It's kinda surreal that I'm back home again. I could've sworn I was in Utah for a lot longer than a few days...either way, new chapter. And people, seriously, you should review when you're done reading, like the lovely people listed below!
Thanks to: GrandMasters, TheRealEvanSG, and Juliedoo!
Chapter 9
"May we meet again someday!" called Yosaku.
"Take care, aniki!" called Johnny.
"You too!" replied Zoro, turning away.
"It still doesn't make sense," I muttered, frustrated as my tail swung back and forth. I was still trying to figure out all of Nami's actions. "She wouldn't have killed Usopp if she was trying to save the rest of us." I began to pace, my tail swinging violently in agitation. "Of course, unless she really hated Usopp, but I don't think that was it."
"You're right," Sanji said with a frown. "A woman like her would never do something like that!"
I sighed and glared halfheartedly at Sanji. "…Just because she's a girl doesn't mean she would kill anyone," I told him, and Sanji sighed in exasperation before a clever smirk crossed his face.
"Oh, Hazel-chan, you're a girl and I know you wouldn't kill anyone either," he crooned smugly.
I opened my mouth to refute that statement, but after a moment, I realized that he was right. Dammit.
I opted to scowl at Sanji instead. "You asshole."
Sanji snorted, a grin spreading across his face. "Only for youuuuu!" he teased gently.
I smacked him roughly in the face with my tail, before pacing again. I glanced at Zoro, who had taken a seat next to Luffy's snoring figure. "Um, Zoro-san?" I tried, still wary from his reaction to my hit, and he glanced up at me with a frown.
"What?" he demanded, and I balked. He was pretty intimidating, to the point that I found myself shying away from him.
"D-do you think Nami really killed Usopp?" I asked tentatively, and Zoro shrugged with a bit of a sneer on his face.
"Who knows? Maybe after I called her 'small-time,' she got so pissed off that she really did kill him."
Sanji leapt to his feet. "Small time?!" he asked, enraged for some strange, unknown reason, and I blinked at him in confusion. What the hell was he angry about?
Sanji the kicked furiously at Zoro. "NAMI'S BREASTS AREN'T SMALL-TIME!" Oh god. Sanji, I love you like a brother, but you're an idiot and a pervert.
"Is that all you can think about -!" snarled Zoro, swinging his sheathed sword to block Sanji's kick.
I blinked when I noticed someone in between the attacks, and called out a warning too late.
"Watch ou -!"
"BUOGH!" Usopp appeared in the middle of the attacks, and had no time to react to the foot and the sheathed blade being swung at his head. They smashed into his face at the same time, and he fell to the ground, face bleeding and body twitching.
"Eh -!" Sanji said, freezing in position, and Zoro grunted aloud in surprise.
"Huh," I said, carefully nudging the semi-conscious figure with my toes. "He's still alive."
"Well, maybe not anymore…" replied Sanji, lowering his foot.
"USOPP! DID NAMI DO THIS TO YOU?!" Luffy shrieked, shaking a dazed and bleeding Usopp.
"Uh, no," I said, pointing to the other two guys. "It was them."
"You mean just him," said Zoro irritably, jabbing a thumb at Sanji.
"Ah, Luffy!" Usopp said, jolting back to life in an instant. "You're here too?"
"Yup!" Luffy said happily.
"We've decided to come along too," Sanji said, clapping a hand on my shoulder and waving at Usopp.
"Nice to meet you!" I chirped with a smile.
"You…" Usopp growled, flinging a finger over at Sanji. "I'll kill you one of these days!" I snorted. Like he'd be able to. The long-nosed teen then took a deep breath. "In any case, the problem is Nami," he said seriously. "She saved my life."
I perked up. Nami didn't hate us! I was right! Actually, I'd been right ever since Usopp showed up again! Mentally, I did a little dance of accomplishment.
"If you ask me, there must be some reason why she ended up joining the Arlong pirates!" Usopp said logically, and I nodded.
"It couldn't have been willingly, or else she wouldn't have told us to leave the island. Instead, she would've captured us," I said, and Usopp nodded in agreement. "We just need to figure out that reason, and get her to join us again."
"It's useless," a new voice interrupted, and we all whirled around. Standing behind us was a pretty, blue-haired woman. "No matter what you do, you won't be able to change Arlong's rule."
"Ah, Nojiko!" Usopp said in recognition.
"Who's she?" Luffy asked Usopp rudely, pointing a finger at the newcomer.
"She's Nami's sister," the long-nosed teen replied.
"N-N-Nami's sister?! Well, it's no wonder why she's so beautiful then!" I sighed, wondering why Sanji had the mentality of the world's biggest pervert…just with manners. I glanced down at my chest. Luckily, I hadn't hit puberty yet, so I had a few years to go before Sanji began doting on me…which I was not looking forward to.
"What do you mean useless?" asked Zoro, focusing on what Nojiko had said.
Nojiko placed her hands on her hips. "Please don't involve yourselves with this village any further," she said and I frowned.
"Funny," I observed. "Nami said pretty much the same thing."
Nojiko nodded. "I'll tell you all about how things got this way, so in return, I want you to just leave this island quietly."
"I'm fine," Luffy said neutrally. "I'm not really interested in her past."
He began to leave as Usopp and I gawked at Luffy. "I'm taking a walk," our captain said, and we snapped out of our stupor.
"Take a walk?" I repeated, disbelieving.
"You're not going to listen?"
"No, I'm cool." And with that, Luffy was gone.
Nojiko stared after the direction Luffy had gone. "What's with him?" she asked, obviously confused, and I ran a hand through my hair.
"I have no idea…" I sighed.
"Don't mind him," Zoro said with a grin, sitting down against a tree. "That's just the kind of guy he is. But we'll listen to what you have to say, though I doubt hearing your story will change anything." He closed his eyes, and started to snore.
Nojiko stared at Zoro next. "…But you're sleeping."
"Don't just fall asleep as soon as you say that!" snapped Usopp.
"Well, I'll listen," I said, taking a seat on the ground and idly picking grass with my tail.
"Me too. I want to understand what's going on," Usopp said with a frown.
"And me!" declared Sanji with a large grin.
I think Sanji just wanted to have an excuse to listen and look at a lady without being called a pervert.
Nojiko let out a sigh of exasperation. "I see…No wonder you're giving Nami so much trouble…"
And she began the story.
I stared at the ground. It all made sense now. Nami was basically a prisoner herself in Arlong's crew. She didn't want to kill anybody but Arlong, not after her foster mother Bellemere was murdered. She wanted to save everyone by buying the island.
"Ever since that day, eight years ago," said Nojiko, wrapping up the story, "that girl decided to not show her tears to anyone and never ask for help! All because she doesn't want to see anyone to be killed by Arlong. Just like our mother was…" Nojiko shook her head, before looking up at the rest of us. "Do you have any idea how painful it was for her to make that decision, to fight alone and continue to live on, when she was barely ten years old?"
"So, in order to save her village…" began Usopp, thumbing his long nose.
"…She forced herself to join the very pirates who killed her mother," I finished with a sad sigh.
"How dare they cause pain to my beloved Nami-san! I'll kill those pirates!"
Nojiko scowled and punched Sanji in the head.
BONK!
"W-what was that for, Nojiko-san?!" stammered Sanji, clutching his head. I blinked. Either he was making it seem like it hurt him, or Nojiko had a really mean punch.
"That's exactly what I've come to tell you not what to do!" she said in aggravation. "Because you're going around, calling Nami your friend and causing trouble, those pirates are starting to doubt her, putting her eight years of hard work in jeopardy! So please…! Don't make her suffer anymore!" she begged.
There was a moment of silence, before I stood.
"Sorry, Nojiko-san, but we can't do that," I said, clenching my fists and waving my tail like a banner. "She's nakama." I felt my heart swell a little at this. It felt good to be able to call someone my nakama, and help them out in their time of need like I would for a member of the family. Like I would for Sanji.
Usopp and Sanji stared at me before Sanji grinned and stood up as well. "Not to mention how our captain would never let us leave without her," he said, lighting a cigarette and inhaling.
Usopp nodded. "The Great Captain Usopp never backs down from a fight!" he declared, his fists resting proudly on his waist.
The wind was taken right out of his sails when I frowned at Usopp. "You're not the captain, Luffy is."
Usopp spluttered. "I was going to be, but Luffy beat me to it! Just you wait, though, I'll be…I'll be…" He trailed off, staring at me.
Or rather, my tail.
"HOW'D YOU GET A TAIL?!" I rolled my eyes, annoyed with the question. Seriously? What, did people think I stole it or something?!
"I didn't 'get' it," I answered sourly. "I was born with it."
"But that's impossib -!"
"Instead of arguing, let's go and rescue Nami-san!" interrupted Sanji brusquely, grabbing my arm and beginning to drag me down the path. I shook my head in fond exasperation as I fell into step with him. Trust Sanji to leap at the chance to save a pretty girl.
"Help me!"
We arrived in Kokoyashi Village in time to see Luffy place his hat on Nami's head. She was kneeling on the ground, tears dripping down her face as blood ran from her shoulder.
Where Arlong's tattoo used to be.
Luffy took a deep breath. "OF COURSE I WILL!" he shouted, and Nami nodded, sincere thanks shining in her eyes as Luffy strode toward us.
He looked remarkably serious, and his gaze never wavered from Arlong Park as he said, "Let's go."
I clenched my fists. Usopp readied his goggles, Sanji blew out a cloud of smoke, and Zoro pushed the hilt of his katana up.
"Roger!"
We reached Arlong Park to see the village there, armed and yelling at two figures sitting in front of the doors. Two figures that caught me by surprise.
"Johnny and Yosaku!" Zoro said in surprise.
They grinned, looking like they got their asses kicked to the Baratie and back.
"Give 'em hell, Luffy-aniki," they said, moving to the side.
Luffy nodded, and reared back. He took a deep breath, and punched, the doors flying apart at the impact.
Luffy's arm snapped back, and he stepped into Arlong Park, cracking his knuckles.
"Who's the one called Arlong?" he asked loudly.
Luffy sure as hell knew how to make an entrance.
"Arlong?" asked a fishman with blue skin, a floral-print shirt, and a long, jagged nose. "That'd be me."
"I'm Luffy," our captain said, totally serious. I had to fight back a giggle. He acted like such a kid sometimes, one even younger than me.
"Luffy?" asked Arlong, playing along. "I see. And just what the hell are you?"
"A pirate," Luffy declared.
And with that bold declaration, he marched into the park, heading straight towards Arlong.
"Hey you. Stop," ordered a particularly ugly Fishman, stepping in front of Luffy with an equally ugly comrade.
"Where d'ya think you're going? We can't have you go through without talkin' to us first."
"If you don't hold it right there -!" they chorused.
Luffy grabbed their heads, slammed them together, and kept on walking. "Move it!"
Arlong's face contorted in anger as the rest of the Fishmen started and shouted in alarm.
"What does a pirate want with me?" Arlong asked crossly, staring out at us from across a pool. I took a moment to glance at it. It looked like it was connected to the ocean, but I quickly turned my attention back to the leader of the Fishman pirates.
My jaw dropped as Luffy punched Arlong, sending him flying out of his chair and down the patio.
"AAAAGGGHHH! ARLONG!" his crew shouted in alarm, most of them looking stunned that Luffy was even able to land a hit.
Arlong pushed himself up, pissed and looking like he wanted to tear Luffy to pieces. "Just what the hell -!"
Luffy glared at him, furious. "Don't you dare make my navigator cry!" he shouted.
And we all leapt forward to attack.
I was feeling rather proud of myself as I attacked the weaker fishmen with Sanji right behind me. I felt accomplished, and I was forever grateful that Sanji taught me a bit of Zeff's fighting style. I swung a leg out, and grinned confidently when I kicked a Fishman in the crotch.
"Down you go!" I said with a smirk as he crumpled, and Usopp gave me a thumb's up from next to me.
"Nice one!"
I grinned wildly. "Thanks, Usopp-san!"
"Geez, running in like that without backup," Sanji grumbled irritably at Luffy, kicking an unconscious fishman out of the way with his foot.
Luffy clenched his fists as he announced, "Don't worry, I'm not gonna lose!"
"Dumbass! When did I every say I was worried for you?" refuted Sanji, scowling. "I meant that you shouldn't hog all the glory for yourself."
"Oh," Luffy said blankly, his eyes still fixed on Arlong.
"I d-don't particularly mind either w-way, Luffy," stammered Usopp, placing his fists on his hips confidently.
"Aren't you the brave one?" mocked Zoro, glancing back.
I smiled brightly and encouragingly. "C'mon, Usopp-san! It'll be fun!"
"HOW CAN THIS BE FUN?!" Geez, scared, much?
While we were bickering, the fishmen were talking amongst themselves angrily. "Roronoa Zoro!"
"He's the one that attacked the rest of us!"
"That's him!" shouted one fishman, a octopus man with six arms and a sun tattoo on his forehead. "The one who tricked me! He rode me…No, wait. I mean, he was the one I gave a ride to!"
I sniggered loudly as Usopp barely held back a snort.
"Did you have fun while he 'rode' you, fishman-san?" I asked before I could stop my big mouth, and all the fishmen froze at the innuendo. I guess it might've been a little shocking, hearing a young girl say something like that, but after they regained their senses, they all began to yell in outrage. Sanji moaned something about lost innocence, Usopp gawked, and Luffy just blinked in confusion. Figures he wouldn't understand.
However the octopus-man had turned an angry, embarrassed red, and Zoro had paled drastically with fury before he snarled, hefting his blade, "Brat, I'm going to murder you."
Sanji immediately rose to my defense. "Don't you dare touch her, you bastard!"
"What was that?!"
At that moment, one of the fishmen spotted Usopp, most likely sparing Sanji from a painful, gory death via pirate hunter. "That long-nosed human is still alive!" he shouted in horror, and the rest of the fishmen began to create another ruckus.
"He should've been dead!"
"How'd he survive?!"
Arlong scowled and stood, brushing dust off of his hideous printed shirt. "Pirates, huh? So, that's how you're all related. So your goal from the very beginning was only to get Nami, is that it?" Arlong then threw back his head an laughed harshly. "Hahaha! So what can five measly humans do?! As if I would fight the likes of you! I'll turn you all into fish food! Come out, beast!" The fishman that Zoro er - 'rode' haha - sucked in a huge breath and let out a trumpet-like noise.
"What's going on?!" demanded Usopp nervously as everyone hushed. The water next to Arlong Park swelled as the villagers began to shout.
"It can't be!"
"It is!"
"The monster from the Grand Line that destroyed Gosa?!"
The fishman calling the monster sucked in another breath. "COME OUT, MOHMOO!" he bellowed, and the water burst as a large, familiar figure rose out of the water.
"I don't believe it," I said slowly with delight, a bright smile crossing my face.
It was the Sea Cow, with a large bump on his head and bruises on his face. Tears were pouring out of his eyes, and I grinned happily.
"AAAGGGGGHHHH IT'S THE MONSTER!" shrieked Usopp.
"Huh?" asked the Octopus Fishman.
"That's the Sea Cow, Mohmoo…!" shouted a villager.
Mohmoo blinked, looking at all of us, before his eyes landed on me, Sanji, and Luffy.
"Oh, him?" Luffy asked, blinking in return.
"So he's one of them," growled Sanji.
I beamed and waved. "Hi, Mohmoo! Remember us?" I asked happily.
Mohmoo's crying intensified, and it turned around to leave. "Moooo…"
"Mohmoo, wait!" the octopus man shouted, waving his arms. "Where are you going?" he looked completely confused. I glanced over at Arlong. He looked rather stunned as well, before he glared rather viciously at Mohmoo's back.
"Mohmoo," he said threateningly, "What the hell do you think you're doing…?"
Mohmoo froze, sweat appearing on his forehead as he floated in the water. I didn't even know it was possible for a sea king to sweat. Who knew?
"Well, if you're going to run away," continued Arlong, "I'm not going to try to stop you. Well, Mohmoo…?"
The next thing I knew, Mohmoo had turned back to us, looking like he did when we first met him; all ferocious and angry.
"MOOOOOOOOO!"
"It's coming for us!" screamed Usopp, his eyes bugging as the villagers behind us screamed a matching chorus.
"Alright, follow Mohmoo's lead!" shouted one of the fishman encouragingly. "Let's show these inferior humans what happens when they mess with us!"
"YEAH!" And they all charged forward, every last one of them.
"Leave it to me!" Luffy declared, punching his fists together as Usopp screamed in terror. "They're just a bunch of weaklings!"
Luffy smashed his feet into the ground, anchoring himself into the concrete, and a feeling of dread began to build in my gut as I watched my new captain.
My new crew members seemed to share similar opinions.
"What the hell is he doing?" growled Sanji warily.
"I don't have a good feeling about this…" muttered Zoro.
Luffy then spun, twisting his body so that it was like a spring, and grabbed Mohmoo by his horns.
"That's…!" exclaimed Arlong, shock etched on his face.
"He must be a devil fruit user!"
"Hey, let's get outta here!" Usopp began to race towards the gate of Arlong Park.
"Wha - but what's he doing?!" demanded Sanji.
"Hell if I know!" replied Zoro frantically, also racing for the gate. Of course, since they had spent more time with Luffy, I figured it was best to trust their opinion regarding our stupid captain.
"Sanji-nii, let's go!" I shrieked, seizing Sanji's arm and running as Luffy began to shout, "Gomu gomu no…"
"What is he -!" a fishman started.
"Kill him!" shouted another.
"PINWHEEL!" finished Luffy, his body uncoiling at a fast rate as he swung Mohmoo around like the Sea Cow didn't weigh several tons. And he did it with a huge smile on his face, that little shit.
I bit back a laugh. Luffy's smile, coupled with the screams of terror and pain coming from the Fishmen and Mohmoo's dizzy wailing, was almost too much to handle.
"That bastard," grumbled Sanji, glaring at our captain.
I watched as Mohmoo went flying. "Well, you have to admit, he's got style."
Zoro grunted noncommittally, a scowl of annoyance plastered onto his face. Didn't he get tired of scowling all the time? Maybe his face got stuck like that as a kid, and he hasn't been able to fix it since.
"I didn't come here to fight these small fries!" Luffy declared, interrupting my wandering thoughts and pointing a finger dramatically at Arlong. "The one I want to beat up is you!"
"How excellent," growled Arlong, a large, fanged grin splitting his face. "I was just thinking of killing you myself as well."
"Seems like we have no choice but to fight," said a fishman, one that hadn't been knocked away by Luffy's bizarre attack. He was big, bulky, and had dorsal fins growing out of his elbows.
"How dare you hurt our brothers!" shouted the octopus man.
"Looks like we need to teach these humans the difference between our races, chu," declared a feminine-looking fishman with big lips, blue skin, pink cheeks, and a hair color and style that made me want to barf just from looking at it.
"Let us take care of it, Arlong," declared another fish man. He had wavy brown hair, a black wave tattoo on his forehead, and a dark, pink skin that reminded me of salmon*. Mmmm, salmon…
"Looks like the main force is out to greet us," said Zoro with an exhilarated grin. The rest of us, however…
"That was way too dangerous!" shouted Sanji furiously, kicking Luffy in the head.
"Are you trying go kill us?!" shouted Usopp, shaking Luffy's shoulder.
"Ah…" Luffy said, a look of concentrated realization crossing his face.
"If this was how things were going to turn out, we should have fought from the beginning," said the bulky fishman. He glanced back at Arlong. "Arlong, please just sit right there."
"If we let you fight while that angry, chu, all of Arlong Park would end up destroyed!" said the feminine fishman with a smile.
"And we definitely don't want that," commented the pink fishman with a lazy smile.
The octopus fishman hunched over. "MMMMMMNNNN TAKE THIS! ZERO FIELD OF VISION…"
"That octopus is doing something," Zoro said contemplatively. I rolled my eyes.
"Really? I hadn't noticed," I replied sarcastically, and he glowered down at me.
"First boil the octopus in salt water, slice it up, and add some olive oil and paprika to make an excellent side dish while drinking," Sanji said, taking a drag on his cigarette, and I shot Sanji a wide-eyed glance. Was he really planning on cooking them? I mean, I knew it would be delicious, but…it was almost like cannibalism! Hell, was it even allowed?
"Uhh, guys, I need some help," Luffy said, waving his hands and trying to catch our attention. I noticed Usopp was standing all the way back by the gate with a nervous look on his face. I rolled my eyes again. Coward.
"TAKOHACHI BLACK!" At that moment, the octopus man spewed out a large amount of what appeared to be black ink.
"Octopus ink!" shouted Sanji in realization, and the four of us jumped out of the way. Luffy, however, took it head-on.
"You dumbass! Why didn't you dodge that?!" demanded Zoro, taking in a huge breath.
"AHHH! I CAN'T SEE ANYTHING!" Luffy shouted, rubbing his eyes frantically.
"Because you didn't dodge, that's why!" I snapped, pushing myself up. Then I paled. The Octopus man was standing in front of Luffy with a huge chunk of cement in his hands, ready to smash it down onto our captain.
"Luffy, watch out! Dodge it!" shouted Usopp in alarm.
"Yeah, that's the problem…" muttered Luffy, still trying to rub the ink out of his eyes. "I kinda can't move. Or see." And promptly, my brain stuttered to a halt. What was that idiot thinking?!
"WHAT." Sanji growled.
"For god's sake…" grumbled Zoro, slapping a hand to his forehead.
"BUT YOU'RE THE ONE WHO DID THAT TO YOURSELF!" shouted Usopp angrily.
"YOU DUMBASS!" I screeched in disbelief.
"On the rock!" My eyes widened at the new voice. Shit! The octopus guy!
Before I could react, the octopus man slammed the cement rock down, and I shrieked aloud in fear.
"LUFFY!"
Then the rock split, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I spotted Sanji in the middle of the rubble, his leg upraised.
"Geez…looks like I've chosen to follow a dumbass for my captain," he groused, "but it's still a 100 times better than being in a pirate crew that would harm a lady!"
"Nice one, Sanji!" Luffy cheered.
Zoro sighed irritably.
"He's amazing!" Usopp exclaimed.
I grinned. "That's nothing, Usopp-san," I said with a smile. "Sanji-nii's much stronger than that!"
"You're kidding!"
I nodded happily. "Yep! But he's a complete pervert," I added in an undertone, and Usopp's jaw dropped.
"No way!"
"For a human, you're not half-bad," commented the bulky Fishman, addressing Sanji. "But a pirate, going around spouting chivalrous lines? How stupid…"
I scanned the area, and I stilled when my eyes fell upon one of the fishmen's discarded weapons. Slowly, I approached it, and picked the weapon up, turning the heavy axe over in my hands.
The axe seemed like a familiar weight in my hands, but I couldn't figure out why…I shrugged, made a few experimental swings with it, and found my eyebrows rising. It had good balance and weight, the wood was smooth, and the axe head was razor sharp. A smile slowly spread across my face, and I found myself almost snickering evilly at the idea of using this beautiful weapon.
"Hazel, Usopp! Help me!" Luffy ordered, and snapping out of my reverie, I slung the ax over my shoulder and hurried forward to begin pulling on Luffy's arms. We didn't have much success, though, because all Luffy did was stretch. "Not working. My feet aren't budging one bit," he stated flatly.
"They aren't?!" Usopp demanded. I peered around Luffy to gawk at his feet, all the way over by Sanji and almost twenty feet away from us.
"Usopp-san! He's stretching -!"
"Idiot!" Usopp said, bonking Luffy on the head.
"Ow! What was that for, Usopp?!"
"For pulling such a stupid move!" I retorted, annoyed.
"What about now, Luffy?!" grunted Usopp, pulling harder.
"Eh, you're only stretching it," Luffy replied, picking his nose. "My feet are still stuck."
"ARE YOU EVEN TRYING?!" I screeched in frustration. Goddammit Luffy!
"IS IT STILL NOT COMING OUT?!" demanded Usopp.
"Nope, not even a bit." Oh my god, Luffy! At least try to get yourself out! You were the one that put yourself in that mess!
"You think you can just horse around at Arlong Park?!" We both paused at the new voice and gulped. The Octopus man had found us. He lifted a huge slab of concrete again. "I'll kill you all!"
"AAAGGGGGHHH!" we screamed, trying to run away, but Luffy had latched onto the backs of our shirts.
"HURRY UP AND PULL YOUR FEET OUT ALREADY!" Usopp wailed fearfully as Luffy clutched onto us.
"Hey octopus. Those guys are busy right now." I seriously wanted to let go of Luffy and give Zoro and huge hug. He had impeccable timing.
"What?" demanded the octopus.
Zoro grinned fiercely. "Why don't you play with me instead?" I found myself sniggering again at the wording. Oooh, seemed like Zoro had an interest in the octopus fishman!
"NYU! Roronoa Zoro! That's right, I forgot! How dare you deceive me before!" And before I could make another innuendo about the pair, Zoro was entangled in his own fight.
"G-good, Zoro," stammered Usopp with relief. "I'll let you deal with that Octopus. Nice work." AND THEN HE LET GO WHILE I WAS STILL HOLDING ON.
"YOU ASSHOOOOOLE!" I screamed as I was shot back to Luffy's feet, Usopp's startled shout trailing after me.
"CRAP! I ACCIDENTALLY LET GO!"
However, what waited for us at the end was not Luffy's feet, but the feminine-looking fish man and the pink fishman with the black wave tattoo.
I collided into both of them rather heavily, sending them tumbling to the ground, and I breathed a sigh of relief as Luffy and I straightened back up.
"Darn it, I'm back," Luffy said in disappointment, flopping back to his feet.
The fishmen got back up angrily, and I grinned sheepishly. "Uh…sorry?" I tried, but he only stood up, glaring murderously at me the entire time. I pointed hastily at Usopp. "U-uh, I blame him!"
"YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" Usopp gasped aloud in fear, his eyes bugging at the sight of the two fishmen. They eyed the both of us angrily, and I felt like it was better for the two of us to stop what we were doing and just freaking run.
"SORRY LUFFY WE GOTTA GO!" I screamed, letting go of Luffy and running as fast as I could, with Usopp right on my tail while he screamed aloud in horror.
The fishmen chased after us with vengeance. "Looks like you really do want to be killed by me!" the feminine-looking one roared, no longer looking feminine.
"Yeah! Taste our fury!" the other agreed, furious. He had a blue spot appearing above the tattoo on his forehead, and I realized with both horror and delight that it was in the shape of my footprint, from where I collided into him.
We raced through the front gate and the crowding villagers in a desperate attempt to get away, but when the fishmen stopped before the crowd, I hesitated. It looked like the fishmen were going to attack the helpless villagers.
Usopp tried to make a break for it while our opponents were distracted, but I snagged the back of his overalls.
"What was that for?!" he demanded fearfully, casting anxious glances at the fishmen as they began to threaten the villagers.
"We can't just leave them to tear apart the villagers!" I protested, and Usopp hesitated, unsure of what to do. It was clear that he didn't want to fight the villagers, but he also didn't want to fight against the fishmen. And I didn't blame him. I was having similar thoughts.
'To fight and maybe die? Or not fight and let others die?'
I stared at the villagers for a moment longer before I made up my mind. We needed to help Nami's people before they were destroyed, and damn the consequences. I caught Usopp's eye, and he nodded, a regretful look crossing over his face.
"It was nice knowing you!" he whimpered, reaching out to shake my hand, and I nodded solemnly in agreement as I shook the extended appendage. To our deaths!
"You too, Usopp-san!" I agreed with a swallow. And biting my lip, I picked up a rock, and slung it as hard as I could.
I brightened and punched a fist into the air when I saw it slam into the feminine fishman's face. "I hit him! Score!"
"Nice aim," Usopp remarked, eying the fishman.
"Hazel-aneki!" exclaimed Johnny and Yosaku in surprise from the front of the crowd.
"Your opponent is me!" I declared brashly, posing and flipping the bird at the menacing pair while Usopp cowered behind me. The coward. "Not the villagers! If you assholes weren't such morons, you'd remember that!"
Then I remembered how scary they were when they started to run after us again. "Fine, since you want to be killed so badly, allow us to make it quick!"
"AAAGGGGHHHH!" Usopp and I sprinted down the path, hoping that we'd be able to come up with a plan to stop them. They was seriously three times taller than us! And what kind of bastard chases after a thirteen-year-old girl and a seventeen-year-old boy with death threats?! That ain't right! And at the speed they were running with, I didn't even have enough time to use the axe I just picked up!
"Usopp, we can't keep running forever!" I gasped as we raced through the dirt paths, and Usopp nodded, panting as he tried to keep ahead of the fishmen. "We gotta split up!"
Usopp nodded in determination, and he nodding at the woods to my left. "Okay, on my mark, we split up!"
I gritted my teeth, and Usopp began to count.
"One…Two…Three! GO!" he shouted, and immediately we split up, Usopp heading towards some rice fields, and I running as fast as I could towards the forest.
I heard them skid to a stop behind us.
"Hey, what're they doing?!" exclaimed the pink one, and the feminine looking one shook his head in frustration.
"We gotta go after them!"
"Fine! I call the girl! She looks easier to beat!" the pink one exclaimed, and I squeaked aloud when I heard him crashing after me. "Come on out, little girl! I promise it won't hurt too bad once you're dead!" he called lazily, and the feminine one stomped his foot as we ran deeper into the woods.
"No fair, you lazy bastard! I wanted her!" And with an aggravated groan, he chased after Usopp.
I pushed my legs to keep running, ignoring the burning pain in my legs, but I heard the pink fishman gaining on me. I swallowed hard, fear coursing through my veins. This was it! He was going to catch me, and I was going to die! I could only pray that somebody would be able to stop this guy, but Sanji, Zoro, and Luffy were all the way at Arlong Park, and I didn't think Usopp was a match for the other fishman. So what now?!
That's when inspiration struck me.
I veered sharply to the left, heading deeper into the woods. I heard the fishman scramble to turn just as quickly, and while he was distracted, I clawed my way up a tree, using my tail as an extra hand to give me leverage.
He thundered down beneath me, not even bothering to look up, and I took a deep breath to reassure myself before standing and silently chasing after him through the branches of the trees.
Finally, he skidded to a stop, looking around wildly. "Where are you?!" I heard him demand loudly, and he turned just as I swung down, foot aimed at his face.
He crumbled with a shout, clutching at his nose, and I swung back into the branches, disappearing into the foliage. However, he was back up almost immediately, and I made a face. Dammit, he was tough! Tougher than Krieg's pirates! And not only that, I really needed to find a fighting style that suited me, especially since I was improvising right here with my limited knowledge of kicking.
I swung through the trees, circling around him, and he looked up, whirling around but unable to see me. "Stop fighting like a coward! I wanna get this over with so I can go back to sleep!" he shouted, only to be shoved face-first into the nearest trunk thanks to the kick I gave to the back of his head. However, he managed to grab a hold of my foot as I swung away from him, and I gasped when he pulled me from the branches and slammed me into the ground, hard.
Goddammit, that hurt! Y'know, there used to be a time when I thought pink was a stupid color, but I was beginning to think that I might have to revise my opinion on that. Especially if I was going to get my ass handed to me by a guy whose skin was literally pink.
I groaned in pain, pushing myself upright, and my eyes widened when I saw him looming over me. Quickly, I rolled to the side, but his pink fist managed to clip the side of my head. I scrabbled away from him and back up into the trees, but it was hard going because my head decided to be an asshole and start spinning like a whirlpool. Once I was high enough from him, I massaged my aching head and paused when an idea struck my whirling mind.
Confidence rushed back into me in waves, and I grinned wickedly.
The pink fishman spun slowly in search of me, and turned just in time to get a branch snapping back into his face. He tumbled once, twice, before colliding harshly with another tree trunk. And with that, he was out cold.
I sighed, relaxing, before sprawling out on the branch I was balancing on as I tried to get my bearings back. I wasn't sure that my plan would work, but I was glad it did. I guess pulling back branches and letting them whip out hurt a lot more than most people thought it did. But was it really that easy to take him out?! It seemed almost unrealistic how quickly he got knocked out.
So, just to be safe, I climbed down and cautiously approached the fishman, grabbing the double-edged axe on my back and clutching at the wood handle the nearer I got to him. I raised it above my head, my arms shaking a little as I steadied the weapon…
The fishman's eyes snapped open. "Hey! That hur -!"
"AUGH!" I swung the axe down, more out of fright than what I originally intended, but it worked. The flat side of the axe slammed against the Fishman's temple, and he sagged again, out like a light.
Just to be on the safe side, I pounded my new weapon against his head a few more times before drooping, leaning against a nearby tree and giggling hysterically at the elated feeling that sprang up inside of me.
"I did it," I breathed, feeling exhausted but triumphant all at once. "I did it! I beat a fishman! All by myself -!" I staggered as my head throbbed, and looked back up at the branches above me.
"Maybe it'll be okay if I take a quick nap," I mumbled, climbing up a nearby tree, and making sure it was a safe enough distance from the unconscious fishman, I dozed off on a branch, my tail swinging gently in the wind as I quickly lost myself in sleep.
And there we go! One more chapter until the end of the Arlong arc! Hope ya'll enjoyed it! And, as a side note, I suck at writing action scenes. So if you know of any way to make them better, please, let me know. Because it's one of the things that I'm really back at writing. That, and stuff with feelings (shudders).
*The fishman that Hazel fights? Yeah, he's actually in the Arlong arc according to the One Piece databooks. But he's pretty forgettable, so here's a little more information: His name is Shioyaki (塩焼き or シオヤキ) which means "salt-burned" or officially, "broiled with salt." He wears a green yukata with red flowers, a purple/blue sash, has curly brown hair, and is a Salmon Fishman. He's a member of Arlong's crew and the head of banquets (whatever that means). Originally, he was taken out by Luffy's windmill attack with Mohmoo, so that's why nobody ever remembers him. Supposedly, he has a strong hatred for humans, but so does everybody else on that crew (except for Hachi).
As always, remember to review, comment, give criticism, and whatnot!
Posted: 2/23/14, 10:40 PM
Edited: 2/24/14, 9:33 PM