Sengoku was nervous, it could be seen it on his face; he had been re-reading the exact same point of that report for hours, his forehead furrowed, his eyebrows arched towards the center and his mouth drawn in such a thin line that it was almost nonexistent. The sheets in his hands were the results of the DNA test, a practice still being discovered among their doctors and scientists, on Agent Wasp...or rather, on the person who called himself that and who had suddenly become the main cause of his constant headaches. He remembered as if it were yesterday the day when, exactly one year before, he had met that annoying boy with the ridiculous mirrored glasses...
"A storm was raging outside, its thunder covering every noise; unable to maintain his concentration with nature insistently beating against the windows of his study, Sengoku had decided to take a break from work to make himself a tea and cuddle his trusty goat for a few minutes.
While he was waiting for the water in the kettle to be ready, he raised his arms and cracked both his back and shoulders; even if he didn't like to admit it, as he got older, despite his training, his body was starting to take a toll.
Another thunderclap resounded in the darkness, far too close, immediately followed by the light of the lightning that lit up the room almost as if it were day...
The Grand Admiral turned suddenly, peering into the dim light of the room illuminated by the small oil lamp on the desk the source of the movement he had glimpsed out of the corner of his eye behind him; however, he saw nothing and for a moment he wondered if he had really overdone it with his work that day, to the point of having visual hallucinations.
And yet his sixth sense tingled, his Perception Haki continued to vibrate that part of his brain that often warned him of possible danger.
Despite all his experience, nothing could have prepared him for the sudden flash of light that pierced his eyes from the center of the room, forcing him to retreat; his body reacted instinctively, putting itself on guard even though its vision was compromised, ready to receive and parry any blow that came its way.
The seconds passed, but nothing happened, no sound reached his ears other than the pouring of the rain and the hissing of the wind against the shutters. Little by little he managed to reopen his eyes and recover from that momentary blindness, observing the room and trying to understand what was happening.
He was surprised by the presence of a boy with long black hair and light-tanned skin, standing in the center of the room, dressed in simple jeans and a red t-shirt with a stylized white wasp in the center; what most attracted attention in his figure were the huge purple sunglasses with mirrored lenses that hid half of his face, of which only his sly smile could be seen.
- Good evening Grand Admiral Sengoku, it's a pleasure to meet you in person -, despite the respectful sentence, the man noticed the amused note in the boy's tone, - I'm sorry to disturb you in the middle of the night, but I needed to exchange a few words with you, in private -.
Sengoku remained calm, studying the situation so as not to be taken by surprise: the boy could have been 15-16 years old, at most, and was apparently unarmed. Nevertheless, he had managed to get into his office, at whose doors there were two guards and this was enough to raise his danger level.
Keeping himself on guard, the Grand Admiral decided to try to understand the young man's intentions before attacking him, a part of himself curious to understand how he had entered his rooms so easily.
- Good evening... May I know your name, boy? -.
The boy's lips let out a chuckle: - I'm afraid I can't tell you... but you can call me Wasp if you want -.
'Of course...', Sengoku's gaze rested for a moment on the image of the wasp, on the young man's shirt, before returning to his face. - Would you at least like to explain to me how you managed to enter here undisturbed...Wasp? -.
- Don't worry, your guards are alive and well, they're just sleeping out here. You can check if you want, I swear I won't move from here -, Wasp proposed, still with that satisfied smile on his lips.
Sengoku, however, did not move from his position: there were two possibilities, either the boy was telling the truth, or the guards were already dead, there was no point in exposing himself in both cases.
He also had the feeling that if he had asked for further explanations the young man would have simply smiled and refused to answer; he would have had the opportunity to question him after capturing him later.
- What did you want to talk about Wasp? -, he asked instead.
- I have a deal to propose to you, Grand Admiral -, the boy took a few steps towards Sengoku's desk, his gait calm and confident, communicating with his body language that he did not perceive the man as a threat, - You see... I am a mercenary. I capture people, divulge information and kill on commission, as long as the price is reasonable. Lately, however, business has not been going as well as I had hoped -, once he reached the desk, the boy sat on a corner of it, his feet swinging in the air almost in a childish way, - So I thought that you of the Navy could use my services for a while -.
- Use your services... -, Sengoku repeated slowly, not taking his eyes off the boy for a moment, - And what makes you think that the Navy would ever use a mercenary? -.
Another amused laugh escaped Wasp's lips: - Don't pretend to be so naive, Grand Admiral... we both know that the Navy is anything but innocent in using such tricks. Do yourself a favor and agree to have me on your side before you change your mind -.
That comment had the power to make Sengoku quite upset: - Watch how you speak, kid, if you don't want me to... -.
He didn't have time to finish the sentence, though.
A piercing pain took his chest, cutting off his breath; he brought a hand to his chest, kneeling with one leg on the floor, gritting his teeth and letting out a groan and a strangled breath: it was as if they had stuck a pin in his lungs, which continued to sink with every breath, the pain so strong that it blurred his vision and made cold sweat run down his forehead.
What was happening to him?
- It hurts, doesn't it? Like a hot blade stuck in the sternum... -, Wasp giggled from his position on the desk in front of him, looking down at him from behind his mirrored glasses: Sengoku tried to get up and grab him, but Wasp moved nimbly to the side, towards the goat's kennel, bending down next to her and giving her a caress, withdrawing his hand before the animal could bite him, in defense of its owner.
- Pesky little animal, huh? -, the young man commented, moving away from her, ignoring her bleats; after a few seconds Sengoku watched in horror as the goat's body collapsed on the spot, as if lifeless.
Noticing his alarmed expression, Wasp hastened to reassure him: - Don't worry, I only sedated her. But you, dear Sengoku, I'm sorry to say that are risking your life because of the poison I injected you -.
- H-How? W-When...? -, Sengoku didn't understand; he hadn't felt any stings, nor had he drunk or eaten anything...
- You should get rid of the habit of licking your fingers to turn the pages of the reports, you know? -, Wasp calmly reprimanded him, pulling up a sheet of the documents that Sengoku was studying... a sheet that the man had noticed had a small dark stain, but he hadn't asked questions about it, mistaking it for a coffee stain...
- I'm also an expert in drugs and poisons, you know? I produce my own when I have a few free hours -, Wasp explained calmly, reaching him and standing in front of him, but at a safe distance, to be calm,
- You Marines can be as powerful and trained as you want... but in the end you're just men. It doesn't take much to bring you to your knees... -, he walked around him a couple of times, his gaze always hidden behind the glasses, in whose mirrors Sengoku could observe the pathetic and defenseless position he was in, his face distorted by pain.
- W-What...do you want...? -, the Grand Admiral finally found the breath to speak, groaning as he felt himself being 'pierce' again.
- I want access to the files on the wanted pirates, including the 4 Emperors...and in exchange I will become your informant. We will talk about my fee calmly later -, Wasp proposed, with the confidence of someone who knows he has the situation under control, before continuing, - Be reasonable, Sengoku. Accept my proposal and save your life, then you can spend as much time as you want trying to figure out who I am and put me behind bars. Because let's be clear... -, Wasp knelt in front of him and just for a second his glasses slipped down his nose, partially revealing his dark eyes before disappearing... a pair of eyes that Sengoku knew he had already seen somewhere...
- We both know that, even if you were to accept, you will not stop for a single day trying to get rid of me, Sengoku. And I accept it, after all, I am a mercenary and you are a Marine... -, Wasp sighed, feigning worry, - But now try to reason and make the right decision. Accept my proposal -.
There was something hypnotic in the way Wasp said that last sentence... maybe it was that note in his voice or maybe it was the umpteenth pang of pain in his chest that made Sengoku decided to nod and accept the mercenary's conditions. Unwillingly, he agreed with the young man's reasoning: there was no point in risking his life now...
Wasp smiled at him, this time softly, and placed a finger on the Grand Admiral's chest... after less than a minute, Sengoku could breathe again, his energy slowly returning to him. He stood up, his head still spinning slightly, leaning on the wall next to him for support; he felt the sweat dripping down his back and his tense muscles slowly relaxing as he caught his breath.
His eyes rested on his goat, noting that his little one was still breathing...or rather, snoring slightly; he then let out a sigh of relief, before standing up and heading back to the desk and sitting in his chair.
- You have no idea who you're up against, Wasp...or whoever you are. Your fate is behind bars and then on the block... -, he murmured, casting his most menacing gaze on the young man, who was now observing him from his initial position in the center of the room.
- I am aware of that, Grand Admiral, but I am certain that I can get by. Remember that I never take anything for granted, nor do I ever leave anything to chance. Nothing escapes my control when it comes to my life -.
With that last sentence, before the astonished eyes of the Grand Admiral, the young man was enveloped in a beam of light... and disappeared from the room."
Sengoku massaged his temples at that memory; since that day, Wasp had not stopped "tormenting" him for a single day... and despite that, Sengoku had agreed to keep him working for the Navy, trying in the meantime in every way to discover something about Wasp that could put him at a disadvantage. After a year, however, the only things he had learned about Wasp were only those that the boy had let slip of his own free will...
That sudden thought made the Grand Admiral stiffen, while his eyes returned to the test result... and slowly he rewinded the phone call he had had with him a week before, during the meeting with the Seven Warlords, thinking back to how he had announced almost shouting about how he was going to Amazon Lily...
Sengoku jumped up, scaring the poor goat next to him who moved away bleating in protest, and grabbed the snailphone, dialing Garp's ship number.
He just hoped it wasn't too late...