PR Machine Goes Brr...

Sorry for taking a weeklong break! Espada won in the polls, but I'm partial to Augenblick, so I came up with a compromise. The core members and the fighting force in the dark will be the Espada, while the public facade of the supposed "trade" organization will be Augenblick.

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Ah, good old West Blue. Truly a treasure chest if I've seen one. I've also managed to roughly narrow down the radius of Nico Robin as well, using her last confirmed sighting and the speed of an average ship. Not too helpful since half of West blue is still in range, but useful regardless.

On the trip here, it was easy to get Wapol's fruit. His father had been saving it for a year when they didn't have enough money to pay the Heavenly gold. Go into their coffers, take it, then leave. I have one more devil fruit, and no ones the wiser.

The more important thing has been practicing Armament Haki, and catching pirates. My reputation has also been rising, though I have avoided hitting the Donquixote pirates ships even though they're mostly a North Blue crew for now. After Doflamingo becomes Shichibukai in the next 2 years his underground tradings really take off. I wish Doflamingo the best, because I really need his help to set up an underground empire. Obviously, he'll happily give me the the reins once a nice dude named Luffy takes him out.

It's for the same reason I haven't taken out Bege. Not to mention it wouldn't be easy to do anyway because of his Castle fruit (which I confirmed he'd already eaten), there is also the fact that the marines aren't justice, they're order. Destroying an underworld family would start a free-for-all in West Blue, and that's fine, but Sengoku wouldn't authorize it. Plus, doesn't it make more sense to start a fire in West Blue right before the Paramount War? It would make people hate the marines and ease the expansion into West Blue which of course my loyal friend Doflamingo will take advantage of. Benefits all around.

I've never gotten why people want to "move the Marines onto the right track" or "change it from the inside." You can't. Who will pay the salaries if the World Government stops footing the bills? No, the best method to deal with the Marines if you want the world is to let them descend into self-doubt and internal conflict. All I need to do is set the tinder and Sakazuki, another good friend, will take over from there.

Maintaining a perfect image is hard work. You need to be distant from your peers but not aloof. You need to be helpful not overbearing. Kind but not servile. Truly a balancing act that tests both my devil fruit and patience, though I have come to realize my irritability is being influenced by my puberty-stricken body.

Leaving Marine Base #80 on a routine patrol, I tell the navigator to set course for the calm belt. The new ships come equipped with Kairoseki hulls for easy travel, Vegapunk is truly amazing. He's figured out how to make Zoan weapons, Pacifistas etc. in a world where people can't seem to use mind-numbingly versatile Devil fruits for anything other than fighting. Seriously, if Shiki wasn't a pirate he could've had the most lucrative cross-sea trade of all time. Imagine moving an island worth of goods with no worry about pirates or sea kings. Add Byrndi World's More-More fruit and you have the island version of Fedex. But I digress.

I have been promoted to Ensign after a year of hunting pirates madly across West Blue, and now have the ability to command my own ship (with some illusion assisted convincing of the head of the base). The year is 1513 and my first subordinate should clearly have had the Ope-Ope no mi for two years or a little less. It's time to go to Swallow island, where I will recruit my 8th Espada - Trafalgar D. Water Law. Refusal isn't an option.

--------------2 Weeks Later------------------

As I pull up to Swallow island, I can truly see what kind of place this really is. The people are suffering, and Law is too kind for his own good for helping these people. They pay, him, I think? I don't much care. Expanding my observation haki to it's maximum, I immediately sense the kid and mink duo that can only be Law and Bepo. It seems the crew of the Heart pirates has already been formed.

I wait for night to fall while slowly walking to the ramshackle hut they're living in. I slowly knock on the door. As the door creaks open, I can swear it seems like Law's blood has teleported out of him. His face goes deathly pale, and I can see him trying to figure a way out. Giving up, he says to me in a defeated voice "you can take me to Doflamingo, just let the Mink go".

Feeling some schadenfreude, I directly reply "no". Suddenly, I hear "shambles" as Law tries to stab me with the knife he teleported from the kitchen. What a scary devil fruit for assassinations if the range improves. You'll never find the murder weapon. He's still a kid right now, so I assume his range is around 10 meters, which is not bad. A quick kick to the stomach later, I quietly announce "I'm not with Doflamingo. And you're the kid Rosinante told me about, huh?" as Law looks at me with a shocked face. Bepo suddenly stops mid-attack and hits his head on the wall. "I'm sorry." Seriously, man needs help, his self-confidence is negative.

"Rosinante told me about you"

"I don't believe you!"

"Rosinante told you about his hometown didn't he? The story about the D?" That seems to shut him up good. Now to reel him in. "He told me about that story before you. Me and him were acquaintances during when I had just joined training, but became friends with time. He was the son of Sengoku, the Marshal of the marines but a pretty relaxed dude. He got sent off on some super-secret mission when I was still in training camp, and when I heard from him next he was talking about this kid that he wanted to free from his past, another one of my people. Those two sentences were the last I heard from him."

"You people killed him."

I shook my head in mock sadness, "I know Law. But I have no proof, and neither do you."

"So you're just going to accept this? Was he even your friend, you liar?" Ah, kids. Truly a joy.

"No, I'm going to wait until I can take him down. What about you? Sit here in this dump till you magically have powers to kill Rosinante's murderers?"

"WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?"

"Well that's what I'm here for, Law." I gave a slightly dramatic pause. "How would you like to finally have the power be able to take revenge?"

"What can you give me? And why would someone like you want to help me? Sorry, but I don't believe you want to help me out of the goodness of your heart."

Looks like I got him hook, line and sinker.