Sword

Chapter 13

"Gozen Shoko, this is my superior, Captain Smoker," the Marine girl introduced the cigar-smoking man to Shoko.

"Hi, Captain S-" Shoko stopped when she saw the girl shake her head slightly. Oh right. Shit.

Shoko raised her right hand in a military salute. "Captain Smoker," she said instead, hoping she didn't look too much like an idiot in front of the captain. He looked intimidating, but the other girl seemed fairly comfortable around him, so she hoped that was a sign he wasn't another captain like Morgan.

"Gozen Shoko," Smoker said, studying Shoko skeptically. "You've turned in a few pirates to my men for bounties."

"Yes, sir."

"Officer Tashigi here suggests that you may be qualified to begin at the level of Sergeant Major, the same rank as her," Smoker said. Shoko glanced in the girl's direction. That's good, right? Or does that mean I'll have an office job like this?

"This rank allows you to engage with pirates," Smoker explained, "But it will allow you to learn the ways of life in the Marines—something you don't have any experience with." Smoker narrowed his eyes. "I want to be clear that giving you a rank higher than Recruit to start with does not mean you will be able to make your own choices like you did as a bounty hunter. You will follow all orders given to you. Understood?"

"Yes sir!" Shoko nodded eagerly, worried that even the slightest hesitation would be held against her.

Smoker then turned and walked unceremoniously out the door. As the door closed, Shoko relaxed and turned towards the girl, Tashigi. "Sergeant Major?" she asked. "What is that position?"

Tashigi smiled, seeing Shoko's apprehension. "It's not normally office jobs like this," she explained. "Not everyone does this, but Captain Smoker says I have better people skills than other Officers, and I don't mind this kind of work so much."

Shoko breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't want to deal with new recruits all the time. "What kind of field work do you do then?"

"Captain Smoker is known for coming down hard on any pirates who come to Loguetown. He's fairly new here, but he is already gaining a lot of respect for his perfect streak of capturing every pirate who has come through here."

Shoko raised her eyebrows. "A perfect streak, huh?" So I have a lot to live up to if I'm going to serve under this guy.

Confirming her thoughts, Tashigi said "I really hope you understand how much of an honor it is to be beginning at this rank. It will be a challenge, though, since ranks normally come with respect. If the civilians or even the marines here are going to really respect you as a Sergeant Major, you'll have to build those relationships yourself."

Shoko nodded solemnly. "So when do I start? And what will I be doing exactly?"

Tashigi walked back behind her desk, then pulled a giant binder from a file cabinet. She flipped through the pages for a moment before handing a small stack of papers to Shoko. "Fill these pages out. This has all the codes of conduct, payment agreements, waivers... legal things like that. You have one week to go home and pack your things before returning here. When you come back, please have those papers completed so we can begin your training as quickly as possible."

"Thank you, Officer Tashigi. I appreciate your help."

...

Back in Shells Town, Zoro and Shoko were seated at the restaurant bar having drinks after closing for the evening. Riri had just gone upstairs to get Rika ready for bed, Shoko's mother was already sleeping, and Ripper was on duty for the night.