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[ closed text: trafalgar law. A lot of the contents of the pamphlet and device tutorials go over Corazon's head, if he's honest. It's hard to go from dying to not-quite, to completely lose his bearings in the blink of an eye (that felt much longer). Concentration gets more difficult. Long story short, Corazon is pretty much fumbling around blindly when he happens across the name. Law's name. He'd like to say he doesn't blindly trust to hope, but he is... really, desperately hoping when he sends the message. ]

Are you who you say you are?

[ nailed it. How could this possibly be a bad idea. In a day or so he will probably realize exactly why it could be a bad idea, but still. ]

--

[ Following that personal matter, he also opts to poke around on this network. It's simply what's done. At least that's what it looks like to him. In any case, a little bit of casual investigation never hurt. So follows an open post; ]

This is already more peaceful than the last island I was on. But I don't think it was hard to beat at the time.

Do you have any advice for a newcomer that the booklet doesn't cover? I would be interested in hearing it.

[ Users will find that (ICly) the replies they get from this poster are relatively staggered in timing. Corazon can be absentminded on a good day, but today is especially rough. ]

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Well, he's been dealt with now.

By pirates, no less. And not even rivals seeking to take his place.

The world is a crazy place.

[ There is no graceful way to describe the internal shit-flipping that ensues. Today has been the single most emotionally and physically taxing day of his adult life. It's the roller coaster that never ends. New facts of reality to be reconciled at every turn.

It's like a giant, invisible hand that's elected to grab him around the chest and squeeze on occasion. He almost fires back are you sure and nothing else, but at the last second, he changes his mind. ]

Can you meet me

That was the plan.

Where are you now?

[He was getting you less shitty smokes, because you know, it's better intro to the world than a pond.]

[ Smoker is a true pal. ]

I haven't gone far from where I woke up. If you've got directions, I can meet you anywhere.

[Sends him to Maribelle's tea shop/cafe since it's secure and pirates generally avoid it.]

It's owned by a friend I'd trust with anything.

I'll trust that.

[ He's not really moving at top-speed today, so whether or not he makes it to the cafe first is a toss-up. But he'll most certainly be there, come hell or high water.

Starting to see the problem people over 7 ft tall might have with the doors, though. ]

[LUCKILY, The doors and ceilings are purposely outfitted to accommodate Kuzan! Because Maribelle is a close friend of Kuzan's. Which is how she knows Smoker, even if he doesn't remember her. CRAZY WORLD SHENANIGANS LOL.]

[Smoker is just sitting there with a pack of smokes and a couple of awesome perfect coffees (okay Rocinante's is a latte) looking.... pretty freaking out of place surrounded by fancy shit, and sitting his chair backwards, just because it drive Maribelle crazy.]

[Yes.]

[Don't fall over flamingo style at his age and scars though.]

[Unless you must.]

[ Miracles happen once in a while, when you believe. The really positive side to this is that it means he doesn't overbalance and trip solely from stepping into the building. A little extra dignity to come in with.

For all that Smoker sticks out like a sore thumb, Rosinante... doesn't recognize him immediately. It's foolish to expect someone from the past to look exactly the way they did before, especially when they must be a ways beyond the last thing you remember-- Doffy didn't get defeated the day after he died. He knows better than to invest in that avenue of foolish hope. Even so, he realizes that he isn't sure what he did expect.

Once it does register that he's looking at who he's looking for, focus gives way to a little surprise: and as can be expected of him when he lets his focus drift mid-anything, it ends with a pratfall. He's just grateful he didn't incur any coffee-related burns. Law would probably yell at him or something. The recovery is relatively quick, though. ]

Smoker!

[ Has... definitely aged.

Wow. ]

What the hell is that coat?

Are you okay? You haven't changed a bit... except for what you're wearing. [YOU LOOK SILLY. EVEN SILLER THAN BEFORE!]

[Also you make Tashigi look put together. Both on clutziness and clothes. Good job.]

I'm fine, I'm fine. I was worried about what happened to you, but it sounds like you haven't changed much, either. [ He flaps a hand as though the questions are errant bugs. Mostly the coat question. Gosh. Rude.

By the time he's seated himself properly at the table, he's already giving the room a wary once-over. Logically, he knows that his brother and his brother's crew won't be lurking behind the nearest counter. They like to be flashy. They like to make a show of arriving almost anywhere. Logically, he knows that Smoker is as trustworthy as any marine possibly could be. If he says this is a safe place to meet, it's safe.

What he came here to discuss puts him on edge, though. Enough for him to snap his fingers and let the familiar veil of silence fall around them.

It's fine to have a strange-looking conversation as long as no one hears it. ]

Of course I haven't. [Snorts. Smoker could teach stubborn lessons to rocks, okay okay.]

Are you sure you didn't join a rock band?

[ He can't help a chuckle. It's been a while since had a genuine excuse to laugh. ]

No, I'd remember doing that. I was in the middle of something at home. [ Like dying. ]

I wanted to talk to you about some things, though. Not much time for a change.

Go for it.

But you're not in the process of dying or anything, are you? Because we have a ton of good doctors around, and if nothing else, I can ask Maribelle, too.

[ Smoker, please. ]

I'm not dying! And as far as I know, I won't be anytime soon. [ A quality doctor already thought he owed him a favor. He figures as long as he doesn't do any heavy lifting, he's good for a casual cafe meet-up.

His expression sobers considerably after that, though. ]

What can you tell me... about Doflamingo's defeat?

[So he knows that Joker is Doflamingo? Interesting. Smoker wonders if Rocinante had been previously assigned to the case perhaps.]

I wasn't there personally. There was an alliance of pirates, to free Dressarossa Kingdom. First Trafalgar Law went after the subordinates propping him up, and undermined the government's authority that gave Donquixote the shichibukai status by achieving it for himself. He brokered an alliance with the Straw Hats who intruded upon Punk Hazard going after Caesar Clown, and I was on the trail of the Straw Hats. It was there that we found out that Vergo was one of the Joker subordinates, so Law and I were forced to deal with his betrayal. They took Caesar to Dressarossa as bait, and while I was under the impression that Trafalgar intended for an outraged Kaidou to deal with Joker instead, plans and Straw Hats are meaningless. Whatever happened on the island, CP0 and now admiral Fujitora were called in, but despite the devastation to the whole island, the Straw Hat and Trafalgar alliance were able to defeat him and free the kingdom.

And if Akainu ever shows up from that time period.... he'll be really fucking pissed, because Fujitora apologized to Dressarossa and the world on behalf of the marines. [ALL HIS PROUDS THOUGH!!!! ;~;] Of course... Sakazuki is usually outraged at something. But likely, Trafalgar's status as shichibukai has been voided like so many others, though I couldn't say for sure. No one knows what Akainu is thinking on any normal day, much less in a crazy one.

[ the program 'roci.exe' has stopped working.

But in all seriousness, the information Smoker provides is monumental to process. (He can suddenly fully comprehend the gravity in Law telling him he'd accomplished his goal. Is that what he thought he'd wanted for him?)

Bring Doffy to an undeniable justice. Save Dressrosa. Save innocent people from a future of unfair suffering. And if he got dragged down in the process or died, it didn't matter.

He failed in those duties. He knows. Just the thought of Doflamingo getting shichibukai status at any point after Minion has dread curdling his stomach.

To hear all this is... Rosinante doesn't know what it is yet. ]

So he's in custody. Joker.

[ There are a lot of details in that story and some of them he could probably stand to ask about, but he really, really feels like he needs this fact set in stone. His eyes are wet. When he starts fumbling around for a lighter and a cigarette, his hands are shaking.

He absolutely catches his coat on fire. ]

Yes.

[Firm nod.]

[And puts out Rocinante like it's no big deal. Never change man, never change.]

Want to tell me your connection, or is still top secret?

[ Smoker is too good for this world. Rosinante hesitates for a moment, really considers the question just to be safe. At this point, he can't see the harm in mentioning his connection as a marine.

He will not cry into a latte. He will not. Get it together. ]

I don't know how far ahead you are, with all that happening. [ 13 years, he'd bet. Just like Law. ]

But from where I'm standing... I just spent a few years infiltrating his crew.

[Nods slowly.]

[That sucks then.]

[Because it means his worst suspicions about Rosinante almost definitely being dead are confirmed.]

Probably pretty far.

I was still stuck at Loguetown for nearly ten years from there.

Sorry it took so long to help.

[ Okay, he's crying into the latte a little bit. It's not very dignified. If Rosinante were a dignified person, that would probably matter more to him. He shakes his head emphatically. ]

It's fine.

[ He doesn't regret what he chose to do in the end. Devoting his life to reigning Doffy in, only to make mistake after mistake in the execution-- there's a small voice in his head telling him about everything he failed to stop.

But Dressrosa got freed, down the line. Late, but free. His brother fell. Law still lived. None of his mistakes stretched forever.

You don't become a marine without believing in some sort of justice: whether your goal is to stop one man or to protect countless civilians, there's no way around it. And any world where those things could happen is a world with the right kind of justice still in it. ]

I'm glad someone made it to help at all!

[DON'T CRY. THAT JUST MAKES IT SO BAD. GOSH.]

Yeah. Pirates.

[GO THANK LAW GAWD. HE CAN'T HANDLE THIS.]

[Look at how much he denies any and all involvement. Best worst marine.]

[ IT'S TOO LATE, BUDDY... EMOTION TRAIN HAS PULLED INTO THE STATION. Smoker being so Smoker about all this makes it easier to put off the horrible damning realization of the conversation he'll have to have with Law, too.

He really is the best worst marine. ]

I don't think titles make much difference to anyone who just got out of that nightmare. And Vergo even got found out... I was hoping he wouldn't get away with that!

[ He just didn't have the time or the chance to make sure. ]

[Smoker just double facepalms and tries REALLY HARD not to feel SO DAMN GUILTY ABOUT IT ALL. It was so many years later and Roci is so damn happy, and maybe if he'd just caught on in time, and hadn't been so convinced that he couldn't trust pirates that he never even looked sideways at the marines the same rank as him, and all those kids...]

Yeah...

Thank Trafalgar here for that. He's a Doctor. Helped save the kids that Vergo kidnapped and covered up... Defeated the asshole later.

[He just wants to slam his head repeatedly into the table and never stop. Fuck everything.]

Probably don't want to mention him to Tashigi when you meet her though, she took it a bit hard.

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