One Piece: Adopting Akainu at the beginning, adopted son Barrett

Chapter 240: Justice Delayed
"Hey kid, can you pass me that cigarette over there?"

One night in the year 1490 of the Haiyuan calendar.

In a corner of the harbor, Smoker found the man who changed his life.

The smell of blood was strong here, obviously after a great battle. The corpses and body parts of the navy mixed with bullets and unknown flesh and blood were scattered everywhere.

The sailor was lying in a pool of blood, dying.

Smoker was lying behind a pile of crates. He didn't expect that he would be discovered. When he looked in the direction of the sound, he found a blood-stained cigar not far away from him.

He was struggling, not knowing whether he should help this strange sailor and fulfill his dying wish.

It has been almost a year since he lost his parents in a gang fight. The security in Rogue Town was not very good, and the navy here rarely fought against local gangs.

But the scene now... is very familiar, as if the victorious gang took away the bodies of their own people, leaving behind the remains of the enemy as a show-off and a warning.

But the target of failure was not another gang, but a rare... navy.

After hesitating for a moment, he finally mustered up the courage to come out. Smoker, who was used to donating blood, did not make a fool of himself. He calmly picked up the cigar and shook off the dust and dried blood on it.

It's a bit soft and looks wet inside, so I guess it can't be used.

"Ta-Pa-Da"

The shoes made a crisp sound when stepping into the river of blood, which was particularly loud in the silent night.

"Isn't the Navy responsible?"

Coming up to the navy, Smoker squatted down and handed over the cigar in his hand while asking casually.

But his eyes betrayed him. Little kids couldn't control their emotions very well. He was wondering, if the navy could wipe out the gangs in the town, would he not become an orphan?

I could go back to my previous life instead of being like this now, following my "predecessors" to steal things during the day and picking up scraps at night. I only sleep at noon and midnight to save energy, and I am lucky if I have two half-full meals a day.

“I didn’t expect that you also lost a loved one because of this kind of thing.

Ah, sorry, it seems that I said something unpleasant, because I said something similar to you before. "

The navy used his hands to prop up his body. There were two big holes in his body caused by gunshot and one of his legs was cut off, but he still survived tenaciously.

Judging from his blood-stained fingers and the bloody bullet next to him, he must have directly removed the bullet that had shot into his body, which was how he survived.

Smoker was stunned, but soon he shook his head, looked around, stood up, picked up a piece of wood and cloth, placed it next to the navy as a stool, sat down and chatted with him:

"You are an officer, right? Just because of this, you lead a group of marines to fight the gangs? You have a strong sense of justice, much better than the navy here, they only bully the weak and fear the strong."

"Of course not, kid!"

The navy man lay sideways against the dead marine's body behind him and tremblingly took out a lighter from his clothes.

"Click"

Open the lid.

"Huchi~"

ignition.

After burning for a long time, the flame finally ignited the cigar moistened by blood. He couldn't wait to put it in his mouth and take a puff, but there was no smell of smoke for a long time.

"Pap~"

Throwing away the completely useless cigar, he turned around and continued:
"Because I'm a marine, and this gang kidnapped two kids your age right in front of me. If I can't stand this, how can I face my family?"

"So if you lose, you will die..."

Smoker hugged his knees, his tone was lonely, and tears were in his eyes.

The navy officer immediately understood what the kid was thinking. He raised his hand to hold the kid's neck, leaned on him, and said unhappily:
"Lose? If that old bastard Ling Ge hadn't betrayed me and sent a letter to the gang asking for peace, wanting me to die here, would I have lost? Bullshit!

"Hey... kid, can I ask you for a favor? Please help me deliver a message. Don't worry, these idiots will be buried with me when the time comes!"

"I'll go get you some cigarettes. I don't have money to help you deliver the letter. And you also said that your colleagues are going to deal with you. Who should I find to deliver the letter?"

"That's right, hahaha..."

The navy officer laughed miserably, he didn't expect that he would die in a foreign land just two years after he came out. Obviously, all his brothers who had been stationed in this broken place were fine.

Was it because he was too incompetent? That was why the gangsters knew his identity and dared to join forces with the base leader to kill him.

Everything I witnessed before seemed like a trap.

"This is for you. It should be worth some money if the seal is worn off with a stone. And here's the letter. Nice to meet you kid. My name is Snod. I'm from the Nasdaq family, and I'm an incompetent navy officer."

Snod reached into his clothes and pulled out a limp envelope soaked in blood, then removed the two small tags hanging from his inner lining.

One was printed with the Nasdaq family crest, and the other was the military emblem of a lieutenant at the Navy Headquarters.

"Incompetent navy? No way..."

Smoker looked at the three things that were forced into his arms, muttered softly, then raised his head firmly and asked:

"Let me ask you, since you know who is trying to harm you, and you should also understand that he is going to harm you, why do you still risk rushing here to die?!"

"why?"

Snod was stunned by Smoker's question. For a moment, he showed his bleeding teeth. Under the moonlight, the whiteness could not be swallowed by the darkness.

He said slowly:
“Because I’m a fool, I’m too confident in my own strength. Of course, it may also be because I don’t want a tragedy to happen, so I rushed forward at the first opportunity.

After all, justice delayed is never justice denied, and justice that fails to save people is just pure revenge. Fortunately, I was saved in time by a man, but unfortunately I am not him..."

"Who?"

"My adoptive father, the one who raised me throughout my childhood, his name is Nasdacross, although he never let us use that name..."

.........

Smoker left, but he did not leave immediately after that. Instead, he watched Snod's vitality completely dissipate and turn into a cold corpse.

He searched all the nearby ports before finding a usable cigar, but in the end he was unable to let the other party take a last puff.

He put it to Snod's mouth, lit it with the blood-stained lighter, and then quietly left with the three things the other party had given him.

The days that followed went on as usual.

The only thing worth noting was that there was an extra grave in the mass grave of Rogue Town, and a small figure started saving money while struggling for life. It was not until two months later that Smoker mailed a sealed small box to Cloud Island for 500 Baileys.

Recipient – ​​Nasdaq Ross.

Sender: Snod.

Smoker didn't know what happened in the days that followed, but the security in Rogue Town improved a lot, and gangs were no longer seen roaming around during the day.

Marines also began patrolling the town, although they all looked listless, as if they were being forced to do so.

He also thought about whether he should take this opportunity to get rid of his current life. After all, judging from Snod's tone, the man named Ross should be a good person.

But in the end, nothing came of it.

---------

"Snod? I remember this name. He was one of the second batch of kids who went to the navy to gain experience. But I remember he was a clerk. How could he be so stupid as to fight the gangsters himself? Really!"

In the tavern, Mockasi, who was listening to Smoker talking about his life experience, suddenly interrupted and said that as the first family member to be regarded as the "big brother", he remembered the name of almost every child.

After all, during that time, when Ross was away, he was the boss of the family, even though he only knew how to fight...

But this is not important. Mokasi said in a surprised tone:
"Tsk tsk, kid, even though you're so young, you have so much life experience. No wonder you're so precocious. And you agreed immediately when I mentioned the name Nasdaq, hahaha."

"Aren't you sad about Snod?"

Smoker asked doubtfully, with a somewhat dissatisfied tone. Mokasi knew the navy man, but he did not feel sad or upset about his death.

He doesn't understand.

Mokasi picked up the rum on the table and took a sip, saying:
"Of course I am sad. I remember all their names by heart. They are my brothers and sisters who grew up under my watch. How many people can feel the emotion of having their names crossed out better than I do?

But you have to remember Smoker. Those who died deserve to be mourned, but we can't live in yesterday's memory because of this kind of thing. "

"cut……"

Smoker didn't listen to what Mockaxi said. He picked up his milk and took a sip. He made a chattering sound and did not agree with Mockaxi's philosophy.

He would have become a thief and homeless kid, but because of what Snod said that night, he has survived on his own and has been doing what he believes to be just for no reason.

For example, before, he didn't even bother to notify the navy, and just picked up a machete for self-defense to challenge an almost impossible to defeat enemy, and in the end he almost died like Snod.

"Okay, so you can be considered a member of the family. The Snod incident has finally come to an end. When I get back, I'll look for the old man at home... No, brother, I just need to give him a call."

After finishing the rum in his glass, Mokasi stood up to pay the bill.

However, while standing up, he quickly wiped his eyes, and because the movement was so fast, no one could see it. Even Smoker, who had been focusing his attention on him, only felt a flash before his eyes.

It was just like I had blinked my eyes, nothing unusual at all.

"Well……"

"Are you awake? Do you want some water? Don't worry, you've been thrown into the sea and your clothes have been changed by that guy over there. You're safe now."

On the small "wooden bed" made of three chairs, the woman who had been rescued earlier woke up. She immediately protected her body, her eyes full of fear and terror.

"You are... that child? Thank you..."

The woman looked at Smoker, who was holding the milk bottle in both hands. He had a lot of bandages wrapped around his body, his wounds had been treated urgently, and he was also wearing a new pair of shorts.

She remembered the child who had received food and clean water from her to help the orphans.

And... he was also the only child who stood up for himself when he was in trouble, but in the end, nothing like the fairy tale happened.

"I'm the one who should say thank you... I'm sorry I couldn't save you, but you saved my life."

Smoker apologized in a depressed tone, his legs swinging nervously in the air, his eyes wandering and he didn't dare to look at the woman in front of him.

The woman also lowered her head. After what had happened, her life would probably not be easy in the future. She would most likely be confined to her house and then be married off by her father to a capable servant.

Subconsciously tightening her body, she found herself wearing a simple dress. Recalling Smoker's words just now, she turned to look at the figure at the bar who had just paid the bill.

He was a very handsome man. Although he had a spiky hair, he looked quite stylish.

"Awake? Smoker didn't know where your home was. Your situation had to be dealt with immediately. I'm sorry for seeing your body, but I won't be responsible."

"Well...it's okay..."

The woman nodded disappointedly. That was right. The man in front of her was obviously very powerful, and his clothes were made of fine fabrics. There was a high probability that he came from a wealthy family. Naturally, he would look down on her as she was now.

And she didn't shamelessly get involved.

Turning her head, she looked at Smoker who was still feeling guilty, and said gently:

"Your name is Smoker, right? Thank you for saving me. Are you interested in being my bodyguard? I can ask my father to pay for someone to teach you."

Although it's impossible to stick with a handsome guy with talent, it's not a bad idea to raise a brave and talented child.

Moreover, Smoker's foundation is not bad. Although he may not be handsome when he grows up, he will definitely be good-looking. It is not a bad thing for him to be her husband.

"Um...I'm sorry...I..."

"This child wants to leave with me. I'm giving this to you. If you encounter this kind of thing again, or see it, send a letter directly to Donghai Yundao and write my name as the recipient.

Although I can't finish it in time, I promise that all the dirty things I find will be destroyed without a single one left!"

Mockasi saw the woman's plan and Smoker's dilemma, so he took the initiative to step forward and act as the villain.

Throwing down a business card, he took Smoker and left without looking back, leaving the woman sitting there alone, unable to come back to her senses for a long time.

"It's really... such a loss..."

The woman murmured, clenched her fists, but quickly loosened them.

There was nothing that could be done about it. There were all kinds of accidents on the sea every day. She had even been kidnapped when she was a child. This time she was just bad luck.

Picking up the business card Mokasi had dropped, she began to read it.

"Nasdaq? It seems that it is not a complete loss."

She put away the business card, stood up and walked to the bar counter, saying:

"I'd like a plate of seafood fried rice and a bottle of Coke, thank you."

(End of this chapter)