"Live your life to the fullest and don't be afraid. All the best things in life come when you're out of your comfort zone , and everything worth doing is scary at first..."

Danny "Sexbang" Avidan

OUR RESOLUTION

Chapter 11: Worth More Than Ever
The Shells Town Arc (January 19th)

Arlana thinks back to what her father told her before she had left for collage, when she wasn't sure of what she was doing or where she was going. Even back then, Arlana was never sure of herself and very much unlike her brother, she held no confidence in the choices she made. Constantly, she would be on the phone whenever she had her doubts with one of her parents but it was always her father who would offer up the most silly sounding advice.

"Do what you think is right, that way, you're never wrong!"

It never made sense to her and even now, after almost 7 years since leaving the house (her home), she still wasn't quite sure what he meant by that. And why she is remembering it now, as the young woman races through the cold stony halls of the 153rd Branch, was a mystery as well.

...Maybe...if she gets back home...she'll sit down and talk with him.

"Why do you gotta say those weird things?"

"Ahhahahaha, it just runs in the family!"

If she survives this whole ordeal.

Arlana still remembers where the office was the night she had been caught by Helmeppo, it was pretty easy to get to, even for her and her lousy sense of direction. From the stairs that lead up to the 6th floor, it was simply down the hall then to the left at the very end. It was hard to miss the large sturdy double doors, far grander than the rest of the base itself. All she had to do was to get into the office and grab the documents that proved Morgan was stealing from the townsfolk. After that, she'd wait for Luffy at the 4th floor to take him to Helmeppo's room, just like they planned.

"Neh, the office?"

"Yeah."

He tilts his head at her, brow raised at her flat yet flushed expression as he folded his arms loosely at his chest, "Why do you gotta go there for, huh?"

They really didn't have time to be talking about this, the others would noticed she was missing anytime now and would know something was up, "I'll explain everything later, I promise, but there is something important inside I need to get. Just wait a few minutes before heading up to the roof and remember to meet me on the 4th floor. We don't exactly have time as a luxury..."

Apparently, what she needed from the office wasn't important enough to him (thankfully) as he grins at her, laughing in that peculiar way he did, "Alright, since you did say you'd help me get back Zoro's sword. I'll meet you there, Arely!"

"Arlana, you brat, it's Arlana!"

She was booking it as fast as she could through the base, ignoring the looks and shouts and whispers and- oh God, it felt like her heart was going to burst out of her chest. It was nearly painful, each lungful of air was burning and her head was spinning. Of course, Arlana was terrified right now because she didn't know what was going to happen next (and the unknown, she knows from experience, is quite scary). Up until a few weeks ago, she had a very normal life going on. Arlana had a couple of good friends she would spent time with outside of work, her job was okay (well...not the best paying job but it's still better than no income), she had a quiet little apartment outside of the city.

And she had her family.

I never got to tell them goodbye even...

Arlana feels the bitter heaviness of regret settling into her stomach suddenly and she barely feels her fingers digging into her palms.

Thankfully, the 6th floor was practically empty though with everyone's reaction from the previous floors, it probably wouldn't be for much longer. She was so close and yet, the doors felt so far away. Would she even get there in time before Luffy got to the roof? No, there was no time to worry about that, she just had to put her focus into getting to the-

"Arlana?"

Hilm looked utterly confused and a bit concerned as she rounded the corner, the large doors to the office just in sight. She realizes that she probably looked like an utter mess, being tied up for 3 days with little to no food or sleep didn't help anyone, but having to run through and up several floors probably didn't help her out either. Her hair was partly up in her bun, loose hairs dangling down and around her face and shoulders, clothes disheveled and dirty. Her face flushed and slick with sweat as her eyes stared up at him with the reminiscence of panic from earlier. Yes, she definitely didn't look all to well right now, "H-Hilm...?" Wasn't he suppose to be up on the roof helping with the project? What was he doing on this floor?

He doesn't move from his spot in the middle of the hallway, simply staring at her confused and concerned. Somewhere in the back of her mind though, she felt as though something was off with him. He looked...tired, more so than usual, "What's going on? Why are you-?"

"Hilm, please!" She quickly interjects and there is no hiding the sounds of panic from her own, the look of desperation in her eyes because he was one of the few people she didn't want to run into, "I have to get to the office. I'll explain everything later but I don't have much time." His brows furrowed a little and Arlana knew that had perked up his interest.

"Why?" He asks, still unmoving which frustrated her a bit. Why couldn't he trust her?

Why can't you trust them?

"Hilm, I-"

"Arlana." He speaks clearly and the only blessing in this encounter is the fact she has a moment to catch her breath. The other Marines would no doubt be on their way soon and she had neither the skill nor energy to push past them at this point, "Ever since the first day we met, I could tell something was different about you from the others."

That gave her pause and a part of her was afraid of what he meant by that, "What...do you mean?"

"You aren't actually a Marine, are you?"

She felt her heart drop and her body stiffens, fear clenching tightly to her as his brows furrowed. Was that why he was in the hall, standing in the middle and blocking her path from the office? Her hands clenched tightly as her jaw sets, teeth gritting, "Hilm, please...there is a lot to explain that I don't have time for but...I'll explain everything to you and to Chlothar..."

He sighs at her, looking so tired, "How could you lie to us like that, Arlana? I thought we were friends?"

"To be fair, its not exactly that I didn't trust you but you have to understand that I couldn't exactly tell anyone that I was never a Marine to begin with..." There's no point in hiding it now if he's figured it out but...as reasonable as it was to her, it still hurt she kept such a big secret from them, "I was planning on leaving...but I had nothing on me...so when I was caught, the first thing that came to mind was to pretend I was a Marine. I just...I was scared..." Was now really the time to be having this conversation though? She could already hear the commotion going on up the roof (which means she has even less time to find those documents) and the sounds of shouting going on outside. They probably now know she escaped from the execution yard...but she couldn't will herself to move away from him, "There was no other motive than to survive...I don't have a home here."

Because mine is miles away...

"...You thought we would rat you out if you told us the truth?"

"Well..." It sounded like a bad thing on her part the way he worded it but truthfully, she didn't think they would tell anyone that, "No...I know you would never do that..."

"Then...why?"

There was no real reason to not trust them than simply out of fear. It was simply safer for Arlana to not risk anyone knowing, as much as it tore her inside. That's why she had those conversations with Zoro, who was simply good company, rather than anyone in the Marines. Because while she knew neither of them would tell anyone, because they would understand the same...it was her fear that kept her silent, "I have no good reason, Hilm...I'm sorry...I'm a pretty lousy friend, aren't I?"

It was too late to get the documents now, Luffy would be heading to the 4th floor by now with hopefully the key in hand. She still had to fulfill her end of the agreement, even if her purpose in getting Luffy's help had failed. She doesn't wait for Hilm's answer before turning to leave, hearing her name being called out as she rushes through the halls.

This is what happens when I don't play by the rules, isn't it?

Maybe if she listened to what she had been told, she wouldn't of been in this situation. Arlana doubted that neither of the twins or Shio and the kitchen crew would remain her friends after this. Maybe if she listened, she could have still found a way to get back home while still maintaining the one thing that kept her sane in this whole messed up situation.

Instead, she was back to square one with even less than what she had to begin with.

Arlana couldn't say she was surprised to find Helmeppo nearly unconscious whilst being dragged around by Luffy. That experience would probably knock just about anyone out.

Just as she promised though, the former Marine guided Luffy through the twists and turns of the hallway, avoiding the patrolmen most likely searching for her. Once they got to the room, she took the key from the Olive-head's person and unlocked the door, "Shishishi, thanks a lot for the help! We got here in no time."

"I told you I knew where the room was..." She grumbles as she steps into the room, looking around with a frown, "Huh, why does this room seem familiar?"

"Hey, which one is Zoro's sword?" Arlana looks over to see three katana-styled weapons resting against a wall near an elegant chair. While two of them seemed rather plain, the ones in the black scabbards , it was the white one resting in the middle that drew the most attention. It wasn't anything fancy either, the scabbards was a simple white color with no design and the hilt above the circular hand-guard had a diamond design running along the front and back from the wrapping's around the hilt. And while Arlana couldn't see what the blade looked like, there was no doubt in her mind that this was a magnificent sword.

Wait, isn't this...

"Wado Ichimoji..."

"Huh?" Luffy asked as he turned to look at her. She scowls a bit as she turns to head out the door.

"Nevermind, just grab all three and let's head back outside. No doubt they knew I'm gone by now so they'll be looking for the both of us."

The boy laughs as he grabs a cloth from the bed to tie the swords to his back, "Zoro has no choice now than to become part of my crew! Thanks a lot for the help, Arely!"

"It's- Oh, fucking forget it..."

They race through the hallways to get back to the execution yard, taking the exit through the kitchen which thankfully, no one was in. As they rounded the corner to enter the yard, they were greeted with the sight of Zoro and a pink haired boy fearfully looking down the barrels of the guns a line of Marines held a few feet away. A cold sweat broke though Arlana as she pauses momentarily at the sight, "Zoro!"

"Coby!" Luffy doesn't stop running for his friend and she could feel her own feet booking it towards the two as everything fell into slow motion. The aiming of their rifles, the way they two flinched and turned their head to face away from their inevitable demise, Luffy just jumping in front of them with his arms spread wide to shield the two as bullets flew at them. Even Arlana, for some reason beyond her, stood in-between the two and Luffy but she shuts her eyes at the last second.

I never got to tell you something very important, my dear brother...

"Come play catch with me, sis!"

Pim...I'm-

Arlana waits for the impact of bullets or even just the feeling of warm blood splashing onto her as the bullet's tore through Luffy's body but...it never came and instead, a tense silence filled the yard. Slowly, she opens her eyes and yelps as she sees the unnatural way Luffy's body stretches from the impact of the bullets, unable to break through his skin. They fly back towards the Marines who shot at them at surprising speeds as the boy does nothing more than laugh at their efforts to kill them, "It's no use!"

"What the actual-?!"

"What kind of human are you?!" Zoro spits out of anger and shock while the boy laying on the ground just tears up out of relief they were live.

Arlana just feels like she's having a heart attack.

After this, I'm bloody well taking a Goddamn vacation!

Luffy turns around to grin at the fuming swordsman, "I'm the one who will become the Pirate King!"

With a sigh, Arlana stands up and brushes herself off as Luffy gleefully shows Zoro he managed to retrieve his swords, "Hey kid, you okay?"

"I thought I was gonna die..."

"Heh, you and me both, kid..." She helps him up and looks him over, he certainly seemed like a small kid. How and why he was following Luffy around was a mystery, "Just stay back for now, okay?" He stares up at her in confusion and it dawns on her that he doesn't know she's not a Marine, the sight of someone like her helping out Luffy must be confusing to him, "I'll uh...explain everything later when we aren't going to die."

"Oh, r-right..."

She turns her attention back to Luffy conversing with Zoro, easily convincing him to join his crew one he points out the only two options the man has. Either stay and follow their orders which would lead to his death or accept the position on Luffy's crew in hopes (more like confirmation) of survival. It wasn't a hard choice since either way, the Government and Marines would view Zoro in a negative light after this whole ordeal was over. Arlana smiles a bit, feeling relieved that the swordsman had that fire back in him that felt as though was missing during his nights tied to that damn post. Even though she wasn't certain if they were going to make it or not, she felt a sense of relief melt part of her tension away.

But what am I gonna do after all this is over?

As Luffy goes to unite Zoro, however, the Marines seem to snap back to attention to the situation and some withdraw their swords to charge straight towards them, "Ah shit!"

"Hurry up and untie me!"

"Ugh, these knots are too tight..." Did this idiot not realize how much danger they were in? While it seemed the blunt force of the bullets were going to be useless against him, she was certain the sharp edge of a blade would null whatever sort of elastic properties Luffy had displayed. Coby hurries over to try and untie Zoro's other arm, both boys frantically trying to undo the tight knots around the swordsman's arms. Arlana looks to the katanas discarded next to Luffy and has a bright idea.

She quickly picks up one of the swords, surprised by how heavy it felt in her hands and wondered how on earth Zoro manages to weild one in his mouth. And he called her idea ridiculous, "Guys, stand back!" She unsheathes one of the black scabbard weapons and has to use two hands to swing up under one of the posts, cutting through the rope like it was butter. She didn't want to end up hurting Zoro so she thought that cutting the rope under the post was a safer bet. And it had been good timing too.

Zoro immediately grabs the sword from Arlana, ripping it from her hands which causes her to tumble to the dirt. In a matter of seconds, there had been rings of steel cutting through the tense air and the clashing of swords before...silence. As her heart hammered hard hard against her chest, she flips around to see him holding back eight men with a solid stance. Arlana couldn't help but to feel amazed by the sheer strength he possessed and after having been starved for nearly 3 weeks. His aura was terrifying as it was awe-inspiring, "You move...and I'll kill you..."

That was definitely no idle threat either, they all knew that.

How is he speaking so clearly with a sword in his mouth? He must have very good- NO DON'T BE THINKING OF THAT AT A TIME LIKE THIS!

His steady and harsh gaze turns to Luffy standing in front of him and Arlana feels like she's witnessing history in the making, "I already told you I'd become a pirate...either way, after this incident with the Marines, I'll be seen as an outlaw too." He doesn't sound like he regrets his choices, even though it meant his life is going to change quite a bit as the result, "But hear this, I have a dream to achieve! I'm going to be the world's greatest swordsman! I no longer care if my name is clean or not. My name might become infamous...but it's gonna shake the heavens!"

"You just have to believe in what you're doing and remember the reason why you're going through with this..."

He really does hold strong to his convictions, believing in what might seem impossible to some and not caring what other might say about him. He doesn't fear his path and instead, faces it head on. But that was what probably scared her most about him...because in death, he'll show no fear.

Even if it meant losing that dream forever.

"If you do something that ends up in the way of my goal, you'll have to cut your stomach open to say sorry!"

"Zoro!" Okay, that might be taking it a bit far but at least Luffy only laughs off the threat.

"The world's greatest swordsman? That's great! And it's fitting since your new Captain is gonna be the King of Pirates. If you can't accomplish something that small than it would make me look bad!"

She really doesn't get these people, even as Zoro grins at what sounds like an insult to her, "Well said!"

It was then she finally took notice of the large man standing off a few feet away behind them as his voice booms angrily across the way, "What are you guys standing around for? Hurry up and finish them off!"

She's never seen someone to frightening, like something out of Frankenstein. His lower jaw was made of chunky metal with the marine logo etched onto the chin, bronzed skin stretched over thick cords of muscle but the most scary thing about him was the large axe that seemed to sloppily replace his forearm. Where the elbow was, a portion of the handle stuck out further, enough room to grab hold of and Arlana could easily picture how powerful his swings could be if he decided to use it to increase the might of his attacks.

This was Captain Axe-Hand Morgan.

So it really wasn't just a name, he does have a hand for an axe!

It now made her realize why the Marines were so afraid of this guy.

"Zoro, Arely! Duck!"

She didn't get much of a chance to actually duck herself but she's thankful Zoro pushed her down instead, she had been frozen in fear at the sight of Morgan that she didn't think she would of been able to do so herself. Luffy had reared back his leg and whips it forward, foot flying over their heads as his shin makes contact with the Marines to send them tumbling away from the four of them, "Gum-Gum Whip!"

"Wow, incredible!" Coby doesn't seem very surprised by Luffy's feet...I mean, feat, which probably means he's seen him in action already.

"What in the devil are you?" Arlana grumbles as she stands up with Zoro who takes his sword out of his mouth, obvious curious of the shame question as well.

"I am a Rubber-Man!" He grins, lifting his leg as if to prove a point. As dumb as it sounded, it certainly gave the Marines a cause for fear. Not only someone who had some sort of bizarre ability no one has ever seen before but to top it off, they had the Demon of East Blue in their mist as well.

"A Rubber-Man?!"

"Captain, we can't kill these two!"

"They're too strong..."

"And the Pirate Hunter at the same time!"

These two were a picture of badassary if Arlana ever saw one.

However, the shining moment would be halted by the commands of a certain individual that scared them more than Luffy or Zoro could ever, "This is an order...all you cowards who were whining just now...get a gun and shoot yourselves."

"Wh...What?" Arlana gasps as she scrambles to her feet, seeing the paling faces around the man and the raw fear in their eyes as their hands shook. Were they really going to kill themselves just because he told them to? What was the point in becoming a defender for people if they were just going to throw away their lives for some greedy bastard?

What are you afraid of?

Arlana was rooted to the spot, her legs shook as she watched many of them begin to lift their guns up. They were really going to die? She...she couldn't. But why? There were many faces she recognized, including one that made her heart stop. Chlothar never looked so scared in his life and Arlana has never been so terrified either. She was going to lose a friend by some asshole's order because he spoke out of recognition that there was a stronger power at play right now.

What ends up being more important to you?

She can't find her voice, it was held back by a lump that couldn't clear away.

"I don't need useless soldiers! That's an order!"

Your life?

"Arlana, wait!" Zoro calls out as she begins to run past the fallen Marines, just missing grabbing onto the back of her shirt. Her eyes stung and mind raced, she wasn't thinking about what she was doing or what was going to happen to her. Arlana was not going to lose any of them, she wouldn't be able to bear that pain. Even Luffy seemed shocked by her sudden action and Coby cried out for her to stop because he too knew what might happen to her if she interfered with Morgan.

He was going to kill her, without a doubt.

Your dream?

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Arlana suddenly sprung forth to tackle the closest Marine to her, which just so happened to be Hilm's brother, as she cried out for them to stop, "ENOUGH!" The gun flew out of his hands and everyone seemed to snap back into focus though the barrels were still trained on their temples. Arlana reels back her hand to punch him hard in the side of the face, gripping onto the front of his shirt with a shaking hand. No one moved or spoke a word, surprised by her actions as she straddled Chlothar's chest, her own rising heavily in panting breaths, "You...you damn jerk. Scaring me like that..."

"A-Arla?"

She lifts her head up to glare at his stunned expression, tears running down her cheeks as she spoke heatedly through gritted teeth, "What the hell were you thinking? Why would you do something so stupid? I thought you were a damn Marine!" Of course, he had no answer to that. None of them did but she still understood their reasons. It didn't make it right. She finally turns her look up towards the one responsible, the one who was glaring down at her with a hand clenched tight in rage, "Your dreams...your purpose...do those mean nothing to you people? Why would you throw away your lives to someone like him?"

"Why you little-!"

Arlana stands up, feeling her fears fading in the face of the force that dared tried to take away the people she scared about, "Being a Marine isn't about following orders, it's not about being afraid of danger...it's about fighting for the freedom of those who can't do so themselves!"

Your purpose?

Even as the man pushed away past people to get towards her, she felt...strong. Death was the furthest thing from her mind.

Especially since she knew Luffy wasn't just going to stand around and watch her get creamed.

Morgan was stopped as Luffy suddenly rushed towards him and threw a swing at him, having to guard against the attack. Arlana looks down at Chlothar who had propped himself up onto his elbows, she could see the guilty look in his eyes as she holds out a hand to help him up, "...Next time you do something like that, I'll kill you myself..."

"Ha, yeah. Sorry about that, Princess..." He blinks, realizing an important detail, "Wait, what are you doing? What's going on?"

"Huh, you haven't heard?" Arlana grins, "We're gonna take down Axe-Hand Morgan."

What is worth risking everything for, in the end?

Alright so I know it's been a long time since the last chapter but I unfortunately had several health problems that happened...several times in a row. 2019 better pick up soon because my God, I'm still hacking and sniffling as I'm typing this (so sorry if this chapter isn't very good, my head is still stuffed but I'm anxious that its been a long time). Also, I recently got into "That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime" and I finished catching up on both the anime and manga. I quite enjoy it! I also finished watching "Goblin Slayer" and damn, it felt so inspirational.

Thank you to everyone so far for their support for this story and hopefully, I don't have any more issues with getting bloody well sick! I've also been thinking of, perhaps (I just don't know where) I could start posting up snippets (short stories) from my own original story that I've been working on for a bit under 20 years (I began it when I was 7 and it's evolved a lot since then). If you enjoy stories of good old fantasy (you know, dragons and kingdoms and other worldly stuff happening) then let me know and also maybe suggest a good place to post up my original content! I might even give small introductions in the A/N about some of the more key (and my utter favorite) characters...i-if you guys want that is...

Fun Fact: My youngest brother (I have 2) is named Morgan. As well, Axe-Hand and I share the same birthday (April 13th)...unfortunately.

Another Fun Fact: There is no clear difference between a "sheath" and a "scabbard" though (through what I've read) people tend to either agree a sheath is for smaller bladed weapons while scabbards are for larger bladed weapons. Just as commonly, people use sheath as an umbrella term and that a scabbard is meant for bladed weapons, just like a holster is for guns.

With much love,

K.B.