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One Piece - Freedom
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East Blue Arc
Chapter 12 : Overtaken! Raid on Arlong Park!
0o0o0 East Blue - Merry Go 0o0o0
Zoro stared out at the open ocean, the morning sun just cresting over the horizon, clutching a small piece of black fabric. His breath hitched occasionally as his chest rebelled in pain against the idea of standing upright. His upper torso was still fully wrapped in bandages with a slight tinge of pink seeping through that followed along his newly acquired scar. And despite the pain of having slipped out of his cot as the morning sun rose over the Merry Go, the only thing on his mind was his duel with the world's greatest swordsman and his final words.
"You shouldn't live so hastily, young one." Mihawk watched as his opponent fell onto his back for the final time. Looking at the prone form of Zoro, who was struggling to remain conscious, Mihawk addressed him. "It's still too early for you to die. My name is Dracule Mihawk! Learn about yourself! Learn about the world! And become strong! No matter how many years it takes, I will hold this seat of the strongest and wait for you. Surpass this sword! Try to surpass me! Roronoa Zoro!"
As if in response to Mihawk's words, Zoro shakily lifted Wado Ichimonji into the air with one hand. "Luffy! Did I disappoint you?" He strained to shout out. "You need no less than the world's greatest swordsman, right?" His eyes closed, tears streaming from the corners of his eyes. "I swear… I will not be defeated ever again!" He briefly paused as a cough racked his injured body. "Until the day I defeat him and become a master swordsman, I'll never… be defeated! Got any problems with that… King of the Pirates?!"
"What is it that I'm missing? What do I need to cross the ravine from where I am now to the world's strongest?" Shaking his head, Zoro looked down at his lone white sheathed blade, the missing weight of his broken other swords causing him to frown. "I was right, it just doesn't feel right to only have one sword."
Drawing Wado Ichimonji, Zoro continued to frown as he thought back to the voice he'd heard during his fight with Mihawk. "Was that really you speaking to me or am I just going crazy?" The image of a short-haired girl danced through his mind.
"Gah! All this thinking isn't going to change anything!" Zoro shook his head as he sheathed his sword; the urge to start swinging it until he collapsed was tempting, but the Witch had already put a stop to that earlier in the morning when she'd caught him already training since before sunrise. The lumps on the back of his head were still pulsing in pain. "And she says she's looking out for my well-being."
"I hear that thinking too much is bad for you." Luffy's voice sounded off from right next to him, making the swordsman jump, and causing the pirate captain to laugh at his first-mate's expense. "Shishishishi!"
"Damn it Luffy, don't do that!" Zoro barked, while Luffy continued to laugh.
"But it's hilarious every time I do it!" Luffy brought his chuckling under control. "Besides, you looked like you needed something else to focus on."
Zoro looked to the side as he said nothing.
Luffy gave his first-mate a hard look before he quietly asked, "It was frightening right?"
Zoro popped a brow upward as he returned his gaze back to Luffy.
"How strong Mihawk is. It's frightening. To know there are guys like that in this world that are so far above you that all that can be said is that it's frightening. I remember how scared I was the first time I came up against someone like that. I thought I was going to die, and when I didn't all I could think about was how it was even possible to reach that level. How anyone at all could reach that level. It just doesn't seem possible, even now." Luffy turned and stared out at the ocean blue, a jolt of electricity arcing out of him.
"You know him. How?" Zoro critically asked.
"He would seek out Shanks every now and again and challenge him to a duel. According to Mihawk they're rivals, but Shanks usually just laughs whenever he says that and forces him to drink together," Luffy deadpanned as he picked his nose. "Honestly they're more drinking buddies than rivals if you ask me."
"..." Zoro just stared at Luffy.
"What?"
"You expect me to believe that the world's strongest swordsman is not only rivals with but also gets bullied into drinking by one of the Emperors of the sea?"
"Pretty sure I just did, didn't I?" Luffy tilted his head not seeing the problem.
"I've accepted a lot of the bullshit you've said so far but I draw the line at this."
"What do you want me to say? They're drinking buddies and disguise their get-togethers with duels. They hardly even fight in comparison to how much they drink. I swear they just stand across from each other for a few minutes, Shanks laughs while Mihawk glares, and then they drink for the rest of the night." Luffy shrugged.
"Right," Zoro deadpanned, still giving his captain a funny look.
"You know I don't have to pass on Mihawk's message to you." Luffy pouted as he crossed his arms.
"Message?" Zoro questioned sharply, his full focus now on Luffy.
"Mm. He said if you want to become stronger, you need to go back to the beginning."
"The beginning? The beginning of what?" Zoro's mind raced as he tried to figure out what the Warlord meant.
"Hell if I know. He's always cryptic like that. But I'm sure you'll figure it out. He wouldn't have said anything if he didn't think you were capable."
Zoro was about to speak, when he was cut off from the helm.
"Luffy, Moss-head, we're getting close to the islands. Nami-swan wants us to gather in the kitchen!" Sanji yelled out, his head poking out from the meeting room.
"Let's hope he's right then. For now, I do believe we have some fish to fry." Zoro's eyes glinted with murderous intent as he stalked off towards the helm with Luffy following close behind him.
The two walked in to find the rest of the crew already gathered around the dining table, with Sanji standing at the kitchenette preparing breakfast for everyone and Johnny standing at the helm.
"Good, we can get started," Nami said as she watched Luffy sit down next to her while Zoro sat down against the wall. "First order of business is does everyone remember their roles?" She looked around as everyone nodded. "Good. It won't be long until we reach the Conomi islands and we have to deal with our first obstacle. Momoo."
"Mo-what?" Ussop raised a brow as he tried to figure out what exactly a Momoo was.
"A giant sea cow that Arlong brought with him from the Grand Line. Momoo is the main reason escape has been near impossible all these years. Gen and I were lucky that monster didn't discover us when we ran," Nojiko said, causing Ussop to shake.
"I am vetoing this mission right now. Fishmen was already close to the line. Giant sea cows is the line and I'm not crossing it."
"I wonder if it falls under beef or fish…" Sanji pondered as he continued to prepare breakfast.
"It's a fish, and yes, you are crossing that line. Normally Momoo destroys any ship that gets within ten kilometers of the islands. Thankfully, you have me. Momoo was trained to recognize me whenever I returned from procuring 'goods.' It wouldn't do for Momoo to kill Arlong's prized navigator on her way home now would it?" Nami spit out, disgusted with calling herself Arlong's prized anything. "And we will be seeing Momoo. He typically hangs out near the port attached to Arlong Park before noon when Hachi feeds him. We're sailing straight for the port specifically to get Momoo's attention."
"I see. You're creating an opening for Sanji and I to sneak onto the island on the dinghy you had the chef's of the Baratie load onto the ship." Nojiko pieced together from the role she and Sanji had been assigned.
"Yes. Before we reach the island, the two of you will depart and row your way toward where I was hiding my personal boat that you and Gen took to escape. From there, the two of you will cut through the middle of the island to the back of Arlong Park and wait for our signal that it's safe for you to infiltrate with no one the wiser." Nami gave a cat-like grin.
"And you're still sure you want the signal to be a lightning strike? Are you sure you don't mean canon fire?" Nojiko popped a brow as her sister had yet to reveal why a lightning strike was the signal, let alone her ability to predict that lightning would strike near Arlong Park to even use as a signal.
"You'll see. Like I said, you need to see to believe it. Now, while the two of you sneak onto the island the rest of us will be sailing straight for Arlong Park. Not only to distract Momoo from detecting Sanji and Nojiko, but also to draw out all of Arlong's gang from within Arlong Park. Arlong's crew consists of thirty-three fishmen, though the ones we need to worry about the most are Hachi, Chew, Kuroobi and Arlong himself. Take those four out and the others will surrender without too much of a hassle. They're nothing but cowards following the strong," Nami spat, scowling as she remembered her time among Arlong's crew and the fake forced friendship she was forced to make with them.
"We won't need to worry about them. All I need to know is which one Arlong is so I can kick his ass." Luffy cracked his knuckles as he smirked.
"So long as one of them can put up a fight, I'll be satisfied." Zoro's face mirrored his captain's, looking forward to the ensuing carnage he was going to unleash on the fishmen.
"That's Zoro-bro for you, always ready for a fight," Yosaku said, in awe of Zoro's fierceness despite the fact the enemy they were going up against were the fabled superhuman fishmen from the Grand Line.
"I'm looking forward to trying out the different ways they can be cooked," Sanji chimed in as he finished plating the food. "Oi, Ussop help me pass out everything."
"Right. I have to say though, I'm pretty anxious about the coming fight. I was able to help against Don Krieg, but I don't know what I'll be able to do against a fishman." Ussop grabbed a few plates and placed them in front of Yosaku, Johnny and Luffy while Sanji placed two plates in front of Nami and Nojiko.
"Is this really a fight we can win? The Arlong pirates aren't just normal men. They're fishmen with superhuman strength. Maybe Luffy-bro, Zoro-bro, and Sanji-bro can take them on, but how are we supposed to fight pirates ten times stronger than us?" Johnny questioned, bringing up the main elephant in the room that had been bothering him. "What can normal guys like Yosaku and I do against that?"
Luffy was about to shove a mouthful of eggs into his mouth before setting down his fork earning a few popped brows from his crew. "Oh, I thought about that! Normally, all of you would be suffering through training to get stronger, but since we're settling this now there isn't time for that. So we're going to go with option two!" Luffy popped out of existence before reappearing with a barrel full of guns.
"Where the hell did you get those!?" Ussop exclaimed at the sight of rifles and pistols sticking out the top.
"Of course he has a barrel full of guns. Why wouldn't he have a barrel full of guns!?" Nami threw her arms up in exasperation.
"Where the hell have you been hiding those?" Zoro questioned with a raised brow.
"In the canon deck. Where else would I store them?" Luffy deadpanned as his entire crew slapped their foreheads. "As for where I got them, didn't any of you see me collect them from the Black Cat pirates and Grieg pirates? Or was it Brieg pirates? Frieg? Bah, doesn't matter. I used to have a nice supply on my boat before that dumbass bird picked me and Zoro for its lunch when we first set out. Been resupplying ever since." Luffy grinned at them.
"S-so when you said you were going to give me a pistol you were serious about that…" Ussop recalled the conversation back on the cliffs of his home island.
"If you want to use them. I won't force anyone to use them. But… the people we're going to fight don't care about any of us. Whether they're fishmen or pirates on the Grand Line, our lives are on the line. This isn't a game. I have my moral code, however, I am a pirate. And just simply beating up our opponents won't always be enough. I learned that the hard way."
A somber silence fell over the crew as the gravity of reality set in for the majority of them.
"Now that you've drawn your pistol, put your life on the line," Luffy firmly said.
"I'm saying those aren't for threatening people."
Luffy's past words echoed throughout Ussop's mind as he stared at the butts of the rifles. The true reality of what he meant coming into sharp focus. Kill or be killed. Sweat poured down his face. Could he do it? Could he become a killer out of necessity? Or was he still a kid playing pirate? His whole body was shaking. Could he take a life in order to protect his own?
"I don't know what any of you are hesitating for. Those bastards have killed nearly everyone I've ever known or loved." Nojiko abruptly stood up and walked up to the barrel, pulling out two pistols. "I'm resolved to see this done."
"Good." Luffy nodded at her before turning back to look at his crew. "Anyone else?"
0o0o0 Conomi Islands - Cliffs Below Bellemere's House 0o0o0
"The outcropping is just past that rock. There's a small dock that mom had started working on before Arlong's rule that we can tie the boat to," Nojiko pointed out, Sanji nodding his head as he rowed ever closer to the cliffs.
"So tell me how it is that these fish-bastards never found out about this?" Sanji questioned, as Nojiko inspected one of the pistols she'd taken.
"Luck really. The cliffs here are rather treacherous to approach from the sea, so when they originally surveyed the island to check for any way for us to sneak away by, they wrote it off as impossible. There's a natural path that leads up the cliffs but it's near impossible to notice it. We thought about adding a rope ladder or something but decided it was too risky to leave exposed. The rocks are able to hide the dock but nothing else."
"I see. Well, it won't be much longer until we dock. Let's just hope Nami-chwan is able to placate that monster fish she mentioned."
"They'll be fine. What we need to be worried about is if there's a fishman waiting for us up there." Nojiko looked up at the top of the cliffs, holstering her pistols to help Sanji dock the boat.
0o0o0 Conomi Islands - Approach to Arlong Park 0o0o0
The Going Merry slowly drifted onward to Arlong Park, Nami standing at the bow as she looked to the sky. "This is going to work… It has to work." She clenched her fists, before a low decibel sound booming from beneath the ship caught her attention.
"HEY MOMOO! It's me, Nami!" she called out, a smirk plastered on her face.
"mmmmmoooOOOO!"
The sea in front of the Merry began to bubble, before an enormous creature burst out of the water. Part cow, part fish; this was Momoo, the Sea King brought back from the Grand Line by the Arlong Pirates.
Momoo lowered his bovine head to the deck of the ship, eyeing the orange haired figure briefly, before turning its gaze toward the rest of the ship, its nostrils flaring.
Feeling her heart clench, Nami quickly stepped in front of the Sea King. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the leftovers from the earlier lunch left on the deck - probably from Luffy - and quickly devised a plan. "Hey Momoo," she spoke up, getting the beast's attention once again. "How about I give you the food here…" she gestured towards the leftover food, "...and you help pull the ship into Arlong Park?"
Momoo alternated between looking at Nami and the food, before it let out a moderately soft moo. Nami quickly grabbed the food, and tossed it to the waiting Sea King, who gulped it down with sparkling eyes. While the beast moo'd in satisfaction, Nami quickly lowered the anchor a bit to give Momoo something to grab onto.
In short order, the ship was on its way into Arlong's den, a determined Nami at the fore. "This time, you'll be the one getting what you deserve, Arlong!"
0o0o0 Conomi Islands - Arlong Park 0o0o0
"You're going to have the perfect seat to watch your precious villagers pay for their betrayal, Bellemere, shahahahahaha!" Arlong gloated as the wheelchair bound woman glared up at him.
"You're despicable." Bellemere ground her teeth, slamming her forearm against the arm of her chair.
"Me? Was it not I who moved you and your daughter out of that hovel you call a home? Was it not I that graciously allowed you to live, even after you shoved a rifle in my mouth? Was it not I that allowed you to live in luxury instead of starving to death trying to feed two children you couldn't afford? I'd say I'm rather generous." Arlong's toothy grin faded as a scowl formed on his face. "And what do I get for my generosity? Rebellion, that's what. The villagers of Cocoyashi had no reason to rebel against my rule! I even made sure to collect a little less from their taxes, all for Nami. What right did they have to complain? To attack my brothers! TO KILL MY BROTHERS!"
Bellemere flinched as the fishman's arm tore through her bedroom wall.
Heaving, Arlong collected himself as he turned back to his prisoner. "They are going to pay in blood for having spilt the blood of my kin. And you're going to watch. And when Nami returns, you're going to tell her exactly what you saw. Then you're going to tell her that if she ever defies me, if she ever rebels against me, you and the blue-haired bitch the two of you care so much about will suffer fates far worse than what you see today. Especially the blue-haired one."
Bellemere stared up at him defiantly. "One day, you're going to get exactly what's coming to you. If you think the Navy will ignore you forever, you're dead wrong."
Arlong blinked twice before smiling menacingly.
"Shahahaha! That's what I like about you! What I like about your little family, you're not afraid to say what's on your mind. Even when you know you shouldn't say anything at all." Arlong growled as he walked up to her, towering over her. "Perhaps I should make Nami just like-"
"Arlong!"
The doors to Bellemere's room burst open, as Hachi came fumbling in.
"What is it, Hachi, can't you see I'm busy?" Arlong sneered.
"I know, but this is important. It's Nami, she's returned!"
Arlong's eyes lit up. "Has she? Well then, bring her up, I'm sure she's dying to see poor Bellemere after all these long months." He couldn't help but grin.
"That's the thing. She's not here yet."
"What do you mean she's not here yet? You said she's returned!" Arlong barked.
"Just look for yourself!" Hachi pointed to the window that looked out to sea.
"Huh?" Arlong raised a brow as he walked to the window and looked out.
Being on the third floor, he was able to see all of Arlong park, including the vast ocean that surrounded his islands. It didn't take him long to notice the small ship steadily making its way to the port of Arlong Park. And there, standing near the ram's figurehead, he saw his precious cartographer and navigator. The lynch pin in all his plans to one day rule over the entire East Blue.
Nami had returned home.
0o0o0 Arlong Park - Port 0o0o0
Arlong watched as the port gates opened and the small caravel ship was slowly pulled in by Momoo, directed by Hachi.
"Well well, if it isn't our wayward cartographer!" Arlong greeted as Nami jumped over the side and landed before him. "You've been gone for quite some time Nami. I was beginning to think you'd run away from home." Arlong laughed with feigned worry, knowing the girl would always return to him.
"Like I'm stupid enough to do that. I know I've been gone a long time, but you'll be happy to know it was very well worth it." Nami smiled at him, looking around and noticing a group of humans near the entrance to the park. "Something going on? Not often you let so many inferior beings near Arlong Park."
"Shahahaha! Don't worry about them. I just have a… demonstration I want them to see. In fact, I think you should see it too. But that can wait. So how much did you bring back this time? Have you finally reached the first $100 million mark?"
"No. I didn't bring any money for you."
Arlong's eyes narrowed at that. "What did you say girl? I don't think I heard you correctly."
"I said, I didn't bring back money." Before Arlong's temper could rise, Nami raised a hand, cutting him off. "What I brought is something far more valuable than money. BRING HIM OUT!" Nami shouted over her shoulder, movement from the ship drawing Arlong's eye.
A tied up wriggling body was thrown over the side as two men jumped after him. The two each had a single-edged sword, one wearing a blue jacket and the other a long green trench coat. They grabbed the shoulders of the tied up man, a sack over his head, and dragged him to Nami and Arlong.
At the sight of armed humans entering Arlong Park, the various fishmen in the port stopped what they were doing, slowly reaching for weapons of their own and moving in closer.
"What's the meaning of this!? Who are these men Nami?" Arlong scowled.
"These two idiots are nothing. Just some hired help that got in way over their heads. Do with them as you want." The two men gaped at her.
"Hey! If not for us, you wouldn't have even been able to capture this guy!" The one in the blue jacket yelled.
"Don't tell us you're turning on us!" The one in the green jacket yelled.
"That's really none of my concern. I'm sure if you behave, my associates will agree to let you walk out of here with your lives. After all, you did help one of their officers make them all, very, very rich." Nami patted their cheeks as she reached into the blue-jacket's coat and pulled out a wanted poster.
"That wasn't our deal!" He yelled, however he quickly calmed at the sound of multiple swords being drawn and guns being cocked.
"Would you all relax!" Nami rolled her eyes at the high tension as she turned back around and presented the wanted poster to Arlong. "I would like to introduce you to the single biggest payout you'll ever receive." She pulled the sack off the tied up man's head, revealing his gagged face for all of the fishmen to see. "This is Monkey D. Luffy, worth 250 million berries and my payment for not only my home village, but also my mother."
Luffy wriggled in his bonds, muffled grunts coming from him.
Arlong studied the wanted poster for a moment, his eyes narrowing as he read Luffy's association with one of the four Emperors. "This brat is worth 250 million?"
"Hard to believe, but I of course verified that this bounty is the real deal. He stupidly thought I'd join his pitiful pirate crew, but I was just biding my time. I got these two morons to "join" as well but they were really working for me the whole time. You should've seen the look on his face." Nami gave Luffy a cruel smile as she patted his cheek.
"Shahahaha! Is that so? That's our Nami for you. You lot really were quite unfortunate to have met her. Pisaro, go verify the bounty." Arlong called for one of his brothers, who quickly ran up and grabbed the wanted poster from his captain before running off. "You know Nami, I'm very glad you decided to return today. It honestly wouldn't have been the same without you."
"Hmm? What are you talking about?" Nami's smile fell from her face, noticing Chew leading a concession of humans into Arlong Park and to where the others had been gathered.
"You see two weeks ago, there was a little… incident. The precious villagers of Cocoyashi… betrayed me." Arlong thrust his arm forward, snatching Nami by the throat and raising her comparatively small form above him.
"Kah-Luff-" Nami's voice was cut off as Arlong squeezed on her throat.
"Your windmill sheriff thought he could lead a rebellion but he failed. Most of the villagers lay dead in the burnt out husk of your precious village. The few that survived though… they're to be publicly executed! Our deal is up, sadly. You're to return to your room where you'll spend the rest of your days drawing maps and sea charts of the entire East Blue for my new Fishman Empire! But I want to thank you for making good on your end! Shahaha-gah!"
A thunderous boom rocked the small port of Arlong Park as a bright flash blinded everyone within.
As their vision returned, the various onlookers noticed the once tied up Monkey D. Luffy standing where Arlong had been moments before, the orange haired navigator in his arms.
"No one hurts my navigator."
0o0o0 Outside of Arlong Park 0o0o0
Sanji and Nojiko were crouched within a small copse of trees not far from the walls of Arlong Park. The cook reached for a cigarette, before changing his mind and shaking his head. "Better to wait. Don't want to give away our position too early." The blond glanced over at his companion, noting the tension she was almost visibly emanating.
Nojiko had initially been keeping up the small talk once they'd made it up the cliff, but the closer they got to Arlong Park, the quieter she'd become. She couldn't help it. Despite the plan - and her sister's faith in these pirates - she couldn't help but remember Bellemere's bloody form after being shot, and the ruthless grin on the fishmen's faces.
Before her emotions dragged her down further though, she was shaken back to the present by a hand on the shoulder.
"You-!"
"Hey, don't worry about it," Sanji comforted her with a serious look in his eyes. "I - we will help you and Nami-chan. That's a promise." The cook glanced at the walls of Arlong Park, imagining the sheer chaos that was about to erupt. "And if there's anything you need to know about our captain, it's that he always keeps his promises."
BOOM - thunder boomed overhead and lightning flashed, originating from the port, as confused yells and shouts echoed after it.
"See?" Smiling grimly, Sanji got to his feet. "Now, while they're dealing with the rest of us, let's go find your mom." The blond extended his hand to Nojiko, hoisting her to her feet in one smooth motion.
"Right." Nojiko clapped her hands on her cheeks, psyching herself up, before unholstering her pistols. "Every time they let me visit, they always brought me to the third floor, so we'll check there first," the bluenette reminded Sanji.
"Just wait mamma. We're gonna get you out of there!"
0o0o0 Port of Arlong Park 0o0o0
Luffy looked down at his navigator, who was still coughing as she tried to get her breath back. "You ok?"
Nami nodded her head as Luffy set her on her feet beside him, an arm wrapping around her waist. "I-I will be. Thank you. Though I wish you hadn't blinded me. I nearly missed the look on his face when you punched him."
"I also kicked him for good measure. Shishishishi!" Luffy laughed, pointing to the now gaping hole in the northernmost wall of Arlong Park.
"Oi, Luffy!" The pair looked up at the Merry as Luffy's straw hat was being thrown down at them. "How many are lef- EHHHHHH!" Ussop screeched in horror as he looked around the port at the very clearly pissed off fishmen of Arlong Park all looking up at him.
Luffy caught the hat and placed it on Nami's head, earning him a tilted glance from his navigator.
"There's no point in losing your shit now. It's time to get to work." Ussop found himself being thrown over the side, as Zoro heaved himself after the crew's sniper landing next to him.
"Zoro-bro!" Johnny called out. "How was our acting, pretty convincing right!?"
"We did it, just like we practiced on the way here!" Yosaku stated in pride.
Zoro ignored them as he strolled up to his captain. "Good, you left some for us."
"I can't have all the fun now can I?" Luffy smirked.
"Nami! What the hell is the meaning of this!?" A fishman with an elongated mouth snarled, his brow furrowing in anger at the sight of even more humans emerging from the pirate ship that had been brought to Arlong Park.
"This? This is my long awaited vengeance for everything you bastards have done to me and my family!" Nami retorted. "I already knew about Cocoyashi's failed rebellion, and I'm here to finish what they started!"
"Then Kuroobi was right about you. Arlong should've just eaten you when he had the chance!" Chew yelled. "You three, watch the humans from the villages, the rest of you kill the traitorous bitch and those fucking humans she brought with her!"
"RAH!" The fishmen roared as they charged forward or took aim with their firearms.
The small pirate crew braced themselves, with Zoro, Johnny and Yosaku drawing swords as Ussop began firing off shots with his slingshot.
Luffy disappeared from view, silently flickering between the fishmen gunners. With each disappearance and reappearance, a fishman dropped to the ground, incapacitated or dead.
In the brief moments Luffy was away, Pisaro had charged Nami. "You filthy traitor! How dare you betray us!"
Nami coldly stared at the fishman running at her, his heavy maracas swinging wildly. As he got close enough to take a swing at her, the girl swiftly dropped to the ground, sliding through his legs. In the same motion, she drew her knife and slashed the backs of his legs, causing him to lose control of legs and fall down. Before he had time to yell out in pain, Nami was up and stabbed her knife to the hilt in his gills, inflicting a fatal blow on the fishman.
"Die die die die die," she muttered out as she repeatedly stabbed the now still fishman, only snapping out of it when Luffy appeared next to her and pulled her away from the corpse.
Standing in the middle of the group of fishmen, Chew watched in disbelief as his brothers fell before him. "What the hell is going on? How are we losing to a ragtag group of humans!?"
"Exploding star!"
Fire enveloped Chew as he was blown off his feet and onto his back as he rolled on the ground in agony.
"That's one of the officers we needed to take down, right Nami? He wasn't so tough, haha!" Ussop cheered from behind Zoro.
"Don't hide behind me!" Zoro glared as he took down another fishman.
"He's one of them, yes. Though I think you're going to have to try a little harder." Nami pointed at the slowly rising crispy form of Chew.
"Eh!?" Ussop watched as the long-mouthed fishman angrily stood back up.
"I'm gonna kill you!" Chew cried out, spitting out a wad of water at the sniper. "Mizudeppo!"
The water flew at Ussop, who narrowly dodged out of the way, hearing it crash into the seawall far off behind him.
"Ha, you missed- guh!?" Ussop's taunt fell from his lips as he turned to see a massive hole in the seawall. "HE DID THAT BY JUST SPITTING!"
"Mizudeppo!" a hail of water started flying at the crew forcing both them and the few remnants of the Arlong Pirates to have to split and dodge.
"Guess I'll take care of him." Luffy scowled, having moved himself and Nami out of the path of the virtual water bullets. Zoro, Johnny and Yosaku were getting back to their feet but were still surrounded while Ussop was nowhere to be seen.
"Take care of me!? Do you even know who we are? We're the superior race of fishmen! You fucking humans don't stand a chance! But more importantly, you're all going to pay for what you've done to my brothers! Especially you, you traitorous bitch!" Chew glared at Nami, who glared right back at him.
"Chew, what the hell has happened here!?" Hachi looked around with big eyes as he took in the form of his fallen brothers, having returned from directing Momoo out of the park waters.
"Hachi! Nami betrayed us! Call Momoo back and have him-gah!" Chew was flung forward as another explosion impacted against him.
"Exploding Star!"
From outside the park, stood Ussop triumphantly holding out his slingshot, his goggles placed firmly around his head. "When Captain Ussop is your opponent, you should never turn your back on him!"
Once more extinguishing the flames, Chew furiously shot to his feet. "Bastard! Mizudeppo!"
"AH!" Ussop immediately turned and ran away from the park, Chew hot on his heels.
"Nyu, call Momoo back and have him do what?" Hachi blinked as Chew got further and further away from Arlong Park. "I guess I'll just call him back… not that I know what he's supposed to do." Hachi turned toward the sea and grabbed a hold of his mouth like a trumpet.
"Like I'm going to let you call back that monster!" Zoro rushed forward, swinging Wado Ichimonji in order to takedown the octopus fishman who barely managed to duck, the tips of his spiked hair being sliced off.
"Nyu, my hair! You bastard! I'm gonna… forgive you since it's just hair and it'll eventually grow back."
Everyone in the park face planted at the casual dismissal displayed.
"Hachi! Don't you dare forgive him! Or any of them! Every last one of them is going to have their head on a spike!" Arlong yelled as he stepped back into the park, blood dripping from a gash on his head and hand holding the side of his stomach.
Seeing the angered fishman return, Luffy chuckled as he cracked his neck. "Bring it!"
0o0o0 Arlong Park 3rd Floor 0o0o0
Sanji slowly peaked around a corner, Nojiko right beside him. Their trip up to the third floor had been mostly unnoticed, and the few fishmen that did notice were quickly put out of commission by Sanji's kicks. Upon seeing the empty hallway, the two sighed in relief.
"It should be this room right here," Nojiko said as she took the lead, heading for the single door in the short hallway. The bluenette paused for a moment, before she slowly opened the door, a pistol held out in front of her.
As the door opened halfway, a broken table leg lashed out from the room, smacking the pistol from Nojiko's hand and into the room. "Finish opening the door. Slowly now," a female voice called out gruffly, punctuated by the click of the pistol's hammer being cocked.
Hearing the familiar voice caused Nojiko to involuntarily tear up a bit. "Mamma, it's me! We've come to get you out," she called out as she opened the door.
"Nojiko?"
Sanji got his first look at Bellemere. She was a fit middle aged woman, with a strange pink mohawk/ponytail combo hairstyle. She was seated in a wheelchair, but that didn't detract from the fierce aura she gave off, that was only now abating as she was looking at her adopted daughter.
Seeing the blond enter behind Nojiko, Bellemere raised an eyebrow as she pointed back at the window overlooking the ongoing fight in Arlong Park. "They with you?"
Taking a glance, the cook gave a whistle. "Looks like they're having all the fun out there." He took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a brief drag. "Well, our job's almost done, just need to get you out of here, mademoiselle."
"About that…" Bellemere gave a sheepish smile. "So there are several other villagers from Cocoyashi village still imprisoned down in the cells. Arlong was planning on executing them today to "send a message."" Wheeling closer to Sanji, she put on a sultry look. "If you'd also go help them, I'd be ever so grateful. I'd even pay you back with my body-"
"MAMMA! Stop that!" Nojiko yelled, shoving the shocked Sanji away.
"Hahaha! Sorry, sorry. I couldn't help myself." Recomposing herself, Bellemere signaled for Nojiko to take control of her wheelchair. "Now, let's get everyone out of here!"
0o0o0 Arlong Park 0o0o0
The gathered village leaders of the Conomi islands looked on with flabbergasted expressions as the pirates brought by Nami took on their fishman oppressors.
"This has got to be a dream right? There's no way a bunch of teens are beating Arlong and his men… right?" One of the leaders turned to the others as they watched another fishman fall to the duo in the blue and green jackets.
"You guys, get ready to run! Once we take care of these guys, get as far from here as possible!" Johnny yelled at them as he parried an incoming attack with his sword, his return slash causing the fishman he was fighting to back off for a moment.
"Luffy-bro and Zoro-bro can't go all out if you all are in the way. Once they're free to do as they please, your eight years of hell will be over!" Yosaku cut down another fishman only to wince as he was knocked down from behind.
"Yosaku!" Johnny cried out, running toward his partner.
"Their hell will never be over! The time of humans is coming to an end! We're the superior race! And one day it'll be you humans that cower in fear of us all across the world!" a blowfish looking fishman declared as he stood over Yosaku's fallen form, stepping on his back and pushing down.
"Gah!" Yosaku could hear his ribs crack from the intense pressure being put on him.
"Yosaku! Damn you, you ugly bastard! Get off my partner!" Johnny charged forward, swinging his sword upward, cutting into the fishman's body, only to receive a heavy punch in return. "Oof!" He spiraled rapidly into the concrete port, blood pouring from his temple.
"Damn human! You're gonna pay for doing this to-" The fishman was cut off as a slash from below cut into his throat, causing him to collapse in a pool of his own blood.
"When you fight my bro, don't ever forget you're also fighting me!" Yosaku stared down at the bleeding corpse before turning to Johnny. "You good bro?"
"Yeah. Thanks." Johnny huffed as he shakily stood back up, taking the offered hand from Yosaku.
"Who are you people?" The same village leader from before asked, concern written across his face as he witnessed the unknown teens risk their lives for them. "Why are you doing this?"
Johnny and Yosaku looked at each for a moment before nodding their heads, their final decision made. "We're the Strawhat pirates! And the reason we're doing this is simple. No one makes our friends cry and gets away with it! Now, follow us!"
0o0o0 Outskirts of Cocoyashi Village 0o0o0
"UWOOOOOH!"
"Mizudeppo!"
Ussop jumped out of the way as the veritable water bullet sped past him and crashed into the burned out remains of Cocoyashi village.
"Damn that Long-nose! What speed! That guy's face and ability to run away aren't human!" Chew complained as he continued to chase after the cowardly human pirate.
"Hehehe! If I keep one of the Arlong Pirates leaders away like this, it should benefit everyone else's fights. Good job, great Ussop! How considerate you are towards them! Though it just happened to turn out like that…" Ussop scratched the back of his head as he bashfully accepted his own imaginary praise.
"Mizudeppo!"
Ussop's world went white as he stumbled to the ground, blood splattering everywhere.
"Geez, what a cowardly bastard, making me chase him all over the damn island. What a stupidly amazing ability to run away!" Chew now stood over the prone form of Ussop, waiting to see if the coward was truly dead or not.
"Heh, but it was too easy. He died instantly with a single hit of my mizudeppo. Just in case, I should make sure! This is for causing me so much trouble!" Chew reared back his right leg and swung it, aiming for the cowards chest.
His leg slammed into Ussop's side sending the teen rolling to the edge of the dirt road they'd been running down where he remained motionless.
"Hmph, guess he's dead after all. What a pathetic weakling. Suppose I should head back, the others should be done by now." Chew spat at the coward before turning and making his way back to Arlong Park.
"GAH! Holy shit that fucking hurts! Damn bastard! Why didn't he just accept my Ketchup Star as real blood and left me alone!? Dammit, I think he broke a rib or two!" Ussop screamed in his mind, clenching his jaw as tight as possible to prevent himself from crying out in agony. "Shit this hurts. Regardless I'm glad I made the Ketchup Star for times like this. Really saved me there. Now all I have to do is wait for him to walk back into town and I'm home free!"
Ussop rolled over onto his back, wincing as he sat up from his ribs disagreeing with the action, to watch the fishman walk away. "Man, what a terrifying species they are… fishman… can spit so hard their loogies are practically bullets. And I'm pretty sure I saw some houses flipped upside down in that burned out town when I was running by. Just what kind of monster was able to do that!?"
"Hm?" Chew stopped suddenly and turned around to see the coward still splayed out, his corpse ready to be eaten by the seagulls. "Guess I imagined it." Turning, he continued on his way back.
"That was close!" Ussop's heart was beating a mile a minute, having flipped back on to his stomach as fast as he could. "Though I still have to come up with a reason as to why I'm covered in 'blood.' I know a rib or two are cracked, probably three or four now with how fast I flipped, speaking of… OW! But that won't cover all this blood. Maybe if I add some mud…"
Wincing as he stood back up, Ussop bent over and rubbed his hands into the dirt road and began brushing it all over his body. "I'll say something like, 'Ahh, sorry. I lost. I just couldn't stop a monster like that.' Or maybe, 'Well I felt bad for that guy so I let him slip away.' Hmm… which is better? Or should it be more convincing?"
"Ussop." Luffy's call snapped the marksman out of his stupor. "You're the son of the greatest sniper in all the world. You're going to be the head gunner to the future King of the Pirates! There's no need to fear the head of a snake that already had its body cut off. Two of our crew are depending on you to protect them. Most importantly… I believe in you."
"Perhaps, 'It's ok to cry Nami. We did what we could, after all, we're only human and those guys are monsters from the deep sea…'"
"Scars on the back are a swordsman's shame…" Zoro painfully smirked at his opponent.
"... Well, we all fought very well…" Ussop stopped applying the mud to his arms.
"And like I said, I'm not going to let anything happen to you! We've both lost so much to Arlong, if something happened to you I would never forgive myself. So please don't fight me on this Nojiko."
"It was definitely deadly combat…"
"I don't know what any of you are hesitating for. Those bastards have killed nearly everyone I've ever known or loved." Nojiko abruptly stood up and walked up to the barrel, pulling out two pistols. "I'm resolved to see this done."
"I really am a damn coward…" Ussop felt the sting of tears blur his vision as shame filled him.
The image of Kaya, Pepper, Carrot, and Onion swelled in his mind.
Abruptly standing up, Ussop yelled out to the now distant fishman. "Where the hell do you think you're going, you damn fish!?"
Chew stopped, looking back over his shoulder, a crazed look in his eye. "So you're still alive after all!"
"That's right! There's no way a half-assed attempt at spitting by a half-fish would ever bring down the great Captain Ussop!" Ussop boldly declared.
Chew's eye twitched as he stalked his way back toward the long-nosed coward.
"The moment I agreed to join Luffy's crew, I gave up the right to certain things like safety and peace. Because they all risk their lives, they're able to laugh as hard as they do. I joined them so that I could be like them. To finally know who I am, just like they all know themselves. That's why I decided to set out to the sea. I want to be able to laugh from the bottom of my heart as well!" Ussop fumbled around in his oversized bag of tricks looking for his slingshot, when he felt something else.
Luffy turned his gaze back to the orange haired girl. "I'm going to return to the Grand Line, Nami. There are people there that are far stronger than me. People that have the same goal as me." Seeing both of their gazes locked on him, Luffy continued slowly, making sure he got his point across. "It's not going to be easy. In fact, it will be the most difficult thing in the world. And I want you to come with me." His black eyes locked onto theirs. "And I want you to be able to protect yourselves. A slingshot will not cut it."
Ussop froze as he felt the handle of the pistol he'd taken from Luffy's barrel of firearms back on the Merry. With a single pull of the trigger he could stop the rushing fishman headed straight for him. But could he do it? Could he take someone else's life to save his own? Even now, when he knew that the fishman he was fighting fully intended to kill him and his friends?
Chew was feet from him now, pure rage on his face.
"STOP!"
Chew came to a screeching halt as he came face to face with the business end of a pistol.
"And just what do you intend to do with that, coward?" Chew calmly asked, noting the shaky hold the teen had on the firearm.
"I-I… I don't want to shoot you! Not like this… never like this." Despite his words, Ussop kept the gun pointed at the fishman.
"Then what do you want, human? That isn't a toy-"
"I know! Dammit, I know! But right now… it's the only thing I have that can defeat you! I don't have Zoro's resolve or Luffy's strength… I have nothing to offer them but cheap tricks that can't even stop a single fishman. But I don't want to kill anyone either! Not even you…" Ussop couldn't decide. Kill and help save everyone or don't shoot and die.
"Then it seems we're at an impasse, because I definitely want to kill you. Though I don't really feel like making you accidentally shoot me in the face when I move in to rip your arms off." Chew scowled at the barrel pointed at his face.
"It seems so… though I did think of a way out of this…" Ussop stopped shaking as he gripped the pistol tightly. "But I still don't feel good about it."
"Oh and what's that? I promise to not attack you and your friends and you'll let me live… is that it? Because that's not how this works kid. This is the real world and it doesn't stop just because you're too much of a coward to pull the trigger on an enemy that wants to kill you! I can't believe Nami would scrape the bottom of the barrel and bring a kid to come fight real pirates. She should know better than-"
Bang!
"Gah!" Chew fell on his back clasping at the bullet hole in his left knee. "You bastard you shot-"
Bang!
Another shot rang out, this time a bullet blazed through Chew's right shoulder. "FUCK!"
Ussop huffed as he tossed the gun away into the fields surrounding the dirt path they were on. "Dammit! I am not a coward! And Nami didn't scrape the bottom of the barrel! She found the greatest pirate crew that will ever sail any sea this world has to offer! I am the son of the greatest sniper that has ever lived and I've inherited his skills to use any firearm in any way I see fit!"
Ussop closed his eyes before opening them again. "I don't want to kill anyone. That isn't why I set out on this journey. I'll find my own way to finish things! I'm going to become the greatest marksman this world has ever seen! And I'll do it without ever taking a life!"
Ussop then reached into his bag and this time pulled out his sling. "But as for you, go to sleep! Hammer Star!"
The last thing Chew saw was an actual hammer smashing into his face.
0o0o0 Arlong Park Basement 0o0o0
With Bellemere directing them, the trio quickly made their way down to the basement area which contained the holding cells. With all the chaos going on outside, they'd decided to ditch stealth and focus on speed. As a result, several new wall hangings were decorating Arlong Park, courtesy of the chef's kicks.
"Once we make it past this block, the holding cells where the remaining Cocoyashi villagers are being held should be coming up," Bellemere notified Sanji, quietly impressed with the blond's skills.
"Got it." Sanji took a drag from his cigarette before kicking in the door separating the cells from the rest of the basement area. The metal door soared through the air, before abruptly freezing in place and then crumbling as a fist blasted through it.
"Hmph, you have some decent power for an inferior race," a fishman wearing a black karate gi said as he stood up out of his punching stance. "But in the end, a human is a human. You could never match up to the true strength of a fishman."
"Damn it, that's Kuroobi," Nojiko gasped, while Bellemere narrowed her eyes.
"And who is that walking pile of sashimi anyways?" Sanji was unconcerned. There was only one enemy, and it wasn't Arlong, so there was nothing to fear.
"He's one of Arlong's executives, the martial artist Kuroobi. He's a manta ray fishman," the older woman explained. "I can't believe they made him the guard." Looking beyond him, Bellemere noticed how quiet it was in the cells. "What's going on? What did you do to them, Kuroobi?"
"This trash wouldn't shut up," he said, a disgusted look on his face. "They kept pleading and begging, so I beat them up a bit to make them quiet down."
A vein popped on Sanji's forehead as he saw the injured captives laying on the floor of their holding cells, fresh injuries layered on top of the old. "You bastard. You don't even deserve to be chopped up and served at a third rate food stall."
"Those with power make the rules." Kuroobi smirked at the trio. "And we fishmen have all the power. Now come and let me put you out of your misery. First it'll be you, then it'll be the villagers, and then it'll be everyone else who even thinks about raising a hand against us!"
"Collier!"
"Gwah!" Kuroobi cried out in pain as Sanji had rushed him fast enough that the martial artist lost track of him and delivered a scything kick to his neck, driving the larger fishman into the ground.
"Get up. I thought you fishmen were stronger than that." Sanji glared at the recovering Kuroobi.
"This punk!" the manta ray fishman cursed in his mind, before he suddenly flipped around and launched a kick toward the blond chef's chin. "Rising Thrust Kick!"
"Côtelette, Selle!"
Sanji dropped back away from his opponent's attack into a handstand before he spun around, a leg whipping out and smashing into Kuroobi's ribs. Using the force of the collision, he spun in the opposite direction and landed another attack, this time on the fishman's lower back, knocking him away.
"I-impossible," Kuroobi gasped out trembling as he slowly stood up, blood leaking from his lips as his breathing was labored.
"Impossible? No, you're just weak, especially compared to the cooks at a certain restaurant," Sanji flippantly said as he adjusted the collar of his shirt.
Steadying his breathing, Kuroobi lowered himself into a punching stance. "I admit, I underestimated you, human. But that ends now. 100 Tile Smashing True Punch!" the fishman called out, his fist launching a shockwave through the air at the blond.
"Shit, if I dodge this, it'll hit Nojiko-chwan and Bellemere!" Sanji panicked, before crossing his arms and taking the shockwave head-on. "Gah!" he cried out as the force picked him up and launched him into the wall next to the doorway they'd entered from.
"That's the true strength of a level 40 practitioner of Fishman Karate. It is beyond anything your inferior race can do," Kuroobi said smugly, only for his expression to freeze as the blond picked himself up, blood trickling from a cut on his forehead.
"Level 40? The old man's kicks must've been level 400 then."
"Damn you! 1000 Tile Sma-"
"Poitrine!"
Sanji's straight kick buried itself into Kuroobi's chest before he could finish his attack, causing the fishman to blank out for a second.
"Gigot!"
The blond's next attack swept his opponent's legs out from underneath him, leaving the hulking fishman suspended in the air for a brief moment.
"Épaule!"
Sanji unleashed an ax kick that slammed into fishman's shoulder, slamming his body into the ground and causing it to bounce back up, and right into the finishing attack.
"Mouton Shoot!"
A flurry of kicks slammed into Kuroobi's face and upper body, launching the insensate fishman into and through the concrete wall, letting water start flooding into the holding cell area.
"...Oops."
"Come on you two, move it!" Bellemere barked out, causing Nokijo and Sanji to snap to attention. "Let's get these people out of here before they drown."
"Yes ma'am!"
0o0o0 Port of Arlong Park 0o0o0
Arlong surveyed his port and with each one of his fallen brothers he spotted, his anger boiled all that much more. Nearly his entire crew lay defeated throughout the port save for Hachi, Chew and Kuroobi who was still within the depths of Arlong Park. "My brothers… how dare you humans do this to my brothers!"
"You're the ones that started it, so I don't see what you're getting so mad about." Luffy cracked his knuckles as he taunted the sawfish fishman. "They were simply weaker than my crew."
"Weaker? Fishman are not weaker than humans!" Arlong snarled. "I am going to enjoy ripping your head from your shoulders. I think I'll give it to Nami, as a reminder for what happens when you defy me! And don't think his death will spare you girl! I should've listened to Kuroobi and cut off your legs and left you in that room for all eternity!" Spit and blood splattered before the two.
"Threaten one of my crew again, and it'll be your head that gets ripped off." A cold look fell over Luffy's face at the threat.
"I'm not your slave anymore Arlong. After today, you'll be nothing more than just a horrible nightmare. You're going to pay for everything you've done the last eight years." Nami glared at Arlong defiantly.
"If you thought everything up until this point was a nightmare, I'll show you just how wrong you are. I gave you things your piss poor mother would never have been able to, but that's over now. If you thought yourself a slave all this time, I think it's about time I started treating you like one." Arlong finally took a step back into Arlong Park.
"Nyu! Arlong, if you go on a rampage, you'll destroy the Park! I'm still standing! And so long as that is true, you won't have to lift a finger! I'll defeat them all here and avenge our brothers!" Hachi ran between Arlong and the pirates.
"That's some big talk for an octopus. You've yet to defeat me and already you're thinking you can take on my captain." Zoro walked in front of Luffy and Nami, Wado Ichimonji drawn.
"Zoro, are you sure you're up for this? Hachi may be a clueless idiot but he's no pushover and you're still-" Nami was cut off by Luffy pulling on her wrist as he backed off to give his swordsman room to fight.
"He'll be fine."
Arlong's brow raised at the mention of Zoro's name. "Zoro… you mean Roronoa Zoro? The fabled pirate hunter was actually foolish enough to come for my head huh?"
"I don't give a shit about you. I'm no longer a bounty hunter. That's behind me." Zoro called out, annoyed at the mention of his infamy as a bounty hunter. "I'm just here because it's what my captain ordered, not to mention all of you made the witch cry."
Arlong gave Zoro a glance over, noting the heavy bandages beneath a plain white shirt. "Hmph, like you actually care for Nami. I wonder just how much she's promised to pay all of you?" Arlong glanced over at his cartographer and noticed how close she was standing to the pirate from the Grand Line. "Perhaps she offered something else instead, shahahahaha!"
The Strawhat pirates collectively glared at the insinuation.
"Nyu, I still can't believe you betrayed us Nami! I thought we had become friends!" Hachi complained. "Look at what you've done to my brothers."
"As if I'd ever be a friend to any of you after what you did to my mother and all the people I cared about." Nami rolled her eyes at how dense Hachi was.
"Enough chatter, are we going to do this or not?" Zoro shouted, charging Hachi and slashing at the octopus' stomach.
"Nyu!" Hachi dived out of the way, narrowly dodging the slash.
"Tch," Zoro clenched his teeth as he missed his mark.
"Roronoa Zoro! You'll never be able to cut me because I have six hands!" Hachi spread his six appendages out leaving himself wide open. "Go ahead and cut me if you can!" He then started to wiggle his arms in a taunt.
"Damn octo!" Zoro made a vertical slash down as he once more charged the octopus fishman.
"Hachi's Triple Sword Catch!" Hachi clapped all of his arms together and missed catching the blade aiming to maim him with all three attempts he had. "Ouch!" Hachi cried as blood streamed from the gash now adorning his split forehead.
"Quit playing around and get serious!" Zoro's breathing became labored as a fever started to overtake him. "Damn it. He's throwing me out of whack."
Nami took notice of Zoro's heavy breathing. "I knew it was too soon for him to be fighting. He's going to reopen his wound, damn it."
"Screw this!" Zoro ran forward and once more made an attempt to slash through his opponent.
Hachi easily jumped out of the way of the attack. "Hachi Suckers!" The octopus man latched onto one of the support columns of Arlong Park upside down.
…
…
…
"What was that supposed to even do! Come down already!" Zoro yelled after a few moments of Hachi remaining attached to the top of the column.
"Nyu!" Hachi smirked as he flipped himself onto the roof tiling and ran up to a window, opened it, jumped in and came running back out a few moments later wielding six cutlases, one in each hand.
"Roronoa Zoro! You don't mind if I ask you a question do you? You don't, right?" Zoro just glared as he continued to breathe heavily. "I heard you use three swords, yet you're only using one. Why?"
"It doesn't matter. You're already losing to me by only using one." Zoro's vision started twisting, and his forehead began to heat up as his body began to protest against him standing.
"Sh-shut up! I haven't been fighting seriously so far!" Hachi stammered before smirking. "The reason I asked is because even if you had been using three it wouldn't matter. There's a reason no human swordsman can ever defeat me! I'm a user of the Rokotoryu style! Which is double your Santoryu style!" Hachi proclaimed as Zoro fell to his knees. "Hmm? Are you trying to fake an illness or something? I won't fall for that, Roronoa Zoro!" Hachi yelled as he jumped off the rooftop.
"Zoro!" Nami cried out in horror at his fallen form. "I knew he was bearing the pain. Luffy, do something!" She turned to him only to find him gone as a massive shadow encompassed her being.
"Keh, so you were paying attention after all." The deep voice of Arlong being so close to her, made Nami turn on a swivel to find Arlong's extended fist being held back by Luffy.
"I'm from the New World, its pay attention or die." Luffy smirked as he shoved the fishman back. "Now stay over there and watch. You'll get your ass-beating soon enough."
"If you want to watch that lame swordsman die, be my guest." Arlong shrugged as he walked back to the destroyed wall and sat against the rubble.
"Roronoa Zoro, don't tell me you've died before I, the Great Hachi, could attack you even once!?" Hachi touted as Zoro winced on the ground.
"Damn it! The hell is wrong with me?" Zoro lamented as his body refused to listen to his orders to stand.
"You could've left your name in history if you died after receiving an attack from my Rokotoryu style! Well, no matter how you might've struggled or even if the world is turned upside down, you humans can't even give a scratch to me, a wielder of six swords!" Hachi boasted as a chord was struck within Zoro.
"Don't make me laugh." Zoro pushed with all his might as he stood back up, firmly grasping Wado Ichimonji, his face shadowed as he hunched over. "No one will even know you existed; to die by your sword would be like never being born. There's a certain man that I need to meet once again, until I see him again…" Zoro shot the octopus man a menacing glare as a towering shadow with a hawk-like gaze stood far off in the distance, "... my life can't be taken by anyone, not even Death himself!"
"Zoro…" Nami quietly whispered as she watched her crew's First-Mate pull the black bandana he kept on his left bicep and tie it snugly around his head.
"Nyu! I don't really get what you said, but it looks like you're in really bad shape. You think you can defeat my Rokotoryu in that condition? There are so many in this world that think they can overcome their limits by pushing themselves when they shouldn't."
"It's none of your business." Zoro labored out as he placed Wado in his mouth. "Johnny, Yosaku, lend me your swords!"
"Big bro Zoro!" All eyes turned toward the entrance of Arlong park to see Johnny and Yosaku keeping guard of the village leaders. "Catch!" Looking up, Zoro saw both Johnny's and Yosaku's swords spiralling toward him.
"You wanted to see my Santoryu?" Zoro asked Hachi as the swords dangerously spun ever closer to him.
"Nyu?" Hachi raised a brow not sure what Roronoa was on about while two swords were about to tear him to shreds. "I don't care to see it because I'll show you the wall that humans can't surpass! Behold my Rokotoryu!" Hachi ran forward, swinging his six blades so fast he could've been mistaken for a blender. "Tentacle Sword Overload!"
"Let me show it to you!" Zoro spun, catching both blades, weaving through and blocking each of Hachi's wild attacks, leaving the octopus man's chest wide open.
"Santoryu: Tou Rou Nagashi!" Zoro zoomed past Hachi, blood dripping from Wado Ichimonji.
"Nyu!" blood flew from Hachi's chest as his body convulsed in pain, falling to the ground.
Arlong's confident smirk fell into a frown at the sight of yet another of his brother's on the ground.
"He did it!" Yosaku cried out as the village leaders looked on in awe at the fact that a human was actually able to compete against a fishman's swordsmanship.
"I told you he'd be able to handle it!" Johnny boasted.
"It's not enough…" Nami watched as Hachi struggled to stand back up, revealing his bleeding chest. "Luffy if this goes on much longer-"
"Don't doubt him Nami," Luffy cut her off, his gaze solely on Zoro.
"Nyu-u," Hachi glared at Zoro, who had his back to him. "Of all the impudent things to do! I'm really mad now, you bastard! Don't blame me if no one's able to identify you!" Hachi pulled his middle arms into a defensive stance as his other four limbs prepared to strike once more. "I can hold six swords, so there's no hope for you to defeat me! It's just simple math! Six is more than three!"
Zoro breathed heavily for a moment, Johnny and Yosaku's swords slipping from his grasp. "Simple math…?"
"What do you bear on your shoulders? What do you desire once you've obtained power, weakling?" Mihawk asked with genuine curiosity.
"Big bro what's wrong!?" Yosaku cried out at the sight of his and Johnny's swords clattering at Zoro's feet.
"I'm going to get stronger for her, too!" a young Zoro cried out, his sensei sat across from him, holding Wado Ichimonji out for the young boy to take. "I'm going to get strong enough that my name reaches to Heaven! I'm going to be the world's strongest swordsman!"
"Zoro bro!" Johnny called out, concern written across his face as Zoro stood motionless.
"Mm. He said if you want to become stronger, you need to go back to the beginning."
"The beginning? The beginning of what?" Zoro's mind raced as he tried to figure out what the Warlord meant.
"Hell if I know. He's always cryptic like that. But I'm sure you'll figure it out. He wouldn't have said anything if he didn't think you were capable."
"Whether it's three swords, six swords, or even one it doesn't matter!" Zoro turned, pulling Wado from his mouth as he took a striking stance. "Your sword and my sword carry different weights!"
"Weight? I see, so your swords have extra weight to them. Then I'll have you know that each of my swords weigh at least 300 kilos. A human like you could probably barely hold one without being pulled to the earth!"
"There's no point in wasting breath on a simpleton."
"Grrr! Rokotoryu: Octopus Pot Stance!" Hachi brought all six of his swords together out in front of him as he charged once more. "New Year's-"
"Is this what I looked like to him? Just a raging bull charging forward at the slightest insult?" Zoro couldn't help but recall how Mihawk had led him around the Baratie's Fin Deck with the small dagger. He quickly shot a glance at Luffy. "It must've perplexed Hawkeye to no end as to why Luffy chose me as his first mate. He could've ended it at any time, but he didn't. He wanted to see the reason Luffy chose me, and I failed. I barely walked away with my life. And I'll forever bear this mark on my chest as a reminder of my failure. Just like my captain does." Zoro felt the vertical cut that Mihawk had gifted him, pulse in agony. "So I'll go back to the beginning and start anew! And I swear to you Luffy…" Zoro rolled forward, ducking underneath the six blades that intended to break through his guard and leave him wide open, vertically slicing through Hachi's stomach. "I'll never lose again!"
"-Open!" Hachi finished as his vision blurred and a fiery pain filled his gut as it was exposed to the open air as he fell to the ground, his swords suddenly feeling too heavy to hold up. He glanced over to the fishman he'd chosen to follow, the man that treated him as a brother unlike everyone else in this cruel unforgiving world. "Arlong…"
Zoro looked over his shoulder as he stared at his downed opponent before falling to his knees as his front turned a deep red, his wounds reopened. Before he could completely fall, he stabbed Wado into the ground, supporting himself on it as he stood back up. "Even if it's an injury that knocks ordinary people out, I must not fall."
Hachi struggled to his feet, his superhuman strength the only thing keeping him up. "I can't fail you as well! I won't let humans take you away like they did Tiger!"
"Even if it's an injury that kills ordinary people, I must not die!" Zoro shouted, the shadow of Mihawk once more towering above him.
Hachi tried to lift his six blades, but found he couldn't bear to hold all of them with his stomach howling in pain at his continued movement. His strength was quickly fading as fast as the blood pouring from his wounds. So he opted for the only option left to him. "Ichitoryu: Fall's Close!" He clasped onto a single blade with all six arms and swung down on Zoro with all his remaining might.
"In order to defeat the extraordinarily strong Hawkeye, I refuse to be ordinary!" Zoro spun around, Wado Ichimonji humming as it cut through the other sword like it was butter. "Tatsumaki!"
"Hachi!" Arlong cried out as Hachi was flung into the air via a small twister that the human swordsman manifested.
The village leaders' jaws fell as they watched the octopus fishman fall back to the earth, creating a small impact crater.
"That's how you do it! Way to go Zoro-bro!" Johnny celebrated as he and Yosaku did a small dance.
"W-whoa, did Zoro make a freaking twister!?" Ussop's jaw was even lower to the ground than the villager's as he finally made his way back. "He's just as much of a monster as Luffy, I swear!"
"Oh, Ussop-bro you're still alive!" Yosaku slapped his back, causing the long-nosed teen to fall over.
"Hey, don't hit me so hard! And of course I'm alive, I'm the great Captain Ussop! No freaky fishman is going to take me out!" Ussop began to boast of his gallant fight against the villainous fishman.
Luffy couldn't help but smile as Zoro dropped to his knees and pulled his bandana off. "I told you not to doubt him."
"He actually did it. He beat Hachi…" Nami felt numb as she looked at the exhausted swordsman that was usually a pain in her ass. For eight years she'd dreamt of seeing the defeated forms of Arlong's crew and it was slowly coming true. Especially now with Ussop's return, that meant Chew had been dealt with as well. That meant only two remained.
Boom!
The wall next to the doors into the main building exploded outward as Sanji's voice echoed throughout the park.
"Everyone this way!"
Just over a dozen people stumbled through the dust cloud into the wrecked courtyard of Arlong Park, Sanji, Nojiko, and the wheelchair bound Bellemere leading the way.
"Nojiko! Mama!" Nami couldn't help the tears that began to well up and slide down her cheeks.
Understanding the emotional rollercoaster that his navigator was going through, Luffy gently placed his hand on her head, lowering the brim of his hat to give her some cover.
Seeing the remaining Cocoyashi villagers, limping and wincing, being brought from the depths of Arlong Park, the other villagers who were rounded up immediately connected the dots as to why they had been brought over. "Damn Arlong, this… this is too much!" They quickly called out to their fellow villagers, trying to get them out of danger.
"Shahaha! SHAHAHA!" The hulking form of Arlong began shaking, before he burst out into maniacal laughter. His head snapped up, eyes bloodshot, casting a malevolent glare at everyone present. "What a farce! To think, my crew of superior fishmen, done in by pathetic humans? Shahaha!"
"Enough is enough!" The rubble he'd been sitting against exploded as he launched himself at the villagers being guarded by Johnny, Yosaku, and the newly arrived Ussop. "I'll wipe you all out, starting from the useless trash!"
The trio panicked as the rampaging shark fishman barreled towards them, only for Luffy to intercept him halfway with a familiar boom and flash of light. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size, fish face," the young man taunted.
The berserk Arlong responded by trying to take a bite out of Luffy's shoulder, his pointed teeth gleaming in the sun.
Zzzt!
"Gah!" Arlong cried out as he fell back, feeling as if he'd been struck by a lightning bolt. His bloodshot eyes refocused on the pirate before him. "Hmph, of course you humans would have tricks like that. How else could you stand up to us?"
"Pathetic humans this, superior species that," Luffy mimicked the fishman as he cracked his knuckles. "Don't you ever get tired of hearing yourself say the same stupid shit over and over again? The strong are the strong, regardless of their species." As soon as he finished talking, his figure blurred, before reappearing in front of Arlong and throwing a punch that launched the fishman back into the already damaged tower.
"Sanji, grab Zoro and get him out of here. Nami, lead your family and the other villagers out of here. You might want to give us plenty of space. Lightning strikes are pretty dangerous after all, shishishi."
"Aye aye, Captain!" they called out, leaving Luffy alone to face the enraged Arlong, who at this moment burst back through the tower wall, now wielding a massive sawtooth sword.
"Die you foolish human!" Arlong began rapidly swinging his sword Kiribachi, the strength behind the swings enough to shatter the remaining stone pillars around the area on contact.
"Yikes, that looks painful!" Luffy chuckled to himself as he dodged each swing by a hairsbreadth. A massive vertical swing caused him to jump back, putting him right at the edge of water.
Arlong continued with his swing, turning it into a flip as he brought his saw sword back down again, shattering the ground the two were standing on. "Shahaha! Now that we're on the water, you have no chance!" The fishman's bloodshot eyes were locked onto the teetering Luffy who was doing his best to not fall into the water. "You're mine!" he yelled, Kiribachi lashing out in a horizontal swing that covered all of Luffy's escapes.
"Shishishi, it was a good try, but no dice!"
Just before the blade hit Luffy, he seemingly blinked out of existence before reappearing back on solid land. "You gotta be faster than that if you want to catch me." Luffy smiled as he motioned for Arlong to continue.
In response, Arlong dove into the water, leaving the Strawhat captain hanging.
"Hey, he didn't run away, did he?" the young man asked himself out loud.
There was silence in Arlong Park as Luffy looked around, trying to figure out what was going on. As he began to turn to the side, a massive explosion occurred in the water as Arlong rocketed out at an even faster speed, his saw sword extended out in front of him. "Sawshark Darts!"
The fishman's blade reached Luffy this time, cutting into his shirt and side. Luffy immediately clapped a hand over the wound as he tumbled away, a wry look on his face. "All this time in the East Blue is making me rusty. After this, I think it's probably time to head back to the Grand Line." Standing up, he brushed the dust from his clothes, the new cut showing the unharmed skin beneath.
"Alright, time to put an end to this." Luffy turned toward the angry Arlong with a serious look on his face. "If you have any other tricks, you better pull them out now. Otherwise, this will be over in the next hit."
"Ridiculous!" the fishman spit out. Before he could continue though, he saw Luffy take a stance, and his instincts screamed at him to defend or run away. Immediately, he crossed his arms in front of himself, with Kiribachi also angling across his body. "Shark Scales!" he growled out, his body taking on a grayish color just as his opponent launched his attack.
"Bolt-Bolt Bazooka!"
Crashing thunder resounded as Luffy's arms shot forth, transforming into lightning bolts that hammered into the defending Arlong, launching him into the air and all the way into the top floor of Arlong Park.
Luffy stared for a second, his mind racing. "Was… was that Haki? No, not quite. Who would've thought someone out here had almost unlocked their Haki?" Shaking his head, he jumped after Arlong, determined to put an end to their fight.
Entering through the hole in the wall Arlong made, Luffy looked around, taken aback by the large amount of papers and maps strewn throughout the room. "What is this place?"
"Keh." Arlong coughed up blood from where he was leaning against a smashed up table, his right arm broken and Kiribachi shattered into pieces at his feet. "This is my navigator's map room." Slowly trying to pull himself up, he glared at the devil fruit user. "What's a monster like you doing in the East Blue?"
Luffy glared at the fishman as he continued to call Nami his navigator. "You can't call her part of your crew when you threaten and blackmail her into working for you."
"How naive. While she's a magnificent navigator, cough, she's still part of the inferior human species. She should be happy with everything I've done for her." Arlong had barely managed to stand up before Luffy's fist slammed him into the floor.
"Happy? And you call me a monster," Strawhat spit out in disgust.
Focusing, small arcs of electricity began to arc from Luffy. "With this, Nami will be free to choose whatever path she wants." Raising a hand, the atmosphere became electrified. Luffy gave one more look around the map room, imagining all the pain and torment the girl had suffered here. He slowly dropped his hand, intoning his attack name as a lightning bolt dropped from the clear skies and tore through Arlong Park.
"Bolt-Bolt Battle Axe."
0o0o0 Conomi Islands - Bonan Village 0o0o0
"We're free!" The combined surviving villagers of the entire Conomi island chain had all gathered at the last remaining village on the main island.
"Everyone! Dance and drink to your heart's content! We've lived these past eight years for this very moment!" The village leader of Bonan shouted from atop the rooftops of the village as a festival unlike any other began for the first time since the arrival of the Arlong pirates.
The villagers roared with jubilee as they cried, danced, and partied away the horrors of the last eight years.
"It's really in pieces! I just saw it for myself!" A young boy, the sole survivor of Gosa village, shouted as he ran through the streets. "Arlong Park is destroyed!"
"More!" a shout from the village hall had already become a common oddity as the mysterious teen that could summon lightning at will cried out for more food.
"Oi, save some for the rest of us! You're not even hurt!" The green-haired swordsman that had conjured a twister to defeat twenty fishman at once yelled as more and more of the food disappeared into the bottomless pit of the lighting boy's stomach.
"Luffy, if you take even one crumb from a lady's plate you'll go without food for a month!" The blond-haired chef that had defeated the indomitable Kuroobi threatened as he helped prepare as much food as possible to keep the party going.
"And so I vowed that I'd find my own way as a marksman and skillfully took down that big-mouthed half-fish with nothing but my own guts and cunning intellect! That and a healthy dose of my patented Tabasco Star!" The long-nosed teen hadn't stopped boasting about how he gallantly faced down a platoon of fishmen all by himself in a life or death battle.
"We did it! We did it! We did it!" The two blue and green jacket wearing teens had non stopped danced since the total and utter obliteration of Arlong Park. Only now they had mugs of beer in their hands.
All throughout the Conomi islands people were partying the few remaining daylight hours away. And they had no intention of stopping until their bodies collapsed.
At long last, after eight long years, they were free.
0o0o0 Outskirts of Cocoyashi Village 0o0o0
"It's just like I remember it." Bellemere whispered quietly as Nojiko and Nami pushed her wheelchair toward their family home.
The small one room building was as brilliantly white as Bellemere remembered. The tangerine groves rustled in the wind, the crashing of the waves below the cliff's edge, and the salty-sea breeze flooded her senses as memories from when she was a small girl to raising the once two little girls that now pushed her broken body, to that horrible fateful day.
For the first time, in a long time, Bellemere's body shook as she sobbed and grieved for all that had been taken by that fish bastard and his greedy ambitions.
"Mama!" Both Nojiko and Nami rushed to her sides, only to find themselves pulled into a tight hug.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to protect you both! I'm so sorry!" Bellemere wept into her daughter's shoulders.
Faint, sad, little smiles spread across both Nami and Nojiko's faces as they hugged their mother back.
"There's nothing to be sorry for Mama. It was his fault, not yours. He's the one that needs to beg us for forgiveness." Nojiko quietly said into her mother's ear, as tears began to fall down her face.
"I've never blamed you. I begged that bastard to spare your life in exchange for my talents. I didn't want you to die. I was so scared that you'd leave us alone with him, that I never thought about how he could use you against us. I just wanted us to be a family again. Just the three of us, for so long. I did so many things to achieve that dream. Who knew I just needed to meet an idiot made of lightning?" The words simply flowed out of Nami as her body shook and tears streamed. She'd wanted this for so long. The ability to hug her mother and sister without the scrutiny and suspicion of a fishman watching over them.
Bellemere calmed down from the flow of love being poured into her being by her two daughters. She couldn't help but chuckle with her orange-haired daughter at the mention of the idiot made of lightning. She knew devil fruit powers could grant powerful abilities, but surely there had to be a limit to that right?
"So he's an idiot now huh? And here I thought he was your gallant prince charming, come to rescue you from the evil band of pirates, sweep you off your feet and sail off into the sunset." Nojiko couldn't help but tease her sister, having noticed the tell-tale signs of a crush for their raven-haired savior. Pulling out of the three way hug, Nojiko sent Nami a teasing smirk.
"What!? As-if! He's a total dork, and an absolute-"
"Hunk of meat." Nojiko cut her sister off. "You should see him without that red-vest on Mama, he's built like a god, though given the circumstances, I suppose devil is more appropriate." Nojiko brought a thoughtful finger to her cheek as she realized Luffy had gained his powers by eating a devil fruit. "His morning exercise routine is a sight to behold. I know Nami definitely has."
"I-You! No! Nojiko, don't ogle my captain!" Nami's face was beat red, at a loss for words.
"Did you forget? He's my captain as well. I'm still a member of the Strawhat crew, remember? I'll ogle as much as I want. Or is that supposed to be your way of marking your territory, hm?" Nojiko pointed at the straw-hat still seated upon the orangette's head.
Nami's eyes widened as she realized she had yet to return the straw-hat to its rightful owner. "I-I…"
"Hahahaha!" Bellemere could only laugh as her daughters bickered like they had throughout their entire childhoods, right up until that day it was all shattered. "I suppose there are some things that don't change. No matter what happens or how much time passes by, you'll both be my baby girls that rescued me from that hell hole. I'm so grateful to be alive. To see the fine women you've both grown into."
Bellemere's laughter caused the two bickering girls to stop fighting and turn toward their mother and both raise a questioning brow simultaneously.
"Girls, tonight I'm making omelets with tangerine!"
0o0o0o0o0
"Hmm, is this where that guy said the raw ham melon was being made?" Luffy asked as he trudged along the long path he'd taken that had led him to the small white building sat by a cliff's edge.
It was late now, the sun had set hours ago and the moon rose high above. The building's lights were out and it was pitch black save for the brilliant moonlight that shined down on him.
"Monkey D. Luffy." A voice called out, causing Luffy to look toward the cliff's edge and spot the woman he'd come to help free. Nami's mother.
"Oh, it's just you. What are you doing out here by yourself?" Luffy tilted his head trying to work out why she was there.
Bellemere chuckled at the odd look the pirate captain was giving her. "After spending eight years locked in a tower room, wouldn't you also want to be outside as much as possible, even given my situation?" Bellemere gestured to her wheelchair.
"I suppose so. I guess this means this isn't where they're making the raw ham melon then?" Luffy asked, with a small amount of hope in his voice.
"I'm afraid not."
"Damn. Oh well, I'll ask Sanji to make me some then, shishishishishi!" Luffy laughed to himself, his stomach grumbling in excitement at the prospect of satisfying its hunger.
Bellemere herself couldn't help but laugh along with him, his laughter almost contagious. "Come here. There's something I'd like to say to you."
"Hm?" Luffy shrugged and walked over to the woman until he was standing in front of her.
"Thank you for taking care of my girls." Bellemere did her best to bow in honor of the man that had saved them all from a life of servitude and tyranny.
"Mah, it was nothing." Luffy waved her off as he picked his nose with a disinterested look.
Bellemere blinked owlishly before adopting a serene smile. "You really are just like him… your grandfather that is."
Luffy's world came to a screaming halt as terror filled his eyes. "My grandfather…?"
"Oh yes. Your grandfather, Monkey D. Garp. I knew him very well when I was in the Corps. He was the one that trained my regiment after all. To think a man like him had a grandson. I wonder what his opinion would be if he knew you were off gallivanting as a pirate. I'd bet he'd be so disappointed to hear that. Perhaps I should give him a call. It's been so long after all." Bellemere looked like a cat that had caught the canary.
"No!" Luffy shouted, "Don't do that! He can't know where I am!"
"But why ever not? I'm sure he's quite worried about you. Why, you couldn't be any older than 18, the perfect recruiting age for a model marine."
"He. Will. Kill. Me." Luffy stressed as panic began to set in. "You have no idea what it was like growing up with that man. Not to mention that I ran away with Ace without his permission! Hell. No. He cannot know I was here."
"I see." Bellemere then quickly reached up and pulled him down to eye level via his ear. "Then you're going to promise me to never break my baby girl's heart. You will treat her like a princess, no, a goddess. Because if I ever hear that you made her cry or broke the smile she's just regained there is nothing on this blue earth that will save you from me. Not your silly lightning powers, not your grandfather, not time nor distance, and most definitely not a single army or nation will protect you from my wrath. Do I make myself clear, pirate?"
"I-I, what?" Luffy felt fear envelope him as Bellemere twisted his ear even harder. "I mean yes ma'am!"
"Good." Bellemere let go of his ear, a satisfied smile resting on her face, before a small frown replaced it. "She's going to continue to follow you."
"Hm?"
"I won't stop her, I can't stop her. Just like there was no one that could stop me from joining the marines. It's going to be a perilous journey, Nami told me where you're headed. I-"
"I'll protect her with my life." Luffy cut her off.
Bellemere looked at him for a hard moment, before she let go of a deep breath she didn't know she was holding. "You really are just like your grandfather. Vice-Admiral Garp was just as head sure as you. If you're even the slightest bit like him, I know she's in good hands. Thank you."
"You don't need to thank me. I'm just doing what any good captain would do. I'm nothing without my crew. Even with this power," arcs of electricity sprouted from across his body, "There's so much I don't know about, so much I can't do that they can. So I'll do what I can do and protect them. So there's no need to thank me. Just give me some food to eat and we're even, shishishishi!"
Bellemere stared at the grinning teen and could easily envision Vice-Admiral Garp standing where he was now. Yet she couldn't quite meld the two in her mind. There was just something about this young pirate captain that made him seem like more than the aged Vice-Admiral of her past memory. Maybe it was the cock-sure smile he was giving her or the selflessness he'd proven by taking on her daughters' burdens and taking the time to set free the Conomi islands from the tyrannical rule of Arlong without a single thought of reward. Ok, he did want to be fed, but for what he and his crew had done for them it was a reward well-earned.
Smiling to herself, Bellemere made a decision. "Then when you're finished running around as a pirate, I'll make sure there's always something good to eat here for you and your crew."
0o0o0 Conomi Islands - Bellemere's House The Next Morning 0o0o0
"What are these?" Nami and Nojiko stared at their mother with raised brows and the two travelers bags that were set by the front door.
"Supplies. I packed everything I could think of that two young women would need out on the open ocean of the Grand Line." Bellemere sniggered as her daughters' jaws dropped slightly.
"What? But… I mean we can't just leave you! We're finally a family again!" Nami argued torn between wanting to fully reunite with her family and fulfilling her role as the navigator of the Straw Hat pirates.
"Mom I don't understand, don't you want to be a family with us again?" Nojiko brought a closed fist above her heart.
"Girls, we will always be a family. No matter what anyone says, you're my girls. But, at long last, the two of you have an opportunity to leave this island behind and truly see this world with your own eyes. For the first time in your lives you can choose your own paths. Nami, if you don't follow that boy, you will always regret it for the rest of your life. And Nojiko," Bellemere gazed at the blue-haired woman that had given her reason to live. "I cannot be the reason to keep yourself caged on this island. See the world and all it has to offer. I met your captain last night and he's agreed to set sail today, as soon as the both of you go down to the pier."
The two girls stood in silence as they processed what their mother was telling them.
"I love you, both of you. You gave me the happiest memories of my life, raising you two hellions, especially you Nami," Bellemere continued through Nami's indignant 'Hey!'. "So nothing could pain me more than being the reason you refuse to remove the last shackle Arlong put on you both."
"You're not a shackle!"
"Don't say that!"
"Then leave." Bellemere's features hardened. "Leave and live your lives. Deliver Arlong his final defeat and see the world he tried to deny both of you. Fulfill your dreams."
"But how can we leave when you're like-"
"Are you doubting me!?" Bellemere cut off Nami. "Do you think I need my daughters to waste their lives helping their cripple of a mother!? This damn chair is the last shackle Arlong left on me and I will conquer it! I may never be able to be rid of it, but I will not let it be an excuse to hold me back, to hold either of you back!" She clenched her fist and slammed it against the armrest of the wheelchair she was bound to.
"Mamma…" Tears welled up in Nami's eyes as she witnessed a look of shame cross her mother's face.
Nojiko took a hard look at the woman that had taken her in from that war-torn town. She remembered finding the little baby girl that was smiling so innocently, oblivious to the hellscape that surrounded them. She remembered as one of the marines she thought was dead stood back up and wrapped a torn and bloodied coat around her and the still smiling baby and sheltered them. And she remembered every single time that marine made a sacrifice to let her and Nami live a happy and fulfilled life to the best of her ability.
"I swear, marines and their pride. How can we do anything other than leave now? Geez, what a troublesome mother we have, Nami." Nojiko sighed as she shrugged her shoulders as she walked toward Bellemere and the packed supplies.
"Nojiko…" Nami didn't know what to think as she watched Nojiko approach their mother.
Kneeling before her mother, Nojiko took both of Bellemere's hands into her own. "Thank you, for saving us that day."
"You foolish girl, it was the two of you that saved me. I was ready to die that day, but that scared blue-haired girl holding onto that smiling orange-haired baby made me realize that I wasn't. I still had a job to do." Bellemere smiled at Nojiko.
Nami stepped forward and knelt next to her sister. "You aren't mad that we're going to be pirates?"
"I won't lie and say I'm not disappointed, but I'm not mad. Not when you're following your hearts. How could I ever be mad about that?" Bellemere withdrew her hands from Nojiko's grasp and pulled both girl's heads into her lap. "There's so much I want to say to both of you, to show you, to teach you… so much time was stolen from us." Bellemere's grip tightened around them. "But if you stay any longer, I won't be able to let either of you go."
It was Nami that pulled back first, a determined look on her face. "I promised I'd draw a map of the world one day. This time I'm promising to not return until I've done so! I'll show you the entire world in one map!"
Nojiko stood up, a just as determined look on her face. "I'm going to see everything this world has to offer, there won't be a single place in this world that I won't have seen at least once. When I return, I'll write a book so detailed it'll be as if you were really there!"
"Then what are the two of you waiting for?"
0o0o0 Conomi Islands - Bonan Village Pier 0o0o0
"Are they really leaving already?"
"We're not done celebrating yet!"
"Aren't a few of them still hurt?"
A massive crowd had gathered around the docked Going Merry as the pirate crew loaded gifted supplies onto the small sailing ship. Word had quickly spread of the pirates' pending departure throughout the island leading to every village islander rushing to Bonan to catch one last glimpse of their saviors.
"Luffy-bro, that was the last of the cargo!" Johnny yelled out as he and Yosaku finished hauling the given supplies to them by the grateful villagers of the Conomi islands onto the Going Merry.
"Oi, why do we have to depart so soon!? The wonderful maidens of Conomi haven't finished thanking us!" Sanji cried as he barged out of the kitchen and out onto the deck carrying a plate of cooked meat toward his currently 'shitty' captain, who was lounging on the Going Merry's railing looking towards the village.
"That was the order given Love-Cook, so shut up and finish cooking so we can eat already." Zoro walked out from below deck, having stored the majority of their supplies that had been hauled up. Ussop came out from behind him, heaving from having to help Zoro.
"I'm not complaining, but I do think it's rather sudden that we're leaving so soon. I wonder if something happened…" Yosaku couldn't help but notice the absence of Nami and Nojiko, though the blue-haired girl wasn't truly a part of the crew, he at least expected the two sisters to see them off.
"Huh? You don't think Nami would stay- hey!" Ussop cried out, holding his head where Zoro had hit him with his white-scabbard sword.
"Then don't say stupid shit." Was all the swordsman said before walking up to the mast and sitting against it.
"If Nami-swan doesn't continue from here, then I'm out. She was forty-five percent of the reason I joined this crew." Sanji declared as he set the plate of hot food next to Luffy before leaning against the railing and fishing out a cigarette and his lighter.
"Lemme guess the other forty-five was for her sister and you only left ten percent for your dream." Zoro smirked smuggly.
"When you say it, it sounds creepy." Sanji narrowed his eyes.
"That's because it is!" the rest of the crew yelled, save for Luffy, he was content to devour the food presented to him.
He then suddenly stood up as he gave an order. "Prep the sails! It's time for us to get out of here!"
"Wha- but Nami-swan still hasn't joined us! And Nojiko-chwan hasn't come to say goodbye!" Sanji complained.
"Yeah Luffy, why aren't we waiting for Nami? Are we really leaving her behind!?" Ussop asked, still unsure as to why they were leaving so suddenly.
"Stop questioning and start listening to orders! Get your ass over to the bow and pull in the anchor!" Zoro yelled as he and Johnny started climbing up the mast to unfurl the sails.
"We're not leaving Nami. She's already here!" Luffy pointed at just past the gathered crowd toward a blue and orange blur coming toward them. "Now go do your job and let's get out of here!"
Rushing through the gathered crowd, Nami and Nojiko weaved a path that took them past everyone before leaping off the pier and jumping onto the Going Merry.
Lifting up their shirts, wallets and purses started to fall onto the Going Merry's deck.
The crowd back on the pier took a blinking moment to realize what had just happened.
"Those thieving pirates!" was heard throughout the Conomi islands.
"Not bad sis, we'll make a thief out of you yet." Nami held out her hand as Nojiko high fived her.
"Hmph, did you really think you were slick enough to steal from me all these years without me picking up a thing or two? You're not as sly as you think, Miss Cat Burglar." Nojiko smiled as the two laughed, ignoring the indignant, yet tearful goodbyes, from the crowd.
"I take it everything's good then?" Luffy asked as he walked up to the sisters.
"Not quite yet," Nami walked over to him, pulling off his straw-hat from her head and placing it back where it belonged. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it." Luffy gave her his trademark grin. "Now we just need to settle the matter of what you're doing on my ship." Luffy turned his gaze to Nojiko.
"I wish to join your crew captain. I heard from a reliable source that you were recruiting." Nojiko said confidently.
"Is that so? And why would you want to join a pirate crew?" Luffy ignored an outburst from Sanji who was all for the bluenette joining the crew officially.
"Well, as it stands, I've yet to be relieved from duty when you so gallantly placed me on your crew to provide me protection from the horrible, monstrous fishmen of the Arlong pirates and then proceeded to beat each and every last one of them into a bloody pulp. Secondly, I want to see the world and as this ship is currently the only one in the entirety of the Conomi Islands, what better opportunity than this to leave? And third," Nojiko adopted a sultry look, "I still haven't gotten to… thank you for saving my family."
"Nojiko!" Nami yelled, her face burning red.
Luffy blinked and tilted his head with a raised brow.
Zoro laughed.
Ussop gaped.
Johnny and Yosaku couldn't help but think how lucky their captain was.
And Sanji fainted from a sudden case of blood loss.
"It was no problem." Luffy said lamely as he stuck a finger into his nose. "Well since you're here and technically a part of the crew already, I guess welcome aboard! We'll figure out a job for you later, but for now… let's celebrate!" Luffy threw up his arms as he yelled for his crew to party.
Nojiko blinked as Luffy completely dismissed her and rounded up his crew. "So he really does have a thing for her." She smiled as she watched Nami get dragged off by the eccentric boy that was now officially her captain and began dancing and laughing with her.
Sanji was quickly back on his feet and in the kitchen prepping a banquet for the small band of pirates. Zoro dragged out booze and started drinking with Johnny and Yosaku as Ussop started spinning stories.
"Nojiko, come on!" Nami waved to her and the bluenette cast a look back at the islands she'd grown up and had spent almost her entire life. So much had happened there and as the Conomi islands got smaller and smaller against the horizon line, she realized just how small everything was. She couldn't help but look toward the cliffs where her mother now resided and smiled at the distant figure of a woman sitting in a wheelchair, waving goodbye to them.
Turning away, Nojiko took her first real steps toward a new, unpredictable future that would change the world.
And had she kept staring back toward her home islands she'd have seen the rising sails of a Navy battleship just peaking over the horizon.
Vice Admiral Garp was the closest he'd been to his errant grandson in five years.
0o0o0 To be Continued 0o0o0
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You guys have no idea how long I've wanted to finish this chapter and have it out to you guys. Its been in my head for so long. That's really all I have to say, besides chapter 13 is out on the if you guys want to check that out, and that I do stream on Twitch as "roninthat" streaming Star Wars: The Old Republic weekly at various hours doing its hardest content. Come on by if you guys want to hang!
Review Responses:
Sword of the Gods: Ask and you shall receive. Seeing you review brought a smile to my face, been following Coby's Choice for a long time. Big fan of your work. Me and my co-author thought long and hard about the implications of our changes and going dark early was our only choice. LuNa is going to progress as a slow-burn, much to my chagrin, unfortunately but it's how things have been flowing so its what we're going with. We've got a few twists and turns left with the last bit of East Blue remaining so look forward to it.
trollzor69: Right now its just LuNa, anything more than that we'll see.
Nami4Life: Yep Bellemere is alive and well... she's alive. And yes the rat bastard got his comeuppance and Garp is hot on Luffy's trail.
Perseus Peverell: Why a different devil fruit? To make the story more interesting, be different, and because I can. Kinda the point of fanfiction.
