I am so sorry for the delays! Between the moves and starting a few games and job hunting and a writer block this chapter was coming so slow. So as an apology, my longest chapter yet! And the next update will have the conclusion of the Arlong Park Arc. Yep, two chapters. Now that I know I can write more than 10k words I am motivated to repeat such feat.
As always I can't promise a fixed shedule, I still have to write one chapter for my HP crossover and I owe an update on the fic I have only on ao3. But I promise this story will continue on. Oda's new revelations gave me new crazy ideas for my story. I already have planned a big butterfly effect for the Grand Line and major things for the New World.
I hope everyone enjoys this chapter and the story, thank you for reading, following and liking it.
13
"WOOHOOOO!" Luffy exclaimed happily. The rookie pirate was cheering from the top of the bow's mast.
"What are you so happy about?" Ashley asked the rubber boy, idly stroking Hawluchas feathers, much to the fighting types pleasure. Pikachu and Talonflame already got their petting and were napping contently at either side of their trainer.
"Shishishi! We have a cook now! We just have to find Nami and then we can set for the Grand Line! I'm so excited!" The young captain grinned, joy and excitement filling his body.
Sanji hummed, deep in thought. "You sure it's a good idea to just go with six people? It's the Grand Line after all."
"But we are seven. Pikachu is part of the crew. So are the rest of Ashley's Pokemon. She just said to not count them 'cause she can't have them all at once." Sanji lifted an eyebrow at that, silently asking about it.
"Trainers can only have six Pokemon at hand while traveling. Even Champions, Gym Leaders and the Elite Four have a limit about how many Pokemon they can have on their team while traveling. Well, in their case they can have at least ten, and trainers that have proven to be as strong as them can increase the number to eight."
"How do you do that?" Luffy was enraptured by their conversation, finding the whole "Pokemon World" fascinating. From Ashley's stories, it sounded like an amazing place where one could have a never-ending adventure, following whatever path they wished, going anywhere, and doing anything.
Like a pirate.
One day he would go there, to Ashley's home, and see it for himself.
Those Regions sounded amazing!
Ashley grinned at her captain's question, eager to show off her achievements and victories. She grabbed her trusty backpack and pulled out her red Pokedex, ignoring the awed sounds from the boys at seeing the technological encyclopedia. She turned it on and looked over her trainer's profile, quickly pulling her long list of wins that she had accumulated over the years.
"Woooow! What's that?! What's that?!" Luffy exclaimed, making grabby hands at her dex.
"It's a Pokedex. Basically a computer, phone, and encyclopedia rolled into one. This one is from Kalos, a gift from Professor Sycamore after I helped him when his Garchomp accidentally went berserk." Ashley's smile wiped when she saw that none of her current human companions understood a word of what she said, staring at her in complete befuddlement.
"Just look at the screen. That's the list of all the competitions that I have participated in as a Pokemon Trainer since I was a rookie. Wins and loses. And a couple of ties."
The three men crouched closer to the holographic screen, humming and awing at all the wins that the ravenette accumulated. Even if they had no idea what entailed each of them, it was amazing how many victories she had under her belt.
"I see. The more victories you earn, the higher your rank. Just as expected of Ashley-chan!" Sanji swooned with dopey eyes at her, making her sigh in exasperation.
She wasn't used to being the one guys flirted with.
"Yep. I won the right to have more than six Pokemon during my Journey after I defeated Drake and became an Honorary Champion of the Orange Islands. It was really helpful while I traveled through Johto; I could have eight Pokemon with me all the time. And again on Unova."
"That means you must have lots of Pokemon back home, Ashley-chan. But, how do you plan on getting them here?"
"Professor Oak wrote the exact instructions of what I have to do whenever I want to change teams. I just need my Pokedex and something called a special breed of Den Den Mushi. He said that I needed to look up a certain symbol on large islands to find it." Professor Oak had been adamant on his instructions, drilling well into her skull that if she wished to communicate home, then she could only do it that way. Any other Den Den Mushi could be hacked or intercepted, potentially endangering not only her Pokemon but also her home.
Professor Oak was certain that the specific breed of Den Den Mushi that she needed was on the Grand Line, and that until she could find it she shouldn't try to contact the Regions.
"Well, if they are anything like this little fella, then I guess we will be fine." Sanji scratched Pikachu's head, earning a surprised squeak from the mouse.
Sanji smiled at Ashley's partner. He wasn't blind nor an idiot. He was well aware that none of her Pokemon trusted him when it came to his intentions toward the black-haired girl. That just made him respect them more. It was good that Ashley-chan had such great protectors on her corner, willing to protect her not only from physical harm but also from emotional harm.
They were true gentlemen indeed.
"What dumbshit are you saying, Sanji-san!?" Yosaku interrupted, incredulity and fear mixed in his voice. "This is the Grand Line we are talking about! THE GRAND LINE! The Pirate's Cemetery! Even Krieg's float was demolished to a single ship. And it was barely hanging!" He reminded them of the awful and deplorable state that the Sabertooth Dreadnought had been in after facing Mihawk.
"How bad can it truly be? When I journeyed the Orange Islands the worst that happened was when some idiot tried to capture the Legendary Birds and ended up making them all fight against each other and Lugia, producing some crazy storms until Melody managed to calm them down. And that was just another Thursday for me." There were nods of agreement from the Pokemon. Their trainer truly had some of the weirdest and most dangerous journeys ever.
It was somehow amazing how her luck made her meet so many important figures and befriend legendaries that many thought a myth, and at the same time nearly kill her and those she loved, surviving by sheer luck or divine intervention.
Jaws dropped and stares of surprise met her short story. Her tone of calm and nonchalantly just baffled them more.
"Ashley-aneue, are you sure your home isn't on the Grand Line?" Yosaku asked suspiciously. Something that crazy belonged more on the Grand Line than on the East Blue.
Ashley deadpanned at the bounty hunter. "And why in Giratina's name would I have come to the East Blue if my home were already on the Grand Line?"
Yosaku sheepishly rubbed his nape.
It was a stupid question after all.
The bounty hunter blinked and shook his head. He had to stay on topic!
"Ashley-aneue's story aside, the Grand Line is not a picnic park! It's extremely dangerous! On one hand, there is mother nature to worry about! The Grand Line is famous for it's powerful storms and for the seabeasts that drew underneath it. Most ships are ripped apart by them! However! Those are just a portion of the dangers! The other one is the pirates that live and thrive on the Grand Line! And among the most powerful are the Shishibukai, the Seven Warlords of the Sea! Pirates so strong and powerful that the Goverment hires them to attack and loot other pirates! Only the Younkos are safe from them."
"Shishibukai? It kinda sounds familiar." "Pi"
"Of course it is familiar, Aneue! Mihawk is one of them!"
Sanji's eyes widened when he heard that.
"Hawkseye is a Shishibukai?"
"Indeed. I don't know how high his bounty was before becoming a Shishibukai, but it must be over the sky easily. All Shishibukais have, well, had high bounties before being hired by the World Government. But what makes your situation more grave is that Arlong used to sail under another Shishibukai's flag, Jinbei the Sea Knight!"
"Who is Arlong?" Luffy asked, complete confusion etched on his face.
"He is the guy that Yosaku thinks Nami is going after."
"Ahh. What about him?"
Yosaku facepalmed himself. Was Luffy-aniki really that scatterbrained?
His blank look was answer enough.
"Arlong is a gyojin, a fishman. And gyojins are native to the Grand Line. Hell, they only live there. The day that Arlong chose to come to the East Blue, a great danger hooked its teeth on these waters."
"Something like this?" Luffy presented a drawing of a fish with multiple feet, earning laughter from Sanji and a congratulations from Ashley and her team.
They all agreed that his drawing skills had greatly improved since his attempt at drawing their pirate flag.
"PAY ATTENTION!" The bounty hunter couldn't believe that they were joking around like kids. "Gyojin are naturally stronger than humans! And Arlong has always been one of the strongest among his kin! You guys get it! You are about to face one of the strongest fishmen that once was a mate of a Shishibukai."
"Like this?" Luffy showed his new drawing, not caring at all of Yosaku's warning.
"That's just the same fish but upright."
"The miracle is that we can differentiate that it's a fish."
"He is that bad?" Trainer and Pokemon nodded resolutely.
To this day neither she, Pikachu, nor Talonflame could figure out what was supposed to be the lines and twirls of his version of Zoro's portrait.
"PAY ATTENTION DUMBASSES!" Yosaku was fed up with their nonchalant attitude. He was trying to warn them of a truly dangerous pirate, and they were ignoring him!
"We heard you. We just don't care." Luffy picked at his nose, boredom etched on his tone. "I'm going to beat that Arlong guy. I don't care how strong he is."
"Huh? WHAA?! You can't just say something like that, Luffy-aniki!"
"Why not?"
"Because!"
"Because?"
"Just give up; this guy isn't the type to attend to reason." Sanji lit his cigarette; he too wasn't much bothered at the prospect of fighting the gyojins, a species well known for their monstrous strength and strange abilities.
Yosaku stared at Ashley, hoping that the trainer would back him up, only to be dismayed when she just shrugged her shoulders.
"I'm actually with Luffy on this one. If we back down from a challenge simply because our enemy is stronger, then we might as well give up and return home. When we are about to face someone strong, no doubt must crept onto our minds. We must give it all, no matter what."
Pikachu, Talonflame, and Hawlucha agreed with her. If Noivern had been on the boat, he would have agreed too.
Sanji's lips turned up at her speech, and Luffy's grin got wider. Even Yosaku, despite his fears and concern, couldn't help but feel inspired by her resolution.
"Sanji! I'm hungry! What's to eat!" Luffy suddenly asked, head turned towards the blonde cook.
"Hmmm. What do you guys want?" At his open question, all eyes shined with hunger.
"MEAT!"
"REFRIED BEANS!"
"ONIGIRI!"
"PI PI PIKA!" "FLAAAMEE!" "HAW HAW!" "NOIIII!"
Sanji gave a questioning look at Ashley. He had no idea what her Pokemon liked to eat. Moreover, he had no idea what they could eat.
He would have to quickly remedy that. It wouldn't do for Ashley-chan to be disappointed because her beloved team wasn't getting their proper nutrition!
"Pikachu would eat anything as long as it has ketchup. Well, except for radishes, he hates them. Talonflame likes chicken and other bird meats. He also enjoys Oran Berries, but I don't have many of them. Hawlucha and Noivern only like fruits, though Noivern doesn't enjoy apples." She grabbed her backpack, rummaging through it before revealing a plastic bag filled with brown pellets and a notebook. "Pokemon food and Brock and Cilian's personal notes and recipes." She handed them to a silent Sanji, whose eyebrows lifted in surprise when he began to read the notes, impressed by the level of medical and cooking knowledge the writers had.
Ashley smiled smugly when she saw Sanji's reaction: "My friends are pretty smart, right?"
"Hmm hmm." Sanji nodded absentmindedly. Ashley-chan's friends were smart.
He would love to one day exchange notes with these Brock and Cilian.
"SAAANJIIII! MEAAAAT!" Luffy whined, his bottomless pit of stomach grumbling loudly.
"Don't forget my refried beans!" Yosaku whined next to the pirate, his previous behavior completely obfuscated by the promise of food.
"QUIT YELLING IDIOTS! Ahh, the things I do for Ashley-chan and Nami-swan."
Truly. Only a gentleman like him could tolerate these idiots for two fair and gentle ladies.
"Auughhh" Zoro yawned, utterly bored out of his mind, idly scratching his bandages.
'What was on those bottles, anyway? This wound already looks as if it happened over a week ago instead of a couple of hours. Didn't even tear when I was beating these bastards.' A tiny smirk left his lips. All those rumors of gyojins being stronger than humans, and yet one recovering human had beaten over a dozen of them.
Zoro stretched across Arlong's beach chair, his black eyes eyeing the fallen and uncouncious bodies of the gyojin he had defeated after leaving his cell.
After losing against Mihawk and the destruction of two of his swords, he only had Kuina's blade at his disposal. The fight against Arlong's forces had been a good exercise to train his one-sword style.
A successful exercise.
Of course, as soon as he found a swords shop, he would be buying new swords.
He had busted his ass to create his unique style, all to defeat Kuina, something he could never achieve before her death. So it would be with her sword and his style that he would become the strongest swordsman in the world.
That way, both of them would never be forgotten.
"What the hell is taking so long that half-fish?" He grumbled, "I'm bored."
The only reason he was still on "Arlong Park" was to defeat that shark-gyojin and take Nami back with him. Like Luffy ordered.
Zoro frowned. Things with the navigator were more complicated than he first thought.
At first he assumed that she had simply stolen their ship and gold for her own gain. After all, Nami always bragged of stealing from pirates.
Johnny and Yosaku believed that the navigator wanted to bag Arlong's bounty. He disagreed.
Nami was smart; he wouldn't deny that. Only an idiot wouldn't see it. She knew her strengths and weaknesses. Her navigating skills were her true strength; more than once she had detected storms hours before they started, she steered the Merry with few commands, and she could read maps and prepare a course in seconds.
But she wasn't a fighter. Definitely not like him or Luffy, who were born to fight. Or Ashley, who didn't hesitate to join her team when necessary. She wasn't like Usopp, who hesitated due to fear but eventually jumped in.
Nami was calculating. She only fought when it was between life and death, when she absolutely had to.
So no, he never once considered the idea that the orange-haired thief would be willing to start a brawl against one of the strongest pirates of the East Blue.
He just thought that she was going to rob him blind like she did to them and use the Merry to carry all the gold and treasures she could find.
He never once considered that their navigator, who claimed to hate pirates, would be part of a gyojin pirate crew.
When their group had reached the Going Merry, he had been ready to fight against the other pirates, find their missing navigator, and return with Luffy and Ashley. Unfortunately, his current teammates got cold feet and tied him to the mast, leaving him defenseless when the fucking fishmen spotted them, more so when the three idiots jumped off the boat and left him alone!
'I'm going to use those dumbasses as training posts when I see them again. Fucking idiots.'
The only good thing about being captured by the fishmen was that he found Nami.
The bad thing was that she had proudly claimed to be part of Arlong's crew, one of his officers.
At first, he had believed her.
At first.
But the more Arlong talked, the weirder she acted. When the captain pirate said that Nami cared more about money than of her dead mother, her visage broke. For a few seconds, the swordsman got a glimpse of the real Nami.
So he tested Nami's cold attitude and jumped backwards to the swimming pool.
Feet and hands tied.
Good thing she jumped and pulled him out; for one moment he had been worried she truly was a cold-heard pirate.
Turns out that she couldn't handle seeing him drown and rescued him.
Also, she knew how to throw a punch.
Ouch.
Mihawk's wound had been more weakening than he first thought; even with Ashley's medication, Nami's punch had left him winded and coughing. He barely heard the fishmen speaking around him, Nami saying that she would deal with him later and Arlong ordering to throw him in a cell.
The shark said something about coconuts. Maybe.
He had been a little groggy.
Solitary confinement had given him enough time to enjoy a recuperating nap, feeling his strength and energy slowly rise. Shame there wasn't any sake around; he would be up to 100% if he could find some bottles.
He had been contemplating how to escape his prison and recover his sword when his cell was opened. To his surprise, it was Nami on the other side, keys on one hand and his blade on the other.
The thief had only uttered a few words, thrown the sword in front of him, and left.
He was still thinking of her last words.
"Leave before Arlong returns. Never come back to this island. I won't have my plans wrecked by your stupidity."
'Plans. The hell she is playing at?' This was supposed to be a simple mission. Find the Going Merry, find Nami, bring them both back with Luffy, and finally sail to the Grand Line.
Nami claimed to be an officer under Arlong's flag, his navigator. But it was bullshit.
If she truly were a high member of Arlong's pirates, then she would have let him drown or killed him herself, not rescue him and help him escape.
Another person would have left Arlong Park and returned back with their teammates. The Merry wasn't docked near Arlong Park; Usopp and Johnny should have found it already. Usopp already had invented some excuses to give to Luffy, and Yosaku went to search for his captain and other teammate the moment they saw the gyojins. Luffy wasn't a tyrant or cruel captain; he wouldn't punish them for failing to recover Nami. He would whine and irritate them, but he would get over it.
Another person would have taken the easy path.
Zoro wasn't that person. He was Roronoa Zoro, former bounty hunter and current first officer of the newly Mugiwara Pirates. His captain gave him an order, and he was going to accomplish it.
Nami was part of Arlong's crew? Then he just needed to defeat the shark gyojin. Without him, the crew would split up, and she would have no reason to refuse Luffy's proposal.
Simple.
If that stupid racist prick of a fishman would show his ugly face.
"How long is it going to take for that bastard to show up?" He asked out loud, not really expecting an answer from the unconscious and dead pirates.
"Haaah." He sighed, utterly bored, fighting the urge to sleep. It was as boring as being tied to a post, except this time he had no idea how long he would have to wait until he could leave.
His eyes were closing when he heard... a trumpet?
Zoro eyed the inner yard of Arlong Park and noticed large rods poking from the other side of the walls. Curious, the swordsman left the launchair that Arlong favored and climbed the wall, staring in silent surprise at the fishman that was for some reason roasting a boar and fishing with three rods at once.
"Hey, did you play a trumpet?"
"The fuck are you!? I am Hachan! Call me Hachi!" The gyojin answered cheerily, not seemingly bothered by his sudden arrival.
Like all the other fishman he saw, this one resembled a tall, muscular, pink-skinned man with spiky gray hair, except that he had six arms covered in suction cups and his face resembled an octopus. Tattooed on his forehead was a red sun.
"Hello! Oh, you seem to be a human. Are you a marine? Or a guest?" "Hachi" asked him.
Zoro eyed the defeated pirates inside the fortress.
"Hmm, a guest. I'm looking for Arlong."
"Oh. He is not here. He went to Cocoyasi Village."
"Cocoyasi?"
"Yep. A long-nosed stranger was causing a ruckus, so Arlong went to deal with him. They think he came with another stranger who is kept prisoner here."
'Long nosed… Usopp.' Zoro quickly deduced. 'Probably should rescue him. Would kill two birds with one stone.'
"Which direction is Cocoyasi?" He asked the octopus.
"Hop in."
"Uh?"
"Here." Hachi grabbed a giant pot and placed it in the water, where it floated. "You are a guest. It's my job to carry you."
"Huh. Ok." Zoro shrugged.
At least he wouldn't have to walk all the way there.
After jumping inside the floating pot, a small question popped into his head.
"Hey, what was that thing with the trumpet, by the way?"
"Oh, that? I was calling Moomoo. It's lunch time."
'Moomoo? Must be his pet.' Zoro nodded in acknowledgement, getting comfortable for the trip.
Ashley leaned back on her seat, enjoying the sun rays on her skin, the breeze on her skin, and the smell of salt water. It brought her good memories of her Journey through the Orange Islands, or Seevie Islands, as they were called in old Kantonian.
The blackhaired girl had traveled for many years; she had seen mountains, deserts, forests and jungles; cities of all kinds and sizes; lakes, seas and oceans. And yet her time traveling through the Orange Islands, trying to gain the badges and battle the Champion, was easily one of her fondests.
After all, it was where she finally earned Charizard's respect. It was where she met Lapras and Snorlax, her little baby and her gluttonous friend. And while Lapras was no longer part of her team, he was still part of her family.
"SAAAANJIIII! I'm hungryyyy!" Her captain whined loudly to their new cook.
"Coming, coming. Sheeesh, why can't you be more calm and collected like Ashley-chan?" The blonde man muttered, "Now enjoy it!" With a flourish, Sanji presented plates of food for all his companions, grinning at their drooling faces.
"MEEEEAAAAAATTT!" Luffy grabbed the plate with his favorite food and started to devour it at an incredible speed. Next to him, Ashley followed his example by eating the delicious assembly of onigiris that Sanji prepared, and Yosaku served himself dumplings with his beloved fried peas.
The humans weren't the only ones enjoying their meal; on the other side of the boat, Ashley's companions were happily eating their own lunches, letting out chirps and sounds of contentment.
Sanji smiled in satisfaction at the sight. For a cook, there was no better feeling than seeing a customer enjoy his cooking.
For the next few minutes, the group enjoyed the meal made by Sanji. The blonde quickly learned that Luffy's gluttony made him a blatant food thief, using his rubbery limbs to steal food from the others plates, not caring if they were in the possession of his friends.
Ashley proved to be used to his wandering hands, chopping at them with a fork when they came too close, and Yosaku's reflexes allowed him to grab Luffy's wrist whenever it touched his plate.
The only thing safe from his new captain's gluttonous appetite was the wine and the Pokemon's meal, and in the case of the latter, it was mostly due to the fact that it was behind him.
Sanji was savoring a nice glass of Cabernet Sauvignon when Pikachu suddenly jumped to the table and began to frantically wave his paws and squeak, pointing to the table and to the sea.
"Huh? Whatch's w'rgn wth hm?" Luffy mumbled, his mouth stuffed with food, his left hand still trying to grab some dumplings from Yosaku's plate, much to the bounty hunter's ire.
"I don't know. Maybe he has to do the number 2?"
"Nah, he already went. What's up, buddy? Something's off?"
Pikachu nodded franctically; he pointed to the sea with his tail and put a face of horror; then he started to roar-like and growl, moving his paws like he was trying to grab things and destroy them.
The boys stared in confusion at his actions, not getting it. Fortunately, his trainer had years of experience and understood his unique language.
"Oh, he is using charades to warn us of something."
"Ohh, charades! Charades! I wanna play! What is it?! Meat? A ninja!" Everyone stared deadpanned at Luffy's crazy suggestions. Even Pikachu broke character to mumble a Pika at the rubber captain.
"You stink at this game. Obviously he means that a dark presence is trying to take over this ship!" Yosaku dramatically pointed to the skies, ignoring the collective facepalming of all the Pokemon.
Sanji chuckled at the dumb ideas that both men proposed before seeing Ashley-chan's focused face. It was obvious that she was taking Pikachu's warning seriously, unlike them. Sanji thought back to Pikachu's actions, remembering how he pointed at the sea and at the table. No, not the table. The sea.
"Fuck! Is there something under us?" He asked the yellow mouse.
"Pi-ka!"
They didn't get a chance to think much about the revelation because in that moment a gigantic shape emerged right at the side of the boat, hundreds of gallons of water hiding it before falling back to the sea and revealing the newcomer.
"A cow!" Luffy exclaimed in complete delight at the gigantic cow face that was, for some reason, connected to an even larger snake's body.
"Cows don't swim. Has to be a hippopotamus."
"More like some crazy crossbreed experimentation between a supergiant Miltank and a supergiant Milotic."
"IDIOTS! THAT'S A SEA BEAST! IS A MONSTER OF THE GRAND LINE!" Yosaku was terrified to his pants by the giant sea monster that should not be for any reason on the East Blue.
Those things only lived on the Grand Line! What the hell was one doing in the weakest sea!?
"THE GRAND LINE!"
"Wow! Is bigger than most legendaries." "Piii"
The sea cow lowered its head until it was in front of the table, its eyes glued to the roasting meat and other delicious meals that Sanji cooked.
"It wants the food! Let's give it to them quickly before it destroys the boat!"
"Gum Gum Pistol!" Luffy connected point blank with the Sea Beast's cheek faster than they could react.
"THE HELLL!? Are you suicidal or something?!" Yosaku grabbed the violent pirate by his shirt, panic in his eyes.
"I don't want to give it my meat. It's mine." Luffy answered bluntly, not caring much that he had enraged a dangerous predator local to the most dangerous sea.
The Sea Beast roared in fury at the punch, showing its sharp maw threateningly.
"AHHH! It's furious!"
"I will hit it again."
"Do it!"
"Dumbasses!" Sanji bonked both idiots on their heads. "Don't hit someone just because they are hungry! Maybe it got hurt or is sick and can't hunt on its own." The blonde cook grabbed one of the plates and brought it closer to the Sea Beast, who opened its maw in delight, already savoring the delicious taste of the juicy meat.
"DIE BASTARD!" Only to receive a painful kick on its chin courtesy of Sanji.
"Preach what you say!" Yosaku protested.
"What? It was obvious that it was trying to eat me." Sanji defended himself.
"MOOOOOOO!" If the sea cow had been angry before, now it was pissed off and ready to unleash its rage on the boat and all its occupants.
"AAAAHHHH!"
"I got it." "Let me."
Both Sanji and Luffy prepared to strike at the raging animal, leg and fist ready, respectively, when a steel-coated tail and wing smashed onto their heads. The sight of both brawlers falling to the ground was so sudden that it stopped the animal on its track, utterly confused by the actions of the other occupants of the boat.
"Pika!" "Lucha!"
"Good job guys." Ashley congratulated the two 'mons who had stopped her stupid and reckless partners before they could get them into a bigger mess. She had ample experience dealing with Pokemon stealing her food, and yes, on more than one occasion, she had chased after the thief. But, usually, those chases led her towards situations where the Pokemon needed the food for a friend or a family member that was sick or injured. If she had to guess, at least 8 of 10 of those times it was that. The rest were mischieving Pokemon that liked to mess up with humans and Pokemon alike.
When she saw that both Luffy and Sanji were acting a hundred times worse than she did when she was still ten years old, she decided to emulate some of her friends and do the only mature thing available.
Have her Pokemon punch them off for being stupid.
It worked on Brock whenever Croagunk and Happiny thought he was being too silly with the girls.
"Hey, sorry for these two idiots. They are just dumb. I know of that. I did a lot of stupid things when I was a kid." At her side, Pikachu nodded solemnly, backing up his trainer's words.
He had been a spectator of many of those dumb things.
"Luffy is really selfish when it comes to his food. Although with your size, I don't think we have enough to feed you. But some is better than nothing! So, here!" Ashley grabbed the smoked salmon and some of her onigiris and placed them on the railing, close to the sea cow.
The beast, however, eyed it doubtfully, its eyes going to the blonde cook, who had also offered it food, only to kick it shamelessly.
Ashley realized that the animal didn't trust her after the two forms of abuse it suffered from her friends and pouted.
"Damn. Yeah, you are right. Hard to trust me after that crap Sanji pulled. Guys, a little help here?" She asked her Pokemon, hoping that they could somehow communicate with the wild and dangerous animal.
To her luck, her team nodded and approached the sea cow, calmly talking to it and explaining that no, their trainer wasn't lying and that nobody else would be punching it. After some back and forth and hesitations, the poor animal tried one more time to eat the plate of food, moaning in delight when not only did nobody sucker punch it but also by the delicious taste of the salmon and the rice.
"Mooooo!" It smiled and cooed at the taste, earning a giggle from Ashley and cheers from the other Pokemon. Even Yosaku, who had been frozen in fear and anxiousness, relaxed when the animal didn't attack.
"Hey Sanji! You have another fan." Ashley gloated to the recovering blonde.
"Guess so. Maybe it truly was just hungry."
Luffy got up from the deck, rubbing his head where Pikachu's Iron Tail hit him, staring at the happy face of the giant sea animal.
"Ok. I decided it! Oi cow! You can eat their food, but not mine! I don't share my food! Got it!"
"Luffy…" Disbelief rang across the group at his proposal. As if the cow would just forgive him that easy.
"Moooo!" And the cow agreed with his terms, swaying and dancing in happiness, earning a satisfied grin from the rubber captain.
"Unbelievable." Yosaku mumbled to himself, seeing the three humans and four Pokemon chatting and petting the enormous and dangerous animal from the Grand Line.
Sea Kings were known as the superpredator of the Grand Line, the ultimate shipwreckers, and the unbeatable power of nature. And Luffy and Sanji had simply sucker punched one of them like it was a simple dog. And Ashley was able to calm it down by talking and offering it food.
What kind of pirates had he met, and what kind of pirates would they be in the future?
He didn't know, but he was certain that they would not be like the others.
'Life is truly strange, Bellemere-san.' Nojiko mused to herself in front of her mother's grave. Because even if she had never called her mother, that was what Bellemere had been for her.
Her mother.
Gen-san had been like a grouchy and stern grandfather/uncle figure during her early childhood, forced to become her only paternal support after Arlong and his band of savages destroyed their peaceful home.
Gen and the other inhabitants of Cocoyasi Village were her only family left after her adoptive mother was murdered, and Nami was forced to join those monsters, hoping to one day free them all from Arlong's tyranny.
Nojiko truly hoped that Arlong would keep his word once her little sister gave him the money he wanted. She truly did. That "secret" deal was the only thing giving the people of Cocoyasi Village hope for the past six years.
That promise was the only thing giving them the strength to endure their tyranny and demands. It was the only thing that prevented the men of the village from giving up and taking arms against the gyojin, even when they knew it would be fruitless.
The pact between Nami and Arlong was the only reason why they still fought month after month to pay Arlong's tribute.
And it killed her.
It killed her that her little sister was risking her life going after other pirates trying to quickly gather all the remaining money. It killed her that they could do nothing to help her, since unlike Nami, they were utterly forbidden from leaving the Islands.
The ships carrying goods could enter and leave, all under Arlong's overview, of course, but not the inhabitants.
Only those who had Arlong's brand could leave the Islands and return.
Trying to give her money wouldn't work since everyone barely made enough to pay the ridiculously overpriced amount that Arlong demanded. Even then, many had died from illnesses during the past few years, mostly the elderly, and others chose to commit suicide to liberate their families from the monetary burden. Most couples did their best to not have children, crying in despair instead of happiness if a pregnancy test came positive. More than once the couple would enter the doctor's office grim-faced and leave in tears, pain, and regret visible.
Nobody chastised them for their actions. They all understood why they took that option. Cocoyasi Village no longer was a safe place to raise a child. None of the villages under Arlong's control were, so with each year, less and less children were born.
In a way, it was a silent rebellion against the pirate.
Without children to take the place of the adults, the villages one day will die, and he would no longer be able to exhort his toll.
A slow rebellion perhaps, one that they would never see come to fruition, but it was the only thing left they had.
'But if it works, if paying that exorbitant amount of Berry works, then we will be free. And we can let the other villages know. If Na-chan is able to do it, then others might too. Maybe one day the entire island would be free of him. One day'
That was the secret hope of all the villagers—that Arlong would leave forever and never return.
No citizen of the islands believed that the marines would help them. Last time they tried was during the initial invasion, when a fleet of five ships was destroyed and sunk in mere minutes with no survivor in sight.
The gyojins were creatures of the sea, their rulers. The garrisons available on the East Blue could barely keep up against human pirates; they had no hope against the fishmen and their superior strength and unique abilities. The ones that could give a fight to the fishmen were all deployed on the Grand Line, and it was doubtful that they would be called to help the "weakest sea."
"How is Gen-san?" Her sister asked, worry hidden behind a veil of indifference.
"He will be fine. The doctor is taking care of him. Good thing that weird friend of yours showed up and enraged Arlong. He will be more interested in killing than Gen-san."
"My weird friend? What are you talking about? I am a coldblooded traitor who joined a bunch of pirates for money. I have no friends." Nami replied with a grim smirk.
"If you say so. Although that long-nosed guy did say that he couldn't believe you would steal from them. Was pretty steamed by your betrayal. Said something about how you would laugh and act so carefree among them while all the time plotting to scam them."
"Yes, well. I am a great actress. It's an important skill for high-level thieves to master." Nami proudly stated, never once looking back at her.
Nojiko shook her head. Nami had stolen from dozens of pirates in the past eight years. Never once did one of them come to Cocoyasi looking for her. And now a group was apparently coming, not just for the ship she took but also for her.
Long-nose guy had said that he had no intention of bringing Nami back with him after learning that she belonged with Arlong's crew. He said that he was happy with recovering the ship, the Going Merry.
And then he had foolishly and bravely attacked Arlong, making up bold lies about having a great army and drawing them away before the gyojin could kill Gen-san or anyone else.
The pirates that Nami had stolen from were different from the other ones she had scammed before.
Nojiko was used to finding her younger sibling dressing new wounds, from bruises caused by fists to stab wounds and, in one particularly frightful event, a bullet hole that forced her to use a sling for two months.
Arlong hadn't been too happy by it. He had forced Nami to remain on Arlong Park until she finished all the workload she was due, not allowed to leave her room until it was all done. Bathroom breaks were the only time she could leave those four walls; her meals were sent to her, and she had a cot to sleep on the floor.
Nojiko had never revealed the real conditions of Nami's room in Arlong Park. If she had, then nothing would have stopped Gen and the others from attacking Arlong. So far the only reason they contained themselves was the promise of freedom via Nami's deal.
Today was the first time in a long time that a rebellion almost broke. Nojiko had been ready to give up her life to save Gen. Everyone had been. But if they had done that, then Nami would be left alone.
She couldn't do that to her sister.
Not after all the pain and sacrifices they went through.
Nami only needed 7 million Berry. Only one small push. One last trip surely. Two at most.
And after that, they will be free.
After Bellemere's murder, Nojiko hadn't been able to help her sister. She watched her mother be killed and her sister kidnapped. Her little sister had then made a deal with the monster who killed their mother to save all of them. She had willingly accepted being branded, being called a witch, a traitor, just to give them a chance.
Nojiko couldn't save Nami.
But she could help her.
"Ok! Done here! Ready buddy?!"
"MOOOO!" The sea cow bobbed its head in confirmation, eager to help the kind human who fed him.
"Wait for my signal and then pull! Got it?"
"MOOOO MOOO!"
Ashley checked the ropes tied to the sea cow's horns and nodded in satisfaction when she saw that they were sturdy.
"Let's go, Noivern!" "Noii!" Noivern flew back to the boat, hovering above long enough for his trainer to jump back.
"Good job, buddy. Return!" Ashley called back the dragon type, placing his pokeball in between Talonflame and Hawlucha's pokeballs, his favorite place. The young dragon worshiped his older flying-type brothers; whether outside or inside his pokeball didn't matter.
"Are we sure this is a good idea, Aniki?" Yosaku asked Sanji, the only person in their boat that he considered wasn't a daredevil. Luffy-aniki acted before thought, but Ashley-aneue seemed to be more cautious.
Then she encouraged Luffy-aniki's crazy idea, and he was forced to reconsider everything he knew about the black-haired girl.
"Hmm, beats me." Sanji answered unbothered by the potentially risky idea his new captain and second officer came up with. He was a little surprised by how quickly Ashley-chan supported Luffy's idea, though.
"Lets go! Lets go! LETS GOOOOO!" Luffy chanted from the proa, enthusiasmaded by his plan.
"Hang on tight, Pikachu!" "Pika!"
"GOOOO!"
"MOOOOO!" The sea cow shifted and swam.
"WOOOAHAHAHA!" Screams of delight and fear rang across the ocean, product of the fast joyride that the Sea King was pulling them through.
"YEAAAAAAHHHHH! FASTER!" Luffy spurred the great animal on, much to Yosaku's displeasure and the other's joy.
Despite the early "disagreements," the powerful beast had no problem obeying Luffy's order, swimming even faster and faster.
In mere minutes, the group was seeing the front gates of Arlong Park in all its glory. Luffy was already prepping himself up for a frontal attack when he noticed that the sea cow was moving in another direction.
"Eh? What are you doing? Go back!"
"Oy hippo! To the left! Ashley-chan, talk to him!"
"Hey, whats wrong!? Buddy?!"
No matter how much they screamed and yelled, the sea cow refused to answer, moving towards the mainland instead of the port, not slowing down at all.
At the last second, right before it could crash against the reef, he stopped on its track. Unfortunately for the boat and its occupants, between their speed and the force behind the halt, the ropes tying it to the Sea King's horns suddenly became more like a giant slingshot and them the projectile.
Unseen by everyone, the sea cow chuckled when he saw the boat sailing through the air.
The human girl and her animal friends might have been nice to him, but those two other humans were nasty!
"FUCKING COWWWW!"
"He probably was still pissed at Luffy and Sanji." Ashley pointed out.
"Hippos are known for being nasty bastards."
"I don't think it was a hippo; it looked like a serpent with a cow's head."
"A snacow! Cowke? Cowsnak?"
"Those are truly awful names."
"Indeed Sanji-aniki. Moreover, WE ARE FALLING!"
"Yeah, that sucks."
"SUCKS?! WE ARE GOING TO CRASH!"
Fortunately, the area they were falling to was a thick forest, so the large branches took the brunt of the crash, with minimal damage to the boat.
Unfortunately, it wasn't near enough to slow it down, less to make it stop.
"WHY WON'T THIS THING STOP!?"
The now-land boat continued to sail through the forest, leaving behind a path of destruction.
"Ashley-chan, can one of your Pokemon do something to slow down this thing?"
"Not really. Hawlucha and Noivern are strong, but with this speed they would rip off a part of the boat. And is too thick to release them and have them carry us. We might have to wait until we leave this forest."
"Fair enough."
Ashley narrowed her eyes, utterly focused at the front of their ride, ready to release her flying Pokemon the moment they left the woods. She could see a clearing ahead and was about to enlarge both pokeballs when she saw another green-haired familiar figure step out at the exact time they did.
"What the-"
"ZOROOO!"
"Luf-AGHH!" The swordsman wasn't able to avoid the full impact of the out-of-control ship, barely hanging from the railing, and was seriously glad that his injuries weren't as bad as before. They would probably be already open if it weren't for Ashley's medicine. Right now they just hurt like a bitch.
After what felt like a long and tortuous journey, they finally crashed-stopped near a rice field.
"The fuck are you doing bunch of idiots?!" Zoro snarled at his so-called friends, holding his head in pain.
"Getting Nami bacK." Luffy answered unperturbed by the impact and situation. Next to him, Sanji smoked one of his cigarettes, and Ashley redid her ponytail after checking out that Pikachu and her other 'mons were ok. Yosaku was the only one that was knocked unconscious from the whole experience.
"Ah, Zoro, your up! The potions helped?"
"Uh. Yeah. Thanks."
"Hey, did you find Nami? Where is she? Are Johnny and Usopp with her?"
Zoro's eyes widened when he heard Usopp's name, remembering what the citizens told him of the fucking idiot.
"Damnit! Usopp! Come on! We can't waste more time!" Zoro quickly got up and brushed off the dirt and blood from his face.
"Uh? What happened?"
"That idiot pissed off Arlong and was caught! If we don't go now-"
"Don't bother." Johnny's dead tone halted him.
The bounty hunter was panting; his body shook in agitation. Even though his eyes were hidden behind his sunglasses, there was no missing the tears that leaked from them.
"Usopp-aniki is dead. Nami-aneue did it!"
No one spoke. Johnny's words... they didn't make sense.
Usopp was dead? And Nami killed him?
"No way!" Luffy protested, getting right to Johnny and grabbing him by his shirt. "Nami wouldn't do it! We are nakamas!"
"I saw it myself! That cold-hearted woman stabbed him and then threw him to the ocean! She is a murderer!" Johnny claimed, tears freely flowing.
"I don't believe you! Nakamas don't hurt each other! Never! Shanks said so!"
"Who said I was your nakama, Luffy?"
Once again, all eyes turned to the interloper. Surprise and distrust flowed around the group when they realized who it was.
"Nami."
"Nami."
"What are you doing here?" Nami asked coldly.
"What are you talking about? We came looking for you. We are nakamas!" Luffy answered.
"Don't make me laugh. We are not partners; I was just using you all to gain more money faster. That's it."
"So it was all a lie?"
"Yes."
"I don't believe you. Stop playing around and let's go."
"Tch. An idiot like always. See this?" She showed the blue tattoo on her left shoulder. "This is Arlong's mark; it means I am part of his crew. Understand. I have never been one of you, and I will never be. So leave; you have no business here."
"I thought you said you hated pirates."
"Uh?"
"When we first met," Ashley recalled, "you said that you hated pirates and that you didn't want to join us because we were pirates."
"Just another lie. I am good at them. Better than Usopp certainly."
"Fucking witch! Not only you killed him in cold blood, but you have the gall to badmouth him!" Johnny yelled furiously, getting even angrier when he saw that Nami didn't react at all at his accusation.
"Usopp got what he deserved for getting into someone else's business. If you are smarter than him, you will take the Merry and leave. I have no interest in it or your belongings. I just care about the money and treasures."
"Where is Usopp Nami?" Ashley asked her sternly. At her shoulder, Pikachu's cheeks sparked in agitation, giving her goosebumps.
"At the bottom of the sea. A water grave sounds fit for a proud warrior of the sea like him." She taunted.
"Fuck that!" Zoro lost his control and grabbed his sword, ready to cut her in half if she didn't start telling the truth.
"The hell are you doing, Roronoa!?" Sanji intercepted his strike with a kick. "What kind of swordsmaster raises a blade against a lady?"
"The fuck? Don't get involved when nobody calls you dumbass!"
"Let me guess, you are still sore about your defeat? Must have hurt your pride to lose against a little knife."
"... Fuck it. I will cut you first and then this witch."
"Stop it both of you!" Ashley got in the middle, not willing to let her friends attack each other over hurt egos.
"If you are going to kill each other, then do it somewhere else. Arlong is already pissed off at Zoro for attacking his men; he already declared that he will kill Roronoa Zoro and his companions. Leave and don't return. I don't want to see any of you again!"
Tense silence filled the area. They didn't know how to react to Nami's words. To her revelations.
PAAF
Luffy fell backwards without a word, ignoring the looks of worry and confusion sent his way.
"I'm going to sleep."
"WHAAATT!?"
"I don't want to leave, and I don't care what's going on. I'm bored, so I will take a nap." He explained with a straight face.
"Then do whatever you want, fucking idiot! Die if that's what you want!" Nami exclaimed before walking away in fury, leaving her former victims alone in the middle of the road, unsure of what to do next.
"We can't stay here. Arlong is on the warpath, and Nami is obviously a traitor. I know we have a debt to all of you, but after all that happened, we consider it paid."
"We don't want to die, so our paths will change here. Good luck, anikis! Aneue!"
"Bye bye."
"See ya."
"What should we do?" Ashley asked both men. "Luffy still wants Nami on the crew, but she wants nothing to do. And if she actually did kill Usopp, then I don't feel comfortable having her with us." Pikachu cuddled closer to his trainer, comforting her after such depressing news.
"Could she have done it? Nami-swan?"
"She is petite but tough. She could have done it."
"Petite?" Out of nowhere, Sanji got enraged, leaping from his seated position to attack the swordsman. "In what world are Nami's breast little!?"
"What kind of crap runs around your brain?" Zoro brandished his sword to protect himself.
Pikachu stared at the two idiotic humans his trainer called friends in disbelief. One of their friends could be dead by the hand of the other, and they were fighting about stupidities!?
Pikachu saw that his best friend was getting angry at her human companions. So, as the good partner he was, he acted in the only way he knew worked.
"Piiika-chuuuuu!" Pikachu released a Thunderbolt, shocking the cook and swordsman at the same time.
And the guy that jumped in the middle of the fight at the last second.
The guy that had black curly hair and a long nose.
And a slingshot.
"Usopp!?" Ashley cried out.
"Pii pika pi?!"
"Eh? Usopp!" Luffy woke up when he heard Usopp's name, happy when he saw his nakama alive. "AHH, Usopp! What did Nami do to you? What did she do to Zoro and Sanji?" Luffy was amazed. He would have never guessed that Nami would be able to defeat all three men at once.
His navigator was stronger than he thought.
"Eh, no, that was Pikachu. Sorry." "Pii." Both sheepishly rubbed the backs of their heads, embarrassed by the mouse's electric reaction.
"Wait. Johnny said he saw Nami stab you, and she never denied it! How are you alive?"
"Eh, Nami? Nami! Something is off with her! She saved my life. She stabbed her own hand and pretended to kill me. I only escaped from that place thanks to her." Usopp explained quickly how he played possum and used the pool inside Arlong Park to escape. Since the gyojins were beings that preferred to live on the sea, their pool was connected directly to the ocean.
"I don't get it." Ashley shook her head. "Why is Nami with those guys? It doesn't sound like she is actually one of them."
"I don't know. But whatever reason Nami has to be part of their crew must be a big one." Usopp wondered what made the orangette work with such bloodthirsty pirates.
He had seen the ruins of Goza Village. The cruelty of the fishmen pirates at those that failed or refused to pay the tribute.
Nami's actions were completely different from those of her supposed crewmates. She had saved his and that little boy's lives the best way she could. It didn't fit the method of Arlong's pirates.
"Don't bother. Nobody can defeat Arlong." A woman spoke behind them.
The woman was near Zoro's age, tanned, with short blue hair and swirling tattoos along her left shoulder that spread to her collarbone and formed a heart, ending in a simple swirl on her right shoulder.
"Who are you?"
"That's Nami's sister, Nojiko."
"Of course she is! Such beautifulness only belongs in Nami-swan's family!"
"You truly are useless, aren't you?"
"Wanna fight Mosshead?!" "Shitty cook!"
"Pikachu." Ashley simply said. The mouse began to release small sparks from his cheeks, making both men twitch in discomfort at the memory of his electricity coursing through their bodies.
Nojiko sighed deeply. "I will explain why Nami is with Arlong and why she can't leave. After that, you will never return. Got it?"
"No."
"Eh?"
"I don't care about her past or reasons. I just want her on my crew." Luffy stated. "I'm going."
"Going where?"
"Don't know."
Nojiko was baffled by whom she recognized as the captain of the strange crew her sister robbed. Nami had been exhausted mentally and physically after the crazy day they had, and it hadn't been so hard for the bluenette to get some details from her sister about the pirates.
She thought her sister exaggerated when she said that Luffy was dumb and weird.
"Leave him. That's how he is." Zoro told her. The swordsman got comfortable against a tree. "Feel free to tell the story; whether he hears it or not doesn't matter. His mind is made up." With that said, he let out a yawn and closed his eyes. In seconds he was snoring.
Nojiko eyed Ashley with suspicion. The blackhaired girl was already seated on a large rock; Pikachu cuddled against her chest. "Are you going to take a nap too?"
"Nop, just getting comfortable. In my experience, these stories are always heavy and emotional. Tissues?" She offered some to Usopp and Sanji, who declined with a shake of their heads. The trainer shrugged but left them beside her.
She wasn't lying when she said she had plenty of experience with emotional backstories.
Usopp and Sanji too got comfortable.
Once they were ready, Nojiko began her tale.
The story of a woman named Bellemere and the sacrifice she made to save her family.
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry for not being able to buy all the things you two deserved! I wanted to. All the books you wanted. New clothes. Everything and anything. Like a mother should. "
"I don't care! We don't want things! We want you! You are our mother!"
"Don't die! Please don't leave us!
"RAHHH!"
"Everyone fight! Save her!"
"Nami. Nojiko. I love you."
"BELLEMERE!"
"Bellemere-san." Nami murmured, the nightmare—no, the memory—rousing her from her sleep.
The navigator rubbed her eyes, pressing hard to erase any tears that might have leaked.
She couldn't cry. She couldn't. Not until she could gather the hundred million Berry and buy the village.
Then, then they would be free forever. They would finally put this awful nightmare behind.
"One more trip. Only one." She reminded herself of how far she had come and how close she was to completing the deal with Arlong.
Nami left the house and gazed at the orange field that their adoptive mother had planted and her sister still maintained. Before she could dwell more on her thoughts, something caught her attention.
'Marines? And Gen-san? What are they doing here?'
Her old father figure was recovered from the beating that Arlong gave him. He still had the awful scars from Arlong's original attack on the island, and his captain's hat still had that small windmill attached.
Next to him was a marine. A captain, based on his uniform. And behind both men, other marines followed.
"Chichi chichi. I am Captain Nezumi of the 16th division. You must be Nami the felon."
"Felon? That's insulting. I am a pirate. One of Arlong's officers, in fact. If you know Arlong, you are aware that he doesn't stand by when someone tries to screw up with one of his crewmates, less his officers." The only good thing about having his disgusting mark was the protection it gave her against the government.
"Chichi chichi. A pirate? I don't know anything about that. All I know is that a woman named Nami has been stealing from pirates and keeping the money on this farm." Nami felt dread creeping up her stomach. "While usually I don't care about thieves stealing from such scum, theft is still a crime. And any item obtained by such method must be confiscated by the government." Captain Nezumi grinned darkly at the absolute shock on her face.
"What?" She mumbled.
"Do I have to spell it? Bring anything you have stolen and present them now." When she didn't move, he barked orders to his men. "Bring the stolen goods here! Sack the house if you have to!"
"Yes sir!"
The marines began to move towards the house—her house, Bellemere's house. Nami immediately unfolded her staff and struck the closest marine, rendering him uncouncious easily.
"The hell are you doing?! The people of this island have been Arlong's slaves for eight years, subjugated and forced to pay for their lives every month! Do you know how many died of illnesses!? Starvation!? And you are wasting time catching a fucking thief?! What the fucking hell is wrong with you!?" Nami couldn't believe it. Why the fuck were they wasting time coming for her when Arlong was the bigger problem? In what universe was a thief more important than a pirate who came from the Grand Line?
"Sir! There is uneven ground here!" Nami struck the man who spoke. She couldn't let them get the money. She needed it! It was their only hope! It was..
"THAT MONEY IS TO SAVE COCOYASI VILLAGE!" Gen shouted furiously, enraged by the marines' disgusting actions.
"Gen-san?"
"I know Nami. Everyone does. Nojiko told us the truth shortly after you told her. We just played dumb to not burden you with our hopes. You already had too much on your shoulders." Gen faced the Nezumi. "Get it. That money is essential to free us from Arlong's tyranny!"
"Chichi chi. All I'm hearing is that the entire town knew about this little girl's crimes and decided to keep quiet in their greed. Maybe I should arrest everyone?" He asked with a sadist tone, never once losing his grin.
"What Gen-san is saying is that everyone in this town is fighting with all they have to survive, since we can't expect anything from the government! If you are not going to do your jobs and arrest the monster that lives on Arlong Park, then fucking leave and never return!" Nojiko showed up from nowhere, loudly berating the corrupt officers.
"These townspeople surely want to be arrested." Nezumi mused amusedly before becoming irate again. "Hey! What is taking so long!? Is one hundred million Berry! There is no way you can't find it!"
Nami felt her heart stop.
'How?'
"How do you know the exact number!? Who told you!? Did Arlong send you?!"
"Chichi. I am not at liberty to discuss such things. But does it matter? My job is to catch criminals. And thieves are criminals."
"Fucking bastards!"
"Since when has the Marine become the lapdogs of pirates!? You are spitting on Bellemere's grave!"
"This is getting annoying. Shoot them for interfering in an official investigation."
"Yes sir." The marines lifted their guns and pointed them at them, not an ounce of hesitation or regret on their faces. They were willing to kill three innocent civilians to cover up their crimes.
Nami's long-procured reflexes, born from eight years of stealing from pirates, saved her from the projectiles. Gen too managed to evade them.
Nojiko didn't.
"Nojiko!" "Nojiko!"
Nami and Gen grabbed the blue-haired woman, carrying her back to the village as fast as they could, leaving the marines free to plunder Bellemere's fields and steal their only hope of freedom.
The next few moments Nami felt like in a daze. Her sister was injured. Everyone knew about the deal she made with Arlong. Arlong. Arlong betrayed her. He rat her out to the marines. He fucking broke his word!
Nami didn't recall running. She didn't recall going all the way to Arlong Park. Her mind only focused when she saw the fucking traitor lounging calmly and relaxing on his fucking beach chair like nothing was going on.
Like he hadn't just broken his word.
"Bring me one hundred million Berry, and I will let you buy Cocoyasi Village from me. You can have all the time in the world to gather the money. But I want it all at once. Do it, and I will leave Cocoyasi alone forever."
"Do you promise?"
"I am a man of my word."
"ARLONG!" She shouted, enraged.
"What's wrong, my talented cartographer?"
"Your fucking pet marines stole my money! They shot my sister! Why did you send them!? We had a deal! You swore it, Arlong! AGH!" The gyojin slammed his hand around her face, covering her mouth and rendering her inmobile.
"Since when did I break my word? I told you clearly that day: Bring me one hundred million Berry, and I will let you buy Cocoyasi Village from me. I even said that you can take as much time as you want to gather it all. Just that I wanted it all together when you brought it to me." Nami felt tears form from her rage.
He was right. The fucking bastard was right.
He never promised to not steal it before time, or better to send someone else to steal it. And even if he did, she had no proof that he was involved. Hell, even if she had, what would it matter?
He was a pirate. And the marines were fucking corrupt.
"Seems to me that you ran into bad luck. But well. You will just have to gather them again! Maybe this time you will do it faster! Shashasha! And don't even think of running away. If you do, then every man, woman, and child on Cocoyasi will die. And it won't be a fast death."
Nami couldn't contain the tears flowing down her cheeks. He was never going to let them go. He never planned on it. He made the deal just to keep her contained. If he hadn't, then the villagers would have rebelled on the spot and died. And she would have followed them.
Because she couldn't live in a world where her family didn't exist.
Nami didn't answer. She just slapped his hand away and ran off, rushing towards the village. By now Gen would have already told everyone how the marines stole all the money she had gathered. How Arlong never planned on honoring their deal.
Eight years ago, they took arms in an attempt to save Bellemere and failed. The only reason they didn't die was because Arlong needed their money, and it was more beneficial for his plans to keep them alive and produce more Berry.
The past eight years she thought that everyone had lost the will to fight after her "betrayal." Now she knew that they had placed all their hopes on her.
And now that hope was dead.
Like she dreaded, a crowd was gathered in the center. A crowd armed with crude swords and pikes, bats, and spears. A crowd willing to fight to the death against the pirates.
"WAIT!" She ran in front of them, blocking their path.
"Please wait. I can do it. I can get the money. I just need more time. I. I." She panted breathlessly, begging them not to do it. To not walk to their deaths.
"Nami." Gen hugged her to his chest. "You did good. Great. Bellemere, your mother would be proud of you. You became a strong woman just like she wanted to. But you should have never been forced to carry our lives and hopes on your shoulders. I will always regret not being strong enough to save Bellemere. But I still can save her daughter."
Gen grabbed her shoulders and made sure to look into her eyes.
"I want you to leave this town."
"What?" She breathed out in confusion.
"You need to live, Nachan." Nojiko gave her a peaceful smile, as if she had already accepted that she would die. "You still have a dream to complete, remember?"
"We already stole eight years of your life, Nami. We won't take a second more."
"No. I won't let you." Nami brandished a knife. "I won't let you die!"
"Move."
"No."
"MOVE NAMI!"
Nami flinched, letting the knife fall to the ground. She fell on her knees, defeated and hopeless, while everyone she loved and cared for walked to their deaths.
Nami looked at her left shoulder, where Arlong's mark was branded. She remembered the dark sadistic laugh of the monster and how delighted he had been after killing her mother, after killing those marines, after seeing hope die on her eyes.
"Arlong." She snarled.
Nami grabbed the knife and stabbed his mark, all the time screaming his name in rage.
Once.
Twice.
Thrice.
She was going for a fourth when a hand stopped her.
Luffy.
"What do you want? You don't even know what's happening here." She sniffed.
"I don't."
"It's not your problem."
"It's not."
"I told you to leave."
"You did."
Nami cried. She didn't get it. Why was Luffy still here? Why hadn't he left? She had stolen from him. Yelled at him. Betrayed him.
And he still was here, in front of her.
"Luffy." She didn't know why she spoke. "Help me." She cried out.
A sudden weight landed on her head. With surprise, she realized that it was Luffy's straw hat. His treasure.
The rubber pirate walked a few feet in front of her, crouched, inhaled deeply, and then shouted:
"OF COURSE!"
Nami cried when she saw that Luffy wasn't the only one waiting there.
Ashley, Pikachu, Zoro, Usopp, even Sanji were there. All waiting for their captain's orders.
"Let's go." Luffy said seriously.
"Good!" They replied as one.
Ashley grabbed one of her pokeballs and threw it at Nami, who could only cry when she saw Talonflame land in front of her, using his beak to clean her tears.
"Anybody tries to harm her, you burn them." Ashley ordered the avian Pokemon.
"Flame!" The firebird confirmed her orders.
Seeing them willing to fight against Arlong and his men to save her after everything she did made her heart flutter in happiness.
For the first time in eight long years, Nami felt real hope that this nightmare would end.
Heads up, Nezumi is one of the marines I despise the most. Like I hate the guy. This rat will get his due next chapter. All Pokemon fans know what must be done. Hint hint