Chapter 1: Crossing A Line
AN: So, Welcome to the edited version of Life is a Highway. Yes, this still based on One Piece Hungry Days commercials, and my absolute favorite was Nami's. What I found really cool, besides all the easter eggs we all have seen, was seeing Arlong as a human. This story was based on an old Arlong/Nami story that I had started back in 2007 but had lost all the notes I had for it, and taking inspiration from the characters seen Hungry Days; I was able to start my old fic. So the story takes place two years after Nami and her friends have graduated. I do not own One Piece! That will always belong to Eiichiro Oda!
Today was the day; today was finally the day Nami would tell the arrogant jerk she worked for the last two years that she was quitting. Arlong had it coming, and she was determined to walk out the door with her head high. Since the day he hired her as a part-time dishwasher for his popular seafood restaurant Arlong Park (named after himself, of course), he had never respected her nor treated her in a fairway. He had made her life a living hell, never giving a damn when she even apologized for being late. Well, no more! She was so done with him and his damn attitude.
The restaurant was closed for cleaning and preparations like it always were after the lunch rush and before the dinner rush. This made the place nice and quiet, though also creepy, Arlong's idea of the perfect décor. True, it had the oceanic theme to express it was a seafood restaurant but what creeped Nami out was the different species of sharks on display. The replica heads were mounted at certain places along the walls, from the nightmarish great white to the long nose sawtooth shark. Every one of them with jaws opened, looking ready to strike at any moment. For Nami, it was enough to give just anyone nightmares. The only thing that put Nami to slight ease was the red sun painted on the underside of their mouths, something that matched their table lamps.
It was past the kitchen to the rear entrance where Arlong had his office from the dining room. The office was a 7'-5 x 6'-10 space, but it looked smaller with the large desk. The desk was positioned, so Arlong had a good view of the back door, loading dock, and kitchen. Nobody could come or go through the area without him knowing. Nami knew she had been spotted the cause of the slight movement of his eyes as he glanced up from the computer monitor to the clock that hung on the wall.
"You don't start until five o'clock, Chizu," Arlong said, her last name sounding off in his usual nasty and arrogant tone. He leaned back in the office chair, his arms resting on the armrests. "Unless you're here for some other reason?"
Nami gulped as she tried to calm herself as she stared at him.
Okane Arlong had long, black hair with a widow's peak reaching down to his shoulders under a brown ushanka. Whenever Nami looked at him, what always came to her mind was a shark. From his angular jaw to his nose, which was not as long as her friend Usopp was, but it was what he did that literally screamed a saw shark. Arlong had three nose ring piercings going down both sides, and as if that weren't enough, Arlong filed down his teeth, so they were pointed and sharp. His attire was composed of fashionable, light clothes that reflected his rich status and background as a thug. He wore a short-sleeved, unbuttoned yellow cabana shirt decorated by many black lightning-like spots (the standard uniform for the food servers) over a light purple tank top. He wore Bermuda shorts that were green and a purple sash around the waist and simple sandals. A golden chain bracelet was around his left wrist and two golden bracelets around each ankle, with straw-like decorations hanging from them.
'You can do this, no backing down,' Nami thought as she took a small breath, finally summoning the courage needed. "I quit," she said.
"What?!" Arlong's fierce light blue eyes were dark with anger now. "What did you just say to me?"
"I said I quit!" Nami repeated, louder now.
"The hell you are! You are not walking out on me!"
Did he just seriously say that? Nami could not believe that he say something that outrageous! "Out on you?! You are acting like I am breaking up with you, not quitting! We aren't in a relationship!"
It was a mistake on Arlong's part. An honest one, but he was too proud to admit that, especially in front of Nami. "We aren't, but I pity anyone who would be with you; putting up with you wouldn't be worth the headache," he said angrily.
"Do you know what you are?" Nami said, now offended. "You are the biggest arrogant jerk I have ever met!"
Now Arlong was a hothead, and Nami's insult just pissed him beyond anything. The chair he was sitting on crashed on the floor as he came out of it so fast that he knocked it over as he slammed both hands down onto the desk that everything on it shook. "Arrogant jerk?! Who do the hell do you think you are talking to, Nami?!"
He was expecting to see the girl cower, as usual, bowing as she apologized for upsetting him and apologized for even thinking of quitting. Only that was not happening. Nami did not cower, and she did not say sorry. She stood firm, unyielding, and her warm chocolate brown eyes showed a fierce fire of pure defiance. This certainly was not the girl who he bullied and harassed for the last two years. Oh no, this was a young woman who had the damn guts and fire actually to challenge his authority, and this got Arlong's attention in one hell of away. She boldly matched his intimidation act by slamming her hands down on the desk.
What happened next was something the two thought would never happen, and years later, who made the first move was still a mystery, but their fierce little argument turned into a kiss that Arlong did not want to end.
Her lips were so soft and so warm against his. The tenderness of that kiss sent shivers up and down Arlong's spine that it was pure bliss. Tenderly he cupped both hands around the girl's face bringing her closer, almost pulling her up onto the desk. He was kissing her with a sudden hungry desire. How long this went on, neither one knew, but it came to an end when Nami broke their kiss. "I'm sorry…" Was all she could say just before she ran out.
Arlong reached down, righting his chair, and fell back into it, looking at the ceiling. He was in deep shit. Hell, they both were. They had crossed a line, and there was no going back, no do-over. It had happened. Really happened. He and Nami had kissed, and he loved every second of it. No matter how much he had enjoyed it, Arlong knew this could come back and bite him right in the ass.
'Damn it; I can lose everything. Not after how hard I worked to get here," he thought bitterly.
It was then his cell rang, and glancing at the caller's ID, did Arlong sigh. 'How does he always know?' he thought and then answered. "Big Brother, I really screwed up this time."
"Arlong, what did you do and start at the beginning."
~~.~~.~~
Nami arrived home in a clouded state of mind, thankfully neither her adoptive mother Bell-Mere and adopted sister, Nojiko, were not there, or they would have seen how upset she was. They would have pressed on what happened, and Nami really did not feel like talking to anyone.
She silently goes up the stairs to her room and closes the door behind herself, even though alone. All she could do then was drop her bag and fall back onto her bed, not even taking off her shoes. Nami could only stare up at the ceiling numbly; thoughts so focused on everything that happened, especially the one thing that never should have happened.
'What did I do?' Nami thought. 'I went there to tell that jerk I quit, and what did I do? I kissed Arlong! I kissed him, and I enjoyed it.'
Her cell phone, which laid on the bed stand, began to vibrate, and she picked it up. She did not recognize the number, but there was a chance that one of her friends, probably Luffy or Zoro since it was usually them, got a new cell and were calling to show off their new number.
"Hello?" she said, trying not to sound off.
"Nami."
The voice on the other end was the last person she thought would ever call, and her eyes widened with shock and surprise. "A-arlong? How did you get this number?"
"You gave it to me, remember? As part of your resume," he explained, sounding different as if he was a different person at that moment. "Anyways, I want to talk."
"Talk?" Nami said. "There is nothing to-"
"Nothing? You know that is not true," Arlong said. "What about us?"
"Us? Arlong, there is not us…what happened was a mistake."
The silence that followed seemed like an eternity. "Do you really believe that?" he finally said.
"What?"
"Can you honestly say that? That what happened was just a mistake?"
"Y-yes," Nami said with slight hesitation.
"Prove it then," Arlong said.
"What do you mean?"
"You say it to me," Arlong said. "Tonight."
Nami heard the end call beep and all she could do was stare at her phone in shock.
~~.~~.~~
Arlong laid his phone down on the desk and closed his eyes. 'I hope Big Brother is right about this," he thought.
~~Flashback~~
"Big Brother, I really screwed up this time."
"Arlong, what did you do and start at the beginning."
"The girl that I have as a part-time dishwasher comes in here and has the nerve to tell me she is quitting." Arlong starts to explain, his aggravation from earlier coming back slightly.
"I wonder why she would." That was the reply he got.
"Tiger, do you want me to continue or what?"
"Calm down, Arlong," Tiger said, calm as ever. "So, she tells you that she is leaving."
"Yeah, and I tell her that is not happening. Well, we argued and…. we kissed."
"Wait, wait. You two kissed?"
Arlong groaned. "That is what I just said…."
"Did you kiss her, or she kiss you?"
"Does it god damn matter? It doesn't matter if Nami kissed me or if I kissed her first!" Arlong was losing his patience with his big brother. "What matters is I can get in serious trouble, and if that happens, I will lose everything!"
"Arlong, take a deep breath and relax."
"Relax?! You want me to relax?! Have you been paying attention to what I've said at all?!"
"She likes you."
"What…?" Arlong was not sure he had just heard Tiger right. Does Nami like him? No, his big brother had to be wrong. There was no way that girl liked him not on that level. "Nami…no… she doesn't like me."
"Are you sure?"
"She called me an arrogant jerk!"
Laughter erupted on the other end, and Arlong glared at the cell phone held in his hand, debating whether he should hang up. No… he couldn't do that. No matter how mad Tiger made him at times, he could never hate him. Besides, Tiger would make sure the conversation would go on even if he hung up.
Slowly the laughter died down. "I already like this Nami girl," Tiger said with a good hearty chuckle. "She got you painted right on the money."
"You know you're such a damn ass at times," Arlong grumbled. "Still, I do not believe she likes me in any way."
"Well, that's your fault," Tiger said. "You always had problems when it comes to women."
"Not my problem, and why should I care?"
"Right there, that attitude of yours. Arlong, I get you always had to be this tough guy when you were a kid growing up on the streets," Tiger's tone took a serious note. "you're not that scared little kid anymore, and maybe it's time you changed some or you're going to the rest of your life miserable and alone. You don't even speak to your sister anymore."
"Shyarly and I don't agree on certain things, and you know that," he said, an angry edge to his voice at the memory. "And you're trying to distract me as usual."
"How are you about this girl, Nami?"
"What?"
"You heard me, smart ass. How do you feel towards her?"
Along was silent as confusion clouded his thoughts at that moment. How did he feel? He never cared about Nami, and he treated her like she was nothing. Yet the moment he replayed that kiss, he felt so strange. He felt a tingle, like a small electric shock, go through him as he pictured her clearly in his mind. The fire he saw in her eyes that way she looked at that moment. So defiant. So beautiful. He felt a tightening in his chest as his breath seemed to be caught in his throat. He realized right there and then that he had actual feelings for Nami, feelings that were so strange and alien to him. "I- "Arlong found it hard to talk as the words seemed to be stuck in his throat.
"You're in love," Tiger said.
No, that couldn't be right. There was no way he had fallen in love with a girl like here, and yet he longed to taste her lips again. To touch her…NO! He quickly dismissed the untold fantasies and images that filled his head. This did not feel right to him. Yet it was there, and he couldn't deny that very truth that he wanted to hide from. Big Brother was right. He had at that very moment fallen hard for the orange-haired beauty who dared challenged him, called him an arrogant jerk, and then to kiss with such tenderness that he hungered for it. "What should I do?"
"Talk to her," Tiger told him.
~~End Flashback~~
Arlong opened his eyes, looking at the clock which read four o'clock. 'An hour before she gets here.' Taking a few moments to gather his thoughts, Arlong heard his staff coming in. Kuroobi and Chew being loud as usual.
"So, did you even watch the game?"
"Dude, it was a snooze fest," Chew said. "Feel asleep like during the third inning,"
Kuroobi laughed. "Of course, you would!"
"Quiet out there!" Arlong snapped, feeling the need to get back to his old self. "I was enjoying the quiet until you two came in!"
"Damn, you're moody today," Kuroobi shot back before he stood in the doorway. "Just to give ya a heads up, looks like we got a nice thunderstorm coming in. You want us to check on the generator?"
"You do your jobs," Arlong said, getting up from the chair. "I'll make sure we're ready in case of anything. No way I'm losing any business if some stupid power outage happens."
"Looks like the boss man is determined to be the badass as usual," Chew said.
"And who has the bragging rights for being the around here?" Arlong said with a smirk. "Now get your asses moving because we'll have customers soon."
~~.~~.~~
The storm hit just before Nami had reached the door of Arlong Park, and though she carried her umbrella, she still got caught in a torrent of rain. It was the usual crowd of customers with a few new ones. 'That'll make Arlong happy.' She thought.
"At least you're not running late. For once."
Nami didn't look at Arlong though the remark was not as nasty as usual. It was better to avoid any eye contact for the moment, and she just nodded. She just wanted to get the shift over with and then go home. "May I please get my apron?"
Arlong had been blocking her path, and he moved aside so she could pass, though before Nami could, he leaned down to her height. "We're still going to have that little talk before you leave, though," he whispered near her ear. Nami said nothing but hurried to the kitchen as fast as she could go. Arlong sighed mentally; this was going to be a long and rough night for the both of them.
The storm that was raging outside had passed by just before the restaurant closed for the night, and Nami planned to get out as fast as possible, to hell with the talk! Except that plan did not go as she had hoped for. Arlong was at the main entrance waiting, hands in the pockets of his shorts, looking up at the night sky through the window. What Nami found strange was that the man looked actually peaceful and calm before he looked in her direction. No getting away on this, and he was making sure.
"Fine…" she said bitterly, pulling a chair out from the table near the door. "We'll talk."
"Why did you do it?" he asked.
She blinked, staring at him. This was not the Arlong she knew. No way this was him. "Do what?"
"The kiss, don't play coy. Why did you do it?"
Nami really didn't have an answer to that when she herself had no reason why she did it. Was it at that time a mere heat of the moment? They were arguing, and then they were that kiss. It was something so innocent that it should have never had happened. Nami held her head down, staring at her folded hands that rested on her legs. "I don't have an answer."
"So, you had no real reason, did you?" Arlong questions.
"No," Nami said.
"So, it was, as you said, a mistake."
"Yes,"
She gave a startled jump when she felt his fingers curl under her chin, lifting her head, so she was staring into his face. "Say it," Arlong said. "Say it to my face. If you say what happened was truly a mistake, I won't stop you from leaving. Say it, and you can quit. I'll never bother you again."
Nami looks up and prepares herself. She could do that, and once she did, she could leave here for good. "It was a- "She wanted to say the word, but she could not. No matter how much she wanted to say those three simple words, nothing would come out of her mouth. Why couldn't she say it? Why? 'Just say it! Say it, and you are free of him!' Nami thought as tears of frustration slipped down her cheeks. "I-I can't! I can't say it!" she shouted, feeling so ashamed of herself. She cost herself the one chance to be rid of him.
To see the girl like this. To see the tears flowing because she couldn't say it was enough to humble Arlong. Nami had done the impossible, and she didn't even realize she had done it. What he was feeling was so frightening and confusing at the same time. Arlong's body was moving without him even realizing it as he brushed the tears away. He needed her. He truly needed her. Not to possess or own but to want her in a way he never believed possible. He had fallen in love with the girl. "No more tears," Arlong said, his tone gentle.
"I couldn't say it," she said with a sob.
"I know."
"I couldn't say it because…. I enjoyed it."
Her confession floored him. She actually enjoyed it. "You what?"
Nami looked at him, and those beautiful brown eyes were full of shame. "I enjoyed kissing you," she said.
To hear her say it was music to his ears, and he saw no reason to deny her something she enjoyed.
"Nami…." He asked softly. "Would you object if I wish to kiss you?"
"No."
Arlong stood, guiding her from the chair before he leaned forward to kiss her with a passion that he never knew, let alone believed existed. Yes, they crossed a line, and they certainly had no desire ever to go back.
Well, Arlong and Nami have indeed crossed a serious line. A big thanks go out to my friend BXE, the editor of this story, and Saw Pirates. So, in this edited version, we decided to give Nami and Arlong last names. Chizu, Nami last name, means a map, while Arlong's last name Okane means money. So remember to Read and Review.