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Stress, stress, stress, worry, rage and guilt was all about the only thing Koby could feel right now and he’d like to say all of these emotions were his but he’s never felt rage like this before and well he’s pretty sure he’s felt guilt like this before but it’s never felt like suicidal guilt of ‘they’re all going to die because of me’ kind of guilt. He’s delirious with these emotions right now he doesn’t left from right. He doesn’t know where Helmeppo is, he doesn’t even know where he is anymore. He thought he saw Luffy, but he’s not sure anymore. things slowly became more blurred the more Koby watched Luffy‘s brother Ace yell at him to stop and just let him die that he’s not worth this effort.
Little did Koby know that he’d somehow ended up getting closer and closer to the action to these emotions that he’s beginning to realise might not be his own. If his eyes were functioning at normal capacity he’d realise he’s slowly inching closer and closer to Admiral Akainu. But he doesn’t because he’s so enveloped in these emotions, sensations of despair and grief and rage for probably the first time in his life his body goes into a fight reaction instead of the usual freeze and punches the Admiral in his face.
The battlefield goes silent in awe, shock, worry, despair, confusion because this little marine this boy practically just signed his life away and he didn’t even know it. But some take the distraction as what it should be time to get away they get Luffy and Ace off the battlefield and they leave as fast as they can.
“Hey hey kid” Marco tries talking to this little pink haired marine but he doesn’t think he’s getting through. He really looks at the kid. His eyes are dazed not focusing on anything in particular. It doesn’t even seem to be he’s using his eyes. But even if he isn’t he knows he got to save this kid because Akainu is gonna kill him.
Koby feels someone, something pick him up he doesn’t know where it’s taking him but he quietly hopes it’s taking him away from all these loud awful noises, emotions, sensations he doesn’t know what they are anymore, but he doesn’t want them anymore.
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Beep. Beep. Beep.
“Uuugh Meppo turn off the alarm” Koby groans groggily.
“ Can’t do that gotta make sure your vitals are all right.” said someone Koby didn’t know.
Which promptly caused him to shoot his eyes open and stare and awe and in worrying confusion about why he’s staring at Marco the Whitebeard pirate’s first division commander because he had to be hallucinating right? There is just no conceivable way of why he’s looking at a first division commander of a pirate crew and is somehow in his medbay so yes, either hallucinating or having a really weird dream that he doesn’t even think he’ll be telling Helmeppo about because it’s just slightly too bizarre.
“Uh kid you there” Marco said eyebrow quirks up in slight concern.
“Umm yes sir I’m here” Koby said even more confused because now that he thinks about it, don’t you have to know a person a little more for them to be a hallucination or a really weird dream to be making facial expressions like that if you’ve never met them once in your entire life.
“Kid, this is like the fifth time you’ve woken up the great thing about this time is you weren’t screaming and you haven’t passed out yet so I’m gonna keep watching you for just a little bit to see if you pass out again before I try to explain what’s happening to you because I stopped after the third time” Marco states with slight amusement.
So now Koby is waiting in increasingly awkward silence with a definitely not hallucination of the first division commander of the Whitebeard pirates. So to avoid that he decides to think of how he could possibly have ended up in this situation because the last thing he remembers is getting super foggy, feeling things he’s never felt before.
But he no longer has to be concerned because apparently the eternal timer that Marco has been waiting for went off.
“So, never really got your name from you kid, but that’s not really a concern because let me be honest Garp The Fist has been calling us insistently about you so you’re Koby right?” Marco asked.
“Yes sir I am and what did Vice Admiral Garp need for me?” Koby questioned slightly concerned.
“Ah just about how you are doing, feeling and also wondering if you were in the right mind when you were punching Admiral Akainu” Marco said and slight amusement.
Koby burst into nervous laughter because Marco did not just say he punched an Admiral because Koby would never do that. Why? Why would he punch an admiral?
The confusion must be all over his face because Marco then clarifies absolutely unconcerned of Koby‘s dreams falling right in front of his eyes “You unlocked very powerful observation haki I don’t really think I’ve seen anything like it. We’ve come to the conclusion that you unlocked it during the battle and got so overwhelmed with everything that was around that your body went into a fight or flight mode to try to stop it and you ended up punching Admiral.”
Koby stared at him and continue to stare because Koby distinctly remembers his fight or flight instincts are abysmal because he usually doesn’t do either one. He usually freezes so there’s no possible way that instead of doing what he usually does he decided to fight instead of freeze.
“Do you want me to get Garp on the snail?” Marco asked reserved.
“Yes, please and thank you for taking care of me” Koby said.
“Damn never heard it Marine thank a pirate” Marco stated with a smirk on his face while he went to go retrieve a snail so he could get in communication with Garp.
In the distance after a few minutes, Koby could hear Marco coming back talking to the snail “Yeah yeah, hold your horses he’s right here” Marcos said well throwing the snail at Koby.
“Oh Vice Admiral Garp are you okay? I know you were stressed out about all of this.” Koby said not clarifying what this was because the ‘this’ was definitely obvious if Ace was Luffy’s brother Ace was someone Garp care about too.
“YOU IDIOT THE FIRST OUT YOUR MOUTH IS CONCERN ABOUT ME AND NOT YOUR CAREER” Garp yelled really bringing perspective what Koby did.
Koby started to tear up really trying not to let the tears fall as he said “I was beginning to realise that the longer I’m on this ship even if it wasn’t for the reasons that they said I am on it for I know my career is over as a marine because they think I was a spy for the pirates” by the end of it, Koby was full on sobbing.
“Shit kid I know let it out, but I have something that might make you feel better. Even if you can’t be a marine anymore there’s an organisation that could really need your sense of justice that’s secretly attached to the Marines that conduct business with pirates that have goals that have goals similar to our justice . I was gonna ask you to join after you got promoted to Captain, but that can’t happen now, so I’ve got to tell you now do you still want to do good to help those less fortunate pursue a path of justice” Garp asked firm in his belief that he already knows the answer.
Koby smiling through his tears “yes sir it be honor.”
“Alright, alright, quit your crying you’re making the snail cry on me” Garp commanded.
“Yes, sir, sorry sir” Koby said then proceeded to turn away from the snail looking at Marco
“Could I have some paper and a map so I can write down what I need to know? “ Koby asked politely.
“Yeah, sure, kid” Marco said while leaving the room to go fetch paper and a map
While waiting for Marco to return Koby spent time to observe the medbay he surprisingly hasn’t been in a lot of medbay but this one seems nice
Marco returns with what he asked for Koby is so grateful “ thank you again for getting this for me” Koby said.
“Yeah, yeah, Kid just get the information from him so we can set sail while we keep you under observation until we get there” Marcos said while pushing the pen and paper and the map onto Koby.
“You’ll take me there” Koby questioned a little wary about why they would be bringing him there when he could set sail there by himself.
“ Because first off we at least need to get your haki under control just a little bit so you don’t have an episode again and second off even if you didn’t do it intentionally you save Ace’s life and that deserves something in return and if that means bringing you to an island so you can continue doing what you want to with your life in another way we’ll do it” Marco stated firmly looking Koby dead in the eyes like he’s trying to tell him you can try to disagree but I won’t be listening to any argument from you.
Fumbling Koby states “ ah yes of course thank you again and sorry for being such a trouble.”
Koby turns back to the snail and gets the information from Garp while asking how everyone is after the battle. Koby’s eyes are getting heavier, he has been up for while hasn’t he? He thinks his adrenaline that first shocked him into true consciousness when Marco first started talking is running out.
“Come on, kid time to put down the snail down you can barely keep your eyes open. I’ll give the directions and the map to our navigator and we’ll set sail.” Marco said quietly try not to shock Koby back into wakefulness.
“Huh oh yeah of course thank you again” Koby said as he put the snail aside pulled up the covers and slowly drifted off to sleep.