One Piece: The Sacred Justice Chapter

2

It was a cold, grayish morning. Koby's eyes fluttered open from the couch, a blanket draped around his shoulders as he reached for his glasses at the coffee table. He caught sight of the unfinished paperwork from the previous night, then of his alarm clock. Turns out, he had overslept for the third time that week, the ever increasing reports being the only culprit.

He groomed himself in record time—three sips of coffee, coat on, and out the door. The chill in the air greeted him as he passed the training grounds, running into none other than Junko.

"Oi! Why didn't you wake me up?" The pink-haired asked, his voice tinged with hurry.

"I just thought you should've slept more." She blurted.

"Aw, don't worry about me." He let out a soft chuckle. "I'm a veteran on this kind of stuff. When you were little, do you have any idea of how many nights I spent awake to help you sleep through your nightmares?"

Junko looked up, subtly nodding in acknowledgment.

"I have to receive the troop's survivors at the deck. I could use some company." Koby offered her his arm, which she intertwined her slimmer one with, and so, they hurried towards the deck where chaos awaited. 

Junko hovered around the sidelines, her eyes widening as she heard the soldiers' pained cries and saw the blood trailing from their wounds, her lips pressed together in a thin line.

Her clenched fists portrayed the overwhelming unease she felt as the paramedics transferred the injured to the medical bay, while Koby and Helmeppo made sure everything stayed in order.

"Dammit..." The latter clicked his tongue. 

Koby just remained silent, incapable to intone a single word. He couldn't help but to feel diminished in comparison to the escalating threats beyond restraint. Suddenly, a familiar figure approached; a tall, brown-haired man with a beaming smile, juxtaposed with the current circumstances. 

"Ah, Vice-Admiral Walker." Koby turned around. 

"Fleet Admiral Koby, Admiral Helmeppo." The man shook both's hands. "Always a pleasure. As you can see, we've entangled ourselves in a rather difficult situation."

"I should've known something was off when I didn't receive your report." Helmeppo crossed his arms over his chest. "The ship also received considerable damage."

"We're glad you could make it." Koby added. "I consider we should wait until we can send out any other troops. Aside from that, I've been thinking of heightening the standards for our recruits."

"Just give them more time." Helmeppo interjected. "Even though it could work, I wouldn't like to put an extra weight on their shoulders, if you know what I mean." 

"Oh, that's nothing." Walker scoffed, waving his hand in dismissal. "I've trained Junko since she was six, and she managed some really great progress."

"Yeah, but Junko's case is different." The blond glared at him. "She practically grew up here, besides, she's the daughter of, well... You know who."

"Could we just leave Junko out of this?" Koby sighed. "It isn't about her."

"What are you talking about?"

The colleen spawned from behind, startling them with her enigmatic presence.

"Nothing you should worry about." The pink-haired gently squeezed her shoulder.

"You're lying." She blurted. 

"Junko, please. We're in the middle of a conversation." Helmeppo subtly pushed her aside with a sheepish smile. "We'll tell you later."