'Thoughts'
"Speaking"
'Quotes'
"Text emphasis Text"
"Techniques"
'The Wolf Within'
"Luffy's words are echoed/amplified by the Wolf Within"
'Luffy's thoughts are overlapped by the Wolf Within'
Cocoyashi Village ( III)
Fate comes a calling
On the dark cloudy day, Arlong felt the shudder running down his spine as Nami's dreadful gaze pierced into him. The cheerful smile on the woman's face was the most disconcerting aspect of it all. Whatever plans she had for him…well Arlong was many things but a coward wasn't one of them. The fishman's rumbling growl caused the villagers around them to tense but Nami only frowned. Annoyed, but not because of Arlong. The rest of the straw hats bore similar expressions of distaste as the sound of slow clapping reached everyone's ears.
"Chi chi chi chi chi! Wonderful!" A dark haired man with whiskers in a marine captain uniform exclaimed. A squadron of marine soldiers behind him carrying condescending, sleazy, shit-eating grins mirroring their captain's. "As according to plan the Arlong pirates have been subdued...and the thief snuffed out!"
With a dramatic flourish the captain pointed theatrically at Nami, who only stared back unamused, and ordered, "Men! Take the girl along with her fellow criminal buddies!"
The villagers were quick to voice their opposition. All of them moved to stand in-between the Straw Hats and the Marines.
"You're not taking them anywhere, you cowardly bastard!"
"How corrupt can you scum get?!"
"These er' kiddos ain't nothin but heroes ya hear?! And y'all have to get through us to get them!"
Nezumi merely brushed them off. What were the villagers going to accomplish with their pitchforks, shovels and other garden utensils? They were marines! These backcountry rabble were nothing!
"I can see it now boys! My glorious promotion! Hailed as the one to end the tyranny of Arlong! Blah blah blah!"
Nami tuned out everything else the rat, Captain Nezumi, spouting on and on about as his squadron of marines laughed and cheered along. Her focus shifted to the immense power that was slowly making its way over towards them. The navigator was starting to sweat a bit, this was the person she'd have to start seeing as her family? There were pros and cons to it. The first pro was about to unfold right before her eyes as the villagers collectively gaped at the arrival of a living legend.
The legend was currently gritting his teeth, a large tick mark on his temple as the veins of his neck bulged angrily. The towering man stood behind Nezumi with crossed arms, tapping his foot on the ground as he waited for the corrupt little shit to realize who'd come to say hi. The marine captain did not notice the legend at all...at least until sunlight broke through the clouds and they were cast underneath a shadow. A really big shadow.
Thinking it was a fishman Nezumi panicked and drew his revolver. Shooting without looking. Instead of a deafening bang however, the sound of bending metal followed by a dull thunk came after he pulled the trigger. His revolver's barrel had been bent upwards! That was impossible! Nezumi thought before he finally gazed upon the 'fishman'.
And that was when he knew…
"Anything else you wanna say, brat?"
He fucked up.
"V-V-Vice Admiral G-Garp?!"
Those were Nezumi's only words before the old vice admiral proceeded to beat the living hell out of every single marine there. In the end Nezumi and his squadron were squished together and bounced up and down like a basketball. How the vice admiral managed that without killing them, the villagers did not know.
"Aaaaah! Mercy!"
"Please forgive us, Vice Admiral, Sir!"
"It hurts! Stop it! I beg you!'
The villagers weren't sure they really even wanted to know. While the treatment the corrupt marines were experiencing was nauseating to see, there was no sympathy in the villagers' eyes for any of them. Instead they turned their eyes to Garp. Believing he might arrest the heroes of the village because even if they helped and saved them...they were still pirates. Garp's reputation was well known throughout the world. A pirate was a pirate. No one would escape him if he had anything to say about it.
Garp ignored them all and focused his gaze on Nami. The vice admiral seemed like he was looking at an old friend. The action caused much confusion amongst the villagers and even the straw hats. What really caught their attention was when Garp openly shuddered under Nami's questioning gaze.
Turning to Luffy with a rather bitter expression, Garp said "You sure know how to pick em' don'tcha Luffy. It's graduation day all over again." The villagers and corrupt marines turned from Garp to the wolfman with confused expressions. Did these two know each other?
Garp rubbed his chin while looking up thoughtfully before a wry smirk settled on his face. "Heh. They do say history has a way of repeating itself." Garp mused as he continued dribbling Nezumi and the scum squadron.
"The hell you on about, Gramps?" Luffy asked, genuinely lost on what Garp was saying. Most of the other Straw Hats were lost as well and since their captain hadn't a clue what the old man was talking about it probably wasn't something they needed to know. Nami had an idea though.
'So I remind Garp of her, huh.'
"Vice Admiral…We respect you a hell of a lot sir, but you aren't taking these pirates away!" One of the villagers stated resolutely. Luffy just gave him a deadpan look from behind.
"That's right! You're a legend even round here sir but these youngins are the heroes of the village!" Zoro and Sanji shared looks of 'just freaking done' and rolled their eyes.
"You may be his gramps but that doesn't mean he ain't a hero!" A man cried out, the village cheering along. Nami and Usopp both facepalmed as silence descended upon them. Quicker than lightning Luffy, Sanji and Zoro put on their noise canceling headphones and braced for impact.
"Gramps?!" The whole village screeched, turning to the wolfman who pressed the headphones' muffs tightly against his head. The rest of his crew had followed suit, even Nami had despite not having the blessing yet. Of course there was someone who was a bit too exasperated to think straight and now suffered the consequences.
Garp blinked before bursting out in a hearty laugh. Slapping his knee in glee as Usopp, who'd been knocked out from the village's collective screech, foamed at the mouth with pure white eyes facing the sky. Some of the villagers, those that went to witness Chew's last fight, rushed over to get the archer some help. The rest began bombarding Luffy with questions so rapidly the wolfman's eyes began swirling as he tried to make heads or tales of the mixing voices.
Only one individual there was cursing his luck. Of all the people to come after him, it had to be a grandson of the legendary vice admiral, whose name was well-known even in the depths. Nami noticed the frustrated look in her former tormentor's eyes and smiled cheerfully as she patted him on the shoulder.
"This, Arlong?" Nami's twisted gaze returned to sending shivers down the tyrant's spine, "Is just the beginning."
Behind the sadistic navigator, Garp shivered uncontrollably as the memories of a similarly vicious, vindictive raven haired woman came back to haunt him. Why did history enjoy repeating itself?
The world turned upside down. Pigs had to have started flying around in every farm around the globe. Literal cats and dogs must've come raining down somewhere on this planet. If none of those things happened then what Genzo was seeing right now... just made no, nada, not even a smidgen of god damn sense.
As the old sheriff seemed to be wondering if he'd gone into a coma, Arlong just stared back with a somewhat amused glint in his eyes. This outcome, much to the fishman's dismay, was so unrealistic to old Genzo that Arlong couldn't help being amused as the sheriff kept scratching his eyes and blinking rapidly just to see if he was dreaming. The fishman couldn't hold in his laughter when Genzo asked the green haired swordsman to hit him so the sheriff would know definitively that he wasn't just having a good dream. Now Genzo asking wasn't the funny part. The funny part was when Zoro actually did slam the butt of his sword down onto Genzo's head causing the old man to crumple in a daze.
Arlong's amusement came to an end when Zoro came over and slammed the butt of his blade onto the fishman as well. Arlong wasn't dazed but that didn't mean the action hadn't hurt. Zoro smirked cheekily as he helped Genzo back up and the riot leader from earlier, Steve, began sharing the tale of Arlong's fall. Usopp had been an instant hit with the village, you see. Now when it came to morale that was great news...unfortunately it also meant there were a lot more exaggerated versions of the battle. Oh and nobody ever seemed to shut up except for those who joined Zoro in a drinking competition. So far the swordsman was 7 - 0, all who challenged him so far passed out with swirling eyes.
Even if the proof sat before his very eyes, bound and gagged against a boulder, Genzo still couldn't wrap his head around it. A young pirate captain who wasn't even out of his teen years had come in, wrecked Arlong Park, decimated the fishman pirates, and came out without any notable injuries? Inconceivable. Absolutely inconceivable. The revelation that he was the legendary Garp the Fist's grandson alleviated the disbelief slightly...but the way the young man was acting now took away any concept of being an immovable, towering fortress of power.
Genzo sweatdropped as Luffy performed yet another silly dance with wavy arms and chop sticks in between his nostrils and lips. The villagers were cheering on the wolfman who'd only begun doing such antics once Nami had left the vicinity. Luffy loves Nami, he really does, but acting like a buffoon in front of her was a death wish. Unfortunately being a charming, entertaining hooligan was in his blood. Evidenced by Garp performing similarly stupid acts as he posed over and over again, flexing his guns in exaggerated positions.
'Why am I able to read the intended mood?! And why is it saying ominous?!'
One of the bulkier villagers stood up and walked towards Garp, clearly intending on joining in on the fun. The old vice admiral took it in stride and grinned as he struck yet another pose, "Hoho? You're approaching me?"
"Can't flex my own guns without getting closer, ol' geezer!"
"Guhahaha! Very well then! Show me whatcha got, ya cheeky brat!"
Genzo blinked uncomprehendingly at the strange vice admiral and pirate captain before he caught sight of a familiar duo. Deciding that they'd have more things to share about the mysterious Luffy, Genzo walked over to them.
"Johnny! Yosaku!"
"Oh? Genzo!"
"Haha! You're up and at 'em' already old man?"
Genzo smiled good naturedly as he took a swig of his beer before nodding to the captain. Luffy had gone from the silly dance to performing some strange tune. Didn't sound anything like Genzo had heard of before but it sure built hype.
"Mind telling me more about that man right there? Luffy was his name, I believe."
Johnny and Yosaku were quick to agree, both very red in the face, drunk out of their skulls.
"What'cha wanna know first?"
This was how Genzo was introduced to the insanity that is Monkey D. Luffy. A man who was descended from Garp the Fist himself, capable of decimating the likes of Don Krieg and Arlong as if they were nothing more than children, and could stand toe to toe with the greatest swordsman in the world, Dracule Mihawk. Those were all points and revelations in Luffy's favor and thus Genzo's praises. The next tidbit froze the old sheriff's blood cold.
"And the way he rocks Big Sis Nami's world? Oh man, the guy's a fricking legend!"
"You said it, Yosaku! I mean those late night screams may be annoying but damn must he be a god or something to pull that off with Big Sis of all people! Hahahahahaha!"
"I know right? Hahahahahah-Gaugh!"
Once the words actually registered in his head, Sanji was quick to come over and slam both Johnny and Yosako's faces into the dirt. The two morons were so drunk they were dragging Nami's good name through the dirt with ludicrous bawdily nonsense. The cook wasn't having any of that and after dealing with the two numbskulls it was off to damage control.
Turning to the sheriff, Sanji sighed tiredly before speaking, "Mr. Genzo I assure you that-Mr. Genzo? Oh no." It was too late. "Luffy! Run!"
The wolfman didn't stop his performance when he heard his name being called out. He, and his audience, just turned towards Sanji with confused questioning looks. When Genzo yelled at the top of his lungs screaming bloody murder though, thats when Luffy's strumming stopped.
"You dare defile my precious daughter?! I'll skin you alive you brute!"
Luffy blinked once, stupefied, before quirking a brow with a smirk having figured out what happened. The drunk numbskulls with heads embedded in the earth spoke volumes. Luffy had no doubts that this would be a quick fix. Just a little explaining and he'll be in Genzo's good graces once mo-
"He did what?!" Oh fuck. Luffy cursed his luck as Garp looked like someone had just stolen his fresh Makino's Double Down Chicken Sandwich right before his eyes. Luffy knew because he was the thief. He also knew that he was now completely and utterly...well, fucked. "Get over here you cheeky little brat!"
"All right, Zoro, it's time for the ultimate technique my brothers and I learned growing up."
The swordsman looked up from his drink with intrigue. A technique that could save Luffy from Garp the Fist? No such...wait a minute this sounded familiar.
"Shishi...Nigerundayo!"
Zoro smacked himself with his palm as his captain straight up booked it right when Garp's fist came crashing down where he stood. The dust cloud that erupted outwards caused many a coughing fit. The green haired man just shook his head as his captain regressed back into yet another episode of childish stupidity. Thankfully it was only short episodes, typically during parties, that this version of his captain surfaced. If it was like this 24/7 Zoro might have killed Luffy already...or threatened the wolfman that he'd do so anyway.
On a cliff edge overlooking the sea, Nami and Nojiko stood before their dear mother's p grave. Nami had brought a few bottles of beer, Belle-mere's favorite brand. The two sisters quietly took swigs of their beers after opening one for their mother.
"What happens now?" Nojiko asked, solemnly staring down at the drink in her hand. She had heard about what happened and while it was at the end of the day salvation...she wasn't sure how she felt about the cost.
Having kept her gaze firmly locked on the grave, Nami hadn't noticed the distress plastered over her sister's face. "I will go on to achieve my dream. Making a map of the world." Nami smirked before she continued. "Alongside my fiance and his crew, his brothers, my family."
"...They're pirates, Nami." Nojiko's muttering was soft but on the silent cliff's edge it was clear as day to the young navigator's ears. "You hate pirates...they took everything from us...now you're going to become one of them?"
Nami turned to Nojiko with an unreadable expression, "Pirates, real pirates, are adventurers of the sea, seekers of all life has to offer. Arlong and his goons, Don Krieg and his fleet, Buggy and his circus of clowns are nothing more than criminal scum murdering, raping, and destroying everything in their path. They do nothing but give pirates a bad name."
The younger sister grasped the older's shoulders firmly, reassuringly, "I'm still me, Nojiko. I still love tangerines and money to a, let's be honest, worryingly crippling degree."
"Understatement of the century." Nojiko snorted in response, laughter slipping through the cracks.
"I will be an adventurer of the seas, a pirate. Not a tyrannical dictator hell bent on ruining anyone weaker than me...Well anyone who picks a fight with my family and actually brings harm to us gets no mercy but that shouldn't count."
Nojiko fell silent for a few moments before sighing in resignation. Nami was going to be a pirate no matter what she said so she might as well just support her. The older woman smiles tenderly at her dear sister, spreading her arms, inviting Nami in for a hug. The navigator is quick to accept there before their mother's grave the two embrace tearfully as the realization of freedom had finally sunk in...and that soon they would be apart again.
Life on the high seas was an endless adventure with twists and turns some may never see coming. It was a life full of excitement, freedom...but most of all danger. To be on the seas you needed to be ready to pull the trigger and Nojiko wasn't one to do so. Her dreams, her desires didn't require her to leave the safety of her home. All she wanted was right here on the Conomi Islands...at least for now. Perhaps in the future she too may want to sail the waters her sister sought but for now, the land is where she belongs.
Nami's eyes fluttered open and her arms around her sister slackened as she turned towards the waters, towards the port.
"Nami? What is it? What's wrong?" Nojiko asked, eyeing her sister with worry. The smile that spread across Nami's face did little to alleviate Nojiko's distress because of the gleam in the navigator's gaze. 'So that's the twisted gaze.'
"Nothings wrong." Nami replied, starting her trek back to the village with a skip in her step. "It's just that the guest of honor has finally arrived."
"Guest of honor?" Nojiko looked even more coñfused before Nami turned back to her with that spine chilling manic gaze.
"Arlong's executioner."
Sanji could only shake his head at the immaturity of it all. Cooking for the whole of Cocoyashi Village had been a simultaneously enlightening and hectic experience. There had been a lot of indigenous fauna that Sanji had only been able to read about. Apparently Arlong had put a rather ludicrous increase in prices for them that even the old geezer wasn't willing to pay for. That wasn't the immature part though.
The immaturity was the so-called Vice Captain, Mr. Marimo himself, laughing his ass off alongside the crew's resident liar while their captain was being shaken around by his coat. The wolfman had been doing great in escaping his grandfather's clutches only to have slipped when he got too cocky in making his dramatic, mere millimeter away evasions from Garp. The captain slipped and lost his footing after trying to do a backflip into a cartwheel for his latest stunt.
The wolf within was in a much more sour mood than the Straw Hat's cook however, as the lands he inhabited had begun shaking violently. The extent of how long the shaking had been going on was enough to make the undisputed king of canines sick to his stomach and absolutely livid with his host and host's grandfather.
'Luffy, I swear to Gods I will kill your grandfather for this!'
Luffy would have mentally talked shit with the wolf had he had enough functioning facilities to even do so. As it was now, the combination of vigorous shaking and screaming from both Garp and Genzo had disoriented the poor wolfman so much his eyes were swirls. A white flag was basically being waved erratically as the Straw Hat's captain looked to be mere moments away from puking his guts out.
The Vice Admiral stopped the vigorous shaking however once the presence of a certain acquaintance of his entered his haki range. Old Genzo paused in his screaming as well when he noticed the shift in Garp's behavior. Luffy himself noticed a bit later. If he hadn't had his brain knocked around his skull like a bouncy ball the wolfman likely would've picked up on the guest of honor's presence even sooner than Garp had.
Zoro and the rest of the Straw Hats had yet to sense the long awaited guest but from their captain's reaction alone they had an idea of what was about to happen. The village remained oblivious however and continued on with their celebration. The festivities came to an abrupt halt as something shot out the sea and landed on the port.
It was a fishman, a blue skinned fishman in an embroidered martial arts uniform, his long curly hair tied up in a knot. The fishman was rather large and on the chunky side at first glance but the Straw Hats could sense the raw strength the fishman kept hidden behind a...well they weren't really sure how to interpret his expression. On one hand he might have been sporting a look of barely repressed anger, on the other he might just have the most moody, angry at the world teenager's resting bitch face. Luffy wagered it was the former as the fishman's eyes were brimming with unchained fury.
Now the Straw Hats had mostly been observing the fishman. The villagers? They were focused on the otherworldly beauty that was the mermaid who had apparently accompanied the martial artist. Of course once Sanji caught sight of her, the flirting was only moments away from bursting forth. Zoro cursed himself for not considering keeping the cook's eyes covered but a look around the villagers showed how little it would've mattered. While the women seemed to have the sense to at least be somewhat wary of the strangers, the men were unapologetically ogling the shark mermaid who, thankfully, didn't seem to notice.
Luckily for the swordsman, Nami arrived just in time to identify the newcomers and, more importantly to Zoro, slam Sanji into the dirt with a swift haki coated fist.
"If it isn't the fishman we've all been waiting for!" The blue fishman turned to Nami and tensed, guilt blooming in his eyes. Clearly the fishman had been told what happened to her specifically. "The Knight of the Sea, Captain of the Sun Pirates, Sworn brother of the Conomi Islands Bane, One of the Seven Warlords himself, Jimbei!" Nami's voice reached every one of the villager's ears. The men had snapped out of their stupor and regained some semblance of cognitive function as they glared at the Warlord.
From his place, restrained against a boulder, Arlong stared in utter shock and disbelief at the newcomers. His focus wasn't on his sworn brother Jimbei, but the shark mermaid who choked out a sob when her eyes found his. The tyrant began struggling against his restraints once more, eyeing the villagers he'd tormented for years as if they were actual threats for once. He didn't seem to be afraid for himself though.
Luffy and Zoro had come to stand by Nami's side as Jimbei and the mermaid walked towards them. The warlord shared a glance with Garp, silently begging that what he'd been told was exaggerated. That his sworn brother hadn't actually sunk so far down to have committed the atrocities that shook the warlord down to his very core. Fate was a cruel mistress however, and Garp's hard look in response caused the Knight of the Sea to appear as if he'd aged decades more. Only a meter away from Nami, Jimbei stood still...before getting on his knees and pressing his forehead harshly against the rough Earth.
"What Arlong has done can never be excused. His actions disgust not only myself but all of my crew and the royal family of the Fishman Kingdom as well. I only ask-No, I beg...I beg that you not seek revenge against the people of the sea." The Warlord knew he was in no position to be asking for such a request but he had to try. For the innocents who had no involvement in this and for the future his dearly departed older brother sought, he would give anything. Anything. "If Arlong's death is not enough...I offer my own as well."
Silence greeted the Warlord's declaration. Arlong wasn't struggling anymore, his mind had yet to come to terms with what he was hearing. The mermaid with Jimbei looked much the same but there was more despair in her eyes. Even the notion of the Warlord's death seemed to push her to tears. Her beautiful cerulean eyes find Nami's, begging the young human to not claim Jimbei's life.
Fate was a cruel mistress but she wasn't interested in claiming the whale shark fishman's life just yet.
Clapping was the last thing Jimbei expected to hear. The Warlord certainly wasn't expecting the whole village to be doing so, following Nami's lead as the young human woman smiled brightly at him. The navigator's eyes were bright yet somehow solemn.
"Your life won't come to an end today, Knight of the Sea." Nami declared as the villagers behind her began cracking smiles as well, taking swigs of their drinks. "You seem confused."
He most certainly was. Jimbei was fully prepared to have his head severed from his neck, not be treated to a round of applause and smiles!
Nami simply gestured towards Luffy before continuing, "My dear Lu here, has been more than adamant about your character. Unlike your disappointment of a brother, you're apparently quite honorable and just." The wolfman didn't seem to appreciate the nickname and glared at his fiance who ignored him as well as Zoro who couldn't help but snort at his captain's expense. "I've also been told about your goals...your dream...I want to see it come to fruition as well."
Both the fishmen and the mermaid were left dumbfounded. Screw an execution, this was a bloody miracle! Honestly it was too good to be true. Jimbei internally began wondering if Pops had bonked him on the head a bit too hard after their last chat about Ace running off to find Teach.
"Of course we wanted to see if it was all true and well, you certainly delivered." Nami said with a happy smile but it didn't quite reach her eyes. The navigator was glad that Jimbei seemed to be exactly as Luffy claimed but that didn't erase the seed of hate Arlong had planted in her heart the day he claimed her mother's life. Nami would likely never be rid of the seed...but at least she could grow to accept fishmen and even befriend them. Hachi's kindness throughout the years already showed her that the people of the depths weren't all monsters. "The village and I have all agreed to not hold the actions of one psychopath on the lives of all other fishfolk. So like I said, your life won't be claimed today, Jimbei."
The Warlord felt like he'd been let off too easily. Yes, he was glad the villagers wouldn't hold it against the innocents of Fishman Island but...He couldn't accept just being forgiven that easily. It was true that the corrupt marines of this branch withheld the information about Arlong but he should've been more thorough. If he had, the woman before him might never have been enslaved….she might have actually gotten to grow up with her mother.
"I thank you, truly, but I cannot accept being forgiven so easily." Jimbei finally said, staring back at Nami with unflinching resolution. "I must atone for Arlong's transgressions. There must be something you wish for?"
The navigator smirked inwardly. This was the true test. "All I ask is that you follow through on your deal with Arlong. He has violated it after all. Claim his life with your own hands."
Jimbei didn't even blink.
"Ask for something else, Miss Nami." The navigator's smile dipped slightly, the villagers bristling as well. "Ask me something I had no plans of doing in the first place."
The mermaid turned away from Jimbei, tears freely streaming down her face now, knowing fate would claim Arlong's life by night's end.
Now it was the villagers turn to be dumbfounded. Nami recovered quickly however and firmly put Jimbei on her list of trustworthy and respected individuals. The identity of the crying mermaid was beginning to pique her interest though.
"Who's she?"
Jimbei tensed before turning to the mermaid with an encouraging nod. The humans put their faith in him, he felt it only right he put his faith in them as well. The mermaid wiped away her tears and composed herself before identifying herself.
"Forgive me. My name is Shyarly, I own a quaint little cafe down in Fishman Island...I am Arlong's younger sister."
Silence...after the musicians made that horrible sound on their instruments that universally translated to wait...what?
Jimbei began to sweat nervously as even Luffy and Garp seemed stupefied. Perhaps because she was Arlong's flesh and blood they'd seek her death as well?
Contrary to Jimbei's fears however the humans, all the humans, Nami included, only stared at Shyarly who fidgeted nervously under the attention. Then they turned to Arlong. Then Shyarly again. Then Arlong.
"Younger sister?" Sanji murmured blinking uncomprehendingly as the rather gruff Arlong and back at the beauty that was Shyarly.
"Yes…" Shyarly wasn't sure how to interpret their strange behavior. Jimbei on the other hand recognized the confusion…and wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh, cry or groan in exasperation.
"You're a mermaid." Luffy stated bluntly. Shyarly nodded in response. "He's a fishman." Another nod. "You're siblings? Like blood related siblings?"
"...Yes?" Shyarly wasn't sure where the human was going with this. Again it was back to the gazes being from her to Arlong, back to back, again and again. Eventually Jimbei just sighed and pushed the wheelchair Shyarly was on towards Arlong. The villagers, while still very confused, knew what was about to go down and respectfully gave the fishfolk space. Only Nami, Luffy and Zoro followed behind the Warlord and mermaid.
Arlong wasn't close enough to have heard the exchange between Jimbei and the human scum so he only glared at his sworn brother scornfully. Thinking that he'd be even more in Jimbei's debt irked him to no end. One thing didn't click in his mind though. If Jimbei was here to set him free, why was Shyarly brought along for the ride? It wasn't like he was one of those older brothers who bowed down to their sister's whims.
The confusion in his sworn brother's eyes was clear as day and with an expression like he'd been through two full blown wars, Jimbei said "I thought it only right Shyarly get to see her older brother before his life came to an end."
The tyrant of the Conomi Islands could not say anything to that, even if he wasn't gagged. Thus he only stared at his sworn brother in listless shock while Shyarly sobbed on his shoulder knowing after today, Arlong would never breathe again.
So there they stood. After all their years watching each other's backs, looking up to and idolizing their fallen hero, bickering over conflicting ideologies, they now stood against each other. One on his knees, battered into submission, the other tired and weary, as if the weight of the world had come to rest upon his shoulders.
Luffy and Zoro stood by Arlong's side, keeping the fishman firmly in place. The swordsman's focus wasn't entirely on his prisoner though. Luffy wasn't exactly being subtle with his constant glancing towards the forest that Garp disappeared into. Zoro knew it wasn't anything hostile, he couldn't pick up any killing intent from the woods after all. Yet the swordsman wasn't entirely sure what his captain had zeroed in on. Unlike the rest of the crew Zoro's observation haki wasn't as detailed or concise. He knew Garp was there from the massive hurricane of power the crazy old geezer didn't bother hiding. He could also tell there was a lot of life in the forest but not what they were…
'Guess I'll just have to wait and see.'
Nami had come to the same conclusion as Zoro. Even from the sidelines next to Shyarly, the orangette could tell her captain seemed to put a lot of attention to the woods. Unfortunately like Zoro, she had no idea what was in the woods...kind of. She could actually tell what was in the woods, a nest of chicks on the tree by Dr. Nako's clinic, a family of raccoons raiding Steve's garbage bin, she could even 'see' the mantises having a turf war by the far side of the forest. What did all those things have in common? They weren't swallowed up by the walking disaster that was her grandfather-in-law, Garp started calling her that right after he seemed to be cured of having flashbacks of a certain woman.
"Any last words, Arlong?" Jimbei asked, already preparing to deliver the blow that would end his brother's life. This would haunt him for the rest of his days but Jimbei believed he could only blame himself for that. The humans may have forgiven him, but he wasn't sure he could ever even forgive himself for his blunder.
The sawtooth shark fishman glared with pure disdain at his sworn brother.
"What you fight for, what you wish for is nothing more than the dreams of naive peace loving cowards! This equality you seek is nothing more than a pipe dream that will get you and everyone else you drag along the way into early graves! Just like our fallen queen, Otohime!"
Jimbei was absolutely livid but he restrained himself into only intensifying his spiteful glare. Arlong, the sensation and idol of many young fishman deep in the depths, the one to spread and advocate most of fishman supremacy, stayed true to himself until the very end...at least that's how he expected himself to go out.
Before Jimbei could proceed with the execution, Luffy intervened. "Not so fast, Jimbei. There's one more person who wants to pay Arlong a visit."
Confusion spread amongst everyone there before they turned their sights to the forest. The rambunctious jovial laughter of Garp the Fist catching their attention. The old vice admiral had returned…with company in tow. A tall blonde man with a tophat bearing goggles walked alongside Garp in a long black jacket with a buckle on the left sleeve, with a blue shirt and vest, a frilled cravat, and a simple belt holding a pair of loosen light-blue pants with black boots and a orangette with a crimson newsboy cap with goggles, a pink shirt with a frilly collar, a short maroon skirt, black thigh-high stockings with brown high heeled boots on the other. Zoro and Shyarly hadn't the faintest clue who the newcomers were but Nami recognized the man from Luffy's stories.
'Sabo?!'
Arlong and Jimbei had their eyes on the woman however, familiarity and recognition tickling the back of their minds. The two weren't sure where they'd seen the orange haired woman before until they saw her eyes, and the memories of a young child with dirty blonde hair flashed through their eyes. Jimbei could only stare, completely caught off guard by the little girl from all those years ago slowly making her way towards him now. Arlong wasn't in his stupor for long, as he snarled at the young woman.
Coughing into a closed fist rather loudly, Garp gestured towards his companions as he introduced them, "These two here are revolutionaries." 'Patting' Sabo on the back he identified the blonde man as "This cheeky brat is Sabo, Chief of Staff in the Revolutionary Army, that is to say, their second in command next to Dragon."
Sabo would have bowed respectfully towards the others present but at the moment he was dusting himself off after being sent face first into the dirt. Ignoring the blonde's death glare, Garp rested his hand atop the woman's head as if she was one of his nieces. "And this ere' young lady goes by the name Koala, a high ranking officer in the Revolutionary Army who advocates for equality amongst the people of the land and the sea."
The revelation wasn't exactly one that anyone on the beach could just sweep under the rug. Nami could only turn to Luffy with a look of 'Seriously?' to which her fiance just shrugged and smirked. He wasn't exaggerating when he said his Gramps had a habit of dropping bombshells like those without a care. The fishman were too caught up on the fact that the sweet little Koala, or the annoying runty shit as Arlong referred to her as mentally, was a revolutionary…fighting for equality! The combination of her appearance as well as her career choice was, as it turns out, very potent in sending the two fishmen down rabbit holes so deep they didn't even question why such high priority targets would be walking around willy nilly alongside a marine.
Zoro wasn't though. "If these two have such high positions in the Revolutionary Army why aren't they under arrest?"
The response promoted the swordsman to facepalm in exasperation while Nami began to seriously worry about how her future child might turn out. Shyarly wasn't sure what to make of the response at first…before shaking her head with an amused smirk as King Neptune might have been no different.
"Eh? Why would I arrest my grandson? He hasn't even been identified by those lazy schmucks in their ivory towers or the government as revolutionaries." Garp replied while picking his nose with his pinky, as the Monkey D.s do. "Far as I'm concerned this cheeky brat is just visiting with his girlfriend."
'Just how lax are you?!' Nami and Zoro scream internally as the Vice Admiral grinned cheekily down at Sabo. The revolutionary just gave him a dull look, knowing the old geezer just wanted to get a rise out of him. The two stood next to Nami and Shyarly with Sabo standing right next to the navigator.
Under other circumstances Koala would have reacted bashfully and began acting like the embarrassed anime girl people love and hate. Now weren't other circumstances though.
With a sad smile on her face, Koala approached the two brothers. One cared for her and looked after her like she was one of his own, the other never bothered hiding his disdain for her race…but still kept her under his wing in his own twisted way. Jimbei was still at a loss for words by the time Koala arrived by his side but Arlong certainly wasn't.
"Come to revel in another fishman's execution?" Arlong sneered with his Sea King like eyes but Koala didn't even flinch. The young woman just kneeled before him, and what she said next, yep you guessed it, shocked him. Lots of stupefaction is going round today.
"I'm sorry." Jimbei was ready to break Arlong's nose off after his rude remark but he too was once again silenced by shock as Koala apologized. "I didn't know at the time that my village had plotted to kill Fisher Tiger. I didn't find out for a long time and I didn't have any involvement in reporting his presence…but even so I'm sorry."
The sands beneath her began to darken, tears streaming down her face and crashing against the beach as she continued.
"You all took me in after I'd escaped the Celestials. You brought me back from the brink and reminded me what it was like to live again. To be a person again. You fishmen helped restore the sanity of a little human girl…despite everything humans had done you all still took me in and helped me get back on my feet."
'Why are you crying? Why are you shedding tears for fishmen?!' Arlong screams internally as even more things he'd believed with all his heart came into question. 'Humans were scum. Humans were an inferior race only superior to fishman through the sheer number of them. Humans chained the fishmen down and toyed with them. Humans destroyed everything they could. Humans weren't supposed to care about anything but themselves! They weren't supposed to be capable of love! Of compassion! They were evil, they had to be!'
But as more tears were spilled for his people, more cracks spread across Arlong's resolve. Cracks he'd thought sealed shut forever after the betrayal that led to Fisher Tiger's death. Cracks made towards the end of their journey to Koala's home.
"Fisher Tiger would be alive if it weren't for me." Koala's admission to what Arlong had blamed her for, for so long, should have made him ecstatic. Instead he was begging for her to stop as more and more of his resolve for what he'd stood for crumbled away. "If it weren't for me you might have been able to finally get past the illusions you had about humanity. You might have never come here to the East and wrecked the atrocities that sealed your fate."
"Stop…please don't…please stop…" This wasn't how it was supposed to go. This wasn't how the world worked. Humans weren't capable of this! They were cruel, selfish, corrupt bastards who crushed anything weaker than themselves!
"I can't promise it will be anytime soon…I definitely won't pull it off by year's end but I swear it will be done." A blazing wildfire of resolve burned through the tears. "Humans, Fishmen, Giants, and any other intelligent species…there will be no more prejudice, no more inequality amongst them. I won't rest until I can say without a doubt that no one, no matter the race, will ever go through what you and others have gone through. This is my ambition, my dream…my penance and retribution for Fisher Tiger's death."
With a choking sob Koala launched herself into Arlong and hugged him tightly. "I only wish you were there to see it."
Arlong was ready to scoff and sneer at the young revolutionary. Building his walls of denial once more. Those walls collapsed however the moment he actually got to see Koala.
Scars.
Scars were everywhere on her body that he could see and some disappeared into her clothes. He knew these scars. They were battle scars but those weren't what caught his eye. No, it was the scars and marks he saw on Jimbei, on Kurobe…on Fisher Tiger.
"Koala was never identified and given a wanted poster but that doesn't mean she hasn't made waves." Garp spoke up from his spot on the sidelines…giving an irate Sabo a noogie. "But she has already gotten an epithet ready for when they finally do snag a decent enough photo."
"Koala, The Maelstrom." Jimbei's eyes widened even more as he recognized the epithet but more importantly, the implications. "The first human to master Fishman Karate and to the level where our Warlord here should be ready to sacrifice an arm if he plans on winning."
Memories of all the blood, sweat and tears Jimbei went through to reach the level he was now flooded Arlong's mind. The harsh training Jimbei endured to become stronger so he could be like Fisher Tiger and protect others. The sacrifices he made, destroying himself months at a time as he continued pressing forward, beyond his limits. All those memories flashed through Arlong's eyes…and soon they were replaced with an image of a young Koala trying to do the same. 'A human…sacrificed this much…to show how far she was willing to go?'
Humans were frailer than Fishmen. That was a fact that could not be denied. It was that fact that made Koala's accomplishments that much greater. It was that fact that completely destroyed Arlong's already crumbling beliefs.
The shark fishman never thought he'd regret choices he made when it came to how he treated humans…but there was a first for everything after all.
Arlong's resolve, beliefs and misconceptions were all washed away but the cleanse came way too late. Perhaps in a different life…he might have been able to see when Fishmen children were able to mingle and laugh with the humans in those wondrous parks he saw back on Sabaody.
With a trembling sniffle, Koala removed herself from Arlong who just looked lost in thought, his expression a mix of anger, wistfulness, resignation…and regret.
Jimbei wasn't any better than Koala as the reminder that he was to execute his sworn brother came crashing down on his shoulders once again. But Jimbei was a fishman of his word and for his incompetence, this was his penance.
Steeling himself, Jimbei returned to preparing to deliver the killing blow. It would be a swift death. Nami wasn't so sadistic that she wished Arlong's torture by his sworn brother's hand so she was the one to suggest it be ended in one hit. Speaking of the navigator, Nami found herself consoling Shyarly who was struggling to keep her eyes on the execution. A strange twist of fate. The victim consoling the murderer's sister for her brother's execution.
'Just as a son doesn't bear the sins of the father, the sister shouldn't be blamed for her brother's atrocities.' Nami said to herself, deep down praying she didn't have to. Try as she might, being rid of her disdain of fishmen wasn't happening anytime soon. Nami could only hope her misplaced anger with them faded completely by the time Jimbei would join their ranks.
"Any last words…brother?" Jimbei asked Arlong once more as Koala made her way back to Garp and Sabo, her fellow revolutionary moving to comfort her before she was even meters away.
Arlong blinked as he was taken away from his dreaming. It was…nice. Humans, Fishmen, and all other races of the world living together and enjoying the joys of the world. Arlong smirked wryly as he realized just how much he actually wished to see it.
'I hated humans so much but look where that got me. In the end, I was no different.'
Arlong shifted his focus to the audience in the sidelines, and locked eyes with Nami.
'Ah…I did hurt her the most, didn't I?'
"Nothing left to say, Arlong?"
"I'm sorry, Nami."
The navigator froze as her mind tried to register what she was hearing.
"Maybe if things were different…we could have been friends…real friends…and seen the day everyone just got along."
The navigator was taken aback by the genuinity in Arlong's eyes. But the sight only lasted a few seconds. With his eyes closed tight, Jimbei gathered, focused and condensed gallons of water into a fine little speck as the edge of his fist and punched. There was no pain. There wasn't a brain to process it. Sawtooth Fishman Arlong died and his sister cried in anguish as his headless corpse thunked lifelessly against the rough sand.