A/N: Believe me I am still alive…
Chapter 13: Following Justice
The last three days had been shitty.
Well, maybe not just the last three days. More like, the last month. Since he left Dawn Island in fact.
But the last three days had been so dull. He wanted to start training, go outside and explore some more. Not stay on bed rest, cooped up inside, alone once again.
Luffy tugged on his shirt to try to alleviate the stifling sensation that had settled around his throat. It was no use. The feeling of choking had only grown since he had been brought back to his Gramps' apartment. Having an unremovable metal collar locked on his neck was, naturally, not helping.
He took a deep breath. Today, he was going out. Today, he would be leaving the stale air that no open windows seemed to clear. Outside, he would be able to breathe properly, he was sure of it.
His Gramps had already left for work, and Luffy was ready to go. But he couldn't. He had to wait for his escort. Another shackle. After the last incident, he wasn't allowed to wander alone any more, and had to be with a marine at all times. They hadn't met yet, but his Gramps had approved of them. Maybe they could be a good sparing partner.
A firm knock on the door roused him from his musing. He rushed to open, eager to get going already. A bit too eager, though, as he tripped on nothing, and careened through the front hall in a heap of rubber limbs. His course stopped abruptly as he crashed into something hard. Not something. Someone. A pair of legs to be precise. Looking up, he found himself facing a rather stoic marine, with a buzz cut and an open jacket. The man was tall and muscular, though not as much as his Gramps. He seemed stronger than the low ranking marines Luffy had mostly interacted with, which was great, that way they could spar.
"Hi! I'm Monkey D. Luffy!" He exclaimed, not even getting up from the floor, a huge smile stretched upon his lips. "Do you want to fight me?"
—
Smoker didn't know what to expect when he was assigned to babysit Vice-admiral Garp's grandson. This was the formulation of the orders in his mind. The real orders had been 'Keep watch over Dragon's offspring, he is an important prisoner and we can't afford to lose him to petty revenge'. It didn't sit well with him. Especially after learning the kid was just a fifteen-year-old civilian. He hadn't been in a position to express his discontent, however, as he was himself already in hot water. It was his fault for hitting a Commodore.
Which he did not regret.
The man was an asshole only preoccupied by his career ambition, willing to sacrifice his crew and civilians alike to attain his goal. Smoker had taken action into his own hands, when the man had ordered them to shoot cannon balls at a peaceful port where a pirate crew on its last leg was hiding. It would have been a massacre. After putting the Commodore to sleep, Smoker had disembarked with a couple of men, and they had arrested the pirates easily.
He had nearly faced a court-martial.
Hina hadn't been there to save his ass this time, she had been deployed elsewhere. He was sure she would chew his head out for that stunt when she comes back. Another problem for another day. He had almost been certain he was in for it.
When the Commodore had regained consciousness, Smoker had ended up in the brig right next to the pirates he had caught. He had been delivered straight to headquarters, and had waited a few more days in a cell. It had been tiering. Not knowing what would happen. If he was going to be demoted, cashiered, or imprisoned. It hadn't been his first offence after all.
When he had been brought out, seemingly to meet his judges, he had been determined to plead his case. He wouldn't lay down his arms and accept his fate without a fight. He knew he had been right to act as he had. He had caught the pirates. He had protected the civilians. It was the Marines duty.
He hadn't expected to be led to the Fleet Admiral's office, where the man was apparently taking the tea with Vice-admiral Issho and Vice-admiral Garp.
Smoker had served a few months under Vice-admiral Issho when he had been just an ensign. He appreciated the marine. As for Vice-admiral Garp, they had never talked before, but everybody knew of him.
The Fleet Admiral had looked tired when he had greeted him. Though, instead of addressing Smoker's latest affront, he had asked him a series of questions all related to the Revolutionary Army. It had been disconcerting. Smoker had been wondering if they were about to accuse him of treason on top of it all, so in a fit of nerves he had snapped that he had no ties whatsoever with the Revs, and that as far as he was concerned they were criminals, so he would arrest any of them, just as he would for pirates or bandits.
The three men in front of him had exchanged an unreadable glance. Smoker could feel the tension settle in the room, like the buzzing of electricity. He had braced himself, hoping he hadn't dug his grave by once again disrespecting a superior.
The Fleet Admiral had then asked him one final question.
"If you were to find yourself in front of a civilian child, and were told that he was the leader of the Revolutionary Army's only son, what would you do?"
Now, thinking about all this, he was feeling a bit foolish. If he had been up to date with the latest news at the time, he would have guessed where this conversation was going. He would have known the son of Dragon was at Marine Ford, and they were trying to see what was Smoker's opinion on the matter.
Unfortunately, he had possessed none of this knowledge, locked up as he had been with no access to a newspaper, and very little contact with anyone. He had been navigating this conversation in the dark, so when the Fleet Admiral had asked him about Dragon's son, he had been convinced they were testing his loyalty.
He had barely hesitated. If Hina had been there, she would have told him to lie, to say he would arrest the child. He knew how the Marines and the World Government aligned on this subject. He had researched Baterilla. It had sickened him. He had joined the Marines to protect the innocent. At the time it had been naive of him. Believing protecting the innocent were the Marines sole purpose. He knew better now. The Marines were there to uphold the World Government supremacy. They were at the service of the Rich, of the Powerful, which were rarely innocent. Upon this discovery he had almost quit. Nowadays he was following his own code of conduct. Even if it meant hitting a superior. Even if it meant protecting a child the world had deemed guilty.
So he had answered truthfully. That he would apprehend any criminal, and that in his book no child was ever guilty of the crimes of their parents.
Instead of scolding or arresting him, however, the Fleet Admiral had acquiesced surreptitiously, and Vice-Admiral Garp had burst out laughing and said something along the line of "You were right Issho, he'll be perfect".
After that, they had explained to him the situation, his future mission. He had accepted, for the form, though they all knew he hadn't had a choice.
So here he was, in the apartment's hall of Garp the Fist, looking down at a cheerful pile of limbs who had just challenged him to a fight.
Seriously, what was his life?
The child picked himself up from the floor, his smile dropping a little.
"You're here to take me outside, right?"
Smoker coughed and straightened slightly when he realised he hadn't introduced himself yet, too caught up in his thoughts.
"That's right, I'm Commander Smoker and I'm in charge of your security. Nice to meet you."
"Great! Are you strong? I need to start training, I wasted so much time already! We have to go somewhere with a lot of space and fight. Is that a weapon on your back? Do you fight with it? I fight with my fists. And with a pipe. I don't have it any more, though. I need to find a pipe, just in case... Hey, do you know where I could find a pipe?"
The flow of words stopped, and two owlish eyes fixed on him expectantly.
"Er, I guess we can do that." He said, not knowing which question he was addressing. "Though, weren't you recovering from an injury?"
"It's okay, I ate a lot of meat and it doesn't hurt any more. Let's go!"
Right... Let's go then.
—
Being outside. Finally.
Luffy closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, trying to imagine he wasn't here, on this foreign island, surrounded by marines, having a band of metal locked to his neck, and followed everywhere by a man he just met.
It almost worked. For an instant, with the sun on his skin, the light breeze through his hair and the distant smell of the sea, he could almost picture being in Foosha, on his way to see Makino. The stifling sensation was still there, though, and Luffy unconsciously fiddled with the metal collar. It would have to do. It was better than being inside anyway.
Smokey was patiently waiting for him. Luffy had a good feeling about the marine. The man looked tough but not mean.
"So, do you want to go to a training ground?" He asked.
"Sure!" Luffy answered, following the man as he led the way.
Just as the last time, the streets were full of marines going about their day. Many were giving him dark stares, but swiftly stopped, or even changed side of the road in fright. Curious about this behaviour, Luffy didn't take long to identify its origin, as he glanced at Smokey and the murderous intent he was projecting towards anyone looking their way. It made Luffy smile, and he entertained himself by watching the marines scatter.
They didn't follow the direction to the old ships he had explored. Instead, they arrived in a large courtyard, empty but for a few marines sparing or exercising.
"This is the east training ground. Not a lot of people use it, it's always calm."
The marines who had paused in their training to see who had entered the space were already back to their occupation, not wanting to interact further.
They walked to a corner, and Smokey started them on a series of exercises, such as push-ups and jumping jacks. Luffy felt so good to be active. To feel his blood pumping, a slight sweat breaking through his pores. But as good as it was, it wasn't enough. He needed to fight. To wrestle against an opponent. So when Smokey called for a break and gave him some water, Luffy asked him to spar with him. After a moment of hesitation, the man agreed.
"Okay kid, let's see what you've got."
Luffy was grinning as he placed himself at a few feet from his opponent. He waited a second to see if the marine would say anything else, then threw his first attack, extending his arm towards his target. His aim was good, he rarely punched himself in the face nowadays.
Smokey blocked it casually with one hand, his eyebrow raising a notch. He released the hand, and the arm came back to its original shape with a snap.
"Devil Fruit?"
"Shishishi, yes! I'm a rubber man." Luffy said, hooking a finger in his mouth and pulling to demonstrate.
The marine just nodded in acknowledgment, and Luffy went back to his fighting pose.
He jumped to strike him in the face, but the man dodged and used Luffy's momentum to throw him to the ground. He went with it and rolled to his feet, aiming a whip at his legs this time, which the marine avoided again. It went on, with Luffy attacking relentlessly, and Smokey blocking or dodging. The man was strong, just as Luffy had hopped, none of his blows were landing. It was extremely fun, though, and he lost himself into the thrill of the fight. Gone were the tightness in his chest and the choking sensation. He was feeling freer than he had lately.
When Smokey stopped the fight, Luffy was panting and smiling widely.
"You're a good fighter for someone so young and small, you got strength and decent reflexes, though your aim could be better. However, you'll want to work on your form. Take a fighting stance!"
Luffy lowered himself and raised his fists.
"Your pose is too frontal, you need to make yourself a smaller target." As he talked, he angled Luffy's body differently, pushing his shoulder, moving one of his feet an inch. "Put your weight on the ball of your feet, never on the heel. Now, when you're not attacking or parrying, try to always be in this position."
Luffy nodded. It seemed like some good advice.
"Let's try it again. This time between two attacks you'll go back to this stance."
He didn't object, glad to continue sparring.
The exercise was a bit less pleasant. Having to be in the right position, Smokey taking the time to correct it each time, made for a frustrating fight. Even so, by the end, Luffy was sliding fluently into the right stance, Smokey only making a rare comment on the placing of his feet or the height of his fists. It was satisfying.
When Smokey signalled for the end of the spar, Luffy realised how much time had passed. The sun was starting to get low. Different groups of marines were still sparing or working out.
"You're making good progress. Next time you want to train, I'll show you a series of moves for you to pra-"
Smokey's head snapped towards the training ground's entrance, a guarded expression on his face. Luffy turned around to see what had caught the other's attention.
A large scowling man with a red uniform was walking towards them with purpose, the white marine coat on his shoulders floating angrily after him. Smokey took a few steps next to Luffy, bringing a cigar to his lips and lighting it. The red man stopped in front of them, throwing a disgusted glare at Luffy. The training ground had fallen silent.
"What is the meaning of this?" The question was addressed to Smokey, but the eyes of the man were still piercing bullets through Luffy's skull.
"Admiral Akainu, I've been assigned to the protection of Vice-admiral Garp's grandson, Sir."
"Tsk, I know that!" He spat. "What I meant is, why does it look as if you're training the little mongrel?"
Smokey slid a second cigar between his lips. The thick smoke was wafting down around Luffy.
"With all due respect, Sir, the Fleet Admiral never mentioned that the child wasn't allowed some exercise."
Redman growled, taking steps forwards until he was in Smokey's face, towering over him.
"Watch your tone Commander, I don't think your record can hold another offence against a superior."
Smokey's jaws clenched on his cigars.
"Now listen carefully. That thing you've been ordered to guard is not a child. It's an abomination that should never have been born. A threat to the world order. If it were up to me, I would have already ensured for it to be executed for all the crimes of its father. As it is, the runt is more useful alive than dead. But rest assured, when it has outlived its usefulness, I will personally make sure it faces justice."
Redman seemed to be radiating heat, yet Luffy couldn't help but shiver as cold sweat trailed down his spine. He could almost feel the hatred emanating from the man, scorching his skin as the flow of words crashed into him. It wasn't just the words, however. Under the threats and insults was layered an invisible force, promising violence. Bloodlust. This man was powerful. Dangerous. And he wanted Luffy dead.
Like a predator sensing a weakness in his prey, Redman's searing eyes fell onto Luffy. Despite his freight, he held the other's gaze, his face hardened by determination. He would not let himself be intimidated.
The man snarled.
"Impertinent beast! Don't think because you're related to the Marine Hero you're protected. It may have granted you a few privileges, but don't fool yourself, your fate is sealed. Justice is absolute. Nothing will save you from its might."
Silence followed his words. Luffy was still glaring at the man. Around him, the smoke seemed to have thickened, almost tangible and heavy on his skin. It didn't feel oppressive, though, more as a protective blanket, or a steadying hand on his shoulder.
Smokey let out a small cough.
"If you'll excuse us, Admiral, it's time for me to bring him back to his grandfather."
For a second, Luffy feared Redman was about to attack Smokey. The moment passed, however, and Redman took a step back, turning to walk away.
"And remember, Commander," he said, glaring at them from the corner of his eye, "your mission is to keep it alive and ensure it doesn't escape. If I find out you're going beyond your mission, I will make your life a living hell. Understood?"
"Roger, Sir." Smokey seemed to force the words out of his throat.
They watched Redman, immobile until the man was out of view. The smoke around Luffy dispersed, and he wiped the sweat on his brow with the back of his hand. Next to him, Smokey took a long drag from his cigars, exhaling slowly. He gestured for him to start moving. They walked in silence until they reached the apartment.
His Gramps wasn't home yet. Smokey hesitated before the door, then entered and removed his shoes.
Luffy, remembering what Makino had taught him busied himself by making some tea. It wasn't in an attempt at being a good host as much to distract his mind.
He had felt powerless.
It wasn't the first time, though he preferred not to reminisce on the other occasions.
It was different. He had felt powerless, and the man had done nothing more than talk. He hadn't been harmed, hadn't been touched. The man hadn't even shown him how strong he was. Yet he knew that, if Redman decided to end his life, there would be nothing and no one to stop him. It was unnerving.
The kettle whistled, derailing his train of thoughts. He filled the teapot with steaming water and brought it to the living room alongside two cups. Smokey was watching him work pensively as he poured the tea, accepting a cup with a thanks. Neither of them were drinking.
"You've been acquainted with Admiral Akainu." Smokey's voice was tamer than what he had heard from the man all day. "I'm sorry."
There was nothing much to say. Luffy could guess what Smokey was sorry for. Luffy being trapped here. Smokey's inability to shield him from the organisation he worked for. Having to follow orders.
The conversation between Mango and his Gramps he had overheard came back to his mind. His Gramps too was sorry. Nobody could protect him. Nobody could save him. Luffy had accepted that. Today was only a reminder.
—
Smoker hadn't expected for the day to take this sombre turn. Watching the kid prepare some tea, he remembered Luffy had already been attacked and stabbed once since he was here. He had been torn from his home, collared like a slave, and now, one of the most powerful marines had just condemned him to death. How was this child not in tears? Smoker wasn't one to cry, but he felt sad for him. And useless.
"I'm sorry."
It was an admission of his weakness. His failure to uphold the justice in which he believed. A justice that should be there to protect the people. Not punish a child for a war he had no part in.
Luffy sipped on his tea, seemingly lost in thought, then met Smoker's eyes, smiling faintly.
"You're a good guy, Smokey, thank you."
Before he could formulate an answer, the kid launched himself on a different topic. His face, excited, bared no trace of its previous seriousness, though the tension in his shoulders was belying his apparent carelessness.
"How come the smoke was so heavy back then? Is it a spacial cigar?"
It took Smoker by surprise, but he was glad for the distraction. He knew he was supposed to offer some comfort for the kid who was going through traumatic events, he was the adult. Yet he was so utterly unprepared. He had always dealt with his emotional turmoils by shoving them down. It wasn't healthy. He knew that. Hina was often berating him about it. Maybe he should find her and ask for advice.
Meanwhile, he jumped at the new topic.
"The cigars are normal," he smirked, "but you're not the only one to have eaten a devil fruit."
Luffy's eyes shinned with wonder as Smoker turned one of his hands to smoke.
"That's so cool! Can your whole body change too? Can you show me? If I throw food at you while you're smoke and you change back, does the food go directly into your belly?"
"Yes, yes and no. Don't throw food at me."
The brat laughed, and they spent the rest of the afternoon discussing devil fruit powers. Smoker had his fair share of stories to tell from the various users he had met over the sea. By the end of the day, they were both more relaxed.
Later that night, as sleep evaded him, his mind played back his confrontation with the angry Admiral and the threats he had uttered, wondering how he could go about it. There was no way he would let anything happen to this child. He would protect and train him if it were the last thing he'd do.
A/N: As you can see, rumours of my demise were widely exaggerated. I'm sorry it took me so long to write, I have been busy with life. Fear not, though my days are cramped with activities and my mind wander elsewhere, my heart stays true to this story. I intend to see it through.
What did you think of this chapter? I find Akainu a bit over the top, but at the same time I think the man just loves hearing himself talking.
I made a bonus chapter but it's a comic strip, you can find it on Instagram at merry_gallehl
Now this is the moment when I start venting about my life. I live in France and it is a shit show right now. Fascism is at the door, the president is fuelling the fire like the megalomaniacal child that he's always been, TERFs are pushing for laws against trans people, the government is supporting the oppression of the native people of Kanaky Nouvelle Calédonie, the police are more and more violent... Yesterday I was at the Pride in Rennes, we were gassed several times. At Pride! There were children there. Alright, maybe they didn't appreciate that some people of the black bloc targeted them with projectiles (which, seriously guys, I can respect that but was it really the time and place for it?) and we may have been chanting ACAB to them (apparently, they first started gassing after someone made a graffiti then the people responded by throwing projectiles, I didn't witness the first exchange as I was a bit further behind)... Anyway, the police throwing tear gas at a Pride parade is still not a good look.
I know this message will soon be outdated and will mostly reach a low number of people, but if you vote in France, please, please, please go vote for the Nouveau Front Populaire. It might not be enough to stop the political wheel that is tumbling down the hill of democracy (we are never protected against a military coup after all), but it's the most we can do right now. Well, that, and convincing other people to vote left.
Anyway, I hope you all are well. Take care of yourself and your community, stay safe, drink lots of water and eat your vegetables if you can afford it.
Lots of love, thank you for reading, until next time and vive la resistance!