A/N: I didn't want to post this until I knew for sure I would finish this story since I dislike leaving fics unfinished, but I just got too excited. Here's to hoping that excitement lasts until I finish writing this!

Chapter 1: Deal

"So," Arlong said, leaning back in his chair, "do we have a deal?"

Judge Vinsmoke hesitated only a moment, not wanting to seem too eager. This deal would benefit both parties greatly, but to show his true excitement would put him at a disadvantage. They were equal partners in this endeavor. There was no need for Arlong to know he was essentially offering Judge everything he had ever wanted. "Yes," Judge said, holding out his hand to shake the fish-man's.

Disgust flickered through Arlong's eyes, but he quickly replaced it with a sharp-toothed smile as he shook Judge's hand. "Excellent. I'll deliver the goods in two or three weeks."

Judge couldn't help the smile stretching across his face, despite the part of him that wanted to argue that was too long. He had waited years. A lifetime, even. He could wait a few more weeks. "Perfect. We'll have everything ready on our end."

~.~

"Why am I the one who has to get married?" Sanji asked, staring down at the picture of a redhead as he sat at a table.

"Are you kidding?" Yonji demanded, snatching the picture away from Sanji. "This woman is gorgeous! Just look at her. I'd trade places with you in a moment. Give her to me to marry if you don't want her." His eyes traced over the long red hair leading to the generous chest only partially covered by a tank top. The woman clearly didn't know her picture was being taken, which somehow made her look all the sexier. Soon, she would be living in the Germa 66 castle…and married to his idiotic older brother who clearly didn't understand the gift that was being placed right on his lap.

How was Yonji supposed to ignore the presence of the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen? Even worse, to treat her like a sister since she would technically become his sister-in-law? He could hardly bear the thought.

"Like Father would ever allow that," Sanji said, catching the edge of the picture and dragging it back toward him. "He's already made up his mind and you know how rare it is that any of us can change it once he has. And I never said she wasn't beautiful. I'm not blind. I just want to know why I'm the one Father chose to marry this girl."

Sanji kept one hand firmly pressed against the picture when Yonji tried to steal it again. At least if he had to marry, it was to someone as gorgeous as this woman…but he hadn't even had an opportunity to date and he was only twenty, too young to get married.

He and his brothers were always too busy with military campaigns to spend much time around women. It wasn't like there were all that many in Germa 66. It was a nation mostly made up of loyal clones. Who were all men. Which made sense since they were all soldiers, but the point was that there were no women around! And he and his brothers were young, healthy males. This was the time of life each of them should be wooing women right and left and sowing their wild oats before they had to settle down and get married for the good of the Germa Kingdom.

Their father had promised that once they finally regained all of North Blue, then more women could finally be allowed in the kingdom and the brothers could sow their wild oats to their hearts' content…but clearly that would never be Sanji's lot in life since he was going to get married in a few weeks.

"Ichiji is the oldest," Sanji grumbled. "He's the one who should be getting married. Isn't that how it's supposed to work? The oldest gets married first?"

"That woman isn't of royal blood," Yonji sneered. "Since Ichiji is the oldest and heir to the throne, he obviously can't marry her. It had to be you, me, or Niji. And since you're the one who finally beat down the rebels in the latest country we took over, Father chose you to marry this girl. It's the only reason he chose you, because he's happiest with you at the moment."

Sanji looked up to see his younger brother gritting his teeth in anger. "You should be acting like this is the honor Father means it to be rather than a pain. It's thanks to this woman that we'll finally be able to achieve our dream of retaking all of North Blue. At least, according to Father that's true. And it's because of that woman that the Arlong Pirates were able to take over all of East Blue. If he can do it with her help, we'll be able to do it at least twice as fast if not even faster."

"I guess," Sanji said, his face twisting unhappily. It was easy for Yonji to be jealous when he wasn't the one who had to get married. Sanji would be plenty jealous if one of his brothers got to marry someone so beautiful. Of course, praise and honor would be heaped upon Sanji and his wife if the girl could actually accomplish what his father wanted. He felt his lips curl into a smile. If this woman really enabled the Germa Kingdom to retake all of North Blue, his father might consider making Sanji the heir to throne inside of Ichiji. Maybe this marriage thing wouldn't be so bad after all.

~.~

"There's my favorite navigator!" Arlong said, bursting into Nojiko's home.

Nojiki gasped and Nami leapt up from the table, her hand edging toward her staff before she managed to stop herself. Still, she couldn't make herself smile at seeing Bellemere's murderer in the place that had once been Bellemere's home.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, hiding her clenched fist by her leg. Here with Nojiki was the one place Nami got to be herself. It was the one place she didn't have to pretend to be a loyal member of the Arlong pirates. None of Arlong's crew ever came inside Nojiko's house. Hatchan sometimes came to fetch her, but he never went past the door. It wasn't like she spent all that much time here since she lived in Arlong park along with the rest of the crew. She had more than earned the right to have one safe haven.

"I'm here to give you the good news and tell you to pack your things," Arlong said.

"Pack my things?" Nami said slowly. "Where are we going?"

"We're not going anywhere," Arlong said, grinning "You're going to move in with your future husband's family to prepare for the wedding."

"What?" Nami shrieked.