The ship rocked steadily as we set off, ropes tethered around cargo to ensure a stable ride. The girl sat in a corner of the storeroom, cradled between two large crates. Head, rhythmically bobbing up and down with the ship's steady pace, her gaze burning a hole in the wooden exterior of the room, murder in her eyes.
Making sure not to sigh, I finally turned to the murderess, hoping to persuade her to drop the aggression for even a moment.
"Leaving a lot behind. It wouldn't hurt to at least give some sort of message, or you know a warning of some kind..."
A bitter voice came in reply.
"There's nothing to return to. No one will come looking for me."
"What about parents? Siblings? Friends? Nothing good will come from following him, if you just give me his details then I assure you I'll-" She was probably old enough to live away from them, but young enough for her parents to have an active role in her life, assuming they were still around.
"…What? You'll detain him? Maybe ten years too late again." Unfortunately there was no defence against that argument.
"Fine. I get it. But if you're going to tag along with me then there're some ground rules."
"…What?" She finally looked away from the wall and met my eyes.
"You're a civilian. Don't get in the way of our work, that's first and foremost. If any of the others find you in a compromised position then it could jeopardize their own lives, understand that. Do not act alone, I've taken on a duty to protect you. If you place yourself in danger, that makes my job that much harder. Got it?" I wouldn't let her look away. I had a duty before any personal motivations, couldn't forget that. No matter how much it resonated with me.
"…Is that it?" She spat out, almost resentfully.
"No. Last part. No matter what you say, I'm a marine before anything else. Citizen's lives takes priority over any other goal. That goes for you as well? Understand me?"
"…"
"If it comes down to protecting you or another for that matter rather than enacting on my promise, I'll choose the first with no hesitation. You need to understand and accept that fact."
"…" She looked as if she was readying a rebuttal. I cut off that possibility.
"We won't continue this until you agree."
"…I understand." That didn't mean she agreed though… No doubt, she'd go back on her word as soon as the opportunity arises. But this is the best I'll get out of her for now.
"That'll have to do for now, I guess. Eat. And then sleep. Can't have you collapsing on me." Placing the tray on a nearby crate, mashed potato wavered slightly with the motion of the ship. Looking at the collection of food I couldn't help but display a grimace. Even the best of the food on board this ship pales in comparison to any on land. That's the nature of the job. It didn't exactly rouse the appetite.
"I'm not hungry…" Like a particularly fussy child refusing to eat their vegetables, she looked at the plate with utter revulsion. This wasn't about the taste or quantity of food, she really didn't even believe she had the right to eat. If she carried on like that, she would end up becoming some sort of ghost haunting the seas. Unfortunately, the best way to spur her on to take any positive direction is to use her only source of motivation for the time being.
"No ifs ands or buts. The ocean is vast. As is the time between islands. You don't know how long it'll be until we find that guy. So go on, eat." She stared at the tray in the corner of her eye, not bothering to make any movements in its direction.
"Did you come all this way just to give up now?" I placed the tray into her lap, not waiting for anymore rebuttals.
"…Fine."
"Oh and change into that when you get a chance. If he's really aboard, then we can't risk him finding you here." Placing a marine jersey and pants onto the nearby crate, I turned and prepared to exit the small storeroom, leaving the girl to her thoughts. Just before I managed to get my foot out of the door, her solemn voice rang out again.
"…You still haven't told me how you plan to find him." I looked back briefly. She was just the confirmation, I had my own methods.
"Leave that part to me. Just keep your eyes peeled. And clean yourself up, you look out of place like that." It was a bit harsher than I wanted to sound, but I couldn't afford to take chances here. If anything goes wrong, then our ship might be the next to rest at the bottom of the sea.
"…" I left the girl to her silent ruminations. Pacing down the hall before coming to another dead stop.
…
Looks clear for the most part.
Reaching into the internal pocket, I find the earpiece and gently insert it, the sounds of a few boisterous voices chiming through the small device.
"Sorry, Vice-Admiral. Gotta hedge your bets…" I suppose we'll be seeing each other again, far sooner than we anticipated.
[Piracy?]
With a splash, mashed potato impacted like a grenade onto my tray. Carbs, protein and enough fibre to get by. What seemed to be preserved mandarin was squeezed into a small container and placed on the counter.
What it lacked for in deliciousness it made up for in nutrition. They used food goods with a long shelf life and ensured diseases that the average sailor might become afflicted with were treated. The most common example in my own world was scurvy, the main issue causing this problem was the fact that Vitamin C or ascorbic acid couldn't be produced in the body, it had to be procured from other foodstuffs. Pretty much all of them in this case were fruits and vegetables. Citrusy fruits were the most common example. You can imagine the trouble one might have when trying to maintain constant access to fresh fruit and veg for a crew of this size. Galleons of this size often required hundreds of men to operate them. Provisions were enough of a problem, introducing the issue of short-lived foodstuffs that were necessary in a balanced diet was an unimaginable hassle on such a large logistical scale.
It seemed they got around this by using preservatives, the only other relatively usable method would be to cultivate an artificial farm and carry it along. Though that would require constant attention and technology which likely isn't available in this world at the moment.
Though that raised its own concerns…
In my world the golden age of piracy was supposedly between the mid-17th century to the mid-18th century. The treatment for scurvy wasn't known until 1753, when the findings of one of the first ever controlled clinical trials was published by James Lind. Ergo, this wasn't found until the end of the golden age of piracy. Whereas here, even during the so-called golden age, it is treated as irrefutable fact and the treatment is in use by the policing agencies of the world.
Maybe they got lucky? Or they're already employing scientific methods sooner than my own world.
I blinked away those thoughts, picking up the container and knocking back the dense, astringent liquid, passing the container back to the stone-faced cook.
"Thanks." I offered without looking back, taking the tray and looking for an empty bench, to which there were many, thanks to the hour I had chosen to eat. We had to eat in shifts, obviously such a large ship can't be left unattended. Thus I chose the latest mealtime, the most unpopular option by far, working on the sea got the appetite building and so I was left mostly alone, the other officers tending to be the less conversational, more isolated types as well.
I was left with my own kind. A fact which I was immensely grateful for. My eyes immediately rested on an empty table, and I made my way, my eyes never moving from that spot.
"Chavel-san! Sit with us!" A familiar bubbly voice erupted through the quiet cafeteria, the other officers briefly glancing up from their own meals. Great.
Can't you read the room? I didn't look at you.
It's as if the universe is trying to punish me…
Seemed like my attempt to remain under the radar was a failure. Doing anything else could just cause a bigger scene. What a pain.
"Koby. And your friend?"
"Helmeppo, he's a steward just like me. Well, chore boy would be the proper term… Hehehe…"
"Ah, sir!" He suddenly stood at attention, rapidly glancing between myself and his bespectacled friend. "Koby! The hell are you doing, this is an officer! I'm so sorry, sir-!"
Before he could prostrate and make an even bigger deal out of this mess, I stopped him. "Relax. We're in the cafeteria. Our station means nothing here, remain seated."
Pulling rank was useful in the aspect that I could get by on relatively low scrutiny on such a heavily manned ship, however it also had the added detriment of gathering attention in small settings like this.
"Oh… Um, of course sir!" Good, he's quick to refer to authority. The other one seems to be more of an airhead, which is dangerous. I was coming to see that my plan was somewhat shortsighted, it was unlike me. Plenty of ways this could go wrong. It wasn't that it surprised me, I could still pull through this in any number of ways. However, it would be a lie to say that I wasn't acting strangely. And I didn't know why.
I knew the theory behind my actions. I just didn't ever expect them to actually hinder me one day in the future. I was feeling… sentimental.
That interaction on the island, in Cocoyashi village changed something. The status quo shifted. A question I pondered without a clear answer was finally given to me. But rather than a weight being lifted I only felt further pressure placed upon my chest. It was suffocating. The only thing that particularly took my mind off of that worry was the duties I attended to on board. The constant eyes, the fishmen below us at this moment and the eventual ground that will bless my feet.
Placing the tray on the opposite side of the bench I decided to start digging into the meal provided, it was a far cry from that cook's stuff. The idea alone made me start salivating. Maybe imagining it at the same time would provide the same flavourful experience? My hopes began to rise in earnest with those wishes.
Unfortunately, the only accompaniment to the bites that followed was disappointment. It was true what they said; comparison is irrefutably the thief of joy. Was that why I had never felt that joyous feeling in all my life? By constantly measuring up to others, I was always looking outwards for validation. Worth is dictated by comparison, that's what I was taught. That's what the world parrots. Yet there are others in this world which follow a different path. Goals and value that is intrinsically important. I wonder if the same could be said for those guys.
"U-Um, Chavel-san… Um…" Sensing that this strange atmosphere would continue so long as he didn't get it off his chest, I urged him to spit it out.
"What is it?"
"W-what would you say is the most important thing to be a good marine?" He eagerly leaned over the tray, his shirt dangling dangerously close to the mound of mashed potato and oats compacted together.
"Hm?" Looking me dead in the eye. His eyes unwavering, apparently, he had begun to treat this mealtime as a lecture.
I thought about giving a roundabout answer but decided against it. Officers were paragons amongst the marines. They were held on a pedestal, especially by this boy in particular. It denoted a certain type of behaviour.
"Discipline. And power." I said before taking another mouthful. At least these were the tenets that I assumed the marines were instilling within their cadets.
"I-I see. Why?" He stuttered noticeably, maybe he didn't expect such a direct answer. Koby seemed like the romantic type, the type to idolise a certain look. Perhaps his ideal answer was the ability to hold strong convictions or a strong moral compass. Whilst those were important on the individual level, a large policing agency doesn't necessarily require it. In essence, soldiers were to follow orders regardless of their moral imperative, that was how peace was maintained. Peace and law necessitated a level of control and security by the state, regardless of the individual's ideals which act on those orders.
"Simple. An organisation has no place for those that don't follow rules and regulations. To enforce your own brand of justice would be no more than vigilantism, you could make the argument that you would be behaving no better than pirates, bandits or other outlaws." Cracking the stale bread provided and dipping it into the mash, gave at least some difference in the blandness of the experience. The reason definitely wasn't because I wanted out of this conversation quicker. Most definitely not.
"A-and the latter?" Koby looked at me bemusedly for a moment, leaning over the bench with both arms.
"A policing organisation without power holds no authority. Power without direction begets no justice, morality without any power ensures you can't enforce ethics. One can't exist without the other. You could argue for one over the other in terms of personal importance, but both are necessary to keep the peace." That's what I imagine a proper marine would answer with. Duty and service above all else.
"Chavel-san, no-! Sir… Would you train us?"
"K-Koby…" His friend visibly balked at the idea, I wasn't sure if that was due to the idea of training by itself, or the gall to request this of a higher officer. Especially as these two were essentially the lowest on the totem pole.
"I remain busy with my own duties, so that's unlikely." I attempted to hand wave the problem away. I should've finished my food more quickly, or just avoided them altogether…
"Even if it's just when you train personally… would you show us the ropes? Please?!"
"Stop. This is unbecoming of you. It's not the place or time to cause a scene." I really didn't need extra baggage at the moment.
"Please!" More and more eyes were collecting on our party. It was strange enough for an officer to sit with the chore boys. I was hoping eating during the more unsociable hours would allow me to avoid this kind of attention.
"…If you're free at 0500. Meet me on the deck. I will not wait for you or take it easy in the slightest. Do you understand?" I'll just drive them to exhaustion, grit could only take someone so far.
"Yes! Thank you, Chavel-san!" You're thanking me much too early.
"Raise your head. Now, I expect no more interruptions whilst I'm eating, are we even?"
"Of course!" Happily Koby returned to his food, Helmeppo simply looked between us with a mixture of shock, confusion and slight despair covering his pallid features. Still…
The blonde locks of his hair captured my attention. The people of this world made some very strange fashion choices…
[Piracy?]
Days passed in the blink of an eye, until a land mass had encroached on the horizon. Being a heavily manned ship, it was possible to operate during the night, meaning we had almost double the efficiency circumnavigating the sea compared to that crew. Though the speed of the ship was somewhat limited in comparison to the small sloop the strawhat's operated. Even with the added sailing time, a ship like that could quickly catch up in a matter of time.
Why am I saying this you might ask?
After all, I had chosen to leave them of my own will, the choice to not say goodbye was one I had consciously considered to be a positive one.
Obviously, the thought had come to mind because it was a possibility.
If Nami didn't join them, no even if she did, I couldn't have any way of knowing that this was a predetermined course. There is no world in which Luffy doesn't attempt to come to Loguetown. The resting place of the previous Pirate King.
Where man might once have been motivated by monetary gain, power or influence, here it was grand ideals. Dreams seemed to motivate people like no other incentive.
One could even say that was what allowed that man to accrue so much influence. A dream.
Naïve. Childish, even. But a dream, nonetheless.
…
I had already taken most of their behaviours into account, unfortunately this was something I couldn't predict without prior knowledge. If there was one thing I was deprived of during my travels with that crew, it would undoubtably be information. The marine ship was stocked full of it on the contrary.
Flipping to the next page leisurely, a dull crash sounded out nearby.
Files regarding the explored world and general constitution of the world powers. The four seas split by the Grand Line and Red Line respectively. Essentially acting as the Equator and Prime Meridian of my previous world. Only they acted as physical barriers this time around, preventing ease of travel. Most of it confirmed what Gaimon had previously told me, though there were plenty of miscellaneous details he had left out. Whether they were new discoveries or lost information from his near two-decade stranded at sea lifestyle, I might never know.
The marines directly answering to the World Government for one as well as the World Government being a constitution built between a coalition of 170 nations. Individual kingdoms that exist within the four cardinal seas and the Grand Line itself. As well as penal code that the marines and local governments may disagree upon. From the looks of it the Marine officers had jurisdiction to follow pirates across multiple kingdoms much like international police laws. However, if the perpetrator of a crime is a citizen of a certain nation, and the arrest takes place in an affiliated land the kingdom holds sovereignty over their sentence.
I guess this was to prevent the marines from holding too much power, laws differed by culture and history after all. It's unlikely that the legal minutia of each kingdom would be identical. It seems that the marines were mainly present for invading threats and acts of terrorism from abroad, obviously the most prevalent of those threats being pirates. Kingdoms have their own state securities that answer to the monarch or diplomatic leader for domestic threats.
In essence the marines and World Government by extension was an analogue for INTERPOL and the regional state guards of each kingdom were like the SDF.
All in all, this world was much more organised on a political level than my own during a similar timeframe. The corollary organisation to the World Government hadn't been established until 1923, at least two centuries out. Perhaps the existence of advanced technology like the snail phones aided that? Though, it's hard to say without knowing when they were mass-produced and distributed.
In my own world the first phone was patented in 1872 by Alexander Graham Bell it was nearly 30-40 years after this for the first intercontinental phone call and transatlantic calls to occur. This was using a fully wired system as well…
Snail-phones were more akin to radio transceivers and walkie talkies or the modern cell phone than anything else. The first well-established radio transceivers were used during the Second World War. Again that puts this world two centuries ahead of my own, at least in these areas.
War begets change. Innovation often comes from turmoil. Could that be the reason for all this? Or was it something else altogether? The snail-phones felt almost alive, perhaps it was some strange symbiotic partnership between mollusk and machine?
A similar crash echoed behind me, the offending person peering at me through half-lidded eyes, his face resting on the cool wood of the ship deck. The familiar pink hair matted to his forehead as sweat continued to drip from the point of his nose onto the boards below.
"Get up."
"I-I can't!"
"I'll no longer train you if you stop."
"But this is- impossible…" The rough sound of his bones creaking sung out as his arms collapsed onto the deck once more.
By design. It would've been better if you hadn't asked me at all.
Still, I must admit that he's lasted longer than I would've thought.
What was clear is that it wasn't his mind that limited him, it wasn't willpower or endurance. It was simply his body. It was weak.
No amount of grit or determination can cast aside weakness in the moment.
What I requested of him was unfair, impossible and callous.
I knew.
So did he.
So, why's he still here?
…
In my mind there are only two driving forces for the human internal state.
Desire and fear.
A person like Luffy lives to reach something with everything he has, unafraid of consequences. With the enthusiasm of a child he reaches for a treasure box unafraid of the trap that might trigger as soon as he peels back the lid.
Koby is not the same. His reaching is one of desperation. A single guiding light like a north star in the endless void. Not constantly reaching his hand out means he'll slip back into the darkness. Back into what he was before. And that was something he feared more than pain or embarrassment. It's why even as his bones creak like a rusty hinge he continues to put his arms out under him. Falling to the solid ground endlessly, with little change between each attempt.
After the fourth round Helmeppo had already fell to the ground, foaming at the mouth. His eyes white as they peered back into his skull.
…
He's alive. Just unconscious.
It's the reason Helmeppo couldn't do the same. The level of fear and aversion to his previous self isn't the same as Koby's.
The determination and grit to change everything inside and out. It was remarkable.
Fighting your own nature every step of the way.
How long would he last?
I peered once more at the slowly expanding island. Not much longer now.
I shut the book with a snap. "Clean yourselves up. We'll be arriving soon."
"Y-Yes sir…" Koby muttered weakly before falling to his knees, eyes fading lightly.
Sigh.
I could just leave them here but…
What a pain.
I shrugged the boy onto my shoulder, grabbing Helmeppo under arm like a suitcase. Fortunately it was early enough that few people were around to witness the aftermath of my training. Unfortunately, a pair of lingering eyes still remained watching our departure from the shadows.
---
Word count: 3858
The girl with Bogard will become more important later as the story progresses. Pretty sure most people have realised this but Ayanokouji's development going forward will be correlated pretty heavily. This seemed the most sensible way to go about it. I know a lot of people dislike OC's, personally so long as they play an intended part and don't overreach and take the shine from other characters it doesn't bother me. In this story she has a part to play just like any other character, I don't intend for her to outshine canon characters just because of that. I think the problem for OC's is generally when it feels like the world revolves around them and they don't assimilate with the greater narrative properly. In this case, it's a necessity for Ayanokouji's character arc. Sure, he'll get plenty of growth from interactions with other characters like the strawhat's, but her involvement is necessary. (All that yapping and I don't even have a name set for her yet.)
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Hopefully you all enjoyed the chapter, let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
Until next time.