Chapter 10: Chapter 10: A Squad Becomes Closer! Their First Official Mission!
About a year of training had passed and my division finally had a placement! We were to be stationed near the Red Line in the East Blue in order to patrol the surrounding area and its islands. Because it was near the Red Line, there were bound to be pirates and criminals running around, attempting to get into the Grand Line.
Once our things were packed, all the members of the Y-1 division and other Y divisions all piled onto the Marine transport vessel and headed to the new Marine station. To ease the boredom of everyone on board, I would perform little tricks for them. I would air juggle things, float some of the crew around, and take part in breath-holding contests. That last one I might have cheated in though, since I can manipulate the air in my lungs and all. But, meh. It kept the people on the ship entertained, even though I was scolded heavily by Captain Delta "for messing around when I should be more dignified" or whatnot. So, nothing new at all.
At our new base, once we all unpacked, all squads were immediately given missions. My squad's job was to hunt down a rookie pirate in some kingdom in the South Blue. Apparently, he went and opposed a Celestial Dragon. Normally, an admiral is dispatched to take care of things like this, but all of the admirals were busy at the moment with other tasks like squashing a rebellion, looking for Whitebeard, or dealing with paperwork. So, now the new Y-1 division has been given the task.
We quickly prepped for the mission and boarded our vessel. It took us about a week to cross the Red Line to get to the South Blue and to the kingdom. On the last day before the arrival, I saw River antsing around on the deck. "Hey, River," I called out as I approached him. "What's up? You look antsier than an antlion."
"Huh? Oh, Anne ," River said as he snapped out of his trance. "N-Nothing much, just thinking about this mission. I mean, this is Y-1's very first mission! This is our chance to show our worth and prove ourselves! We may be the youngest squad in the Marines, but that doesn't mean a thing! We'll show them we are just as skilled as our older squads. We won't be looked down on or be living in anyone's shadow anymore!"
It seemed strange how worked up he was getting. No one really looked down on our squad to begin with. Rather, some were impressed with how high ranked we were for our ages. "Um, are we still talking about Y-1," I asked him with slight concern. He gave me a puzzled look for a moment, but then looked away. "Hey, let's head up to the crow's nest and talk."
Before he could even decline, I was already dragging him over to the main mast. I grabbed his wrist and used the air to fly us up to the top and into the nest. I could see his head spinning from the sudden flight. Once he regained his equilibrium, he went, "A little warning next time would be helpful… Anyways, what did you wanna talk about?"
I shook my head as I told him, "It's not about what I wanna talk about, but rather, what do you need to talk about? It's obvious something is on your mind and I'm here to help alleviate your worries, where no one else can hear."
River stared at me as he contemplated on whether to tell me or not. I reassured him that no one could hear us up here and that whatever is discussed up here will stay between us.
"Well, if you promise," he said sheepishly as we both sat down. "So, you know how Kai is my brother and Captain Delta is my dad, right? Well, ever since Kai and I were younger, we've always been expected to join the Marines, due to… certain reasons. When we did, Kai soared through the ranks while I've been somewhat lagging behind. I've noticed the look our dad gives Kai is different than the one he gives me. Kai's look is filled with hope and promise, but the look I get is, well... less than so. Don't get me wrong at all! I love them both dearly! But… I feel like I'll never live up to the expectations put on me to follow in their footsteps. My dad is always so strict with me, and I know it's just to get me stronger, but that's just not my way…"
"I completely understand," I reassured him with an empathetic look. "It sounds like you have to live up to your family's expectation, as well as everyone else's. Otherwise, you feel like a disappointment. Don't worry, you aren't alone, I'm in the same boat. I'm the grandchild of the Marine hero, Garp. I understand the expectations… If you ever feel less than nothing, come seek me out and we'll sulk together! But before that, we're going to own this mission and prove ourselves! And if we don't, oh well, we'll cheer each other up afterwards."
River's eyes brightened from the encouragement. We spent the rest of the time chatting until, before long, we had reached our destination. Kai called up to us to come on down as he stood with Captain Delta and Felix. I flew River and me down next to Kai and Felix and we filed together in a line for our captain.
"Our task today is to search and apprehend the pirate known as Ran Dom. You'll be searching with your partner, so remember to take your baby transponder snails. Once you find him, one will start the pursuit while the other signals your finding. He's a pirate, so remember to be on your guard, and show no mercy towards him."
That last part threw me off a little, but I shook it off. Captain went straight into town while River and Kai checked the shores, and Felix and I checked the outskirts of the villages. Felix was in charge of the snail, so he carried it in his pocket while I hovered above the buildings for a better view. Before we seperated, the Captain had handed each of us a photo of the man we were looking for. He was rather scrawny looking with heavy bags under his eyes. He looked like he had easily seen better days and didn't seem like that big of a threat.
As I was looking over the photo one last time, I noticed an exact match of the man snaking through alleyways. I shouted to Felix where the guy was and began the pursuit. I flew over the buildings and scooped the guy up easily.
"Wh-What in the hell is going on," the man started to protest and squirm. He then noticed my Marine uniform and started to squirm harder as he protested, "L-Let me go! Y-You don't understand! I don't want to die!"
"Calm down or you'll fall and die from the impact," I told him, tightening my grip. "Besides, I'm sure it won't be that bad. If anything, you should be allowed a trial to defend yourself if all you did was disagree with someone."
"You don't get it," the man screamed in terror. "The government is corrupt, there's no way that they'll-."
Before he could argue further, Felix yelled up, "Cap' says to take him to the square. The others will meet us there. Mind giving me a lift as well?"
I nodded and lifted him up beside me. Flying us over to the kingdom's square, I landed us where the other squad, Captain, and, what seemed to be a bubble-wearing Celestial Dragon were waiting. The Celestial Dragon was sitting on top of what looked like slaves and had some surrounding him too. As soon as we touched the ground, the Captain pushed the prisoner to the ground, slapped a pair of cuffs on him, and then broke his legs needlessly! The man screamed out in agony as a newly formed crowd and I looked on in horror. "What are you doing… sir," I exclaimed.
"My duty," he simply said. "The pirate scum insulted the Celestial Dragon and we were tasked with taking care of him."
"You don't understand," the man cried out. "He took my daughter! He wants to make her one of his slaves! I was just trying to protect her! Please! All I did was yell at him not to! I didn't do anything!"
Before I could even protest what was going on, the Celestial Dragon told the Captain to "do it" with a nod, in which the Captain proceeded to behead the man with his blade in a single, clean swing. I gave an involuntary gasp as I covered my mouth with my hands. "Why did you do that," I exclaimed.
The Captain simply wiped the blood off his blade as he explained, "The man opposed the Celestial Dragon. The act of depriving a Dragon of their rightful property is punishable by death without trial, typically by an admiral. But since they were preoccupied, the task was passed to us. As Marines, it is our duty to carry out Justice. The pirate scum received the due Justice he deserved. Now, back to the ship. We are finished here."
I was in shock over what just happened. I was basically on auto-pilot as we boarded the ship while I tried to process everything. When I came to, I objected, "What just happened was not Justice! People are not 'rightful property',they are people! The man was just a concerned father who-."
Before I could continue, the Captain turned to face me, raised a hand, encased it with Armament Haki, and hit me across the face, knocking me to the ground. "Know your place, scum. We did our job and got rid of the pirate trash. Simple as that. Now get over yourself and do something productive, instead of sympathizing with that pirate. You're kind will always be the scum of the earth."
"I'm sorry, but what do you mean by 'my kind'… sir," I started to ask informally, but then remembered who I was talking to as I held my cheek. "Sir, I believe I deserve to know exactly why I am discriminated against and why you despise me so much."
"You want to know why I despise your very existence," the Captain asked with menacing glare. I could see the hate raging in his eyes as his lips curled back into a snarl. "You might not have been aware, but before you even joined the Marines, there was already a file on you and your little 'escapades', Airess of the Goa Kingdom. Others might call your antics 'juvenile' or 'delinquent', but I see you for who you really are. You're a wannabe pirate in the making, and pirate scum like you should be in shackles, repenting for their actions. Not joining the Marines and soiling its name. If your supposed grandfather wasn't the Hero of the Marines, I'd throw you behind iron bars myself in the name of Absolute Justice. Doing that would insure one less pirate in the future."
"I did what I had to for my younger brothers," I protested. "Isn't it better that I joined the Marines and am trying to help people, rather than becoming a pirate? Besides, truly not all pirates are evil, right?"
The rage in his eyes deepened by that comment. "All pirates are the scum of the deepest parts of the planet," he spat with venom on his words. "I will personally make sure as many pirates are brought to Justice as much as possible. I would even deliver it to my own blood if they turned to piracy. Pirates have and always will be the epitome of evil, which I plan on eradicating…"
Before I could say anything else, he sharply turned and walked off towards the Captain's Quarters. I could see the other three members of my squad standing nearby, observing the whole situation. Once the Captain shut the door behind him, they all scurried over to me, making sure I was alright. Helping me up, Felix scratched the back of his head as he said, "Man, I don't think I've EVER seen the Cap' so heated before. He really has it out for you."
"I know," I said with an exasperated sigh. "Hey, River, Kai, why does your dad hate pirates so much?"
The two brothers looked to each other, exchanging nonverbal signs with each other and whispering. River looked back and bluntly said, "Pirates killed our mum."
Kai gave a sigh before saying, "That's the short and simple of it, yes. However, the whole story is a bit more… complicated. Our family has proudly served the Marines for generations. It's all the family has ever done. With that being said, it's given our family a lot of opportunities to make several pirate enemies. One pirate in particular our dad caught managed to escape the prison he was in, and 'supposedly' placed a curse on our family. He saw how proud my father was to be a Marine. The prisoner turned that into a curse, literally, as he 'cursed' the family, saying that any family members that strayed from the Marine path would live a short life. We thought nothing of it. My mother ended up retiring early from the Marines in order to raise us two while our dad continued his work as a Marine official.
"However, one day while he was deployed to the New World, there was a pirate raid on our village. They plundered, assaulted, and killed everyone. River and I are only alive thanks to our mother hiding us in the cupboards. When our dad returned home, he saw his entire hometown slaughtered and burning, his wife ripped apart, and his children scared, crying, and covered in blood. River and I might have been too young to remember much of it, but to our dad, it haunts him every night. That was when he became set on executing as many pirates as possible."
The four of us stood in silence, Felix and I still processing everything we were just told. "I'm… sorry to hear that," I told the two brothers sheepishly. "I had no idea you guys went through something like that."
River just waved it off and said, "Like Kai said, we were too young to understand or remember what happened. Heck, I wasn't even a year old yet, and Kai was barely four. Besides, I don't even know why he brought up the whole curse thing. Curses aren't even real."
"I left it up for interpretation," Kai said with a shrug. "But our dad seems to believe it since he wanted us to join the Navy as Chore Boys as soon as possible."
"That would explain why you two joined at a younger age than most," Felix said to them, but then turned to me. "But what's your story, then? Why'd you start so early, and why would you even want to join the Marines in the first place?"
I gave a shrug and replied, "My Gramps was probably worried that my brothers would rub off on me, and probably wanted to have at least one grandchild join the Marines. After all, all of my brothers wanted to become pirates, and still do. I was just going with the flow. Nothing to special…"
River looked to Felix and asked, "Since we're sharing our backstories, how about you, Felix? Why join at 16 when you could have waited to be an adult first?"
"My tale is much more boring than all of your guys'. But, if you're truly interested, gather around for story time, children," Felix jokingly said with a yawn, just thinking about his own backstory. "Once upon a time, there was a rich, little noble boy. His pompous family supported the Marines. So much so that, as part of their family tradition, once the boy became 14, they forced him to join the Marines like all the men and women before him. The family decided such a young age so that the child would gain 'real-life experience' before becoming a true noble at the age of 18. Once he becomes a true noble, he'll be forced to go back home and start some of his tedious tasks as the family's heir. At first, he found this Marine life dreadfully boring, and to this day… he still does! Well, less so now with his new squad members."
"Wait, backtrack now," I said, putting a hand up to stop him. "Did you say you were a noble? And you had the audacity to called me the heiress!"
"Correction, the boy in the story was," Felix said with a sly grin. "But I guess if you associate me with the boy, then yeah. So now bow, peasants! I may not be a true noble yet, but know your places, commoners, or else I'll throw my tainted money at you until you go away."
"Wow, sounds like you're on good terms with your family," River sarcastically said.
"You know, I used to steal from nobles like you," I joked.
"You did what now," Kai asked with wide eyes.
"Yeah, I didn't tell you," I asked as I fidgeted with my fingers, assuming it was almost common knowledge at this point with all of the rumors. "I was raised by bandits, which basically meant my brothers and I lived without much support from adults..."
I went on to tell them about my life back on the island and all of the shenanigans my brothers and I used to get into. Talking about how we hunted, went after treasure, and bound caused a pit in my stomach to form. It hadn't been too long since I left home, but my homesickness still flared up.
"Wow, no wonder our dad dislikes you," Kai said, shaking his head hearing all of this. "You really DO sound like a pirate-to-be!"
"But at least it didn't sound like a boring life," Felix laughed. "Way to stick it to the noble shits."
"But didn't you literally just tell us you were a noble," River pointed out.
"Doesn't mean I like it," Felix said with a roll of the eyes. "Nobles are usually just full of crap and overly full of themselves to the point it's annoying. Petty and selfish, the lot of um."
"Absolutely," I agreed with a chuckle. "That's really similar to how one of my brothers felt."
Just then, the chef on board came out and told us that our food was ready. The chef also told us that Captain Delta had already gotten his portion and had returned to his quarters. At least that meant a not-so-awkward meal!
However, when I called the person a "chef", it wasn't much of a meal. All they made were bowls of rice, slightly over-grilled fish, and set out a bowl of various fruits. It may not have been the most luxurious food in the four Blues, but at least it was something, I guess. To be honest, it almost reminded me of home, how Dadan would only offer us water and a bowl of rice a day.
The four of us sat and ate, and I was the first to finish mine. As I was taking my dishes over to the sink to begin washing them, I heard Kai say, "Here, River. Here's one of your overripe bananas that you seem to like."
"Hey! Don't judge," River said as he peeled and started mashing it in his empty bowl with a fork. River got up from his chair, went over to a cabinet and made some oatmeal. He went back to his seat and continued, "They're sweeter and perfect for oatmeal when they are this brown. Don't get me wrong, I like a nice yellow banana, but it's better not to waste food when you don't need to."
"Are you sure that it's not rotten? The whole thing is sketchy," Felix tried to tell River as I started rinsing my dishes. "Who in their right mind eats a completely dark brown banana that looks like that? I swear, that thing probably had bugs at one point. How else would have gotten that swirl-like pattern?"
I froze and dropped the dishes I was washing. I spun around on my heels as I shouted, "Don't eat that!!!"
I turned to see the three of them staring at me as River had just put a spoon full of mashed up "banana" and oatmeal into his mouth. In front of River was, indeed, a swirly brown "banana" peel. I facepalmed as River attempted to spit out the foul tasting food. "Geez, Kai," River shouted in irritation, "what kind of crap did you just give me?! That was the worst thing I've ever tasted, you jerk!"
"Heh, I told you not to trust it," Felix said as he laughed.
"What? I just gave you what looked like an overripe banana," Kai defended with a roll of the eyes. "It's not my fault you probably ate a rotten one. And Anne, what's with you? Why were you overreacting? It's just spoiled fruit."
"It… wasn't an overreaction," I said in a sweat. I went over and sat next to River as I looked him over. "Do you… feel any different?"
"Uh, not initially," River said, but then took a moment to think. "Well, actually, now that you mention it, I guess I feel a little, I don't know, heavier?"
"Anne, what is this about," Kai asked me, curious about my concern.
"Um, well," I started to say sheepishly, "I think River might have just eaten… a Devil Fruit."
They just stared at me, thinking it was a joke at first. River stood up from the table and exited the kitchen. The three of us ran after him to see what he was up to. River walked over to the side of the boat, stood on the railing, and proceeded to dive into the sea.
"River, you idiot," I shouted as I ran to the side.
"Relax," Kai said as he walked over beside me. "River's been one of the best swimmers in the family since he was like four years-."
Before Kai could even finish that sentence, we both saw River sink under the waves. Kai stopped mid-sentence as he ran and jumped over the railing, diving in perfect form.
"Oh shit, so that probably DOES mean he has Devil Fruit powers," Felix exclaimed as he ran towards our quarters. I wasn't sure why he ran the opposite way of the scene, but I shrugged it off as I watched for the other two to reappear.
Kai managed to resurface with a weakened River in his arms. I extended a hand towards them and used a strong jet of air to lift them back onto the ship's deck. Kai was panting from exhaustion and adrenaline wearing off as Felix came back out with some towels. I helped River sit up as he coughed up some of the sea water in his lungs.
"For pete's sake," I began to scold River as I smacked him upside the head, "I said you probably ate a Devil Fruit and the first thing you do is try and kill yourself with the Devil Fruit's main weakness! What are you, suicidal?!"
"I-I just thought it was the only way to test if I did," River tried to defend himself.
I facepalmed so hard. "You could have done it in a much safer way, nitwit," I said with a sigh as Felix gave Kai and River both a towel. "You could have tried to see if anything was out of the ordinary, waited for a safer water-testing option like a tub, or even looked at a Devil Fruit book, which I'm almost certain I saw the Captain have in his quarters!"
Kai wrapped the towel over his shoulders, quickly stood up, ran back into the kitchen. He came out with the peel in his hand, and rushed towards the Captain's quarters, yelling, "Da-, er, Captain! We need assistance!"
Kai disappeared into the Captain's quarters as he shut the door behind him, and we didn't see him for a bit. While we waited for either Kai or the Captain to come out, I helped dry River off with the towel Felix brought while Felix leaned against the ship's railing. "So if River ate a Devil Fruit, that means he has to have a cool power now, right," Felix asked me.
"I don't know about cool," I told him with an awkward laugh. "I mean, I heard of some Fruits that weren't so great. I've heard of some where the user can turn into a wheel, can spin insanely fast, turn into the weakest dog, or basically just eat anything. For all we know, it might just be something simple or not so useful."
As if on cue, Kai came running out saying, "We figured out which Devil Fruit he ate!!!"
Kai came running over to us with an open Devil Fruit book and showed us an exact image of what River ate. He explained that it was the Paramecia Terra Terra Devil Fruit. He gave us a summary that River should be able to manipulate the terrain around him, obviously with the exception of water, according to the book.
Felix just burst out laughing as he said, "A lot of good that does at sea!"
Before we could continue discussing this, we saw Captain come out of his office with a transponder snail in his hand. The four of us stood at attention as he approached and said, "We're heading out on another mission. We have been called upon to assist in a nearby buster call. Since this is this company's first buster call, I'll give you the three basics of what we are to do. One, we will be joining up with five vice-admirals and their fleet to lay siege to and eradicating the vile evil dwelling on the island. Two, our target is a group of anarchists going against the World Government to set an example. Three, all other details are unimportant and irrelevant. That being said, we will be one of the last companies to arrive, as we are the furthest away in this district. Our role will be to squash any stragglers that managed to survive the initial salvo."
"But what if there are any innocent inhabitants of the island," I made the mistake of asking the Captain.
He glared down at me like usual and growled, "What did I just say? All other details are unimportant or irrelevant. We'll be there in 20 minutes, so make sure to gather your equipment and prepare for anything. And River, read everything about that fruit in the book, so that you understand your new skills and what you're dealing with."
We all nodded as the book was handed to River and we were dismissed to prep. We all ran to our quarters and started preparing for a big fight. We all grabbed our standard issued pistols from the Marines, ammo, and our own personal weapons. I stuffed a whole bunch of first-aid supplies and a couple paper fans into my bag. Felix slipped his golden brass knuckles onto his hands. Kai placed his pair of chakrams on his sides. River placed his medium-sized war hammer on his back. We each put our pistols on our hips, now prepared for the fight ahead.
I may have been physically prepared for what was going to happen. However, I could never have prepared myself mentally for this future hell…
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Cinik
Cinik *Fun Fact: Ran Dom was a “random” name I came up with*
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone