I do not own anything besides these words and the cover art.

Arlong looked around the apartment with a frown. It was empty and cold and it reminded him of her.

She was young when he found her, stealing clothes from the mall. She was defiant and bright, but Nami had the unfortunate luck to steal from Arlong. When he came to collect, he took Nami and her sister as payment, but then the woman stepped in. He said an arbitrary amount that he knew she had, and it was only for her. He thought he could carry some free labor away, but then she said her fee covered her "daughters."

She told him to promise that he would not lay a hand on them. He told her that if she died like a "good girl", he would. She did not. She looked at him with all the defiance she had and held onto her pathetic love for her left behind kids. She managed to say one more "I love you" before he pulled the trigger and the bullet ripped through her chest. He laughed as her eyes grew cold and empty because he hated how she thought she was so strong. A former marine who boasted of justice and mercy, but became a crumbled body at his feet like any other.

Arlong remembered being treated as less than. When people looked at him, they saw his skin color and facial features. They heard about where he was born, and suddenly his blood was not good enough for a transfusion. His people were nothing more than trinkets to be bought and sold, modern-day slavery that everyone seemed okay with because they had no power or voice. They hated him for existing if he did not comply to being what they wanted him to be: a criminal, a thug, a violent offender, a forgotten people, and past. So, he swore he would never let another person look down on him again. He promised to build up his fishing based community to become kings. Arlong wanted to crush everyone around him and he would take his power by force. He grew up. He gained followers and influence. He built a territory with his bare knuckles and sheer resilience. He broke kneecaps until they crouched on the floor in front of him. He shattered jaws that once laughed and mocked him.

And yet, one sickly woman and her two girls opposed him and his stern rule. However, Nami surprised him. She froze as her mother's brain matter hit the back wall and splattered her dress. She clutched herself as her sister mewled like a drowning kitten. The little girl came to him and asked to be given power in gold. As for his "promise" to the dead woman, he kept it half way. Nami's sister never felt his touch. It was not entirely his fault. Nami wanted to work off what he still held above her and her sister's head, and he was not going to throw away such dedicated labor, in whatever form he used it.

Arlong picked himself off the couch and grunted at his silent phone. She did not even call, after all, they had been through. He knew Nami better than anyone else on this earth. He watched her grow. He taught her everything she claimed to be her own skill. He loved her and hated her, but she was not someone who could be loved. Neither of them was. Arlong took that fragile and weak child who balled her hands into fists and built her into a powerful woman. He treated her fairly, beating her only when she needed to get beaten. She was heartless and that both terrified and intrigued Arlong. To be angry, he understood. To be vengeful, he knew all about. But to be so cold that blood did not run in your veins? He envied Nami's desire to turn everything she touched into gold. Because money kept her warm. It kept her fed. It brought her clothes and made her bed. Money was Nami's first language, and he was not a religious man, but her greed made him believe that sin came at birth.

She kept silent when his hands found her. She did not fight him, at least not after she learned to do better. He taught her to give everything she was to him…and now, he wondered if she was slipping away. He had kept her isolated for so long, that when he sent her out the first time, he feared she would not return. So, he told her sister would be killed. That worked until Arlong learned Nami's quiet dealings around him, just out of his reach. So, he tested her and she passed with flying, bright colors…the colors of fire. That finalized anything he had on Nami, but Nami had only him now. No matter how far she went, no matter how many people she fucked, no matter what money brought her joy, Nami would always come back to the man that marked her. It was in her blood.

Yet, this scheme was taking quite a toll on him. She gave him an ultimatum, and he was ready to keep his end of the bargain: release her of her debt and let her walk out as a free woman. But Nami forgot that she had been in the company of bad man for too long that she could not possibly find the same level of satisfaction outside their lifestyle. This con was supposed to teach her that…that she could not leave because she did not want to because she could not survive without him. However, she was. She was away…she was with someone who made her…defiant. He needed to teach her again if she was going to keep up such an act. He was not afraid to break her down if it meant he could build her back up the way he wanted her to be.

Arlong was about to leave when he heard the buzzing. He thought he left his phone on the table but he felt it in his back pocket and looked around the darkness with suspicious eyes. The buzzing continued in strange beeps as if a signal or code was being sent. He followed it into the bedroom, and somewhere between the sheets, he picked up the glowing rectangle.

The fear and anger that flooded his body came with little warning. Everything became blurry as if he was having a challenging time reading the numbers and registering the meaning. But he knew what it meant. Crocodile had told him of a secret unit that was being built up to catch people like him. If it were not for the resources of a bigger and stronger family, Arlong would not have known a tracer code from any other phone number. The buzzing finally stopped and the object settled in his hand like burning coal. It scorched his flesh and he had not realized that he squeezed it between his hands until he heard the cracking plastic between his fingers. Arlong released it and took out his own phone. He quickly flipped it open and dialed. Putting it to his ear, he spoke with a hard tone, "Get me a secure line to Crocodile. Tell him I have a lead on that task force…tell him…I'm gifting him a rat."

Music Inspiration/Theme: "Gold" (Jorgen Odegard Remix)

Ya'll, I am on that Imagine Dragons vibe, but ya'll know how difficult it is to download music *whispers* illegally anymore? Jkay, jkay, FBI—I'm kidding. But not, tho. So, I foudn this remix and it's pretty good and a bit darker sound, so I like it with this chapter.

ANYHOO, ya'll. Arlong found out. Ya'll. Ya'll!

But for real, one reader asked if Nami had sex with Arlong, and I want to reiterate this fact very clearly: whether she was a child or the age she is now (17), whatever Arlong did and does to her is considered rape. Whether she explicitly said "no" or not, she never said "yes". If we are gauging the general timeline, Bell-mere died at 30 making Nami 4 (roughly). I'd say Arlong would have used any means to keep Nami under his thumb, and sexually assaulting/exploiting a young girl is definitely in her wheelhouse of terrible things to do. Frankly, I am not speaking as an expert, but I hope I have not "approved" of any relationship Arlong and Nami have because whatever Arlong did is abusive in my book and I truly hope I have stated that in writing. Again, I believe this speaks to how Nami interacts with him, with Zoro, and with people in general. Hope that explains that, and this explains why Arlong and Nami have the relationship that they do. I also tried to take as much as I could from canon while keeping true to this story. Again, just to clarify, Nami did and does not have sex willingly with Arlong. This has twisted her self-image, her self-worth, and her willingness to hurt Zoro to escape. K, cool.

Now that Arlong knows, what is in store for Nami? What will Crocodile do with this rat? Will our leading couple overcome the impossible odds against them?

Until next time, babes!

XoXo shipfiend