Now I've gotten a lot of questions regarding Shadow's gender. Shadow is a girl. Shadow is just disguised as a boy because if you're the only girl among all Boys for long periods of time at sea… think 'bout it what would happen? What would she be treated like? Exactly. Now here's:
Chapter 6 The Unexpected Guests
Zzzz… Zzzzz…
"Open the gate! We've got a suspicious character!" a fish-man rudely barked interrupting my restful, not so common, afternoon slumber on the patio roof of Arlong Park. You see, I HAD been cat napping while all the hooligan mermen celebrated with their feast of tuna. So I got up, hoping that THIS booming interruption was worth the wake and walked to the edge of the roof to see what he was going on 'bout.
"I hope this is going to be interesting," I whispered to myself, "It's so boring around here."
Where I sat down, cross-legged resting my hands on my knees, just in time to see 2 of the fish-men, which were supposed to be guarding the dock of Coco Village; the location Nami had docked a rather new ship that was dubbed the Merry-Go. They were bringing in a young man with sea green hair who was tied to a little boat with a bandaged upper torso through the massive wooden gates of Arlong Park. But then I noticed his lips were moving… the boy was saying something. So I strained myself forward a little more to hear what it was…
"Tell them it's no ordinary suspicious character!" the young man remarked with a self confident smirk on his face kind of saying, 'Bring it, I'm not afraid of you.'
"Well, well, well, maybe this will turn out to be more interesting after all, especially considering who this boy is…" I breathed grinning to myself, crossing my arms across my chest. As the mermen on the boat untied our 'visitor' then retied his hands behind him and his feet together. Then they brought him and his sword on shore in-front of Arlong, who was still sitting in his throne of a deck chair.
"So human, what brings you here, to this island tied to a little boat like that?" Arlong questioned choking down his giggles.
"I'm here on business. And if you must know I'm looking for someone, so if you don't mind cutting these stinkin' ropes, I'll be on my way." The young swordsman replied defiantly.
"Heh heh. No, now really, what you doing all the way out here, boy?" Arlong snickered.
"I told you, I'm looking for a woman!" he shouted glaring back clearly annoyed with Arlong and his predicament. "You darn, dirty half-fish!"
'Hmph, I like this one. He's got guts though he might not in a moment.' I thought.
"Watch it, human! I'll let it slide once, but don't ever call me a half-fish again!" Arlong belted with an evil-toothy smile, wide spread on his face staring down at our 'guest' and started in to his whole 'fish-men are better speech' again. "We fish-men are evolved humans who have the ability to breathe seawater. Our fish-like powers make us far superior to you! We can do a lot of things that no human can!" Then like always in his totally annoying fashion on waving his arms about while talking spread his arm wide and continued his rant, booming, "We fish-men are lords of all creation! A human fighting the fish-men…" and gestured with a thumb down showing the conclusion while also slamming his other webbed hand on the armrest of his 'throne'. "…is fighting the power of nature itself!" Arlong declared proudly.
"I'm sick of that stupid theory of yours…" Nami interrupted, walking out from inside Arlong Park's giant tower of a fortress, "…Arlong."
'Huh! Where'd Nami come from? I thought she was in her map room.' I pondered after a second of surprise. But then my attention turned to the now gasping swordsman.
"Nami…" Sash-boy gaped in shock.
"He must know Nami." I whispered gently, "But how?"
"Don't be offended, Nami!" Arlong told her, holding out an open hand to her showing her off like Vienna White and cocked his head to one side like a confused puppy with a saw-nose. "You're different! You're my talented and esteemed surveyor, the pride of my crew. Your maps are the best!"
"My brain's just different from yours. It works." Nami stated coming up and stopping to stand beside Arlong. "What do you expect!"
"Surveyor! Nami!" Sash-boy rambled probably still trying to figure it all out. Then asked Nami, "Are you in cahoots with these freaks!"
And Arlong, ignoring him, asked, "You know this human?"
"Of course not. He just followed the loot." Nami answered and walked out from under the patio roof section I was sitting on and explained, "I helped myself to his treasure." Then she knelt down in-front of our 'guest' and placed her hands on her knees. "I knew you'd try to follow me, but… I didn't think you'd make it all the way here."
"So this is the real you?" asked Sash-boy unscathed now glaring back at her with anger filled eyes.
"That's right. Surprised? I'm an officer in Arlong's pirate crew." Nami glared back with soulless eyes of her own. "I was a pirate all along."
Then suddenly Arlong's fog-horn laughter filled the Park. "Bwa ha ha ha ha! She made a fool out of you! That one forgave the death of a parent for money. She's our cold-blooded witch woman!"
Nami bit her bottom lip recalling that day looking at the concrete in front of her. While Sash-boy's glared shifted to the belting Arlong, giving him more of the pieces to the puzzling situation that was unraveling before him of Nami's past.
"Trickery and treasure stealing are her specialties!" Arlong continued, "And we back her up."
"I see…" Sash-boy began calmly talking to Arlong. "Well, I never did trust her anyway."
The statement called Nami back to the present and she looked at Sash-boy in sudden surprise.
But he ignored her and continued, "It wouldn't surprise me if she's a murderer, too. The first time I saw her…" a devilish smile forming on his face, "… I knew she was no good. Heh heh!"
'Hmm? What's he up to now?' I wonder. 'Wait a minute… oh he's good.'
"Then let's get down to brass tacks. Now that you know you were tricked…" Nami started standing up letting out a short sigh, "…forget me and the treasure and scram! You're an eyesore!"
Tump…!
"Wha-" Nami stuttered in absolute shock.
"What!" all the mermen gaped. "Huh huh?"
'Hmph. He's not as stupid as he looks… that is if it works.' I smirked while everyone else was in an utter uproar.
Sploosh..-!
"What happened! Why'd he suddenly jump in! – Somebody push him! – Banana peel? – He's escaping! – No way. A human can't swim with his arms and legs tied. – Suicide?" the fish-men argued amongst themselves as bubbles surfaced the water as Sash-boy continued to sink deeper down in the center pool. Nami wet with sweat and eyes wide, finally realizing that the young man was going to die if nobody helped him.
"Let him drown!" Arlong sneered reclining in his deck chair.
"That idiot…" Nami breathed kicking off her sandals and dove in after him.
Splash…!
"Nami?" Everyone gasped as they watched in mystery.
…"Murmur murmur…"
The silence grew longer and longer with each passing moment, as we all watch the water. Then suddenly I saw them on the far left side of the pool.
"Hey, there they are." I stated pointing in their direction.
"What is this, Nami?" some of the others asked looking for answers to their confusion as the 2 of them emerged from the water, Sash-boy coughing up a storm.
Splash…koff…koff…koff…
"Huff huff. What was he thinking?" Nami whispered to herself fully climbing out of the water kneeing beside him, her hands resting on the concrete holding her up right.
"What were YOU thinking?" Sash-boy gasped between coughs. "What kind of cold-blooded witch woman…" He grinned staring up at Nami as he laid there on the ground at her side, "…can't stand to see a man drown! Well, help me, stupid. I almost died just now!"
"Grrr!" Nami clenched her teeth and stood up. "YOU JERK!" she roared slamming her foot into his bandaged backbone.
WHAK!
"Ow!" he yelped in shock and pain.
"If you mess with me again…" Nami threatened picking him up by his neck, "You're dead!"
"I wonder." He grinned again in an evil but weak way at her.
"All those bandages…" Nami said thinking out loud.
"I ran out of clean laundry. So I…" Sash-boy began.
WHAM!
"Oof!" he coughed loudly as Nami punched him as hard as she possibly could in his gut and released her grip of his neck allowing him to fall backwards onto the ground and walked away as he lay there shacking with pain.
"Ooooh. That had to hurt." I flinched imagining what lay under his many bandages.
"Well, Nami what should we do with him?" Arlong finally asked as Nami walked back towards him and the building.
"Throw him in jail. I'll deal with him." She replied back in her normal mood again, fixing her wet hair.
"You heard her, so what are you slobs waiting for!" Arlong demanded but no one moved.
"Sigh. Don't shout." I said as I jumped off the roof; landing on the toes of my boots, placing my left hand down and my right arm out-stretched at the same time to steady myself upon impact with the ground below. "I'll get him, you lazy bums." I told them as I erected myself and walked past Nami towards Sash-boy. As I did, Nami gave me a weary glace and I nodded almost unnoticeably.
And lucky for me as Arlong and Kuroobi were 'bout ready to lecture me and bite my head off because of my comment a very fat fish-man with a terrible over bite ran stumbling in through the right side stone gate yelling, "Arlong! Arlong!" And I stopped to see what was so important.
"What is it, comrade?" Arlong asked grinding his teeth.
"The one with the long nose got away!" Chubby continued to shout.
'What? That's it? Oh well, he saved my skin without knowing it. Works for me.' I thought grinning to myself. But then I looked at Nami and then at Sash-boy, the look on their faces told me this was more important then I thought.
'Usopp… they found him, too…' Zolo thought.
And Chubby continued, "I think he fled to Coco Village, but…"
'What! This really is bad! Oh no, Genzo!' I realize and clinched my teeth in terror, eyes wide.
"Coco Village?" Arlong smiled showing off his pearly whites, "I just happen to have business there…"
