Midoriya groaned as the heaviness of his body sunk in. The cold concrete dug into his skin painfully as the cold around him seeped into his very bones as he shifted in place. He opened his eyes, half-expecting to need to squeeze them shut again, but instead the room around him was incredibly dim.
His joints ached something fierce and he cursed himself for falling asleep in a terrible position again. At least this time he hadn't taken a nap on a ledge and woke up falling. That had been an experience he wanted nothing less than to repeat.
He sighed as he sat up straight, wincing at the way his back protested the movement. During his time on the streets, he'd taken to sleeping sitting up, since it was far easier to find little nooks and crannies in which he could fit. But it had the added benefit of making him a lighter sleeper. A single jolt or wrong movement was enough to rouse him from unconsciousness, which kept him on his toes and ready to fight at any moment.
Midoriya frowned as his eyes began to adjust to the low light of the room.
He hadn't been on the streets in a while, now that he thought about it. Not since he ended up in this other world.
He flinched the minute his eyes acclimated to the darkness. Three of the walls were stone or concrete, but the fourth was vertical bars, like those seen in old movies. The wall on the other side of the bars was made of the same stone as the rest of the cell. His cell.
Fuck.
The only source of light was a gas lamp of sorts just outside of the bars, flickering as it provided minimal orange lighting that struggled to fill the space. The hallway outside of the cell was fairly narrow, about two-thirds the depth of the cell he was in, at least, if he was eyeball-estimating it correctly. With the low light, it was a bit hard to perceive the depth properly.
Midoriya squeezed his eyes shut, directing his focus onto his breathing rather than allowing himself to panic. The moment he lost control of his emotions would be the moment he was fucked.
Only once he got himself back under control, did he allow himself to open his eyes again.
He had been ignoring the tugging and chafing on his wrists, but there was no denying the cuffs that were clasped around them. There were chains welded directly onto the bands, so there was little chance of that connecting being weak enough for him to snap. The chains looped around a bar that was welded into the ground, so he was two-for-two on an utter lack of weak points.
Midoriya blinked back tears as he tried to convince himself that everything would be okay.
It had to be okay.
He wasn't… he wasn't like Ace, right? They would try to execute him… right?
They… he would be put in prison though, if he stayed. He knew that he broken the law here, though he hadn't known at the time, but this wasn't his first rodeo. Technically, he'd done that back in Hosu against Stain. He'd been let off the hook back then, but he had never let the rules get in the way of what he knew was right. And he knew that he had done the right thing in protecting them, even if they were criminals.
So why did he feel nothing but dread and fear?
He sucked in another deep breath, shoving those thoughts out of his mind.
Regardless of whether or not he was a criminal now, he knew that he couldn't let himself be punished. He needed to escape so he could try to get back home and fulfill his duty as the last wielder of One for All.
He needed to defeat All for One, once and for all.
He needed to defeat Shigaraki… or save him.
Midoriya froze as he heard footsteps approaching. Danger Sense hadn't been triggered just yet, so he knew he wasn't at risk for the moment. But that didn't mean that whoever was approaching wasn't here for him. He didn't know what to do nor what to expect, so he froze instead.
If all else failed, he might have a shot at fighting back. He didn't know if he would be successful, since that would depend on who was here and why, but it was worth a shot. If he didn't even try then he wouldn't be able to live with himself. In case fighting wasn't necessary, there was a chance he could try to talk himself out of it instead.
He wasn't very good at that, he'd found, but he could at least try. Acting dumb was probably out of the question, but he wasn't a very good liar either.
Maybe the best course of action would be to sit and wait. Maybe he could find an opportunity to escape if they underestimated him. That would require an indirect lying—lying by omission—but that was something he was incredibly good at. After all, he'd had years of experience in middle school and even at UA to hide the truth behind One for All and All Might's skinny form from his classmates.
He took one last deep breath and let his eyes slip shut. He could do this.
Garp was a bit annoyed, though the fresh bag of rice crackers in his hand improved his mood significantly. He'd arrived an hour ago and so far he been given a quick tour of the facility, a delicious spread of food, and now rice crackers to tide him over.
He had never been one for sticking to the rules, but he had only come to this base to escort a prisoner, not to be paraded about and serenaded. That was the one thing he despised after being labeled Hero of the Marines. Everyone wanted to talk to him and convince him of this or that and he honestly just wanted to do his job (minus the paperwork) and get on with his day. He enjoyed the meal, of course, he would never turn down food. But right now, he would much rather meet the criminal that had saved his grandsons that go through this song and dance all over again.
At least an officer had finally arrived to brief him on the specifics of how the prisoner was caught, though he could honestly care less. Garp resigned himself to listening to the overly-formal officer talk instead, since he knew he wouldn't be allowed to leave until she finished her report.
"Good day, Vice Admiral Garp, sir! Lieutenant Wolbrecht here to brief you," a young upstart barked out once she closed the door behind her.
But damn was it a drag.
"At ease. No need to be so uptight," he gestured for her to continue before loudly opening the snack bag.
"According to the report, Warrant Officer valiantly fought against the Green Devil and subdued him. As of now, he is in our custody and nearly ready for transport."
Garp rolled his eyes. That sounded like a load of shit to him, but it wasn't as if he had a better explanation.
The moment he had arrived at the G-2 base, everything had been chaotic. It was something he was accustomed to, considering his own lack of fondness for paperwork and protocols, but he had to commend their efforts to save face, even as they failed miserably at it.
Garp knew that this base had been infiltrated—though that might have been a generous way to phrase it—by Ace months prior, so the Marines stationed here were already working with a damaged reputation. Suddenly capturing a high-profile criminal was certainly a boon. They couldn't have asked for a better turn of events. It all seemed a bit too perfect, though he supposed sometimes that was just the way things went: unexpectedly.
Though he was a bit curious.
"Sure, but what really happened?" he laughed, happily munching on the rice crackers that he knew was a bribe.
As if he'd be so easy! Although he hadn't planned on getting anyone in trouble or reporting anything relevant back to Senny. It was too much fun to step all over his friend's toes when it came to paperwork. Though he figured he shouldn't admit this to any of the rookies he ran into, if it meant he would get more rice crackers for it!
The lieutenant paused, giving him an odd look. He had no idea what that look meant, but he figured she could use some encouragement.
He wasn't an idiot!
She stood there for a moment before giving in, "I hope you won't tell anyone, but the officers patrolling at Lulusia hadn't known he was a criminal, sir. Apparently he was hit by a stray bullet while the officers were on duty. The people of Lulusia weren't happy about it, considering how the Marines were… not presented in the best light at Marineford. So he was taken in and tended to. It was only when a nurse went through his backpack and recognized the outfit in his bag from his wanted poster that we put the pieces together."
Garp couldn't help but laugh, ignoring the mirthful tears that slipped from the corners of his eyes.
"Sir, please," the lieutenant interjected.
He didn't know why everyone always seemed to think such half-hearted reprimands would do anything. If something was funny, he was going to laugh, damn it!
"Now that sounds a bit more accurate. But how did a bullet take him out?" he wondered aloud, "It sounds awfully suspicious to me."
"We didn't lie, sir!"
"I never said that," Garp coughed as narrowly avoided choking on the crackers.
"Warrant Officer LeGrange… you won't report us to the higher ups… Vice Admiral?" she pleaded.
"Why would I?" he laughed, if anything, the Marines needed to loosen up a bit, "It won't change the fact that the Green Devil is now in our custody and was caught by officers stationed at the G2 Base. Hell, the Warrant Officer might just get a promotion instead, since capturing the Green Devil so soon after issuing his bounty certainly helps us save face."
The lieutenant sighed in relief, though she held her head in her hands as though embarrassed, "Thank you sir. Officer LeGrange had… accidentally switched his usual arms with tranquilizer rounds. There was a bit of a mix-up. A group of small-time pirates decided that it was a good idea to attack Lulusia and we were sent to subdue them with tranquilizers to make an example out of them but well…"
Ah kids these days were so entertaining.
"At least the pirates were still subdued, one way or another. Besides, you ended up with the Green Devil in custody, so all's well that ends well, right?" he guffawed, slapping the lieutenant on the back gently.
She still struggled not to lurch forward, but it was the thought that counted, right?
"Anyway, when am I going to see this so-called Green Devil?" he chuckled, ignoring the way the lieutenant took several deliberate steps away from him.
"I'm not done with the briefing…"
"Who needs protocol like that?" he waved his hand before digging back into the bag of rice crackers, "I'll take care of all the rest, you don't need to worry about it."
"Sir," she cut in, her tone steely.
So apparently she did have a backbone. Then again, to be a Marine in the Grand Line, especially surrounded by idiots that didn't understand how women could just as easily wipe the floor with them, a woman of her position would have to have some kind of strength.
He was glad to see it. Although Marine recruits were always cowardly around him, he enjoyed seeing the toughness that developed from such weak-hearted people. Those were the people that would build the Marines to be the pillar of Justice that he always knew it could be. He had hoped his idiot grandsons would have been a part of it too, but he could still see the ways they were forcing the Marines to adapt and improve so he couldn't complain too much.
That's why he laughed every time he heard their exploits, even as they made fools of the Marines that had gotten far too used to the way things were. Especially as they made fools of the Marines that weren't up to snuff.
"Alright, fine. But you'll let me see him right after! I want to talk to him," Garp relented.
"As I was saying, the Green Devil was brought to the infirmary and treated. Off-the-books, he had some kind of allergic reaction to the tranquilizer he was hit with, which was why a nurse was looking through his things. The moment we realized who he was and his reaction was handled, he was re-sedated, chained with Sea Stone, and placed in a cell in the basement. Then we contacted headquarters."
He huffed. That made sense, but seemed a bit odd. Typically, all medical treatment aside from triage was ceased once a temporary patient was identified as a criminal.
"On the record, he received no treatment after his identity was discovered but well…" she trailed off, a deep frown etching itself into her features.
Garp simply tossed more rice crackers in his mouth, distantly wondering what the hell she was going on about.
He let her shift awkwardly in place for a few minutes, not paying her any mind as he enjoyed his snack. She seemed to try to find the words to explain every few moments, opening her mouth ready to speak before losing confidence and pressing her lips together. It was only once he reached the end of his bag that his patience left him.
"Either speak up or show me to the prisoner," he ordered, crushing the bag and standing to his full height.
They stood eye to eye, the lieutenant matching his height and his stern gaze with a determination of her own. The small stare down ended with the officer sighing and glancing away.
"I suppose you'll see what I mean, Vice Admiral. I'll show you down to the cells."
The walk was brief, unlike the wait leading up to it. The hallways were deserted and dark, unlike the ones above ground. It was only lit by oil lamps, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of Impel Down. It was an unpleasant reminder of his visit to Ace in that damn prison. He hadn't been able to brush off the way Ace had spit hatred and curses to his grandsons' respective fathers, placing the somewhat rightful blame on their shoulders.
He wondered whether the Green Devil would blame anyone for his misfortunes.
As they walked down the hallway, the cells were all vacant. Each one was deeper than the hallway was wide, which wasn't common expect in cells intended for the most dangerous, vicious criminals. They would be chained up at the back, far out of reach of any guard or visitors. Newer bases tended to construct their cells to be less spacious, but in his opinion it didn't matter all that much. As long as protocol was followed, the prisoners should remain locked up.
The Lieutenant stopped abruptly, turning around and giving Garp a look that he didn't quite understand, before gesturing towards the cell and taking a few respectful steps back.
Garp nodded at her, but frowned when she didn't move from where she stood, "You're free to leave. I'll take it from here."
"Sir," she protested with a grimace, "The preparations for… well they aren't complete, sir."
"I know, I just want to talk to him," he chuckled, "I won't let him out of his cell just yet. We won't be leaving until this evening even if everything is ready before then."
She winced at him and he briefly wondered if he had said something he shouldn't have before brushing it off. With that Sea Stone, there was no way this criminal would escape any time soon. What did it matter that they knew when they were leaving.
The lieutenant looked like she had something to say about that, but he dismissed her with an unimpressed look and a wave of his hand. Luckily, she got the message and retreated back down the hallways the way they came.
With a sigh, he turned and approached the cell. Right up until he stood in the dead center and looked inward, the prisoner was hidden from sight. He was chained up on the right wall, towards the back, far away from the bars. The flickering light did little to illuminate the space, so it was hard to make out all of the criminal's features, but one thing was abundantly clear.
The stature was not that of a man—nor one of a woman, for that matter.
No, the one sitting in front of him, chained to the ground and looking utterly defeated with slumped shoulders and a hung head, was so clearly a child.
Garp was suddenly struck with the realization that the Lieutenant must have been trying to tell him this earlier. See it for himself, eh?
Well, she hadn't been wrong. Seeing was believing, yet Garp was still in slight disbelief. His own grandson was barely older than a kid himself, but even he didn't quite look so young. He stood up to a decent height, though it was far shorter than their lineage would have predicted.
But this criminal looked utterly small in the big space of the cell, curled up on himself so that his arms weren't wrenched awkwardly by the cuffs and chains.
At the very least, Garp now had an answer to why it hadn't been plainly obvious that this boy was The Green Devil. Without that outfit, his natural look was the perfect disguise. The boy was skinny, though his exposed shoulders and arms were decently-defined and muscular. The messy hair only added to the childish appearance, though Garp knew he was anything but.
In his many years serving the Marines, he had come to know that the organization he served had no issues with killing children. He had been forced to come to terms with that fact many decades ago, but it always left an unpleasant taste in his mouth when he was reminded of that fact.
On the other hand, he knew that this child was no kid. Going toe to toe in a deadly battle with lives on the line… this boy had clearly known deadly combat long before now, given the way he hadn't even flinched nor hesitated.
But even though this boy knew battle, he likely knew nothing of the politics he was now caught up in.
The boy finally seemed to notice his presence, raising his head just enough to glance at him from under his eyelashes.
Unfortunately, it wasn't Garp's job to school the boy. He was here to give his thanks and escort him to the place where he would spend the rest of his life.
"You're awake," Garp stated, bluntly.
There really was no good way to start this conversation, but when had that ever stopped him?
Ace, a voice in the back of his mind whispered, even as he paid it no mind.
The boy remained still, not even nodding in acknowledgment, though he didn't let his head slump over either, so he figured the boy wasn't going to pretend to be asleep either.
"You kicked up quite the fuss, made a real mess for us," Garp grinned, crossing his arms in lieu of having rice crackers to toss in his mouth.
When the boy didn't respond for several moments, the Vice Admiral decided to continue on, "Well, it's not necessarily a bad thing. I think the Marines these days need a little reminder to get themselves back up to snuff. If they aren't kept on their toes, they remain complacent and grow weaker."
This time, the boy tilted his head a bit, much like how Luffy used to when he hadn't even come up to Garp's knees. This boy was curious—or confused, he wasn't sure which, or if it was both—but clearly he didn't want to speak up either.
Given that he was a child, Garp figured that made sense. This was a dangerous situation for even the most hardened of criminals, but a child that didn't seem to know the first thing about being a criminal (such as not returning to the scene of the crime)… well he wouldn't be surprised if this child was scared witless.
"I'm not supposed to tell you anything, but I think that's crap. You've been arrested and sent to Impel Down to await trial. We'll leave this evening, but I'll make sure you get a good meal in you before then," he laughed heartily.
This boy was so small, he could use a little extra meat on him. And he knew that prisoners don't get fed much at all, so it was now or never. The boy, on the other hand, sat up straighter at the mention of food.
"Oh, you liked that, didn't you?" Garp couldn't help but smile at that.
It reminded him so much of his grandsons. Food was all it took to bribe them and it seemed this boy might be the same. Given the way the boy finally turned his head and tilted it up to look him directly in the eye, Garp assumed he was about to ask when he would get to eat, or maybe demand to eat sooner.
"I'm a prisoner, you're not supposed to give me full meals," the boy said instead.
The smile slipped off of Garp's face faster than he could inhale a plate of food.
The problem was that the boy wasn't entirely wrong. Withholding food was a good tactic to not only keep the costs of maintaining prisons cheap, but also to keep the prisoners too weak and tired to even consider escaping. This boy had so clearly proven himself a threat back at Marineford, so it would be protocol to not feed him until he is safely secured in Impel Down, though perhaps with the occasional bite here and there depending on the delay in picking the prisoner up and the travel time from the temporary holding cell to the main prison.
It had never been one of Garp's favorite tactics—he would much prefer to subdue prisoners with his strength than anything else—nor one that should be used on children. He may have let Luffy roam around as a child without feeding him, but that was so he could learn to survive on his own. Here, locked up like this, there was no independent survival. Everything a prisoner could do, see, or have was controlled by the guards.
But this boy seemed apprehensive, so Garp could throw him a bone.
"Of course not, but nobody is going to stop me," he laughed.
The boy looked utterly unamused. Did he think Garp was lying? Well, he supposed there wasn't anything he could do about that other than prove him wrong.
The boy shot him an odd look, "Are you in charge here?"
Did this boy not know who he was? Maybe this child wasn't as well versed in politics as he thought. He kind of liked that actually, it was amusing. It reminded him of Luffy's utter obliviousness.
"Of course not, I'm only here to escort you to prison!" he failed to stifle a bark of laughter at the irritation that flashed across the boy's face for just a moment, "But you saved my grandsons back there, so I wanted to at least thank you before you received the consequences for your actions."
Garp averted his eyes for a brief moment, hoping to miss the flash of betrayal or disbelief that would no doubt be there. It hit a bit too close to home, just as it had back when he'd stood in Luffy's way for just a minute before his will gave out and he allowed himself to be struck.
But when he glanced back, the boy's face was utterly blank and empty.
Not the reaction he had expected, but he supposed it worked.
"As a grandfather, I want nothing more than to thank you from the bottom of my heart. But as a Marine, I want nothing more than to serve Justice. It's… quite frustrating," Garp admitted.
Garp wasn't sure why he was admitting that out loud to a complete stranger. And a criminal to boot. The boy hadn't said much, but there was just something about him that felt… safe, for lack of a better word. It was a silly feeling, considering there wasn't much in the world that could truly hurt Garp on a physical level.
But maybe this was… and emotional safety he hadn't known he needed until he finally had it.
He'd thought he'd had that with Senny, but after Marineford… he wasn't so sure.
He had admitted his internal conflict to Ace back on that execution platform, with Senny in earshot, but there had been so much he'd wanted to say but couldn't bring himself to.
Perhaps… perhaps it was time to go into retirement, much like Senny and Tsuru. He could serve as backup when needed, could continue to guide Koby as he continued to grow into the strong Marine that would lead the Marines into a better future. But a part of him knew that might not be enough. He never wanted to deeply interfere in the new Pirate Age that Luffy was sure to bring about, but depending on who became the Fleet Commander…
Well he may very well not get a choice.
Garp shook his head, as though that would rid him of his spiraling thoughts. The boy seemed to have been studying him closely. Had he said something and Garp missed it? He did that often, so it wouldn't have been a surprise.
"Did you say something, brat?"
The boy turned his head sharply away for a moment—or at least, he'd assumed it would be only a moment, but that moment seemed to drag on until the boy spoke up.
"This isn't Justice," the Green Devil growled.
Some part of Garp knew that, of course. There were numerous terrible things the Marines were responsible for, some of which Garp had played a part. There wasn't anything he could do about it though. To make an omelet, one would have to break a few eggs.
"You're a criminal, of course you'd say that!" Garp laughed instead of replying.
Marines had to show a strong front, even in the face of uncertainty. Otherwise all it would take was one crafty criminal to break the entire organization.
"But other than save your grandsons, what crime did I commit?"
Garp froze.
A strong front. Anything that disrupted that image was bad, or at least that was how the Marines had always operated. He'd never been much of a fan of it, but that was just how things worked. He'd long since accepted it.
But wasn't the point of all of this to change things for the better from the inside? He had trained Koby for that purpose, after all. When had Garp himself given up on that goal? He'd passed it on, but how much of his successor's drive had been his rather than the boy's own. It was a harrowing thought, but Garp wasn't going to show that to the Green Devil.
"If I had to guess, you've been fraternizing with pirates, Green Devil," Garp said instead, "That in and of itself is a crime.
"Even if they kidnapped me?" the brat asked.
"I'm not the Judge or Jury, I'm just following orders, brat."
The kid finally turned back to look at him directly in the eye, "And yet I'm going straight to prison without a trial."
Garp sighed, "There's nothing your or I can do about it. You'll be transported tonight. I just wanted to thank you for saving my grandsons when I could not. You'll get a meal and then we'll go. I'm sure they won't hurt you. They'll probably strike a deal with you, given your lack of allegiance."
"I would never make a deal like that."
Stubborn boy. That would surely get him killed. Just like Ace. Maybe it would be better for him to sit in prison where he wouldn't make enemies of other criminals.
"Then you'll be stuck in those Sea Stone cuffs and chains forever. That's your choice to make."
The boy remained silent, staring down at the chains as though he was rethinking his stance. Perhaps he would be seeing this kid again, but on the same side next time.
"I'll be back later. You should get some sleep."
Garp turned and walked away without another word. Somehow he knew that the conversation could have gone better. Usually he didn't bother to pay attention to social pleasantries but this kid was… different. But maybe that was just because he felt he owed the brat just a little.
With a sigh, he exited the corridor without so much as a glance back. He had a meal to demand.
"I can't believe we're going to be serving a prisoner a full course meal, what the hell is up with the Vice Admiral?" a guard hissed.
"Well, maybe he's soft on kids."
"The Hero Garp? I don't believe it."
"He's just eccentric, most of the upper ranks are."
"I wonder if it's because of his…"
"Don't even say that!"
"You know it's probably true!"
"Maybe, but he wouldn't betray the Marines for something like that!"
"The Green Devil won't escape, now that's Garp is here, so what does it matter!"
"Hey, maybe we shouldn't talk about this here…"
"And what? This kid will hear? He's asleep. If anything goes wrong, Garp will fix it. And that's already unlikely."
"If you say so."
"Have you heard anything about the Base Commander?"
"Nah, he's still recovering after being called to Marineford. For all we know, he's dead and they're dragging their feet on replacing him. Maybe they're going to bring in someone from outside the base?"
"They better not. I joined the Marines because of Vice Admiral Comil. I'd sooner retire than follow someone else."
"Then maybe you should retire, he's only getting older."
"Shut up you idiot!"
"Don't you want to hear more?"
"There's more?"
"Rumor has it that the Rear Admiral is dead."
"Admiral Kadar? I don't believe you!"
"You're right, maybe he retired. You should follow suit."
"Oh shut up would you. Fuck this, I'm swapping guard duty with Adnon."
"Have fun with that! Don't let Garp catch you juggling the assigned duty roster or we'll all be in trouble!"
"Whatever you say."