First chapter for 2017! I hope you enjoy it!

Nami growled under her breath as she approached the band of pirates sprawled across the path just on the outskirts of town. She thought she'd left them well and truly behind until Arlong returned to the Park citing that there were pirate's in town and, apparently, monsters were coming. It reeked of Usopp. She knew that Arlong thought it was all a good game. That he'd have another batch of humans to prove his species 'superiority' of strength against. But there was no way this could end well.

As she neared, Nami took in the the scene of Zoro dozing under a tree, Usopp, Johnny and Yosaku wildly recounting their (probably highly embellished) encounter with Arlong, as evident by Usopp's mimicking of the shape of Arlong's nose to Ace, Luffy, Sanji and Gin. Nami had to get rid of them, and fast.

"What are you lot doing here? Outsiders aren't welcome on our island."

Nami's brown eyes were cold and empty as she spoke. Her outward calm carefully constructed to hide the storm of panic that was swelling up inside her. Whilst she didn't think much the intelligence of the Captain and her crew, Nami knew they weren't bad people, not like Arlong. If they stayed, they were going to get themselves killed. Luffy had decimated the Buggy Pirates for a dog. She couldn't let them become involved in this. This was her village, her people, and she was going to free them by herself.

Ace watched Nami carefully. Luffy had chosen Nami. Whatever she'd seen, she wanted it, and just like Sanji and Gin, they weren't going to be leaving the islands without her. Which was why Luffy's next comment didn't surprise him at all.

"You're going to be our navigator."

Nami's hands clenched as she barely refrained from stomping her foot like an angry child.

"Arg! Don't you ever listen to people when they're talking?! I'm an Arlong Pirate! I'm not going to go with you! Hurry up and get off our island!"

Nami was right in a way, words meant little to Luffy. The darkness was so much more telling. Tilting her head to the side, Luffy became side tracked with a question she hadn't thought to ask Nami before.

"Na, Nami?"

"What?" The woman in question snapped.

"What's your dream?"

"My..? I don't..." Nami faulted before finding her resolve again, "What do you care?"

Luffy merely waited for an answer.

Lost under the weight of Luffy's stare, Nami let her greatest dream slip past her lips, "I want... I want to create a map of the world."

"So why don't you?" Luffy pushed.

Usopp answered for Nami when it became clear she didn't want to answer, "The villagers have to pay Arlong to stay alive; 100,000 for adults, 50,000 for kids. Nami's trying to buy back the village for 100 million beli."

"How much more do you need?" Luffy asked.

"What?"

"How much are you short?"

"7 million beli." Nami confessed quietly.

Opening up a black hole, Luffy focused of emptying it of its recent collection.

Nami gasped as gold plated armour clattered to the ground.

Sanji clamped his hand on Gin's shoulder, pulling his focus away from Krieg's arsenal.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, it's fine."

Stepping out of Sanji's grip, Gin picked up the rounded arm plate, moving it out of Nami's range as her hands swept over the breast plate, her eyes gleaming as she calculated what it would be worth.

"You'll want to put this one back, Captain. It's full of a poison gas that will kill anyone that inhales it."

The group stilled at Gin's words, fearful that even the slightest movement would set it off. Gin ducked his head sheepishly at the tense atmosphere he'd created.

"It needs to be activated for the gas to be released, but it'd be better not to leave it lying around." He explained.

Releasing her breath, Luffy accepted the weapon, carefully dropping it back into her black hole, absently wondering what it would take to set it off, if it hadn't exploded in her black hole or when she'd dropped it out onto the ground.

Meanwhile, Ace's lips curled down as he watched Nami hug the breast plate to her chest, hope radiating off her. He didn't want to be the bearer of bad news, but he'd learnt his lesson from Bluejam.

"You know he's not going to just let the town go, right? He's not just going to give up his main source of income."

"Arlong promised! He promised that I could buy back the village if I raised 100 million beli and with this I have!"

"Yeah, but did he say that he'd let you go?"

Nami froze, the colour draining from her face. Technically she was an Arlong Pirate. She'd never seen what happened to a pirate that tried to leave Arlong –no one had ever done it before– but she'd heard stories of deserters. No. He wouldn't let her go, and if she tried to leave… he'd just attack the village. Tears of frustration welled up in Nami's eyes, her head bowing low over the breast plate, missing Sanji berating Ace for is lack of tact, and upsetting her.

"You know…" Luffy began, "One Piece is said to be hidden on the furthest island at the end of the seas. We'll be sailing all around the world to find it. You want to make a map of the world, and you can do that with us. Me n' the boys can take care of these guys. You don't have to be afraid of them anymore."

Nami's fingernails raked across the mark that labelled her the property of Arlong.

"Why would you...?" Nami's voice trailed off to barely more than a whisper.

Did these people see how dangerous Arlong was? How much damage he could do? She'd done nothing for these people. She'd lied to them, stolen their money, their ship. She didn't deserve their help. Desperately forcing her walls back up, Nami put as much venom in her voice as she could muster.

"I don't need your pity!"

"It's not pity." Ace replied before any of the others could, "You're in a situation that you can't get out of on your own. Luffy's offering you a way out."

Having cracked his eyes open at the news of the poisonous gas, Zoro finally added his two beli worth, "Tch, and didn't you hear? Luffy and Ace have been itching to have a fight with someone who might actually manage to hit back."

"This is not the time Marimo!" Sanji snapped.

"What did you call me?!"

Gin struggled to hold the swordsman and chef apart, his arms stretched as far as they could to keep them separated.

"Nami, do you want them gone?" Luffy asked, ignoring the squabbling behind her.

Nami dropped Krieg's breastplate onto the ground, her hands covering her face. She thought she had a plan. She thought she knew what she was doing, that she could do this on her own. No one had ever made her feel like she didn't have to.

"I can't– I don't– Luffy..."

Kneeling on one knee in front of her, Luffy asked her one last time.

"Do you want help?"

"Yes! Please. Luffy, help me."

Luffy plopped her hat atop of Nami's head, folding her arms across her chest.

"Okay."

"Yeah!" Johnny cheered pumping his fist in the air, "What they're doing isn't right Nami-sis! We won't let them do it any longer!"

Ignoring Sanji at Johnny's declaration, Zoro tapped the butt of his sword against the bounty hunter's head, frowning at him, "Since when have you cared about these things?"

"Oi!" Yosaku interrupted, "East Blue is our home too! If we don't stop him, what's to stop him from taking over the whole sea?!"

"Exactly!" Johnny continued, "We'll help as well! …Although I don't think we'll be much of a match against Arlong if the rumours are true."

Luffy shook her head in amusement. Pushing to her feet, Luffy offered a hand down to Nami.

"I'll take care of Arlong. Why don't you head home and pack up your stuff?"

"My stuff?" Nami asked confused.

"You are coming with us, aren't you? You're going to be our navigator."

Biting her lip in an attempt to contain her emotions, Nami jerkily nodded her head.

"Yosh! Let's go!"

The crew all stood, only a pace behind their Captain as they marched towards Arlong park. They'd barely moved a few meters before Nami was calling out to them,

"Luffy?"

"Yeah?"

Gazing back, Luffy's eyes narrowed as the tears streamed down Nami's face.

"The tower… Destroy it?"

A savage smile stretched across Luffy's face.

It would be her pleasure.

Nami snuck in through the back door of her home, and upon realising that Nojiko was nowhere to be seen, collapsed ungracefully into a chair at the kitchen table. The joy and elation that Luffy had instilled in her was quickly descending into fear. Had she just sent them to their deaths? She'd seen what Luffy could do, and she'd heard snatches of what had happened after she'd stolen their ship and left them at the Baratie, but was it enough against Arlong?

Nojiko strode through the door, stopping short at seeing Nami at the table. Blinking away her surprise, Nojiko took on her usual teasing lit, "You never visit, you never write! …I wasn't expecting to see you here."

Today really did seem to be the day that everyone wanted her advice. Maybe she should start charging for it…

Meanwhile, Nami grinned at the familiar teasing, lifting her head from the table, the words tumbled out of her before she could stop them.

"I'm a pirate."

Nojiko raised an eyebrow, concerned with what could have possibly gotten into Nami.

"A Straw Hat Pirate. I'm going to go out to sea and draw a map of the world."

Sliding into a chair across the table, Nojiko's brain almost shut down from trying to process what Nami was telling her. At least it somewhat explained the straw hat she was wearing. Sort of. Kind of. She was still a little bit confused – maybe a lot confused,

"This is– That's– Surprising." Nojiko decided on, "You mean the pirates that were in town right? I met the captain… I thought they were the Usopp Pirates."

Nami snorted at the thought of the conversation Nojiko must have had with Usopp. No wonder he knew so much about what was going on in the village.

"He's not the captain. Luffy's the captain. She's… She's so strong, and she's fighting Arlong… She's fighting Arlong!" Pushing back from the table, Nami paid no heed to her chair as it tumbled to the ground.

"I have to go help!"

Grabbing her staff from beside the door, Nami rushed outside, only to grind to a halt as Gen walked towards her, a platoon of Marines behind him. He did not look happy.

"What's going on?"

Pressing a hand against the big doors that marked the entrance to Arlong Park, Ace drew back his right fist, slamming into it with shattering force. As the dust settled, Ace bowed semi-mockingly as he swept his arm out as if to show Luffy in.

"After you."

Sharing a quick grin with Ace, Luffy stepped into the compound, ignoring the fishmen charging at her. Ace darted around her, shooting out a stream of fire, forcing the fishmen back and burning those who didn't move fast enough. Having shown the fishmen exactly why they should behave, Ace retreated to where Luffy had stopped, her attention locked on the figure lounging in a single chair.

"You Arlong?"

"I am. Who are you?"

Ignoring the question, Luffy looked away to focus on the tower that Nami had asked her to destroy.

"You made my navigator cry."

Placing her hand on the solid column, Luffy dug her fingers into the concrete.

"Black hole."

The black vortex of her yami yami no mi powers opened and spread from her hand embedded in the pillar. The tower lifting from its footings as it was sucked into the darkness.

Within seconds the tower was gone.

Luffy closed her black hole, before extending her hand towards the sky and reopening it. The debris of what had once been Arlong's prized symbol of power, raining down into a pile of rubble. As the last of the building crashed to the ground, Luffy's dispassionate gaze fell upon Arlong wide-eyed form once more.

Cracking her knuckles, Luffy stalked forward.

"Nobody makes my navigator cry."

Mwahaha... Thanks so much to everyone who has faved, followed, and reviewed SWM, it really astounds me to hear that so many people enjoy it!