justicereigns | Action // Journal || Ocean Guide; to the end of the world

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Action // Journal || Ocean Guide; to the end of the world

[As Smoker moves through the village of Luceti, checking old haunts, and getting his things, he catches himself up in his usual way of stalking the journal before heading to the barracks.]

[As he wanders, he sings quietly in a deep voice.]

♫The ocean sees the beginning of the world,
And the ocean knows the end of the world.
Thus, it calls us towards the way we must take.
Thus, it leads us towards a just world.
Enveloping pain and suffering,
greatly and kindly wrapping them up.

[It's ironic actually. Aokiji, no Kuzan, (how many times must he remind himself of that?) loathed that song. A marine's dirge.]

♫The ocean sees the beginning of the world,
And the ocean knows the end of the world.
Even if I were to disappear,
The omniscent ocean leads the way.

[Was Justice really like that? So omnipotent that even after Smoker died, people would fight on for her? For a just world, by traveling to the end of the world to fight for justice. Smoker usually believed he had to do it because if he didn't, who else would? But these days, it seemed more and more like marines weren't the ones fighting for that just world after all. What was Kuzan? What was Doflamingo? Tch.]

♫I must not fear, because you are here.
I must not be timid, because my comrades wait for me.
We must advance towards the blue horizon.

[And so Smoker carried on, but he no longer fought just for justice. He also did it for his friends. For the G-5 marines, who without Smoker, really had no one. For the kids who were going to grow up viewing pirates as heroes. For those like Kuzan who fought to protect him and save the world with justice even when Justice seemed to fail.]

[Smoker falls into old habits like riding a bike. Even if he doesn't have his Billower Bike here. He has something better. He has friends. Still, he doesn't check up on them first, he goes through old motions with his jitte, old routines, and ignores his own whistles of pain from air sucked quickly through teeth. Yes, Law had done a good job of patching him up back in their world, but then he got beaten an inch from death by Doflamingo. Fucking shichibukai, Smoker was so done with the lot of them. Done with the brass, done with politics -- no. He wasn't. Not yet. He wouldn't fall yet. Because it wasn't just for the ideal of justice that he kept fighting. The ideal of true justice bound him together, bound him to his friends, but those people needed him and he wouldn't fail them. Kuzan was so much smarter than he let on, but did he know how deep the course of corruption ran? It seemed that every time Smoker found one rabbit hole, the warren turned out bigger than an entire island worth.]

[Sometime when it's all over, he walks around at night, singing again and looking at houses.] [That's when he makes the journal post in voice.]

I'm back. Ikki, get your ass back to the village if you left. [An irritable huff.] And I need to see a doctor. [He can't bring himself to say please. Can't bring himself to mention Law by name either.] Whoever's available, it's important. [He probably shouldn't have been exercising in this condition, but whatever. He goes at his own pace.]

For New Feathers, I'm Smoker. [A marine. Vice Admiral of G-5, it means nothing to no one, except a few, and to G-5, he's their last savior. Traitors everywhere.] I intend to pick up teaching basic self-defense, kickboxing, and jitte outside the barracks, daily. If you haven't been told yet, there are Drafts rather frequently and the Malnosso have no qualms about taking noncombatants.

And to anyone a little more battle-hardened... [Where does he even begin? "Hey have you ever had one day where everything you ever knew about right and wrong were turned inside out, only that day then sort of became the story of your life? Oh and my best friend is currently a badass hobo who saved my life from a good guy traitor. Not really sure how to take that...."]

I just had a very long day that lasted about twenty years of my life. I need a drink. [And a friend. A pair of ears. Someone to talk to him and tell him he wasn't going nuts. Or maybe just tell him the truth... whatever that was at this point.] That's meant to be an invitation. Open to anyone. For one night only, that includes pirates.

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[FLAILS.] I'm only thinking of one or two extra. Jeez.

But in this place -- STOP BITING ME -- We need all the allies we can get.

Don't want bites? Don't flick my beak then.

[Pause.]

Yoi.

[With intensity and deadpan all at once. Still, really Smoker, one or two extra means about five people counting themselves, which is the amount of people that form the group Seiya and the others have. Which is the amount of people he has been avoiding like hell since he resurrected from having a mountain crash on him.]

Sounds like you have something specially concrete if you can narrow it so much.

[He's not going to say anything about the allies bit, just in case Smoker comes out with "allies against pirates". Doubtful but he's not in the mood for that.]

[MORE TWITCHES. SURELY YOI IS NOT PART OF THE CURSE YOU ARE JUST DOING IT TO BE A PAIN GRRRRR!]

No, I don't.

But I always try to learn from my mistakes. And I didn't catch onto Vergo because I thought I could do it all myself. That's no way to be a commander, and it'll get me killed and my friends hurt worse if I don't fix it.

Stop saying yoi! [He held it in for so long too!]

That would make much more sense if you started from the beginning of that, you know.

[But he's willing to listen, since it's not clear that it's serious for Smoker. Even if he has the feeling it's going to end with "pirates = bad, rebels = bad, marines = worse-but-I'm-staying-because-I-want-to-make-a-difference-from-the-inside-and-save-the-world.

AND SMOKER DOESN'T KNOW IF IT'S PART OF THE CURSE OR NOT, SO obviously... He has to do it more.]

I'm not saying yoi, yoi.

[He's kind of thankful Marco isn't here to hear this, God knows what he would think.]

[Marco would probably think it was adorable and coo about it, that damn bastard.]

[And Smoker twitches more.] You are TOO, yo-- [He can't do it. Not even to make a point. Gross. Phoenix cooties. Have another twitch.]

Hn.... All the other times I was here I didn't pay attention to the Malnosso because I didn't think it was important. In G-5, I didn't keep as close an eye on my fellow vice admiral because I was so busy dealing with my own men and the pirates. [His eyes narrow.] That was a mistake. I didn't notice what Tashigi spotted even when it was right in front of me.

But I can't just do it all. [That was the other mistake he'd made.] So I need a tight group I can trust to keep an eye on each other too. Sorry. [Ironically it's because he trusts Ikki the most.]

[And that's why Ikki never does it around Marco. Though the spectacle must be quite a sight, a phoenix much like he is in bird form, bickering with Smoker and trolling him with "yoi"s around.]

Must be an addition the Malnosso gave me to go with all this, yoi.

[He gets serious when Smoker finally starts explaining, though it's hard to notice given that birds aren't all that expressive. The explanation is satisfying even if it still gives him questions, but he decides to not voice them for now. It's pretty clear it was something recent anyway.

Still, he doesn't like the idea, but he understands the sentiment.]

Hn... You realize how bizarre this must look right now, right?

[A marine, the White Hunter that chases against pirates even following them to the ends of the Grand Line... Talking about a tight group of people he can trust with someone who currently looks like an orange version of the animal form of Whitebeard's first mate, who sports even a tattoo of that crew and who has voiced enough disapproval with Smoker's world for them both to know quite well that Ikki wouldn't precisely be a Marine if he belonged to that world.

Actually there's an unspoken question there a mere and simple "are you sure?". Does Smoker really trust Ikki enough for that? It's true that even with their disagreements about Smoker's world Ikki wouldn't betray Smoker or go against him, and had he to choose between Marco and Smoker he would actually just punch them both and send them to their corners. And they aren't in Smoker's world anyway, here the enemy is one them both agree on. Still, Ikki feels the need to be sure. Because if what Smoker wants is that, this isn't going to be just an "I'm staying because I moved here when I was a kid during one of those experiment, and there's no reason not to stay" arrangement. Smoker is asking for an ally, one Ikki is willing to be despite everything, but precisely because Smoker should know Ikki well enough by now, the phoenix wants the Marine to be sure of that.]

[And that is why Marco would be so proud of him.]

[Smoker on the other hand, twitches again. It's like every "yoi" is a stab to his gut. Gross gross pirate cooties, yoi.]

Yup.

[Pats Ikki's head lightly. Man that weird yellow hair... birdie... whatever stuff is weird.] You're the one I trust most out of everyone, so yeah. [Ikki's instincts were good and his sense of justice was even better. If they woke up tomorrow surrounded by the Malnosso factions finally in all out war or something else just as bizarre, he'd want Ikki first and foremost helping him figure out who to trust and that was that.]

[Not that Smoker would ever fully trust the pirates, but trusting Ikki he could do.]

[It feels weird, to hear someone say that they trust in him, it's not the first time, of course, but even if he has never tried to kill Smoker it still feels weird. He shouldn't have allies, he shouldn't have friends, he doesn't deserve any of those things, or Kotomi, he doesn't deserve a phoenix brother or a best friend/father figure. And yet Luceti is giving him all those things. He probably should be glad and treasure them, and he treasures them indeed but he's not glad, because he knows that whatever he has is something he will lose sooner or later. Why would he be glad of that?

He nods, slowly and ignores the patting. He's being trusted. Whatever happened back home, obviously bothered Smoker a lot and despite it he still wants Ikki around, he trusts him even when he's in this form and with that glaring tattoo. Even when he trolls him with "yoi"s. It's a weird feeling, indeed. But he says nothing, he never does, it's not worth telling people that he's not worth their trust even if he would never betray them once he decides to follow them or join them. It's like telling Shun and the others that he's not their friend or one of "them", god knows they don't care and still consider him one.]

Okay. If you're so sure, you can count with me.

Thanks.

[Ikki gets a grin and Smoker goes to get some food.] You look ridiculous as a bird I hope you know. [Take that and your stupid yoi's.]

Really? I thought I looked cool and handsome, yoi.

[Deadpan. He knows he looks ridiculous, he doesn't want to be like this, let's leave the more birdy looks for Marco, ok?]

[God damn it.] Did you get a personality transplant too?

Not as far as I know. But when have personality changes been noticeable by those affected?

[Nah, he's just trolling. He missed Smoker, and apparently this is his way to show it.]

That's very true. [A GLARE. He will take none of your deadpan yoi-ing phoenix shenanigans damn it! Except he will, because he loves you too Ikki.]

I'm going to guess that it's okay to tell Selphie to move her ass here until you find a suitable house, right?

[Why, yes, he's dumping the "house search" to you entirely since it's your idea.]

Yeah, of course.

But I did maybe find a house. Maybe.

[Ikki simply looks at him, waiting for the other to elaborate.]

I'll show you later and you can decide together if you like it.

[Because Ikki is totally the type to like houses. Smoker gets another look that basically reads as "really?", he will just go with whatever they choose.]

[Scowl.] Just do it.

Fine. I'll sit there and say that I like it, will that be sufficient?

Actually, yes. Yes it will.

[STUBBORN ARM FOLD.]

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Action // Journal || Ocean Guide; to the end of the world

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