could move that fast!"

"Of course not, you've never seen him be serious!" his fellow Marine replied, although the other young man had a strange expression. The other Marines continued about their business of searching the office, while Rorrim shifted uncomfortably under Ceal's unblinking and scrutinizing stare.

"Uh…what is going on?" Rorrim asked the young man, but the Captain now seemed to glare.

"Don't speak to me."

Rorrim would have responded in anger, but remained silent as he figured he would get answers sooner or later. Snuzu did not return until a few hours later, and upon entering the room, he announced, "I just finished talking with Fleet Admiral Sakazuki,"

"What?! Why?!" Rorrim stood quickly, but was promptly ordered to take a seat once again.

"Because of these," Snuzu looked very serious, which was obviously off-putting to his own men, who were not used to seeing him be in such a state.

"I don't even know what those are!" Rorrim said defensively as he sat back down.

"These…Revolutionaries…how long ago did they come here…?" Snuzu shuffled through the papers and he spread them out on the desk that had been up righted.

"Five years ago…" Rorrim said slowly, unsure of what was going on.

"Four-and-a-half years ago…you got an increase in funds…" Snuzu said, and he looked expectantly at Rorrim.

"That was because of my capture of a few escaped prisoners from Impel Down."

"It's a very nice story, and I heard about your feat. Quite admirable. But from what I can see here, your sources for that information came from…Vidu's Trading Port."

"WHAT?! But I…"

Rorrim stopped as Snuzu held up a finger and continued. "There are other funds here as well, layers and upon layers of them…you were taxing Bháite, correct? It seems here that out of all the shops on the island, you were getting 15% more from Vidu's Trading Port than any other shop…"

"I what…?"

"So, what exactly happened in this 'interrogation' as you call it? Did the deals you were making with the workers at Vidu's Trading Port fall through?" He motioned to the broken safe. "I can see that they also got their money back. Perhaps they were after the contents of that safe after all. They obviously searched your office as well, and could have taken vital information."

"I never made any deals with them!" Rorrim shouted furiously.

"Please don't raise your voice, Rorrim-san. This is your handwriting, is it not?"

Snuzu pointed at the numerous hand-written letters and signed documents spread out across the desk.

"I never signed any of those! That's my handwriting, but…" Rorrim stopped, and angrily shouted, "I'm being framed! Those are forgeries!"

"Another concern that we have here…is that you have certain…shall we say…sensitive documents involving certain high-ranking officials within the World-Government that if this is brought to light, there are things that would be exposed that none of them would want to have made public. If the Revolutionaries that were here had taken these…"

Snuzu's voice trailed off, while Rorrim shouted, his voice getting louder as he spoke. "I don't know anything about any of that!"

"One would say that, given your current situation," Snuzu said, sighing before he continued. "There is other sensitive information here that one such as yourself should not be privy to; even I shouldn't be seeing some of this…plus there are numerous counts of blackmail, money laundering, taking bribes, and the fact that you were turning a blind eye to the presence of associates of the Revolutionaries here…anyway, after speaking to Fleet Admiral Sakazuki, he has decided it would be in the best interests of all those involved that you…be discharged from the Marines."

"WHAT?!" Rorrim shouted again, standing to his full height. He was so furious, he ignored the fact that he had re-opened some of his wounds.

"If you keep shouting like that, you will go hoarse. Now, as your services have positively contributed to the Marines and the World Government, Fleet Admiral Sakazuki is willing to simply discharge you, and nothing more. Be thankful for that, considering that it's the Fleet Admiral we're talking about here. I suggest taking that offer, otherwise you will be dishonorably discharged, and you will not get the funds that I am to give to you. Simply take them and go into a quiet life of retirement."

"But I never…did any of these things!"

"That is a risk we are not and cannot be willing to take. Very sensitive information was found in your possession, along with numerous counts that clearly point to fraud." Snuzu placed the files carefully on the desk, and looked at Rorrim straight in the eye, while crossing his arms. "So, I suggest you pack your things, and get going. I'll be taking over G-24 until the Fleet Admiral sends someone else as replacement. Now, I have to go have a talk with that assistant of yours. Be thankful you aren't in the same position as he's going to be in."

The men gathered the files by category, and another was told to watch Rorrim to make sure that he did not touch anything of importance, while Snuzu picked through the files. He seemed to find the one that he was looking for, as he pursed his lips and motioned with a finger for Ciel to follow him. Rorrim simply sat and stared at the floor, eyebrow twitching in anger.

Damn that Saoirse family!

They were nothing but trouble.

How could those brats do this to me?! After everything that I've worked for!

Rorrim stood slowly, and he did not hide his irritation at having a shadow to make sure he did not take anything that would serve as evidence in the mess at G-24. He packed his things, changed his clothes, and did his best to hide his face and hair, and ignored the cries of his former assistant, who was yelling and pleading; desperately trying to get Rorrim's attention as he left.

"Rorrim! Rorrim! Come here! Tell them I never did any of those things!"

He would have continued begging, but he was cut off by Ciel, who despite his short stature, easily grabbed the former assistant by hooking a foot around the back of his neck, and drove his face into the floor. "Tch. How annoying."


Rorrim stalked towards the harbor, seething in anger. He sat on a large old crate, staring out at the ocean, while waiting for a ferry to come and take him to the next island, even though he knew it would be hours before the ferries even started running. The few remaining people at the docks simply ignored him, figuring him to be nothing more than a mere traveler who was passing through. Rorrim didn't want to bother with booking any rooms, as he was certain he would be recognized by those running the inn. He noticed a transponder snail booth by the tackle shop, and an idea struck him. Thankfully, the booth was just big enough to accommodate his large size, and he dialed the desired number.

"I'm sorry, but I can't connect you," an authoritative female voice on the other end of the line informed him in a worn-out tone. "This is an unsecure line!"

"Look, I just need to talk to Commodore Brannew!" Rorrim insisted. Dealing with secretaries who connected outside callers to the desired party was a headache and half, and that didn't even begin to describe it.

"Do you have your code?" the woman responded in obvious irritation.

"Oliver-Uncle-Sugar-7-800-1."

"Rorrim Ijdel…?" the woman sounded hesitant, then authoritative once again. "You are not authorized to—"

"Just connect me, dammit!" Rorrim shouted, and he gave a fierce glare from under his hood to the few who were staring at him for yelling. He turned his attention back to the woman on the transponder snail. "Look, this is of upmost importance; it is a matter of security, one of certain life and death! This involves information about the Straw Hat-Heart Alliance, and even the Revolutionaries!"

The line was silent for a few minutes, but finally, the woman said tonelessly, "One moment, please. I'll connect you."

A few minutes later, Brannew's voice came on the other end of the line.

"Rorrim Ijdel? Why the hell are you calling? You shouldn't even have access to—"

"Look, Brannew," Rorrim started.

Damn, word travels fast…

"I know I shouldn't have access to military lines, but this is important! You owe me, Brannew! Now listen! Two very dangerous members of the Revolutionaries have allied themselves with the Straw Hats and the Heart Captain!"

"What? Are the Straw Hats and the Heart Pirates in a three-way alliance with the Revolutionaries?" Brannew questioned.

"That very well could be the case, but that's not the point. The point is, Saoirse Kiba's children, Saoirse Eurynome and Saoirse Ebony have escaped, and they are incredibly dangerous – they easily took out my—the Marines who were sent to capture them. And the fact that they were able to get in contact with that Pirate alliance…it can't all be coincidence, now can it?"

"…I suppose not…" Brannew said after a brief moment of silence.

Rorrim took a deep breath, thankful that he had managed to get Brannew to listen to him, even if he was reluctant to do so. "The Saoirse twins are incredibly cunning, dangerous, and malicious. They had a backup plan in the case that their livelihoods fell through. Those two managed to lie, and writhe their way out of my fingers and out of the Government's as well. They managed to twist the facts so much… I wouldn't even be surprised if they turned against their Pirate allies. It's what their father did after all. That family is nothing but trouble; you know this to be fact, Brannew."

"…I'll look into this…" Brannew said after a moment or two in thought. "This is the last favor. Don't contact me again, Rorrim."

*click*

Rorrim smirked. Soon enough, the twins would have a price on their heads, and they wouldn't be able to hide that easily for the rest of their days.


Next Time: Toph demands an answer as why everyone had to fight for the twins, and why they are wanted by the Marines, and Katara gets a sinking, familiar feeling that reminds her of someone she met long ago upon hearing the answer.


One Piece once again, was awesome – and we finally get to see Corazon in all his glory. I love him already, and I hope we stay in flashback territory. Oh, and Law is even more awesome than I thought. I will try my best to do him justice. Hopefully an upcoming chapter will do just that.


A/N Special:

(yaaaaayyyyy)

A little snippet from this author's life, and I'm sure you will find it quite dorktastic, as many things in my life are.

**DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE AGAINST ANIMAL-ON-ANIMAL VIOLENCE OR YOU THINK THAT MICE ARE REALLY CUTE**

My cat brought home a mouse, and I had to go outside while my cat tried to bring her prize into the house. I tried blocking her from coming in, while doing so, she ended up dropping the mouse and it ran, and disappeared.

I went into a frenzy trying to find it. I finally found the creature hiding in the kitchen closet where we keep our roasting ovens and dog food. It stayed in the corner while I pulled everything out. Things were made more difficult as we're in the middle of renovating our kitchen, so it looks like an obstacle course right now.

I called my mom, telling her of my predicament, and she I think, like me, was hoping the cat would chase and kill the mouse, and told me to swat at it with a broom if it got away from the cat.

I wasn't sure what to do, so I tried putting my cat in the closet with the mouse and closing the door, but my cat either had no interest or did not see the mouse she had brought in and stood at the door meowing to be let out. So fine, I let her out.

I tried putting my little wire-haired terrier mix into the closet, but he only sniffed at the mouse and it managed to hide behind something I wasn't able to take out of the closet. It then somehow slipped past me, and was hiding in the corner, and not knowing what else to do, I grabbed the vacuum cleaner which thankfully was plugged in, and vacuumed the mouse up into the hose, with plenty of *thunk-thunk* sounds.

I then took the vacuum outside, and my little dog followed me…I tapped the hose, and the mouse came tumbling out. Once again, I was unsure what to do; I did not want the mouse to find a new home amongst our house, garage, garden, or neighbors' houses. I poked at the mouse because it wasn't moving, which then ran after being prodded, which resulted in a chase from my dog, which killed the mouse in a matter of minutes. Afterwards, he sniffed it, and thankfully didn't eat it.

My dog is a good little boy.

The End. If you enjoyed this story, would you like to read more? Do let me know.