'Being an Admiral definitely has its perks.'
That was the thought that went through Sakazuki's mind as he grabbed two cards from the deck on the table.
It never ceased to amuse him how people seemed to trip over themselves trying to fulfill his weird requests.
At first, he made those wild demands as a joke, as a way to elevate the tense atmosphere and help the soldiers relax a bit in his presence. Sadly, his face doesn't translate emotions well, so it just came out as gruff commands.
The men, and women, on board, had acted with such speed and precision that Sakazuki was too embarrassed to tell them he was kidding, so he kept his mouth shut and let his subordinates entertain him.
He would have liked to say that was the sole and only reason for his actions, but that would be a lie. And his parents didn't raise a liar. For the most part, It was because his newly attained position and influence helped feed his long-suppressed delusions of greatness and grandeur that he harbored from his past life.
Obviously, he kept that part to himself. Whenever someone brave enough asked him, he just grunted and stared down at them like they were something he found stuck at the bottom of his boots until they hurriedly excuse themselves out of fear.
It must have worked because people stopped questioning him.
'Admiral Akainu was an honorable and professional officer of the mighty Navy forces. He held no interest in anything other than enforcing his Absolute Justice and destroying the plague that roamed the seas. If his men or rather Vice-Admiral Tsuru's men wanted to serve him, then he was generous enough to allow them to carry out his requests.
'Even if those requests seemed asinine to the average shmuck, Admiral Akainu must have a good reason behind them.' Was probably the justification of the junior marines' as they tried to make sense of the vast difference between what they'd heard about the infamous Akainu and the giant man in front of them treating them like circus monkeys.
Those asinine demands were, and were not limited to:
Making a female officer finish all her sentences with nya.
In his defense, her hair had two spikes on the side that looked like cat ears and her pupils were barely more than slits, so she might go the whole distance. Nothing is worse than half-assing your character traits.
Asking several marines to conduct plays re-creating historical and noteworthy events.
It was horrible. The men had no talent for acting, and the only stories they knew were far too propaganda-heavy to make for a good act.
And three, telling Rear Admiral Doll to drop whatever she was doing just so that her dashing and handsome Admiral can have someone to play cards with, and steal the sabre at her hip.
"Draw two." She said.
"Draw four." Sakazuki countered as he slammed another 2 on top of her card. "How is your Haki training going?" he asked absent-mindedly. Two years from now, Doll would be a Vice-admiral if he remembered correctly.
He would be shocked if she didn't begin training her Haki.
She pursed her lips as drew the cards from the deck. "…not as well as I would like, sir."
He raised a brow.
"I still can't reliably use the Color of Armament. Using it on my body is doable, but coating my weapons is still hit-or-miss." She explained coolly. "Any advice?"
"Fight." He replied just as easily.
"..That's it? Just fight?" She said with a tilt of her head. "I expected something more, to be honest."
He met her eyes and shrugged. "There isn't a set of rules on how to learn how to materialize your will. It differs from person to person. The only common thing is that Haki blooms in the heat of battle. So, fight. The stronger the opponent, the better."
The lower-ranked snorted. "…Seems simple enough."
'That should take care of my last act of kindness.' He thought as the silence took over the table once again. If he kept this up, his image with the Marines would be improved in no time. Hell, he could already see his standing rise in Doll's eyes as she contemplated his words.
People really will believe anything you told them if you said with a straight face and a confident voice. Was his advice correct? Fuck if he knew. It worked for Akainu.
Sadly, as his image went up in Doll's eyes, Sakazuki was sure her superior's opinion of him was definitely getting lower.
While Sakazuki did not lie when he told Vice Admiral Tsuru that he thoroughly enjoyed her company, he couldn't exactly stay on her ship for longer than necessary. She might've been technically his subordinate, but the woman was still considered to be a legendary marine who battled against great adversaries such as Whitebeard, Golden Lion, and of course The King of Pirates, Gold Roger himself.
Her fleet was run with a firm grip, and a clear order and hierarchy with her at the very top.
Obviously, An Admiral suddenly joining in unannounced would disrupt that order. Especially, when said Admiral was none other than the infamous Red Dog.
looking to use a sizeable portion of the Navy's military ships as nothing more than a glorified taxi, causing the entire fleet to make a considerable change in their route just to accommodate his needs.
Thankfully, no one aside from Tsuru and her immediate subordinates knew that he was just being a leech, and most likely, chalked it up as Admiral Akainu conducting a sudden inspection.
Nevertheless, with him on board, the balanced and clearly defined power structure of the fleet was thrown into an array.
Akainu had the final word. Every single whim of his would become law. And while Sakazuki would not have held it against her if she had told to piss off, Vice Admiral Tsuru was a notorious stickler for rules.
Calling him a wanker to his face in private and breaking the chain of command in front of the lower ranks were completely different things. Treating a superior officer in a way that might seem even slightly disrespectful was a big no-no, no matter how close of a relationship the two shared.
Disrespecting him in public was asking others to disrespect her in return.
Even Garp, in his entire carefree-spirited attitude, never actually disrespected the Fleet Admiral in front of his men.
Add to that the Admirals were the Navy's ultimate weapon. The World Government spends massive amounts on its PR to portray them as larger-than-life figures for both civilians as well as the average marine.
So reluctantly, and with a bit of amusement on his part, Sakazuki and Tsuru continued the charade for several days.
However, the « Legendary Tactician » was an immensely prideful person, and even he could see that his shenanigans were starting to run her patience thin. As such Akainu decided to leave on his own with his pride and dignity before Tsuru decides that the Marine code can go to hell and kicked him out.
And as they say, no time is better than now.
Thus with a heavy heart, Sakazuki threw the Six spades in his hand into the pile of cards in the middle of the table and stood up.
"Well, that's my tenth win." Sakazuki addressed his companion as he stretched. "Good game, Rear Admiral Doll. You may return to your station."
The younger woman stood up and sighed." Not even a single win..." She muttered under her breath. She removed her sabre from her belt and offered it to him. He accepted it gratefully.
Bored as he might have been, Sakazuki was not about to play cards with nothing at stake. He would have suggested losing a piece of clothing for every loss, but he didn't think that would fly with Tsuru around.
"Work on your Color of Observation, girl." He advised with a smirk. "you might actually win next time." Or at least be able to tell that he was cheating.
The Rear-Admiral gave him a tight smile and saluted.
Sakazuki smiled gently as his eyes followed the gentle sway of her hips as she left. Sakazuki did not believe his eyes would have survived his stay on the ship with the constant barrage of all these sweaty ugly looking men had it not been for the few eye candies on the ship.
'Beautiful women make saving the world worth it.' Sakazuki nodded sagely to himself.
A small cough from behind him stole his attention. He turned to the source with a raised eyebrow that swiftly turned into a smile. "Tsuru-san! How are you this fine morning?"
"Have you finished tormenting my subordinates, Admiral Akainu?" She asked with a bored tone of voice. Though despite her words, he sensed no hostility from her.
"I am merely making sure that they get an appropriate rest every once in a while, Tsuru-san. All work and play make a soldier dull." The Admiral replied.
The wide-eyed look the vice-Admiral gave him made it evident that she doubted both his words and his mental stability. "To think the day such word would come out of the infamous Red Dog's mouth. Are you sure you haven't hit your head?"
The dark-haired man laughed at her words. "I just told you that there is a time for work and a time for rest. If I kept being uptight 24/7, even I will burn out."
Judging from the flat look, she wasn't impressed by his joke. 'Everyone's a critic these days.' It was definitely a sad world when a goat was the only thing that could appreciate his puns.
"Just make sure that you actually allow them to actually get some work done before they rest." She said pointedly, before adding. "And stop cheating in cards. It's unbecoming of someone of your station."
"Well, you don't have to worry about me holding them up, anymore. We're parting here." Sakazuki said as he moved toward the edge of the ship.
"You're leaving, already?" She asked as she followed him.
"Yes. As much fun as it was sailing with you, I fear that is where I bid you farewell."
"Weren't you the one to ask to help you cross the Calm Belt? What changed?" Her brow twitched in annoyance as she spoke.
"An urgent matter came up." He lied. He just wanted to stretch his legs.
Sakazuki shrugged. "We are already near its edge. I can easily cross the remaining couple hundred miles on my own. I also don't trust you not to poison my food."
The older marine raised her arms and shook her head dramatically. "Curses, my plans have been foiled."
"Well, there's always next time." He teased.
"Damn greenhorn.." she scoffed. Her features returned to neutrality shortly after. "But I still don't understand why the East Blue of all places. Why not your home in the North Blue?"
Because his hometown was nothing but ashes. and also because he also had some teenagers to bully and some not-teenagers to kill. "Change of pace."
Tsuru hummed.
"Till next, then, Vice-Admiral Tsuru. Tell the men that they have exceeded my expectations and to keep up the good work!" He bid her farewell and was about to drop when her voice cut him off.
"Sakazuki." The serious look on her face made him pause. He instinctively stood straighter. "About what we've spoken about…I know telling you to stop is meaningless. But tread carefully; you're treading on dangerous grounds."
It was not a threat, but a clear warning. The World Government would hesitate to crush those who snoop where they shouldn't, even if they were an Admiral.
Sakazuki smirked. "Sorry to disappoint you, Tsuru-san. Dogs are curious by nature."
His feet left the railing of the ship and his body dropped toward the sea. Magma seeped from the soles of his feet as they changed and morphed into something resembling two volcano craters extending from his knees.
"RED LAUNCHER!" he bellowed.
His body touched down, and the waters beneath him exploded into a massive cloud of steam.
Akainu launched towards the horizon. His laughter drowned out the insults Tsuru hurled at him as her ship nearly tilted over from the force of his departure.
"Damn brat…." Vice Admiral Tsuru cursed under her breath as she stabilized herself. Soon enough, the sea settled once again as his form disappeared into the distant horizon.
She turned her head towards the men and bellowed. "Make sure no one fell off the ship!"
She raised her arm, and pulled back the sleeve of her coat, revealing the communication snail resting on a wooden frame. The snail was of the smaller variety, capable of connecting to only a couple of other snails. Rather than the standard blue and green shell, it sported a faded pink shell betraying both its age and its lack of use.
It had been some years since she needed to report something to Sengoku using it. But some things were best left out of the World Government's ears.
Tsuru gently tapped the small creatures and was rewarded with its eyes opening. The snail quickly shook the last hints of sleep from its eyes and waved its front tentacles at her excitedly.
s
"Fu fu fu. Sorry to disturb your sleep, little fellow. Do you mind calling that fool Sengoku for me?" She requested with a warm smile.
The snail saluted and obeyed. It closed its eyes as its features changed into something akin to Sengoku's face. Shortly enough, it opened its eyes and spoke. [O-Tsuru-san. Did something happen?]
"You sure picked up quickly." Too quickly for her liking. Are you skipping work again?" She accused.
[N-no, of course not." He hastily replied. Though the way the snail's gaze darted to the side showed right through him. "It's just that you rarely use this line, so something urgent must have happened.]
She let out a tired sigh. "It's about Sakazuki. Did something happen during his last mission?"
[….What do you mean?]
"Don't play the fool, Sengoku. You know what I mean. That person is far different from the magma brat I know."
[Did he do something?]
"That's the problem. He didn't do anything." She groaned as she messaged her temples. "He spent the entire trip bothering the men and cheating at cards."
Sengoku let out a hearty laugh from the other side.
"This is not a laughing matter!" She yelled, startling some of her subordinates. "Something is clearly wrong. If I didn't know better, I would've said he was an imposter."
[That's unlikely.]
"I know." She said. No matter how weird his antics had been, there was no denying that it was Sakazuki. There was no way she could mistake his Haki or its intensity. "Did he mention anything to you?"
[He said that he was going on a vacation to relax.]
"A vacation? Sakazuki?"
[The very same. Apparently, he thinks he's going through a mid-life crisis, whatever that is.]
"And you believed him?" She said with a raised eyebrow. That was a bald-faced lie if she ever heard one.
"Not one bit." The snail shrugged with a smile. [But it's not like I could have denied him. Garp is covering for him in the New World, begrudgingly.]
"Any idea what Sakazuki's planning?" The Vice-Admiral asked.
[There is only so much a man like him can do in the Weakest Sea, so I have a couple of guesses. But whatever it is, I hope he has the decency to make sure there's still an East Blue when he's finished.] The Snail let out a sigh as its shoulders slumped. [Is that all?]
Tsuru remained silent for a moment before speaking. "No, actually. He mentioned something."
FOUR DAYS LATER
[NEW WORLD: The Raining Archipelago]
The New World was a place where the irregular became regular. Even the First half of the Grand Line characterized by its abundance of Sea Kings and its severe and constantly changing weather phenomena was hailed as a "Paradise" when compared to its hellish second half.
In short, the New World was a place where logic died and common sense could get one killed. Located near the Red Line, the island of Amezo and, its rain that fell sideways, was a great display of the New World's irregular weather.
A sight that would awe and frighten a normal person.
Alas, in his many decades at sea, Garp had become far too used to such abnormalities. And no matter how much the bizarre storm surrounding him raged, it paled to the turmoil inside of him and the snail that felt like it was burning a hole in his chest.
'Heh, my age is turning me into a damn poet. Is this the so-called wisdom of elders?' Garp tried to laugh his worries off, but the clinching of his famed fists betrayed him.
"You've been uncharacteristically somber these past few days, sir." His trusted aid, Bogard said as he came to stand a step behind him at the bow of the ship.
Garp spared his second in command a short glance. "That so?" he asked with a gruff tone.
"It is so. The usual you would be more like 'Bwahahahaha! You shitheads are a hundred years too early to take me one' down there." Bogard imitated while pointing to the decimated pirate crew being detained beneath them.
"Damn it all! It wasn't meant to go like this!" The captain yelled in despair, his broken wails heard even through the heavy rain. "The route was supposed to be safe with Akainu gone, so why the hell is Garp the Fist here!? Damn it, out of the fire and into the fryi-!"
"Just shut up and walk!" A nearby marine commodore cut the pirate off with a kick to the back. "The rain and mud are already annoying enough. I don't your bitching on top!"
Garp scoffed in annoyance. "And you're uncharacteristically annoying today."
Bogard hummed in response as he fixed his hat. "Are you still annoyed by being stationed here to cover Admiral Akainu?"
"It's that magma bastard not being here that's pissing me off." Garp snapped. "Why the hell did he have to go there of all places?"
"Your grandson...You're worried that Akainu might be after him." Bogard stated simply.
Garp nodded. "Yeah… "
"I would say that's an unlikely possibility. The East Blue is massive. It is possible that he's after someone else."
"Don' think so. Told a couple of old guys back at home to keep an eye on him if he passes. He made a quick stop at a Navy base in Tonto Village." Garp's face twisted into a frown. "He's in Goa Kingdom."
Whether he was after Luffy or not, he was bound to pass through Dawn Island. If he did, stepping into Foosha Village would only be a matter of time.
He prayed to whatever gods there might be to keep the two from meeting, or at least to keep Luffy from saying any stupid shit about pirates.
'It's all because that Damn Red Hair filled his head with all that freedom and piracy nonsense!'
He had warned an old friend to call him if Sakazuki stepped into the village. He didn't know what he was going to do if the snail rang, but it kept him from tearing his hair out from ignorance.
He hoped that snail never-
*PURURURURURURU*
Garp felt vibrations in his chest. Were they from the snail or from his beating heart, he wasn't sure.
*PURURURURURURUR*
He brought the Snail from his jacket pocket.
*PURURURURUR-*KACHA*
"...Garp speaking."
Immediately, the sounds of screams and crashing wood filled his ears. [Garp-San! Thank God It went through! I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Garp-san! He was moving too fast! Our ships couldn't keep up!]
"Calm down! What happened!?" Garp yelled as he felt his nerves rising. Did it happen? Was Akainu in his village?
[The town! He's burning the town!]
Garp could feel his stomach drop. 'That magma bastard..!'
"What about the people? the Mayor, Is the Mayor with you!?" If that bastard touched a single hair from their heads!
A woman's cry came through the communication snail. It sounded familiar enough for him. 'Makino..?'
Before he could open his mouth to ask, the world around him was thrown into silence as he heard that damned bastard's voice.
The worst possible thing had happened.
[Quite the defiant expression on your face, son of Dragon.]
