Author's note:
Hi guys! Just a small heads-up, this story is being cross-posted on AO3, so if you see it there, no worries it's me.
Also the current timeline might be a bit confusing as it is purposefully written in a way where Luffy's past and whereabouts are unknown to the reader, but this chapter plays out sometime after Jinbe was appointed as Warlord. This chapter is pretty Jinbe and setting heavy, but I promise you will get to see more of Luffy next chapter! Hope you enjoy and feel free to talk to me in the comments!
TW (for this chapter and others): child abuse, slavery, swearing, dark themes
.
.
Knight of the sea - Jinbe!
.
Like many people before him, and certainly many more after him, Jinbe found Monkey D. Luffy when he was at his lowest.
Or rather, she found him.
.
.
"Land ahead!"
The day had started innocently enough, the deck of the Snapper Head swarming with movement as they readied to drop anchor at the familiar docks of Sabaody. It was a cloudless sunny day and the crew was bustling with excitement at the prospect of truly returning to their island, their home, even if it was technically only a short stop on his way to the new world.
As the new captain of the Sun Pirates – Jinbe still couldn't wrap his head around how wrong it was for him to take up this position – it was his responsibility to make sure his crew was safe and did not get into any reckless conflicts that would get them, and in worst case Fishmen Island as well, in trouble. His title as Warlord was still new and he was not foolish enough to trust the World Governments promise of protection. He had no idealistic illusions about the arrangement, his mind weary and worn after the weeks of - mostly one-sided - battles with upstart pirates that posed an annoyance to the world government. They were only as benevolent as he was obedient.
Which was why, when they arrived at Sabaody Archipelago, he did not even consider stopping for more than a simple restock of supplies and a coating before heading straight to Fishmen Island. Sabaody, for his kind especially, spelt nothing but trouble, luring you in with all the colorful tourist attractions and adventure parks, hiding its dark practices from the public eye until you were too caught up in the spider web to escape. It was tempting in all its glory, he had to admit, especially with the sun reflecting off the floating bubbles, casting small rainbows over the wide lucious fields of grass. The perfect illusion.
Yet staying here for too long was challenging lady luck herself and while Jinbe knew and trusted that his crew could take care of themselves, he didn't want to take the risk. Sabaody was a lawless area and when it came to Fishmen everything was fair game, whether it was assault, kidnapping or killing. Not even his title as Warlord could fully protect his crew from this cruel oppression, not on this island. Not with them so close.
However that didn't mean he didn't notice his crew's longing gazes towards the more visited areas of the island, eyes sparkling in wonder, looking very much like their younger selves did all those years ago, swimming to the surface just to watch the lights dance and the humans laugh.
A bunch of obvious fools they were, he thought somewhat fondly as he sent them out to their respective tasks, watching his men disperse with unease. They knew which areas were safe and he had made sure they all had disguised any distinctive attributes that could reveal them as Fishmen, yet he couldn't help but fret. Jinbe had never been much of a leader, never aspired to be, but the unwavering loyalty of his men made him think that it was his role to take up the mantle, however temporary it might be. He had to shoulder this responsibility, whether he wanted to or not.
"You worry too much." Aladine interrupted the shark-man's thoughts with a friendly slap on the back and a roguish grin, forgoing supply restock in exchange for staying behind and watching the ship. A tail like his was hard to conceal after all.
"It's you who doesn't worry enough, friend." Jinbe huffed in return. His first mate merely brushed the accusation off with a laugh.
"We're only stopping for a supply run and to get the ship a nice coating. That's 3 days at most. How much could happen in just 3 days?" Reluctantly, Jinbe had to agree. However, he still looked out over the port with apprehension, studying the array of harmless merchant ships, not a single other pirate ship in sight. Luck seemed to be on their side. Maybe he really was worrying too much.
After all, how much could possibly happen in 3 days indeed?
.
.
A lot.
As it turned out, a lot could happen in just 3 days. Jinbe truly should have known better.
The whale shark Fishman cursed himself where he stood at the quarter deck. Of course, his worries had to prove themselves correct in record time. The captain sent his first mate a reproachful look for calling the devil into existence with his words 3 days ago. Aladine, on his end, either didn't notice him or chose to ignore the fact that he was on the receiving end of what has been dubbed Jinbe's famed look of disappointment.
.
.
Their stay had started harmlessly enough, that much was true. It was Sabaody they were talking about so of course there were pirate squabbles between overconfident rookies just burning to prove themselves here and there, but that was nothing out of the ordinary.
It was on the 2nd day however, that things had started looking mildly concerning. From one day to the other the port had gained another dozen ships. Who knew how many more ships were docked elsewhere on the island, considering this port was more remote and deserted. The island had gotten suspiciously busy all of a sudden and Jinbe did not like it one bit, frowning at the flags of nearby ships, fluttering in the breeze unassumingly.
But it wasn't the number of the ships he worried about. It was the occupants.
Out of all the ships that had arrived not a single one was sailing under a jolly roger. Fluttering before their eyes proudly - obnoxiously, mockingly - were flags displaying the crests of slave traders.
Sabaody attracted traders like honey did ants, but usually they came in waves, befitting their own schedule. For them to flock to the island like this all at the same time something must have happened. Somewhere on this island something big was about to go down. And Jinbe for one didn't want to stick around long enough to find out what it was.
It wasn't much later, on the afternoon of the 2nd day, that things went truly sour.
With the traders presence an air of unease settled over the island. Out of his crew many had had bad run ins with their like in the past, not to mention the ones that had actually experienced slavery firsthand, the trauma too fresh to being considered processed, let alone healed. To say the air was tense was an understatement.
"I don't like this boss." Aladine sighed, crossed arms flexing in discomfort as if looking for an outlet, as he overlooked the bustling port.
"Something about this… doesn't feel right. What's with the sudden swarm of slavers? What are they planning now, they aren'T exactly known for being an organized bunch."
Jinbe grunted grimly, eyeing the foul men going on their merry way, walking in that way only the privileged and stupid could. As if the world had nothing on them. As if everything could be solved with riches and violence.
"I have my theories… but let's wait for Ocels report." He huffed, squinting at the sun. "It's nearly dawn, he should be coming back with the boys running errands soon. Then we should know more, let's not do anything hasty for now. And tell the man to be careful. Don't let them do anything rash."
Aladine shifted impatiently but refrained from saying any more. They both knew standing around and talking would not do them any good. But who could fault them, with them being surrounded by the glaring reminder of their standing in this world. Usually even slavers weren't stupid enough to pick a fight with a warlord, preferring to go for the weak and unfortunate instead, however Jinbe couldn't help but worry about his men out running errands.
Not for the first time, Jinbe cursed his decision of having the ship coated. It wasn't necessarily needed, fishmen could withhold the change of water pressure occurring on the way down without too much discomfort. However the ship and it's merchandise were another matter, which is why it had become custom to coat the ship.
Not one to lament what cannot be changed, Jinbe decided to walk off his unease and take a look at the situation himself, despite Aladines protests at him leaving alone. Where there was an influx of slaves there was bound to be an influx of nobles as well. The two went hand in hand like a mother and her child, as morbid of an comparison that was. Grove 27, while close to Sabaody Park and looking quite harmless, was still too dangerous for nobles to dock at. A good third of the island was lawless, with wanted pirates and famed bounty hunters running amok unsupervised. The local slave traders usually stuck to the nice areas like Sabaody Park and the tourist groves for business, while the foreign ones docked at ports in the lawless area, looking to sell their imported goods.
As he walked he noticed that the situation on the surrounding groves wasn't much different, the air also heavy with tension, stray pirates lurking around strung tight, ready to fight or flee at the drop of a hat.
Jinbe had been on Sabaody quite a few times already, with it being the final island on paradise and essential crossing point to the grandline and his home island, yet he was far from familiar with it. He knew of Shakkys bar on grove 13 and the Human Auctioning House situated on grove 1, but apart from that he was a stranger to the massive mangrove forest, usually opting to anchor at the port on Grove 27, one of the less inhabited places.
So really, it was not all that surprising when after an hour of walking and deep thinking he eventually found himself in an unfamiliar place. Clearing his throat, slightly embarrassed by his own predicament and glad none of the crew was around to witness his slipup, he started looking for the numbered tree that would reveal where he had wandered off to. His sense of direction had always been better at sea than on land.
"You there! Big blue fella in the kimono!" A masculine voice called from behind him while he was busy looking. Turning around to see who would address him in such a bold and uncouth manner Jinbe was met with a man of small bony built and stark grey hair leaning out of the doorway of one of the many colorful houses lining both sides of the road he was on.
"Folks like you shouldn't be wandering around here. If you know what's good for you, you should get out of here before the auction is over. Go and tell your other fish buddies slinking around too, if you don't wanna end up on the wrong side of the curtain." The islander shouted disgruntled before disappearing back in the dark of his doorway, leaving him once again in the mostly empty secluded street before he could even so much as open his mouth to answer. The brief encounter didn't sit well with him, hands clenching and unclenching subconsciously in discomfort as he continued walking, eyes sharper and more alert than before.
Whether the statement was intended as a warning or a threat, the message it carried was more than clear: Get out of here while you still can or suffer the consequences later.
In hindsight Jinbe should have known better than to ignore this warning. But at the time he didn't, undeterred by the sunken tired eyes watching him pass by from inside dark houses. If even the people residing in the lawless area avoided leaving their homes something big must be going on. And while Jinbe did not care to involve himself with the situation he also did not like being out of the loop.
It was with this excuse in mind that he kept moving forward instead of returning to the ship. By now he had identified the grove he was on as grove 22. If he remembered correctly it was known for being a hotspot for all kinds of trafficking, especially popular among nobles because of the human shop situated at the center of the grove.
Not that there were many people around at this time, the falling dusk casting a red ominous shadow on the usually lush lanes of Sabaody. Apart from Jinbe only a few stray inhabitants were gathered in clumps of activity in front of the houses circling the trees, chattering away about one thing or another as he passed by.
Things could almost be considered peaceful.
Which is why he could not have missed the strange noise even if he had wanted, feet slowing down as he took in his surroundings, more alert at once. The noise, something akin to light footsteps, mixed in with the occasional crash and clinking sound, steadily got closer. Not for the first time Jinbe wondered if he should have returned to the ship sooner.
Whatever was approaching sounded like trouble, something Jinbe was strongly trying to avoid.
None of the loitering men in the clearing seemed to notice the sudden interruption, ignoring it to a point where Jinbe started to question his own hearing. But it wasn't his imagination, the sound of footsteps was getting closer.
Alarmed by the steadily approaching noise he began searching the general area before focusing on the shadowed alleys between the houses when he couldn't find anything in sight. It didn't help that the alleys between the colorful brick buildings were further concealed by the lack of sunlight and stray boxes laying around, blocking a good third of the path. The footsteps steadily got closer and closer, until Jinbe finally spotted a figure, running through the alleyway while stumbling at every other step, barely able to keep upright.
Looking at it now in the dim light, it was small and breathing raggedly, the deep gasps of air loud in the evening silence as they kept pushing forward in what Jinbe could only describe as desperation and fear, immediately putting him on edge too. People didn't run like this unless something was giving chase. That alone was never a good thing, however on Sabaody it had even worse implications. The fishman waited with unease for the figure to exit the alley, stance shifting in case of an unpleasant encounter.
He watched with a mix of apprehension and curiosity as the figure, a human child by the looks of it, broke out of the alleyway only 5 steps away from him. The proximity was startling, but the child seemingly hadn't even seen him despite how close he was, head whipping around in search of something. The motion was too fast for Jinbe to see anything more than a black mop of matted hair and pale lips gasping for air. Not that he would have been able to take in any more than that anyways, his eyes instead immediately falling down to the thick imposing band of metal wrapped around a willowy neck and the ratty grey cloth covering the child's sickly form.
A slave. The words rang like an alarm bell in his mind and Jinbe wanted to physically recoil, hands fisting where they were folded inside his kimono sleeves. A human slave child, thin and tattered, shivering either from the cold or fear or maybe even exhaustion. A feeling of dismay spread through Jinbe's core, reaching every part of him as the realization of how tiny the child was, even for human standards, settled in. It was sickening.
Suddenly, as if noticing his presence for the first time, the child turned and wild eyes met his. They were barely visible behind the shoulder-long tangled hair, but as soon as his proximity registered the little one took an alarmed step back, almost stumbling in it's haste to put more distance between them in a skittish manner. For a moment he wondered if the child was scared because he looked different from humans or because they didn't know who to trust.
Either way, Jinbe on his end kept his hands folded inside his kimono sleeve in an effort to appear as non-threatening as possible. In reality he was just as startled and out of the deep as the child, studying the small kid as he considered the situation, while getting studied in return by wild panic-stricken eyes.
It was obvious that the kid was just waiting to take off again, wary eyes tracking his every movement with bated breath. And Jinbe realized that might be for the best of it. The child was wearing a slave collar. It was a small miracle the thing hadn't been set off and exploded yet, considering how much trauma it must have taken from the startling running motions. The thought of it setting off on a child this small was beyond inhumane and Jinbe had to swallow back the bile that rose in the back of his throat. It was grotesque, seeing such a thing on a child this young. It was like a grim reaper hovering behind her shoulder, just waiting for the opportunity to strike and snuff out another helpless life.
For a moment, there was silence, their eyes locked in a tense staredown. Looking at them more closely now, Jinbe could see that the kid had vaguely feminine features, although it was hard to tell at this age, especially with human children. But it was there, most noticeable in the gentle slope of the nose and softness around the cheeks and eyes. It seemed like one eye was bothering her, as she greatly preferred her left side over her right, slowly itching back step by step, bare feet sliding along the dry grass almost soundlessly. The longer their stare off went on the more tension her body gathered. It was her eyes, however, that surprised Jinbe. While before they had been filled with fear and panic, there was only a hint of those emotions left now that she was sure he wasn't outright going to attack her. For the most part it has been replaced with what he thought might be curiosity accompanied by a hint of hesitance. What a strange one, he thought without humor. Should he try talking to her? Or would that only spook her even more? Why was she even still here? She should be running for her life right now.
The universe seemed to agree with him as it could have been no more than a few seconds before the moment was broken by the approaching sound of thundering footsteps and shouting, leaving Jinbe to wonder if he had imagined their weird interaction as the small figure visibly convulsed as if electrified.
"The little bitch ran this way! Hurry the fuck up, don't let her get away!"
The snarled command was close enough to hear clearly and Jinbe looked in the direction of the footsteps with a frown. It sounded like a group of at least 3 men, probably more if they were more spread out. He watched as the small child, a girl as now confirmed by the shouts of her pursuers, froze for a second before pure unadulterated panic seized her body and she took off with renewed desperation, the broken chain rattling with every step as she ran across the wide path to the opposite wall of houses, seeking protection in the dim lighting of the alleyway. The irony that even now, after breaking it, the chain was still holding her back and alerting her pursuers of her location, wasn't lost on Jinbe.
Because even with all her effort and desperation, they were bound to catch up. A slave that had gotten loose had nowhere to run, if they even managed to run far in their malnourished weakened state. Looking at the scrawny kid he knew she would not make it much further on her own, it was already hard to believe that she had gotten as far as she did.
"This way! Fucking catch her already, do you know how much money is on the line here?!"
For a moment Jinbe just stood there, useless, fighting a battle with himself. He needed to help her. It was the right thing to do. Without his help she would be caught, and who knew what kind of torture she would have to endure for her escape attempt. They wouldn't kill her...after all she was precious goods, but some things were worse than death. How could he let a child fend for themselves?
But even as he moved to take a step in her direction, a sudden question formed inside his head. Was he even in any position to help her? Jinbe was a fishman and warlord forced to follow the World Government laws. By law, slaves were property.
Many years ago he had first seen the dreadful yellow slip of paper. The auction price list. And at the very top of that list one single sentence was written.
'Criminals and citizens of Non-World Government nations are acceptable goods.'
Right underneath it the price for each species had been listed, as if it were nothing but a simple shopping list and they were goods to be purchased and used. That was the cruel reality of the world they lived in. So was he really in any position to help?
He wasn't, Jinbe knew the harsh truth of it better than anyone else. He was no Fisher Tiger, he was just a man trying to keep his brother's legacy alive and safe. He didn't have the freedom to go around saving little slave girls who had gotten dealt a bad card in life. Not with the collar still around her neck and her captors hot on her heels. There was nothing Jinbe could do right now that wouldn't endanger his friends and family.
With a heavy heart he turned away, walking into the opposite direction the commotion was coming from, back to the port their ship was decked on. He should have turned around earlier, he thought with bitter resignation. Morbidly he wondered if the slave girl could have gotten away further, sooner, if she hadn't encountered him. If she had moved just a bit faster.
"I can see her, she's over there!"
Behind him the commotion picked up as the men arrived at the clearing, giving chase with new vigor now that their goal was in sight. It was really none of his business, Jinbe told himself. What made this girl so different from all the other cases he had witnessed before? Nothing. It was hardly a rare occurrence, nor was this the first time he had witnessed something like this. It shouldn't be so hard to just ignore it, not when they hadn't even exchanged a single word. Nobody else seemed to care either. Everyone was minding their own business like good little citizens of the World Government. Because they all knew what would happen if they tried to help. This was reality. It had been Jinbe's reality since he himself had been a child.
"Got you, you little runt! Just wait and see what they will do with yo-", the voice cut off in a colorful swear. "Jesus- , the freaking bitch bit me! Fucking gag her!"
Despite his earlier thoughts, Jinbe couldn't help but look back.
The girl had been caught, of course. That too was just part of how this reality worked. She was being held down by two adult men, employees of the auction house by the look of their clothes, as a third one pushed a piece of cloth into her mouth none too gently. Despite being clearly outnumbered she continued fighting for any chance of freedom, bony limbs flapping around wildly.
At one point as she struggled, her tiny head rose, dazed eyes looking around disorientedly before settling on his. It was as if she knew someone was watching. Now that their eyes had met it felt wrong to look away, to act like he hadn't seen anything. Somehow that would make his inaction that much more regretful and unforgivable.
So instead he watched as she got knocked brutally out for her efforts to free herself, head momentarily thumping against the ground harshly, before she was hoisted up once again. Jinbe could see that she was slowly losing consciousness even from this far away, her eyes wide with fear even as her body lost all the fight it had left. She was at her limit. And as she was carried away blood dripped down her nose onto the perfectly lush green grass , leaving a trail. Leaving her mark on the oh so perfect planes of Sabaody.
Jinbe felt sick.
.
.
Back at the ship nothing new had happened. It seemed the only thing that had changed was Jinbe himself. At the port the situation had stayed the same all day, with the exception of Ocel and multiple others who had run errands reporting of the big auction that was seemingly going to be held the next day.
It aligned with the little bits of information Jinbe had been able to gather on his walk. The confirmation of the auction wore heavy on his mind, the regretful encounter fresh in his memory. In the end he was only able to give the order to set sail as soon as possible tomorrow before he excused himself, the exhaustion of the day taking over him. Not for the first time, and certainly not the last time, he wondered what brother Tiger would have done.
.
.
A few years back the Sun Pirates had come upon a small island rich with culture. It was nothing extraordinary, the architecture was nothing to stare at and there were no weird fruits or animals to discover. It was just a harmless small island inhabited by sheltered but pleasant people. The inhabitants of this little island all shared one niggling belief: 'All bad things come in threes'. Back then Jinbe had laughed, finding the superstition amusing and almost endearing.
Looking at the mayhem in front of him, he didn't feel like laughing anymore. If things had looked mildly concerning on the 2nd day, then it could only be considered very concerning on the 3rd day of their stay, to say the least.
The first half of the day had gone by awfully quietly, luring them into a false sense of security. And false it had been indeed, for as soon as it had struck 1 hour after midday, just half an hour before the Snapper Head was fully coated and the ship loaded and ready to go, chaos broke loose.
It started with blaring sirens going off in the distance on seemingly all groves simultaneously. The sound was high and loud, rising and falling in a tone that made it impossible to hold a normal conversation, let alone ignore it.
It was like a switch had been turned, the port erupting into instant havoc, as every single individual recognized the obnoxious sound at once. There was only one organization that would benefit from such an assembly signal: the Marines. They used different sirens for different occasions. The signal for a civil emergency was a steady wail, alarming but calm to avoid mass panics. The falling and rising wailing that was reverberating over the island right now was only used for attack and defense, it meant that the Marines were marching out to capture and subdue. For civilians it was a clear signal to stay at home and not interfere lest they get caught up in the crossfire. For the lawless it only meant one thing: Get off the island, now.
Whatever has happened to make them march out, it was nothing that could benefit any of them. The 3 minute blaring siren was the only warning pirates and slave traders would get. And they didn't have to be told twice, port erupting into commotion as all ships got ready to take off ahead of schedule. Jinbe himself was just waiting for the coating to be finished and dry. While theoretically he had a certain amount of immunity against the law as a warlord, he did not want to deal with the Marines.
That however, seemed like it would stay wishful thinking, because just a mere 10 minutes after the siren sounded Marines began swarming the port like ants, guns held at ready against their chests. They were fully prepared to use them, based on the gunshots that could be heard in the distance from neighboring ports.
"Search the ships! Don't let even a single one get away!" The commanding officer yelled, the lower marines immediately jumping to fulfill their task after giving a quick salute. So they were searching for something after all.
Jinbe watched from the deck of the Snapper Head as they started streaming towards the anchored ships. Barely 1 or 2 ships had managed to take off at this short notice, and even then they only managed to do so by leaving behind half their men that were currently on different groves. Jinbe on his part hadn't even tried and instead told his men to keep loading the ship with the goods they had purchased. While everyone else panicked he was standing tall along his crew. They had nothing to hide after all. Whatever they were looking for, they would not find it on his ship.
"Why are you searching our ships! We are not carrying any illegal goods!" The slavers docked next to them cursed, anxious by the sudden attention. The marines usually knew to turn a blind eye to their business, but once in a while they got into trouble with them anyways. Especially in front of civilians, where they had to uphold their just and righteous image.
"Shut up, scum! Has anyone found anything yet? No one leaves until we've searched everything!" One officer yelled, getting a reply of negative affirmations from all directions so far. This whole search went on for another few minutes before somebody spoke up again.
"Boss… They are heading our way too." Ocel commented from his left in displeasure. Jinbe followed his line of view, frowning at what he found. Indeed, a group of 5 greenhorns was coming their way, their hunched shoulders betraying their false confidence as they stepped up to his ship, keeping his men from loading the goods, and starting to inspect the barrels filled with food.
"What business do you have with us?", he asked before they could bother his crew any more.
"All ships must be searched, your ship is no exception, pirate scum!", one fool answered with false bravado, clinging to his gun like a lifeline, obviously scared in the face of an entire crew of fishmen. Ridiculous.
"Hah? Do you know who you're talking to?" One of his men scoffed, angered by the obvious display of disrespect. "Mr. Commanding Officer over there, why don't you get your little dogs to back off before we make them back off." Brizo, ever the hot-tempered one, shouted down to the Marine calling the shots.
The man looked at them with displeasure, and after a heavy pause finally deemed them worthy of an answer.
"He's fine, focus on the other ships." The officer admitted reluctantly after a long pause, his scornful gaze saying more than enough about how little he liked playing nice with fishmen..
"B-But sir you said to search all shi-" One cadet protested.
"I know what I said! Now piss off and search the other ships!" The foul tempered man snappen at them.
"Y-Yes sir!" They echoed before stepping away.
Jinbe felt like sighing.
"Aladine, how much longer until we are ready to set sail?" he asked, feeling a vicious headache building behind his forehead.
"Not much longer, Boss. The coating should be dry in another 5 minutes and it looks like the boys just loaded the last of the cargo. All in all we should be ready to go in 10." He summarized.
Jine nodded his thanks before turning his attention back to the commanding Marine.
"What's the reason behind this search, are you looking for somebody specific?" He asked the man gruffly. For a moment it seemed like he wouldn't answer despite having clearly heard Jinbe, but to avoid further conflict with his crew he gave in and answered with a sigh.
"Some of the slaves of today's auction broke loose and escaped. God knows how they did it. And for whatever reason some Celestial Dragons chose this exact day to attend the auction. They see it as a personal offence and are making quite the big fuss about it, demanding they be captured immediately. 2 Vice-Admirals are already on their way here. An Admiral might show up too if the celestial dragons don't calm down soon. So if you wanna set sail i suggest you do so soon Mr. Warlord. It's not gonna get any better from here on." The man unwillingly offered up the information, arms crossed and still facing away from them. The Marines on Sabaody truly were a tough and unfriendly bunch.
But Jinbe took the information for what it was, and after the coating had finally dried down he immediately ordered to take off, not wanting to stick around any longer now that he knew that Celestial Dragons were actually on the island.
Thankfully they were able to set sail without any further interruptions and incidents.
Jinbe breathed a sigh of relief as their ship sank deeper and deeper into the deep darkness of the ocean. Their stay had ended well, even with the little mishaps along the way. The only thing waiting for them now was home. The one and only place where they could truly relax and put their guard down.
Briefly, the whale-shark fishman wondered if the little girl of yesterday had been among the escaped slaves. If she too ever would get to return home. But before he could fall into regretful melancholy again a sudden ruckus broke out on the lower levels of the ship, loud thumping and cursing traveling up the stairs.
"... she fucking bit me, let's see how you like being bit by the little rat!" Hog's whiny voice carried over the deck as he stepped outside, gaining the attention of everyone lounging around on deck.
"Come on, you're just a big old baby." Finn rolled his eyes, hoisting whatever a squirming bundle of… something higher up his finned shoulder as they made their way over.
"Boss, we found a stowaway." Finn declared matter of factly while Hog was busy tending to his wounds, making sure to complain loudly to anyone that would listen. Jinbe raised an eyebrow at the declaration and Finn took it as his cue to drop the squirming bundle, a small human, on the floor in front of him.
Looking up at him from underneath stark black hair was the same little slave girl with the wide panicked eyes from yesterday. All Jinbe could do was blink dumbly.
Huh?
.
.
In the end, she hadn't needed his help. Hadn't asked for it or ever even hoped for it. The little girl had saved herself while he had turned a blind eye, seeing her as nothing more than a human that was failed by the system her own kind had created. And Jinbe thought, out of the many mistakes he had made in his life, this was the one he would never be able to forgive himself for completely.
It wouldn't be until years later, after they had both grown as people, after many more adventures and tragedies alike, that she would greet him with the same warm unwavering smile and thank him for taking her out to sea with him. And for all that she forgave him, for all that she didn't even see anything to forgive for, Jinbe could only hang his head in shame and cry.
.
.
Human trade
Criminals and citizens of Non-World Government nations are acceptable goods
Starting Auction Price List
Humans - 500,000 beri
Dwarves - 700,000 beri
Minks - 700,000 beri
Longhands - 700,000 beri
Longlegs - 700,000 beri
Snakenecks - 700,000 beri
Fishmen - 1,000,000 beri
Giants - (M) 50,000,000 beri, (F) 10,000,000 beri
Mermaids - (F) 70,000,000 beri, (M) 1,000,000 beri, (F, parted) 10,000,000 beri
Ability users - Special price
Other exotic species- Special price
.
Next Chapter: A girl named Luffy!
.
Trivia: The "Human Trade" price list is actually canon and was taken from the anime, so these are the official in universe prices.
Also some of you might be upset/disagree with Jinbe's character portrayal, I too was unsure on how to write him since we don't have a lot of information of this time period (1513 to 1514) or Jinbe's personality at the time, pretty much all we do know is that he was much harsher/stricter in the past as well as a very calculating person. He even mentions it himself to Ace in the Anime that he is not good willed/ generous enough to help Luffy out of sympathy alone. I wrote him this way because this takes place not too long after Fisher Tigers death and Jinbe had to take on the role of protector and a ton of responsibility. Not to mention that his sense of responsibility is one of his biggest character traits, as seen in the Anime where he keeps from joining the Strawhats until after he has made sure that the Sun Pirates are save from Big Mom. So naturally I imagined him to have less freedom to act as he wants, as the consequences would be too big for all the people relying on him, he can't act impulsively.
As for Luffy, well, I did say I want to keep her personality as close to canon as I can manage, but that was mostly intended for later. In the first few chapters she is still dealing with heavy trauma and is far from okay. This will change as she heals over time, but for now typical traits such as her trusting nature will be buried under the trauma.
Also did you notice? Luffy started her journey to sea in a barrel, both in the original universe and this one! Also all crewmembers except for Aladine were made up by me since the Sun Pirates have very few named members.
So yeah, this was Luffy's and Jinbe's first meeting! Let me know what you thought of it in the comments! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'm happy about any kind of feedback :)
.