As always, No Beta, we die like men.
Needless to say, the way the meeting with Sengoku had gone left Sakazuki in a more or less decent mood. He walked through the hallways of the headquarters with a small but noticeable uptick at the corner of his lips.
He was now officially on a vacation. That meant no paperwork, no dealing with the celestial dragons, and more importantly, no leash to keep him from doing whatever the fuck he wanted.
Therefore, with a small smile on his face, he dropped by his office. Vacation time demanded vacation clothes, and nothing says 'I'm on a holiday' than a pair of sunglasses, a Hawaiian shirt, and flip-flops. Sakazuki was in a rare good mood.
Shame the rest of the people around him seemed content to shit on his parade.
The elevator door opened, and Akainu was greeted with the sight of a marine officer with a cart fully loaded with stacks of paperwork and reports to be delivered. The man didn't notice his superior office joining him, seemingly far too focused on trying to set the report in his hand on fire with his eyes.
Not saluting a superior officer, and an Admiral at that, was a big No-No in the Marine. Some might even consider it an intentional form of disrespect. However, the man clearly had more important shit to do, so Akainu let it slide. Never say that he wasn't a nice person.
He pressed the button leading to the ground floor and turned his attention to the cart. Casually snatching a few of the files in there, he decided to check if anything interesting happened. An unlikely thing seeing that he would be one of the few first to know, but it was still a good way to pass time.
His eyes skimmed through the paper quickly, but just as expected. A couple of skirmishes between the notorious pirates in the New World. Jiirga Kingdom wants to join the World Government. Big Mom marrying off one of her misfits for her own gain. Again. The last one was a report to be submitted to Vice-Admiral Tsuru.
Nothing was really out of the ordinary.
'Maybe I should send Big Mom a congratulatory gift.' It would certainly fuck with everyone's mind. He could already see Fake News Morgan creaming himself while coming up with a headline. 'Akainu Sends a LOVING Gift for Big Mom. Does the Red DOG's love burn as hot as his magma!?' or something as asinine as that.
Nah, he probably shouldn't. Fucking with an Emperor, especially one as unstable as Linlin, would serve nothing. 'Besides, Sengoku would probably have my head for needlessly starting shit.' He thought. He pocketed the report and threw the papers back into the pile, startling his companion out of his deep concentration.
The younger man turned to look at him with a puzzled expression. It seems he had only noticed that he wasn't alone and the fact that Elevator was moving down rather than up. A second later, he rubbed the back of his head with a laugh. "Tahaha, I didn't see you there; please accept my apologies."
"Do not worry about Lil Ol' me, kid. I could see that you were busy with something much more important." Akainu merely shook his head with a smile. It was obvious that the officer didn't recognize him. Not really surprising seeing how young the man appeared. Akainu rarely if ever spent time in Marineford, preferring to be in the New World where the most notorious dangerous pirates dwelled. It was no surprise that most of the lower-ranked marines would have nothing but vague descriptions about him.
It was probably for the best. He was in this world for a bit over five weeks, and his subordinates being afraid of him stopped being funny over five weeks ago. No, that was a lie. It was still somewhat funny. It was nice to have a casual conversation every once in a while.
The marine—a petty officer, he gathered from his attire—opened his mouth to speak before closing it again. He regarded Akainu's form up and down with narrowed eyebrows. "Still I know they don't allow civilians inside the headquarters, and I don't see any escorts or recording snail with you, so you can't be a journalist." He snapped his fingers in recognition, throwing Akainu a confident smirk. "I take it you must be a bounty hunter!"
Sakazuki smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "I guess you can say that." Well, he did get paid to hunt down pirates and criminals.
"Well, you clearly must be a pretty damn good one if you got to come here." The lower-ranked said as he leaned against the wall of the elevator.
"I like to think that I know a thing or two about fighting. I'm more than happy to show you." Akainu said while throwing a couple of half-assed soft jabs at the much shorter man.
The man took on a boxing stance in response. He started weaving between the jabs while throwing one or two of his own. The mock fight lasted for a couple of moments before the Petty Officer broke out laughing.
As much as he tried, Akainu couldn't hide the smile that broke on his face.
"Thanks, old man. been a while since I've gotten to relax." The officer let out a content sigh as the last remains of his laugh died out.
"They're really putting you through the wringer, huh," Akainu said, nodding his head towards the cart carrying the numerous files and reports.
The Petty-officer face dropped, and the realization of all the work he had yet to complete hit him on the head like an anvil. A heavy sigh left him as he leaned his head against the handle of the cart.
"That bad?" Akainu said with a sympathetic tone of voice. He put his massive hand on the man's shoulder. "I don't mind lending an ear to rant to if that is what you need."
He meant those words. He knew that first hand. Back on Earth, bitching about work was an oddly comforting experience and a good bonding exercise between colleagues. Additionally, it would serve as a good way to help pass time, because holy fuck, this elevator was taking forever!
The younger man turned his eyes to look at him, the dark circles surrounding them were a testament to his increasing exhaustion. For a second, he seemed willing to take Akainu's offer, before he snapped his body upwards with a huff, an expression of pure determination. "I DON'T NEED IT! I am still a Marine with my own pride. I am doing this work because I want to." He declared with a raised fist, steam coming from his nostrils.
"…But?" Akainu led on, sensing a disturbance in the young man's voice.
The Petty officer's body deflated a bit, his fist lowering. "I'm not sure if what I'm doing has any actual meaning in the grand scheme of things."
Akainu raised an eyebrow in response. Things were getting a bit too philosophical for his liking. "What do you mean?"
"Old man, where are you from?"
"Me? I was born on a small island in the North Blue." A small island in a kingdom that no longer existed.
"I see. I heard that the North blue was a nice place to live." The officer said with a faraway look. "as for me, I was raised in a place far more unforgiving."
"Grand Line?"
"The New World," he said with a sad smile. Akainu hummed, that was indeed a shit place to live in. "For the entirety of my childhood, the people around me lived in constant fear of the pirates. Almost every month, we would be assaulted by those damned ships carrying the Jolly Roger. Our small island was luckily near a Navy base, so we usually got away with minimal damage. However, that feeling stuck with me. Our island was lucky, what about those that weren't? How many islands have been decimated because they weren't lucky enough to have a base near them?"
Akainu said nothing, merely listening to the youth letting out his frustration.
The Petty Officer turned towards him. "That's why I joined the Marine. I wanted to be able to give those helpless the same safety that I was fortunate to have. I studied and worked my ass off to make sure that I would be ready. But now, I'm stuck here in the most protected fortress on the planet enjoying the sense of security that I should be giving to others. So I keep wondering, am I actually helping? Is transferring reports from one place office to another really making the world a safer place?"
Sakazuki regarded the youth with a sympathetic look. "Son, do you know what is the greatest weapon the Marine possesses? The reason why the navy is undoubtedly the strongest faction in the world?"
The Petty Officer spared him a confused look. "Uh..T-the Admirals…I guess?" He answered with uncertainty.
"No, dumbass. It's the Other Guys," Akainu said pointing his finger at the lower-ranked officer.
"The other guys..?" The young man repeated.
"Yes, the Other Guys. It's not the Admirals, the Vice-Admirals nor is it Vegapunk that keeps this ship afloat. It is men and women like you that make sure this world still exists tomorrow. All the glory and saved lives would never be there without the work you guys do behind the scenes. Pfft, Admirals, my ass. Trust me, kid, those muppets called 'the World Government's Greatest Weapons wouldn't know how to wipe their own asses without your help. So, you have to take pride in what you do, goddammit!" Akainu said with a serious tone of voice.
The Petty Officer's eyes widened in shock as he listened to his speech. Akainu could see his words starting to take effect on the man. Of course, there was still some doubt behind his eyes, but that was to be expected. A plagiarized speech made on the spot could only do so much.
However, the Officer seemed to at least stand a bit straighter. "Yeah, you're right, old man. My work does matter! Fuck the pirates! Fuck the Four Emperors!"
Ok, that was good, the kid was getting a bit pumped up.
"Fuck the Admirals!"
Okay, maybe the kid was getting a bit too pumped up. But screw it, let the little man let his frustration out. "Yeah, fuck the Admirals!" Akainu yelled with him.
"Whoo!" The Petty officer shook his head. He took a deep breath as his body deflated, all the adrenaline starting to diet out. "Thanks, old man. I definitely need that!"
And on that happy note, the doors of the elevator finally opened. Akainu put his hand on the Petty Officer. "Keep up the good work, kid." He said with a salute.
"I will never forget what you've told me, old man." The Officer returned it with a puffed chest. He didn't think he actually did that much, but the younger man obviously seemed a lot more comfortable. "No need to thank me, lad. I should be the one thanking you, Mr. Hero."
The younger man laughed bashfully. "Then, I guess we both helped each other, Mr…huh? The Petty Officer rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, old man. I got so caught up in my own issues that I forgot to ask for your name."
He gave the Petty Officer a warm smile.
"My name is Sakazuki, but most people call me Akainu." He replied with a nod as he started walking out of the elevator. He flashed his subordinate a thumbs up. "And remember, kid. Always have pride in-"
*Thud*
Aaaand he's passed out.
"MEDIC!"
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