What Never Was

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Chapter Two: East Blue, Part Two, Arlong Saga

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i. Explanations

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"Bon-chan! Who did this to you?"

"Hi... Luffy-san."

"Bon-chan!" Kaya exclaims, taking out her rolls of bandages and needles and various other medical supplies. "Don't move! This is serious!"

Bite marks dot his entire body. They are huge, gaping things. Some sort of shark or sea king, if Kaya is any judge.

"Save... Nami-neesama." Bon Clay begs. There are tears in his eyes. "Save her, Luffy-san."

"We're under no obligation," Kuina says coldly. "You stole our stuff." Then she bends down. "Where is my blade?"

Gin grasps the injured girl by her good shoulder. "Woah, calm down. He's hurt nearly as bad as you are."

"They took my. sword."

Johnny and Yasopp look between their sempai and the horribly injured okama uncertainly.

"No... no... you're right," Bon Clay breathes. "I... we... Nami-neesama rescued me from drowning. And then she paid for my life when Arlong came to ask for taxes! Even when I was not her friend but only a stranger! Even after I told her what horrible things I did! She pretends to be a villain but she is actually a good person. No, the best person. Even when-"

"Boring," Luffy says, getting to his feet. He walks away.

"Luffy-san?" Bon Clay asks weakly.

Luffy has his arms on the back of his neck. "Shishishishi. I've already decided to save her." He turns and smiles. "And you too, Bon-chan."

Bon Clay weeps. "Thank you, Luffy-san. Thank you-"

Kuina growls and Gin is suddenly struggling to keep her in place. "I'd like an explanation. Where's Wado Ichimonji?"

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ii. March to Arlong Park

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They find her, stabbing her shoulder.

"Nami-san," Kaya says hesitantly. "You shouldn't-"

"Go away," Nami sobs. It's such a hoarse, broken sound and she continues to stab until Luffy grabs her hand. When he reveals that he won't budge she bangs her fist on the ground.

"Go away... go away... go away... GO AWAY!" She screams, throwing sand and dirt in their direction. "You don't understand..." a shudder wracks her frame, "you can't understand... they took Bellmere-mama," she says, shaking and crying all the harder. "They took... they took Nojiko-neesama. And now he's going to take everyone else-"

She looks up. The tears there out of place. "Help me," she croaks.

Luffy slams his hat on her head and she looks up at him, blinking uncomprehendingly.

"We'll save them," he promises her. "WE'LL DEFINITELY SAVE THEM."

They march.

Not soldiers off to war.

They're about to start a massacre.

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ii.5. Bon-chan to the rescue!

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"You idiot," Genzo grouses, pinwheel spinning wetly as he fishes Bon Clay out of the water. Luffy is stuck down there, feet planted on concrete, probably drowning. "You can't swim either!"

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iii. Kaya versus Chew

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She's hurt bad, she knows. She's not like the others who are strong and fast and incredible. Real heroes, like in the stories Usopp would tell her.

But Nami's suffering and Bon-chan's suffering and the entire village is suffering and she could have saved everyone with what amounts to less than a third of her fortune and the knowledge gnaws at her, deep and terrible.

"Weakling," the fishman says, lifting her by the hair. "What did you even hope to accomplish with your stupid attacks? All you did was delay the inevitable." She smiles and coughs at him before stabbing him with a dart.

"I'm a doctor," Kaya says softly. "So I'm really sorry about this."

Chew laughs. "Sorry about what-"

Then he hits the ground as the poison courses through his system.

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iv. Gin versus Kuruuobi

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"Difference between humans and fishmen?" Gin coughs as he spits out water. The karate fishman has cratered into the floor and his arms hang at odd angles. Gin hoists himself out of the pool and takes a deep breath.

Luffy's concrete prison is broken. He'll be up in a moment. Hopefully. Gin realizes that it took him too damn long to realize that the tonfas were dead weights in the water.

He hoists his signature weapons.

"Don't make me laugh, little fish. We're all pirates here." He twirls his cannonball tonfas. "Just thieves and murderers, one and all."

When Kuruuobi dies, Arlong snaps.

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v. Kuina versus Hatchan

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"You!" The octopus man roars.

"Errr, do I know you?" Kuina asks.

There's a pause in the battle as the two of them run through their list of possible acquaintances. It'd be a lot longer if they'd been the same species so it only takes them about five or so seconds. Kuina's grateful for the pause regardless: her wounds still throb.

"Huh," Hatchan mutters, scratching his spiky, gel-slicked hair. "I was really sure I was supposed to hold a grudge against you."

Kuina shrugs. "It happens." She smiles. "Are you as good with those swords as you think you are?"

He puffs his chest up. "These swords weigh a hundred kilograms each!"

Kuina holds out her family sword and slowly unsheathes it. "I'd say mine weighs more but that'd make this a pissing contest. Let's fight."

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vi. Arlong versus Gin

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"You puny human," Arlong says murderously, punch making a crater into the ground. He gently extracts Kuruuobi from the ground. The karate fishman's face is smashed beyond all recognition. "How dare you. How dare you."

He is openly crying.

"You're a pirate," Gin says, stressing the last word. "There's only one rule among pirates."

Arlong recovers himself. Smiles. It is full of teeth. "Very true, human. Very true. I had almost forgotten. It's been so long..."

He gets up. Knuckles are cracked. "Then you are prepared," the shark fishman says.

"Every damn day." Gin says.

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vii. Arlong versus Kuina

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"Don't touch my sparring partner," she growls, blocking Arlong's charge.

Arlong tries to grip her by the wrist but she zips away.

"Sparring... is that why you guys saved me?" Gin asks, laughing weakly. His tonfas were broken at one point. He'll have to get new ones made.

"That's why I saved you," Kuina retorts, "who knows what the hell Luffy was thinking." Trembling she blocks another charge. Then her stitches blow and blood gushes out. It's only a momentary distraction but it's enough. Arlong picks her up by the throat, grips her arm that's holding her katana and squeezes – something cracks and she drops her meitou - and then he rips her shirt away.

"You're half-dead already," Arlong notes, sounding mildly disinterested. Kuina squirms and then yells as he digs a hand deep into her wound-

But then Luffy's there.

"Hands off of my nakama," he growls.

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viii. Luffy versus Arlong

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"You hurt Bon-chan. You hurt Gin. You hurt Kuina. You made my navigator cry."

Arlong rises. It defies belief: the kick was strong enough to make the entire building collapse. The fishman captain coughs. "And that is nothing compared to what humans have done -"

Luffy's next blow silences him and he goes flying.

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ix. Aftermath

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"We just want our friend's body," Hatchan tells them. He's bandaged heavily but there's an air of quiet mourning about him that reminds everyone of the hate that such losses can bring to bear so they swallow their words and let him enter the village, one last time.

"Yo," Kuina waves. The village has prepared a feast. She's resting again which makes her feel itchy. She was resting before. She shouldn't have to rest again. Even if she feels worse than the time Mihawk split her open like a gutted fish. "You can always join us if the pirate thing doesn't work out."

"Kuina," Kaya chides, "don't say things like that. Not now."

Bon Clay comes out, holding the front of a casket. It's simple and poorly made but Gin, who isn't a navigator or a cook or a carpenter somehow banged it out anyway. The Man-Demon's holding the back.

Nami has a pile of cloth in her hands.

"I repaired his gi," she tells Hatchan uncertainly. The hate blazes in her eyes but there's something else there too. Understanding. "I know we-"

Hatchan breaks into tears and hugs her close even as everyone else in the plaza makes motions to grab their weapons. "I didn't know." The octopus fishman says. "I didn't know it would hurt so much. I'm sorry. I'm so- so – sorry."

Luffy stands up and announces solemnly: "Gin won't do that again. He promised."

Hatchan nods and takes both casket and gi, bows low and then leaves.

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x. Farewells

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"You're staying behind, Nami-neesama?"

Nami nods and puts a distracted hand through her hair. "I've thought about this – actually, I've thought a lot about this and I – my hometown needs me right now. I can't leave. Not yet."

Luffy looks like he's frozen in shock. Kuina pats him on the back consolingly.

"If it's money you're worried about," Kaya offers, "I can get more..."

"No," Nami says, shaking her head. "No, it's not that at all. With Arlong here, no one wanted to even come close to Cocoyashi. With trade disrupted we really need to find a way to support ourselves in the long-term."

"The tangerines you grow are very good," Kaya chirps. "I can get you into contact with someone who'd really be interested in-"

"Would you?" Nami asks, "really?"

"Don't sacrifice your dream for us," Genzo says, walking up to them. The old man has heard enough. He puts a hand on Nami's head and ruffles her hair. "We'll be fine. Honestly."

Nami shakes his hand off. "Did I say anything about sacrificing my dream?" She harrumpfs. "It'll only be for a little while. You'll see – within half a year you guys will be drowning in Beli and then I'll be off to the Grand Line on my own!"

She nods to herself in satisfaction.

"I'll stay with you, Nami-neesama!" Bon-chan says loyally.

Nami shakes her head and smiles softly. "You've got a princess to rescue, don't you?" She pats him on the head. "Go, Bon-chan. Do Cocoyashi proud." Then she sighs. "Plus, they need a real navigator. I'm sorry Gin, but you suck."

Gin throws up his hands and says something about not being a navigator in the first place.

Bon Clay cries and gets snot and tears all over Nami's shirt. She charges him fifteen hundred belli but tells him that he'll put it on his tab.

Luffy nods and then puts his hand out. "It's a promise. In half a year, we'll see you on the Grand Line."

She laughs and accepts the hand. "In half a year."

Gin pauses in mid-stride. Then he gets out a booklet and presses it into her hands. "Here. If you're serious about this, go to the Baratie. Find a guy named Sanji. He'll definitely help you."

She pauses and flips through the notes. "He's looking for... the All-Blue? But that's a myth-"

"The kid's strong." Gin nods. "And he'll definitely help you."