Kudos to Dragonsatan, Freerunner4427, Loveoflife, and an unnamed guest who noticed the pattern: from most recent to least recent. Dragonsatan noticed it first, however, and as I promised, his decision stands. The vast majority of you—or at least, the majority of you who reviewed—will be pleased to know that his choice was Nami.
A peaceful, quiet, and significantly less cold forest greeted the Straw Hats when the light faded. They were in rather deep, unable to see what island they were on without using Haki. A quick check with that skill indicated the nearest civilization, and a minute later found them at the edge of a peaceful village. Nami perked up when she recognized the houses and people there.
"Cocoyasi! It's my turn, I can save Bell-mère!" Nami said euphorically.
"All right, so, when exactly are we?" Zoro asked.
"Well, this has to be the day that Arlong first arrived, but it looks like he's not here yet; otherwise, the village would be a lot more unsettled."
"So, shall we intercept him at the coast before he has the chance to do anything?" Jinbe asked.
Nami pondered over the idea, but then sighed and shook her head.
"No. We'll have to let things go the way they did before for a little while. Let's head to my house for now," she said, walking in a certain direction in the forest. The crew fell into step behind her; even Zoro managed to stay with them. Perhaps it was just remembering Nami's pleading expression when she turned to them out of desperation to help with Arlong. Money-grubbing witch though she was, she was still a crewmate; he never wanted to see that look on her face again.
Jinbe seemed to be exceptionally tense as they moved; while it was Nami's choice to come to this particular time, he couldn't help but feel guilt at what was about to come to pass. If he had heard so much as a whisper that Arlong was up to something like this, he would have avenged Nami himself and made sure Arlong regretted what he had done; brother or not, his actions were inexcusable…and Jinbe was directly responsible for it all. And he would never forgive himself if this intervention went awry.
A few minutes of walking later, the crew's Haki picked up terror coming from the village that they had left. Jinbe stopped walking, and after a moment, the crew looked back at him.
"…Nami. It's your choice what we do, but why are we not preventing Arlong and his followers from entering the island?" he asked; it could not have been clearer that it was taking every measure of control he had not to run back to the village.
The navigator sighed.
"I appreciate how you feel about this, Jinbe. But the day Arlong came to the island, Bell-mère and I got into a fight, and I said I wished I had been adopted by a rich mother. That was when Genzo first told me of how Bell-mère had adopted me and Nojiko; I barely reconciled with her before Arlong killed her, and I've never forgiven myself for having most of the last words she said to us being apologies for not being rich," she said quietly. She removed her hood to wipe her eyes, and then spoke with more determination.
"Before I save Bell-mère, I want my younger self to have it hammered home just how important she is to us, and we are to her. If she's getting this second chance, I'm not going to let her make the mistake I did ever again."
Jinbe relaxed visibly.
"I understand," he replied. Nami replaced her hood, and they walked for another minute or so before coming to the edge of the woods, where a small house and tangerine grove could be seen. A delicious smell wafted through the air: duck, stew, and tangerine sauce, a veritable banquet for a small family. Luffy forced himself not to drool, even as his stomach growled. The others on the crew looked at him as they heard the sound, and though their faces were hidden, Luffy could feel them leering.
"Hey, all of that training we gave ourselves made me hungry! It's not my fault," he whined.
"Can you at least try to keep it under control until this is over?" Sanji hissed.
"I'm trying! It's not like I don't know how important this is!" Luffy snapped, and the indignant tone he used seemed to mollify the crew, who turned back to the house. They waited for a minute more before Arlong and his crew approached the house, and opened the door. A rude greeting came a minute later as Bell-mère delivered a roundhouse kick to the fishman's jaw, and pinned him to the ground with a rifle in his mouth.
"My, my. You seem to have inherited your mother's temper, Nami," Robin observed. Nami couldn't help but beam, but that didn't last long as Arlong bit the rifle in half and attacked, smashing her mother's arm into a bloody mess. Nami bit her lip, but stayed where she was.
"All right, everyone. I'm going in; as soon as I attack, you guys move in and take out the rest of the fishmen, except Hachi. Arlong is mine."
With that, Nami produced her Clima-Tact and twirled it, vanishing from sight a moment later. Their Haki allowed them to keep track of her, but they focused more on the crew of their would-be enemies.
"These guys are even weaker than Hody's crew. I honestly don't think it's worth it to fight them," Zoro said.
"They're embarrassingly weak, sure, but after what they did to Nami, I'm looking forward to beating them again," Sanji said, already sizzling slightly.
"Even so, it looks like the group is as small as they are weak; any one of us could take them down singlehandedly…in a manner of speaking," Robin said.
"…Did you just make a joke?" Usopp asked, the rest of the crew looking at her with similar incredulity.
"You all have rubbed off on me over the years," Robin replied, shrugging.
"…Anyway. Robin, you bind Hachi to make sure he doesn't interfere. Luffy, the cook, and I will take out the rest of the crew," Zoro said.
Everyone agreed, and with that, they turned their attention back to the house, where Nami's father figure, Genzo, was presenting her tribute money to Arlong, who began to walk away with his crew before Bell-mère spoke.
"Thank goodness. With those 100,000 berries…I'll be able to save my two children. That money is for my daughters. I don't have enough to pay for myself," Bell-mère said.
"BELL-MÈRE!" Genzo shouted as the fishmen turned around.
"I'm sorry, Genzo. I just can't bring myself to say that I don't have a family, even if it means losing my life…even if it's just words, I still want to be called their mother. They're my daughters, aren't they?" she asked, tears in her eyes.
"BELL-MÈRE!" two young voices said. The woman looked to see the two children she had adopted running towards her, and kneeled down to embrace them for what she knew would be the last time.
"I WAS LYING!" Nami bawled. Bell-mère smiled lightly.
"I really wanted to buy you girls some more things, books or clothes…forgive me for not being a better mother to you two," she said.
"No! We don't want anything! Please stay with us, don't die, Bell-mère!" they cried.
"Aren't you a former Marine, Bell-mère? You're strong! You should be able to be beat these guys up easily!" Nojiko begged.
"I still haven't shown you my map of the world!" Nami cried.
"Are these kids your daughters?" growled the monstrous fishman in front of her. She looked up, facing her death with a strong face.
"Yes. Don't lay a finger on them," she said.
"Of course…as long as you die quietly," Arlong said, smiling humorlessly as he raised a pistol.
"SOMEONE HELP!" Nami screamed.
Genzo seemed to throw caution to the wind as he pulled out a pair of pistols and began firing at Arlong. She saw out of the corner of her eye that a stingray fishman blocked the bullets with only his arm and slashed him across the chest. Cries from nearby informed her that the entire village was coming in an attempt to help her.
They can't win, Bell-mère thought, knowing it to be true, even as Arlong ordered his men to attack.
"You'll be the first example. Die for your worthless love," Arlong snarled, smirking. Bell-mère opened her mouth to speak her last words of love to her daughters, but a scream of pain from the fishman in front of her stalled that, and all of the fishmen who had been heading towards the villagers stopped and looked at Arlong in confusion.
What greeted their eyes was a hand that seemed to have been frozen solid, along with the pistol. Before anyone could recover, a massive wind erupted from directly beside Arlong, sending him crashing into several trees on the other side of the house. Everyone stared with more confusion than anything else, even the other fishmen, up until a figure dressed in black materialized, twirling a strange-looking staff and looking towards the fishman that had been sent flying.
"DON'T LAY ANOTHER FINGER ON BELL-MÈRE!" she screamed, as the voice was clearly female.
Bell-mère stared at her in confusion, but found herself distracted another moment later as the rest of the Arlong Pirates charged at her. The woman did not even turn around as eight more figures in black cloaks appeared between the first figure and pirates. In less than the time that it took her to blink twice, the entire group of monsters had been attacked, and fell into a beaten, bloody, burned mess. Only one remained standing, an octopus man who was currently…bound in place by twenty disembodied arms.
Bell-mère's jaw hit the ground, as did those of her daughters and the entire village watching nearby. Silence fell for only a few moments before an enraged roar came from nearby.
"YOU WORTHLESS HUMANS! HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO US, THE SUPERIOR FISHMEN?!" Arlong yelled, surging towards the figure with the staff. She nonchalantly raised it, and then swung it down; the result was a blade of wind that knocked Arlong back again.
"Sanji, get Genzo and Dr. Nako over here. Chopper, treat them," she said before twirling her staff again and vanishing. The next moment, Bell-mère found herself forced onto the ground beside her daughters by a small but strong figure that began looking over her arm and face, Genzo and the doctor right next to him.
"Don't worry, I'm a doctor. I'll take care of this. Dr. Nako, you help Genzo with that cut," he said, in a voice that sounded remarkably like a child. The mannerisms he used, however, made it clear that he knew what he was doing. Nako barely hesitated before shaking off the shock of the situation and partaking of the small doctor's supplies to start treating Genzo. Bell-mère gritted her teeth a bit as the small doctor dabbed at her arm, her daughters still clinging to her, but she was amazed at the pace at which the hurt began to ebb away.
"Who are you people?" she asked.
"We'll explain after Arlong's dealt with," the figure replied, now bandaging her up. Bell-mère looked up from the treatment she was receiving to see that all of the other villagers were trying, with a distinct lack of success, to pick up their jaws. She saw exactly why at the next moment, when her eyes fell upon the impossible sight of a rapidly coalescing group of winds buffeting Arlong from all sides.
"The weather forecast is calm, not a cloud in the sky. However, the winds of time are carrying tomorrow's anger that will clash with yesterday's pain, resulting in a sudden tornado."
At that point, the wind began to rise into the air, imprisoning Arlong in the whirlwind.
"Also, be on the lookout for a sudden thunderstorm. In particular, watch out for lightning strikes, because they're aiming for you, Arlong! WEATHER EGGS!"
Two orbs appeared out of thin air at the next moment, and Bell-mère could see what looked like black clouds inside.
"Whoa! She's using two of those things?!" asked one of the figures with what sounded like panic.
"Calm down, I'm sure she's got it under control," said another.
"HATCH, DEAR LIGHTNING!"
The two eggs opened, and thunderclouds poured out, growing and coalescing into a massive cloud in a matter of seconds. The tornado rose into the clouds, which took on a spherical form as it crackled with electricity. The figure materialized a moment later.
"Robin, cover everyone's ears and eyes," she said, and then raised her staff.
"THUNDER BREED TEMPO: RAIGO!" she screamed.
Bell-mère felt gentle hands cover her eyes and ears, and she held her daughters close as blinding lightning and deafening thunder assaulted her senses. Her daughters were trembling, but her hands around their heads revealed that hands were covering their eyes and ears as well. Remembering the octopus' bindings, she relaxed; in fact, she realized, that probably saved their senses.
It was a few moments before she felt the doctor begin dabbing at her arm again, and another few before the arms covering her eyes and ears vanished. She looked at her daughters to see their eyes still covered, and looked at the figures, intending to demand that their arms be removed from her children. Then she saw the figure of Arlong, and such thoughts died out of her mind.
"B-Bell-mère? Is it over?" Nami asked.
"We're safe, Nami, but both of you keep your eyes shut for now; I'll let you know when you can open them," Bell-mère said quietly; she had no intention of letting her daughters lay eyes on the blackened, bloody mass of deformed cartilage that had been holding her at gunpoint a few moments before. They were already going to have enough nightmares. She held them close with her good arm while she felt her other being bandaged up, and stared after the figures in cloaks. A bulkier one of them gathered Arlong's body and deposited it before the octopus.
"A-Arlong," the octopus said, tearing up. But as the figure who had laid the body before him removed his hood, his sadness faded before pure shock.
"J-J-Jinbe?!"
"I looked away for ten minutes, and Arlong decides to enslave a group of innocent humans who had never even heard of Big Bro Ti or Otohime. It's unbelievable how much the hatred for humans has poisoned our race."
"B-B-But Jinbe, h-how—?"
"I'm not the Jinbe you know, Hachi. I come from eleven years in the future, where I've seen the hostility between humans and fishmen die, and where I met an old man who gave my crew the power to return to the past and save something we lost. I've never forgiven myself for the pain Arlong caused for eight years on this island before he was finally stopped. And I've just saved you from years of trouble that you would have been ashamed to ever speak to Rayleigh or Shakky about."
The octopus looked to be in shock.
"The rest of the crew will be imprisoned for what they intended; you're the only one I can trust not to act out against this. Go to the nearest Marine base after Base 16 and turn in Arlong, and see to it that his crew is arrested. Then return to Fishman Island, and inform my past self of everything that happened here as soon as you get there. Also, impress upon him two things: make sure Hody Jones doesn't have any chance to act on his hatred. And make sure that nobody loyal to Arlong gets the chance to enslave any islands, especially this one. When that's done, I suggest you forgo piracy and look into opening that Takoyaki stand you dreamed about."
Hachi stared at Jinbe for a few seconds in silence.
"…Can I take Kuroobi and Chew with me? They wanted to open the stand, too," he asked at last. Jinbe sighed.
"Inform my past self first, then see about getting them released. But make sure that they can get past their hatred; if they don't, one of the earliest consequences will be the death of the queen."
Hachi's eyes opened wide in horror, and then his expression hardened. He sighed, and bowed his head.
"All right, Jinbe. I'll do it."
Jinbe nodded, and the bonds holding the octopus were released.
"One more thing," he said, before leaning in and whispering something. Hachi nodded again, and then ran away, carrying Arlong with him.
With the monstrous threat dealt with, Bell-mère watched as the man that had spoken, Jinbe apparently, replaced his hood before turning back towards her, along with the other eight figures. The last one, the one who had bent the weather to her will to attack Arlong, stood directly before her again, looking down at her and her daughters, whose eyes were now uncovered.
"Are you all right, Bell-mère?" she asked, extending a hand to help her up. Bell-mère took it without hesitation, rising to her feet and showing no weakness.
"I'm fine, thanks. Girls, you can open your eyes now."
Nami and Nojiko both opened their eyes and looked at the figure in awe.
"That was awesome! How did you do that?" Nami said.
The woman chuckled, and showed her staff...which was now the size of a baton.
"The Clima-Tact, a one-of-a-kind weapon that lets me control the weather," she explained.
"That is impressive, and I don't want to seem ungrateful for saving my life, but who the hell are you people?" Bell-mère asked with a frown.
"Pirates," the woman replied simply. Bell-mère stiffened slightly, and the woman spoke further.
"We came here from the future thanks to a strange old man. He gave us the chance to return to a past time and save something that we had lost before. In our time, Arlong came here and killed you, and enslaved Nami for her mapmaking skills."
Bell-mère's eyes widened, and she subconsciously held Nami closer to her.
"He made her draw sea charts day in and day out, but made her a deal for her cooperation: if she could pay him 100 million berries, he'd set her and Cocoyasi free. So, she became a thief, but one that stole only from pirates. It was hard work, and she had to endure the cold stares of the village throughout eight years, pretending that she had joined Arlong's crew just for the money she got. The last crew she stole from was a kindhearted group of pirates that gave her a sense of belonging that she hadn't felt since you died. She cried when she had to leave them, and even tried to push them away when they followed her home to try to get her back. She had gathered 93 million berries by that time, but Arlong used a loophole in the deal by hiring a group of corrupt Marines to steal her money. The village, which had secretly known the situation the whole time, was furious, and rushed off to Arlong's base in a suicide charge, just like they were trying to now."
She paused, and Nojiko hesitantly spoke up.
"But…they didn't all die, did they?"
Bell-mère dreaded the answer.
"No, they didn't. Out of desperation, Nami begged the pirates for help. They gave it without hesitation, and singlehandedly decimated Arlong's crew, freeing the village. Nami joined the crew permanently, and sailed with that crew all the way to the end of the Grand Line, finally completing her map of the entire world as a result."
Bell-mère stared at the woman.
"And what does that have to do with you? That Jinbe person over there seemed to know the fishmen, was this a mistake of his?"
"In a way," Jinbe spoke up.
"I was part of a fishman pirate crew known as the Sun Pirates, formed as a way of salvation for the fishmen suffering in slavery. Arlong was also a member of that crew; he had grown up hating humans because of their prejudice towards our race, and any chance of that changing died when they caused the death of our old captain. In this time, the Sun Pirates have recently disbanded due to me becoming one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, to ensure that my fellow crewmates can return home and live their lives without persecution. The one bit of anxiety I had was Arlong, who been arrested for trying to avenge the captain's death, but he was released as part of the bargain. He gathered his crew and left the island almost as soon as he was freed. I warned him not to try anything, and I'd be there if I heard any news. But he journeyed here, far away from Fishman Island, and bribed the nearest Marine Base to make sure news didn't leak out to anyone. I…still don't find myself worthy of the forgiveness your daughter gave me when I apologized for it in my time," he finished quietly.
Bell-mère blinked slowly, any hostility she had gained when hearing the story vanishing; when all was said and done, he regretted more than what he was responsible for.
"I see. So, you came back to this time to correct that mistake?" she asked.
"No, it wasn't Jinbe's choice to come here. It was mine; I came here to keep Nami from watching her mother die right in front of her, and regret complaining about her not having money for the rest of her life."
The woman finally raised her hands and removed her hood. The young woman revealed underneath had long, flowing orange hair and teary eyes. Bell-mère understood the truth for only a moment before the woman wrapped her arms around her, hugging her tightly.
"Bell-mère…I've missed you so much," she whispered, tears now flowing freely down her face. Bell-mère slowly raised her hands and held the young woman that she now knew was her daughter, dismissing that she was a pirate and embracing her as tightly as she could.
It was several minutes before they finally separated, and Bell-mère looked with interest and scrutiny at the crew behind her, who had also removed their hoods. Five of them seemed to be normal humans. One, the doctor that had treated her, was a small bipedal deer, barely discernable from a raccoon-dog by the antlers beneath his hat. One was a massive man with a metal nose and oddly-shaped chin…and body. The one she knew to be Jinbe was a bulky blue-skinned fishman. And then…there was a skeleton. Literally a skeleton, somehow with a black afro. It took a few seconds before she could get past the oddness of what she saw to speak.
"So…my daughter became a pirate. I hope that the crew you joined isn't a band of bloodthirsty maniacs," she said quietly. Nami chuckled.
"Bell-mère, if they didn't call themselves pirates, you'd never believe that they were from the way that they act. Well, except maybe Zoro," Nami replied, smirking.
"Oh, shut up, witch," said one of the men, an intimidating figure with green hair and a scar across one eye. That didn't seem to bother Bell-mère, however; faster than blinking, she had appeared next to him, and a goose egg was on his scalp.
"DON'T YOU DARE INSULT MY DAUGHTER!" she snapped.
The remainder of the crew burst out laughing.
"Wow. You're definitely Nami's mother," said one of them, a long-nosed man that she recognized as the one who had panicked when Nami unleashed those strange eggs from his voice.
"Yep. She'd have to be, to do all of that without Haki," Zoro said, slowly rising to his feet again. Bell-mère couldn't help but smile.
"So, you're…me?"
Bell-mère and the crew looked back towards Nami, who was kneeling in front of her younger self and her sister.
"Yep. I'm you at age 21, the best navigator and mapmaker in the world."
"But you're a…pirate?"
"Part of the nicest pirate crew you'll ever meet," she said reassuringly, and gestured to the rest of the crew.
"They're annoying sometimes, but they've become as much of a family for me as Nojiko and Genzo. Come on, I'll introduce you."
Within ten minutes, all traces of tension were gone; the crew of fishmen had been moved to the coast and bound up by strong ropes before anyone was the wiser, and the aftermath of the invasion had turned into a full-blown party thanks to the Straw Hat Pirates.
Young Nami and Nojiko were in the center of most of the festivities, spending all of the time that they could with their future family. It had been remarkably easy for them to get past the disturbing appearance of the musician, Brook, when he began joking and playing party music, and the antics of Franky the robot shipwright alongside him had the girls and many of the villagers doubled over with laughter.
Nico Robin the archaeologist and Usopp the sniper entertained everyone with stories of their adventures, talking of giants and sky islands and sea monsters and saving kingdoms. Even with the outrageous display of strength that they showed earlier, if it hadn't been for Robin's down-to-earth way of phrasing the details, they may not have believed them. As it was, Nami was practically glowing with excitement, and Nojiko was strongly considering going with them when the time came.
Sanji the chef took impossibly little time to prepare a gourmet feast fit for the entire village. Nobody could tell where he had gotten the ingredients from, though he mentioned to Nami that he always kept a few spice jars on hand, but they stopped caring as soon as they tasted his food. Nami was hooked from the first bite of roast duck and stew, but the tangerine sauce provided by Bell-mère's own orchard made her almost faint in bliss. Bell-mère herself barely had a drop on her tongue before she demanded the recipe, which was given to her along with a few other delectable tangerine recipes exactly one second later.
"I had some spare time at the last places we visited, and thought you might like to have the recipes I've developed for your daughter over the years," he had explained. Bell-mère had given him a bit of a stern look, clearly conveying that he was to watch it with her, but had thanked him sincerely nonetheless.
Jinbe took a while to join in the festivities, but when young Nami approached him and timidly asked him, he conceded. Any feelings of fear because of the fishmen that had invaded her island faded as she spoke more with him, and she was soon captivated with the story of Fishman Island.
Roronoa Zoro, who they learned had taken Dracule Mihawk's title of greatest swordsman in the world, turned out to be a relatively laid-back person. It was clear to everyone that if battle was involved, he could quickly become a monster, but perhaps due to the ease with which Bell-mère could make him heel, Nami found no fear looking at him. He had little to say to her, but she got the feel of a protective big brother off of him. A protective big brother that really, really liked to drink.
The doctor, Tony Tony Chopper, had made short work of Bell-mère's and Genzo's injuries before joining in the party himself, contributing with a pair of chopsticks in his nose stretching his lips out. It came as a surprise to many that the captain of them all, the Pirate King Monkey D. Luffy, the one who had defeated Arlong and freed Nami in the original time, was no less happy-go-lucky than the rest of the crew; if anything, he was the most childlike among them, and the powers he displayed from the Gum-Gum Fruit only served to make him more entertaining.
It was the best time that young Nami could ever remember having, and throughout it all, Bell-mère watched from a short distance. Older Nami sat beside her, and even as they spoke about their respective pasts—Bell-mère interested in what her daughter would go through, and Nami eager to hear what her mother's time as a Marine had been like—both were content to watch her younger self's interaction for several minutes. Finally, Bell-mère broke their silence.
"I see what you mean. If this is what the Pirate King and his crew are like, I may have chosen the wrong career path," she said with a smirk. Her tone was only half-joking.
Nami gave a sigh.
"You'd really be amazed, Bell-mère, just how much evil there really is in the World Government. Sure, we came across a lot of pirates on our journey, and there were only a few that I could actually consider good, but learning just how the World Government came to power, and what lengths they'd go to just to make sure nobody ever finds out the truth…it makes me sick."
The mother looked to her daughter.
"Really? Would you like to elaborate on that?"
Nami shook her head, her smile becoming a little sad.
"Not really, Bell-mère; the old man who let us come back here to save you warned us that we'd only be able to stay in each time period for one hour. And saving you here isn't going to change anything in my time; I don't want to waste the chance I have to see you again, talk to you again after all these years, talking about ancient history that you'll find out anyway in a decade or so."
Bell-mère nodded, feeling similarly sad herself at what this version of her daughter had gone through. She sighed.
"I am sorry that I couldn't give you more growing up. I'm probably not going to be able to give your younger self much this time either."
Nami turned to look at her with a blank expression, and blinked several times.
"…You know, back before this day in my time, I always wanted to do this," she said. Then Bell-mère found herself doubled over, rubbing the back of her head where a comically large bump was.
That settles it. When it comes to Nami's safety as part of what must be the most infamous crew in the world, I have NOTHING to worry about, Bell-mère thought to herself.
"DON'T TALK CRAP LIKE THAT! YOU'LL BE THERE FOR HER, AND THAT'S ALL SHE NEEDS! MONEY DOESN'T MATTER ANYWHERE AS MUCH AS FAMILY DOES!"
Many of the partygoers had stopped to look at Nami, including her younger self and her sister. Older Nami took a few breaths as Bell-mère stared at her with an unreadable expression.
"Besides," Nami continued, significantly less angry, "once she joins the Straw Hat Pirates, she'll be able to bring home more money than you know what to do with. I still remember the first time I saw One Piece."
Bell-mère and many others sweatdropped as they saw Nami's eyes turn into sparkling Berry symbols.
"…Is this normal?" she asked the other pirates.
"Yes," they said in unison, completely deadpan.
"Somehow, that's even worse than if it wasn't," she sighed, while younger Nami looked almost awestruck.
"Jinbe!" came a voice.
Everyone present turned to see Hachi, the octopus fishman that had been spared from the brutal defeat of the rest of the crew, hauling six massive sacks towards them, one in each arm. He set them down after a moment, and Jinbe nodded.
"Good work, Hachi."
"Nami, is there a reason that your crew didn't attack him?" Bell-mère asked.
"When Arlong's crew was arrested, Hachi was the only one who got away. He abandoned piracy to live out his old dream of opening a Takoyaki stand. We met him again at the end of the first half of the Grand Line as a friend of a mermaid and starfish that we rescued from a Sea King. It took me a while to forgive him, but he proved that he was worth being called a friend," Nami replied, and then called after Jinbe.
"What's in the sacks?"
"Oh, I just thought that your family could find some use for the treasure that was on Arlong's ship," Jinbe replied, smirking knowingly. Quick as a flash, young Nami was opening one of the sacks, and her jaw dropped as she saw the berry notes within.
"Thank you so much, Jinbe!" she said ecstatically, and ran over to Bell-mère.
"Look, Bell-mère! We're rich!"
Bell-mère smiled, but that smile dropped rather quickly when she saw that her young daughter's eyes had turned to Berry symbols. She looked accusingly at her older version, which just laughed.
"You look good, kid," she said, and was promptly punched by her mother.
"DON'T ENCOURAGE HER TO DO THAT! I'm even fine with her joining this pirate crew after what I've seen, but that is just unhealthy!"
Older Nami didn't seem to hear her as she rubbed her head. She looked up, and Bell-mère's exasperation melted away as she saw her face.
"Wow. I didn't realize that I even missed you hitting me that much," she said softly.
The mother and daughter embraced each other once more, and young Nami found herself thinking about just what she would have gone through if Bell-mère hadn't been saved. Considering it for even a second brought tears to her eyes, and as she wiped them away, she made up her mind.
"Bell-mère, I'm sorry that I said I wished I had been adopted by someone rich. You're the best mother ever," she said.
The two older women separated as she spoke, and Bell-mère hugged both of her younger daughters.
"And you two are the best daughters that I could ever ask for," she replied.
The future crew gathered together as Bell-mère released Nami and Nojiko and stood up. Bell-mère's eyes locked onto the captain.
"Monkey D. Luffy. I have to thank you for the happiness that you've given my daughter, and keeping her safe throughout your journey."
"Of course! She's my friend," Luffy said with a grin. Bell-mère smiled briefly back.
"But I'm warning you now: if you ever do anything to take away her smile, I WILL find out, and I WILL find a way to come to the future and kill you for it," she said, her tone as serious as cancer. Luffy laughed.
"Genzo made the same promise when we left last time, and I'm still alive," he said jovially. Then he looked at her more seriously.
"But I promise you, I'd sooner die than hurt any of my friends."
The few reservations that Bell-mère had left faded, and a moment later, light shone out from the ten pirates, making all present shield their eyes.
"I guess our time's up. I'm sorry, Bell-mère; I wish I could have stayed longer," older Nami said.
"What are you apologizing for, Nami? You saved my life, and gave my daughters a much brighter future. And you've lived out your dreams just like you said you would. I couldn't be prouder of you," Bell-mère replied, tearing up a bit. It was too much for Nami, who rushed to hug her yet again.
"I…I'm so glad I got to see you again, one last time," she whispered. Bell-mère raised her arms to hold her daughter close for what little time she could.
"I love you, Nami," Bell-mère whispered.
Nami slowly released her as she stepped back towards her crew, and they locked eyes one more time, for a second that contained an eternity.
"I love you too, Bell-mère," Nami said, smiling at her mother.
Then the light vanished, taking the pirates with it.
So, there we are. An immense amount of gratitude to lunanime for catching my mistakes and inspiring a good portion of this chapter. Now, let me see if I can cover a few things.
Loveoflife: The point is not to create as many dimensions as possible; that's merely a side effect. By moving from most to least recent, the timeline that they go down remains exactly the same as they remember. It would be much more complicated if they went from past to future, and their destination had to be determined between the dimension that they just left and the one that they first left; it's much simpler to go from future to past. *Pauses.* Yes, I am indeed developing mechanics for the unnamed Devil Fruit powers of the unnamed old man and stating that he would take the simpler route, which he discovered after years of experience with his powers. I'm going to stop typing about that now, before I turn this into an impromptu miniature story about that OC, who isn't even technically mine to begin with.
Next, the poll on who they go back to save. So far, it's 4 votes for Corazon, 1 for Otohime, 2 for Skypiea, and 2 for an extra option that I had not put up before. As promised, if that option gets one additional vote, I'll edit it into the prologue. The poll will continue until all of the Straw Hats except Brook have completed their interventions, which should be Chapter 9.
As for order, now that it's established what the pattern is…I'm estimating here, as the timeline isn't precise in regards to the deaths of most of the Straw Hats' loved ones. Franky will be next, as it is stated that Tom died 8 years before the start of the main storyline. Usopp will be after that; I'm estimating that Banchina died when Usopp was the same age as Carrot, Pepper, and Onion, that being 9, which was also 8 years before the current storyline. Zoro will follow that, and then Jinbe. Robin will be last…and I must say, I'm looking forward to writing hers the most.
So, that's all for now. Forgive me if I'm a bit slow on the next update; college is starting back up in a few days, and I need to give the proper attention to my schoolwork. So, until the next update, always remember: Patience is a virtue.