Kids on a Rampage
Back to the present day, Ryuu D. Irin was in Marineford and was preparing to set out to sea for her job. There had been reports of a pirate rampaging islands nearby Sabaody and the pink haired Vice Admiral was sent to subdue the said pirate.
"First day back and you already have such a heavy job, huh, bubbles? It must really suck to be the star employee..." Kuzan said, his hands in his pocket as he walked alongside the girl. Their coats flowed with the wind behind them as they walked towards the docks of Marineford.
Irin chuckled as she continued with her stride, "I'm not the star employee, Kuzan-san. If I were, I'd be an Admiral by now."
Kuzan raised a brow at her statement before laughing, "Arara, aren't you a confident one? Don't worry, you're close. Sengoku trusts you because you do your job well," he joked and complimented.
"I'm sure a lot would disagree on that, Kuzan-san," she said as she glanced up at the taller man from her peripheral vision.
The Admiral then stifled a laugh, knowing exactly who she meant, "He doesn't like you because your sense of justice is different and he thinks you're weak, which isn't true," he said.
Irin turned her head, facing Kuzan with slightly widened eyes before smiling, "Thank you, Kuzan-san. You'd make a great Fleet Admiral! Well, then, I have to go now!" she beamed, leaving Kuzan behind to stare at her wordlessly before chuckling to himself.
The pink haired girl boarded her Marine Ship and ushered her team of Marine's onto the ship, making sure that they had brought the adequate amount of food supplies and needs. This mission was said to be rather difficult and may take more than a week to complete, which was why Irin had to make sure that all the needs were available on the ship.
After making sure that they had everything they needed, Irin and her team took off towards an island not so far away from Sabaody.
She had to follow the trails left behind by the pirates she was in pursuit of. It wasn't too hard for them to find the said pirates because they left everytown they arrived in with countless casualties.
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On an island fairly close to Sabaody Archipelago, there was a small village, and in that village, there was an infamous Pirate crew going on a rampage; all because someone said that they're captain's dream was unobtainable.
He had bright red hair which was pushed up by his goggles, making his hair stand upright, and his right-hand man wore a light blue striped full helmet over his head with his long blond locks hanging out of it at the sides.
They were the infamous Kid Pirates led by Eustass Kid from South Blue.
With a shocking bounty of 315,000,000 berries, Eustass Kid was considered to be part of the Worst Generation, also known as the Supernova's. The redhead received the high bounty due to his violence towards civilians and this, frankly, did not sit well with a certain pink haired Vice Admiral.
It took about 2 days for Irin and her team to arrive on the same island as the Kid Pirates; taking 1 day to exit the Gates of Justice and another day to follow their tracks while providing aid for the disaster-struck islands.
Irin stood at the very front of her ship as she scanned the island they were nearing, it sure was abnormally quiet. The boats and ships docked into the harbour of the island swayed gently with the waves. There was not a single soul to be seen around the docks, no one moving crates of materials in and out of the ships, no one fixing the ships.
It was simply pin drop silent.
The young Vice Admiral was sure that something was amiss on that island and she was sure that they had tracked the Kid Pirates down. This usually-bustling island was far too quiet and sure enough, when they docked into the town's harbour, an old sailor who lived by the sea had a look of relief when his eyes met with hers.
"Please...! They've killed a man yesterday and our town is in ruins...! Please, Marine Angel...! You're our only hope!" the old man pleaded as he got onto his knees and begged for help. Slightly taken aback by his actions, Irin's eyes were wide before she forced a reassuring smile onto her face and helped the man up, "Please, there's no need to get on your knees for this, it is our duty as Marines, to help those in need. Would it be okay for you to describe the pirates?" she asked, politely.
The old man nodded and began to describe the Kid Pirates. She nodded understandingly as she narrowed her eyes a little. It was pirates like this that got on her nerves; they were one of the reasons why she was determined to be a Marine.
She hated the idea of the strong abusing their strength and harming the weak.
"The red-haired man murdered a man yesterday all because he said that being the Pirate King was impossible and that Pirates were the vermin of this society! I've been a sailor for a long time and I know that not all Pirates are bad, but I've never seen one who was as violent as this man!" the old man explained.
Irin gently placed a hand on the old man's shoulder and smiled reassuringly, "Thank you for understanding that not all Pirates are bad, I'll do my best to ensure a safe environment for you and the townspeople. I'm very sorry for our late arrival but we'll try our best to compensate for our tardiness. Once again, thank you for your patience and thank you for being an understanding person," she thanked, bowing a 45 degree bow as a sign of gratitude and regret.
The older man who had a slight look of worry etched onto his face then smiled and said, "You really are the Marine's Angel..."
She smiled a close-eyed smile before thanking the man once more and advising him to stay indoors until the situation was resolved.
Out of nowhere, though, the sound of a gunshot rang through the air. Irin widened her eyes at the sound of that and quickly ordered her team to approach the sound from the surrounding instead of head-on. She, however, dived straight towards the sound of trouble.
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"Killer!!" the redhead yelled as shot towards his wounded friend, "You bastard! Did you just fucking shoot my crewmate?!"
There in Eustass Kid's arms was Killer. It seemed that one of the townspeople owned a gun and had decided to take action by shooting one of the Kid Pirates. The man in the blue striped helmet bled out from his guts as he remained in Eustass Kid's arm, convulsing a little from the pain in his stomach.
Grunting at the sight of his bloodied friend, Kid attempted to pull out the bullet that was buried in Killer's guts out with his Devil Fruit Ability, "Hang on, Killer, I'll get it out!" he said as he focused on the bullet deep within Killer's flesh.
"Captain, that's not a good idea!" they're ship's doctor exclaimed as he rushed forward and at the same time, a feminine voice called out.
"I would suggest that you don't pull the bullet out," Irin said as she stood from a roof and glanced down at the crowd.
They were gathered at the town centre and Irin had got there as fast as she could by running above the houses and shops.
"It's the Navy! They're here!" one of the townspeople exclaimed, noticing the presence of Irin.
She forced a smile onto her face and glanced around the perimeter to watch over her team, she then pulled out a baby Den Den Mushi and spoke softly through it, "Do not engage yet, I'll send a signal if force is needed."
The pink haired Vice Admiral then hopped down from the roof gently. Her 'Justice' coat flying behind her gracefully and her hair flowing with the wind as they remained binded by her hair tie.
Eustass Kid had a glare etched onto his face as he eyed every single one of her movement. She only had a slight frown sewn onto her face as she scanned Killer's injury carefully.
"You damn Marine, the fuck you want? Y'all are the scum of this world, fuck off!" Kid yelled, handing the Killer's bloodied body carefully to his crewmate, Wire.
Irin watched Kid's actions very carefully and, in all honesty, she had watched him for a while from the rooftop.
"Why did you kill the man yesterday?" she asked, calmly. Although she had already heard from the old sailor, she wanted to hear it from Eustass Kid himself. She wanted to understand him as a person before she decides what to do.
There were many Pirates that she had encountered before Eustass Kid that were similar to him but the difference with the redhead was that he held so much care for his crewmate.
Irin noticed the worry and the hidden gentleness Eustass Kid carried in his eyes when Killer was wounded. Behind the violent and fearsome facade he put up, Irin believed that Eustass Kid knew to show care and was not completely unreasonable. Hearing his words, the young Vice Admiral also began to understand a little about this red haired man; he despised the Navy and did not believe in the World Government's 'Justice'.
"And why the fuck should I tell you, bitch?!" Kid yelled back as he continued to glare at her and prepared to attack.
"Because I'm curious," Irin said, straightforwardly and seriously, "I've only been watching your actions for a while and I don't think you're as bad as you're claimed to be..."
Kid narrowed his eyes at her statement, "Huh?! The fuck you say? I take pride in my fucking bounty and if you think I'm weak then you don't know who you're messing with. I'll fucking destroy you!" he threatened as he walked closer and closer towards the 168cm (5'5) tall lady.
He towered over her and, frankly, anyone her size would've been afraid, but not her. Irin only held a blank expression on her face as she glanced up at the redhead.
Eustass Kid clicked his tongue in annoyance when he could not sense fear in her eyes, "You fucking piss me off!" he scolded as he pulled his fist back to punch the small Vice Admiral. However, she only narrowed her eyes at his actions and swiftly dodged his punch as she appeared behind him with her arms folded.
The townspeople gasped a little but they were confused as to why Irin was not attacking the Pirate that was right in front of her. They watched as the pinkette approached the wounded Killer who laid in his own pool of blood.
Irin knelt down as she took a closer look at the bullet wound while asking Eustass Kid a question, "Would you like to make a deal with me or go to Impel Down?" she asked, her eyes never meeting Kid's but instead focused on Killer's wound.
"Is that a fucking threat?" Kid hissed.
She stood up and faced him, "Depends," she said, calmly, "Your friend is dying, would you rather make a deal with me or go to Impel Down and let your friend die?"
He gritted his teeth as he glared at the pink haired girl, "Screw those choices! I'll fucking kill you!" he yelled, dashing straight at Irin and gathering the metal pieces in the surrounding with his Devil Fruit Ability to form a giant fist.
Irin took in a deep breath and closed her eyes for a brief moment before opening them and conjuring up a whip-like water bind that wrapped around Eustass Kid's metal fist. The whip-like water bind was strong enough to break his metal contraption into pieces as she leaped into the air, flipping midair before landing gently on the ground behind him.
She then grabbed the redhead by his arm and swung him over, smashing him deep into the ground before she sent a punch, that was boosted with her water abilities, to his face.
The captain of the Kid Pirates stood no chance against her speed and agility.
Irin stepped away from Kid's bloodied face and dusted her hands as she washed the blood on her fist with her water abilities, "Would you like to make a deal with me?" she asked, once more, with her same calm tone.
"Captain, I think we should hear her out," Wire said as he held onto Killer's body.
The pinkette smiled kindly at Wire as she returned her gaze towards the red haired captain and waited for his reply.
Kid got up from the ground and sat on the ground as he continued to glare at the pinkette, "What do you want?" he asked, unwillingly.
She smiled a close-eyed smile, "Compensation and responsibility," she said, "I would like to have your crew's loot."
"The fuck?! So you're just a fucking gold-digging bitch?! You Marine's are disgusting!" Kid yelled, voicing every single one of his thoughts.
Irin only remained calm as her usual smile was still etched onto her face, "In return, I'll fix your crewmate and I'll even let you go free, but you'll have to make a promise with me and you must adhere to that promise, or the next time I see you I'll be sending you to Impel Down," she said, authoritatively.
Although she had a calm smile etched onto her face, her tone was serious and almost scary.
"We have a fucking doctor, we don't need your help," Kid snarled.
In return, his ship's doctor replied, "Captain, I can't treat Killer in time, he's losing too much blood."
The infamous Eustass Kid widened his eyes as worry filled those orbs. His head snapped towards where his best friend laid, "The fuck you mean you can't heal him?! It's just a fucking gunshot!" he scolded.
"Unfortunately, the bullet is buried directly in his organs and his stomach is punctured," Irin spoke calmly though on the inside she had the same worry that Kid held. She despised seeing people injured so badly and she also hated how she was able to save him but was unable to do so due to their circumstance.
He was a Pirate and she was a Marine, frankly she didn't care about such titles but the people around did, so she had to be careful.
Kid bit onto his lip as he looked at his bloodied best friend, "Fine! I'll do what you want!" he yelled, reluctantly.
Irin let out a sigh of relief as she forced a smile towards Kid before walking towards Killer. She knelt down and began working on his wound, gently pulling out the bullet while using her water ability to place the same amount of pressure on the wound so the bleeding wouldn't worsen. She then started the healing process from the punctured stomach and gradually towards all the other surrounding organs that had been grazed. It required a lot of focus as she manipulated all the water in Killer's body skillfully. Finally, she fixed the bullet wound and closed it up without leaving any major scars. All wounds like these have scars so, of course, a small scar remained on Killer's body but it was so small that it was barely visible if one was not aware of it.
Her eyelids began to droop a little after the tiring healing process but she brushed it off and stood up, "Now all I require is for you to hand over your loot and to promise me that neither you nor your crewmate will ever kill another innocent civilian. If you ever break this deal, I will hunt your crew down personally and send you to Impel Down, I'll even provide you with the worst treatment possible ever in Impel Down," she threatened as she crossed her arms.
The air that surrounded her was intimidating and anyone who dared to cross her at that moment would have probably suffered a fate worse than death.
Kid only continued to glare at her before agreeing to her terms, "Fine," he said, shortly before walking away and ordering his crew to pass her all their loot.
Although he was a fearsome pirate, Kid was an honourable man who loved his friends and despised the World Government. He was prideful but his friend was more important than his pride. He only retreated and helped Killer back onto the ship.
Secretly, Kid was quite amazed by Irin's ability but he spoke nothing about it and instead respected her prowess in private. He still did not like her as a person because he thought of her as a shameless gold digger who hid behind the title of being a Marine.
"Oh yeah, before you go," Irin called out as she approached the redhead, "I apologise for breaking your nose."
She then healed up his nose before smiling kindly and returning to the townspeople.
He stared at her wide-eyed as he watched her retreating figure. Why did she heal him? Didn't she only agree to heal Killer? Kid wasn't sure why she did what she did, he thought that she was confusing because he could not understand her motives.
Irin collected the loot from the Kid Pirates and made sure they had boarded their ship secretly before ordering her team to gather at the town centre to help treat the townspeople.
She came up with an excuse and her team understood her reasoning, luckily.
The young Vice Admiral then used all the loot she had gathered from the Kid Pirates and helped with the restoration of the town. All the money was used to fix what was lost and to hold a proper burial for the man that was killed.
Irin also decided to spend a few days on that island to help them with the restoration and to provide medical help.
The townspeople had agreed that her epithet was fitting for her; the Marine Angel.
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Unknown to the pink haired girl, Killer of the Kid Pirates had witnessed all she had done for the town when he stealthily went back into the town to pick up his scythes that he left behind. He was shocked to see that all the money and materials that was handed to the girl was being used for the town because he truly thought that she was just another gold digging woman with a pretty face.
Killer then realised that she was a famous Marine that was always on News Coo with the epithet: Marine Angel.
He, too, thought that it was fitting for her.
"Kid, remember that Marine that we gave all our loot to?" Killer asked.
"Huh?! What about her?!" the redhead grunted.
A beat of silence engulfed the room before Killer spoke, "She used the money on the town. She provided a proper burial for the man we killed. She replaced the things that we ruined," he said.
The red haired man's eyes widened at the fact, he truly thought that she was a gold digger. However, to cover up his shock he only yelled, "And why the fuck would I care?!"
Killer stared at his captain silently, "No reason, just thought you should know what happened to our money... That woman is also a famous Marine with the epithet: Marine Angel, and she's the granddaughter of the Marine Hero, Garp," he informed.
Kid only remained silent as he took in the information.
"I don't care," he said, firmly.
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A few days after the Kid Pirates had left the island, Irin and her team of Marines stayed back to help with the restoration. The pinkette had already reported all that had happened back to Fleet Admiral Sengoku, leaving out the part where she healed the Kid Pirates and let them go. She, however, informed Fleet Admiral Sengoku about the money she had managed to obtain for the town and that the town was now extremely peaceful.
Although Sengoku was not the happiest about how she had failed to capture Eustass Kid and his troublesome crew, he was quite content with the work she had done instead.
Irin, however, dreaded returning to Marineford because she thought that Sengoku sounded rather stressed over the call and she immediately blamed herself for not arresting Eustass Kid. She did not regret letting the Kid Pirates go but she definitely felt as though she had disappointed Sengoku.
"Oh dear, you're such a kind sweetheart... Thank you for helping our poor town, Marine Angel," an old woman said as she held onto Irin's hand. The pink haired Vice Admiral smiled kindly as she bent down a little and placed a hand on the old woman's shoulder, "No, we thank you for forgiving our tardiness and the Pirates who have raided this town."
The old woman smiled an elderly smile, "Oh sweet girl, many of us would not have been able to forgive those rascals if it weren't for you. We wouldn't have been able to replace what was lost. There are still a handful who hold a grudge towards those Pirates but their gratitude for your help is greater than their hate. You truly are an angel, kind child," she said with her aged voice.
Irin smiled at the old woman as she began to tear up; she was just that emotional. Words like that just made her tear up easily and she felt so happy for the town for being able to live their lives happily despite the raid that had just happened recently.
"It isn't just me who has done all this for your town, it's my whole team of Marines. They've been so incredibly helpful for the past few days and I can't thank them enough. I can't take all the credit for what we've done together but, on behalf of them, thank you for being so kind and accepting," Irin bowed.
The old woman smiled a close eyed smile, "I hope to see you again, Marine Angel, Irin," she said.
Irin nodded, bidding farewell to the townspeople before walking towards her Marine ship.
Out of nowhere though, one of her subordinates ran to her with a Den Den Mushi in their hands, "Vice Admiral Irin, this is for you, it's a call from Vice Admiral Garp and here's the latest issue of News Coo!"
Irin smiled at her subordinate, muttering a soft thanks as she answered Garp's call and picked the News Coo into her hands, "Vice Admiral Irin speaking," she said as she spoke through the Den Den Mushi.
"Irin," Garp's voice rang.
"Garp-jiisan? How can I help you?" she asked as she opened the News Coo in her hands.
There was a beat of silence as Irin read the headline of the latest issue of News Coo. The smile that was on her face slowly disappeared as her eyes widened with tears glazing over them.
Breaking the silence and the news, Garp spoke,
"Ace is in Impel Down and his execution has already been scheduled."
a/n: merry christmas everybody!! it's a day past christmas but i still wanted to wish y'all anyway heheeh
anywayyy, this is the opening chapter for the upcoming arc and i really hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! marineford is surprisingly harder to write than my original chapters, there are just way too many emotions that i have to capture and honestly, i really hope i do a decent job.
but yea, i hope you enjoyed this week's episode and i'll be back next year lolol. until then! <3