Chapter 4
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"Okay, okay, calm down. I just need to defeat about 15 soldiers armed with rifles along with Nezumi. Easy right? I've got a Devil Fruit and the advantage of surprise on my side, plus my training with Zoro. I just have to stay calm and not over think things." I muttered quietly to myself even as I crouched in my run towards the carefully tended rows of tangerine trees, hoping that the distance combined with my lower profile would make me harder to spot. Concealed by the trees I strained my ears for any shouts that I had been seen. Letting out a breath that I hadn't realized I was holding when none appeared, just the noise of the soldier's boots stamping against the ground.
A cold chill ran down my spine as a thought occurred to me, one that could prove to be I a potential problem. The soldiers and Nezumi might be able to identify me if I fought them off right now. If they did I likely would end up with a bounty on my head, especially since I would need to use my Devil Fruit if I wanted to win. It wouldn't be the end of the world if I ended up with a bounty but I had wanted to avoid it until at least after Loguetown if I wanted my plans to proceed smoothly.
Thankfully I had a sort of solution on hand. Shoving my hand into the front pocket of my jacket, fingers searching for a moment before I found what I was looking for and pulled it out. A dirty white bandanna that I had made sure to carry with me at all times since the incident. One were I had walked in on Usopp making stink-bombs.
I could feel my eyes starting to water just from remembering how badly it had smelled. Wiping the tears from my eyes I proceeded to tie the bandanna across my face, covering everything from my nose to the bottom of my chin. There wasn't anything I could do about my eyes or hair, except to hope that brown was generic enough that they wouldn't really notice. The sounds of the soldiers stomping cut off suddenly, leaving behind a tense silence. One that was disturbed only by faint sounds of shuffling and what might have been a whispered conversation, finally broken by the rapping of knuckles against wood. Why were they knocking, instead of heading straight to the grove? Something was feeling off about this situation.
There was a brief pause before a second knock, this one louder and lasting longer. There were more sounds of shuffling, as if the group was starting to get restless. Finally someone spoke, a deep gruff voice like the speaker had been gargling with salt. "Alright, nobodies home. The Marine costumes must have scared them all off."
Costumes? So these weren't the Marines and Nezumi?
"Does that mean we can take the darn things off already?" Someone with a very squeaky high-pitched voice spoke, likely addressing the first person.
"Yeah, take them off. Stupid things itch like crazy anyways." The first voice responded. Curious I worked myself back towards the edge of the grove to try and get a look at these apparently fake Marines. Pushing aside a branch to create a small opening that I could peer through and observe the group.
I could see that the lead man, who I had assumed was Nezumi, was on the shorter side. About a full head shorter then the rest of his men. He was an older man with short gray hair, a narrow face showing the lines of age, and a long ropy scar. One that started from the left side of his jaw, ran up and across his mouth, before finally terminating high on his right cheek, level with his eye. As the man removed the captain's jacket that we wore, he revealed what he had been wearing beneath it. A sleeveless dark brown vest of leather covered in small metal studs. Around his waist he wore a belt from which hung a sheathed dagger and a sheathed sword.
The other men in his small group quickly discarding their marine clothing as well. Each one revealing that beneath the clothing they all had on sleeveless tops, and something that caught my eye. A tattoo was visible on their upper right shoulders, one of a hand clenched around a sack of gold. The tattoo along with their rough appearance led me to only one possible conclusion. Pirates.
The man in the lead suddenly spoke, revealing that he had been the source of the gruff voice from earlier. "Bring the bird, and the map. I want to confirm that this is the right place."
A brief bit of shuffling occurred from his men as they handed something from in the middle of the crowd forward, the something turning out to be a pair of items, a rolled up map and a metal birdcage. Sitting inside the cage was fairly large raven, feathers ruffled in irritation, as it seemed to give the leader of the group the stink eye. The man ignored the bird for the moment, instead he grabbed the map and unrolled it. He spent a moment studying it before looking up to glare at the raven.
"Bird! Your sure this is the proper place marked on the map?" The raven stubbornly didn't respond, instead continuing to glare at the man. At least it did until the man holding the cage shook it hard. "Answer the captain bird before we find out how good you are at flying without any wings." The man's voice was high-pitched and was clearly the other person that had been talking earlier. Probably the first mate of the crew.
"Rawk. Alright, alright. This is the spot marked on the map." The raven cawed out, feathers ruffling before it fell silent once more. The bird's voice had just the slightest trace of an accent that I couldn't even begin to try and place. It was however the first real accent that I had actually heard since arriving in this world. The raven's eyes narrowed at the apparent captain of the group, going from stink eye to death ray. If looks could kill then the captain would have died on the spot.
Carefully letting the branch slip back into place I mulled over my options. The good news was that it wasn't Nezumi and the marines. The bad news was that it wasn't Nezumi and the marines. Marines I could handle, unknown pirates with potential Devil Fruit powers I was less confident in dealing with.
"Alright men, get to digging. The treasure has to be buried around here somewhere. We'll start on the outside and work our way in till we find it." The gruff voiced captain ordered. An excited cheer rose up from his mates. Followed by the clink of metal bumping against metal as tools were unwrapped and readied.
A thoughtful hum escaped from my lips as I considered and decided upon a course of action. While I had clashed with One Eye on several occasions while on the island this would be the first time I ever fought someone that hadn't been just a game or training. I drew in a deep breath while shutting my eyes tight. I held it for several seconds before letting it out slowly. Along with my breath went my concerns, my thoughts, everything unimportant being set aside for the moment. My eyes snapped open as I finished mentally shifting into what Luffy had jokingly dubbed my battle trance.
I stepped around the tree that I had been using for cover, twisting on the heel of my left foot, and came face to face with one of the pirates. A look of complete surprise on his face. The man's eyes were still in the act of widening when my fist, wrapped with chains, smashed into his gut. My other hand, also wrapped in chains, coming up and then down in a hammer blow against his collar bone.
There was a painful sounding crack as the man dropped with a cry of pain. I was already stepping past him as he fell, eyes fixed on the next three closest men. Two of them held shovels, the third armed with heavy looking pickaxe that would break bone if it hit me. All three of them roughly 15ft away but within a couple of feet of each other. Chains rising up over my shoulders as I crossed my arms in front of me, mentally offer Robin thanks as the inspiration for this move.
"Chain clutch!"
The chains hovering over my shoulders shot out, three going high with the last one going low. The ones that went high flew past the three men before looping suddenly back on themselves. Wrapping tightly around the men, pinning their arms to their sides, and forcing the air from their lungs. The final insult being the chain that had gone low sweeping them off of their feet, sending them crashing to the ground helplessly.
Four down. A shout of rage had me twisting to the left to face a pirate that was charging at me with a shovel raised above his head. He covered the distance between us in seconds, shovel swinging downward in a powerful two-handed blow. A blow that never had a hope of hitting it's target as a length of chain wrapped around the haft of the shovel before yanking it down and to the side. Capitalizing on the opening my fist lashed out to pop him in the face, cartilage crunching beneath my strike as his nose broke.
More shouts came from the remaining pirates as they threw down the digging tools to draw weapons better suited for combat. A mixture of swords and daggers, not a single sign of pistols or rifles among them. Hanging back from the fighting was the apparent captain, and his likely first mate. Both seemingly content to watch the fight rather then get involved. Likely studying how I fought. Absently I noted that the first mate had set the birdcage down.
Now properly armed the pirates charged at me all at once, likely seeking to overwhelm me if sheer numbers, shouts and insults spilling from their mouths. Silence was my only response as I met their charge with one of my own, chains extending up and over my shoulders to dance around me protectively. Chains deflected the pirates wild blows before twisting past weapons to deliver strikes of their own. I weaved past bodies and strikes, taking brutal advantage of any openings to deliver swift but devastating blows, the chains wrapped around my fists amplifying the power of each strike.
I wasn't able to avoid or block everything however, there was just too many enemies to track even with my chains for that to be possible, so I ended up with my own share of bruises and shallow cuts. Almost as if in response to the blows that did get through chains crept down across my body. They seemed to start at my shoulders underneath my jacket before slipping down along my arms, connecting to the chains that already covered my hands. Then continuing to spread down my torso until I was basically wearing a chain shirt.
My left arm swept out to knock aside a sword blow that had been intended to take my head off at the shoulders. Even as I deflected the blow however I was turning, the end of a weighted chain smashing into the throat of the last pirate that had charged me. Just in time it seemed as the first mate finally decided to join the fight. A shout of rage my only warning as he rushed towards me, wielding ironically enough a kusarigama, the weighted end spinning rapidly in a circle. The attack was too obvious, he had no intention of actually reaching me before striking.
My thoughts proved true just a moment later as he screeched to a halt, planting his foot even as his arm shot forward and released the weight. The weighted end covering the distance between us in the blink of an eye. I dodged to the side, letting the chain shoot harmlessly past me even as the first mate resumed his run towards me. Shifting my left foot slightly behind me I waited until he was close before snapping out a punch with my left hand. The first mate's left arm coming up to push my blow high and expose my left side. The kama in his right hand flashing as he swung it at the opening he had created.
Biting back a curse, I threw my body backwards just barely fast enough for the kama to miss me. The blade slicing through a bit of my jacket rather then hitting me directly. Chains shot out, forcing the first mate to retreat rather then continue to strike at me. Giving me the opportunity to regain my footing. There was a hint of surprise on his face, probably from me successfully avoiding his blow. He yanked on the weighted end of his weapon only to find that I had tangled one of my own chains around it, preventing easy recovery.
Stepping in close I threw a feint towards his head, the first mate responding by lifting his arms up to cover his head. My knee snapped up just as he realized that he had fallen for a feint, leg snapping out in a quick front kick that caught him right in the gut. Letting out a pained wheeze he crumpled forward, kama dropping from nerveless fingers. He wasn't actually out of the fight quite yet though, a hard rap on the back of the head soon solving that particular issue.
I turned my attention to the captain as he approached with deliberate steps. He carried the slightly curve bladed cutlass in his right hand, dagger held in his left hand. Then he suddenly lunged towards me, covering the distance between us in only a couple of seconds. After that I didn't have much time to think beyond blocking, countering, and dodging.
Weaving back and forth across the battlefield, neither of us was able to claim an advantage over the other. He was a much more genuine threat to me then his men had been, closer to Kuro's level of threat. Even as that thought crossed my mind the captain smirked, the dagger slicing through the air straight towards me throat. I took a step backwards to avoid the strike, and found myself nearly tripping over the unconscious body of his first mate.
That moment of distraction was all the opening that he needed to break the deadlock. Cutlass slicing a burning line of pain across my midsection, blade cutting through my shirt like it wasn't even there, nearly cutting through the chain shirt beneath it as well. He wasn't done yet, twisting the dagger to jab it straight into my armpit. Metal clashing against metal as a chain deflected the dagger at the last second. Another set of chains scything through the space that the captain had just occupied as he darted back. Quickly putting a dozen feet of space between us as he back-stepped.
"Your pretty good for some no name pirate. But your nothing compared to me, Captain Placeholder of the Holder Pirates!" The sheer absurdity of that name caused me to blue screen, mouth hanging open as I tried to process how such a name could actually be real. I closed my mouth with an audible snap then opened it again, saying the first thing that popped into my head. While simultaneously planting my foot firmly into my mouth.
"Wow. Your parent's must have really hated you." I realized it was the wrong thing to say instantly as Placeholder's face started to turn red. Darkening towards purple as he slipped the knife into it's sheath and reached for something on his back. In a single smooth motion pulling out a flintlock pistol, leveling it at me, and finally pulling the trigger. I jerked myself to the side in a desperate attempt to get out of the way even though I knew it wasn't going to be enough.
The next thing I was aware of was that I was on my back, staring up at the sky, with no memory of how I had gotten there. Then the pain hit. "Agh! Son of a bitch!" I cried, left hand reaching across my body to clutch at my right shoulder. A distant part of my brain registering that the shot hadn't pierced my chain armor, the links, while warped, were still intact. I could feel anger welling up in my chest along with the thought that I couldn't afford to fail here. I had things to do, a life to live. I wasn't going to let it end here!
Slowly I forced myself back to my feet, wincing whenever I shifted my injured shoulder. I could still use the arm but not without a fair amount of pain. That was fine, I could do what I had planned while only using my left arm. "Chain shot!" The heavy iron ball formed instantly in my hand at my words, a length of chain extended from the ball, dropping all the way to the ground. Rearing my arm back I threw the ball as hard as I could towards Placeholder, chain trailing after the ball as it soared through the air. Scoffing at my feeble attempt Placeholder took a step to the side, letting the ball land just past where he had been standing.
I couldn't say that I was surprised, throwing with my offhand hadn't been likely to hit. Still a grin found it's way onto my face, though to him it probably looked more like a smirk. After all I hadn't actually needed it to hit him, just be close for my next move. Fingers curled around the chain that still sat in my hand, even as I started to spin 360 degrees round, the iron ball whipping through the air as it followed the direction of my swing. All the way around until it clipped Placeholder as he tried to dodge just a moment too late. The transferred force spinning him off of his feet as I let go of the chain, ball crashing into the forest in the distance before finally stopping.
That wouldn't be enough to finish him off, even now he was moving. I formed a set of three chains in my hand, the majority of the chains edged with a row of sharp blades. Gripping the center of the chains I started to spin them, faster and faster above my head until they began to whir as they cut through the air.
"Who the hell are you?!" Placeholder shouted at me as he was scrambling up onto his feet. He had dropped the pistol when he fell, left hand now pressed to where the ball had clipped him. Raising the cutlass before him defensively, eyes tracking the chains as they spun.
"I'm just a guy taking an enthusiastic walk through a tangerine grove." Was my reply, even as I threw the whirling disc of chains straight towards him. It was a move that I was still in the process of refining, one that didn't even have a name yet, the part of the chain that I had been holding getting pulled outwards as the chains spun until finally reaching their full length. Unexpectedly doubling the discs size as it was in flight. Placeholder tried to dodge as he realized the disc was growing larger only to pause as he noticed a chain wrapped around his ankle, one that led back to my right hand as it hung by my side. The bladed edges of the chains cutting him as they wrapped around him like a bola. Placeholder stumbling backwards, seemingly unconscious. Cautiously I moved closer, nudging him with the tip of my shoe to make sure that he wouldn't suddenly try to get up. He didn't stir.
Releasing a long sigh I took a look around the battlefield, realizing that I needed to get the pirates out of the way before anyone came back. Chains extended from me, some picking up bodies and dropping them a little ways into the woods, some collecting weapons, while some collected the other chains that were now scattered about. Once they had all been moved into the woods I tied them with their backs against the trees, using the chains that I had created previously. Tearing one of the marine coats that they had worn into long strips, which I used to gag them with.
The pirate's weapons got tossed into the woods as well, away from where I had them tied up. I hefted Placeholder's cutlass, about to drop it on top of the pile, when I paused to take another look at it. It was a very nice blade, one that Zoro might like to have for the coming fights. We could always try to sell it later if it didn't fight into his fighting style. Slipping the cutlass back into its sheath I went about wrapping it in a couple of the coats. I could only hope that nobody tried to take too close of a look at it.
As I got back to my feet a wave of exhaustion hit me, the adrenaline from the fight finally wearing off. I couldn't afford to rest just yet however as I still had two tasks to deal with. Both of which shouldn't take very long to accomplish. The first being the map, which got stuffed into a jacket pocket to be returned to Nami when I next saw her. Then I picked up the birdcage, finding that the raven was looking at me curiously. A distinct glimmer of intelligence in it's eyes.
"I'll have you out of there in just a second." I said to the raven while studying the lock. A simple padlock that I could probably snap open with my chains. If not then either Placeholder or the first mate likely had the key on them.
"I can wait." I shook my head at the ravens response. I didn't know enough about ravens to be able to tell if this was normal behavior or if this raven was just weird. There was a soft clunk noise as the chains forced the padlock apart. I had barely gotten the cage door open when the raven launched itself through the opening, shooting into the air was it got away from both me and the cage. Finally perching on a tangerine tree's branch before starting to clean his feathers.
That task finished I leaned against the wall of the house, eyes closed as I let out a tired sigh. I was completely drained of adrenaline now, which left me with sore muscles and aches all over my body. The spot where the bullet had impacted still throbbing with pain at regular intervals. I should start addressing the wound, along with all the other cuts and scrapes, but I was just so tired. Reaching up I tugged the bandanna off, having almost forgotten it was still there, shoving it into the pocket of my jacket. I started to remove my jacket, a hiss of pain escaping from me as the fabric of my shirt rubbed against the wound. I paused before starting again, gritting my teeth against the pain.
"What the hell are you doing?!" My head whipped up, smacking against the wall I had been leaning on in the process, as I saw who had shouted at me.
Nojiko was glaring at me with fire in her eyes, Usopp danging over one shoulder in a fireman's carry. Usopp was certainly on the lighter side but I was still impressed by how effortless Nojiko made it look. Trailing a bit behind Nojiko was a kid with dark hair tucked beneath a green beanie. The kid wearing an orange sweater which sported a kanji on the front of it. No idea what it was supposed to mean but it did make me thankful that everything else in this world at least appeared to be written in English.
"Uh, well I was kind of attempting to treat my injuries. The ones that I got from driving off those men that came to the house. Oh they weren't marines by the way, just some pirates dressed up as them." I could tell that I was starting to ramble but I didn't quite have the energy to care. Stopping when Nojiko held up a hand, a strange expression on her face. Muttering something that sounded suspiciously like it might have been pirates she stepped past me to shove the door open.
"Come in, sit down, and shut up. I'm not gonna let you try and treat those wounds yourself. We'll talk about what happened later. Chabo start heating up some water for me." She ordered to the kid who was apparently named Chabo. Stepping inside she dumped Usopp onto the floor in a heap, before dragging a chair over and gesturing for me to sit down. I followed her and Chabo inside, dumping the coat wrapped cutlass besides the door.
I slipped down into the offered, letting out a faint sigh of relief at finally getting off of my feet. My eyelids started to droop and I was finding it harder and harder to keep them open. I came awake with a start, and a hiss of pain, to find Nojiko working my arms out of my shirt. A basin with steam rising from it, a washcloth, and a roll of bandages now resting on the table.
"Explain." She ordered as she took a seat on the chair opposite of me. Picking up a washcloth and dipping it into the hot water before starting to clean my wounds. So I did. I explained how I had hide in the grove while listening to them approach, the fight against them when I realized what they were after, ending with how I had gotten shot and where I had dumped them. All through my retelling Nojiko didn't say a word, listening quietly as she cleaned and then dressed my wounds, her hands never pausing in their work. Only once I had completed my tale did she finally speak.
"I can't believe that a bunch of pirates would dare get so close to Arlong's territory, or that they would have the gall to steal Na-" Cutting herself off before she completed her sentence, Nojiko shook her head. "Nevermind."
"I was honestly shocked as well. I didn't think that any pirates would be brave enough to mess with Arlong. Well other then Luffy." I replied as she finished wrapping the bandages around my shoulder.
"I'm guessing Luffy then is this idiot that I found about to attack some one of Arlong's men in Gosa then?" Nojiko asked, nudging Usopp with her foot. Usopp letting out a sort of muffled grunt in response.
"Nah. This is Usopp, the ship's sniper, liar, and all around handyman. Luffy's got a rather distinctive hat and attitude about him. Trust me when I say that you'll know him when you see him."
Nojiko pressed her hands together, looking over the top of them at me, a conflicted expression on her face. "If Luffy does try to fight Arlong to get Nami back you must realize that he'll blame us for it. You can't beat Arlong. Please I beg you to wait, Nami almost has all the money she needs to buy the village from him."
"Nami's going to buy the village from Arlong?!" Usopp shouted, going from laying on his back to sitting straight up. He glanced my way briefly before looking at Nojiko, only for his eyes to snap back towards me in surprise.
"Vebulus! When did you get here?!"
"Nami led me here. I'm a bit surprised we didn't encounter you on the way here. We went right past Gosa. We must of just missed each other." I was going to say more when I realized that Usopp was now sharing a confused look with Nojiko.
"What?"
"Vebulus, Arlong Park is on the west side of the island, then it's Coco village, with Gosa village on the east side. The only way you could have passed Gosa is if Nami took you on the long way around the island."
A soft "huh" was my eloquent response to this new bit of information. Now that Nojiko had mentioned it I could vaguely remember a panel from the manga that had shown the details of the island. The door to the house slammed open suddenly, making us all job in our seats.
"Nojiko! Arlong's heading towards the village and he looks really mad!" A heavy set man stood in the doorway, dressed in tan pants and shirt, panting from his apparent run to get here. He didn't wait for a response, instead turning instantly around to run back towards Coco village.
There was a half second pause as we all just looked at each other, Nojiko the first to leap to her feet, out the door after the man before the chair that she had been sitting in fell to the floor. A moment of hesitation from both me and Usopp before we dashed after her. Pausing only long enough for me to grab my shirt and jacket off the table. Me struggling to pull the shirt and jacket on as we pelted through the forest. The mocking laughter of the raven following us as I nearly tripped. Thankfully the path between the house and Coco village wasn't very long. Both of us arriving to find Nojiko peering around the side of a building. Sharing a confused look the pair of us popped our heads around the corner as well. An act that proved to be more uncomfortable then movies portrayed it as.
Striding down the main road of the village was Arlong, face set in a ferocious scowl. Around his neck the gold chain from earlier glinted. Behind him marched a group of Fishmen, Kuroobi and Chew, both sporting their best resting fish faces along with the gold necklaces in the lead. It didn't take a genius to figure out who was the focus of Arlong's ire, he was the only person present on the street at the moment. An older man sitting beneath an umbrella that was mostly shielding him from the sun. He was dressed in an outfit consisting entirely of brown leather, the only source of color being a pinwheel stuck in the front of his hat like a feather. Genzo, the effective leader of Coco village, and a pseudo father figure to Nojiko and Nami.
Arlong didn't stop until he was right in front of Genzo, using his size to loom over the older man. Grabbing the top of the umbrella, Arlong pushed it back to expose Genzo to the sun before speaking. "Well, was it you? Three days ago? The guy my men saw with a sword in their possession?"
It wasn't hard to make out Arlong's words even from where we were standing. He wasn't even trying to be quiet about it. Arlong wanted this to be a show, was it a distraction to allow the Holder Pirates to steal Nami's payment, or did Arlong not even know about it and still planned to let it slip to Nezumi. Had he already done so and was just waiting for Nezumi to show back up to seize the payment? Any further thoughts were interrupted as Genzo leaned back to look at Arlong before replying.
"That's right. Can't a guy have a collection nowadays? I've always liked looking at weapons." It was obviously the wrong thing to say but Genzo didn't even seem like he cared. Genzo acting as if he wasn't afraid to further rile Arlong up.
Arlong smiled in response, baring all of his very sharp teeth to Genzo. "Weapons give birth to wicked thoughts and violence. They're the number one threat to peace. Threat's that I can't ignore."
"He's huge, that's Arlong?! They aren't Human!" Usopp hissed to me and Nojiko. His grip on the side of the building tightening until his knuckles were white.
"That's because they're Fishmen." Nojiko whispered back, trying to slap a hand across Usopp's face to keep him quiet. Not that anyone was close enough to hear any of us right then.
"I don't see Nami with him. Is she still at the Park then?" I quietly muttered while ignoring Usopp and Nojiko's byplay.
"There are 20 towns and villages under our 'protection'. We don't like trouble-makers who want to cause problems. The port town of Gosa rebelled, so I had to destroy it as an example to the rest. Their refusal to pay their tribute is the same as rebellion." Arlong's eyes flashed dangerously as he spoke. Never breaking eye contact with Genzo the entire time.
"Tribute? What's he talking about?" Usopp whispered to Nojiko. Glancing between her and Arlong half confused, half concerned. Nojiko didn't immediately reply, but when she did her words were filled with a lifetime of bitterness and repressed rage. "The money that we pay them every month. The money that we give them to not pillage our homes and slaughter us."
My hands tightened on the corner of the building, knuckles as white as Usopp's, the wood creaking faintly from the force of my grip. It was proving to be a lot harder to control my emotions without that disconnect of reading or watching the show to hide behind. The only reason that I was managing to hold myself back was with the thought that soon Arlong would pay for everything that he had done.
Nojiko's scowl darkened before she continued speaking. "And if even one person can't pay, we'll all be crushed like Gosa was."
"That's terrible! A whole town!? 'Cause of just one person?!" Usopp screeched. Eyes going wide as they flicked from Nojiko to Arlong and then to me. I blinked owlishly at Usopp wondering why he was expecting an answer out of me to that question. Sure I knew the answer but Usopp couldn't have known.
"That's Arlong's policy for you. Humans are nothing more then dirt to them. They think nothing of killing us." The casual apathy behind those words was chilling. The people of Coco village had been so beaten down that they didn't believe anyone was ever coming to save them.
"Not all fishmen. Just Arlong and those that think like he does." Nojiko shot me a dirty look, mouth opening to respond when Arlong's roar snapped our attention back to him.
"Get it, inferior Humans?! Don't think about anything! Just work hard and give us your money! I need mountains of money! Your tribute will become the foundation of the Arlong empire which will rule the East Blue!"
"Which is kind of redundant since the fishmen already have their own king and kingdom." I muttered absently to myself while recalling bits of the Fishman Island arc.
"What?! Where the heck did you hear that?!" Usopp and Nojiko shouted at the same time, directly into my ear, before clamping their hands over their mouths while looking around nervously. Thankfully it didn't seem like anyone had noticed.
"I read it in a picture book when I was younger, supposedly it's somewhere in the Grand Line." Course calling a manga a picture book was vastly under selling what a manga actually was. I swear I could almost feel thousands of people glaring at me over my statement.
"Your knowledge of things is really random y'know Veb?" I huffed in irritation but didn't say anything. It's not like I could really explain right now the reason why I knew certain bits of information. A loud crash had us focusing back on what Arlong was doing.
"Genzo!" Nojiko shouted, her cry mostly drowned out by the laughter of the Fishmen. Arlong was holding Genzo up by the neck before him, blood dripping down Genzo's face from a slight cut on his brow. The area where Genzo had been sitting now smashed to pieces.
"The possession of weapons! Is sedition! It's a threat to the peace of our dominion! And to prevent any future rebellions, I'm gonna kill you as an example to the rest!" Arlong's grip around Genzo's neck tightened, causing Genzo to wheeze as he was choked. Arlong swinging Genzo through the air as he turned towards the villagers that were watching warily.
"What! Just because he had a weapon?! They'd kill him for that?!" Usopp squawked, a shove from Nojiko almost sending us both to the ground as she rushed towards Arlong.
"Those Swine!"
"Usopp! Stay here!" I shouted, running to catch up to Nojiko. Almost slamming into her back when she suddenly stopped a bit away from Arlong. The citizens of Coco village now starting to fill the street, some voicing objections to how Arlong was treating them. Arlong more amused by the citizens reactions then threatened, even as the rest of his men moved forward menacingly.
"How dare you, Arlong!? In eight years we've never once failed to pay your tribute! Do you really think that after all this time that we've got any rebellious intentions?! Let Mr. Genzo go!"
"Nojiko! Wait!" One of the citizens in the crowd shouted, even as the majority of them just looked on. Mentally I rolled my eyes that any of them could think that Nojiko would actually attack Arlong. Of course even as I was thinking this, I was dropping a restraining hand onto Nojiko's shoulder. Better to be safe then sorry in this case.
"Why does he need weapons, if not to fight us? For the peace and security of our realm, this man must die!" As Arlong spoke, he swung Genzo through the air. Scattering drops of blood across everyone nearby, which happened to include me and Nojiko. "Or maybe you want this whole village to disappear! If one of you lays a hand on us then I'll turn this village into a graveyard!"
"Weapons or no weapons, what does it matter?! We still couldn't stand up to even a single fishmen. Only monsters could do that, not simple folk like us!" I shouted in an attempt to distract Arlong. It seemed to have worked as everyone turned to look at me. Arlong's eyes lighting up in recognition.
"Well, well, my new friend! Your right in that you aren't a threat to me even with weapons. But I still can't let you go around getting ideas! So let me personally show you how I handle rebellion!" Swinging Genzo through the air, Arlong proceeded to slam the man into the wall of a nearby house. Wood splintering as Genzo cried out in pain. Throughout the whole thing Arlong never looked away from me.
"It's time to know your place! See how useless resistance is! All creature are not born equal! Wahahahahahaha!" As if to punctuate his words, Arlong lifted Genzo up above his head, slamming the man against the ground. Blood sprayed from Genzo's mouth even as the street cracked from the impact.
"Humans need to know their proper place in the world! However! I'm feeling generous today because Nami brought me such a useful new tool that I've decided something! Instead of killing this whole village, I'm just going to kill this old man right here!"
Once again Genzo was lifted up above Arlong's head. Arlong practically daring anyone to interfere as he prepared to slam Genzo against the ground once more. His arm had just started to sweep downwards, when, with a faint whistling noise, something exploded right in Arlong's face. Arlong dropping Genzo even as he roared in pain or rage.
"What was that?! Lord Arlong?!" A pair of fishmen shouted, starting to move towards their boss to assist him. Everyone else, villagers and fishmen alike, frantically looking around for the source of the attack. I at least was scanning the rooftops, recalling that Usopp had taken the shot from up there.
"Look! Up there!" I shouted, finger pointing up to where Usopp was standing on a roof. The black raven from earlier perched on the building's chimney. The bird's head cocked quizzically to the side as it stared at Usopp, almost like it wasn't sure what to make of him.
"Somebody's on the roof! Who're you?!" People from the village shouted even as they started pointing at Usopp as well. Soon enough everyone was looking up at Usopp. The villagers nervous, Arlong's men angry.
"I am a fearless warrior of the seas! Captain Usopp!" He shouted proudly, gesturing to himself with his thumb. Nojiko opened her mouth, clearly about to ask what in the world Usopp was talking about, only to notice that I was shaking my head slowly. Closing her mouth she returned to staring at Usopp.
"They call me Usopp the Demon King! And kings tremble at the name! Flee now and live! I have 8000 hardened killers behind me!" Which may have been somewhat believable if the number had been in anyway feasible. I kind of doubted that this island could even hold 8000 people. At least not without serious space issues. Might be a good idea to give Usopp some tips on how to keep lies believable.
"Lord Arlong! It's him! The stranger that got away!" A fat fish-man shouted, pointing his finger at Usopp. Somehow having managed to not identified Usopp until that very moment. Slowly the cloud of smoke that had been covering most of Arlong dispersed enough to reveal him. Arlong, eyes narrowed in rage and with teeth clenched so tightly that they were starting to crack, appeared almost totally uninjured by the blast. The only signs of damage being a little bit of soot that clung to his face and clothes.
"I don't care if you have 80,000! I'll paper my walls with their hides!" Arlong roared, taking a step in Usopp's direction. Usopp's eyes having gone so wide with fear that they were almost popping out of his head as he stared at Arlong. Because of the angle I couldn't see Usopp's legs, but they were almost certainly trembling. Mostly cause mine were trembling and Arlong wasn't even focused on me.
"Your just a human! A puny worthless human! And you dare attack me!" Arlong shouted, starting to first walk, then run, until finally he was sprinting towards the building Usopp was perched on. Wood splintered beneath his hands, as Arlong grabbed onto the building. Muscles bulged as with a mighty heave, Arlong ripped the building from it's foundations. Usopp grabbing hold of the chimney to avoid falling off, even as the raven took to the air with an enraged squawk.
"Lord Arlong, wait! Are you gonna destroy another village!? Please, boss. There ain't no profit in that! Aye, we already lost the tribute from Gosa!" About half of the fishmen started to shout all at once. The group surging forward nervously as if wanting to restrain their boss but unsure if they should. Kuroobi and Chew sharing a concerned glance with each other but not moving to stop him.
"We'll find new villages to tap! We are the master race!" Somehow showing even more impressive strength the he had in ripping the house off of its foundation, Arlong lifted it higher, before slamming it down with a tremendous crash. Wood buckled, cracked, and splintered as the frame of the house gave way. The whole thing collapsing in on itself in an expanding cloud of kicked up dirt and wood splinters.
"He'll wreck the whole village if he continues!" Someone shouted from the watching crowd, audible over everyone else. Arlong's men that had been nervously approaching finally getting close enough to grab hold of him. Muscles straining as they dragged him back from the wreckage. Doing everything they could to prevent further damage.
"This is exactly the reason I didn't want you sticking around!" Nojiko hissed into my ear as we stared at the scene. Gripping my left arm hard enough that she was starting to cut off circulation.
"It's not like I knew that he was going to do something so stupid!" I grumbled through gritted teeth. Trying not to show how much pain I was feeling from her grip. As we had been talking the cloud of debris had thinned out enough that one could just make out Usopp booking it out of town.
"There he is! Catch him and beat him to a pulp!" Arlong's enraged roar motivating several of the fishmen that had been hanging back into action. Chew being one of the those that head after Usopp. The group quickly vanishing out of sight as the fishmen holding onto Arlong began to make actual progress in dragging him out of the village. Trailing at the back of the group was Kuroobi, who turned back towards the crowd before following.
"You got lucky, this time. We'll be back." He said, a smirk lifting the corners of his lips. Those parting words still lingering in the air he turned away to follow after the rest of his group. I couldn't help clenching a fist as I stared at his departing back. Eyes fixed upon the slight gleam of gold visible at the back of his neck. It would be so easy to try and defeat him now. If I did try it however I couldn't imagine how many villagers would get caught in the crossfire. So with a deep sigh I restrained the urge.
"I need to go get something from your place then I'm going after Usopp." Nojiko turned towards me as I spoke. Her grip slackening enough that I was able to pull my arm free. She stared at me silently for several seconds before finally giving me a nod.
Shoving my hands into the pockets of my jacket I started the short walk back to Nami and Nojiko's house. Arriving at the house I pushed the door open just enough to slip inside. Grabbing the bundle of coats that concealed the cutlass that I had dropped off their earlier. I headed back out after that, shutting the door tightly behind me.
Before heading back to the village I took a moment to check on the Holder Pirates. All of them still unconscious and tied up. Satisfied that they weren't going to be causing a problem anytime soon I started back. The bundle tightly held beneath my left arm.
I hadn't even stepped foot back inside of the village when I spotted Zoro. Who was sprinting off in the direction that Usopp had fled down a few minutes ago. Stepping off of the path I started following him at a quick walk. Normally I would have run to try and catch up, but I was certain that Zoro wouldn't make it to Arlong Park without something stopping him.
I was proven correct just minutes later in what was easily the strangest way possible. There was a tremendous crash just before a small single masted ship went hurtling through the air. Zoro taking a quick glance at it before turning to try an outrun the ship. Zoro clearly having attended the Prometheus school of running away from things. Bits of wood flung high into the air as the ship broke apart on landing.
Breaking into a light jog I had just gotten close enough to catch the last half of Zoro's question to the rest of the group. "-are you guys doing?"
"What? We came to bring Nami and Vebulus back, haven't you found them yet? Where are Usopp and Johnny?" Luffy asked as I continued to get closer. Already close enough that I could see the outline of what remained of the ship.
"Usopp was supposed to be in this direction, but I haven't found him. He supposedly was being chased by some of Arlong's men but I haven't seen them either." I stopped walking as I heard what Zoro said, feeling very confused. Usopp hadn't been caught by Chew? How had he managed to escape? Needing to know the answer I continued walking until I was in sight of the group.
"Luffy! Zoro! Yosaku!" I shouted, waving the hand not holding the bundle in greeting. Which of course was the arm that had been injured earlier. It still hurt but it wasn't anywhere near as bad as it had been.
"Vebulus! I got us a cook! Meet Sanji!" As Luffy replied his arms shot out to grab onto Sanji. Lifting the surprised cook into the air from where he had been sitting. Luffy placing Sanji down right in front of me. The cigarette that Sanji had been smoking almost dropping out of his mouth.
"Welcome to the madness. But Luffy-." I started to say leaning around Sanji to stare at my captain before continuing. "You do remember that we've already met and been introduced."
"But that was before he became an official member of the crew!" Well he wasn't wrong about that, even if it felt a little weird.
"Anyways it's good to-"
"Hey guys!" Johnny shouted as he walked towards us from the direction of Arlong Park, walking behind him was Usopp, and Nami?!
"Nami! Nami-swan!" Luffy and Sanji shouted at the same time. Nearly launching themselves at her before taking note of her expression. It was one of complete brokenness, as if her entire world and everything that she believed in had been turned upside down.
Nami didn't look at anyone, walking stiffly past Usopp, Johnny, Luffy, Sanji, and finally Zoro. Coming to a stop within arms reach of me. Tilting her head back she looked up at me, eyes wet with unshed tears meeting my own. Nami's lips trembled for a moment before she flung herself against my chest, and started to cry.
"You were right!" She sobbed, hands clutching my jacket tightly. "He, he wasn't going to do it himself. He just quietly let slip to the Marines that he's been bribing where the treasure I stashed was. He apparently even gave them the map of where I had it stash" Dropping the bundle I pulled Nami into a one armed hug, looking over her head at the rest of crew. Luffy's expression mirrored my own, Zoro was scowling, Usopp determined despite a minor tremble of fear, and Sanji's cigarette little more then ashes between his clenched teeth.
"Vebulus, Luffy! Help me!"
"What do you say captain?" I asked quietly, Luffy stepping forward until he was right behind Nami.
"Of course we will!" Luffy shouted while removing his hat, shoving it onto Nami's head. "Arlong doesn't know what's coming for him!"
"We'll keep big sis Nami safe." Johnny said, he and Yosaku flanking Nami protectively. Luffy nodded in response even as I reached down to pull the cutlass, sheath and all, out of the bundle. Flipping it around I offered the hilt to Zoro.
"Got this off of a pirate that tried to stir up trouble. Figured you could use it." Zoro reached out, fingers curling around the hilt before sliding the blade free. Light reflected off of the blade as he held it up to examine. Eyes taking in the yellow hilt and gold guard, after a moment Zoro lowered the sword and slipped it back into its sheath.
"I'll use it for now. At least until I teach you how to properly wield a sword."
"Glad to be of help. Wait, what?!" I shouted just after I had handed Zoro the cutlass. Zoro turning away with a smirk on his face. I gulped, feeling the chances of me reaching my next birthday plummeting rapidly.
Setting that horrific thought aside until later I turned to Usopp who had settled cross legged beside the road to work on something. Stepping closer I cleared my throat to get his attention. Usopp jerked his head up to look at me, revealing that he had been making some adjustments to his slingshot. A small belt of tools spread across his lap.
"Hey Vebulus, good to see your safe."
"I think I should be the one saying that to you Usopp. I'm amazed you escaped from all those fishmen that Arlong sent after you."
Usopp chuckled, rubbing the back of his head with his hand. "It was the weirdest thing. There I was facing down dozens of fishmen, trapped with my back facing a cliff. The fishmen closing in on me step by step when suddenly this huge black bird came swooping up over the cliff and attacked them. It smacked them with it's massive talons, beak, and even buffeted them with it's wings. Suffice to say that after that they all fled just before the bird turned to me. I thought I was going to die! So I shut my eyes tight!
I waited for what felt like forever before opening one eye just enough to check if the bird was still there. But it was gone! Vanished without any trace, not even a feather left behind."
I nodded along to Usopp's tale as he told it. Mentally adjusting the dozens of fishmen down to 2 or 3 and replacing the massive black bird with the raven I had freed earlier. The bird seemed to have repaid my kindness by distracting the fishmen long enough for Usopp to sneak away.
"Let's go." Luffy said as he strode past, Zoro and Sanji already with him. Quickly I fell into step alongside them, Usopp following half a second later. It was time for Arlong's empire to fall.
AN: *screams* Oh my god did this chapter just not want to be written. I know it's a little on the shorter side but if I mentally include the 3 almost complete rewrites that more then makes up for it. Right?
Of course in addition to the writer's block and the rewrites I had lots of other fun problems. I caught something that left me feeling just awful for about a week. Then there was an issue with meds that only finally has gotten resolved. All that combined is why this chapter has taken so long to come out.
Edit: So apparently while I thought that this chapter was going to be on the shorter side it actually ended up almost a 1000 words over? Not quite sure how that happened but I'll take it.