"Let me get that."

Nojiko blinked as the raven-haired man crouched in front of her. With an easy-going smile, he lifted his hand, letting her watch as his palm changed shape. She looked between the man's smile and the inhuman feat.

"You might feel a slight tug, but it won't hurt," he assured, slowly inching his hand forward.

Nami looked at him with trust in her eyes, so the eldest daughter of Belle-mere didn't fight back as the pirate captain gently rested his modified palm against her thigh, something sticky clinging to her skin as he moved it from side to side.

"There. Should stop the blood for now," he declared, his calming smile turning into a giddy grin.

Where the hell did her baby sister find a guy like this?

"Thanks, Luffy," her sister cooed, patting the man's broad shoulder with a content smile. "Nako can handle the rest"

Luffy's smile turned to face her sister. Nojiko could see Nami's eyes get an unmistakable twinkle in them. The tanned beauty's face split into a teasing grin as she pocketed that detail for later use.

"Is he a doctor? We should probably leave Zoro with him too."

"I'm fine!" One of the other strangers, the one with the green hair and swords, shouted from the clearing. Nojiko guessed she knew who Zoro was with that.

"Tell that to your fever," Luffy snorted in amusement. The head hanging off his hip guffawed, before shrieking in terror at something she didn't see behind the captain's form. "Alright, let's get you off the ground, shall we?"

Nojiko hummed and glanced at Nami once again. Her sister nodded slowly, eyes assuring that everything would be fine. "Ground was cold anyway," Nojiko grumbled, giving the man an unsteady grin as she worried about the probable wave of pain. "Don't let your hands wander, now."

Luffy raised an eyebrow, looking genuinely confused for a second. Then a smirk broke out on his face. "You really are Nami's sister, huh?"

Nojiko shot Nami a teasing look, and her little sister blushed.

Then, the man she'd brought home slowly slid his arms under her body and lifted her off the ground, leaning back and letting her rest her weight against his torso rather than on his arms under her legs and shoulders. She wrapped her arms around his neck to hold herself up and feel a bit more stable, but the chuckle slipping from his lips made it clear the man didn't need the help to secure her against his muscular body as he stood back up.

"So, what's your story, little stranger?" Nojiko hummed, smiling at Luffy, who carried her with the ease and care she would've held a basket of tangerines.

"Ate a weird fruit, met Nami, came to help," Luffy responded with a cheeky smirk, then it melted away. "I'm gonna fix this mess."

Nojiko's smile dropped off her face as she looked behind the man, watching Nami discussing things with another woman with black hair, a blonde dancing around the two, declaring his love. "Are you really pirates?"

None of them looked anything like what she'd thought pirates to be. She idly thought they wouldn't have needed the Marines if Luffy's kind of pirate were more common than the likes of Arlong.

Then her eyes landed on the pile of bodies Luffy had left on the ground.

"Yep," Luffy hummed —popping the P— merrily strolling down the dirt path back to the village. "The freest men and women in all the seas."

Nojiko couldn't help but snort with a giggle. "Is that what 'pirate' means to you?"

"I'm sorry it hasn't for you."

The soft anguish in his answer stuck with her, silence washing over the two for a moment.

Luffy stopped and turned back. "Zoro, I'm serious about the doctor."

The green-haired swordsman clicked his tongue and started going the opposite way with a huffed, "Fine."

Nojiko started cracking up at the sight of someone who could walk the wrong way in a clearing. "Going the wrong way, studmuffin!"

"I knew that!"


Sanji watched as his captain left with the tanned beauty in his arms, Nojiko giggling and cuddling against his form. "Lucky bastard…"

Usopp snorted from the corner, and Sanji fought the urge to kick the long-nosed man in his defining feature.

Nami shot him a glance that made his heart flutter. "Sanji, that's my sister."

Sanji didn't fight the urge to dance under her gaze. He spun on the tips of his shoes and slid to a kneel. He looked up at his beautiful crewmate with a rose between his teeth. "And she's just as stunning as you!"

Nami rolled her eyes, but the smile tugging at her lips made it all worth it.

"So. Where do we go from here?" Robin asked, and Sanji pirouetted down to kneel in front of the older beauty, pulling her hand to leave a gentle kiss on the back of her knuckles.

Robin smiled politely at him, and life was good.

"We probably have an hour or two before Arlong hears what's going on and who's behind it." Nami guessed, looking back at the orchard. "...I can't believe he was going to go back on our deal."

"Well, duh, he's a pirate?" Usopp asked rhetorically. "He's meant to go against his own word; Luffy's the outlier, you know."

Nami shot him an unimpressed look. "I know that. I've stolen from more pirates than you've lived years, Usopp… It's just… that monster never broke deals concerning money."

"It's a tactic in manipulation," Robin informed, her beautiful voice cold. It reminded Sanji of an ice sculpture. "He built rapport with you, used your mother's body to instill that 'fact,' all to make sure you'd believe it."

Nami blinked at the statement and shuddered. "I…"

Robin closed the distance and rested a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Nami shrugged the hand off and hugged the older woman tightly instead.

Sanji could feel his nose flare out at the picturesque sight of the two women showing open affection, but the tension of the moment sobered even his libido.

Robin flinched at the contact before unsteadily patting the younger woman on the back. Shakily, she managed to return the hug.

"Are we sure letting Luffy and Zoro go off alone is a good idea?"

Sanji desperately wanted to kick Usopp in the nose, but fought the urge again.

Nami and Robin broke the hug at the question, and both beauties looked at the tanned man. "...Ah. That might pose a problem…" Robin mumbled with an easy going smile.

"The head is with them," Sanji offered, trying to let the ladies relax once more. "He seemed sensible."

Nami stepped away from Robin entirely and looked Sanji in his unhidden eye. The world faded around the two, and Sanji got lost in those chocolate-colored irises that shone in the daylight.

"We are talking about the man with the red nose and tattoos on his face, right?"

Sanji didn't even hear her question, imagining a future with her.

"Well, I don't see any smoke yet," Robin quipped, chuckling as she looked back towards the village they'd passed by in their rush to aid Nami. "While that might change any second… should we just leave this scene looking quite so… messy?"

"Pretty sure they aren't getting back up," Nami growled, facing the platoon that had dared to hurt her sister. "Luffy didn't pull his punches."

"Even then…" Usopp mumbled, sending a weary look at the bodies of the marines, hand diving into the messenger bag slung over his shoulder. "I say we tie them up. Even the dead can rise in these seas, you know."

Nami scoffed with a shudder at the sniper's blatant lie. "Fine, I'll make fertilizer out of them for what they did to my mother's grove, later."

Sanji shivered at the sadistic edge in Nami's voice. Sea-faring women were the best.

Oh, the things he wanted her to do to him…

"Alright, Sanji, stay and guard Usopp while he handles the trash. Meet up with us down in the village when you're done."

Sanji's world froze over, and when he returned to his senses, Nami and Robin were gone.

"Aw man, these guys all stink. I think some shat their pants," Usopp grumbled, moving one of the marines to the side.

Sanji kicked him on the nose.


Nako looked at Nojiko, dropping his doctor's bag to the floor with a clatter. Genzo looked at her with part rage and part disbelief.

Luffy laughed gently, trying to ease into the atmosphere. "Hello doc, we've got some patients for you!"

"I can see that!" The geezer of a doc screeched, quickly picking up the bag he'd dropped and rushing into his house, setting up a bed for Nojiko. "Lay her down on here, you muscle-bound goon!"

"Aw, and here I was getting comfortable," Nojiko quipped, trying to assure the two older men that she was fine with a joke. "Luffy's pretty comfy, you know!"

The man in the red vest laughed. "Teasing can wait, let the doctor do his job."

"Aw," she mock-whined, hugging him a little tighter.

Genzo looked like he was about to have a heart attack, and she decided to ease off the act a little.

Luffy gently put her down on the bed Nako had prepped, multiple towels covering the sheets she was lowered onto. Nako rushed to her side when Luffy let go and stepped back, sliding between her and the pirate with a huff, eyes locked onto the bullet wound on her thigh, "Jesus, girlie. How did you end up getting shot?"

"Defended my mom's orchard from the Marines," she said simply, not mincing her words. "Got a bullet for the trouble."

"Goddamn crooked marines…" Nako grumbled, the old man looking at the patch Luffy had left behind on her thigh. "...what the hell is that?"

"Spidersilk," Luffy explained and turned to Genzo. "Do you have a lighter?"

Both men turned to Luffy with questioning glares.

Luffy smiled sheepishly. "Fastest way to get it off without aggravating the wound is with fire."

"I'm not burning her!" Nako shot back, grabbing the larger man by his vest. "Are you mad?"

Luffy looked at the man blankly. "Geezer, I made the silk, I know it'll burn off without hurting her."

Nako didn't look convinced.

That's when Zoro stumbled into the room.

"Captain, maybe they need an example?" The head on Luffy's waist suggested, with a smirk audible enough that the young captain didn't bother to look down.

Nako paused, and his head snapped to look at the head he'd missed on the pirate's hip. "Is… that a talking head?"

"Example of what?" Zoro grumbled, ignoring the question entirely as he glared down at the head on Luffy's hip, scratching at the white webbing across his chest. Nako's neck made a creaking sound as his eyes slowly locked onto the swordsman.

Nako looked like he was about to rip the hand off the man's arm. "Stop fucking with those bandages!"

Zoro rolled his eyes.

"That might work," Luffy hummed, pinching his chin. "Zoro, wanna show them how that silk comes off?"

"You'd know best, since you put them on," Zoro grunted, taking a seat on the floor with a huff.

"This might burn off your sutures too though…" Luffy hummed with thought. Then both the swordsman and the captain shrugged. Both fully prepared to go ahead with it anyway.

Nako looked between the two men and seemed like he was regretting taking the Hippocratic oath "Fine, let's see how this silk of yours works."

The old doctor produced a lighter from his pocket and tossed it to the black-haired man, Luffy catching it out of the air and clicking it on, looking at the flame with a grin on his face, chuckling lightly. "Alright… watch and learn, old timer."

He ran the flame close to the webbing over Zoro's chest, and the white threads smoldered, glowing slightly as they almost melted off the man's skin, falling to the ground and shriveling down to nothing once they did.

"Ta-da!"

Nojiko couldn't help but giggle at the childish display, Zoro yawning and stretching with a satisfied grunt.

Nako looked on with wide eyes, looking at the revealed wound on the man's chest. "H-how the fuck was he standing so far?"

"I'm tough," Zoro mumbled simply. "So are you gonna patch me up or…?"

Nako nodded and got to work.

Genzo looked at the man on the ground, then back at Luffy, who was giggling while playing with the lighter. "...what are you two?"

Luffy's smile fell off his face, and he clicked the lighter closed. "Nami's crew."

Genzo nodded dumbly, looking at the green-haired man and back to Nojiko. "Thank you."

Luffy's face scrunched, and he turned to face Nojiko too. "What's he on about?"

"Just being a dad, I think," Nojiko offered with a teasing grin.

Luffy tapped his fist down onto his palm. "I see…."

Genzo started blushing, attempting to change the topic. "It's great that Nami has people like you… now please, take her away from this cursed land."

Luffy turned with a smile. "That's the plan."

"Good. the sooner she leaves and forgets this place, the better," Genzo huffed, looking down grimly. "Make sure she doesn't regret leaving us to our fate."

Nojiko hummed sadly.

"...are you guys dumb?" Luffy questioned with a tilt of his head, shattering the tone of the room. "Why are you talking like you're all about to die?"

"They think you're just gonna leave them to Arlong," the head supplied with a laugh.

"T-That's what you meant when you said you would fix this mess?" Nojiko's eyes went wide as the true meaning of his declaration finally struck. "That's… This is Arlong we're talking about, you won't survive!"

Genzo's hand gripped the man's vest, attempting to lift him off the ground with futility. "I won't let Nami see someone else die for her sake, you young fool!"

Luffy looked at his hand with a raised eyebrow curiously. "...you think I'm going out there to die?" Something in his voice changed, and Nojiko shuddered, seeing his hand land on Genzo's. "I'm going there to tear off the chains he shackled onto my navigator. Death can't have me until I do that."

The authority he spoke with caused her stomach to flip and Genzo's knees to start knocking together loudly under him.

"Hope that's clear," Luffy finished, gently pulling the hand off his vest. "Zoro, guard these three. The rest of us'll handle the fishmen."

Nako had paused his efforts to fix up the swordsman, watching the young captain before the name registered. His head jerked back down to face the man. "Wait—you're Roronoa Zoro!?"

Zoro grunted. "On your orders, Captain."

Luffy grinned, looking back at the rest of the civilians. "I'll end that damn fish soon, you guys hang tight here, 'kay?"

Nojiko nodded slowly, and Luffy left the room.

"...who does he think he is?" Genzo breathed, body still trembling. "Does he really think he can come in there and make promises he can't keep!?"

Zoro's blade raised up and pointed at the old sheriff, causing the doctor working on his wound to shudder and step back. "He's the next King of the Pirates. Don't take his words lightly." With the statement, he sheathed the blade, yawning. "Doc, do you have booze? I'm thirsty."

Nojiko couldn't help but start to laugh, even as Nako slapped the swordsman upside the head. "Nami really knows how to pick them, huh?" She asked no one in particular.

The ground shuddered, and the four of them all heard the sounds of metal groaning in the town square.

Genzo rushed forward and looked out the window, paling at what he saw. "...he's— the symbol…"


When they finally made it back to the town, Nami was greeted with something she thought was impossible. The steel cross her mother had hung on was gone. The symbol of their oppression was in Luffy's hands, and the man was mangling it with low grunts.

Robin let out a small gasp of her own, both women watched in awe as the man folded the steel with his bare hands, the arms of the cross getting bent down, flush against the length of the cursed symbol, locked into place with a twist around the main shaft that creaked for the entire village to hear.

He continued molding Arlongs 'reminder' with his bare hands, not noticing that the two had arrived at the town square.

Nami had tears in her eyes, watching as the symbol of their oppression was reforged into a staff, ready for the fight ahead. "Luffy…"

Their Captain jumped, realizing that he wasn't alone and turned to face the two from his crew, a shaky smile on his lips. "Ah! You're here!"

"Told you this was a bad idea," Buggy whispered, swinging from the man's hip with worry in his eyes.

Luffy sighed, and tapped the make-shift staff on the ground. Villagers were pouring out from the buildings around them now, everyone looking at the rubble that used to be the base for the damned cross, then at the piece of scrap metal held in Luffy's hands. "...thought it would feel right beating the shit outta Arlong with this."

Nami savored the mental image, and for the time in her life, she could clearly see Arlong losing. She let out a watery chuckle, shaking her head, the straw hat he'd put on her head refusing to fall. "Only you would think that Luffy…"

"More poetic than I thought you'd be, Captain," Robin mumbled, her eyes locked onto the staff in Luffy's hands, then to the gathering crowd that was giving them a wide berth. "Isn't that going to be a little unwieldy?"

Luffy spun it around his wrist and body, letting the newly minted steel staff rest on his shoulder. "I'll manage," He smiled at the villagers surrounding them. "Hope you all don't mind me borrowing this for a bit."

The crowd started cheering at the pirate.

Nami couldn't help but laugh, her eyes drying quickly. She couldn't tell if he was being thoughtful or boneheaded, but one thing was certain:

She believed in his victory with all of her heart.


"Has the patrol returned, chu?"

Arlong grumbled, leaning on one of his hands as he tried relaxing against his throne, wanting to ignore Choo's pointed question to Kurobi.

"Don't think so," the Fishman-karate master huffed, crossing his arms. "Nezumi might be still looking for the money in that thief's hovel."

Choo made a popping sound. "Even he's useless, chu," the Smelt-whiting fishman grumbled, shooting a look at Arlong. "How long do we need to play house with these vermin, boss? Chu."

"As long as it takes for Nami to map out all the sea currents in East Blue," Arlong growled, shooting a look at his officer. "When that's done, no one will be able to fight against us on the these seas. And I won't have to pay lip service to any humie scum."

"Wonder when Nami's gonna come back…" Hatchan mused, looking up to the clouds with a dopey smile. "Been a while, huh?"

The other fishmen looked at him with disgust.

"What? Isn't she part of the crew?" Hatchan mumbled, looking confused. "Isn't she, Arlong?"

"Yes. Yes, she is," Arlong let out with a dark smile. "And she'll be part of the crew as long as she lives, won't she, boys?"

The rest of the fishmen laughed, even Hatchan smiling dopily, somehow missing the implication.

Then the laughter stopped, a loud clang echoing out over the full plaza of Arlong Park.

Every fishman flinched, all eyes locking on the wrought iron gates that separated them from the humans. It had a bulge that wasn't there a second prior.

Then, with a heavier clang, the gate shot off its hinges, hitting Hatchan and pinning him to the cement fence on the other side of the massive mansion.

The cloud of dust and dirt settled, and the fishmen saw a man with staff made out of scrap hanging off his shoulder glaring back at them, Nami behind him alongside a small group of other humans.

It looked like the Cocoyashi villagers were trying to get a good look behind the small crew as well.

Arlong's eyes slit with anger at the sight.

The human man breathed in slightly, and his face split into a predatory grin. Not one of the fishmen could see his eyes for the shadows hiding them.

"Which one of you is Arlong?"


ooo


A/N:

Gon' blue ball you all for a second

y'all need it for the catharsis I promise