Marine || One Piece [ENG]

24

     For Leona, the worst part of any fight was what came after it. Waiting for the fight, preparing the right strategy or the course itself - it was nothing. Sure, the pressure and responsibility one felt at the time was terrible, even overwhelming. But it was after the fight that the amount of losses began to sink in. And there was no relief about it.

Leona didn't even wince as Belly tightened the bandage on her arm. She showed no emotion while tending to her wounds. She was half sitting, half lying in some chair that had been pulled down right after Mak saw her condition, and then he flew around her until she shooed him away, leaving him in Belly's hands.

Leona's black eyes were focused on the battlefield. The place that was the battlefield. It was still chaos. The less injured took care of those who had serious wounds. Some people collected dead bodies and placed them at the shore, covering them with white cloth. Around her, at a distance, the wounded lay or sat being treated.

Suddenly two people with a stretcher with someone lying on it ran towards one of the ships. Another serious case requiring surgery.

How many died today?

Leona failed to protect everyone. She certainly reduced the number of deaths and injuries. But as she looked at each dead body being placed next to the rest, she couldn't help but feel guilty.

If I were stronger...

"We've finished interestingly" Belly started suddenly, without stopping her work. "We're not in the Navy anymore. Who would have thought that one day this would happen."

A moment of silence. Leona just listened, having nothing to say.

" Will we be some kind of rebels now? Revolutionaries? Pirates?" Belly pressed on. "We need to think about what to do next. Have you thought about what's next?"

Belly paused for a moment. Leona finally looked into her hazel eyes before calmly going back to looking at the field.

"I'm still considering my options," was all Leona said.

"I see," Belly said, starting to sew up her calf. "Remember, whatever you decide, we will follow you."

That's why it's a difficult decision.

They heard the clatter of shoes on the ground before they heard Shanks' voice.

"You're doing quite well considering your wounds," he said in a cheerful tone, approaching them slowly. His silhouette blocked Leonie's view of most of the battlefield. He measured Leona's body, which was 3/4 covered in bandages. "If it weren't for the situation and the way you look, I would think you were trying to seduce someone by parading around in your underwear."

Leona looked at him with empty eyes. She was starting to get irritated by Shanks' cheerful and playful attitude at this moment, right after such a battle. Even though she knew it was to improve everyone's mood at least a little. However, at this point....

"At this moment, if I had the strength, I would have punched you in the stomach to break your ribs and then pulled out those red hairs."

Shanks blinked his eyes rapidly in surprise, then burst into loud, contagious laughter. A lot of glances went his way, but people immediately went back to what they were doing.

"Aggressor," Belly snorted, continuing to bandage Leona's wounds.

" The seriousness with which you said it with baby plasters on your face was disarming." Shanks said, rubbing the corner of his eye where a tear had formed from laughing.

"Seriously?" Leona asked deadly, looking at Belly with resignation.

" I didn't have any others."

"You never have. Start carry with you normal plasters."

"Nah. I like these, they're cute."

"Then carry normal ones too."

"There you are, you're whining."

"No, these plasters are great" Shanks interjected, to which Belly clapped her hands and happily pointed at him.

"Right? Right? this is my man, follow his example, Leo"

"Belly, you tore my skin" Leona said calmly, looking at the blood leaking slightly from the stitches Belly was sewing

" Oh fuck, sorry."

"It's cool, I'm used to it."

– Oh, thanks, that's who you are.

" Not because of you. Because of you too, I mean. But overall it was about everyone spilling my blood."

"I SEE. You won't get any more super plasters."

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear."

" ...True, so you'll get it after all, and a ton of them."

"Go get lost."

"So that's the famous big sister," Shanks concluded. Leona immediately broke away from Belly, wondering what "like that" meant to him. "It's good to finally meet you in person."

"It's a pity that it came under such circumstances" Leona said, and then added: "Famous older sister huh, what did your siblings tell you about me?" she asked, curious about what she might find out, but she didn't get an answer because of the next people who came.

" Captain" she heard Vincent's voice, who suddenly appeared and Mak right next to him.

Vincent ran his violet irises over the company to stop looking at her. He approached with quick, confident steps. Behind him was Mak, with an unusually red face and spiky white hair, resembling an angry duck.

Leona smiled at the thought.

"He's unprofessional," Mak said like a angey little child, and looked at Leone for support. " He's just trying to order me around. Sister, tell him something!"

"He's my right hand man, so his orders are my orders," Leona said patiently, only to be met with disagreement from Mak.

"No, they are not, no word that comes from the mouth of this low-class, unworthy form of life can be treated by me as your word " said Mak indignantly, gesturing a little with his hands.

Leona stared blankly for a moment as Belly held back her laughter, continuing to attend to the smaller wounds on her body. Shanks was quiet for now, observing the situation with an expression that was hard to read.

Mak looked from Vincent to Leone, immediately brightening up and waiting for her words, while Vincent was stoic as always, although slightly irritated by Mak's behavior.

" Just listen to Vincent. Otherwise I'll be mad," Leona finally said with a sigh, frowning as Belly placed another patch of kitten prints on her forearm.

Mak let out a series of disgruntled grunts, casting a wry glance at Vincent, who just looked at him calmly.

"You know what to do," Vincent said calmly, which only made Mak furious. He looked with angry icy blue eyes from under his white bangs, then, muttering curses at the man, he marched away, still saying a nice goodbye to Leon, waving his hands.

Leona sighed once he was gone.

"No," Leona muttered warningly, seeing that Belly was trying to give her another pink patch, and she stuck it on anyway, ignoring Leona's objections.

"So," Leona began, slightly looking between Vincent and Shank, "what brings you to our lovely little corner?" She asked  Shanks.

"I wanted to talk for a moment, say hello. I've heard a lot about you," Shanks replied as he approached and sat down in front of her. He took out a bottle of sake and a cup from under his coat, placed them on the ground, placed his hand on his knee, and looked at her with his sharp eyes with a slight smile.