Wealth, Fame, Power…

Chapter 30: Cocoyashi Village

A single day had passed since Usopp came back to Luffy with the unexpected news. It was severely baffling to all who heard it, especially the newly joined Sanji. At the moment, the remaining Straw Hat Pirates were all sitting together in the blonde boy's room, keeping a watchful eye over the three unconscious swordsmen. Both Johnny and Yosaku were passed out next to Zoro on the bed. Usopp had found them floating in their boat unconscious right where the Merry was docked before.

The long nosed teen was in the process of changing the wet towels on his comrade's foreheads, while Sanji sat off to the side with a sad look on his face. It was as though he was still trying to process Nami's betrayal. "Why!? Why did you have to run away my sweet Nami!?"

Luffy was the most quiet of the group. He was sitting in the corner of the room and away from his friends. His only movements were the occasional scratching of the badges on his arms as he stared down at the ground with a serious expression. The news appeared to have hit the captain pretty hard as well.

"So what's the plan Luffy?" Usopp brought up, taking his attention off of the injured for the moment.

Taking his hat off and staring at it, the boy went with his gut, much like he always did. "I don't believe this crap, we're waiting for Johnny and Yosaku to wake up, then I'll beat the truth out of them if I have to."

At the dark tone in his captain's voice, Usopp was quick to nod and turn back to his duties. With how big of a goofball Luffy was most of the time, the guy sure could be scary when he was pissed off.

Before long, the two least injured swordsmen awoke groggily from the peace of slumber. And they weren't exactly met with comfort either.

"Wow, I haven't slept that well in years," Johnny yawned.

"I'll say, I had this sexy dream where that orange haired chick was beating me across the head with a bo staff," Yosaku added to his friend.

"No way! You had that dream too!?"

The two bounty hunters both smiled widely at each other. What were the odds that they both would get the same pleasuring dream?

"You two bastards better not be talking about my Nami!" Sanji got in their faces, scaring them both.

"Oh, um…"

"Hehe, yeah well…"

Before the duo could explain themselves to the cook though, Luffy came in and shoved him out of the way. Now occupying the space that he left. "You two better tell me what the hell happened, and why Nami and the Merry are gone."

"Yeah! Especially the Merry!" Usopp added.

Ignoring his friend's add on, the rubber man reached out and grabbed the two bounty hunters by the collar of their shirts. "Start talking."

At the threatening way they were being treated, Johnny and Yoasku began to panic a little bit. Especially considering the fact that Luffy was an ally.

"Woah relax big bro!" Johnny urged.

"Yeah! We can tell you whatever you want, just let us go!"

Dropping the two men, Luffy took a seat across from them, waiting impatiently for their explanation. "Alright, go."

The two bounty hunters made eye contact with each other, gulping before starting off their story. "Well uh, Yosaku and I were just minding our own business aboard the ship. But then out of nowhere, big sis Namii hit us across the head with that staff of hers."

"Yeah!" Yosaku nodded profusely. "Obviously we don't remember much after that, seeing as we were knocked out and all."

The bounty hunter duo began sweating as Luffy narrowed his eyes at them. Sure, they may have cut out a few parts to their story, but it's not like they lied. They were telling the truth, just not the whole truth. But they weren't about to tell an angry Luffy that the girl had totally conned them into seeing her with less clothing on. That was the only reason she got the jump on them in the first place.

"You're lying," Luffy accused. Not having it at all with this betrayal story. He would believe the world was ending before he accepted a friend stabbed him in the back.

"We're not big bro!"

"Yeah! You gotta believe us!"

Clenching his fists in frustration, Luffy turned to consult his crew. Usopp looked like he didn't know what to believe, and Sanji was just glaring at the two men. Making up his mind on their next course of action, Luffy spoke up. "I don't buy this crap for a second. Johnny, Yosaku, pick up Zoro and get him on your boat, we're going after Nami. Did she mention where she was headed?"

The two swordsmen got up from their seats in shock at the extreme measure that the boy wanted to go through. Was big sis really this valuable to the crew?

"We told you everything we know! We swear!" Yosaku defended, trying not to get on the bad side of the Straw Hat Captain.

"No, wait," Johnny started, remembering something useful. "I might know where she is, but if I'm right, it's better that we don't go."

This new information drew Luffy's attention instantly, getting back in the bounty hunters personal space without wasting a second. "Tell me."

After looking the teen in the eyes for a few seconds, it was obvious to Johnny that nothing was gonna break his stubborness. So with a hefty sigh, he gave the boy what he wanted. "Alright listen up, after you guys went inside the restaurant when that huge ship showed up, things started to get weird. Big sis Nami was totally quiet and distant all of the sudden, she kept on looking at a wanted poster with this faraway look in her eyes."

Pausing for a moment, Johnny noticed that he now had the attention of all three Straw Hat Pirates. Not wanting to disappoint, he continued his theory. "After I noticed that, I took a few glances over her shoulder to see who the hell the wanted poster was for, and when I saw it, I almost shit myself. It was Arlong the Fishman!"

Luffy's expression didn't change one bit as he continued to stare the two men down. "But you know where she is right?"

"Well… yeah but, didn't you just hear me!? The guy she's chasing is the most feared pirate in the East Blue! That crazy shark guy pays off dirty marines to lower his bounty, and it's still twenty million!"

The room fell silent as everyone took in the new information they were given. Usopp in particular had immense fear flash through his eyes. They had just gotten past one of the strongest guys he'd ever met, they didn't need to go up against any more big bads like that. "Haha, wow… That's pretty high."

Even Sanji seemed stunned to a certain extent, that was quite a bounty all right. "Well damn, that's even higher than Don Kreig's bounty."

"Oh hell yeah it is! Don't get me wrong, Don Krieg is still terrifying, but he's got nothing on Arlong." Yosaku piped up, adding to his friend's statement.

As usual though, none of these warnings seemed to get through to Luffy one bit, and before everyone knew it, he was on his feet again. "Well that's perfect then, that Krieg guy wasn't that tough so this Arlong guy should be just on my level."

Both bounty hunters dropped their Jaws at what they just heard, what was Luffy talking about. The way he was talking, he made it sound like he took down Don Krieg or something.

"Um, big bro?" Johnny started.

"What do you mean Don Krieg wasn't so tough?" Yosaku finished.

Turning his head towards the two men, realization dawned on the rubber man. They didn't know about all the crazy stuff that went down yesterday since they were knocked out. "Oh yeah, I kicked Don Krieg's ass yesterday."

"WHAT!?"

When Zoro woke up, he felt the surface he was laying sway steadily from side to side. It was quite a comfortable and relaxing position to be in, but eventually his curiosity got the better of him and he opened his eyes. When he did, he was taken aback to find that he was no longer indoors. Instead of seeing a wooden ceiling like he was expecting, he saw a clear blue sky with puffy white clouds scattered throughout it.

Naturally, the swordsman bolted upright instantly, wasting no time in getting his guard up. This action however, sent a huge jolt of pain through his body, making him regret his decision almost immediately. Scanning his unknown environment hastily, the pirate hunter's eyes were met with his entire crew, along with Johnny and Yosaku eating at a table. For some weird reason, they were out at sea right now on a sailboat. What the hell? Where are we? And where's the Going Merry?

Noticing the movements of his first mate, Luffy paused the stuffing of his face temporarily and hopped out of his seat. "Zoro! You're awake!"

"Where the hell are we? What happened to Mihawk?" Zoro asked groggily, attempting to stand up at the same time.

When Luffy reached him, he put a hand on his shoulder, helping him stabilize. "You ok?"

Smiling slightly, the swordsman wrapped his arm around the boy's shoulder, ready to hoist himself to his feet. This however was promptly shut down by Johnny and Yosaku tackling him.

"Big bro!" The two yelled together.

"Ah! What the hell guys! That hurts!"

Once the two below average bounty hunters removed themselves from their long time friend, they didn't waste any time in questioning him.

"Your crew told us everything! What the hell were you thinking letting the strongest swordsman in the world cut you up like that on purpose!?" Johnny complained, tears leaking from behind his sunglasses.

It didn't take long for Yosaku to give his two cents as well. "Yeah big bro, what kind of crap was that!? You've gotta think about yourself sometimes too!"

Taking time to look down at his bandaged chest and stomach, Zoro shook his head in annoyance at his fellow swordsmen. "You guys aren't gonna understand even if I explain, so just drop it."

With the abrupt end to that conversation, the injured pirate hunter ignored the sad faces on Johnny and Yosaku, using the time to continue scanning the small ship they were on. After acknowledging Usopp with a small nod, he finally brought his eyes upon the brand new member of the crew. And as soon as their eyes met, the swordsman couldn't hold back the sarcastic remark leaving his lips.

"Well how about that? The curly browed cook decided to join us. Didn't see that one coming."

Not appreciating the mocking tone behind the man's words, Sanji didn't hesitate to throw an insult back. "Shut the hell up you moss headed bastard, at least I'm not stupid enough to throw my life away just for some stupid pride."

Zoro was in the process of throwing out another comeback, but the innocent laughter of the rubber man next to him prevented it. "Shishishi, don't worry Zoro, I thought that what you did was the coolest thing ever! Taking attacks like that and shaking them off is awesome!"

Being reminded of his humiliating defeat, the green haired swordsman bowed his head as all of the memories flooded him again. I survived Mihawk, and I swear that when I get stronger, I'm coming for you.

"Helloooo? Zoro, can you hear me?" Luffy waved childishly.

Breaking out of his thoughts, Zoro looked up to his captain. Appeasing him and giving his full attention. "Yeah, sorry Luffy, just thinking about stuff. What's up?"

In the blink of an eye, the rubber man's face turned from a genuine smile into one of solem despair. Clearly there was some bad news to be shared with the pirate hunter right now. "Some stuff happened after the fight, and that's why we're not on the Merry."

The swordsman just looked around at everyone awkwardly, waiting for Luffy to get to the point. "Um… Ok?"

"I hope you still have some fight in you Zoro, because right now we're heading to a village where there's another big bounty pirate. We think that Nami stole the Going Merry and went to collect the guy's bounty by herself, but there's no way she can beat him. That's where we come in," Luffy stated confidently, at last sharing a sound plan with the rest of the crew.

"WHAT!?" Zoro exclaimed, jumping to his feet without a second thought. It was as if he completely forgot about all of the pain. "That damn witch took our ship!?"

"Hey! Watch your mouth when talking about a lady!" Sanji complained.

Ignoring the blonde, Zoro turned to Luffy once again. "How the hell did she pull that off!?"

Taking a seat on the floor Luffy answered. "It was while we were fighting Krieg. Johnny and Yosaku know the village where this guy is, so that's the only thing we have going for us right now."

Grabbing a handful of his hair in frustration, Zoro addressed his captain again. "Well damn, how big of a bounty are we talking?"

"Well, Johnny and Yosaku say twenty million, so that should be fun," Luffy joked.

"And don't forget! It's twenty million even with him paying off marines to keep it low! We are so screwed!" Johnny interrupted.

With all of this new information now out in the open, Zoro took the time to do some thinking on the situation. No matter which way you added it all up, this was still going to be an incredibly hard fight. Not only was he injured and missing two swords, but Luffy didn't look that great either. His arms were completely covered in bandages.

Still though, the swordsman took comfort in the fact that they at least had Sanji now. From what he saw, the boy was quite strong for a weaponless fighter. And Usopp could also be pretty resourceful when backed into a corner. And by the looks of things, that was bound to happen. "Well alright then, no complaints from me Luffy. But what are we gonna do with Nami? We can't just let her get away with this."

Standing up with new determination now that Zoro was on his side, Luffy smiled widely and looked out to the sea. "Don't be stupid Zoro. She's our navigator, and I won't accept anyone else for her job. So let's go help Nami get that bounty!"

"Hell yeah! I like the sound of that!" Sanji agreed with hearts in his eyes.

"And also the Going Merry!" Usopp added for the second time in just as many days.

"Damn it Luffy, why do you have to cut so much slack? That's not what a Captain does at all," Zoro mocked as a grin invaded his face. Even the hardened pirate hunter couldn't resist going along with his crew's antics. "I guess I have no choice but to follow though, so let's go cut up some pirates."

"You guys are all crazy!" Johnny and Yosaku cried in unison.

It was close to mid afternoon the next day when the four pirates and the two bounty hunters reached Cocoyashi Village. From just a few glances at the place, It had a very peaceful appearance. It was almost hard to believe that the strongest pirate in these waters was holding down in such a quiet place.

The closer the Straw Hats got to the island the more visible the surrounding area became. And soon enough, the Going Merry could even be seen docked right outside the entrance to the village.

"Hey guys, look! It's the Merry!" Usopp announced the second he spotted it, directing all of his friends to the familiar vessel.

"Perfect," Luffy said as he punched his open hand. "Now we know for sure that Nami's here, let's go guys!"

"I'll grab the anchor," Zoro volunteered. He could still feel that his wounds were deep, but at least most of the bleeding had concluded for now.

As the group dropped anchor right next to the Going Merry, all of the men aboard the boat got out immediately. With the exception being the two terrified bounty hunters.

"Are you guys sure about this?" Johnny asked, his face beginning to sweat profusely.

"Yeah, I agree with Johnny this is too much for us. Maybe we could just-"

"No! We're staying and finding Nami. Now c'mon, we can't waste time," Luffy ordered.

And with that, the two unwilling bounty hunters trailed along behind the pirates until they reached the village, all while being on the verge of fearful tears.

Noticing how they were now in the middle of the village, Zoro made a smart observation and warned the rest of the crew. "Let's keep quiet about what we're doing here, the last thing we want is to be on the village's bad side."

Right at this moment though, Luffy threw his fists up in the air and shouted at the top of his lungs. "NAMI! WHERE ARE YOU!?"

All of the Straw Hat Pirates winced at the loud scream of their captain. They knew exactly where this was going, and they didn't like it one bit. After a few more moments of echoing, the noise finally died down. And one by one, villagers began to emerge from their homes, and they weren't looking too happy.

"What the heck Luffy!" Sanji reprimanded, not believing the stupidity of the boy. "That was reckless as hell!"

Zoro and Usopp however, merley sighed at the straw hat teens actions. They were at least starting to get used to this.

But Sanji didn't get too much time to be mad in the end, because before they all knew it, the entire village was gathered up in front of them.

"Who are you people, and what do you want with our Nami?" A man asked, stepping forward in front of the other villagers. He was wearing a maroon colored police uniform with a pinwheel on his hat. He also had a great deal of scars littered across his face and arms, giving him quite an unsettling appearance.

"We're pirates, and we… Wait, did you say your Nami?" Luffy asked in confusion, all the wind getting knocked out of his proverbial sails.

The rest of the crew also found the scarred man's wording to be odd, waiting patiently along with their captain for an answer.

"Pirates huh? Well you better get lost then, she lives here, and she means a lot to this village. So whatever she stole from you, I can assure it was for a good cause."

The pirates in question all blinked a couple times at the response they got. Luffy especially was looking like his brain was scrambled. "Wait… This is Nami's home? So there's no guy named Arlong here?"

"W-what!?" The scarred man choked out. "How do you know about that!?"

Luffy was about to begin talking again, but a blue haired girl came from behind the pinwheel wearing man and held his shoulder gently. "Genzo, relax. I've got this, Nami told me about these guys."

"She did!? Where is she!?" Luffy blurted out.

Turning to the pirate crew with a stern look gracing her features, Nojiko addressed them. "Why should I tell you? Just do what you've been told and leave. Both Nami and Arlong are none of your business."

Sanji was starting to show signs of infatuation with the lovely girl, but Luffy stayed persistent and spoke before the cook could make a move. "No! We're staying right here! So tell me what's going on or I'll go find out myself!"

Not flinching at all at the boy's tone, Nojiko rolled her eyes in annoyance. Was this the stubborn captain Nami was talking about? If so, then she wasn't exaggerating one bit. "Ugh, well if you're gonna be a child about it, Alrong has this whole island under his control. So get out of here before he kills you guys. Or even worse, kills more of us."

"He's killed some of your villagers before?" Luffy asked, balling up his fists.

"Ha! Don't act so naive. He's a pirate, all he does is kill people. What? Are you gonna tell me you've never killed any innocent people before?" The tanned girl laughed bitterly. "Ever since Arlong Park came to this peaceful island we've all been miserable! So you better not blow our only shot at freedom!"

Taking a moment to think, everything was beginning to come together in the rubber man's head. No wonder Nami had such a weird hate for pirates when they first met, it all made sense now. With all that in mind though, there was only one solution that Luffy could think of, and it was starting to get his blood pumping. "You want your freedom back huh? Well lucky for you, I'm not the kind of man who takes that away… So tell me, where can I find this Arlong Park?"