#rokkaku

You huffed as you kept following your squad. It was hot as balls here, and your polyester uniform didn’t help. You already started to sweat through your clothes, you were sure of it, and anyone near enough would be able to see the wet patches underneath your arms. Very gross, indeed. And your colleagues? Those poor bastards probably smelled you with all of your glory. They wouldn't even have to search for long if you ever got lost because of it. Just a wiff from the wind, and they would be able to say, "Yup, there's our stink bug."

You didn't really find it in yourself to care, though. It's not like you could pull out a deodorant out of your ass. You had better things to worry about; like how hot it was, for example. Or how tight your pants felt. Or how dirty your hair was. Or how tired you were already.

Yeah, you had slept in that morning and hadn't had the time to take a quick shower before the alarm went off, either, since your Lieutenant called all of the squad for attention soon after. You regretted real soon sleeping that late, that was for damn sure.

They hadn't even been allowed to get breakfast, for God's sake! Wasn't that supposed to be the most important meal of the day? It sure as hell wasn't for the Marines for some reason.

Oh, the food stands around you smelled so good. Takoyaki, hot dogs, spicy ramen, hell, you would even take some corn in a cup if your Lieutenant would just let you. How much did it cost, anyway? Like, 80 belli? 110 belli? You could totally afford that and probably down it in a matter of minutes, at that, so it wouldn't even distract you from your job.

He didn't, though, that prick! Well, he would have to listen to your stomach growl the whole day without complaining, then!

"Okay, men!" Kong roared then. God, where did he get all this energy from? "We'll be stationed at the Auction House today! Saint Camael and Saint Rosward will be visiting later, and I don't want a single hair on their head to get damaged, you hear me?"

You huffed. Really? You thought the day couldn't get worse, but alas, you should have kept your mouth shut. Having to keep guard was bad enough, especially since the weather at Sabaody particularly sucked at this time of the year, but having to hear those World Nobles bitch and moan the whole day while they tried to find some poor sucker to torture until they died made things much worse.

Well, you couldn't really complain, you guessed. You did join the Marines so you could get a good salary and some great family health insurance, and that meant doing shitty jobs every now and then. Your dad's medicine costs a fortune every month (Really, asking for almost 15,000 belli just for high-blood pressure pills was criminal. Were you just supposed to die if you couldn't afford them anymore? And your dad had like 7 other medicines he had to take daily.), and you wanted you all to actually live a life where you didn't have to struggle paycheck to paycheck and afford good things every now and then, so, Marine life it was.

At least your squad didn't have to face pirates too much. Well, at least, not the ones who could actually kick your ribs in. Those kinds of monsters were at the sea fighting each other, and the ones here messing with the common folk were weak enough to be handled with a few shots.

Those ones rarely ever had any Devil Fruit users in their crew, either.

You still did your best to avoid anything that could harm you for real, though. Yeah, you did want your parents to be comfortable, but that didn't mean you wanted to come back with a missing limb or in a coffin, either. Hell to the no with that, that was for sure. No amount of pension or DG program was worth that.

Thankfully, as long as you made it clear to your superiors that you didn't want to climb up the ranks and were happy to stay as a recruit, the World Government was more than fine with letting you do the basics. After all, no matter the war, they still needed someone to handle the cleaning, washing the clothes, cooking the meals, and going after small criminals who pick-pocketed or got into fist fights at bars so the real deals, like the Admirals, could go after the real terrors of the sea.

You had heard the stories of the Pirate King, who could slice a giant with just one hit of his sword. Or Kaido, who could turn into a dragon and engulf you. Big Mom, and her ability to steal life; Sir Crocodile, who could drown you in sand with a flick of his finger...Yes, there were pirates like these everywhere, especially in the New World, some with the will of the D who changed the world, mostly for the worse than the better (not that they cared). Some were even as young as seventeen and able to defeat several Warlords in their first couple of years of piracy, if you could believe it!

How the hell were you supposed to fight against that?

Yeah. It was better to let people who actually had the strength and the will to at least train to play the hero. And you definitely weren't that. You were happy to keep a guard or run around trying to catch a pervert stealing panties and then go back to the headquarters to laze around the rest of the day.

Just obey the rules, do as you were told, and before you even realise it, you would be retired anyway.

...Though you did feel bad for these slaves, it wasn't like you could set them free, either. The World Government itself allowed this (in fact, they were a big part of it), so even if you did unlock the chains for the few hundred people here, they would be replaced in a matter of days, anyway, with you being one of them. Most of them would be caught or shot, their families (alongside yours) getting enslaved as a punishment. You couldn't break the system; you could only be a part of it, so that you yourself could avoid the worst. And if that made you a bad person, or at the very least a coward, well, you were fine with that, you supposed; though you would rather use the word "realistic".

Everyone was put into teams of two, and Kong paired you with Rokkaku. "Get inside and stay near the product," you were told. "Keep them in line if they act up."

And, wow, really? "Products?" Jeesh! You really couldn't wait to go back to your dorm room and forget about all of this. Maybe you could ask your Lieutenant to station you somewhere in the North Blue next time; at an island like Lvneel or Kuen. It would be boring, sure, but at least you wouldn't have to deal with the WG's bullshit or babysit Dragons.

"Got it," you said and walked inside with your partner for the day. A staff member from the Auction House waved at them, and Rokkaku went ahead to talk to the guy.

"So, where are the...uh...products?" He also must have felt weird to say that out loud, if his hesitation was anything to go by. "The ones we are supposed to keep, uhh, an eye on?"

"The slaves are on the basement floor, sir. Please follow me."

You looked around as you two followed the man. The stage was big with many seats facing it. There were around six or seven lights to enlighten everything. The room could probably fit three hundred people or more. They had these metal rings on the floor of the stage as well. Probably to shackle the slaves so they couldn't run away or struggle too much as the House negotiated their price with the buyers.

How did they even decide on a price, you wondered. You had heard that many men would especially pay at least a few bags of gold for mermaids and minks (that was probably why they kept themselves away from humans, understandably), but... what else? Probably, if they were handsome or pretty, that would get them a higher bidder, you guessed it, tall and strong slaves, too. You could either make them do something, carry stuff and all, or... do something to them. The ones...unpleasant to look at, for the lack of a better word, probably got tortured for shits and giggles, unless they had a great talent.

Now that you thought about it, one of the guys you talked to before at lunch last week, Zotto, had mentioned that one of the nobles had kidnapped a man from the East Blue for his great musical skills or something like that, so it was plausible.

Now they forced him to play the piano for their entertainment with a collar around his neck. And the worst part? That dude probably would have gladly went to them whenever they asked him to do a private show, anyway, even for free. But the nobles didn't want to just enjoy the music; they wanted to own it. And now, his life would never be the same. Ever.

Yeah. It was better to just blend in with the background and not get any attention to yourself. Being a Marine gave this kind of immunity where the Nobles didn't really bother with wanting you; they already owned you in a sense, since you were there to obey their orders, but who knows? If you weren't careful, you could join these people in the Holy Land, too.

You reached the stairs and went down. The walls had scratch marks, bullet holes, and many dark stains all over them. It didn't take to be a genius to figure out what those were.

The basement was bigger than you expected, and full of rows of cells all around the right side. Some boxes and packages were lying around, away from any slave's reach, but just close enough for them to try in hopes that they might find something to help their escape.

Probably drugs and antiques. No way would they leave guns or knives around here. They had to be stupid to do that.

"So... are we just gonna stand here?" You tentatively asked. The cells were full to the brim, so much so that the slaves couldn't even sit anywhere, their limbs poking out from the metal bars. It was eerie how none of them were making a sound, other than a few crying. You couldn't tell where those sniffs were coming from, however, from the sea of flesh in front of you.

The staff member nodded. "We filled our stocks for our special guests today," he said. "This is why it's so cramped in here. The products are usually calm, but we can not afford any fights tonight, so you'll have to just wait until the auction starts and make sure they don't harm themselves or each other trying to escape."

Yup. This was the worst job you've had thus far.

"Umm... ok-haay," Rokkaku chuckled awkwardly. "Are we supposed to bring them to the stage, too, or...?"

"Oh, no, don't worry." The man shook his head. He even chuckled a bit at their cluelessness. It wasn't charming in the slightest. "Our men will come and get them out one by one once we start. It'll take a couple of hours, maybe half a day if the Saints decide to purchase something after all and get it on their ships, and then you can leave, I would imagine."

You nodded absentmindedly, holding your rifle. You really hoped you wouldn't have to use it against any of these people. Their situation stank enough already.

Though maybe some would rather get a bullet to the head than kneel for the rest of their lives. Which wouldn't last that long, anyway. But still, you didn't want to be the one who did that.

"If you get hungry or thirsty, you can get something from that small box over there. Make sure not to give anything to the slaves, please. And if any of you need to use the bathroom, it's on the first floor. Don't leave this place at the same time."

"Yup."

"Got it."

"Well, then, but one more thing. Please press this button," He pointed at the red dot near the door opening the stage that you just noticed now that he mentioned, "if anything goes south. We'll quickly come up with enforcement and get them in line. We've got tranquilizers ready already for today."

"Yeah, yeah," you sighed. "I'm sure we'll need none of that."

"Yeah," your comrade agreed, awkwardly shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "Everything will be just fine...!"

"Okay, then. I'll take my leave," the man nodded again, looking satisfied, and headed towards the stairs. "Have a nice day."

And, with that, you two were left alone. The silence felt awkward, but the thought of just chatting in front of these people felt even worse, so you just sighed again, walked towards one of those wooden boxes, and slumped on it.

Today was going to be a loooong day.

"Don't do that while holding a weapon," Rokkaku scolded him. He was even frowning.

You pointed at the bright yellow plastic poking out of the rifle. "It's fine. I've got the chamber flag in."

"You could still shoot it accidentally, though."

"Nah," you waved him off. "It'll be fine."

He seemed to want to argue further, but someone else chimed in. "Could I get a bottle of water, if you don't mind me asking?" It was one of the slaves. You looked up who was asking this and came face-to-face with an old man. He had long gray hair, almost white, with a scar alongside his right eye. He didn't seem to be blind, though. The weirdest part was, however, that he was smiling like he had no care in the world despite his situation.

...He was kinda hot, though, you weren't going to lie. Tall, lean, a total silver fox. And from the looks of it, he absolutely knew that he was a catch, too. He did look like a homeless person with those clothes, though. Maybe that was how he had ended up here?

Neither you nor Rokkaku said anything at first, so the old man continued, "I've been here for a long while, as you would imagine, and my throat is killing me. I would be very grateful if you could let me drink something."

You stared at the man for a moment, pondering, then said, "Fuck it, why not?" Even though this wasn't the worst disobedience you could commit, you really should stop thinking with your crotch and use your brain instead. But, come on, what was the worst thing that could happen?

Your partner seemed to be flabbergasted with your decision, though, and stuttered, "W-what the hell are you doing?! We aren't supposed to do that! You aren't really going to give him anything, right?"

You were already next to the box the guy from before told you about, and you rummaged through it without a care in the world. There were some cheap-ass crackers in it, and four bottles of water. You would think that a place like this, which earned a few million each month at least, wouldn't be so stingy and get sandwiches for you or something, but of course not.

You pulled one out and turned towards Rokkaku.

"You think he could get out from there," you pointed at the cell, "with this?"

A plastic bottle wasn't exactly the best weapon, and it sure as hell wouldn't be able to open a metal door.

"W-well, not exactly, but..."

"Come on. This uncle is about to get his ass kicked for the last of his days," you tried to reason. "he might as well enjoy a cold drink before he kicks the bucket."

The old man chuckled and extended his hand so you could give him the water. In hindsight, you most likely should have just dropped it onto his hand or rolled it towards him, but thankfully, the uncle didn't try to grab at you or anything. "Thank you for your kindness, Miss. I appreciate it."

You watched as he uncapped the bottle and then awkwardly rubbed your neck. "Uhh... no problem, sir." You mumbled. It felt awkward to say that, but the thought of not saying anything at all felt weirder.

"I don't like this..." Rokkaku nervously bit his nails from the side. "We'll be in trouble if anyone sees this."

"And I don't like having to stand here, babysitting slaves either," you groaned back. "And I'll get the bottle back once he's finished drinking, anyway. No one will know, so chill a bit, okay?"

The other didn't say anything, but he didn't try to get the water back from the uncle either.

He drank the whole thing with a couple of gulps, making his Adam's apple bob each time. Some even dripped down his chin and got his beard wet. He looked really hot like that. He most likely downed his beers like that, too, didn't he?

You got red in the face a bit when you realized you were staring at the man. God, you were a total simp, weren't you? This wasn't the time nor the place to oggle someone, damn it!

"So..." you coughed. "How did you end up here, Uncle?"

"Oh, I got drunk and stumbled upon some slave traders looking to make some quick buck, I suppose." He said and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "They made quite the ruckus at my friend's bar, too."

"Bad luck, huh?"

"Oh, I'm not that worried." He smiled reassuringly. "I'm sure everything will be alright in the end."

"It's good to have a positive attitude, I guess..." Rokkaku said.

And as the man reached to give you the empty bottle, it fell onto the cell floor and bounced between the feet of the crowd.

Great.

"Oh! So sorry." The other apologized, and he really did look sorry. "I'll get it back right now! Just wait a moment, please."

The uncle quickly got down and reached for the thing, pushing some of the people a bit to get to it and seemingly searching for it for a few seconds, before apologetically turning towards you and pointing at its top. "I'm so sorry! I couldn't find the cap...I think someone must be stepping on it or something."

"Oh, it's fine." You waved it off and walked towards the trash can to throw the bottle away.

"Umm... Should one of us get in and get it?" Rokkaku asked, unsure.

You raised a brow, "In there..? Yeah. No. We'd better not." They would probably try to escape the moment the two opened the cell, and there was no way they could stop fifty people from running away by themselves. A piece of plastic was not worth that risk.

It didn't look like he wanted to try his luck in that mess either. "I guess if you say so..."

You went back and put the rifle against the wall before sitting on top of one of the boxes. You kept one of your hands on the weapon, though.

"You think this'll take long?"

"I don't know, man. I just hope the Nobles will leave sooner rather than later."

"Yeah." You agreed. "I don't really want to come too close to one, either."

"I heard one wanted to get that big mermaid princess and tried to catch her during his visit there."

"Eww." You said in disgust. "Did he do it, though?"

Rokkaku shook his head. "The fishmen didn't allow it."

"The Ryugu Kingdom will most likely close its borders again in that case," the old man chimed in from the side. He was leaning against the bars, looking cool and all. "They really don't care about ruining the relationship between humans and the merfolk."

"Why do you think that, old man?" Rokkaku asked.

"Well, things were already tense ever since Queen Otohime's death a decade ago," he explained with a shrug. "And she was the only one who wanted and advocated the union and peace between fish-men, merfolk, and humans. She had big dreams, wanted her people to have the chance to emigrate from the sea floor to the surface, and all. Her assassination made the hatred towards humans worse, as you would imagine."

"Can't really blame them," you said. "Most still see them as talking fish, nothing more. I wouldn't want to play nice with us either."

"Really?" The old man rested his chin on his hand, looking intrigued. Uncles and grandpas, no matter the place, always loved to talk about politics, didn't they? "The World Government doesn't really care about the ramifications of causing the two sides to be so hostile towards each other, though. They can always force them to export the materials they need, I suppose, so they don't lose much in that regard."

And send them, the Marines, to annihilate them if they try to fight off, of course.

"I get they're trying to appease the Celestial Dragons and keep the peace," you huffed, "but even they should have some lines they should not able to cross, right? What do they do, anyway? What's the point of having World Nobles if all they do is take, take, take?"

The man laughed, loud enough to rattle his whole frame, as Rokkaku grabbed you by the arm, looking as pale as a ghost, "Don't say shit like that!" He hissed at you. "We can't talk about them like this, you know that! You'll get in trouble!"

"It's fine! It's not like there's anyone but us!"

"That doesn't matter! What if one of these slaves rats you out? Or if you accidentally say this in front of our Lieutenant or something? You'll be sent to Marineford to get executed for insulting a Dragon!"

"Okay, okay!" You raised your hands in defeat, and huffed. He was right, after all. "I'll be more careful! Calm down."

"Your views are too 'radical' to be a Marine, miss!" The uncle said, then. "Why did you join them if you think like this?"

"I guess I just wanted to have employment with good benefits," you explained, and shrugged. "Where I'm from, we don't have many career options, and I wanted to get out of poverty as quickly as possible so I could take care of my family."

"That also is commendable," he smiled at you. God, he must have been a total heartbreaker back in the day. You could definitely see many women throwing themselves at his arms. "Have any siblings?"

"Yeah, I have a younger brother. He wants to leave to get a higher education and become a doctor. I'll have to cover that, too."

"You must be close."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Really...." Rokkaku sighed. He looked done with your shit at this point. You couldn't help but snort. It made you want to be a little shit more, if you were being honest, just to annoy him more. "Why don't you give him your social security number, too, while you are at it? Why are you telling him your whole life story?!"

"And this guy," You put an arm around him, pointing at his face. He had to bend down a little with how much weight you were putting on his neck. "Is my grouchy partner Rokkaku. He's always pessimistic and finds a reason to nag you. He has a wife waiting at North Blue, expecting a kid, too. Was it a girl or a boy, Rokkaku?"

The man smiled, thoughtful, his anger from seconds ago forgotten already. "A girl. We plan to name her Lilith. Misa had to prepare the whole nursery by herself, so I wanted to-" then his face changed several times back to back. First, it was pale again, probably because he noticed he was blabbering, too. Then, he looked at the uncle like he was some kind of spy who was going to give the information he had just said to the enemy of the Marines (as if anyone would go after him personally), and then he got bright red before pushing you away, screaming, "Why the hell are you talking about me, too, you bastard?! You want me to get disciplined with you or something?!"

"That's no way to talk to a young woman, Mr. Marine." The man said then, looking really disappointed. "Didn't you learn any manners at all during your training?" He asked, and then, he tsk'ed. "None of my apprentices would have disrespected someone like this under my watch. Frankly, I'm surprised that you've got a wife at all."

"What?!" Rokkaku choked, flabbergasted. He looked like a fish out of water. God, you wish you had a camera right now. "Why are you two ganging up on me?! And my wife loves me very much just so you know! I adore her with all I've got! Why do you think I am here?!"

"Oh, yeah." You egged him on. "Looking after slaves so you can get a diamond ring for her. Is she fine with her husband earning blood money?"

"You're one to talk!" He shrieked, accusingly pointing his finger at you. "You're here with me right now!"

"Ha ha! Being young must be so nice! So full of energy!" the uncle commented then, while a ring was heard. It was almost time for the show to start. "And even though I would have loved to continue listening to you two bickering, I'll have to take my leave now."

"And how are you going to do that?" You asked, brow raised. There was no way that he could--

A click.

The cell opened.

Then, he raised a blue, ripped plastic to the air, showing his creation for you two to see. It didn't take long for you to figure out what that was, of course.

That damn water bottle cap.

You two reacted to the news at the same time, with the same reaction. Which meant both of you freaked the fuck out.

"Oh, shit, oh, shit, oh shit-!!"

"Fuck, fuck, fuck-!"

You threw yourself to the other side and tried to reach for your rifle while Rokkaku attempted to get a hold of his, but before you could even touch it, the old man caught you by the waist and pulled you to his chest.

You were his human shield now.

Fucking great.

"Oh, no, no, no, no!!" Your partner cried. His hands were shaking so much that the barrel of his gun was going left and right, and he looked ready to piss his pants. You didn't blame him. You had that urge, too. "This can't be happening! I told you not to-"

"Okay, okay! Both of you need to calm down!" the uncle huffed. You tried to wiggle away from his grip, but he wasn't relenting. How the hell was he so strong?! "No need to fight. I don't want to hurt either of you."

"We can't just let you leave!"

"How the hell did you unlock the lock with a bottle cap, anyway?!" You asked with a grunt. "That doesn't make any sense!"

"Oh, you can use many things to open these doors if you really put your mind into it. I could have done the same with a piece of paper, too. Any pirate should know how to get out of a cell with at least a few different methods if they want to survive. They rarely ever change the locks anyway."

"You're a pirate, too?!" You couldn't help but groan. Why. The. Hell. Was. He. So. Strong!? You had half the mind to pinch him to get him to losen his grip, but you were a bit worried that he would chuck you at the wall like a ragdoll if you did that. "Kong is going to chew me out!"

"As he should!"

"Not helpful, Rokkaku!"

The man laughed again and then turned towards the other. While still carrying you like a sack of flour, mind you. Was it bad that you found it as hot as you found it terrifying? "Would you please give me that?"

"W-what?" Rokkaku stuttered, then looked at his gun. "Y-you mean my weapon!?"

"Yes. I can't have you accidentally firing this thing and hurting someone, after all."

Rokkaku looked at the gun, then at the man, then at the gun again, then at you, and then shook his head. "Only if you put her down first!"

"Hm? Do you think I'll hurt your friend here?" He asked. "That's really thoughtful of you. Trying to save a comrade is an exemplary action, but unfortunately, I'll have to refuse. There won't be anything to stop you from shooting me if I do that."

"W-well, I won't give it to you unless she's free, so bad luck!" Rokkaku stood his ground, though those legs were shaking like a newborn's.

"I'll make sure he won't!" You tried to convince him, looking up to meet his eye. "I'll get in front of him and then you can just walk away!"

"Well, that does sound like a plan," the uncle agreed, but then turned towards the other slaves who were looking at the open cell with wide eyes. Despite their freedom being steps away, they still looked reluctant to take that first step. "What about them, though?"

"I..." You gulped. "I don't know. Even if they got out of here, this place will be surrounded by Marines that'll shoot them down at sight."

"Two Celestial Dragons are here," Rokkaku added. "Saint Camael and Saint Rosward. I wouldn't be surprised if a few Cipher Bol agents were here somewhere, either."

"Will you shoot them, though?"

You and Rokkaku looked at each other.

"No."

"Definitely not."

"Well, that's good enough for me," the Uncle said and smiled. "Thank you for your cooperation. Would you please stand here?"

Both of you stared, confused, as he started to get the people out. Most of them were afraid and convinced that maybe slavery would be better than death, but the old man was doing his best to lure them out. "Don't worry, anyone," he kept telling them. "I'll keep you safe. Just trust me and run when I tell you to."

"Just who are you?" You asked once everyone was out in the hall. He held a hand out for you to hold and lead you to the cell instead. You weren't really worried. The staff upstairs would figure out what happened soon and send someone to check on them, anyway.

"Silvers Rayleigh," he said and you felt your eyes bulge out from their sockets.

"You mean the Dark Knight?!" You gasped. You could have sworn that you had heard Rokkaku curse out again somewhere from the back, too. "The Pirate King's right-hand man?!"

The man chuckled again, and his eyes got this mischievous glint to them. "The one and only."

"Damn... we didn't stand a chance."

"Not really." He agreed. "Could you both hold out your arms, please?"

You and Rokkaku obliged, though he was more reluctant than you, and watched in horrified amazement as he used his own weapon, bending the steel with his bare hands, to bind both of their wrists to each other as if it were a handcuff.

This was so hot.

Then, as if you weren't down bad enough, he got closer to your face and said, "Now be good for me and stay put, okay?"

And with that, he closed the cell after him and left. You could have sworn you saw him smirk, though.

It didn't take long for them to hear screams coming from upstairs, followed by orders, gunshots, and men running around.

"I'm glad we didn't try to fight him," you said, then. "He would have cleaned the floor with us."

"Yeah," Rokkaku agreed. He couldn't take his eyes off their makeshift cuffs, though. There was no way they could wiggle their hands out of this. "Do you think he got caught on purpose, though?"

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it. If he can use haki to bend steel like this, how the hell did a couple of nobody slavers get a hold of him?"

You shrugged. "He said he was drunk. And how old is he now, anyway? Fifty? Sixty? Maybe he can't hold his liquor like before anymore."

"Yeah, I don't buy it. He must have planned this."

"It doesn't really matter anymore," you tried to look out of the cell to see if you could catch what was happening. "I just hope he leaves a couple of people alive so that there is someone who can get us out of here."

"That I hope, too."

Then, something hit the wall so hard it made the whole place rattle, causing small cobblestones to fall on your head like rain. It looked like the old man was having fun while beating everyone's asses. The building wouldn't stand for too long if things got more violent, though.