There was one thing that annoyed Brynlee greatly, and it was Captain Nezumi and his men of the 16th Marine Base. Before the pirates came along, they rarely bothered stepping anywhere near Cocoyashi Village but, with the money Arlong paid them to keep their activities and presence quiet from the rest of the marine's corps, they came by every month or so to collect their ill-earned payment and sometimes weasel away a bit more.
Captain Nezumi was insatiable and, most importantly, no amount of money Arlong could give him could outweigh the call of greed he'd feel upon discovering Brynlee's existence. If he found her, he'd report her in a heartbeat, and then all of her efforts would have been for naught. So, whenever someone spotted them coming, Brynlee went to hide. And if he dropped by Arlong Park directly, then she had express permission from Arlong to hide in his private chambers – the one place Nezumi would never dare enter.
They both knew they were fucked if Nezumi found out. And they couldn't exactly kill him and his men if he ever did see her, since he'd simply be replaced by another Captain, and it would definitely expose Arlong's business in the East Blue.
As such, Brynlee had gone to hide the moment one of the children ran into the village to alert them of the incoming marine squad. She hid in one of the nearby homes, tightly gripping her cloak around her shoulders, just in case, and she waited. They usually passed by quickly, not exactly interested in seeing the poor state of the civilians they'd basically abandoned to their fate.
Except this time, something was different.
"Aah? What the hell is that thing?"
One of the Fishmen had taught a few of the kids how to make necklaces with seashells, and they'd taken upon themselves to make him one as a gift. Unfortunately, it would seem that Nezumi didn't quite appreciate the children getting along with pirates. He roughly grabbed the unfinished necklace and threw it on the ground, smashing it mercilessly under the sole of his boot.
"No!"
Nojiko rushed forward and pushed him – hard. Hard enough to make him lose balance and fall right on his ass. Spluttering as his men quickly helped him up, Nojiko started screaming at the top of her lungs.
"You're a terrible person! You're worse than any Fishmen or pirates!"
That was the wrong thing to say.
"You little brat…! Come here!"
Adults immediately tried to intervene, but his men immediately aimed their riffles at the thickening crowd. Shouts of fear and protests echoed all around as Nezumi roughly grabbed Nojiko and began dragging her away. Brynlee immediately followed after them, hiding amongst the rioting villagers, trying to think of a solution.
Nezumi stepped by the edge of the cliff overlooking the ocean, sharp rocks and crashing waves at the bottom. He dragged Nojiko right next to the void, uncaring of the girl's tears and shouts and struggles.
"Look down there, girl! Look! 'Cause that's where you're gonna end up if you keep on befriending these monsters! They're vicious creatures who'd kill you in a heartbeat, drag you at the bottom of the ocean of make a snack out of ya'! You think they're nice? You think they're your friends? LOOK!"
"They're not monsters! You're the monster! They're better people than you'll ever be!"
Three things happened at once.
One, Arlong and a few of his men arrived at the scene, apparently alerted by one of his scouts.
Two, the earth underneath Nojiko's feet crumbled, and she slipped.
Three, a window appeared before Brynlee's eyes.
[SUBQUEST]
[ERROR]
[ERROR] need of help! Will you [ERROR] [ERROR]?
Save [ERROR]
Reward: [ERROR]
ACCEPT/REFUSE
Both Nezumi and Nojiko fell. Before she could even think of accepting, ready to throw away her cover and fly after her friend, it was already over – the quest window vanished, and her friend was gone. A tad numbly, she rushed to the edge of the cliff along with the other villagers, peering down at the mowing depths.
Nezumi's broken body laid in a bloody heap on the edge of a rock protruding from the water – he'd surely died on the spot. But Nojiko was nowhere to be seen, and Nami and Bellemere's cries filled Brynlee's ears.
And then Arlong jumped.
He jumped, strong and precise, and he landed in the water and vanished underneath the raging waves. Everyone watched with bathed breath until two full minutes passed – and then he breached the surface again, Nojiko's telltale blue hair peeking from his grasp. He swam closer to the cliff, his men already throwing a rope to pull them back up and, in a matter of seconds, he'd returned, laying Nojiko's unmoving body on the ground.
And then Nojiko turned on her side and started hacking and coughing, bruised up and bleeding, but most definitely alive. All of the villagers exclaimed in relief, and Brynlee felt like she could breathe again. Slowly, she approached Bellemere, who was tightly hugging Nojiko as she cried, Nami tightly holding her sister's hand.
"Thank you." A heavy silence befell the crowd as Bellemere's words echoed, heavy with relief and gratitude. "Thank you, Arlong – you saved my daughter."
Everyone stayed still for a moment – and then the rest of the villagers suddenly surged forward, swarming the Fishmen and thanking them for their aid and urging them to join them for dinner that night. And Brynlee watched, genuinely confused, but certainly not unhappy about this unexpected shift.
Maybe salvation wasn't so far off for the Arlong Pirates, after all.
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[CHARACTER PROFILE]
-STAGE 0-
Name : Lucky D. Brynlee
Age : 10 years old
Race : Lunarian
Devil Fruit : [ERROR]
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[EQUIPMENT]
Nami & Nojiko's Friendship Bracelet
Money: 10,401,550 berries
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[SKILLS]
Flight: 12/20
Pyromancy: 2/20
Invulnerability: 1/20
Spear Wielding: 0/20
Harmonica: 20/20
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[FEATS]
Silver Tongue: 4/20 (+1)
Bloodlust: 2/20 (+1)
Anger of the Fallen: 1/20 (+1)
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[ABILITIES]
Instincts of a South Bird
Gambler's Reward
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[TITLES]
Angel of the Seas
Protector of Cocoyashi
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[QUESTS]
-ONGOING-
Survival!
You must live, no matter what.
Weed Killer
Pull out 7000 weeds (70,000 B)
Kind Helper
Help 300 people (300,000 B)
Orange is the New Gold
Pick 3000 tangerines (30,000 B)
Winning Hand
Win 300 games of card (3,000,000 B)
.
-COMPLETE-
Silver Tongue
Convince the merchant ship to ferry you to Cocoyashi (FEAT)
Safe Haven
Find your way to Cocoyashi Village! Hopefully you'll be safe, there. (1,000,000 B)
Hero of the People
Save ALL of the villagers of Cocoyashi. (TITLE)
Weed Killer
Pull out 15 weeds (150 B)
Pull out 50 weeds (500 B)
Pull out 100 weeds (1000 B)
Pull out 300 weeds (3000 B)
Pull out 500 weeds (5000 B)
Pull out 750 weeds (7500 B)
Pull out 1000 weeds (10,000 B)
Pull out 3000 weeds (30,000 B)
Kind Helper
Help 1 person (1000 B)
Help 15 people (15,000 B)
Help 50 people (50,000 B)
Help 100 people (100,000 B)
Orange is the New Gold
Pick 1 tangerine (10 B)
Pick 15 tangerines (150 B)
Pick 50 tangerines (500 B)
Pick 100 tangerines (1000 B)
Pick 300 tangerines (3000 B)
Pick 500 tangerines (5000 B)
Pick 750 tangerines (7500 B)
Pick 1000 tangerines (10,000 B)
Winning Hand
Win 1 game of card (100,000 B)
Win 15 games of card (150,000 B)
Win 50 games of card (500,000 B)
Win 100 games of card (1,000,000 B)
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-REFUSED-
The Winning Side
Convince Arlong to take you into his crew. (FEAT)
Sneaky Thief
Sneak into the 16th Marine Base and steal a document. (SKILL)
XXXXXXXXX
Save XXXXXX! (XXXXX)
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So, as promised, here's a complete [CHARACTER PROFILE] for Brynlee! Also, I did the maths, so the money is accurate xD Like mentionned before, there aren't that many subquests she can complete. Those with more important/impactful reward are usually triggered by important events and, overall, Cocoyashi is a small island with little opportunities. The system is made so quests she cannot complete simply don't show up. So, if Brynlee suddenly left and went to another island, other quests would be triggered but, for now, she's stuck with those xD
The next [CHARACTER PROFILE] will be displayed on Chapter 20.
Also, I know that some people find the lack of proper changes a little boring, but rest assured: I'm building up to it. Right now, the Cocoyashi Arc is merely a set up to something much, much more chaotic.
Happy Holidays!