"Oh, they're here!" Bellemere smiled, turning towards the front door, hearing a knock. "It's open, come in!"
"Why, thanks." Arlong smirked and opened it. He stepped inside, but as he looked around there was no one there. Suddenly, Arlong was kicked right in the face by Bellemere and he was knocked down. The former Marine towered over him, pointed the armed musket into the fishman's mouth ready to fire.
"I guess you weren't expecting a former Marine," she smirked. "Now, what would a pirate from the Grand Line want with Cocoyashi village?"
But something was wrong. The fishmen crew strangely began laughing, eerily. Bellemere looked around at all of them, suspiciously, wondering why they were laughing as their captain was in danger. "What's so funny?!" she demanded. As Bellemere was distracted Arlong took the chance to bite down hard on the Marine's gun. Bellemere gasped in shock seeing that his teeth had completely demolished it. Arlong grabbed Bellemere by her throat, as he stood up, lifting her in the air.
"Useless, foolish, stupid, empty, worthless, all of you humans! You have no strength to speak of!" Arlong laughed, evilly.
Nami and Nojiko were getting closer to the house, seeing the backdoor right in front of them as they raced through the tangerine vineyard.
"We'll help her escape through the back door!" Nami told Nojiko.
"What if the pirates are already there?!" Nojiko shouted.
Suddenly, someone leaped out as they came through the tangerine trees and grabbed the two girls, preventing them from going any further. It was the town doctor.
"Stop!" he warned the girls as he placed them down back on the ground. He stood in front of them, blocking their path, from getting to the house.
"Doctor!" Nojiko shouted.
"You can't go back home!" He shouted.
"We have to! We have to save Bellemere!" Nami argued.
The doctor bent down to the two girls, placing his hands on their shoulders. "Nojiko, Nami, be quiet and listen to me! There will be times, times in life like this moment now, when you have to learn the truth, no matter how hard it is to take." Then the three heard Bellemere let out a scream in pain.
"Bellemere!" the two girls cried out as they tried to get past the doctor, but he held them back.
Bellemere laid on the ground, completely bruised and beaten up, as Arlong continued his mercilous beating. Her left arm was broken as he continuously stomped on it, turning purple. It's no use. These guys are real monsters! Am I going to die? Nojiko, Nami... Bellemere struggled to keep her eyes open until she looked up, looking past the crew of fishmen pirates, seeing someone running towards them. It was Genso.
"Bellemere! Don't waste your life because you're a stubborn fool! There's no reason for this fight that can be resolved with a simple exchange of money!" he shouted.
"Just pay the fee and I'll stop," Arlong said, as he stopped, looking down at the former Marine at his feet. "A hundred thousand for each adult and fifty for each kid, if any. If you can pay for your whole family, I'll gladly spare your lives." Genso ran over to her and picked Bellemere up in his arms.
"How much money do you have? You need two hundred thousand." He asked her.
"I don't have it. I'm not even close," Bellemere whispered quietly to him. Genso gritted his teeth, worried, before Hatchi called out as he was looking inside the house.
"Hey, the table is set for three in here!" he shouted. Genso's eyes widen in fear. Arlong smirked and chuckled.
"A family of three!"
"It's for me and my friend," Genso quickly replied. Arlong turned to him, as well as the rest of his crew, with a confused look. "We were supposed to have a nice dinner tonight before you came. Come Bellemere, I know you made something wonderful. Pay him before our food gets cold."
"Genso." Bellemere whispered, looking at him.
"Just pay the pirates and then they'll leave us alone." He said to her.
"It's true, the village registry shows no record of her marrying or giving birth. She's always been single." One of the fishmen said as they were reading through the village registry. Nami and Nojiko's eyes widen in shock hearing the news. They were never registered ever since they came to the island with Bellemere. Why didn't she list them living with her? Was it out of shame? The two girls felt their eyes starting to burn as tears began to appear.
"Listen, there's no way that the pirates will ever find out about you. But, you have to leave this island, immediately! And don't ever look back. It's the only way for all three of you to survive! We can't afford it any other way. You're much too young to be at sea alone but you've survived before and it there's even a chance -" The doctor tried to tell them before Nami cut him off.
"No..." she replied. The doctor's eyes widen. Nami shook her head as she cried. "I don't want to. Why do we have to leave, they're the ones who came here! I-I want to stay in this village. It's because we're poor and that's why we can't stay together. Why? Why can't they just go away!?"
Bellemere handed Arlong the 100,000 belis and he took it from her. "Well then, now we can all be safe." He smirked. He and his crew started to leave.
"Fine, we'll leave this island!" Nojiko shouted, angrily.
"Nojiko!" Nami called out to her as she started to leave.
"We have to leave or Bellemere will die!" Nojiko told her.
"Wait! Who said that I was paying for me?" Bellemere called out to Arlong. He stopped and turned around back to her. Genso's mouth opened in horror. "That money I've gave up was for my two daughters! But, I can't pay you!" She smiled.
"What are you doing?!" Genso exclaimed.
"It's okay. I have to do this for my family even if it costs me my life." she told him.
"Stupid girl!" the doctor gritted his teeth. Nami and Nojiko stood in shock, hearing what Bellemere had said.
"It's true that the three of us aren't related by blood, but with them, all I've ever wanted was to be their mother." Bellemere cried out.
"BELLEMERE!" the two girls cried out as they ran past the doctor. He tried to stop them but they had already slipped past him. Nami and Nojiko ran out from the side of the house, passing the fishmen pirates, who were surprised, seeing them, as the two ran over to Bellemere into her arms.
"Don't cry, girls. I wish that I could've provided for you better. I wish that I could've been a better mother to the both of you." Bellemere told Nami and Nojiko. She started to cry a little as well.
"Don't say that!" Nojiko shouted at her.
"We don't need anything! Just don't die! I want you to see me when i become a navigator when I draw the map of the world!" Nami exclaimed. Bellemere smiled as she rubbed Nami on her head.
"Yes, Nami. I want to make your dreams come true, for me."
The two girls looked up in fear as Arlong towered over the three. Bellemere held them in her arms, defensively, glaring up at him.
"Bellemere!" Nami cried out.
"So these are your daughters?" Arlong smirked.
"Yeah, that's right...and you have to promise me that you'll leave them alone." Bellemere said, narrowing her eyes at him.
"No problem, as long as you die like a good girl!" Arlong chuckled.
"STOP IT!" Nojiko cried out. Several of the villagers had came to help and charged at the pirates. Arlong laughed.
"Well then, don't kill them, boys, just teach them a lesson!" he ordered his crew. "Now, to set an example." Arlong's crew mates began to overpower the villagers with ease, beating them to a pulp. Then Arlong turned back to Bellemere with an evil smirk. "You ready to die?"
Bellemere threw Nami and Nojiko away from her as she tossed them inside of the house and stood up. The two girls cried out to her. Arlong pulled out his gun and aimed it at the woman's chest.
"Nojiko, Nami!" Bellemere smiled. Nami and Nojiko watched in horror as they heard the gun went off.
"I love you."
The two girls screamed as they saw their mother fall back onto the ground, dead.
Never give up. You must find the strength inside of you to always move on. You must live through every moment. And if you can smile on the face of it all, that is the greatest strength.
"BELLEMERE!" Nami and Nojiko cried out. Arlong laughed.
"While I'm in charge, those without money will die! Now, do you understand me, you worms!" he exclaimed.
"What's this? A map?" one of the fishmen questioned as he picked up Nami's map off from Bellemere. Nami's eyes widen.
"No! That's my map! I drew it, you can't have it!" she shouted.
"A child drew this?" Arlong questioned as he took the map, looking at it.
"GIVE IT BACK!" Nami screamed angrily. She tried to charge at him but Nojiko held her back.
"Nami, no!" she warned. Arlong smirked as he looked back at the two girls, mainly at Nami.
"Huh, very good. She could be useful. Bring her with us!" He ordered one of his men. The two girls stared fearfully as he came closer and picked Nami up, taking her with him. Nojiko tried to fight him off, but she was too weak.
"Let her go!" she shouted. Nami screamed at her begging her sister to help her. As Arlong and his crew were about to leave, Genso stopped in front of them.
"Wait! You promised not to hurt her if you got your money!" he pleaded, desperately.
"Right, I won't hurt her, I'm just borrowing her for awhile." Arlong said.
"Genso, help me!" Nami cried out.
"I won't let you take her!" Genso shouted as he pulled out his guns aiming at the pirates. One of Arlong's commanders rushed at him at fast speed, slicing him. Genso fell to his knees, blood pouring from his wounds.
"Genso!" Nami shouted at him worried.
"I'll save you, Nami...I won't let you go." Genso said weakly. He struggled as he tried to get back up onto his feet.
"No, please! It's okay! You don't need to die for me!" Nami pleaded him to stop.
"Enough of this!" Arlong shouted, telling his commander to knock Genso out.
"I'll save you..." Genso fell to the ground, unconscious as one of Arlong's commanders knocked him out.
"PLEASE, NO MORE KILLING!" Nami screamed.
It had been several days, since Arlong and his crew took Nami. The injured were being taken care of inside of the town's hospital, there were many. Genso was resting in bed, completely bandaged up, while the doctor looked over him.
"All of our ships have been sunked. I'm afraid that our plan to have Nami and Nojiko escape to the sea, failed. The Marines won't bother trying to save us. We've lost our home." He said, completely lost of hope.
"Bellemere, knew that this would happen. Her experiences in the Marines taught her what all these creatures are capable of. She knew that none of us would escape." the doctor told him.
Later on in the evening, Nojiko was sitting down at the top of a cliff, with her head in her knees, in front of Bellemere's grave.
"They've taken Nami..." Nojiko cried by herself. "Bellemere."
The next day, Genso and several of the villagers, who were partially healed from their injuries, as well as Nojiko and the doctor were gathered outside in the village.
"We know where Arlong and his crew are. It looks like they're going to settle right here on this island. It's time to decide, we can right to death right now or we can take a chance that the Marines will someday come to save us and hope and pray that we don't killed before then! Your choice!" The doctor told them as he explained.
"Only the Marines headquarters stand a chance against them," Genso replied, telling them. "But, they have their hands full over at the Grand Line. The chances that they will come all the way out here for us are as good as zero. But, I just can't sit here and abandon Nami." He insisted. "We must fight!"
"I'm in!" one of the villagers shouted. "I can't just stand by and do nothing when a child is in danger! Now, who's with me?!"
"Let's fight!" another one agreed.
"If they want us to fight, they'll fight us all!" Another one shouted. Then Nojiko noticed through the crowd someone walking towards them. Her eyes widen as she saw Nami and quickly ran over to her. She had her hand on her left arm, but didn't appear to be hurt.
"Nami! Nami!" she shouted, relieved to see her okay and back. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you any?"
"I'm joining...I'm joining Arlong's crew." Nami had a strange look in her eyes as she looked at Nojiko and smiled. "I'm joining the Arlong Pirates. I'll get to be a navigator and draw maps!" Nojiko's eyes widen in shock, as did Genso and the rest of the villagers.
"What I'm the world are you talking about?" Genso asked. Nojiko stepped to side, still stunned in shock, letting him through. "Did they threaten to do something terrible to you? Please, tell me." He asked Nami, as he placed his hands on Nami's shoulders, concerned.
"No!" Nami shook her head.
"They must have done something, Nami!" Genso shouted at her.
"No!" Nami struggled to get Genso to let go of her. "Tell the truth!" Nami pushed him away from her. "Let go of me!"
Genso's eyes widen in shock as what he saw as did everyone else. "Nami!?" On Nami's left arm, was Arlong's Jolly Roger.
"T-That's a Arlong tattoo!" one of the villagers exclaimed.
"But, why?..." Genso whispered.
"Look at this. They gave me all this money," Nami smiled as she held up a stack of cash to them. She clenched it in her hands. "They told me that I can buy anything that I want."
"No!" Nojiko shouted, angrily, as she tackled Nami down to the ground, shaking her. "I'll never forgive you if you join them! Don't you understand? They killed Bellemere right in front of us! She died to keep us safe! I'll never forgive you!"
"Let go of me! Like you said, Bellemere got herself killed! I don't want to die like that!" Nami cried out. Nojiko's eyes widen, startled. Nami pushed Nojiko off of her, getting up.
"Nami...Bellemere," Nojiko murmured in shock. "Bellemere, gave her life so that you and I can go on living together!"
"That's enough, Nojiko." Genso stopped her. He looked at Nami. "Leave us Nami! Never set foot in this village again!" Nami flinched, gritting her teeth and she ran away, leaving.
"Nami!" Nojiko cried out to her.
It hurt Genso more as he heard Nojiko crying out to Nami, begging her to come back. He was beyond confused and angry at what Nami had done.
I don't understand! How could she betray her family like that? For money? Bellemere was like her mother!
It was late at night, and Nami was sitting down in front of Bellemere's grave. Nojiko watched her, as she hid behind a tree.
"Nami loved Bellemere. I know she did." she murmured to herself.
"Hey, didn't Bellemere always say "good things will come your way as long as you continue to live?" Nami called out, knowing that she was there. "Lots of good things, yes. After Arlong took me in, I watched him sink five Marine ships like they were toys. So, I decided that I would do something about it. I made a deal with Arlong to buy Cocoyashi village back."
"Buy Cocoyashi? How?!" Nojiko asked in surprise as she walked over Nami.
"One hundred million belis. If I buy the town, we'll be free. No one else will die and all I have to do was join his crew and draw maps." Nami explained to her as she told her.
"But a hundred million belis?! You can't earn that work in your whole life!" her sister exclaimed.
"I will get that money no matter what!" Nami told her, determined. "The people already have enough problems paying their own tribute. I have to do this alone. If anyone tries to help me, they'll just get hurt."
"Would it be hard, living with the people who killed our mother?" Nojiko asked her.
"I'll be okay. I'm not going to cry anymore. I'm going to fight by myself!"
"To make a choice like that, when you were only ten years old, do you know how hard that must have been?" Nojiko told the straw hat crew as she finished Nami's and her story. No one had said a word, still in shock and stunned by what Nojiko had told them.
"All to save the village that she loved so much, that girl." Usopp replied. He had felt terrible what he said about her.
"Nami is definitely strong," Ayah replied. "No one should ever have to go through that." She clenched her fists, feeling guilty, for the way that she had treated her when her and Luffy first met her. "Arlong is going to pay for what he's done."
"I agree! Whoever makes Nami suffer is going to hear from me!" Sanji shouted, angrily, ready for a fight. Nojiko punched him in the face. "Why did you do that?"
"Because, I'm telling you to stay out of it. If you go around saying that she's your friend, they're going to become suspicious of her. Then her eight years of suffering would have been for nothing!" she told the pirate group. "Don't make it harder than it already is. She has to fight alone. Knowing there are people who call her friend only makes the suffering worse."
"Well, you're wrong about that." Aya said. Nojiko looked at her confused. "Huh?"
"We're not your average, normal, every day pirate crew."
Nami was sitting down at the table, looking around her house until she saw Bellemere's tangerines, lying on the floor.
It's taken awhile, and there's seven million left. If I can get that with one more job, just one more trip and this will finally be over. Arlong's rule will be over. Cocoyashi village will be free. I will be free and then...and then I think I'll finally be able to smile again, for real. Bellemere...
She smiled to herself.
Back the village, the villagers watched cautiously, as they saw Genso lead the Marine Colonel and his soldiers to Nami and Nojiko's house.
"So why did the Marines want Nami?" Genso asked.
"Your job is to lead the way, quietly." the colonel smirked. As the they continued walking, Luffy stopped in his tracks as he saw them heading towards him. They walked past him, not even noticing him. Luffy watched quietly as they left then noticed Genso's hat.
"A hat pinwheel? Where in the world did he get that?" he exclaimed amazed. "It's so cool!"
Nami walked out of the house from the backdoor, smiling at the tangerine vineyard in front of her. She stretched her arms.
"One more little job, let's get to it!" she told herself. Then Nami heard footsteps as they were coming towards the house. She froze as she saw Genso, but even more confused seeing the Marines were there with him as well.
Marines! Why is Genso with them? Nami asked herself, confused.
"Are you the pirate theif known as Nami?" the colonel asked as he stepped to her. Nami stayed silent. There was something wrong about this man. She didn't like it, he was up to something. Then the man made a sickening smirk. "According to our investigation, you've buried a good deal of plundered treasure somewhere in this town." Nami's eyes widen in shock as did Genso's, hearing his words.
"Now, you stole from pirates, so we have no intention of arresting you, that being the fact. Therefore, as of this moment, stolen goods become the sole property of the government! Now hand it all over, it's ours!"
