Getting to Know You

Summary: Seven questions for the Admirals.
Rating: K
Disclaimer: ©, Eiichiro Oda.
More Notes: Dumping ground for any future Admiral-centric drabbles and short stories I may write. I love all the Admirals, but especially Kizaru, so there might be an excess of him in comparison to the other two. This was written to try and help me pin down the Admiral's personalities. Hypothetical questions being asked by a hypothetical man.

1) Alright, let's start with an easy question. What is your name?

"Aaaaah... Kuzan." The man rested the side of his head on the palm of his hand, scratching at his dark curls with a finger. The small upturn of the corners of his mouth worked to counteract the severe set of his stark eyebrows. "But, aaah... I have a nickname I'm rather fond of. Aokiji."

(-)

"Ooooh!" The man's eyes slide shut in merriment, a smile deepening the wrinkles lining his narrow face. "My name is Borsalino. It's a pleasure to meet yooou!"

Uh- It's a pleasure to meet you as well, sir. But, sir, aren't you also known by another name?

"Ah?" One eye cracked open, peering out from behind amber tinted sunglasses. "So I am! Admiral Kizaru, at your service."

(-)

"Sakazuki, Admiral of the World Government's Marine military force." The broad shouldered, broad bodied man shifted in his seat, arms folded across his chest. "Also known as 'Akainu', a title given to me when I received my promotion to Admiral. Will that suffice?"

Th-thank you, Admiral Sakazuki, that was more then adequate.

2) Now on to something slightly harder. How old are you?

"Let's see. Well..." Kuzan counted under his breath, raising a finger on his free hand for each mumbled number. "Aaah, that is..."

He stared at his upraised fingers blankly.

".....Ah, nevermind. I lost count."

(-)

"Huum..." Borsalino, rubbing a thumb along the sharp edge of his jawline, pursed his lips in contemplation. "Is this March or August? I always get those two confused."

(-)

"That's classified." The tightening of his mouth and the miniscule tilt of his head was only noticeable when compared to the rock hard stillness of the rest of Sakazuki's body.

-Moving on!

3) The three of you are all fairly tall individuals. Just how tall are you?

"Sakazuki said he was tallest, didn't he?" Kuzan dangled his limp hands between his knees, blowing a puff of air out from his nose to accent the disdained shake of his head. "Jeez, that guy. I'm at least five centimeters taller than him."

(-)

Borsalino hovered a hand some space above the top of his short wavy hair, straining to see it without actually moving his head. He fiddled with its height for a moment. "Kuzan's this much taller than me." The second hand rose to join the first, barely lower then the other. "And Sakazuki's this much taller than me!"

(-)

Sakazuki grunted "Kuzan probably told you he was the tallest." He tapped a foot, the one not currently crossed over onto his knee, and slouched deeper into his chair. "He likes to do that. He knows full well that I'm at least four centimeters taller than him."

4) Favorite food?

"I like, well..." Kuzan scratched at his head once more, this time underneath the elastic strap of the sleeping mask resting on his forehead. "Aaaah... that."

'That'?

Kuzan's brow furrowed. "That... thing."

'Thing'?

"The, aaaah... apples! They're easy to eat and you don't have to prepare them."

(-)

Borsalino hm'ed and haw'ed to himself quietly, tapping the tip of his nose with a finger. Finally- "I'm rather partial to tea."

Tea isn't really a food.

"Oh?" The lanky man's smile dropped into something that wasn't quite a frown. "I guess I could think of something else."

Sir, I didn't mean that-

The smile returned in full, sunny force. "I also like cola!"

...I think that's good enough.

(-)

"I don't have a 'favorite food'. The dietary plan the chefs at Marineford have created for me is more than sufficient." Sakazuki paused, starting to chew on his lip before just as quickly aborting the motion. "I'm partial to things with carbs."

5) All three of you have eaten some rather powerful Devil Fruits. What's your favorite part of having your ability?

Kuzan let a small formation of ice flare to life over his fingertips, grin gaining energy with an almost cocky tilt. "I never have to worry about getting ice for my drinks."

(-)

"I'm my own light source!" Borsalino placed a hand on the back of his head, voice light and lazy with amusement. "I'm afraid of the dark."

(-)

"It's a very useful tool for hunting down scum and criminals." The muscles along Sakazuki's square jaw visibly contracted with his clenched teeth. "A Devil Fruit ability is not a toy. It's a responsibility."

6) Out of the other two Admirals, which one is your favorite?

"Borsalino." Kuzan almost blurted out the name, then hesitated afterward. His narrow eyes flickered down to the slow movement of his thumb rubbing small circles on the palm of the other hand, then back up again. "Borsalino is a nice guy, if a bit, aaah... absentminded. Sakazuki... Let's just say that me and Sakazuki have issues seeing eye to eye on a lot of things."

(-)

"Humm... Kuzan takes me for rides on his bicycle sometimes. But Sakazuki can be scary when he wants to be..." Borsalino shrugged. "Ah! I can't decide."

(-)

Sakazuki's lip curled upward. "Aokiji's morals are weak. Borsalino at least gets the job done."

7) And on to the final question. Who do you think would win in a fight between the three of you?

Kuzan frowned sharply. "I... well." He took a breath, held it, released it. "You're asking some hard questions now, aren't you? Let's hope it never comes to that, yeah?"

(-)

"Oh?" Borsalino's lackadaisical tone lilted upwards, matching the uprising of his eyebrows. "That's an odd question. Why would I ever fight them? ...But." He cocked his head to the side, smile becoming suddenly and jarringly shrewd. "If I did, it would certainly be... interesting."

(-)

"Kuzan lacks determination. Borsalino lacks focus." Sakazuki tugged the brim of his cap down low, shadowing his eyes from view. "But they're both strong and capable fighters in their own right. This conversation is over." He stood abruptly.

Oh! -Uh, thank you very much for you time, Admiral Sakazuki. Sir.

Sakazuki nodded, and left the room.