Original Post By: major lee hung
As Lee finished shouting his order, he was confronted by a nervous looking young Marine about half of his height who approached him cautiously, holding out his hand holding what appeared to be a small snail. As the Marine got close enough to Lee to hand off the snail, he speaks with a slight tinge of nervousness, but with an air of confidence undoubtedly brought about by his time spent in Marine basic training.
Marine:
"Rear Admiral Lee, Sir! I am here to deliver your Den Den Mushi to you made by Captain Frayzah!"
Lee reaches out and accepts the Den Den Mushi:
"Thank you. Tell Captain Frayzah well done, and that I would like to speak with him after we've apprehended Arlong. Dismissed." The Marine salutes and walks away as Lee turns to his right to tuck his Den Den Mushi away into his belt. As he does this, he freezes in his tracks at the sight approaching him.
Entering the Main Street of the Village was a man who Lee first judged as, without a doubt, the most pathetic looking Marine that Lee had ever laid eyes on. A man of about average height for a human, who looked like the last time he had experienced any sort of strenuous physical activity was during his basic training, who wore a cat hood and whiskers atop his Marine attire. The man walked with his hands behind his back as he approached the village. Lee looks upon him in a state of bewilderment.
And who do we have here? Another Marine? This doesn't make any sense...Arlong has been sinking Navy ships that approach, in fact I saw the remains of those ships on the Sea Floor for myself. The intel we received from HQ told us that no Marines have been able to approach this Island due to Arlong's extremely hostile response to any approaching Government ships...So why is there a Marine who wasn't a part of our infiltration approaching us? How did you land on this Island with no assistance? I can only assume Arlong didn't attack our ships because of the sheer number of them..We may have inadvertently forced him into a panic, but I'll worry about that in a moment...First off, who is this Marine?
As Lee tucks the Den Den Mushi into his belt, not taking his eyes off of the approaching Marine as he does so, the man begins to speak:
Mirror D. Roogy said:
"Hello, fellow marines, I am Captain Nezumi. For years I have been far outclassed by the pirates that control this area, and so have been unable to do anything. Even reporting their presence would have seen my branch's defeat. As such, I have cautiously awaited the arrival of someone more suited for the task. If you'll allow me to escort you to Arlong Park, I would advise that we make haste, as staying in this town could make it a target, and put these civilians in harm's way."
The look on Lee's face was of absolute stupification. Lee turns to face Captain Nezumi, who stood around 15 yards away from him, when the purple haired Girl that stood with the scarred man from earlier spoke:
Mirror D. Roogy said:
Nojiko gave a Nezumi a dirty look. "Yeah, if you want to get rid of the pirates, I'd suggest you go to them before they can come to you," she said.
Lee's left eyebrow raises as he crosses his arms, looking back and forth between the purple haired girl and Nezumi.
So you know this man, do you? His presence here didn't seem to surprise you, like ours did. In fact if I didn't know any better, I'd say the look you gave him points towards him being someone familiar to you. And even worse, the look you gave him wasn't exactly a good one..Nothing about this situation adds up at all. I wonder...
Before Lee trails off in his own thoughts, his attention his caught by Commodore Vulpes who had walked up to Captain Nezumi in the time that Lee considered his response to the situation.
Tartan Owl said:
"Captain Nezumi, I find it peculiar that Arlong, a pirate that supposedly despises humans and who has slaughtered countless Marines, would randomly leave your branch unharmed simply because you kept quiet. Given what I have heard about the state of a nearby village from these locals, I would say Arlong had more than enough reason to destroy your entire branch on sight yet you claim to have been here for years?"
Vulpes slowly starts walking circles around Nezumi in a fashion reminiscent of a predator circling it's prey.
"Arlong is not stupid. This little empire of his is proof of his half decent capabilities as a long term strategist. Arlong has no problem wiping out entire Marine branches yet here you stand unharmed. As far as I can logically theorize, Arlong would only tolerate your continued existence if it benefited him somehow, i.e. Your presence assisted him in some way."
Vulpes stops once more in front of his inferior, glaring at Nezumi with venom in his eyes and a sneer on his lips.
"Am I wrong Nezumi? Am I wrong in assuming that at best you are a gutless liability that does nothing but cower when faced with a threat that you signed up to eliminate but are afraid of being defeated by anyway? Am I wrong in assuming that at worst you are a spineless traitor that abandons the civilians that you swore to protect in order to bed with pirates?"
Click to expand...
Lee watches Vulpes circle Nezumi with a look of complete attentiveness. His evaluation of Nezumi was so intimidating that Lee was actually feeling Vulpes out with his Observation Haki, half convinced that he might have to stop Vulpes from literally attacking Nezumi.
However, as Vulples continued his domineering display, Lee found himself uncharacteristically loosening up a bit, a casual smile curling across his face as he rubbed his chin with his left hand. Lee felt the urge to bust out laughing in satisfaction come over him, but resisted it. Vulpes' actions were hitting all of Lee's sweet spots.
If I was a man like Nezumi, I'd be just about shitting myself right now. Vulpes' predatory display is exactly what we need in a situation like this. His analysis of the situation is also spot on. Perhaps I've pre-judged you a bit unfairly...Your file paints you as someone who struggles to control his animal instincts, but that's not the person I'm looking at right now. Right now, I see someone so adept in the art of asserting subtle control, that his actions come off as nothing short of highly calculated and impressively insightful. I am impressed, indeed. But he's right to assess Nezumi as someone potentially corrupt...and Vulpes' actions just might go about forcing a confession, at least, in theory..
Tartan Owl said:
By this point in his speech, Vulpes is baring his teeth at the human in front of him. He learns down to Nezumi's eye level, invading his personal space in the process and activates a small current of electro through his own fur, the element rippling through his thick coat in order to further exaggerate his intimidating appearance.
"At best you are utterly unreliable or at worst you are completely untrustworthy. Either way Nezumi, you are an obstacle and obstacles need to be... Removed."
The threat hung in the air as Vulpes' aggressive side was on full display for all to see.
As Vulpes leans forward bearing fangs and running electro through his fir, Lee audibly snorts in satisfaction, but stops himself before he outright busts out laughing. He brings his left hand to his forehead while looking downwards, attempting to stop anyone who may have heard his snort from catching the smile on his face.
What a riot...Well done indeed, Vulpes. But we don't need him to pass out of fear, he's got information that might help us, after all.
Lee looks back up at Vulpes and Nezumi. His expression was notably less serious and intense as it usually was, and was more casual and lax, with what almost resembled a determined smile on his face. He begins walking towards them as he speaks with an air of uncharacteristic amusement. First, he addresses Vulpes.
"Now now, Vulpes. While I certainly don't disagree with your assessment, there's no need for us to assume the worst of Captain Nezumi just yet. There's a reason Navy HQ sent us to deal with Arlong directly. It's unlikely any branch outside of the Grand Line would've had any legitimate chance of defeating Arlong."
As Lee reaches them, he stands right next to Vulpes and folds his arms, looking down at Nezumi.
"Captain, I am Rear Admiral Lee, the leader of G-169 and the Marines here. Consider me your Commanding Officer for the duration of your time on this Island. Before we head over to Arlong Park and you assist us in capturing Arlong and his men-and make no mistake, you will be assisting us during our mission-let me make sure I understand your current predicament correctly."
With his left hand, Lee raises one finger.
"First off, you've been here for years now, knowing full well of the atrocities committed by Arlong and his men to the people of this Island as well as other Islands in the East Blue, and instead of attempting to do your duty as a Marine and a protector of Justice, you chose to do nothing."
Lee raises a second finger.
"Secondly, on top of the fact that you chose to simply allow Arlong to run his business unopposed on this Island, you also determined that it was unnecessary to even report the situation to Navy HQ in any way, shape, or form, despite having more reliable intel than any other Marine on the planet."
Lee crosses his arms once again. His casual, lax look was now gone and was replaced by his usual intense demeanor.
"Make no mistake, (glancing at Nojiko)
we have no intention for remaining in this area for much longer, as giving Arlong the opportunity to reach us here would indeed be unwise, (glancing back at Nezumi)
but before we head over to Arlong Park, and you join us in what could very realistically escalate into a battle scenario, is there anything else that you'd like for me to include in my report to Navy Headquarters?"
