Johnny Spectre: You do huh? I wonder if you'll be able to figure out what I'm going to do with some of the future arcs then...anyway, yes, now is when it really begins!
midnightscar17: No, he didn't tell anyone what happened with his hand. So as far as Zoro, Usopp, Johnny and Yosaku know, Nami stabbed him dead in the chest. As for when the next chapter will be out, well, now.
FallenAlgon: Why thank you very much! As for them giving speeches as children, well, the way I see it, they speak from their heart, and that can sometimes lead to said speeches. And I don't think they would have been capable of those speeches if it wasn't for growing up together, with the influence of Bellemere, Makino and Sabo and such helping out anyway. Onto the Arlong arc, well yes there will be drama, but whether it'll lead to an explosive encounter like in chapter twenty...well, we'll see.
Finally, as for Robin being paired, well I'm undecided. I've seen moments in One Piece that definitely made me feel good as LuNa shipper, and I've always believed they should be together since I first saw the Arlong arc. Robin though...well there are a few pairings with her that make sense, but I've never seen much evidence for them. A bit for one or two, but nothing very substantial. So...I just might leave her unpaired, for this story anyway. I'll think on it and see what conclusion I come to.
Chop2NV: Thank you, I'm glad you like my story so much! They'll meet Mihawk soon enough, whether where you think they will or not, well, you'll see when it happens. And yeah, everyone seems excited for the Arlong arc, including me! As for if Arlong did anything new to Nami...well, nothing like you're thinking, but more abuse was thrown her way, that's for sure. And of course Luffy's going to flip out once he knows what Arlong did to her, he'll freak out worse than ever before, just you watch.
deant33: Actually, I plan to have them join in a different One Piece story I'm going to be writing. As for this one...well, I don't think they'd fit. They are awesome though.
Ranger Station Charlie: I kind of wanted to bring him along, and I will in other stories, but not this one. And yes, thankfully he won't ever follow Don Krieg the moron ever again.
Tonlor: Well, I'm glad I can make you giddy with joy then. :)
Okay, time for the first chapter of the much anticipated Arlong arc, let's jump right in! Please read, enjoy and review.
Nami stood at the front of the Merry, as she neared the docks of the Conomi Islands, more specifically the one located at Cocoyashi village. Her tears had been dried, she had loaded up all the treasure she had stolen so far since meeting Luffy once more, and she had showered and changed clothes, now wearing a green camisole with dark green flower like shapes spread across it, tight black pants that just barely reached her knees with two yellow rings on the sides, and light orange high-heeled sandals. All these things were done so that she was ready to face the person she despised most in this world...the man that for all intents and purposes, owned her.
In spite of the fact that the pirate mark on her arm was a great source of pain, anger and shame, she chose this outfit to specifically let it be shown to any who wanted to see it. As this man liked people to know what was his. She couldn't help but shudder in disgust at that thought. Tightening her grip on the grey duffel bag that held all the treasure and berris she had collected on her latest trip, she repressed all her negative feelings for that cruel, sadistic, racist sunuva bitch, and forced her face to take on a cold, unfeeling expression, as she came to the dock and needed to drop anchor.
After doing so, double checking so that the ship wouldn't go anywhere, she deboarded, walking out onto the docks. Stopping, she took a deep breath, as she prepared herself for what was to come. Releasing the breath, she walked off the docks into the village she called home. And as soon a she did, every single villager had their eyes on her, dropping whatever they were doing, shushing every conversation they were having, and altogether stopping all activity, as they stared at her with cold, hateful eyes.
She could tell what they were thinking just by the looks on their faces, they thought her an evil little witch who betrayed her family and spat in the face of the people who raised her and took care of her, but that was just fine with her. They could hate and scorn her all they wanted, as long as they were safe from him, then they could think whatever they wanted about her, it didn't matter.
However, when she neared the end of the village, Genzo caught her eyes. He looked just as she remembered, fair skin, a thick dark mustache, stitched up scars all over his body and he wore a police uniform, though red in color, the cap of the uniform also had a pinwheel on it. His eyes were what was different, they were filled with betrayal, scorn and hate, just like all the others. In spite of how many times she had seen him look at her like that in the past eight years, she would always think back to when he was her warm, loving father figure whenever she left, so when she did come back and see him like this, it hurt her all over again.
Nevertheless, she kept any of that hurt from showing, as she walked on by, making sure not to give him a second glance as she did. "It's all for them, it's all for them, it's all for them..." She had to continuously remind herself, so as to keep the tears from her eyes.
Beside the sound of Johnny and Yosaku paddling, it was silent on the boat that they shared with Zoro and Usopp. This silence lasted a long time, before finally, Usopp spoke, "Zoro...what's going to happen? When we catch up with Nami I mean. Luffy didn't give us any orders on that matter, he just said we had to catch up with her."
The green haired man stiffened a bit at that. His answer didn't come at first, as he seemed to think it over for a few moments, attracting Johnny's and Yosaku's attention as well, since they were wondering what he was going to say. "You let me worry about that witch. You three's job'll be to secure the Going Merry, while mine is to deal with that damn evil woman."
The long nosed sniper didn't seem to think that was too great of an idea, judging by the worried look on his face. "If you say so I guess, but...well, I mean we don't know what's going on. Luffy said it wasn't what we thought it was, on top of that, we really don't know why she's doing what she's doing. Maybe she has a good reason."
Zoro snorted at that. "Yeah, right. That devil woman has been nothing but trouble since we were children, and that obviously hasn't changed. As for what Luffy said, that's just it, that's what he always does, he covers it up. Whenever she hurts him, he always tries to make it out like it's not a big deal, like it's nothing, even though it tears him up inside. He's done that as long as I've known him." Zoro immediately thought about Ace at that, as his captain had done the same thing with him, always brushing off the abuse like it didn't matter, even though it very much did. Even Ace came to see that, changing his ways for the better.
Usopp was rendered speechless by his fellow crewmate's words, completely unsure of how to respond to them. Johnny and Yosaku were in the same boat as him on that matter.
Zoro closed his eyes then, but continued to speak. "Something you need to understand about Luffy, is that he will let people use him for their own gain, abuse him like he's a punching bag and scream at him as if he was a petulant child and the source of all their problems all day long, just as long as they say they're his friend. And while I will admit he can be very frustrating at times, he's taken shit that's far above and beyond simple reactions to his antics with a smile on his face. But that stops now. He's finally old enough to chase after his dream and now that I'm here with him, if anyone dares to treat him like that again, I'll gut them. That includes you." He opened his eyes as he finished speaking, glaring at the marksman after they opened.
And while the glare did indeed fill Usopp with fear, he was also filled with anger by the swordsman insinuating that he would do that to his best friend. Shooting to his feet, he met the older teen's glare with one of his own, as he proceeded to say, "I would never treat Luffy like that! He's my best friend! What do you take me for exactly!? How could you even think I would do something like that!?"
Zoro couldn't help but smirk at that. "Good, I'm glad to hear that."
That seemed to take some of the wind out of Usopp's sails. "Uh..." He wasn't sure how to respond to that. "T-that doesn't change anything! You've made me mad now!"
"Want to fight about it?" Zoro inquired.
Usopp's knees began to shake then, "Uh, on second thought..."
"I'm glad Luffy met you." Zoro said aloud, chuckling a bit as he did, thinking to himself all the while, "He's finally getting the friends he should have had when he was a child. With each new friend, the more impossible it will become for him to ever be alone again."
Usopp just wasn't sure how to respond at this point. He was still mad about what the older teen had said, but he was coming from a good place, showing that he cared a lot for Luffy. Seeing this, Zoro said one more thing. "Relax Usopp, I was just messing with you. I know you'd never do that to Luffy."
"Well, good!" He bit, before sitting back down.
"So, why did you split up with the rest of your crew, our crew now I guess, anyway?" Sanji asked of his new captain.
"Nami took off with our ship and all the treasure on board. I sent Zoro and Usopp after her, Johnny and Yosaku went along to help. She's in some kind of trouble, but she won't tell me just what it is. She wouldn't do this, not unless she had a good reason, I know it. We're going to help her, whether she likes it or not." Luffy answered, a frown crossing his face as he did.
"Nami, ah, I could just sit around all day and think about how beautiful she is. I can't wait till I get to see her again." Sanji said aloud, a light blush making itself present on his face as he did. That's when he registered everything the straw hat pirate had said after Nami's name. "She's in trouble? Then I will travel far and wide, I will fight anyone I need to, I'll do whatever is necessary to help her! She is...just like an angel in human form."
Luffy's frown grew at that. "Yeah, so?" He questioned, his annoyance almost detectable.
"What do you mean so!?" Sanji asked incredulously. "She's possibly the most beautiful thing on the seas, doesn't that mean anything to you!?"
"She is." Luffy said simply.
"She is what?" The blonde inquired, confused about what he was talking about for a moment.
"She is the the most beautiful thing on the seas." Luffy stated.
"Then you agree!" Sanji excitedly shouted, his blush reappearing after having disappeared a few moments ago.
"Yeah, but I still want to know why you care so much."
"What do you mean? She's a lady, why wouldn't I care?"
"But that's just it, you go crazy over every girl. Why do you have to do that with Nami too?" He asked the cook, his annoyance now able to be heard in his voice.
Sanji's eyes narrowed, his anger flaring up. "Excuse me?"
"Why do you have to go all gaga over Nami?" Luffy repeated.
As the blonde prepared to rebuttal, he remembered how the raven haired teen had talked about the orange haired beauty back when they were younger, stopping him. His eyes softening, he asked, "You love her, don't you? That's why you don't like it."
Luffy nodded his head at that.
Sanji couldn't help but chuckle. "I never thought I'd see the day, Monkey D. Luffy, in love with a girl, I honestly though it impossible. I mean, when you were staying at the Baratie, we had beauties coming in unlike any I had seen until that day and you didn't so much as bat an eye at them."
Shrugging his shoulders, he simply stated, "They weren't Nami.", as if that explained it all.
The blonde couldn't help but laugh outright at that. "You're one hell of a guy, you know that Luffy?"
As the four approached the Conomi Islands, they caught sight of Arlong park. And as they did, Johnny and Yosaku began to freak out.
"What are you two whining about?" Zoro inquired.
"Don't you realize where we're headed!? Do you not see that building that says Arlong Park on it!?" Johnny asked frantically.
"Arlong...that's the guy from that wanted poster." The swordsman thought to himself. "Yeah, so?" He questioned.
"Big Bro Zoro, don't you get it!? With every second that passes, we draw closer to islands controlled by the infamous Arlong!" Yosaku cried in fear.
"Oh no, that must be what Big Sis Nami is up to! She must want the thirty million berri bounty on Arlong's head!" Johnny shouted as he came to that realization.
"Again, I ask, so?" Zoro asked, a little annoyed at that point.
"Yeah, who is Arlong exactly?" Usopp questioned, having no idea who he was.
"Are you two telling me that you're so clueless that you've never heard of the evil Arlong!?" Yosaku yelled.
"If we're asking who he is, then we obviously don't know of him." Usopp stated.
Both Yosaku's and Johnny's heads dropped at that, staring at the floor of the boat they were in, disbelieving of how little these two knew about the East Blue.
Their heads shot back up to look at the two, as they went on to explain who Arlong is, still paddling all the while, though they didn't seem to notice that. "Listen up Bros, time for your lesson on the cunning shark that is Arlong! Arlong is a sawshark fishman who used to destroy everything in his path up and down the Grand Line. For you to understand how dangerous he is, I'll start from the beginning. The reason they call the Grand Line the pirate graveyard in the first place is because of Arlong and the other two powers like him who rule over it. The first of the powers are known as the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
Johnny took it from there. "The Seven Warlords are pirates authorized by the government. For a cut of their treasure the government looks the other way, giving them protection from the Marines, so that they can do as they wish without worry from them. Of course to other pirates, this makes them government dogs. Most would never dare say it to their faces though, because they didn't get to where they are by being weak, these guys are powerful. In fact, the man you're looking for, the one you hope to surpass Big Bro Zoro, Hawkeye Mihawk, is one of these warlords."
A large grin crossed Zoro's face then, "I see, good to know."
Yosaku picked back up on the explanation. "The first Warlord you should know about is Jimbei, captain of a crew of fishmen pirates. He is dangerous like no one you've ever known, easily causing as much havoc and destruction around the Grand Line as Arlong. There are also rumors circling that he was the one to unleash Arlong here in the East Blue. And since coming to the East Blue, he's taken control of over twenty towns! His strength easily surpasses anyone you've encounter, including that of Don Krieg!"
Zoro obviously didn't care, if the bored expression on his face was anything to go by. "And? That Krieg guy was a weakling, Luffy said it himself."
As Johnny and Yosaku looked like they would tear their hair out from not being able to get their frined to see how dangerous this was, Usopp was trying to keep from shaking in fear, to no avail, his entire body showing he was frightened. "M-ma-maybe we sh-should j-just turn around a-and lea-leave. We wouldn't wa-want to make a guy like that angry, would we?"
"Our orders were to find Nami, so that's what we're going to do." The swordsman said simply.
"I-I kn-know that, but ma-maybe she isn't here. Maybe she went somewhere else, I me-mean you never know."
"Usopp..." Zoro warned, showing he wasn't in the mood for this.
He couldn't stop shaking, but at his fellow crewmate's warning, he stopped talking about leaving. "Okay, never mind."
"We're here." The green haired man stood then, unsheathing his Wado a bit with his thumb, as he said, "Let's attack."
"Attack!?" Johnny and Yosaku shouted, before they noticed they were too close to the port of Arlong Park, the two quickl turning the boat around and rowing away from said park though staying close to the island as they did.
"Why would you want to do something stupid like that!?" Usopp asked incredulously. "You're an idiot, we know nothing about this place!" He shouted, his fear helping anger build.
As the two proceeded to argue, the bounty hunting duo took them to about the middle of the island, despite Zoro's protests, the four getting off the boat and stepping onto land, tying the boat to a tree afterwards.
"There, now we're here, you can go attack them if you want, but we're going to find the Merry, like you said we should. You happy with that?" Usopp questioned irritably, having been aggravated by the green haired man, as he would get them killed with the crap he wanted to do.
"Very." With that Zoro walked off in a random direction.
The other three sighed at that, before turning him around, then heading off themselves, not knowing he would turn back around only a minute later.
Sanji had just finished cooking both Luffy and himself a large meal, the two sitting down to eat, when the younger of the two pulled out a large sketch pad. Throwing a large hunk of meat into his mouth, he began to chew as he drew. Once done doing both, he presented the picture to his older friend. "I forgot to tell you, I saw a bounty poster of a fishman guy I'm sure has something to do with what's wrong with Nami. This is what he looks like."
The pictures was of a fish with arms and legs.
Sanji couldn't help but burst into a fit of laughter at the sight of it.
"Actually, let me do this real quick." The straw hat teen said as he took it back and grabbed a color pencil while he was at it. Once done he presented the picture once more, only this time it had a long saw like nose, and was colored in with blue. "There, now it looks like that fishman guy." This just caused the blonde cook to laugh even harder.
Putting the sketch book down, Luffy dug in with gusto, while Sanji ate more slowly, after finishing his laughing trip first of course. Halfway through the meal though, he began to day dream. "Oh, what I would give to see Nami as a mermaid."
"Mmm!" Luffy tried to say with food in his mouth, whipping out his sketch pad once more, as he drew another picture and presented it to the blonde. It was of a fish with arms and legs with orange hair. "She'd look like this." He said after swallowing his food.
"Tear that up or I will kill you!" Sanji shouted at his younger friend, angered by his drawing.
Luffy proceeded to begin laughing then, while still digging in, after putting his sketch pad away again of course.
Usopp, Johnny and Yosaku ended up wandering into a ghost town. It was ghost town for good reason too, as the houses were all wrecks, large chunks looked to have been ripped from them, a few of them had even been flipped upside down and others were nothing but piles of debris. The stone walkway through the town had holes in it and was cracked all to hell. All in all, the place looked like it had been hit by a miniature tornado.
"What could have caused this kind of damage to an entire town?" Usopp questioned, almost disbelieving of the destruction
"It had to have been Arlong." Both bounty hunters said.
The three walked further into town, hoping to see somebody, but there was no one. That's what they thought anyway, until they saw a rather rotund fishman heading their way. "Ahh, run before he spots us!" Johnny, Yosaku and Usopp all cried in unison, before taking off in different directions.
Usopp was off quicker than most, running almost as fast as his leg could carry him. "If I keep running and don't stop, even if he did see me, he'll never get me. I'm way faster than him on land, I've gotta be! I'm a very fast runner after all!"
His train of thought was interrupted, as out of nowhere, a foot was stuck out in his path, and before he could coordinate himself to jump over it, he made contact and proceeded to trip over it, hitting the ground face first.
Usopp quickly turned over to where he could sit up, only to see a kid with a sword. "What the heck!?"
The kid had an orange hoodie on with a specific black mark in the middle, grey plaid shorts, ordinary black shoes and and a green beanie on his head. "Got you stupid fishman! And now I'll avenge my father by killing you!"
As Usopp flinched in fear for his life and the kid brought down the sword, someone stepped up behind him and proceeded to karate chop the top of his head, stopping him in his tracks.
This person was a thin young woman with fair skin, light blue hair and a very elaborate tattoo on her right arm that extended to her chest. As for what she wore, a beige sleeveless shirt, blue trousers, purple sandals, a red headband tied to where all you could see was a small red bow in her hair and a gold bracelet around her right wrist.
This young woman knelt down next to the kid then, speaking to him as she did, "Honestly, how many times do I have to tell you Chabo, never mess with the fishmen. It was just one person who decided to stand up to them and they responded by slaughtering everyone here in Gosa."
She turned her head to look at the long nosed teen then. "Hmm. You look and smell just like a fishman, but I can tell that you're human, mostly human anyways."
"Mostly!?" Usopp cried indignantly.
That's when the sound of the fishman drawing closer got all three of their eyes pointed towards where he as coming from. Jumping to his feet, Usopp readied his slingshot, as he prepared to fire. "Stand back and let me handle this! Watch as the great captain Usopp takes out this fishman with a single shot!"
Next thing Usopp knew, he was lying face down on the ground, being dragged away by the young woman, after she had hit him over the head with a small hammer to get him on the ground in the first place. "I guess he wasn't listening when I said that the fishmen would kill us if we messed with them. Come on tough guy, let's get you somewhere safe."
Seeing as the fishman hadn't seen anyone, it wasn't too hard to get the long nosed teen out of Gosa.
Zoro was starting to get very aggravated, as he was sure this was the same clearing he had been in earlier. "What's with this island!? Everything looks the same!" Only if he could understand that he had been going in circles for the past few minutes.
Looking around, he decided to go to the right. "I'll go this way this time." And then he went to the left, eventually circling around back to the same place. "I can't tell where the hell I'm going dammit!" Gritting his teeth, he placed on hand on the Wado, as he growled out, "I should just cut down all these damn trees, that oughta make finding the way to that stupid park a whole lot easier!"
Deciding to try one last time, he just went straight, and in doing so he ended up coming upon a fishman, who was happily humming to himself, as he finished eating his lunch.
"Hey you, you know where Arlong Park is don't you?" Zoro asked of the fishman, despite the fact that he was almost certainly an enemy.
The fishman's eyes went to the green haired man who asked that, before standing up, the bento box he had being left on the ground as he did. "Hey, who are you? Speak up now." He began firmly. His eyes widened a bit then, as he pointed at himself and proceeded to say, "Who, me? Well, I'm Hatchan, but all my friends call me Hatchi."
This guy, Hatchan was his name apparently, was an octopus fishman with six arms and two legs, with suction cups along all of his arms, a long face, pink skin, a muscular build, a red sun tattoo on his forehead and grey hair styled into five spikes. As for his attire, he wore a dark yellow and dark red striped one piece outfit, a light bluish green sash and black sandals.
"Well Hatchan, you wouldn't mind showing me the way to Arlong Park would you?" Zoro asked semi-sarcastically, expecting a no.
"No problem, I can do that easy!" Hatchan proclaimed.
The swordsman quirked a brow at that. "Really? You don't mind taking me there?"
"Of course not! You're a guest here so it's my job to take you to meet Arlong."
"Thanks. My name's Zoro by the way." the eighteen year old said, smirking as he did.
When Usopp regained consciousness, he was lying on the floor with a pink blanket draped over him. Sitting up, he began to look around. "Where am I?"
"My house." Answered the same blue haired girl that whacked him upside the head, who was sitting at a dining table in a chair, facing him. "Sleep well?"
"Who are you?" He asked, not realizing who it was at first.
"I'm Nojiko. I grow tangerines here, wanna try one?"
"Wait a sec, now I remember, you're the one who hit me over the head!" He yelled, as he realized it.
"I saved you, so don't get all upset. If you had actually gone through with attacking that fishman, you would've been killed for sure." She explained, before whispering under her breath, "Stupid outsider."
Usopp came over and took a seat beside Nojiko then, realizing that kid was gone as he did. "Hey, what happened to that kid?"
"I explained to him why he was a coward and sent him on his way."
"Sheesh, a coward? Little harsh don't you think?"
"No, I don't. You have to suffer to take revenge, as it isn't so easy to carve out. And idiots who throw their lives away because they're too foolish for patience tick me off."
"But he's just a little kid, he doesn't-"
"It's fine. I reminded him that he still had a mother to live for and sent him home. He'll be fine, just as long as he doesn't try anything stupid like that again."
Usopp looked surprised by her words, a few moments later though he couldn't help but chuckle. "You know, for a chick with tattoos you seem pretty sweet."
"Piss off." She bit.
He still chuckled anyways.
"Now then, it's time you told me why you decided to come here to these islands."
"Oh, yeah. My name is captain-, what I meant to say was my name is Usopp, and I'm here looking for a girl named Nami on my captain's orders."
"Nami huh?" Nojiko repeated, a gleam in her eye. "Let me tell you a little about the girl you were sent here for, and we'll see if you still want to see her again."
As Nami entered Arlong Park, three men in particular waited for her. The first and second stood on either side of the third, who sat in a chair.
The first was a moderately muscular smelt-whiting fishman, had light blue skin, thick lips, a tattoo of the Arlong Pirates jolly roger on his right shoulder and mid neck length dark blonde hair. His wore a striped blue vest, dark brown leather pants, beige sandals and necklace of some kind. His name was Chu.
The Second was a muscular ray fishman, had light bluish gray skin, black hair put into a very long braid that trailed all the way down his back and a sun tattoo on the right side of his chest. As for what he wore, a dark blue gi and a black belt. His name was Kuroobi.
And finally, the third was a large, muscular, blue saw-shark fishman with long black hair in a widow's peak style reaching down to his shoulders, had a saw-shaped nose, a sun tattoo on the left side of his chest, and the jolly roger of the Arlong Pirates tattooed on his lower left arm. His attire consisted of a brown ear hat, a short sleeved, open yellow shirt with a bunch of black lighting like spots spread across the material, green bermuda shorts, a blue sash, a golden chain bracelet around both ankles with straw like decorations, as well as a gold chain bracelet around his left wrist and simple gray sandals. And this man's name was...
"Arlong." Nami addressed him, as she walked over, stopping about four feet from him, dropping the duffel bag she held in front of her as she did.
"Nami, you've returned. I haven't seen you around here in quite awhile, you must have been busy. So, how did you do this time?"
"One of the best runs I've had yet. I made out with a good deal. I can't believe the world is so full of such blind idiots. All of whom just offer up their berris when they see a young girl in distress or a pretty face. Want to see?"
Arlong chuckled at that. "Such a conniving and cunning woman, and a great liar too. You truly are the witch they call you aren't you?"
"Maybe." She said, a false smirk on her face as she did.
That's when Hatchan entered the compound, scratching his head in confusion as he did, looking about as if he had lost something.
"Hatchi, look, Nami's back." Arlong told his octopus crewmate.
"Nami?" As Hatchan turned and looked at her, he gave a genuine smile. "It is Nami! Welcome back Nami!"
"Listen up everybody, Nami's finally returned, time for a party!" Arlong yelled, getting all the other fishmen to come out, hooting and hollering as they did.
As the party began, Arlong asked the question many of his crew were wondering, though not in worried sense. "So Nami, it seems you've come back wounded again. What happened to your hand?"
"Nothing much, just something to do with the latest suckers I robbed blind."
Arlong couldn't help but laugh at that. "I see, tell me about them."
A cruel, wicked smile crossed her face then. "First there was this cowardly marksman, always trying to hide behind everyone else. I stole from his entire village and his little rich girlfriend, no one even noticed by the time we left. I couldn't help but laugh behind his back after he thanked me with tears in his eyes for helping his village stop a pirate attack, having no clue that I only did so for the treasure they had. Then there was this moronic swordsman, always screwing things up, getting into fights and making everything worse, not to mention he smelled. Unfortunately the bastard was broke, so I wasn't able to get anything off him."
"Finally, the captain. I saved the best for last, because this guy was a real piece of work. First of all, he's probably the most idiotic person I've ever met, seriously, he could qualify as brain dead. All he could think about was his next meal, meat this meat that, always stuffing his stupid face. And if he wasn't talking about meat or eating it, he was claiming he would be the next King of the Pirates because it was his dream, screaming at the top of his lungs like an angry baboon that won't shut up." All the fishmen broke into rowdy laughter at that.
"Oh, it gets better, trust me. Then, if he wasn't insufferable enough already, he goes and tells me he loves me." All their laughter grew even louder at that. "I know, ridiculous right? How does someone as idiotic as him even know what love is? Anyways, I laughed in his face of course, and you should of seen it, he broke down and cried like a baby, it was just unbelievable. Even after I made it clear I didn't want his stupid ass, he got real clingy, and kept preventing me from leaving, so, I ended up stabbing the stupid sunuva bitch in the chest and taking off with his boat. During the struggle he got ahold of the knife and tried to stab me instead, but his aim sucked and he ended up piercing my hand instead, that's why my hand is bandaged." She finally explained.
As most of the fishmen began to somehow laugh even harder, Hatchan came to Nami's side. "You're hurt? Do you want Hachi to change your bandages?"
"No, I'm fine Hachi. Could you hold onto this bag for me though? I need a breath of fresh air, so I'm going to take a walk." She replied, picking up the duffel bag and handing it to him as she did.
"Alright, I can do that!"
"Thanks Hachi."
Nami took a breath of relief as she exited Arlong Park, not sure how much longer she would have been able to handle that. She turned and walked along the gate of Arlong Park, knowing she couldn't go too far. Once she reached the corner, she turned it, and came face to face with none other than Roronoa Zoro.
The very first thing she noticed were his eyes, they were filled with an intense rage that she had never seen from him before, it was so severe it almost made her flinch. Before she could move, speak, or even breathe, he was in her face and had forced her back up against the wall, the blade of his Wado so close to her throat that she could feel the steel on her neck, only the tiniest bit of pressure keeping her from having her throat cut and her life ended. And as this happened, the young navigator couldn't help herself as an involuntary gasp escape her.
The two made eye contact, as the green haired swordsman wasted no time in beginning to speak, his voice filled with the same rage that resided in his eyes. "You traitorous fucking bitch! How could you!? How could you!?" He repeated, his teeth grit, his face showing all his anger. "After everything he went through growing up, after all he's done to keep you safe and happy, after everything you've put him through, you just had to go and make it worse and stab him in the back didn't you!? Are you trying to break him!? Are you trying to screw his life up so much that he can't deal with it anymore!? Are you trying make his life so miserable that he can't take it anymore!? He does everything he can for you and it's never enough! Will you not be happy until he's dead!? Is that what you want, do you want him to die!?"
"No!" Nami was already full to the point of bursting with inner turmoil, but as Zoro threw everything in her face, it only added fuel to the fire, the young girl wouldn't be able to handle much more. However what next came out of Zoro's mouth would push the young navigator over the edge.
"If I'd of had my way your ass would have been off the ship and out of the crew after we left Syrup Village for the way you treated Luffy! He's been in love with you since I don't even know how long! You've wormed your way so deep into his heart that you're a permanent part of his dream! Believe me I know, I can see it! He's so devoted to you that he set out to find you first so that he could help make your dream come true! He's always there for you! And how do you repay him!? By belittling him in front of his crew, by making fun of him, by ripping his heart out, tearing it into pieces and stomping it into the dirt! You didn't just disregard his feelings for you, you've also convinced him of what I've known for quite awhile now, that you'll never return them in any way, shape or form! You've deeply hurt, scarred and damn near broken my best friend within the span of less than a goddamn month, so give me one good reason why I shouldn't end your worthless, pathetic excuse for a life right here and right now!?" The blade of the Wado pushed against her skin just a tad more, drawing blood from her flesh as it did, showing the swordsman was absolutely serious and would indeed follow through with this.
No longer able to hold it together, the tears that had been welling up in her eyes began to fall, as she began to sob, crying not because of the pain she felt in a physical sense but in the emotional sense. "You're right."
"What!?" Zoro questioned, not sure if he had heard her right.
"I said you're right. I've done nothing but hurt him, while he's done nothing but try to make me happy, to protect me, to help me. I've been such a bitch!" Her voice rose then, in spite of the risk of being caught by Arlong and the others. "The things I've said to him felt like bile in my throat, they burned my lips and tongue as I spoke them, and they hurt him so much that he cried! I never wanted to make him cry, ever! But...I didn't have a choice! I didn't have a choice!"
"What the hell do you mean you didn't have a choice!?" Zoro asked, his anger flaring. "No one forced you to hurt him like you did!"
"I-I-I had to!" She exclaimed through sobs, as they became harder and harder. "If I didn't make him hate me, then he would have followed me here! He would have tried to fight Arlong! And he would have died! I couldn't do it, I couldn't handle that! If Luffy died, I don't think I could keep going! Arlong's already taken so much from me, I won't let him take Luffy too!"
By gazing into her eyes, he could see that she spoke the truth, his own eyes softening, as he pulled the sword from her throat, stepping away from her as he did.
With him no longer holding her up, she collapsed to her knees, as she began to cry her eyes out, the sobs racking her body so hard she shook. "I-I wi-wish he knew that! I wish he knew why I did it! And I wish...I-I-I...I wish I could tell him how sorry I am...and how much I love him!" She broke down into nothing but unintelligible sobs then.
Zoro could only stare down at her, his eyes wide, completely taken back and off guard by this. What she said, it was completely true, he could see that, he believed her. He just...never thought that he would. He had no words, so only her sobs filled the air for the next minute or so.
Finally, Zoro spoke up, getting Nami's attention as he sheathed his Wado. "You'll get your chance to tell him everything, because he'll be here soon, to save you from this." His words were full of conviction and certainty, there was absolutely no doubt in his mind that Luffy would free her from Arlong.
Nami was speechless as she stared up at Zoro, only the sound of her sobs coming through. She had done everything she could to prevent just such a thing from happening, to keep Luffy as far away from Arlong as possible. And yet, now...she felt a sense of hope return to her, as Zoro said Luffy would come to save her, because...she knew he was right.
To Be Continued...
Also, in case you guys hadn't picked up on it, Zoro saw the whole thing about Nami talking bad about him, Usopp and Luffy, which is what set him off when she came outside.