Challenge : Take a quote from BrainyQuote's Topic page and create a short story
Topic: Alone
Characters: Genzo (Pre-Timeskip)

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much"
Helen Keller

8 years was a long time of waiting...

When Nojiko had told them many years ago of what Nami was planning on doing, how the sweet young girl was going to try and outright buy back their village for 100 Million Beli from that greedy Arlong, Genzo of the Cocoyashi Village didn't know whether to think of the idea foolish or to cling onto that hope that somehow, Nami could pull it off.

He did, however, decided on both.

Of course he thought it was a foolish idea, not only as an impossible dream to achieve since someone would have to work almost their entire life to earn that much money, but also for the fact that it was highly dangerous. No one, not even another thief, took too kindly to someone stealing their treasure. Everyday, Genzo worried that one day, Nami wouldn't come back home to them. But at the same time, somehow, Genzo knew that Nami was the type of person to pull it off. She had always been very creative and resourceful, not to mention very clever.

Everyone loved Nami with all heart and never wanted anything bad to happen to her, even if it seemed that they hated her for joining the Arlong Pirates. It hurt him to have seen her, the same little girl that would giggle happily at the pinwheel that spun on his hat, the child who would smile brightly at the beautifully ripened tangerines that hung on the trees with her sister, the little brat who would shamelessly use the same "promise" that Belle-mere used to get out of trouble.

To see his Nami run away from them with tears of pain in her eyes hurt worse than anything Arlong could ever to him. If he knew why she had joined that monster from the beginning, he wouldn't have been so harsh on her yet (and as painful as it is to admit it) he knew that it wouldn't have helped Nami at all.

It would have made what she was going through a thousand times worse.

Genzo wanted to hold her and tell her that she didn't have to do this alone, that they were there for her and that everything would be alright...but he couldn't because he thought it would just hurt her all the more. It was easy to do something for someone you thought didn't care for you because if you failed, it wouldn't matter as much but if you failed someone who cared about you as much as you cared about them, it hurt a lot worse. The burning and bitter pains that would etch their way into your heart because now, everytime you would see that person, you'd only see yourself as a failure.

Nami was anything but that, Genzo never wanted her to feel as though she's failed them.

So, even after the whole village found out what she was doing and started to cry out how much they wanted to help, Genzo thought it best if they didn't do anything and continue to act as if they hated Nami for joining Arlong. Genzo understood that if Nami knew that they still cared about her, if she knew that if she died that they would be upset, she wouldn't take as many risks as she did and they would be forever stuck in Arlong's gasp.

The ginger-haired thief was their only hope, they put so much faith in her. They all knew where she kept the money and so everyone made sure to guard it with their lives. If Arlong or anyone else discovered how much money was hidden under the groves, they would tear up the last remaining piece of Belle-mere to get it.

They wouldn't stand for that.

8 years was a long time of guarding...

But when the day had finally came where not only the Marines had finally heard their pleads but Nami was so close to obtaining her targeted amount, they watched as fishman and Marine alike crush their hope until there was literally nothing left.

Those Marines who tried to save them died.

The money Nami had stolen for 8 long years had been taken.

And when their only hope came back to them looking so broken and so lost, eyes red from tears she tried to hide from them behind a shattering smile, it drove them over the point of no return. They gathered in numbers, raised in the air whatever weapon they could get their hands on, and cried out vengeance. Of course, Nami tried to stop them, to tell that that everything was going to be alright because she could simply start over. But no more did he want to see her return to them with a broken soul, no more did he want to just stand idly by as one young girl tried to save them all.

If he was going to die, he was going to die letting Nami know how much he cared for her and how he wasn't going to stand for Arlong hurting her ever again.

As the clouds turned gray, as though they knew of his rage and anguish, everyone marched to Arlong Park to settle things once and for all. Yet they couldn't pass through as two young men blocked their path with swords and telling them to leave everything to Luffy and the crew. Honestly, Genzo didn't want to do such a thing but he put faith in the kid (even after Arlong threw him into the ocean). Genzo understood that in order to save them and to save Nami, he had to have faith in Luffy. He and Nojiko helped Luffy out of the water and saw him rocket off to put an end to their misery.

And he succeed with making Arlong Park and Arlong himself fall and crumble into nothing but rubble, dust finally settling among the silence.

And for a brief moment, Genzo wondered of a lot of things. If they had tried to fight Arlong themselves, knowing that a bloody defeat waited for them in the end. If Luffy hadn't decided to help, if he and Nojiko simply stood there to let the boy drown. It wasn't the effort of simply them or Nami or the friends she has come to make, he couldn't see the outcome being very good if everyone simply left it to one person.

Of course, he could worry about all that later now. For now, it was a joyous time as everyone shouted out their pleasure and sobbed their relief that their nightmare for 8 long years was finally over. What they had to do now was celebrate!

3 short days is a wonderful way to celebrate...

As soon as I saw this quote, I immediately thought of Genzo and the whole Cocoyashi Village. Really, I loved the Arlong Arc, it was the first time in One Piece that I bawled my eyes out. I wanted to try something different so I used Genzo's point of view for this story.

Thank you to:
whatsininformation
Dancing Peach
Myherogal22
NamikazeMia
fantasylovermagi