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Borsalino frowned at the pile of clothes pooled at his feet, noting how troublesome Jewelry Bonney’s powers were despite how useful they were in creating the Seraphims. He heard the loud stomps of an approaching Pacifista and lazily aimed his finger at the offending model. He was immediately blown backwards as he fired the beam of light, groaning softly as he landed in a messy heap on Egghead’s port.
He forgot his powers had a recoil equivalent to how strong his attacks were. He got back to a sitting position, rubbing his head and noticing the voices that stopped speaking.
Oh.
He also forgot that the Strawhats were with him on the port. He shot them a look and grinned. “You’re welcome.”
He saw the orange-haired woman’s eye twitch as she looked at him before turning back to the rest of the crew. “I think we should just leave him behind. He just took down that Pacifista with his finger. Do you really think that he won’t do that to us in the Sunny?”
“I agree with Nami! Remember what he did to us two years ago in Sabaody?” A man with a long nose added. Borsalino thought that was quite rude of him.
Borsalino stood up, brushing himself off and wincing at the ache in his bones. There was Strawhat Luffy, Nami their navigator, Nico Robin, Franky the Cyborg, God Ussopp, and Chopper their apparent pet. The admiral blinked and watched the reindeer clearly arguing with the rest of the group. Definitely not just a pet then.
“I’m a doctor. Enemy or not, he’s just been turned into a child and is clearly injured!” The apparent doctor yelled.
Borsalino had enough of their squabbling and cut in, “I don’t think I’m hurt.” He said as he crossed his arms, “You’re all so sca~ary, you know? All that yelling in front of a child is very unhe~althy.”
“You’re not really a kid!”
Before anyone could respond, Borsalino sensed multiple people heading their way.
“Sanji, Jinbe, over here!” Strawhat Luffy yelled as he waved his arms.
Borsalino frowned. He was under no illusion that he’d win should he engage in battle with them. His control over his fruit was not what he wanted it to be, and one of those CP0 agents managed to hit him while he was dazed from Jewelry Bonney’s attack. He might be able to stay on the island and avoid those troublesome agents, but who can say that the island won’t be destroyed within the hour due to recent events?
“Who’s the kid?” Vinsmoke Sanji asked as they reached the port.
Strawhat grinned, “Oh, this is Kizaru! He got turned into a kid by Bonney.”
“What?” Jinbe exclaimed, looking at Borsalino with shock, “Kizaru.. Junior?” The fishman asked with apparent hope and denial in his face.
Borsalino chuckled, “Just me, Jinbe.”
The fishman’s eyes widened and he stepped forward, “So it’s true? What CP0 said they were doing?”
Borsalino narrowed his eyes, “Oh? What did they say?”
“They’re going to make more of those things, right? But with you admirals and other marines?” Vinsmoke asked, referring to the partially destroyed Seraphim model by the beach. It’ll get up eventually, Borsalino was sure of it.
Kizaru shrugged “Maybe.”
“Those machines were really something else. I don’t think it’ll be a good thing if the navy starts making baby machine soldiers from their own men.” Franky the Cyborg remarked and Borsalino remained silent.
“The navy’s not the one behind it though, is it?” Nico Robin asked, her gaze directed at Kizaru.
Borsalino cocked his head, “Why do you think CP0 attacked me?”
“You’re not a machine,” Strawhat interrupted, stretching his arm and knocking fist on Borsalino’s forehead. “But you do sound pretty hollow inside like that robot!” The pirate added, a grin plastered to his face as he stretched away from Borsalino’s reach. The admiral’s eye twitched, but he refrained from acting out. He was an adult, not a child who had no patience for teasing.
Kizaru adjusted the overgrown shirt swamping him, “Why make copies when you can get the ori~iginal? Lucci saw an opportunity and pounced.”
“We should get away from the island now. Jinbe and I heard their plans to destroy the island once they get off.” Vinsmoke cut in. “We can walk while we talk.”
Nico Robin hummed in thought, “We can’t let CP0 get Kizaru. They might do to him what they did to Kuma. Having someone with his strength directly under their rule can mean total destruction of kingdoms.”
“Isn’t that what the navy is to the World Government?” Franky asked and Robin shook her head.
God Ussopp slapped his fist on his palm, “I get it! They’ll brainwash Kizaru and make him just like Kuma, right? You remember in Punk--” Usopp stopped, glancing at Kizaru with sweat on his brow, “You remember that time we met Momo? If that certain person just followed their orders and didn’t team up with us, we might all be dead and Dressrosa would still be under Doflamingo.”
“I’m aware that Smoker-kun formed an alliance with you on Punk Hazard, God Usopp.” Borsalino said, “And yes, having a fully subservient marine officer will be a disaster for everyone, not just pirates.” Sakazuki would be furious once he heard about this, Borsalino thought. Maybe murderous was a more accurate word to describe his friend’s reaction.
“Okay then, we’ll take you to the next island!” Strawhat announced.
“What?” Borsalino stopped walking, not quite believing what he heard.
The pirate captain grinned at him, stopping directly in front of him and leaning down to meet his eyes, “There’s probably a transponder snail you can use on the next island, right? We’ll take you there to call your buddies to pick you up.”
“Luffy! He might kill us and use the Sunny to sail alone.”
“Then I’ll just throw him to the sea. He’s just a squirt, it’ll be like throwing a ball!”
“He might have a honing device somewhere in his clothes, the Navy could track us down while we’re sailing!”
“Then that’s great, we can get him back to his friends faster!”
Nami took a big breath, her eyes turning into belly signs “What’s in it for us then? We’re pirates, we don’t do things for free!”
Kizaru laughed, “Unfortunately, I can’t have marine funds transferred to pirates. However, I do have these!” Kizaru knelt and rummaged through the pockets of his jacket and pants and fished out five banana hands.
Vinsmoke knelt down and took one, keeping Luffy from chowing it down with one hand. “They look weird. They have these red circles on them, I haven’t seen this in any book.”
The rest of the crew took a closer look. Franky frowned, “Doesn’t this look like those fruit being made in Dressrosa?”
“The SMILE?” Kizaru asked, “No, these are a little bit more mundane.”
He took a banana and tossed one to Strawhat, “The trees came from North Blue, they have the best bananas, you kno~ow? Vegapunk experimented on the trees until they produced sweet and spicy bananas. The more red circles it has, the spicier it is.”
“Why?”
“I wanted to improve my spice tolerance, so I can eat the spiciest ramen in Marineford. Eating the less spicy ramen for practice was hard since the heat made it feel spicier. Vegapunk said he had nothing better to do.” Kizaru answered as he took a bite from an almost totally red banana. Luffy was done with his first banana and was sneakily trying to get another, but was stopped by Sanji.
“The trees only grow on Egghead and produce fruit every six months. I wasn’t able to get a lot before you guys made a mess of things.” He said in an almost accusing tone.
Luffy laughed as he successfully got another banana despite Sanji’s efforts, more red than the one he ate before, “It really is spicier!”
“You can always come back for more ‘Zaru! We’ll get you to the next island so you can call your friends.” The captain announced, “But I do want one more thing.”
“What is it?”
The boy’s grin widened at Kizaru’s question, “Send us the spiciest ramen in Marineford when you get back.”
Kizaru chuckled, “That can be arranged.”
Borsalino’s eyes narrowed as he watched the navigator and marksman berate their captain. He tuned their argument out and got lost in his own thoughts. They were an odd bunch, not quite different from the brats he faced two years ago. Especially Strawhat. He was certain that the boy would be the first one in line to kill him after what happened in the Paramount War and yet here he was offering safe passage in exchange for food they didn’t need. They were terrible pirates, he just wasn’t sure what made them so terrible.
“Finger Pistol.” It was too late when he felt a displacement in the air. Borsalino let out an aborted cry as he was thrown back to the beach by a masked CP0 agent. Blood spilled from his mouth as he hit a banana tree, his earlier injuries flaring up and rendering him dazed and seeing double.
“You’re coming with us, baby admiral.” The masked agent said with malicious glee.
“I don’t think so.” Vinsmoke appeared, his flaming leg kicking the agent away. “Let’s go.” The man scooped him up and Borsalino cried out as his jacket slipped from his shoulders, “My jacket!”
“Leave it, it’s already ruined.” Vinsmoke barked at him. Kizaru looked and noted that there really was no saving his jacket. He didn’t notice how much he bled before turning into a child, and it seemed that Jewelry Bonney’s powers at least lessened the extent of his injury. Or maybe was still in shock.
Borsalino looked over Vinsmoke’s shoulder and saw Strawhat launching an enormous attack to keep the CP0 agents at bay. Lucci appeared a few centimeters away from Borsalino, but Vinsmoke was fast enough to kick him away. It was a good thing, because Borsalino doesn’t think his younger body could take a third finger pistol. Twice was more than enough for him this lifetime.
“You can’t get away that quickly.” A blocky agent exclaimed as he utilized moon walk to get above them, “Tempest Kick!” The giraffe-like man spun as he aimed for a drop kick. Borsalino jumped from Vinsmoke’s arms, a smaller version of the Ama no Murakumo stopping the attack of the CP0 agent. He winced, cursing as the agent began to overpower him.
“Franky Radical Beam!”
A familiar laser shot from the Strawhat’s ship and blasted the man far enough for Sanji to grab Borsalino and run. “That’s mine!” Kizaru shouted at Franky the Cyborg, “That was my laser!”
It was unfair how some pirate was utilizing his attack while Borsalino was stuck with an uncontrollable mess. Before he could complain more, a rubbery arm reached out and grabbed the hull of the ship while another one grabbed Vinsmoke and Borsalino to haul them aboard.
“Franky, let’s go!” Strawhat exclaimed.
The cyborg nodded and told everyone to buckle up. Borsalino was wondering what he was talking about when a sudden force pushed the ship forward at a speed he’d never experienced while aboard marine vessels.
“Coup de Burst!”
Borsalino’s jaw dropped as the ship flew to the air. He had felt the salty wind on his face many times, but feeling it a hundred feet above the sea on a pirate ship was different. Despite himself, he felt joy bubbling within him. Higher , he thought as the ship reached the peak of its journey above, faster, he demanded as they plunged toward the open water below. He snuck a glance around him and saw them all sharing wide smiles.
The spell was broken when they landed abruptly and Vinsmoke put him down with surprising gentleness, even messing his hair before standing near his crew.
“Who’s the brat?” Came a voice from the side of the ship. Borsalino squinted, seeing both Pirate Hunter Zoro and Soul King Brook.
“Ah, Zoro!” The man with the long nose exclaimed and Borsalino suddenly remembered that day in Sabaody. He was about to kill Roronoa, deeming him the easiest target. Once he was eliminated, the other Strawhats would be either in a state of near catatonia or would be lost in a rage, either way it would have made his job so much easier.
It was God Usopp that got right to his face to save the swordsman.
“It’s Kizaru. He got turned into a kid and Luffy said that we’ll take him to the next island, so he can use a transponder snail to call the marines.” Usopp seemed nervous, rubbing the back of his neck and putting himself between Borsalino and Zoro. The admiral wondered what he was thinking.
There was a tense silence, as if everyone was just feeling the magnitude of Strawhat’s impulsive decision.
Usopp stepped forward, “Zoro–”
“Well,” Roronoa started, “I’m not that weakling you had under your feet two years ago. You try anything funny, I’ll cut you down.”
“I’m not here to arrest any of you.” Borsalino wondered if the Strawhats really weren’t the ones for revenge or if they were trying to make him keep his guard down. They could very well just toss him to the Cross Guild for a nice bounty, turning the tables and all that.
The tension was gone and as Pirate Hunter sat back down, being bothered by Luffy as the rubber man was waving the spicy bananas in the swordsman’s face. The navigator began issuing orders to steer the ship and the crew began moving as one.
The boy tilted his head in confusion at the sudden activity on deck. He was about to go to some corner to hide but the reindeer placed a hand—or was it paw—on his shoulder.
“Come with me, I’ll treat your injuries.”
Borsalino looked at the creature. He was a little bit taller, but only by a few inches. It’s been decades since he’s been this short. The gentle grip on his shoulder reminded him of a boy younger than him but much fiercer, “Come with me,” The boy with the torn hat demanded, dragging Borsalino through a forest of burnt trees and blood-soaked soil.
Borsalino froze as the thought hit him. Would that same boy, now the fleet admiral, think he was a deserter? Would the marines even know that the World Government was targeting one of their own and was planning on turning on them once they got the means to create their own army. Will they issue an attack on—
“Hey.” The high-pitched voice of the reindeer was like ice water. He shook his head. He wasn’t a child, he wasn’t having a panic attack, and he wasn’t craving a warm hug from this animal.
He was an admiral and he wouldn’t have a meltdown in a pirate ship.
“Ah,” He croaked and Borsalino cleared his throat, “Lead the way, doctor Chopper, was it?”
The reindeer, Doctor Chopper, seemed taken aback. Borsalino smiled to himself, relieved to find some control in this situation, “You said you were a doctor earlier. Seems like you’re not just some pet like your wanted poster says.”
“Oh…” Chopper took a step back, “I’m not sure you should know that.”
The other pirates seemed to be listening in. Vinsmoke smirked, “Are you sure? You’d probably get a bigger bounty if the marines know you’re our ship’s doctor.”
The reindeer seemed to brighten at the thought. “I’m strong enough to hold my own against some marines.”
“Any information getting sent to the marines is information they’ll add to your wanted poster. It can be used against us though.” Nico Robin chimed in.
“That’s right! What if Kizaru just spies on us and lets the marines know all about our secrets?” God Usopp cried out, pointing an accusing finger toward Borsalino.
“Secrets? There are no secrets in this ship.” Soul King Brook joined in, “Though if you find where all the panties are stored, you can always share them with me.”
Borsalino snorted despite himself.
“That’s a child!” The navigator screamed out as she punched the skeleton, “Wait, no he isn’t.” She glared at Borsalino and the admiral took a step to the side so that the reindeer stood between them, “He’s a dirty old man. Don’t you even think about snooping around!”
Borsalino chuckled as he raised his hands placatingly. Her punch looked pretty powerful, he didn’t want to find out if it hurt more than the finger pistol.
Chopper seemed to remember what he was doing at that moment, “Don’t punch him Nami, I’m about to treat his injuries!”
The small reindeer transformed into a bigger form and scooped Bprsaino up. The admiral was too stunned to react. So that was the beast he read about from the reports, it made a lot of sense now.
Borsalino had been stared down by doctors before as well as Zoan users. Having Chopper glare at him was a new experience though. His injuries were definitely not minor and he “should have said something” after they were on board, the beast cried at him.
“I’ve had worse before.” Borsalino replied as he looked around the makeshift medical area. There were medical books, some jars filled with different substances, and even a table filled with burners and vials. The ship’s doctor stood behind him, examining his wound. Kizaru insisted he make some sort of medical report, lying that Fishbonen liked having accurate and complete medical files of the marines under his care.
“Really? When you were an admiral or when you were like this?” Strawhat asked as he sat cross-legged on a table. The young captain insisted on following them to the medical bay. Borsalino suspected that it was to keep an eye on him and keep his crew safe. The admiral thought that it was the smartest move he saw the pirate make.
“You’re awfully nosy, aren’t you?” Borsalino smiled, not deeming to answer Strawhat.
“Jiji tossed me in the jungle plenty of times, but I never got this hurt.” The young pirate announced, “But I had Ace and Sabo, we kept each other safe.”
“Sabo the revolutionary? What a sca~ary family you have, Strawhat.” Kizaru remarked at the grinning young man.
Chopper hummed as he finished
“You said that a CP0 agent hit you on the back, from here, “Chopper placed a hand on his left shoulder, “To here, right?” The hand moved to the right of his waist.
“Ye~es.”
Chopper hummed, “Stay still, this will sting a little but it will help hasten the healing process. Oh, and here’s the report I made. I hope you don’t mind that I made a copy, without your name of course! Bonney’s powers really are something.”
Borsalino doubted that the report would bring harm to him in the future so he didn’t protest.
“Really? What did she do?” Strawhat asked, making a face as he looked over Kizaru’s shoulder to read Chopper’s handwriting. “You can read that?”
“I read a lot of reports.”
Chopper applied the ointment and while it stung, Kizaru’s face remained impassive as he read the notes handed to him. Aside from the slash on his back, he broke a few ribs, some internal bleeding—all things he heard when they were being briefed about the six powers all those years ago.
“It looks like the cut on your back is already healing, but I suspect that Bonney’s powers helped with that.” Chopper said, “That’s what you think too, right? That’s why you asked me to make a report?” The doctor began bandaging him up and Kizaru winced as it pulled at his wound.
He cocked his head to the side, “This body isn’t as durable as my old one. I don’t want to ke~el over while surrounded by pirates.”
“So Bonney made your wounds younger, right?” Luffy asked as he rubbed his chin.
Kizaru blinked. It was a crude description, but “Essentially, yes.”
“That’s so cool! I wonder what else she can do.”
Borsalino remembered feeling the effects of the first finger pistol on his body, however, between the de-aging and the adrenaline, he wasn’t too sure if he really felt the ache lessen after his transformation. Seeing as Chopper came to the same conclusion, maybe there’s some merit to his theory.
Borsalino had his back to the door, so he tensed when he heard it opening. Staw Hat jumped from his perch and talked to the person outside before thanking them. At the same time, Chopper tapped him on the shoulder twice, signifying that he was done.
Kizaru rolled his shoulders as he heard Strawhat approaching. He assumed that he would be bound using sea prism cuffs during his stay in this ship. He held out his hands and was surprised when a pile of clothes were handed to him.
“Nami sewed this for you while we were here. It’s some old stuff we had lying about.” Luffy said, handing him a pile of neatly folded clothes.
Chopper jumped from his perch, also stretching, “I’m sure she’d make you some new ones if the weather got too hot or cold.”
“Thank yo~ou, Doctor Chopper,” Borsalino nodded at the reindeer who suddenly seemed flattered, “Chopper’s fine, you don’t have to call me doctor all the time.” Chopper smiled while rubbing his nose.
“You can call me whatever you want.” Luffy said, already heading out and joining the rest of his crew.
Borsalino quickly got dressed as Chopper cleaned up. The boy picked up his ruined clothes gingerly and waited for the doctor to finish, following Chopper as he exited the medical area.
The aroma of a freshly cooked meal him just before he saw a table laden with food and Vinsmoke holding back Strawhat from eating. “I said, wait for Chopper!”
“I’m hungry!”
“Look here they are!”
Vinsmoke looked up and Strawhat took the opportunity to shovel the food in his mouth. Chopper left his side to take a seat and dig in.
He felt lost all of a sudden. He knows that his older self would have taken a seat like he owned the place and ate as much as he liked just to annoy the pirates. Borsalino shook his head, going over to the side of the ship he deemed his and gingerly laid down his ruined clothes. He wasn’t a fool. He had all of his memories as an adult, but that was really how it felt like. They were memories, abstract thoughts shoved into a body too small and inexperienced.
Borsalino placed a hand to his chest, balling it into a fist. He was around eight or nine years old and his body was reacting like it did when he was at that age. Weak, lost, ashamed . He knows the quips he’d use to get a rise out of the pirates, but his body wouldn’t let him utter them in fear.
Fear of what? His mind demanded, he was an admiral of Navy HQ, a monster capable of executing a buster call all by himself just like his peers. He was famous for his fearlessness, and yet—
“Here, I saved you a plate. If we let him, Luffy’ll probably eat everything on the table.”
Borsalino turned and saw Vinsmoke holding out a plate filled with food.
“Ehh, but I’m your enemy.” Borsalino plastered a smile on his face, tilting his head back and looking down at the man.
“I’m this ship’s cook. No one’s gonna starve on my watch.” Vinsmoke replied, placing the food down and taking a drag out of his cigarette. “It’s not poisoned, I took it from the table while everyone was eating. Luffy almost got that slice of cake too, so you should be grateful I was able to get you one.”
“Thanks for the meal, Vinsmoke-san.” Borsalino nodded, plopping down and placing the plate of food on his lap. He needed to eat to make sure he had the strength to defend himself should the need arise. Everything smelled amazing and the corner of his mouth lifted as he took a bite. It all tasted delicious.
Vinsmoke scoffed, “Vinsmoke? I don’t like hearing that name, just call me Sanji.”
“Will do, Sanji-san.” Borsalino replied as he scooped another spoonful of rice and fish into his mouth. He was hungrier than he thought. If he recalled, his last meal was breakfast and that was before he set sail to Egghead too. The sun was now setting and the lowering temperature brought a somber mood to his meal.
Sanji leaned against the railing a few feet away from Borsalino.”’San?’ You’re pretty polite to us pirates.”
“You’re all physically older than me right now.” And Borsalino was not in the mood of testing boundaries this late.
“You’re still an admiral. Not that we’d be courteous to you or anything, you’re our enemy after all.” Sanji returned his words to him and Borsalino cocked his head to the side.
“Why aren’t you eating with the others?” Borsalino asked.
Sanji shrugged his shoulders, “You learn to eat fast when you share food with those beasts,” He gestured back to the table where Luffy and Ussopp seemed to be having a competition of who can shove the most food into their mouths. The rest of the men also looked like they were inhaling everything in front of them. Borsalino removed his gaze at the bright dining area and focused on his own food.
“It’s getting a bit dark here, ‘want a lantern or something?” Sanji asked.
“It’s fine.” Borsalino replied a little bit too quickly. Thankfully, the cook didn’t push him.
Kizaru finished his meal all too soon and looked at his empty plate with a frown.
“You’re done?” Sanji asked and Borsalino nodded, handing him the dirty dish when he asked for it. “You want some more?”
Borsalino glanced sharply at the cook and then shook his head no. Before he could say anything, Sanji turned his head to yell at Roronoa. The cook stomped off, dragging the swordsman by the ear. Borsalino assumed it was his turn to help the cook clean up since both men made a round to collect the dishes of the rest of the crew. It was very unlike how things were done on a marine ship.
He took a deep breath, inhaling the lingering smoke. It’s been years since he smoked, but he craved it right now. He wouldn’t ask one from a pirate though, he doubts that Sanji would even give him one. He had a feeling that the cook is having a difficult time not seeing him as a pitiful welp. Borsalino was annoyed and insulted at the thought, but he would take any advantage given to him at his current state.
He stood up and leaned against the railing. He ignored the noises of the Strawhats and set his eyes at the crashing waves. The moonlight cast the ocean with a soft glow and the breeze caused goosebumps to appear on his skin.
It was almost like he was back in his home island in North Blue.
He could hear the Soul King Brook playing the violin as all the activity winded down. Borsalino looked back and saw Roronoa already napping at the opposite side of the ship while the others were having a hushed conversation. He didn’t care what they were saying. It wasn’t like he was fit for duty or anything. He had bigger problems to think about after all. CP0, especially Lucci, wouldn’t move unless ordered by the elders. An attack on him is an attack on the marines, the very organization upholding the World Governments Absolute Justice. He didn’t hear of any attacks toward other marines, was he their primary target? As far as he knew, he didn’t do anything to warrant such attention. He didn’t think he accidentally insulted a celestial dragon, Sakazuki would waste no time berating him if he did.
A creak snapped him from his thoughts, making him flinch. It was nothing though, just Strawhat placing himself on top of a sail. Borsalino hugged his knees to his chest. Spacing out was beaten out of him long ago despite the part he played around other people. Being de-aged had much more effects than he thought.
Looking around the ship and seeing that the crew was done with their discussion and was now relaxing and conversing with each other more naturally, Borsalino decided that their odd actions made them terrible pirates. Treating an enemy’s wounds, letting them roam free without sea prism cuffs, giving them delicious food—it was almost like he was a guest and not someone on the opposite side as them.
Borsalino laid on the floor of the ship and used his stained green shirt as a makeshift blanket, pulling it over his head despite the alarm bells in his head saying that keeping his eye off the enemy was a very bad idea. He welcomed their attempt to kill him, at least then it would help solidify in his child mind that they were the bad guys.
He fidgeted to find a comfortable spot. Borsalino kept his arms crossed over his chest and raised his pointer finger to his face. He narrowed his eyes and concentrated before a soft light emanated from the tip of his finger. He grinned at the sight. It was softer than he wanted it to be, but the fact that he didn’t blind himself was enough for him to celebrate.
Still smiling at the small feat of control, Borsalino closed his eyes and tried to get some rest.
He’d have more than enough time to terrorize the pirates tomorrow.
Sakazuki frowned as the recording in the projector stopped. It showed Kizaru mid-kick, his feet inches away from Jewelry Bonney’s face. Kuma stood in the background, a hand touching the pirate’s head and the other lighting up to fire a laser at Kizaru.
“That’s most of the footage we recovered. The rest was too destroyed and the other cameras weren’t able to capture what happened to Okiji.” Sentomaru reported. It was just the two of them for now. The young man reported to him as soon as he was able and Sakazuki could see why Borsalino liked the young man so much. “He went after Jewelry Bonney while I was dealing with the Strawhats. Okiji said that having a hostage would herd the Strawhats in place.”
Sentomaru paused, his eyes squinting at something in the image.
“There’s something wrong though. Kuma’s blast shouldn’t have hurt Okiji. Look at this,” Sentomaru pointed at a white blur behind Kuma. “Some of the men think it’s just falling debris, but if I slowed it down, it looked like it’s not going down, but heading toward Okiji. It almost looks human-shaped.”
Sakazuki took a drag from his cigar, “Can’t you make it clearer?”
Sentomaru shook his head, “This is as clear as we could make it, sir.”
Sakazuki leaned back, “Is there something else?” He asked when he saw the usually stoic officer fidgeting. “Is there a chance that Kizaru was also teleported by Kuma?”
The captain had a pinched look on his face. Coming to a decision, Sentomaru grabbed the handle of the paper bag lying by his feet and stepped forward toward Sakazuki’s desk.
“We found this near where Okiji fought…” The young man trailed off as he pulled out a pair of amber sunglasses. The right one had its lens cracked while the left one had pieces missing from it. The fleet admiral took the broken glasses and held them to the light. He placed it back on his desk when he saw that Sentomaru was not done.
“We found this by the port.” Sentomaru almost looked pained when he pulled out a piece of pinstriped yellow fabric covered in the color of rust. “I tested it myself. It’s his blood.” The captain played the video on the transponder snail again, “Kuma disappeared shortly after Jewelry Bonney. We have damaged footage after their disappearance, Okiji was still wearing his jacket then. He must have removed it shortly after.”
Removed was putting it generously, Sakazuki thought. Borsalino was never the type to remove his clothing to spare it from a battle, not when he can demand a replacement from the World Government as rightful compensation for protecting its justice. A sudden thought hit Sakazuki and he ordered Sentomaru to restart the tape.
“There!” He exclaimed, “Borsalino isn’t wearing his marine coat.”
Sentomaru looked closer and confirmed Sakazuki’s words. He began to replace the reel and he watched through other tapes until he saw Kizaru in the frame. “He was wearing it when he arrived in Egghead. He was also wearing it when he met with me.” Sentomaru frowned and Sakazuki saw his gaze shifting from Borsalino’s image to the ruined jacket.
“Were you just watching all this happen? How exactly did you lose Vegapunk?” Sakazuki asked, focusing on more important matters. “You’re his bodyguard, why aren’t you with him?”
Sentomaru looked down, “He and his satellites were evacuated in separate marine ships. We lost contact with them after half an hour and we’ve been trying to locate them ever since, sir.”
“Why weren’t you with him?” Sakazuki demanded, his tone harsher as the light from his cigar flared.
“The Strawhats implied that they were going to take Vegapunk away from Egghead, I prioritized keeping the doctor away from them–”
“Your priority should have been guarding that damned scientist. Now he’s gone and if there really was another party involved, they might have captured him and killed him. Worse, they might be picking his head as we speak, exactly what the Government doesn’t want.” Sakazuki grinded his teeth, “You were assigned as his body guard because of your absolute defense. You’re brought shame to the marines due to your carelessness.”
Sentomaru opened his mouth to protest, but thought better of it. Sakazuki took a deep breath, lowering his marine cap to hide how his eyes glanced at the empty sofa adjacent to his desk.
“Oh~, so scary.”
He caught Sentomaru following his gaze regardless and he scoffed. “He’s not dead.” Sakazuki muttered, throwing a bone at Borsalino’s subordinate. “Borsalino wouldn’t let himself be killed that easily.” Sentomaru kept his gaze lowered, but his shoulders visibly lost some tension and Sakazuki pretended not to hear the sigh that followed.
“Send word to the marines keeping an eye on the Cross Guild. If there really was a third party involved in Egghead, they might try claiming Borsalino’s bounty.” Sakazuki’s eyes drifted to the broken sunglasses then to Sentomaru, “There are collectors who pay an extraordinary amount for marine coats, I’ll send a team to locate the dealers. It’s a long-shot, but it might provide a clue to where Borsalino is.” Sakazuki couldn’t help but try to provide some comfort to the man before him. Sentomaru wasn’t the only one keeping up appearances after all.
The fleet admiral crossed his arms as he addressed Sentomaru in his usual commanding tone, “You are dismissed, Captain. Your presence will be needed later for a summit meeting. Finish your written report in the meantime and keep looking for Vegapunk.”
Sentomaru saluted before exiting the Fleet Admiral’s office. Sakazuki closed his eyes and reached out with his haki to make sure that the young man was truly gone and that there were no other people by his office. Once the coast was clear, he slammed his hand on his desk causing a crack to appear right in the middle.
The broken sunglasses shifted and the remaining pieces of glass reflected the light just the way Borsalino liked when he was being smug. Sakazuki glared at it as if Borsalino’s eyes were looking at him through the broken lenses. He could almost see the admiral’s teasing gaze, “Are you worried about me, Sakazuki?”
He lifted the stained jacket, frowning at the size of the slash on its back and the amount of dried blood covering it. Kizaru would never run, never even think of exposing his back to a capable enemy, so Sakazuki was certain that whoever it was that attacked the admiral could hide their presence well. However, Borsalino had a reputation for being careless and unfocused despite being one of the strongest in the marines. It was rare that an enemy could sneak past him, but it wasn’t totally unheard of.
Something else bothered Sakazuki. He turned the jacket over, seeing no damage aside from the cut at the back. Borsalino or someone else must have removed it. Was it a message to the marines that one of their admirals was taken or killed? Kizaru’s marine coat would send a louder one if that was the case.
Sakazuki refused to entertain the thought that Borsalino was dead. He’d believe the other was truly gone once he saw a new wielder of the beloved devil fruit of his friend.