#marine reader

That was why he stopped. He already had a feeling that you did something out of the ordinary but Shanks is an Emperor of the Sea; he can’t go sparing a growing threat willy nilly just because he feels like it. Especially one who could’ve done something as horrible as take civilians hostage and was possibly now taking a little girl hostage. Yet she confirmed his suspicions. You had gone against orders and freed the civilians, even attempting to save that girl despite her slowing you down. He could’ve killed you and there was a chance you could have escaped if you left her, but you didn’t. That means something. Along with that determination to resist against the presence of someone so much stronger for the sake of an innocent… it would be more surprising to not want to be friendly with you! Even better, when you woke up you only got more interesting, more noticeably good. He knows he can’t be best friends with a marine but being friendly with you would be nice.

“You haven’t done anything bad to me. Yet, at least.”

“But it got fucked up.” He almost wanted to yell at Beck and Lucky for ruining it but instead just gave them some scolding before sending them off. It’s reasonable that they did what they did, they assumed you were a regular marine. They didn’t see your determination and the way you ran despite your terror. The fact that you were reasonable and understood that feels bittersweet. He almost wishes you were angry so he could make it up to you instead of you looking so.. resigned to your fate. Like it’s obvious that they would hurt you. You put up a wall between the strong and the normal, and that wall is much harder to break down than anger.

“Fuck!” He throws a pillow at the wall. He’s upset but that made him feel better. He’ll just think about it as he trains. Nothing better to help think than a monotonous task; and if it doesn’t work out there’s no better way to avoid your problems than straining your body til you can’t think!

Shanks gets up and walks outside, breathing in the fresh sea air and relishing in the sunlight. This is what he needed, he feels even better already! He’s about to try and find one of his crewmates to spar or work out with when he spots you hanging out with the little girl. Well, kinda. It’s more her yapping and you listening while sat next to her looking sleep deprived.

“So my mom said ‘It’s dangerous for a little girl to go out on her own!’ and I tried telling her I know how to fight but she wasn’t having it! I had to show that I was right.” She explains with her hands on her hips, confident standing form despite her height. Though this way you two are more eye to eye.

“Didn’t you end up caught?” You point out with a yawn and she falters.

“...They cheated by sneaking up on me. I’m super strong.” Her cheeks puff up slightly in a pout. “Playing dirty isn’t fair.” Red hair gets a mischievous grin on his face and sneaks up behind her. You notice him but before you can point it out he puts a hand on her shoulder.

“Boo!”

“KYAA!” She yelps and he bursts out laughing.

“Wow, so threatening! Was that your war cry?” Red Hair teases as she flushes from embarrassment. You smile a little but stay seated. Very determined of her.

“That’s not fair!”

“Enemy in battle isn’t gonna worry bout what’s fair or not, sweetheart.” He says while trying to casually look at you to start a conversation. “Right?”

“?” You’re a little confused on why he’s including you but nod. “Oh, right. You can’t really complain about what's fair or not, not every enemy is going to be courteous to you. They’ll kill you no matter the method.” You pat her on the head. “You can worry about being strong when you’re older.. just train how you like now if you want to.” Though you can't really tell her her work will help her become as strong as she’s likely imagining, it would be hypocritical.

“I’m already almost double digits! That’s basically an adult.” Said like every child ever.

“Maddie, I made you a snack!” Lucky Roux yells from elsewhere and she perks up.

“Coming!” Like that, she runs off. Once she’s gone there’s a beat of silence before the Emperor speaks.

“So.. are you enjoying your stay here? Has everything been comfortable?” He’s so awkward that even you can tell, not that it’s shocking to you. The only thing shocking is that he’s trying to be polite enough to be awkward instead of not caring.

“My ‘stay’ isn’t consensual, but it’s been alright. You guys feed me and there’s been no torture to interrogate me. Not that there would be much to learn considering I’m a normal soldier.” You might be coming across as mean but you still feel lingering self-pity for being so useless even a powerful pirate crew isn’t bothering to try and get anything out of you.

“There’s lots to learn!” The captain plops down next to you despite looking like he was going to do something earlier. “Your favorite color, your favorite food, we could even have boy talk.” He leans in like you’re teenage boys at a sleepover. “So~ What’s your type~?”

‘You.’ Not like you can say that. “Uh..” He picks up on your hesitance.

“Hey, just a joke. You don’t actually have to tell me if you don’t want to.” His expression softens. “I’m not gonna force you.” That's what he says but you’re starting to feel bad that he’s trying so hard despite the situation and you’re being dry.

“Someone with a nice personality.” Since you can't go into looks without giving away you think the marines’ enemy is hot, you make sure to be vague; keeping to personality rather than looks. “I don't think I could fall in love with a truly bad person either, so they'd have to be decent. Preferably kind but decent is enough.”

“Wow you have really low standards..” His hand is over his mouth in pensive shock. “(Y/n) you can be more confident in yourself, this is supposed to be your ideal type.”

“Don't make me seem like I'm desperate!” In your vagueness you’ve made yourself look pathetic again.

“No, no. I get it, it's harder for men to get dates anyway.” He turns his head away in exaggerated pity. “Not everyone could be as charming and handsome as me.”

“Oh what, you’re a casanova now?”

“Maybe. Though that makes me seem like I go around breaking hearts. I’m not a playboy.” He puts a hand on his heart. “I’m very respectful, promise. To both women-” He winks. “-and men.” You freeze. He’s bi? He waits for you to respond but you don’t. “Hello~ You scared I’m gonna pounce on you or something?”

“Huh? No no no, sorry. I was just shocke-” You stop, actually it’s not that surprising he’s bi if you really think about it. “Actually it’s not that shocking.” His eyes widen before he bursts out laughing.

“Yeah, I guess not!”

‘I feel like he should be the one more wary.’ You’re starting to feel guilty, but the fact you got him giggling feels nice. You were into his intimidating wanted poster but this is actually way better.. cute. In a way that you find a bear cute even if it could maul you. Before you realize it you’re staring at him and he’s staring back.

“I meant it when I said that I liked you. I know you’re not amicable with pirates, being a marine, but I want to be on friendly terms with you.”

“Because I’m interesting?” His previous smile grimaces at your wording.

“Don’t say it like that, it makes me seem like the bad guy. I’ve made all my friends from them being interesting.” Your head tilts.

“Am I your friend then, Red Hair?” He falters at your question.

“..Maybe not yet. But I'd like to be.” The redhead sighs. “Not that it’d look good for you or me if we were friends. But hey, nothing wrong with being a little friendly. You’re gonna be here for a while anyway.”

“I just hope I don’t get fired as soon as I’m back.” Being kidnapped and returning with no info or even injuries is NOT going to look good.

“You want me to put in a good word for you? I can tell your boss that you were sooo intimidating and scary that I just couldn’t hurt you.” He’s joking but you quickly reject that.

“That’d just get me in even more trouble. I don’t need power I can’t handle.” Not only would a promotion likely get you killed since you have no strength to back it, but that’s if they even believe that story.

“Who says you can’t handle it? I think you’re plenty powerful. You resisted an Emperor of the Sea’s conqueror’s haki.”

“For what, getting tripped twice and getting my brain mushed?”

“You fell very gracefully.”

“I doubt it.”

“Yeah, I was lying.” He looks off into the distance wistfully. “You didn’t fall gracefully at all. You were like a sack of potatoes with limbs.” There’s a beat of silence before Red Hair clears his throat. “Anyway, sorry about that. I really was trying to keep you unharmed.” ‘at first.’

“It must be hard to hold your strength back when you’re so strong, yeah.”

‘Dammit. I made myself seem even more distant.’ How is the redhead supposed to salvage this, should he just give up? He doesn’t want to distress you trying to be your friend when you’re terrified of him. It would be troublesome for you to be his friend, a burden; maybe he should just quit it. A small laugh reaches his ears and he turns his head to see you trying to hold it in. “What, what’d I do?”

“Sorry, you just looked so visibly defeated it was funny.” To you it just looked like he turned from a joking wistful to a smile so obviously depressed. Like a sad dog wagging its tail weakly. “I appreciate you caring for me so much even if I didn’t really do anything.”

“How could you ‘not do anything’. You were amazing.” His eyes twinkle with a genuine amazement that’s a bit embarrassing for you. “I find you so amazing because of that determination you have despite being weak, (Y/n). Really.”

“T-Thanks.”

…

It’s silent. What are you two supposed to talk about? You feel bad for him calling out your “determination” considering you gave up becoming stronger, and he’s anxious he’ll only end up making the rift between you two larger talking about himself.

“So...” The redhead starts. “Do you have a favorite color?” You meet his eyes, soft and hopeful. He’s really trying, isn’t he?

“I do.” They brighten.

Next

Being highly ranked in the marines gave many privileges, like getting to go out on missions on your own. And if most of those missions ended with you “stumbling” into the path of the straw hats, well. 

The thing between Zoro and yourself had been there for a while. Back when you were both still young and you were washing decks on different ships, it had just been short letters here and there. 

Then it became more with time. Zoro had always carried this hunger for battle, and for you, which only seemed to grow as you climbed the ranks day by day.  

Somehow, the marines thought you were better than sliced bread. You just have a theory that Akainu likes picking on you, because you used to work under him. That, and marines like Garp are getting older, so the ones at the top want them out. 

All the promotions had started something new in Zoro. At some point his letters started mentioning your uniform, shiny buttons and how you should wear the white coat marines wore.  

It was the only reason you wore it most days. It really just got in the way. Be it walking, fighting, fishing, it was just a mess. 

But, it made up for it to see Zoro’s eye squint and his lip twitch upwards when the straw hats saw you.  

You would always fight them a little, you had to, it was just part of the rules. Afterwards, you could join them for lunch or dinner, and whisk Zoro off to “spar”.  

Something told you some of his crewmates didn’t even register you guys weren’t actually sparring. But some had clocked it immediately, even throwing a “remember to stay safe” Zoro’s way with a teasing wink. 

It always started out with some sparring, a little bit of slicing, a little bit of punching. Through all of this, the coat and hat stayed on. The one time you had thrown them off to get better motion, Zoro had looked heartbroken. 

After all this time you chalked it up to him having some kind of fantasy, especially as Zoro would pin you down with some cheesy comment like “Got you now, Marine”, or whatever else stupid he could come up with. 

Your favorite though, was when Zoro would put your coat and hat on as he rode you, or when you got to fuck him good enough that his legs would stop working. Those times, you got to wrap him in the fabric and carry him off to where you just happen to be staying. 

You didn’t mind all the stains, to be honest you enjoyed them. To see Zoro shudder and spurt all over the expensive white fabric of your coat, as he whines.  

It’s always extra good, when you get Zoro on all fours as you wear the coat over your shoulders. When you bend down to whisper in his ear or bite at his neck, the coat happens to be just long enough to brush against his skin, the brush of cold sturdy fabric always making him keen. 

Sometimes Zoro won’t admit to being worn out, his entire body trembling as he tries to climb you or knock you over. It’s a bit sad to see, someone who normally is so strong and sturdy, legs wobbling and cum running down his thighs. 

You take pity on him most of the time, laying back and letting him “win”, if only to see him get that smirk of his as he tries to ride you again. Most of it is you lifting him up and down though, you’ll even throw your hat on his head to make him feel a bit more special. 

When you are both finally worn out, you two will cuddle, using the stained and soaked coat as a blanket of sorts, no matter how dirty it feels. Good thing you both are a little gross too. 

The coat will go with Zoro back to his crews ship, and somewhere he can store it away from prying eyes. Something he can put on when he needs to feel close to you, and jerk himself senseless, until his lungs ache from his lack of breath, too focused on his fantasy of you. 

You were bored, your legs had started to throb from having to stand still for so long, and you didn't like how the Prince kept giving you glances before turning to the King and muttering something to his ear with that stupid grin and reddened cheeks. God, you just wanted to leave already!

Your coworkers, Lines and Eliza, were on opposite sides of the room as well and looked just as done with the ordeal. However, the alliance agreements -or whatever the hell they were talking about now, you had stopped listening ages ago- between the Nagagutsu and the Satsuruzo Kingdom were yet to be finished, so all you could do was... wait.

It was hard not to lock eyes with Prince Tritobu when he made it so clear he was staring at you, as if you were an animal at a zoo on display for his enjoyment. Still, you were adamant about not returning the gesture because you had the feeling that if you did even for a second, he would see it as you reciprocating his feelings and then come after you after this meeting.

Ugh.

You weren't exactly into men with a double chin, stubble around their mouth, and short blond hair, especially so when they were known to have no problem with using their position to "convince" the ladies to sleep with them.

...Honestly, why were most noblemen like this?

You looked at the clock. This meeting started around eight, but you were ordered to come at five, and now it was almost one o'clock. You had not anticipated that this damn thing would take so long, so you had nothing but a piece of toast with a bit of jam and tea for breakfast before leaving.

And while you were starving here, all these pompous assholes were stuffing their greedy mouths with bruschettas, tartelettes, and all the other fancy stuff you didn't even know how to pronounce the names of, let alone taste before.

Being a Marine really did mean getting the short end of the stick, didn't it...

Well, at least you could get something to eat from the market after this was over. If you were lucky, you would maybe even avoid the lunch rush, too. You had gotten this Éclair thing a few days before, it was stuffed with this vanilla cream that was just so good, and you wanted to buy another one before leaving the island again. It was a bit expensive, 450 belli a piece, but definitely worth the price. That, and a plate of fries. The ones they mix spices with, too, and not with that cheap ketchup and mayonnaise that tasted like crap the fast-food restaurants always gave you.

Gosh, just the thought of food made your mouth water...

It was a really beautiful day. The sky was clear and had this beautiful blue to it; the weather was neither cold nor hot enough to make you sweat, with a bit of breeze that carried the smell of the ocean. Well, being close to the docks probably helped, too. But, really, this was not the kind of day you would have wanted to waste inside, watching old men argue out this and that, and you regretted not changing shifts with that one girl you shared a room with when she had asked last weekend; what was her name again? Yoko? This might sound mean, but you hadn't really talked to her much since you knew you were only staying at Nagagutsu for six or so months before being shipped away again anyway. All you knew was that she was one of those legacy hires or something like that. At least, that was what you had heard from the others, gossiping, while you were busy using the loo. You hadn't really been paired to work together thus far, either.

You think you were about to doze off again when the men got up, the way they pushed their seats, scratching on the marble floor, startling you. Oh, so it was finally over, then? You quickly wiped away the little stream of drool that had escaped your lips with the back of your hand before anyone looked at you. You were thankful that no one had seen this, really.

Then, you heard a cough and turned your head. It was Lines, and he motioned for both you and Eliza to leave with a nod of his head. You didn't question him and just did as he instructed, as he got between you two and the rest of the noblemen.

"Let me escort you to your next destination, sir." He said to the King.

Furrari huffed and took another puff from his smoke with his son Tritobu standing behind him, looking flustered. He was probably upset that he couldn't go after you and your coworker since the King hadn't dismissed him yet.

Ah, who would have thought there would be a day you would be glad about all those noble etiquettes and hierarchies?

Lines could really get annoying with his constant arguments and ordering around, but at least he made sure no one tried to harass his subordinates, and you really appreciated that.

"It's finally over!" Eliza whined next to you as you two stood at the left side of the grand door. "My legs are killing me!"

"Tell me about it. My legs are cramping really badly. I want to sit down somewhere and rest a bit!"

"Same!"

Then, you noticed Lieutenant Commander coming your way and saluted him. Fullbody nodded but didn't stop to talk to either of you and entered the meeting room instead. He was probably going to escort the King of Satsuruzo and his spokespeople to the docks, and, of course, take all the credit for a good day's work.

Then, Eliza peeped inside, clearly trying to hear what they were talking about.

"Stop it," you nudged her. "You'll get reprimanded if you get caught."

"Haha! Sorry!" She smiled, scratching the back of her head, while not at all looking apologetic. "Aren't you curious what is going on in there, though?"

You shrugged. "Not really. It won't affect me either way, you know?"

"It will affect the kingdom and its citizens, though."

"No one was screaming or anything," You dismissed her. "So it's probably fine."

"Wow," the girl crossed her arms. "Your work diligence is very admirable, Miss Warrant Officer."

"Oh, shut it. Why do you care so much, anyway? You can ask Lines later if you're that worried."

"He won't tell everything, though!"

"Well...that's the point. You know, to keep the state secrets and all that? He would get into a shit ton of legal trouble, otherwise."

The other pouted but didn't say anything further. Really, she was so nosy sometimes, you were worried that she would find herself in a cell in Marineford for breaking privacy laws or something like that.

The noblemen finally left, following the Lieutenant Commander. You felt as if you could finally breathe freely now that their constant judgmental gaze wasn't on you anymore.

"Good job, lasses," Lines said then and closed the doors to the meeting room. "Everything went really smoothly in there."

"All we did was stand like statues, though." You complained. Yeah, it was an easy job, but when you had joined the Marines, you hadn't exactly been expecting to babysit Kings and Queens all the damn time, rather than doing something actually productive.

"I will take this over running around the battlefield any day," the man said. "Did you ever get shot? That shit is not fun, I can tell you that much, and takes a long while to heal."

"...Well, I guess you're right about that."

"Can we take our break now, then?" Eliza asked, then. "I got up at three to get here on time, you know? I'm exhausted, sir!"

The man looked like he wanted to object, so you quickly agreed, "Yes. We can barely keep our eyes open, and I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!"

"A little break would help greatly, Lieutenant! We won't be too much help if we can't even see straight, right?"

That seemed to do the trick. "Fine..." Lines sighed, as if you two going for lunch was greatly inconveniencing him. "I'll give you two hours, got it?" He looked at his watch. "Be back here at three-fifteen, and then I'll inform you of your next duties for the day."

"Yes, sir!" You said, and the other girl followed your lead. "Thank you, Lieutenant!"

Both of you quickly went down the hallway before the man could change his mind, and started to chat about this and that.

"I think I'll just grab something from the cafeteria and then have a quick nap," Eliza said as she stretched her arms above her. "What about you?"

"I'm not eating that crap they serve there," you said. Just the thought of it made your face contort in disgust. "It's gross, and the plates are always dirty, too. I'll go find something at the town square or something."

"Really?" She tilted her head as if this was the first time she was hearing about this. "I don't think it's that bad."

"Every week, something nasty comes out of the food, be it hair, gravel, or" you almost gagged, "nail."

"...I think that happened only, like, once."

"That's one time too many, Eliza! How the hell does something like that end up in soup, anyway? Clearly, someone did it on purpose!"

The girl shrugged. "Could be worse."

You looked at her, horrified. "What could be worse? Wait-! You know what? I don't want to know, don't tell me."

"Hahaha!" Eliza slapped your back. "Is that why you stack so many instant noodles every time you go to the commissary?"

"Yup. At least I know no one touched that."

"Isn't it unhealthy, though? I thought they caused cancer or something."

"I don't care. I'll risk getting a stomach ulcer than eat that crap they serve us as food here any time."

"Jeesh," The girl said. "By the way! I noticed how casual you were with the Lieutenant today. Are you guys friends?" Then she smirked and nudged your side, "Or...perhaps...a bit more?"

You scoffed. Even the idea of dating Lines was ridiculous. "Don't even start. We took training in the same division back then. He might try to look all respectable and wise, but he's actually a total blockhead. I was actually surprised to see him at Nagagutsu, you know?"

That seemed to get the other girl's attention. She was such a gossip, honestly. "Really?!"

"Oh, yeah. He did stupid shit all the time. Got caught smoking in the toilets, broke a pipe and flooded the bathroom, got punished several times for skipping training, got caught talking to a call lady with a government-issued den den, tried to flirt with the older cadets, fought with other guys all the time... But I guess his attempts to try to turn a new leaf are commendable now that we're actual Marines with pretty good ranks."

"Wow! He really did all that?"

"Oh, he did so much more. It's actually diabolical that he wasn't kicked out for all the stunts he pulled. He would actually die if he knew I told you this, so keep it to yourself, okay?"

She nodded, though you didn't miss the mischievous glint she had in her eyes. "Your secret is safe with me!"

"It better be!" You warned. "Or I'll make sure you go down with me, Eliza! I don't want him to chew me out when I just got a couple of months left here."

She chuckled. "Okay, okay! I swear! I won't imply anything or tease him! At least...until you're relocated again."

Hmm...

You know what? That was ... actually fine. Pretty good, even. You could live with that. Lines had complained about how boring things were here a few times anyway, so this might as well give him that fire he so desperately seemed to want, right?

...And he did sneak into your office and eat your truffles a few weeks ago. Two-thirds of the pack at that, too. Gluttonus bastard. You were still salty about that. They had cost you over 5000 belli at the time!

"....Give me a call when that happens. I want to know how he loses it."

Eliza winked. "No problem, Y/N!" Then, she stopped in her tracks. "Oh, by the way! Since you're going out anyway, could you go to the post office for me? I got a letter a few days ago, but I didn't have the time to go."

"I'm not sure if they would give it to me, but I can try. Do you have your ID?"

She reached into her pocket and handed it to you. "Here."

"Okay. I'll be going, then."

"Thanks! See you later."

"Bye."

And with that, you parted your ways. When you finally left the palace doors and walked towards the gates, the warm sun hit you. It was nice, and you wished you had left your jacket and tie inside. You were too lazy to go back, however, so you just headed towards the town square with them held under your arm instead.

Some civilians greeted you when you walked past them, and a few kids asked if you could help them get their kite back that was stuck on a tree, but other than that, everything was calm. You almost fell and hurt your knee, but it was fine. At least the kids were happy and playing again.

The post office was the first place you went to. There was a long line at the counter, and it took half an hour just to get there. It made you feel a bit of regret for agreeing to help the other, if you were being truthful.

"Good afternoon," you said to the young man. "I'm here to pick up a letter."

"Got any ID?"

You slipped Eliza's ID. "Here."

The guy took it, and you watched as his brows furrowed when he looked at the photo, then you.

"It's my coworker's," you explained. "She couldn't leave her patrol, so I came to collect it for her."

"I see. May I check your ID as well, then, miss? Sorry for the trouble, but this is standard procedure. We don't want mail to get stolen, you know?"

"Sure, no problem." You said. "I don't have my citizens' ID with me, though. Would a Navy-issued Field ID suffice?"

"Of course."

"Here, then."

He took your card next and checked something at the back before returning with the letter in question.

"Here you go, miss," the young man said, and pushed both the IDs and the letter towards you. "I'll need to get your signature before you leave, though."

"Okay."

You didn't really bother with reading the slip and just signed wherever you were pointed at before you were handed a copy. "Have a nice day!" You told the guy and put the IDs back into your pocket.

The envelope was old and yellowish, you noticed, and had a drawing of a little dragon and a koala wearing a big hat at the corner. It was kinda cute.

They all looked like they were drawn by different people, though. Maybe it was from Eliza's siblings or something? You weren't really sure if she had any sisters or brothers, however, and no one had bothered to write their names on it. Did you forget about it, perhaps? Or maybe it was from her friends back from her hometown, that was an option, too.

Whatever. You could ask her later, anyway.

You put the envelope in your pocket, too, carefully as well, but you were sure it would get wrinkled either way. Hopefully, it didn't have any photographs or anything sentimental like that.

Now, you could finally eat...!

You quickly made your way to the small restaurant near the bazaar and looked around until you saw the [Kajika] sign. Oh, you could already smell the sizzling oil and the spices from here! You had already visited this place several times a week in the last two months and were pretty much a regular, so the owner, Mrs. Lucie, recognized you when you got into line and smiled at you.

"Nice to see yo' again, Miss," the woman greeted you. "What can I get yo' today?"

You looked at the menu behind her, "Good afternoon, ma'am, I would like to get some shaker fries with sour cream seasoning, and a bottle of cola, please!"

"Comin' right up! It'll be 1,115 belli."

You pulled out your wallet and gave her a 5000 belli bill, then pocketed the change.

"Here." She handed you your receipt. "You can tell the waitress if it's for here or to go."

"Thank you."

You looked around to see if you could find somewhere to sit, but alas, every table was full. Well, mostly. Some people hogged the chairs with their backpacks and jackets even though they were sitting alone, but you didn't really fancy sitting in front of a stranger, anyway, so you just decided to go to a park or find a bench to eat your meal at the end.

You got your fries in a bag, and they handed you the cola right there.

"And this is something extra for you, miss." The waitress smiled at you and gave you another little package.

"Oh! What's this?"

"An apple pie pocket. The owner told us to give you something a little extra, you know?" She told you. "It's still hot, though, so be careful!"

Jackpot. Now you have something sweet after lunch, and it didn't even cost you a dime! Being a regular was definitely the best.

"Tell her I say thank you. Have a nice day."

You happily left the restaurant and searched for a nearby place to sit while adding the spice to the bag of fries and shaking them. It smelled so good!

You checked your watch. You had forty-five minutes left before you had to return to the palace. "Jeesh," you sighed to yourself. "I hope I don't have to attend another conference today."

A few feet before you, you saw a new shop opening. It was another Nyarmani clothing store. "How can people afford this stuff?" you wondered to yourself as you gazed at the designer garments inside.

Your eyes caught a particular dress that was just your taste. Light blue, short-sleeved, it went a little past the knees. It looked very well-fitted on the mannequin's body, too.

Really, no wonder the guy was known as the Emperor of the Fashion World. He really knew his way with clothing. But, come on, 15,000 belli for one dress? That was almost half your salary!

...Maybe you could afford to get one after you got your New Year's bonus.

....If you had any money extra after you paid the next installment of your trainee loan, that was.

You sighed as you walked away from the store and started to look around to find somewhere to sit instead. Civilians all around you were going about their way, merchants were shouting to get your attention to get you to buy this or that, while kids whose school just ended were running to either play with their friends or home to take a nap.

You were a little unfortunate with your endeavour, and when your stomach growled, you said, "Screw it," and grabbed a handful of fries and stuck them in your mouth. The seasoning got everywhere, of course, and a little voice in your head kept telling you it was too unhygienic to eat with your hands when you spent the whole day touching countless door handles, but you opted to ignore it for now.

Then, when you were just about to take a sip from your cola, your den den started to ring.

"Fu-ugh, what is it now?" You swore under your breath.

Pereperepere....pereperepere....pereperepere....

You reached for the small snail but then stopped. Your hands were dirty. Gosh, you forgot to get some napkins! Damn it!

Pereperepere....pereperepere....pereperepere....

Okay, okay! Uhh... there were no fountains here, but...uh... screw it. You just wiped them onto your jacket and tried not to cringe. Now it smelled like sour cream, but at least your uniform wasn't stained, right?

Pereperepere....pereperepere....pereperepere....

You then grabbed the damn snail and accepted the call.

"Yes? Warrant Officer is speaking."

"Warrant Officer Y/N!" Some rookie screamed from the other side. "We've got a PRT161820 situation!"

Shit, of course it had to be pirates out of all things. You didn't even get to finish your lunch! "Where?!"

"East Coast! They were hiding their vessel as a trader's ship, but someone spotted their Captain! He was wearing a straw hat!"

"You mean that Monkey guy?!" You asked, flabbergasted. "Shit! I didn't think that a rookie like that would actually manage to reach Paradise! How the hell did they even do that with that small ship?"

"No idea! But he and his crew are causing havoc right now! Lieutenant Commander Fullbody already went to catch them, Miss! But the crew separated, and he wants you to get your squad and deal with the little guys while he gets the captain!

"I'm nowhere near the base, damnit!" You swore and tossed away your lunch. And so was your money wasted as well. Gosh, why could you not catch a break? "What's Lieutenant Lines doing right now?"

"He's trying to stop the monster from destroying the town!"

"...A what now?"

"A monster, Miss!" He repeated. "Their raccoon dog ate some pills and turned into a huge creature somehow! It's running around punching buildings!"

Okay, that was not something you'd try to understand right now. "Okay, I'm coming back right now. Please inform SQ11 that they should get ready!"

"Yes, Warrant Officer!"

'Gatcha,' the den den closed its eyes, and you stuffed the little thing back into your pocket as you dashed down the road. The civilians who saw your alarmed face quickly opened up the way for you as well, standing near the stalls to get out of your way, while mumbling to each other what was happening and if they should be worried as well.

You hoped there wouldn't be much to worry about, but, at the end of the day, these were pirates they were facing, and things never went well when those scums came to an island.

You weren't really that familiar with the Strawhat Pirates, but you knew that they had at least one devil-fruit user, their Captain. This meant it would be tricky to fight him. What were his powers again? Something that had to do with rubber, you were sure of it. You should go and check if you have any sea-stone handcuffs and maybe even bullets. Yes, Nagagutsu was a very small kingdom, but, as far as you knew, any island registered under the World Government was given a yearly supply of sea-stone made ammunition exactly for this type of event. And it wasn't like this place got attacked by anyone since your arrival, so there had to be something useful.

Well, you didn't get to think about it much before you were stopped in your tracks and slammed against the wall. The back of your head bounced against the stone, and before you knew it, your head was spinning, and a very sharp and very deadly sword was held against your throat.

Great. Really, just great.

"Let's use this one as a human shield!" The man on top of you said. It took a couple of seconds for your eyes to adjust again, but the one thing you noticed about him was his green hair.

You tried to kick him away from you, but it didn't exactly do anything. It was quite pathetic, really. Thank God that none of your colleagues were here to see it, at least.

"Oh? You got a jarhead already?" Another man appeared from the side. This one was blond, holding a smoke between his lips. It didn't take a genius to figure out that they were probably from the Straw Hats' crew, too. "Didn't expect you to-What the hell are you doing, you idiot?! Leave the pretty lady alone!"

...Wait, what?

And just like that, before you could even open your mouth, the swordsman was kicked away from you. With a very violent kick to the head, too, mind you. "What the hell, you stupid cook?! I thought we were going to take a hostage?!"

"How dare you hold a sword against a woman's throat, you piece of shit?! I'll beat your ass to a pulp!"

"I would like to see you try, swirly brow!"

Okay... now you were confused. These two idiots were kicking and cursing each other like they were mortal enemies, and it made you question whether the blond one was actually a pirate or just a civilian who had jumped to help you.

But they did agree on...finding a hostage, right? So, surely, he was, at least, some kind of criminal?

Well, no matter, you had to stop them either way, so you pulled up your gun and raised it. It was the swordsman who noticed it first. "Shit-"

And just as you gave the first warning shot, he sliced the bullet in fucking half as if it were the easiest thing before he got a hold of you again and held your hands against your back. Very roughly, too, mind you!

You tried to break free from him, but it didn't really do much. "Damn it..!"

"Zoro! I told you to stop hurting the lady!" The blond said again and kicked him behind the leg. The man fell on his ass as you got free. "You really don't learn, do you, you piece of shit?"

You quickly grabbed your gun, but it had broken when it fell to the ground.

Great.

"Haa?!" The Zoro guy said. It looked like they butted heads like this often. "What else was I supposed to do? In case you didn't notice, she was trying to shoot us!"

"So what?"

"'So what?'?! What? You have a death wish or something? You should be thanking me, stupid!"

The blond ignored him and rushed towards you, "I apologize for how this oaf treated you, Mademoiselle! It won't happen again! Are you okay? Did you get hurt?"

"I, uh, I'm fine," you stuttered. "I-"

"I'm so glad to hear this, Madame," he kissed the back of your hand, then, "Ah! How rude of me! I'm Sanji, by the way, at your disposal!"

This was the weirdest encounter you had with a criminal, but fuck it, you could adapt.

"Well, Sanji, you and your friend are under arrest for assault on an officer."

The blond looked at you for a moment, then he just lost it, with heart eyes and everything. "Really, Lady?! Of course, of course, please, do! Please handcuff me and take me with you!"

Okay, he was far too into this, right?

"Oh my God, you cannot be serious right now!" Zoro groaned from behind and actually looked disgusted. "We need to find the others and get the hell out of here!"

"Yeah, yeah, shut up," Sanji said, and extended his wrists to you instead. "Go ahead, Miss! Handcuff me! I'll comply with everything!"

Really? He really wasn't going to fight you? That was new.

You actually pulled out them out and got ready to handcuff him.

"Sorry, woman, but that's not happening."

"Wha-!"

Aaand, that damned swordsman cut them into little pieces, too. Was using a sword actually that easy?

"God damn it, Zoro!" The blond huffed. "Just go and leave us alone!"

"Yeah!" You agreed. "If he wants to get arrested, then it is his right to do so; you don't get to boss him around." And if you could at least bring in one criminal in, then, hopefully, Lieutenant Commander would leave you off the hook for this mess. "Why are you even still here?"

"You two cannot be serious right now..."

"Why the hell not? It was my-"

Then, your den den started to scream again. "Warrant Officer Y/N! We got two of the pirates! A long-nosed guy and his orange-haired girlfriend! We're handing them to SQ11. Please get to them and assist them in transferring the criminals to the underground cells!"

Yup, great timing, that one.

"Oh, no!" The blond suddenly roared. "My beautiful Nami is in danger! I need to save her!"

"...Really. So is Usopp, you know?"

"So? A man should be able to save his own ass, you know? It's not like he's defenseless or anything."

"For fuck's sake," the swordsman huffed and quickly grabbed you again.

"Hey-!"

"I told you not to hurt her, Zoro!"

"I'm not hurting her, you stupid cook," the man spat back. "I'm disarming her so that I don't have to hurt her."

"Oh! That's...actually smart of you. I didn't think you could actually think and plan that far."

Zoro looked like he was going to snap back, but then just huffed and shook his head.

He held your wrists in one hand and then broke an iron pipe on the wall with his other, before bending them to make a makeshift pair of handcuffs, practically making you bound to the building like a dog on a leash.

You tugged at the pipe with all you got, but it did not budge. You couldn't even bend your hands with how tight it was, let alone pull them out.

What the fuck? How was this even possible?

And these guys were supposed to be rookies?

...Damn.

"Okay," Zoro said, and wiped his hands for a job well done. "We can leave now."

"Oh, by the way," he reached to you to grab something from your inner pocket.

"H-hey?! What the hell?!"

"I'm taking this."

You looked down.

It was your den den.

"Hell no! You can't take that!"

"Sorry, but I'm not exactly asking now, am I?"

"Zoro! I'm not letting you steal from the pretty lady!"

"Yeah? Then how the hell are we supposed to find Nami and Usopp before they gett their asses killed?"

"Agh...! I hate it when you're right!"

The swordsman rolled his eyes before grabbing the other man. "Let's go!"

"W-Wait, at least let me make sure the lady is fine!" Then, "You're going in the wrong direction, you idiot! You can't even distinguish your left and right?"

"Shut up! You lead the way, then!"

And just like that, those two idiots vanished into one of the side streets. You had more important things to worry about, however, like how to contact the base and tell them that the pirates had gotten a Marine-issued den den into their hands, or how to actually get free from this damned pipe.

You struggled a bit more, and even a few civilians tried to help, but it was clear that you would have to wait for a blacksmith to get you free, and who knew how long that would take with all the commotion going on right now?

Regardless of what many members of the public, and even members of his own unit believed about him, Smoker was not a man that stopped or lingered to pursue women. It just wasn’t in his nature. He didn’t have the time, nor the emotional bandwidth for it - he had duties to attend to and they mattered far more than whatever woman was throwing herself at him this time. That, and he was harbouring much deeper feelings for someone that he couldn’t bear to look another woman’s way. 

It was utterly humiliating, the way that you made him feel.

Whenever he had to see you, and at this point he only ever visited you when absolutely necessary, he felt like a teenager all over again. You were the primary doctor on his ship when they sailed, and tended to his men on base too, which meant you were always around somewhere even if he wasn’t standing there beside you. He was very aware of that fact, that he could be doing anything and you could just round the corner and then you’d be able to see him. Most viewed him as stoic, serious, a man to not be trifled with - he’d defeated the Warlord Sir Crocodile after all - but he couldn’t be any of those things around you. It all melted away to reveal the little boy beneath that, that wanted to give you flowers and gentle kisses. He didn’t have time for women, but he had all the time in the world for you. 

Recently, he’d been coming down with a little cold. It was truly nothing, just that being stationed on a winter island for several weeks had fucked with his immune system and now he was a little stuffed up. But his stuffed nose became a head cold, became almost flu-like. He didn’t often get sick, and so this was bothering him more than it might bother the average person. The coughing in particular was starting to truly get on his nerves - he couldn’t stop. He’d not done anything concerning like cough up blood, but Tashigi was beyond done with his complaining.

“Sir! Go to the doctor if it’s bothering you so much.”

“It’s fine, it’ll clear up.”

“Go to the doctor, or I’ll bring her to you.” Tashigi replied with a raised brow. She’d grown a lot in the last few years, but a consequence of that was she was now far more comfortable talking to him, and being disrespectful. She was a good friend. Her bringing you to him was more daunting than someone might expect - you were forgiving and gentle with everyone who came to visit, but if someone avoids seeing you and gets worse? Well, that’s when you became scary.

Before the end of the day, Smoker was shuffling toward your office, preferring to talk to you directly rather than heading to the med bay to see one of the nurses. He knocked softly on the door, listening out for your ‘come in’ before he opened the door. He found you behind your desk, pouring over some paperwork with a pen in hand that you softly tapped against the wood surface while you thought.

“Vice Admiral, how can I help you?” You asked without looking up, which surprised Smoker. You knew who it was even without looking - he wasn’t sure whether to be flattered or concerned.

“Doctor. I uhm, I’ve just had a small bout of sickness. Tashigi, she uh, told me to come down and see you. She’s tired of me uh coughing.”

“Tired of you complaining, you mean?” You replied, finally looking up at him with a small smirk and a mischievous glint in your eyes. That didn’t look good.

“I don’t.. I don’t know what you mean.” Smoker felt as heat rose in his face, colouring his cheeks with a soft pink, quickly withering under your intense gaze. There was a long moment between you where neither of you said anything, and then Smoker sat himself on the examination table unprompted, choosing not to fight that battle. 

The examination passed mostly in silence, with you doing all the checks and tests that you needed to do, and asking questions when you needed to, but otherwise he just let you work. Also, Smoker wasn’t sure that it would come out coherent if he did try to speak, considering how close you were to his body. Too close, almost. He could feel the heat coming from your body when you leaned in, checking his temperature and looking in his ears for signs of concerning infection.

“Well, it looks like you’re right, it is just an unfortunately stubborn cold. But, it didn’t hurt to check, that’s what I’m here for.” You told him, pulling off your rubber gloves and tossing them into the bin beside your desk. Smoker nodded and slipped from the examination table, now unsure of what to say next. You really did just take all his coherent thought away.

“Thanks.” He managed eventually, but he didn’t sound so sure about it. 

Another extended, awkward pause followed where you scribbled away in his medical file to make note of the appointment and what you’d found. Smoker stood, staring at you, wanting to talk to you but not knowing how or what to say. If he were a better man he’d ask-

“Do you want to go out with me?” You asked, taking the words right from him as if you could read his mind.

“What?”

“Next time we dock. I’m sure we can find a restaurant to eat at. If you’re interested, that is.” He was utterly dumfounded. First of all, you were interested? Second of all, asking you out was his job!

“Yeah. I.. yeah. Sounds good.” He agreed rather than questioning you or complaining. A date with you sounded more than good really, it sounded perfect. Plus, if he were to be realistic with himself, he never would’ve asked you first, he was far too nervous.

Tag List: @claryeverlarkf @uselessboots @cainnoable @categoryace @frillsinadress

Jisoo

It was both a blessing and a curse to being a wanted pirate. While she did receive great respect and fear from other pirate crews, along with great prestige thanks to her actions, she also happened to always being under the marines radar. Be it be at land or at sea, the marines always somehow managed to find her, and she found it most tiresome to escape and to flee with all of her crew and supplies in tact.

“Stop right there Jisoo Kim!”

Jisoo groaned in disgruntlement before she turned around at the entrance of the tavern she and her crew were resting to see you standing in the middle of the doorway, some of you fellow marines entering the tavern after you with their weapons drawn. Jisoo took a sip of her cider before slamming it down on the counter and fixing you with a glare.

“Just what must we do to just have some peace and quiet?” She asked rhetorically, the own tavern silencing from your calling to her, as well as both sides being ready for a fight, her men looking at her for direction. You scoffed and crossed your arms while glaring at her, trying to stand as tall as you could to appear more intimidating.

“As of here and now, you are under arrest. Surrender now and we will spare your and your crews lives.”

Jisoo cocked her head at you, taking you in before humming, the corner of her lip lifting as she raised an eyebrow. That was by far the politest way someone had dealt with her and her crew so far, and judging from your young face, she could only guess that you were a newly appointed captain and did not realize just how rough your lot liked to get, especially since she has been a pain in the marine’s side for a while. And looking at your subordinates, they also looked fresh off the boat, so she was dealing with a group of puppies. She finally smirked before locking eyes with you.

“While you do make a kind proposal puppy, I don’t think I am up to it. Closed spaces have never suited me, nor bars.”

She smiled as she noticed you become quite flustered at her nickname, making her crew chuckle before she stood up from her stool and grab her cider again to take another sip. She turned her head back to you and grinned before suddenly tossing the contents of her cider onto the floor, her first mate whipping out his gun with practiced ease and aiming it at the floor. She winked at you.

“Have fun puppy.”

“Wha-”

You were interrupted when Jisoo’s first mate then fired his gun at the spilled contents, the alcohol catching fire immediately and erupting the tavern floor in flames much to the panic of everyone, you and your crew most particularly. Jisoo and her crew immediately used the fire to their advantage, quickly escaping out the back of the tavern, but Jisoo did take the quick chance to glance back at you as you desperately tried to put out the flames with the rest of your crew. She smiled.

Such a cute puppy, she wonders just what kind of dog you are going to become and just how you planned to try save yourself from this failed attempt. Perhaps she will see you next time, she would quite like to see how you are on a ship.

Jennie

“You know captain, you could always just take me to dinner instead of chasing me about all of the time.”

The glare which you gave to Jennie was scathing, but she just smiled serenely at you while she balanced herself on the mast, you and her at the top while your and her crews battled on the ship bellow. You readied your sword, pointing it threateningly at her with a scowl.

“Do not think I follow you because I want to Kim, it is my job to lock up pirate scum with you.” Jennie let out a mock gasp before covering her heart with her hand, looking at you with hurt eyes.

“That is no way to speak to a lady Y/N, I thought the marines taught you things like manners and respect.” You growled as you took a threatening step forward, trying to balance yourself as the harsh winds of the sea made it difficult for you to balance.

“Only to those that matter to me.” You growled, making Jennie pout at you before cocking her head.

“Don’t I matter to you?” You fixed her with a glare.

“Only to lock you up and send you to the gallows.”

“Now that is just being mean.”

Jennie sighed before glancing down at below deck, watching as her crew battled with your men while they tried to protect the ship. While she was surprised that you had managed to catch up to her so soon, she was rather delighted in a twisted way and there was nothing better for her than to rile you up. And considering she had gotten you to chase her up to the sail masts in your attempt to catch her, she counted that as a win. And it was even sweeter for her as she knew you were struggling to keep your balance on the mast, not used to it like she was due to her love of being in high places.

The sounds of swords were prominent and Jennie watched as her crew was holding her own, only to suddenly noticed movement in the corner of her eye and she reacted fast enough to parry your sword with her own, looking at you with disapproval as you tried to force your entire weight down on her with your sword, only for Jennie to handle herself well.

“Now that was just rude.”

“You weren’t paying attention, I am using that to my advantage.”

“If you wanted my attention Y/N, then you could have just said so.” Jennie suddenly pushed you away from her with her sword, smirking as she watched you fumble with your foot to prevent yourself from falling of the mast beam, gulping as you glanced down and saw how dangerous it was for you if you lost your footing. “I am more than happy to take you under under my wing.”

You growled at her before pointing your sword at her again, making Jennie to point her own sword at you in anticipation for a fight.

“Over my dead body.” Jennie smirked.

“That can be arranged.”

You eventually succumbed to your anger and made a dive for her, making Jennie smile as she easily parried your sword again as you both began to enter a duel along with the others.

Chaeyoung

Normally a pirate would want avoid a marine ship at all costs, usually because they did not want to give the opposing side a chance to capture them, as well to prevent their ship or crew to me damaged or injured in any shape or form from the marine’s force.

However Chaeyoung was not like most pirates. While others would flee from the sighting of a marine ship, Chaeyoung just gave orders to her crew to ready themselves, excitement filling her body as she knew who exactly was on board of that marine ship, recognizing the sails easily, as well as the paint work on the ship which only belonged to her favorite marine. Well, favorite marine in her case.

It was always a game that you and Chaeyoung played, never firing cannons at each other despite it probably being the best way to take down a pirate ship. However you did not want to do that. You wanted to capture Chaeyoung, her crew, and her ship all in one piece, hence why you never gave the orders to your crew to fire at the ship. Instead you waited until your ship was beside Chaeyoung’s before the two of you would leap at each other in action, her crew hopping onto your ship while yours would leap onto hers, swords clashing with each in swashbuckling battles. And of course, the two of you only had eyes for each other.

“Miss me love?” Chaeyoung called out from the ship wheel, her sword nestled in her hand while she smiled wildly at you, your own lips fixed in a scowl as you brandished your own sword as you pointed at her from your position on your ship.

“You’re mine this time Park.” Chaeyoung cooed and then winked at you, seductive smile in place.

“I’ve always been yours L/N, why else do you think I let you follow me around without complaint all the time?”

Her flirting always seems to get on your nerves, as well as fluster you, so you instead decided to distract yourself by dodging pass the battles on your ship and leaping over her and ran to meet her with your sword raised, slashing at her only for her to dodge it very easily.

“Quit messing with me!” You growled, slashing at her again which Chaeyoung parried this time. She smiled at you before parrying your sword away from her.

“Oh but I just love seeing you get all red with my jests. The colours suits you very well.”

“Cut it out!” You angrily slashed at her again, this time with red cheeks which were easily noticed by Chaeyoung as she winked at you and entertained a few more blows from your before twirling out the way and glancing at your ship to see how her crew was faring.

“You know love, all of us know each other so well, why don’t we just put an end to this and have drinks instead?”

“Not a chance in hell!” Chaeyoung turned to you and pouted.

“Are you really going to make me work for you? You’re already mine, why are you playing so hard to get?”

“Playing hard to-” You blushed brightly , even more than before at Chaeyoung’s expressed interest, making her smile widely before she readied herself again, her eyes glinting excitedly.

“Its a good thing I like a challenge love, so you are just perfect for me.”

She lunged and you barely had time to parry, making Chaeyoung laugh as she was nearly besting you all because of her honeyed words and feminine wiles. Though she wasn’t lying when she said you looked get in red, the colour suited your cheeks beautifully.

Lisa

The nice thing about being a pirate is that Lisa literally had no rules to limit her, while she did have her own moral code, there was nothing like a pirate rule book to control her actions. So while you were specifically trained to fight like a marine and soldier, Lisa had a mixture of everything and knew how to take advantage of her surroundings, hence why she was driving you insane with her quick footing and agility as she leapt from table to table in the kitchen while you tried to catch her.

“Just...hold...still!”

Lisa just giggled as she dodged a low sword swipe at you before she leapt onto the kitchen counter of the noble house she and her crew had infiltrated, her boot sending a bowl of flour which was just sitting there in your direction and covering you head to toe in the stuff, making you sputter as you practically resembled a ghost. Lisa couldn’t stop the burst of laughter that escaped her.

“Holy shit, totally unintentional but...” Lisa just couldn’t help but laugh, causing you to glare at her before making a sloppy slice at her with her sword, only for her to jump over it and suddenly pressing pushing you with her foot, kicking you into the table where you unceremoniously landed into the plates and bowls which were on the table. Lisa jumped off the counter and smirked as she pointed her sword at you, the tip pressed against your throat, making you freeze. “Oh if your marine friends could see you now.”

You were completely at her mercy and you had no idea what was running through Lisa’s head as she grinned mischievously at you. Lisa was quite well known for her recklessness, it proven to you already due to Lisa and her crew infiltrating a noble’s party in order to try get away with some loot.

Reckless, crazy, and downright unbelievable. And yet that always seemed best to describe Lisa Manoban, one of the best known rookie pirates of the seven seas who was only doing crazier things every single time she set her foot on land. She was unpredictable and wild, completely out of this world that no one knew just what she was ever going to do next. Just like you had no idea what she was going to do now, end your life or spare you, you just didn’t know what was going through her mind.

...

..

.

You suddenly heard Lisa chuckle and then felt the tip of the sword remove itself from your throat, the blade instead moving past your head to pierce into a roll, which did not get crushed from your fall, and was brought back to Lisa as she plucked it off her sword and took a bite from it, letting out a pleased hum. She grinned at you when she noticed your staring.

“While it has been fun love, I’ve gotta get going. Places to be, things to steal, you understand right?” She winked at you before skipping away, turning around at the door to wave at your stunned figure. “See you next time cutie!”