DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING, EXCEPT RAGNAR AND ALL VIKINGS IN THIS STORY! ONE PIECE BELONGS TO EICHIRO ODA, VIZ MANGA, TOEI ANIMATION AND FUNIMATION ENTERTAINMENT/CRUNCHYROLL LLC
Chapter 32: Survive! Mother Belle-Mere and Nami's Bond!
All of Cocoyashi Village was in turmoil now. With Arlong having discovered Belle-Mere's house, everyone on the island knew that it was only a matter of time before someone was going to die! Without delay, the villagers all banded together to protect one of their own, arming themselves with swords, staves, axes and even spears. They would fight with everything they had in order to protect Belle-Mere! Genzo ran ahead of them all, his heart beating faster as fear ate away at his being.
'Dammit! Why did this have to happen!?' He thought, his sword and pistols clanking at his hips with each step he took, 'Hold on, Belle-Mere! We're coming!'
Meanwhile, back at her home, Belle-Mere was busy cooking dinner for her two little girls, blissfully unaware of the danger that just came to the island's shores. She had quite the feast prepared: duck, a hearty stew, and Nami's favorite: omelets with tangerine sauce. After giving a taste of the sauce, she couldn't help but feel proud of herself.
"Perfect! There is nothing as delicious as my sauce!" She exclaimed, monitoring the oven, "The duck needs about another ten minutes, but it's close," then she examined the pot on the burner, "The stew's almost ready now. This is definitely gonna blow my budget, for sure, but sometimes, you gotta live a little!" All at once, she heard a knock on the door, initially assuming it was her precious little girls. "Oh, they're already here?" she rhetorically asked, but after hearing only silence, she assumed the worst. Her suspicions were thus confirmed when she saw a massive crowd outside her window. She heard another knock again, but knew what to expect. "The door's open! Come in!" She called out.
Arlong and his pirates only smiled, having made it to the house from the trail of smoke they saw in the sky. They would make this woman pay the tribute they imposed on her. All who opposed them would die.
"Why, thanks," said Arlong, as he opened the doors and entered the house. There was only one room, but as he looked around, he saw no one and thought he'd imagined the whole thing. The room revealed the signs of habitation, but the place seemed to be abandoned. Suddenly, from underneath the floorboards, Belle-Mere emerged, and kicked Arlong in the chin, sending him onto his back as she emerged, armed with a flintlock musket and bayonet, shoving the muzzle directly down his mouth with a confident smile.
"I guess you weren't expecting a former Marine, were you, Saw-Tooth Arlong?" She asked, smugly, "Now, what would a band of pirates from the Grand Line want with Cocoyashi Village? Last I heard, you were locked up at Impel Down. Who pulled the strings to release you?" Yet much to her anger, the fish-men only started laughing at her. "What's so damn funny!?" She asked, only to hear Arlong join in as he bit down hard on the musket, snapping the gun in two!
"Useless! Foolish! Stupid! Empty! Worthless! ALL OF YOU HUMANS!" Arlong sneered, "You should've pulled the trigger when you had the chance! Now, you have no strength to speak of!"
As Nami and Nojiko ran, the sound they heard only confirmed their worst fears: Arlong beat them to their house!
"We can help mom escape through the back door!" She told Nojiko.
"But, Nami! The pirates are already there!" Nojiko told her sister.
"It's all gonna be okay, I promise!" Nami said, before feeling an arm grab her.
"STOP!" A voice called out, and both Nami and Nojiko found Dr. Nako stopping them from running any further. "I'm sorry, girls, but you can't go back home!"
"But we have to save our mom!" Nami pleaded.
"Nami, Nojiko! Please, be quiet and listen," the doctor explained as he lifted his sunglasses, "There will be times in life like this when you have to learn the truth, no matter how hard it is to accept." All at once, a sudden scream caught their attention. It was Belle-Mere's, and she was in deep trouble.
Belle-Mere screamed out in pain as Arlong stomped down on her left arm, the bones cracking with a sickening crunch. Even for a former Marine, she hadn't experienced anything like fish-men before, and she now got a taste of just how truly weak she was when compared to them. Arlong only stepped on her arm again, and again, while her own blood trickled down her face.
'It's no use…these guys are real monsters…and I'm going to die…!' she thought, fearing the worst for her family, 'Nojiko…Nami…I'm so sorry, my babies…!'
"Belle-Mere!" A voice called out, and the pirates saw Genzo making his way towards her, "Don't waste your life because you're a stubborn fool! There's no reason to fight when this conflict can be resolved with a simple exchange of money!" Belle-Mere only looked up at Arlong, who smiled as he looked down upon her. Genzo was definitely telling the truth, given the look in the fish-man's eyes.
"Just pay the fee, and I'll stop," said Arlong, "A hundred-thousand berries for each adult, and fifty-thousand for each kid, if any. If you can pay for your whole family, I'll gladly spare your lives." As Arlong spoke, Genzo had a path cleared for him as he picked up Belle-Mere in his arms.
"How much money do you have?" he whispered, rolling the veteran Marine onto her back, "You need two-hundred thousand."
"I don't have that much," she whispered back, "I'm not even close to that amount." Genzo only grit his teeth in fear. He had to do something to save the family, and fast!
"Hey, captain! The table is set for three in here!" An octopus fish-man shouted, standing by the doorway. Genzo only glared as soon as he heard it, but Arlong only gave a sinisterly sadistic grin.
"Ah! A family of three, eh?" He asked, "Brilliant, Hachi!" The shark fish-man only began to laugh in delight. An entire family meant more money to squeeze out of the village.
"It's for my friend and I," Genzo suddenly declared, causing Arlong to stop laughing altogether. "We were supposed to have a nice dinner tonight, before you came, of course." He only stood on his feet and offered Belle-Mere his hand, "Come, Belle-Mere. I'm sure you made something wonderful. Go on, pay them before our food gets cold." He then whispered to her, "Just pay these fish-men, and they'll leave us in peace. Now, everyone is safe."
"The sheriff's right," said Kuroobi, rummaging over some paperwork, "The village's census report indicates no record of her ever marrying or giving birth. She's always been single."
Meanwhile, Nami and Nojiko only looked on at Doctor Nako in utter disbelief at what he was telling them. There was no way they could do that now.
"Listen, there's no way that the pirates will ever discover you two," he explained, "But you have to leave this island immediately, and don't ever look back! It's the only way for all three of you to survive, there is no other option. Two bands of Vikings have recently been sighted in the East Blue, and they're known for welcoming refugees into their clans. You're both too young to be at sea alone, but you've survived before, and if there's even a chance that…" he did not finish, Nami was just so distraught at abandoning her mother, she had to speak up.
"No…I don't want to," she began sobbing, "Why do we have to leave? They're the ones who came here! I…I wanna stay in this village! It's because…we're poor, that's why we can't stay together! Why!? Why can't they just go away!?" Nami couldn't bear to leave the only home she ever knew, not when she had so much to show her mother. She couldn't bear the thought of being forced to abandon her only parent.
"Fine, we'll leave this island," Nojiko said reluctantly, much to Nami's shock, as she began walking away, tears streaming down her face, "We have to leave, Nami! If we don't, then mom will die…" Nami only looked back at her home in silence, heartbroken as she knew that she had to do this in order for her mother to survive, and began walking alongside her older sister.
Meanwhile, Arlong and his crew began walking away after Belle-Mere ended up paying a hundred-thousand berries. She and Genzo only looked on and smiled. Now, they could all be safe and sound. Yet the sheriff couldn't have anticipated what Belle-Mere did next, as her brow furrowed. She wasn't going to stand by while her daughters were off with some faraway Norse clan. How else would she be able to live with herself if that was to happen?
"Wait! Who said I was paying for myself?" Belle-Mere asked, causing all the fish-men to stop dead in their tracks. Even Genzo was horrified with what she said next. "That money I gave up was for my two daughters, but I can't pay you."
"What are you doing!?" Genzo asked, shocked that this brave young woman he'd known most of his life would sacrifice herself so willingly.
"It's fine, Genzo," she explained, "I…have to do this for my family, even if it costs me my life." She then stepped forward towards Arlong, "It's true the three of us aren't related by blood, but we're still family. All I ever wanted was to be their mother. And now…I can be."
From afar, Nami and Nojiko were horrified. Their own mother was going to sacrifice themselves for their sakes! They couldn't bear to be separated from her now, not when she had yet to see them grow into such fine young women.
"You stupid girl!" Dr. Nako muttered, equally shaken to his core at hearing her speak, but then widened his eyes in equal shock as suddenly Nami and Nojiko rushed to their mother. "Wait! NO!" He shouted, knowing that if they tried to fight back, Arlong would kill them as well. Yet it was too late.
"I'M SORRY!" Nami cried out, and Belle-Mere turned to see her daughters rushing towards her, tackling her with a tearful embrace, "I'M SORRY I SAID THOSE AWFUL THINGS, MOM!"
Belle-Mere only returned the embrace, struggling to lift her maimed left arm, as even she too gave into weeping.
"Don't cry, girls," she said softly, "I wish I could have…I could've provided for you better…I wish I could've been a better mother to you."
"Don't say that!" Nojiko sobbed.
"We don't need anything else!" Nami begged, "Just don't die!"
"Please, don't leave us!"
"You still gotta see the map I'm gonna draw of the whole world!"
"Yes…Nami, your map," Belle-Mere groaned, smiling at her ginger-haired daughter, gingerly patting her on the head, "Go and follow your dreams…for me."
"Mom! No!" Nami cried, desperately hoping that Arlong would spare them all, but she knew it was to no avail.
"So, these are your daughters, huh?" A cruel and sinister voice asked, and Nami and Nojiko turned to see Arlong and his crew sneering down at the family. The very sight of them was absolutely so terrifying, that they felt the blood in their veins run cold. Yet Belle-Mere wasn't afraid of any such monsters.
"Yeah, that's right," she growled, "And you better promise me that you leave them alone." Belle-Mere was going to ensure that Arlong kept his word that her little girls would be safe after she was gone.
"No problem," said Arlong, "Just as long as you accept your fate and die like a good girl."
"GENZO! HELP US!" Nami screamed, fearing that she was going to die then and there. Immediately, Genzo drew two flintlock pistols and began shooting at Arlong, but Kuroobi took the shots and slashed the sheriff with his sword. Poor Nami was horrified. Genzo was like a father to her, and now he fell to the swords of those beasts in the form of men. Before long, all the villagers began charging at the fish-men like an undisciplined mob.
"Well now, they never learn, do they?" Arlong asked rhetorically at the sight, then turned to his men, "Don't kill 'em, boys! Just teach 'em a lesson." Then he walked towards Belle-Mere, his frown turning to a sinister grin, "Now, to set an example." He then asked the marine veteran, "So, you ready to die?"
Knowing that her end was close at hand, Belle-Mere shoved her daughters back into the house, and out of harm's way. Nami and Nojiko were both forced to look on as Arlong drew a flintlock pistol and aimed it directly at her head. All the while, the Arlong Pirates beat and bore down on the villagers, that they were instantly no match for these beings from the Grand Line.
"Nojiko! Nami!" Belle-Mere told her daughters, then turned to smile at them one last time, "I love you!" All that followed was the striking of the flint against steel, and the dreaded sound of gunpowder shooting out from the smooth bore barrel of the pistol. Belle-Mere was dead within an instant. Yet as her lifeless body fell to the ground, Nami and Nojiko still remembered one of their mother's favorite sayings: "Never give up. You must find the strength inside you to always move on. You must live through every moment, and if you can smile in the face of it all, that is the greatest strength…"
"MOOOOOOMMM!" The two girls screamed as they felt their hearts split in half. Their sobs and cries were suddenly drowned out by Arlong's triumphant cackling.
"AS LONG AS I'M IN CHARGE, THOSE WITHOUT MONEY WILL DIE!" He bellowed to the villagers, "NOW, DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME, YOU PATHETIC MONKEYS!?" At that moment, however, Hachi noticed a piece of paper in Belle-Mere's pocket. Nami suddenly snapped out of her shocked, instantly she knew what it was!
"What's this?" The octopus fish-man asked as he unfolded the sheet, "It looks like a map."
"NO!" Nami screamed, "THAT'S MY MAP! YOU CAN'T HAVE IT!" Oh, how she was yet unaware how those words doomed her for near eternity…Arlong only looked on at the map with mild impressment.
"A child drew this?" He asked as he looked it over, his smile widening as he finally knew what to do with Belle-Mere's daughter, "Impressive. Never seen anything like it!" Then he turned over to Hachi, "She can be useful to us, bring her along." At that moment, Hachi scooped up Nami in three of his arms, all as she screamed and begged not to be taken.
"Wait!" Genzo shouted as he stood up, drawing his sword and blocking Arlong's path, "You promised her mother that you'd leave her alone! She gave you the money!"
"Oh, don't worry, sheriff," said Arlong, "I have no intention of hurting her. I'll only be borrowing her services for a while."
"I WON'T ALLOW YOU TO TAKE HER!" the sheriff roared back, but at that moment, Kuroobi slashed Genzo up as if he were a pel, that he dropped to the ground. Nojiko and Nami were both horrified. This was the power of fish-men, and it was truly terrifying. Genzo couldn't even barely stand as the blood trickled down his body, "I…I'll save you, Nami…I promise…I won't let you go…"
"NO! PLEASE!" Nami pleaded, "IT'S OKAY, YOU DON'T NEED TO SAVE ME!" She could only watch on as Kuroobi knocked Genzo out with the pommel of his sword, sending that pin-wheel topped cap flying off his head. "PLEASE, NO MORE KILLING!"
As the day wore on, the entire village was in shambles. Market stalls were destroyed, and the remains of the harvest for the year were smashed, even the ships lay rotting at the bottom of the East Blue, having never left port. The message was clear: this was what happened to anyone who opposed Arlong. Doctor Nako's clinic was full of patients that day, and even as he made his way to Genzo's cot, his heart was sunken into his chest.
"Those who couldn't pay Arlong already set sail for the Goa Kingdom. They were lucky," he told the sheriff, "All of the other ships anchored in the harbor have been sunk. I'm afraid our plan to have Nami and Nojiko escape to the sea was…"
"…I know, it was a bad idea," said Genzo, as he laid there all bandaged up, "The Marines won't bother trying to save us. Unless a fleet of Viking longships show up in great numbers…we've lost our island."
"Belle-Mere knew that this would happen," Doctor Nako added, "Her experiences in the Marines taught her what those monsters are capable of. She knew that none of us would escape…"
Later that night, however, Nojiko noticed someone was sitting at the impromptu grave dug for her mother, a child about her age range who was hugging her knees to her chest. Yet she was only made evident when the moonlight struck her orange hair: Nami! She was alive and well! Yet it was then that Nojiko noticed something off: On Nami's left shoulder was a tattoo in the very image of Arlong's jolly roger! What was going on!?
"Hey…sis?" Nami asked, not even bothering to look up at her older sister, "Didn't mom always say that good things will come our way, as long as we continue to live?"
"Yeah, she did," Nojiko replied, hugging her younger sister, "Nami, what happened to you? What's with the tattoo?"
"After Arlong took me away, I watched him sink five Marine ships like they were toys…I don't think they'll send anymore. We're on our own…so, I decided to do something about it," Nami explained, "I made a deal with him to buy Cocoyashi Village."
"Buy Cocoyashi?! How?" Nojiko asked. What did Nami mean by purchasing Cocoyashi Village?! And just how was a ten year old little girl going to pull that off?
"For a hundred million berries," replied the ginger-haired cartographer, "If I buy the town for that price, then we'll all be free. Nobody else will die…and all I have to do is join his crew and draw maps."
"But a hundred million!? Nami, you can't make that money for your whole life!"
"I am gonna get that money, no matter what! Everyone's having a hard enough time paying their own tribute…so, I have to do this alone. If anyone tries to help me, they'll just get hurt…"
"Won't it be hard? Living with the people who killed mom?"
"Yeah…but I'll be fine," Nami replied, trying to stop herself from crying, "I'll just smile every time I see that ugly mug of his. I'm not gonna cry anymore." She then looked up at the makeshift wooden cross that acted as her mother's tombstone, forcing herself to smile, "I'm gonna fight on my own!"
Now, eight years later, Nami still recalled that day with immense pain in her heart. But finally, now she was at least able to be honest with herself and open up with her crewmates about it.
Everyone was left in total shock. For Nami to have made such a decision at so young an age, to save her own village all by herself…it was bold, but also incredibly heartbreaking. Nami couldn't help but cry throughout it all, the pain of those memories still being all too fresh in her mind.
"To have made such a decision at the age of ten?" Ragnar asked in shock, "That's…I can't imagine!"
"All to save the village you love so much," Usopp commented, "I'm sorry you had to endure such pain, Nami."
"Arlong made life for my hometown a living hell the day he arrived," explained Nami, "Since that day, he's demanded tributes from all the people I've known and grown up with, killing anyone who refuses to pay… every year, I've been slowly raiding pirate ships of their treasuries all across the East Blue just to get the money I need."
"Then…you're the girl who Luffy saved from that cannonball!" Ragnar uttered out, finally putting two and two together, "I thought that you looked familiar back when we met in Orange Town."
"Luffy, how long did you know about this?" Sanji asked, his whole body shaking with anger. He wanted to give Arlong a piece of his mind.
"For a while now," the captain replied, "This was before you and Usopp joined, Sanji."
"I take it that means it was during our scuffle with Buggy the Clown, right?" Zoro asked, to which Luffy only nodded.
"Remember that giant pink bird that carried me all the way to Orange Town?" Luffy asked his first mate, "Shortly after I landed, I ended up saving Nami from three of Buggy's goons. I learned the moment we hid in one of the townhouses. I was able to sense her sadness before I could even stop it." He then stood and explained, "When Ragnar and I were kids, my home village sheltered refugees from Cocoyashi, people who couldn't pay Arlong's tribute, but were able to escape before he sunk their ships. After that day, word of Arlong's invasion was all over the newspapers for days. Ragnar and I both knew about the invasion, but since Nami and I met that day, I didn't wanna act on my desire to help her right away." His fist shook as he stared at the floor, "You guys know that normally, I rush in head long against any opponent. Buggy, Kuro, even Don Krieg…but for something like this? I couldn't go barging in, not without gaining Nami's trust first."
"And he already gained it since he saved me thrice," Nami replied, smiling at Ragnar, "You're right, we did kinda meet unofficially, back when I raided Alvida's ship…and then back at Orange Town, and at the Battle for Gecko Island, he saved me again two more times. I thought that I could handle this burden alone, so that nobody else would die…but I just can't do that anymore…"
"Nami, you were brave for trying to save your village on your own, I will admit, but there is no need for you to suffer in solitude any longer," said Ingrid, who pounded her fist on the table, jolting the cups. "This affects all of us! You cannot shoulder this burden by yourself! You are not the only one who suffered under Arlong, and you are certainly not the only one who lost a parent to him! You must let us help!"
"Why you…!? Didn't you hear what Nami was saying!?" Usopp asked, but Sanji stopped the archer before he could berate their guest any further.
"Sometimes, Usopp, a man needs to shut up and listen to what a woman has to say," said the chef.
"You tried to save your village all on your own. Your own sister and friends want to help you, but you will not let them for fear of losing them too!" Ingrid continued, "Have you even considered how that makes them feel!?" Her voice trembled, and her eyes brimmed with tears, "When I lost my father, all I wanted was to face Arlong and kill him myself. I thought that if I fought him alone, I could be strong. I refused to depend on the rest of my clan…but I soon realized I was wrong, that by shouldering this burden on my own, I only would wind up dead. I know how you feel. I know you're trying to be strong, but you have to ask for help from the ones you love."
Nami only looked at Ingrid, realizing that her words were harsh, but also true. She hadn't considered how Nojiko or the other villagers felt, at all. In her blind determination to save her village, she alienated herself from everyone who cared for her and saw her grow up. She only looked around, and saw Luffy, Ragnar, Zoro, Sanji, Ingrid and Usopp all smiling at her. She finally had people who were willing to help her in any way they could!
"Thanks, you guys…! I mean it," she told them, doing her damnedest not to cry as she wiped the tears from her eyes.
"We're here for you, Nami, through thick and thin. Count on it!" Ragnar declared, as then, at that moment, an idea formed in his head, "Luffy, permission to speak freely?"
"Nobody's stopping you, quartermaster!" Luffy declared with a grin.
"Excellent, because I believe that we can defeat Arlong and drive him back across the East Blue," he declared, "Yes, Ingrid and Nami are both right: fighting him full force will be tantamount to suicide, which is why this operation will take brains as well as brawn. So, let's get planning!"
A/N: Now that Nami has explained her past to the rest of her crew, it looks like Ingrid gave her a good dose of reality by telling her what she did by trying to free Cocoyashi all by herself was only alienating her from her friends and family. Though, it seems that Ragnar has a plan that will ensure the Straw Hats' total victory against Arlong and his gang. This goes to show that the Vikings were more than just simple barbarians looking for plunder, but when it came to war, they were smart, strategic and brilliant.
For inspiration into Ragnar's planning, we need only look to real history about the Vikings. During the early 9th century, in Ireland, Thorgest - the Norse Viking who founded Dublin, embarked on a series of river raids taking monasteries left and right. And then in the 10th century, there was Rollo - first Duke of Normandy and great-grandfather of William the Conqueror. When he raided Burgundy in the 890s, he was heavily outnumbered by Frankish cavalry. So, quite cleverly, he slaughtered a flock of sheep and surrounded his fleet with them, and the scent of the blood terrified the Frankish horses. Lastly, we have Guthrum - on of the leaders of the Great Heathen Army who nearly defeated Alfred the Great. When Alfred was hosting his Christmastide feast at Chippenham, all of a sudden, the doors to the longhouse burst open, and Guthrum appeared. It was a masterstroke! Whereas Alfred knew nothing about the customs and cultures of the Vikings who invaded England, Guthrum studied his rivals intensely, and was able to catch all of Wessex off guard, and his victory would've been complete, had Alfred not disappeared and hid in the Somerset marshes, which led to the Battle of Edington in 878 CE.
Now, in the flashback, Dr. Nako mentioned how Vikings would take in orphans. This is based on Knésetja - an ancient Germanic custom for adoption, and was even practiced among the Vikings. The name Knésetja is Old Norse for "Knee-sitting", and it is called this because the custom involved the child in question sitting on the knees of their surrogate father. The most famous example of this is King Haakon the Good of Norway, the youngest son of King Harald Fairhair of Norway. When he was a baby, he was adopted by King Æthelstan of England - the grandson of Alfred the Great, and was placed on the king's knees by a Norse herald.
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy and stay tuned for the next chapter as we see how this plays out!