It was some time later as the four of them sailed to where Nami was. Luffy was jumping around on the tiny boat, Yosaku was looking blue in the face at where they were going, Sanji was sitting and getting annoyed at Luffy running around, and Gin was thinking of what was going to happen next.

"Will you sit down Luffy?" Sanji said. Luffy sat down at the bow of the ship again before turn to them all.

"So how much longer till we get there again Yosaku?" Luffy asked. Yosaku looked up at him.

"Quite a while." he said before he pointed at them all. "But still, you guys aren't taking this seriously! You said that you knew where Nami was going, and why she betrayed you, correct?!"

"Yeah." Luffy said.

"Then you should also know that the place we're going to is ruled by Arlong!" he said.

"Yeah. Nami told me about him." Luffy said as his hat covered his eyes.

"What do you know about him?" Gin asked.

"That he's a fishman, a pirate, and worth twenty million berris." Yosaku said.

'20 million?' Gin thought. 'That's higher than Krieg's bounty.'

"So?" Luffy asked, causing Yosaku to fall over.

"Don't you realize how dangerous he is?!" Yosaku yelled before he stood up. "Alright. Looks like I'm gonna have to give you all a history lesson. First off, you plan to head to the Grand Line with only six crewmates?"

"I'll get more in the Grand Line." Luffy said.

"What does that have to do with this Fishman Arlong?" Gin asked.

"Simple. Deep in the Grand Line, there are three powers there. One of which is the Seven Warlords." Yosaku said.

"Seven Warlords?" Sanji asked. "Who are they?"

"They're pirates approved by the World Government." Yosaku said.

"Say what?" Gin said in surprise. "Since when does the World Government 'approve' of pirates?"

"They give them a portion of their treasure, and in return are left alone. Other pirates refer to them as 'Government Dogs'." Yosaku explained. "You've already met one of them. Hawk-Eye Mihawk."

"They sound strong." Luffy said. He had met each of them and knew from experience. Sanji just looked on with slight curiousity. Gin however was tensing up as sweat formed on his forehead.

'That Hawk-Eye decimated a 50 ship fleet like it was nothing.' he thought. 'And there are six more people as strong as him?! This is insanity!'

"Do these Warlords have anything to do with where we're going?" Sanji asked, snapping Gin out of his thoughts.

"Yeah. One of the Warlords is Jimbei, leader of the fishman pirates. In exchange for him being a Warlord, he released a monster into the East Blue. Arlong." Yosaku said. "Since coming here, he's taking over 20 villages and resides in a place called Arlong Park. He's insanely strong, easily stronger than even Don Krieg. He's devastating!"

"Why would Nami go there?" Sanji asked before a blush came to his face as he thought about her as a mermaid.

"Anyway, I'm hungry. Sanji, make me some food." Luffy said. Yosaku and Gin nodded at the thought of food as well, even though Yosaku thought that he was being naive.

"Right." Sanji said. "I'm on it."

()()()()

"There's the Merry!" Usopp said as he spotted her on the shore.

"Yeah, but what's it doing over there?" Johnny asked. He looked at a map to find that it was anchored between Cocoyashi and Gosa Village.

"Either way, we know she's here. So let's get ready to fight." Zoro said as he flicked his white sword from it's sheath a bit.

"Are you crazy?!" both Usopp and Johnny shouted.

"Luffy's orders were to bring Nami back." Zoro said as he placed one foot on the bow of the ship. "And that's what I'm going to do." He didn't get a chance to do anything though as Johnny and Usopp knocked him out with hammers.

"Pull up alongside the Merry." Usopp said as he stood up with confidence.

"You seem more eager now that we're avoiding Arlong Park." Johnny said.

"HEY! UNTIE ME, YOU BASTARDS!" Zoro yelled as he was tied to the cabin of the ship.

"Now now Zoro. You're still hurt." Usopp said as he patted Zoro's chest, shooting pain throughout Zoro's body. "See, you still need to rest." Usopp then stood up, declaring that this would be his grand adventure until he spotted three fishmen on the shore. "Full speed ahead!" Usopp yelled as they passed them all by.

"What are you doing?!" Zoro yelled.

"SHHHH!" Johnny and Usopp said.

"They're fishmen. We can't fight them." Usopp said.

"Hey, that's a ship." one of the fishmen said before two swam towards the boat. Seeing this, Usopp and Johnny jumped overboard, leaving Zoro screaming at them to untie him.

"What happened to you?" asked a fishman. "You exiled or something?"

"Those must be battle scars then." another said.

'I'm gonna kill them for this.' Zoro thought as Johnny and Usopp swam towards the shore. When they saw the village, they couldn't believe their eyes.

"It's like a ghost town here." Johnny said.

"All the houses have been turned upside-down." Usopp said before he saw Johnny take off. "Where are you going?"

"Looks like I found ya." said a figure behind Usopp. "You must be that exile's friend."

"GAAAAAH!" screamed Usopp before he took off running.

"Phew. Sorry Big Bro Usopp." Johnny said from a hiding place. "I'm gonna hold down the fort until our backup arrives." As Usopp ran, he kept a good distance away from the fishman, but was tripped by a little boy who wanted to kill him, thinking he was a fishman. He was stopped by a lavender haired woman with heavy tattoos on her chest and her right shoulder.

"You know what happens if you attack the fishmen." she said before she looked at Usopp. "This guy's a human anyway. Barely though."

"Barely?!" Usopp yelled before they heard the fishman approaching. "I'll deal with this guy." Usopp said as he stood up and aimed at him with his slingshot. "Special Attack!"

"Don't attack the fishmen!" Nojiko said as she knocked Usopp out from behind.

()()()()

"Where am I?" Usopp asked as he woke up from his 'nap'.

"About time you woke up." Nojiko said from a table in the room. Usopp looked to see her and the kid from before. After a brief introduction, Usopp learned that the woman's name was Nojiko and she and Nami are foster sisters, and that the house they were in was there's growing up. She then explained that their mother was long dead and only she lived there with Nami stopping in now and then and that she worked for Arlong.

"Wait. She's working for Arlong?" Usopp asked in disbelief. Usopp then asked about their ship, to which Nojiko pointed out the window to show it was their on the shore Nojiko explained that she joined up with Arlong and betrayed her own village. "I can't believe it. She even turned on her whole village?!"

"Exactly." Nojiko said.

"Tch. I can't believe it." Usopp said. "Did Luffy know about this?" he asked himself.

"Know about what?" Nojiko asked overhearing him. Usopp looked back at the ship out the window.

"When Nami took the ship, Luffy said she had her reasons. I bet Luffy didn't know that this was one of them. Even though she helped save my village and was smiling and laughing, she planned to stab us in the back this whole time!"

"Smiling and laughing? Her?" Nojiko asked. They went on about how he came here to get back the ship and her, but since she betrayed them, he came for the ship. His jaw then hit the floor as he started sweating. "What's wrong with you?"

"I left a friend on our ship when we got here. He's probably caught by the fishmen now."

()()()()

"I'm only going to ask one more time." Arlong said as he looked down at a tied up Zoro. "Why are you here?"

"I told you ya half-fish fucker. I'm looking for a girl."

"Watch your tongue." Alrong said with sinister grin on his face. "We fishmen are evolved humans who can breathe on both land and in the water. That makes us the Lords of Creation, and defying us is going against nature."

"I'm getting tired of hearing you spout that crap Arlong." Nami said as she walked out of the doorway behind him, stunning Zoro.

"All but you Nami. You're above them all, my trusted navigator."

"What the? Why are you acting all friendly with them Nami?" Zoro asked.

"You know this guy?" Arlong asked.

"He's just another idiot who I got friendly with to steal his treasure." Nami said as she approached Zoro and sat down until she was eye level with him. When she did, Zoro got a look at the tattoo on her arm, which looked exactly like Arlong's Jolly Roger.

"That tattoo." he said in shock.

"That's right. I'm a part of Arlong's crew." she said with a grin. "Everything we've been through has been nothing but an act." Zoro just glared at her.

"Did Luffy know?" he asked.

"What?" Nami said, her smile fading.

"When you stole the ship, Luffy defended you by saying you had your reasons and nothing else. Did he know that you would steal from us?" Nami froze for a moment, but remained calm.

"Hmph. He's just an idiot as well." she said.

"Shahahaha!" Arlong laughed. "This is the real Nami! Nothing but a cold-hearted, money lover. Not even the death of her mother shook her up." Arlong said. Zoro watched as Nami's eyes widened in pain at that before he smirked and lept back into the water.

"Huh?!" most of the fishmen there said.

"Is he trying to swim away?"

"Even if he tried, that human can't do anything tied up like that."

"Just leave him to drown." Arlong said.

'That idiot.' Nami thought before she jumped in after him, making all the fishmen watch in disbelief. She surfaced with him moments later, both coughing a bit for air. "Why'd you do that?" she asked.

"I could ask you the same question. Heartless huh?" Zoro said with a smirk. Nami only scowled before punching his wounds, making him double over.

"Tie him up. I'll deal with him later." Nami said.

"Arlong?!" screamed a fishman.

"What is it my brother?" Arlong asked.

"There was another human with a long nose. He got away, and I think he's hiding in Cocoyashi Village." said the fishman.

'Usopp!' Zoro thought. 'That moron was found out.'

"Cocoyashi huh?" Arlong said with a grin. "What a coincidence. I have business there as well."

()()()()

Later in Cocoyashi Village, Arlong and some of his crew came and surrounded a heavily scarred man with a pinwheel in his hat.

"You're the one that was found with weapons huh?" Arlong asked.

"That's right." Genzo said. "It's just a hobby of mine to collect them."

"That's against the rules. Weapons are forbidden in my town." Arlong said. As they were talking, Usopp and Nojiko were looking from a safe distance.

"That's Arlong?!" Usopp whispered.

"That's him." Nojiko said. "He's go twenty villages under his control." She explained about the tribute that they needed to pay to keep their lives. "If even one person doesn't pay the montly tribute, he turns that town into another Gosa."

"That's insane!" Usopp said. Nojiko explained that those were the rules and that they wouldn't think twice about killing a human. She stopped when she heard a yell, knowing who it came from. "Genzo!" she yelled as she ran to confront Arlong, who was holding a beaten Genzo up in the air with one hand. "What are you doing? We've been paying the tribute! No one here has any intent to rebel! Let him go!"

"This human had weapons." Arlong said. "Even having them is a sign of rebelion. To show you all that it will not be tolerated, he dies." Everyone began to protest, but stopped at Genzo's orders.

"You all must live, or the last eight years will be for nothing." Genzo said. All the villagers stopped at that while Arlong laughed before raising him into the air.

"Let this be a lesson to you all!" he screamed before he brought Genzo's head toward the ground.

"EXPLODING STAR!" Usopp yelled as he shot at Arlong. The explosion caused him to release Genzo and everyone to look up at him.

"Who are you?" one of them asked.

"I am Captain Usopp!" Usopp shouted as he stood dramatically with his legs shaking. "I am a man feared around the world! I have 8,000 men under my control! Leave now and I may spare you fishmen!"

"You can bring 100,000 men." Arlong said in a low voice. "I'll tear them to pieces. Even though your just a scrawny human," he said before looking at him in a crazed manner. "YOU DARE ATTACK ME YOU HUMAN FILTH!?"

'My threats and attacks didn't faze him at all?!' Usopp screamed in his head as Arlong picked up the building he was standing on. Usopp screamed as Arlong's crew begged him to calm down and stop.

"If you destroy the village, our funds decrease!"

"Then we'll take over a different one!" Arlong said before he threw the building into another one, smashing both as the villagers cried out for their village. Usopp appeared from the wreckage with almost no damage before he took off, with Arlong being held back by his crew and taken to Arlong Park to cool off. The other half of the crew chased after Usopp while the villagers gathered around Genzo, asking that he go and get treated for his injuries.

"Hi everyone." came a voice. Everyone turned to see it was Nami holding some flowers. Everyone turned away and ignored her as she walked through. She looked at the damage with a sad look. "This looks like Arlong's doing."

"That's right." Nojiko said. They talked for a bit before Nami went to a lone grave which consisted of a small wooden cross on a hill. She placed the flowers next to it before sitting down and staring out at sea.

"Only 7 million berris left." she said.

"As infamous as ever." Nojiko said as she watched her sit there.

"I'm a pirate, but Arlong knows better. He knows that money is best, so I only have a little to go to keep up our bargain. Soon, I'll buy the village from him." Nami said with a smile. Nojiko smiled as she sat down next to her. They both stared out before curiosity got the better of Nojiko.

"Hey Nami. Does the name Luffy mean anything to you?" she asked. Nami sat up straight, but kept her gaze at the sea.

"Luffy?" she asked. "Why do you ask?"

"Someone mentioned his name, a Cpt. Usopp." she said. Nami rolled her eyes at 'Cpt. Usopp' but kept listening. "Is Luffy the owner of that ship you came here on?"

"Yeah." Nami said as she lowered her head.

"So he's a pirate huh?"

"Right."

"And you stole from him like any other pirate?"

"Is this going somewhere?" Nami asked as she finally looked at her sister.

"That long-nosed visitor said that the only one who didn't get angry when you took their ship and treasure was this Luffy guy." Nojiko said. Nami just stared at her as her eyes widened a bit.

"Really?"

"Yeah. He said something about Luffy knowing why you did it. Now how would he have known about that?" she asked as she leaned her head into her hand. Nami only looked back out to the sea before she got a gloomy look on her face.

"I told him." she said in a low voice. "I don't know why, but something about Luffy just made me feel safe to tell him."

"First time I've ever heard you trusting someone else besides me and Genzo." Nojiko said. Nami sighed before a small smile crept onto her face.

"You know what he said when I told him?" Nami asked before she looked at her sister.

"What?"

"He offered to kick Arlong's ass for me." Nami said.

"He what?!" Nojiko said as her eyes widened. "He does know who Arlong is right?"

"He does." Nami said before she looked back at the grave. "Even so, he said he'd do it. That's why I stole the ship when I had the chance." Nami placed her knees to her chest with her arms and head in her knees.

"Nami?" Nojiko asked before she noticed Nami trembling a bit. "You okay?"

"I'm fine. It's just..." Nami said. Memories of Luffy came to her as tears filled her eyes. "Even though it's suicide to fight Arlong, just knowing that he wanted to fight him..." Nami said, unable to continue as her tears fell. Nojiko just put a caring hand on her shoulder as Nami cried as she looked at the ocean.

'For Nami to trust someone with something so painful.' Nojiko thought. 'I don't know who you are Luffy, but thank you for caring for Nami.'

A/N: Sorry if it's too much like the anime. I felt like it was all important.