Betaread by The Patient One!
Chapter 20. Living a Lie
"We're gonna crash! We're gonna crash! We're gonna crash!"
Luffy laughed loudly, ignoring or not hearing Usopp's, Johnny's, and Yosaku's terrified screams behind him. He had one of his rubbery appendages twisted around Merry's figurehead so that he wouldn't fall as the huge sea cow pulled their ship. "Faster! Faster!" he urged excitedly. "Full speed ahead!"
"Moooooooo!" replied the beast. A strange twinkle entered his eyes.
Suddenly Going Merry jerked forward, speeding up even more. The wave threw it into the air, eliciting laughter from the captain again. "Yahoo!" he cheered as the ship landed roughly back on the sea surface.
"WE'RE GONNA DIE!" the cowardly trio yelled in fright, hugging the main mast for dear life.
Sanji brushed his hair from his eye as Merry jumped another wave. "We're making a good time with this hippo's help," he casually commented.
"Yeah," Zoro agreed, nonchalantly leaning on the inner railing with his arms folded. "We might even catch up with Nami before reaching that island."
"Ah! Beautiful Nami-san~! I can't wait to see her again!"
"You two are way too relaxed!" Usopp shouted at them from his spot. "Show at least some concern for our lives!"
Luffy put his free palm above his eyes to cover the sun, because his straw hat was wildly dangling in the wind, and squinted at the distance. "Oooooi!" He flashed a huge grin over his shoulder. "I see land!"
"Finally…!" Zoro drawled with his hand on his katana and a small smirk playing on his lips.
Sanji clicked his tongue. "Nami-san is our top priority, you hear, shitty swordsman?"
Zoro's eye twitched. "What did you call me, damn cook?!"
Before they could start fighting once more, a mirthful laughter drew both their attentions to their exuberant captain. Luffy just then stretched his arms to grab Moomoo's horns.
"He's not gonna do what I think he might do, right?" the cook mused loudly.
The swordsman snorted. "Of course not."
They held their breaths as the boy's arms snapped back. Luffy collided with the back of the sea cow's head, giggled under his breath, and then climbed up to sit on top. Fist-pumping the air, he exclaimed, "Wait for us, Nami! Here we come!"
Zoro and Sanji heaved heavy sighs of relief, for some reason feeling as though this time luck was on their side that Luffy didn't decide to simply shoot himself to the island ahead of the ship.
The huge sea beast started to gradually slow down till it came to a halt right in front of the Arlong Park.
Luffy beamed at his new friend. "Good job, Moomoo!" he praised, at the same time gently patting the beast's head under him. "Thanks."
The cow closed his eyes in bliss. "Moooo…"
"Mohmoo? What are you doing?"
An unfamiliar voice coming from the land drew the pirate's attention and he turned to look at the speaker. It was a tall fishman with six arms and octopus-like face. Luffy's eyes widened slightly as his gaze fell on the fishman's forehead, instantly recognizing the mark burned onto it.
"Nyu! Is this human bullying you, Mohmoo?!" the stranger yelled in outrage, lifting all of his fists ready to fight.
That caused the straw-hatted boy to blink in surprise. "Shishishishi! No, we're friends," he informed with a sunny grin. "Right, Moomoo?"
The sea cow nodded his head. "Mooooooo!"
"Oh…" The fishman lowered his aggressive stance, and then rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry about that. I never saw Mohmoo getting friendly with a human before."
"That's fine," Luffy waved him off. "I'm Luffy! And this is my crew!" the young captain gestured proudly at the approaching ship from behind the sea cow.
The fishman grinned, pointing one of his hands to himself. "I'm Hatchan, but you can call me Hachi!"
"Whoa!" Usopp said in astonishment. He was standing on the bow deck and openly gawked at the unseen being, all his fear for the moment forgotten. "Are you a fishman?"
"Of course!" Hachi replied, doing a little wave dance with all his six arms. "I'm a charming octopus fishman! Do I look like a human?"
"Definitely not," Sanji murmured, blowing the cloud of smoke.
"Shishishishi," Luffy chuckled giddily. "I never imagined meeting another Sun Pirate so soon in my adventure!"
The octopus fishman suddenly froze, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets. "Nyu?! You know about the Sun Pirates?!"
"Yeah! I remember your name! Tooki always talked fondly of you," the rubber boy said, excitement etched on his features. "He told me a lot of stories about you guys. I really liked the ones about your first captain, Fisher Tiger. He became a hero to me from the moment I heard what he did!"
"Tooki the Storyteller?!" Hachi all but cried out. "Where have you met him? He disappeared so long time ago and nobody knows where he is!"
Usopp winced, thinking that the other boy would get angry again. Luffy's expression twisted into a scowl, his hand unconsciously drifting to touch the left side of his neck. A sigh escaped his lips.
This was Tooki's crewmember, and his nakama deserved to know how he died.
"No, no, no… Tooki, w-what are you saying? Stop saying stupid things!"
"Listen, Luffy–"
"I-I can't! I just… can't! You're my friend, Tooki!"
"Listen, kid! I know how hard it is for you, but you're young, just a child yet, whereas I'm an old cripple. If we need to choose who lives and who dies, then there is nothing here to choose from. Pehehehehe… Never would have thought that I'd sacrifice my life for a human and have no regrets for doing so."
"Please, don't make me do it…"
"And you know what they do if we don't fight. They're gonna kill us both! So, you have to do it, Luffy! You have a dream, right?! Fight for it! Survive for it! Live for it! Do it! Kill me, boy! Kill me!"
Luffy shook his head, tugging the straw hat down, trying to hide from the whole world as the already familiar dark abyss of pain, guilt, and shame threatened to overwhelm him.
An uneasy silence hung in the air as everyone was watching the rubber boy who just a moment ago was only smiles and sunshine.
"Tooki died about seven years ago…" Luffy's voice cracked and he went silent again, but no one dared to urge him to speak further. After a moment, he continued, "He sacrificed his life for mine."
"How strange…" Hachi trailed off, considering something over. "Never would have believed that Tooki would protect human."
The straw-hatted pirate's mouth corners twitched up a bit. "Yeah, he was surprised by it himself," he said quietly, then turned his head towards Going Merry and simply stared at his crew for a while.
Never, ever, would Luffy allow a similar situation to occur. He would do anything to keep them all safe. His nakama and friends were his to protect, not for them to sacrifice their lives for saving him.
The barely there smile on Luffy's face grew to a nearly there smile. He suddenly stretched his arm to grab a railing of Merry, pulling himself onto his ship to stand together with his nakama, basking in a warm and safety that their presence had brought to him.
"By the way, Hachi?"
The fishman looked up at the straw-hatted human. "Nyu?"
"I'm looking for one of my nakama. She had a tattoo of the same Jolly Roger as that flag." Luffy pointed at the top of the building in front of them, and everyone instinctively glanced at it. "Her name's Nami, the girl with orange hair. Do you know her?"
A shock flashed across Hatchan's octopus-like features. "Nami?" he asked. "Of course I know her! She's part of our pirate crew!"
"Part of your pirate crew?!" Usopp shrieked in disbelief.
"Didn't Nami say that she hated pirates?" Zoro recalled, irritation clearly visible in his voice and his entire body language. "Nothing but lies comes from that woman's mouth."
"Nami-san must have her reasons," Sanji protested.
"Go away. I don't need any help from people like you. I HATE PIRATES!"
"The pirates killed my mother."
"Yeah, like destroy towns and kill people."
Luffy's eyes flickered to the fluttering flag again, the slight downward turn of his mouth giving the only indication of his concern. The more he thought about this, the more he didn't like what his gut was telling him.
Of course, the captain remembered that Nami never agreed to join his crew, constantly reminding him that they were only allies and nothing more. Maybe this was the reason behind it, although he always assumed that it was because of her hate and fear of pirates, for that was a genuine emotion. Luffy could feel it lingering in his navigator's presence all the time, but it dwindled significantly after some time traveling together. Adding the other pirate crew's mark which Nami kept hidden…
Something was very wrong with the whole picture here. The bad feeling Luffy already had doubled in its intensity.
The captain fixed his hat and asked, "Ne, Hachi, do you know where I can find Nami? I need to ask her something."
"Nyuuuu…" The fishman scratched his head. "If she'd returned and she's not here, then she must be back at her house. Follow the coast until Cocoyashi Village." He pointed at the direction on his left. "Nami lives there."
"Okay, thanks!" Luffy grinned while the others already proceeded to move Going Merry. "Hey, maybe later we could meet up again and you could tell me more about the Sun Pirates and Fisher Tiger?" he asked, his eyes twinkling with excitement.
Hachi suddenly seemed very uncomfortable under his enthusiastic gaze. "Yeah, sure…"
The straw-hatted pirate tilted his head, confused about such a drastic mood drop, but chose not to question it. He turned to the sea cow as the ship started to sail away. "See ya later too, Moomoo!"
The beast brightened up and saw the young pirates off with a joyful, "Moooooo!"
Nami stared at the dried up blood for a while, her mind void of any coherent thought, as she was completely in denial of what might have happened in this place.
After some time, the thief finally forced her body to move. She checked the rest of the mikan orchard, the house, and also the mikan sapling garden on its other side. As Nami looked over the later, she absentmindedly noted that saplings this year seemed very strong and healthy, perfect for replacement of all the destroyed trees.
Finding no clues of what exactly was going on here, Nami decided to return to the Cocoyashi Village. If Nojiko got hurt, she was probably brought to the doctor. Hanging onto that spark of hope, the thief rushed towards the village.
There was a group of people crowding the entrance to the clinic, so Nami hid behind the corner of the house on the other side of the road. She couldn't face them now, couldn't look them into eyes and pretend that nothing had happened. They didn't know anything after all.
They didn't know that the money was gone. They didn't know that Arlong was planning to come later to take care of the rebels.
Nami shook her head. One thing at a time. Once she made sure that Nojiko was alright, she would think of what to do next. Maybe offer Arlong some additional deal to let villagers go this time. They always paid on schedule, never before they defied cruel regime of fishmen pirates. It should work…
The navigator slapped her own cheek to stay focus on things at hand. Then she sneaked across the road and past the crowd, finally sighing at ease as she reached the back door of the clinic. Not wanting to delay the inevitable, Nami entered, carefully closing the door behind her.
"Nami?"
The thief froze at the voice. A split second later she recognized it and swiveled around to make sure. There she was – her sister. Despite her somewhat pale face and bandaged waist, Nojiko seemed fine.
"Nojiko…" Nami exhaled long and slow, feeling the stress drain out of her and relief washing over every part of her body. Distracted, she wiped a few drops of tears out of her eyes. "Nojiko!" this time the navigator exclaimed happily as she closed the distance between them and hugged her sister tightly. "I-I thought… I'm so glad you're okay!"
Nojiko smiled, returning an embrace. "Sorry for scaring you, Nami."
"What happened?" Nami asked when they eventually let each other go. "I led Arlong to give his money because I finally got it all, but… Who did that?"
"Arlong, huh?" the blue-haired woman scoffed, glaring at nothing in particular. "That sly bastard…"
The navigator felt her stomach churn with trepidation. "…Why?"
"It was a work of Arlong's pet Marine," another voice said.
Nami turned to the speaker and her eyes widened at the sight of Genzo standing in the doorway, one hand gripping the jamb to keep himself upright. His whole torso and arms were bandaged and there were still remnants of dry blood at the edge of his mouth.
"Gen-san, you shouldn't be up," Nojiko chided. "Doc's orders."
The man waved her off, earning a scowl. "I'm sorry, Nami," he apologized quietly. "We couldn't protect the money that you spent eight years to collect to free the village."
Nami gawked at him, her mind drawing a blank because he knew. Genzo knew about the money. "How did you… know that…?" she stammered out.
"I knew all along. We all did," he confessed. "Back then, we couldn't believe what you'd done no matter what, so we forced Nojiko to tell us the truth… But we feared that if you knew that we knew, our hopes would pressure you into staying if you ever want to run away from it all."
"Wha…"
"That's why we pretended not to know." Genzo clenched his teeth, his knuckles going white from how hard he squeezed it. "Those Marines… They knew exactly what they were looking for. "
"Arlong was probably planning to do something like that from the very beginning," Nojiko added.
"Nami," Genzo said, looking dead in the eye of the startled orange-haired girl, "you can leave now. Leave this village, this island. You fought well."
"What… What are you saying?" the thief whispered, terror seeping in. "What was the name of that Marine?"
"Captain Nezumi," her sister answered.
Nami gaped at Nojiko, her words slowly sinking into her mind. She knew that name. That Marine had been in Arlong's pocket for a very long time. So, it was true – that despicable fishman set it all up. He never intended to let her or her village go.
"No, no, no, no…" a denial left her mouth as the navigator backed away until she hit the wall. "No, no, no… It can't be… It can't be… It can't be that the last eight years was all a lie!"
"Nami–"
"No! Arlong promised me! He promised… We made a deal… One hundred million beli for the freedom of me and Cocoyashi Village… He promised… He promised…" she muttered under her breath.
It's not like Nami didn't expect it. She did, she just didn't want to admit that Arlong could go back on his word. She hoped that he wouldn't. She hoped that her effort would actually pay off, pushing any kind of idea about her tormentor simply lying to her. He promised. They made a deal…
Nami covered her eyes with her palms and pressed it until the colors exploded under her closed eyelids.
She wanted to scream. Just scream until her throat became hoarse, until there was no strength left to scream. Maybe someone would hear her. Like Luffy…
Nami wished that back then she had been forced to tell Luffy everything, just spill all her misery and pain and ask for his help. Luffy would have definitely agreed. But it was too late now. They had no knowledge of where she ran off. The boys should be on their merry way to the Grand Line, far, far away from their runaway nakama and her problems.
Did she even have a right to call herself their nakama when she simply up and left them?
The thief chuckled darkly. No matter how monstrously strong those guys were, there was no way they could match a real monster. So, it was for the best really that the boys weren't here. She wouldn't forgive herself if more people got killed because of her. Like her mother…
"I need to see Arlong," Nami abruptly said, pushing off of the wall. She quickly ducked out of the clinic before anyone could stop her.
"Nami!"
Nami completely ignored her sister's calls from behind her as she marched along the rice fields towards the Arlong Park.
"Wait! Nami, stop!" Nojiko grabbed her by her hand and forced her to stop.
The thief gritted her teeth, yanking her arm out of the other woman's grip. She spun on her heel to face Nojiko. "You can't stop me! I need to talk with Arlong!"
"And what you're gonna say to him?!" the mikan grower shot back. "He's gonna lock you up! Or worse – kill you!"
"I don't care!"
"But I do!"
"What are you suggesting me doing then?" Nami demanded. "Leave you all to die and run away?"
"Yes!" Nojiko replied without skipping a beat. Seeing a startled expression on her younger sister's face, she sighed. "We already accepted the outcome of this, Nami. We allowed you to fight alone for the past eight years, but now it's time for you to stand down." She smiled. Just a small, proud curve of her lips. "You're cunning and you've got what it takes to survive out there. Besides, you got a dream to fulfill, right?" she asked with a mischievous wink.
Nami couldn't believe what Nojiko was saying. She opened her mouth to protest–
"Oooooooi! Nami! Ooooi! Oi!"
–and instantly her jaws closed with an audible click as the happy, though annoying yell resounded from the distance. "It can't be…" she muttered, before slowly turning around, afraid that it was just a delusional product of her scrambled mind. "Luffy…?"
The straw-hatted boy was truly there, standing at the forest line and waving his hands in a lively greeting, the wide sunny grin plastered on his face, seemingly lightening the whole surroundings with its presence.
"Aaaaah! Nami-saaaan!" another figure emerged from the trees and joined the arms' flailing. "It's me! It's me! Remember me?! Let's set sail together! And the second beautiful lady too! Come with us!"
"Shut up, idiot cook!" the swordsman grumbled. "Your constant shouting makes my head hurt."
"Eh? What was that?" Sanji grimaced at him. "Don't you know that love is always a hurricane?"
"Speaking of hurricanes," Usopp smirked, "let me tell you how that one time I saved the village from the biggest hurricane in history… Oi, listen to me!"
"I can't believe it!" Johnny cried out.
"Nami-aneki is indeed here!" Yosaku added.
"Shishishishi! I told you."
Nami was speechless. The whole crew was here with all their craziness and quirky antics. She didn't even have a mind to wonder how they'd find her, happiness swelling in her chest simply by seeing them all again.
Nojiko glanced at her sister and raised an eyebrow at her brightened up face. "You know them, Nami? Who are they?"
Nami started from her questions. She looked back at Nojiko, her eyes instantly drawn by the bandages around the woman's waist.
Shahahaha!
The thief bit her lip. She couldn't involve Luffy and the rest in this mess. The mere thought of them getting beaten and killed by Arlong terrified her to her very core.
"Nobody," Nami said. The hopeful light that shone in her orbs a moment ago dimmed and then died completely after she repeated her statement. "They are nobodies. Just a bunch of pirates I stole from."
"Really?" Nojiko asked in disbelief. "They don't seem like nobodies going by your reaction."
The navigator ignored her, rearranging her features into a cold stony façade and facing the pirates. "What did you come to this island for?" she inquired frostily. She had to call forth all of her willpower not to falter in her act when Luffy's eyes narrowed a fraction, fixing her with his soul-piercing gaze.
"We've come for you, of course," the rubber boy replied. "You're nakama," he added like it explained everything.
"Nakama? Don't make me laugh. I told you many times that I'm not your nakama. It was nothing but a stupid little cooperation," Nami stated, her voice biting. "You're a nuisance. Go away."
Luffy said nothing. He just stared at his navigator with a worried crease in his brow.
"How can you be so cold, Nami?!" Usopp demanded angrily. "You were enjoying yourself when sailing together with us! Have you been deceiving us all along?"
Nojiko's eyebrows rose to her hairline. "Oh? Enjoying herself, eh?"
"It was just an act," the thief countered the liar's words. "How did you find me anyways?"
"Your tattoo."
Nami almost flinched from Luffy's response. Her hand instinctively moved to cover her left shoulder. Oh, how she hated that thing, marking her as a property of Arlong and working as a tag on her invisible leash to inform others about her master.
The navigator didn't even feel when her nails dug into her flesh, drawing blood.
"So, it's true that you're a member of this fishmen pirate crew?" Zoro wondered, eyeing the orange-haired girl suspiciously as though not entirely believing that being legitimate fact.
Nami clenched her teeth so hard that it felt like they could shatter under the pressure. "That's right!" she stated forcefully, showing the others her accursed tattoo. However, the part of the desirable effect was lost because of scratches left by her nails. "I'm an officer of the Arlong Pirates. I only stuck with you for the money. Now when you don't even have a beli, I couldn't care less about you all."
Nojiko sighed. The pirates and bounty hunters were staring at her, not uttering a word.
"I don't have time to deal with you," Nami declared, already walking towards her initial destination. "Leave this island! Go search for your One Piece or whatever." As she was passing Luffy, he suddenly grabbed her arm, successfully stopping her. "What do you want?!" she snapped.
"I can help."
"STOP SAYING THAT!" the thief cried out, swinging her hand upward until it connected sharply with the boy's cheek.
Everyone was left dumbfounded. Nami herself gasped in surprise, pressing her stinging hand to her chest as if it had been burned. She watched the red blotches slowly appearing on Luffy's cheek with wide eyes full of fright and shock.
Luffy never allowed others to hit him, playfully or not. If he could avoid it, he always did. Even a common physical touch was usually initiated first by Luffy himself. The fact that the slap didn't miss meant only one thing – the young captain let Nami strike him deliberately.
Now he was looking at her with that sincere tenderness in his expression, still waiting.
"Get off of this island," Nami forced the words out of her, but it was delivered without any kind of heat behind them. "I don't want to see you again. Farewell." Her voice wavered at the end, and in that moment a pang of grief crossed her face. The navigator spun on her heel and dashed away before anyone could stall her again.
"Nami, wait–!" Nojiko rushed forward just to stagger as the pain unexpectedly shot through her injuries, making her dizzy. "Urgh…"
Sanji was at her side to aid her in a blink of an eye. "Are you alright, miss?" he inquired softly, helping the woman to stand straight.
"Yeah, thanks." Nojiko smiled weakly at him, then she glanced where her sister disappeared and cursed. "That damn girl… She'll get herself killed!"
"Uh… What the heck is going on here?" Usopp asked. "Nami… She's… Argh! I'm so confused!"
"First, I'd like to know who you all are," Nojiko stated. "Depending on your answer, I might tell you."
Luffy finally tore his eyes from the road and faced the mikan grower. "We're Nami's nakama."
It was such a simple words, but they were delivered with so much conviction behind them, and after witnessing her sister's interaction with these guys, Nojiko saw no reason not to believe this straw-hatted stranger. A genuine smile slipped on her lips. "Alright, then, I guess I can tell you," she decided. "But promise me that after you'll know everything, you're gonna take Nami and immediately flee this place."
Luffy frowned. "I'm not interested," he said, turning to walk away. "If Nami wants me to know her past, she can tell it herself."
"Are you sure?" Usopp asked.
"Yeah. The past doesn't matter on my ship," Luffy informed before sitting down with his back against the tree, way out of earshot.
The woman stared. "What's up with him?"
"Don't mind him. That's just the kind of guy he is," Zoro commented as he too got comfortable sitting on the ground. "But we'll listen to what you have to say."
Nojiko blinked at the strange swordsman who promptly fell asleep after his last word.
"Don't just fall asleep as soon as you say that!" Usopp screeched before huffing. "Well, I, for one, will listen to understand what's going on here."
"Me too!" Sanji exclaimed.
"And us too!" Johnny and Yosaku piped in together.
Nojiko chuckled. "What a strange bunch you found this time, Nami…" she muttered to herself. "Alright, I'll try to be quick with this story…"
Nami skidded to a halt in front of the Arlong Park's land gate, pushing any thoughts about Luffy and the others out of her mind. "ARLONG!" she hollered in pure rage as soon as she stomped inside.
The fishmen fell silent, gawking at her curiously.
"What's wrong, my talented little cartographer?" Arlong inquired smoothly from his throne. "Why the sour face already? I haven't killed anyone yet. Shahahaha!"
"It was your pet Marines you keep on the payroll who stole my money!" Nami shouted, coming right up to him and grabbing him by his shirt, trying to shake the fishman. "It was your doing! What's the meaning of this?! Didn't you say you'd rather die than break a promise involving money?!"
"Hm? When did I ever break my promise?"
"Don't play dumb with me–!"
Suddenly, Arlong pushed her off of him. Just a twist of his arm, but it was enough to send the small girl flying a few feet away. As Nami crashed onto the ground with a painful cry, the whole fishmen crew erupted into laughter with an exception of Hachi who reverted his eyes.
"Don't forget your place, Nami," Arlong said, standing up. "Even if you're part of this crew, you're still only a lowly human, although a useful and a talented one. Now," he cracked his neck and grinned, revealing all his sharp teeth, "I think I have some business to attend to in the Cocoyashi Village. Shahahaha!"
Nami pushed herself from the ground into sitting position.
"No need to go to the village, Arlong. We're all here."
Nami's heart almost stopped at hearing Genzo's calm voice. She whipped her head up. Everyone was really here, glaring at the fishmen and holding various housekeeping equipment as their only weapons.
"Wha… What are you all doing here?!"
"We'd hoped that Nojiko would stop you from coming," Genzo shook his head. "That's why we took another route here."
"Shahahaha! Coming themselves? Such brave rebels!" Arlong mocked. "Welcome! Welcome!"
"We're not afraid to die!"
"Time to show you what we're made off!"
"We're ready to fight you!"
"What a joke," The fishman captain sneered down at them. "Humans thinking that they can defeat me?" He stepped towards the crowd. "I'll show you how to bare your teeth against your master!"
"NO!" Nami jumped to her feet, pulling out her Bo staff from where she kept it hidden and taking a defensive stance between the villagers and the fishmen. "I'll not allow you to kill them!"
Arlong cocked his head up and roared with laughter. "Ah, this is too precious!" he exclaimed. A split second later he was already towering over the thief, his teeth shining brilliantly as he bit down on her staff. The wood shattered, and Arlong spat the pieces out, staring down at Nami in absolute disdain. When those brown orbs lit up with a spark of defiance, he backhanded her across her face, flinging her to the side.
"Nami!"
"Na-chan!"
Arlong waved his hand, signaling the others to take care of the villagers. "Nami, Nami, Nami," he intoned with a sly smirk as he approached the dazed navigator. "And what should I do with you?"
Nami tried to still the trembling, but her body didn't listen. A nasty looking bruise on her face was already started to form and a split lip stung. If it didn't hurt so much, the thief might have even laughed from the irony of getting the same treatment as she gave Luffy.
"If you ask nicely I might let you go, you know?"
Not wanting to show her fear, Nami glared at her tormentor, pouring all her hatred and loathing into it.
Arlong scowled, not liking that look at all. "Tsk-tsk-tsk, that won't do at all." His mouth stretched into a crooked smile. "I spoiled you too much for your own good. Maybe I should break your hands?" His smile widened into a predatory grin when the girl's face paled from fear. "Nah! You need your hands to draw my maps. Your legs, however…" Arlong lifted one of his own legs, ready to strike, his eyes sparkling with amused cruelty. "THOSE CAN GO!"
"Ever since that day eight years ago, that girl decided not to show her tears to anyone and never ask for help," Nojiko told the pirates. "All because she doesn't want to see anyone to be killed by Arlong, just like our mother was…"
Sanji puffed out a cloud of smoke, silently observing it dispersing in the air. "That explains a lot," he said, dropping a finished cigarette on the ground and grinding it with his foot.
"It sure does…" Usopp muttered, scowling in thought. "In order to save her village, she forced herself to join the very pirates who killed her mother…"
"Waaaaaaaaah…!" wailed the bounty hunter duo. "It's such a heartbreaking story! Nami-anekiiiiii!"
Nojiko heaved a sigh, glancing at the only guy who refused to listen to Nami's story.
A pinch between Luffy's eyebrows at that moment twisted into a deep frown and then into a snarl. His eyes shot open and he leaped from the ground, glaring at the direction where Nami rushed off. A moment later, he visibly relaxed. "That pisses me off so much!" he suddenly yelled, startling the mikan grower. "Guys, we're going!"
"Roger!" everyone responded in unison.
Nojiko could only stare in amazement as boys quickly followed after the smallest of them all. Even the sleeping swordsman was up and about. And only then she realized that she never asked who exactly they were. Not that it really mattered. As long as they were on Nami's side, Nojiko knew that her sister would never be alone ever again.
"THOSE CAN GO!"
A terrified scream left Nami's throat as Arlong began to lower his foot. She shut her eyes, scrambling backwards, trying to escape the oncoming torture. Once the first tear broke free, the rest followed in an unbroken stream, all the stress, fear, and pain catching up to her in this agonizingly long moment as she waited for Arlong to crush her legs.
But nothing had happened.
A sound of flesh hitting flesh reached her ears, and Nami reluctantly opened her eyes. She blinked in surprise at the sight of Hachi standing between her and Arlong. The latter rubbed his cheek and glowered at the octopus fishman.
"What is the meaning of this, Hachi?" the shark growled. "Have you lost your mind? Protecting a human?! Going against me?!"
"I have nothing but respect for you, Arlong. But…" Hatchan trailed off, all six hands balling into tight fists. "But someone made me remember boss Ti and his last words, his dying wish… What we're doing here goes against everything boss Ti was fighting for!"
"Boss Ti was killed by humans!" Arlong roared. "Did you already forget?!"
"Of course not! And I would never forgive those who killed him!" Hachi yelled back. "But… our actions only make humans hate us more–"
"You always were a human sympathizer," Kuroobi interrupted him with a disappointed head shake.
Chew also added his two cents, "And never committed to our goals fully, chu."
"Humans who aren't scared of us, don't hate or scorn us, that's what boss Ti wanted to achieve!" Hachi insisted. "Even Tooki changed his mind and died protecting a human!"
"Tooki?" Arlong echoed in disbelief, before bellowing with laughter. "Shahahaha! Nonsense! Tooki hated humans even more than I do! Now I see that you totally lost your mind. Kuroobi! Chew!"
The other two fishmen officers suddenly sprang into action, assaulting Hachi from both sides.
Nami sniffled, vainly trying to stop her tears. While Hachi never was as bad as the rest of them, he never went out of his way to help her either. She felt extremely confused about his sudden decision to protect her.
"Na-chan, run!"
A cry jolted her out of her musings. The villagers were still holding their own against the fishmen which was quite surprising, but several of them were already lying on the ground in red pools.
"Oh, no, you don't!" Arlong sneered, launching himself towards her.
Nami stumbled to her feet, her flight or fight instinct kicking in. But she was too slow. Arlong was upon her in an instant, seething with rage, ready to rip her apart… only to be stopped by his own crewmember again.
"Hachi…" Nami whispered between sobs.
"Run, Nami! I can't hold him for long!" the octopus yelled as he wrestled with his captain. "Find your friends and… Ugh!"
"Friends…?" A grinning face under the straw hat popped into her mind, and the thief raced out of the Arlong Park without a second glance back.
"If you run away, I'll kill them all!" Arlong shouted after her, but the girl didn't stop. "I'll find you, Nami! You can never escape me! Remember that!"
Nami wasn't listening, the only thought circling in her mind - to find Luffy. He was the only hope she had left now. Maybe he was still on this island. Maybe he would agree to help her, even after everything she said and done. She could only hope that he would.
Luffy noticed Nami approaching way before she actually came into view. Her presence felt almost unrecognizable, but at the same time, he was intimately familiar with that kind of despair. There were only a few people who didn't feel like that in that place.
This whole matter reeked of the same stench, and Luffy felt the stability of his psyche slipping. The dark side of him that he usually kept under tight control surfaced, and he didn't – couldn't – chose not to suppress it this time. It helped him to survive the hell before, after all.
Zoro stopped and made the others do the same while Luffy walked forward to meet their distressed navigator.
"Nami!" Nojiko exclaimed, but a hand on her shoulder held her in place. Sanji shook his head when she looked at him.
"Luffy!" Nami came to a halt in front of the straw-hatted pirate, his eyes narrowing at the bruise on her face, something dark flashing through them. "Luffy, I… I-I need help…" she stuttered out, collapsing onto the ground as her legs gave in, sobs shaking her entire body. "Please… I beg you…" a plea escaped her, causing Luffy to reel away from surprise. "Please, help me… I beg–"
"Nami, stop! Stop!"
Nami fell silent. Her trembling hand covered her mouth as she attempted to rein her emotions in. If Luffy would refuse, there would be nothing she could do. Everyone would die. Everything would be lost. Her hand drifted to her left shoulder, nails digging deep into the flesh, and she dragged her fingers across the tattoo, leaving bleeding scratches behind.
Luffy crouched down, so that they could be at the same eye level. "Nami, I've already told you. If you need help, you can just ask me. There's no need to beg." He smiled a small, benign smile. "We're nakama." A calloused palm gently pried her hand from her shoulder and then carefully covered the tattoo, soothing fresh wounds with its warmth.
"Th-They're gonna die… I-I tried to save them… but the money got stolen…" Nami rambled. "A-Arlong lied… H-H-He never intended to let me go… And now Hachi protected me… Luffy… I don't know what to do…"
"You want Arlong gone?"
The thief looked up into those black orbs. "Y-Yeah…" she choked out, all of her eight years long pain and torment crammed into that one word.
"That's all I need to know," Luffy stated, standing up. He reached for his straw hat and jammed it onto his navigator's head.
Nami froze, then slowly, gingerly touched her captain's treasured hat.
"Don't touch my hat."
"This hat is my treasure."
"It's… very important to me."
"Luffy…" Nami whispered. She wanted to lift her head to look at him, but Luffy pushed his straw hat down on her eyes.
"Keep my hat safe for me, alright?"
The navigator nodded, her fingers curling tightly around the hat's rim, clinging to it fiercely like her life depended on it.
Behind the two, Zoro tied his black bandana around his head and gripped his katana's handle in a death grip. Sanji loosened up his tie and poked the ground with his shoe, making sure that it didn't come loose. Usopp lowered his goggles over his eyes and checked his slingshot and its ammunition.
Without any verbal command, all three fell into step with their captain. Johnny and Yosaku silently trailed after them, feeling a bit out of place, like they were intruding into something they shouldn't.
Nojiko came closer then and hugged her sister, watching backs of those four brave people, as Nami cried into her shoulder.
Arlong glowered at his bruised and bloody crewmember, hanging limply in Kuroobi's and Chew's arms. By now, the humans were subdued; though many were still alive, they were beaten enough that they couldn't pose a threat.
"Have you learned your lesson, Hachi?" the captain asked.
"I stand by my words..."
"So stupid…" Arlong muttered. "You do understand that I'm gonna catch Nami again, right? She can't escape me, ever. And this time, I'm gonna lock her up in her room for good."
"Nyu… Boss Ti would be disgusted if he'd see us now."
The captain gritted his teeth in frustration. "It's your last chance to come to your senses!" Hachi didn't speak again, only raising his head to give a defiant glare. "Fine!" Arlong snapped. "Fine. As you wish." He winded his arm for a finishing blow…
…but it never reached its intended target. There was a gust of wind, and all of a sudden a human boy was standing in front of him.
It took a moment for Arlong to realize that this tiny black-haired brat caught his punch seemingly with ease and now leveled a bloodcurdling glare at him.
A cry of pain startled the shark-fishman. He quickly glanced up, just to see Kuroobi flying into the water as a young blond man in black landed in his place and took a deep drag of his cigarette.
Chew let Hachi go, and the latter crumpled to the ground. "Oh, you hum–" the long-lipped fishman didn't have a chance to finish, because a several accurate explosive projectiles hit him, causing him to stumble backwards.
"Take that, bastard!" the long-nosed human teen shouted from the side, aiming another shot a bit more carefully.
This time it collided straight with the fishman's mug. As it exploded, Chew fell down screaming and clutching his bleeding face.
"Tatsumaki!"
Arlong looked behind. A shrieking tornado was flinging his crewmembers to the sides and they crashed down with cut marks all over their body. The villagers who were still conscious gaped at the abrupt appearance of a green-haired swordsman with a katana in his mouth and another two swords with flat tips in his both hands.
"Tch, weaklings…" the stranger muttered disappointed.
"You must be Arlong," the tiny brat in front of him said, drawing the shark's attention back to him, his voice creepily void of any emotions.
"That would be me!" the fishman captain confirmed, baring his teeth in anger. "And who might y–"
"Good. Just a person I've wanted to see," the kid interrupted. His mouth slowly, almost lazily, stretched into a sharp, evil grin. "Name's Monkey D. Luffy." The look in his eyes was dark, almost demonic in its nature, bordering on the edges of insanity.
For the first time since he left the Grand Line, Arlong felt a slight feeling of fear. His whole being was alarmed and strung-up, instincts screaming at him not to mess with this kid. A kid! A human kid! How could that be that he was afraid of a human kid! That was simply impossible! Impossible! IMPOSS–
A punch to his gut snapped Arlong out of his daze. His breath left his body in an explosive, painful gasp, and he coughed blood. Before he could retaliate, another punch landed onto the side of his face, the force behind it knocking him right off his feet and hurling him directly into the Arlong Park's building. Part of its wall collapsed as he crashed through it.
Luffy cracked his knuckles, ignoring the blood dripping through his fingers, still grinning in that half-crazy, half-amused manner. "And I'm gonna rip your heart out."
Next Chapter: Payment in Blood
A/N
One dark Luffy is coming right up! Hehehe...
I know the site is having issues with e-mail alerts of stories' updates, but hopefully someone will see this update. Leave a review if you did with what you liked and what you didn't in this chapter or this story in general. I'd love to hear it :)
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