Hey everyone, and welcome to my One Piece fanfiction. This will be the first chapter of the new arc, but as I said, I plan on making the chapters a bit shorter so they won't take as long to update. This chapter won't be very eventful, but it's mainly meant to start things off. Hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit fan-based parody. One Piece is owned by Funimation, Eiichiro Oda, Shueisha, Toei Animation, and Fuji TV. Please support the official release.
"Pirate" Regular speech.
"Pirate" Thoughts.
Finger Pistol Attack names.
(Pirate) Words said previously.
"PIRATE!" Shouting speech.
[Pirate!] people talking at the same time.
"Pirate" people talking over communication.
Nami's Home And The Fishmen
—…
The sun shined over the clear waters of the eastern sea; the tides were gentle, the seagulls flew around, the fish splashed around, and the weather was absolutely perfect.
Through all that, two sailing boats were cruising through the water, with a total of eight people sharing them.
Right now, Light, Silk, Gin, and Sanji were on the boat Sanji got from Baratie, while Zoro, Usopp, Yosaku, and Johnny were on the boat that belonged to the Bounty Hunting duo. While most of the crew was sitting back and enjoying the weather, Yosaku and Johnny seemed pretty on edge.
Light let out a relaxed sigh as he leaned against the side of the boat. "What a great day for sailing."
"It is. I can't remember the last time I felt so relaxed while sailing." Gin agreed with his new Captain.
"Speaking of relaxing, how are your injuries, Zoro?" Silk asked from the other boat.
"Doing good, starting to feel like my old self again." Zoro answer.
"Don't be ridiculous. You can't recover from an injury that severe in such a short amount of time." Usopp reprimanded his decedent attitude.
"Whatever." Zoro brushed off his concern.
"Moving on, we've been sailing for a while. Any ideas as to how close we are to our destination?" Light asked curiously.
"Don't ask us. The reason we needed someone like Nami around was that none of us are good at complicated navigating." Usopp reminded him.
"Nami, haa~" Sanji swooned at the mention of her name, so much so that the puffs of smoke coming from his cigarette were shaped into hearts. "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." He then looked over at Silk. "Which isn't to say I don't enjoy every wonderful second I spend thinking of your beauty, Silk."
Silk rolled her eyes while Zoro just yawned. "Would you quit acting like a moron? You're making me wanna barf."
Sanji scowled at him. "Excuse me, did losing all that blood mess up your brain?"
Suddenly, Yosaku slammed his hand down on his knee and got their attention. Pointing an accusing finger at him, he yelled out. "You're way too naïve and way too young! Don't you get it? Don't you realize that every passing second brings us closer to the infamous Arlong?!"
"Don't you realize you don't have to yell?" Light sarcastically replied. "We're right here."
"You're still not talking this seriously, Big Bro!" Johnny joined in on the hysteria. "Right now, we're heading to a very dangerous place, and none of you seem to be aware of that!"
"D-Dangerous, you say…?" Now, Usopp was a bit more concerned after their warnings.
"Back up a bit; what's this about Arlong?" Zoro questioned them.
They both thought back to a certain moment on the Going Merry. They had dropped a few Wanted Posters on the deck, and Nami picked up one, particularly paying special attention to it. "Nami couldn't stop looking at Arlong's picture when she saw it."
"And it wasn't a normal kinda stare. There was something different about the way she was staring." Johnny followed up on Yosaku's explanation. "It was something focused. We think Big Sis Nami is planning on taking down Arlong and collecting his bounty."
"For all we know, while we just sit here, she could already be making her way through his compound." Yosaku finished while gripping his knees.
"Somehow, I seriously doubt that." Silk just looked skeptical at their theory. "Or do you believe Nami would even attempt that when her favorite option is to run away, coupled with her best strategy being hiding?"
"True, there's no way." Zoro agreed with her assessment. "She couldn't even collect the bounty of ordinary Pirates. Why would she possibly think she could pull it off against Arlong?"
"And Nami has proven to herself as someone who avoids risks at all costs." Light pointed out. "She usually tries to steal treasures without being seen, like with Buggy. The idea that she would directly confront her target is way too out of character for her."
"Well, maybe she has different strategies for different targets?" Usopp theorized. "And there's no telling what kind of person Arlong is, so that could tie into it."
"All we're really getting from this is that she has something tying her to Arlong." Light noted.
"But what could possibly connect her to someone like Arlong?" Silk wondered out loud.
"Hold on, do any of you guys even know anything about Arlong?" Yosaku asked curiously.
"No." Light said.
"Nope." Zoro said.
"I do not." Silk said.
"Not really." Usopp said.
"No, who is he?" Sanji asked.
Yosaku and Johnny face fault after hearing all of their responses.
"Gin." Usopp addressed him. "Do you know about Arlong?"
Gin shook his head. "Not really, all I know is that he was the one guy that had a bounty in the East Blue that was higher than Don Krieg's, but because he and his crew hadn't done anything noteworthy these past years, he just said Arlong was toothless and nothing to worry about."
"Yeah, well, we've all seen how much of a reliable source that guy was." Light sarcastically pointed out.
At that moment, Yosaku blew a whistle to get their attention as he and Johnny stood up straight and addressed them as though they were giving a lecture.
"Listen up!" Yosaku started while pacing the floor. "Arlong is a Fishman who used to destroy everything in his path up and down the Grand Line."
"Fishman?" Sanji sounded unfamiliar with the concept.
"I've never heard of them." Usopp was also unaware.
Sanji's eyes turned into hearts as his mind began to wonder again. "I've heard that the females on Fishman Island are some of the most beautiful creatures in the world to behold."
"You have a one-track mind, don't you?" Light sarcastically asked him.
"Can't you focus for just one minute?!" Yosaku snapped at them in frustration.
"Would you calm down?" Zoro yawned tiredly at him. "If it's so important, then just hurry up and explain it to us already."
"He's right. Just get it out." Gin added.
Yosaku sighed and sat back down. "All right. We will start from the very beginning."
"The Reason they call the Grand Line the Pirate Graveyard in the first place is because of Arlong and other powers like him who rule over it." Johnny started the explanation. "The first of the powers are known as the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
"The Seven Warlords are Pirates authorized by the Government." Yosaku followed up.
"Government-authorized Pirates?" Gin repeated, wondering if he had heard wrong.
"Seriously, why would any Pirate on the Sea want Government approval?" Sanji asked the big question.
"For protection." Yosaku answered before continuing. "The Government looks the other way in exchange for a cut of their treasure, and they're allowed to exist."
"Their bounties are also frozen and won't go up any higher no matter what trouble they cause, and the Marines won't bother them anymore." Johnny elaborated. "But they also have to answer the Government's call when they need them for something."
"I guess that makes sense. Being a Pirate would be easier if you could go about your business without the Marines chasing you all the time." Usopp grasped the logic behind the concept. "I can see why some would take that deal."
"Yeah, in exchange for your treasure and your pride too." Zoro sounded put off by the very idea of it. "A Pirate who's willing to submit to the Government no matter the perks have no right to call himself one anymore. That's the way I see it."
"Well, that is a common conscience. To other Pirates, they're just Government dogs, but they didn't get to where they are now by being weak. These guys are powerful." Yosaku assured them with a serious tone. "The man who defeated Big Bro Zoro is one of these Warlords—Hawk-Eye Mihawk."
That got Zoro's attention; though he was already aware of this, he always pays attention when Hawk-Eye is brought up. Usopp wasn't aware of this and looked horrorstruck by this new information.
Gin's eyes opened a little at the mention of Mihawk, he may no longer be afraid of the Grand Line, but after seeing Mihawk up close and personal the way he has, it's hard not to remember the intimidation. "He's one of them."
"Hold on! Are you saying there are six more monsters out there in the Grand Line just as strong as him!" Usopp asked frantically.
"Of course, there aren't." This time, Light answered the question. "The Seven Warlords are strong and renowned, yes. But there isn't a requirement on exactly how strong you have to be to become one, and Hawk-Eye is a monster even by their standards."
"You know about the Seven Warlords?" Sanji asked.
"I get the gist of them." Light answered before turning back to Usopp to placate his concerns. "The point is, they aren't all that strong. If the Government already had seven people who were that powerful on the Grand Line, they wouldn't need the Marines."
"Haah, that's good to know; I was worried for a moment." Usopp sighed, regaining his composure.
"Back to what I was saying. The first among the Warlords—At least, first you should know about is Jimbei—Captain of the Fishman Pirates." Yosaku informed them. "He is dangerous like no one you've ever known, easily causing as much havoc and destruction around the Grand Line as Arlong."
"Arlong has taken control of over 20 towns since coming to the East Blue. His strength easily surpasses anyone you've encountered—Including that of Don Krieg. He's devastating." Johnny told them with fear in his eyes.
"So, why do you think Nami would go after this guy by herself?" Sanji asked again.
"You think he's her next target?" Usopp guessed.
"That does sound like her." Zoro replied with disinterest.
"Hey, you guys." Gin spoke out. "As the only one here who's never met Nami, it's kinda hard to grasp what type of person she is based on what little you've said about her. But, is she really worth all this effort?"
"Personality aside, she's good at what she does; I doubt we could ever find a navigator like her if we tried." Silk answered magnanimously.
"If you ask me, she's nothing but a pain in the ass." Zoro said bluntly. "We'd be better off just forgetting about her."
"But she's still our friend, and she helped save my village." Usopp defended her. "I think we should hear her out before assuming anything."
Sanji clasped his hands and became smitten again. "Ah~ Wouldn't it be great if Nami were a mermaid~ I'd give anything to see that."
A bead of sweat fell from Gin's brow. All of their mixed feelings and responses didn't really answer Gin's question. If anything, he only became more confused, so Light answered him. "The bottom line is, she's an acquired taste. You can't really get a real grasp on her by hearing about it; you'll just have to might her and figure it out for yourself."
"I guess that makes sense." Gin accepted that answer.
[Have any of you guys heard a single thing we've been saying!?] Yosaku and Johnny cried out, feeling completely ignored.
"Yeah, yeah, we got it." Zoro waved off their worries.
"No, you don't get it; you've never had to face a Fishman." Yosaku reminded them.
"I think you're forgetting something important." Silk countered their point. "The Fishmen have never faced us."
Yosaku and Johnny stopped at that response, and most of them smiled.
"You've already seen how strong we are. Do you really think we'll fall behind just because the other guys are Fishmen?" Light asked with confidence.
"Or what, have you lost faith in us?" Zoro asked with a smirk while gripping his only remaining Sword. "Are you telling me you think we're gonna lose this time?"
If they had any worries, they went away after those words. Seeing their brash confidence and willingness to face facing any threat, believing without a doubt that they'll be victorious. That was the reason the two of them looked up to Zoro—And, by extension, the others—In the first place.
"No way! There's no way you'll lose, Big Bro!" Yosaku shouted with excitement.
"Those no one in the world who can beat you guys! Fishmen don't mean a thing!" Johnny shouted with enthusiasm.
With that settled, Sanji stood up this time. "I guess I'll get lunch started."
"Great, I was just getting hungry." Light clearly liked that idea.
"I could eat." Zoro shrugged.
Sanji rolled up his sleeves. "What are you in the mood for?"
"What else, meat." Light answered right away.
"And bean sprouts, I want sautéed bean sprouts." Usopp followed up with his request.
"Me too; I want meat!" Johnny joined in.
"I want sautéed bean sprouts!" Yosaku followed up.
"I'm fine with anything as long as it's good." Gin smiled.
"Okay, leave it to me." Sanji nodded and walked to the cabin in the middle of the boat where the cooking station was. "This won't take long. Meat and bean sprouts, no problem."
Silk got up and followed him. "I'll help you."
"Oh, there's no need." Sanji tried to be chivalrous. "I couldn't ask a lady for assistance. If anything, I'm happy to cook for you."
"Hey, new guy." Silk walked right up to his face. "This isn't Baratie anymore. If I say I want to help, all you need to say is "thank you"." She finished with a smile and walked past him into the kitchen.
"Ah, love, she makes my heart dance in my chest." Sanji swooned as he followed her.
"Make sure my food has booze!" Zoro called out.
"We don't have booze. It's all still on the Going Merry!" Silk called back from the kitchen. "All we've got is wine!"
"Ah, damn it." Zoro cursed in annoyance. "Now, what am I supposed to drink?"
Further along the ocean, Nami kept sailing the Going Merry as she leaned back against the railing and let the current move the ship forward. She kept her head down, and her eyes were emotionless as the ship was drifting closer to an Island in the distance.
"I can hardly believe it. There it is." Nami thought as her hair softly blew backward from the wind. "My hometown."
Nami saw her home island just ahead and the huge yellow and red palace towering over the small little town that read: Arlong Park.
Arlong Park was the Arlong Pirates' base of operations. It was located on Conomi Islands. This building, boasting several stories—Four in total, not including the ground floor, and their Jolly Roger at the top, was conspicuously placed at the coast to show that they had no fear of the law. Arlong's flag is that of a saw-nosed shark turned to the left with the tail curving inward. Around the shark is a semi-oval with three curves emitting from it. Behind the shark is a cross bone. This flag is tattooed onto all members of the crew.
Arlong Park was built on the coastline, near the ocean, east of Cocoyasi Village, where the pool on the outside was linked to the outer seas, with a pair of steel gates that kept it closed.
Within the confines of Arlong Park, outside the building was a large open area where all the crew members could gather for casual, recreational, or business purposes. And right now, they were in the middle of business.
At the front of the building was a table with the heads of two parties sitting across from each other. The first was the Captain of the Arlong Pirates—Arlong. The other was the Captain of a March Branch—Nezumi.
Arlong is a large, muscular, light blue saw-shark fish-man whose most distinctive trait is his saw-shaped nose. He has long, black hair reaching down to his shoulders and with a widow's peak. On his head, he wears a brown ushanka. He has a fin on his nape, surrounded by his hair, and his gills are located on both sides of his neck. He has a Sun tattoo on the left side of his chest, while his own Jolly Roger is on his left forearm. Other notable features include thin, fierce light-blue eyes and a long, angular jaw.
Arlong's attire is composed of fashionable, light clothes, reflecting his rich status as well as his background as a thug. He wears a short-sleeved, unbuttoned yellow cabana shirt decorated by many black lightning-like spots, green Bermuda shorts, a purple sash around the waist, and simple sandals. He also sports a lot of jewels: he has a golden chain bracelet around his left wrist and two golden bracelets around each ankle, with straw-like decorations hanging from them. On his hands are what appear to be rings decorated with colorful gems.
Behind Arlong were two of his officers, Chew and Kuroobi.
Chew is a muscular, blue-skinned, smelt-whiting Fishman and has thick lips. His Arlong Pirates tattoo is seen on his right shoulder. He wears a necklace, a striped blue vest, dark-brown leather pants, and sandals.
Kuroobi is a Ray Fishman and has the typical appearance of a martial artist with a dark blue gi and a black belt. His hair is tied into a straight ponytail. His Sun tattoo is on the right side of his chest.
On the side of the Marines. Nezumi is a slim, dark-haired man with—Appropriate for his name—Strongly mouse-like eyes are constantly narrowed, while his facial hair consists of a thin goatee and six long, wire-like whiskers on his upper lip. His Marine uniform is heavily customized, with the standard cap converted into a mouse-eared cowl, connected to a buttoned-up greatcoat that reaches to his feet, accessorized with a belt and blue epaulets.
Behind him are three ordinary Navy soldiers.
The unorthodox meeting between an infamous Pirate and Marine officer was simple and brief as Arlong placed a large stack of cash on the table. "Here's this month's take; I hope you enjoy it."
Nezumi chuckled like a mouse after Arlong placed the money in front of him. "Chichichi, ah Arlong, you are so much smarter than your regular, run-of-the-mill Pirate." He complimented before pocketing the money. "You know how the world works."
"Shahahahaha! Likewise!" Arlong laughed loudly as he returned the compliment. "There aren't many Marine Captains who know that befriending me means they can milk the East Blue for eternity! The fact that you understand makes you more like me than any other Marine out here."
"Thank you very much." Nezumi said graciously with his arms crossed.
Arlong continued to laugh while he leaned back on his chair, which was a cross between a lawn chair and a throne. "Don't thank me, thank money! It's the only thing you can count on in this world! It's more reliable than people, that's for sure!" He then gave Nezumi malevolent look. "Don't you agree?"
"…Of course." Nezumi sweated a little, trying to hide the intimidation he was feeling.
"As a rule, I hate all humans, but you are the one tolerable exception that I found." Arlong told him magnanimously.
Nezumi took that as his cue to leave and got up from his chair. "Well, if you'll excuse me."
"Why not say awhile and have a drink with me?" Arlong offered with good graces.
"I would, but the longer a Marine cruiser stays docked at a Pirate Island, the quicker we get unwanted attention." Nezumi reasoned, searching for any excuse he had to depart right away.
"I'll kill anyone who reports you." Arlong reassured his worries. "Everybody knows that."
"Thank you, but still, we must go." Nezumi desperately insisted and had already started walking away with his crew before another word could be said.
"Hey! The Captain is leaving!" Arlong announced loudly. "Escort him back to his ship!"
With that, a sprung out from the pool, and another Fishman jumped out to the surface. This one was another officer of the crew. His name was Hatchan.
Hatchan, being an octopus fish-man, has eight appendages (six arms and two legs) and an octopus-like face. He has pink skin and grey hair styled into five spikes. He has a muscular build and suction cups on his six arms, which he can use to cling to walls. Hatchan has a tattoo in the shape of a sun on his forehead.
While most Fishmen have webbed hands, octopus Fishmen apparently do not, as Hatchan doesn't have webbed hands. Hatchan wore a striped unitard and sandals.
"The pot's back that way." Hachan pointed while addressing Nezumi. "Hop in."
"Thank you, that's very kind of you." Nezumi accepted his escort.
"When I see your face, it always makes me want to laugh!" Hachan followed up with no tact whatsoever. "It's funny! You look just like a rat! Hahaha!"
"Hey, Hachi, what your mouth now!" Arlong scolded him but was still smiling. "The Captain is our honored guest."
"Oh, right!" Hatchan acted as though he had just remembered that fact. "Sorry about that."
"Don't worry about it." Nezumi brushed it off as he and his three soldiers gently entered the pot.
The pot was a literal pot floating in the water and was big enough for the four of them to fit inside and deep enough to reach their hips. It wasn't roomy but wasn't cramped. After they entered the pot, Hachan hopped back into the pool and swam beneath the pot before carrying on his back and swimming towards the gate. "Here we go, men!"
"These Fishmen are disgusting. Such a vile group." Nezumi voiced his true thoughts in his head. "But they sure do pay well."
After she found a good spot to dock the Going Merry, Nami leaped off the side and started making her way toward Arlong Park up a dirt road carrying only a bag. Nami took her time walking, letting the silence around her soak in as the solitary sound in her ears was the ocean breeze. Soon enough, she stopped before the doors and was about to step inside but wished she didn't have to.
"Hey, you get out of my way!"
A voice that came from a small boy was heard. He was a small boy with brown hair and round eyes. He wears a green beanie and an orange jacket. Nami turned to face the boy. Tears were running from the boy's eyes as he held a short sword in his hand.
"Arlong's going to die today! He killed my Daddy, so now I'm gonna have to kill him!" The boy cried as Nami said nothing and only stared. "So move! Or I'll have to kill you too!"
Nami gave him a somber and dispassionate look as though she had seen this type of thing a hundred times around and couldn't be bothered to react anymore. So instead, she reached into her shirt and pulled out her 3-piece staff before she swiftly smacked the kid across the face as the boy fell to the ground flat on his back.
"You should know that Arlong doesn't have time to deal with whimpering little punks like you." Nami stated as her staff separated and tucked it away. "You're too young. Go home." She tossed the sniveling child some beri bills. "Take that with you and use it to keep yourself out of trouble, kid."
"Go to hell!" The kid yelled from where he lay on the ground.
Nami opened to door and walked into Arlong Park. Her arrival was immediately noticed by Arlong.
"Nami, you've returned!" Arlong greeted her from where he sat. "I haven't seen you around here for quite a while. So, how did you do this time?"
"Heh." Nami gave a short chuckle. "Who are you talking to? You know, I just can't believe the world is so full of such blind idiots. Wanna see?" She said as she patted the bag she held.
"Shahahaha!" Arlong laughed. "You girl are one excellent liar!"
"That's true." Nami smiled.
"LISTEN UP, EVERYBODY!" Arlong announced. "NAMI'S FINALLY RETURNED! TIME FOR A PARTY!"
A collective cheer came from Arlong's men as they shot up from the water. Just as Arlong announced, the celebration party for Nami's return had begun.
Back in the open waters, miles away, the crew was sitting around and enjoying their freshly cooked meals made by Sanji and Silk.
There was meat and fried rice, not to mention bean sprouts and bread, topped off with some wine. They all quickly dug in, enjoying their respective preferred parts of the meal, though that wasn't to say it wasn't all good because it certainly was.
"So good." Usopp said with his mouth full.
"Yummy." Yosaku said through his bites.
Sanji held up his glass of wine and smiled. "I don't care about you guys. I'm just happy I get to cook for Silk and can practice for the evening I get to make dinner for her, Nami, and myself." He confessed before taking a sip.
"I hope you can get Big Sis Nami to join the crew again." Johnny said after swallowing. "She's the best."
"Well, we'll have to find her and figure out what she's planning before anything else." Light reasoned.
"All I'm really interested in is getting back our ship." Zoro admitted he drank some wine, but it wasn't his preferred type of alcohol.
"Yeah, we absolutely have to get back the Going Merry, no matter what." Usopp proclaimed, fully committed to that objective.
"Nice to know where your priorities lie." Silk commented sarcastically at them.
But as they sat down to enjoy their food, there was a rumble beneath them.
"What's that?" Gin asked curiously as they heard what sounded like a moo beneath the waves.
The sea rose up on the side of the boat, and through the giant wave were a pair of horns…
"AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Screamed Usopp. "IT'S A SEA MONSTER! WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!"
They all looked when the face appeared through the water, and Usopp stopped screaming at once. Sanji looked overboard to see a giant sea cow rising up out of the sea. He had a big round nose with a gold nose ring, a cow-esque face, horns, green spots throughout his body, and a great big seal-like body.
[IT'S A SEA MONSTER!] Usopp, Yosaku, and Johnny all yelled in terror at the creature at once.
Light blinked, then blinked again. "What the hell am I seeing? I mean, it's the size of a sea monster, but it looks like a cow."
"No, cows can't swim… A hippo?" Sanji hazarded a guess.
"Is it a Sea King?" Gin wondered with slight panic.
"It can't be; Sea Kings don't normally swim around here." Silk noted, also a bit taken aback.
"Whatever it is, you can tell it's from the Grand Line!" Yosaku cried out, still horrified.
"What is it doing all the way out here in the East Blue!?" Johnny yelled out.
"It looks strangely tasty," Zoro said without giving it much thought.
The Sea Monster leaned its head closer to their boats. This made Usopp and the Bounty Hunter duo more hysterical. Gin and Silk were a bit unnerved, and Light, Zoro, and Sanji were perfectly calm.
"So, should we kill it?" Zoro asked, looking at the giant beast thoughtfully as it loomed over their boat. "Because I could go for some beef."
"Morons!" Sanji said, breathing deeply from his cigarette. "Whatever it looks like, it's still a fish. There's not a bit of red meat on that thing. Besides…" Sanji stepped toward the creature holding out a large plate of cooked meat. "…It's just hungry."
"Sanji…" Usopp whispered out, not sure if getting near that thing was a smart idea.
"Here you go. Eat up." Sanji offered food to the sea creature. "Don't be scared; I won't hit you."
"That guy, he really can't turn down someone who's hungry." Gin thought, knowing this behavior was typical of Sanji.
But, before he or any of the others could be mistaken by Sanji's nature, as soon as the cow opened his mouth, Sanji kicked it so hard that he was thrown backward into the sea, and some of them screamed again.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? DAMN JERK!" Yosaku bellowed at him furiously.
"YEAH! WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?" Usopp exclaimed. He had been honestly touched by Sanji being nice to the dumb creature, and his attack had caught him and the others completely by surprise.
"He was gonna eat me with the plate. What could I do?" Sanji casually asked with one leg on the side of the boat, clearly waiting for it to come back up.
"So, are we eating him or not?" Zoro asked, still unfazed by everything. "We haven't really gotten an answer yet."
"I actually have a better idea." Light voiced as he stepped forward.
Once more, the Sea Cow burst out from the water, but this time it roared with anger at being kicked as it looked down at their boats and looked to move in and ferociously attack them. Light stepped forward and narrowed his eyes at it.
ZIIIN!
After Light unleashed a wave of his Haki at the creature, its fury vanished right away. Now suddenly, the cow leaned forward, offering his head to Light in a subservient manner, who patted him with a smile. "There, there."
Those who hadn't seen this before were jaw-dropped and didn't know what to make of what they had just witnessed. While those who had seen this before realized they should have come to expect this by now.
"Did he just…" Yosaku thought.
"Tame that Sea Monster…?" Johnny thought.
"With just a glance…?" Gin thought as well.
"How the hell did he even do that…?" Sanji finished all of their collective thoughts.
"Guys." Usopp addressed them with a knowing expression as though he knew exactly what they were thinking. "Take my advice, don't think about it too much; sometimes it's better to just go with it." He said as though he spoke from experience.
"All right, now then." Light went inside the cabin and found some rope before he came back out and threw one end to Zoro. "Tie one of his horns to your boat and while do the same to ours."
"I get it. You want this thing to pull the boats." Zoro quickly figured out his plan.
Light nodded. "This way, we'll get there a lot faster."
So, it was decided, and soon enough, they all finished their meal and tied a rope around the Sea Monster's horns.
"ONWARDS!"
Light announced, and the tamed creature set off. Soon they were almost flying across the water as the cow pulled them.
Light said they would get there faster with the sea cow pulling the boats, and he was right. Only fifteen minutes later, they spotted land in the distance.
"I see land up ahead!" Light announced.
"There's Arlong Park." Usopp said with his telescope over his eye.
"Yeah, that's the place." Johnny remarked nervously. Zoro opened his eyes to get a look at the tower.
"How much of a pretentious jackass do you have to be to have your own tower?" Gin scoffed. "Something tells me Arlong has a hell of an ego."
"Did Nami really come here?" Usopp questioned as he swallowed a lump in his throat.
"Yeah, no doubt." Yosaku was sure of it.
"First thing's first, Cow, take us to the shore!" Light commanded.
At his command, the sea monster swam up to a shoreline towards the Island, away from the actual tower of Arlong Park. Soon enough, they had finally reached land, and once they had, Light ushered the sea cow away. Thus it dove back underwater, and now the crew remained on their boats as they discussed their next course of action.
"Before we do anything stupid, we should probably see if the Going Merry stopped on this Island first?" Johnny suggested.
"Yeah, good idea." Usopp agreed.
"Finding the ship might be a good start..." Silk said. "But this time, I think we should try a more direct approach."
"What do you mean by a direct approach?" Usopp questioned.
"Let's attack." Zoro stated as he slammed his sheathed katana on the deck and used it to stand.
"But we just said we shouldn't do anything stupid!?" Johnny shouted.
"What! Attack!?" Usopp argued. "We know nothing about this place!"
"Yeah, these guys are the Fishmen!?" Yosaku added.
"We need some kind of plan to do that!" Usopp exclaimed.
"Would you guys stop whining? It's obvious that we can't do that." Sanji stood up to admonish their behavior.
"Yeah, he's right." Usopp agreed with him.
"We have only one top priority: finding Nami." Sanji said in all seriousness.
[When did that become the priority?!] Usopp, Yosaku, and Johnny all argued.
"Don't be an idiot. The first thing we should do is take out Arlong." Zoro reasoned. "If we do that, there won't be anything getting in our way of finding Nami."
"Shouldn't our first course of action be searching for our ship?" Silk pointed out. "We can't really do much long term until we reclaim the Going Merry."
"And while you're all busy blabbering and wimping out!" Zoro remarked. "I'm placing my thoughts on the battle we're about to face!"
"And while you're being a reckless moron! I'm thinking about Nami, the whole reason we're here in the first place!" Sanji remarked back.
"And while both of you are acting like shortsighted idiots, I'm trying to think of how we're actually going to improve our situation!" Silk became annoyed with both of them.
"Enough!" Light slammed his foot against the floorboard to get their attention. "We're not getting anywhere like this."
"Captain, why don't you decide?" Gin suggested.
The others stopped and looked at him, but Gin kept a straight face as he addressed them and explained his reasoning.
"Doesn't that make sense?" Gin pointed out. "Now that we need to make a decision on what we have to do moving forward, isn't it natural for the Captain to be the one to decide?"
Zoro blinked before stepping back. "True, you have a good point."
"That is the whole point of having a Captain." Sanji agreed as well.
"Yeah, but…" Usopp trailed off while looking nervous. "What if he also says we should fight?"
"Well, Captain?" Silk looked to Light for a decision. "What should we do."
Light sat there for a bit while tapping his thigh. "Truthfully, we came here for three reasons, to find Nami, take back our ship, and get some answers. But, the fact that we know that Arlong is here and based on the fact that his crew controls this Island will definitely end up complicating things."
CLAP!
Light clapped his hands and stood up. "Here's what we'll do. First, we'll search around the place for the Going Merry, and if we run into Nami along the way, it'll make things easier. We won't go looking for a fight, but if you find yourself in one, don't hesitate to fight back. Is everyone okay with that?"
All of them thought it over. Even though they mostly had different opinions on what they felt they should do, none of them could argue that Light's directions worked out for all of them, and it was simpler than just arguing with each other. Plus, he was the Captain, so that should pretty much settle the matter. Thus, they all nodded in agreement.
"Now, for starters, where exactly are we docked?" Light asked, looking at Johnny.
"Let's see." Johnny took out a map of the Island and searched for their current location. "It says here that we're right outside a village called Gosa Village."
"All right, we'll start there." Light decreed. "Let's tie the boats to the shore. Usopp, you go ahead and scout out the village."
"Leave it to me." Usopp said confidently.
With that settled, they all hopped off of the two boats and set foot on land. Usopp walked off towards the nearby village's direction while the rest worked on tying down the boats to the shore.
After walking ahead, Usopp soon arrived at Gosa Village. But, the Sniper froze, his eyes bulged, and his jaw dropped as he quickly found out that the said village was destroyed. Homes were upside down, and a giant groove was cut in between the homes. It looked as though the whole village was recently hit by some kind of natural disaster.
"What happened here?" Usopp wondered with a horrified expression. "Everything's upside down..."
A pair of footsteps were heard as they approached Usopp. He didn't seem to hear them or notice that someone was approaching right behind him as he kept pondering the destruction in front of him.
"I don't get it, even the streets upside down." Usopp noted worriedly.
"The monster Moomoo caused this destruction." A voice new mentioned behind Usopp.
"Monster…?" Usopp repeated in confusion. "Don't tell me this place has monsters?"
"We caught him out on the Grand Line and brought him back here with us." Explained a large, obese, bluefin shark Fishman who wore a purple-flowered Hawaiian shirt, black shorts with a yellow sash around his waist, and sandals.
"From the Grand Line, huh?" Usopp repeated. "Wait… We?" He started to sweat as a sense of dread fell over him. Usopp turned around and screamed when he saw a Fishman behind him.
"Hey, I've never seen you before!?" The obese Fishman realized. The Fishman tried to grab Usopp, but the Sniper managed to get away and ran.
"Later!" Usopp called as he dashed down the ruined road.
"Come back here!" the Fishman gave chase after Usopp.
"Hahaha!" The long-nosed man laughed victoriously. "You may be a Fishman, but there's no way you can catch me on dry land!" He taunted. "I'm a very fast runner! I'm a beautiful gazelle!"
Usopp was too busy running away to notice a foot had tripped him off his feet, causing him to collapse on his face, and quickly turned around from where he was on the ground.
"What the heck—" Usopp saw a young boy standing over him with a Sword in his hand.
"Got you, stupid fish-man!" The boy announced as he raised the Sword. "And now, I'll avenge my father by killing you! Ha!" The kid was about to swing the Sword on the now-frightened Usopp. But the boy was interrupted when someone chopped him in the head.
The person was an attractive young woman with purplish-blue hair with a red ribbon, blue eyes, and fair skin. She had visible tattoo's from her right shoulder to her chest. Her outfit consisted of a yellow tank top, a gold bracelet on her right wrist, tight blue jeans, and sandals.
"Honestly!" The woman chided the boy. "How many times do I have to tell you, Cabo, you do not mess with the Fishmen! It was just one person who decided to stand up to them, and they responded by slaughtering everyone in Gosa!" The woman and the boy, Cabo, looked at Usopp. "Hmm? you look and smell just like a Fishman, but I can see that you're human." She frowned at the sniper. "Mostly human."
"Mostly!" Usopp certainly resembled a Fishman now, with his teeth shaped like a shark after he snapped at her.
"Where'd you go!" The Fishman that was chasing Usopp earlier was still on the search for him. "Over here!?"
"Crap!" Usopp said in alarm.
"A Fishman!" Cabo pointed.
"And this time, it's for real." The woman stated.
The Fishman ran in a different direction in search of Usopp. The Sniper pulled out his slingshot and moved in front of the woman and child.
"Alright, stand back and let me handle this one!" Usopp announced as he aimed his weapon. "Watch as Captain Usopp takes out this Fishman with a single shot! Take this! It's my special attack, Lead-Star!"
BOINK!
Usopp never had a chance to fire as he was knocked unconscious by the woman with a hammer and handed the tool to Cabo to hold.
"I guess he wasn't listening when I said the Fishmen will kill us if we messed with them." The woman said. "C'mon, tough guy." She took him by the ankles and dragged him out of sight. Once she handled that, the woman came out from the corner of the building and let out a shrill scream. "Iyaa!"
"What's wrong?" The scream got the Fishman's attention.
"A long-nosed creepy guy!" The woman exclaimed.
"Which way did he go?" The Fishman asked.
"That way!" She pointed in the other direction.
"Now I gotcha!" Once the fish-man left, the woman knelt beside the unconscious Usopp and Cabo.
"C'mon, if you help me out, we can carry him back." She told him as they lugged Usopp away.
Literally, a few minutes later, the rest of the crew made their way to Gosa Village and were just as baffled by all the devastation there saw once they entered the streets.
"What the hell?" Sanji gave paused at what he saw.
"Did a cyclone go through here or something?" Zoro wondered.
"I heard Arlong came through here a few weeks back, but never I thought that…" Johnny was speechless as well from the destruction.
"I've heard people say that Fishmen can be stronger than normal human beings by a very wide margin." Yosaku informed. "I guess this is how strong you have to be to survive the Grand Line."
"I've seen my share of destroyed towns before, but this is on a whole different level." Gin confessed as he looked around.
Light just stepped forward and looked around as though he was searching for something. "Hey, guys, where's Usopp?"
.
.
.
It hit each of them all at once. This was a village that had been completely destroyed and was devoid of any people or even sound, for that matter. And yet, they had just sent Usopp ahead to scout out this place, and now he is currently nowhere to be seen.
Zoro yawned with irritation. "Unbelievable, we ask him to do one thing, and he disappears on us?"
"You think he's okay? What if the Fishmen got to him?" Yosaku speculated worriedly.
"Let's not assume the worst right away. Maybe he just decided to go further down the path?" Silk reasoned.
"Or he could have gotten lost?" Zoro shrugged.
"Either way, we better find him." Light noted.
"So now we have to find Nami, the ship, and Usopp." Sanji sounded like someone who had just been handed extra work and didn't like it.
"I'm pretty sure Long-nose won't appreciate you acting like looking for him is a chore." Gin commented, despite the fact that he also wouldn't like being referred to as long-nose.
"Anyway, it's settled; let's start with the town closest to this one." Light decided before facing Johnny again. "Johnny, where would that be?"
"Let me see." Johnny took out his map again. "It looks like the next village over is Cocoyashi Village. It's not too far away."
"Cocoyashi Village it is, then. Let's go." Light advanced.
The others followed his lead, and just as quickly as they entered the village, they exited it and began their search for their missing crewmate.
Usopp's eyes shot open as he leaned from where he was suddenly lying down. The last thing the sniper remembered was when he was about to shoot a Fishman back in that destroyed town he was in.
Usopp found himself in someone's home. It seemed comfy enough, but he had no idea where he was. Usopp was about to defend a young woman from the Fishman that was looking for him until he was knocked out cold.
"Where am I?" Usopp wondered.
"My house." A voice spoke behind him. Usopp turned around and found the same woman he was about to protect from the Fishman that was chasing him.
"Sleep well?" She questioned with a smug smile.
"Who're you?" Usopp asked.
"I'm Nojiko." Nojiko introduced herself. "I grow tangerines here. Want one?"
"You're the one that hit me on the head!" Usopp exclaimed. "Just when I was gonna save you!"
"I'm the one who saved you." Nojiko stated as she slid a cup of tea across the table.
"Huh?" Usopp raised an eyebrow.
"If you had actually gone through with attacking that Fishman, you would've been killed for sure." Nojiko said, resting her chin on her palm. "Stupid outsider."
Usopp sat down at the table beside Nojiko and noticed the same young boy, Cabo, sniveling in a chair across from him.
"You'd figure a kid from here would already know better." Nojiko remarked. "What would make a child do something so reckless? That's a question I'd really like an answer for."
"I know!" Cabo spoke. "I know, but they killed my daddy! They took everything from me! Those Fishmen destroyed our town! Killed my friends! I had to make them pay for what they did! No matter what! Don't you get that?" Tears welled in the boy's eyes. "So I went to Arlong Park by myself, but this girl stopped me from going in. She's like an evil witch! I can't stand this. I have to avenge my father! I don't care if I die!"
"Then die." Nojiko said, causing Usopp, who was mid-drink of the tea given to him to do a spit-take in the air like a fountain. "If you're truly prepared to die, then go. But you had better understand, boy. I stopped you, and this "witch" you hate kept you from carrying out your revenge. So far, you've cheated death twice." Nojiko got up from her chair. "Just finish your tea and go."
"Hey, you're being a little rough on him, don'tcha think?" Usopp asked.
"I don't care who he is." Nojiko said. "If he wants to kill himself, then so be it. He doesn't have what it takes to suffer for revenge. It takes time. I suffer as well. Revenge is not an easy path for one to carve out. And to die just because you're too foolish for patience is nothing but a coward's plan."
"What do you want from me!?" The boy wept. "I can't stand the way I feel, but I don't know what else I can do…"
"How's your Mom?" Nojiko asked.
"She's alive…" The boy mentioned.
"Then go back home." Nojiko gave a small smile. "She's worried about you."
"Okay…" Cabo did as Nojiko said. Usopp smirked at the blue-haired woman. Deciding that she wasn't all that bad.
"For a chick with tattoos, you're actually really sweet." Usopp commented.
"Piss off." Nojiko dismissed. "It's time you told me why you decided to come here to our village."
"Oh, right," Usopp said, leaning forward in his seat. "My name is Captain Usopp. I'm looking for a girl named Nami."
"Nami…?" Nojiko repeated like she knew the name.
"Hmm…?" Usopp hummed in confusion. "You know her?" Nojiko explained what she knew about Nami. "No way! She's a part of the Arlong Crew!"
"It certainly looks that way." Nojiko stated. "Everybody here knows that cow. Even the little boy. It gets better, though. That cow is my sister. We grew up here. Well, technically, she's been my adopted sister since we were both orphans." Nojiko picked a picture that was on a table by the wall. "But a sister's a sister; ya know what I mean?"
"I don't believe it…" Usopp breathed out as he stood and looked about the home. "Nami's house."
"It was mine, too." Nojiko mentioned. "We were raised together in this house. She's the closest thing to family I have left since our foster mother died. The 3 of us used to be so happy together in Cocoyashi village." Usopp found a drawing of a compass and a sailboat with Nami's name underneath it.
"So…" Usopp was starting to get the facts straight. "You're telling me that Nami betrayed her mother, her sister, and her whole village just to be a part of Arlong's crew?"
"Yeah, pretty much." Nojiko said as she put down the picture. "A real witch, huh?"
"Damn." Usopp growled. "Nami is a total witch. She had us completely fooled the entire time. To think, she was just after the treasure for herself. Even after she risked her life to save my village. I don't understand. She seemed so happy with us."
"She was happy…?" Nojiko seemed to be surprised by that news. "My sister…"
"We came here to try to convince her to come back with us." Usopp stated. "But I guess now that's pointless." Usopp realized something important, which made his body go stiff. "I just remembered that some shipmates of mine were with me when we got here. I was supposed to wait for them, and now they must be worried that I just up and disappeared. I gotta get back to them. I hope they haven't run into any Fishmen."
—…
And that's the chapter. First of all, I know it was short; that was the point, but keep in mind that I plan on getting the next part out very soon, and it'll cover more content. This was just the kickstart to this arc.
Even though things so far haven't been that much eventful, I plan on changing some things in this arc to make the experiences the crew goes through different than the canon, but that also means that some things won't happen, for example, as you just saw, Zoro doesn't get taken to Arlong Park and finds out Nami works with the Fishmen.
But rest assured, a lot of the things that made this arc great and emotional will still remain. There will just be a few alterations.
Anyways thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed. If you want more, leave a review. If you like the story, click the follow/favorite, and as always, have an awesome day.