Archive of Our Own

“Hey, let’s become Marines.”

Sakazuki was the kind to make crazy declarations like that. They could be having a peaceful moment, just like they were now, hidden within the safety of the run down wooden shack that they called home. The only sound that could be heard in the quiet of the night was the crackling of the fire as they roasted fish on the fire built on the dirt floor. They’d gotten lucky at fishing by the harbor that evening.

Borsalino’s was careful when he rubbed the little seasoning they had on the only source of protein they could afford. Salt didn’t come cheap and the kindly lady from the inn had been sweet enough to share with the two boys.

Both orphans, any family they’d had left had been lost in the continuous war that raged between marines and pirates.

Sakazuki hated pirates. Even now the frown that marred that bruised little face spoke volumes of how much hatred Sakazuki held in his heart for the rogues that sailed the seas. He sat on that sandy floor, staring intensely into the fire. They couldn’t afford much so most of their clothes had patches. That included Sakazuki’s shorts, the little red jacket he wore like a shirt, his shoes, and the patched hat that he sat like a crown of determination upon his head. It was like those little shoulders carried a weight greater than the boy’s size. His brows always furrowed, mouth scrunching up in distaste at the mention of pirates.
That much could be expected. Sakazuki hated pirates after all.

Borsalino personally held no such strong feelings. Then again, the older boy rarely held strong feelings about anything. He didn’t think too deeply about what they’d have for breakfast or dinner, whether they would have breakfast or dinner. He didn’t linger too much on thoughts of the next possible time that they’d find warm water for a bath. Not even the possibility of them not lasting till the next day weighed heavily on the mind of the boy who’d traded shoes so he could own a small box of books.
The older boy dressed in yellow turned in surprise, his attention drawn from the fish at Sakazuki’s suggestion.
Was he for real?

“Theee Maaarineees?” Borsalino said in his slow way of speaking, brows rising slowly at the incredulous suggestion. His face twisted at the thought.
Them in the Marines?
“Yadaaaa,” he laughed as he raised the first fish from the fire.

“Why not?!” Sakazuki demanded, already leaping to his feet. Sometimes his friend had way too much energy.

“I mean it sounds stressful, doesn’t iiiiiit?” Borsalino pointed out with a doubtful pout.
The Marines, soldiers who loyally served the government and fought hard to bring and end to the age of pirates. He’d heard that they were the reason their run down village was still standing but still…

“We would be awesome Marines!” Sakazuki insisted, waving his hands about with all seriousness. “Think of the lives that we could change. I want to do it. I want to rid the world of all pirates and fight on the side of justice.”

“Weeeell, of course you want to do it-“ Borsalino groaned as he bit into his fish with a small nervous laugh.
They’d never gone into detail, but he had the general idea of why Sakazuki was so driven. Why he’d found a little boy standing by himself in a city of ash. Sakazuki was mostly repelled by snow since that incident, saying it reminded him too much of the ash that had rained down from the sky.

They’d said that pirates had passed by the town, leveling everything and bringing it to the ground. The boy was supposedly one of the few survivors, but no one wanted an extra kid. The townspeople….had felt sorry for him. When everyone left the square there’d just been that boy. His face had been frozen in a mask of anger and bitterness, but he did not curse at the people who’d turned away from him.

Sakazuki had stood in the snow, glaring at the floor like he cursed his powerlessness, like he cursed his failure to take vengeance on the ones who’d driven him from his home. But even sadder, the boy looked lost.
So Borsalino had stretched out his hand, much to the boy’s surprise.
The face that had looked up at him was young, and those red eyes had stared like a frightened stray animal.

“Wanna come home with me?” he’d asked with a small smile, holding his favorite book close to his chest. He hadn’t had to ask twice.

They’d spent quite a while together, because they’d had no one else. Then again, Borsalino could not be surprised at this declaration. Sakazuki had made his dream clear from the moment he worked up the energy to speak.
He wanted to be a Marine. He wanted to bring pirates to justice. He wanted to end evil in the entire world. He just had not imagined that he’d get dragged into this dream…

“Come with me, my friend!” Sakazuki said enthusiastically.
“Eeeh why?” Borsalino sulked, nearly choking on his fish.
“Why not?” Sakazuki scowled as he grabbed the second fish from the fire, munching it with hunger, down to the bones. “If I can do it, you can do it too. You’re strong.”

Am I now? Borsalino had never thought of himself as someone who was necessarily strong.
“Still a Marineeee….” he mumbled, his voice trailing off. He had never imagined himself in that pristine white uniform. Marching as one with a giant moving army, standing in line and saluting at fancy and important people. It almost seemed too big a dream for an orphan from a small city.

“What’s the problem?” Akainu asked, leaning forward towards Borsalino. “Come on.” The voice of the hot headed boy got softer, his eyes pleading as he stared at the senior. “Please…”

Now that word made Borsalino pause, looking up at Sakazuki in surprise. The younger boy was trembling.
Being a Marine, that was something Sakazuki was going to do, probably whether Borsalino went with him or not. It was his dream, and perhaps even his destiny to fight alongside the heroes of their nation.

Looking at the boy’s thin frame, Borsalino felt the slightest ache in his heart. Honestly, whether or not Sakazuki became a hero for justice, the fact was that he’d be better off in the Marines. They could barely catch enough fish to feed the both of them, and Sakazuki was a growing boy. The younger boy was always hungry, even if he’d never mention it. Sakazuki was never the kind to voice his own pain, that’s why Borsalino became good at watching.

He’d watched Sakazuki ignore the growls in his stomach and watched the boy sleep, insisting that he was fine while his stomach told a different story. He’d watched how fast the little boy scarfed down food once it was present.
Sakazuki deserved a place with a warm bed and good food, a roof over his head. What better place could offer that than a group that fought for justice?

“It won’t be easy,” Borsalino said softly, knowing they were already at a disadvantage from malnutrition. The Marines didn’t just take anybody.

“We can do it,” Sakazuki insisted, his determination unshakable as he gritted his teeth. Then his voice softened once again. “Please…. I don’t want to do this without you.”

Those words…..
Borsalino yanked idly at his hat when he heard those words. They were perhaps his breaking point.

To be fair, he had nothing to gain from staying as he was. If they somehow got into the Marines, they’d live a better life among, better people.
There was barely any other choice.

“Suuuuure,” Borsalino finally sighed and Sakazuki raised his head in surprise.
“Yeah?” The boy asked, sounding dumbfounded. Now why is he in so much disbelief?
“Yeeeah,” Borsalino laughed, finishing off the last bits of fish. He would not miss this life of struggle. “Not like I have any better thing to do anyway. But getting into the marines won’t be easy.”
“We’ll work hard until they accept us!” Sakazuki growled.

Does this boy plan on going at it until they finally let us in? Borsalino laughed nervously in his head. He might have signed up for biting off way more than he could chew.

—————————-

As soon as he said yes, Sakazuki put them on drills right away. Running, jumping, fighting local bandits, getting this ass beat by local bandits. It felt like a new kind of hell.

Still, there was no denying the slightly rewarding feeling when they were able to help an old lady keep her purse or to protect a child from an adult bully. Obviously they weren’t at the level to fight pirates yet, but they were getting somewhere. Nutrition levels were slowing them down. They had to take off more and more time to hunt, and somehow that activity was more rewarding than fighting grown men who used dirty tricks. Each time they successfully took down a wild boar, it stocked them up in terms of protein, and they could always sell the rest to the local butcher to afford better food.

Then it was back to training. Training in the woods, kicking down wild beasts and wild men. Saka Chan was able to snag a knife from one of the pirates and he sharpened it every day like his life depended on it. Pretty soon, they became well known around the village for dealing with trouble. They were the first ones people called when troublemakers came around.

Borsalino could tell that pleased Sakazuki a lot, being taken seriously as a hero for justice. He wouldn’t openly say it and his face was always a mask of seriousness when someone called. But Borsalino could see the sparkle in his eyes and it made him smile. He liked it when Saka smiled with his eyes like that.

Saka liked helping people. He liked taking down vermin and pressing their rotten faces to the floor. He enjoyed every day that he spent making the world a better place.
The day they went off to join the Marines, the town was so kind when they wished them farewell. They gave them a bag to carry food and clothes they might need, they even bought Borsalino a pair of shoes. It felt weird wearing shoes and he wiggled his toes in the tight feel of it around his feet. The Mayor had even been so kind to let them wash up in his bath, with soap and everything.
They were cheering for them, hoping they got in and hoping they did well. This feeling was new to Borsalino and he stared back at the townspeople in awe. So this was what it felt like to be a hero of Justice. It felt….kind of nice.
Sakazuki on the other hand had his gaze straightforward, his hands tight on the bag he held.

“Let’s go, Borsalino san,” Sakazuki said softly and his friend turned to him, noting the serious expression on his face. It wasn’t that Saka didn’t appreciate the townspeople. In fact, it was more like he couldn’t bring himself to look back at them and Borsalino smiled.

“It’s ooookay, they’re going to be fine. The Marines have a post that’s close by now so we don’t have as many troublemakers anymore you knoooow. That’s why we’re going, riiight?” Borsalino grinned and Saka nodded.
He didn’t give a reply to that earlier statement. Instead, he marched forward and Borsalino waved goodbye to the people behind them. Their distant past that they left behind to find their future.

All of their training paid off too. When they applied to join the Marines, they got in almost instantly….. That’s when Borsalino found out what true hell was like. He wished they didn’t get in.

Waking up before the crack of dawn, running laps before the sun came up, exercises as the sun rose, running for breakfast, running laps for showing up late, sparring lessons after breakfast, history lessons after sparring, mandatory nap that didn’t last damn near long enough, running to lunch, more sparring after lunch, more laps, more exercises, then menial labor like cutting grass, mopping floors, washing dishes, it was the worst! They didn’t even get to go on patrols! Whose lives were they protecting by doing all this? This marine thing was a joke.

“I want to quiiiiiit,” Borsalino whined, sulking as he hung on a balcony.
“Stop it. Don’t quit!” Sakazuki scolded with a scowl on his face. They’d gotten a brief break after a wooden sword sparring session and Borsalino was knocked up with bruises all over his sensitive skin. Even Saka chan was sporting a few bruises but of course he didn’t care at all. He didn’t even mind that they’d been asked to clean the entire dojo after practice.
This Marine business did not seem worth it at all.

The balcony looked out into the brilliant beautiful sea and it sparkled so invitingly, like freedom. The sea breeze felt good on his sweaty skin, the sun was out almost every day of training and that always made it worse.

“It’s hard, it’s hot, it’s sweaty and painful,” Borsalino sulked as he stared out at the sea, wondering how their old home was doing. “There’s too much movement and not enough rest, why do we want to be marines agaaaaiiiin?”

“To save people,” Sakazuki said and Borsalino glanced at his friend who sat behind him. Saka chan was very carefully using a wet rag over his wounds. Squeezing out the water from an ice bucket and winding slightly as he cleaned up the wounds.

Saka chan never minded small bruises as long as it brought him closer to achieving his goal. Borsalino watched the younger boy with slight fascination, how he steeled his expression when that cold rag pressed against a rather purple bruise. No matter what these guys did to them, Saka chan would not mind at all huh….. He was the kind of person that chased his goals to the end. In truth Borsalino sort of admired that about him.

Looking back to the sea, it rippled and waved invitingly like before, but they could never forget that across the sea sailed all sorts of criminals. Pirates, the worst of scum. People who did not care if their victims were women or children. They stole, they hurt, they murdered. That’s why there were Marines….

“Save people huuuuh……” Borsalino said softly with a small smile.
That’s right. They couldn’t afford to forget what they’d come here to do.

The hard days came again the next day, but they both stayed, and worked hard. It wasn’t easy but they both somehow became the best in their little local troop, so good that they got recommended for a transfer. Well, Borsalino didn’t think too much about it. He was just trying to keep up with Saka chan, that's all. He knew the temperamental boy would be upset if he got left behind, so he had to do his best for his friend. Besides, Sakazuki was all he had.

So they got transferred up and up and up, closer and closer to the Grand Line. One day they were raiding pirate ships, another day on the field, another band of scum brought to justice when they discovered something truly unique.

“A devil fruit,” Sakazuki said softly when he discovered what the chest held.
Borsalino was also surprised.
“Two devil fruits?”
They’d only heard of it as a myth. A fruit that could grant mysterious powers but also carried the curse of the sea.

“Is it for reeeaaal?” Borsalino asked curiously. His friend stared at the oddly shaped fruit in wonder, feeling the power calling to him, but he shut the chest with a scowl on his face.
“I don’t know,” Sakazuki admitted, both their hearts beating faster. Borsalino cocked his head in silent question but Saka chan just shook his head in response. “It doesn’t matter. We’re handing this over to our superiors.”
And that’s exactly what they did. Borsalino thought it was such a shame. He wanted to see someone eat one. Wanted to see what would happen…..

“He said we should eat iiit?” Borsalino asked in shock and Sakazuki nodded, but his ears were red as hell.
Well, well, well….

“The commander said that we earned it,” Sakazuki said in a serious tone of voice.
They’d earned it? Borsalino wondered what exactly had earned them such a weird treat.

They’d reported to the office anyway, the commander wanted them to eat it before him so he could handle any side effects. The fruits were even stranger on a platter and they’d both taken a bite out of one.
The one his hand touched, it was like they were meant to be. Borsalino bit into his fruit once, and the world exploded into colour.

The man in yellow stepped back in awe at how much brighter everything became. The colours of the paper on the desk, the reflection of the sea, the sun in the sky, everything was colorful and magical. Rainbows blossomed all around him and he was awestruck and amazed. It was beautiful. Everything was beautiful.
He couldn’t believe it.

“Wooooaaah.”
So this was the power of a devil fruit. He stared down at his arms that had also lit up in colour. The commander looked extra shiny too.

“Are you two okay?” The man was asking, rushing to them, asking if they felt any different. That was when Borsalino smelt smoke. Something was burning. He turned slowly to Sakazuki and choked. His friend was literally smoking!

Devil fruit powers were a new and exciting thing that he never would have discovered without Sakazuki, and he delighted in them way too much. Sometimes without thinking about it he would zip through the halls, or the ship, or the training field, moving faster than eyes could catch up with! It was like flying! Right until he slammed his head against the hard surface of the day that would remind him he was still human.

“I told you to be careful,” Sakazuki growled.
“I’m sooorry,” Borsalino groaned as he peeled himself from the nearest wall. “I waaasn’t trying to move that fast yunnooo? It just happens.”

“Get better at it. We’re marines,” Sakazuki scolded and Borsalino rolled his eyes. He’d heard that one a thousand times before.
We’re Marines, we have to uphold a standard.
We’re Marines, we must be disciplined.
We’re Marines, we can’t be fooling around.
Who’s fooling around? Geez.

“And how’s adapting to your power goooing?” Borsalino teased, kicking his feet as he lay on his bed.
Sakazuki just grunted.

It was really bad luck for Sakazuki to have such a destructive power. Or perhaps that was the kind of thing that fit his style. They both had logia types so most of their enemies couldn’t touch them. Taking down pirates had definitely become easier since they got these gifts. They’d gone from being popular to basically being stars of the Marines.
That was when they met him.

“Your feats are recognized and admired by many of your peers,” the Vice Admiral Sengoku said.
Now there was a really important person. He’d come all this way to see them. It almost made Borsalino feel shy. Sakazuki of course stood tall and at attention, an unbreakable and unbendable tree of pride as the Vice Admiral spoke to them.

“How would you like to train with a real marine?”

The Vice Admiral had taken them to Navy Headquarters, real deep in the Grand Line among Major high players. It was everything that Sakazuki had ever wanted. There they met top Marines of really high ranks and got trained by the most powerful people in the Navy. And that was when they learnt about Haki.
It was back to pain and suffering.

“It hurts,” Borsalino sulked, crumpling into a pile after their training with Zephyr. “I don’t want to do it anymoooore.”

“Quit whining,” Sakazuki muttered as he rubbed the lump on his head. It had been quite a while since either of them got hit. This sucked. Borsalino thought he’d forever escaped that life and now he had to deal with this. He wanted to run away.

“All we have to do is learn it,” Sakazuki mumbled.
“You say that like it’s an easy thiiiiing,” Borsalino laughed with pain heavy in his voice.
“It’s attainable just like everything else,” Sakazuki scowled and his hands curled into a fist. Borsalino watched him in amusement.

The whitehoodie that Akainu always wore these days had been knocked off his head but the marine cap remained. An odd way of dressing but so painfully Sakazuki that Borsalino could not even laugh about it. Determined even after getting beat up.

Since joining the Marines, Borsalino had to admit that their lives had gotten exceedingly better. They had food, clothes, access to free medication, and scores of books in the Marine libraries. They had comrades, a place to come back to, people who admired them and depended on them, and people who’d fight to protect them too if anything happened on the battlefield. They’d also saved many and many lives.

Sakazuki had gotten bigger, his muscles expanded and he made quite an intimidating figure now. So intimidating that most of their colleagues were afraid of him. Borsalino chuckled. It couldn’t be helped when he lolled so seriously all the time, always glaring at the sea like he dreamed of taking down even more pirates. Until the world had no more criminals left. He didn’t have to say it for Borsalino to know that was Sakazuki’s dream. Establishing world peace by eliminating all of the troublesome people.
He would climb the ranks, increase in power, go higher and higher to the top of the Marines and cleanse the world of sin.
A big dream. A giant dream.

Borsalino…he had no such dreams of his own. That’s why he was here. He sighed and rolled to his back staring up at the dojo ceiling. They’d lost today but fortunately they were high enough in rank that they wouldn’t be put on cleaning duty. It was one thing after another, but his gaze once again strayed to the figure of his friend who carried on his shoulders the weight of justice.

For Borsalino, following that man was as easy as breathing air. It was not a conscious decision that he had to make, not since he agreed to follow him in the first place. Where Saka went, he followed. When Saka swam, he swam, when Saka ran, he ran. When Saka fell, he would catch him. Always, he was there. Sakazuki’s shadow and right hand man.

When Sakazuki had fallen into water as a young boy, he’d jump into it to save him. When he tried to take on bandits on his own, he was right beside him, tripping them up with sneak attacks and getting them at their weak spot.
Sakazuki had a bad habit of never giving up on taking down an enemy, no matter how best he got. He tried to take down every enemy with his power, even villains far beyond them. He fancied himself a hero. A hero that never gave up, and he’d never ask for help.
Sakazui never had to ask though, because Borsalino was always there to help him.

It was hell in the Marines. Every day another new found torture. Of course it was hard. It was the Marines. But he didn’t think really hard about it. It didn’t matter because Sakazuki was always there. Wherever Sakazuki marched, Borsalino was always marching not too far behind.
Sakazuki had a big heart and a big dream. He was busy taking down every villain all the time. People thought that he was undefeatable. There was no one else looking out for him. So Borsalino smiled, knowing that he’d stay. He had to look out for that crazy man.

So they trained more, fought more, sparred more. He was basically Sakazuki’s only sparring partner. No one else dared fight with that monster of a man, especially with his lava powers. Even without Haki, that guy was intimidating as heck and he could level a giant ship with the right hit.
So, most of the time they trained together or Sakazuki trained alone. It was one of those times, Sakazuki was shirtless and practicing his punches on the foot of a mountain since that was more fulfilling to use than a punching bag. He was trying a few hits without his powers and Borsalino was tired out from their earlier sparring. After sitting and watching his friend flex his muscles, he got up to go get them a drink.

When he returned, there was someone new on the scene with Sakazuki. A dark-skinned youth with curly dark hair and a Marine uniform. Borsalino slowed, grimacing as he worried that kid was about to get punched. Though he was curious.

“Hey, you're one of Sengoku’s students, right?” The youth said casually as he watched Sakazuki train. He’d settled on one of the rocks nearby, his posture relaxed even though he could see Saka chan demolish that rock with his fists. “We enlisted in the same year but it seems you don’t have a lot of friends.”

Sakazuki didn’t turn around, huffing as his latest punch created a small crater in the mountainside. Borsalino whistled in appreciation as his friend stepped back, wiping his sweat with a towel around his neck before turning to face the newcomer.

“Don’t need them,” Sakazuki growled and Borsalino raised a brow as he watched the exchange. Really, Sakazuki san? Am I chopped liver or something? I’m your friend, you know.

The youth seemed to find this reply amusing and he laughed. He looked young. Younger than Borsalino, perhaps a few years younger than Saka chan.

“Hey, I want to spar with you,” the youth grinned and now Borsalino’s brows shot to his hair line. Did this kid have a death wish?

“I don’t spar with weaklings,” Sakazuki said with a scowl. His tone was not arrogant, nor was it mocking or dismissing as he stared at the other man. He said it like it was a fact. He did not want to hurt this fellow Marine. If he was looking for trouble, he should find it somewhere else.

“Isn’t It rather arrogant of you to decide that before we’ve even fought?” the young Marine said as he got to his feet.
Sakazuki scowled, tossing down the towel as he stared at the youth and Borsalino realized, to his surprise, that this stranger was one of the few that could match them in height.

“Don’t expect me to go easy on you,” Sakazuki scowled.

“Yeah, I don’t expect you to,” the stranger grinned as he raised his fists. “Just don’t be surprised when you end up flat on your ass.”

This guy. Borsalino chuckled as he sat to watch because this was going to be interesting.

Then began the strangest and most amazing fight he’d ever seen in his life. True to his word, Sakazuki had no plans on going easy on him. He never went easy on anyone in a fight, much to the sorrow of Borsalino’s joints. Sakazuki attacked straight on with a punch that packed both strength and firepower. Imagine their response when the youth returned with a blockade of ice.
Both their eyes widened when they realized this opponent also had a devil fruit power. Since Sakazuki ate the magma fruit, he had found no equals on the sparring ground.

Without giving him time to adjust, the youth launched a punch as well, landing smack on Saka chan’s jaw. Borsalino’s mouth fell open and Sakazuki cracked his jaw for a moment, both fighters stepping back to reassess each other. Now the youth was grinning and Sakazuki realized something that made his eyes burn with excitement.

Perhaps this stranger could keep up with him. The Magma man got serious and they launched into a fight.
Borsalino stared in amazement, finishing both drinks as he watched but he was loath to stand up and get more. It was so exciting. This man could match Saka chan hit for hit, pace for pace. They were moving nearly at light speed. Every punch was blocked but another punch quickly followed. They bobbed and weaved and dodged and attacked, like two wild tigers fighting for dominance. Ice met Magma and the youth’s punches actually hurt. Despite being so young he’d amassed a lot of power. And Saka chan, his eyes were bright in delight and Borsalino saw the hints of a grin on his face.

Seeing that surprised the man of Light, but it also made him smile. Saka chan was having fun.

The fight ended with the stranger getting knocked flat on his ass. It took a while for them to get to that point, they were both exhausted. The boy breathed heavily, his chest rising and falling as Sakazuki stood above him. He laughed, hand wiping his sweat and he grinned up at the man of Magma.

“I lost,” the stranger said with a small laugh, waving his hand to show he surrendered, then Sakazuki stepped back.
“Even though I talked big. How embarrassing,” the man chuckled.

Borsalino smiled when Sakazuki stretched out a hand to the stranger, much to the man’s surprise. There was no smile on his face, but still his eyes sparkled with pride.

“No,” Sakazuki said, looking that stranger dead the eyes. “You did well.”

The youth blinked but took that heated hand. Saka’s hands were always extra hot after every battle, but the man’s ice seemed to balance it perfectly and he rose to his feet with a smile. This was the first time that Sakazuki had exerted himself in a fight against a peer. Besides Borsalino, usually the only one that could match him were their superiors.

“I never introduced myself, my name is Kuzan,” the beautiful dark-skinned youth grinned. “You?”

“Sakazuki,” he said with a nod of acknowledgment. “See you around then, Kuzan.”

“Wait wait wait!” Borsalino gasped as he leapt to his feet. “You can’t just leave like thaaat!”

“Woah, I didn’t see you there,” Kuzan blinked in surprise but Borsalino just grinned.

“Kuzaaaaan, you must be tired right? Come join us for lunch? It’s about time right?” Borsalino beamed.
“Really?” The youth blinked surprised and glanced at Sakazuki, trying to see if he was fine with it. The Magma man just scoffed as he picked up his discarded shirt, but he didn’t mind at all.
“Do what you want,” Sakazuki said and Kuzan rubbed the back of his neck.

“You really don’t have to, I mean, I came here looking for trouble,” he said with a nervous laugh.
“Don’t worry about that, I’m Borsalino by the waaaaaay,” he beamed.
“N-nice to meet you, Borsalino san,” Kuzan said with a small smile.

He was cute. So adorably cute that Borsalino wanted to take his cheeks and squeeze them. So powerful yet so earnest, of course he had to snatch him up right away. After all, Kuzan was the first person Sakazuki had shown interest in in years.

From that day on, the three of them started to do a lot of things together. They became Vice Admirals together and then Admirals. Without knowing it, Kuzan became an important part of their unofficial family. They’d even gotten their titles together, Akainu, Kizaru, Aokiji.
They planned to go all the way to the top with him, and for a long time, all three of them were the only acknowledged as Admiral in the entire Navy. The most powerful men in the world.

—————————

“Kuzan,” Sakazuki said softly as he stared now at his friend who stood opposite him. For a moment like this to come on a distant island, after everything that had happened between them.

“Do we really have to fight like this?”

Perhaps that was the same question that Kuzan was asking himself as he stood across his friend. How long had it been since they’d fought and trained together? Years?
The first time they’d sparred, they’d become friends.

“I don’t want to,” Kuzan admitted, the cold wind tugged at his Marine jacket. “But if this is what things have come to. Then know that I won’t hold back.”

“I don’t expect you to,” Sakazuki responded softly and both their hearts ached at the recollection of a distant memory.

The position of Fleet Admiral. It was the first time that Kuzan would fight him directly for anything. He’d always known the other man to be calm, perhaps a both slothful, but casual in his ambition. They both fought for justice and the right thing. This fight as well was for the sake of justice.
Sakazuki had worked his whole life to create change. He was not letting this opportunity go.

And Kuzan had spent his whole life seeing the change that Sakazuki would create. He’d seen the burnt refugee ships and the cries of their soldiers that had fallen during the Marineford war. Soldiers that Akainu himself had taken down.
When did that happen?

When had they gone from Sakazuki and Kuzan. To Akainu and Aokiji. When had those titles stolen away their names?

Aokiji had heard that absolute justice could corrupt the soul and turn a person mad. Was that what had happened? Have you gone mad my friend?

——-

“I don’t think what Sakazuki’s fighting for is justice anymore,” he’d said quietly after the Marineford battle. He’d had no one else to speak to but Borsalino. Kuzan found it hard to understand the man of light. He didn’t really wear his emotions on his face. Instead of Sakazuki’s emotionless mask, Borsalino’s was one of apathy.

His senior had sat beside him, watching the soldiers gather bodies, mountains of corpses piling high.
“He wants to put an end to all pirates,” Borsalino said softly. “To stop the bad things in the world you know.”

“Innocents will die in the process,” Kuzan said, his hand curling into fists. “I’ve stayed by his side, I’ve watched over him. I know he means well Borsalino, I know it. But they’re….they’re going to make him fleet admiral.”

Borsalino was silent when he heard that, trying to picture a world where Akainu had that much power. He would be one step closer to achieving his dream.
“He’s wanted it his whole life.”

“People are going to die!” Kuzan said and he whirled to face him. The air was tense between them, something unspoken as they stared at each other.

“Pirates,” Borsalino said.

“More than just pirates and you know it!” Kuzan glared. “You’re hoping so badly there’s something of him still there…. I’m hoping too.” At these words his voice softened and Borsalino saw the pain in his eyes that was hard to talk about these days.
The light admiral tried to ignore the twisting in his heart, and the worry because he’d seen….traces of what Kuzan seemed to fear.

“But I can’t save him from in here, not like this,” Kuzan went on. “I have to stop him. I have to…. I can’t let him do this. Not to us, not the them.” He gestured at the fallen Marines, the broken Marineford and the world they were supposed to protect. “Not to himself. Someone has to stop him, Borsalino san. Someone has to.”

———-

Akainu and Aokiji faced each other, a long history between them. They fought for ten days and ten nights, both fighting to save the world in the way they both believed was right.

While they fought, Borsalino remained at headquarters, unable to sleep for ten days and ten nights.
He watched the seas each day, and saw the storm of ice and fire from an island miles and miles away.

‘How are they doing?’ He couldn’t help but wonder. ‘Were they staying warm? Were they eating well?’

Foolish worries when he knew the award being waged and his heart could not rest.

The announcement of the battle’s end reached Marineford before the victor did, and Kizaru came outside to greet Akainu.

His friend was bruised and battered, still standing on two feet. There was blood on his face and Kizaru did not have the strength to ask if it was his or…..

When Akainu returned to headquarters alone, there were no words that needed to be said. Kizaru sat beside his hospital bed in silence, and silently they grieved.

So kuzan….would not be coming back.

Their friend could lay low. Could. Should. But this was the first time he’d ever fought Akainu on anything. If Kuzan fought again, he’d be labeled a criminal. If Kuzan was labeled a criminal….

Borsalino’s hands curled into fists as he did not want to think about what that would mean for them or their friendship.

Being a Marine and changing the world was no a joke, and Kizaru knew what it would come to if either of them were given the order to strike.

He wished that fight hadn’t happened. A selfish part of him wished that Kuzan had stayed.

But they’d all grown so old, and he’d be lying if he said he did not know why Kuzan had left.

The justice that they fought for…. No, he would not think of that. Would not think of that. Borsalino could rest. What Akainu needed right now was Kizaru, and by his side Kizaru would stay.

It must have been a hard battle for Saka chan, for the first time his friend had been at a loss. But all the same, Borsalino was grateful, that in some way, they were both okay. They were both alive. And a selfish part of him hoped, that it would stay that way.

And perhaps one day, if not in this life then in the next, they could all be friends again, in the world of their dreams. A world that blossomed with peace.

————

Kizaru followed Akainu everywhere, and he’d follow Akainu into the darkness if he asked.

Even when the justice they fought to protect seemed twisted, even when gaps appeared in the heroes they were supposed to become. Even when their superiors bought and sold people, killing women and children. It was not his place to question, he just had to believe that surely this sacrifice was worth the greater good.

Like they’d sacrificed all those pregnant women….to completely miss the son of Gol D. Roger anyway. Like they’d sacrificed every person in O’Hara.

Like they’d sacrificed Zephyr when he’d threatened to burn their world now. Every move and decision was to protect the masses at the expense of one.

And that’s why Egghead was burning.

The smoke rose high into the sky, the fire danced in the light of the day. Egghead was burning.

He was not to question it, it had never been his duty to question or his place for his resolve to shake. So what if he knew these people for over twenty years? What if he’d worked at their side because the military had assigned him there? So what if he’d watched a genius create things that men could only dream of….and they were burning it down.

Sakazuki had said they’d joined the military to save the world.

His hands were shaking.
Vegapunk was nearly in tears in front of him. Of course he was. It would take an empty man not to cry at the scene before them. Years of research, of dedication and wonder, turned to dust.

There was a time that Borsalino had maybe liked to read. He’d collected books and stocked them high because he enjoyed that pass time. He liked to study and learn and know.

But he’d joined the military. He couldn’t remember what he liked outside of Akainu before Vegapunk. His scientist friend was way smarter than him….

Friend?
Right. Did he even have the right to call him friend when Vegapunk looked at him that way?

Powerless.

It has been a while since Kizaru had felt like that. Powerless to stop the buster call because Saturn had ordered it. Powerless to sneak off to do anything else because Saturn had him in their sights.

They asked him to kill him.

To kill the man who’d returned wonder to his life. The only other thing he had left outside of Akainu. He was to destroy that with his own hands.

Kizaru was an empty person, a windup doll that obeyed. He’d been crafted to be that thing for over fifty years of dedication and loyalty. And so the Marine’s magnificent weapon raised his hand and did as he was commanded.
And for the first time, in fifty years, he questioned…..

He questioned.

When Sentomaru’s body fell he questioned.

He’d never been the best at doing his job. He hadn’t necessarily taken it seriously. Sure, a few pirates got away here and there and he didn’t particularly like killing children.

He questioned why that was in the job description at all.

He questioned why he’d been asked to kill Bonney. The girl was no scientist. Her father had tried to save her.
He questioned when a laughing teenager was declared a threat and all who knew about him was sentenced to die.
He questioned every fiber of his being that dictated he raise his hand to end everything he’d once treasured and adored.

He questioned, he questioned, he questioned and he was falling apart!

And when the dust settled on that horror field, Akainu called.

Akainu who expected more. Akainu who desired perfection. Akainu who was pissed about the leaked tape. Akainu called. Akainu raged.

And Kizaru…. Kizaru finally broke.

And Borsalino exploded.