Disclaimer: Godzilla and One Piece are the properties of Toho Co. LTD and Eiichiro Oda respectively. KP360 claims no ownership of anything save for any OCs, abilities and locations.
"That creature almost got me again… it's a good thing Arlong's group of fish managed to keep it away…"
Another marine ship has arrived near Cocoyasi Village. Unlike before, this one managed to survive an assault from Ebirah, albeit barely. The monster truly knows no bounds; every large ship, animal or village up in this patch of territory is fair game for it. Even the Sea cow under Arlong's ownership fears it and shies away from it, heck even Arlong himself doesn't want to get on its bad side! Because of its voracious nature, Arlong has had to post guards to make sure it doesn't go off eating any villages on its own. Fortunately for them, the Fishmen all have superior mobility underwater, so they usually manage to avoid death, usually.
It begs the question why Captain Nezumi of the 16th branch would even set foot here, now wouldn't it? However, this marine was not the same as the one who tried to come before.
Nezumi was a man of medium height that overall looks… like a rat. He has the beady eyes of a rat, his moustache was styled to look like a rat, and even his uniform was topped with 2 rodent ears. It's unknown if he has a rat fetish or not but that's beside the point.
Normally the marines showing up would be a godsend to the villagers, however Nezumi was here for a completely different reason…
Giving a cocky sneer to the villagers coming to inspect him, Nezumi gave the following order:
"Where is the girl named Nami?"
While this was happening:
Nojiko's story was one that nearly shattered the hearts of the people that were present. It was one that spoke of hardship and loss, something that almost everyone there was well acquainted with. Even so, hearing about it never fails to leave a mark.
Flashback:
8 years ago in Cocoyasi Village, it was much more peaceful than it is now. Nobody has to worry about anything up to this point except for-
"GET BACK HERE YOU LITTLE THIEF!"
A younger Genzo, one without scars, was currently chasing a short oranged haired girl wearing a pale yellow skirt. Yup, this was none other than Nami at the young age of 10, and even then it seemed that she had a knack for skullduggery.
"I told you many, many times! You cannot steal!" Genzo scolded once he finally caught up to the little girl. He held her up by the scruff of the shirt, akin to how someone would hold a cat.
"I can't help it, our family is poor and I can't buy it normally!" the girl replied.
The two continued to argue until they got to a small house. Genzo knocked on the door loudly, all the while shouting.
"Bell-mere! Come out at once, your little burglar has been caught once again!"
The door was opened, revealing a tall woman wearing a checkered shirt with the words 'MACE' written on it, a pair of purple pants and had a cigar lit. Her reddish-pink hair was shaved on the sides, giving her a Mohawk. Bell-mere is the owner of the tangerine orchid behind the house, and it served at the family's source of income.
"You need to do something about this! How many times has it been now?" Genzo snapped.
"Oh, Nami, were you stealing again? Well, it's not that big of a deal is it?" the woman smirked.
"What is that supposed to mean?! You're way too easy on her!" Genzo shouted.
"Oh… alright, she does need more discipline. Unfortunately I don't have any money right now, so how about I pay you back…" Bell-mere's facial expression turned from one of concern to that of a sultrier one "With my Body…?"
"WHA?! DON'T SAY THINGS LIKE THAT!" this, unfortunately, is all too common for the man. Doesn't make it any less awkward and embarrassing for him though. The two ladies then laughed uproariously.
Bell-mere was a former marine soldier that lives in Cocoyasi, with Nami and Nojiko as her adopted daughters. At first nobody thought that she, someone who used to be quite the troublemaker, could even attempt something as hard as rearing a child, let alone two. However, as time went by, they all loved to see the 3 of them living together. As of right now, the little family lived a rather simple life of farming tangerines for a living. They were quite happy, albeit with money problems every now and then. Even as a child Nami had a passion for map-making and had a dream of making a map of the entire work, which her adopted mother and sister wholeheartedly supported. However, not everything would be so simple.
As mentioned, the family was quite poor, and unfortunately this sometimes caused some arguments between them. One day Bell-mere made another dress for Nami, however, Nami was less than pleased.
"These are just more of Nojiko's old clothing…"
"Well you're younger than me so naturally get what I can't wear anymore. Besides my clothes are old too." The blue haired girl replied.
"But I want new clothes!"
"You're my sister, naturally you get mine!"
"Why should that matter? You're not my real sister anyway! Bell-mere-san isn't our real mom either? We don't even share blood!" Nami shouted. At this, Bell-mere strode over and reared back her hand
*SLAP
"WHAT KIND OF TALK IS THAT?! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOU THINGS LIKE THAT EVER AGAIN!" Bell-mere shouted, Nami however, was really despondant today.
"I BET YOU DON'T ACTUALLY WANT US HERE! BECAUSE OF US YOU DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY! I SHOULD'VE BEEN TAKEN IN BY A RICH FAMILY!"
"IF THAT'S HOW YOU FEEL THEN YOU CAN LEAVE!" tears were now in the older woman's eyes; each word that was uttered stung harsher than a thousand cuts.
"FINE!"
It was because of that Nami ran away that day. However, the bonds of family can overcome any petty argument. After Bell-mere calmed down she really regretted what she said, and immediately asked Nojiko to find Nami so they can all have dinner together. Meanwhile Nami herself, after some heart to heart with Genzo, also felt sorry for what she's done. It seems like the little family would be back together once again.
Fate, however, is a cruel mistress.
"SHAHAHAHA! From today, this island belongs to me! From now on, every month on this day, you either pay for your lives or forfeit it!"
The arrival of the Arlong Pirates shattered every aspect of peace. With little resistance, the village could do nothing except pay the tributes assigned in order to survive. However, while others did not have as much problems with the money right now, Bell-mere was a completely different story…
"100 000 beri for every adult, 50 000 beri for every child… there's no way Bell-mere can pay for that!" Fear filled the villager's hearts as they realized what would befall the family should they be found.
They tried to hide the two children, and also hoped that Arlong would not find the small house, which was located some distance away from the village. However, that was not to be.
"One last house it seems…" Arlong noted as he saw smoke rising from the distance. He arrived and entered the door.
Suddenly Arlong was kicked to the ground, a rifle lodged in his mouth.
"Heh, you pirates didn't expect that a former marine would be living here now would you?" Bell-mere smirked. "Now why don't-"
Whatever she was about to say was cut off when Arlong simply bit down on the barrel, the gun instantly smashed to pieces.
"Pathetic human, did you really think that would work?" Arlong cackled before easily flipping the woman over his shoulder, slamming her hard into the ground.
"This goes to show you, just how far apart our species is!" Before anyone can do anything, Arlong grabbed the former marine's arm and bit down, hard. Bell-mere's scream of pain could be heard from the village as Arlong mercilessly ripped a hunk of flesh out, just like his namesake.
"Bell-mere-san!" both Nami and Nojiko almost cried out as they saw the horrific scene, fortunately Dr. Nako managed to silence them.
"Now, like I said to the other humans, for every adult its 100 000 beri and 50 000 for every child. Pay up, or pay with your life."
"Bell-mere… how much money do you have?" Genzo whispered urgently as he caught up.
"With everything… just barely over 100 000…" Bell-mere gritted. Genzo's eyes widened as he realized what that meant.
"She doesn't have any children. She a lone tangerine farmer that lives by herself." Genzo lied. It was the only way that all three of them could be saved!
"Nyu? But there's food for 3 people here?" Hatchi pointed out.
"T-that's because she invited me and another friend over for dinner… yeah! We were just about to go when you guys showed up…"
Nami and Nojiko were informed of what is going on, and both were praying for their mother's safety. Neither of them wanted to leave the village, but what choice do they have? However, upon hearing what she was faced against, Bell-mere decided to make a choice.
"Hold it, those 100 000 beri are for my 2 daughters. I don't have any for myself." Bell-mere stated, blood still flowing freely from the bite. The bitten arm was hanging limply by her side; the force of the chomp had been so powerful it shattered her bones along with ripping out flesh. Despite the pain, her voice didn't falter.
"Bell-mere no!" Genzo shouted. They were so close…
"I'm sorry Gen-san, but no matter what I do I can never say that I don't have a family. Even if we aren't related by blood, it won't change a thing!" the minute this was said it was too much for the girls. They scrambled out of the bushes and embraced their adopted mother.
"Girls… it must've been so hard for you to live with me. How I wished that I could buy more of the things that you two wanted. I'm sorry… for not being a better mother for the both of you…" Tears were freely flowing by this point. All that mattered were the two children in her arms.
"WE DON'T CARE ABOUT THAT! WE JUST WANT YOU TO STAY WITH US!" Nojiko shouted.
"PLEASE! I'M SORRY FOR WHAT I SAID BEFORE, WE ONLY WANT YOU, YOU STILL HAVE TO SEE THE MAP I'M GOING TO DRAW!" Nami bawled even harder.
"A map of the world… that's right, you still have to draw that! Promise me Nami, you'll never let that dream die!"
"So… I take it that these 2 are your daughters, correct?" the same malicious voice that arrived that day once again shattered the moment.
"Yes… Now I said that the 100 000 beri are for the two of them, so don't you dare hurt them." Bell-mere snarled and stared defiantly at the large fishman.
"Shahaha, of course. You on the other hand, must be dealt with." The girl's eyes widened in horror as the realization of what is to happened dawned.
"AAAAAHHHHH" Genzo at this point was no longer concerned about anything, he swiftly pulled out two pistols and fired wildly. However, every shot was blocked by a younger Kuroobi's arm fins, who proceeded to deliver long cuts towards the man with twin swords, which will later become his scars.
By now, even the villagers made an attempt to fight back. What they got, however, was an absolute beatdown as the difference in physical strength was quickly made apparent. The result was that the Fishmen knocked them around effortlessly.
"If you can't pay the cash, then you die as an example to all others who cannot pay up." Arlong sneered as a pistol was cocked right at Bell-mere's forehead. "This goes for everyone else under my reign, do you inferiors understand?!"
The former marine swiftly pushed the two girls into the house.
"Nami… Nojiko…" The 2 girls were praying to all forms of gods that a miracle would happened, just so that none of this was true "… I love you…"
*BANG!
"BELL-MERE-SAN!"
"Huh, what's this?" Hatchi suddenly picked up a piece of paper; a very specific one "It's a map!"
"That's mine! Give it back!" Nami shouted.
"Is that so? Well it's certainly very impressive! Bring this girl with us, she can be useful to us." Arlong declared.
"Wait, you promised not to hurt her! We gave you the money!" Genzo shouted.
"Oh, don't worry, I have much bigger plans for her."
"You can't do this!"
"Inferior trash… you need to know your place…" Arlong growled and motioned to Kuroobi once again, who proceeded to strike at the man with his powerful blows.
"Stop! STOP! PLEASE JUST… I DON'T WANT ANYONE TO DIE ANYMORE!" Nami cried out.
Later that day, Nami indeed joined the Arlong Pirates claiming that she can have all the money she wants under him and since then she had been his cartographer. The rest of the village were quite surprised by that, it just wasn't right. Arlong soon had control over a chain of islands in the area, and from that day, there was no more peace…
Flashback end
"She was only 10 at the time, and ever since that day she had to every method she can think of to get money. Do any of you know how tough it is for her?" Nojiko sighed sadly as she finished the story, tears threatening to break.
The crew was completely shell-shocked at this point. Johnny and Yosaku were bawling their eyes out. Sanji, Usopp, and Zoro were wide-eyed at that. Gian, on the other hand, was completely silent with his fists balled up and eyes- were they glowing? - Hard.
"So please, if you want what's best for her, don't interfere in her business any longer. She already has too many things depending on her, and she's too close to her goal for anything to go wrong." Having said that, she excused herself and began walking away.
She hardly got five steps before she felt someone grab her arm. Turning back, she was surprised to see the member of the crew with the spiky black hair – Gian or something like that – that had been smitten with her in the beginning.
"Tell me how to get to Arlong Park… I'm going to burn it to the ground." His voice was deep, and almost… bestial?
"Did you not pay attention or something? Stop trying to help you're only going to make things worse!" she snapped at him.
"I heard you, but let me tell you this, that story doesn't change a thing on how we feel. In fact it only made us want to help her more."
"You're insane… She's trying to protect you guys. Do you really think you guys can defeat Arlong?"
"We won't know until we do it."
"But everything you do is making it harder for her to accomplish what she set out for! Do you even know how you guys have affected her? She used to hate pirates with a passion, but your crew made her second guess herself! If you guys die, then her heart will be shattered!" Nojiko argued.
"Then we won't die, simple as that. I've been close to Death more times than I care to count, and if it's to save a dear friend then I'd love to meet her again. That goes for all of us." Gian replied adamantly.
"You're impossible to talk to…" Nojiko gritted before forcefully walking off, all the while noting that Gian continued to follow her. Deep down she has some growing respect for the group of pirates that are willing to put their lives on the line just for a crewmate, but what can they do? What do they know?
The two continued to argue about what the correct form of action would be. Really Nojiko didn't know why this man was so adamant to begin with. Why he chose to face the chance of death head on instead of heading off to safety is completely beyond her.
"Look, I know you're concerned about her, but seriously there is nothing you guys can do! All you'll bring is more trouble for her!" Nojiko tried to argue once again.
"Well, trouble is my 5th nickname, and for good reason too. Those who hurt the ones close to me get the brunt of it." Gian brushed it off "It's like you guys aren't even taking this seriously!"
"What?! What kind of talk is that?!" Nojiko demanded.
"Think about it, you guys are fine with her going out, risking her life to steal from pirates, and essentially she has a chance to get killed, not even able to complete what she set out to do." Gian scoffed. "She is facing hell every time she leaves here and yet you don't try to help her?"
"You really don't know anything… You have no idea how the rest of the village is feeling about this. Do you think she'll be fine if she hears about Arlong killing all those who are close to her?!" Nojiko shot back "why do you think we're all keeping quiet about our knowledge of this? Why do you think Deimo-san is-" she hastily clamped her mouth shut when she realized she spilt too much information, but it was too late, Gian's eyes widened at the revelation.
"Wait… WHAT?! D-Deimo? Isn't he the ragged guy from that destroyed village?"
Nojiko didn't respond, she was too busy beating herself over such a fallacy.
"Ok… your silence means your confirmation then. Narsha-san already told me not to reveal anything else, so you can at least calm down."
"…alright… if that's the case, then I guess I'll tell you what you else you want to know…"
"Not much really… just how the hell does anybody else know that they're alive?! They told me that nobody knew they were there!" Gian was getting confused.
"Well… the truth is… Deimo-san… has been… *Sigh why don't I just let him explain, we're already at this point." Nojiko hung her head before leading Gian off.
The two walked into the forest, going deeper and deeper before it broke into a clearing; the same clearing where Letchi Village was now a sprawling mess of broken up debris. The minute they walked in, Nojiko is approached by a small boy who ran up and hugged her leg. The blue haired woman smiled and softly stoked his matted hair.
"Bota-kun? You two know each other?" Gian's eyes widened
"I actually used to look after him quite a bit. He's very cute, but after the incident… I'm afraid he forgot how to speak…" Nojiko mumbled.
"I can't believe you know that there's still survivors…" Gian gawked.
"Not just her, but every other villager that's still alive and kicking." Gian whirled around to see the same emaciated, grizzled man walking towards him with his wife and child. Except, while Deimo appeared broken up and depressed in their first encounter, now he carried himself with a much more confident air. The man before him had the posture, gaze and tone of a true mayor and leader. "I apologize for the lukewarm greeting earlier today, with our situation we can't be exactly welcoming with people you know. Allow me to formally introduce myself, the name is Deimo, mayor of the former Letchi Village and former marine lieutenant, and now someone who lives under Arlong's rule, yet does not. Please, make yourself at home, if you can imagine it that way."
"Sorry, Deimo-san, but I spoke too much" Nojiko apologized.
"Don't beat yourself up over it, as you can see, we're already acquainted with each other."
The man then gave Gian a crooked grin, and Gian had no choice but to say the only logical thing that came to his mind.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!"
Later:
"So… let me get this straight: you're fanning the flames of resistance from right under the Big Man's nose, with a certain chance to be captured… all because you think this is a way to help Nami?" Gian questioned. Who would've guessed?
By now the other few villagers, along with Nojiko, were all sitting down in the cramped basement. Gian was still mind-boggled at this revelation
"Yes… though right now… we don't exactly have the ability to do anything. We lack resources; Arlong confiscates all weapons and the few that I have in our possession is not enough to do much." Deimo sighed "He also has a few connections with some corrupt marines to make sure any word doesn't get out" the man gritted his teeth in anger when he said this "It sickens me to see some of my former organization stooping to this level."
"Then I'm guessing the whole 'lost your spirit' thing, all that jazz about Nami… That was all fake?" Gian inquired.
"Indeed, that was an act. I do apologize for our behavior earlier though… we've never seen you before and we didn't know if you were going to report our survival to Arlong or not, though I had a feeling you wouldn't."
"Yeah… I still hate you for that" Gian grumbled before getting to the real question "But everything else is still true, right?" he asked skeptically.
"That much, as much as it pains me to think about it, is still true. This village really was demolished roughly 7 years ago." Deimo let out a pained sigh "It was the biggest failure that I've ever had the misfortune to encounter." Nojiko gave a sad smile and tried to comfort him "But instead of breaking me, it only strengthen my resolve to see Nami well off, she has so much to look forward to and I will make sure that it remains that way. If anything happens to her while she's out at sea, I and the remains of Letchi will strike Arlong Park until that Fish kills all of us. We might not last very long, but we'll do it with pride."
"That's what this is all about? That's not even 12% of a plan! It's literally a last resort!"
"When you've lost everything like I have, your mind thinks of interesting things. While Gen-san has a future to look forward to, Letchi Village has nothing left even if Arlong somehow withdraws from here. Even so, Gen-san and the rest of Cocoyasi at the very least knows that they don't want to burden that girl, so if she ever decides to leave, she wouldn't have as many hesitations."
"Wait… how do you know her? You told me that-"
"What I told you wasn't completely off. Nojiko probably already told you about the deal. However… I don't trust that shark. I've got a feeling he's much more devious than Nami thinks he is. As for how I know her…"
"Deimo-san and Bell-mere-san used to be in the same division when they were marines; she was actually his direct superior. Bell-mere-san was also the one who told him and Narsha-san about this place." Nojiko explained for him sadly.
"Ahhh, yes. Those were much simpler times… I still remember her well. Proud, loyal, fierce and trustworthy are only a few of the things I'd use to describe that girl." Deimo sighed "She was always the one pushing us forward, so it came as quite a surprise when she announced that she was retiring early. Even more so when I heard what the reason was."
Flashback:
"Excuse me? Did I hear that correctly?"
Lieutenant Deimo when he was younger looked much like he did now, except back then he had a much more toned body wearing a beige 2-piece suit (rather than the standard uniform) and a rapier strapped to his hip. His relationship with those around him as well as his good looks have made him quite popular with those under his command. In the past there were even talks of promoting him further, but he wasn't exactly the ambitious type and preferred to simply stop lesser known pirates in the world's weakest sea. Now at the age of 41, he's beginning to thinks he's seen enough action for one lifetime.
He has heard some pretty surprising news before, but what came out of his captain's mouth was something he'd never expect.
"I didn't stutter, did I? I'm resigning, and heading back home." To hear Bell-mere-taisa say something like this was kind of a big deal. She was always the person to give inspiration to everyone under her command, even when the situation is dire, always the last to give up in the worst situations. To see her leave before anyone else does? Impossible!
"Don't gawk at me like that! Weren't you thinking about retirement just the other day?"
"That's different! I can feel the age coming in my bones right now but you're in your prime! Taisa, you can't just leave like this, the 65th branch would not function without you! You have both the youth and the ability to make it even to Admiral one day!" Deimo tried to protest.
"Eh, who wants to be cooped up in an office and not get to leave HQ without being ordered to? That's boring. Besides, if you think age is a concern, then maybe you shouldn't retire just yet. After all, Garp-chujo is 60-something right now and he's still breaking heads left and right." Bell-mere brushed him off
"Yeah… I can't exactly break mountains with my bare fists so that's out of the questions… But you can still-"
"Hey, just stop. I already made up my mind and spoke to the higher ups about this. They've already allowed it" Bell-mere sighed and lit a cigarette, offering one to her subordinate which he accepted "After that battle, something changed in me, it made me make a choice I'd never thought I'd make."
"I told you not to send me and the rest of the battalion back, but you didn't listen!" during the battle Bell-mere was talking about it had become incredibly bloody and many people had died. After which Bell-mere literally forced Deimo and a small group of remaining soldiers to leave the island and let her handle the remaining pirates herself, to which the group had vehemently tried to resist but found that she was simply too persuading. When they heard that their captain almost died during that, they were never fuller of regret.
"Yeah… I heard Narsha-san gave you a ton of flak for that" Bell-mere chuckled "It was that battle that made me find my children; I want to be there for them when they grow up and I can't do that while I'm still here."
Deimo almost dropped his cigarette after he heard that. "K-KIDS?! I thought you weren't married?!" Bell-mere burst into laughter when she saw his face.
"Ahhh, no they're my adopted daughters. I found them wandering the battlefield after everything had settled, a little girl with an infant. I was almost dead by then, and it was like those girls gave me the strength to keep living. I'm not religious, so I don't know if fate had destined us to meet there, but now I want them in my life more than anything else, no matter what."
"I understand, well if that's the case… then you'll have my full support." Deimo mumbled; he'd repeatedly tried to see her with children in his mind before but always failed, she was just too hot-headed and brash to be associated with child care. Still, it was nice to hear something like that, and who knows? It can show that appearances don't matter!
"Speaking of which… you and Narsha-san are still looking for a place to retire, are you not?"
"Yes we are, there's no one left back at the place I was born and Narsha was born far from here. By now we'd much rather just stay put and spend our days somewhere peaceful."
"How about the two of you come with me to my home island? There's not enough place where I live but in the forest there's another village you can settle down in. There's not a lot of people there and the mayor is sick as well, so they'd appreciate some hands." Bell-mere informed them "Anyway, hope to see you guys there! You should still have my vivre card so you can find me that way."
Later:
"Bell-mere-san has children? When did that happen?" a younger Narsha at age 39 was currently bringing her husband a cup of coffee. Normally the families of marine soldiers lived in Marineford close to Marine HQ, but Narsha was one of those that would much rather sail with her husband, claiming that "He already relies on me on land, he'll do so even more while at sea." Because of this, she's become quite close with everybody in the 65th divison, and sees Bell-mere as a younger sister.
"I was surprised when I heard about it too, who knew she'd have kids before us?" Deimo chuckled "Even if they're adopted, come on!"
"Well I'm sure she will be a great mom to the two girls. We should both visit them sometimes." Narsha stated.
"Speaking if which, what do you think of her request?"
"Retiring there? I think it's a fantastic idea! We'll be with someone we know and I'm sure we can make a lot of more friends." Narsha said happily.
"Then it's decided then, we'll go there in 3 days."
Once the lieutenant and his wife resigned from the marines as well, they followed Bell-mere's vivre card to where she said she was. Eventually the two settled in Letchi Village, a larger settlement hidden deep in the forest. The old mayor and the residents there were quickly to get acquainted with them, and when the old mayor passed away he named Deimo his successor. As mayor he made the village even wealthier and was well liked by just about everyone.
Of course he and his wife visited Cocoyasi often to visit his old captain, and they would spend the days helping her on her farm and telling Nami and Nojiko stories. When Bota was born, Bell-mere was the first to volunteer with babysitting, stating that "a newborn baby boy must spend time with his godmother as much as possible, and if anyone tries to get ahead of me then they better watch themselves." Nami and Nojiko soon saw the little boy as a brother of their own, and the Deimo likewise saw them akin to his own daughters. Life was good for everybody.
One day Deimo was sitting outside his house when Bell-mere strode up to him and threw a thick wad of beri at him.
"Did you give her this?! Did Nami ask you to buy something for her?!"
"Taisa" old habits die hard, even though they were both retired Deimo sometimes still called her by her honorifics despite Bell-mere telling him multiple times there's no need. "She's at the age when she has aspirations. I saw her eyeing that navigation book many times, she really has an interest in that subject and we should support her in that."
"Even so, don't just lend us the money, you'll make me think that I can't do anything."
"I'm not saying that, but I see your financial situation. You can hardly scrape enough food every month for the 3 of you!" He and his wife had often used one excuse or another, either through Genzo or someone else, to give money to her. Bell-mere turned it down every time, even after hearing that she doesn't have to pay them back. "At the very least think of it as an early birthday gift from us. We missed the last one after all."
That was a lie, and Bell-mere knew it "That's not the point. While I appreciate the gesture, I don't want my daughters to feel indebted to you two. I want her to know that she can get that book on her own with her own abilities. I want her to know that girls can be just as tough as boys in this situation."
"That's not what I'm trying to do… It was our pleasure to do it. You know how much Narsha tries to spoil the two of them…" Deimo mumbled.
"Hehe, I know. But I will get her that book myself, don't you have to give out a thing."
The two stared each other for a bit longer, then Deimo sighed and began picking up the scattered bills. "You really are a stubborn bitch, you know that?" he grunted.
"Funny, I'd think you were aware of that by now." She grinned back.
Indeed, aside from these concerns, both of their lives were pretty happy.
But happiness only lasts so long.
"WHAT HAPPENED TO HER GENZO?! TELL ME GODDAMMIT! WHAT HAPPENED TO TAISA?!"
Genzo, covered in bandages, was shaking under the anxious shouts. Deimo's eyes were wide with fear at what he had heard from the other villagers, while a comforting Narsha was equally anxious.
"She-S-She's… She's… gone…" Genzo croaked "Killed by Arlong… so that Nami and Nojiko can be saved… she didn't have enough money for all of them…"
Deimo dropped to his knees after hearing that. To him, if there was ever something called an Iron Lady, it would be Bell-mere. If only there had been a few more soldiers along with them, then the two could've probably relived the good ol' days fighting side by side. But she was taken from them all.
"Where is Arlong now…" he growled. It sounded completely inhuman it even surprised him.
"He has a base set up… what are you trying to do?!" Genzo whispered as he saw the former lieutenant rise up and stagger back towards his village.
"Getting my sword… I'm going to run that fish through and ROAST HIM ON A SPIT!" the minute he said this many people tried to stop him, pleading with him not to go on a suicidal run.
"LET GO OF ME! I'M GOING TO AVENGE MY CAPTAIN!"
"Deimo-san! Nami is with them right now! We can't risk her getting hurt!" Dr. Nako tried to warn him.
"WHAT?! THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE! YOU TOLD ME SHE'S SAFE!"
"She is… but she had to join his crew…" Genzo hissed "Arlong noticed her cartography skills and took her, we only just found out…"
"W-Why would she-"
"She said Arlong can give her lots of money… that's all. Just don't do anything, they haven't found Letchi Village yet so lay low…"
Deimo almost completely lost focus when hearing that. The girl he'd loved like his own was with a pirate crew now… it just wasn't right... he was seriously hoping this was all a dream.
The dream however, only further evolved into a nightmare.
Approximately 10 months after the Arlong Pirate's arrival, Letchi Village's location had been revealed to them. At first well-hidden due to the surrounding forest, it wasn't long before a villager informed him that Arlong was currently on his way here.
Deimo gritted his teeth; he'd been wanting to have a go at the fishman for a long time now… and due to his former marine upbringing, all 60 villagers of the village shared an equal ideal for justice and would sooner die then let the pirates crackdown on their village. Narsha and a 3 year old Bota were watching from the side, the former with a sad look on his face; Deimo had ordered the women and children to escape before Arlong gets here and try to leave the island in whatever fashion possible, leaving the men of the village to hold the line long enough. As much as she protested, he was adamant on that decision.
"Why is papa so serious today?" Bota bubbled, not understanding the situation.
"He's getting ready to go to work…" Narsha gave a forced smile.
"Villagers of Letchi! For almost a year Arlong has put this island under his dominion. In the beginning we believed that we can escape his eye but now it seems that is no longer possible. But my former captain used to say that pirates who kill innocent people are unforgivable, and against someone like Arlong, you cannot compromise even once! I, and all of you, have already decided that I would not let my family be subjugated by a monster like him! I now speak to you: if anyone has any fear, then leave with your families to safety. Please make sure they are safe in the coming years."
"NEVER! WE'LL FIGHT WITH YOU DEIMO-SAN!"
"WE'LL NEVER LET ARLONG TAKE A SINGLE BERI FROM THIS VILLAGE!"
"Then I will warn you, do not expect to leave this battle alive. The fishmen are many times stronger than us, and they can kill us. But we have our hearts in this village! Our very being is tied to it! And because of that, they will see that even death will ensure that our village will not be Arlong's to control!" Deimo raised his rapier as he stated this. The villagers erupted into cheers.
They were cut off by very loud cracking noises.
The trees directly behind the village were shaking fiercely, Deimo's eyes widened as he could see trees literally falling.
Then a massive object burst out of the surrounding trees, and the most primal of horrors was made known.
It was a lobster, except that unlike normal lobsters found around the coast this titan was absolutely massive. Deimo has heard of stories about giants before, and apparently some were even employed by the marines. He estimated this beast to be about the size of 3 giants… and that's not counting its length. The mammoth crustacean's blood red carapace had water streaming off of it in cascades, its entire body was supported by 8 sturdy legs. From down here, its 2 claws can easily level the entire village. The right claw was formed into a blade-like pincer, while the left was mammoth, easily twice the size of the right and bulky as well. Its long antennae flicked every once in a while, while it's black compound eyes surveyed the area.
The creature stared at the miniature beings frozen in fear before him before rearing back and delivering a bloodcurdling screech.
Then hell was revealed.
With a single swing of his spear-claw, the beast impaled several villagers upon it and promptly delivered them to its mandibles. Absolute pandemonium broke loose and villagers were running left and right, a few brave souls decided to fire their rifles at the monster but bullets merely bounced off the creature's iron like shell, peppering the ground around them. Seeing the futility of their attempted attack, the villagers tried to run before being snatched up and devoured as well.
Deimo's world had become hell with that one instant. He could only stare hopelessly while the creature was tearing the village apart, and only barely noticed the anguished screams of the villagers.
It was the crying of a child that snapped him out of it; his own son had gotten into the path of the monstrous shellfish. With a primal scream, Deimo ran forward and snatched up the boy just as the beast's crushing-claw slammed into the ground beside him, sending him skyward. He landed hard on his back, his vision was beginning to fade. And he could only barely make out his wife desperately dragging him into the forest, and the beast continuing to wreak havoc.
That day, Letchi Village disappeared from the map. When Arlong finally arrived, he was greeted to a scene of devastation. Torn up wood and stone littered the field, and even some trees were flattened. The bewildered fishman could just see the monstrous lobster flopping back into the water in the distance, its hunger sated.
It was because of this that Arlong made it mandatory to keep guards posted near the creature at all times, as to prevent further sources of tribute to be lost in such a way. On land, he used the village as an example of what happens when a village under his control tries to rebel, a form of retribution if you will. He never once suspected that some of Letchi could be still remain.
But remain they did, and this event only further stoked the flames of hatred that Deimo had towards Arlong. He gathered the remaining villagers; of all that had been around that fateful day, only around 10 remained; others had either been devoured or disappeared without a word. Genzo and the rest of Cocoyasi eventually found out that some of the former village was still alive, and promised to keep their secret.
Although everyone's hopes were shattered by the event, Deimo told them to remain strong. After all, his former captain was ever the optimist.
"As long as you're alive here, better days will come, and you can count on many of them…" Deimo whispered an old saying Bell-mere used to say as he surveyed his lost village. An underground sake storage was one of the few areas that remained undamaged, this will serve as their shelter from now on it seems.
"I will, Bell-mere-taisa, I will always face forward to better days."
Flashback ends
"That day, I lost everything, my family and my villagers lost everything. Bota-kun lost the ability to talk, all the trauma got to him. But when we found out that Nami was risker her life for her village, we made it our goal to help her as much as possible. We tried giving our remaining money to her to speed her up, but she refused us each time. She got that bit from her mom, definitely. That, and she blames herself for letting this happen to us." Deimo sighed, his eyes shut.
"So that's after that, we decided that we will throw ourselves at Arlong with all we got if we ever get wind of Nami being wronged. I've already failed Bell-mere-taisa in making sure they grow up alright, I will not stand by to see her plans fail!" Deimo shouted.
"Then let us in on this, we want a piece of the fish as much as you guys do." Gian stated.
"What? Why?! Nothing here involves you in any way! Just leave and pretend nothing's happened! This is our fight, and we'll make sure that we have no regrets left!"
"Is that right? You think I can just sit back and watch my crewmate suffer at the hands of a bastard like Arlong? Well listen here, you guys may have your entire livelihood on this island, but those that I care about are in East Blue! Even if Nami buys the village back, he's still going to continue his conquest! And I will not let him do that, not while there's people who will be affected by it should I leave!" Gian gritted.
"Why is that?" Narsha asked.
"My adopted family lives in East Blue. The island they live on may have an irregular magnetic field so that only specific log poses and compasses can lock onto it, but they won't be able to hide forever. Here's something that can be a danger to all of them, and you expect me to just walk away?!" memories of everything he's done with the Ibuki-Jinkawa team flashed through his head; he was not going to let anyone hurt them or take them away. "So I'm not only standing up for my nakama, but I'm also going to make sure this Arlong never reaches those that I care about. How can I even think about leaving, when something that can kill them is right under my sight?!"
Gian's fist tightened "Because when those that are close to you become threatened by danger, IS THAT NOT ENOUGH REASON TO WANT TO PROTECT THEM?!"
Everyone was silent, contemplating what the man just said. Nojiko herself was rather surprised that the person she thought as a mere pirate can have such strong resolve. If he's like this, then how are the rest of them?
"These pirates… they definitely are not normal pirates, I'm sure of it." She thought.
Deimo was about to reply again when suddenly frantic knocking was heard on the door. The group were alerted before they heard a young boy's voice shout.
"Nojiko-san, Nojiko-san! Are you in there?"
"Wait… its Chabo…" Nojiko frowned before opening the trapdoor to reveal a small boy with a green hat wearing an orange jacket "What's wrong?" the boy had been crying for what appears to be some time now, and bursted into tears once again.
"I-it's terrible, Nojiko-san! G-Gen-san, GEN-SAN'S BEEN SHOT!"
A/N: Yeah… This whole chapter was mostly just for setting up a tone… Also this chapter is officially the longest one yet, but that's due to having put 2 flashbacks here. I'm probably not going to do that again; depending on one chapter just for the sake of backstory is kind of taxing. I know a lot of you out there was expecting me to do this in the usual 4 chapters, but since Arlong Park is arguably the most important arc of the East Blue Saga that just isn't possible. But what comes after this is definitely gonna be straight up action until the end of the arc, and yes… that form is going to been seen.
On another note, we've got some great reviews to respond to! I'm actually gonna be taking 2 of them from chapter 18's because they probably want it answered.
G: Oh! I want to help! I'm good with answers!
Sure let's start then!
To hcharper131:
…You… You're not a psychic are you?
G: WHY DO YOU WANT ME TO SUFFER?!
No, that's not it… well guess this doesn't exactly count as spoilers. Yes, the Kaiju-zoan counterpart for Destroyah is going to be a part of Blackbeard's crew. He's not gonna be there initially, but he'll show up at Marineford. As for personality-wise… It's gonna not be that, but you'll be terrified of what he really is capable of.
To lennyface:
What I'm doing here is that all the monsters are in their most recent incarnation, most of the time. Gian's full transformation is what Godzilla would look like in Final Wars, post-timeskip it will be something different. They will have all their powers from every incarnation however.
G: WE LOADED!
By the way, every full transformation is the size of Oars here.
To pokemonking0924:
G: I have no sentiments!
Yeah we'll see about that. As you see by this chapter, the destroyed village actually do have a small role. Gian will be interacting with them further.
To grimTherapist:
G: You hear that Author-san?! Hurry the fuck up!
I WOULD BUT THIS CHAPTER GOT IN THE WAY. Oh, yeah… it's coming very soon. And yes, most of the time it will be against other Kaiju-zoan users. The Kaiju-zoans will actually have a more central role once we get to the Grand Line.
To Lil'Manuel.G:
G: Don't let PETA hear this!
Peta doesn't care about lobsters… I think.
To Vergil Leonidas:
G: AYYYY! YOUR QUESTIONS ARE AMAZING!
Then why don't you answer it?
G: Nah that's your job.
*for god sake… Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it! Everything is rolling into place now and the fight scenes are gonna start next!
Now to finish this
I'll only do movies and filler arcs that, in my opinion, actually helps with story progression. I got a lot planned out in the form that the story will focus more on Kaiju-zoans and those that ate them in later chapters, and some filler arcs and movies won't have any effect with that. But yes, Film Z and Strong World I'm definitely doing, mostly because it ties into canon really well and that both have well stories in their own right. I hopefully would get to do Film: Gold as well depending on how that turns out. I will make references to those movies though, remember the journal entries?
As of right now, no. I'm not sure how a pet will fit in the crew and actually be important. IF he were to have a pet though I think it'll be a cat. But animals that he likes in general, he'll do something with them. As you'll see soon, Mohmoo will be the start of that.
Gian thinks Chopper is adorable and would find any excuse to hold him. He is also impressed with what he's capable of. Likewise, Chopper sees Gian as a strong fighter and is amazed at the properties of a Kaiju-zoan, so overall their relationship is quite close. However, Chopper will often be exasperated with Gian's disregard of his medical advice due to his healing factor.
To Matt:
G: …is… is this a question…?
No… I don't think it is. But… yeah, there is a new villain (call you even call it that?), and there will be more new villains in the future.
To Zaralann:
Look, I understand you're getting impatient here and I'm trying to get this to that point as quickly as I can humanly type, but I do things slowly. In all fairness we're way too early in the plot to be doing really big changes right now because, face it, none of the changes here save for maybe how they meet crewmembers actually matter jack squat when it comes to later. We have no returning characters yet, so Gian killing them or not really doesn't matter. And yes, there will be people dying in this story, but that's not until we get to the Grand Line, or will it be?
The most I'm doing right now are more minor changes, like having Gian do something in place of someone else and adding in a giant lobster, but that's it. Anything bigger would either feel completely out of place or just be him shoving everyone out of the way and I don't think that's a good idea. I'm also not changing backstory; they are central part of the characters we've come to love and changing them, in my opinion, ruins that. So that's why flashbacks are here the way they are (I might stop doing that if it takes too long but that's another concern altogether.)
But don't worry, the big stuff is happening. But that's gonna take a while. I've mentioned a few times that Kaiju-zoans are going to have a more central-role within the story. But if you're not giving me the time to do so, then you should probably stop reading this story for a bit. Because that won't happen for some time, sorry but things need to be set up first.
G: Now listen here, when you speak my name put some respec on it.
Unrelated to anything I just said but sure, why not?
To Kakusei:
G: MORTAL KOMBATTTTT
You got that right! The actual Kaiju-zoans aren't appearing just yet, but this one will be here in like 2 chapters or something.
G: yeah! We did this!
WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE DID THIS? I ANSWERED EVERYTHING YOU JUST SAID RANDOM SHIT!
G: Hey, my very presence tames them.
What does that- AHHHH forget it. But what we will do, is respond to reviews from this point onward! I think!
So that's it see y'all next time!
Leave a review and Gian will go to space!
G: I'm afraid I can't let you do that!