Chasing The Sun

IX. beneath these scars

Chasing The Sun
chapter nine: beneath these scars
A/N: SIKE, HE'S HERE EARLY! I know Sabo has no votes at the moment but I love him, he's great, fight me. Next chapter I'm going to dabble into the One Piece cannon a bit more so I can get things moving along. Please prepare for cringe and heavy OOC moments.

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You had been calling Ace over the course of the past few months, glad Kuzan had been kind enough to sneak you a White Transponder Snail, making sure no one could overhear your conversations. It would be problematic if someone like Borsalino, who was known for having a Black Transponder Snail on him at all times, heard you talking to a notorious pirate, after all. You'd be either fired or incarcerated for that.

Though most of the talks with Ace were idle chat, you'd grown close - very good friends, you hoped you would see him in person again soon.

At one point, you were with a few of your subordinates, passing through a village called Wine Gray, and booked a hotel room for yourself and your crew, using some money from your own pocket. They'd been so happy, they were almost crying and you just laughed at them, telling them they had no need to thank you.

They were so devoted and loyal, and what you appreciated most was that it wasn't just because they thought you were attractive - they genuinely liked you for who you were and your mental and physical prowess. You treated them the best you could to repay them for their work, and that only built their respect. Mihawk would have shaken his head at you and told you you were too generous, but how could you not when they were like puppies, faithfully following their parent to the ends of the New World?

You had brought four with you - Salar, Cinth, Dasai and Bidan. They were the ones who held specific positions on your ship; navigator, lookout, doctor and cook respectively. Your right-hand man, Joon-K, had been injured recently and insisted you go ahead of him, so he was back at base recovering. You had a good total of about seventy men and women working under you, and you knew all of them very well, gladly calling them your friends - your family, you wanted to say, but you knew that term was off limits.

The whole first night, the five of you simply talked until your could hear the four's breathing even out as they fell asleep one-by-one, the sound fading into nothing but the crickets outside. You smiled softly, but found yourself unable to fall asleep. Again.

Your smile disappeared, slowly turning into a frown as your left hand trailed over to a thin scar on your right shoulder, finding a few more scattered here and there along your chest, the contact soothing you from physical tension you had no idea you had been in. You stared at the ceiling a few moments longer before sitting up and shifting so your legs were hanging over the side of the bed, gaze trailed to the ring on your finger.

You sighed through your nose and stood, feeling the chilly midnight breeze flowing through the door to the balcony Dasai had left slightly ajar to let in fresh air. You looked through the trunk containing your clothes and pulled out a simple white button down your black breeches, and slipped your Transponder Snail into one of your pockets. You redid the buckle on your boots before leaving through the balcony door and closing it behind you so your friends wouldn't get cold.

Rolling up the sleeves, you glanced at the ring around your finger before launching yourself over the side of the balcony and landing cleanly on the ground a few meters below, kicking up a small cloud of dust. The village was peaceful at night, you smiled a little, fondly recalling when Mihawk took you on walks around the castle when you couldn't sleep even if he himself was tired.

You patted the knife strapped to the left thigh of your pants fondly, remembering how he told you to bring a weapon, no matter where you were. You began a leisurely walk, simply enjoying the evening air, the scent of the sea brushing past you and filling your senses gently. A rare moment of relaxation, you breathed deeply, calming your nerves and slacking your body.