MARINES - A ONE PIECE story (ENGLISH) - Part I

CHAPTER VIII - Vice-Admiral's judgement

Dear readers, 

Thank you all for you support ! Keep reading MARINES : a One Piece story, great things will come ! To celebrate the tenth chapter of the French version, I created a poll : vote for you favourite character by following the link in the comments ! 

High Magistrate Burgins was a very orderly man : he filed all his documents, always answered his calls, and liked things to be done on time. So when the delivery of the pirate Francis Fog was delayed, he decided to send a patrol to meet the procession. On can imagine his surprise when his men returned, half an hour later, covered in blood and dust. They were led by a young soldier whose blonde strands, elegant despite their disorder, mirrored the gold of his blade. Handcuffed to a stretcher, unconscious, the pirate was finally there, an hour late. He was not alone, since another guy, equally damaged and also attached, was also delivered to him. "Arrested for sedition », the young soldier replied soberly when the high magistrate questioned him with his gaze. "And accomplice to an act of piracy," he hastened to add.

Beru was examined by a doctor as soon as possible. Arthur and Sergio stayed by his side until the diagnosis came : he was badly damaged, but he would live. After-effects were to be expected, but they had to wait until he woke up to learn more. For now, the young hero had deserved some rest. A few beds away, Leonce, plastered with his leg and arm, looked at his comrades with gratitude. No loss was to be regretted, except for the material ones. The operation had been, despite the many surprises it had reserved to the young soldiers, a success. Sergio decided to stay with his friends to look after them, and Arthur left. He took refuge on the court terrace on the first floor, and slowly let himself slide against the wall. He dropped Excalibur to the ground, and cuddled Peck, who, nestled in his hands, cooed peacefully. They were exhausted.

Zell joined them a few minutes later. He leaned on the wooden railing and looked at the city : the fires were extinguished, the noises had stopped, but the thick smoke remained. You could see soldiers from the 32rd Brigade leading Fog's minions to court. Only a few were left, injured or unconscious. All this would be over soon. Zell's gaze then turned to the sea, as calm and serene as the city after the outpouring of violence that had struck it. Slowly, he looked away and approached Arthur with his hand outstretched.

- Madeira Zell, A team shipwright, at your service.

They had never formally introduced themselves.

- Arthur, replied the other, shaking his hand.

Zell sat by his side, and they did not move for a few minutes.

They were pulled out from their daydream by the sound of a den-den mushi, that of Arthur. He pulled it out of his pocket and listened :

- This is Vice-Admiral Myr. Don't move from Yagura, I'll be there at dawn.

Then their leader hung up, without adding any more details. Arthur and Zell looked at each other for a few seconds, wary, and then burst out laughing, a liberating and redeeming laugh after this endless day.

- Well... He sounded upset ! D'you think he's going to give us a dressing-down ? asked Zell.

- Who knows ? It wasn't that bad... answered his comrade.

...

They spent the evening together, chatting about everything and nothing while drinking rum in the old port. Step by step, Arthur learnt more about the man who had intimidated him at first : he was born at Water Seven, and had worked at a very young age for one of the seven major shipwright companies, where his father was employed. There, he was trained to use saws and chisels, to recognize the various types of wood, and to repair the ships. When his father died, the company director had sacked him, because despite all his brilliance, Zell had a very bad temper. He decided to join the Marine, so he could continue to practice, because the other Water Seven companies now feared him as much as a pirate. After two years of training, the instructors had recommended him for the selection program. He only ranked eighth because of his insolence, his inability to cooperate and his recurring lateness.