TURMOIL & TRUTH

East Blue Saga - Arlong Park Arc - Episodes 33 - 37

Dakota's POV:

At Arlong Park, I sit in Zoro's lap, waiting for Arlong and the rest of his merry fish minions to return from the village. I lean back into Zoro's chest, trying to be careful of his injury from Uncle Mihawk, and he crosses his leg over his knee and puts his hands behind his head. "Too slow." He mutters as I look around the ground at the fallen Fishmen. "When Luffy gonna come?" He asks me, seeming frustrated.

"I'm not sure, but he's never on time," I tell him as I get up from his lap and walk around thinking of a plan in case Arlong gets back.

"If he doesn't come in the next 5 minutes, I'm going to die of boredom," Zoro says, and I look back at him as I pick up one of the dead fishmen when a voice cuts through the silence.

"Oooh, oooh, oh! This one's awesome!" A voice exclaims, and I look over to see three fishing poles and one in the middle moving. "Even I, a member of Arlong's elite, Hachi-Hatchan, can't pull it up. It must be a super great fish! I don't know from where you've come, but your gusto is East Blue's best…" I smirk as I see the Fishman pull himself by the hooked shorts. "Wh… what the? What? Oh, it was myself." He states, and the fishing poles snap in half, and he falls back down; I look over at Zoro as he gets up from the makeshift throne, and we walk over to the wall; I climb up to see him getting back up with help from the wall. "Truly, my gusto is East Blue's best. Anything strange?" He questions as Zoro comes up next to me.

"Definitely strange." We say together, and he looks up at us with shock.

"Huh? Who the heck are you two?" He demands and seems to switch as he points to himself. "M-me? I'm Hatchan. Call me, Hachi." He moves about, pointing at himself.

"Are you a Fishman, too?" Zoro asks him an obvious question and answer.

"Of course! Of course!" Hachi answers with pride in his voice. "I'm a charming octopus, Fishman. Do I look like a human?"

"I guess not…" Zoro replies but can't say much more as Hachi cuts him off.

"Are you with the Marines or are just guests?" He asks us.

"Guest? Yeah, we're guests." I lie, hoping to get some answers, and I get them.

"But you know, Arlong's not here right now, right?" Hachi seems to ask us.

"Yeah, where'd he go?" I ask him hoping to find his location.

"I heard that there was a long-nosed stranger that was trying to run away. They say another one was caught and held here though. He went to Cocoyashi Village to catch him." Hachi gives way too much, and I know who he's talking about; we both do.

"Usopp, huh?" Zoro asks, looking at me with a knowing look.

"We have to save him from himself," I whisper to him as I share a look with him. "That Cocoyashi Village, how do we get there?" I ask him, and we jump over the wall beside Hachi.

"Get in," Hachi tells us as he points to a cauldron popping in the water next to him with one of his extra arms. "Guests, right? I'll take you there, swordsman, lady." He tells us, and I hop in with Zoro behind; I look over at Hachi as he gets into the water and pulls it with the ropes around it.

"Once we get to the village, we need to find Usopp and wait for Luffy," I tell him hushedly, so Hachi can't hear us. "We need to talk to him about what we've found out about Nami."

ONE PIECE - ARLONG PARK ARC

We make it to the village port, and Hachi comes to a stop. "We've arrived." He announces, and Zoro climbs out before jumping down on the wooden deck; I climb up onto the cauldron's rim, and my foot gets caught, making me fall, but luckily Zoro catches me. I look up at him as he looks down at me, I see a slight blush on his cheeks, and I can feel my own heating up as we look at each other. I straighten myself as Hachi announces we're in Cocoyashi Village. I straighten out my top as Zoro collects himself, and Hachi seems oblivious to our awkward moment as he continues. "Arlong should be here, in this village."

"Yeah, thanks," Zoro replies, seeming calm.

"Don't mention it, later." Hachi bids us goodbye before jumping into the water and paddling out, but he stops. "Oh! I didn't ask you your names!" I feel panic set in for a second, but he repeats the same thing. "Me? You want to hear my name again? It's Hatchan. Come again!"

"Strange guy…" Zoro comments once he finally leaves.

"Tell me about it." I agree, and Zoro takes off again in the wrong direction, and I take his hand and start dragging him in the right direction at a jog.

ONE PIECE - ARLONG PARK ARC

We make it to the village but need help finding Usopp; I look around the town for any sign of him as I keep a hold of Zoro's hand, ensuring he doesn't wander off. "Excuse me, but have you seen a long nose guy seeming almost terrified of everything?" I ask a random man, and he looks around, seeming scared to answer me, which makes me worry. "Answer me," I order him with force in my voice, and he starts sweating bullets.

"Th-the Fishmen took him." He quivers in fear, and Zoro pushes the man to the side of the building and smashes his free hand on the wall next to the man's face, frightening him.

"What was that?" Zoro demands with a stern voice sending a tingle down my spine. "Usopp got caught?" He asks him, and he seems to loosen his lips.

"He was just taken to Arlong Park." The man answers, even more terrified.

"That man was brave enough to go against Arlong. I'm sure he's been killed already!" A man from behind us states. I snap my head in his direction with a mean glare that makes him shrink back.

"Shit," Zoro mutters as he looks at his hand, probably thinking the same thing I am; while we were killing the Fishmen back at Arlong Park, Usopp was getting caught. "We need to go!" He yells and pulls me off into a run as we try to save our long-nosed friend.

"Usopp! Stay alive!" I shout as we run down the path leading towards Arlong Park.

ONE PIECE - ARLONG PARK ARC

As we run through the dense woods towards Arlong Park, I hear the sound of trees falling and snapping in the distance and come to a stop along with Zoro. I look around but can't see anything when the ground around us rumbles as something comes closer. "Yo! Zoro! Dakota!" I hear Luffy call out to us from our left, and I turn my head to see him on a small boat skidding towards us fast. As the ship gets closer, I grab Zoro around the waist, then jump into the air, and we land on the boat's deck as it skids along the ground before landing harshly into a side of a hill. "We've arrived! We've arrived!" Luffy says as he clears the dirt off his hat with a sigh.

"You bastard… What the heck are you doing?" Zoro angrily demands as he pulls out of my hold and points at Luffy. "Thank you, Kota."

"What do you mean?" Luffy asks him, seeming confused as he puts his hat back on.

"It was a split-second decision, don't worry about it," I tell him, shrugging my shoulders with a smirk.

"We've come to take Nami back. Still, haven't found her? Oh yeah. Where are Usopp and Johnny?" Luffy asks us, and I look at Zoro as if we were just on our way to get Usopp from the Fishmen.

"Usopp? That's right! This isn't the time to be idling around." Zoro snaps as he gets up and runs off, passing the rest of us.

"What happened?" Luffy asks, and I run past him, but we stop looking back at them.

"He was caught by Arlong," I tell him. "If we don't hurry he'll get killed."

"He's dead." Johnny cuts in with the worst thing ever.

"What?" I snap, looking over at him to see him with a look of despair, and he falls to his knees on the path the boat made.

"It's too late. Big Bro Usopp is dead. He was killed." Johnny punches the ground with a sob. "By Big Sis Nami!" He shouts, and I narrow my eyes at him; this doesn't sound like the Nami we all know, but she did play us for some time, but still, something in my gut doesn't sit right with any of this.

"Is that the truth!?" Yosaku asks his partner with worry, and Johnny walks over to us and sits down.

"Yeah, it's horrible… that woman's a witch! In order to obtain some hidden treasure in Cocoyashi Village for herself, she was kissing up to Arlong! And for that purpose, she killed without even thinking about it. She's a rotten-hearted lowlife! We've been fooled all this time!" Johnny rambles and strikes a chord with Luffy as he pounces, grabbing his hoodie in his fists.

"Bastard! Say that one more time and I'll kill you!" Luffy warns him angrily as he shakes with rage at the cruel things Johnny is saying about Nami and drops his hat to the ground, and I pick it up.

"Stop it Luffy, this has nothing to do with Johnny," Zoro tells him calmly.

"You don't have to believe me, but I saw it with my own eyes! I saw what she did to Big Bro Usopp!" Johnny argues, but that upsets Luffy more.

"You're making up crap! There's no way Nami would kill Usopp! We're friends!" Luffy rages out at him, and I walk over, putting my hand on my baby Brother's shoulder to help calm him down before he does something he'll regret.

"But I…" Johnny tries saying but gets cut off when Zoro looks to his left, and I look behind me to see Nami standing there boldly.

"Who's friends, Luffy?" She asks with a cocky attitude.

"Nami!" Luffy snaps out of it, turns around to look at her with the rest of us, and lets go of Johnny; I stand before her to see if what Johnny says is true. She could hurt him, and I don't like that thought. "Why did you come here?" She asks us.

"What are you talking about? You're my companion. I came to get you." Luffy answers her and takes his hat back from me.

"How annoying," she replies with fake irritation in her voice.

"Nami?" Luffy questions seeming confused by her reaction to what he said.

"Friends? Don't make me laugh." Nami says, and she wears a blank look to hide her real emotions, one I know all too well. "You're more like a pathetic group of cooperations, don't you think?"

"Why you… I saw it with my own eyes. How… how dare you kill Big Bro Usopp!" Johnny snaps at her, gets up, and stands before me. As he points at Nami, as forms a cold stare at him.

"And your point is? You wanna try killing me to avenge him?" She asks us, and that catches my attention, and it seems to stop Johnny.

"What?!" He gulps.

"I'll tell you one thing. Right now Arlong wants to kill 'Roronoa Zoro and his posse.' All because Zoro and Dakota went and did something stupid. You guys may have these monster-like powers, but you're no match for real monsters. Hang around this island long enough, and you guys will be killed for sure. Well… it doesn't concern me though." Nami warns us, and I have to say she is conflicted, and something isn't right. I look at her and see she's tense as she looks at us with a cold stare.

"Her cool looks are still charming! Hi Nami-san! It's me; it's me, remember me?! Let's go on a cruise together!" Sanji gushes over Nami, and I turn around to see him waving his arms, and Zoro moves over to him, stopping him.

"You stay out of this! You'll just complicate things!" Zoro snaps at the cook, which snaps him out of his love episode.

"What did you say?! My love is always a hurricane! Hey! Listen to me when I'm talking!" Sanji snaps at the swordsman, and I turn around to ignore their squabble.

"Where is Usopp?" I ask her, and the answer I'm going to get from her is one I don't want; I can feel it.

"At the bottom of the sea." She answers, and I hear Zoro clutch on his sword in anger, and he runs past me.

"Why you! Quit your bullshit!" Zoro snaps and runs towards her, but Sanji stops him with a head kick, but he ducks under the oncoming leg and draws his sword on Sanji.

"Do Swordsmen attack women, too? Roronoa Zoro?" Sanji questions him, seeming calm.

"What did you say? You don't even know what's going on, so don't interfere!" Zoro snaps right back, all worked up, and I move my arm out in front of Luffy to shield him if something or someone is going to attack or he tries to stop them.

"After an emotional loss, of course, you're irritable," Sanji replies, still acting calm, but that irritates Zoro more.

"Oi. you'd better watch what you say," Zoro warns him.

"Mind your own business, bastard!" Sanji warns him back, and Yosaku gets in the middle of them.

"Big Bros! Don't be bickering at an important time like this!" He tries telling them, waving his arms around.

"That's right. If you're going to fight, do it off the island. You outsiders quit sticking your nose into this island's business. You still don't get it? The only reason I got close to you guys is for the money, nothing else. Now that you guys have nothing, you're no use to me. I'll return the ship. So why don't you find a navigator and head to the Grand Line, go find the One piece or whatever… just get the hell out of here! You're a bother! Goodbye." Nami says all this, and it still doesn't ring true to my ears, and she hides her hand covered in a black glove, and from the smell in the air, it's a wound, but why hide that.

"Nami," Luffy softly mutters as he looks at her and closes his eyes before falling back onto the ground.

"Big Bro Luffy!" Johnny exclaims in worry as I look behind at my Brother and sigh at his stubborn nature.

"I'm going to sleep." Luffy states as he folds his arms under his head and closes his eyes.

"Sleep?!" Johnny exclaims again above my Brother.

"Right now? In the middle of the road?" Yosaku asks him in confusion, looking down at my Brother like the rest of us.

"I don't feel like leaving the island… I don't care what's happening here… I'm a bit sleepy… so, I'm sleeping." Luffy tells us as he begins to rest, and the two Bounty Hunters gawk at him in disbelief.

"Big Bro…" Johnny tries, but it falls on deaf ears as he's already fallen asleep fast, and he gives out a loud snore to confirm.

"Then… DO WHATEVER YOU WANT! GO AHEAD AND DIE!" Nami screams at us, and I know she really did want to save us in her own way, and she runs away, leaving us behind.

"Hey, Big Bro Zoro, what the hell are you thinking?!" Yosaku demands as I sit next to my sleeping Brother, watching over him as Sanji sits on the grass and Zoro sits a few steps away. "You're the target of Arlong and his gang, you know! Why don't you run away?!"

"Now that we know Nami is that kind of lowlife, there's no reason for you to stay on this island!" Johnny snaps, but he seems to have a point in his own right, but Luffy won't have anyone else but Nami as our navigator, which means we'll have to fight for her.

"Reason to stay on this island? There is a reason. He's still staying here." Zoro states, looking over at us as I brush the hair out of Luffy's eyes.

"Are you saying that even you're thinking of getting Nami back as a partner?" Yosaku asks with overzealous hand movements.

"I don't care what happens. He decides who becomes our navigator." Zoro answers, and he's not wrong.

"The Captain and the First Mate have spoken," I smirk as I look at them.

"Big Bro… okay." The boys agree with some hesitance in their tone of voice and posture, but they won't argue with their dear Big Bro. "I understand. Although it's only been a short while, our job to bring you guys here is done."

"I'm with him. I don't want to die in vain." Yosaku adds on, and I understand their point.

"Okay, take care," Zoro replies and looks over at them as they walk away.

"Well then, until we meet again…" Johnny waves his goodbye.

"Big Bro, you guys, take care too," Yosaku says his goodbyes as they walk away.

"You guys too." I wave goodbye, and they get smaller down the dirt path, and a steady breeze flows past, rustling the leaves and our hair. I look down at Luffy as he still sleeps soundly, not feeling anything, and I look up as Sanji speaks.

"Hey, why was Nami-san crying back then?" He asks out of the blue.

"That woman… crying?" Zoro asks right back, but he's not wrong in some ways.

"She was crying in her heart," Sanji replies, which seems to annoy Zoro as he makes a noise of protest.

"What? Crying tears of guilt for killing Usopp?" Zoro wonders, but I don't think that's the answer.

"You're serious? You seriously think Nami-san killed that long-nose?" Sanji asks, and that seems to shut Zoro up, and I look between them.

"'Nami didn't kill him…' Is that what you want to say?" Zoro asks him, and I look over at the two and sigh.

"Isn't that right?" Sanji asks his own question, but he's sort of right.

"I dunno. I made that little servant lose it once already. She may have just killed him in a fit of rage." Zoro retorts, and it probably wasn't the best thing to say to a womaniser like Sanji.

"Little Servant!? WHAT'S LITTLE ABOUT NAMI-SAN'S CHEST!?" Sanji rages out, and I facepalm at his reaction.

"Is that all you think about?" I ask him and see Usopp getting in the way, and I place my hands on either side of their attacks, stopping them from hitting him in the head.

"He's still alive…?" Zoro questions, looking at the shocked Usopp, and he faints from the shock onto the ground. I shake Luffy awake, he stirs and pushes me away like he always does, and I hit him in the face, wake him up with a start, and he sits upright.

"Come on, brother, we have a friend to welcome back to the living," I tell him, and he turns around to see Usopp lying on the ground in fright.

"USOPP! DID NAMI DO THIS TO YOU!?" Luffy freaks out over his unconscious friend, shaking him a little as he holds him in his arms.

"No, uh, sorry. That was him and me." Sanji apologises to both of them for scaring Usopp.

"IT WAS YOU," Zoro growls in denial of what Sanji said.

"It was both of you," I mutter, which Zoro seems to hear as he glares my way.

"Luffy, you're here," Usopp says in a low voice staring up at him.

"Yeah, a little while back," Luffy replies matter-of-factly.

"I'm here too, nice to meet you!" Saji greets him politely, but Usopp is still upset about his almost hit as he jumps right up from Luffy's hold and waves his fist in Sanji's face.

"I'll kill you someday!" Usopp vows to him in anger.

"Hey, you're still fine even after that?" Sanji questions him with surprise, but that just upsets Usopp more.

"Shut the hell up!" Usopp yells at him, waving his arms around in the air with a glare and snarl on his face.

"Oh, yeah, you were killed by Nami, right?" I ask him looking at him, and Luffy jumps up to the side with a big grin.

"Damn him; Johnny was lying after all." Luffy smiles in celebration.

"Actually, there is some truth to it." Usopp corrects them, and they all stiffen. "It's more the opposite. Nami saved my life." He drops a bombshell. "So Nami bluffed the 'killing me off' part so I could escape. I think there's a reason for her being with the Fishmen Pirates."

"Of course." Sanji agrees with Usopp, and I have to say I think we all do even more so now.

"So what do we do now? Rush Arlong Park?" Zoro asks and seems too eager to get into another fight with the FIshmen.

"Hold on! Before that, we should ask Nami for a better explanation!" Usopp rushes, holding his hands to the two idiots, minus Luffy.

"Either way, it's useless." A woman's voice cuts in, and I turn my head to see a woman around my age with a tattoo and violet hair. "No matter what you guys do, Arlong's reign won't end."

"Nojiko!" Usopp calls out her name in surprise.

"Who's that?" Luffy asks, pointing towards her and looking at Usopp.

"Nami's older sister." Usopp answers, and I look her up and down but see nothing in common with them and shrug my shoulders.

"Nami-san's older sister?" Sanji gushes over the woman with hearts in his eyes as he gushes over her. "She's so pretty!"

"Not really my type," I mutter, but it seems Zoro hears me as he looks at me, and I smile at him.

"What do you mean, 'it's useless'?" Zoro asks her, and I have to agree with his question.

"Do us a favour." She tells us. "Don't meddle with this village's business anymore. Leave Nami alone. I'll tell you the reason why."

"The reason?" Sanji repeats, and I just sigh and share a look with Luffy, and he nods at me.

"You mean why she stays with the Fishmen?" Usopp asks her, trying to narrow down what she's saying.

"Yes, once you hear the reason, you must leave this place." She negotiates, but I know Luffy's stubbornness, and that won't work for him.

"All right, then tell us the reason or whatever," Usopp replies, but I push Luffy forward, and we walk past the others.

"We'll pass," I tell them, and they seem shocked by this. "We don't care about her past."

"Where are you going?" Sanji asks us, but I don't respond as we walk away.

"A walk," Luffy replies back.

"What do you mean, a walk? You're not going to listen to the story?" Usopp asks us as we walk.

"Yeah, we'll pass." Luffy replies, and I know why as I listened to her words carefully, and well, I don't care about her past.

"What's with them?" Nojiko asks, but I just tune the rest out and look at my baby brother in front of me.

"Well seems we have to start more trouble with other pirates before even stepping foot into the Grand Line." I laugh as we walk and look at my Brother as he seems to be thinking about something in that brain of his.

"Sis, do you think I'm doing the right thing keeping Nami as our Navigator?" He asks me out of the blue, and I know the answer.

"Yeah, because if you can't see anyone else, then there is no one else but Nami for the position, and you know it. Both Zoro and I will stick to your decision, Captain." I tell him and feel him calm down slightly with my answer.

"So, where do we get food around here?" He asks, and I shake my head with a chuckle, take his hand, and pull him towards the village as I feel a change in the window and not the good kind.

ONE PIECE - ARLONG PARK ARC

We walk back down the path where the boat had skidded towards Zoro and me; I look up to see three Fishmen standing, and one of them is Hachi; I lower my head so he doesn't recognise me. "What? So they are Fishmen?" Luffy asks, and I nod in confirmation as we walk past them, not even looking at them.

"Hey! Wait! Y-you!" Hachi calls out, and we stop; Luffy turns around to address them, but I stay facing away.

"Huh? Were you calling us?" Luffy asks them with his innocent look.

"Y-You… who are you? What are you doing on this island?" Hachi demands with force in his voice.

"What does it matter to you?" Luffy asks his own question.

"W-well, you've got a point there. Just like you said." Hachi stutters out, seeming almost confused.

"I'm Luffy. This is Dakota, my sister." Luffy introduces us, and I stiffen, hoping Hachi doesn't recognise me or my name, but then I remember never giving my name. "We're taking a walk."

"'Taking a walk?' Have a pleasant one! Smartass, where are you heading?" Hachi says as we continue to walk away but have to stop again.

"How should we know?" Luffy replies, and we continue walking towards the village, leaving behind the three Fishmen.

ONE PIECE - ARLONG PARK ARC

Luffy and I make it to Cocoyashi Village, and we walk down the crowded street; I look around the shops and see a Public Official walking towards us with a group of Marines; I hide behind Luffy as he stands still, gaping at the pinwheel on the Offical's hat. "What business do the Marines have with Nami?" The Offical asks the lead Marine, who looks like a rat, and he gives out a snicker (like a rat).

"You should remain quiet and escort us." The Marine Officer requests as they walk by.

"Why does he have a pinwheel on his head? That's TOO cool!" Luffy exclaims, and I facepalm and pull him away to the side of the road and sit him down, leaning against the palm tree.

"Luffy, stop being stupid. Did you see the Marines that just walked past us not too long ago?" I snap at him, but it just goes through him like always. "Man, how did our Brother deal with you all on his own once I left," I mutter under my breath as I sit down next to him and smack him upside the head.

"A pinwheel, huh? That was so cool. Oh! I just thought of a good move!" Luffy exclaims, looking at me with excitement.

"Doctor! Doctor!" A man calls out, running over to a group of people on the opposite side of the road from us; I look over to see what he was screaming about in such fear and see him carrying her along with Nami running with them.

"What happened, Genzo?" The Doctor asks calmly as he runs over to the group as well.

"Nojiko's been shot." He reports, which gains my attention as I sit up straight, listening to their conversation.

"By who?" The Doctor inquires, looking at the man as he tends to the injured Nojiko, but that seems to gain Luffy's attention as he sits upright with excitement and spots Nami again.

"The Marines." He answers, and the Doctor repeats his response, and I sigh.

"Nojiko." He says to her, but I don't hear her reply as she mumbles, and they seem to talk over her as Luffy walks over to them, and Nami gets up with a dark look on her face, and Luffy doesn't read it.

"Yo, Nami! What's up? Can I help with something?" He asks her, and she turns around with a mean glare.

"You're STILL here?!" Nami asks in a dark tone before grabbing Luffy's shirt and pulling him towards her. "This is none of your business! Get off this island!" She screams in his face before throwing him away and running off; I stand up and walk over to my idiot Brother, pull him up by the back of his shirt, and drag him back around to the palm tree where he sits sulking.

"What's her problem?" He asks, and I just shrug as I look at the injured girl and walk over.

"I'm no Doctor, but I think blood should be inside the human body," I comment, looking down at he tries to stop the bleeding.

"Leave me alone." Luffy snaps at me, but I just place my hand over her body.

"Akuma-Akuma no Human-Demon Form: Arm and Power of Baalberith: Heal The Wound!" I command, and I feel my hand glowing white as the blood returns to Nojiko, and her wound closes up and expels the bullet. "You're welcome, and that isn't the last time I'm going to have to do that again," I mutter, feeling the pain in my own arm; a fun side effect of this ability and well, doing minor wounds is more manageable than larger ones like Zoro's. I walk away as the rest of the villagers get ready to take on Arlong and over to Luffy, looking down at him as he calms down some. "Luffy, they're walking into their deaths," I warn him and see Nami walking over, catching her breath with a big fake grin as she walks towards the villagers.

"Just wait… just wait a little longer! I'm going to try again! I'll get the money again! It'll be easier this time! I have lots of experience! It's okay. You don't have to worry! Compared to that time… everyone I'm fine! I'm fine, so…" She tries to reassure them as she walks over, but it doesn't seem to be working as the Offical, I guess, is Genzo walks over to her and pulls her into a one-armed hug.

"That's enough. We know what futility is like. You fought well for our sake. It must have been more painful for you to join that crew, more painful than it is to cut yourself. You fought well." Genzo tells Nami, and she tears up in his hold, and he releases her and looks at her. "Now, leave this village." He orders her, shocking everyone.

"Genzo." She calls out his name in disbelief.

"Do it, Nami!" Nojiko tells her younger sister.

"I can't." She disagrees, and they all say her name.

"You've got brains, and you've got a dream," Nojiko tells her with a severe look.

"Nojiko! Everybody!" Nami tries protesting, but they seem all too set. "I won't let you!" She pulls out a dagger pointing it at them. "Stop it, everybody! I don't want to see anyone get hurt anymore! You're gonna die!"

"We know," Genzo tells her without hesitation, taking hold of the blade scaring Nami of hurting him.

"It's useless. We've already decided in our hearts." The Doctor tells her, and tears leak from Nami's eyes at their words.

"Get out of the way, Nami!" Genzo orders her in a raised voice, and she steps back at his tone, giving them enough time. "Let's go, everybody!" He shouts and takes his sword out, facing the crow. "Even if we can't win, we'll show them our pride!" He cheers, and they all cheer back and run past the frozen Nami and away to Arlong Park; she drops the dagger and falls to her knees with her tears falling; she grimaces and grabs the tattoo on her shoulder in anger. She holds for the knife lying to her side and plunges it into her shoulder as she shouts out the name of the Fishman who has tormented them all for too long.

"Luffy," I call his name, and he gets up as she plunges the dagger into her arm, and he finally stops her catching her wrist before she can hurt herself anymore.

"Luffy…" She mumbles through her tears as she looks over her shoulder at him. As he looms over her, she drops the dagger. "What do you want? You don't know anything. You don't know what's been happening for the past eight years on this island."

"Yeah, I don't," Luffy answers truthfully and bluntly.

"This is none of your business! I told you to get off this island, didn't I?!" She asks him, shaking.

"Yeah. You told me." Luffy again answers truthfully and bluntly.

"Go away!" She screams and swipes her hand, bringing up dirt as if that will make Luffy leave. "You! Go away! Go away!" And she continues to say this as she throws dirt at him, but still, he doesn't budge, and she tires herself out and lets herself think and cries a little more before looking back up at him. "Luffy... Help me." She pleads, and for a few seconds, it's quiet. Then he removes his precious hat and places it on Nami's head before walking off.

"Dakota." He calls to me, and I push off the tree trunk and walk after him down the dirt-pathed street towards Arlong Park with Luffy, and he stops bending his knees before springing up and shouting to the sky. "DAMN RIGHT!" He continues to walk towards the boys that finally arrived. "We're going." He orders us, and we all give our agreement.

ONE PIECE - ARLONG PARK ARC

3rd POV:

As the five heroes quickly walk in sync towards Arlong Park for the sake of the villagers that got a good head start, they stand outside Arlong Park's gates thanks to Johnny and Yosaku stopping them. "There!" The Bounty Hunters shout out as they stand up, seeing the five coming closer; the villagers turn around to see the five.

"Them...?" Nojiko mutters, recalling her brief encounter with them.

"Those guys? What about them?" Genzo asks the Bounty Hunters.

"If those guys can't stand up to them, then there's no hope, not only for this island but for the whole of East Blue," Yosaku tells them, holding his injured arm.

"Remember the faces of those five, that have come to change the future," Johnny adds to his partner's words, and the five get closer to them.

"Move," Luffy orders them as they get closer to the crowd, they part in the middle letting the five walk through towards the gate, and Johnny and Yosaku split as Luffy begins punching his way through the stone gate. The stone gate gives way and falls to pieces on the ground around them as debris floats and soon fades away, revealing Luffy to the Fishmen.

"What the...?" Arlong gapes down at Luffy as he straightens up with his fist raised and ready.

"Which one's Arlong?" He asks, ready for a fight.

TO BE CONTINUED….

It's finally here! Thanks for the patience, and I hope you like it, as the next chapter is the showdown between the Straw Hats' vs the Fishmen! DEADGIRLETERNAL OUT!