AN:
Alright, so, this chapter and the next one honestly have me a little nervous. Not so much this one but definitely the next one. Lol. I won't say much as to why because none of you probably care but, regardless, I still had fun writing this one and I'm pretty close to finishing the next one. Things are starting to pick up, so expect a lot of time to pass pretty quickly. I don't know about you guys but I'm ready for canon and I'm really trying not to rush but it's HARD, so some of the pacing might seem a little out of whack. I'll have more to say about all this when I release the next chapter so don't worry about it for now.
Also, there was a comment about doing some self-promoting in Discord and I definitely think it's a good idea but I think for now, until we get into canon at least a little bit, I'm just gonna try and stay focused on the writing. Definitely something I will look into in the near future though so thank you for the suggestion.
Anyways, I hope you all like the chapter and feel free to let me know what you think. :)
Here's chapter 22.
Chapter 22: Parting
"Bring us in nice and slow boys", Nami said to the two currently paddling.
Luffy and Zoro brought the small craft up beside the larger Merry, slowing to a halt close enough to touch the other vessel.
"Levi!", yelled Luffy, out to the water, "Stay around here. I need you to pull the Merry!". A muffled sound came from under the water and the boy smiled in satisfaction. With that figured out, he continued to paddle over to the ship he'd missed so much.
The orangette eyed Merry with more regret than she wanted to. This was the last time she would see it... Maybe forever... Before she could shake the thought away, she wondered if her nightmares would come back. Her vision shifted to the boys moving to pick up their sacks of treasure and a pit began to form in her stomach.
"Alright!", Luffy exclaimed, his bag of treasure flying through the air and landing surprisingly softly on the deck of the Merry. He turned and saw Nami looking at him just as the Zoro's cloth sack landed next to his. He walked to Nami with a big smile on his face, the girl eyeing him uncertainly. However, she made no move to refuse when he picked her up bridal style and jumped from the wood of the small ship.
"Hey! Be careful with her! She's still injured!", Sanji screamed as his and Carina's boat came up beside the other three's. He turned to the purple-haired girl, the sound of Luffy hitting the deck echoing into the air. "If I may, Lady Carina?", Sanji asked, gesturing to the Merry.
Carina hid her light blush and nodded to the boy. It was time for her to set off, anyways. She needed to find a place to trade all this treasure for actual money. She'd been upset to leave Mad Treasure's ship, but it was too large for her to sail by herself, same for Nami. She'd thought about trying to take some of the gems that decorated the boat but they were all too big. The thought made her pout... Those would have gone for some serious money.
Sanji ignored the purple-haired girl's surprised yelp as he picked her up bridal style and jumped to the deck of the Merry, the screaming girl securely held in his arms. The blond landed and Carina's screaming kept going for a moment until she realized she was back on solid ground.
The girl tried to hide her blush from the four lightly laughing individuals looking at her. The chef set her down and she huffed in irritation. She had definitely misunderstood what Sanji meant by 'May I?'. "What the hell, Sanji! Warn a girl first!", Carina chastised.
Sanji laughed in reply, trying to keep the blood from flowing out of his nose. He'd held Carina so close... "Sorry, my lady. I thought you understood.", he smiled, walking through the group and to the kitchen.
Carnina looked at his back oddly. Where was he going? And why did he bring her here?
"Food.", Zoro provided to the girl.
"Sanji! Make me something too! I'm starving!". He hadn't eaten in way too long and Sanji's food was the best. He started to laugh in excitement. He'd found the best chef ever!
The purple-haired girl's palm smacked into her own face. With the excitement of the treasure, she'd forgotten about food. "That makes sense...", she paused, shooting the verdet a look of gratitude, "Thank you. I really appreciate it.". She still could have probably stayed on her boat but... You know what, it didn't really matter.
The swordsman shook his head. "Don't look at me.", he said, pointing toward Luffy, "Also, the cook would have never let you leave here without making sure you had enough to eat.".
The black-haired boy looked and smiled at the girl, "I didn't want you to be hungry!".
Carina could only smile back at him. She didn't even know him really but she could tell that in his heart he was kind. "Thank you, Luffy.", she said, genuinely.
Luffy continued to smile back as Sanji walked out of the galley with two large cloth sacks and a meat stick. "No problem, Carina.", he replied.
Sanji tossed Luffy his meat stick from the top of the steps, watching as it sailed toward its intended recipient. Satisfied at seeing Luffy catch the food in his mouth, the chef walked down the steps, toward the rail of the boat where the two girls' smaller boats sat below, and tossed the sacks overboard, one into each vessel. He clapped his hands and grabbed a cigarette from the new box he'd found in the galley, placing it in his mouth and lighting it. "That should be more than enough to get you both to where you're going.", the blond said to the two girls, blowing smoke from his lips.
Nami smiled at the chef in thanks and turned away, gazing around the ship she'd called home for most of their journey. The others started conversing about something, but she ignored it and began to roam the deck of the Merry. She was going to miss it... A part of her wished she could have just said goodbye from her new little ship but the other part was glad she didn't. She'd made too many good memories on the craft to leave without saying goodbye... And, who knows, maybe she would see it again one day. Maybe she would even...
"Alright, guys! It's time for me to get going!", Carina said, bringing the orangette's attention back to the group. Nami walked up as she was turning to leave and tapped her shoulder. "Hey...", she said as the girl turned toward her, "Thanks for saving me.". She brought the purple-haired girl softly into her arms and smiled when she felt Carina's arms snake around her back in return.
"Well, you and your little crew made my world a little brighter. So I guess in a way you saved me, too.", the girl responded, smiling into the girl's shoulder. Now, her past actually felt like her past, like it was actually behind her.
The orangette let the girl go and the two didn't say anything else as she turned away.
Sanji bent to his knee and reached for Carina's hand, softly grabbing it before she could fully rotate her body. "It has been an absolute and utter pleasure meeting you, Lady Carina.", the chef said, lightly kissing her knuckle
The purple-haired girl couldn't even hide the blush this time, simply standing there wide-eyed as a smirking Sanji stood and walked back to his place amongst the others.
Carina looked in Zoro's direction as he waved his hand to get her attention. "Thanks for patching me up.", he said sending her a small smile. She nodded back at the verdet's words with her own small smile. All right, it was time... She gave the group one last look and smile before going to turn toward the railing.
"Hey, Carina!", Luffy shouted, before the girl could take a step.
She turned and looked in curiosity. What else could he possibly want?
"Ever thought about being a pirate?", the straw-hatted boy asked, smiling his smile.
Carina's eyes widened as did the rest of the eyes looking at the boy. Why? He barely even knew her. Why would he ask her to be on his crew? "Y-you want me to join?", she asked, surprised.
"Only if you wanna.", the boy said, laughing at the eyes widening to comical proportions now. He would be happy about Carina coming with them but something in her eyes told him she wouldn't.
The purple-haired girl thought about his proposition for a moment. Did she want to be a pirate? She looked around at the people on the deck of the boat... She couldn't lie to herself, she knew it would probably be a lot of fun but... No. She wasn't the same as them... She was just too selfish. She knew that the more time she spent around these people, the more that part of her would dwindle, but it was exactly that selfish part of her that kept her from saying yes. In her eyes, she was still the top priority and her selfish side didn't want that to change. Besides, she didn't think the pirate life was for her, anyways.
So, Carina smiled at Luffy before answering, "Thanks, Luffy. But no.". The girl turned and jumped down to the boats below, her voice echoing from below, "I'm sure we'll all see each other again someday, though! Until then, be safe out there!".
Luffy smiled at the girl. He hoped she was right... He hoped they all got to see each other again someday. His head turned away from the now empty railing to the remaining occupants of the boat as they listened to Carina's small vessel paddle out to sea. His eyes landed on Nami, his smile lessening. She would be leaving soon, too...
Nami looked around the group, her heartbeat starting to get faster. It was time and if she waited too long, she wasn't sure she'd be able to do it. So, she shot the group a teasing smile, trying her hardest to hide the pain she felt in her heart, "Guess it's about time for me to head out, too.".
The three boys watched in silence as she turned and faced the railing Carina had just jumped over.
Nami looked out over the railing of the Merry and as she set her hand down to jump over it, she realized the appendage was shaking. She tried to stop it but it just wouldn't. Suddenly, a hand laid itself on top of hers. Another laid on top of that one and then another. The orangette couldn't turn around. She couldn't look at them. If she did...
"We'll be waiting.", came Luffy's voice from over the girl's shoulder. "None of us know why you have to go...", he said softly, "But I want you to know something.". Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji lifted their hands and her shoulders were grasped by someone. "Once you're done doing whatever it is you need to.", the straw-hatted boy turned her to face the group, "You're gonna be my navigator.".
Nami rushed the three boys and grabbed them all in a tight hug, squeezing her eyes as hard as she could to keep the tears at bay. Yes... Once she freed Cocoyashi... Maybe then she could say yes...
The orangette let her grip soften, dropping her arms. It was time to go. Luffy's words had spurred her on and a determined smile sprouted onto her lips. It was time to save her village. After that, she didn't know what would happen but she was going to find out.
Luffy smiled at seeing the girl back to her usual self and picked her up bridal style, the girl yelping slightly in surprise. He wasn't making her climb down the side of the boat. What kind of guy would let an injured girl do that?! He bent at the knees.
"Goodbye, my Nami-Swan!", Sanji yelled, with hearts in his eyes, trying to take in as much of the girl as possible. He was upset about seeing her go, but he believed Luffy when he said she would be joining.
"Be safe out there... Weather Witch.", added Zoro, sending a smirk at the girl.
Nami could only smile at the boys' words as Luffy didn't give her the chance to respond, launching off the deck toward the boat that would take her back to her home and, also, ending the journey that had her smiling more than she had in her entire life.
"Levi! Stay underwater, but take us toward the fish-looking ship!", Luffy yelled to his friend from the figurehead of the Merry. He had one end of a loop of rope in his hands, the other end being in the water.
A noise sounded from the water below and the straw-hatred teen chuckled at his friend. "No, you can't eat it, Levi.", he laughed. It did make him wonder if there were fish that big that you COULD eat, though. That would be AWESOME.
"Tell that damn monster of yours to keep his jaws off my restaurant!", Sanji's voice exclaimed from over the Luffy's shoulder. A noise like a growl came up from the water only making him scowl more. Shitty sea monster. He'd kill that thing if it so much as even touched the Baratie.
Luffy continued to laugh, "He will! He will! I promise!".
Sanji turned and walked back down to the deck, past Zoro working out. "Bout damn time you left, Cook.", the swordsman said, lightly dropping his barbell.
The chef turned and sent the verdet a scowl, "I hope you enjoy eating shitty food while I'm gone.". He turned and ignored Zoro's next words. He needed to grab the rest of his stuff from the men's quarters.
Zoro watched the chef walk away for a moment before making his way up to where Luffy was sitting comfortably in his spot. They'd been traveling for close to four weeks. Their speed felt a lot faster now that Levi was pulling the ship and they didn't have to totally rely on the winds. "Hey, Luffy.", the swordsman said, looking over the front railing at the Baratie growing larger, the distance between them slowly shrinking, "You thought about what we're gonna do after this?".
The straw-hatted boy held on to his makeshift reins and thought about the question asked to him, "I dunno. Hadn't really thought about it.". And he hadn't, he'd been having too much fun traveling again now that Levi was back. He'd forgotten how fast his friend could swim!
"Well, I've given it some thought.", Zoro replied, looking over at his future captain, "What do you think abo-".
"Luffy! Tell your beast we can go the rest of the way ourselves.", Sanji interrupted, setting his belongings down at the top of the stairs. He eyed the Baratie. He'd missed it but... The chef looked back at the deck of the Merry and had a feeling that once he'd been away for a while, he'd begin to miss the ship more than he ever had the Baratie.
The straw-hatted teen laughed at the offense he could hear in Levi's response to the blond, "Yeah, he's got it Sanji.".
The ship slowly drifted toward the wooden dock of the Baratie where it stopped, Sanji grabbing his things and making to jump off the front of the Merry. He stepped up onto the railing and turned to face Luffy. "When you become a pirate come and get me. I'll be waiting.". His eyes turned to Zoro and he sent the swordsman a glare, "Mosshead.".
"Cook.", the verdet replied meeting the boy's glare.
With that, the chef launched himself and his belongings off the Merry and lightly landed on the dock of the Baratie, already making his way toward the entrance.
"Bye, Sanji!", Luffy yelled, smiling at the blond's back. He already couldn't wait to eat his food again. His response was the raising of the blond's hand as he walked through the entrance to the restaurant.
Zoro groaned into the air as Sanji's form left his sight, "Finally.".
Luffy laughed at his friend, "I miss him already!". He looked at the deck of the Baratie for a moment before looking behind him and to the sea. There was someone he'd been thinking about and he wanted to go see him again. Yeah. He told him he'd be back when he became a pirate but he didn't care. Now that he didn't specifically have anything to do, he wanted to go see him again!
"Levi!", Luffy yelled, running in the direction of the back of the ship, pulling his 'reins' behind him. He jumped up on the back rail and threw the tied roped into the water, "Get us outta here! I wanna go to Gekko Island.".
The rope was pulled underwater and Luffy held on tightly as the boat was pulled out of the dock, running back to the front when they were far enough out. He jumped on the figurehead and crossed his legs underneath the lamb's neck, tossing his rope out once more. Once again, it was pulled under and the boat started moving again, this time forward.
"Hey, Luffy.", Zoro said, getting the boy's attention again. He'd been about to suggest something before he'd been so rudely interrupted by the damn cook. "I was about to ask you before the Ero-cook left but the idiot interrupted me...". He scowled at the thought but got back to what he was saying, he thought it was a pretty good idea. They still couldn't be pirates after all. Not until Luffy turned seventeen, so, until then...
"What do you think about...", the verdet started, shooting his future captain a wide grin, "Bounty hunting?".
"Captain!", Carrot screamed, "There's a ship coming in!".
The other two boys standing behind the third frantically nodded at the long-nosed teenager.
Usopp stood from his place under the shady tree and smiled at the boys. They hadn't had a visitor since Carina. As his thoughts drifted to the purple-haired girl, he smiled. He'd enjoyed showing her around Syrup. She'd even listened to his story about Pirate Hunter Zoro... He was proud of his tale and was sure it was spreading throughout the East Blue at this very moment.
Although... Kaya did have a thing or two to say about him hanging out with a girl the whole day... He hadn't known what was so wrong with that but he'd apologized profusely, nonetheless. At the time, he was very glad Carina had left when she did... He'd offered to introduce her to Kaya and it looked like she'd wanted to until he'd mentioned that she lived in the mansion. The purple-haired girl laughed and said he was far too trusting before saying she didn't have the time.
Other than his day with Carina, the long-nosed boy had spent most of the time since Luffy, Zoro, and Nami had left, with Kaya. She'd taken Khlahadore's death hard and he'd been by her side to comfort her. Eventually, she seemed to start perking back up and he was glad for that... He liked it when she was happy. All this being said, the time he wasn't with her, was spent honing his sniping skills.
When Usopp had seen Zoro that night with Kuro it made him realize that if he wanted to achieve his dream he needed to be stronger. So he'd trained. His little crew members had even helped. He'd put on some muscle as well. Not enough to make him look like Zoro, but enough to be noticeable. Needless to say, he wasn't a complete stick anymore and the fact seemed to fluster Kaya for some strange reason.
"What do we do, Captain?", Onion asked, awaiting the long-nosed teen's orders.
"Why don't we go greet them?", Usopp finally replied with a small smirk on his face, now walking in the direction of the beach. He was confident that he could handle anything that came upon his shore.
The small boys that called him Captain quickly followed and the group of four made their way to meet the approaching ship.
"OH MY GOD! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING!", Usopp screamed into the air, running away from the waters of the beach. They said a ship, not a monster!
"Captain! I'm scared", Pepper cried, hiding behind his captain's brown overalls. The other two Usopp Pirates frantically nodded their heads in agreement, tears in their eyes.
A massive sea monster was looking at the group from the water with a red glare that would make anyone want to pee their pants.
"Usopp!", a voice yelled from the water.
The long-nosed boy froze and turned back toward the sea, eyes wide. His vision was met with... Was that Luffy? And he was in the water... With... "LUFFY! GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE BEFORE THAT THING EATS YOU!", Usopp screamed, frozen in place.
The sea monster was getting closer to Luffy and the only thing he was doing was laughing.
Usopp looked at the boy in shock. How could he just be laughing?! A sea monster could eat him at any second! "LUFFY! MOVE!", he screamed. He felt helpless just like he had that night with Kuro. He couldn't do anything against something that big. Laughter continued to come from the water, Usopp standing there and watching in horror as Luffy swam closer and closer to the large beast.
"What the hell are you getting so frantic about, Usopp?", came another voice. It sounded like Zoro. The long-nosed boy looked around wildly for the source of the voice but he couldn't find it anywhere. His eyes widened. Had Zoro's voice come from that thing's stomach? Just as he went to freak out, the sea monster lowered its head slightly, and Usopp just about fainted. On top of its head, seemingly riding the massive thing, sat Zoro looking to the shore like nothing was wrong.
Zoro looked at Luffy from his place on Levi's head, "Can you hear anything he's saying?".
"Nope.", the boy replied as he continued to swim closer to the beach.
The two had anchored the Merry a little further out and decided to swim to the island. Luffy's idea. Zoro had chosen to take residence on Levi's head, which the sea monster allowed, and Luffy swam as he always did.
"Usopp!", yelled Luffy in between swimming strokes, "We can't hear you!". He couldn't help the laugh when he saw the long-nosed boy still frantically dancing in the sand on the beach.
Eventually, they were close enough to the beach that the water began to shallow out. Levi dipped his head to the ground when he could swim no further and dropped Zoro into the water beside his master. The swordsman shot the beast an irritated glare at being suddenly dunked in the water but he only gave a mischievous purr in return, turning to swim back out to deeper waters.
Luffy laughed at the interaction. His friends were really funny. The straw-hatted teen turned away from watching Levi swim out to deeper waters and back to the beach, smiling when he saw his long-nosed friend. They hadn't been on Gekko Island very long last time he'd been there but he already thought of Usopp as a friend. His hand shot out of the water in a wave, "Hey, Usopp!".
The long-nosed boy slowly brought his hand up to wave back, still very much in shock. They were both... Fine. It was like the monster was tame or something crazy like that.
"Captain, I remember them!", Onion said, pointing to the two walking out of the water. The young boy's thoughts drifted to that stormy day and his mind was filled with another picture... A picture that made blood want to come out of his nose... He looked around, half frightened and half excited. Was she there too?... And if she was coming out of the water like the other two... Steam began to rise off the young boy's head and it eventually got so hot that he passed out on the spot.
"Onion!", Carrot screamed, catching his fallen crew mate. He didn't know what was happening to his friend! One moment he'd been fine, the next his head was smoking and his nose was bleeding!
Usopp turned to the boy on the ground, snapping out of his shock. One of his crew members was injured. "Carrot, Pepper! Take Onion to Kaya and have her check him out!", he ordered before shooting the two boys a smile, "Don't worry, I'm sure he will be fine. Kaya will take care of him.".
The two boys smiled bravely through their tears and followed their captain's command. With the two of them there, they were able to lift Onion and easily carry him back up the hill toward the mansion, where the only doctor on the island resided. Well... She would be one eventually...
"What's up with them?", Zoro asked, stopping in front of the long-nosed boy. The kids had just up and left... He hoped it wasn't because of him. He looked himself up and down before shrugging. So what if it was, it just meant they were a bunch of wimps.
Usopp looked at the boys in front of him in shock. He hadn't been expecting to see them so soon! "Zoro?", he said, eyes looking at the swordsman. They shifted to the straw-hatted boy next to him, "Luffy?".
The two laughed at his shock but nodded in confirmation.
"What the hell are you guys doing here?", he asked in confusion, "I thought you weren't coming back until you became a pirate?". That was what they had agreed upon. When Luffy came back as a pirate, he would go with him to the Grandline. His mind ground to a halt. Wait... Hadn't those two just been in the water with a sea monster? Before he could ask about it, however, Zoro spoke.
"Well, Luffy wanted to come see you.", the swordsman said, giving the long-nosed boy a serious look, "We also wanted to ask if wanted to sail with us.". Zoro smirked when he saw even more confusion on Usopp's face.
Usopp thought about the statement for a moment. If they were already sailing, wouldn't that mean they were already pirates? But, he thought that Luffy said he couldn't be a pirate until he turned seventeen... Maybe his birthday happened while he was gone? "So, you guys are pirates now?", he asked.
"Nope!", Luffy exclaimed, "Zoro wants me to try bounty hunting with him!". The red-vested boy pointed at Usopp, "I wanted to come here and see you anyways. So, don't feel like you have to say yes, this would have been our first stop regardless.".
The words warmed Usopp's heart. He was glad he'd met Luffy, he could see the beginnings of a very good friendship. The long-nosed boy shook his head and thought about his future captain's words. Was he up to the task of being a bounty hunter? He didn't know if he was cut out for it, honestly. "I don't know, guys.", he looked up and saw no disappointment in the other boy's eyes. It made him relax.
"No worries, Usopp! You don't have to if you don't wanna! I know you're taking care of Kaya.", Luffy placated to the worrying boy with a laugh. Speaking of Kaya, he wanted to go see her. "Hey, let's go see her!", he exclaimed, blasting off in the direction the two boys had carried their friend.
Usopp smiled at Luffy's racing form and turned to follow but was stopped by a hand landing on his shoulder. He turned and looked to see Zoro holding him in place and giving him a serious look. He obviously had something more to say.
"I think you should come.", voiced Zoro, "Luffy won't try to make you because he knows what you're doing here is important to you.". The swordsman looked Usopp in the eyes, "But you and I both know he wants you to come.". He watched carefully for Usopp's reaction.
The words made Usopp think. Zoro was right and he knew it but... Something didn't quite sit right with him... He didn't think this was about Luffy. And, if it wasn't about Luffy, that made him think it was more about the swordsman he was talking to. "Why, though?", Usopp asked, and it was a genuine question. Why would Zoro want him to help with bounty hunting? The verdet knew how weak he was. He'd seen him cower in the face of danger that night. And yeah, he'd gotten a little stronger since then but still, why would he want him to come?...
"For Luffy.", replied Zoro, simply, "I want you to come because I want you to get stronger. For him.". The swordsman looked Usopp in the eyes, "Our future captain is aiming to be the Pirate King. That means we will be the crew of The King of the Pirates.". The verdet let the words sink in for a moment before continuing, "That means we have to be strong... Very strong.".
Usopp didn't know how to reply, he simply gaped like a fish. He'd never talked with Zoro like this before.
"Your dream is to become a great warrior of the sea, right?", the swordsman asked.
The long-nosed boy quietly nodded his head yes.
"Warrior's fight, Usopp.", Zoro said, turning away from him and looking out toward the sea, "I have no problem with you staying here and enjoying the time you have left with Kaya.". He turned back and smirked at the blush spreading across the other teen's tan cheeks, "Genuinely, Neither Luffy nor I will look at you any differently for the decision you make. But...". His look turned more serious, "Our futures are bound to be filled with bloodshed, Usopp.".
"Is that not all the more reason to enjoy the time I have left here?", Usopp asked before he could stop himself. It came out more angry sounding than he meant it to, he really had been genuinely asking.
Zoro nodded his head in the positive, "That's one way you can look at it.". He walked past Usopp and toward the dirt ramp to follow Luffy, waving the long-nosed boy to follow, "Let me ask you this, Usopp. What do you think a great warrior of the sea would do in your position?".
The question almost shocked the long-nosed boy to stillness but he managed to keep his feet moving, following Zoro's footsteps down the path. He hadn't been thinking of it like that. He knew what one would say but... He wasn't a great warrior of the sea, so what did it matter? "They would probably go with you guys... But, I-I'm no-".
"You're not one, right?", Zoro interrupted. He continued at the nod of Usopp's head. "No, you're not a great warrior of the sea... Yet.", he said, emphasizing the 'Yet'. "Listen, Usopp. I wanted you to come with us back then too but I knew it was better if you stayed here. Kaya needed you.", he reasoned, "I got that back then. But now... Now, it's different. She's had time to recover and I think it's time for you to start working on that dream of yours. I want to see you get stronger.".
The verdet's face got serious again. He thought about Mad Treasure... Usopp would have died in an instant if he'd faced the man. It wasn't even an insult, he just knew it to be fact. If opponents on the Grandline were anything like that, he wanted Usopp to be able to handle himself. Zoro sighed and decided to just shut up about it, leaving the long-nosed boy with one last thing, "I just don't want you to look back further down the line and regret not coming is all, Usopp.".
For some reason, the way the swordsman said it made Usopp understand what he was trying to get at from the whole conversation. When they became pirates it would be dangerous. The thought sent a tiny shiver down his spine but he ignored it. Zoro wanted him to be prepared for the future. He wanted him to be a tool for the future Pirate King, not a hindrance. The long-nosed boy sighed to himself, he saw it now... If he went with them he would get stronger and if he didn't, he probably wouldn't. That was all that Zoro really saw. He just wanted to see him get stronger. It was that simple.
Usopp's sigh grew deeper. He already knew that Zoro had him convinced. He would talk to Kaya about it, but she would be ok with it. She was pretty much back to her old self again. That thought made him realize that the only reason he'd really said no was because, if he was being honest, he was a little scared at the thought of being a bounty hunter. He just wasn't strong like Zoro. But, the swordsman had made him see. He needed to get stronger. Not only for his dream but for his future captain's dream as well.
With his thoughts sorted, Usopp smiled determinedly. Who knows? It could actually be fun!
Nami scrambled out of the boat and grabbed the sacks of gold. Her heart was racing. She'd made it. She'd made it back and she still had the treasure. She was finally going to do it. First, she needed to make it home, though. She had to bury some of the treasure in her stash. She wasn't giving Arlong a berri more than a hundred million.
Her body had healed over the journey back but she was still a little sore around certain areas most of the time. Not today, though. No, today, her legs moved faster than they ever had as she raced her way toward Cocoyashi Village. Before she could even make it halfway there, however, she skid to a halt, her eyes widening. Were those... Marines? If they were here... Maybe...
"Look everywhere!", a nasally voice screamed at the men he had command over.
Nami hid herself behind a tree, watching the marines search the surrounding forest. 'What the hell are they looking for?', the orangette thought to herself. She was honestly so bewildered by the fact that there were marines on the island that she couldn't think about anything else. That had never happened before... Right? She shook her head. So what if there were marines on the island? She doubted any one of them could handle Arlong. She didn't know if anyone could handle him... A straw hat flashed in her mind and she immediately shook the thought away. She needed to get to Arlong Park as quickly as she could. Enough watching the stupid marines.
The orangette went to step in the opposite direction of the men in white uniforms but as she lifted her leg to take her first step, her foot was caught by a root. Her eyes widened in shock but it was too late to try and stop herself. Seeing no way of stopping what was coming, Nami closed her eyes and braced for impact, falling to the ground with a large crash.
"Men!", the nasally voice came again, "Find out what that was!".
Nami scrambled to get up but couldn't manage to do it quick enough and suddenly found her path blocked by multiple men in white marine uniforms. She wildly looked around and realized that she'd been surrounded. What the hell was going on?
A figure stepped between the men and looked keenly at the orange-haired girl. The best way she could describe him was rat-like. Everything about him screamed greasy and it was putting her on edge. She watched nervously as his eyes found her orange hair and he smiled a smile that made Nami want to throw up. It made the man look even more rat-like than he already did. Her heartbeat was getting quicker. She had no clue what was happening but, she'd say this, she did not like the direction it looked like things were going in.
"My name is Nezumi.", the man smiled in an attempt to settle the girl down. Nezumi continued to eye the girl he stood over with an expression of absolute glee. She looked exactly as Arlong described. His eyes shifted to the bags she was trying to hide and they lit up even more if possible. If what he thought was in those bags, was in those bags... He was getting giddy just thinking about it. He had possibly just hit the jackpot.
Arlong had sent him and his men out to try and find where the girl was stashing all of her money, saying something about it being her own fault for taking so long to get back. Not that he really cared... Regardless, they'd been searching for the last couple of days with no results... Now, though... Now, it looked like a golden egg had dropped right in front of him. The man's smile largened even more if possible as he asked the orange-haired girl the question he'd been dying to since he first saw her, "You wouldn't happen to be... Nami?... Would you?".
End Note:
Sad to see Carina go but it won't be the last time we see her, I promise. ;)
Also, I don't know if any of you will have qualms about the direction I've gone with our favorite navigator, but I needed to do it this way because I've got some things planned out for the future. I hope you guys don't hate me too much. I know it seems like we are gearing up to have the exact same arc for her as canon and I won't lie, it will be similar, but things will be different. At least slightly.
Anyways, hope you guys liked it and I'll see you in the next one.