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New Marineford was mostly made up of buildings and ports. It wasn’t as big as the previous HQ and the atmosphere around it was stiffer, as if the place was still mourning the loss of its roots. Sakazuki couldn’t care less about all of it. What mattered was that they were able to do their duties and execute justice. With him at the helm, the end of piracy wasn’t such a distant dream anymore.
Despite first impressions, New Marineford did have some greenery to break up the monotonous white and blue. A field where wildflowers grow and trees provide shade from the harsh sun.
In fact, Sakazuki knows that Borsalino found a small clearing where a lone tree stood and claimed it as his own. If he wasn’t at his office, in the Fleet Admiral’s office, or his favorite tea shop, he was certainly there. Officers were free to approach him at his spot for urgent matters, but it was wise to retreat as soon as possible.
“I found this lovely spot near the south port.” Borsalino announced as he invited himself inside the Fleet Admiral’s office. “Let’s check it out before you head home, Sakazuki.”
The fleet admiral scowled. He had no plans of leaving his office any time soon. “I still have work, go by yourself.”
“Come o~on, Sakazuki. I’m sure all of those can be done tomorrow, especially for a day like this.” Borsalino countered, plopping on the sofa as if he owned the place. “I’ll just wait here until you finish.”
Sakazuki sighed. Borsalino was usually easy to deal with, but there was no reasoning with him when he got like this. “You’re not going to leave me alone until I go with you, aren’t you?”
“Nope.”
“Fine.” He sighed. He arranged the documents in a near pile, taking note of the urgent ones as he went. Sakazuki took his time just to annoy Borsalino, smirking when he noticed how jittery the other was getting. The light admiral was known for his imperturbable image, but Sakazuki silently took pride at his ability to read him like a book.
Their walk was mostly silent and Sakazuki was glad for the peace after hours of dealing with paperwork and the demands of the celestial dragons and elders.
“It’s right over here.” Borsalino said with a note of excitement in his voice.
Sakazuki followed him, ignoring how his heart skipped a beat at the obvious joy in the admiral’s voice. There was a picnic blanket already laid out beneath the tree, on top of it was a basket and an unlit lamp.
Sakazuki lowered himself on the blanket, watching Borsalino do the same with more grace, his sunglasses reflecting a soft light as he lit the lamp using his powers.
“Here.” Borsalino reached inside the basket, pulling out two glasses and a bottle of cheap wine.
It was a habit they never really broke despite the luxuries provided to them now. They grew up with cheap smoke and booze so neither developed a taste for the unreasonably expensive ones provided at the stuffy gatherings held at Mariejois.
“It’s almost hard to believe that it’s been four decades.” Borsalino mused, his corners of his lips lifting as he turned his gaze to Sakazuki. “Time sure does fly.”
Sakazuki remained silent, opting to drink his wine in peace and watch his companion. Borsalino almost looked like he was an ethereal being under the moonlight.
“And here you are, newly promoted to fleet admiral.” Borsalino continued, his eyes drifting to the darkness surrounding them. “That’s odd.”
“What is it?”
Borsalino looked around, frowning and muttering to himself.
“Borsalino.” Sakazuki said, bringing his companion back from his thoughts.
“Remember when I said that this was a lovely spot?”
“Yes.”
“It’s not looking very lovely right now.”
Sakazuki looked around. The clearing they were in would look better with some light, but as he looked at Borsalino he said, “I think it looks fine.” He could feel heat rising to his cheeks, grateful that the dark hid it.
“No, this place looked perfect when I found it. I checked yesterday and there were hundreds of fireflies. It was beautiful. I wanted to surprise you with it for today.” Borsalino replied, his shoulders slumping in defeat.
“You’re here, aren’t you?” The words tumbled out his mouth before he could hold them back. He lowered his cap to his face, unwilling to let Borsalino see his embarrassment. It must be the wine doing this to him, loosening his tongue and making a fool out of himself.
“Yes, I am.” Borsalino said contemplatively. “I am!” The disappointed tone turned excited and Sakazuki raised his head just in time to see Borsalino raise his hand and the edges of his frame turning hazy as yellow light scattered from his form. As he solidified again, Sakazuki marveled at the tiny orbs of yellow surrounding them.
“Beautiful.” He breathed out, his eyes locked on Borsalino’s smiling face. “This is better than fireflies.”
He could see a bit of red dusting Borsalino’s cheeks, but he was unsure of the cause.
“Here.” Borsalino handed him a small black box. He opened it to reveal a pocket watch, though it seemed a little bit bulkier than others. “Open it.” Borsalino insisted, a hand resting under his chin and a mischievous smile on his face.
Inside was a regular watch face, but on the other side was a moving piece of paper, a thin glass keeping it inside the. “It’s a piece of my Vivre card. You’re the fleet admiral now, and you’ll be sending me out on missions. With that, you’ll always know where I am and how to find me.” Borsalino grinned at him, “You can also use the watch to count each second when you miss me.” The admiral teased, turning intangible when Sakazuki threw a rock at him.
“Thank you,” Sakazuki said as he admired the intricate design. “But,” He started but trailed off.
“If you don’t like it, you don’t have to use it.” Borsalino said in a casual tone, but Sakazuki could hear the hurt in it.
“It's not that, it’s just–” He trailed off again. Deciding to just show Borsalino, he dug around his pocket and tossed his friend a box. “Open it.”
“Oh?” Borsalino hummed, delicately opening the box and smiling as he examined the compass inside. He chuckled when he flicked it open.
Inside was a regular compass, but the lid also had a glass chamber holding a moving piece of paper inside.
Sakazuki crossed his arms across his chest and huffed, “It’s so you can always find your way back home.” He flushed as the words left his mouth. It was unbecoming of him to be this… cheesy , but it seemed like a very good idea when he thought of it. Maybe he should have put it into a note instead of blurting it out like a teenager.
He expected Borsalino’s teasing, but he was met with silence. He looked up to see Borsalino looking uncharacteristically soft. He was tracing the details in the pocket watch with such a fond look it hurt Sakazuki to see.
There was silence between them. Sakazuki looked everywhere from the flickering yellow light to the twinkling stars above. Anywhere but Borsalino.
“We did it again.” Sakazuki said just to break the silence. “We just keep buying each other the same gifts.”
Borsalino laughed softly, discreetly swiping at his eyes as he pretended to wipe dust from his sunglasses. “You know what they say about people living together for a long time.”
“To another year of not being trapped in that forsaken island in North Blue.”
They clinked glasses and spent the night talking.
It became their new spot for their annual celebration and not once did Sakazuki see a single firefly in the area. Now, he was the one tasked to bring the wine and cigarettes. He navigated the dark path with ease, knowing every turn due to his frequent visits. He used the spot often enough to clear his head and he knows Borsalino frequented it often for a smoke break despite claiming to have quit years ago. Sakazuki pretends he didn’t smell it on Borsalino every day after Punk Hazard.
They also spent some time there for private conversations and leisure chats. It was their spot. Somewhere they can forget about their work and enjoy a taste of peace and freedom.
He was so engrossed in his thoughts, he almost dropped the basket he was holding when he reached the clearing. A swarm of yellow light surrounded their spot. He gripped the handle tight and raced toward the tree, his heart leaping from his chest.
It can’t be.
He reached the tree and looked around frantically. There was no picnic blanket laid out in preparation. He dropped to his knees, the basket falling limply from his hand. He looked down at his gloved hands, cupping them and capturing the flickering light above his face.
It was a firefly. He released it and watched as it joined the others.
Sakazuki took a deep breath and ignored the ache in his chest.
Of course there was no Borsalino making fake fireflies for him. Sakazuki watched his Vivre card burn a month ago. He received a call from Borsalino saying that he was facing Blackbeard and that Kuzan was part of his crew. Sakazuki saw how the piece of paper burned at the edges, he waited and hoped that it would stop, but it kept on burning no matter how many warships he sent to the island.
When the piece of paper was turned to nothing but ash, he didn’t go into a rage and destroy his office. He pocketed the watch and looked for potential admiral replacements. Issho called him a few hours later to report on the battle and send his condolences. It was all a blur to Sakazuki until it wasn’t. He came back to his senses when Garp and Sengoku were stopping him from destroying a training area.
He visited the decimated island and saw Borsalino’s body covered with Kuzan’s black coat, a blue rose pinned to his lapel. Coming from anyone else, he would take it as an insult, a pirate mocking the fleet admiral. But it was different from Kuzan. Sakazuki saw the looks the former admiral threw at Borsalino. He seethed as he remembered how casual he was, how easy it was for him to throw his arm around Borsalino’s neck when he invited him for drinks.
At least Kuzan had the decency to wipe the blood from Borsalino’s face.
If he ignored the pool of blood and the enormous stain on Borsalino’s jacket, Sakazuki could almost fool himself into thinking that the other just needed medical attention. But he wasn’t that kind of man, so he ordered a random marine to take the body back to Marineford for a proper burial. He chose their spot as Borsalino’s final resting place, glaring at anyone who dared oppose his decision.
Sakazuki knelt at the gravestone, pouring out a glass of wine and leaving a lit cigarette on top of the marble.
“I’m leaving in the morning, Borsalino. We found where Blackbeard and his crew are hiding.” Sakazuki growled. “I’m going to bring him to justice.”
A soft breeze was his only reply. A firefly flew too close to his face but he resisted the urge to slap it away. Instead, he held out a finger and watched as the insect landed on it.
“You couldn’t bring yourself to kill him, could you?” He asked as he looked at the firefly. “And now I’m alone.” The insect flew away, landing on the flowers surrounding the grave. Sakazuki suspected that Issho asked Aramaki to grow the red and yellow flowers and he felt grateful for the blind man.
He took two boxes from his pocket, taking in a shaky breath as he laid his eyes on the two golden rings. “I found this in your pocket when–”
Sakazuki paused. It would be presumptuous to take the ring for himself, but all the proof he needed was the similar band he got Borsalino months ago. Based on the wear and tear on the outside of the box, Borsalino must have gotten it ages ago and was debating when to give it. Sakazuki’s own box was in a similar state.
“I guess we got each other the same present again.” He muttered.
He thought back to the time when they started their little tradition. The first year they got out of North Blue, Borsalino got him spicy shrimp crackers and Sakazuki got him banana chips. They weren’t exactly the expensive ones, but they were definitely not cheap for two young boys struggling to get food every day. When they were bounty hunters, Sakazuki noticed how Borsalino favored using kicks while fighting so he got him a decent pair of shoes while he received an impressive sword. It progressed from comfort food, weapons, and even fancy cufflinks when their little tradition coincided with the Marine Ball and both of them assumed the other didn’t have a clue what to wear for such a formal event.
It was always something they needed.
Sakazuki looked at the almost matching golden bands. He pocketed his gift to Borsalino. There’d be no use leaving it here where anyone can take it after all. It will remain safe in his pocket with the singed and broken pocket watch he carries.
With no hesitation, he removed the glove in his left hand and wore Borsalino’s gift.