Chapter Three
Creak, creak, jar, creak, it went. Creak, creak, jar, creak.
She'd fallen asleep in the pile of hay, her hand curled around the hilt of her sword, prickly stalks digging into her bare shoulders and arms. Her tinted glasses muted the merry glare of the sunlight.
Creak, creak, jar, creak, and the once-in-every-few-dozen-revolutions tinkle from Kuro's bag where he'd propped it against the side of the hay wagon.
That would be the blades. Ten of them. Collected on their way out of the city from Kuro's lodgings. He carried the bag very lightly, very easily. You wouldn't have thought, seeing him swing it at his side, that it had ten blades in it.
Fortunately they hadn't had to use them. While the freed prisoners ran shouting and shooting down to the docks, and all the Marines ran after them in varying degrees of coordination, she and Kuro -- your new Captain, make sure you think it as well as just say it, or your cover's going to slip -- she and Captain Kuro had been picking up their belongings, paying their bills, and arranging a quiet exit from the port at dawn on one of the hay-wagons belonging to a farmer who'd come in to sell his produce.
Creak, creak, jar, creak. "Your thoughts?" Captain Kuro enquired.
Tashigi blinked. "On what, sir?"
Captin Kuro hissed an annoyed breath between his teeth. He was sitting upright, back against the side of the wagon, knees bent to support the folder of papers she'd handed over, feet braced against a plank in the wagon's flooring. "The situation."
Tashigi looked up at the blue sky rather than at her captain, trying to assess what he wanted from her. "Colonel Smoker isn't stupid," she finally said, "and even though he is confident, he wouldn't go putting his men in danger by sailing into the teeth of a gauntlet of cannons. He must have been taken by surprise. But I haven't read the full reports yet," she added hopefully.
"Mnh." Captain Kuro flipped back a page. "Let me summarise. Your colonel was, as you thought, being careful. Went in quietly and made contact with the local Marine base on the target, Brandy Rock. At least a dozen overt pirate ships in port, but nobody tried anything. Maybe it was his reputation."
Tashigi smiled vaguely.
"So he went to pay a 'friendly call'," Kuro's tone dripped with derision, "on the actual person in question, Bonney himself, and took some of his Marines with him."
"One or two dozen, sir?" Tashigi inquired.
"Two dozen." Kuro tilted his head and raised his hand to adjust his glasses. "Does that make a difference?"
Tashigi nodded. "If it had been just a dozen or less, that would have been a polite call. If it was two dozen, then he expected trouble, or meant to make trouble. Sir."
"Ah. How convenient to have you as an assistant." He flipped the page back again. "In any case, after about an hour the remaining Marines received a summons from the colonel to join him at Bonney's headquarters at once. Delivered by one of the men who'd been with the colonel, a written order signed by the colonel. Totally unarguable."
"No wonder they didn't believe it," Tashigi said briskly. "Colonel Smoker wouldn't bother writing an order down and signing it like that."
"And none of the crew realised that?"
"There were . . . some problems, sir," Tashigi admitted reluctantly. "After the Alabasta business, a lot of the regulars on our ship were injured. This was supposed to be just a quick in-and-out mission -- or so I've been told," she corrected herself hastily, "and Colonel Smoker had to take some different regulars."
"Yes. And why weren't you there?" The question went in smoothly, like a well-edged blade.
She'd had time to think about that. She'd had quite enough time to turn the question over, by day, by night, and it still lay like a worm inside her mind. There should have been another solution. "My knee was dislocated during the Alabasta business."
"How?" Kuro interrupted.
Tashigi could feel her mouth thinning to an angry line. "Nico Robin."
"Ah." Oddly, Kuro sounded moderately impressed by this. "Go on."
Tashigi shrugged, then pulled herself up and leant forward to try and get fragments of hay out of her leather vest. "The doctor was very -- outspoken on the subject." Damn sawbones. "He said that if I didn't have it seen to properly and stay off it for a few days, it wouldn't heal properly. Colonel Smoker," damn commanding officers, "put me on temporary reassignment."
"Foolish to leave a reliable officer behind," Kuro commented to his papers.
"That's what I would have said," she agreed.
"Would have?"
"Um. He wasn't available to say it to, sir." Indeed, that had been one occasion where he had written an order down. She'd found it sitting on the desk by her bed when she woke up from the operation.
Tashigi. I need a second-in-command with a working knee. You're serving under Hina till I get back. Smoker.
"And the knee's better now?"
"Much better, sir," she said vigorously. "Hardly gives me any trouble at all. The doctor said it'd be fine for anything short of an invasion."
"Well. Isn't that reassuring." Kuro tapped a finger on his folder. "In any case." Creak, creak, jar, creak. "After receiving the written order from Colonel Smoker, most of his men went trooping off to do what they were told. A few stayed to keep guard on the ship. They were then swarmed by the pirates in the nearby ships. A neat little operation. A couple of them got away, and made it to near Bonney's headquarters, where they saw Colonel Smoker apparently on good terms with him. Deciding that matters were way above their heads, they got out of town on a supply ship, and managed to reach your Colonel Hina. And that's it."
Tashigi frowned thoughtfully. "Colonel Smoker's very hard to beat in a fight," she finally said, and couldn't keep a trace of pride out of her voice. "But he could be trapped. Sea granite, for instance."
Kuro pushed his glasses up with the palm of his hand. "And the written order?"
"Forged." She thought about it. "But it must mean that this Bonney didn't know Colonel Smoker very well."
"And the fact that your Colonel's apparently on good terms with Bonney later?"
Tashigi sighed. "I can't explain that, sir."
"Oh, don't worry about it." Kuro smiled blandly. "I spent years with Jango as my first mate, remember, Claw? There are ways of affecting people's minds. One might even say that the stronger physical types have less mental resistance."
Tashigi chewed that over. It could be taken as an insult to Colonel Smoker. Then again, it could also be seen as a snide reference to Straw Hat Luffy, and she had absolutely no problems with him being insulted. She compromised on, "You think it's some sort of hypnosis or mental control, then, sir?"
Kuro twitched a shoulder. "That would explain the current situation. Though to be able to control a lot of people, especially Marines, as easily as that . . . I admit that I'm curious."
Tashigi wasn't entirely sure that she liked the look in Kuro's eyes at that moment.
---
The good thing about sitting with her back to the prow, Tashigi reflected, was that nobody could creep up on her and try to do something . . . stupid. There were all sorts of stupid things people were trying to do to her, and they ranged from pulling at her new fluffy ears to trying to dislodge her glasses to assassination attempts to certain types of physical proximity.
Kuro -- Captain Kuro, that was -- had informed her that he didn't want his crew damaged in a way that would take more than a couple of days to heal. This significantly cut down her options, especially when there were sharks in the nearby waters.
Siam and Butch had left her strictly alone. She was sure she could take them if she had to. Well, fairly sure. If they were working together and got the drop on her, she could have problems. It might be difficult. They'd exchanged a peculiar, furtive look when Captain Kuro had announced that she was joining the crew. She was still considering what to make of it. It hadn't been the sort of look that signalled Captain's got a new pet, avoid trouble with her that any Marine was familiar with. It had communicated something, though, and she was still wondering what it was.
Tashigi polished her sword and watched the crew.
They were awful. They were disgraces to the name of sailor. No self-respecting Marine captain would have tolerated them for a moment. Hell, most self-respecting pirate captains wouldn't tolerate them for a moment. Half of them would have been over the side and the other half wouldn't have survived to make it over the side. Perhaps they could be vicious enough in a charge, but when it came to reliable cooperation, the only thing that united them seemed to be complete and absolute terror of their captain. They were like birds twitching under a cat's eyes, trying to imitate predators but failing.
It didn't make sense. Why did Kuro bother with crew like this? What did he actually want?
Siam approached. He didn't walk directly; he never did. He somehow sidled forward in a straight line, with smoothly swaying steps that never quite faced the onlooker. Tashigi knew enough of him from the records to make sure that he didn't get a straight grab at her sword.
"A word?" he inquired.
Tashigi gave a curt nod. "Sure."
He curled down near her feet, folding his arms round her knees and gazing up at her. "Just so you know," he remarked quietly in a friendly, conversational, somehow oily tone, "Butch's watching us. So shall we avoid anything too obvious?"
Tashigi swallowed. This was starting to feel uncomfortably like intrigue. "I'm listening," she said, and hoped that it sounded threatening.
"Right." He rested his chin on his knees. "Now first of all, Claw, this isn't a challenge, and it isn't a threat. Right? We're just talking to you like a new crewmate, in a friendly concerned sort of way."
Tashigi sniffed, in a neutral sort of way. "And the we is you and Butch, I take it?"
Siam leered in a way that could have been mistaken for a grin from a distance. "I knew you were bright. Yup. We is me and Butch. Now, you might have figured that since we go way back with Captain Kuro, we'd kinda know more about the sorta thing he'd be up to than you might."
"I'd wondered about that," Tashigi agreed.
"So, yeah." Siam paused to lick a fingernail. "Now, see, sometimes the Captain takes on temporary help for particular operations. And it's kind of obvious at the moment that he's got something in particular in mind. Now we don't have any problems with that. Oh no." He showed his teeth in a grin. "We're all in favour of the Captain doing whatever the Captain wants to do. You can quote us on that." He waited for Tashigi to comment, then when it was obvious she wasn't going to, he continued. "But me and Butch, we figure that once the Captain's finished that particular plan, he wouldn't need that particular temporary help any longer."
Tashigi moved the polishing cloth along the blade of her sword in one smooth sweet moment before asking, "And you -- figure -- that would be a good moment for the temporary help to leave the ship?"
"Hey." Siam flashed a sharp-toothed grin again. "Think of it as being good for your health, Claw. The Captain doesn't like . . . loose ends."
"And you don't like people taking your position," Tashigi replied flatly.
"Like I said. Bright." He smoothly rose to his feet, stretching his shoulders before returning to his usual stooping posture. "Word to the wise, Claw. Me and Butch, we wouldn't lift a finger against the Captain. But when the current plan's over, well -- let's wave goodbye like friends."
Tashigi tried to smile calmly. "I'm just like you, Siam. I'm not going to cross the Captain."
He smirked and walked away.
---
That night, Kuro invited her to his cabin. It was a large room, especially when compared to the broom-closet that she'd been allotted, and it had hardly anything in the way of decoration. He nodded to her to take one of the chairs at the table, and stretched himself out in the window seat.
"Sir?" she asked.
"We're almost there." He folded his arms behind his head and leaned back. "I thought we'd just have a little talk before we arrive, Claw."
Tashigi tried to work through the permutations of this. Kuro wasn't known as the "Captain with a Thousand Plans" for nothing. Perhaps she was expected to say something so that he could react to it? Or was she supposed to react to that so that he could counter-react? Or . . . She frowned. "Sir, let's just assume you won the argument and go on with the briefing."
Kuro gazed at the ceiling. "Very well. Now. We'll be walking around and finding out what's going on, just like any visiting crew of pirates might. You're coming ashore with me. I'm prepared to assume your good behaviour, Claw, but I'm not going to be quite so cruel as to put you under that level of stress. But if I'm doing that, then you're going to have to keep calm and look professional, whatever happens."
"I'd expected that, sir," Tashigi said through gritted teeth.
"On the other hand . . ." Kuro tilted his head to give her a thin little smile. "This isn't going to be the sort of investigation where long planning will be a virtue. We'll probably have to act rapidly once we've assessed the situation. Keep yourself in check, Claw. Remind yourself that it won't be too long a wait."
And that was so obviously bribery to her desire to see Colonel Smoker safe, so very obviously a sop thrown to keep her under control, but she couldn't help but accept it. "Sir," she said with a nod.
"Next question. Will your Colonel be likely to recognise you as you are?"
Tashigi had been thinking about that. "I wouldn't have thought so, sir," she said hesitantly. It wasn't as if he normally noticed anything that didn't involve Marine matters, pirate matters, or immediate physical threat. "At least, not if I'm not doing anything unusual. But if I have to draw my sword, thathe'd recognise."
"Your sword. Hm." Kuro drew in his breath with a thoughtful hiss. "I could order you to leave it behind on the ship, you know."
Tashigi felt herself twitch before she could control the reflex.
"But why deprive a useful agent of their best weapon?" He gave her that smile again. This time it was much less reassuring. "Tell me. You're the expert. How much can you disguise the hilt and sheath?"
Tashigi unhitched the sword from her belt, sheath and all, and laid it on the table to consider it. "The sheath's easy, sir. The hilt . . . I can't do anything about that without affecting the balance of the sword."
"Very well. See if you can alter the sheath. Otherwise, don't draw it unless it's a command from me or you've got no other choice."
Once again, Tashigi said, "Yes, sir," and bit her lip. Here she was, taking the commands of a pirate captain, and it was galling enough to make her physically sick to her stomach, but it was necessary. She had to help Colonel Smoker. Colonel Hina was relying on her to do the job.
She looked across the table at Kuro thoughtfully. Of course, there was going to be (and she wouldn't let herself think otherwise) a moment when the current job was over, and when, as Siam had put it, they'd be waving goodbye to each other. When that moment came, all bets were off, and she'd be saying something quite different from, "Yes, sir," to Kuro.
He gazed at the ceiling. Without turning to look at her, he remarked, "Just one thing, Claw. You aren't the sort of person I'd waste my time threatening to kill. You're not the sort of person who listens to that sort of threat. And your Colonel's already in enough danger that I don't think I could make it any worse. But if you disobey my orders, if you betray me, then, Lieutenant Tashigi, besides everything else which I can and will do, I will take that sword away from you and I will give it to the sort of person you have nightmares about."
Tashigi felt her face become a mask as she struggled for self-control.
"You're dismissed, Claw," Kuro said. "Shut the door behind you."
---
One Piece Fanfic