One Piece belongs to Oda.
…
…
Taking in a Stray Cat: Chapter 10
As the Super 10,000 Sunny II rocketed through the ocean waters at a frightening speed; Nami could only continue to hold onto Zoro's midsection as if it was her only lifeline keeping her from flying overboard at any moment. What she was experiencing at this moment was truly terrifying, and it was only made worse by the sounds of the ship smashing through rocks in its path. Despite the spotlights that were towards the bow of the ship illuminating their path in the dark of the early morning, the ships unbelievable speed made it hard to control and Franky was having a hard time avoiding the obstacles in the water. Nami could only cringe at the sound of each thud against the ship's hull. The only reassuring thing she had to rely on is the calm nature of the swordsman that seemed completely unfazed by impending danger.
"Oi… Fran… Franky!" Usopp called from his seat with a shaky voice. "Can you… try… try avoiding a couple of those rocks?"
"Ow! Easier said than done long-nose! But if you want to give it a shot you can be my guest!" The cyborg responded while just turning the helm in time to miss another large rock.
"No way!" The sniper protested.
"Franky-san, is the ship capable of handling this much punishment?" Brook asked from his own seat, while trying to hold his hat onto the top of his head. "I would hate to die so young… although I am already dead! Yohohoho..!"
"Don't worry about a thing, I built this ship SUPER tough!" Franky proclaimed confidently.
"Although at these speeds if we do hit something hard enough the entire ship would probably break apart." Robin spoke up. "But we would all most likely have all of our bones crushed when we impact the water, except for Senchou*-san of course because his bones are made of rubber, so our deaths would be quick, he would of course drown though."
Everyone stared at Robin in horror at her comments, not being able to avoid having gruesome images flash in their minds… but they were all brought back to reality by the sound of another crunch against the hull.
"AHHHH!" Usopp, Chopper, and Brook all screamed in unison, causing Nami to clench Zoro's midsection tighter, getting a grunt from him in response, while Sanji cursed at Franky to pay better attention, and Luffy only laughed excitedly while holding his own hat on-top of his head as best he could.
"WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!" Chopper cried out. "PLEASE FRANKY, SLOW DOWN!"
"No can do Doctor-Bro! The jets will burn until they're out of fuel! And the tanks were full before we left Kuraigana Island… They should burn for at least three full hours!" The shipwright explained, and even though he had confidence in his own ship, some concern was evident on his face.
"Oi! Didn't you put in some kind of fuel shut off, you shitty-robot?" Sanji cursed at him.
"Well… I kinda finished this in a hurry, so there were a few details I kinda forgot. It is a proto-type after all." A sheepish blush formed on Franky's face at his admittance. "If only we had a SUPER-navigator on board, maybe they would be able to handle this type of thing?"
All eyes instinctively fell on Nami. She could only stare back at each member of the crew and shake her head in protest and fear. Sure she was a great navigator, she would have had to have been to make it this far out into the Grand-Line by herself, but this was something different altogether. They were asking her to take control and to get them through this safely. They were asking her to take all of their lives into her hands. She didn't know if she was ready to carry the weight of that responsibility.
"Come on Nami! We know you can do it!" Luffy screamed from the bow of the ship. "We trust you!"
"No… I… I can't…" The mikan-head tried to weakly protest… but the protest was in vain, as she found herself already being moved towards the helm, one step at a time against the force of the ship's momentum, with the help of the swordsman. Before she even realized it she was standing in-front of the stainless-steal wheel, after Franky had quickly stepped aside to let her take his place. She noticed that it seemed to be calmer at the helm as a thick glass shield protected her from the winds, but despite the calm, her body was shaking with panic as thoughts of making just a simple mistake could cost all of them their lives. Her breathing was erratic and she felt like she could faint at any moment, until she felt strong arms from behind her grab each of her arms, and direct them towards the wheel.
"You don't have to carry the weight alone." Zoro's voice spoke into her ear, causing her to hitch her breath for a moment. "Our lives are in your hands, but yours is also in all of ours. If you need something from any of us, just say so. That's what being in a crew is about. Trusting others to do what you can't. We trust you Nami, now trust us. Luffy has given you command of the ship. Now what do you need?"
Nami took a quick glance at Zoro, to see the unwavering confidence in his face, then to some of the other members of the crew; with exception of Usopp and Chopper who were terrified, everyone else had the same confidence on their faces that Zoro had, well… except for Brook, he had no face to have an expression on (Yohohoho!).
~~~~Start up that beautiful opening theme: "We Are*!"~~~~
Nami gripped the wheel firmly, but comfortably, as confidence started to build in her as well. She took another quick glance at Zoro to show him a grateful smile before yelling out "Usopp!" The sharp-shooter looked surprised at her calling out his name, wondering what she had in store for him. "You have the best eyes right?"
"Uh… yea… yeah..!" He answered with nervousness.
"Put your goggles on and get up on the bow with Luffy! I want you to call out to me if anything floats into our path so I can have more reaction time!" Nami commanded with authority.
Usopp's jaw dropped in pure horror from Nami's request. "No… no… no way! I got the if-I-get-up-on-that-bow-I'll…"
"Luffy! Make sure to hold onto Usopp so he doesn't fall off no matter what okay!" Nami cut off the long-nose's complaints, paying them no mind at all.
"Yosh!" The captain responded simply, stretching his arm out to pluck Usopp from his chair and to drag him to the bow while Usopp could only scream in terror.
"Franky! You stick close in case anything goes wrong and you might need to fix it quickly!"
"Ow! Sure thing Nami-sis! You can SUPER count on me!" Franky proclaimed, striking his signature pose.
"Zoro! You stay right behind me in case I need your strength to turn the helm against the force of the waves..! And because I want your support." She spoke the last part quietly to herself, but Zoro must have heard, or at least sensed her feelings on the matter because he leaned in close to her ear to let a simple "Hmph…" to confirm he understood.
"Everyone else! Just hold on tight! I'll get us through this, and anything else that is put in front of us!"
"Aye!" The rest of the crew confirmed with vigorous voices.
As the Super 10,000 Sunny II continued to tear through the waters at astounding speeds; everyone could only look on amazed at the level of skill that Nami was navigating them through the waters, even despite the sun not have risen yet. She was able to use her intellect to calculate exactly when to turn the helm based off the speed they were going as she caught sight of the rocks to avoid them within centimeters. Occasionally Usopp would call out one that she hadn't seen at first, but for the most part she rarely needed his help.
Nami too was amazed, not by her own skills, but by how she was feeling at the very moment. Her heart was racing, her fingers were numb, and she was absolutely terrified… but she was also excited. As the adrenaline pumped through her body, she couldn't fight the thrilled smile that over took her face. There was still no substitute for a wooden ship powered only be wind and sails, but this was something different altogether. Commanding a ship at these speeds gave her a sense of power like she had never felt before; it was truly intoxicating. As they continued to speed off into the rising sun, she felt like she was in true command of the entire ocean beneath her.
"Oi!" Usopp's voice drew everyone's attention. "I see a small ship up-ahead!"
Nami squinted her eyes to see what the sharp-shooter was referring to; it was still quite a ways in the distance, but it looked no bigger than a small wooden fishing boat.
"I can see a pirate mark on it!" Usopp continued. "It looks like the Bellamy Pirates!"
"Oh really?" Nami said as an evil smile formed on her face and she turned the helm directly towards the small ship.
"Oi… Oi Nami!" Usopp called again. "You're heading directly towards them, if you stay on this course we'll going to tear right through them…"
Nami said nothing as the rest of the crew looked at her expectantly, her evil smile only increased in size as the small-ship grew rapidly closer. Two men in the other ship stood on the deck, desperately waving their arms, hoping Nami would see them and change her course, and see them she did, but her course remained the same. The men on the small vessel had barely enough time to jump into the ocean as the Super 10,000 Sunny II smashed right through its broad side, leaving nothing but splinters in the wake.
The mikan-head laughed maniacally at her handy-work; getting smirks of approval from Zoro, Sanji, Robin, and Franky, hysterical laughter from Luffy, and looks of terror from Usopp and Chopper, as for Brook… it was still impossible to tell (Yohohoho!).
"I get the feeling that Nami is even scarier than the monsters we already have on the crew." Usopp mumbled to himself, as his eyes went back out to the ocean to continue the task that had been given him. The last thing he wanted to do was get on her bad-side after witnessing that.
"Ow! That is one SUPER find you have there, Swords-bro! Way to go!" Franky exclaimed to the younger man, while referring to Nami.
Nami was just about to turn towards the cyborg and curse him out for referring to her like she was an object or something, but she was stopped by a reassuring hand being placed on her shoulder.
"Yes, she is quite a find." Zoro whispered into her ear, causing a smile to form on her face, before he removed his hand and let her get back to her duty as navigator.
-0-0-0-0-
Several hours had passed by since the jets had run out of fuel, and Nami had left the helm of the ship in Franky's hands. Even without the jets the ship was still quite fast, but nothing anyone with a little common sense in navigating couldn't handle, and they were still making good time. After one run in with a fairly good size storm that Nami had expertly navigated them through with the help of her ability to predict weather patterns, she was confident that Franky would be fine for a while. But she would remain alert in case her skills would be needed again.
Robin had explained to everyone that she and Franky had already made plans to dock at an island by nightfall to restock on supplies and jet-fuel, but until then everyone should take the time to rest. With the exception of Franky at the helm, and Sanji in the kitchen preparing a snack for everyone, the rest of the crew found themselves below deck in a sitting room. Nami could only watch, a little uneasy, as Luffy, Chopper, and Brook entertained each other with songs and dancing, while Zoro slept on a nearby couch, Usopp seemed to be fiddling with something in the corner, and Robin read a book quietly.
The mikan-head let out a sigh that she had been holding in for a while as she continued to watch everyone, and as thoughts of her village and worries about whether they would make it in time continued to pool in her mind.
"Is something the matter Navigator-san? You seem quite uneasy." Robin asked the younger woman without ever removing her eyes from her book.
"It's nothing Robin. I just can't believe how calm everyone is." Nami spoke softly.
Robin put her book down to give Nami her full attention. "I guess that is just how this crew is. We keep things pretty light around here, and we all have our own way of getting prepared for what comes next. But you have nothing to worry about Nami. When the time comes for everyone to get serious, it usually ends up a bad day for those who see that serious side."
Nami took notice of Robin's dark smile and could only nod her head to confirm that she understood what the older woman meant. She had to admit that there was definitely more to this group than what most would think from first meeting them. And there was that undeniable trust that everyone put in each other that even she could see despite having only travelled with them for this very short time. She couldn't help but feel that Luffy must have been an amazing captain to have brought them all together like this.
"Oi Sanji!" Luffy screamed in a whiney tone. "I'm hungry!"
But after Luffy's outburst; Nami couldn't help but remember some of her concerns and doubts. Another sigh escaped her mouth, as Robin let out an amused chuckle before returning to her book. Nami didn't need to be told that the trust they had for each other was something that definitely was built over time.
-0-0-0-0-
The day eventually became night, and the crew had made port to restock on supplies just like they had planned. The restocking was easy due to Robin placing orders beforehand via a few phone calls, and everything being delivered to the docks for them. Since Luffy was told there was no reason to go onto the island, he immediately wanted to set sail again, but through the insistence of the majority of the crew that it would be better if they take the time to rest a little, they had remained at port for the last several hours.
This time the entire crew were all gathered in a designated dining area of the ship. They had all recently finished eating and Sanji was in the nearby kitchen cleaning the dishes, while Usopp was again in the corner tinkering with something, along with the help of Franky this time, and Zoro was leaning against a wall doing some light sword maintenance. The rest of the group was playing some harmless card games at the dining table and engaging in the occasional conversation. But the slight enjoyment of the card game wasn't enough for the energetic captain.
"I'm bored!" Luffy complained while dropping his cards onto the table with a pout. "Why can't we set sail now? We've been here forever. We were sailing in the dark earlier, why is it different now?"
"That was over twenty hours ago Luffy." Nami began to explain. "None of us have gotten any rest since then, besides maybe Zoro, it will be dangerous to continue to set sail under these conditions."
"Pfft…" Luffy stuttered his lips unamused at her explanation. "It's not like anyone can sleep anyway, even Zoro's wide awake and ready to go."
Nami turned towards the wall to look at the swordsman to confirm Luffy's statement, and he was indeed wide awake. His attention was solely on his blades as he continued to clean and polish them. He had in particular been polishing Wado Ichimonji for close to an hour now. Nami could tell he was getting anxious… everyone was. "I want to get back to my village as quickly as possible too, probably more so than anyone… but we should at least stay docked for a few more hours to get a little rest. Besides, there's a huge storm blowing in, and even though I'm confident in my ability as a navigator, I still don't want to try navigating through that in the dark."
Almost on cue the crew could hear rain starting to fall on the outside of ship. Some of the crew members couldn't help but still be in awe over Nami's ability to sense weather patterns and predict the severity of the storm, some even previously accused her of being a weather witch, but after she had displayed that ability earlier, they knew not to question her expertise on the matter… but that didn't mean they all had to be happy about it.
"Argh…" Luffy let out a defeated grown as he fell forward onto the table in front of him. "If we can't sail, and none of us can sleep, then what are we supposed to do…" suddenly the young captain sprung upwards as an idea popped into his head. "I know, you should tell us a story Nami."
The mikan-head was taken aback by his statement. "Why should I have to tell you a story?"
Luffy tilted his head to side like he was slightly confused by her question. "Because you're the newest member of the crew." He said it like it was the simplest of things.
"First off, I'm not a member of your crew, I'm just navigating for you guys until we get back to my village." Nami told him stubbornly. Sure she liked all of them, and she knew it would be fun to join them and sail the world together, but her village and her family came first. "Second, your logic doesn't make any sense."
"I believe what Senchou-san is trying to say: is that we all already know about each other, and I believe he is trying to say he wants to know more about you." Robin spoke up to clarify some of Luffy's intentions.
Nami glanced back at the rubber-man to see him smiling and nodding at Robin's explanation. "I don't… I don't know what I'm supposed to talk about. What do you guys want to know?" The mikan-head said sheepishly.
"I would like to know if I can see your panties! Yohohoho..!" Brook chimed in excitedly.
"Hell no!" Nami responded with a fist to his face, sending the skeleton several feet away from the table.
"Maybe you can tell us about your village, and our enemy." Robin's words were soft and quiet, but gauging by everyone in the rooms reactions, it was almost like she had screamed it. Everyone had stopped everything they were doing, almost like time itself had frozen: Sanji had stopped cleaning the dishes and was now leaning in the doorway separating the dining area from the kitchen. Franky and Usopp stopped their project, and had turned to face the group at the table, and Zoro now had Wado Ichimonji resting across his lap, his attention solely on the navigator.
Nami took a gulp of air, and she was already slightly regretting what she was about to do. Her right hand instinctively reached up to cover the tattoo on her left shoulder despite it being completely covered. She could feel all of the crew's eyes on her, and could hear that familiar voice in her head telling her not to tell them, but for the first time in a long time, she would ignore that voice. These people that she had only just recently met were willing to travel half way across the world to fight for her and her village, without promise of reward or anything, simply because they wanted to help her… the very least she could do was tell them why.
The mikan-head steeled her nerves and removed her hand from her shoulder, she no longer had anything to hide. She let out a deep breath to help build her resolve. "Well… I guess I should start at the beginning. It all started with my adoptive mother… Bell-mère…"
Nami went on to explain how Bell-mère had found her and Nojiko when they were young and brought them back to Cocoyasi Village. Despite not having much money she raised the two girls as her own, they struggled to make ends meet at times, but found ways to manage and were happy. Until the day Arlong came to their village.
Nami could remember the day clearly, she had a fight with Bell-mère, one that she still regretted even to this day: she was being selfish that day, as most young children are, wishing for things like new clothes instead of hand-me-downs, she told Bell-mère that they weren't a real family and she wished she had been adopted by rich people, getting a hard slap in the face for her remark. Nami could remember clearly the sadness and anger in Bell-mère's eyes, an anger that scared her into running away. But despite that justified anger and sadness, Bell-mère still went out of her way to try and show how much she loved Nami by making her favorite meal as an apology, and sending Nojiko to go find her. Unfortunately Nami would never get to eat that meal.
As Nami and Nojiko were about to return home, they had heard about pirates terrorizing the village. They had ran home as quickly as they could, only to find that the pirates had already made it to their house. They watched from the distance in horror as their mother was brutally beaten by Arlong, knowing the fishman could kill her at any moment. They were relieved when they heard that their mother could spare her own life is she paid the fishman 100,000 Beli, but saddened when they realized she wouldn't have enough to pay for either of them if that was the case. Nojiko had tried to convince Nami that it was for the best if the two of them just left, at least that way Bell-mère would survive, and she wouldn't have to worry about being poor anymore, but Bell-mère's next move would shock them both. She had told Arlong the 100,000 Beli was for her daughters, and not her own life. The girls would then soon watch their own mother brutally murdered in front of their eyes.
Upon inspection of the house; the Fishmen Pirates found a map that Nami had drew and decided to take her into their custody. Arlong was no fool, he knew that Nami, even despite being young, wouldn't agree to draw maps for him without a purpose, so he gave her the false hope that she could buy back her village for 100 Million Beli, essentially making Nami his slave but letting her believe it was through her own freewill. But in the end, he had no intentions of ever letting her or her village go…
The dining area was silent for a moment as Nami finished her story, even the sound of the rain had stopped, and the silence seemed to last forever, until it was abruptly broken by Franky's loud wailing "WHAAA-AHHH-AHHH! That's so sad Nami-sis!" Everyone in the room turned their attentions onto the large crying man whose emotions matched their own, but he was already crying enough for all of them. "Don't look at me you jerks! I'm not crying!" He tried to defend, waving a large arm at all of them, despite doing exactly the opposite of his words.
No one in the room could hide the smiles on their faces from the cyborg's antics, at times it was slightly disturbing to see a man that large cry, but other times his tears seemed to wash everyone's sadness away. But there was one exception in the group: Luffy, for once, wasn't smiling. The rubber-man slammed his hands on the table and abruptly stood to his feet. All eyes went to him, noticing the serious look on his face, despite his straw-hat covering his eyes. Luffy turned to face Franky, causing the larger man to instantly stop his tears. The atmosphere in the room completely changed. Everyone's sole attention was on Luffy, waiting for him to speak. "Franky, how much of that jet fuel do we have?" He asked with authority in his voice.
Franky wiped the last of his tears away with a tiny hand that popped out of his larger one. "The tank is completely full, and we have enough for two more full burns in the storage."
"Nami" Luffy turned his attention onto the mikan-head. "Now that the rain has stopped are you okay to navigate?"
Nami could only stare at the young-man for a moment in awe; despite not being able to use any Haki, even she could feel his aura at that moment… no, not just his aura, but the aura of everyone in the room. At that very moment their feelings were all connected in harmony, and she could feel every one of them: determination, confidence, and a fighting spirit unlike anything she had ever experienced in her entire life. She could feel these feelings, because they were overflowing from her too. "Yes." Her one word answer was all the crew needed to hear.
"Yosh!" Luffy exclaimed loudly. "Let's set sail!"
-0-0-0-0-
East Blue, Conomi Islands, Arlong Park:
Arlong and his most trusted officers had just heard of the arrival of Hody Jones, along with a several members of the New Fishman Pirates, and were on the way to go greet them. But not everyone was as excited by this meeting as Arlong was.
"Nyu… I don't know about this Arlong. Something don't feel right about these steroid things." Hatchan* the octopus fishman voiced his concerns to his leader. "Are you sure we can trust Hody?"
"Shahahahaha! What are you worried about Hachi*?" The captain of the Arlong pirates, Arlong himself, questioned his subordinate. "That runt Hody used to idolize me back on Fishman Island, I'm sure he'd never do anything to betray us or our cause. Plus the steroid will give us the strength to finally conquer all of the puny humans, and show them who the dominant species truly is on this planet. You're not getting soft on us are you?"
"I too have my doubts about using the Energy Steroid Arlong." Kuroobi spoke this time. "The Fishmen race is already far superior to the humans. It should be our own strength we use to crush them with, not the strength of some drug."
"Not all Fishmen are born equal, Chu…" Chew stated, ending his sentence in his signature kissing sound. "If they were all as strong as the four of us we wouldn't have to use the steroids, Chu. But the humans still outnumber us over 1,000 to 1, Chu. The steroid just tips the scale back into our favor."
"If you think your strength is enough than just don't take the steroid Kuroobi." Arlong told his subordinate with a grin. "Either way the time to finally crush the humans has arrived. With Hody's aid, first we will conquer the rest of East Blue, then the Grand-Line, and then eventually the New World and show every one of those lowly humans that we are the rightful rulers of this world. Shahahahaha! Shahahahaha!"
Hatchan said nothing more aloud and silently walked along with the others towards the exit, but he couldn't help but still feel a little guilty over the knowledge that Arlong was going to betray Nami and go back on his deal to sell her back the village. He even suspected that Arlong planned to massacre all the humans on the island once he was ready to move onto the Grand Line. But he didn't know what he was supposed to do. He honestly feared Arlong's strength, and this alliance with Hody Jones would only increase Arlong's strength even more. For now he would continue to follow Arlong, because it was better to be behind the devil, than in his path.
As the four fishmen pirates exited Arlong's palace they were met with the sight of a fairly large group of the other fishmen that belonged to the Arlong Pirates, as well Arlong's new ally; the great white shark fishman and captain of the New Fishmen Pirates Hody Jones.
Hody was accompanied by his hired bodyguard, Hyouzou, a poisonous blue-ringed octopus merman. Hyouzou was quite famous amongst the fishman as he was considered the greatest swordsman on Fishman Island. Arlong himself had once tried to recruit Hyouzou, but the octopus merman refused because Arlong wouldn't pay him enough. Besides being known for his skills and his greed, Hyouzou was also known for being a drunkard, made all the more evident as he sipped his alcohol out of his gourd bottle non-stop for all eyes to see.
Also accompanying Hody were several other fishman pirates, and a dagger-tooth pike conger fishman named Hammond: Hammond was only a very low level officer in Hody's New Fishman Pirates, and was usually given the task of watching the entrance to Fishman Island, but Hody had Hammond come along with them because he needed the rest of his men on Fishman Island to hold the fort, and since East Blue was the weakest of all the seas, Hody felt that Hammond would be enough to help delegate the meeting with Arlong.
"Shahahahaha!" Arlong bellowed as he approached Hody and his men. "Is that you Hody? I barely recognized you. You've grown into a fine fishman warrior. I look forward to seeing you show your proud fishman strength against the lowly humans. Shahahahaha!"
"Thank you Arlong." Hody responded as Arlong sat in a chair across from him. "You look well, considering the company you keep." Hody's latter remark was directed at Hatchan. Even since Hody was a young man, he didn't care for Hatchan and the fondness the Octopus Fishman had for humans. "Though Arlong, I am confused about something." Hody addressed the captain of the Arlong Pirates. "I saw several human villages as we circled the island. How is it you're able to live so closely to the human scum? Hopefully Hachi's weakness isn't spreading to you."
"Shahahahaha! Nothing of the sort Hody." Arlong responded confidently. "The humans on this island have merely been my meal ticket for the last 12 years. I extort these fools for their money so that the navy turns a blind eye to our operations. In the human world money can buy just about anything, but now that you're here I won't need these worthless humans anymore. Every single one of them is disposable, except for one. There is a certain human girl who has immeasurable talent when it comes to cartography and navigation. With her as my property, there won't be a sea that can't be conquered. Not even you will be able to deny her usefulness."
"Hmm…" Hody let out as he thought about what Arlong had just told him. "So where is this property of yours?"
"Tch…" Arlong let out a noise of displeasure. "It's impossible to tell right now. She's probably off somewhere robbing some poor saps blind in hopes that I'll let her one day buy back her village… But it doesn't matter, she'll be back eventually, she always come back. And when she does I'll just take whatever money she has gathered this time to use it for our war effort. Shahahahaha!" Arlong's loud laughter brought smiles to the faces of his men, and even most of Hody's, the only exception was Hatchan; the Octopus Fishman still wasn't comfortable with everything that was going on. "Enough about the humans. Let's talk business." Arlong addressed Hody with a more serious expression. "How are things proceeding on your end?"
"Everything is proceeding fine." Hody confirmed with a nod. "The Energy Steroid is in full production and should be ready to start shipping out to all the seas for our fishmen brethren spread out across the world in only about a month. Here is a sample for you and your men." Hody motioned for Hammond to give Arlong a black wooden box, which was about the size of a cigar box, filled with the steroid pills. Arlong examined one of the pills for a moment skeptically before placing it back in the box and returning his attention to Hody. "Our numbers are also increasing by the day. The residents of the Fishman District grow more and more tired with King Neptune's weakness. They realize he isn't the leader he once was. He has grown much too soft after Otohime was killed; he's even allowed that disgusting Yonko* Big Mom to make the outrageous demands of building that Candy Factory as compensation for her protection of the island…"
The distain in Hody's voice and on his face were more than evident, and not just for King Neptune, but the human pirate Big Mom as well. "We, the proud Fishman race shouldn't need protection. All humans should naturally fear us. We must remove that weakling Neptune from power soon and take our rightful place as this world's dominant race. And there are plenty of Fishman that agree. Even that insane baka Vander Decken has joined us in an alliance." Arlong's interest peaked at the mention of Vander Decken, because at one time Arlong had once tried to recruit him into the Arlong Pirates but was refused because Vander Decken wouldn't let himself be treated as an underling.
"And when are you proposing that we remove Neptune from power?" Arlong questioned Hody.
"First we'll secure East Blue, and then the first half of the Grand Line, and then we'll take Fishman Island." Hody answered.
"Tch." Arlong responded. "East Blue is already secure. There isn't a single force foolish enough to challenge me."
"Perhaps. But there's still existing navy personnel and other groups that may try to challenge your power over time. Humans can be quite foolish when they're desperate. When the first shipment of the Energy Steroid is delivered to you, we'll also send you some more men. About 500 Fishman soldiers, and 200 of the human slaves we've captured from pirate crews trying to enter Fishman Island should be enough for you to wipe out any possible threat left in East Blue. After that we'll have more men meet up with you when you get to the Grand-Line." Hody's gaze was intense as he explained his plan to Arlong. Even Arlong could tell that Hody's hatred for humans was far more than even his own.
"Shahahahaha!" Arlong bellowed. "Hody my boy; with you around, I almost feel sorry for the humans. Together we'll completely destroy anyone foolish enough to stand in our way, and make them all sorry they ever even existed! Shahahahaha! Shahahahaha!"
-0-0-0-0-
In the forest near Arlong Park, the members of Cocoyasi Village have gathered and have carefully been moving towards Arlong's base in the shadows of the trees, hoping to not be seen by any of the Fishman Sentries. The entire village had gathered whatever weapons they could, and today would be the day they finally fight back. They knew they stood very little chance at victory against the much more powerful force, but they also knew that it was only a short matter of time before Arlong came to murder them all anyway, so at the very least, they wanted to go out fighting.
As the group of villagers made their way to the tree line led by Genzo, Nojiko, and Dr. Nako, they prepared themselves for the coming battle. "I can see the gate from here." Genzo told everyone. "We'll still have a bit of a run on wide open land to get to it, but we've come too far to turn around now. Steel yourself people, this is it. We'll charge on my signal."
Nojiko's hands shook violently around the kitchen knife she was using as a weapon, but it wasn't from terror, it was from regret.
"What's wrong Nojiko?" Dr. Nako asked her after noticing her trembling hands. "If you're not ready for this it's okay. No one will think differently if you want to back out."
Nojiko let out a sad sigh before answering the older man. "It's not that. I made up my mind that I'm going to fight. I just wish I could've seen Nami one more time."
"We all wish that Nojiko." Genzo told her while putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "But try to take solace in the fact that we're doing this for her. So that she can move on and live her life, without having to worry about us anymore. She fought for all of us for so long all on her own. Now it's time we fight for her. We're going to put our love for her into this battle, so that none of us will have any regrets. Now everyone get ready." Genzo tightened his grip around his antique cutlass, readying himself for what was to come. "CHARGE!" He screamed out as he sprinted out of the tree line, and onto the path leading to Arlong Park, with the rest of the villagers behind him.
"AAAAARRRRRRRHHHHH!" The villagers led by Genzo, Nojiko, and Dr. Nako let out their battle cry as they ran down the path to face the Fishmen who had been oppressing them for the last 12 years.
As the group started to near the gates, Genzo took a quick look out to see to make sure no Fishman sentries were positioned on the water. He came to a screeching halt when something caught his eye, causing all the rest of the villagers to stop their charge.
"What's the matter Genzo?" Dr. Nako asked his old friend. "Do you see something?"
Genzo could only point out to sea to show all of them what got his attention. The villagers all directed their gaze to where he was pointing, some having to squint in order to see an oncoming object moving through the water directly towards Arlong Park. "What the hell is that?" Nojiko questioned. "Is that a ship?"
-0-0-0-0-
The Super 10,000 Sunny II, with Franky at the helm, continued to on its direct course towards Arlong Park. The two large metal gates that separated the pool from the sea were within view and was getting closer by the second. The jets had quit burning a long time ago, but the ship itself was still coming up on Arlong's base quite rapidly. "Ow! So what's the plan people?" Franky shouted.
"There is a dock nearby Gosa Village." Nami informed everyone. "I think we should go dock there and work our way around to Arlong Park. That way we can thin out Arlong's forces before we get there, and the final assault won't be as dangerous."
Usopp and Chopper eagerly nodded their heads to Nami's plan. It was a good strategy and seemed to have the least of amount of danger…
"No." Luffy stated from his standing position on the bow of the ship, bringing everyone's attention onto him. "We're already here. Let's just bust right on in."
"NANI*…" Nami, Usopp, and Chopper all said in unison. "That's too dangerous Luffy!" Nami complained.
"Yeah! Too Dangerous!" Usopp and Chopper both agreed.
"We have no idea how many men are behind those gates! And then how the hell are we even going to get through those gates in the first place?" Nami continued to question Luffy's plan. "You also don't know the layout of Arlong Park, even if we get through the gates we won't have enough time to stop the ship and weigh anchor. The crash could kill us all baka!"
"Yeah Luffy, listen to Nami you baka!" Usopp repeated the insult.
"Yeah, listen you baka!" As did Chopper.
Luffy casually turned around to meet the intense gaze of Nami, Chopper, and Usopp. But Luffy's gaze was anything but intense; it was in fact rather lazy and made even less intense by the finger that he was sticking up his nose. "Oi Franky, if we break the ship you can fix it right?" Luffy asked the cyborg.
"Ow! Not to worry Mugiwara, my ship is SUPER tough, but if something does happen I'll have in fixed in SUPER no time!" Franky answered with vigor.
"Yosh! Then full speed ahead!" Luffy shouted with his fist in the air. "Captain's orders." He said the last part with his signature grin plastered across his face.
"AAAAAAHHHHHH!" Usopp, Nami, and Chopper screamed in panic as Franky increased their speed. Nami quickly ran over to Zoro, hoping she could convince him to talk some sense into Luffy, but noticed the swordsman had an evil glint in his eye; he was enjoying this. "But… but…" Nami tried to protest. "What about the gates?"
"I've got it." Luffy said confidently from his position on the bow, before bringing his thumb up to his mouth, biting down on it and blowing air into his body. "Gomu-Gomu…"
-0-0-0-0-
Inside of the gates at Arlong Park: Hody and Arlong were continuing to talk business until…
"Arlong-sama! We have a problem!" A fishman screamed from on top of the wall.
"What is it?" Arlong yelled back angrily.
"There is a ship heading directly at us. It's flying a Jolly Roger and it isn't slowing down!" The fishman answered with concern in his voice.
Both Hody and Arlong jumped up from their seats and faced the gates. Hody instinctively reached into this pocket and pulled out an Energy Steroid before popping it into his mouth while Arlong addressed the situation. "What are those baka thinking? Not even a canon can get through those gates. Get some men into that water and sink that ship as soon as it comes to a stop. We'll make sure these pathetic pirates regret every messing with…"
"Gomu-Gomu…" Arlong paused after hearing a shouting from the other side of the gates. "…Elephant Gun!"
-0-0-0-0-
The villagers watched from the path in shock as the colorful ship flying the Jolly Roger with a straw-hat on it continued to head straight for Arlong Park. But that was nothing compared to what came next; as they continued to watch the ship they noticed a gigantic arm fling out in front of it towards Arlong Park, only for a loud sound of smashing metal to follow.
"NANI..!" The villagers all screamed in unison as their eyes bulged out of their heads and mouths nearly fell to the ground.
-0-0-0-0-
"…Elephant Gun!" Luffy shouted as he propelled his arm out in front of him, smashing the huge metal gates off of their hinges and sending both sides violently into Arlong Park. Luffy quickly retracted his arm as he watched several Fishmen scramble out of the path of the huge metal projectiles, all the while maintaining a deadly serious look on his face.
"Franky!" Nami shouted from her position next to Zoro. "Slow us down before we run aground!"
"Ow… I'll do what I can Nami-sis!" Franky responded as he turned the throttle down and cut the engines. "But at this speed I think it's already too late. I suggest everyone brace for impact!"
Nami knew he was right, they were going to run aground. She had only hoped that they could at least slow down a little so that the force of the impact wouldn't be as bad, but at the speed they were travelling, even when they did hit ground, they easily had enough momentum to smash directly into Arlong's palace. They would be lucky if the building didn't fall down on top of them and crush them.
The mikan-head started to panic a little, she only had seconds before impact and she needed to find somewhere safe to brace herself… but she was completely cut off guard when she felt strong arms quickly grab her and lift her into a bridal carry. She looked up into the face of the man now holding her, to be met by Zoro's serious expression. As soon as they crossed through where the gates to the pool of Arlong Park once stood, and heard the scraping of the concrete across the hull of the ship, Zoro quickly leapt from the deck and carried the both of them over the rail of the ship. Nami closed her eyes and buried her face into Zoro's chest, gripping onto his yukata for dear life. The scraping of the ship on the concrete caused a high pitched loud screeching sound to fill the air around them, causing her to cringe as she waited for a rough landing, or to be submerged under water, but neither came.
She quickly opened her eyes to see that she and Zoro had come to a nice landing, but her attention was brought back to the ship as she heard a loud smash and the sound of the screeching come to a halt. She searched the area with her eyes to make sure the rest of the crew was fine, and relieved to see that all members had safely escaped the ship and were on dry land. Luffy had inflated his body like a balloon to cushion his fall, and was laughing hysterically as Brook's skeletal form bounced off of his stomach and into the air several times. Next she saw that Chopper as well had puffed up his body, turning it into what looked like a huge fur-ball, and Usopp thanking him because he had safely landed on Chopper. Franky must have followed Zoro's example because he was currently cradling Robin in his arms. The last person to look for was Sanji; Nami wasn't sure how Sanji had got off the ship*, all she could see now was that Sanji was sitting on the ground, with his knees to his chest and a dark cloud over his head mumbling something about wanting to rescue either Robin or herself but "shitty marimo and shitty robot beat me to it…"
Nami was about to thank Zoro for his quick thinking, but when her eyes met his face, she noticed that his gaze wasn't on hers, it was staring intently at something else. She looked in the same area that he was looking and what she saw amazed her and terrified her at the same time: The Super 10,000 Sunny II didn't run completely aground and smash into Arlong's Palace, it was stopped at the edge of the pool… and there, standing directly in front of the ship, was a large fishman that Nami had never seen before. She didn't need to hear his name to know who it was, it was the captain of the New Fishman Pirates that Nojiko had told her about over the phone, Hody Jones. An intense evil aura was escaping the fishman, one that sent shivers down Nami's spine, and her fear was only made worse by the realization that the Sunny II hadn't been stopped by natural means; it had been Hody that stopped it, with his bare hands.
"What is the meaning of this Arlong?" Hody questioned menacingly, his muscles still throbbing from the effects of the Energy Steroid. "I thought you said East Blue was secure. Yet these pathetic human pirates have openly invaded your territory. You should be ashamed to let such weaklings…"
"Gomu-Gomu Pistol!" Luffy shouted out his attack as his fist made contact with Hody's face, sending him flying through the stone wall next to the side gate.
"Hody-sama!" Several of the Fishmen Pirates screamed in shock after witnessing Luffy's attack against the Fishman captain.
"Yosh! I got him! Shishishi!" Luffy celebrated. "That was actually really easy, I thought that Arlong guy was supposed to be strong."
"Weren't you paying any attention Luffy?" Usopp asked the rubber-man. "All those fishmen clearly called that guy Hody. And he even called out Arlong's name just before you hit him."
"Really? So which one is Arlong?" Luffy questioned while picking his nose.
"Nami!" The entire crew turned to face the saw-nose fishman who growled out the mikan-head's name. "What is this? How dare you betray me? Did you forget our deal?"
"Tch." Nami let out as Zoro let her down to her feet and stood in front of her to protect her. "You have no room to talk about betraying someone. You never had any intention of keeping to our deal. You were only using it to keep me and the rest of my village as slaves." Nami's fist tightened into balls and she clenched her teeth as anger started to overflow from her. "But all of that ends today Arlong! Me, my village, the island, all of East Blue… we'll all be free from you! Today's the day you pay for what you've done!"
"Shahahahaha!" Arlong bellowed out amused by Nami's words. "You're right! Why would I ever keep to the deal that I made with some pathetic little human girl? But I'll tell you what Nami; I'll give your village and the rest of this island their freedom, the same way I did your mother! I'll crush them all, and everyone else in East Blue that stands in my way!" Arlong's words stung deeply to Nami, but it had a different effect on the rest of the Straw-Hats, it was fueling their will to crush this enemy. "You say I'll pay for what I've done? Who's going to make me? This pathetic lot of humans? Shahahahaha! I'll crush them along with every member of your beloved village! Shahahahaha! Shahahahaha!"
Arlong's sick laughter began to ring in Nami's ears, bringing back many painful memories. Her knees began to shake, and her head began to spin. She couldn't take much more of it, but Arlong wasn't done with her yet: "As for you Nami; even after all of your friends and family are gone, you'll never get your freedom. You're my property till the day you die! Shahahahaha! Shahahahaha! Shahahahaha!"
Nami couldn't see straight anymore, she felt like she could pass out at any second. She could sense Zoro standing closer to her than what he had been, but it wasn't making her feel any safer at that moment. Her breathing became erratic and she was having a full-blown panic-attack. "Nami!" She barely heard Zoro call out her name. "Get ahold of yourself! Don't let this damn fish get to you! He doesn't own you!"
Zoro's words meant more than he probably realized, and they did start to have a calming effect on her. "He doesn't own me." Nami repeated to herself, the words jogging a recent memory. She reached into her pocket and pulled out an item that she had stuffed in there right before leaving Kuraigana Island; she had put it on the dresser and forgot to pack it with the rest of her things before trying to sneak off in the middle of the night, but when it caught her eye before she left, she couldn't leave it behind because it was something that reminded her of one of the happiest moments in her life, so she quickly stuffed it into her pocket before sneaking out of the castle. She looked at the item for a moment before clutching it to her chest with a small smile crossing her face.
Nami placed her hand on Zoro's back, it was a silent gesture to thank him for supporting her, before she moved her gaze to meet Arlong's intensely. "No Arlong! I am not your property! I'm someone else's…" All eyes went to Nami except for Zoro's, he only smirked confidently. Nami removed the item from against her chest and displayed it proudly for everyone to see. "And he's 1,000s times more of a man than you could ever be!" She proclaimed confidently while showing the leather collar that Perona had given her, with the words Property of Zoro written on the tag (though the print was too small for anyone to read).
"OW! SUPER Manly Swords-Bro!" Franky screamed out in approval.
"Dammit you shitty-marimo!" Sanji cursed his rival. "How dare you make Nami-swan wear something like that you Neanderthal!"
"Oi! If you got a problem, take it up with your wife dartboard-brow!" Zoro retorted. "It was her damn meddling that was responsible for it!"
"I guess it is safe to say that Zoro-san got to see Nami-san's panties. Yohohoho!" Brook heckled from his position next to Luffy who was laughing hysterically at the scene.
Nami smiled to herself as Zoro and Sanji continued to argue, but Zoro's words did have some merit. She would have to thank Perona if she ever got to see her again, because she was even surprised at how much an item like the collar in her hand could give her courage.
"Aw how sweet." Arlong mocked. "None of it matters, because these pathetic no name humans are still going to die."
"Arlo… Arlong-sama…" One of the fishmen said to grab their captain's attention. "I… I recognize these pirates. They're not no name. The one with the Straw-hat, that's Mugiwara Luffy, and the one with the green hair and three swords, that's Pirate Hunter Zoro! They're the Mugiwara Pirates!"
"That's impossible!" Arlong spat. "They all disappeared two years ago! What would they be doing here in East Blue?"
"We're here because you hurt one of our nakama." Luffy stated as he cracked his knuckles menacingly. "And nobody hurts one of our nakama. I'm going to kick your ass."
"Oi Luffy," Zoro spoke to grab the rubber-man's attention. "Sorry, but would you leave that one to me captain?" He asked, referring to Arlong.
"Hmmm…" Luffy cocked his head to the side and pondered Zoro's request for a moment. "Okay, he isn't that strong anyway. I'll just go crazy and cut loose then. Shishishi!"
"Enough of this! I don't care if you're famous pirates or not!" Arlong growled. "We out number you at least twenty to one and we're still the fishman race. We're still far superior to you lowly humans. We're still going to crush you! Mina*, attack!"
"AAAARRRRRHHHHH!" All the of the Fishmen Pirates screamed out their battle cries as they charged towards the Straw-hat Pirates at Arlong's command. But even despite the large numbers of their enemy, not one of the Straw-hats wavered. They stood ready to face the oncoming enemy. In fact; several had very amused smiles on their faces. They were going to enjoy this…
End Chapter 10
…
…
Author and Translation Notes:
Senchou* = Captain
"We Are*!" = I miss when the anime would occasionally play that song during moments of the show, especially the scene where Merry rescues them all from Enies Lobby (sniff… sniff… "I'M NOT CRYING DAMMIT!)
Hatchan* & Hachi* = I was surprised to find that Hachi's full name was actually Hatchan, while Hachi is just a nickname.
Yonko* = 4 Pirate Emperors. In this AU the war at Marine Ford didn't happen, but White Beard has already died of natural causes. So the Yonko are the current ones in the manga/anime: Black Beard, Shanks, Big Mom, and Kaido. (PS: since Roger died generations before this AU, Ace isn't Roger's son, and I still haven't really decided if Ace exists in this AU or not)
NANI* = Japanese for "WHAT"
Nami wasn't sure how Sanji got off of the ship* = He used his Blue/Sky walk technique
Mina* = Everyone
…
I sincerely apologize for my absence of late. I've been heavily distracted (with good things) and couldn't concentrate on Fanfiction, I haven't even logged in over a month to read any Fanfiction. But the complete lack of it did me some good. Because I was finally able to find my inspiration to write again and get past my writers block (PS: I found writing for Arlong and Hody to be very hard).
I'd also apologize for cutting off the chapter right before the battle starts… but I'm not really sorry ;-p
So as always, thanks for reading and please review ;-} I'm really interested on how you all feel I did for writing for Hody and Arlong.
-Fmdevil-