Eat Your Heart Out (Smoker X Reader)

One Hell of a Catch

(A/n)
I wanted this extra update done yesterday but I got caught up watching Kill la Kill and my dog was literally nagging me for cuddles so that didn't happen.

The last few hours of daylight dragged on for you as you checked and double checked that you were ready to go. While you were included on the raid for the abandoned building, you weren't in charge of it. You expected as much, but couldn't help but hope Akainu would cut you some slack. But since you technically weren't a police officer, someone else was put in charge of this half of the operation.

At least it was someone you'd met before and liked. Tashigi had a good head on her shoulders and you didn't doubt she knew what she was doing. You'd get to follow close behind her at least. She understood how important it was to you to be there for such a big case. You'd been pouring yourself into it almost non-stop and it was going to pay off quickly if everything went as planned.

When the time came, both groups split up and went on their way to their destinations. Your team consisted of you, Tashigi, and three other cops. Smoker had more people with him since they were going after Bartolomeo himself. Still, you were confident there was more than enough people with you to get the job done. Someone had questioned if there was more than just the two people involved in the murders but you were almost positive that couldn't be the case. The more people involved, the harder it would've been for the cannibal to lay low for so long.

Not to mention it would make it harder to cover up any loose ends if things went South for him. The less people he had helping him, the better things were for him. Now that also worked in your favor. Less good officers would get hurt if there weren't many criminals to apprehend.

Tashigi and you agreed to go in stealthy. When you got to the abandoned building, it was dark out besides the couple street lights that blinked off and on of their own accord. A cat let out a yowl in the distance as the small group approached the building. The fencing surrounding it looked to be a bit of an issue at first but you'd already figured out the solution to that earlier in the day.

The nearest manhole cover was outside of the fence and you had a hunch there'd be a hole cut out of the fencing near it. It'd be hard to take a body up and over, even if it was in pieces. Bartolomeo had to have made it easier for himself somehow so he could get into hiding as quickly as possible.

Just as you thought, that was the case. The hole wasn't very big, but using it would be much quieter than cutting a new one or going over. You had to keep the element of surprise for as long as possible so Gambia wouldn't have time to escape.

Everyone got through while making minimal noise. At one point, one of the men's uniforms caught on the wires, rattling the metal. Everyone stopped breathing and froze all at once for a moment before you bent down to lightly tug the uniform away from the fence and pull the man through without making another noise. It was quiet enough that the one little mistake shouldn't have alerted Gambia, but you still didn't want to take any more chances. All it would take to ruin everything is a slight miscalculation.

When everyone got to the building, the second obstacle became clear. All the doors and windows were covered up with wood and plastic. They had to be coming and leaving the place somehow, but you couldn't tell where without fiddling with the covers. But even in the dark you noticed something. There was a trail of disturbed dirt and trampled grass leading towards the back. You motioned to Tashigi to get her attention and when she came by you pointed it out.

She understood what you were going for without having to say anything and led the way. Once around to the back, you could make out their improvised entrance. There was a rickety wooden ladder propped up under a second story window. The plastic covering it was hanging loosely by a corner and if you looked carefully, you could make out a few dark stains dotting the brick.