One Piece Fan Fiction ❯ Misrepresented and Misunderstood ❯ Take Me Seriously ( Chapter 2 )

Recap: Leaving Arabasta, Zoro wondered if his dreams of Kuina were in any way related to the marine he met who looked just like her, and hoped that he would never see the girl again - even though he knew another meeting would be inevitable.

 

 

Chapter 2 - Take me Seriously

 

“Lovely day, isn't it?”

 

“You're talking to a post again.”

 

Tashigi yelped, grabbing her glasses from her hair and hurriedly placing them back onto her face, groaning as she found that the shape in front was not the fellow marine she had thought it to be, and was in fact a wooden post on the deck of the ship. Looking over her shoulder, she saw two men walking away from her, quietly sniggering at her actions. Tashigi sighed, slouching her shoulders in defeat as she felt her face burn. She briefly contemplated going back to her quarters and crawling under her bed-sheets - after all, her day just seemed to keep getting worse and worse, perhaps starting it all over again might make a difference to her luck.

 

At the morning role call, Tashigi had awoken to find that her glasses were not in the place she usually left them. After searching for them until she heard her own name being bellowed unceremoniously by her increasingly impatient captain, Tashigi resigned herself to the fact that she would be forced to endure the morning drill without her glasses. Hurriedly dressing herself and grabbing her sword, Tashigi had run for the deck, the combination of being without her glasses and being momentarily blinded by the sudden brightness of the sun hitting her eyes as she dashed out to join the others caused her to stagger a little, step on something that felt like seaweed, slide across the deck waving her arms about wildly before crashing into the mast of the ship. Acting on instinct to save herself from falling over, Tashigi had desperately grabbed the nearest thing, clutching onto it to steady herself, relieved that it did not seem to move.

 

“Rrr… Tashigi…”

 

At the sound of her name, Tashigi had then realised just what she had grabbed onto. Looking down at her hand she saw the fur lining of her captain's bulky leather overcoat. Grinning nervously she had looked at him hoping that, by some miracle of the Gods, Captain Smoker might actually be a in a good mood that day. But, even without her glasses to give clearer definition to the lines creasing his features, Tashigi could see that her commanding officer was considerably less than impressed by her behaviour.

 

“I'm sorry I'm late Sir!” she had hurriedly apologised, releasing his coat to salute him.

 

Captain Smoker had held her gaze for a moment before slowly and deliberately lowering his eyes to her hand. Tashigi faltered a little, but tried to maintain her stance.

 

“What's that for, Sergeant Major?” he asked, pointing a finger at her hand.

 

“Sir,” Tashigi began, lifting her hand. “This is my Shigure, my sword for…”

 

Tashigi felt her voice fade as she lifted the green and white object closer to her face, where she suddenly found the answer as to why her sword felt so light that day.

 

“It's a parasol, Sir,” she said weakly, looking up at her captain. “I thought it was my Shigure Sir, I lost my glasses this morning-”

 

“If this had been a real emergency, I would be lying dead at the bottom of the ocean by now,” Smoker quietly interrupted her. “But at least you wouldn't have sun-burn.”

 

The other officers on the deck began to snigger amongst themselves, making Tashigi suddenly wish that it was a real emergency, and that the ocean would swallow her up and hide her shame.

 

“You need to focus, Tashigi,” Smoker added firmly. “We won't catch those Straw-Hat Pirates with an attitude like that, and I don't think a parasol is much protection from Roronoa Zoro.”

 

“No Sir,” Tashigi replied. “I mean, yes Sir. I mean…”

 

Tashigi, deciding that she could no longer even trust herself to speak sensibly at that point, silently saluted her captain, inwardly wincing as he shook his head at her and walked on.

 

Tashigi sighed again, dragging her fingers through her hair as she found herself instinctively walking back to her own quarters. She decided she would spend some time polishing her treasured Shigure and then go to the kitchens to make some tea for her captain. Silently glad that she was the only woman on Captain Smoker's crew, Tashigi gladly closed herself into the four-bunk room she had to herself, feeling immediately more at ease knowing that she had taken herself to the one place her fellow officers could not laugh at her.

 

Tashigi started towards the bunk she slept in, stopping short as her eyes landed on the poster mounted on the wall at her bed-side.

 

“Roronoa Zoro,” she growled, sliding her Shigure from its sheath. “I'll get you yet!”

 

She forcefully stabbed her sword forwards, splitting Zoro's forehead with the tip of her blade. She was still furious at him for lying to her. Back in Loguetown, he had used her to help him get new and more powerful swords, and he had refused to finish their fight, giving some lame excuse about not liking her face and then accusing her of copying someone else. He was unaccountably rude, and with a bounty of 60 million on his head, he was obviously an evil man with no morals.

 

Tashigi sat down heavily on the edge of her bed, replaying in her mind how she had allowed Zoro and his crew to escape arrest. She still believed that she had done the wrong thing - the entire crew of Straw-Hat Pirates were lying, unconscious, at her feet, and she had ordered her subordinates to leave them as they were. Captain Smoker had left her in charge, and she had single-handedly allowed the pirate crew her captain had abandoned his post to chase to escape. Tashigi still did not really understand why the Straw-Hat Pirates had been involved in the political uprising in Arabasta, but she did know that they had stopped a villain and saved the whole country from disaster, something that she and her officers had failed to do. The Straw-Hat Pirates had apparently done something very good, but that made no sense: they were pirates, after all.

 

Tashigi turned her head to the poster of Roronoa Zoro, her hand still hanging on her Shigure, which was still stabbing into his forehead. Inside her head, Tashigi saw the look on Zoro's face when she had called him out and challenged him to a re-match in Arabasta. He had looked horrified and disgusted by her, and told her that he could not look at her face any more. Turning to look at her blade, Tashigi caught her own reflection in the polished metal, quietly wondering what was so wrong with her face. Of course, she thought bitterly, she was no beauty like that cocky orange-haired girl that sailed with Zoro; but if he was comparing her to that pirate girl, it was hardly a fair comparison. The orange-haired girl from Zoro's pirate crew dressed in clothes Tashigi not only could not afford to buy, but would never dare wear anyway. In Arabasta, the pirate girl had been dressed like a dancing girl, with more of her skin showing than concealed.

 

`Am I jealous?' Tashigi thought darkly.

 

Growling in frustration, Tashigi stood abruptly, yanking her sword from the wall. Jealous of what? The only thing those pirates had that was of any interest to her was Zoro's priceless sword, the Wado Ichimonji; and the next time she met him, Tashigi would defeat Zoro, and take the sword from him. And then, she thought harshly, she would teach Zoro that women could be swordsmen too.

 

Re-sheathing her sword at her side, Tashigi adjusted her glasses and smoothed a hand over her hair, before marching confidently out of the room and towards the kitchen. She needed to speak with her captain to be sure that they were still on the trail of the Straw-Hat Pirates, but thought it best that she approached him with a peace offering first, since he did not generally like company, and she assumed that he would still be angry with her for her tardiness at the morning drill.

 

After politely asking the kitchen staff for a tray of tea for two, Tashigi nervously began pacing outside the kitchen, growing increasingly nervous as her mind switched between concern that every marine who passed by was still laughing at her earlier blunders, her anger towards Zoro for not only failing to recognise that women could be strong too but also for disliking her because he did not find her face pretty enough for his own liking, and finally her apprehension about approaching Captain Smoker again.

 

“There you are, Sergeant Major.”

 

Tashigi snapped out of her reverie, bowing her head politely and muttering out a hurried “thanks” as she accepted the tray of tea. Turning in the direction of the captain's quarters, Tashigi hoped that Smoker would be there, and also that he might have some news on how close they were to catching the Straw-Hat Pirates. Damn that Zoro, she would make him pay for misusing his sword and for being so unforgivably rude to a lady!

 

In her vigour, Tashigi banged on Captain Smoker's door a little harder than she had intended to, wincing a little as she heard him groan.

 

“Go away,” he growled out in a hushed tone, his voice barely audible through the door.

 

Tashigi turned to go, looking down at the tray thoughtfully images of Zoro laughing at her and mocking her dancing through her mind.

 

“Sir, I brought you some tea, Sir!” she said firmly, knocking on the door again.

 

When her captain did not respond, Tashigi decided to take a chance, and she pushed open the door, marching smartly into the room. She stopped short as she found her captain sat at his desk, his feet crossed on the surface of the desk, his head and shoulders hidden behind a newspaper. After a brief moment of still silence, he lifted his index fingers, curling the edges of his newspaper downwards to peer over the top. As his eyes came into sight, Tashigi offered him a small smile, at which he opened out his newspaper, hiding his face again.

 

“Tashigi,” he muttered.

 

“I brought tea Sir,” Tashigi replied.

 

“Leave it on my desk,” he said without looking up again.

 

Tashigi bared her teeth at him in frustration, gripping into the tray as she fought the urge to run over and grab the newspaper off of him and demand that he listen to her.

 

“I thought perhaps we could have a cup of tea together, Sir,” she tried.

 

“Hm,” he grunted.

 

Tashigi arched her eyebrows expectantly, but shortly realised that her captain was in one of his anti-social moods again, as he so often was. After graduating from her initial training with the navy, Tashigi had been assigned to work beneath Captain Smoker, and as such, had served him for several years; but she still could not claim to understand the man. He had been very helpful to her career, and had never belittled her or treated her any differently to his male officers, which Tashigi had always been grateful for. And, although she held her captain in very high esteem and had a great amount of respect for him, he did infuriate her at times. He was a bit of a rebel and an excellent boss, but sorely lacking in humanity.

 

Tashigi fought the urge to pull a face at her captain as she remembered how he had treated her when she reported back to him after allowing the Straw-Hat Pirates to escape arrest in Arabasta. She had been tearful, certain of a severe reprimand and full of disappointment in her own abilities, and good old Captain Smoker had simply said to her “suck it up, stop crying, learn from what you did and grow stronger”. Insensitive jerk, Tashigi thought coldly.

 

Hardening her resolve, Tashigi started to approach Smoker's desk, only to trip on something by her feet, dropping the tray and smashing the cups, saucers and even the teapot. She yelped as the tea splashed onto her hand, burning her skin.

 

“What is wrong with you girl?” Smoker growled, rustling his newspaper about as he tried to look over to see where she had landed. “How many times do I have to tell you? Put your glasses on!”

 

“I am wearing my glasses!” Tashigi snapped.

 

Smoker met her eyes, staring at her blankly for a moment.

 

“That's yours, by the way,” he said, pointing at the object that had tripped her, before lifting his newspaper back up and hiding himself behind it.

 

Tashigi looked down at her feet, groaning as she found her parasol. She began to gather up the broken pieces of china, whimpering at the red mark on her hand where the tea had burned her skin.

 

“Are you alright?” Smoker asked, his voice so quiet, Tashigi wondered if she had perhaps imagined hearing it.

 

“Sir?” she said quietly, frowning up at his desk.

 

“Are you hurt?” he asked, his voice still barely more than a whisper.

 

“Um…”

 

Tashigi began hurriedly swiping the broken fragments back onto the tray, suddenly wanting to be out of his room as quickly as she could. Grabbing her parasol in one hand and her tray in the other, Tashigi hurriedly stood, gasping as Smoker sharply folded his newspaper over, fixing his eyes onto her.

 

“E-excuse me,” she said weakly, bowing her head and turning on her heel.

 

She heard her captain's chair scrape against the ground behind her as he stood and she promptly quickened her pace to leave. She paused at the door, inwardly cursing herself as she realised that she could not open the door without first putting down either the tray or her parasol. Before she could make a decision on which to do, she heard Smoker cross the room towards her in a few easy strides. He grabbed her wrist, lifting her hand. Shocked by his sudden actions, Tashigi dropped her parasol, yelping as it stabbed her foot before clattering to the ground.

 

“You should put this is some cold water,” Smoker told her, indicating the burn on her hand.

 

“Thank you Sir, I will,” she replied, wishing he would let her go so that she could hide somewhere and beat herself up for her own accursed clumsiness.

 

“And next time…” he said slowly. “Be more careful!”

 

“I'll try Sir,” Tashigi politely replied.

 

Smoker held her wrist for a moment longer, staring at her with an unreadable expression, before opening his fingers. Moving faster than she did when in a duel, Tashigi yanked the door open and darted out, running back towards the kitchen. As she neared her destination, Tashigi suddenly remembered her parasol, moaning pitifully as she realised that Captain Smoker still had it. Just as Zoro could not take her seriously as a swordsman, her captain would never be able to take her seriously as an officer if she did not do something drastic and soon.

 

 

Next Chapter: Tashigi has been a bit ditzy lately - more so than usual - and Smoker thinks he knows why. Chapter 3 - Hindsight is a Wonderful Thing.