A/N: This story takes place after the Straw Hat crew leaves Fishman Island, if you're reading it along with my other One Piece stories it takes place 3 years after 'Turn the Page' and 'Flowers in the Sand' begins and During the story 'A Gathering Storm Pt 2'

One Piece and all the characters belong to Eiichiro Oda, all the OC's (including Bala bala island) belong to me

Please leave reviews :)

The sea was calm, a small blessing right now. The world was in chaos, it had been a little over two years since the news of Whitebeard's death spread across the world and it spurred a widespread grasp for power. Pirates from all the seas struck out to claim the territories that once where under the old man's protection. Even the Marines had been preoccupied trying to pick up the pieces of their ruined headquarters and the chaos of the power grabbing so their forces were spread thin and in disorder. So to put it simply, it had been the perfect time to move about unnoticed and get as far from the strife as they could. It's not as if they were very noticeable anyways, not like they once wore…

Arlong's eyes stared out across the west blue, his face in a permanent scowl. Not many of his brother's survived their imprisonment in Impel Down and fewer lived thru the escape, none of them had any idea that it was that damn straw hat human that served as their unwitting liberator at the time and that idea pissed him off even more. That bastard took away everything he had worked so hard for; those islands he took control of, all the money he saved up and the men he gathered… All of it was gone.

He took a deep breath, letting the salty air fill his lungs as he recalled everything… twice now. Twice he's escaped that hellish place by someone else's hand… and once again he's starting over from scratch. He knew he could've gone back home to fishman island, a few of his brothers did just that and for a moment he considered it… but not now. A short time ago he got news of what Hody had done… the damn fool. Not to mention the unspeakable act that his sworn brother, Jinbe, had done… Sharing his blood with a human would have been bad enough but to add insult to injury it was that damn straw hat once again. Then that damn human goes and declares that he would be the protector of Fishman Island, him! The thought of it all pissed him off to no end and now… there's no way he could ever return home; his pride wouldn't allow it.

He turned away, looking at the few men that stuck with him. He could always count on Chew and Kuroobi, they agreed to come with him without even needing to be asked but he could tell that the news of what happened in their home was constantly on their mind… he sighed a little. He knew what he needed to do, he needed to rebuild what he once had. Become a force so strong that nobody would dare threaten his home or his people, he'd create a new age for fishmen and to do that he'd need funds…

"Captain!"

A man up in the crow's nest called down to him and he raised his eyes upward. "What is it?"

"There's an island straight ahead!"

"Eh?" He raised a brow as he turned forward, he didn't remember there being an island on the charts. "Kuroobi, what is that place?"

The ray man came up beside him, eyeing the sea chart as he scratched his head. "I have no idea, there aren't any islands marked down at all." He handed the map to his Captain as he took out a scope to check it out. "It looks like a really small island but I see smoke, possibly from chimneys or camp fires."

"Alright." Arlong grinned, as he rolled up the piece of paper. "Well boys, we need to replenish our resources. What do you say?"

The men smirked, it's how they had managed to survive all this time. They never stayed settled down like before, they couldn't risk it with the Marine's being so gung-ho about hunting down all the escaped prisoners and their strength wasn't even half of what it once was but a little place like this shouldn't offer up any resistance.

"We're with ya Captain."

"Let's get em."

"Lead the way!"

A combination of snickers and words of approval went around the ship and Arlong gave another wide grin, he knew he could count on them. "Let's do this then. You boys know the drill." He turned away and went into his cabin, grabbing his shirt and slipping it on but leaving it unbuttoned as was his custom. He could hear the men outside prepping for the raid, here in the confines of his personal space he allowed himself to sigh heavily. He was growing tired of this way of life; ducking in and out of ports to avoid drawing attention, doing these damn raids like petty thieves and generally hiding like a bunch of lowly humans… Was this really all the once great Arlong Pirates could do? He let out a low growl, they needed to rebuild… they needed to be great again.

The town was busy as it normally was, especially at the end of the month. The trading boats would be back soon and everyone was preparing to great the returning sailors. A fox faced old man took his morning stroll, smiling and waving as he walked past. He loved this time of the month, all the town folk buzzing about like bees. The laughter and chatter made him feel young, as young as a man his age could be at least.

"Gran- Ba! Gran- Ba!"

A collection of children ran up to the old man and he turned around to greet them. "Why hello children." It was odd for them to be so worked up this early. "What can I do for you Sebastian?" He directed his question to the leader of this little troupe, these boys where always together pretending to be fierce warriors. It made everyone chuckle and kept the doctors on their toes.

"I keep telling you not to call me that." The boy wiped his nose as he stood up. "It's Captain Bas!"

"Yea!" Was the combined response of the other four boys.

He chuckled has he ruffled the boy's red hair. "Ah, how silly of me to forget." He took his pipe out from its hiding place and lit it, taking a few puffs as he shook the match he used to extinguish the little flame. "Now what is it you needed?"

"Oh yea!" Bas exclaimed, he had forgotten all about it for a minute. "We were up on bumble peak…"

"What?!" The old man yelled at the boys. "It's dangerous up there! You know that!"

"But that's got the best view of the harbor!" One boy responded.

"We were keeping watch for our ships!" Another chimed in.

The old man rubbed the bridge of his nose, these damn kids would be the death of him. Everyone knew to stay away from Bumble Peak, only he was allowed there.

"There's a ship heading this way and it's not one of ours." Sebastian spoke up as he settled his crew down. "There's no flags or anything to mark it so we don't know who it could be."

"Hmm?" He looked up and tilted his hat back to better eye the boys. "What size was the ship?"

"Uuuuuh." He thought back for a moment, he only saw it through his scope so there was never a way to be sure from such a distance but still… "Pretty sure it was a schooner type, couldn't been more than 140 feet long."

He stroked his long goatee with a grin, the boy really knew his boats. "Couldn't be more than 75 people on a ship like that…" He turned back to the marketplace where a few of the townsfolk had stopped to listen in on the conversation. "Listen up everyone!" He said in a loud voice and waited till he had everyone's attention. "We'll be having guests shortly. No flags and no marks, you all know what that usually means."

"We'll be happy to show em our hospitality!" A voice belonging to a man yelled from the back, followed by a series of chuckles.

"That we will." The old man chuckled along with them as he pulled the brim of his tattered old hat down. Looks like today will be more interesting than he thought, it had been awhile since they had any guests on this little island of theirs.

Arlong's feet landed heavy against the swaying dock, he was the first to leave the ship as always. Scanning the area with keen eyes as a group of his men followed, one of them securing the boat to the dock so they could leave quickly if need be. Hauling the anchor back up if they dropped it would take too much time but now that he got a good look at the place he doubted he would need to rush. The town was right next to the docks… And not a soul in sight. Looks like they had all ran and hid when the ship came close, carts full of produce where still in the streets. Shops with sweet cakes still warm in the trays… There. He spotted a face peeking out through a window and he smiled, fear is what he wanted them to feel. "Come on out!" He shouted with his wide shark tooth grin, arms spread out to show he had no weapons. "We don't want to hurt anybody." Behind him his men started snickering again, he could hear the sound of their hands against sword and gun. Purely for intimidation of course. "We just need some supplies." He began walking further into the market, eyeing the windows and the people hiding behind them.

Inside the sweets shop, only a few feet from where these fishmen's leader was, the old man leaned against the counter still puffing on his pipe. Now this was a development.

"Hey gramps, isn't he that big time pirate that got taken down in the east blue a few years back." Sebastian asked from his seat on the floor beside him, his crew lined up next to him munching on honey cakes.

"Good eye." He patted the boys head approvingly, the man looked a little different but there could be no mistaking who Arlong was. Still, it was odd. They've never had fishmen come to the island before… And him of all people. "Well, let's get on with it." He tapped the ash from his pipe and made his way to the door, putting on his best 'hapless old man' face.

A door creaked open and the Pirates turned their gaze to the door of the bakery, Arlong rested his hands on his hips as the old man creeped out timidly. "Are you in charge here?"

"I'm the closest thing to the Mayor, sir." He tipped his hat a bit with a nod. "The names Sebastian Stone Jr." He offered up a slight smile. "But everyone calls me Gran-Ba."

Arlong arched a brow, the old man seemed harmless but at the same time his care free attitude kinda pissed him off. "You know who I am."

"Yes sir." Came the simple response.

"And you're not scared?" He took a few steps to close the gap, he towered well above the old man just like any other human but there was something different about this one… He might have looked helpless but there was no fear…

Gran looked up to meet the fishman's gaze, it took all is effort not to laugh. Why did all these youngsters try to intimidate him with their height? "You did say you didn't want to hurt us; you are a man of your word. Yes?"

Arlong smiled, widely. "That I am." He almost liked this guy, almost. "So offer us some belli and supplies for my ship and we'll leave your nice little town and all its residents unharmed."

"We will comply." He raised his hands a little, a signal for the others to begin opening their doors and peering out. "We can stock your ship with food, medicine and drink but we have no worthwhile amount of belli here. The owner of this island controls that resource."

"Eh?" His smile faded as he tilted his head to one side. "Who's this 'owner' then?" A part of him did wonder who controlled this island, the fact that it is a privately owned land meant he didn't have to worry about the Marines getting involved right away.

He pointed to the road behind him that disappeared into the woods. "Simon D. Bon, this path leads right past his home…"

"Is it normal for you people to be so complacent?"

"Just following orders." Gran pulled out his pipe and struck a match, so this man was smarter than he seemed. Wasn't all puffed chests and intimidation after all. "He's a good man, told us to send anyone wanting money to him and take care of the others." He tossed the used match away and took a few puffs. "Nobody here wants to get hurt over something as trivial as belli or food."

Arlong frowned a little. "You consider the things that make this entire world run, trivial?"

The old man laughed a little, the corners of his mouth turning up into a wide smile. "Beyond a doubt."

The fishman looked away, he was starting not to like this old man. "Chew, Kuroobi… Come with me." He raised his voice so everyone could hear him. "Everyone else, I want that shipped stocked and ready to leave when I get back."

A combination of various acknowledgments sounded out as the small group made their way down the path, Arlong kept his hands buried in the pockets as he walked.

"What's the matter?" The ray man asked as they walked, he recognized that something was bothering his Captain. More than usual that is.

Arlong grunted in response. "Not sure about this place… everything seems too easy."

"I agree." Kuroobi nodded, something was off about this place but he just couldn't place it.

"Chuu… Do you think this could be a trap?" Chew eyed the woods that was either side of the path they walked on with suspicion.

Arlong grumbled to himself, he wasn't sure to be honest. No one down in that village looked like they could do any real harm but there was a time he thought the same thing about those damn Straw Hats. "Just keep your eyes open, I don't want to be caught off guard if it is." He could hardly believe he was so tense, there was a time he could walk with his head held high and no fear of anything… Now look at him. Worried that a bunch of villagers might try something… Damnit.

The path was a straight one, they walked it cautiously till it opened up into a clearing and in the center was not a home they were expecting to find considering it was supposed to be the home of the island's master. The place was simple, two stories that looked like it could only accommodate a small family. Off to the side of the main house looked like a workshop, he could see tools hanging from the roof but the reed shades were closed so he didn't know what type of work area it was. Then in the backyard there was a structure that stood taller than the trees around the whole area, it looked like some fence that could've surrounded something but there was no telling what from only looking at the front of the house.

As they got closer there was something else that caught their attention; the house itself, while seemingly normal from a distance, was actually quite large. The front door alone seemed big enough to accommodate most fishmen, Arlong himself would barely have to duck to get in unlike most human houses where the frame would hardly come up to his chest.

"Do you think the man fits the house?" Kuroobi questioned as he eyed the place, it was quiet. No smoke was coming from the chimney either, was anyone even home?

Arlong scrutinized the place quietly, he wasn't sure what to think honestly. "We'll find out." He knocked on the door, three loud bangs with his knuckles then took a step back.

From inside they heard a woman's voice respond. "Comiiiing!" It was a sing song tone that confused the other three, they hadn't been expecting a woman to answer.

The door flew open and a smiling face greeted them… Or would have if she wasn't bent over and face to stomach with Arlong. "Hellooooo."

"A…. Fishwoman!" Kuroobi and Chew exclaimed together as they eyed the pink skinned woman leaning out of the doorway, her white and red streaked hair tumbling over her shoulders.

Arlong stuttered a bit as he looked down to the woman smiling at his abdomen, this was the last thing he expected to happen.

"Oh?" She blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted to the shade of blue in front of her, brown eyes traveling upward as she stood up to meet the man's blue gaze. "You're… Not from the village." It had been a long time since she met anyone taller than her, she only came up to this man's chin. She leaned over slightly to eye the other two… Just as tall and the way they looked…

Arlong cleared his throat, overcoming the initial shock. What where the odds of fishmen owning this island? "Apologies but I had business with a man I thought lived here, a Simon D. Bon."

Kuroobi and Chew could feel their faces becoming red, it had been a long time since anyone on their ship had seen a fish woman or mermaid and this one was attractive. Her pale pink skin was striped with brown and the top she wore hung dangerously low, only being supported by a rope draped over her neck. The pants being no better, they ended just below the knee but again hung low on her hips due to what looked like pectoral fins which would've kept her from wearing them normally.

"Bon? He's away right now, did you need him for a job?" She kept eyeing the three men, she was certain they were fishmen although she had never seen others like her before. Gran had told her how they were all different in their own right and she couldn't argue that… But where they really fishmen?

"Not quite." Arlong was still in shock, the woman seemed a lot more cautious than the villagers. He could tell she was uncertain of them… Almost as if she was afraid. "Do you know who I am?"

She shook her head 'no' as she folded her arms in front of her, the two men in back were eyeing her oddly and she didn't know what to make of this. "Are you fishmen?"

The three dropped their jaws at that question, did she really have no idea? Kuroobi stepped forward a little, being the first to compose himself. "Yes, same as you… You've never seen fishmen before?"

Again she shook her head. "I was raised here and none have ever come to the island before…" her voice was a bit meek as she retreated back another step.

There it was, Arlong could smell it. Fear. Why would this woman fear her own kind? "We aren't like humans." He put his hand up to try and ease her fear. "We'd never hurt one of our own, little sister."

The other two nodded in agreement as they also raised their hands in a submissive manor.

She couldn't help but smile a little, Bon would get so mad if he heard them call her that. "Bon should be home soon, the boats usually get back around this time, you can wait for him if you like… Misteeeeer?"

"Arlong." He smiled at her as he motioned to the other two. "And that's Kuroobi and Chew."

"Chuu… A pleasure." He shot her a wink accompanied by a flirtatious grin which rewarded him with a blushing smile from her in return.

Kuroobi coughed a little and averted his eyes. "Hello." He simply stated, he wasn't good at being a flirt like his companion.

Arlong met her eyes again and held out his hand. "And what do we call you?"

She tried not to smile but she couldn't deny he was charming and they are all very handsome, she took the hand cautiously; trying to keep from looking into those piercing eyes of his as she averted her eyes to this and that. "Lulu Bon… It's nice to meet you."

He gave her hand a gently squeeze but didn't let go right away, he noted the last name though as he rubbed the top of her hand with his thumb. "Is Simon your husband then."

"N…no." She blushed as she took her hand back, holding it to her chest as she tried to rub the tingling sensation away. "He's my big brother."

If those two are the only fishmen on this island then that must mean she's single, the luck keeps rolling his way today. Maybe he can strike an agreement with this brother of hers, he could start rebuilding his empire here on this little island.

"Like I said, he'll be back soon so you can wait for him." She motioned to a patch of grass to the side. "Rest over there and I'll bring out some drinks and sandwiches. I'd invite you inside but Bon would get mad at me for having guest inside the house while he's gone."

"It's understandable." He took a few steps back. "I'd be worried about leaving a pretty thing like you alone too."

Her cheeks got hotter as she closed the door with a smile, his eyes never leaving her until she shut it completely. Her heart was pounding as she made her way to the kitchen to make the sandwiches for them, she still could hardly believe it. Fishmen, here on Balabala.

Outside Arlong could only grin as the three walked over to the patch of grass and sat down.

"Chuu, you're pretty smooth boss." He stated as he positioned himself cross legged with a grin.

"I must agree." Kuroobi said as he followed the others example when sitting down, resting his arms on his knees as he did. "I've never seen you interact with fishwomen before, or a mermaid for that matter."

He only laughed as he laid down on his side, head propped up by his fist. "I've had enough of 'interactions' that I know what I'm doing." He grinned as he said that. "The way I see things, if we can win over little sister there then perhaps we could convince big brother to let us use this island as a base of operations."

"Ah, I see." Kuroobi grinned, he had to hand it to Arlong. There was no one better at finding useful attributes in others.

Gran sat on a barrel, casually smoking his pipe. Around him the villagers were tying up the crew that had been left behind.

Bas was nudging the body of a purple skinned fishman with his toe. "These guys didn't put up much of a fight against your Haki."

The old man just chuckled. "I don't suppose there would be very many that could if they are coming to an out of the way place like this." Which was true, they were no strangers to these little raids and each time it was a band of wannabe pirates looking for the great Balabala treasure. Stupid fools… Although this time was different, these fishmen didn't mention the treasure once… Could it be they just stumbled upon the island? But why sail so close to the calm belt…

A long whistle caught everyone's attention as a familiar one eyed man came walking up from the Docks. "Looks like you all had some fun."

"Bon!" Bas yelled out as he ran up with his crew in tow. "Gran took em all down with Haoshoku Haki in just a few seconds!" He didn't want to admit it but he was proud of his grandpa, the old man was tuff.

Bon laughed loudly. "I wouldn't expect anything less from a Haki master." He ruffled the boy's hair and turned to look at the ship. "Bet we could sell that for a pretty penny, any of them got bounties?"

"Pretty sure the Captain is the only one but we'll check the lists for the rest." Gran tapped out his pipe and jumped from his perch, walking beside the younger man as they eyed the tied up pirates. "So how was he by the by. Him and his men give you any trouble?"

Bon furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"

"The two fishmen that were with Arlong that I sent your way. They seemed the strongest of the lot."

"Arlong was their Captain!" There was a surprise but his bounty would be great for the island.

Gran arched a brow. "You didn't recognize him?"

Bon scratched his head trying to think, he was sure he'd remember coming up on Arlong at sea… "I swear I never saw him…"

"That doesn't bode well…" The last thing they needed to worry about was those fishmen lurking somewhere on the island… Unless they went to bumble peak that is. "I sent them to your house over an hour ago…"

Bon's jaw dropped to the dirt when he heard that. "You sent ARLONG to my HOUSE!" His raised voice drew everyone's attention. "I only just now got back!"

Everyone in the village went silent and pale as a ghost, mouth hanging open and eyes bulging. Those pirates had been alone with Lulu this entire time!

Bon bolted without another word, everything else forgotten. He had to get to her, he had to make sure she was safe and he swore to god he'd crush every last one of them if so much as a hair on her head was out of place.

To Be Continued…