#shitzuki

[nyd-needs-cuddles]

What If (AU Snippet of Not Quite Black)

Au: Ace dies in Marineford

“What?”

Momonga stared at his fellow Vice-Admiral, incredulity clear on his face. Beside him, Fleet Admiral Akainu scowled at the still smiling Marine—or was it ex-Marine now?—as if what he had just said was a simple comment about the weather.

“And what do you exactly mean by that, Vice-Admiral Noir?”

Baccara smiled wider. It was not a nice smile. “I meant exactly as I said. I wish to resign from the Marines, Fleet Admiral.” He tilted his head, innocently. “Shall I repeat what I have said once more?”

The sound of Akainu gritting his teeth could be heard, and Momonga shot the younger man a panicked look, hoping to convey his worry and confusion.

“And may I ask why?”

Baccara continued smiling. “You may not.”

Silence. And for all that Akainu was the bearer of the Magu Magu no Mi, Momonga swore that the room’s temperature went down by several degrees.

Finally, after what seemed to be a lifetime, Akainu said, “...Fine. Wait until the Tenryuubito leave. Then you can submit your resignation letter.”

Momonga inwardly grimaced when Baccara’s eyes sharpened. Judging by the way his smile inched higher, that was not the correct response.

“I believe I cannot stay longer, Sakazuki.” Akainu glared, as if willing his Devil Fruit to melt this upstart from where he stood with his eyes alone. Momonga despaired over it all. “Lest I be tempted to do something... unsavory.”

Akainu raised a brow, vein pulsing. “And that is?”

Baccara’s smile turned into a feral grin, one befitting of a D, and sang, “This.”

One second, Akainu was standing perfectly normal on Momonga’s side. The next, the walls on the other side of the room were broken and cracked, with the other seven rooms following the same fashion. Momonga gaped, jaw working at what was obviously an assault, and stared at his former colleauge.

The face he was greeted with sent shivers down his spine.

Gone was the amiable smile of his lips, and instead left a blank slate with dull, silver eyes void of their usual shine. Slowly, the coat of Justice hung on Baccara’s shoulders fell to the ground with a muffled thud, and he walked away.

Momonga should stop him. Should stop him and ask him why he had done that. But there was something in his empty gaze that made him freeze in his tracks and glue him to the floor.

And so he watched as Noir D. Baccara left, chaos in his wake.

—

Smoker was having a bad day.

First, moving to the New World was a pain in the ass (and what the fuck, why the fuck do you need three Log Poses? Fucking Grand Line bullshit). Second, the G-5 Marines were utter dipshits and he’s seriously reconsidering his order to Tashigi of ‘not engaging’ because if he hears another one calling him ‘Smo-yan’ he was going to go on a murder spree. Third, Strawhat is still at large even though it’s already been a year since Marineford went in and over itself, and he’s been smoking three times more than he usually does because of that damn pirate.

Fourth, he now has to help watch over the Tenryuubito for ‘security’. Tch, damn World Nobles.

Glancing at the other poor sod enlisted to protect the rich douchebags, Rob Lucci looked perfectly at ease and as helpful as a brick wall in showing his emotions. Smoker wished that the Cipher Pols would get the fuck out of his life, but alas. It was not to be.

A few meters ahead, his Observation Haki picked up the presence of a familiar spirit, and he looked ahead to see—

Smoker nearly stumbled at the sight of Baccara’s expressionless face, and he could almost feel the eyebrow raising Rob Lucci was doing right now.

Though, what shocked him even more was Baccara’s lack of acknowledgement to their guest, not even bowing or minding them a glance. Something which the Tenryuubito took great offense with.

“You lowly critter! How dare you not grovel in the dirt where you belong!?” Saint Gregoria screeched, pointing a manicured finger towards the approaching Marine. Baccara gave no indication of hearing her, and she shrieked, “Off with his head! I want him dead! No, brand him as my slave!”

Smoker’s blood went cold at what he heard, and he turned to intervene when—

A blur of silver and a sheen of light passed by, and Saint Gregoria’s body was cut in half.

“What the—!?” Smoker jumped backwards away, a move mirrored by Rob Lucci, and he scanned his surroundings to look for the perpretator—

Baccara stood as still as a statue, indifferent to the blood dripping down Themis, blade shining ominously as red liquid pooled near his feet.

“Noir D. Baccara,” Rob Lucci intoned, eyes narrowed and voice low. “What have you done?”

With nary a hint of trepidation or remorse, Baccara met Rob Lucci’s dark gaze with a stare that could make gods cower before it and replied, “Justice.”

And then, spinning on his heel (showing his back at them, like he was not a foe), he faced the World Government’s flag silently. With growing unease and a niggling memory near the back of his head, Smoker watched him pull back a fist and—

“FIRE FIST!”

—flames shot out from his clenched fist, engulfing the World Government’s flag and Smoker—

Smoker could only watch as history repeated itself.

Head moving to look at them over his shoulder, Baccara started in a tone perfect for idle comversations and said, “Hear me now, former allies of mine.”

Multiple sounds of boots hitting the gravel echoed across them, and hundreds of Marines were suddenly surrounding them all, rifles locked on and swords raised. But all their faces were anxious, uncertain, for this was their beloved Vice-Admiral. Their sweet, kind Baccara. Surely this was a mistake? A misunderstanding of some kind?

“You may all rest in your laurels, but heed my warning—nay, heed my prediction with utmost attention.”

He faced the group of Marines in front, and bellowed with all the certainty of a man who knew the truth and saw it himself, and Smoker’s hair raised on its end.

“Portgas D. Ace will rise again. And with him, Monkey D. Luffy, the Future Pirate King of the New Era, will turn this world upside down!”

“How do I know this, you ask? Well,” and here, he smiled. But it didn’t reach his eyes. No. His eyes were filled with misery and hate and sorrow and love and hope that it didn’t match the brightness in his smile. “Of course I know. I raised them myself, after all.”

It took a few moments until the gravity of his statement sunk in. And when it did, Smoker inhaled sharply—

“NOIR D. BACCARA!” shouted Akainu, body dripping with magma and fury evident.

—until a burst of Conqueror’s Haki exploded from Baccara’s relaxed form, and the Marine HQ abruptly burst into flames.

[smoothshift]

My 1996 Suzuki X-90 AKA "The Shitzuki" via /r/cars

My 1996 Suzuki X-90 AKA "The Shitzuki"

First off I apologize for the shitty pictures! If there is enough interest I will work on taking better pictures. Stock

I bought this bone stock RWD 5 speed only a few spots of rust that need touched up but very straight and clean. Suzuki built these on top of the two door Sidekick frames and there were just over 7,000 sold in the US between '96 and '98.

What is interesting is to compare this to 'The Answer', Sacrilege I know.

Stats 1996 Miata 1996 X-90 Curb weight 2293 2391 HP 1.8L 16V DOHC133 @ 6500 1.6L 16V DOHC95 @ 5600 Wheelbase 89.2 86.6 Trackwidth F/R 55.5/56.2 56.1/56.3 Final Drive ratio 4.10 4.625 Body width 65.9 66.7 Length 155.4 146.1 Height 48.2 60.5

And that is where any similarities end. The Suzuki is on a ladder frame, has a solid rear axle, 4WD was an option, and you can actually Tow half a ton with it, albeit very slowly. It is not particularly sporty in stock configuration and is in fact downright tippy since it sits so high. I refer to it lovingly as the Shitzuki per the title. Really it could be the Miata's cousin with Down Syndrome. But still a blast to drive with the T-tops stowed on a warm sunny day cranking good tunes. In fact I daily drove it for about a year, with snow tires in the winter of course. but then the Autocross bug looked my way, winked and we began to talk.

Well it turns out the X-90 isn't even listed in the SCCA rule book but the Sidekick is... under the banned vehicles for rollover concerns. Well the tech guy looked at the rule book with me and we measured the track width vs height and the chart said there was jsut too much risk based on their handy little chart. So I was a little bummed out but determined to rectify the issue and see what potential this chassis had.

First modification on any car is wheels and most importantly tires. The stock alloys have great winter tires on so I found a set of 15x8 steel wheels cleaned and painted them white. OK, OK I paid someone to sandblast and paint. I had 195/50R15 BFG Sport Comp 2's installed with balance beads inside to keep the wheels pretty. Now I was onto something. These tires have just a tiny bit of stretch to preload the sidewalls. I picked this combination per this Wonderful article on MotoIQ. The combination of high grip and responsive tires made a night and day difference in the handling of the X-90 with one issue. The stock suspension was still allowing a fair amount of bodyroll which led to low confidence in cornering ability and stability.

Springs from a 4 door Sidekick/Tracker gives a higher rear rate and allowed me to preserve my stock springs and cut for increased rate and lower height. Now I already lost 2.3 inches of tire diameter giving just over an inch of height drop. With just under two inches of ride height drop, as measured by fender height on each corner through the cut, install, measure, repeat process, I am now rid of the 4x4 status. It sits very close to the bumpstops but whats the famous saying? "Any suspension works as long as you don't let it." For all the good and bad it now rides like a gokart and is phenomenal fun on smooth winding backroads.

I apologize I don't currently have pictures of it lowered but I can certainly do so if demand is there! My next planned steps are this spring see if they will allow me to autocross. I need to find Koni Yellows, yes they made them for this platform, and modify the shock mounts and bumps for more travel at this lower ride height. Later in life if I keep the car long enough I plan on adding power either by swapping in a possibly boosted Suzuki 2.0 I4, a 2.3 Duratec, or if I can afford at some point a rotary engine.

I hope you enjoyed my diatribe on my car! Please ask any questions I will try to respond as promptly as I can!