I started this story over a year ago and got busy with other projects. But now I feel inspired enough to continue with it again. I've been a fan of One Piece for a long time, but this is my first attempt at writing a One Piece fanfiction and I really felt a story like this needed to exist and would be a great challenge for me. Hopefully I can do it justice...
"Belle-Mere-san! Belllle-Meeerrre-saaaan!" She bolted awake with a shriek. Sucking in an agonized breath and exhaling a shrill wheeze, the girl collapsed again against the bars of her cell. "Belle-Mere", she wailed again as the oblivion of sleep rushed away like an ebbing tide exposing the waking nightmare of reality.
Bang Bang Bang
A trio of shots thundered inside her skull - then came the vivid sensation of warm coppery liquid pooling beneath her hands and knees.
Presently another bang - much more physical - reverberated next to her head, rattling the iron bars and sending her pitching forward onto her straw mattress.
"Hey, shut-up in there, brat!"
A huge, meaty fist belonging to an equally massive fishman pressed itself against the grating. In his other hand he held a pan of something, the contents of which he hurled into the cell with her. Scraps of food and bones pelted the floor in front of her.
"Now eat up - that's all you'll be getting for a while."
The ten-year-old worked up her courage and shouted after him, "Let me out of here - what do you want with me anyway?"
He shot her a sneer full of jagged teeth over his shoulder, "Captain Arlong thinks you might be useful to us; I expect he'll be summoning you before too long, girlie."
A heinous face to go with the name suddenly arose like a ghoul from her worst nightmare. She could never face that creature again - not the monster that had slain her mother before her and Nojiko's eyes.
oh God, Nojiko!
She would rather die!
If you can survive, then happy times - lots of 'em - will come your way.
How could that be true? She was sure she'd never be happy again.
Please tell me what to do, Belle-Mere-san!
She'd already lost any sense of time and didn't know whether she'd been their prisoner for hours or days. The brig was perpetually dark and there were no windows down here in the bowels of the ship. She thought of Nojiko for the 900th time - she was desperate to see her sister. Her thoughts then flashed to poor Gen-san and his slashed-up body as well as all the other villagers who'd been cut down trying to help her. Her last hope was that the Navy would arrive soon and deliver the island from these sea monsters' clutches.
Just survive until then, she told herself, It can't be much longer now. She laid back down on the sour straw and pulled her knees up to her chest, forcibly banishing images of Belle-Mere's shattered body that appeared each time she closed her eyes.
000
The screech of rusty hinges started her awake. The same fishman who'd flung scraps at her earlier now stood in the open brig entry. One of his great webbed hands stretched toward her and the girl dove away.
"Why you," he snarled, managing to grab the back of her dress after several more swipes, "You'd better mind your manners!" She kicked the air in the direction of his eel-like face as he held her high above the ground, "Don't get too full of yourself you little human snot - Arlong-san said to bring you to him, but he didn't specify in what condition..."
"No," she shouted, surprising even herself, "No I won't see him - I won't!" She twisted her body around wildly, attempting to wriggle out of her clothes and escape him.
"Hey," he bellowed in sudden realization, scooping her up under his arm instead and pinning her against the side of his loudly patterned shirt. The breath was squeezed from her body as she writhed against the sweaty aroma of unwashed fishman. All she could manage was a strangled cough.
"I guess you'll pipe down now." He gave a satisfied snort and carried her up the hatch like a small watermelon.
The child squinted as the sun hit her eyes for the first time in seemingly ages. She stared down at the deck as her captor made the trek across the ship; she could hear the tread and various utterances of the pirates responsible for her village's misery as they bustled about the vessel - their jeers pelted her as she was hauled to the door of a cabin near the bow. The one carrying her gave a heavy rap and the door swung opened to a familiar face. She recoiled at the sight of the thieving octopus-man who'd stolen all her maps and dragged her away after Arlong killed her mother. He stood impassively aside, announcing their arrival.
"Arlong-san, the girl from the village is here, Nyu!"
Her eyes adjusted again to the change in lighting. She saw the ray-man that slashed up Genzo fixing her with a steady scowl while a third fish man with giant lips stood next to him. Looming in the background like an apparition spat from hell, Arlong himself lounged in a large chair. One leg rested across his knee and his palm pressed flat on a nearby tabletop. Beneath his splayed fingers lay a stack of maps - her maps.
Her breath hitched, but one look into his hooded eyes and the protest died in her throat.
"'Ere ya are, Arlong-san," the eel jailer set her roughly down before the seated cutthroat, a chuckle in his voice.
"Thanks nakama, that'll be all," replied the other without taking his eyes from the small girl.
"Er- Aye, Captain!"
The room darkened as she heard the door clunk behind the exiting fishman.
Her dread grew as Arlong's lips spread into a razor-sharp grin. He regarded her with a tilt of his head for a moment as she fought back hot tears of fear and rage.
"Hello, I don't think we've been properly introduced yet - I'm Captain Arlong," he put his hand to his chest, then gestured toward the three remaining pirates behind her, "and these are my officers, Hachi, Kuroobi, and Choo - and what might your name be, little girl?"
She gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut.
"Now, now, don't clam up like that." She felt rough fingers grab her chin. "There's some things I have to double check and I need your cooperation, or else things ain't gonna go so well for you and your friends in the village."
Her eyes shot open and the saw-nosed face suddenly filled her vision - a mouth full of jagged evil smirking back. The tears she'd been holding suddenly sprang forth, "Don't hurt anybody else - please! What do you want with me?"
Arlong's eyes shifted away from her momentarily as if in thought, "Ah..., Nami was it?" He grinned again, "Not to worry, I just have some simple questions that I want you to answer very honestly - sound fair?"
She rubbed the snot and tears from her face, "If I do will you let me go?"
"If I like your answers, then I assure you that you'll have nothing to fear," came his evasive reply.
"Wh-wut, then," she sniffled helplessly.
"Nami," he said her name again, "you claimed that you were the one who drew these maps." He patted the stack on the table, "Was that true?"
The girl hesitated but found that she was too afraid to lie to him. "Yes."
The shark grin suddenly widened, "Good girl. And how did you learn to do such amazing work at such a young age?"
"From books," she didn't know how else to answer. "I've just always liked books about navigation and exploration, and I like maps. I started by copying other people's maps, and then I started to make charts of my own of the seas around the island."
Arlong picked up one of the maps in question and perused it thoughtfully, "Well I can tell you from my own firsthand experience of the seas around your island, that this work's incredibly accurate. I could almost swear that you saw these seascapes firsthand to get them so spot on. Did you get all of this just from books?"
"No," she mumbled, "I also talked to lots to people who know these waters and I learned the currents and tides for myself."
"And did you also figure out the scaling on your own?"
She nodded.
"Now answer me this: if I were to hand you detailed written information about any given body of water, would you be able to produce a map like this for me?" He held up the one he'd been examining.
"You want me to draw a map for you," she asked uncertainly.
There came several chuckles behind her; she jumped, remembering that she was surrounded. Arlong beamed hideously back at her. "Nami," her stomach gave a lurch as he spoke her name yet again, "I want you to draw me many many maps - the entire East Blue for starters. In fact, I want you to become part of my crew - our surveyor."
The response that came back was so swift and visceral Nami was uncertain who'd made it except for the fact that her own face had vibrated as it was spoken. "NEVER!"
The smile slid off the fishman's face; he regarded the child like an apple that turned out to have a worm.
"Why you little tart!" The ray-man spoke up, looming over her ominously.
"Kuroobi," snapped Arlong, and the other immediately ceased his advance on the girl.
The captain turned his eye back on her. Nami's heart pounded and she trembled with adrenaline, but she glared back at him.
"That doesn't seem very well thought out of you since I now own your island."
"I don't care! You killed Belle-Mere-san - you killed my mother! I'm not going to help you take over other places and hurt and murder other people! I'm not going to be a stinking evil pirate like you!"
Rather than being angry, Arlong smirked and nodded slowly. "I see; you have some solid reasoning there, but that still doesn't change the situation you're in - namely that I hold the lives of every sniveling human on this island in my hands. What about all those other people that're still alive? Don't you care about any of them?"
Nami's blood turned to ice; she felt a dark wave wash over her and heard a shrill whistling sound from somewhere inside her ear. When her vision cleared, she was sprawled on the floor. The four pirates stood gazing down at her.
Before she or anyone else could say anything a loud clamor out on the deck grabbed the cabin's attention.
"Captaiiiiin" came a loud shout, "enemy ships spotted!"
"What," Arlong scowled. He looked to each of his men in turn and without a word they all strode out of the cabin, leaving Nami sitting forgotten on the ground. The girl got carefully back to her feet and slunk to the open door.
000
The fishman crew lined up along the deck facing a small squadron of ships. She counted five unmistakably Navy vessels advancing toward them in the distance. Nami's knees nearly gave out a second time from the great swell of elation that coursed through her. Somehow, she had to get herself aboard one of those ships before Arlong's Pirates could stop her, but it didn't look like that was going to be easy.
Rather than worried, the fishmen seemed agitated, even excited, as they crowded toward the approaching ships. All at once, Arlong threw back his head and let out a wild bellow, "Shahahaha! Looks like the welcome wagon's finally arrived, mates!"
"Nyu, they're getting ready to fire on us," cried Hachi.
Indeed, the girl watched as the ships began to spread further apart, surrounding the pirates in a semi-circle.
"What are you waiting for, brothers, you know what to do," shouted Arlong jubilantly, and at once dozens of fishmen dove into the water and disappeared under the waves. The Navy didn't waste time; simultaneously, the squadron opened fire.
Nami hit the deck with a shriek as a barrage of cannon balls sailed into the pirate vessel. The ship shuddered while splintered wood and shrapnel was flung in every direction. Unfortunately, not every missile hit its mark - the remaining crew were swift at intercepting the iron projectiles that would have inflicted the worst damage - slapping them away open palmed as if serving volley balls to the Navy over an invisible net.
Arlong strode to the bow, flinging his arms wide. "Here I am ya cockroaches, gimme your best shot!" A ball suddenly whizzed toward the shark-man's face. Arlong caught it in his teeth and bit down, spitting out a misshapen lump of metal onto the planks like a piece of chewing gum. "How boring! What a stupid waste of meat you humans are!"
The girl's disbelieving eyes traveled from the ruined cannon ball over to the navy ship that shot it. An eruption of shouts rang out across the water as fishmen leapt onboard and began tearing boat and sailors to pieces. Without warning, the vessel started to tilt dangerously to one side. Another pirate emerged from the depths brandishing part of the hull. Similar situations were happening on all of the ships with navy men shrieking, guns and cannons blasting and sabers swinging. Within twenty minutes, the entire skirmish was over with the remaining navy soldiers and officers bound with rope on Arlong's ship.
"How many survivors does it actually take to return to the Navy to deliver a message," mused Arlong aloud to the guffaws of his crew. "I think there are too many left over, boys - we should feed at least half of these Navy men to Momoo and the other sea monsters." The fishmen cheered while the navy men cowered.
Nami sank to the deck, sick with despair. She didn't know how she could handle watching them slaughter any more people. Nobody paid any attention to her now - they didn't have to as there was nowhere for her to go anyway. She clamped her hands over her ears to block out the pleas and sobs of the captives. Nevertheless, she could hear what sounded like a horn blowing and moments later the sea began to churn. Now the girl opened her eyes and shrank back as an enormous head rose up from the water with horns jutting out of its skull. The bovine sea monster loomed above them, opening its jaws wide to receive whatever offerings Arlong might toss inside.
"Well, who's first," a cackling Arlong wanted to know.
One of the other pirates picked up a screaming sailor and held him high over his head in preparation.
"Wait!" her high-pitched shout rose above the rest of the clamor. Several heads turned to her, including Arlong's. He motioned sharply for his crew to hold off. Suddenly all eyes were on Nami.
"Let them all go and I'll - I'll draw whatever maps you want!"
There followed a long silence, then from somewhere a low chuckle. Another pirate scoffed - it was the ray-man again: "You'll do that anyway - you have no choice in the matter!"
Nami turned pleadingly to Arlong, "I'll join your crew and become your surveyor!"
He cocked his head with some bemusement, "All for the lives of some pitiful Navy rats you'd agree to become part of my crew?"
She nodded furiously.
"Shahahaha - Of all the things to bargain for! What a funny kid!" He looked back to his men, "But I think our new surveyor may have a point; we shouldn't be too hasty to throw away even the lowliest of lives. How about instead, I give each of you a choice? Whoever gets down on the ground and grovels before me like a worm can live. Just admit you're a lower species who've been bested by your fishmen overlords, then crawl away like the dirt dwellers you are and never return. Otherwise..." he turned an evil smirk to Momoo.
"Why don't we start with you, Captain," Arlong bent down to the level of the naval officer expectantly, "go ahead and set an example for your men."
The captain glared darkly back at his saw nosed counterpart. "Go to hell, you fish-faced bastard."
The pirate recoiled momentarily but quickly recovered his malicious grin which spread even wider. "Why thank you Captain, I was hoping you'd say something like that." He lifted the naval officer one handed by the nape of the neck and faced the rest of the cringing humans, "Your Captain has spoken, and now he'll receive the reward for false bravery - as will our beast!" With that, Arlong tossed the shrieking man up into the air and over his shoulder like a catch that was too small. The cow-beast rose up quickly, snapping its jaws over the plummeting sailor. His scream cut short; the man disappeared behind the teeth as if he'd never existed.
"Who's next," shouted Arlong to the horrified crew. The example set by their captain noted, the men were quick to take the fishman up on his suggestion and plead vigorously for their inferior lives.
Much later, the sea beast dismissed and the captives no longer in eminent danger, Arlong stepped over to the shaken but relieved child. "Don't be so depressed - being part of my crew doesn't have to be so bad, even if you are human. Do a good job for me and this could be the best thing to ever happen to you."
She scowled back, his words salt on her open wounds.
"No, I'm serious," he insisted, "It's true that I despise your species, but I'm a fair man; you'll see that I reward my comrades generously. What do you like? I can provide you with the nicest clothes, books, food," he studied her inquisitively, "...sweets?"
"Nami's demeanor smoothed and turned stoney, "What about money?"
Arlongs own eyebrows rose under the brim of his hat; he regarded her with renewed interest. "If you'd prefer," he replied, flashing his predatory smile.
The girl climbed to her feet and looked him unflinchingly in the eye, "The thing I like best in the world is money, and I want lots of it." She held up her hand toward him, forming a circle with thumb and index finger for emphasis.
The fishman's amused grin morphed into genuine esteem as he regarded the adolescent as if for the first time. "That's got to be the best thing I've ever heard - you are a smart kid, aren't you? Money is always the answer!"
"I'm glad we agree on something," she retorted, crossing her arms and staring evenly back, "and since we both understand that, I'd like to ask you something..."
A light flickered in his cold blue eyes. "Yes?"
"What price would you put on Cocoyasi Village?"
"Hm? On a village that nice,"Arlong rubbed his great chin thoughtfully, "I'm not saying I couldn't put one on it, but why do you ask?"
"I want to buy it back from you," she said evenly. "Name your price."
Glittering like dagger points, the fishman's eyes widened ever so slightly with her words, scrutinizing her solemn demeanor for any hint of weakness or uncertainty, but found it completely steady. "Well, in that case, I'd let it go for all of 100 million berries." He bared his rows of white, coffin nail teeth at her, "That's my price."
She suppressed a flinch but, after a quick study of his face, determined that all negotiations were off the table - it was 100 million or nothing. Without thinking further on it, she extended her hand upward.
"It's official then," he guffawed, bending low and swallowing her small hand in his own, "We're shipmates until the time when you can come up with the agreed upon amount - however long that may take."
She scowled at his amused tone. "You won't go back on your word when that day comes will you?"
He drew himself up with mild offence, "I never go back on my word when it comes to money - remember that. Money is sacred to me; if the agreement is 100 million berries, then I'll slit my belly open before I break that agreement."
The girl continued staring back for several more moments before she finally decided to believe him; she had no other choice. Despite the impossibly large goal, a glimmer of hope began to stir within her. Whatever Arlong might believe about what she was and wasn't capable of, she had a determination that he did not account for. She didn't know how yet, but she would do whatever it took for however long it took until she gained every last cent - and she would do it completely on her own.
000
"Alright, it's over now."
Nami cracked an eye open. The bloated, green-skinned pirate gazed down at her, the needle resting in his hand. Arlong stood slightly behind him. Slowly she unclenched her fist and drew back her arm, inspecting the Jolly Roger now adorning her shoulder. A feeling of unreality washed over her as her eyes followed the dark curving lines winding angrily over her arm like tendrils - wondering what her self from a week ago would think could she have somehow known what was about to befall her home and what she would be reduced to.
"Did it hurt that much," snorted the ink artist.
Swiping the tears away, she ignored the question and slid off the table. She turned to face her new captain. "I want to go back to visit my town."
She sat at the grave long after Nojiko had left her side and returned to their house. She couldn't seem to run out of things she needed to say to her mother. The sting from her throbbing tattoo intermingled with that of Gen-san's words to her earlier, but as she'd told her sister, her mind was made up to embrace piratehood and all that went along with it - pariah though it may make her. She had her eyes on the long game in which she played the traitor - it couldn't be helped. Above all, she begged Belle-Mere for strength as she clung to her beautiful mother's final words - If you can survive, then happy times...her only lifeline.
At last, one foot in front of the other, Nami trudged away from her old home and life in the light of the sinking sun. She glanced back over her shoulder to the hill where Belle-Mere rested and her heart sank with it. None of the strength that the Navy woman had attempted to instill in her seemed to have stuck at all. Having to face her pirate overlords once again was beyond her ability to bear despite her brave words to her sister earlier. Nojiko was correct as usual - she was the older and much more sensible one. Only the bitter reality that she had no other alternative kept her feet traveling in the direction of Arlong's ship.
Before ever reaching the shoreline, she encountered one of her new crew's top officers - Kuroobi suddenly stepped out from around a tall shrub ahead of her and turned his scowl upon the girl. A fine sheen of sweat glazed his face and neck and Nami noticed his heavy breathing when he spoke. "And where have you been all day? Don't think that you're going to have it easy all the time just because you're Arlong-san's new pet."
Her eyes traveled past him down the path he'd emerged from. "Gosa Town is that direction," she mumbled.
"We've had a busy day today," the ray-man supplied with a sigh, "but more than half of these islands are now under our command - soon to be all of them. Not every village fell as easily as yours though - we had to set a few examples." He punctuated his statement with short chuckle.
Nami stared grimly at the ground in front of her and continued on her way.
"Where are you off to now," he called after her.
"Back to the ship like a good pet," she spat.
"It's not there, you know," he answered evenly.
She whipped around. The ray-man stood gazing in the direction that he'd come from, arms crossed, frown in place. "We moved locations to the other side of the island. Since you weren't around, I came to tell you that."
"Great thanks." She turned an about face and began walking the other direction. Footsteps behind her made her whip around, "I don't need you to follow me!"
"Who's following you, pipsqueak? We just happen to be going to the same place."
Nami's teeth ground together as she stomped ahead, "Then at least don't walk next to me, you bug-eyed idiot!"
"What? Say that again!"
Nami broke into a sprint. She turned to offer Kuroobi her best 'eat-shit' look and simultaneously tripped over an exposed root, sprawling headlong onto the forest floor and knocking the wind out of herself. For several moments she lay stunned on the ground.
"Well, well," A shadow fell over her prone body as the ray shuffled leisurely over, "look at the human who not only can't breathe under water, but who can't even manage to get around on dry land."
"Shut up," she returned dully around the grit in her mouth. Slowly she sat up inspecting her dirt-smeared dress and scraped palms without interest. Grabbing a nearby branch, she attempted to pull herself to her feet and gasped as a sharp pain shot through her ankle. Nami collapsed back to the ground and sat grasping her throbbing appendage, waiting impatiently for the annoying shadow to finally pass her by so she could limp away on her own.
"What happened - twist your ankle," the shadow asked instead.
Nami gave no reply and did not look up at him.
There came a loud sigh and a webbed hand reached down toward her.
"Just go away," she pleaded, fighting back tears with what little dignity she still had left.
"Stupid girl." Kuroobi snatched her up before she had a chance protest any further and tucked her in the cook of his arm. He began marching and Nami, lacking any further strength to resist, sagged off him like a limp ragdoll.
"Listen, you're still just a brat, so let me try to explain this to you" the ray huffed, "even though our kinds are enemies and it's only natural that we hate each other, you're now our shipmate, and since you're so helpless I have to make sure you don't get yourself killed."
"You're wrong," she mumbled at the ground.
He looked down at her in surprise, "How's that?"
She craned her own neck up at him until their eyes squarely met. "I don't hate you because you're a fishman."
His expression grew even more quizzical.
"I hate you," she went on, "because you killed my mother."
His bemused face morphed slowly into a grim comprehension. He gave a short nod and stared forward once again. "I see."
Nami went back to watching the ground passing beneath her. Neither of them spoke until they reached the shore.
"How did you enjoy your little visit home," a grinning Arlong asked as Kuroobi and Nami came aboard.
Nami stared back at him for a long moment; she drew in a deep breath and then shrugged, "I don't think the people in town like me so much anymore, but having lots of money makes it a bit easier to bear."
Arlong chuckled as if she were a parrot he'd taught to use profanity; he slapped her small back appreciatively, "A girl after my own heart!"
Nami winced, then laughed along with him, her soul dying a little.
"Alright nakama, it's been a long day - let's go get some grub."
The Arlong Pirates headed for the galley. Kuroobi, however, hung back, his eyes shifted suspiciously to the orphan girl who stood alone - gazing toward the island.