It was a hard battle, but Luffy had managed to defeat Don Krieg saving the Baratie. His debt with Zeff was now settled and now he can leave and regroup with the others to get Nami back. Surprisingly, Yosaku had returned as he was half eaten by a panda shark along with way, crashing into Sanji right inside of the restaurant. He informed Luffy where Nami was heading and that the others were chasing after her. To Luffy's surprise, Sanji agreed come along to join the straw hat captain's crew as the cook. He was grateful for what Luffy had done to help save the restaurant and the old man. After much thought, Sanji thought that it was time. He was going to follow his dream, to find the All Blue.
As Luffy waited outside for him, along with Yosaku on the small boat. Sanji saw the chefs, who were glaring at Sanji, and Zeff were waiting for him outside as well. Sanji headed towards the boat, while ignoring the dirty glares from the cooks until he heard the old chef spoke.
"Sanji, take care of yourself." Chef Zeff smiled. Sanji stopped dead in his tracks. The only person who had ever cared about him, who he owed his life to, who he thought of as a father figure, was bidding him farewell on his journey. Sanji felt his eyes starting to burn, tears starting to form. As he turned around he was shocked to see all of the other chefs were crying as well, telling Sanji how much that they were going to miss him. It was all an act. They were actually going to miss him!
"Chef Zeff!" Sanji shouted bowing his head down to the floor. "Thank you for everything! I'll never forget your kindness! I owe my life to you, old man. So, thank you!" The chefs cried as well as did Luffy and Yosaku.
"Damn losers," Zeff sniffed and chuckled as he wiped away a tear from his eye. "Real men should part without tears."
Just as Sanji boarded the small boat, Zeff called out to him and tossed something at him. "Sanji, catch!" It sailed in the air, shinning, in the sunlight and Sanji narrowed his eyes, squinting them.
He reached out and caught it and looked down to see what it was. His eyes widened to see Zeff's pirate coin. Why would he give him this?! Luffy leaned over his shoulder to see what he was holding and his eyes widened as well in shock.
"Hey, that looks like Aya's! Why does the old man have a coin like hers?!" Sanji looked up at Zeff confused.
"I only trust this to you, Sanji," he told him. "See to it that you don't lose it. It is a key to the One Piece."
"I won't!" Sanji smiled as he waved goodbye to him and the other chefs. Tears were running down his cheeks as the boat began to sail away. "I WILL SEE YOU AGAIN! I'LL COME BACK ONE DAY!"
For a while the boat drifted, heading in the direction where Yosaku said Nami and the others went. Luffy was resting on the ships bow, while Sanji was sitting on the side on top of a crate, smoking his cigarette, looking at the pirate coin, and Yosaku was sitting down on the floor. "This weather is perfect!" Luffy exclaimed, smiling. He got up and excitedly began running around. "So, which way to the Grand Line? Is it that way or maybe this way?" He asked, looking in every direction, wildly. "That way? Over there?! I don't know! Where could it be?! I want to know! I wanna see!"
"YOU need to sit down!" Sanji shouted, growing annoyed and irritated by the captain's antics.
"Sorry, I'm just excited that we finally got a cook on board. Now, we just need to get Nami, Aya, Zoro and Usopp, then nothing will stand between us and the Grand Line!" Luffy told him. Sanji smiled and sighed with a dreamy look in his eyes.
"Aya...I could sit around all day thinking about how beautiful she is! I can't wait till I get to see her again!" He grinned even wider, blushing. "And I can't wait to see Nami-swan as well!"
"So, are we getting close to where Nami is, you know the island?" Luffy asked as he turned to Yosaku.
"YOU'RE WAY TOO NAIVE AND WAY TOO YOUNG! DON'T YOU GET IT?! DON'T YOU REALIZE every second we're getting closer to the infamous Arlong?!" Yosaku exclaimed in disbelief, looking at the two. "Nami couldn't stop looking at Erlang's picture when she saw it. And it was a normal kind of staring it was something different, something focused." he continued to explain. "I'm telling you Nami's planning on taking down Arlong and collecting the 20 million beli the bounty. For all we know, while we're just sitting here, she's already making her way through his compound!"
"Sanji, let's eat!" Luffy smiled at the cook, not hearing a single thing that the bounty hunter had told him.
"Sounds good!" Sanji nodded.
"Don't tell me that you guys are so clueless that you've never actually heard of the evil Arlong?!" Yosaku shouted.
"Uh, no, so who is he?" Luffy asked.
"Yeah?" Sanji asked as well.
"Listen up, boys! Time for your education on the pirate shark that is Arlong," Yosaku told them. "Arlong is a fishman who used to destroy everything in his path up and down the Grand Line."
"Fishman?" Sanji questioned.
"That's cool! I don't think I've ever met one of those before," Luffy rocked in excitement.
"I've heard that the females on fishman island are some of the most beautiful creatures in the world to behold!" Sanji smiled while Luffy was drawing something in a sketchpad.
"Fishman sounds weird," he asked Sanji, showing his badly drawn drawing to him. It was a fish with multiple fins, human legs, and googly eyes. Sanji laughed. "Do they look like this?"
"CAN'T YOU FOCUS FOR JUST ONE MOMENT, PLEASE?!" Yosaku shouted, angrily. "Alright, I will start from the very beginning. The reason they call the Grand Line a pirate's graveyard in the place is because of Arlong and the other two powers like him who rule over it. The first of the powers are known as the seven warlords of the sea."
"Seven warlords?" Luffy asked.
"The seven warlords are pirates authorized by the government." the bounty hunter said.
"Seriously? Why would any pirate of the sea want government approval?" Sanji asked.
"For protection. The government looks the other way, in exchange for a cut of their treasure then they are allowed to do what they want. The first other pirates are government dogs, but they didn't get to where they are by being weird these guys are POWERFUL! The man with is one of these warlords, his name is Hawk-Eye Mihawk." Yosaku explained.
"That is so cool! I can't wait to meet all seven of these guys, they sound awesome!" Sanji stared at Luffy in disbelief. They had just met Mihawk! How dense could this straw hat be?!
"Yeah, well the first among the warlords at least you should know about is Jinbei, captain of the fishman. He is dangerous like no one has ever seen. Easily causing as much havoc and destruction around the Grand Line as Arlong."
"Is this closer?" Luffy asked, showing Sanji his drawing with a fish with legs.
"That looks just like your last picture, only standing up."
"Arlong has taken control of over twenty towns since coming to the East Blue. His strength easily surpass anyone we've encountered including that of Don Krieg's. He's devastating!"
"So why do you think Nami would go after this guy all by herself, huh?" Sanji asked the bounty hunter.
"I told you already, She wants to collect the bounty that's on his head." Yosaku told him. Sanji sighed, picturing Aya and Nami as mermaids in his head.
"Oh wouldn't it be great if Aya and Nami were mermaids? I'd give anything to see that!"
"She would look like this." Luffy laughed, showing Sanji a very poorly drawn and ugly picture of Aya with a fish head.
"Tear that up or die!" Sanji growled and shouted at him.
"Have either of you morons heard a single word that I've said to you?!" Yosaku shouted at the two, completely ignoring him.
"Sure, something about fishman, some guy something and some other guy. We get it!" Luffy smiled and nodded.
"No, YOU don't get it. You've never had to face a fishman." Yosaku pointed out.
"Well, we will when we get there, so don't worry about it." Luffy brushed him off.
Sanji stood up, stretching his arms. "I guess I'll get lunch started."
"About time! Let's eat!" Luffy grinned.
"What are you in the mood for?" Sanji asked the two.
"I want meat on the bone!" Luffy shouted.
"Salty bean sprouts!" Yosaku shouted.
"Okay, leave it to me. This won't take long." Sanji said as he head towards the the kitchen. "Meat and bean sprouts, no problem."
"Having a cook is the best!" Luffy laughed as he couldn't wait to eat.
"It sure is!" Yosaku agreed.
"Bring me meat! Lots of meat!"
"Sprouts! Bean sprouts!"
The Going Merry arrived at an island and Nami stared at the shores of of it, not too far off. "I can hardly believe it. There it is..." she murmured, sadly. "My hometown."
On the island there was a large building with a pool with a gate leading out to the sea. Above it there was a sign that read "Arlong Park." Inside the compound, there were fishmen pirates as well as Marines who were watching the two leaders. There was a giant humanoid that had an appearance of an saw-fish shark. He was muscular, a long nose and jagged edges, long black hair, piercing light blue eyes, wearing a fur cap, a yellow cabana shirt with black lightening spots, green shorts with a purple sash and sandals. His fin sticking out from his shirt and gills on his neck. On the left side of his chest, was a red tattoo that looked like a sun. There was also another tattoo on his left arm that had his Jolly Roger. It was Arlong.
"Here's this month's pay. I hope you'll enjoy it." he told the Marine captian as he hand off a stack of money, sliding it to him. The Marine captian had an appearance of a rat, which technically he was. He smirked taking the cash from Arlong.
"Oh Arlong, you're so much smarter than your run of the mill pirates. You know how the world works."
"Likewise! There aren't many Marine captains who know that befriending me gets money from the East Blue for eternity. That fact that you understand makes you more like me than any of those Marine out there." Arlong grinned sickeningly.
"Thank you very much." the Marine smirked.
"Don't thank me, thank money, it's the only thing that you can count on in this world!" Arlong told him. "It's more reliable than people that's for sure. Don't you agree?"
"O-Of course!" the captain said with a nervous smile.
"As a rule, I hate all humans but you are an tolerable exception."
"Well, if you'll excuse me." the Marine stood up from his chair, ready to leave.
"Why not stay awhile and have a drink with me?" Arlong asked him.
"I would but the longer that the Marine cruiser stays docked at a pirate land the quicker we get unwanted attention."
"I'll kill anyone who reports it, everybody knows that." Arlong told him.
"Thank you, but we really must be going!" the Marine captain dismissed him, shaking his head. He really wanted to leave. Arlong turned to another fishmen that looked like an octopus.
"Escort the Captain back to his ship!" he ordered him to do so.
"The boats back that way! Hop in!" the octopus pointed to a giant pot in the pool.
"Thank you, that's very kind of you!" the Marine captain smiled. The fishman laughed.
"When I see your face, it always makes want to laugh! You look like a rat!"
"Hey Hatchi, watch your mouth now. The Captain's our honored guest." Arlong scolded him.
"Oh right, sorry about that!" Hatchi apologized.
"Don't worry about it." the Marine told him as he climbed into the pot, along with his soldiers as well.
"Here we go, men!" Hatchi shouted as he swam to carry them out. The Marine captain smile dropped with a look of disgust, dropping his act.
These fishmen are disgusting! Such a vile group, but they sure do pay well!
Nami was standing outside of the Park in front of a gate when a small boy came running towards her, carrying a sword. "Hey, you! Get outta my way!" she turned around, looking down at him with an emotionless look in her eyes. The boy glared up at her with a determined look and some tears as well. He gripped the sword tightly in his hands that were shaking. "Arlong's going to die today! He killed my daddy so now I'm going to have to kill him! So move or I'll have to kill you too!"
Before he could do anything, Nami quickly pulled out her staff and smacked it across the boy's face, hard. He was knocked down as he fell to the ground, his sword slipped out of his hands as well. "Now, you should know that Arlong doesn't have time to deal with rippling little punks like you." Nami said. "You're too young, go home. Take that with you and use it to keep yourself out of trouble, kid." She tossed a stack of cash towards the boy, on the ground, as it landed beside him. The child gritted his teeth in seething anger, biting his lip. Tears were running down his face as he cried.
"Go to hell!" he spatted at her.
"Nami, you returned. I haven't seen you around here for quite awhile. So, how did you do this time?" Arlong greeted Nami as she walked inside.
"Who are you talking to?" she smiled at him. "You know, I can't believe the world is filled with such blank idiots, wanna see?"
"You, girl, are one excellent liar!" Arlong laughed.
"That's true." Nami smirked.
"Listen up, everybody! Nami's finally returned, time for a party!" Arlong shouted. More fishman rose out from out of the pool and the pirate crew began to throw a huge celebration.
Another boat arrived at the island with Usopp, Aya, Zoro, and Johnny on it. Zoro had bandages wrapped around his chest. Usopp and Johnny peeked over the boat, nervous and scared, looking at the island dead in front of them. "Alright, we're here!" Johnny told them as they pulled up close to the shore. "That's Arlong Park ahead."
"Arlong Park, huh? So this is the hideout of Arlong the fishmen pirates from the Grand Line!?" Usopp gulped. "I hope Nami is really here."
"Well, we saw her heading in this direction. She has to be here." Aya said.
"Big sis Nami brought the Going Merry here. So, before we do anything stupid we should quietly check to see if it's docked around here." Johnny told them.
"Good idea!" Usopp agreed. Zoro stood up, barely pulling his sword out of it's sheath.
"Let's attack." Aya snickered and chuckled, seeing the sniper and the other bounty hunters reaction. Usopp and Johnny yelled out in disbelief. She was up for a little havoc and terrorizing on enemy pirates. But, she was also worried about Zoro's condition. Sure, he was tough, but he was seriously injured after his fight with Mihawk. He was in not in any condition to fight right now.
"But, I just said that we shouldn't do anything stupid!" Johnny exclaimed.
"What?! Attack?! You idiot, we know nothing about this place!" Usopp shouted as well.
"Yeah, these guys are the fishmen!" Johnny added.
"We need some kind of plan to do that!" Usopp said in agreement as he finished.
"While the two of you are busy blabbering and wimping out, I'm placing my thoughts on the battle that we're about to face. Luffy told me to bring her back and I'll do just that. Let's go!" Zoro shouted, his back turned from the group, as he pointed his sword towards the island. Usopp and Johnny looked at each thinking the same thought. They both pulled out hammers, turning towards the swordsman to knock him out. But, they stopped when they saw Aya stepping over to Zoro.
"Hey Zoro," she called out to him. Zoro turned around. "What is it?-" His eyes widened as he felt a sharp pain on his neck. Crack! Aya had pressed a pressure point in the swordsman's neck before he could react to stop her. Zoro felt his eyes growing heavier and his vision went dark as he passed out, falling to the floor of the ship. "Take a nap."
Both Usopp and Yosaku squealed and stared at her in shock with wide eyes, their mouths slightly dropped. "What have you done?!" Usopp exclaimed. "Personally, I was about to do the same thing!"
What sort of training were the Marine's teaching their soldiers?! he thought to himself, staring at her in awe. As always, Usopp was amazed by her strength. She took out Zoro with only just her finger for crying out loud! What kind of training did she go through?! Usopp couldn't help as he stared at Aya. He was falling in love with her even more now! She was amazing! Scary, but amazing!
"I only stopped him from hurting himself any further." she smiled as she told him, shrugging her hands.
"Good idea!" Usopp smiled, shaking his head. He blushed, looking away from her, focusing on the island. "Let's go find the Merry!"