Chapter 15
"I just don't want to fall asleep to another nitemare."-Project Wakeup, I See Stars
"Mah, Ryuko. I'm bored." A nine year old Kya sat on a large rock near the dock. She dangled a tree branch down to her tiger cub, Yama, who chased it playfully. "Well, go play with your friends. Jeesh, you're annoying." Her older brother muttered, packing away his fishing gear. "They're all busy. That's why I'm with you." She whined as the cub pulled the branch from her hand. "Well, go play with your dumb cat. I don't care." He said tiredly, giving her a small glare with his hawk-like eyes before walking away. "Jerk." She stuck her tongue out at him before jumping off.
"Yama, let's go explore." She grabbed the young tiger and coddled him in her arms. "Meow." He looked up at her with his one eye, nuzzling into her collar bone. She skipped her way into the jungle, where she was never allowed to go before. "Mama never lets us go here, so we have to keep it a secret."
Eventually, mucking her way through the dense forest floor, they came to a small meadow. Yama immediately jumped from her arms, rolling around in the lush grass. "What's this place?" She whispered to herself, standing in the sun's rays. "The sun can even reach the ground here…." She twirled around, her waist-length pink hair flailing around her. 'It's so pretty, right Yama?" The tiger growled playfully before pouncing on a flower.
They played together for a few hours, before Kya finally sighed. "We should go home. Mama and Papa are probably worried. They'll get mad at Ryuko if we don't get back soon." She bent over to pick up the one eyed jungle cat but a loud explosion shook the ground, causing her to fall over.
Quickly she brushed herself off, getting to her feet. "Yama, let's go." She said hastily, taking off through the forest. Her foot caught on a root, causing her to trip and tumble forward. "Ow." She muttered, grabbing her bleeding arm. Yama ran up to her, mewing worriedly as he rubbed against her wounded arm. "I'm okay." She patted his head lightly before she started her journey again.
Another loud explosion shook the ground and the smell of smoke hit her nostrils, causing her to run faster. "Ryuko!" She cried loudly, hoping the older boy could hear her, but no one answered. As she stumbled her way out of the forest, she came to the dock where a World Government ship was had been placed.
"Little girl? What are you doing?"
She looked up to see a tall man with white hair and red eyes wearing a black trench coat staring down at her. "Wh-What's happening?" She mumbled as Yama curled himself around her ankle. He smiled down at her creepily, holding his hand out. "Why don't you come with me, I'll take you somewhere safe." He said emotionlessly. She reached her bloodied arm out to grasp it, but froze when she looked behind him.
Fire. Fire everywhere. Every single house in her small village was caught on fire. Her body shook in terror as she sprinted forward to her home. "Mama! Papa! Ryuko!" She cried, tears running down her face as she came to the outside of her house. "Answer me!" She yelled as a hand was placed on her shoulder, making her jump. She looked up to see the man from before, smiling down at her once again.
"My name is Niro. I'll be taking care of you from now on."
"Stop!" Kya shot up, placing a hand on her sweating forehead. She looked around her, seeing she had been placed in the bed Zoro was on when she last saw him. 'Another nitemare.' She thought bitterly, throwing the sheets off of her.
"What was that? Is there someone else on the boat with you?" A gruff, new voice called out from the front of the boat. 'Are we under attack?' She was quick to grab her belt and dagger, which had somehow been taken off her when she was asleep. "No. No one's here." Zoro spoke out, sounding a little irritated. That's when the door flew open and a short fishman with a massive under bite strode in. "Look what we have here, a little beauty." He snorted as she froze. Fishman? Why was there a fishman here? They couldn't be at-?
"C'mere." He marched forward, a sick smile on his face. "Kya! Run!" Zoro shouted, but she couldn't find a way out. She was stuck between the fishman and the wall. 'Dammit. Dammit. Dammit.' She cursed, backing up. "No running away, missy." The fishman chuckled, lunging for her. She didn't have enough time to react, and his webbed hand was fastened around her throat. She coughed; struggling for air as he choked her. "We got ourselves a pretty one." He carried her out on to the deck where Zoro and another fishman with big lips was.
"Ho ho, we sure do." Big Lips chuckled as Kya was thrown to the ground. "Kya!" Zoro shouted as she tumbled next to him, gasping for air. "I'm fine." She coughed, sitting upright slowly. He struggled in his ropes but his efforts were fruitless. Underbite picked her up by the arm and tied the rope securely around her before removing her weapons.
"What the hell happened?" She squirmed under the hold of Underbite as he placed her against the side. "Ah, well. Yosaku went back to tell Sanji and Luffy we figured the Merry was at Arlong Park." Zoro told her simply. "Well, where are the other two!?" She nearly shouted, and the fishman scolded her for being loud with a slap to the face. "They jumped overboard and left me tied to the door." He answered casually, making her sigh.
The fishmen took the boat and sailed it towards a large brick wall with an opening for two smaller gates. "Open the gates! We've brought intruders!" Big Lips shouted and his command was heard; the large gates suddenly opened, revealing a large pool and an even larger house with the words 'Arlong Park' on it surrounded by other fishmen. "I can tell this is going to be exciting." Zoro murmured, twitching slightly. "We're dead." She said aloud, shaking her head. "We're all dead."
The ship was pulled to the front and Underbite grabbed her, throwing her overboard onto the cement ground. She grimaced, but managed to sit up, seeing a large sawshark fishman sitting in a chair and gleaming down at her. Zoro was slung to her left side, growling out in pain as he landed on his side. 'Dammit. Dammit. Dammit. Dammit.' She cursed to herself as the large fishman, presumably Arlong, began to laugh. "Well how about that. We've got a beauty and a beast." He chuckled, making the small girl frown deeply at him. "You don't look like you could hurt a fly."
"Look, we didn't come here to play stupid games with you." She said suddenly, making all of the fishmen around raise an eyebrow. "She can talk." Arlong laughed again, crossing his tattooed arms over his exposed chest. "Oi, oi. Look, we just came here looking for one woman." Zoro butted in, sitting up in pain. Every fishman around began to laugh in their deep voice, mocking the two pirates. 'This isn't going well.' She shot a look at Zoro, who was twitching in anger. "You've got one right next to you." Arlong said stupidly, pointing at Kya.
"That's not who I was talking about! Bastard fish freaks." Zoro growled lowly at the other species. "Ho! An inferior human dares to speak to me as such! I will let this slide once, but if you do it again I'll kill you. We fishmen are humans who have gained he 'special ability' to breathe underwater. And this skill makes us better and more evolved than 'normal' humans!" Arlong boasted in a racist fashion. "Our greater strength is proof of that! Remember this: fishmen are both god and creator! When humans dare go against fishmen, he dares to go against god!" At this point, Nami had walked out from the building behind him, an angry look on her face.
'That bitch.' Kya stared at her bitterly as the orange haired traitor spoke. "I'm getting sick of hearing that speech, Arlong." She said bitterly, and Zoro gasped. 'That tattoo…..she's been with Arlong this whole time?!' Kya's teeth ground together angrily. "Don't get upset! Of course, you're an exception, Nami. Because you are the skilled navigator of the crew! You'd better chart good maps for us!" Arlong said passively. "My ability is better than all of yours. Don't worry." Nami answered coldly.
"Navigator? Hey Nami. Why are you so friendly with these guys?!" Zoro asked suddenly, oblivious to everything. "What? Do you know of each other?" Arlong asked suspiciously as the navigator inched closer to Zoro and Kya. "Don't be silly. They're just some of my victims." She leaned in front of Zoro but turned her head to Kya. "I knew you've been following me. But I never thought that you could actually get here." She smirked. "So this is the real you?" Kya asked through a clenched jaw. She was going to kill her. And then somehow bring her back to life and kill her again. 'She pissed me off too much.'
"Yes. Surprised? I am one of Arlong's crew. I was a pirate from the start." Nami chuckled darkly, making Arlong laugh yet again. "Some of your victims?! Let me tell you something! This woman will do anything for money: even forget the death of her own mother! She is a cold blooded witch!" His words made Nami freeze, her eyes shaking in anger. 'Aha, you're not very good at hiding your emotions idiot.' Kya chewed the inside of her lip from speaking. It didn't matter anyways; Nami was a bitch no matter how you looked at it.
"She has deceived others and stole their treasures! With us as her backup!" Arlong continued to laugh as Zoro spoke up. "Oh? Is that so? Actually, I never trusted her from the start. Even though she is a cutthroat, I wouldn't feel anything for her." He said smugly, making Kya snicker. "We knew it all along, you never were the good person you claimed to be." She threw in, and Nami sighed in relief. "That's good. So you know you've been tricked. Then, there is nothing left between us now. You two should better get out of my sight; you're starting irritate me."
Suddenly, Zoro pushed himself off into the water, surprising everyone. "Zoro!" Kya shouted, a little ticked by his childish antics. The fishmen around them began questioning the scene until Arlong silenced them. "Leave him." He said gruffly, but that's when Nami slipped her sandals off and dove into the water; apparently she couldn't let anyone die on her watch.
'That idiot, what if she was cold blooded you would be dead.' Kya tsked out loud, shaking her head. She had been surrounded by idiots; that's what happened to her. "Ah she's coming up." One of the fishmen noted idly as the water began splashing. Nami and Zoro came through the surface, leaning onto the concrete panting. "Hey, what's going on Nami?"
"What are you trying to do?" Nami whispered to Zoro, panting heavily. "No…what are you trying to do?" He coughed before speaking again. "So you don't have the guts? You can't even let one human die in front of you." He pointed out. "You'd better work on being quicker next time idiot. I almost drowned."
That did Nami in. She stood to her feet and slammed her heel into Zoro's back. "Stop mocking me!" She cried out angrily. 'Baka. He overdid it.' Kya watched with a stern look as Nami picked him up by the throat. "Get involved with me next time, and you die!" She threatened. "Oh really?" He snorted in her face. "…..You have a lot of bandages on you." She trailed off darkly. "I just can't find my shirt. That's all."
She released his neck, digging her fist into his fresh wound. 'Shit. That must have hurt.' Kya winced as he fell to the ground, gasping in pain. She'd have to fix that up later. "Hey, what are we gonna do with them Nami?" One of the fishmen asked, making said girl shrug. "Just leave em there. I'll take care of that later."
"Arlong-san! Arlong-san!" Underbite came running into the area. 'Where the hell has he been?' Kya thought, twisting in the ropes unbearably. "What is it?" Arlong answered boredly. "We let the guy with the long nose get away from us!"
'Usopp?!' Kya gasped inwardly. If they caught him, they were doomed-she hated to say this-he was their last hope at the moment. "Maybe he has escaped to Cocoyashi Village. It so happens that I have matters that I need to take care of there too." Arlong stood and clapped his hands together. "Take those two to the jail cells." He demanded, and two fishmen ran over to the pirates, hoisting them to their feet.
"Oi, let me go." Kya attempted to pull away from the creature, but he clutched her arm so tightly it hurt. "Listen here girly; you don't stand a chance against us merman. Give it up." He opened one of the cells and threw her to ground against the wall. "Bastard." She spat as Zoro was thrown in after her. The fishman merely chuckled as he locked the door and left.
"Well, this is a predicament." Zoro noted idly, sitting up. "Says the man who nearly drowned." She scoffed, looking away. "She wouldn't let me drown, I knew that." He chuckled lightly. "Whatever. You're an idiot." She struggled in the ropes again, but gave up. They were too damn tight.
"Do you think Nami will come back?" He asked suddenly, staring at the wall. "Don't know, don't care." She shrugged, leaning her head back. "That's a bit apathetic." He snickered at her. "Meh, we didn't get along. It's up to Luffy really." She closed her eyes and sighed. 'And he's going to want her back, unfortunately.'
A jiggling at the cell door caught her attention, and her focus zeroed in on Nami who was….unlocking the door? "What are you doing?" Kya shot coldly, but was ignored. Nami walked in, a knife in hand and their weapons in her other. She cut off Zoro's ropes before setting his katana down beside him. Kya tensed as Nami neared her, throwing her dagger and utility belt to the ground before removing the other ropes. "Wha-" Zoro went to ask but she cut him off. "Get out of here! Before Arlong gets back!" She said simply before disappearing down the hallway.
"Well." He murmured, standing up and putting his katana in his waistband. "Whatever." Kya said simply, putting her belt on so it hung loosely over her left hip and put her dagger on her right thigh as normal. "Hopefully all the fishmen are gone." He changed the subject as he followed her out of the cell. "Ah well….." She walked out back to the courtyard. "Doesn't seem like it." She sighed as nearly twenty fishmen laid eyes on them. "Ready for a fight?" He chuckled behind her as he unsheathed his katana. "Have no other choice." She mumbled as the fishmen began to charge. "Soru."
She moved in between a group of five before doing a hand stand. "Rankyaku." She kicked her legs, causing her to spin around as the air compressed and sent the five enemies flying backwards; unconscious. "Well…that wasn't so hard." She turned as about five more of them came at her. The one closest to her threw his dagger, and she dogged it just in time but not before it ripped the left leg of her pants. "Dammit." She frowned, placing a hand on her hip. "Now I have to change."
"Kami-e." She floated past the barrage of arms coming at her elegantly before punching one in clear in the jaw. "Shigan." Two more went down, bullet-like holes all over there body. She removed her dagger, stabbing the last two quickly. She looked at Zoro, who was holding off his last opponent. Then she looked at the building to see a small room covered in maps. 'Nami's room. Maybe she'll have some clothes in there.'
It didn't take long to find the small room, but the feeling she got when she walked in made her frown. It felt kind of….empty. She sighed and shrugged it off, digging through a draw. "Perfect." She smiled, pulling out some clothes.
These clothes must have been Nami's from some years ago, because they were a little small on Kya. The jean shorts barely covered her butt and the black shirt hung loosely off her left shoulder but stopped just below her breasts. "Meh, this will do for now." She positioned her dagger and holder over the hated scar on her leg and tightened her belt securely around her waist.
"She told use to escape…but our goal is here." Zoro's voice hit her ears as she walked outside. "I promised Luffy that I would bring her back. What the hell…this is so complicated." He murmured to himself making her chuckle. "Talking to yourself won't make anything better." She told him leaning against the post next to Arlong's chair, where he currently resided. "Shut up." He scoffed simply, closing his eyes.
After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, something that sounded similar to a trumpet resonated through the air. "What's that?" He asked but she only shrugged. "Someone making bad music?" She suggested, walking over to the wall where the bad music came from. "Help me up." She pushed him down to his knees. "What are you doing?" He grumbled. "Lift me up with your hands idiot." He held his hands out and jumped in them lightly. "Jeesh. My weights way more than you do." She leaned over on top of the wall to see an octopus fishman looking out at sea with a dead pig on a stick. Zoro climbed up after, grumbling to himself, but she ignored it.
"Are you the one that blew the trumpet?" She asked the fishman, who jumped and turned to her surprised. "Who are you?! Me?! I am Hatchan. You can Hachi." The fishman said smiling. "You're a fishman too?" Zoro asked boredly, ignoring the octopus's weird antics. "As you can see, I am a merman octopus. You two are human right? Are you guys Marines or guests?" Hachi asked, waving his tentacles weirdly. "Guest?" Zoro repeated, and the two pirates looked at each other for a second.
"Ah, yes. We're guests." Kya smiled down at the fishman. "But Arlong-san's not here…" Hachi trailed off. "No, he's not. Do you know where he is?" She asked lightly. "I heard that there is one stranger with a long nose who went to the village. We've already captured two guys. And Arlong-san is trying to find another one in Cocoyashi Village." He said, holding up four fingers. 'Usopp and Johnny…..' Her mouth formed into a thin line. 'We need to hurry.'
"How do you get to that village?" Zoro asked suddenly. "Jump in. You're both guests, so I'll take you there." Hachi pointed at a large vase-like object floating in the sea. "Ah, well okay…." She jumped off the ledge, hesitantly making her way into the vase. "We'll be there in a few minutes." Hachi said before jumping into the ocean. The object moved unevenly, and she had to steady herself as he strapped it to his back. 'He's gonna carry us there?' She sucked in the queasy feeling in her stomach as she sat on the rim. "You're really gonna take us there?" Zoro asked as he made his way into the pot. "Of course." Hachi said simply, before unexpectedly taking off. 'Shit.' She gripped the pot tightly, closing her eyes as the salt water splashed into her face. He was a really fast swimmer.
The ride there was silent, aside from the splashing of the water, and the three pulled up to a small dock in front of a village. Hachi unstrapped the pot from his back, setting it in the water. Kya and Zoro jumped out, and he turned to face the fishman. 'There's no one here….' She thought, surveying the area. "This is Cocoyashi Village. I think Arlong-san is there." Hachi said quickly. "Thanks." Zoro began, but was cut off when the octopus took off. "You're welcome! Please come again! I'm gonna go."
"What a weird fishman." He muttered before facing towards the village. "That saw-nose came to this village." He told her and she nodded. "Ah, but forget that. Let's find Usopp first." She said before walking forward through the village. No one seemed to be out, and the town felt dead. "This is weird…." He muttered and she turned to look at him. 'When did he get that shirt…?' She noticed the open buttoned shirt he had on, but shrugged it off. "Seems no one is here." Just as she spoke, an older man walked out of a house humming to himself.
"Hey! Old man!" Zoro shouted, running over to him. The man froze, his body shaking slightly as the two pirates jogged up to him. "Have you seen a man with long dark hair and a really long nose?" She asked quickly. He nodded, swallowing a bit. "Yah. But the Arlong Pirates got him and took him back to Arlong Park." He answered lightly. "What?! Usopp was taken to Arlong Park?!" Zoro nearly shouted. "Yes, just a while ago."
"Damn it, we missed him." He grabbed her arm, pulling her towards the direction they came from. "We have to go back." He said, and she nodded. "Ah. Luffy should be here soon." She said and they took off running.
"Should you be running with your wound?" She asked suddenly, completely forgetting about his near death experience. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me." He waved her off. "I'm not worried. Luffy would just be mad at me if I let you die." She huffed at him. "Whatever." He chuckled lightly before looking at the sky. "Do you hear that?" He asked suddenly. She focused her hearing; there were people yelling and screaming. "Ah, I don't know what it is though."
The sound was getting louder and louder. "Was there an explosion?" She asked and he shrugged. "Nevermind that. If we don't hurry, Usopp will die." He reminded her but that's when they saw it: a ship, flying straight towards them, with Luffy, Sanji, and Yosaku. "Hey Zoro! Kya!" Luffy laughed at them. "Brother! Sister!" Yosaku cried out, feared for his life. Kya didn't have enough time to dodge it, and the boat hit the ground by her sending her into Zoro under all the debris.
"God dammit…" She muttered, clutching her head as she removed herself from on top of Zoro. "Beautiful lady~! These mean did not hurt you did they?" Sanji twirled his way over to her. "I'm fine." She breathed, avoiding his grasp. "What the hell are you playing?!" Zoro shouted at Luffy, who was standing perfectly normal while Yosaku was buried head first in debris. "We're not playing. We came to take Nami back with us. Did you find her? Where is Usopp and Johnny?" He asked in one breath.
"Speaking of Usopp, we have to hurry now!" Kya said, turning towards Arlong Park. "Eh?! What happened?" Luffy asked from his spot. "Arlong has him captured. If we don't hurry, he'll be killed." Zoro explained to him.
"He was already killed!"
Everyone turned and saw Johnny standing in the middle of the debris, an angry look on his face. "You are too late." He said darkly. "Johnny?" Zoro called out but Johnny stopped and clenched his fists. "Brother Usopp was killed by sister Nami!" He cried, tears streaming down his face. 'That bitch.' Kya frowned, placing her hands on her hips.
That's when Luffy growled and charged at Johnny, grabbing the bounty hunter by his collar. "Say that again!" He dared angrily, and she rushed forward, wrapping her arms around the boy, attempting to hold him back. "Luffy, calm down." She said lightly. "If you don't tell me the truth I will beat you up!"
Zoro placed a hand on his shoulder. "Stop it Luffy! It's not Johnny's fault." He tried to say lightly, but everyone could tell he was a little angry. "Then why did he say such a stupid thing!? Nami would never kill Usopp! We're friends!" Luffy yelled, pulling Johnny closer to him. "I don't care if you don't believe me but I saw it with my own eyes!" He retorted.
"Nami?" Zoro's voice made Kya release her grip on the captain, looking onward to see the orange haired girl standing there smugly. "Who's your friend Luffy?" She asked darkly as he released his grip on Johnny. "What are you doing here?" She added, clutching a pole tightly in her right hand while her left was covered in a leathery clove.
"Why are you asking? You are my friend, I came to take you with us." Luffy placed his hand on top of his hat. "You give me such a headache." She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Friends? Don't make me laugh. All you need is someone who can give you a hand. Am I right?" Kya clenched her fists together; that girl was just itching for a punch to her face. "Ah! Nami-san! Do you remember me?! Let's go travel together!" Sanji suddenly spoke up to her right, pissing Zoro off. "Get lost! Why do you have to make this more complicated?" The swordsman shouted, standing in front of her. "What? Don't you realize my love is stronger than a mountain?" Sanji answered, his cigarette hanging from his lips. She growled at both of them, placing her hands on their foreheads before pushing them away from each other.
"I told you that this is an evil hearted woman! In order to get all the treasure underneath her hometown, she joined Arlong and is willing to kill anyone!" Johnny cried out to them. "She is a cold blooded witch! All of you have been tricked by her! I saw her kill brother Usopp with my own eyes!" His words made Nami chuckled. "So what? You want to seek revenge and kill me?" She asked, smiling. "What did you say?!"
"Let me tell you something. Arlong really wants to kill Roronoa Zoro, Kya and their friends because those two have upset him! Even though you are as strong as the devil, you can't compare yourself to the strength of real devils!"
"Nevermind that, where's Usopp?" Zoro pushed. "Why don't you look for him at the bottom of the sea?" She shot back haughtily. "Watch your mouth!" He unsheathed his katana and headed straight for her. 'This is not good…..' Kya chewed her finger as Sanji nearly kicked Zoro in the head. "You too idiot!" They both stood inches away from each other, angry looks smoldering their faces. "What kind of swordsman would hurt a lady?" The cook puffed on his cigarette. "What?! You better get out of my way."
"Heh. Ever since you lost in that shameful battle, you've become a high tempered person." Sanji smirked; simply adding salt to an already burning wound. "Watch your mouth! Otherwise you'll lose your head!" Zoro pressed his katana up to the other man's neck. "Can you do that in your condition?" Kya sighed, hanging her head. If they kept on going, she'd kill them both. "You shouldn't fight each other in situations like this!" Yosaku finally cried.
"Yes, if you want to fight just get off this island! I don't want outsiders to waste their live here. Don't you understand? The reason I befriended you was for money. And now you don't have anything, so I don't have to care about you anymore! I will return your ship to you. Just get out of here and find a new navigator or One Piece or whatever you want to do!" Nami looked a little heartbroken as she spoke, but tried to hide it. "Good bye!"
"Nami…." Luffy trailed off before falling flat on his back. 'What is he up to now?' Kya thought boredly, not taking her eyes off Nami. "Brother Luffy!" Johnny yelled in fear. "I am going to sleep here." Luffy said finally, making the assassin chuckle. "Sleep?! At a time like this!?" Johnny and Yosaku cried together. "And you're going to sleep in the middle of the street like this?!" Sanji threw in.
"I've never thought of leaving this island. And I don't care about what happens here. Besides I feel a little sleepy, I will sleep now." Luffy was already dozing off as Zoro hit his forehead, and the other three males' jaws dropped. "Stop playing around! You'll get killed!" Nami cried out before turning and stomping off.
"Well….how about that." Kya snorted before sitting on the ground a few feet from Luffy. "Meh, whatever." Zoro sighed as he slowly placed himself on the ground, his katana in his lap. Sanji didn't say anything, only puffed some smoke as he walked over to a tree and sat, leaning against it. "All of you are very strange! What that witch said is right! Brother Usopp has already died!" Johnny said, standing next to Zoro. "Besides, Arlong is looking for you. There is no reason to stay on this island, and I believe in Johnny's word." Yosaku said, a stern look on his face. "It's been very nice knowing you, even though it was short time. We're gonna get going because we don't want to get killed by Arlong." Johnny said before they began walking away.
"I hope to see you again! Goodbye!"
"You're already strong! Take care!"
"You too." Zoro said gruffly as the two disappeared from sight. "What a pain." Kya sighed as she crossed her legs and leaned back on her hands. "We could have made it to Lougetown by now…" She added, looking up at the sky. "Awh~ Kya-chwan you're so cute." Sanji cooed from his spot by the tree. "Tsk, don't call me that." She gritted. "Yes ma'am!~" He swayed back and forth from his spot, hearts in his eyes. "Pervert cook." Zoro muttered, but not low enough so that Sanji couldn't hear. "Shuttup you stupid green head."
It was quite for a moment, until Sanji spoke up again. "Hey." He directed at Zoro, who responded with a bored 'huh'. "Nami-san has killed that long nosed man?" He asked and Zoro nodded, smirking a bit. "Maybe. Even though she is small, I was once beaten up by her. Maybe she has killed Usopp." He snickered to himself, but apparently his comment sent Sanji over the edge. "Small?"
"Oh god, here we go again…" Kya muttered, falling on her back with her knees up. She watched as Sanji got up and moved towards Zoro, who simply sat and watched the cook with a keen eye. "Nami-san's breasts are not small!" Sanji cried out, sending a kick towards Zoro who stopped it with his katana. "Are you only thinking of such dirty things?!"
A cry of pain stopped the two boys from fighting, and an injured Usopp fell to the ground, his face smashed in badly. "Usopp!" She cried, rushing to her feet and over to the three boys. "Usopp?" Luffy sat up, looking at them. It took him a few minutes to register what happened and he quickly crawled over to the sharpshooter, holding him in his arms. "Usopp? Did Nami do this to you!?"
"No! It's our fault!" Sanji pointed at Zoro next to him, who scoffed. "Only your fault!" Kya shot them both a stern glare; Sanji swooned while Zoro looked the other way. "Luffy? You're here too?" Usopp asked, regaining his composure. "Yep!" Sanji waved slightly. "I also came. Hi!"
"I will kill you one day!" Usopp cursed before shaking his head. "The problem is Nami! She's the one who saved me. I think there must be a reason she joined those fishmen!" He placed his fist in his hand. "It's hopeless! There is nothing you can do to change Arlong's system." The five of them turned to see a pretty, older woman with blue hair that with a thin bandana around her head and tattoos down her right arm and across her chest. "Nojiko…." Usopp trailed off lightly.
"Who's that?" Luffy pointed at the woman. "Nami's elder sister." Usopp explained to him. "Elder sister…?" Kya tilter her head; thy looked nothing alike. "Nami-san's sister! No wonder she is so beautiful!~" Sanji cried, hearts in his eyes. "What do you mean by that?" Zoro was straight to the point. "Please! Don't get involved with our business. I will tell you everything if you leave this island." She propositioned with the pirates.
"Meh. Whatever." Zoro grumbled, walking over to a tree and sitting against it. "You should be nicer to Nami-san's sister." Sanji scolded as he sat down in the grass. 'I guess we don't have a choice.' Kya laid down on the grass next to Sanji, staring at the white clouds floating by. "I don't want to listen to that because I don't care about her past. I'm going to take a walk." Luffy said simply, walking off. "Take a walk?! You don't want to know about her past?!" Usopp shouted after him, but the boy shrugged. "No, I don't."
"He-" Zoro cut Nojiko off. "Don't worry about him. That's the way he is. Tell us. We'll listen." But after he spoke his last words, he fell asleep. "Then why are you sleeping?" She asked. "You told her that you'd listen, but you fell asleep before she began!" Usopp shouted. "Baka." Kya muttered, closing her eyes. She didn't care much for Nami's past, but maybe it would help her get along with the navigator better. "I'll listen to you." Usopp told her loyally. "Me too." Sanji said, but he probably just wanted to get in her pants. "Go ahead." Kya said simply, giving the older woman a curt nod.
Nojiko told their story; Nami and herself were adopted by an ex-Marine named Bell-mere. Bell-mere raised until about eight years ago Arlong and his pirate crew invaded the village. They were looking for money, but there wasn't enough so Bell-mere sacrificed her life for her two daughters. Arlong took Nami for ability to write maps and since then she has been in his crew; striving for money to buy her village back.
'Ah, looks like the thief and I have more in common than I thought.' Kya sat up, a frown on her face. 'The worlds is an awful place.' "Since eight years ago, that girl has never cried again and she's never asked anyone for help because she doesn't want to die like our mother." Nojiko explained sadly. "She was ten years old, and Nami decided to fight alone in that situation?" Usopp asked quietly. "Have you ever realized how much pain she has been through?" She asked. "Because it was the only way to save her village, she decided to join the people who killed her mother." He answered, pressing his thumb to his nose.
"Any person who hurts Nami-sans feelings, I won't let them live peacefully!" Sanji suddenly shouted, getting to his feet, only to be hit on the head by Nojiko. "Why did you do that to me miss?!" Sanji cried, holding his hurt head. "I came here to tell you not to do anything stupid. If you get involved with her, you will make those fishmen suspicious of Nami and her plan for the past 8 years will be ruined! So I want you to not create any more trouble and stop hurting her feelings."
"Ah, don't worry. We won't do anything." Kya cracked her back as she stood. Nojiko looked at her for a moment, but nodded. "I'll be heading back to the village now. You should find your friend and get out of here." She said before taking off towards her home. "What do you mean we won't do anything?!" Usopp nearly shouted as Nojiko was out of view. Kya grabbed his nose, sighing lightly. "I was lying idiot. Of course we'll destroy that sick son of a bitch and his crew." She said sternly, releasing him.
"Mah, I've never seen you this worked up before." Everyone turned to look at Zoro as yawned and stretched. "I don't like people like Arlong." She said simply, turning towards the village. "Let's go." She began walking in the direction Nojiko left, Sanji skipping up to her. "Oh~! Kya-chwan's so cute when she's determined!" He cooed, shaking his hips. She clenched her fists, but refused to hit him. "I told you to stop calling me that." She muttered, twitching in annoyance. "I can't help it. You're just so cute!~" He cried out happily. She sighed, holding her tongue. 'He'll give it up, one of these days.'
The walk towards the village was mainly silent, aside from a few arguments between Zoro and Sanji. "Luffy!" She called out, running up to the captain who was sitting on a bench near a group of townspeople. "What's going on?" She asked him as the other three ran up behind her. "Ah, they're going to fight Arlong for Nami." Luffy said simply as Zoro sat on the bench next to him. "Those people are?" He asked skeptically and Luffy nodded. "Yah."
"There is no one way they will let our village go! We don't have any hope left! After all, they just want to play with Nami's feelings! We can't forgive those fishmen!" A man with a pinwheel on his hat and scars covering his bodies shouted in the middle of the group. "Anyone want to object?!"
"No one! Let's fight them!"
"We can't be under their control anymore!"
"We've prepared to fight them for a long time!"
"Fight!"
"Wait!" Nami was standing a few feet away from them, panting heavily. "Everyone please be patient! I will try to collect money again, okay?! It won't be hard this time!" She held her arms out, a small smile on her face. The man with the tattoos walked up to her, pulling her into his arms. "That's enough! You knew that nothing was working. It must hurt to join them! But it's been a very good fight for you, the girl who always fights alone for us. You've fought good." He pulled away from her. "That's enough. Get off this island." He said, making everyone gasp. "Wait-" Nami was cut off by her sister, who was covered in bandages now. "You are…a very smart person, and you also have a dream to accomplish right?"
"Everyone don't go! I don't want to see anyone get hurt by them!" She pulled out a small knife. "If you go, you will get killed!" She shouted, and the scarred man grabbed the knife with his bare hand. "We know." He said deeply. "Nothing will help. We've decided!" Another man butted in. "Get out of our way Nami!" The villagers rushed pashed her as she fell to her knees, clutching her tattooed arm. That's when she grabbed the knife and dug it deep into her shoulder, crying and screaming Arlong's name over and over until Luffy walked up behind her and grabbed her wrist.
"Luffy?!"
'It's hard to realize we are similar in many ways.' Kya thought, chewing the inside of her lip. She'd have to apologize later for all the fighting. "What is it now?! You don't know anything!" Nami shouted as she dropped the knife. "No, I don't know anything." He answered her truthfully. "It's none of your business!" She threw dirt at his legs. "I told you to get off this island!" She sobbed loudly. "Yes you've already told me." He said as she began crying into her hand.
"Luffy….help me…"
With those three words, he removed his hat and placed it on her head roughly before turning around and taking a deep breath. "Surely I will help you!" He shouted heroically, making Kya snort. It wasn't much of a battle cry, but it will do. He walked up next to his crew, an angry look on his face. "Let's go."
"Yeah!"
I have really bad writer's block...