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New Marineford
A real fortress and battleship heaven to prevent from starting another Summit War. Many people would call that place a 'Marine elite palace' because only high-graded soldiers were allowed to step foot in it, and also because it was so close to the Holy Land of Mary Geoise.
Once you get used to the place, however, that's when you remove your pink-tinted glasses to see New Marineford as the perfect place to flex your status by swishing your 'Justice' coat around.
"Great... Why did they bring me here again?"
That's where Sulien works most of the time, if he wasn't at sea or in another Marine base. Once the pirate hunt of the day was checked out, he'd come back in New Marineford to complete those 'dumb and boring paperworks', in his words.
"Why would they force a handsome god like me to do work like this?! A smelly chore boy should be the one doing it instead!", Sulien would often whine out as he dramatically flipped his silky, blonde hair. No wonder why his co-workers started calling him a petty diva behind his back, but a tolerable petty diva in teamwork nonetheless.
But, that didn't matter for now, because all of the Vice Admirals were reunited in one big table to assist at the new Emperors of the Sea's bounties. Word of mouth was spread about the downfall of both Big Mom and Kaido : two former Emperors who kept their titles and New World dictatorship for several decades.
That certainly didn't convince the blonde diva to get out of his bored state, so he preferred to sit down, cross his arms and wait for the announcement to end. As long as he was free from paperwork...
Blackbeard and Shanks haven't budged a bit as Emperors. Nothing too surprising, so far.
Some blue haired clown named Buggy was promoted Emperor with a bounty of over 3 billion Berries, and the last one was—
"Nika!"
His white, cloud-like hair, his laugh covering more than half of his face ; He looks just like the Sun God, the one who had helped his ancestors by guiding them with his light.
But, no. That couldn't be him. The bounty poster called him 'Monkey D. Luffy' instead. Sulien could only pray—
"Is there anything you wish to add, Vice Admiral Sulien?"
Sakazuki Akainu, the Fleet Admiral in charge of the entire Marines, harshly interrupted his bounty announcement to scrunch his nose at the standing Vice Admiral. Without realizing, Sulien had jumped out of his seat in a bang and had gotten judgmental stares from the entirety of the large table.
"N-No, sir. Please... carry on."
Embarrassed, he regained his seat in an awkward shriek and a few giggles from his seating neighbours. The rest of the discussion fell into a blur as Nika was all the blonde man could think about.
Monkey D. Luffy... Garp's grandson, again, always causing trouble for us. I was told his body was made out of rubber, but... so was Nika's... Does the Gum-Gum fruit not exist at all?
One by one, his thoughts stacked up to the point of questioning his position in the Marines. How could he have become the natural enemy of the Sun God, now reincarnated as a pirate? He wasn't aware of a Devil Fruit like this one resurfacing after several centuries, yet he had never felt so out of touch and disrespectful towards his ancestors.
Forgive me father, mother, my grandparents... It's too late for me to quit my job just to... waste it all by playing pirates! I hate them anyway!
The guilt weighted on his back, even after his dismissal once the announcement ended. For the first time in a while, his co-workers were teasing him instead of Sulien doing vice-versa.
"Yo, Sull'! Who's this Nika guy you mentioned?"
"Are you okay? You seem pretty out of it."
"Let's leave him be. He's probably got a lot on his mind right now."
And so, they all went back to their respective office rooms, one door slam by one, until there was only Sulien left. He was nose-to-nose with his office door like he had been several hundreds of times, but this time around, the painted Marine symbol was making him... dizzy. Was he living on a fat lie by assuming the Marines to be the true logo of freedom? There was no way he could concentrate like th—
"DAMN IT ALL, STRAW HAT!!!"
That... shout covered the hallway. The door from behind was closed, but it did anything but deafen the roar and desk slam inside. That voice belonged to Smoker's, a Vice Admiral who Sulien had seen down the hallways a couple of times. Apparently, he was the one in charge of the G-5 base, but he would stop by from time to time in New Marineford for tasks outside of Sulien's business.
"Great, that guy again...", Sulien rolled his eyes under his pale eyelashes.
If there was one thing Smoker was known for in his field, it was most certainly his loud and open obsession over hunting down Garp's grandson for who-knows-why. He also had his clumsy, four-eyed Captain following him a few steps behind with the classic salute 24/7.
I wonder if she gets tired from the constant Luffy rants... and if she has arm cramps. Pathetic.
Before he knew it, Sulien was sticking his ear against the door. Smoker was always the first one to complain about Monkey D. Luffy on the newspapers. If there was someone in the Marines to interview and compare his answers with Nika's traits, Smoker would be a damn good candidate.
Well, first of all, Sulien should have considered knocking on the loosely closed door instead of pushing it open with his ear.
"... Why were you spying on me?"
But the Vice Admiral had no time to feel ashamed once more, because, second of all, he had almost forgotten why people called him Smoker in the first place : the dense scent of smoke clouding all over the room. Sulien may smoke from time to time, but even he needed to adjust himself with a few grandpa coughs.
"Yeah, you're gonna die of lung cancer before I do..." , Sulien faintly muttered through the corner of his mouth as he awkwardly closed the door behind him.
"I won't repeat myself."
Right, right! No time to zone out again.
Smoker stood ta-... wait, not that tall, actually. With Sulien being a few inches higher, seven feet to be precise, he was almost looking down at a medium grumpy man with two cigars sticking out of his mouth and an open jacket as his sole top.
Pfft! It's not like nervous was my middle name!, he reassured himself before coughing over his fist to give out an answer. He quickly eyed the bounty poster underneath Smoker's palm.
"Well, I wasn't that much interested in that Luffy guy, but, recently, there was something in the news that piqued my interest about him. I think the entire establishment knows about your history with him, so... what was he like?"
There was a tense pause between the two of them. While Sulien was sheepishly smiling the awkwardness out, Smoker blew out a puff to concentrate on whether or not his co-worker was telling lies with his body language.
"Are you gonna check me out instead? I do appreciate the gesture.", the blonde man teased out with wiggling eyebrows and a sassy hip push. Anything related with the blonde man's appearance was bound to unleash his diva side, which is why it was best to return talking about Luffy.
That cheeky smile was simply in Sulien's nature instead of a skeptic sign.
"He's a reckless troublemaker, and an exhausting dine-and-dasher. His energy meets no end, not even when it comes to destroying private properties. He knows no rules, no chains, not even seastone. Worst of all... his smile doesn't falter when in front of death."
So far, Sulien was nodding between commas, because Smoker was basically describing the average pirate he hunts down on the daily. However, that last characteristic trait did snap his head up with an arched eyebrow. The average pirate would coward their way out of death.
"Does it, now?"
Finally! Something I can associate with Nika.
That was when Smoker sighed once more. There was a bit of storytelling he needed to do first.
"I first met Straw Hat over two years ago, back in Loguetown. A series of mishaps led him to being guillotined by that other Emperor, Buggy, on Roger's execution platform. Right as the blade met his neck, he simply smiled at the crowd without fighting back."
~~
"I'm sorry. I'm dead!"
~~
"Lightning coincidentally struck on the platform. He got out of there alive, but..."
He shakily paused his story to pull his second cigar out of his mouth. For someone as well groomed, robust and muscular as him, a light hitch in his breath did not deafen in Sulien's ears.
"... I was there during Gold Roger's execution. He wore that same smile, right before dying. His presence shivered the world, his death left a new pirate era in his will, and I'm here to cease it. Luffy's smile told me he was going to be the next Roger ; the one I need to arrest before he terrifies the whole world too."
From a two-dimensional point of view, the only bounty of Luffy's name on the desk was the 3 billion Berries one. A mere slide on that paper sheet revealed Smoker's sheer collection of the boy's bounty posters, dating all the way back to his East Blue journey at 30 million Berries.
That was the one Smoker had pinched up for the blonde man to see.
You know, for someone with a constant resting bitch face, he does seem passionate about that one, specific pirate.
"I've been on the hunt for Straw Hat Luffy ever since. While I did manage to pin him down a few times, there was always someone else who would get in my way..."
Just when his story was getting more and more detailed, the chronic cigar user suddenly brushed the rest of the story aside. There was no way he could confess his laughable misfortune in a professional environment.
First, there was Dragon, the chief of the Revolutionary Army, in Loguetown.
Then, there was Portgas D. Ace, Luffy's deceased older brother, in Alabasta.
Next, it was the ocean itself, also in Alabasta. Since he can't swim, Zoro was ordered by Luffy to save him. Straw Hat's entire crew helplessly stood in front of him, but he willingly let them go. That failed attempt wasn't misfortune, for he prioritized his own justice.
There's no such thing as a second flee. That was what he told himself after rencountering Luffy during the Summit War at Marineford, but, once again, Boa Hancock ignored her title as Warlord of the Sea to not only save Luffy's life, but also shatter his jitte, Smoker's main weapon.
Finally, when the Straw Hat Pirates had made their grand reappearance from a two-year hiatus, Smoker wasted no time to hunt him down in Punk Hazard. Even then, Trafalgar Law held him off as Luffy's ally, and his jitte was once again destroyed by Vergo.
"It's as if the system was ready to break itself to help Straw Hat..." , Smoker made sure his words were only audible for himself by reinserting a cigar mid-whisper.
"Now that he's become an Emperor of the Sea, I'm skeptic of what's he got up his sleeve. He may have saved kingdoms and ended Kaido's tyranny, but his unpredictable nature may be destructive on the long run..."
There he had it : Smoker's chronological record with Straw Hat Luffy. It was a story meant to be taken seriously and at heart...
...but, Sulien chose to puff out a laugh : one that echoed all around the room.
"PFFT! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!"
It was too great. It was too similar. With Sulien holding his face up, he was practically imitating Luffy's pose as the Sun God. Without context, Smoker grew enraged with gritted teeth at someone else yet again mocking his devoted hunt.
"What's so funny?!" his face furiously flushed while slamming down Luffy's bounty back on his desk. At that, Sulien died off his laugh with a low whistle, stabling his position.
"Just as I thought... he really is the Sun God."
"Huh?"
Looks like it's my turn to do a bit of explaining.
The hand on his forehead sensually snaked down to his neck, stamped by a prominent white sun mark kissing his tanned skin.
"See that sun mark?", he pointed it out with a light finger tap. "That's not a tattoo, but a birthmark. I'm one of the last Solari, a rare species from eons ago. In our history, we fought against all kinds of oppression alongside Nika, the Sun God, as his light allowed to strengthen us all. The sun mark captures that light and turns it into energy, basically like a solar panel."
The sun mark brighten up ever so slightly on the outlines, even though there was no natural light in the room. It had been a while since Sulien got to share a part of the culture that he was so proud to be part of.
"Nika didn't just get along with Solari. Slaves, buccaneers, giants ; he was valued by multiple communities as they all called him 'The Warrior of Liberation'. He had white hair and a smile just as bright as that recent wanted poster. Nowadays, the texts about Nika are long gone, but the tales are like an oral heritage in my family, passed down from generation to generation."
For the first time in the conversation, Sulien took a few steps closer to gaze at the 3 billion Berries bounty on Luffy's head and lean against the desk.
"What you just told me about Luffy sounded a lot like my Sun God. He frees kingdoms from corruption, he smiles no matter the circumstances, the people he befriends will sacrifice a bit of themselves to help him out, and most importantly..."
In a blink, Sulien's eyes were staring straight into Smoker's, layered by his tough facade.
"It's a bit hard not to admire him, no matter how serious you look. At least, that's what you sounded like.", he smirked out while palming his face and resting his elbow on the desk. He sure looked amused as he witnessed Smoker getting ticked off.
"Watch your tone, mister.", he warned the Solari once more, but his words were all bark, no bite. Deep down, he had longed for someone not sighing at him whenever he was talking about Luffy, often being told to get back to work. He knew even Tashigi was sometimes holding back her annoyance for the sake of professionalism, but said annoyance was mutual when it came to her sword-collecting dream.
And now, he had an unreadable co-worker in his temporary office, smiling at him without judgment.
" 'Tell you what. I can make a deal with you."
"Hm?"
The Solari stood up straight with crossed arms. His confident smile disappeared in a flash, turning his amused gaze into a cold one.
"I can't let you kill Nika. Absolutely not. My ancestors would never forgive me if I did. Instead, if you've got some free time, we could kick some rubber butt together. We are seeking for the same person, are we not?"
As much as Sulien was trying to convince Smoker for an alliance, there was a part of him who was also convincing himself to use his Marine status without bringing shame on his entire lineage. The pressure was even heavier, considering he was one of the lasts of his kind.
"I'd just like to fight against him, at least once, because I always wanted to see a part of my history with my own eyes."
When it comes to Nika, from now on, that'll be my code of justice.
Being emotional for too long was out of Sulien's character. There was that cheeky smile shaping his lips and teeth again.
"Besides, it's not every day a handsome man like me personally comes to you for an arrangement, served on a golden platter. I'd advise you think wisely." , he ended off with a wink that brushed his blonde eyelashes, but it didn't falter Smoker's barely changing indifference.
He looks shy... maybe, I don't need to come with him for Nika alone... , Sulien chuckled out with his shoulders.
In reality, however, Smoker was seriously considering it. As annoying and as arrogant the Solari was, he wasn't going to bring him down for following morals that don't quite align with the Absolute Justice enforced by the Fleet Admiral. That was how he worked too, and his way of justice did include open-mindedness towards foreign cultures. Now, how could he say yes without having to stoke up the melodramatic man...
"I—"
Knock knock knock!
They turned their heads at the same time towards that closed door.
"Party pooper...", the diva pouted out, but a hand stopped him from approaching that door.
"I'll go get it." , the white-haired man bluntly said, albeit a little hastier than usual. Upon turning the knob, he was met with his partnered Captain Tashigi, always at it with hitting her forehead for a salute.
"Vice Admiral Smoker! My job here is done! We can sail back to G-5!"
"About time.", he sighed, snapping back to reality with his aloof demeanor and going back to smoke two cigars at once instead of one. However, he couldn't walk out for good without folding his Luffy's wanted poster collection... and a final word with Sulien.
"This isn't our last talk."
It was a subtle whisper through the paper rustling noises, but it was enough to leave an excited gasp out of the blonde man as Smoker turned his back. He couldn't tell whether or not it was a good idea to take one last look at his temporary office.
"Call meeeeee~", Sulien had mouthed out while pretending to hold something near his mouth to imitate a transponder snail call.
Soon enough, it was just him, the office, and Smoker's familiar aroma of cigar and cologne he had left behind.
I didn't even get to introduce myself properly... we must've been so engrossed. Oh well! It's not like he can forget a face like mine, the Solari proudly snickered to himself, but his laughter was quickly cut short by what the empty hallway revealed to him : his office door, waiting to be opened.
Ah, shit. Dumb paperwork. Just transfer me to G-5 already...