Chapter 33: Arlong Park
Arc – Captured Rain Genin Part 13
Shikaku leans against a tree as the three Aburame walk forward to him. One eye is closed, as the other one glances towards the three bug users. He is holding a photo album in his right hand.
Text: The weary Watchman finally sees his efforts pay off.
XXXXXXX – East Blue, Konomi Archipelago, Arlong Park
The Konomi Archipelago was the name for the seven islands grouped together in the lower east portion of the East Blue. Upon the largest of them was Arlong Park, the headquarters of the Arlong Pirates. In addition to the Archipelago here, Arlong controlled twenty islands, with a total of four hundred and thirty seven villages under his 'protection.' It had previously been four hundred and thirty eight. The number of his pirates numbered just under two thousand, scattered about the various islands.
Arlong Park was built on the southern coastline. A small gateway linked the ocean proper to a series of small pools, accompanied by a wall that surrounded the entire compound. The main (and only) building was a five story tall tower, with the words 'ARLONG PARK' written on the third story for all to see, and Arlong's personal jolly roger mounted on the steep.
The first floor was a large banquet room, complete with a kitchen in the back. To the left side was the armory and on the right was a small dungeon that was rarely used, as Arlong simply preferred to kill anyone that defied him outright rather than hold them in a prison. The second floor was a map room, with one wall covered entirely with ocean charts. A series of Telesnails were arranged at the bottom of this wall. Scattered about the floor were a number of other charts and pictures, some depicting the villages and islands under Arlong's control, others depicting the nearest Marine bases with the commanding Marines. Others were islands and towns marked in red; future targets.
The third floor was the crew quarters for the several dozen Fish-Man crew members that worked for Arlong on the Konomi Archipelago there. The fourth floor was where Arlong and his officers resided personally, with the treasury in Arlong's room. On the fifth floor was the navigator's room, where all the charts for the map room were made.
To anyone in the immediate area, it wasn't Arlong Pirates that they were known by, it was the Arlong Empire. But to those outside the area of influence, even the Marines themselves, it was merely the Arlong Pirates situated on these small seven islands with delusions of grandeur.
All thanks to the fact that the nearest Marine bases were accepting bribes and deliberately misleading the rest of the world about Arlong's progress, including their superiors. Chief among them was Captain Nezumi of Navy Branch 16, the one closest to Arlong Park itself. A man of medium height and stature, his most striking characteristics were the whiskers on his face, apparently natural. His hat was decorated with rat-like ears to further enhance the rat-like nature on the man, barely able to keep the excited grin off his face as he sat at Arlong Park itself, accompanied by three of his crew.
"And here is this month's take. I hope you enjoy it." A hand dropped two million berries in front of Nezumi's greedy face as he surveyed the Fish-Men.
Saw Tooth Arlong himself. Arlong was a sawshark fish-man, large and muscular with light blue skin. Long black hair sprouted from the base of his neck. He wore a sleeveless, unbuttoned yellow shirt decorated by many black lightning-like marks, dark green shorts and simple sandals. But his most distinguishing feature was his saw-shaped nose that served as the basis for his epithet.
"Chichichi," Nezumi chuckled as he took the money. "Ah Arlong, unlike the many unsophisticated pirates out there, you understand how the world works."
"Shaaaahahaha! Likewise! There are not many Marine Captains that know that befriending me means they can milk the East Blue for all eternity!" Arlong replied cheerfully as his gaze settled on the Marine. "The fact that you understand this makes you more like me than those worthless do-gooders that believe in concepts like 'justice' and 'equality.'"
"You give me too much credit," Nezumi replied, only causing Arlong to laugh even harder.
"Don't thank me, thank MONEY! It's the only thing you can count on in this world! More reliable than people, that's for sure! Don't you agree?"
Nezumi's answer was smooth. "Of course."
"As a general rule, I hate all humans," Arlong continued. "But among all those gullible fools that turn a blind eye, you are the one tolerable expectation. You alone come directly to Arlong Park and meet with me personally, while the rest sit comfortably in their offices waiting for money to come to them." He let out another laugh. "Then again, sitting back and accepting the Fish-Men's superiority is perhaps the smartest thing idiotic humans can do!"
Nezumi made no direct comment as he stood up from his seat. "Well, since our business is concluded, you must excuse me."
"Oh, don't take what I said personally," Arlong said. "You're an exception! Allow me to make it up to you. Come, join me for a drink!"
"I would, but the longer a Marine cruiser remains docked at a pirate island, the more one draws unwanted attention," Nezumi pointed out.
"I'll kill anyone that dares to rat you out." The phrase made the nearest Fish-Men snicker.
"Thank you, but another time. So much work to do, especially considering your rate of expansion," Nezumi urged. "I have to redouble my efforts just to keep up with your pace, lest one of those more noble, idiot Marines tries something."
Conceding, Arlong called out for Hachi. From the nearest pool, Hatchan appeared. An octopus Fish-Man commonly referred to as 'Hachi' by his peers, he was Arlong Park's manager and first mate of the Arlong Pirates. Behind him was a large pot swaying gently in the water, telling Nezumi to hop in.
Nezumi and his men entered the pod as Hachi began tugging them out to Nezumi's docked ship, the Sly Rat, where the rest of Nezumi's crew was waiting. As they passed the water gate, a small rat with a collar jumped off the wall and on to Nezumi's shoulders. "Ah, Nijima, I was afraid you were going to miss the ride." Nezumi said, ticking his pet's chin as they set out, his mind already planning on how to use his latest payment.
'These Fish-Men are disgusting. Such a vile group! But they sure do pay well!"
Arlong watched the marine captain go before a commotion outside the land gate drew his attention. He heard a small scuffle before the gate opened up, revealing Nami, a knapsack over her left shoulder.
The same shoulder that bore the tattoo identifying herself as a member of Arlong's crew. The only human member.
"Nami! You've returned! I haven't seen you for quite awhile," Arlong greeted as the girl came walking over. "So, how did you do this time?"
"Who do you think you're talking to?" Nami asked, coming right up to him. "It always amazes me how many blind idiots there are in this world." She held up her sack. "Wanna see?"
Arlong grinned. "You, girl, are one excellent liar."
"That's true." Lie? Truth? Who knows.
The comment made Arlong laugh yet again. Ah, he was in a good mood and he would be getting that drink after all. "Listen up, Brothers! Nami has finally returned. Time for a PARTY!"
From the waters of the pools, or the chairs on deck, Fish-Men appeared, hollering in glee. A Carp Fish-Man named Take, commander of the pirates, was already spouting out ideas to the others, while an ocean sunfish Fish-Man named Pisaro – the musician of the Arlong Pirates – was already starting up a number (FISH-MEN ARE SUPERIOR) and shaking his maracas.
Arlong would be sure to discreetly invite Dr. Amachi when Nami departed. It was about time for an update.
XXXXXXX – Roughly twenty minutes later
The boat containing Zoro, Shikamaru, Johnny, Sakura and Usopp came within sight of Arlong Park. Zoro, now sporting a large number of bandages on his chest, was leaning against the side, snoring. Further back, Sakura and Shikamaru were playing cards and trying to get over their nervousness about where they were headed. Usopp was staring straight ahead, his hands gripping the edge as hard as he could as he forced himself to pay attention, chanting over and over 'Brace Captain Usopp!'
Yes. Brace.
Johnny was the only one actually navigating their craft (mainly due to the fact that he was the only one who knew how). Like Yosaku, he had explained to the others about the dangers of the Grand Line and the terror that was Arlong Park. Zoro had dozed off halfway into it, so no one knew how much he paid attention to, while the others were busy trying to work out their fears and anxiety, some more successful than others.
Currently, he was beside Usopp, trembling himself. "Alright, we're here!"
Usopp carefully crept upwards for a better look. "So that's Arlong Park, huh? The stronghold of the Fish-Man Pirates from the Grand Line?" Gulping, he added, "I hope Nami's really here."
Sakura and Shikamaru came forward, taking in the full view of this place. "She better be," Shikamaru complained. "This is troublesome as it is. Let's just find her, get the ship and get out of here before those fish know we're here."
"What about Nami?" Sakura asked.
"What about Nami?"
A split-second later, Sakura's fist slammed into Shikamaru's head.
"Owowowow!" Shikamaru moaned, nursing the new goose-egg on his head. "Hey, Nami was the one that betrayed us, don't take it out on me!"
"Quiet, both of you," Johnny snapped. "Sister Nami's ship was the Going Merry, so before we do anything stupid, we should concentrate on seeing if it's even on this island first."
Usopp nodded his agreement, and the two Leaf Ninja calmed down, knowing this wasn't the time to quarrel and act stupid.
"Let's attack," Zoro said, standing up.
Speaking of stupid…
No one was sure when the former Pirate Hunter finally awoke, but Zoro was now standing up with his last remaining sword clutched firmly in his right hand.
"I JUST SAID WE SHOULDN'T DO ANYTHING STUPID!"
"ZORO, YOU ARE IN NO CONDITION TO FIGHT RIGHT NOW!"
"GET DOWN OR THEY'LL SEE US!"
"WHAT? ATTACK! YOU IDIOT, WE KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THIS PLACE!"
"YEAH, THESE GUYS ARE THE FISH-MEN!"
"THAT BOUNTY OF 20 MILLION ISN'T JUST FOR SHOW, YOU KNOW!"
"WE'RE NOT HERE TO FIGHT, WE'RE HERE TO FIND THE STUPID SHIP AND GET OUT OF HERE!"
"WE NEED SOME KIND OF PLAN!"
Zoro ignored them. "While you four are busy blabbering and wimping out, my thoughts are on the battle we're about to face. Luffy told us to bring Nami back whether she likes it or not and I'm gonna do just that."
'Over my dead butt you will!' Shikamaru thought, making the rat hand sign. 'Let's see you fight when you're…'
That's when Sakura, Usopp and Johnny all took a mallet and smacked Zoro in the head.
Shikamaru's eyebrow twitched as the green-haired man hit the deck. "… or we could just do that…"
Tying the man securely to the main cabin and putting his sword far out of reach, the small ship sailed along the coastline. It wasn't long before they found the Going Merry itself, anchored at a small dock. "Found it!" Usopp cried out, seeing the ship with his binoculars. "The Going Merry is right over there!"
"Then Nami has to be on the Island somewhere," Sakura said.
"Will you idiots untie me already, I'm not the enemy here!" Zoro shouted, royally pissed off.
They all ignored him. Johnny brought up a map and pointed at Arlong Park. Based on the location, the Going Merry was docked east at the outskirts of a place called Cocoyashi Village. Shikamaru cocked an eyebrow at the place. So close to Arlong Park, those Fish-Men would've had to have noticed it. If Nami really was trying to collect the bounty, why park so close? Wouldn't it be smarter to park further away?
Unless…
His eyes quickly scanned the shoreline by the ship and his face paled immediately.
DAMMIT, I HATE BEING RIGHT!
"Get down!" Shikamaru yelled, interrupting Usopp's monologue about declaring this 'The Great Adventures of Captain Usopp!' as he dogpiled the three of them to the deck.
"What's the big - ?" Usopp started until Shikamaru clasped a hand over his mouth. Using his other hand, he put a finger to his mouth for silence then pointed to the dock.
Cautiously, the other three peeked over the edge to see three Fish-Men loitering around the dock, chatting amongst themselves.
"Full speed ahead!" Usopp ordered in a whisper.
"Aye aye," Sakura and Johnny said together.
"WHY DIDN'T WE JUST DOCK RIGHT THERE?" Zoro demanded
"Didn't you see? There were three Fish-Men there! As in Arlong's Crew! We can't dock there!" Usopp yelled back. Zoro slammed his feet into the young man's face.
"Do not yell at me!"
"Coming into Arlong's territory was bad enough, but if they know about the Going Merry, how we are supposed to get it without drawing attention?" Johnny asked out loud, folding his arms across his chest.
"We could just say we couldn't find Nami and make the Merry look like it just drifted away," Usopp suggested.
"UNTIE ME RIGHT NOW OR I'LL FLAY YOU ALL ALIVE!"
"We have a bigger problem at the moment!" Sakura said, pointing.
The other heads turned to see that the Fish-Men had noticed the vessel (or perhaps just heard all the shouting) and two of them were heading towards it. Usopp quickly voiced the others' immediate thoughts of 'Abandon ship!' as all four of them dove into the water and started to swim away, not realizing they were breaking off into two groups.
The two Fish-Men jumped aboard the small ship, clearly surprised to see just one man tied up. "There's just this one guy?" the first one asked.
"Maybe he just drifted here from real far out or something?" the other one suggested.
"Yeah… sure…" Zoro supplied as the two pirates decided to take him to Arlong Park.
'Those four are dead and they don't even know it!'
XXXXXXX – Shoreline to the east
"Forgive me, Zoro, I will tell Luffy you were courageous to the bitter end," Usopp said tearfully as he waded in the water, Johnny at his side.
"Please forgive me Zoro, I will never forget you!" Johnny added.
Usopp immediately became cheerful. "Okay, now let's find some land."
"Right," Johnny agreed as they swam towards the shoreline. Noting that there was still a Fish-Man at the dock with the Going Merry, the two swam down further until they were out of sight as they climbed out of the water.
"If I remember the map correctly, we're now at a place called Gosa…" Johnny started as they both came to an abrupt stop, their jaws dropping.
Ahead of them was Gosa Village. Except that each and every single building had been flipped upside-down. On the buildings themselves, not a single window remained unbroken, and many of the doors were just hanging on their hinges as the two walked through the center of the once town.
"I… heard Arlong came through here a few weeks back… but this…?" Johnny said weakly as they looked through the buildings, half scared of what they might find but at the same time unable to stop themselves. "This must be the kind of power you find on the Grand Line and Fish-Men have ten times the natural strength of a human!"
Usopp checked inside the closest one. 'No bodies here.' He swept his forehead in relief, glad to be clear of that awful image. Other villages must have tended to the bodies already. "Don't worry Shikamaru, Sakura, there are no gruesome…"
Johnny and Usopp stared at each other in silence before simultaneously looking back the way they came.
"OH CRAP! WE LOST THEM TOO!"
"NOT MY FAULT! WHY WEREN'T YOU PAYING ATTENTION?"
"WHY WEREN'T YOU PAYING ATTENTION?"
"BECAUSE YOU CALL YOURSELF A CAPTAIN!"
"DON'T TAKE THAT SERIOUSLY, YOU MORON!"
Together, both men gave a deep sigh. "Great," Usopp started as he looked around. "So in addition to Nami, trying to get Zoro back, and waiting for Luffy and the others to show up, we've got to find those two."
Walking down the street some more, he glanced back and forth. "You know… there's something out of place here… I can't put my finger on it…"
"This was the doing of the monster called Momoo," a voice came from behind Usopp.
"Monster?" Usopp repeated. "Don't tell me this place even has monsters."
"That's right. We caught him out in the Grand Line and brought him back here with us. Then there's the creature they call the 'Siren Mermaid' that's known to pull villagers down to the watery depths."
Usopp groaned. "Perfect. We'll have to find Sakura and Shikamaru before this Momoo or Siren does."
"So there are two others with you. Nice to know."
"Of course, but you…" Usopp trailed off as the weight of the conversation began to fall on him. Slowly, he cranked his neck around. "… know…"
Behind him was not Johnny, but a Fish-Man. The same Fish-Man that had waited on the dock while his two buddies swam to the boat. "YOU! YOU WERE WITH THAT GUY ON THE BOAT!"
Screaming, Usopp took off running as the Fish-Man followed in pursuit. As for Johnny, he had noticed the approaching Fish-Man and scrambled away as fast as he could, hiding behind a building. "Missed me by a frog's hair! I wish you luck, Usopp."
From the other end of the village, Usopp was continuing to run for his life with the pirate Fish-Man close behind. As he was running, he noticed a young, purplish-blue-haired woman wearing a beige sleeveless shirt, blue trousers and red sandals. "What are you doing? RUN FOR IT!"
"What are you doing?" the young woman replied, making no attempt to move.
Glancing back, Usopp saw that the Fish-Man was still gaining. 'Damn… if I don't do something, he's going to pull her into this!' Skidding to a stop, he pulled out his slingshot. "Go on and hide! Watch as Captain Usopp takes out this fish-man with a single shot! Lead - !"
Before Usopp could utter 'Star', the woman smacked him in the back of the head with a mallet. The God of Irony was pleased.
XXXXXXX – Shoreline to the west
Sakura and Shikamaru pulled themselves out of the water and onto land. "Five minutes here and we already attracted the Fish-Men's attention," Shikamaru complained, the two of them dripping wet.
"Do you ever do anything else besides complain?" Sakura asked, annoyed. She attempted to dry herself off.
Shikamaru thought about it for a moment. "No."
Sighing in aggravation, the girl and the Nara boy walked into the forest. "So why'd you come if you were just going to complain?"
"Because our Captain threw me," Shikamaru reminded her as they walked into the forest. "And I stupidly thought that it would be safer than facing Krieg since we were supposed to just grab Nami and the ship and run."
Sakura was about to say something but stopped in mid-thought. "Supposed to? Some reason we wouldn't?"
"You saw for yourself. The Going Merry is docked within walking distance of Arlong Park, with several Fish-Men right beside it. What do you think that means?"
Sakura came to a stop as she looked the Nara right in the eyes. "You're saying she's a member of Arlong's crew?"
This time, it was Shikamaru who stopped in mid-thought, the wheels starting to turn in his head. What he was going to say was that Nami had appeared to arrange a deal with Arlong, but the more he thought about Nami actually being a crew member, the more sense it made. She wasn't strong enough to collect a bounty like Arlong's on her own, and she had already stolen the treasure and ship from the Straw Hats, so the crew really didn't have anything of value left.
Sakura's green eyes met his own as he could see her own mind was calculating this possibility. But the problem was that it raised more questions than it answered.
When had she joined? Why had she joined? Was this just a plan to rip off Arlong of his treasure as she did with them?
The two rubbed their heads to fight off a migraine. It was like trying to assemble a puzzle together, only to realize the true picture was on the other side and having to start all over. "How do we find out the truth?" Sakura asked him, pushing some tree branches out of the way. "We can't just walk up to Arlong and ask him."
"No," Shikamaru agreed. "But there is at least one other village here, so we can ask there…"
A rustling sound in the bushes cut them off. They gave no outward reaction to this except for a brief glance at each other. Someone was behind them and close. Sakura quickly looked out of the corner of her eye in the direction of the noise and Shikamaru gave the briefest of nods. The pink-haired girl's hand casually lowered to her weapon holster on her right leg, while Shikamaru carefully brought his hands together.
Once they heard the next rustle, they both acted. Sakura hurled two shuriken in that direction, halting the figure in its tracks while Shikamaru's shadow stretched out and snagged it.
"HEY! Watch where you're throwing those things!"
Surprise appeared on both their faces. That was a young boy's face. Shikamaru gave a nod of confirmation that he had the kid with his shadow as Sakura walked forward, parting the bushes and branches to get a clear look.
Sure enough it was a young boy. He wore an orange shirt, checked gray shorts, brown shoes and a greenish brown muffler hat. He was holding a katana in his hands, frozen in position. "What did you do to me, Fish-Men!"
Sakura's eyebrow twitted. "Fish-Men?"
"That's right! You've got a freaky large forehead and he smells just like them!" the boy declared, still struggling to move. "Both as ugly enough to be Fish-Men."
This time, Shikamaru mirrored Sakura's darkened expression. Without a word, the Haruno calmly walked forward and took the sword out of the boy's grasp. "You've obviously too young to know beauty, so I'll forgive that comment."
The boy just stuck out his tongue. "What you waiting for? Kill me like you did my daddy!"
"We don't want to kill you," Shikamaru said. Maybe spank him for being a smart mouth, but not kill. To prove it, he disengaged his shadow.
The boy looked at them, clearly still suspicious as he walked towards them. "Still look like Fish-Men to me."
Telling herself not to strangle the boy, Sakura put the sword over her shoulder. "Look, we're human." She held up her free hand. "No webbing on the hands or feet. No gills." She pointed at her neck. "Or any fish characteristics what so ever!"
The kid took a few sniffs in the air. Plugging his nose, he pointed. "And him?"
Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Give me one bath joke and I'll…"
"Hang on…" Sakura said, sniffing around. "I smell it too…" Her eyes glanced around looking at the source: Shikamaru's weapon holster.
Walking over, she opened it, letting out a horrid stench. "Oh… gross!" she exclaimed, dropping the sword to plug her nose as she carefully pulled out a kunai to show the boy. "This is the smell!" She looked back at Shikamaru. "Where did you keep these things?"
Shikamaru took it back and stuffed it back inside. "Bottom of my laundry, if you must know."
"For how long?"
"… you don't want to know." Mentioning that much of his equipment had been stained with his mother's MeatLoaf Surprise (and a key reason why they ended up at the bottom of his laundry) didn't seem relevant for Sakura to know. That stuff was worse than doing chores!
Seeing this, the kid finally seemed to believe the duo as he introduced himself as Choba, a resident of the now-destroyed Gosa Village. He tried to get his weapon back and when Sakura refused, he went on about how Arlong had destroyed his village when one person, his father, had tried to stand up to them. The Arlong Pirates had summoned a monster to literally flip their village upside-down, making the entire village pay the price. He led them through the forest until they were able to see the upside-down village, making both genin gasp in shock
Once they got over the shock. Shikamaru said forcefully, "Kid, if they destroyed your town for fighting back, they'll just kill you for even thinking about it."
"But I have to do this!" Choba yelled. "They killed everyone in the village and they even took the bodies away so we couldn't bury them!"
'Why would they do that?' Sakura thought to herself. Looking at the boy, she asked, "Did you actually see them do this?"
"… no." Choba replied after a moment. "My mom managed to get me and a few others out before Arlong arrived."
Smiling gently, Sakura bent down and put a hand on Choba's shoulder as she set the sword down. "Don't you think your mom is worried about you?"
Choba looked down at his shoes, digging one into the ground.
That's when they heard a scream, along with the words 'long nose creepy guy!' shouting into the air. It had come from the village. "Confound it," Sakura groaned. "Been here less than ten minutes and Usopp's already gotten into trouble with the Fish-Men."
That's when a Fish-Man appeared, running out of the village, before catching full sight of them. "YOU!"
"For the love of… move!" Shikamaru shouted, both him and Sakura moving to run the opposite way. Choba, however, had picked up the discarded sword and was ready to gut the Fish-Man.
"This is for my father!" he yelled as he ran towards the pirate.
"Oh, dammit!" both of the teenagers growled as they ran back. With no time for his shadow, Shikamaru moved as fast as he could and tackled Choba to the ground, missing the Fish-Man's hand. As he fell, several kunai came hurling at the pirate.
"These toys won't harm me!" the Fish-Man taunted, easily swatting them away.
"Hey, let me go! This is my revenge!" Choba yelled at the Nara boy as he was scooped up.
"Run NOW, revenge LATER!" the shadow user exclaimed as he and Sakura ran into the forest, hoping to lose them.
Not willing to lose these trespassers again, the Fish-Man grabbed the nearest tree and uprooted it instantly. With strong force, he hurled the tree into the air. It landed right in front of the retreating trio, stopping them dead in their tracks.
"Heh, heh," the Fish-Man chuckled, stalking towards them as he cracked his knuckles. "You little punks aren't getting away." He eyed the sword on the ground. "And weapons! You all know the law: You have a weapon and you pay with your life!"
Sakura gritted her teeth as she took a fighting stance. Shikamaru looked more annoyed than anything as he tried to keep Choba steady. And the kid wasn't making it easy.
That's when they heard a series of strikes from behind the Fish-Man. The pirate gave a loud gasp of pain before his eyes rolled back and he hit the ground, unconscious. Seeing their rescuer, all three of their jaws hit the ground.
It was a young girl, even younger than Choba. She had to be only seven years old. She was wearing an armless blue v-neck shirt with a mesh blouse underneath, blue shorts and what looked like common wooden sandals. She had long dark hair with long bangs. But it was her eyes that made Shikamaru and Sakura stare.
They were white. Almost completely featureless, even lacking pupils, though there was a slight lavender shade to them the closer you looked.
The girl carried herself like someone twice or even three times her actual age. She stepped on the Fish-Man with little regard as she came towards them, as if she didn't know what to think of them.
Sakura recovered first. "Who are you?"
"My name is Hyuga Hanabi," the girl stated. Even her voice carried a tone of maturity. "Who are you and what are you doing on my turf?"
XXXXXXX – Northeastern portion of the Island, Hyuga Compound
Shino sat on the mat-covered floor, his arms bound securely behind his back and flanked by two senior Hyuga members. Before him was a small veil where the leader of the Hyuga sat before him, the veil allowing only the silhouette to be visible, and shrouding the rest of the characteristics in mystery.
But even with this setting, Shino felt as if there was a large weight on his person. He found it difficult to breath easily, and was taking every ounce of willpower to keep his self control in check. The Aburame did not know if it was the mere presence of this Hyuga doing this, or some subtle usage of ninjutsu and/or genjutsu to unnerve him.
The problem was that it was working… and he was sure the Hyuga around him knew that as well.
"Who am I speaking with?" Shino requested.
"What brings you here?" the Hyuga asked, completely ignoring Shino's question.
"I was merely walking about in the forest when a number of your clansmen found me and attacked without warning," Shino replied. "So it is far more appropriate for me to ask why you brought me here."
"Do not be a smart mouth with me, Aburame. You know perfectly well what I mean: Why are you here in Arlong's territory? There is no way this fact could have eluded you upon your arrival and few come here by choice."
Shino noted the tone in which his surname was addressed. "The vessel of crew I serve with was stolen. I tracked it here so that I may reclaim it."
"It would have been wiser to cut your losses and secure a new vessel rather than come here," the Hyuga offered. "Your clan never did know when to back off for your own good."
"What my clan does is our own personal business, none of yours." Shino may be intimidated, but he still had two trump cards in play, so he wasn't about to be bullied more than he would allow. "Why do you act with such hostility to me? I know you were not the ones that stole the Going Merry, I have done nothing to your clan to warrant such a reaction and we are old allies from the time of the Villages, both a part of Konohagakure."
"The time of the villages is long over." There was no mistaking the contempt in the voice. "There is nothing to be gained from keeping pacts with dead men."
"My being here should be proof that the Aburame are not dead," Shino countered.
"The Aburame are as useless as my first born."
Anger was slowly replacing his nervousness. "And what warrants that comment?"
Though he couldn't see it, Shino could feel the eyes of not only the clan leader, but those of his two watchers bear down on him. The Hyuga took some time before responding. "… are you the Clan Heir of the Aburame?"
"My standing in my clan is none of your business."
There was a low laugh. "You are, aren't you? And yet you don't know."
A small amount of surprise wormed its way into Shino. "Know of what?"
The laugh returned. "Judging from your age, you would have to had been, at best, a year old when the villages were destroyed. Have you never asked your Clan elders your personal history? What life was like in the time of the villages? Or what your relations were like with the other clans?"
Shino didn't make a reply. He had in fact inquired several times. For his own curiosity as well as the education. But nothing from what the Aburame had said indicated that things in the village had been anything less than amicable. Yet the Hyuga here was all but implying the opposite.
He had no reason to believe the Hyuga over his own clan, but the saying was "There are two sides to every story." And he had spun enough tales to know the difference between telling the truth and when you don't speak of the whole truth.
For example, saying that Nami had stolen the Going Merry and brought it to Arlong Park was all completely true. But just saying "Nami had stolen the Going Merry and brought it to Arlong Park" wasn't the whole story, neglecting several key points. What was not said was often more important than what was said.
At the very least, given the provocation by the Hyuga here, they believed that the Aburame had wronged them somehow. Whether correctly or incorrectly, Shino had no way of knowing.
"Still, useless or not, the Aburame can sometimes prove themselves quite useful," the Hyuga leader spoke again. "Your clan has their merits, I will give you that, boy, despite the fact that working with them makes me want to bathe."
"A hypocritical stance for you."
"What. Was. That?" There was a dangerous edge in the voice now.
"You go as far as to suggest that working with me clan is a detestable practice. Yet your clan is situated here in territory you fully acknowledged as Arlong's. It is not hidden and Arlong has does not have control of your clan, lest you would have some restrictions upon you. You have some sort of pact with him, a pirate that enslaves thousands with the will of a dictator, yet you badmouth a clan you worked with in Konoha for several generations. Tell me… which clan is more 'detestable?'"
It came as no surprise when one of the guards hit him hard, making him hit the floor as a foot stomped on his head. Still, the point had been made.
"Watch yourself, Aburame," the Hyuga leader growled. "We are here, your clan is not. You have no idea what things are like here, or understand the way the world works."
There was a snapping of fingers as the two picked Shino up from the ground. "Lock him up somewhere until I decide to give him to Arlong or use him to reign in the Aburame."
Shino was dragged off, knowing he should have kept his mouth shut, but the information he had obtained was worth the effort.
It was going according to plan. Now it was the next player's turn.
XXXXXXX – Back at Arlong Park
Arlong was quite enjoying himself as he chugged down his fifth drink. Over at the main table, Nami was sharing stories of the pirate group she had just swelled, saying that she had left the two dozen big stupid oafs in nothing but their underwear as the Fish-Men laughed it up, toasting her over and over.
That's when Kuroobi, one of Arlong's officers, came up whispering into his ear. "What?" the Shark Fish-Man snapped. "He's here? Now?"
Kuroobi merely nodded. Breathing out of his nose, Arlong stood up, motioning for Chu to follow as the three of them exited the party room.
Waiting outside was that man, flanked by two of his stooges as usual. "Ah, Arlong, I'm pleased that you arrived to meet me so quickly."
"I never keep a guest waiting," Arlong said at once. He beckoned the way he just came. "Why not settle with a drink before we go about our business?"
The man gave a low laugh. "Not today. I have other matters that require my attention, so I must decline."
Arlong shook his head. "All business and no play with you. You really need to change that tune… Orochimaru."
End of Chapter 33
And so the Arlong Arc begins! As you may have noticed, the magnitude of Arlong's operations are considerably larger than in canon. That's because I'm gonna try some new things here. Tweak the arc a bit more, branch out from just the canon setting and see what happens since, as several of you guessed, the Hyuga are also here! So yes, Hinata herself will be appearing in due time.
So we'll see how this goes. If all goes well, may continue doing this as we progress down the story. And if it doesn't… well… then we know ahead of time what not to do for the other important arcs still to come.
Speaking of which, look who else is here at Arlong Park! This place is just a magnet for trouble, isn't it?
Thanks goes out to Mr. Nobody, who has suggested several ideas for this arc that I rather like and will be using, but we'll cover those when we get there. In the meantime, Thank You!
Nami's Ultimate Idiot Competition – Luffy: 49, Naruto: 58. Currently on hold due to Nami's departure.
May the Kage Bunshin and Gomu Gomu no Bazooka be with you!
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or Naruto. They belong to their respective owners: Eiichiro Oda and Masashi Kishimoto. Big thanks to Paintball-Gamer for beta-reading this!