(no subject)
WOULD YOU LIKE A FIC? IT IS IN CAPS!
TITLE: RECONNAISSANCE
RATING: PG
PAIRINGS: NONE!
CHARACTERS: SMOKER, OC
SUMMARY: PETTY OFFICER JOHNSON REPORTS TO SMOKER ABOUT RECENT PIRATE ACTIVITIES.
"HOW DID THE MISSION GO, JOHNSON?"
PETTY OFFICER JOHNSON STOOD AT ATTENTION IN MARINE CAPTAIN SMOKER'S CRAMPED SHIP CABIN, FRESH FROM HIS LATEST RECONNAISSANCE JOB. "I INFILTRATED RED-HAIRED SHANKS'S SHIP AS INSTRUCTED, SIR," HE SAID, STARING AT A POINT SOMEWHERE JUST ABOVE SMOKER'S CIGARS.
"GOOD, JOHNSON." SMOKER EASED BACK IN HIS CHAIR. "AND THEN WHAT HAPPENED?"
"UH, YES. AS I SAID, I MANAGED TO BOARD THE SHIP AND RETRIEVE THE INFORMATION WITHOUT INCIDENT." SOME MEMORY SEEMED TO FIND A CRACK IN JOHNSON'S TRAINING AND HE BEGAN TO FIDGET IN A MOST UN-MARINE-LIKE MANNER. "IT WAS WHEN -" HE FALTERED, THEN CONTINUED RELUCTANTLY AS SMOKER'S EYEBROWS KNITTED TOGETHER IN ANNOYANCE, "IT WAS WHEN I WAS ATTEMPTING TO LEAVE THE SHIP THAT I RAN INTO A SLIGHT PROBLEM. SIR."
"WHAT KIND OF SLIGHT PROBLEM?" SMOKER GROWLED.
"ER, WELL..." NOW JOHNSON WAS SWEATING. "RED-HAIRED SHANKS, SIR. I RAN INTO HIM."
SMOKER SIGHED. "AND THEN WHAT HAPPENED, JOHNSON?" HE ASKED WEARILY, ALMOST RESIGNED BY NOW TO HIS WELL-MEANING SUBORDINATE'S BLUNDERINGS.
"YOU SEE..."
HE DIDN'T KNOW WHERE THEY'D ALL COME FROM. ONE MINUTE THE DECK WAS EMPTY, PERFECT FOR A QUICK GETAWAY. THE NEXT - CRAWLING WITH PIRATES. THERE WERE SKINNY ONES, FAT ONES, SCRAGGLY ONES SPORTING DREADLOCKS, AND JOHNSON WAS SURE NONE HAD HAD A BATH IN MONTHS. HYGIENE WAS THE LAST OF HIS WORRIES, HOWEVER. HIS IMMEDIATE PROBLEM WAS RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM AND ALTOGETHER TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT. RED-HAIRED SHANKS, THOUGH SMILING GENIALLY, HAD HIM GRIPPED BY THE THROAT WITH HIS ONE HAND. THE PIRATE CAPTAIN LEANED IN CLOSE.
"YOU FROM THE MARINES, MAN?" HE ASKED CONVERSATIONALLY.
JOHNSON COULD JUST BARELY NOD.
"AND YOUR CAPTAIN'S ORDERED YOU TO SPY ON OUR MERRY BAND OF RUFFIANS?"
JOHNSON MADE A SOUND THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A 'YES.'
SHANKS DREW EVEN CLOSER. NOW JOHNSON WAS SURE THERE WAS NOT A BAR OF SOAP ON BOARD.
"REMIND YOUR CAPTAIN," SAID SHANKS SOFTLY, THE TRIPLE SCARS ACROSS HIS CHEEK SEEMING TO GLOW WITH SUDDEN MENACE, "THAT I'M A CRAZY RAINBOW STAR, AND I AM NOT IN THE MOOD TO PLAY GAMES."
HE DROPPED THE TREMBLING MAN TO THE DECK. JOHNSON SCRABBLED BACKWARDS, UPWARDS, THEN BACK SOME MORE.
"NOW SHOO," SHANKS ADDED. HE MADE A FLAPPING MOTION WITH HIS HAND. "MY CREW AND I HAVE SOME SERIOUS PARTYING TO DO." WITHOUT ANOTHER WORD, HE TURNED AND WENT BACK INSIDE.
JOHNSON DIDN'T WAIT TO SEE HIM GO. QUICKER THAN QUICK HE HAD SHIMMIED DOWN THE ROPE STILL HANGING FROM THE SIDE OF THE SHIP AND THREW HIMSELF INTO THE MARINE RECONNAISSANCE BOAT.
"A CRAZY RAINBOW STAR," SMOKER SAID FLATLY.
"YESSIR," JOHNSON SAID RESPECTFULLY, THOUGH STILL SHIVERING SLIGHTLY.
"AND THAT WAS IT. HE LET YOU GO AFTER THAT."
"HE IS A CRAZY RAINBOW STAR, SIR. HE PROBABLY THOUGHT HE COULD AFFORD TO BE MAGNANIMOUS." HE ADDED HURRIEDLY AS SMOKER'S EYEBROWS THREATENED TO BECOME TRULY ANGRY, "WHICH WAS A MISTAKE! HE DIDN'T BOTHER TO SEARCH ME FOR THE PAPERS." JOHNSON DREW A CRUMPLED SHEAF FROM THE INSIDE OF HIS SHIRT AND HANDED IT TO SMOKER. "I CAME STRAIGHT BACK TO THE SHIP AND CAME TO REPORT TO YOU, AND YOU ASKED ME HOW THE MISSION WENT, AND I SAID 'I INFILTRATED RED-HAIRED SHANKS'S SHIP AS INSTRUCTED SIR' AND YOU SAID 'GOOD, JOHNSON AND THEN WHAT HAPPENED' AND I SAID -"
"THAT'S ENOUGH, JOHNSON. I GET THE IDEA." SMOKER RUBBED A HAND ACROSS HIS FOREHEAD. "SHANKS DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING ELSE?"
"UH, NO." JOHNSON GULPED AND TOOK A STEP BACKWARDS, JUST IN CASE THIS WAS THE WRONG ANSWER. BUT SMOKER WAS ALREADY RIFLING THROUGH THE PAPERS THAT JOHNSON HAD MANAGED TO SMUGGLE OUT. ONE SHEET IN PARTICULAR CAUGHT HIS EYE, AND HE PULLED IT OUT OF THE PILE. A TANNED VISAGE GRACED WITH SLEEPY EYES AND UNRULY FRECKLES GRINNED BACK AT HIM.
"PORTGAS D. ACE," SMOKER GROWLED, GRIPPING THE PHOTOGRAPH IMPRINTED WITH THE FAMILIAR, HATED FACE WITH TREMBLING FINGERS. AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PICTURE SOMEONE HAD SCRIBBLED 'CRAZY CRAZY RAINBOW STAR.' THE SECOND 'CRAZY' WAS UNDERLINED. TWICE.
"HE'S IN ON THIS TOO?"
"COULDN'T SAY, SIR. MAYBE, SIR. SHANKS DOES SEEM TO HAVE AN INTEREST IN THE FAMILY, SIR. MAYBE IT'S UM, A TERM OF ENDEARMENT?"
"LIKE HELL IT IS," SMOKER SAID DARKLY. "A PIRATE INITIATION BLOOD OATH, MORE LIKE. AND MIHAWK? I SUPPOSE HE'S MIXED UP IN THIS RAINBOW STAR BUSINESS TOO?"
"NOSSIR. HE GAVE ALL THAT UP WHEN HE BECAME SHICHIBUKAI."
"HUH." IT WAS DIFFICULT TO TELL WHETHER THE MARINE CAPTAIN WAS PLEASED OR DISAPPOINTED BY THE NEWS. ON THE ONE HAND, HE WOULDN'T HAVE TO GO AROUND BREAKING UP DEPRAVED PIRATE CULTS ALL AROUND THE GRAND LINE. ON THE OTHER HAND, HE DID SO ENJOY THAT SORT OF THING. AN INSTANT LATER, HOWEVER, ANOTHER, MORE TROUBLING THOUGHT STRUCK HIM.
"WHAT ABOUT MUGIWARA?" HE DEMANDED. "WHAT DOES SHANKS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT HIM?"
JOHNSON CONSULTED HIS NOTES. "UH - IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE HE REFERS TO MUGIWARA LUFFY SPECIFICALLY, BUT..."
"BUT?"
"COLLECTIVELY, THE MUGIWARA CREW IS BEING REFERRED TO AS 'TWINKLE TWINKLE RAINBOW STAR.'"
"DAMMIT!" SMOKER BANGED A FIST DOWN ON THE TABLE AND NEARLY SWALLOWED HIS CIGARS IN DISGUST. "AS IF THAT STRAWHATTED MENACE WEREN'T ENOUGH OF A THORN IN MY SIDE! THE LAST THING I NEED IS FOR HIM TO BE INVOLVED WITH SOME SECRET RAINBOW SOCIETY!"
"UM, WE DON'T HAVE PROOF YET THAT IT'S A SECRET SOCI - "
"WE'VE GOT TO STOP MUGIWARA BEFORE HE ATTAINS THE TITLE OF CRAZY RAINBOW STAR," THE MARINE CAPTAIN DECLARED. HE SPAT OUT A CIGAR AND LIT A FRESH ONE.
JOHNSON MUTTERED, "MUGIWARA'S PLENTY CRAZY ALREADY, IF YOU ASK ME..."
"WHAT WAS THAT, JOHNSON?"
"NOTHING, SIR."
"IT HAS TO BE SOME KIND OF RANKING SYSTEM," SMOKER SWEPT ON. "IT ALL HAS TO MEAN SOMETHING. DESIGNED TO CONFUSE US. WHY DOES PORTAS D. ACE GET TWO 'CRAZY'S? WHY DOES A YONKOU ONLY GET ONE? IS WHITEBEARD A CRAZY RAINBOW STAR AS WELL? WHAT ABOUT DRAGON? 'TWINKLE TWINKLE RAINBOW STAR' - IS THAT A DESCRIPTION OR A COMMAND? IS SHANKS USING MUGIWARA AS SOME SORT OF COVERT RECRUITING PARTY? WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?"
JOHNSON WHIPPED HS HEAD FROM SIDE TO SIDE, LOOKING FOR AN ESCAPE FROM THE BOMBARDMENT OF QUESTIONS HE COULD NOT ANSWER. "I - I - I..." TRANSFIXED BY CONFUSION, PARALYZED BY BEWILDERMENT, HE COULD ONLY QUIVER STUPIDLY, FEET ROOTED TO THE CARPET.
SMOKER CLOSED HIS EYES. THE WORLD USED TO BE A SIMPLER PLACE, HE THOUGHT. THERE USED TO BE A TIME WHEN YOU BEHEADED PIRATES FIRST AND ASKED QUESTIONS LATER. NONE OF THIS ALLIANCE AND DOUBLE DEALING STUFF. IT WAS JUST YOU, THE PIRATE, AND THE AX. MORE AND MORE OFTEN HE FOUND HIMSELF WISHING FOR DAYS LONG PAST, BEFORE SHICHIBUKAI, BEFORE YONKOU, BEFORE GODDAMN CRAZY RAINBOW STARS.
SMOKER SMILED IN GRIM SELF-MOCKERY. HOW DID THAT SAYING GO? IF WISHES WERE FISHES, WE'D ALL CAST OUR NETS IN THE SEA. NO USE IN POINTLESS LONGING. EXCEPT WE DO, HE THOUGHT. CAST OUR NETS IN THE SEA. EVERY GODDAMN DAY, IN FACT. THAT'S WHY WE'RE STUCK WITH TUNA FOR BREAKFAST. "I'VE GOT TO TALK TO COOK ABOUT THAT," SMOKER MUSED.
PETTY OFFICER JOHNSON LOOKED NERVOUS. THE CONVERSATION SEEMED TO HAVE RUN AWAY DURING THE LAST FEW MINUTES. "ER...WHAT WAS THAT, SIR?"
"NOTHING," SMOKER SNAPPED. HE HARUMPHED. "JUSTICE IS NOT A RAINBOW, JOHNSON," HE CONTINUED STERNLY. "IT IS BLACK AND WHITE, SOMETIMES GRAY, AND SOMETIMES, JUST SOMETIMES, SEPIA-TONED. YOU ASKED WHAT WE ARE TO DO? I'LL TELL YOU WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO. WE WILL SAIL ON. WE WILL PURSUE THE PIRATES ON THE SEAS AND ON LAND, IN FAIR WEATHER AND FOUL, THROUGH RAIN AND ICE AND RAGING FIRE. IT IS OUR DUTY. IT IS OUR CALLING. IT IS THE TASK WE HAVE BEEN PUT ON THIS WORLD TO DO. WE WILL NOT REST UNTIL EVERY RAINBOW STAR, NO MATTER HOW CRAZY, IS HUNTED DOWN AND DRAGGED BEFORE THE MONOCHROMATIC GATES OF JUSTICE. IS THAT CLEAR. PETTY OFFICER JOHNSON?"
JOHNSON SNAPPED A HAND TO HIS FOREHEAD IN FERVENT ATTENTION. "YES, SIR!" HE SHOUTED. "I WILL DO MY BEST, SIR!"
FILLED WITH NEW COURAGE, HE TURNED SMARTLY ON HIS HEEL AND LEFT TO GIVE SMOKER'S ORDERS TO THE CREW.
THE SHIP SAILED ON.
--(END!)--
DON'T HURT ME! ::COWERS::
TITLE: RECONNAISSANCE
RATING: PG
PAIRINGS: NONE!
CHARACTERS: SMOKER, OC
SUMMARY: PETTY OFFICER JOHNSON REPORTS TO SMOKER ABOUT RECENT PIRATE ACTIVITIES.
"HOW DID THE MISSION GO, JOHNSON?"
PETTY OFFICER JOHNSON STOOD AT ATTENTION IN MARINE CAPTAIN SMOKER'S CRAMPED SHIP CABIN, FRESH FROM HIS LATEST RECONNAISSANCE JOB. "I INFILTRATED RED-HAIRED SHANKS'S SHIP AS INSTRUCTED, SIR," HE SAID, STARING AT A POINT SOMEWHERE JUST ABOVE SMOKER'S CIGARS.
"GOOD, JOHNSON." SMOKER EASED BACK IN HIS CHAIR. "AND THEN WHAT HAPPENED?"
"UH, YES. AS I SAID, I MANAGED TO BOARD THE SHIP AND RETRIEVE THE INFORMATION WITHOUT INCIDENT." SOME MEMORY SEEMED TO FIND A CRACK IN JOHNSON'S TRAINING AND HE BEGAN TO FIDGET IN A MOST UN-MARINE-LIKE MANNER. "IT WAS WHEN -" HE FALTERED, THEN CONTINUED RELUCTANTLY AS SMOKER'S EYEBROWS KNITTED TOGETHER IN ANNOYANCE, "IT WAS WHEN I WAS ATTEMPTING TO LEAVE THE SHIP THAT I RAN INTO A SLIGHT PROBLEM. SIR."
"WHAT KIND OF SLIGHT PROBLEM?" SMOKER GROWLED.
"ER, WELL..." NOW JOHNSON WAS SWEATING. "RED-HAIRED SHANKS, SIR. I RAN INTO HIM."
SMOKER SIGHED. "AND THEN WHAT HAPPENED, JOHNSON?" HE ASKED WEARILY, ALMOST RESIGNED BY NOW TO HIS WELL-MEANING SUBORDINATE'S BLUNDERINGS.
"YOU SEE..."
HE DIDN'T KNOW WHERE THEY'D ALL COME FROM. ONE MINUTE THE DECK WAS EMPTY, PERFECT FOR A QUICK GETAWAY. THE NEXT - CRAWLING WITH PIRATES. THERE WERE SKINNY ONES, FAT ONES, SCRAGGLY ONES SPORTING DREADLOCKS, AND JOHNSON WAS SURE NONE HAD HAD A BATH IN MONTHS. HYGIENE WAS THE LAST OF HIS WORRIES, HOWEVER. HIS IMMEDIATE PROBLEM WAS RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM AND ALTOGETHER TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT. RED-HAIRED SHANKS, THOUGH SMILING GENIALLY, HAD HIM GRIPPED BY THE THROAT WITH HIS ONE HAND. THE PIRATE CAPTAIN LEANED IN CLOSE.
"YOU FROM THE MARINES, MAN?" HE ASKED CONVERSATIONALLY.
JOHNSON COULD JUST BARELY NOD.
"AND YOUR CAPTAIN'S ORDERED YOU TO SPY ON OUR MERRY BAND OF RUFFIANS?"
JOHNSON MADE A SOUND THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A 'YES.'
SHANKS DREW EVEN CLOSER. NOW JOHNSON WAS SURE THERE WAS NOT A BAR OF SOAP ON BOARD.
"REMIND YOUR CAPTAIN," SAID SHANKS SOFTLY, THE TRIPLE SCARS ACROSS HIS CHEEK SEEMING TO GLOW WITH SUDDEN MENACE, "THAT I'M A CRAZY RAINBOW STAR, AND I AM NOT IN THE MOOD TO PLAY GAMES."
HE DROPPED THE TREMBLING MAN TO THE DECK. JOHNSON SCRABBLED BACKWARDS, UPWARDS, THEN BACK SOME MORE.
"NOW SHOO," SHANKS ADDED. HE MADE A FLAPPING MOTION WITH HIS HAND. "MY CREW AND I HAVE SOME SERIOUS PARTYING TO DO." WITHOUT ANOTHER WORD, HE TURNED AND WENT BACK INSIDE.
JOHNSON DIDN'T WAIT TO SEE HIM GO. QUICKER THAN QUICK HE HAD SHIMMIED DOWN THE ROPE STILL HANGING FROM THE SIDE OF THE SHIP AND THREW HIMSELF INTO THE MARINE RECONNAISSANCE BOAT.
"A CRAZY RAINBOW STAR," SMOKER SAID FLATLY.
"YESSIR," JOHNSON SAID RESPECTFULLY, THOUGH STILL SHIVERING SLIGHTLY.
"AND THAT WAS IT. HE LET YOU GO AFTER THAT."
"HE IS A CRAZY RAINBOW STAR, SIR. HE PROBABLY THOUGHT HE COULD AFFORD TO BE MAGNANIMOUS." HE ADDED HURRIEDLY AS SMOKER'S EYEBROWS THREATENED TO BECOME TRULY ANGRY, "WHICH WAS A MISTAKE! HE DIDN'T BOTHER TO SEARCH ME FOR THE PAPERS." JOHNSON DREW A CRUMPLED SHEAF FROM THE INSIDE OF HIS SHIRT AND HANDED IT TO SMOKER. "I CAME STRAIGHT BACK TO THE SHIP AND CAME TO REPORT TO YOU, AND YOU ASKED ME HOW THE MISSION WENT, AND I SAID 'I INFILTRATED RED-HAIRED SHANKS'S SHIP AS INSTRUCTED SIR' AND YOU SAID 'GOOD, JOHNSON AND THEN WHAT HAPPENED' AND I SAID -"
"THAT'S ENOUGH, JOHNSON. I GET THE IDEA." SMOKER RUBBED A HAND ACROSS HIS FOREHEAD. "SHANKS DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING ELSE?"
"UH, NO." JOHNSON GULPED AND TOOK A STEP BACKWARDS, JUST IN CASE THIS WAS THE WRONG ANSWER. BUT SMOKER WAS ALREADY RIFLING THROUGH THE PAPERS THAT JOHNSON HAD MANAGED TO SMUGGLE OUT. ONE SHEET IN PARTICULAR CAUGHT HIS EYE, AND HE PULLED IT OUT OF THE PILE. A TANNED VISAGE GRACED WITH SLEEPY EYES AND UNRULY FRECKLES GRINNED BACK AT HIM.
"PORTGAS D. ACE," SMOKER GROWLED, GRIPPING THE PHOTOGRAPH IMPRINTED WITH THE FAMILIAR, HATED FACE WITH TREMBLING FINGERS. AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PICTURE SOMEONE HAD SCRIBBLED 'CRAZY CRAZY RAINBOW STAR.' THE SECOND 'CRAZY' WAS UNDERLINED. TWICE.
"HE'S IN ON THIS TOO?"
"COULDN'T SAY, SIR. MAYBE, SIR. SHANKS DOES SEEM TO HAVE AN INTEREST IN THE FAMILY, SIR. MAYBE IT'S UM, A TERM OF ENDEARMENT?"
"LIKE HELL IT IS," SMOKER SAID DARKLY. "A PIRATE INITIATION BLOOD OATH, MORE LIKE. AND MIHAWK? I SUPPOSE HE'S MIXED UP IN THIS RAINBOW STAR BUSINESS TOO?"
"NOSSIR. HE GAVE ALL THAT UP WHEN HE BECAME SHICHIBUKAI."
"HUH." IT WAS DIFFICULT TO TELL WHETHER THE MARINE CAPTAIN WAS PLEASED OR DISAPPOINTED BY THE NEWS. ON THE ONE HAND, HE WOULDN'T HAVE TO GO AROUND BREAKING UP DEPRAVED PIRATE CULTS ALL AROUND THE GRAND LINE. ON THE OTHER HAND, HE DID SO ENJOY THAT SORT OF THING. AN INSTANT LATER, HOWEVER, ANOTHER, MORE TROUBLING THOUGHT STRUCK HIM.
"WHAT ABOUT MUGIWARA?" HE DEMANDED. "WHAT DOES SHANKS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT HIM?"
JOHNSON CONSULTED HIS NOTES. "UH - IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE HE REFERS TO MUGIWARA LUFFY SPECIFICALLY, BUT..."
"BUT?"
"COLLECTIVELY, THE MUGIWARA CREW IS BEING REFERRED TO AS 'TWINKLE TWINKLE RAINBOW STAR.'"
"DAMMIT!" SMOKER BANGED A FIST DOWN ON THE TABLE AND NEARLY SWALLOWED HIS CIGARS IN DISGUST. "AS IF THAT STRAWHATTED MENACE WEREN'T ENOUGH OF A THORN IN MY SIDE! THE LAST THING I NEED IS FOR HIM TO BE INVOLVED WITH SOME SECRET RAINBOW SOCIETY!"
"UM, WE DON'T HAVE PROOF YET THAT IT'S A SECRET SOCI - "
"WE'VE GOT TO STOP MUGIWARA BEFORE HE ATTAINS THE TITLE OF CRAZY RAINBOW STAR," THE MARINE CAPTAIN DECLARED. HE SPAT OUT A CIGAR AND LIT A FRESH ONE.
JOHNSON MUTTERED, "MUGIWARA'S PLENTY CRAZY ALREADY, IF YOU ASK ME..."
"WHAT WAS THAT, JOHNSON?"
"NOTHING, SIR."
"IT HAS TO BE SOME KIND OF RANKING SYSTEM," SMOKER SWEPT ON. "IT ALL HAS TO MEAN SOMETHING. DESIGNED TO CONFUSE US. WHY DOES PORTAS D. ACE GET TWO 'CRAZY'S? WHY DOES A YONKOU ONLY GET ONE? IS WHITEBEARD A CRAZY RAINBOW STAR AS WELL? WHAT ABOUT DRAGON? 'TWINKLE TWINKLE RAINBOW STAR' - IS THAT A DESCRIPTION OR A COMMAND? IS SHANKS USING MUGIWARA AS SOME SORT OF COVERT RECRUITING PARTY? WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?"
JOHNSON WHIPPED HS HEAD FROM SIDE TO SIDE, LOOKING FOR AN ESCAPE FROM THE BOMBARDMENT OF QUESTIONS HE COULD NOT ANSWER. "I - I - I..." TRANSFIXED BY CONFUSION, PARALYZED BY BEWILDERMENT, HE COULD ONLY QUIVER STUPIDLY, FEET ROOTED TO THE CARPET.
SMOKER CLOSED HIS EYES. THE WORLD USED TO BE A SIMPLER PLACE, HE THOUGHT. THERE USED TO BE A TIME WHEN YOU BEHEADED PIRATES FIRST AND ASKED QUESTIONS LATER. NONE OF THIS ALLIANCE AND DOUBLE DEALING STUFF. IT WAS JUST YOU, THE PIRATE, AND THE AX. MORE AND MORE OFTEN HE FOUND HIMSELF WISHING FOR DAYS LONG PAST, BEFORE SHICHIBUKAI, BEFORE YONKOU, BEFORE GODDAMN CRAZY RAINBOW STARS.
SMOKER SMILED IN GRIM SELF-MOCKERY. HOW DID THAT SAYING GO? IF WISHES WERE FISHES, WE'D ALL CAST OUR NETS IN THE SEA. NO USE IN POINTLESS LONGING. EXCEPT WE DO, HE THOUGHT. CAST OUR NETS IN THE SEA. EVERY GODDAMN DAY, IN FACT. THAT'S WHY WE'RE STUCK WITH TUNA FOR BREAKFAST. "I'VE GOT TO TALK TO COOK ABOUT THAT," SMOKER MUSED.
PETTY OFFICER JOHNSON LOOKED NERVOUS. THE CONVERSATION SEEMED TO HAVE RUN AWAY DURING THE LAST FEW MINUTES. "ER...WHAT WAS THAT, SIR?"
"NOTHING," SMOKER SNAPPED. HE HARUMPHED. "JUSTICE IS NOT A RAINBOW, JOHNSON," HE CONTINUED STERNLY. "IT IS BLACK AND WHITE, SOMETIMES GRAY, AND SOMETIMES, JUST SOMETIMES, SEPIA-TONED. YOU ASKED WHAT WE ARE TO DO? I'LL TELL YOU WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO. WE WILL SAIL ON. WE WILL PURSUE THE PIRATES ON THE SEAS AND ON LAND, IN FAIR WEATHER AND FOUL, THROUGH RAIN AND ICE AND RAGING FIRE. IT IS OUR DUTY. IT IS OUR CALLING. IT IS THE TASK WE HAVE BEEN PUT ON THIS WORLD TO DO. WE WILL NOT REST UNTIL EVERY RAINBOW STAR, NO MATTER HOW CRAZY, IS HUNTED DOWN AND DRAGGED BEFORE THE MONOCHROMATIC GATES OF JUSTICE. IS THAT CLEAR. PETTY OFFICER JOHNSON?"
JOHNSON SNAPPED A HAND TO HIS FOREHEAD IN FERVENT ATTENTION. "YES, SIR!" HE SHOUTED. "I WILL DO MY BEST, SIR!"
FILLED WITH NEW COURAGE, HE TURNED SMARTLY ON HIS HEEL AND LEFT TO GIVE SMOKER'S ORDERS TO THE CREW.
THE SHIP SAILED ON.
--(END!)--
DON'T HURT ME! ::COWERS::