AN:

Another little setup chapter here, but I had a really fun time writing this one so I hope you enjoy it.

I saw a question about if Luffy will ever have a devil fruit and as much as I'd like to give you an answer, I'm afraid that it would spoil the story. So, for now, my answer is maybe... Or maybe not. ;) As for the question about how I'm gonna do Wano without 5th gear... Let's just say, I think I've got something pretty cool figured out. But that's won't be for a while, so for now... Here's Chapter 34 :)

As always, would love to hear what you think!

Chapter 34: Light in the Dark

"I SAID, STOP!", Nami wailed to the dark clouds above. She would do anything… She just wanted to wake up from this nightmare…. She wanted it to be over. The searing pain in her stomach. The tears falling from her eyes. The all-consuming wrath she felt in her heart that was now suffusing throughout her entire body… She wanted it to go away… Her cry continued uninterrupted for but a moment before it seemed like the heavens decided to answer her pleas.

The heat consuming the orange-haired girl seemed to freeze inside her body before it all but disappeared into thin air, her tightly closed eyes snapping open in shock. Before she even had the time to register what was going on, a bright white streak of lighting consumed her vision and she watched in morbid fascination while the bolt seemed to move in slow motion, inching ever closer to the men who'd caused her so much pain.

The loudest crack of thunder yet echoed through the clearing as lightning struck the ground and consumed every single marine in the retreating group, the orangette continuing to watch wide-eyed and confused. When the light faded and the echoing thunder was once again replaced by pounding rain, her shocked brown orbs stayed glued to the now smoking area with a multitude of black bodies resting in it. By sheer force of will, she was able to eventually pull them away and her gaze landed on the dark clouds hanging over her head… Was… Was that… Was that her?…

Nami didn't understand what was going on… Everything since she'd entered the clearing was a blur, really… A dark red haze of anger and pain… A part of her was convinced that the bolt of lightning had been the world paying her back for all the hardship she'd faced in her life… But… The other part… Couldn't help but think… Had she been it's cause?… Had she been the one to kill all the men now lying lifeless on the ground?… She remembered the moment right before… The heat… The anger… It was all so hot… Until suddenly it wasn't…

Still in a slight haze, the orangette stood to her feet, slowly beginning to walk in the direction of the group of men she may, or may not, have just killed… How could it have been her?… She was just a normal girl… The more she thought about it, the more she felt like it was just a coincidence… But, something in her heart couldn't quite believe that… The big question was… How?… She'd never been able to do something like that before…

Even as the thought crossed Nami's mind, she realized that it wasn't exactly true. It had been similar when she'd fought Kuro… However, at the same time, it wasn't. The whole situation had been different… So, why?… Why did it feel like the two events were connected in some way?…

The girl's thoughts were brushed to the side when she stopped just outside a large ring of blackened grass filled with the bodies of close to twenty marines. She couldn't even tell which one was Nezumi… They all looked the same… Just lumps of black meat… It was honestly strange… She didn't think lightning would be able to do this to someone. Sure, she knew they'd probably die… But this….

Nojiko and Genzo's eyes hadn't left the spot where the lightning struck. They were both so shocked by what had occurred that neither of them could even move… It'd looked like Nami had caused it… Like she'd just killed all those men… The two weren't all that upset by the information, considering the situation… But, still… How?…

Nami traversed the black grass, her mind still in its hazy state. Everything had happened so fast… Her foot hit something solid and she looked down to find one of the sacks filled with her treasure practically glued to the man previously carrying it. She bent down and tried to lift the bag from the ground, almost falling backward when it came up a lot easier than she expected.

The orangette sent a prayer to the heavens, her heart still on the verge of collapse before she opened it, the black cloth making a cracking sound as it was peeled apart. Her brown eyes found the contents being held in the burnt bag and she had to resist the urge to begin crying once again. Everything inside was ruined. Precious metals now colored black and deformed from the heat of the lightning. Bills burnt to a crisp and barely recognizable.

The girl's legs suddenly gave out and her knees hit the mud while she still held the bag of ruined treasure in her hands, staring for a long moment before letting it slide out of the pruny appendages. Tears welled up in the corner of her eyes again, the feeling in her stomach slowly returning. It was always like this… She'd been so close, and yet again… Arlong found some way to ruin it… And it was him… This was his fault… She should have known… She should have seen it… Why did she think this time would be different?…

Thinking of Arlong sent Nami over the edge and her tears began to fall, her hand tightly gripping her left shoulder. Why?… Why her?… Why couldn't it have been someone else?… Why did she have to be the one to shoulder all this pain?… Why couldn't the damn fishman have picked any other island?… It wasn't fair… It wasn't fair that she had to serve under the same monster who'd taken her mother from her…

Her mother… The orangette scrambled to turn around in the mud and her eyes immediately found the uprooted tangerine grove beside her home. She tried as hard as she could to keep it in, but another wail left her mouth while she stared at the remains of one of the few things Bellémere left her and her sister.

"I HATE YOU!", the girl screamed in anguish, hot tears mixing with the cold rain beating down on her face. The hand gripping her left shoulder tightened, the skin underneath searing painfully. "I HATE YOU!", she screamed to the sky once again, thunder cracking violently over her words. The swordfish tattoo under her palm felt like it was on fire… She wanted it to go away… She began to viciously scratch at the hidden symbol, her nails eventually breaking the skin and drawing blood. However, it wasn't enough…

Nami's wild gaze swept through the burnt bodies on the ground looking for anything that could help her get rid of the mark burning her skin, and landed on a small knife that had fallen out of one of the marines' belts. Without even thinking about it, she scrambled forward and snatched the weapon out of the mud, raising it above her head in the blink of an eye.

"ARLONG!", the orangette screamed, "YOU BASTARD!". She brought the knife down as hard and fast as she could, screaming in agony when she felt the scorched metal rip through the skin on her shoulder. But she couldn't stop. It felt like a dam had been opened, hatred flowing from her like a rushing river. "I HATE YOU!", she screamed again, the knife cutting into her flesh like it was butter. With every strike, her shoulder was further mutilated, however, she made no move to stop. The anger… The pain… It was all too much…

Again, the knife was raised above the girl's head and, again, she brought it down with a scream, "I HATE YO-".

Nami's cry suddenly ceased when she felt a hand snatch her wrist out of the air, her wild eyes immediately rising in alarm. When they found the person keeping her hand held above her head, they widened. "… Luffy?", she asked disbelievingly.

The pirate captain looked down at his bloody navigator, eyes shadowed by the straw hat he always wore and a scowl marring his usually joyful face, "Yo.".

Wide brown orbs continued to stare. How was he there?… More importantly… Why?… She'd stolen from him and left without a word… "Why?… Why are you here, Luffy?… Why did you follow me?…", the orangette asked, still slightly in shock. Was he really actually there?...

There was a long pause before a reply came. "Cause I wanted to.", Luffy answered, his voice missing its usual carefree tone.

Nami scoffed without meaning to, her anger flaring slightly. She ripped her arm from the boy's grasp and the knife fell from her hand, splashing to the ground next to her. "And what about what I want, Luffy?", she asked, her voice coming out more heated than she meant it to. She wasn't angry at him… If anything, she was happy to see him again so soon, but her emotions were getting the better of her. She looked away from the boy and down to the ground. "You're always like this… You have no idea what's going on and yet you still stick your nose in where it doesn't belong.", she hissed.

No response came at the girl's words, so she looked up again, raising her broken voice to be heard over the rain, "Why are you here, Luffy?".

The straw-hatted teen stayed silent for another moment before his head lifted slightly, his eyes unshadowing and a soft smile rising to his lips. His black gaze met Nami's brown one and he seemed to almost stare into her soul as he spoke, "Because… You're my friend.".

Goosebumps rose up all over the orangette's skin at the words and a memory began to play behind her wide eyes.

She huffed and Luffy heard her swim further away from him. "What's your name, anyways?", he asked, in the direction of the retreating noise.

"Why do you need to know my name? We'll probably never see each other again...", she found a spot further away from Luffy and glanced at the boy's closed eyes, beginning to make her way down before she caught herself and turned away, a slight blush rising to her cheeks, "Well, I'll never see YOU again.".

"What the heck! You don't wanna be friends?!", Luffy asked as he began lazily paddling his way around the pond, instinctively avoiding the girl. Getting too close might just get him killed…

"Why would you even ask that?", she questioned.

He continued to float on his back, his muscles starting to feel as if they were melting. "Why not? You already know me pretty well.", he giggled. The boy's eyes were beginning to grow heavy, even in their closed state, and his paddling was starting to slow. He felt real good. The water's temperature was just right. The girl's voice mixing with the waterfall was kinda nice to listen to. It was all just so relaxing. "Also,", he yawned, "I like making new friends. And I like to think that's a pretty good reason.".

"Well… I think that's stupid.", the unnamed girl said, a frown in her voice.

"Well, why do you think it's stupid?", Luffy asked, curiously. He was too tired to get mad that she had, in a way, called him stupid.

"Because I can't TRUST you. Being friends is all about trust.", she began, "You say you like making friends, but, that doesn't make me trust you.".

Ever since they'd first met… That was all it had ever been about… She'd known it… And yet… She'd always refused to see it… All because he wanted to be a pirate… But, now… It was almost impossible to miss. The fact that he was there said it all… Because she was right… He had no idea what was going on with her and yet, still, there he was. All because he saw her as a friend… The thought sent another wave of chills through her body and she felt tears rise to her eyes once again. They still weren't happy tears, but neither were they tears of anger or pain… It was something more like…Relief.

As Nami looked up at Luffy standing over her, he almost seemed like a pillar of light shining in an abyss of darkness. Thoughts of every unbelievable thing she'd ever seen him do crossed her mind in a flash and her tearful eyes continued to largen… Why?… Why had she never asked him?… She knew his strength. She'd seen it with her own eyes… And even though Arlong was the most powerful person she thought she knew… Even though he was the man who'd taken everything from her… What had she seen him do that could compare to the miraculous battle she'd witnessed on East Lodestone all that time ago?…

The orangette didn't know if it was the situation she found herself in or her current state of mind… But, it suddenly seemed so easy… "Luffy…", she whispered, her voice barely audible over the pouring rain, "Please…". Her watery brown orbs softened and the corners of her lips threatened to rise even with everything that had happened… Because she already knew what his answer would be. "Help me.", she pleaded.

Thunder cracked in the sky and rain pounded to the earth all around the two as they stared at each other in silence.

Luffy suddenly broke their eye contact, his gaze shadowing once again, "Who?...".

Nami froze for a moment before the name left her lips, nervousness beginning to settle in her stomach. Her head dropped back down and she stared at the muddy ground she sat on… Could he really do it?… She knew he could… But… It was Arlong… The man that had haunted her nightmares for the majority of her life…

"Who, Nami?", the pirate captain asked again, rain dripping from the brim of his straw hat.

The orange-haired girl took a deep breath. Trust… That was what it came down to. She had to trust in him… Because… He was her friend… And friends trusted in each other. It was just like she'd said back then… "Arlong.", she finally answered with a small sigh, "Really long, jagged nose… You can't miss him…".

"Where.", Luffy demanded, his jaw clenching as he eyed the blood dripping from Nami's shoulder.

The orangette slowly looked up before pointing over the tree tops at a large building just barely peeking over them, "Arlong Park… It's that big building over there.". Her gaze dropped back down to the ground, her throat somehow dry even with the pouring rain, "Luffy…". Something suddenly landed on her head before she could continue and her eyes lifted… To find the brim of a straw hat…

"Hang on to that for me.", Luffy said over his shoulder.

Nami's brown orbs widened as she watched the boy walk in the direction of Arlong Park, her hand coming up to softly grasp the golden straw of her friend's treasure. Against her will, more tears began to coat her cheeks while yet another memory, taking place not longer after the previous, flashed through her mind.

"Hey, Perv Boy.", Nami said getting Luffy's attention.

Said Perv Boy looked out from under his hat and glanced around the small boat, smiling when he saw Zoro's snoring figure. He turned away from his sleeping friend and sat up. "Yeah, what's up Nami?", he replied, placing his treasure back on his head.

The orangette's eyes drifted to his hat before she answered. "I've been wanting to ask you about that hat.", she said. They'd been sailing for a couple of days now and she was beginning to become curious about the boys she had chosen to travel with… Especially the perv… She couldn't help but be annoyed with herself at that… He was absolutely infuriating, and yet, she she still found herself wanting to know more about him…

The first thing on Nami's list was the straw hat now resting atop the idiot's head… For some reason, he treated it like it was the most valuable thing in the world.

The girl was honestly way more interested in the necklace he always wore, but she'd already been down that road… Thankfully, she'd run into the dead end it led to while he'd been unconscious… She shook her head and got back to the hat. "Why's it so important to you?", she asked bluntly. He always wore it and it seemed like, to him at least, it was worth its weight in gold… Which, ironically, wouldn't probably amount to much, but that was beside the point.

A faraway look rose to Luffy's face as he took off the straw hat, smiling at it. "Someone I think is really cool gave me this hat.", his eyes looked away from the precious gift Shanks had given him and to the girl who'd asked him about it. "It's a symbol of our promise to meet again one day… It's one of my treasures.", he said before putting the hat back where it belonged.

Nami stared at the boy for a moment. The way he made it sound… That hat, to him, was similar to what Bellémere's tangerine trees were to her… The thought made the corners of her lips rise before she brushed the feeling away with an internal scoff… She shouldn't be happy about being able to relate to a pervert…

For the first time since she'd landed on her home island, a smile rose to the orange-haired girl's face, a small gasp leaving her mouth as she watched Luffy's form stop at the edge of the forest… The weight constantly hanging on her shoulders… She suddenly felt so light… It… It was… Euphoria… The shackles around her wrists that she'd lived with since the day her mother died… They were gone… Luffy had waltzed in unannounced and practically ripped them from her… The smile on her lips widened, streams of relief-filled tears coating her cheeks.

"What's your dream, Nami?", the straw-hatted pirate captain asked without turning around.

Not for the first time, the orange-haired girl's eyes widened, tears still falling unimpeded.

Luffy lowered himself from his stretching position and slowly sat up. His body didn't feel that much better, but he could probably move and that was good enough for him, for now. "Yeah!", he exclaimed, "So, are you gonna join my crew, or what?".

"Obviously not! I still think pirates are scum and that means you'll be scum when you become one.". Nami stated, looking at him with utter contempt.

"Yeah, you're definitely joining.", Luffy said, a smile on his lips.

"What the hell! No!", argued the orange-haired girl, indignant at the boy she was talking with.

"Too late", Luffy replied, now laughing.

"Not too late! I am not becoming a pirate! I'll NEVER become a pirate!", Nami yelled, standing from her chair, huffing, a crazed look in her eye.

Luffy paused, he could practically feel her anger and something else too... maybe sadness. "Fine.", he held her gaze. "I'm not giving up though. I'm definitely gonna convince you. You've got a dream and something is stopping you from chasing it.", he said.

Nami's eyes widened. How could he have known that?

"I'm gonna convince you to be a pirate with me. Then we can chase our dreams together.", said the straw-hatted boy, looking Nami directly in the eyes.

The orangette couldn't help the blush that rose to her cheeks and instead of returning Luffy's gaze, chose to turn away, gathering her things from the table. Nami sighed angrily and made to walk out of the room and end the conversation.

"Until then, don't tell me what your dream is. I don't wanna know until you agree to be a pirate with me.", the boy said to the retreating girl's back.

Another memory played directly after the first and Nami couldn't help but stare at the boy in shock… The meaning in his words wasn't lost on her…

"We'll be waiting.", came Luffy's voice from over the girl's shoulder. "None of us know why you have to go...", he said softly, "But I want you to know something.". The three boys lifted their hands and her shoulders were grasped by someone. "Once you're done doing whatever it is you need to.", the straw-hatted boy turned her to face the group, "You're gonna be my navigator.".

"A map…", the girl whispered breathlessly, her words barely reaching their recipient.

Bellémere held the piece of paper in her hands and couldn't help but stare in wonder... She was getting better with each passing day. "A map of our island!", she exclaimed proudly, "I knew you could draw ocean charts, but you've learned to do land maps too?!". She smiled across the table at her little tangerine excitedly nodding her head, "What a clever girl.".

"Yup.", Nami stated with a proud smile, her eyes drifting back to the thick book she held in her hands, "I'm studying navigation.".

The girl's mother looked at her fondly, setting the map lightly on the table, "That's your dream, huh?".

"Yup.", the orangette replied, popping the p, "Someday, I'm gonna navigate my way around all the seas.". She lightly shut her book and she looked into her mother's happy gaze, "And when I've seen everything with my own eyes, I'm gonna draw a map of the whole world!".

"A map of the whole world?", Bellémere joyfully laughed. She eyed the drawing of their island for another moment before turning it in the direction of her daughter, smiling lovingly in her direction, "Then this map of the island you drew today is the first step toward your your dream!".

Nami's wide brown orbs stayed glued to the back of Luffy's vest, "… I... I want to draw a map of the world.".

The black-haired boy turned back around to face his navigator and sent her his best smile, a joyful laugh bubbling in his chest, "That's a really cool dream, Nami!". He turned away from the girl, setting off toward Arlong Park once again, and looked over his shoulder, smiling one last big smile in her direction, "After I beat up this Arbong guy… Let's go turn this world upside down together.".

Nami had to resist the urge to laugh at his mispronunciation. "Yeah.", she tearfully replied, staring until the boy's form disappeared amongst the dripping trees.

After she could no longer see him, all of the tension in the orange-haired girl's body suddenly vanished and she crumpled to the ground, her form laying flat while she stared up at the sky, a large smile still glued to her crying face. She'd never felt so good in her entire life… And, as crazy as it was, part of it was due to the fact that she was now a crew member of the Straw Hat Pirates… Luffy's one and only navigator… She almost couldn't believe it… A year ago she would have never even entertained the idea… But she was different now… And, in her heart, she just knew…

Her captain was going to set her free.

The thought sent a jolt through the Nami's system and she suddenly realized something, the streams flowing from her eyes growing even heavier… The rain… The oneness… All of it… She could feel it again… Eyelids slowly descended over her red-rimmed brown orbs and she couldn't help the joyful laughs that rose to her chest at what met her when they fully closed…

Even though she'd only just shut her eyes, the orangette could already feel herself starting to drift off. She didn't think she could move a muscle if she tried… But, she didn't really want to… All she wanted to do was keep staring at the beautiful undulating picture of the clearing her home sat in… She got so lost in the current moment that she completely missed the frantic calls of her name, one last thought crossing her mind before she fell from the waking world…

She was wrong back then… She SHOULD be happy about being able to relate to a pervert… Because… Meeting that pervert… It might have been the best thing that ever happened to her.

Luffy's feet stopped when he met the gate of the place Nami had sent him to, glaring at the brown wood in anger. He took one step forward, planting himself firmly into the ground, before he pulled his arm back, curling the tips of his fingers into the top of his palm. "Sun Palm!", he roared, his hand flashing forward.

The boy's palm connected with the gate and it immediately buckled, a circular shockwave radiating out from the point of impact as wood was scattered in every different direction. Without a second thought, he stepped through what remained of the gate and gazed around the empty courtyard, looking intently for the long-nosed guy who'd hurt his friend.

He wanted to punch him… Bad.

"Puru-Puru-Puru-Puru.".

"Puru-Puru-Puru-Puru.".

"Puru-Puru-Puru-Pu-".

"Gat-Cha.".

"Hello?", a gruff voice on the other side of the line answered.

The figure holding the Den Den Mushi nervously peered around the room before bringing the microphone closer to his mouth, "Are you almost here?".

The person was a fishman. Specifically, an octopus fishman. He had eight appendages, six arms and two legs, and an octopus-like face with a mouth that stuck straight out. Moist pink skin covered his form and his grey hair was styled into five pointy spikes, his muscular arms covered by rows of suction cups. The last thing of any real note was the curious sun-shaped tattoo on his forehead.

A sigh came from the speaker before the deep voice spoke again, "Stop calling me, Hachi. I already told you I'm coming.".

Hatchan's nervousness only seemed to grow at the words, "But, how much longer?". It had been months since he first called him… Sure, he'd been calling a lot more, recently… But… The thing was… He just couldn't do it anymore. Arlong Park… It felt too much like the place it was modeled after, these days… And not in a good way… He didn't know when it all changed…

No… He did know… A head of orange hair passed through the fishman's head and his stomach twisted. When he thought about how long it had taken him to make the call in the first place, the knots seemed to tighten.

"I don't know for sure, Hachi.", the voice answered, "I'm swimming as fast as I can.". It paused for a moment before another sigh sounded through the speaker, "Listen, Hachi. I'm sorry it took me so long to come… But, I promise, I'll be there soon.".

The octopus sighed much the same as the voice on the other side of the line. He went to reply, but a loud crash from outside startled him and he immediately hung up the Den Den Mushi, whipping around in alarm. What the hell was that?… Arlong went to look for Momoo some time ago, so he should have been getting back around then, but… The sound came from the direction of the gate… Was it Kuroobi and Chew?… They'd left to collect dues from Cocoyashi and would likely be returning soon as well… But still… That noise…

Hatchan shook his head and cautiously made his way in the direction of the entrance, stepping out onto the tiled stone of the courtyard. His head immediately turned and his eyes found someone he'd never seen before walking through the destroyed remains of the entrance to the park.

"You Arbong?", Luffy questioned, coming to a stop as his darkened eyes landed on the figure walking out of the building he'd been directed to.

The fishman stared at the boy in shock… Who was this kid?… And was he asking if he was Arlong?… His shock kept him silent for a moment before he scrambled to reply, "You shouldn't be here.". If Arlong came back while he was there… "You need to leave.", he said, nervously eyeing the port just off to his right.

"What the hell's going on here?", a voice from behind the black-haired boy asked in anger, eyeing the remains of the gate. His gaze lifted and found a kid he'd never seen before. He scowled, "Was this your doing, brat?".

Luffy turned on his heel and his vision was met with two large fishemen staring at him. The first looked like he was built of pure muscle, his form covered by a sleeveless gi. If the situation were any different, he probably would have laughed at the fishman's black hair… It was pulled up into two small ponytails and he couldn't help but think they closely resembled a pair of bunny ears. The boy pulled his eyes away from the funny looking hair and, as they slowly moved downward, he noticed he had two pointy fins pushing out of the backside of his arms… What the heck even were those?…

The pirate captain shook his head and his vision shifted to the other figure standing in the remains of the gate. This one had light blue colored skin and was only slightly less muscular than the other. His blond hair was parted down the middle and hung on either side of his head, highlighting the mouth in the middle that suck straight out from his face.

"Either of you named Arbong?", the boy asked, thunder cracking in the sky above while his gaze seemed to pierce through the two fishmen.

Kuroobi scowled at the mispronunciation, "What the hell do you want with Arlong?".

Luffy's eyes were grabbed by the figure who'd spoken, "I wanna punch him.". The Conqueror's Haki swirling inside of him was practically begging to be released but he quelled the feeling. He still had his promise to Shanks to think about.

"You wanna punch the boss?", Chew scoffed from his position over Kuroobi's shoulder before sending a glare in the brat's direction, "You'd have to get through us first.". This kid was a special kind of idiot… He was practically asking to die… The fishman shook his head and walked up next to his crew mate, leaning on his shoulder, "And I don't like your odds three on one.".

"So.", Luffy said, black orbs shifting to the light blue-skinned fishman, "If I beat you guys up, Arbong will come… Right?". His legs tensed, toes curling into the soles of his sandals.

"Kid, you really are an idiot.", Kuroobi insulted. "You wouldn't stand a chance against any one of us. Let alone all three.". He went to say more, but he was interrupted by the sound of concrete cracking, his now wide eyes watching the black-haired boy launch himself in his direction.

"Sun Palm:", Luffy screamed, slamming his leading foot into the ground and wrenching both of his arms backward. They shot forward and his hands connected with the middles of both the fishmen standing there, "Twin Impact!". Shockwaves exploded out of their backs and scattered the rain before it quickly began to pour down again. He watched the two travel through the air for a split second before turning to face the only fishman left standing.

The black-haired teen stepped in the octopus-man's direction but stopped and turned back around when he heard a voice come from behind.

"Not bad, kid.", Kuroobi said, walking through the broken entrance once again, Chew scowling at his side. He lifted his shirt to show the red-colored palm mark on his chest and smirked in the boy's direction, "That one actually tickled a little bit.".

Luffy's eyes widened. That attack had hit hard enough to shatter a person's entire skeleton… The pirate captain's heart began to beat faster and the corners of his mouth lifted. He loved fighting… Especially fighting strong guys… And, as angry as he was at the current moment, he couldn't help the smile rising to his lips.

Lightning flashed in the sky, illuminating the figure of their soon-to-be opponent, and the two fishmen couldn't help the slight stutter in their heartbeats. For a split second, the blue light in the sky darkened everything but the boy's eyes and his bright white smile. They were sure it was just the elements playing tricks on them, but… In that moment… His eyes seemed to glow blood-red. The red gaze, combined with the wide white smile, created the perfect picture of a bloodthirsty demon that had just found its next prey.

Kuroobi involuntarily took a step back when the image flashed across his eyes, Chew following suit. He rapidly blinked the rain out of his vision, still trying to determine if what he'd just seen was real… However, as someone who also enjoyed battle, he could feel his heart rate beginning to rise. He stilled his body with a deep breath and a bloodthirsty grin began to make its way onto his face. "Alright, brat. You showed us your's…", he said, nodding in Chew's direction and receiving the same gesture in return, "Now let us show you our's.". He faced forward once again and his eyes found Hachi still standing at the kid's back. He caught his attention and nodded to him as well.

The nod he received from the octopus fishman seemed strange… Reluctant almost… However, Kuroobi ignored it in favor of meeting his opponent's darkened gaze, "You're not laying a finger on Arlong.", he growled, his smile becoming more bloodthirsty with every word he spoke. His muscles tensed and one last yell came from his lips before he launched himself in the direction of his adversary, "You'll be too busy being dead!".

End Note:

The dialogue from the memory of Nami and Bellémere is pulled directly from the manga, chapter 77, if you're interested. Just thought I'd put that little disclaimer out there! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you in the next one!