𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 ➳ 𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐭 𝐒𝐞𝐚 (one piece fanfic)

Chapter 14

Nanko yawned as he side-stepped, avoiding by a hair's width a blade meant for him. With the back of Kejo, he hit the marine's back, remaining impassive at the distinct sound of something breaking.

It was a free-for-all, wise people knew not to blindly charge at him...

Under the blaring sun, Nanko couldn't help but eye with envy the shadow under the tree, the grass glistened under the steady stream of light and at the moment seemed oh-so-soft. Glaring at the people around him, he released heavy killing-intent that immediately earned him their attention.

The quicker they were beaten, the less time it would take to lie under the tree. With that thought in mind, he moved, with a speed that hurt Konan inwardly, it was too slow for her standards but it was the speed she had set as a limit for Nanko.

With more brute force than precision, Nanko swept through the crowd, using their number against them, sending people flying left and right. It was a sight to see, with him in the middle, with his distinctive shiny blue hair, it seemed like the recruits had been swept away by a tornado.

Within the following minutes, all his opponents laid defeated on the floor, some luckier than others, with only some scratches while others were unconscious with more than a few injuries. Meanwhile, Nanko only had a few bruises around his body with one more prominent on his cheek, already turning an ugly shade of bluish-purple. Although his whole body ached, Nanko didn't show any sign of pain, compared to what Konan usually dealt with, it was nothing but a few scratches.

Before Nanko could sit down, a familiar voice stopped him, "All of you get up, your next lesson is waiting for you. Follow me." He could feel her gaze on him. He slightly shivered, trying to ignore the feeling before walking over to her, ignoring the grumbles and curses from the people he was graciously stepping on.

When he arrived in the next training room, he frowned in disgust when he saw a familiar Marine officer in front of a board on which 'How the Marine holds the world together' was boldly written. He almost regretted not having beaten him harder the last time, at least he would have avoided getting this propaganda class.

Konan was all too familiar with this type of class, having given them herself more than once to strengthen her former nation's power. But she was never quite able to rid herself of the disgust she felt for the political move. Brainwashing younger generations, to force them to stop thinking by themselves and not question the world they lived in, that was the essence of propaganda.

They were to only follow blindly orders and live their lives as simple puppets whose strings were controlled by those in power. Disposable pawns, that's what they were creating.

Despite how honorable they sold themselves to be, Konan could only see in the Marine yet another war machine.

This world wasn't so different from hers it seemed. But who was she kidding, she should have known what to expect...

Not withholding his thoughts, Nanko couldn't help but sneer of contempt, his scorn showing clearly on his – for once – not smirking face. The noise didn't go unnoticed by the older female walking in front of him, but he couldn't find it in himself to care.

Plopping himself down on the farthest seat possible from the board, Nanko – blatantly ignoring the glares of his 'teacher' – settled his head on his arms and closed his eyes. There was no way in hell, he was listening to the – no doubt boring – lecture about why joining the Marine would be the greatest decision of their lives.

As if they weren't just dogs wagging their tails under the commands of the World Government.

Konan used this time to check on Luffy through the eyes of her butterfly, smiling ever so slightly as she saw him attempt to beat up a crocodile twice his size under the amused gazes of his brothers. He was doing fine, she noted with a grin.

"Nanko, please answer this question for me," interrupted his 'teacher' as he glared pointedly at him, not even bothering to hide his disdainful smirk.

Nanko raised a brow before yawning loudly and going back to sleep. What could he do anyway... Marine prioritized strength over personality, so he didn't have to care about this.

"You-" He seemed astonished at his comportment if his bulging eyes were anything to go by, "If what I say doesn't interest you, you don't need to come anymore!"

The blue-haired man smirked as he got up and swiftly left with a 'Good idea', jumping out the 2-story-high window and landing perfectly on the floor underneath. A few students boldly clapped and the teacher could only watch stupefied as one by one, they got up and left.

Nanko whistled as he navigated through the labyrinth-like base, easily finding his way with practiced ease: remembering things after having only seen them a few times was a quality any ninja worthy of their title had.

Where was he headed to, the answer, of course, food. Konan found that being in Nanko's form left her with an insatiable hunger, unique to this body.

Soon enough, after a few turns and corridors, Nanko found himself in the Marine's cafeteria, which – since it was still early – held little to none marines.

With a meal tray in hand, Nanko walked to an empty training yard to eat, alone and far from anyone. Despite the chewy taste of the food, Nanko still ate it all with no visible disgust.

"Hey, you. What are you doing here!"

Nanko glanced up with a frown that deepened at the sight of the familiar overbearing man.

"I'm skipping class," Nanko retorted with no shame.

This answer only made Garp laugh, not used to such bluntness in younger people. "Bwahahaha, good! That old Bart's classes are boring to death anyway!"

So his name was Bart. Not like she would bother to remember it.

Nanko was tidying up his stuff, ready to leave but he was cut short when a hand clasped his shoulder and forced him back down with a loud 'thump', hurting his butt in the process. Nanko winced as the hand moved to his shoulder with a familiarity that shouldn't be there – considering they had just met barely a few minutes ago.

Garp sat – far too near for her comfort – and started to chat with Nanko while grabbing some of her food and stuffing himself with it, "So-" He stopped abruptly and turned to face him – which, since they were barely a foot apart, resulted in him shoving his face in front of his. "What's your name by the way? I'm Garp." He introduced himself as if he wasn't known all throughout the whole seas.

"Nanko," he replied, his tone even as he watched for any reaction from the man before him. When he saw none, Nanko's grin widened slightly.

"Nanko it is then. So," Garp continued without even so much as a twitch at the name, "What do you think so far of the Marine?"

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<3

i like december, just because it's the perfect excuse to eat chocolate :))

(PS : I've fallen into the rabbit hole that is the DSMP fandom, help TwT)