Prologue - Megumi
3rd POV:
In a dark abandoned building, a slim built, young woman with smooth porcelain skin, seafoam blue eyes and long straight mid-back length bubblegum pink hair, she ducks out of the way of a large spider web as she carries a torch through one of the many deserted tunnels. She stops in front of a step of marble doors and brushes down her leather jeans of dust and dirt. She pulls out a large black key from her leg pouch and places it into the keyhole; she hears the click as the doors unlock and pushes the tall marble doors open with a heavy creek, and she drops her torch to the floor at the sight in front of her.
ONE PIECE - ARLONG PARK ARC
The young woman walks slowly to the centre of the room to a medium-sized golden statue of a woman on a golden platform and a cherub; she slowly walks to the platform. She carefully steps up and grabs the golden frame, lifting the heavy golden statue; when the building begins to rumble, setting off a boobytrap, she rushes out of the door carrying the golden pieces as the walls fall around her.
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She grabs the torch, still burning and runs fast out of the tunnel, deep under the building, and she dodges falling brick and stone as she tries to reach the exit. She jumps over a fallen beam and runs faster as she sees the light at the end of the tunnel, jumping over the hole in the floor, full of long point spikes. "Man, you'd think they were trying to kill me!" She jokes as she runs up the stairs towards the light and dodges larger stone pieces falling in her way before she breaks out of the dark into the light.
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The pinkette stands in the sun, catching her breath as the building behind her crumbles under itself, and she looks down at her hand and walks away, dusting herself off as she walks. "Man, that was the most fun I've had in more than a week!" She giggles as she walks down the overgrown garden towards the sea, where her boat is tied up at the shore.
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The pinkette treasure hunter places the medium-sized golden statue in a large bag with more golden pieces from her many treasure hunts, unties the rope, and steps onto the small wooden boat. She begins to drift out into the water, and she looks out, closing her eyes. "Home." She whispers to herself, and like always, a tug in her heart, and she steers North-East heading for Cocoyashi Village.
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In Cocoyashi Village, four pirates stand on one of the dirt paths away from the village, one coming back from the dead, and finishes telling the other three about his narrow escape from death, thanks to their friend. "So that's how Nami pretended to kill me and let me escape!" Usopp finishes his explanation. "It looks to me like there's a reason she's in a Fishman pirate group!"
"Obviously!" Sanji snaps at him, a little blinded by the beautiful ginger.
"So, what do we do? Do we storm Arlong Park?" Zoro questions, itching for a fight.
"H-hold on! We gotta find out what the story with Nami is first!" Usopp exclaims, trying to stop the fight, being too much of a coward.
"It's no use, either way," Nojiko comments as she stands behind them, announcing her presence as they turn to look at her. "No matter what you guys do, Arlong's rule won't come to an end."
"Nojiko?" Usopp gasps surprised to see her.
"Who's she?" Luffy asks him, pointing at her as he looks at his Sniper.
"Nami's big sister." He answers.
"N-Nami-san's older sister?! No wonder she's so beautiful!" Sanji swoons, with hearts in his eyes at the beautiful bluette.
"What do you mean it's no use?" Zoro asks her.
"Please, don't get any more involved with this village. Leave Nami alone. I'll explain the circumstances." She tells them.
"Circumstances?" Sanji repeats, not getting it.
"You mean why she joined Arlong's group?" Usopp asks her.
"Yes, you'll feel like leaving the island once you hear it." She replies.
"Alright. Let's hear this reason or whatever, then." He tells her.
"I'll pass," Luffy tells the others and walks past them.
"H-hey!" Usopp tries to stop him.
"I don't care about her past." He tells them.
"Where are you going, Luffy?" Sanji asks him.
"For a walk." He answers.
"A-a walk?! You're not gonna listen to this?!" Usopp asks him in shock.
"No. I'll pass." He walks off alone, and Nojiko looks over her shoulder at his retreating form.
"Who's he?" She wonders and can't help but think about her older sister.
"Don't mind him. That's just how he is." Zoro assures her as he walks over to a nearby tree and sits down, getting comfortable. "We'll hear you out." He yawns. "Though I don't think it's gonna change anything."
"Yeah! I'll listen, too!" Usopp jumps in. "I wanna know what's happening on this island!"
"Me, too! I want to know everything about Nami-san!" Sanji smiles, and Zoro falls fast to sleep.
"And he's sleeping," Nojiko announces as she points at him.
"Don't sleep right after you say that!" Usopp shouts at him.
"I see. This is why Nami has such a hard time." She smiles, thinking of her baby sister, unaware of the Marines setting port in the village, looking for her two sisters. "It all goes back to eight years ago… to that day, where we were still little children… She was in this village. Megumi, me, and Nami will never forget her as long as we live… her name was Belle-mere."
"Belle-mere? Megumi?" Usopp questions the new names. "Who's Megumi?"
"She's mine and Nami's older sister." She answers, and the two boys look at her in shock.
"And this person raised you, Nami and Megumi?" He asks her.
"Yeah, that's right." She replies and looks down at her feet. "How should I start to explain about Belle-mere…"
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Eight years ago, little Nami sits at the kitchen table along with a piece of paper and a quill as she finishes the map of her home island, expertly as many skilled cartographers. "All done…! All done!" She cheers and rushes out of the house, leaving her older sister to wonder where she's heading.
"Mama! Nami's up to no good again!" A small teen with bubblegum pink hair shouts.
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In the village book store, Nami stares up the tall bookcase to the book she wants. "Now I just need to check that book…" She mutters and cheeks the aisle to see if there's anyone around and quickly climbs the creaky ladder to the top shelf and grabs the book she wants, and quickly climbs down with the book tucked under her dress. She tries to walk calmly away when the elderly book store owner walks around the corner, seeing little Nami.
"Oh! Nacchan! What's wrong?" She asks her, and Nami turns to her carefully of the book under her dress with a slight giggle.
"Nothing! Nothing at all!" She chuckles and slides the book behind her back and steps away, facing the elderly owner into the legs of Genzo as he stands at the door, and the book drops to the floor with a thud. Nami shuts her eyes but peeks one open to slowly turning her head to see who caught her and sees Genzo; the elderly owner smiles with a sigh.
"Oh, my!" She chuckles as Genzo slams his foot down and grabs the back of Nami's dress, and lifts her into the air, dragging her out of the store.
"Damn it, Nami! Not again!" Genzo snaps as he walks off.
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Genzo walks through the village with Nami in hand, and the villagers all laugh at her usual antics. "Oh? Did it again, Nacchan?" One of the villagers' questions as they watch.
"Let go!" Nami demands as she struggles in Genzo's hold as she holds the book.
"You just never learn!" Another villager sighs.
"I'm not a cat!" She snaps at him.
"You idiot! How many times do I have to tell you stealing is wrong?!" Genzo snaps back at her, and she sticks her tongue out in response.
"It's not my fault we're poor!" She snaps as they walk down the path and the villagers laugh at her antics. "Cheapskate!"
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The bickering duo makes it out of the village to the tangerine orchard and the small house, and Genzo knocks on the door with his free hand. "Belle-mere! Belle-mere! Your no-good cat's at it again!" He shouts through the door as he bangs, and the door opens slowly to reveal a slim woman with long fuchsia hair tied in a ponytail, grey eyes and a cigarette in her mouth.
"Whatya want? You're annoying!" She asks him and sees Nami in his hold, who smiles cheekily at her. "Oh! Welcome home, Nami!"
"I'm back!" She replies with a grin.
"Look! This is the umpteenth time!" Genzo snaps and points to the little girl. "She's even famous in the village now!"
"So?" Belle-mere questions, taking a step towards him and places her hand along the side of his chin. "Surely even you've shoplifted before, Gen-san?" She asks him, tapping his face.
"This is why she acts this way!" He yells at her.
"I'm just kidding!" She says and runs her hand under his chin, teasing him. "Alright. You paid for her, right?" She asks, making him uncomfortable.
"B-Belle-mere…" He mutters, growing a little red.
"Thanks so much. I don't have money right now. I'll pay you later…" She whispers in his ear, and he grows tomato red/ "...with my body." He jumps away from her at the proposal.
"D-don't be s-saying things like that!" He stutters a blushing mess; Nami can't hold it in anymore and laughs.
"Look at you, blush!" Belle-mere joins laughing but sobers up as Nami laughs and clears her throat as she crouches next to her youngest daughter. "Oh? And why are you laughing?" She asks her daughter, who stops and looks at her, smacking her on the head, taking the book, placing it on the table as she sits outside.
"Ow!" Nami complains, holding the offending area.
"Try that again, and you'll get 100 spankings!" Belle-mere warns her.
"I'm sorry!" Nami says and looks up at her adopted mother. "But I really wanted this book!"
"If you wanted it, why didn't you just tell me?" She asks her, and Nami looks away, feeling guilty.
"Because you wouldn't buy it for me anyway…" She mumbles, but Belle-mere still hears her.
"Of course, I would. We do have some money stashed away, especially since Megumi's started finding treasure all over the place." She assures her.
"But the villagers said the climate's been so good lately that you can get tons of tangerines from any old field, and our tangerines won't sell good 'cause they don't go up in value." She argues.
"They can mind their own business!" Belle-mere snaps, and Nojiko walks over, dragging Megumi behind.
"You're so dumb, Nami!" Nojiko teases her baby sister. "I would've stolen it way better!" Belle-mere slaps them both over the head; they hold the offending area with a yelp of pain. "I said no stealing!"
"I was just joking!" Nojiko cries out.
"That hurts!" Nami cries, and Belle-mere laughs.
"Mama, careful," Megumi tells her.
"But you know, there's one thing for sure! The maps you draw are really amazing, Nami!" She compliments her youngest and opens the newest map. "First, you learned how to draw sea charts, and now land maps!"
"This is a map of this island, isn't it?" Megumi asks her baby sister.
"No one would ever think such a little kid drew this!" She compliments her, ruffling her hair a little.
"I'm studying navigation too now!" Nami tells them.
"Navigation, too?!" She asks her.
"It is Nami's dream!" Nojiko beams at her little sister.
"Yeah! I'm gonna use my navigation skills to travel to all the world's oceans! And then I'm gonna make a world map of everything I see!" Nami tells them, and she smiles as Belle-mere holds up the map.
"So your map of this island is your first step toward your dream, then?" She asks her daughter.
"Yeah!" She tells her with a big smile.
"A map of the world, huh… Nami! Someday, you will make your dream come true! I just know it!" Belle-mere exclaims.
"You think?! Can Sissy come with me?!" She asks, and Megumi looks at her mother with a puppy dog look.
"I don't see why not." She smiles at her girls.
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A few days later, it's raining outside, and the four females sit at the kitchen table eating their lunch, and Belle-mere sews Nami's new dress. "Hey, Belle-mere. You haven't been eating meals lately…" Nami suddenly asks her, seeing only a tangerine, and Megumi looks down at her food, not feeling hungry anymore.
"I've been eating tangerines though, I'm on a diet." She lies to her girls.
"I'm not hungry," Megumi announces and jumps off her chair, heading to her room.
"Megumi!" Belle-mere calls out to her oldest.
"I don't need any meals, either…" Nojiko follows Megumi's action.
"What're you taking an interest in guys for? Kids need to eat, right!" Belle-mere tells her.
"You keep lying! You don't have any food because we don't have any money!" Nojiko cries out.
"Really!" Nami asks in worry.
"You're suffering,...so that we can-" She snaps at her adopted mother,
"-Diet!" Belle-mere cuts her off. "You shouldn't underestimate the beautifying power of tangerines. They're the reason I still have such luscious skin at the age of 30!"
"But your hands are yellow…" Nami can't help but comment.
"Just shut up and eat!" She snaps, and Megumi comes back out of her room and in her hand is a small purse that's full of money that she places on the table next to her mother. "I can't take this, my little Marine." She says and pushes the purse away.
"Take it, Mama, we don't want you to suffer anymore." She tells her and pushes it back towards her mother.
"Okay, my little Marine." She smiles and finishes sewing, cutting the threat and holds up the dress. "Here you are, Nami! All done! A super custom-made Belle-mere brand!"
"Another hand me down from Nojiko and Megumi?" Nami grumbles and stands up as Belle-mere holds it up in front of her.
"Here we go! It looks great on you, Nami!" She tells her and gives the dress over to the grumpy child.
"This lion used to be a sunflower, and before that, it was plain!" Nami complains.
"It can't be helped! You're two years younger than me, three years younger than Big Sis, you know!" Nojiko points out.
"Age has nothing to do with it! I want new clothes, too!" She demands.
"Mine are old clothes too, you know! I get Megumi's old clothes that get handed down to you, 'cause you're our baby sister! Blech!" Nojiko snaps at her.
"But I'm not your real sister! We're not related by blood!" Nami shouts as Belle-mere cleans up their lunch, and hearing Nami's words, she stops and whips around to face her youngest and her hand flies across Nami's cheek, sending her to the floor. Megumi and Nojiko look on in horror at their mother's actions and see Nami lying on the floor.
"Mama/Belle-mere!" They cry out, and she snaps out of it for a second, looking at her hand.
"So what if you're not related by blood?!" She questions, and Nami kneels down, holding her offended red cheek. "Never say anything stupid like that again!" She shouts at her.
"W-whatever…" Nami weeps out and looks up at Belle-mere with tears welling in her eyes. "You're not our real mother, either! You'd be better off without us, wouldn't you?! That way, you could eat, buy all the clothes you want, and be free! I wish...I wish someone richer had adopted me instead!" She cries and wipes away her tears.
"I-is that so?" She asks and turns around. "Fine, then! So whatever! If you hate this house that much, then go leave for somewhere else!"
"Stop it, you two! You're upsetting Big Sis!" Nojiko tries to stop them, and they look over at the pinkette who is scrunching up her eyes as she covers her ears with her hands.
"I will leave!" Nami announces and gets to her feet, running out of the front door.
"Nami!" Nojiko shouts out after her, and hearing this, Megumi pulls her hands away and watches as Nami runs out into the rain. Belle-mere sits on the chair, looking at her hand with a cigarette in hand.
"Belle-mere. The four of us are a family. I'm sure Nami feels the same way! She didn't mean what she said!" Nojiko tells her, and Belle-mere looks at her with a smile.
"You're a strong person, Nojiko. That was real immature of me." She strokes Nojiko's head with a smile. "Could you two go bring Nami back for me?" She asks them. "I'll have a super-delicious supper ready before you get back!"
"Okay!" Nojiko and Megumi beam, and the rain soon begins to disappear.
ONE PIECE - ARLONG PARK ARC
Within the busy village, Nami sits in Genzo's house with him, who towel dries her hair as she sulks after telling him about running away, and he can't help laughing. "So, coming here from the outskirts of the village is 'running away'? That's sure nice and convenient!" He chuckles and hands her the warm milk to help warm her up. "Here. drink up before it gets cold."
"Belle-mere would be happier if we were gone," Nami says, thinking of her and Nojiko.
"Why do you think that?" Genzo asks her as he stands by his desk, taking a sip of his coffee.
"Having two extra children costs lots of money…and everyone in the village hates her because of me…" She tells him, feeling overly sad.
"You're old enough to consider others now, huh?" He questions with a chuckle. "Don't worry. She was a famous brat in this village when she was your age, too."
"Belle-mere was?" She asks him.
"Even now, she's still quite a brat in the villagers' eyes!" He tells her. "How shocked the village was when that brat suddenly said she was going to be a Marine…"
"A Marine?! Belle-mere was a Marine?" She asks him, never heard this before.
"Yeah. Pirates have to pay for slaughtering innocent people… with those words, she left the village." He reminisces and thinks back to when a Marine ship arrived at the village docks and off walked Belle-mere fresh out of training with a pink bundle in her arms, telling Genzo and Doctor Nako look after the baby. She told him the baby's name. Megumi. She wouldn't tell them the father's name but that he was sweet and extremely handsome, along with being a fellow Marine, but that was all she would tell them. He looks over at Nami and tells her of how Belle-mere met Nami and Nojiko. "She says she felt her time to die had finally come…."
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Belle-mere lies bleeding, close to death over a piece of stone, losing consciousness, fighting to stay awake for her beautiful pink-haired baby girl back on her home island. "Need...to get back...to Megumi…" She mumbles, but her eyes close against her wishes, and she feels the life slipping from her when she hears something coming from nearby. Belle-mere opens her eyes and sees a small toddler walking out of the rubble with a white bundled up baby. "Your baby sister?" She asks the girl as she gets to her feet and hobbles over to her.
"No. I don't know who she is." She tells her, holding her out to the adult, and Belle-mere strokes the baby's cheek, who giggles, bringing tears to Belle-mere's eyes.
"You have no idea how that makes me feel…" She cries, and even little Nojiko cries as Nami is none the wiser as she smiles wide.
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"And that was you, Nami," Genzo tells her, and she looks up at him in shock. "When she saw you, Belle-mere mustered up the will to live again. Remember, she had Megumi to come back home to."
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On a stormy night, a small boat tries reaching Conomi Island, and a group stand at the docks to see the boat struggling to reach port. "It is a boat! I knew it!" A villager exclaims.
"On a stormy night like tonight?! Who on earth could it be?!" Another villager questions, and the boat makes it to the port and Belle-mere hops onto the dock, soaking wet, carrying the two girls.
"Doctor! Call the Doctor!" She tells the others.
"Belle-mere?! Is that you, Belle-mere?!" A man asks in shock.
"Belle-mère?!" Genzo questions as he rushes over with Megumi in his arms.
"What is this?!" Doctor Nako asks as he rushes over and sees the two children in her arms. "Who are these children?!"
"Doctor! They have terrible fevers! They've been completely worn out by the storm!" She tells them, and he grabs hold of them.
"Alright! But we need to tend to those nasty wounds of yours, too!" He tells her.
"Just hurry! Please! Don't let them die! Save those kids' lives! I beg of you!" She pleads with him, and he runs off back to his office, and Megumi drops from Genzo's hold, walking over to her mother, feeling the pull in her chest.
"Mama?" She asks, and Belle-mere looks up into Megumi's seafoam blue eyes.
"Megumi?" She looks at her daughter and smiles, stroking her cheek, bringing her into a hug; Genzo smiles at the sweet reunion and helps Belle-mere to her feet, taking her as she holds her baby to the Doctor's office to get her wounds treated.
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The two girls fully healed of their fevers after a good night's rest, and Belle-mere's wounds are treated; she holds Nami in one hand while Nojiko and Megumi hold on to her. "What did you just say?" Genzo asks her.
"I'm going to be these girls' parents; that's what I said." She tells them, smiling.
"Don't do it!" Genzo cries out in shock.
"Don't do it! A punk like you can't possibly raise children!" Doctor Nako tells her, worried.
"T-take my advice! Give them to a government institution!" Genzo tries to reason with her, but her stubbornness wins out.
"I've already decided!" She snaps at them, making the men jump. "I'm an adult now, too. I was even in the Navy. I think I'm a little more upstanding now. I'm going to take the responsibility of raising these girls. I'm going to raise them to be wonderful people who won't lose to the Era we live in. I'm going to live with these girls. Nami, Nojiko and Megumi gave me life." She tells them, and she brings the two girls in for a hug, and they enjoy the warmth of their mother.
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After recounting the story, Nami looks up in shock at the words, feeling even more guilty for her words in the heat of the moment. "You girls have a bond that goes far deeper than a real family's." He comments, and she looks down in thought; Megumi comes running to the open door with Nojiko behind her.
"Nami, I thought I'd find you here." The teen sighs as she stands in the doorway.
"S-Sissy! Nojiko!" She questions their sudden appearance.
"Belle-mere is waiting for us! She's making a yummy supper!" Nojiko tells her, and Nami thinks it over for a second, remembering Genzo's words. "I bet it's your favourite" Omelette with tangerine sauce!"
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"Yeah!" Nami cheers and runs out of the office with Nojiko and Megumi walking behind them as they skip around the path.
"Yay! Omelette!" Nojiko cheers, and Megumi giggles at her sisters, and Genzo walks out to the others as they watch the girls walk away.
"How time flies… children once on the brink of death, now so full of life…" He comments.
"Watching them grow up is like a joy for all of us." Doctor Nako says.
"Yeah! We won't feel happy until we see that family of four happy! Right?" A villager asks the others, and they all smile at each other, but the happiness comes to a screaming halt as the pirate ship sails towards the once quiet village.
"Pirates, everyone! Pirates are coming! Pirates! Everyone hide!" One of the villagers shouts out and runs past the girls, and villagers panic as they see the pirate ship crashes into the shore.
"It's the Arlong Pirates!" A villager shrieks.
"Arlong!" Another cries out.
"That can't be!"
"What are Fishmen from the Grand Line doing here?!"
"Was the rumour about a split in the Fishman pirate group true?!"
"Nami! Nojiko! Megumi!" Genzo runs over with Doctor Nako.
"Genzo!" They greet him.
"It's dangerous here! Hide in the backwoods!" He tells the girls.
"But-" Nami tries to argue.
"Go! Now!" He tells them, and Megumi grabs her sisters' hands, dragging them into one of the alleyways that leads to the woods as the Fishmen walks into the village.
"You seem to be in excellent spirits, pathetic humans! As of this moment, this village-no, this island is now under my control!" Arlong shouts to the villagers, and his crew all shout in agreement. "Listen up! On this memorable day, you will all buy your lives from me! 100,000 Berries per adult. 50,000 Berries per kid. Those who can't pay...die!" He warns them and laughs cruelly, and the girls watch from the shadows with worry.
"What do we do, Sissy? We can't pay that much!" Nami points out to her oldest sister.
"We might not have to; you can't see our house from the village," Megumi assures her and watches as everyone pays up.
"How much did we get, brother?" Arlong asks his number 2, Kuroobi.
"Just over 25 million, I'd say." He replies.
"Excellent!" He laughs with booming cruelty.
"Sounds like we'll hafta pay for our lives every month at 100,000 Berries per person from now on." The villagers whisper.
"100.000?! We can't make a living that way!" Another whispers, all of them bitter about their new situation.
"Endure it for now. We should just be glad no one in the village has died." Genzo tries to assure them. "If money is all that's needed, it's an easy price to pay. I at least hope they'll leave without noticing Belle-mere's house. With three children, it would come to 250,000 Berries…I doubt she has that much saved up." Genzo worries, but they seem to fall away with Arlong's next words.
"Alright! Time to go, brothers!" He orders his crew, and they begin walking away; everyone takes a sigh of relief, but it's short-lived.
"Arlong! There's smoke coming from outside the village!" One of the Fishmen announces; everyone stiffens as Arlong looks up to above the trees to see smoke.
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At Belle-mere's home, she stands at the stove on the outskirts, cooking when her three daughters come home for dinner, unaware of what is happening out in the village. "Okay! Alright, let's see!" She ponders as she tastes her tangerine sauce. "Too delicious! Nothing quite like Belle-mere's Special Tangerine Sauce! Nami, Nojiko, and Megumi are gonna leap out of their seats!" She smiles to herself, unaware of the dire situation in the village.
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"The smoke is coming from a house." The Fishman tells Arlong.
"Oh? We almost missed it." Arlong grins with greed.
"Damnit!" Genzo curses at the family of four's bad luck, and Megumi drags her younger sisters, wanting to head back home to warn their mother.
"Belle-mere!" Nami and Nojiko cry out, and Megumi carries Nami on her back as she and Nojiko run through the thick bushes.
"Let's go! Let's go collect our money." Arlong tells his men, and they set out for the house.
"Whoa, this is bad! The pirates...are headed for Belle-mere's house!" The villagers cry out and watch in horror, worried for the small family.
"Hey! The girls are gone!" One of the men shouts.
"What?!" Doctor Nako exclaims, worried for the young girls.
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"Ten more minutes for the duck in the oven. And the stew is boiling. This'll be a big blow to our family budget. But I guess I'll splurge anyway." Belle-mere smiles and goes into the cupboard under the kitchen island for a bottle, unaware of the crew of Fishmen walking towards her house.
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Megumi and Nojiko run through the forest towards their house with Nami on the pinkette's back. "Belle-mere's gonna... Belle-mere's gonna...Belle-mere's gonna be killed!" Nami panics as she clings to her older sister, hiding her face into Megumi's hair.
"Don't think like that, Nami! Mama's gonna be fine! She's a strong woman!" Megumi snaps as she tries to run faster but tries not to leave Nojiko behind.
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"If there's anyone we can't abandon, it's Belle-mere!" The villagers shout as they gather weapons to help their fellow villager and the girls. Genzo runs ahead to warn Belle-mere and protect the girls who got a head start.
"Dammit! Why did this have to happen?! Don't act hasty, Belle-mere!" He shouts in his head as he runs as fast as he can.
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Belle-mere looks over her large dinner for the girls when there's a knock at the door. "Oh, are they back?" She wonders aloud but stops as she sees several shadows on the other side of the window and grows suspicious; Arlong knocks on the door again, waiting as patiently as he can. "It's open! Come on in!" She shouts, and he grins, thinking he has the upper hand.
"Pardon me…" He opens the doors and steps inside the house to see it empty; he frowns, knowing there's someone here, but it's too late as Belle-mere lights her cigarette from her hiding spot, grabbing her shotgun and kicks Arlong under the chin. He sails out of the house with Belle-mere crouched on top with her shotgun in hand; she clicks the safety off as he falls to the ground and places the tip of the gun into his open mouth.
"Too bad, I'm a former Marine. What brings Grand Line pirates all the way out to Cocoyashi Village?" She asks them, and Chew starts chuckling, the others begin joining in, and Belle-mere loses her cool, taking her attention away from Arlong.
"What's so funny?!" She snaps at them, and Arlong laughs along with his brothers before chomping down on the end of the shotgun, crushing it. Belle-mere looks in shock at her weapon, completely useless.
"Powerless!" Arlong keeps repeating. "How powerless your inferior species is!" he laughs, and the girls hear it around the back path of their house.
"Let's escape with her out the back door!" Nami suggests.
"But the pirates might already be there!" Nojiko points out.
"We'll be fine!" Megumi assures her little sister, and Doctor Nako catches up with the girls and grabs hold of them.
"Hold it!" He tells them, and they come to a stop.
"Doctor!" Nami cries out.
"You mustn't return home!" He warns the girls.
"Why!" Nami and Nojiko press.
"Move! We have to save Mama!" Megumi begs him, trying to get around him.
"Megumi! Nojiko! Nami! Listen closely, you three!" He tells the girls and moves his glasses up so they can look him in the eye. "This may not be the best situation to-no, because of the situation, I must tell you a somewhat cruel story."
"Doctor?" Nami questions and hears a pain-filled scream; Megumi covers her ears, knowing her mother's voice. "Belle-mere!" Nami cries out, trying to race over there, but the doctor stops her.
ONE PIECE - ARLONG PARK ARC
Arlong moves his foot from Belle-mere's broken arm and stomps on it again; she screams out again as he beats down on her. "It's no good! These guys are real monsters! I'm gonna be killed! Megumi! Nojiko! Nami!" She thinks as Arlong continues to stamp on her broken arm and Genzo makes it to her house.
"Belle-mere!" He calls out, and Arlong stops his assault. "Don't waste your life for some pathetic sense of justice! Some battles aren't worth fighting! Some issues can be solved with money!" Genzo shouts as he walks over.
"Genzo…" She mutters, her voice hoarse from the screams.
"That's right, Marine girl. 100,000 per adult, 50,000 per kid. If you can pay for your whole family, I'll let you live. You should be thankful I'm telling you." He tells, and she looks back over her shoulder at him.
"My whole family?" She mumbles, and Genzo walks over to her, turning her onto her back.
"That's 250,000 total. How much do you own, altogether?" Genzo asks her.
"Including what I've squirrelled away...a little over 150,000…" She tells him, and he grits his teeth in anger.
"Hey! There's a meal for four people in here!" Hachi announces as he leans out of the front door; Genzo looks in shock as Arlong grins.
"Oh? A family of four, huh?" He chuckles.
"I almost forgot." Genzo comes up with a lie. "She invited me and my friend to dinner tonight." He says and stands to his feet. "Come, Belle-mere. Hurry and pay your amount. Our delicious food's going to get cold."
"Genzo…" She sighs in relief for the man, saving her ass and her girls.
"I hear you have 150,000. Thank goodness you have enough. Now everyone in the village is spared." He tells her, and Kuroobi looks down at the list of residences.
"It's true. The village register has no record of her getting married, but she has a daughter. She's single, a two-person household." He confirms, and Genzo sighs, glad she has the moment for her and Megumi.
ONE PIECE - ARLONG PARK ARC
Doctor Nako finishes explaining to the girls, and they stare at him in horror. "So you understand?! There's no proof that you two and Belle-mere are family! Megumi is her blood daughter, but I beg you, Megumi, take them and leave this island before they take notice of you! Escape across the sea! There's no other way for all four of you to survive! I feel it#s reckless to send you three out to sea at such a young age. There's a chance something bad could happen. But at least you'll have-" he tries to get them.
"No." Nami cuts him off with tears running down her cheeks. "I don't want to." Megumi holds her little sister in a hug from behind. "Why do we have to leave! They're the ones who came here! I...want to live in this village...is it because we're poor that I can't be Belle-mere's kid anymore?! Why?! Why?!"
ONE PIECE - ARLONG PARK ARC
Arlong walks away from the house with his money in hand. "Thank goodness. Now they won't kill." Belle-mere sighs in relief as she stands in her doorway with Genzo.
ONE PIECE - ARLONG PARK ARC
"Alright, we'll leave the village," Nojiko announces.
"Nojiko!" Nami exclaims as the bluette starts walking off.
"Let's go! Because that means Belle-mere gets to live!" Nojiko replies and Nami looks back, still crying, Megumi holding her, and they start to walk off, joining Nojiko.
ONE PIECE - ARLONG PARK ARC
Belle-mere stands as she thinks about her three girls, knowing she'll most likely never see them again; Megumi would leave to protect Nami and Nojiko, and she knows they would never be able to return home. Arlong and his crew begin to walk off as she opens her mouth. "Hold it! Who said I paid for me?" She questions and they come to a stop; Genzo looks at her in shock and fear. "That 150,000's for my three daughters, I don't got enough for me." She tells them, and Nami and Megumi hear her, looking over in shock.
"Belle-mere! What are you-" He shouts at her.
"I'm sorry, Genzo. I just can't say I don't have a family...even...if it costs me my life…" She replies, and they hear her down the road.
"How could she?!" Doctor Nako panics.
"Yeah, maybe we're not related by blood...but we're a family. I want to be their parent, even if it's only in name. They're...my kids." She cries as she thinks of her three girls who stop and run towards her, past the Doctor.
"Belle-mere! Mama!" The girls cry out as they run towards her.
"Wait, you three!" He yells after them, all harsh words forgotten.
"It was a lie! I was lying! Belle-mere!" Nami cries out, Belle-mere hears her daughter and looks around to find them when they run around the side of the house, and she kneels down as they run into her arms, hugging her, she hugs them back even with a broken arm as they cry and she can't help the tears welling up.
"I wanted...to buy you lots more books and clothes...I'm sorry! I was never able to do anything mother-like for you!" She cries, and the girls pull away.
"That's not true!" Nojiko exclaims.
"We don't need anything! Just don't die!" Nami cries out.
"Stay with us forever!" Megumi cries.
"I want you to see the world map I draw!" Nami cries.
"Yeah...your map…make your dream...come true! Live!" She tells them, and Arlong and his cronies step up, looming over the family.
"These are your girls, I take it?" Arlong asks, and the three young girls look back, scared of the tall Fishmen.
"Yeah, that's right. Promise me you won't lay a hand on them!" Belle-mere demands.
"Of course! As long as you die like a good girl!" Arlong tells her.
"Help!" Nami cries out, and Genzo fires two guns at Arlong, but Kuroobi jumps in front, deflecting the shots and uses a sword to cut Genzo down. The sound of shouts comes from the path, and Arlong turns to see the whole village running bearing arms.
"Now they're thirsty for blood… don't kill 'em. Just handle 'em as you see fit. Perfect timing for our first example to the others!" Arlong says and walks over to Belle-mere; she pushes her daughters back into the house as he gets out his pistol. "Sie with your pathetic love." The crew of Fishmen beat the villagers badly though they try.
"Megumi! Nojiko! Nami! I love you!" She says with a smile, and Arlong pulls the trigger, shooting her dead; she falls back as everyone looks in shock.
ONE PIECE - ARLONG PARK ARC
"You just never learn, do you?!" Genzo scolds Nami as he holds her by her dress as they walk through the village, everyone smiling with amusement.
"Let go! I'll pay later!" She shouts as she struggles. "With my body!" She pulls Belle-mere's line, making Genzo angry.
"You fool!" He shouts.
ONE PIECE - ARLONG PARK ARC
Nami sticks out her tongue as Megumi slaps her over the head, and Belle-mere talks to Nojiko, who just got in a fight with another kid, who's crying. "You made another boy cry?" Belle-mere asks her middle child.
"He made me mad!" Nojiko tells her.
"It's okay. Kids will be kids." The woman says as the boy cries.
"He said your tangerines suck, Mama," Megumi tells her and Belle-mere stomps over and smacks the kick over the head.
"Say what?!" She snaps.
"Belle-mere!" The woman shouts.
ONE PIECE - ARLONG PARK ARC
Megumi comes running into the house with mud covering her clothes and hands as she carries a bundle. "Mama! Look! I found all this treasure!" Megumi exclaims as she runs to her mother in the kitchen, who looks over to see her mud-covered daughter.
"What you got there?" She asks her and looks, pulling away the bag's cover and sees a large golden goblet with a little mud on it. "Whoa! Where did you find this?"
"I was thinking about how to get money, and I felt this tug, then I followed it to this golden goblet!" She answers with a smile.
"You really are my little treasure hunter." Belle-mere smiles at her daughter.
ONE PIECE - ARLONG PARK ARC
"Don't give in to anyone…even girls need to be strong...it doesn't matter if people don't praise you! Don't have hate for this era you were born in...never forget the strength to be able to smile at any time…" Belle-mere thinks as she dies, falling back onto the grass.
"Belle-mere! Mama!" The girls cry out, and Arlong laughs with cruelty.
"Under my rule, anyone without money dies! Understand, you inferior species?!" Arlong shouts and chuckles; Hachi sees a piece of paper sticking out of Belle-mere's back pocket and takes it out, Nami knowing exactly what is it, looking in horror.
"What's this?" He wonders as he looks at the piece of paper. "A sea chart?"
"No! I draw that! It's important to me! Give it back!" Nami demands, and Arlong looks over at the piece of paper.
"You drew it?" He questions, taking the piece of paper from Hachi.
"Give it back!" Nami demands.
"Nami! No!" Megumi and Nojiko warn her, pulling her back.
"Oh? This is quite impressive." He grins and looks over at the girls. "She's an invaluable asset!" Bring her with us!" He orders, and Hachi grabs hold of her.
"Right!"
"No! Let go! Let go! No!" Nami shouts as she tries to break free, and Megumi and Nojiko try to stop Hachi.
"Let Nami go! Let go!" The girls shout as they pull at him.
"Stop!" Genzo snaps as he stands in front of Arlong with his sabre. "You got your money! You promised not to lay a hand on her!"
"Yeah. I ain't gonna hurt her. I'm just gonna borrow her." Arlong replies.
"Genzo! Help!" Nami cries out.
"Keep your hands off the children!" Genzo orders.
"Kuroobi!" Arlong orders, and he slices Genzo all over.
"Genzo! Genzo! Genzo! Genzo!" Nami cries out, Nojiko falls back, and Megumi holds her sister close to her.
"I'll save you, Nami...I won't let you pass…" Genzo groans as he tries to stay standing. Megumi looks back at her dead mother with tears and slowly walks into the house, grabbing her mother's extra shotgun.
"No! It's okay! You don't need to save me!" Nami cries.
"Please!" Nojiko cries as she hunches over, crying.
"This is getting tedious." Kuroobi snaps and raises his sabre.
"I'll...save…" Genzo groans, and Kuroobi knocks him out with the butt of his hilt.
"Please, no more dying!" Nami cries out, and the sound of the click of a gun is heard.
"You heard her!" Megumi shouts as she stands behind the Fishmen, who turns to look at her; Arlong can't help the smirk on his lips as he watches her holding the gun. "Let her go!"
"And why would I do that?" He asks her, and she points the gun at him.
"Because...because…" She tries to remain strong, but she's lost her mother and is about to lose her baby sister.
"Hey, boss!" Chew shouts as he stands by the tangerine orchard with a box by his feet. Arlong turns to look over at him, and he opens the lid, and inside is sea charts, treasure maps, necklaces, golden pieces.
"It seems you had more than enough." Arlong sneers and looks over at Belle-mere's dead body.
"Stay away from my treasure!" Megumi snaps at them, and they all look at the teenager.
"I see; where did you get this? This treasure map has been lost for over a decade." He asks her, and she looks at it.
"I found it." She answers. "I can find anything."
"No! Sissy!" Nami shouts as she sees the grin on Arlong's face.
"Is that so?" He questions, and he looks at Kuroobi, who grabs the teenager.
"No! Get off me! Let go!" Megumi shouts, and they walk away with Nami and Megumi, leaving Nojiko all alone.
ONE PIECE - ARLONG PARK ARC
In the trashed village, it's trashed, and in the harbour, all the ships, boats of any kind are broken, under the water. "All the village's ships have been sunk...our idea of trying to let Megumi, Nojiko and Nami escape by sea…" Doctor Nako informs Genzo at his practice as he lies in bed, bandaged all over his body with others in different beds.
"...was too optimistic…" Genzo finishes.
"just as I feared, the Navy won't listen to us. This island will be under his control. Belle-mere knew. She fully knew how they work from her experience as a Marine. She knew not a single person could ever escape…" He tells him.
ONE PIECE - ARLONG PARK ARC
Nojiko sits out by the cliff in front of Belle-mere's grave, crying. "They took Nami and Megumi with them...what...am I supposed to do now...Belle-mere?" She asks, wanting some answers.
ONE PIECE - ARLONG PARK ARC
"We've found out where the Arlong Pirates are! It seems they intend to settle down on this island! It's time to decide! Do we fight now and die, definitely?! Or we place our hope in waiting for help from the Government while living under the fear of being killed at any time?! It's one or the other!" Doctor Nako tells the villagers, all of them still healing from their last run-in with the Fishmen.
"Only Navy Headquarters stands a chance against them! But HQ has its hands full in the Grand Line. Our hopes of them coming all the way out here are as good as zero. But I can't let Nami and Megumi go! I'll fight!" Genzo tells them, and Nojiko stands with the group.
"Me too! I doubt I can live my life knowing I abandoned children! We're all a family here!" One of the men adds.
"Even if it means I die killing them! I'm gonna save Nacchan! Megchan!"
"Belle-mere gave her life up to protect them!"
"Let's fight 'em again!"
"They'll blame us all anyway if just one of us fights!" The villagers all break out into shouts, and Nojiko thinks of her mother when she hears footsteps coming towards them, and she looks back to see Megumi all beaten up with Nami in her arms, both of them with dead eyes.
"Nami! Megumi!" Nojiko cries out for her sisters, and the villagers all turn around to see the girls.
"Nami! Nacchan! Megumi! Megchan! You're both okay!"
"Nami! Nami! Big sis! Big Sis!" Nojiko cries out as she runs over to them, and the villagers follow. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? Did they do anything to you?" She asks them. "Nami? Big sis?"
"We're...joining…" Nami mumbles.
"Huh?" Nojiko asks.
"We're joining...the Arlong Pirates..." Megumi tells them louder, thinking about all the hurt they've done.
"We're going to join the Arlong Pirates...to be a Surveyor and draw sea charts and a Treasure Hunter!" Nami tries to smile, and the villagers look in shock at the two girls.
"What are you saying, Nami? Megumi? Are you in your right minds?" Genzo asks and pushes Nojiko away from them lightly as he crouches in front of them, putting his hands on Megumi's shoulder. "Did they do something horrible to you? Did that?"
"No." Megumi lies.
"They threatened you, didn't they?!" Genzo shouts, losing it.
"No!" She lies again, shaking her head, and Nami clutches onto her big sister with tears.
"Say it!" He orders with fear and anger.
"Let go of me!" Megumi shouts and pushes him away, her shirt rising up, and Nami's shoulder becomes visible.
"Megumi...Nami…" Genzo mumbles as he sees the Arlong Pirates tattoo on their skin.
"No!" Nojiko cries out.
"Those are Arlong tattoos…" Doctor Nako gasps.
"No…" Genzo mutters in shock.
"Nami...Megumi…" Nojiko cries as she looks at her sisters, who try to smile through their tears; Nojiko runs at them, tackling Megumi, who drops Nami to the floor. "Unforgivable! Unforgivable! Joining pirates is absolutely unforgivable! And them, of all people! Do you even know what kind of people they are?!"
"So what?!" Megumi shouts through her pain, her broken ribs screaming out to her as Nojiko sits over her and Nami cries out.
"If I'm gonna get killed living a proper life like Belle-mere, then I don't wanna live properly!" Nami shouts, wanting them to hate them, to save their lives like Megumi told her to.
"I can't believe this...Belle-mere...Belle-mere was killed because of us! How can you just-!" Nojiko shouts at her sisters.
"That's enough, Nojiko," Genzo tells her, and Nojiko snaps out of it. "Leave, Megumi, Nami!" He shouts. "Never step foot into this village again!" He tells them, and Megumi cringes as her ribs scream as she scrambles to her feet and grabs Nami before running off.
"Nami! Megumi!" Nojiko shouts after her sisters as they run away.
"How could they be so foolish. Did they not see Belle-mere as their parent?!" Genzo thinks to himself, and Nojiko looks back to the villagers, who all look hurt at Nami and Megumi's actions.
"No, that's not true...Nami and Megumi love Belle-mere…" Nojiko argues as she sees the looks around the villagers.
ONE PIECE - ARLONG PARK ARC
That night, Megumi takes Nami back to their house and sit in front of Belle-mere's grave; Nojiko sees them. "Hey...Belle-mere said that if we survive, fun things will happen, right? Lots of run things…" Nami questions as Megumi hugs her.
"Yeah." Nojiko answers.
"After Arlong dragged us off, five Navy ships came to capture him, but they were all sunk easily...I don't think the Government will send any more help to his island." Nami tells her and sees the dark look on Megumi's face, starting to hate the Government.
"That's what made me realise we have to do something. We made an agreement with Arlong to buy Cocoyashi Village from him." Megumi tells her.
"To buy the village?" Nojiko repeats in shock.
"For 100 million Berries." She answers. "If we buy the village, we can be free. No one else will have to die; in exchange, we have to join his group and draw sea charts and find him anything he wants…"
"B-but, 100 million Berries? I'm not sure you can earn that much working our entire life!" Nojiko argues.
"We will earn it! No matter what it takes! Everyone's working their hardest to pay the tribute money, so our only choice is to do it alone. Because if we ask for help from anyone, more people will get hurt." Nami cries.
"It'll hurt, you know…"Nojiko points out.
"Yeah…" Megumi answers.
"Staying with the people who killed Belle-mere'll hurt," Nojiko warns them.
"We'll be fine. We#ll put on a big smile even when I see his face. I've decided not to cry anymore. I've decided to fight on my own!" Nami tells them, and Megumi pulls her sister into a hug as the three sisters cry.
ONE PIECE - ARLONG PARK ARC
"Stealing from pirates?!" Nojiko asks her in shock as she looks at her teenage sister, all bruised with a large sack filled with money.
"Yeah!" Nami tells her, trying to catch her breath as Megumi walks over. "I'm using the huge number of pirates in the era to my advantage. It's like, 'you get what you deserve!'" She smiles, and Megumi grabs the bag, placing it into the underground storage they'd dug out years before with more money and treasure from their little adventures.
"You're covered in cuts, though!" Nojiko snaps at her.
"Yeah, I sorta screwed up. But look at this! One million Berries!" Nami tells them.
"Forget that! You need medical attention, quick." Megumi tells her.
"I'm fine! It's nothing!" She brushes it off. "No one will ever find it here!"
"I know. We'll gather the money little by little, and it'll be 100 million when we're all grown up." Megumi tells her with a smile.
"We have a long ways to go…" Nami chuckles.
"Don't I know it!" Megumi smiles and closes off the storage, hiding it with dirt from prying eyes.