Why cant we be friends?

[Weeks]

A boot was tapping incessantly on the hard wood floor, it's angry and concerned owner leaning forward in a comfortable easy chair in the corner of Aubrey Meador's cabin. For the time being he was alone, contemplating to himself as a kettle of hot water began to boil on a small stove in the corner. Though beginning to warm, the room was slightly cold and drafty, causing goosebumps to rise across his arms. The Grand line's famous weather system was already beginning to show it's fury.

The ship was starting to rock back and forth softly, the moonlight leaking through the porthole as a slight drizzle began to drip down the glass. Still, the scene was incomplete for Justin. The usual wafting smoke from his cigarette was absent the pack having been placed innocently on the table. Along with it, a pack of matches, his dual revolvers and new slouch hat.

His normal happy go lucky disposition was absent, having been replaced by anxious brooding. Everything that had just transpired was starting to sink in all at once. The room around him was far from his mind as he began to contemplate the gravity of the situation. Most would be feeling an intense feeling of fear from what Justin had just done, but that was minimal at this stage. More than anything he was more afraid of himself in this moment. Never in his life had he ever been so blinded by rage, so bloodthirsty that he had lost track of time or how many shots he had fired. He had lost control of himself, but not in the sense of his mind losing control of his body, no, he had full control over that. What scared him the most was how he had lost control over his morality, his code of moral justice. He had killed more than a handful of men in his life, but never before had he executed one in cold blood without a thought.

Well he was thinking now, and what he was thinking, he didn't like. Things had even gotten so out of control that he had actually hit a world noble, but strangely, this was the one thing that kept him as cool and collected as he was. That noble, cloaked in his enormous power had taken for the first time in his life, exactly the medicine that he deserved and Justin had felt more than happy, imminently proud of himself in fact, that he had been the one to do it. The blow back would be enormous, but frankly, at this stage the young sniper cared little about the consequences. He was thinking more of the immediate future, to what his crew would think of his actions below deck. Only Donner so far knew about that literal bloody mess and the Gunslinger wanted it to stay that way.

While he was deep in thought, his heel still tapping at the ground incessantly, the door to the Cabin opened, a seething Aubrey Meador entering. If Justin knew one thing about his friend, it was that he knew when he was pissed.

And make no mistake, "Bulletproof" Meador was pissed.

[Aubs]

The door closed behind him with an ominous creaking. The rocking of the boat on the choppy sea was causing the picture to change depending on which side of spectrum he was on at the time. Sometimes he was leaning left and looking right, sometimes the opposite was true. But there was one constant to the polaroid of his mind, a single man sitting on the only chair that the Captain owned. Originally the Flight had been designed to serve as a private ship for a very wealthy merchant Noble. To that end it had been packed with eloquent furniture. However, the Wings had sold most of it for the necessities of pirating. That had left them with only a few nice things left, one of which was that chair. The same one that the First Mate, Justin “Traitor” Weeks was sitting in tapping his foot with nervous energy as his long-time friend Aubrey moved into the room.

It was no shock then that the expression on the wannabe’s face was somewhere between roaring anger and almost uncontrollable fear. The plan had been simple really, attack the supposed cruise ship owned by a nameless World Noble and make a name as freedom fighters in the process. It had always been inherently risky to threaten the World Nobles in any way, but to actually hit one was a death warrant provided by the World Government. More than that it didn’t mean any of their goals. Hatred wouldn’t get them anywhere, striking the enemy was not the intent. To fight against the world alone was suicide. The goal of the White-Wings was different than that, it was something more. Let others bash their heads against the wall of the government until blood loss ended them. Aubrey had other thoughts. Life was simple in most cases, people would do their best in the world provided to them and within their means. But even with the most docile of people there was a gap in the expectations of what they thought their lives should be and what the reality was. If our crew of misfits could just convince them that the government was without reason, was a determent to the very lives of its people; then eventually, even if it took longer than any of the Wings would live, the people would rise up against the World Government. Aubrey had no intent of butting heads with the World Nobles, at least not alone.

Together, the Grand Line would do it for him. But not if he was dead. The game they were playing was dangerous enough as is, but how could this ragtag collection of individuals stand up against an Admiral?

"What the fuck were you thinking Justin?” Aubrey asked with the frustration in his peaking halfway through the thought. He placid eyes were now sharp, his expression tense and his jaw clenched. His very world was waiting on the answer Justin gave him. He had always known that Justin was a loose cannon. Deep down though, that’s why Aubrey needed him. Everything about this made Mr. Meador want to hurt someone, made him want to burn the world down around him. Justin was his outlet, the only one who could both control Aubrey’s evil and do whatever needed to be done without impunity. But now, had a monster been unleashed on the world, Bulletproof didn’t know. Secretly, all he desired was to pound his friend into dust just for risking their lives. But then again, hadn’t he just done the same?

Meanwhile all around them the noose was tightening. Whether they knew it or not the next few hours would decide the future of the White-Wings. Either they would reach Veldesh and hide, or they would be sunk long before then. Unbeknownst however was the blockade being formed both behind them and to the front. Even if they made it to the Kingdom the crew would not be leaving the island once they arrived.

---

SPOILER: Click to show

[Weeks]

For the next few moments there was silence. Justin's foot suddenly stopped it's fidgeting as the young man looked up to his so called best friend. Though his demeanor did not suddenly change, Justin did feel a slight pain in his stomach as he leaned back in the comfortable chair. Their eyes locked as he pursed his lips as if he were the one who was about to scold instead of the other way around. He then looked to his pack of cigarettes on the table as he sighed, knowing that trying to light up now in Aubrey's room at this exact moment would break into an uncontrollable fist fight. So for the moment, though craving one, he let them be and instead grabbed for the newspaper on the table.

"Why didn't you tell me about the Entitled?" he cooed, his voice slightly soothing, yet full of pent up emotion.

He didn't need to open the paper to the correct page. It wasn't a story that would make the front, but Aubrey had simply left it open to page B5, to a story covering the voyage of the ship they had just destroyed.

Though normally this kind of question would be meant to misdirect Aubrey from the current situation, Justin had an itch that he needed to scratch. Aubrey just had a way of doing things that sometimes made Justin cringe. His plans normally involved a lot of shooting from the hip so to speak, a lot of improvisation following some sort of distraction. It had all gone off without a hitch before Justin had kicked the World Noble in the face, but what was really screwing with the gunslinger was how Aubrey had failed to share any of his plans to anyone with the crew thus far. His orders were always part of some grander scheme that he had either failed to share or simply chose not to. Either way, it was now an outlet for Justin to vent his current emotional state.

He turned the paper to his Captain and then threw it to the floor with a flop.

"You knew before we left Minato. Hell, you must have read this before we even reached the island, so why didn't you mention it?" he asked, crossing his arms as he sat back and relaxed.

[Aubs]

The paper hit the wooden floor and took the rooms attention for a long second. The weight of the world creaking down on the floorboards below that little piece of paper.

“Hehhhhhh.” Was all he could muster at first, a long and powerful sigh that let out most of the pent up emotion Aubrey had been corralling for the last few minutes. As badly as he wanted to yell and scream, he understood what things all came down to now. Justin hadn’t been ready for that ship, for what Aubrey already knew they would find. You see, he knew the Entitled, it had come into his life once before. About a year ago, almost exactly even, the massive ship had moored at Lougetown just like it had a few weeks past. There it took on more people to refill its ranks. Some of the street people that our friend Mr. Meador had associated with took the call. A good bed, food every day and money, what more could they have asked for. Thing was, they had never come back from their voyage. And Aubrey, the one that had decided not to go, thanks mostly to a large pocket of money he had earned from his more recent “treasure” find, he only heard from his friends once more. A single letter, describing how terrible things were on the ship had been snuck out by one of his more conniving friends. The workers were slaves, killed at the whims of the masters. He had been so close, a few minutes away from signing his own life away to the Entitled.

And it scared him.

Trying his best to bring his mind back to the here and now Aubrey had to consciously remember where he was. Gazing slowly around the room before letting his eyes linger on Justin, his oldest friend. Why hadn’t he shared the plan with the crew? While debating that very answer those same eyes of his closed slowly before reopening as the words came to him. “It was a long shot. Luckily by the time we left Saisho I knew it was only a few days’ away tops. The plan was to meet it before Veldesh and run.” He went pensive again, looking this time out the window behind Justin’s seat. “I didn’t say anything because it would have made it crazier. It’s one thing to plan an attack against World Noble property, it’s another to actually do it. Part of me still can’t believe it. How would the crew react if they knew ahead of time just what I was thinking? The goal was easy, make me the villain, or the hero. I’m supposed to be a distraction Justin, nothing more.”

Breaking his placid brown eyes away from the swirling darkness outside his window the Captain turned instead towards the crate beside him which he sometimes used as a chair. Sitting with a thud of energy Aubrey opened his legs apart into a wide stance and leaned forward placing his elbows on the meat of his legs, facing Justin. Perhaps if he had divulged the entirety of his plan then Justin would have been more prepared for what he saw. Still though, Justin had been a Marine, surely he knew what the world was like for everyone else? He hadn’t been alone on an island, he would have seen what Nobles were capable of, they both knew that from experience. In his mind’s eye the flames of Grey Terminal flashed once more, making Aubrey shake his head violently for a split second to make them stop.

“Regardless of how you felt about me telling you whose ship it was, why would you hit a World Noble…after telling him your name?”

---

SPOILER: Click to show

[Weeks]

"Distraction..." he muttered, smiling to himself as he shook his head.

He stood up quickly, his anger evident as his actions were sudden and unbalanced. He forcefully chuckled, knowing this would be more annoying than anything besides him smoking.

"Distraction." he repeated, shrugging his shoulders as he strode over to the stove, the bubbling pot of water more than ready to make a fine cup of tea.

"Humor me for a sec." he said, raising a finger before the Captain could speak.

Pulling the kettle from the stove he brought it over to the small end table, where a beautiful tea pot made of fine china was waiting with fresh tea leaves. He poured in the water carefully, his shaking hands showing his rage. As he placed the kettle of the table, and poured himself two cups of tea, he looked to his friend, took a sip, and then finally spoke.

"So you get to be the distraction." he said.

"So what does that make me?" he asked, a short pause following this question, leading Justin to believe that Aubrey was contemplating weather to be truthful or insulting.

"Normally I would say 'I can wait', but if the first words out of your mouth aren't 'First Mate', then we have a problem." he cooed.

[Aubs]

As Aubrey was want to do, his face went from pensive to stern in the matter of a breath, his eyes hard and shallow. “First Mate huh? Now you want to be the First Mate.” Leaning forward even more on his crate, like a demon perched on his own disheveled cross Aubrey let his eyes wash over Justin, the contempt in his posture clear as daylight. “I can’t get you to give a fuck about anything on this ship, but now you want to be part of the plan.” As he started slowly, the anger in his voice, lit with a deep venom that only comes from a man with more on his mind than you knew, made his words come faster and faster. “You fight me tooth and nail about everything, and yet you want to know my thoughts? Now all of the sudden what I have to say matters to you? Since we left Lougetown the only things you have done have been ordered to you, but now you want to be a contributing member. Why, because now you see what you were too blind to before? This is why I am here Justin, this is why this crew exists. To fight until I am dead or the world changes. There is no in between. We are fighting the World Government Justin, the same people that kill to keep the peace, what did you expect to see, fucking glitter?”

His face twitched, the last remaining drops into the overflowing bucket. Aubrey stood up with a start, looking away from Justin and instead off into the space of his mind. He wasn’t seething, he wasn’t fuming…he was erupting. And then, just as quickly it was all gone, and the temper in his voice went away like a leaf on the breeze. With the same sudden fury of his words now he looked positively calm. But the Captain wasn’t done speaking. “I don’t know why you are here, and I don’t know what you want to be. But I am here to be a martyr, and this crew exists to do nothing less than change the world, or die trying. If you don’t want to admit that your own stupidity has jeopardized that thin line we are walking, that’s fine. But it’s not my fault you can’t control yourself, and it never will be.”

He gestured toward the door with his left arm, looking back at the other man in the room, eyes shimmering. “Now unless you want to have an actual conversation you can see yourself out.”

For all of the issues at surface here there was a pressing matter. They would be dead before dawn unless they were incredibly lucky. Part of that was on Justin’s shoulders. Being lectured as to what the lackadaisical First Mate was supposed to do on the ship wouldn’t save them. But, if Justin Weeks was unwilling to give in take on this issue then there was nothing to say, survival took precedence to feelings at the moment.

---

SPOILER: Click to show

[Weeks]

SPOILER: Click to show

When Aubrey was scolding someone he had this tone in his voice, a tone that Justin had not until this moment been thankful he had not had to hear it over the past few years. It had apparently not been long enough however as Justin felt himself once again creeping back into the emotional state of rage that had clouded his mind only 20 or so odd minutes before on the Entitled. Still, the as the rage built nearly to the point where Justin had to interject to defend himself, it was one comment that caused his jaw to drop, and hands to clench.

“I don’t know why you are here, and I don’t know what you want to be. But I am here to be a martyr, and this crew exists to do nothing less than change the world, or die trying…”
That was the point where everything began to fall apart inside Justin’s head.

“…If you don’t want to admit that your own stupidity has jeopardized that thin line we are walking, that’s fine. But it’s not my fault you can’t control yourself, and it never will be.”

The fine teacup was set down on the table softly as Justin rolled up his sleeves, his mouth no longer agape as he tucked in the cuffs of his shirt.

“Now unless you want to have an actual conversation you can see yourself out.”

There was no more chuckling, no more one upping each other into submission, no more beating around the bush. Aubrey always had a way of either causing the person in his debate to quit and storm out, or get them to punch him square in the face. The same had been true when they were kids. Still, today was different. It had been years since the two had seen each other, both of them believing the other was dead, and now Justin was going to throw out years of emotional retribution at the snarky self-proclaimed Captain.

“YOU’RE A FUCKIN’ ASSHOLE GAYLAND MEADOR!”

So loud was the shout that everything, even the ocean outside seemed to go quiet. As Justin in that moment looked at his so called best friend’s back, he felt nothing but burning hatred running through his veins. His eyes had bugged out slightly, his fists clenched as he put one foot forward, hunched over slightly as he began to breathe deeply in his anger.

“OH LOOK AT ME!” he began, quickly standing on his tip toes and raises his hands in the air, then crossing his eyes as he wiggled his body to and fro.

“I’m Aubrey Meador! I ate a devil fruit and now I’m hot shit! Duuuuh, think I get a crew and then get myself killed to prove a point!” he taunted, twirling around as his arms flailed about, his voice becoming nasally and annoying as he tried to imitate his friend’s voice.

“Oh look there! It’s my old pal Justin, guess I should just nod and wait for him to SUCK MY DICK!” he screamed, his crude rendition of the crew’s formation coming to an end as he slapped the tea cup off the table and watched it shatter violently against the wall.

“Well FUCK YOU Meador! I had a life before all of this shit! You know what annoys me about you, the fact that you just EXPECTED me to come along! WELL HERE I AM! YOU HAPPY!?” he bellowed, his voice rattling the porthole windows of the small but comfortable room.

“Because you literally never explained what that FUCK I’M DOING HERE! I HAD A LIFE, A GOOD LIFE! You think you saved me by bringing me along? I may not like the Government, but I was a damn fine Marine! The good kind, the kind that just wanted to help!”

He couldn't even look at Aubrey right now, he was screaming at the tea Kettle as he kept his Captain in his peripheral vision. His hands were clenched into tight fists as he rolled his toes in his boots, his right eye twitching ever so slightly as he let out every thought and emotion that had been built up ever since he had arrived on the ship two weeks ago. That was two weeks of Aubrey never once mentioning the plan, never once asking Justin where he had been or what he had done, two weeks of Aubrey not even considering that Justin might like to have a say in the life or death situations that Aubrey continued to pile up on the crew.

“I spent five years running across East Blue, five years of fighting endlessly to keep the peace, and I was god damned good at it! And then you show up, and I joined you, knowing that something good would come of it, but you don’t even want me to be a part of it. You just want me to be your fucking hit-man!”

Justin wasn't even sure what his point was anymore. He didn't even care, all he wanted was to cause Aubrey some sort of pain, any type that he could muster without having to shoot him in the head again.

“But you know what really pisses me off?” he asked rhetorically, finally turning on his friend once again.

“THE FACT THAT THIS IS SOME FUCKED UP WAY TO GET YOURSELF KILLED! THAT’S YOUR FUCKING PLAN!? HUH? WELL FUCK THAT NOISE!”

Whatever was going on in Aubrey’s brain, Justin no longer cared. The Sniper himself was all over the place. His arms were flailing around, his face contorting again and again into the most hysterical tantrum he had ever thrown.

“There has to be some chance of success!” he stated, his mind suddenly drawing a blank.
He stood there for a moment, panting heavily as a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. His ears and nose had already become bright red as his heart was pounding in his chest. He felt no sense of remorse or sympathy for Aubrey right now, all of his normally relaxed logical thinking had been replaced by his baser instincts.

“You should have just stayed dead.” he finished, sending out the final shot, aiming for Aubrey’s heart.

[Aubs]

There was a prevailing silence in the air for a few moments. It was eerie almost just how the scene had stopped so suddenly. Assuredly Aubrey wasn’t trying to be dramatic and let the moment hang there. This was an argument between the oldest of friends. When brothers fight one another people expect blows and such. And yet, even as Justin yelled scream flailed and more or less made a fool of himself, the other participant just stood there, body halfcocked towards the door. However slow it was though, if you were watching just his hands, you might have seen our heroes true emotion. Slowly the digits on his right hand clenched and unclenched, the knuckles white with stress. What did he really want you might be thinking, well that was simple enough. Aubrey wanted to wring Justin’s little neck. The ignorant fool was acting like a five year old. Oh woe is me right? He even made sure to mispronounce Aubrey’s name, just like the kids who had teased him as a child. Justin always did have a way of making it about himself. Maybe that was the most childish thing about it.

All he could do was sigh, loudly. And when he did speak it was almost quiet.

“No. No I said I wouldn’t be yelling anymore, and I meant it.” Was all he said, turning around and moving back to the crate he so commonly used as his chair. Sitting almost gingerly part of the Captain seemed hurt, shrunken inside himself like a child who just learned the truth about Santa. But despite this obvious sadness he kept talking. “One month ago I didn’t know you were still alive, until you shot me in the head. No matter who you are or what you do it takes time to repair ten years. We aren’t kids anymore, if we don’t figure out what to do then we are going to die. We don’t have time to cry about you not getting enough attention. You want to know what in my head, then ask, I won’t lie to you.” Aubrey leaned forward, taking only a small pause as things came to mind.

Even though the words formed and were spoken, it did seem as though Aubrey was looking through the floor at his feet, concaving into his crate instead of holding his own. What was causing this weakness in him so suddenly? “For instance, I don’t plan on dying anytime soon, but considering I was willing to pick a fight with World Nobles id be a fool to not think that eventually I’m either going to die or win. The odds are not I’m my favor as far as that goes. Still, if we can just start a big enough fire, it will spread.” Saying it didn’t make him feel any better though. Even if they survived the first few days of wraith that was inevitably coming the crew would still have to run and hide. There was no peace for them anymore, no more unknown.

Had he been right to pick a fight they couldn’t win? And yet, this is what he had known would happen, with or without a crew. But things were different now. He was different. The White-Wings were his crew, if a Captain didn’t protect his crew then what good was he? He would need them, and they would need him. It was only fair right? And with that thought in mind the life slowly started to slither its way back into Aubrey’s body. Gently he lifted his face up from the crevasse of his crumpled frame and looked back at Justin. If his eyes didn’t tell his old friend that this was the moment, nothing would.

“So, what do you want to know?”

---

SPOILER: Click to show

[Weeks]

Aubrey had not acted as Justin had predicted. Though his friend was not calm and collected, he was at least subtle in his approach about he handled the situation. They were both stress ridden wrecks right now, trying to think about the solutions to 20 different things at one time. While the two had known each other years ago Aubrey had made the point that Justin had failed to get across, they were different people now, older, wiser, with separate views of the world.

The sniper should have known it would come to this at some point, how they would both deal with situations. Justin had spent years in the Marines, seen action that he couldn’t forget no matter how hard he tried, and done things that he sometimes wished he hadn’t had to do. That past however, seemed like a lifetime ago, even if it had only been a month or so. He killed and nearly been killed in the past few years, something that not every crew member on this ship could relate to. The young man had even spent a few months in prison for his hot headed attitude and inability to keep his mouth shut, but even that had been wiped clean long ago. Things had all been going so smoothly in the past few years, going from place to place, seeing new sights and meeting new people, but now, traveling was just as necessary as it was dangerous.

He sighed heavily as Aubrey spoke, shaking his head as he looked down to his feet, his hands on his hips. The more he spoke, the worse Justin felt, having gone too far with his comments. But apologizing now was not an option. He had told the cold hard truth about how he felt about the situation, the first time he had since he had arrived on the ship. Every other complaint or dry sarcastic comment had merely been a cover for his more harsh criticisms, and the only thing he truly regretted was letting it come to this, the two of them screaming at each other rather than embracing as brothers in this time of crisis. Well, Justin had done the screaming at least.

As Aubrey concluded, Justin did not feel any better. The snipers rant had not asked any meaningful questions in the end and Aubrey had seen fit to defuse the situation, rather than let it devolve further and further until it became a fist fight.

“So, what do you want to know?” Aubrey asked, Justin finding for the first time in this conversation that he was at a loss for words, save but a few.

“Just…” he began, waving his hand in front of his as he took a few more deep breaths, keeping himself from having another outburst.

He turned away from his friend again, reaching for the porthole window and pulling it open with a quick tug. He seemed to be playing off the childish nature of his arguments he had put forward just a few moments before. He needed a few seconds to collect himself, and calm down. Even Aubrey wouldn’t complain about Justin and his filthy habit right now, so long as Justin could clear his head. He was already overheated, a bead of sweat running down his brow as he violently pulled of his pea coat, throwing it onto the chair he had recently been sitting in.

“Just give me a minute.” He stated, standing there, huffing, his hands now on his head as he looked up the ceiling, his eyes closed in thought.
So many things were rushing through the young man’s mind as he thought about what he should ask, but in reality, he already knew. This was not only true of Justin, but most people always hesitated following their impulses right off the bat, always thinking about the alternative for whatever reason and then skipped right back to the impulse, the same question or action sweeping back into their mind before they finally gave up, and submitted to their natural desire, whatever that might be.

He sighed one last time, removing his hands from his head as he shook them out at his sides, his neck moving from side to side as he tried anything he could to get out his aggression. It was working for the most part, but what he really needed was a breath of smoke in his lungs, his medication if you will. With a few more steps across the room, he took his crumpled coat from the chair, shook it out and then hung it neatly behind it. Sitting down calmly, he reached for the table, pulling away the pack of cigarettes and pack of matches. Placing his mouth near the opening of the pack, he pulled away a smoke with his teeth, tossed the pack back onto the table and then lighting up a match with a flick of his wrist.

That deep inhale, the soft crackle of the burning tobacco and the creak of springs in the chair as Justin leaned back seemed to signify a new phase in the conversation. Though tensions had receded, Justin was not ready to speak in a civilized manner. Instead, he simply asked the question that had been irking him the moment he had first seen Aubrey again.

“Just start from the beginning.” he said finally, wisps of smoke trailing around him as held the cigarette up with his right and used his left to massage his forehead.

“What happened after the fire, and how did you end up in Loguetown?” he asked, his voice now much more calm, but breaking slightly.

[Aubs]

“Hmhhm.” Was all he said at first, closing his eyes slowly for a moment or two. Justin had asked the important question it seemed. How did one become a lunatic like Aubrey? As children things were simple, go to class, go home, and spend time with your friends. But as an adult things were very different. In this case, two men, barely in their 20s had decided that they could bear the weight of others on their thin framed shoulders. One did not just become a martyr, nor did a boy become a man. Before Lougetown and the stealing of this ship, the two men had not seen each other, or Sean for that matter in over a decade. What had happened, what could have happened since then?

“I still hear the screams sometimes Justin. I can smell the burning trash. It wasn’t right.”Shifting in his seat again the captain tried to get comfortable as he recalled the last ten plus years of his story. He hadn’t seen his father in years, which alone should have described how this tale was going to unravel. Aubrey had never told his story, he wondered now how it would sound.

“I was standing on wall watching, I don’t know what I was thinking, like I could handle what I was going to see. We knew it was coming to, my Dad had heard the Nobles talking about it. But as I watched…I.” He stopped for a moment, his voice quivering, and memories untouched floating to the surface of his mind ’s eye. Then, just as quickly he steeled himself. “We left that night. My dad came and got me, and with my sister he grabbed a ship and were gone. He told me later that he was afraid that he would be next, he had been vocal about the stupidity of burning people alive. I never got a chance to even say goodbye, and I hated him for it.”

A light sigh, the hardest part of the story done. “We went south, away from Goa and towards some small kingdoms and territories closer to the calm belt. Landed at some place called Potts Village. It had been an industrial island that help supply Tequila Wolf, but had fallen on hard times. The people there were…decent, but helpless. It just didn’t seem fair there, just like Goa. Some people came out on top when the business left the island, and they ran everything. Everybody else, well they were just holding on to what they had, just like Grey Terminal. How could two places so different be so similar? The people, they didn’t leave the island, they just lived their whole lives on that dying place. I couldn’t live like that, so I left when I turned 18. It wasn’t all bad though, I had a group of friends there, Ethan was one of them.” Aubrey smiled at the last part, reminded that one of those friends was now with them. “You know I almost became a Marine to get off that island, so few people left, but I decided tour try my hand at traveling, I hoped something good would happen. I was wrong.”

Our hero looked over at his friend with that look on his face like he should have known better. “I took a boat east, first stop an old part of the Bridge. Of all things I ran into treasure hunters there, who were lying low after stealing something. They more or less forced my conscription, being alone and such as I was. One large ship, only a few of them could read or write, most were muscle for the digging and moving. When they found out I could read they took me in as an apprentice. I worked with the leader and his inner circle, looking over maps and reading stolen logs. Following leads in papers and shaking down marks all over the Blue. Before long though I was better than all of them. Finding things isn’t too hard I guess, you just have to know where to look.”

Without stopping the wannabe got up and walked over to a small painted jug that stood next to his bed. It was clearly a flask of some kind, but Aubrey only drank water these days, so it was probably not that strong. Moving back across his overly large quarters and desolate decorations Meador took his seat once again. “I bought my way to Lougetown from there, only took me about a year really. When I got there I tried to find better work for a few years, unsuccessfully. I was homeless for most of it, including when I got roped into dredging again for money and found a Devil Fruit.” He laughed a bit at that, the audacity of it all. “Then I knew, I had what I needed, finally. But, we are not discussing my philosophies. What else would you like to know?”

The next salvo.

---

SPOILER: Click to show

[Weeks]

Aubrey did not start his story immediately, as Justin had expected. What he had asked was Aubrey life story up to this point, not an easy task to undertake in a short amount of time. Still, this had been a long time coming and it gave the cowboy a moment to get his nicotine fix. As Aubrey began with a sigh, Justin knew exactly where this was going to start, and the memories of that fire on that day were something he had spent most of his life trying to forget. But now he had to know, he had to know the truth.

And so the story began, Aubrey looking as though he had just eaten raw fish. Even Justin himself strained under the pressure of remembering the stench of smoke and death on that night. They both shifted uncomfortably, each thinking about the different perspective of that terrible night.

Thankfully it moved on though, to what Justin had really been wondering about for years now. It began to make sense as Justin realized why he had never been able to find Aubrey. Roy, Aubrey’s father, had left the island in a hurry in order to protect his children. That much Justin could understand, and even why Aubrey had never attempted to contact his old friends, in order to protect his family.

As the story went on however, all Justin could do was listen and take mental notes. Aubrey was certainly traveled, perhaps not as much as Justin, but still, he had been to all the places that Justin hadn't, excluding Lougetown. What was really beginning to irk at the young man though was how difficult it must have been for Aubrey in the time he had been away. He couldn't look at him anymore as he continued, instead looking to the rolling waves out the window. Yet the words kept coming, and all Justin could do was come along for the ride.

Aubrey certainly had been on an adventure, one that had dragged him across East Blue and now taken him to the Grand Line. The two had been alike in the sense that they had always seemed to desire more than what people though they were worth. Not only that, but the two of them were willing to work to get that respect, something in this day and age that almost seemed prehistoric in nature.

Even as Justin listened, unable to recognize every name and place that Aubrey talked about, he was at least able to follow along. He could tell already that Aubrey wasn't keeping anything out, at least not on purpose. Every word that hung in the air was drenched in emotional depth, a clear sign that at least Aubrey was not being deceptive.

“Then I knew, I had what I needed, finally. But, we are not discussing my philosophies. What else would you like to know?”

Aubrey had finished, looking to his old friend now. Justin on the other hand, was still at a loss for words. He still was not entirely ready to continue along this pleasant course. There was still a lot of pent up aggression in the Snipers heart, wanting to release in any way possible. For the moment that included puffing on his cigarette.

But as much as he still wanted to punch something there was still a lingering question that Justin needed and answer to. How Aubrey had gotten here was now clear. Who he had been with, the when, the where and the what had all been answered, all that was left was always the most interesting question and answer. He took another long drag, his eyes once again locking with the now slightly more cheerful Aubrey Meador, exhaling the smoke through his thin nostrils. The smoke wafted around his face gently as he opened his mouth one more time, leaning forward in his chair and making sure Aubrey knew this was of the utmost importance.

“But we do need to talk about that. Your philosophies I mean.” he said, his voice much calmer now.

“We both got screwed over, but that doesn't explain…this Aubs.” He continued, fanning his arms out to indicate the entire ship and crew.

“Why?” he asked plainly, knowing Aubrey would understand.

He stayed in his forward position, his elbows resting on his knees as the smoke from his cigarette wafted around him.

[Aubs]

Justin was still grumpy, but it was his way to use emotion and not logic. In the end though that it why the pair had so much potential. Aubrey would default to cold hard facts to keep him warm, Justin had his soul, and that had much more power. Our friend could suppose then that even if his friend was sometimes too much to handle it would be for the betterment of the crew. The captain was pleasantly surprised however that Justin wanted to hear about the why of his plans, the motivation to watch the world the burn. After another swig from his jug and a moment or two saved just for grinning and leaning from side to side to adjust his hard butt, Aubrey tried approaching his story from the other perspective. Though he was perhaps a bit grumpy himself that Justin insinuated his actions were wrong in the way his gestured around the room.

“I went all over that fucking Blue Justin.” He said calmly. “But no matter where I went I saw the same things. People were working not for themselves, but to get by. Then, not but a few houses away the mayor, the governor, the World Government bureaucrat, they…didn’t.” Aubrey made a face of earnest concern mixed with that knowing expression of ‘such-is-life’ before he continued. “If we have this huge, all powerful government then why do we have all these problems? Why do the Marines resort to killing everyone when one guy does something wrong, why do the Nobles have it so much better than everybody else? That’s when I figured it out.” He finished that train of thought and placed his jug down before getting to the heart of it. “The World Government is not for the People, it’s for the Government. Its goal is to keep things as they are, not to progress them and make them better.”

“As long as the government exists for the conservation of authority and not for the progress of the people then it is no real government. Life works on a spectrum. Even a loyal dog, if you keep kicking him eventually he will bite you. If the people lose trust in the World Government then they will turn against it, just like every other kingdom in history. All it takes is a spark to light the fire; the People will spread it for us.”

He finished his rhetoric and smiled, happy with the way the words came out. Aubrey took a second to find his jug of water and drain its last few drops, some of them sliding down his face and neck as he tried to savior the moment. Then just as quickly the jug was back in its in place and the discussion was moving. “The why is simple, because someone has to do it. Before I ate that Devil Fruit I was content to just keep trying to get to the Grand Line and work my way into someone’s organization. The Revolutionaries have been liberating islands I hear. But then I got the chance to lead and not to follow. We can do this thing Justin, all we need to do is show everyone, island by island that is not the World Government or the Marines that will make their lives better, and then they will do it themselves.”

With that last little nugget Aubrey finished his speech. Believe it or not he thought every word of it was true. A caged animal still turned dangerous when you mistreated it, and people were no different. Time and the abuses of power and lulled the people into cages, but if someone let them out then the war would start itself. It would be costly, and while Aubrey hadn’t fully wrapped his head around the consequences of such a thing yet, like any true idealist, he was willing to sacrifice himself if that would help. People were called to service for many reasons. The captain had friends that became Marines because they heard that calling. On the other side of the coin though Aubrey didn’t hear the message as a command to pick up his sword and stand with the World Government and its peace, he heard it as a creeping chant of a million whispers waiting to scream for freedom. He was set on his path now, he had been from the moment he ate that cursed snack, but was his crew?

“Well then, does that answer your question? If so I have my own. You are so concerned with what I was doing but why haven’t you said what you were doing for the last 10 years? Don’t worry I got plenty of time to hear it.” Slowly the righteous energy was leaking back into Aubrey like cold stone sinking pain into your feet. He knew his convictions, but he wanted to hear Justin’s now.

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[Aubs]

"You are so concerned with what I was doing but why haven’t you said what you were doing for the last 10 years? Don’t worry I got plenty of time to hear it.”

Plenty of time was a bit of an oversimplification. It was only a few hours from the time they crew should be making port, and while the majority of the crew was sleeping off their sea legs these two were up discussing the last ten years of their lives. It was important however to break down the walls that had grown up between them, as much as clear by the sheer anger that had taken control of Justin. Since their earliest years Justin had been the happy one, even if he was the most emotional of the three friends. Sean was the most carefree while Aubrey was the thinker. For young kids that dynamic worked just fine, but as adults more was expected. Yes Mr. Meador was still a thinker, but one who was controlled by his virtues and his vices. Sean was still carefree, but he had the loyalty of a hound dog and a sharper mind than he was given credit for. Justin by contrast was an open book, fleeting from one emotion to the next. And yet, even he had a depth of skill that sent shiver into people. Regardless of these changes however the only thing that was certain these days was that the last ten years had been different for the three friends.

Even if it was only Justin who was taking issue with Aubrey being rather mysterious with his plans the idea that dissension was growing because the Captain wouldn’t explain himself was not a new issue. It had been the fall of many pirates to have their crews fall into mutiny. It would go far for the crew to understand why Aubrey did what he did. But now that his past had been dredged up it felt important to glean the same info from his first-mate. As Justin started talking the scenery came to mind…

“I worked on the family farm outside of Goa until I was seventeen. Things weren’t perfect but it was better than being in the city again. As soon as I could sign up I enlisted with the marines as a combat medic. I left a few days later for training camp.” This all jived up with what Aubrey knew, Justin had been a distinguished Marine in Lougetown when he had stolen the Flight. Even as the captain was thinking back on the family that Justin had had, mother father and older brother the story took a sharp turn. Suddenly the background of Goa was gone and the open ocean rolled into view, rocky shores and a city made of broken ships took center stage.

“I was still a seaman at the time the squadron I was in attacked some island near the Calm Belt in the East Blue. A pirate alliance had taken up shop on the island and was building themselves a stronghold. Our mission was to destroy the island and the crews and take the Captains captive.” There was a slight pause…Aubrey knew what it meant before the words even came out. “It was supposed to be easy, they shouldn’t have known we were coming. We must have lost most of the squadron, my entire crew was killed except me. I mean there may have been other survivors but I never saw them. I was in the medic bay when a Captain from one of the other ships said it must have been our fault we were slaughtered. Our ship must have been full of failures to allow such a beating.”

“I punched him in the face.”

Aubrey slammed his face into the palm of his left hand. It didn’t really surprise him the thought of Justin punching someone for running his mouth, but still the idea was ludicrous. That Captain could have shot him on sight and it would have been justified. “If the Commodore hadn’t come in with his assistant I would have been punished severely. As it happened I was sent to the nearest prison and left in solitary for a few months until my next boss came by.”

Looking up Aubrey saw that Justin was smiling now, despite the picture he was painting. “Commander Sheppard, the guy from Lougetown came to collect me. He was serving as a Marine Inspector in the East Blue at the time and needed to put together a crew. How he decided on me I don’t know but I went, for no other reason than to get out of that cell. I didn’t know it at the time but Sheppard would change me, make me stronger. More than that though he made me think, he made me see. Life isn’t black and white. I would have stayed with him…until you and Sean showed up. I got promoted really quickly, and my name got thrown around for some pretty cool assignments, I might have made my commission if I stay a year or two more.”

“Then why…why did you come with me?” Aubrey asked, his eyes lifting up to see his friend in a new light. He had truly given up a good job for this. It had been the day before Justin’s promotion to Chief Petty Officer when they had fought, both unaware of who the other one was. Like always it had been Sean that had brought the three together. Had he not been so committed to not, he might have shed a tear at the thought.

“Ask me again sometime…” he smirked and lifted his own jug up to drink. “Now let’s cover the rest of the good stuff before we have to call it a night. How is your dad?” plopping back down in a chair that he had abandoned for his story Justin lifted a jug up to his lips once again and drained deep. He would have to make it his mission now to not give Justin, or any of the other members of the crew, a reason to doubt him anymore. The days of him holding in his thoughts were over, if they were going to succeed then the crew would have to be of one mind, not run by one mind. It made more sense to him now that he had heard this, Justin had given up a lot to come on this venture, as had everyone involved. They were counting on Aubrey to get them through it yes, but they deserved to know what they were walking into. Bulletproof had not expected this conversation to fill him with new hope, but now he couldn't help it. Aubrey leaned back in his chair with his own smirk. Perhaps they could get back to being friends after all.

Now if only they could survive the next few days…

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This is the bailout due to Weeks' inactivity.