Double-Dealing | Kuzan x reader

005

Unlike that first time where the poor vice admiral visited the admiral's office, he seemed to have been further prepared as he sat up at his desk with his cheek leaning on his hand. It was as the woman closed the door and turned around to salute that she heard his voice.

"I take it you're better today?" With one eyebrow raised, Aokiji watched as the whole woman's face turned into a shade of beet red. Of course she remembered what had happened but she wasn't about to relive her mistakes now. So just nodding her head, he leaned back into his chair while she stood over by the door. Her eyes moved around to look at the various things, which his noticed as he hummed which caught (y/n)'s attention. Using his hand he lazily waved it in the direction of a kettle and some teacups. Catching on to him, (y/n) made her way over to the objects and began to turn the kettle on as he relaxed.

"How do you define justice, vice admiral?" As she poured the hot liquid onto the cup along with a strainer and some tea leaves, the (h/c) vice froze - confused. Justice? Don't make her laugh. She couldn't exactly just talk about it there and then so she used the generic answer.

"Justice is about helping those in need of help and ridding the world of whom causes harm." Speaking clearly and turning with the two cups, (y/n) strode over to Aokiji's desk and placed the beverage down in front of him. His dark eyes traveled to her stone face, nothing but calm displayed on her face and that was something unusual. Was she just comfortable or too uncomfortable and didn't want to show it? Just as she had walked away to drink her own tea, the man broke the small silence.

"Who are you, vice admiral? I know this 'nightingale'  island doesn't exist." Even when a bead of sweat betrayed the woman and rolled cunningly down her smooth face, she didn't dare turn around. Just simply, she placed the fine china down on a nearby coffee table. Noticing her behavior, the lounging man leaned up from his chair and looked more alert: waiting for her reply. But that didn't come.

"It confuses me that someone so perfect at their job and so good at tactics from the New World is just a normal person, unless," he watched as (y/n) spun to face him "this is just a coincidence." Her face stayed unmoving as he got up out of his seat and walked around his desk to her.

"You know, vice admiral, I can't help but remember when you told me you joined the Navy a decade ago," Aokiji was towering over her as he looked down upon her "that a young girl around sixteen had been picked up from the borders of a certain territory around that time."

"What are you trying to say, admiral?" He sighed, sick of her tiring ways and placing a hand on his forehead.

"How old are you?" His question confused even her for a moment where she then knew what he was getting at. As much as she wanted to avoid this who thing, her birthdate was the only record she had apart from her birthplace being the New World.

"I am twenty-six."

"And there we have it. It was you."

Thoughts clouded her head. Should she run? Should she lie and say it wasn't her? Looking away, she felt the harsh tickle of ice against her neck. Her eyes shifted to Aokiji who stood right behind her, so close that she couldn't do anything. (Y/n) suddenly froze when she heard the click of something falling into place then felt a weight around her dainty wrists. Sea prism handcuffs. Turning around to see Aokiji walking back to his desk, a cloth in his hand to not touch the sea prism, she tried to scurry to the door. It was frozen.

"You're going to sit there and explain to me who you are and what your motives are, (y/n)." Why did it have to be now of all times that he used her actual name.

"Thank you, come back later!" The ringing of a bell cut through the classical music which heartily played in a shop where even the outside smelt of fresh pumpkin. Behind a glass cabinet filled to the brim with all types of pumpkin-related food items was a girl, no older than sixteen. A large smile was on her face as she wore an orange turtle neck and a pair of purple shorts that had black lacings along the rims - a necklace of gold hanging from her neck. The girl turned around to pick up the next tray of items out of the oven when the door opened and the bell went.

"Welcome-"

"(Y/n). Mama asked for an audience hours ago with you, you need to be more on track!" A rather ugly and seemingly rude man was stood in the doorway, the smile on the girl's face dropped when she saw him - leaning over the counter with a groan.

"Mont-D'Or-niisan, who sent you? I thought Perospero-niisan was going to come and get me?" Sighing angrily, Mont-D'Or gripped his nose bridge and seethed through his teeth.

"Perospero-niisan will explain to you what's going on when you get to Whole Cake Island. Luckily for our time schedule, Pumpkins Island is only four hours away. Let's go."

Aokiji only stared on as (y/n) gazed at her misfortune of being stuck in cuffs. She felt her body draining ever so slightly. He had worked it out and he wasn't going to speak until she did.

"My name is Charlotte (y/n), one of the Big Mom Pirates' crew members and direct subordinate under my older brother and eldest son of Charlotte, Charlotte Perospero. Along with being that, I am also known as the Minister of Pumpkins of Totto Land."

The room fell silent. Nothing but the sound of Aokiji's sigh when he closed his eyes could be heard.

"So you're selling out the Navy?"

"No, I'm not." Opening his eyes as he heard this answer, the man wondered. So she's still lying?

"How so?" Tapping her foot against the ground irritably, (y/n) looked dead at the admiral who had questioned her further.

"My original mission that I was put on by mama, the Yonko Big Mom, was that I was to infiltrate the Navy ranks and give her the inside information that could help the crew in any way, however," (y/n) shuffled in her chains, her hands feeling like they were cramping further with each coming minute "to be a member of the crew you must either marry into the crew or be born with our Captain, Big Mom, as your mother."

Aokiji knew about Big Mom and her ways that lived up to her name, but he didn't know that they were that set on marriage.

"Unfortunately for me, I was to be married off to someone which I - very adamantly - refused to do. Therefore, I was placed on the mission that meant I would be away from the crew for a good while. However I don't intend on giving them the information because I have none which will benefit."

The window over to the left showed the sprawling stretches of sea that one could see for miles and
(y/n) had her eyes set on it's sparkling surface.

"Admiral, we aren't choosers. We don't get to choose who we are born to or who we are raised by, it's a matter of you get what you get. We don't get to choose how the world views us or how the world wants to condemn us for what we have done and our actions. However the world isn't a chooser, either. It has no say in how we want to go about those things that had been decided the day we began to breathe. That's when we become the choosers."

He heard her. The words which she said without a stutter came sailing to him. He agreed as well. But what he could do for her actions were... minimal. And with a sigh, Aokiji had one idea which he would keep as a promise.

"If you promise to not sell out the Navy, then I won't tell the higher ups of your situation," quickly whipping her head to the side and tearing her eyes from the view, (y/n) lit up at his kindness "on one condition."

Aokiji got up out of his seat once more and wondered over to the woman, tilting her chin up so she gazed right into his calm eyes.

"You won't be let out of my sight."

~~~

19.12.2020

Author's Notes

... now you know the reader's deal!

I shall say no more.

- TransponderSnail