Cold Day, Hot Lead [open]

[Faust Eisenritter]

She definitely had a point with the Golden Den Den Mushi. He definitely didn't want to press it, at least. Ordering a Buster Call wasn't something that could just be undone, and he'd already seen enough Buster Calls for one lifetime. At the mere mention of alcohol she seemed to snap, practically snarling at him not to tarnish the reputation of the Admiral. He had a feeling mentioning booze again probably wouldn't be the best of ideas. The situation was getting to him, and the pounding headache was just making it worse. He could hardly even think straight with all the pressure upon him. The wrong thing said, or a sudden movement, and it could end very badly.

At the mention of his battle with the Yonkou he felt a phantom pain in his right arm. Had it not been for the fact it was entirely mechanical his right arm would have tensed from the pain, but he bore with it. The only upside to this whole situation was learning about what a good reputation he held, but it wasn't exactly comforting given the circumstances. If anything, the young woman held it over him as a strike against him, reasoning that he couldn't possibly be the Admiral. So how was he to go about proving he was an Admiral? How was he to go about proving he was Faust Eisenritter? Even the other Marines seemed puzzled and confused, beginning to look hesitant. Were they beginning to side with Victoria? It certainly seemed like it. He needed to make a better case.

But what proved to be the straw that broke the camel's back was not the risk of being shot, but the words the young woman spoke next - how if he had really been an Admiral, he would have put her down the moment she made a move. How if he had been an Admiral, he would have treated her the same way all traitors were treated. From the tone of voice in which the young woman spoke, it was clear Victoria was thinking of just one thing. And it disgusted Faust. The mere implication made a chill run up his spine, his features grimacing slightly at the mere thought of it. Was she really convinced that was true? Was she really convinced by that logic? By that idea of what Justice was? More than anything else that had happened today, such ideas struck him at the core.

"... In a sense, that's true. If I really wanted..." he began, staring into the young woman's eyes as his body underwent a change. His peachy, though admittedly not completely healthy-looking skin began to turn darker and darker until it had become black in colour. He appeared almost metallic now, with light shining strongly against the contours of his figure. His whole body had been strengthened with the ferocious and tremendous Busoshoku Haki that had helped to earn him the moniker "Kokuro" - "Black Wolf". He continued to gaze down at the young woman, never breaking eye contact. "I could have taken you down and killed you. But so long as you act in the name of Justice, you must never dare make light of death".

His skin began to lighten once more as he relaxed his body. His haki no longer empowered him, returning him to his otherwise ordinary self as he let out a breath.

"Loyalty must be absolute? I've seen what happens when leaders aren't questioned by their subordinates. I hope for your sake you never do" he told the young girl, continuing to stare into her eyes. His eyes were not angry, despite his words. If anything, they were filled with disappointment and regret.

The thought of how she might react to his criticism never even fazed him.

[Victoria Locke]

Victoria was confident that she was winning. Finally the Marines gathered around them seemed to be seriously reconsidering. Even the impostor seemed to be intimidated by her speech. It was only expected. The powerful philosophy behind Absolute Justice tended to have that effect on people. Just a little more and the fake Admiral would crumble, she mused. Perhaps then his comrades would finally lower their weapons.

However, the distrusting Marine could’ve never anticipated his actual reaction. Her eyes widened when the man before her started turning dark and almost stepped back out of sheer intimidation. She managed to hold her ground without even budging, but couldn’t get a single sound out. Each word slowly but surely sank into her mind, crushing her earlier confidence. What on earth was going on? She had never seen a criminal do anything like that or speak with such authority. The only story she had heard about a person gaining a black sheen was... Oh no...

Meanwhile, the Marines who had been hesitant before were now convinced of who was right and who was wrong. Rifle barrels shifted onto the lone woman with redoubled certainty. One wrong move and they would deal with the traitor. Deep silence entered the area. It felt like even the wind stopped to see what would happen.

Suddenly, Victoria’s fingers twitched and the old shotgun clattered against the ground. Within the same heartbeat, her knees gave in as well and she collapsed with a soft thud. She was left limp in a sitting position, like lifeless ragdoll. The world around her lost all sound and she could only hear her own, deafening heartbeat. Her sight was getting blurry. Every breath was a struggle. She felt sick, as if her stomach was twisting inside out. Her head was spinning as the chilling realization stabbed deeper and deeper into her mind. The mere thought made her want to vomit. Her uncontrollable shivering was the only sign left that she was even alive anymore.

After a long moment of stunned silence, the Marine woman finally muttered something. "You... really are... Admiral Eisenritter..." She slowly lifted her head, only managing a brief, fearful eye contact before cowering in utter defeat. Cold tears ran down her cheeks and lower lip trembled with each shallow breath. "I am so sorry, sir..." The apology was just a tiny whisper, almost too quiet to hear. In her mind, the mistake was too massive to bear. It had been the ultimate insult and she was prepared to pay the ultimate price. She kept her head down, waiting for the execution of a stubborn traitor. Even if the Admiral by some miracle forgave the unforgivable...

She could never forgive herself.

[Faust Eisenritter]

The young woman's weapon clattered against the ground, her grip having loosened at his words. In mere moments following the act the young woman also dropped, falling to her knees before him. Looking down at the young woman he felt his own features slacken, the tension in his facial muscles disappearing. His eyes became half-lidded as he looked down at the young girl, feeling a weight constrict around his chest. He hadn't intended on snapping like that - he wasn't normally a person who felt so angry or spoke like that to subordinates or anyone. The pain of his hangover was putting him in a sour mood and made him more irritable. He looked around and saw the other men with their guns still raised. He needed to fix this.

"Put down your guns and return to your duties. All of you," he told them. At once the men began to holster or put away their pistols and rifles and began to quickly go back to whatever work they had been doing. The young man with the hangover cure looked up at Faust for a moment before stepping back, placing the cure down on the ground and running back to his own duties. It was clear the Admiral did not want anyone around as he turned back to the young woman on her knees before him. Were those tears in her eyes? He felt that constricting feeling turn tighter. His shoulders slackened as the experienced veteran began to lower himself down on one knee. At his height he still remained taller even on one knee, but at least now he was face to face.

"... Look, I know this isn't... Well, this isn't the best situation you've probably ever been in," he spoke, placing a hand on the young woman's shoulder. He couldn't claim to know just how the girl felt. He'd never been in her situation, exactly, but he could imagine how she felt. Embarrassment and shame. Even if he'd never done something like this - accusing someone of being an impostor only to be proven wrong publicly - they weren't feelings he was unfamiliar with. His whole career was filled with such experiences and feelings. "But your logic wasn't wrong. I mean, if I was in your position, I would think myself pretty suspicious as well. You did good, Victoria".

No doubt surprising the young woman, he raised his arms and took hold of her, embracing her. Faust had always been a compassionate man - he held every one of his subordinates dear. He didn't think of them as soldiers or subordinates or anything like that. He saw them as brothers and sisters bearing the banner of Justice. Almost like family. So he held the young woman and embraced her, because he didn't want her to beat herself up over an mistake. Especially when he felt at least partially responsible for the mistake in the first place.

[Victoria Locke]

It hurt more than anything. The pain of realization was unbearable. Victoria could feel the cold feeling spreading into her heart. It was sheer shame, slowly freezing her in place, robbing the last of her will to move. Her mind was on the verge of shattering. It had been a long time since she had last felt this horrible. Not even her embarrassing defeat at the hands of the Pirate Captain Satsuki had hurt as badly as realizing she was a traitorous idiot. At that very moment, she only wished was that she could’ve just sunken into darkness, disappeared completely to place where she couldn’t cause her superiors trouble anymore.

In her shaken state, the ashamed and exhausted Marine was only vaguely aware of what was going around her. The Admiral said something and the others left. Why? Was he going to end her life personally? If that was what he wished, then so be it. She certainly had no right to complain. Barely mustering the will to face the Admiral, Victoria looked at him with empty eyes, accepting her fate completely. However, his words caught her off-guard. She couldn’t fully comprehend what he meant. Her thoughts were too shattered and scattered. Why would he be so kind to her?

When the kind Admiral suddenly embraced the defeated woman, she didn’t have the strength left to even protest, much less struggle. It took her a moment to understand what he was doing. Once she did, she broke down completely, pressing her cheek against his chest with loud sobs. Her hands reached up to gently cling onto him. She knew exactly who this man reminded her of and how long it had been since she had been allowed to embrace someone like this. It was soothing her broken soul. She cried for what felt like an eternity, but eventually the torrent slowed down, until it was just breathless whimpering. Finally, she managed to say something.

"I did not..."

Unfortunately... After getting most of the pain out of her system, only the freezing shame remained. The fact was that what she had done was absolutely unforgivable. Her thoughts and tone darkened noticeably. "I am not fit to be a Marine..." The lessons she had learned over the years had been ingrained deep into her mind. "Not after this unforgivable farce..." She dug into her pocket and pulled out a small, dark handle with a wire running into her pocket. "Traitors only have..." Sunlight peeked from behind the clouds, making the black object shine. "One fate..." She flipped a lid open, revealing a red button. It was a Marine grade detonator and the Admiral had one guess how close the explosives were hidden.

Clutching onto the detonator with both hands, the trembling woman whispered a careful question. "Sir, may I ask for one last thing, please?" Her face was a mess of tears when she looked up to her superior, struggling to get her final request out. "Could you guard yourself, sir?" She realized she could’ve just asked him to walk away, but... Staying in his arms made her feel safe. If she could go like this, perhaps she could die without regrets. "I don’t want you to get hurt... when I execute the traitor..." As far as she was concerned, she was just trying to do the very last "right" thing. Her quivering thumb hovered over the red button, while she hesitated.

"Goodbye, sir..."

[Faust Eisenritter]

The sobbing nearly made the old man cry himself. The young woman buried her face in his chest and sobbed as he continued to hold her, hoping he could offer some form of comfort. He said nothing, preferring to let the young woman vent her own feelings. What was there to be said? What could he tell her? Faust felt his own eyes water up, but he blinked repeatedly to force himself not to cry. He needed to be strong right now, to support the young woman. He could hardly imagine the true depths as to how this young woman felt, but he could at least try to let her know that it was alright. That sometimes mistakes were made. He tried to provide her with some comfort. But even now the young woman depreciated herself.

"Don't say that," he whispered to her, continuing to hold her. How did the young woman feel to be able to tell herself that she wasn't worthy of being a Marine? There was no way this could have been a sudden decision, he realized. Insecurities built up little by little over time. He realized that the only way she could tell herself she wasn't worthy of being a Marine was if she had mulled it over for a long time. "Mistakes happen. You and I and everyone - there isn't a single person who doesn't make mistakes. There isn't-".

Faust found himself suddenly cut off as the young woman spoke again, drawing from her pocket a black device that fit in her hand. His eyes widened considerably as his jaw hung slightly open. In her hands she clutched a detonator. Every nerve and fiber of his being tensed suddenly as the realization of what she was planning hit him. He felt his throat turn dry as he tried for a second to choke out words, only to find himself running out of them as the young woman asked for a final favour - that the Admiral guard himself. Once more he felt himself become desperate, but not for himself - he felt desperate for the young woman whose thumb now began to hover over the button. Finally he found himself able to speak.

"Please, don't!" he begged her, his hands gripping her shoulders. He stared into the young woman's eyes, pleading with her. "Your life is worth too much! You're not a traitor! You're not a criminal! You're a person!".

He desperately hoped he could do something - anything - to stop the poor girl. To save her. To protect her. But he found himself at his most uncertain. His most desperate. His hands released her shoulders and moved down to cup her hands, careful not to shake them lest she press the trigger by accident.

"You're just a young kid. You've got a long life ahead of you. You've got people who love you and care about you. Please, don't..." he whispered, his green eyes appearing misty.

[Victoria Locke]

Victoria was already hesitating, but the Admiral’s sudden command, as she took it, made her flinch. Her thumb strayed off the button. She had always been loyal to a fault, ready to follow any order. Even her shaken state of mind didn’t change that. She could only listen quietly as the Admiral claimed she wasn’t a traitor or a criminal. He even reminded her of what she would lose, as if she still deserved to have them. How could he say such things so easily? "But, sir, I have to..." It was a weak protest. She wasn’t used to talking back to people she recognized as her superiors. The mere thought went against all her instincts.

Perhaps the Admiral’s desperation was contagious, but Victoria lost her cold, self-destructive composure. "I-if the Marines won’t follow the code of Absolute Justice, who will?!" Her voice was wavering and the conviction behind it was slowly fleeing. The exhaustion and stress had her gasping for air. "We have to set the example in all we do." She just couldn’t understand why the Admiral was so insistent on saving a traitor who almost shot him. It had been noted many times that she was a risk to her comrades. There had been incidents no self-respecting Marine should allow to happen. People had gotten hurt. Mistakes happen, yes, but...

The trembling woman shifted her eyes onto her hands. "The world has to understand that Absolute Justice applies to everyone." Her guns and this detonator were her tools for that. She had sworn to defend Justice until her very last breath. If she could no longer be useful to her superiors, then she would eliminate herself before becoming a burden. "Those who ever slip into evil should be erased completely." That was the purest, most simple form of the philosophy ingrained within her mind. Many of her superiors shared the same philosophy, but for some reason the Admiral didn’t seem to understand. Were his views really that different?

If so... What kind of Justice did he follow?

Taking deep breaths, Victoria tried her hardest to keep her thoughts together. She tried to think, what would her father do? Only one piece of advice appeared from her memories, but even that was valuable right now. "I... have to do the right thing... even when it hurts..." However... Deep down she knew all too well this wasn’t what her father had meant. "I just..." She trailed off with an unfocused gaze. After a long silence, tears started flowing down her cheeks again and the last thing she managed to say was just a pathetic squeak. "Sir, what should I do?" Her head drooped and hands opened, letting the detonator finally fall from her grasp.

[Faust Eisenritter]

Faust had to calm himself, knowing that if he let himself get angry his grip might tighten uncomfortably. But keeping calm wasn't easy, not when the young woman spoke of Absolute Justice - the dogma that he so despised. A poisonous philosophy that had seeped into the ranks of the Marines and corrupted it. He'd gotten to know the dogma quite well over the years of service he had done. At all levels, whether at the top of the ranks like himself or amongst the members of the Infantry, the phrase 'Absolute Justice' lurked. How many lives had been twisted and broken under the heel of Absolute Justice? How many deaths had been caused by Marines who adhered to dogma? The very thought made his blood boil, much like it had back a long time ago.

"Absolute Justice... Is nothing more than tyranny," he spoke, keeping his eyes on the young woman's. His voice was quiet and low, like a breath. Painful memories from his own past bubbled to the surface. He looked down for a minute, as if lost in the memory. But moments later he resurfaced, staring back into the young woman's eyes intently as he began to speak again. "I've seen Absolute Justice tear apart entire societies. The evil are butchered, but so are the good. The end justifies the means. Is that the Justice you want to uphold?".

Back when he had been a Vice-Admiral, he had experienced it first hand. Called to battle as part of a Buster Call, he had the pleasure of being able to witness first hand what it was like to raze an entire island to the ground - to reduce a thriving civilization to ashes. He'd been told it was for the greater good. That innocents would be ferried off the island. But he should have known better than that - In that massacre the refugees were blown out of the water by cannon fire and their home ravaged and reduced to nothing. Absolute Justice had been achieved that day. It had been marked on the land with the blood of far too many. And now, this young woman had almost shed her own in the same name.

"If the Marines are to act as warriors in the name of Justice, our Justice must come from morality. It must be rooted in compassion. The reason we pick up our weapons and fight Pirates is not for the sake of slaughter, but for the sake of protecting those who need us," he told her. At last, it seemed, the young woman was willing to let go of her own self-sacrificial behavior. The detonator dropped to the ground before him, resting still as the young woman asked him what she should do. Looking into Victoria's eyes, he answered her. "Live".

That was all he could ask of her.

[Victoria Locke]

The Admiral’s words caught Victoria completely off-guard. She didn’t really know what she had expected, but his answer would never have crossed her mind. It pierced right through her soul. Slowly, she lifted her horrified gaze towards the man, unsure what to believe. On one hand, countless Marines had told her Absolute Justice was the only way to stop evil, but on the other hand, none of those people could compare to the legendary Admiral. Had she really been striving for tyranny all this time? She didn’t hate pirates. There were skilled, good people among them. Some she even respected as cunning opponents. Dooming them to tyranny... That... wasn’t what she had tried to achieve.

She just wanted to make her superiors happy, by any means necessary.

Victoria was pulled out of her terrified thoughts when the Admiral brought up his views on Justice. His words were calming and comforting. To protect those who needed protecting, she could accept that way of Justice. She could follow his lead. It would make her superiors happy, right? As the finishing touch, the Admiral gave the shaken Marine the one advice she had desperately needed to hear. She took it as an order she would follow most gladly. "Sir, yes sir." Mustering a small smile, the young woman looked up to the wise man. "One day, I’ll make you proud, father..." In her shaken state, she just didn’t think the soft mutter all the way through.

It took a moment before the awkward realization sank in. Victoria’s eyes widened and her cheeks started turning red. "...Admiral. I truly meant to say Admiral." She slowly scampered backwards, trying to gather her thoughts. Avoiding eye contact, she focused on strapping her shotgun onto her bag while muttering a hasty apology. "Forgive me, sir. I don’t know what got into me..." Actually, she knew exactly what had gotten into her, but she didn’t want to waste the Admiral’s time with an embarrassing explanation about her past. Instead, she would allow herself this tiny white lie. Taking deep breaths, she managed keep her blush under control and get back on her feet despite how badly her knees were trembling.

Deep down, she hoped the Admiral wouldn’t mind the little slip.

After steadying herself, Victoria clicked her heels together and saluted the Admiral. The physical and mental exhaustion were really getting to her, but she tried to hide it all beneath a cold façade. "I’m sorry for being a bother, sir. Requesting permission to leave, sir." Even though she technically wasn’t on duty, she wasn’t just going to walk away from a superior officer. No, it was the Admiral’s decision when she was allowed to leave, vacation days be damned. If she could just slip back into her broom closet sleeping quarters, she could rest a little and think of how to make up for all the trouble she had caused today. Somehow, she would repay the Admiral’s kindness.

[Faust Eisenritter]

Faust began to smile a little. It seemed that he had gotten through to her. A long time ago Faust had made it his duty to see the dogma of Absolute Justice be washed away. Whether it was amongst the top brass of the Marines or amongst the Infantrymen who fought on the front lines, he tried to make sure he could steer them onto a path of Justice that was moral. Seeing the young woman acknowledge his words was something to feel good about, because hopefully now she would begin to make her own judgements on what was good and bad. That, he thought to himself, was always one of the most important things to be able to do. So he smiled, releasing the young woman as he placed his mechanical hand on his raised knee, ready to stand up, only for a comment to catch him off-guard.

"F... Father?" the older man wondered, gazing down at the young woman with a brow raised and eyes slightly widened. He wasn't sure what he might have expected the young woman to say, but he could certainly say without a doubt he hadn't expected her to call him 'father'. But just as quickly as he had realized what he had heard, so too had Victoria realized just what she said. He watched her face go red as she suddenly started to claim that she had meant to say 'Admiral' and not 'father'. A part of Faust couldn't help but wonder, but he decided it best not to question the young girl. Instead, he gave a small smile and nodded as he began to stand up.

"Of course, of course," he remarked as he picked up the hangover cure, unscrewing the lid on the brown bottle. He downed some of the elixir before capping it again. At once he felt like his headache was beginning to fade, or at least become more manageable. The nauseous feeling in his stomach was beginning to die down. But truth be told, he'd almost forgotten about how terrible he felt whilst speaking with the young woman and trying to reassure her. It had certainly been a moment of desperation. Looking to the young woman, he spoke. "It's been an... Emotional day. Rest as much as you need to!".

With that said, he returned her salute with his own, continuing to smile. Well, it had been an exhausting day, certainly. Perhaps he'd take some of his own advice and rest. There was nothing that required his urgent attention, at least.

[Victoria Locke]

Upon getting the permission to leave, Victoria hurried away, trying to get out of Admiral’s sight as soon as possible. She was well-aware the Admiral wasn’t angry, but disappearing when dismissed had become a habit for her, mostly because many other superiors liked it that way. They always had one headache less when the trigger-happy Marine was out of sight. She didn’t seem to make mistakes when she was working alone. Sighing at the thought, she made her way towards the front door, doing all she could to avoid people on the way. Right now, she honestly wasn’t in the mood to chat. ...Not that she talked much with her comrades anyway.

Luckily, none of the other Marines seemed to be very chatty today either. Most of them even looked the other way when she passed. Well, perhaps her newest blunder had something to do with that... However, before that thought could get too depressing, she was interrupted by the sight of stairs. Her knees were already shaking, but the stubborn Marine took a deep breath and kept going. Only barely managing to climb to the second floor, Victoria stopped before an unassuming wooden door. There was no lock, only a worn out iron handle and a little sign that said Locke. A small smile visited her lips. The door opened with a quiet creak and she slipped quietly inside.

It was considerably smaller than the other rooms. The floor planks were dirty brown while the walls were made of plain blue brick, like the exterior of the building. There was barely enough room for the bed and cabinet, with a small space in the middle for the Marine herself. The only source of light was a tiny window. People had jokingly nicknamed this room the broom closet, while some referred to it less pleasantly as the coffin. However, Victoria liked it this way. Sure, there would’ve been plenty of bigger rooms to choose from, but she found this one the most comfortable to sleep in, much to her comrade’s confusion.

Victoria set her bag down and started putting her belongings away for the night. The mistakes she had made today still weighed heavily in her mind. They mixed with the Admiral’s kind words, making her head ache. She just honestly didn’t know anymore... Once her belongings were out of the way, she lied down onto the modest but comfortable bed, trying to ignore her aching body. She intended to take only a short break to clear her mind and then focus on planning her extensive apology to the Admiral. However, as soon as her head had found the pillow, she could feel her eyelids getting unbearably heavy, while her thoughts blurred. Within seconds, she drifted off to sleep.

Today had been a tough day, but perhaps tomorrow would go better.



((And so the thread ends for Victoria. If you wish, feel free to post your ending post at your leisure. I must say, I enjoyed this thread a lot and I’m glad I got to play out the sides of Victoria that are rarely seen. Thank you.))

[Faust Eisenritter]

Faust watched as the young woman left, most likely returning to her own quarters for the day. He didn't exactly blame her - today already felt like it had been quite a long day, he would admit. Letting out a sigh he began to roll his shoulders in their sockets in an attempt to loosen them up. The dark haired man wasn't sure what he wanted to do now, if anything - he didn't really have any urgent business to take care of. Looking down to the bottle in his hand, he decided to pocket it and begin walking along back down to the offices. He figured he may as well check and see if there was any important work that needed to be done. But all the while, as he walked down the corridor he couldn't help but think of the young woman he'd spent most of the day so far with.

In a few ways she reminded him of his younger self. All those worries and troubles - his inexperience and naivety. He wouldn't deny that there was a time when he would have attempted to carry out the will of Absolute Justice. His bloody feud against piracy. If he had turned out even slightly different... Maybe he would have been the one who needed that talk, rather than the young woman. In a way it terrified him - to know that he could have been fully capable and willing to carry out that sickening doctrine of Absolute Justice. Yet a the same time, he saw it as an important reminder - if he was going to remove this dogma of Absolute Justice from the Marines, he had to understand exactly what drove people to act out it's doctrine.

"Guess I've still got a lot ahead of me," the Admiral remarked as he passed through a set of doors into a larger office. Taking a couple of steps forwards before circling around the desk, he sat himself down in a chair and sighed, leaning back. He may have been an Admiral, but he still had some tough times ahead of him. Absolute Justice had already established itself even amongst the Infantry. Between dealing with that as well as the issue of Piracy on the seas, he knew he was in for a lot. But he couldn't exactly give up, could he? No, as long as he was an Admiral, he had to stand up for what was right. That was what Justice aught to be.

[End Thread]