Sword

Chapter 29

*(A/N) Song uses the 'fuck' word lol so be careful if listening without headphones 

The first training session in Marineford was a major eye-opener for Shoko. The four hours were spent suffering the most intense strength and endurance boot camp that could possibly ever exist. She ran more laps, did more pushups, and lifted more weight than she ever did while training on her own.

To top it all off, any time Shoko would look away from the task at hand, she would see Garp lurking somewhere off in the distance, eyes covered by his obnoxious dog hat, but almost certainly turned toward her.

Anytime she ran into Coby or Helmeppo, they were covered in bumps and bruises. Apparently Garp had been watching them, too, and gave them a hefty serving of punishment—to put it nicely—any time they deviated from their assigned tasks.

Many other marines referenced the Vice Admiral using the epithet "Garp the Fist," and spoke of him with awe and reverence. He was famous among the Marines as a tough and powerful fighter. Shoko couldn't help but fear her new commanding officer's wrath. She didn't struggle with motivation to begin with, but her desire to avoid angering Garp certainly encouraged her to prove her worth to him.

Even outside of her scheduled training, she often tried to find her own place to exercise and grow stronger. It was during one of these days that Coby and Helmeppo approached her and—bowed over and kneeling—asked her to train them to fight and be stronger too.

"We can't be the marines we want to be only from doing chores!" Helmeppo exclaimed, and Shoko couldn't believe he was the same spoiled crybaby she thought he was back at Shells Town. "Please, even if it pushes us past our limits, help us to become strong!"

"You don't need to bow," Shoko laughed. The two boys looked up anxiously. "You can join me while I train outside of scheduled hours whenever you want."

They both beamed at her, and she couldn't stop herself from adding a slight jab. "I'm glad you're willing to go past your limits, too, because I'm not gonna slow down my own training just for a couple of weaklings."

At this, both of their smiles faltered just for a moment before they both broke into a chorus of "thank you!" and "we won't slow you down!"

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Coby and Helmeppo kept their promise.

Any time they all had a break in their schedules at the same time, they met in an empty training hall where they would spar with one another. They followed Shoko's personal strength training routine as best they could. They never complained about what she had them do, even when they were in a puddle of tears on the floor. When they reached their absolute limits, they would simply take a rest before joining in again.

Shoko couldn't lie to herself; she was proud of them.

They continued this way for several weeks, and as time went on, a friendship began to develop. When they were busy with chore work and Shoko was free, she would sometimes help them with their work (as long as it was something she didn't mind doing it, that is—she would never carry a crate of food from the import docks again if she could avoid it).

One day, she sat with them in a courtyard, pulling weeds from the flowerbeds, when they overheard a group of high-ranking officers discussing a handful of formidable pirates. Shoko and the two boys all paused what they were doing the moment they heard mention of "Monkey D. Luffy" and his fate to be executed should he ever be captured.

Shoko cast a glance at the others to see they wore scowls that matched her own. "It just isn't right," Coby mumbled once the officers had passed.

Shoko stayed silent. She knew exactly what Coby meant. Zoro was viewed the same way by the military. She shuddered to think what would happen if he was ever caught.