Some things Brynlee could change – others she couldn't.

Like Nami being forced to draw maps for Arlong.

He'd found out about Nami's talent by accident a few weeks after he and his crew first arrived, when two of his men raided Nami's home because they were late with the payment of their montly tribute. One thing led to another, and Brynlee just barely got there in time to stop things from taking a turn for the worse.

But Arlong still wanted Nami.

Brynlee had tried to smooth things over, somehow. With Bellemere still alive, she didn't want the woman to stupidly throw her life away in a useless attempt to protect her daughter, so she'd taken upon herself to try and find a middle ground – Nami's deal thus ended up with her drawing maps for Arlong in exchange for her family's protection. Each map drawn was equal to 50 000 berries, meaning she could pay their monthly tribute in such way, and Nami was even allowed to stay with her family.

Brynlee spent most of her time either helping out the villagers gather their monthly payments or hanging around Arlong Park – where she was free to get rid of her cloak and release her wings for a bit of a stretch. None of the Fishmen really paid her any mind – not human, not their problem, they'd say. Some might even feel something akin to skinship, knowing the story of her species and all, but she wasn't exactly pushing for a greater companionship with them. Tragedy had miraculously been avoided, and Nami would be spared a great deal of trauma, but they were still pirates, and they'd still taken over Cocoyashi and the rest of the villages, after all.

One day, though, Brynlee miscalculated.

"B- Bryn…?"

She stiffened, eyes wide as she glanced back toward none other than Nami. Never before had her friend come to Arlong Park – Brynlee usually served as a messenger and brought Nami's maps to Arlong so as to avoid unsavory encounters. But for the first time in the five months since the Fishmen had arrived, Nami had abruptly showed up, accompanied by Bellemere.

The Fishmen around all held their breaths, obviously anticipating the outcome of the unexpected confrontation. After all, with Brynlee's wings right out in the open, there was no denying her non-human nature any longer.

I don't want them to fear me, she realized, fear twisting her guts. But I'm not human, there's no telling how they'll react, and Bellemere is a former marine who used to be posted in the Grand Line so she might know what I am—

"Bryn, that's so cool! You have wings!?"

"Nami…?"

"They're so pretty…!" gasped her friend, hesitantly reaching out. "Can I touch them?"

"Y- yeah…"

Nami lightly brushed the tips of her fingers against one of the feathers, awe clearly etched in her features – and yeah, she was still a child who hadn't been entirely traumatized by Fishmen, so maybe Brynlee had been scared for naught, after all. But still, she hesitantly glanced back toward Bellemere.

After a moment, the woman kneeled before her, smiling a bit sadly.

"It's okay, Bryn. I already knew."

"You did!?"

"I might not look like it, but I was pretty high up in the ranks when I eventually deserted," she admitted, scratching her cheek. "I figured it out the moment we met. But I would never turn you in, Bryn."

"But I'm- I'm—"

Bellemere reached out, squeezing her shoulder. "What the World Government did… It's only one of the thousand reasons why I deserted. And I'm so, so sorry it's happened. But know that you are safe here, and we will always welcome you. You're one of us, Brynlee. What you are won't ever change that."

A few tears escaped her before she could stop them. Nami gasped and immediately pulled her into a hug, and Bellemere pulled the two of them into her arms.

"Oh, sweet girl… You've got nothing to worry about, hm? We love you just as you are. You don't need to hide anymore."

They never did said much about Bellemere's past with the marine corps, so I figured I'd just do whatever I wanted xD Also, for anyone who might wonder just where the hell Brynlee keeps on getting so much money, she's doing a number of minor subquests that will be listed in her full profile once we reach the tenth chapter, hence why her funds aren't running low despite covering a lot of the monthly tributes to Arlong.

I'll try to post the next chapter sooner since not much happened! Look forward to it!