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Reports from headquarters reached her unit both quickly and too late. So he was the pirate king’s son. Isuka never knew that.
She’s come to realize, lately, that she didn’t know a lot of things. About Portgas D. Ace, about Vice Admiral Draw, and least of all about herself.
Isuka hasn’t been eating much. She hasn’t been sleeping much either. She’s wandered the ship aimlessly the past few nights, her white officer coat in her hands instead of the usual place on her shoulders.
Their central tenet is absolute justice. Isuka used to be so proud of the kanji emblazoned on her back. It’s been getting harder and harder to ignore the burn scar on her hand like she always does. She can’t stop thinking about what Admiral Akainu did to Ace. What Vice Admiral Draw did to her. What they and countless other marines still do to innocents, all in the pursuit of this so–called justice.
When Isuka climbs into bed, it’s dawn.
A few hours from now, the ship will set anchor in Lulusia, and they will have shore leave for three days.
Isuka is burning the coat at her earliest convenience. She will not be returning.