Bad Guys

[maldoror-gw.livejournal.com]

I have a thousand things to do on my list, including sleep, so what do I do? I write a drabble *headdesk* The blandness of the title is born of exhaustion, gomen.

Title: Bad Guys
Rating: G
Word Count: 299
Pairing: Well, veeeeery distant mention of ZoSan if you believe their constant fighting and sniping is UST (which it obviously is).
Topic: Villains





The tomato aimed at his face was pretty conclusive evidence of the islander's feelings towards the Marines. Smoker turned his head to let the vegetable whiz by; it continued along its trajectory and missed Tashigi's glasses by an inch.

The crowd flinched and returned Smoker's look with silent fear and hostility- except for a small child near the front who shouted "Leave Strawhat-neechan alone, you meanie!" before his mother snatched him away.

"Sir-"

"I know."

The Straw Hats, notorious pirates with an astronomical collective bounty, had arrived in this town a week beforehand. They'd terrorized nothing more than a restaurant and destroyed nothing more expensive than a table (the cook and the swordsman had brawled, according to reports). Oh, and they'd taken the time to kick out the military commander the World Government had assigned to this island, who'd been tyrannizing the population and bleeding it dry with unfair and illegal taxes.

It didn't matter.

It didn't matter that the pirates had done something right by happenstance. It didn't matter that Smoker would have done the same thing if he'd reached the island first -or at least he'd have arrested the bastard in command here, and sent him back to Mariejoie where his politician cronies would have undoubtedly weaseled him out of the charges. But that didn't matter either. It certainly didn't seem to matter to the crowd.

"Sir, when did we become the bad guys?" Tashigi asked plaintively.

"Come on. The pirates have already left. If we sail now, we can still catch them." The world might have turned on its head, but the path ahead was still straight. Smoker knew right from wrong. He knew who the bad guys were. Nothing else mattered.

Another vegetable flew at them as they left. Smoker didn't begrudge them the gesture.

Comments

[runic-binary.livejournal.com]

...see, now I just feel bad. ;-; Poor Smoker and Tashigi! They ARE supposed to be the good guys! They don't deserve projectile tomatoes! *sigh*

:)

[onikotsu.livejournal.com]

I liked this. Smoker's being so blind but I think he might still be able to see how his world is going to chage. Does that even make sense? The little child was so cute sticking up for the strawhats.

[gilded-orchid.livejournal.com]

Okay, now I want to hug the Marines....at least, the ones that don't suck. Poor Smoker and Tashigi. It really bites when reality craps on your ideals.

[fenm.livejournal.com]

Agreed!
[hugs Smoker and Tashigi]

[alita-b-angel.livejournal.com]

This really makes me wish for more Smoker in the canon. It's nice that there IS a good guy on the side of the marines, but it's such a sad minority. Smoker should be working on his own skills to overthrow the chain of command.

[salmon-pink.livejournal.com]

I love how Smoker works for a greater good, but he still understands the necessity of law and his own form of justice, and no matter how many islands they encounter that praise the Straw Hats, he never stop seeing them as pirates who need to be pursued.

[anyjen.livejournal.com]

Well, this was a very deep insight on how Smoker manages to still want to catch the Strawehats despite being faced with all the good they do. Nice one. :)