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dethoratsTitle: Top Down Management
Rating: PG
Pairing: None, precisely, but the faintest hints of Iceberg/Paulie if you want to squint.
Word Count: 1845
There was a lot on his mind when the younger man had arrived behind and below him, startling him into nearly dropping the pry bar in his hands onto the vulnerable blond head. He had a city to rebuild, a backlog of orders to fill, questions to avoid, plans to complete. And yet at that moment he’d been marveling about something that should have been completely irrelevant. What gall they’d had. What temerity and arrogance. As long as he accepted it for truth. Certainly they’d left him wondering about a great many things.
“Yo Iceberg-san.” Cigar smoke and denim and blue eyes that had hardened considerably in the past week met his gaze calmly even as he fumbled with the heavy iron tool. “You’re suddenly a tough man to find.”
“Nmaa, there’s a lot of work to be done and everyone wants the boss’s input.” It was true. Ever since the city had seen the Straw Hat pirates safely off, he’d barely had a moment to himself. The Aqua Laguna had hit Water 7 harder than ever before and the damage to the city was considerable. He had begun to work on plans to keep that from happening in the future but in the meantime there was still over half of a city to put to rights in the wake of the floodwaters. He also had the Franky Family to contend with, an unexpected mixed blessing that ate up time faster than he often realized. With all the demands for his attention, it was only that very afternoon that he’d found a free moment. And as soon as he’d had time to think, this was the very first thing that had come to mind.
Lucci, Kaku, Kalifa, and Blueno. Were those even their real names? He suspected they were. Lucci had been so smug, so sure of himself when he’d last seen him, leopard spots blurring through the flames. No one had ever bested him before and he had had absolute confidence in himself. Five long years and he had thought he’d known them. Lucci, weird but completely dependable. Kalifa, always a constant presence by his side, and he’d grown far too fond of her spunk and her accusations – often justified – of sexual harassment. Kaku, polite and thorough and just about the only one of his foremen who didn’t drive him nuts at least once a week. Lastly Blueno, the friendly bartender who’d cultivated a relationship with the heads of the Galley La Company and provided booze and a sympathetic ear.
He’d known betrayal and enormous heartache in his life before their arrival but something about the callousness with which it had all been thrown away and revealed as a lie burned, mingled sorrow and rage together into a fire he hadn’t yet been able to extinguish. When his thoughts had been pulled towards them, a log pose swinging and locking into place, he hadn’t been able to keep from wandering down the back alleys on the familiar route. They hadn’t left much of anything behind, consummate professionals, just the detritus of the bare necessities of life. But the sign had still been there, hanging on by all but two bolts, the left bull horn snapped off and dangling by a scrap connection of wood. It wasn’t much but it was all he had to fight against and so he’d gone about bringing it down.
Boots on metal shook the temporary scaffolding and then Paulie was next to him. He raised an eyebrow, questioning even though he understood perfectly well why the younger man had climbed up unasked. The blond merely shrugged, his shoulders moving under the flame-accented jacket the way they usually did when he didn’t feel like explaining himself. “Glad I ain’t gotta be in charge.” That was all Paulie said and then they worked in silence, tearing down a painted wooden sign that stood for so much more.
The night the Thousand Sunny had set off for the Florian Triangle, Iceberg had hosted a rather unusual gathering in his office. His remaining foremen had been there, Paulie, Lulu, and Tileston, and Kokoro, and with them had been a gruff old man in a navy uniform with a dog’s head for a cap. Garp was different from most of the other people he’d ever met from the World Government, and no wonder seeing as he was the father of the leader of the Revolution and the grandfather of two of the Grand Line’s most notorious pirates. When he wasn’t passed out, snoring over his cup of coffee that didn’t seem to help his problem, he rather skillfully sounded out the leaders of Water 7. Just what would they say about everything that had happened?
It was impossible at that point to hide the betrayal. Not just the foremen of the Galley La but all of the Franky Family knew about it. Word was already slowly spreading through the city streets and it was only a matter of time before the whole island knew one version or other of why Lucci, Kaku, and company hadn’t returned to help rebuild. Some of the rumors were outrageous but most were more or less accurate. Combined with the newspaper headlines about Luffy’s destruction of the World Government flag, the truth wasn’t that hard to find.
There was little love lost on his part for the World Government. Twice now precious people had been ripped from him. Yet, having struggled to run a city himself, he could sympathize to a degree with their position. His men had looked to him and he’d exchanged a long glance with Kokoro and sighed. Never got any easier but at least he had fine examples to follow.
“We’re not joining the revolution,” he’d said. “Nmaa, I’m not interested in attracting any further attention from the marines or the Cipher Pols or any other branch of the World Government that doesn’t involve money coming to me in exchange for ship building. But I won’t hide the truth either. I agree that there has to be some sort of structure of rules to protect the people who can’t protect themselves but sometimes a government can go too far. That’s happened to this city twice in recent memory and while I live, it won’t happen again. As for what occurred here, let people decide for themselves. At least we’re all still free enough to do that.”
Garp had nodded at his words, shook his hand with a grip that bespoke just how easily he could have turned all the bones in his fingers into powder. If the world wasn’t being turned on its ear by that man’s progeny, he would have bet money that they wouldn’t be bothered by emissaries from the World Government for a while. But change was coming and Paulie probably would have taken his bet and the blond lost far more frequently than he won. It was just a matter of time before the next official headache came calling. In the meanwhile, he had a city to restore and hope to bring, a marvel of engineering that would be worthy of Franky’s dream ship and all that Tom had ever wrought. First, though, he had a blighted sign for an empty bar to remove.
All too soon, he and Paulie made short work of the task and the wood was sent clattering down to land on the cobbled street. It wasn’t as satisfying as he had wished and the scowl on the younger man’s face indicated that the blond hadn’t gotten what he’d wanted either. Considering how complex the betrayal had been, he should have known that untangling it all in the end wouldn’t be quite so simple. Thankfully he had a great deal of work to use as a distraction and maybe it was time to start passing on all that Tom had taught him to a worthy heir. Heh, Paulie was nearly as easy to rile as Bakanky had been. And he could use a reminder that not everything in his past had been bad.
“Nma, you know, I have an open position for a personal assistant again.” Paulie’s scruffy face swiveled, twisted away from where he’d been trying to glare holes into the fallen sign. At least this time he wouldn’t be constantly nagged to take care of his own shaving needs. They could grow five o’clock shadow into full beards together even. “Somebody who can keep track of all my appointments, chase off the people I don’t want to deal with…”
His target was looking rather dubious so it was time to reel him in. He didn’t particularly care for the taste of the cheap cigars Paulie favored but Tom had showed him all he needed to know about symbolism. Without asking, he plucked one from the blonde’s jacket pocket and lit it, puffing thoughtfully in spite of the heavy odor.
“Someone who can understand my blueprints and directly help me with my plan to save Water 7 from having to suffer from the Aqua Laguna ever again. Someone to, nma, pick up the rather substantial salary that the job comes with…”
Those blue eyes, the same shade as the sky above his precious city on a warm spring day, lit up, although whether it was over the prospect of helping to design his grand device to save Water 7 or over the money was debatable. The only time he’d seen them that happy since Paulie had returned from Enies Lobby had been when he was working, building ships and repairing buildings, doing the job he’d been trained to do and took so much pride in. It was somewhat gratifying to see it in response to his words and so he grinned around the cigar and started to climb down the scaffolding.
“Yeah, I really need an assistant. And the only, nmaa, special requirements I’m looking for are a good knowledge of the city, technical and practical experience, and a willingness to put up with me.”
“Iceberg-san,” Paulie said slowly. “I can do all those things. Are you trying to offer me a job?”
With his feet firmly planted on the broken sign, he smiled up at the blond. One last test and he’d know for certain…
“I am. Oh, but, nmaa, there’s one other thing. You’ll have to lose the jacket and pick up some tighter pants. I have a strict dress code that helps keep unwanted attention directed away from me…”
A gape and then Paulie was down the scaffolding with the sort of speed only years of practice or outrage could bring. “You shamelesss…”
There was a strong right to his jaw, a bruise blossoming immediately over top of all the other injuries he still had, and it felt just right. Paulie flinched back, mouth opening to apologize but he cut him off before the words could escape. Laughter at last, something not even Franky’s manhandling from Nico Robin had been able to wring from him. He would be in good hands and, in turn, so would Water 7.
“Nma, the job’s all yours.”
Rating: PG
Pairing: None, precisely, but the faintest hints of Iceberg/Paulie if you want to squint.
Word Count: 1845
There was a lot on his mind when the younger man had arrived behind and below him, startling him into nearly dropping the pry bar in his hands onto the vulnerable blond head. He had a city to rebuild, a backlog of orders to fill, questions to avoid, plans to complete. And yet at that moment he’d been marveling about something that should have been completely irrelevant. What gall they’d had. What temerity and arrogance. As long as he accepted it for truth. Certainly they’d left him wondering about a great many things.
“Yo Iceberg-san.” Cigar smoke and denim and blue eyes that had hardened considerably in the past week met his gaze calmly even as he fumbled with the heavy iron tool. “You’re suddenly a tough man to find.”
“Nmaa, there’s a lot of work to be done and everyone wants the boss’s input.” It was true. Ever since the city had seen the Straw Hat pirates safely off, he’d barely had a moment to himself. The Aqua Laguna had hit Water 7 harder than ever before and the damage to the city was considerable. He had begun to work on plans to keep that from happening in the future but in the meantime there was still over half of a city to put to rights in the wake of the floodwaters. He also had the Franky Family to contend with, an unexpected mixed blessing that ate up time faster than he often realized. With all the demands for his attention, it was only that very afternoon that he’d found a free moment. And as soon as he’d had time to think, this was the very first thing that had come to mind.
Lucci, Kaku, Kalifa, and Blueno. Were those even their real names? He suspected they were. Lucci had been so smug, so sure of himself when he’d last seen him, leopard spots blurring through the flames. No one had ever bested him before and he had had absolute confidence in himself. Five long years and he had thought he’d known them. Lucci, weird but completely dependable. Kalifa, always a constant presence by his side, and he’d grown far too fond of her spunk and her accusations – often justified – of sexual harassment. Kaku, polite and thorough and just about the only one of his foremen who didn’t drive him nuts at least once a week. Lastly Blueno, the friendly bartender who’d cultivated a relationship with the heads of the Galley La Company and provided booze and a sympathetic ear.
He’d known betrayal and enormous heartache in his life before their arrival but something about the callousness with which it had all been thrown away and revealed as a lie burned, mingled sorrow and rage together into a fire he hadn’t yet been able to extinguish. When his thoughts had been pulled towards them, a log pose swinging and locking into place, he hadn’t been able to keep from wandering down the back alleys on the familiar route. They hadn’t left much of anything behind, consummate professionals, just the detritus of the bare necessities of life. But the sign had still been there, hanging on by all but two bolts, the left bull horn snapped off and dangling by a scrap connection of wood. It wasn’t much but it was all he had to fight against and so he’d gone about bringing it down.
Boots on metal shook the temporary scaffolding and then Paulie was next to him. He raised an eyebrow, questioning even though he understood perfectly well why the younger man had climbed up unasked. The blond merely shrugged, his shoulders moving under the flame-accented jacket the way they usually did when he didn’t feel like explaining himself. “Glad I ain’t gotta be in charge.” That was all Paulie said and then they worked in silence, tearing down a painted wooden sign that stood for so much more.
The night the Thousand Sunny had set off for the Florian Triangle, Iceberg had hosted a rather unusual gathering in his office. His remaining foremen had been there, Paulie, Lulu, and Tileston, and Kokoro, and with them had been a gruff old man in a navy uniform with a dog’s head for a cap. Garp was different from most of the other people he’d ever met from the World Government, and no wonder seeing as he was the father of the leader of the Revolution and the grandfather of two of the Grand Line’s most notorious pirates. When he wasn’t passed out, snoring over his cup of coffee that didn’t seem to help his problem, he rather skillfully sounded out the leaders of Water 7. Just what would they say about everything that had happened?
It was impossible at that point to hide the betrayal. Not just the foremen of the Galley La but all of the Franky Family knew about it. Word was already slowly spreading through the city streets and it was only a matter of time before the whole island knew one version or other of why Lucci, Kaku, and company hadn’t returned to help rebuild. Some of the rumors were outrageous but most were more or less accurate. Combined with the newspaper headlines about Luffy’s destruction of the World Government flag, the truth wasn’t that hard to find.
There was little love lost on his part for the World Government. Twice now precious people had been ripped from him. Yet, having struggled to run a city himself, he could sympathize to a degree with their position. His men had looked to him and he’d exchanged a long glance with Kokoro and sighed. Never got any easier but at least he had fine examples to follow.
“We’re not joining the revolution,” he’d said. “Nmaa, I’m not interested in attracting any further attention from the marines or the Cipher Pols or any other branch of the World Government that doesn’t involve money coming to me in exchange for ship building. But I won’t hide the truth either. I agree that there has to be some sort of structure of rules to protect the people who can’t protect themselves but sometimes a government can go too far. That’s happened to this city twice in recent memory and while I live, it won’t happen again. As for what occurred here, let people decide for themselves. At least we’re all still free enough to do that.”
Garp had nodded at his words, shook his hand with a grip that bespoke just how easily he could have turned all the bones in his fingers into powder. If the world wasn’t being turned on its ear by that man’s progeny, he would have bet money that they wouldn’t be bothered by emissaries from the World Government for a while. But change was coming and Paulie probably would have taken his bet and the blond lost far more frequently than he won. It was just a matter of time before the next official headache came calling. In the meanwhile, he had a city to restore and hope to bring, a marvel of engineering that would be worthy of Franky’s dream ship and all that Tom had ever wrought. First, though, he had a blighted sign for an empty bar to remove.
All too soon, he and Paulie made short work of the task and the wood was sent clattering down to land on the cobbled street. It wasn’t as satisfying as he had wished and the scowl on the younger man’s face indicated that the blond hadn’t gotten what he’d wanted either. Considering how complex the betrayal had been, he should have known that untangling it all in the end wouldn’t be quite so simple. Thankfully he had a great deal of work to use as a distraction and maybe it was time to start passing on all that Tom had taught him to a worthy heir. Heh, Paulie was nearly as easy to rile as Bakanky had been. And he could use a reminder that not everything in his past had been bad.
“Nma, you know, I have an open position for a personal assistant again.” Paulie’s scruffy face swiveled, twisted away from where he’d been trying to glare holes into the fallen sign. At least this time he wouldn’t be constantly nagged to take care of his own shaving needs. They could grow five o’clock shadow into full beards together even. “Somebody who can keep track of all my appointments, chase off the people I don’t want to deal with…”
His target was looking rather dubious so it was time to reel him in. He didn’t particularly care for the taste of the cheap cigars Paulie favored but Tom had showed him all he needed to know about symbolism. Without asking, he plucked one from the blonde’s jacket pocket and lit it, puffing thoughtfully in spite of the heavy odor.
“Someone who can understand my blueprints and directly help me with my plan to save Water 7 from having to suffer from the Aqua Laguna ever again. Someone to, nma, pick up the rather substantial salary that the job comes with…”
Those blue eyes, the same shade as the sky above his precious city on a warm spring day, lit up, although whether it was over the prospect of helping to design his grand device to save Water 7 or over the money was debatable. The only time he’d seen them that happy since Paulie had returned from Enies Lobby had been when he was working, building ships and repairing buildings, doing the job he’d been trained to do and took so much pride in. It was somewhat gratifying to see it in response to his words and so he grinned around the cigar and started to climb down the scaffolding.
“Yeah, I really need an assistant. And the only, nmaa, special requirements I’m looking for are a good knowledge of the city, technical and practical experience, and a willingness to put up with me.”
“Iceberg-san,” Paulie said slowly. “I can do all those things. Are you trying to offer me a job?”
With his feet firmly planted on the broken sign, he smiled up at the blond. One last test and he’d know for certain…
“I am. Oh, but, nmaa, there’s one other thing. You’ll have to lose the jacket and pick up some tighter pants. I have a strict dress code that helps keep unwanted attention directed away from me…”
A gape and then Paulie was down the scaffolding with the sort of speed only years of practice or outrage could bring. “You shamelesss…”
There was a strong right to his jaw, a bruise blossoming immediately over top of all the other injuries he still had, and it felt just right. Paulie flinched back, mouth opening to apologize but he cut him off before the words could escape. Laughter at last, something not even Franky’s manhandling from Nico Robin had been able to wring from him. He would be in good hands and, in turn, so would Water 7.
“Nma, the job’s all yours.”
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no subject
Date: 2007-04-03 11:19 pm (UTC)