Silmeria - Thanks for being patient everyone. Enjoy the chapter.
Disclaimer - I claim no rights to One Piece or Sentinel.
Chapter Seventeen: The Guide of the Eternal Pose: Part Six
Guides were considered a light among the darkness to Sentinels. A beacon to urge them away from constant assault of the world. If one were poetic enough then Sentinels would consider Guides as their own personal Guardian Angel, to watch and soothe and to protect in times of need and Usopp, who stared at Luffy in awe and relief considered the Guide his own personal Angel. Never did he think that Luffy of all people would come for him in a blaze of sweat, blood, and wild grins. To think that someone would come after Useless Usopp-
Usopp huffed, raising his bruised eyes and took in Luffy's ragged appearance. It was obvious that the Guide was exhausted and Usopp couldn't imagine what it took to make it to the top of the Padoga. Who he had to defeat and what he had to destroy and what sacrifices had to be made. All for him. All for this village. All for Nami even if she would never admit that she needed just as much rescuing as Usopp did. That even if she was free to come and go when she pleased, that she was just as trapped and suffocating as he was and that the bruises that he bore on the outside were ten times worse to what she bore on the inside. To watch as her adoptive mother was shot. To watch as her fellow villagers suffered because of a selfish person couldn't survive against pirates who were braver and bolder than he could ever hope to accomplish in his lifetime.
"Are you okay, Usopp?" Luffy asked, bending down and placing a bloodied hand on Usopp's dislocated shoulder. "We gonna get you out of here, okay?"
"You came for me." Usopp swallowed back a sob, but it escaped his throat, unheeded. "You came for me."
Luffy chuckled warmly and pressed against his shields in an effort to comfort the injured Sentinel. "Of course I came for you, Usopp. Do you think I wouldn't? What kind of Nakama would I be if I didn't rescue my family?"
"Family...?" Usopp echoed with a hitched sob. "Luffy-"
"What is this room?" Luffy asked suddenly, rising to his feet with Bo Staff in hand. "What's going on with all the maps?" Luffy looked down at Usopp with a raised eyebrow. "Usopp, what's going on?"
Usopp swallowed, shooting Nami a look, his lips thinning when she merely turned away, her jaw clench to what he could guess was injured pride. As if she couldn't stand the thought of anyone rescuing her or finding out about her dire situation. A True Guide until the end. Usopp scoffed at the thought before realizing Luffy was still waiting for an answer.
"It's a map room," Usopp responded, ignoring Nami's insistent press against his shields - a silent plea, but he continued, tired of being useless, tired of waiting on the sidelines while others rescued and fought and did their most damn to survive to achieve their dreams. No. Usopp wouldn't allow Nami to continue down this path. Not if he could help it.
"He's been using her." Usopp continued, wincing when Nami pressed against his mental shields that showed her outright anger at this sudden involvement, but Usopp continued, smirking against the pain that Nami and Arlong placed upon him. If Luffy and Zoro could handle it, then so could he. "He's been forcing her to write and create maps of the surrounding and outer lands in an effort to expand his territory."
Luffy blinked slowly, taking in the room, and breathing in the blood that was heavy in the air thanks to their open wounds. He moved forward, stopping when something bumped against his foot. He looked down and noticed a feather-tipped pen. Bending down, he took the pen in his hand and twisted it left and right. It was a nice pen, obviously expensive, but it wasn't what grasped Luffy's attention. Against the paleness of his skin, he noticed the light blood stains on the engraving and it took less than a second to connect the dots and before he could open his mouth, Nami's hand had appeared and snatched the instrument out of his hand, grasping it against her chest as if it was a lifeline.
"He held you here against your will, Nami." Luffy soothed, reaching out, and wincing when Nami slapped his hand away. "You can't run away from this, Nami. Don't give Arlong the control that he's had for so long-"
"You don't-" Nami began, grasping the pen in her hand tight enough for the instrument to crack ominously. "You don't know what you're talking about, Luffy. You don't understand what I've been through-"
"I know." Luffy soothed, reaching again, forcing himself into Nami's personal space and grasping her hand that held the pen in her hands. "I know what it feels like to be judged for your gender and your bloodline. Did you know I'm an Omega? And a Guide? Did you know that my village thought of me as a bastard because I had no father or mother? Do you know that my Sentinel is out there without me? Making a name for himself and me? Do you know how it feels to travel to seas without him? That lonely feeling at the bottom of your heart? You know that he's always with you, but it's not enough."
Nami pulled away as if Luffy's touch - his words - stung her and it did, judging from the flush that stained her cheeks and the tears that trailed down her cheeks.
"Luffy-"
Nami's broken voice was cut off but a large groan that forced her to turn back to the pile of rubble that Arlong was buried underneath. She stepped back, shivering when Luffy pulled her behind him and near Usopp who gave her a bloodied, reassuring smile that she didn't think was so reassuring. Her eyes remained locked to the pile when it rumbled and shifted before blowing up in a burst of splinters revealing Arlong's rather disgruntled form. It took a mere second for the Fisherman to find them across the room, forcing a whimper to escape from her throat. She had never been frightened of Arlong or his presence, but the look, smell of him now had a shiver of fear racing down her spine and sweat dripping down her neck.
If it weren't for the fact that the Sentinel Gene couldn't present themselves in Fishermen, then Arlong would be a very nasty Alpha Sentinel whose emotions would resound and shatter a Guide's mental shields as if were glass. She was grateful for the protection Usopp offered when he reached out and grasped her hand with his own. She squeezed back, and for the first time, prayed for their safety and Luffy's victory. For the first time, she could taste freedom on the tip of her tongue, feel it on the edges of her mind and hold it within her and Usopp's warm, bloodied hand.
"It's wonderful, isn't it?" Usopp whispered when Arlong approached them with heavy, unhurried steps as if he didn't have to worry about his life - his victory. "That feeling? Of Freedom? Victory?"
"Yes." Nami breathed, closing her eyes against the whisper of Luffy drawing his staff with a low, guttural growl that reminded her of Bell-mere on a particularly bad date. "It's wonderful."
"I knew you were a monster," Luffy uttered, sliding into a defensive position as Arlong gave him a long, dirty smirk that promised pain and retribution. "But, to trap someone in a room and forced them to bend to your will is the lowest of the low."
Arlong shrugged, his posture was uncaring. "Would you have not done the same, Guide? Isn't that what you're doing here? Forcing me to bend to your will? Hah?"
"No." Luffy's hackles raised at the comparison. "I'm nothing like you-Nami's nothing like you. You've done enough damage, beast."
Luffy didn't give Arlong time to reply, charging forward and landing three successful strikes with his staff before retreating and striking again. Watching with a baleful smile when Arlong collapsed to the ground. His joy, however, was misplaced when Arlong lunged forward, swinging his spear and was caught off guard when the Fisherman suddenly grasped him in his arms and bit the side of his neck. It wouldn't have effected Luffy normally, to be attacked in such a position if it hadn't been for the fact that it was close enough to his mating gland: the space that was specifically meant for Ace and Ace alone.
"I missed." Arlong purred, lips wet with blood as he removed his mouth. "Let's-" Arlong grunted when Luffy's foot was suddenly pressed against his face, and he had no time to recover when he has suddenly assaulted with such ferocity that it left him breathless.
"You take-" Luffy snarled as he struck again and again, against every defenseless spot that he could manage. "You take-take and take without consequence." Luffy aimed for his throat, knocking the breath out of the Fisherman as he retreated, unaware that through his rage, he had done enough damage to incapacitate the Fisherman, but Luffy wasn't done. No, far from it.
"How many lives?" Luffy mocked, stepping away from the bruised and beaten pirate to snatch the small lantern sitting on the desk that stunk of Nami's despair. "How many lives have you ruined with your bullshit!"
"You-"
Luffy took no heed to Arlong's protest before he threw the small lantern toward the tower of the map - another source of Nami's despair- and watched, with the pride only an Omega and Guide could display, as it caught fire and was quick to catch its companions aflame as well. Soon enough, the entire room was aflame.
"Rise." Luffy snarled with a maniac glint, spinning his staff with enough force to catch the embers. "Rise and watch Nami's despair burn along with your so-called Empire."
Arlong, on his last legs, rose from the ground and watched in shock as his map room, which took years, burned and watched, as his tower, his base, caught aflame as well.
"You call me a beast?" Arlong roared in outrage, as the flame crackled dangerously towards the walls, causing a small explosion and knocking out another portion of the wall. "You've destroyed my tower-" Arlong was knocked back by the head of Luffy's staff and a satisfying crack echoed amongst the flames as the strike broke Arlong's nose.
"You should shut up. Now." Luffy ordered before drawing back his staff and striking Arlong in the neck with enough force to knock him against the wall, which, unfortunately, proved to be a weak structural point and caused a rather ominous sound that reverberated throughout the entire building.
"Luffy!" Nami cried out, stumbling as the building began to shake. "You idiot!"
Luffy only tossed her mad, wild grin before racing towards them and scooping them up and much to Nami's horror, jumping out of the massive hole and down, down, down to the ground where a rather disgruntled and injured Zoro along with a crowded of stunned people watched in stunned disbelief as Arlong's Padoga collapsed a scant twenty seconds later.
It was quiet, the only sounds were that of the crackling flames of Arlong's Padoga - now a remnant of oppression. It was quiet. So still that Luffy wondered if he did the right thing until a small cough caught his attention and he was suddenly face-to-face with a rather disgruntled Zoro who slapped him on the back on the head, the sound echoing against the silence as the thunder suddenly rumbled above them, a signal that it was about to rain.
"What the hell...?" Zoro waved a bandaged arm towards the remains, where Arlong's body was buried. "If I recall, this was supposed to be a rescue mission. Not an assassination."
Luffy said nothing at first, staring at the crowd, then Usopp and Nami who were resting against the cracked wall and finally back to the Zoro who was still waiting for a reply before all he could do was shrug and grin.
"It got the job done, right?"
It was such a lackadaisical response that Zoro had no choice but to slap Luffy against the head again and call him - in a rather exasperated-but fond-voice.
"Idiot."
"I'm sorry."
The apology was soft and whispered amongst the restored tangerine trees that fluttered in the gentle breeze of Nami's restored home. Three weeks after Arlong's oppressive rule and Cocoyasi Village was thriving under its people watch. The streets were better paved and the buildings built with a love that Luffy could only witness and now could fully understand thanks to the people of the village who were nothing but kind to a group of upstart pirates.
"Oh?" Luffy stared down at Nami from underneath his straw hat with a soft smile that belied his naivety. "For?"
Nami flushed, turned her head, folding her arms and remained tight-lipped and as much as Luffy wanted to comfort her, he knew that it was best that she was forthright with her feelings.
"You know what-"
"I know." Luffy interrupted, gentle. "I need you to say it, Nami." Luffy's eyes narrowed at the huff he received. "You've really come far, Nami. As a person and as a Guide and I know you can give me a simple apology." his eyes skimmed to the new tattoo that she bore. "You are, after all, molding to a new person and with goals and I expect that new person to be brave enough to-"
"I'm sorry for causing you and your crew so much trouble." Nami snapped, vicious, as she turned her back to him with an aggravated. "You're fiery for an Omega, you know?"
Luffy smothered down a chuckle at the insult, but said nothing, turning back to the view the massive garden. The village did an excellent job with rebuilding Bell-Mere's home for Nami's sister. It would be well taken care of, wouldn't it?
"I accept your apology along with your request."
"Request?" Nami turned back to him with a confused stare. "What do you mean?"
"Your request to be my navigator, of course." Luffy beamed, bright as the sun, and watching with amusement as Nami spluttered and flushed to the tip of her ears.
"I didn't-"
"Of course you did, sweetling." Luffy smoothed over, reaching over and patting Nami on the shoulder in comfort. "I don't expect you to stay in this village for the rest of your life, do you? No." Luffy tilted his head to the side with a soft smile. "You have too much potential for such a thing."
Nami frowned, staring at Luffy as if he had lost his mind. "Don't decide for me and how much potential I have-"
"Will turn this entire world upside down." Luffy finished with an eager laugh. "What do you say, Nami? Join me?"
Nami lifted her eyes to the blue sky: clear, and blue and perfect and grinned. What could she lose joining such a fool and his upstart crew?
"Sure." Nami murmured, her lips lifting into a shy, but an eager smile of her own. "Why not?"
At her acceptance, Nami saw, for the first time, a real, bright, beautiful smile pull at Monkey D Luffy's lips. And she would later admit - and deny- that it was one of the most beautiful smiles that she had witnessed in her long, sad life.
"Alright, let's set sail, Nami!"