The Marine

After checking his pockets, Bill entered the Brokers office telling Borodo to both ‘keep an eye out’ and to ‘stay behind me’.

Inside the first thing that drew Bill’s attention was on the walls there were dozens of jolly rogers and some of them looked so old as to be nothing but rags hanging from rusty nails.

On one side of the office was a lounge area, complete with a full bar and an assortment of women, and on the other a large man was sitting at a huge oak desk.

This office almost looked like Bill’s own, with bookshelves lining the walls and even electric lamps hanging from the ceiling. Only here the row of shelves was broken up by several heavy iron doors and the lamps were multicolored.

Turning his head from girls to the Broker, Bill studied the man.

He was rather large and had tan skin with a blonde mohawk. Wearing small dark glasses his elbows were propped up on the table and he looked at Bill with a smooth smile.

“Welcome, welcome navy man. I don’t believe we had any appointments, but with the way you came on I suppose you won’t take no for an answer, hm?”  

Bill thought the man spoke like a stereotypical sleezy drug dealer, and after given one more look at the room he completely turned towards the desk and said sternly: “You’re under arrest for aiding and abetting enemies of the World Government.

Smiling in the last thing you ought to be doing right now.”

Then going towards the desk, Bill stopped limiting his five senses and sat down across from the Broker. He rarely let his senses go to their full amount, everything became too sensitive, and he didn’t like it.

After his fight with the Revolutionary Dragon, Bill had rebuilt his body and the only part of himself that he let alone was his brain.

He didn’t regret it back then, same as now, he was afraid that if he tried to alter his brain it would alter his personality.

And so, sitting down at the table, Bill felt flooded with information, but he powered through and continued to say: “The only question now is whether or not you’ll be headed to Impel Down or to more comfortable accommodations.”

As Bill spoke, half his mind was listening for signs of Gasparde. He didn’t know whether or not Bascud could handle the traitor Marine, but figured that he wouldn’t be instantly overpowered, and he would be able to hear the sounds of combat.

Whether or not this Broker took Bill’s words as a threat he didn’t seem to let it bother him and smiling widely he said: “Easy my man, don’t go throwing accusations like that around. We have the appropriate paperwork to operate and we pay the Heavenly Tribute like all good subject do.

In fact,” said the Broker before letting out a sleezy chuckle before continuing: “we pay more than our fair share and are completely above board.”

Then sliding open a top drawer the Broker pulled out a stack of documents and held them out to Bill.

Bill always hated the term ‘Heavenly Tribute’ and though he knew that the connotation wasn’t the same he would always refer to it as ‘taxes’.

Opening the folder, he flipped over some pages and handed it to Borodo and said simply: “Read it and tell me what it says.”

At the moment Bill was splitting his attention too much to read documents, and Borodo was nearly as good as Ricky in understanding official paperwork.

As Bill started questioning the Broker about the various pirates on the island, it took Borodo a couple minutes to go through the stack of papers.

“Alright Captain, I think I got the gist of it.” Said Borodo interrupting the Broker who was giving a long nonsensical answer to one of Bill’s questions.

Hearing this, Bill nodded his head and Borodo replied: “Well, I don’t know a lot of these codes being used but the main thing these papers say is that this operation falls under the purview of a Warlord called ‘Heavenly Demon’?

And apparently that this gives them protections against searches and seizures by the Marines or their affiliates.”

After flipping over the papers some more, Borodo said aggravatingly: “Then there are so many codes that are alluding to other statutes… I.I couldn’t even begin to guess what else these papers allow.”

Hearing Borodo’s voice falter, and he didn’t blame him, but Bill himself wasn’t too concerned about making the arrest. After all, in his mind there was no way this paperwork allowed the Broker to support a traitor Marine who had destroyed at least one island and killed many others working for the World Government.

Instead, Bill wondered who the hell would approve such a wide ranging ‘get out of jail’ free card.

Not subject to searches and seizures? This single clause would virtually guarantee the creation of a pirate-friendly port and Bill wouldn’t be surprised if that was what allowed Hannabal Island to thrive and made the man in front of him filthy rich.

All these thoughts raced through Bills mind, and he asked Borodo: “Who signed the commission?”

“Uh…” answered his Departments Head Navigator before he said: “One was the name I told you before, the ‘Heavenly Demon’ and the other… Sorry Bill, I can’t make it out, the writing looks like it was done by five-year-old and it’s smudged.”

Bill trusted Borodo’s judgement, but shaking his head he asked to see the final documents.

Sure enough, the bottommost line had written on it “Heavenly Demon DD” in magnificent penmanship followed by a name Bill couldn’t make out but could just barely see some letters that looked like “Sa**t C****os”.

Bill tried to turn the paper side to side, but it was no use.

The second signature looked like something a small child who hadn’t learned letters would write when trying to copy something they saw their parent do.

‘To make matters worse it’s snotty.’ Bill thought, recognizing the smudges around the signature.

Whatever this document signified, to Bill it wasn’t enough to protect the Broker, but seeing the man still smiling in the face of a nine-foot-tall Marine who had wrecked hundreds of pirates a mere hour ago made Bill pause.

Even though Bill knew that the Warlord in question was called ‘Donquixote Doflamingo’ needed to ask Nelson what he knew about the World Government giving out commissions that superseded those of the Marines.

The Broker would never be able to escape from him and with Gasparde in his ship, and Ranse directly overseeing the operation, there wasn’t need to hurry.

Reaching into his pocket, Bill pulled out a sleeping portable Snail.

This was strange, and as Bill first tried to contact the Victory, the Snail wouldn’t awake.

“No no captain didn’t you know that portable Snails don’t work in these tunnels, my man? But you probably need to confirm these papers with your superior, ain’t that right?”

Looking up at the smiling mohawked Broker, Bill didn’t know why he felt rage. He wasn’t embarrassed about his Snail; no, he couldn’t rightly place why he felt angry.

“Give me yours.” Bill said in a tone that afforded no refusal, and for the first time the sleezy smile disappeared from the Brokers lips.

“Sure, here.” he replied, handing Bill a Communication Snail that was wired into the walls. Then said meekly: “But I told you, we’re legal, don’t look surprised when you’re told to leave the island.”

Directly ignoring this comment, Bill dialed Nelson.

*Puru Puru Puru*

*Puru Puru Puru*

*Puru Puru Puru*

‘Come on…’ Bill thought to himself and tried again.

*Puru Puru Puru*

*Puru Puru Puru*

*Puru Puru Puru*

It took three more tries until the Snail formed red circles on its cheeks and started yelling: “IDENTIFY YOURSELF! WHO THE HELL ARE YOU TO HAVE THIS CODE?!”

Bill didn’t know what Nelson’s Snail was showing, but from his tone, Bill’s anger turned into anxiousness, and he spoke concisely: “Nelson, report the situation.”

“CAPTAIN!?” Nelson cried out loud enough that the Snail was straining its neck.

From the corner of his eye, he saw the Broker’s smirk return and Bill said again: “What’s the situation? Report!”

Nelson replied instantly, and didn’t shout so loud as before, but the news hit Bill like a ton of bricks.

“We have lost contact with Lieutenants McGrew and Cannone! All operational areas have seen intense combat! All Special Operators are in the field and… and… and…”

“Out with it.” Bill said through gritted teeth, suddenly wondering how he had spent so much time in this pirate cove.

“15 minutes ago, I saw three flares went up and before I could stop her Yoko took Boss flying off in that direction… I’ve sent off the last of our reserve teams but… but…

“Out with it!” Bill shouted for the first time and Nelson responded meekly: “the whole area is covered in fire… that’s all I know.”

Instantly retracting his five senses, Bill stood up and saw a wide smile appear on the Brokers sleezy face.

The Broker was an expert at reading others, but even if he knew that there was a dragon sitting across from him, he couldn’t have known that by smiling he pressed the reverse scale of that dragon until it was too late.

Upon seeing his smile Bill turned into a raging bull and, with the notion that he had to break something, he bound forwards, tearing the oaken desk like mere paper, and drove his fist into the Brokers big stomach down to the elbow.

The Broker didn’t even have time to look frightened, and Bill had very long arms.

Seeing the Broker crash to the floor, the pleasure girls screamed and Borodo braced himself backwards. He had seen Bill act before, but never so ruthlessly.

Turning his big body around, Bill eyed the girls and said “Quiet.” and they hushed.

Then looking at Borodo he said clearly: “Find evidence of criminal activity, find anything at all that we can use.”

Seeing Borodo gulp and nod affirmatively, Bill told the girls to not move, and he left the office.

Outside of the candy factory, Yoko was trapped by candy up to her knees without shoes, pants, or even her overcoat.

The candy acted like glue and she lost her shoes almost instantly once the traitor Marine had shown  himself.

After her shoes were gone, she attempted to fight and lost her socks for her efforts. As the traitor toyed with her, she proceeded to lose her pants and then coat.

It hadn’t been a very long time but seeing her struggle had turned Boss crazy and the beetle had broken free by spewing its fire in all direction.

Boss was incredible when he put his mind to it, but the bug was outmatched by the traitor.

Gasparde survived being burned and being bitten. He laughingly sneered at Yoko who threw her hammer and blasted his face with it.

Yoko and Boss were strong, but once the sticky candy was spread around, they may as well have been caught in a spiders web.

“How pathetic.” Said Gasparde as he looked at Boss.

It had only taken him five minutes and in that time, he had glued Boss’s wings shut and pierced his belly with a wickedly sharpe piece of glass candy.

“Is this all the Marines amount to? A little girl and her pet bug?!” after saying this, Gasparde kicked Boss hard enough to roll, and the candy glass shard went in deeper.

Seeing this, Yoko bit her lip bloody, and cried. She didn’t cry out of sadness or fear, she cried because in her own eyes she was so weak.

She cried because she felt ashamed, she was almost naked and was completely trapped. She was ok with dying but cried because she felt her weakness would get Boss killed too.

With nothing else to lose, she only had one option left.

That option was the locket that Bill had given her months before, on it, it had engraved [To Thine Own Self Be True] and although Yoko didn’t understand the story Bill had told her about that saying, she knew what it meant to her.

She was slightly bent over with her hands stuck in the candy. After she had thrown the hammer, she had fell forwards off balance.

Knowing what she had to do, Yoko bit her lip harder and pulled. Resolving herself to rip the skin off her hands if that’s what it took for one more swing at the traitor Marine in front of her.

 Alas, the fact that Gasparde hadn’t been on caught in the ten years since his betrayal wasn’t an accident, and seeing Yoko squirm his feet turned to sticky mush and he hovered over in front of the girl.

“You got spunk.” He said and then sneered: “I don’t like Marines with spunk!”

Gasparde was tall, standing perhaps 9 ½ feet, and when he struck down his hand was large enough to fully engulf her head.

Pulling her hardest against the glue-like candy syrup, Yoko wouldn't quit until either the final blow finished her or...

*BOOM*

There was a sudden explosion above her, and she didn't know when it happened, but Yoko saw a large figure standing beside her and felt that figure blot out the sun.

With air flowing all around her she strained her neck to the point of breaking to see, and the young girl felt the tears in her eyes and rage in her heart subside.

They were replaced with shame and something else when she looked up at Bill, who said nothing but whose expression wore a death mask. Then she felt scared, not for her safety, but scared that she may have broken something she couldn't fix.

She wanted to cry and tell him she was sorry. To say that he was right and she was wrong.

But those words wouldn't come out, they never would.