I do not own One Piece
It is owned by Oda
I just own the OC's
Enjoy!
Arlong Park opening: Ft. - Funkist, Fairy Tail OP 3
Cocoyashi village, once ruled by 'Sawtooth' Arlong with an iron fist, decided they were gonna party for 3 days straight as they were all finally free from the Fishman's rule. Everybody danced, drank, sang, and ate until they were couldn't anymore. Nojiko sat alone on a bench as she drank from a tankard. She gave a satisfied huff with a small smile on her face.
"Nojiko!" the voice of Cabo rang out as he ran to meet her.
"Hey, you," Nojiko greeted.
"Have you seen Arlong Park, Nojiko?" Cabo asked excitedly. "It's totally smashed to pieces!"
"I know, it's great," Nojiko agreed with a grin.
"I have to meet the guy who did that!" Cabo exclaimed. "He must be totally awesome! I heard he's still in our village! Do you know where I can find him?"
"Unfortunately, you'll have to wait," Nojiko stated. "The guy who beat Arlong is currently getting patched up by the doctor."
"Oh, really..." Cabo seemed a bit worried but Nojiko gave him a reassuring smile. "Is he gonna be okay?"
"He'll be fine, he's strong," Nojiko winked. "Once he's all fixed-up, I'll introduce the two of you," she stated as Cabo's smile brightened, excited that he'll get to meet Jou. "But in the meantime, I can introduce you to one of his friends. He's the one that sent Moomoo soaring through the air with a huge throw."
"Really!" Cabo grinned. "Then he must be really strong, too, if he's able to send that monster flying! Which one is he?"
"The guy with the straw hat," Nojiko pointed out. She found Luffy eating every morsel of food he can get his hands on. Luffy was too busy stuffing his face to notice others staring at him and saw how big of an appetite he had. Luffy stuck a whole piece of meat in his mouth but soon found himself choking causing him to turn green(My first thought was "he's turning into the incredible hulk").
"He seems kinda weird..." Cabo sweat-dropped.
"Hard to believe, isn't it?" Nojiko replied as she took another swig of her drink.
Nako spent a good few hours patching up the ones with more serious injuries. Johnny and Yosaku slept in beds sleeping like a couple of happy children. Jou was unconscious in a bed, too. He had to have been tired due to how hard he fought against Arlong. Nako bandaged Jou's shoulder as that seemed to be the most critical wound he's got. Nako learned the reason Jou passed out was due to an ability that he has, once Jou uses it a total number of times, his body completely shuts down.
Meanwhile, Nako's current patient was the green-haired swordsman who was busy screaming in agony. Nako was astonished that this guy was even still alive with a huge cut across his body that was currently being sewn closed.
"You dumbass!" Nako exclaimed. "Did you think this would he'll on its own?! Seriously, pirates are supposed to be smarter than this! Don't you have a ship's doctor?"
"Doctor? Never thought of that! Good idea!" a certain straw hat agreed. Luffy was at the open window with a piece of meat in his hands.
"Luffy...?" Zoro muttered.
"But we need to get a musician first," Luffy mentioned.
"Why's that?" Zoro questioned.
"Because Pirates really like to sing," Luffy stated matter-a-factly.
"That's true..." Zoro said. "But why's that first?"
"I think Jou would agree with me," Luffy smiled. "Right, Jou?" he looked in the direction of the sleeping look-out. "Oh, he's still asleep. Hey, old guy? Where's Nami? I haven't seen her around."
"Well then..." Nako thought for a second. "There's only one place she'd go."
Nami sat in front of Bell-mère's grave with a smile on her face. She was accompanied by Genzo, as he hung back to give her space. For once, her smiles were filled with joy now that she was free from Arlong. She thought about what she could do next now that she and her island were free. Nami already had an inkling of what she wanted to do.
"Why are you still here, Nami?" Nojiko's voice rang out. "Your friends have been looking for you." Nami turned her head as she gave Nojiko and Genzo a smirk. Nami could at least pitch to them about what she wants to do.
"Hey, Nojiko, Genzo..." Nami started. "If Bell-mère were still alive and I wanted to become a pirate, do you think she'd let me do it?"
"What do you think!?" Genzo exclaimed in disapproval. "Of course she'd never let her precious daughter go out to sea with a bunch of treacherous pirates!"
"Yeah, she'd let you," Nojiko said with a smile to herself.
"Nojiko!" Genzo continued to argue.
"But if she had said no, that wouldn't stop you, would it?" Nojiko asked. Nami cheekily stuck out her tongue.
"Nope!" Nami agreed with a grin.
"I see," Genzo muttered pulling down his hat. The man that watched Nami grow up belted out in laughter.
"What's up, Genzo?" Nojiko frowned at the man.
"You certainly are Bell-mère's kids," Genzo commented. "Nami, you've already made up your mind about this..."
Nami's mind was already made up. She was going to go sailing the seas with Jou, Luffy, and the others. Just the thought of going on an adventure with her friends to make her dream come true made her beyond happy.
"There's no use fighting it," Genzo remarked. "Live your life. It's what Bell-mère would've wanted."
Jou's eyes opened as he blinked them a few times to focus his vision. He found he was laid in a bed and felt the need to get up. Jou grunted as he felt a slight pain in his left shoulder which was where he'd been bitten.
"Ow, dammit..." Jou groaned. "Should've known I'd feel this once I woke up. Thanks a lot, Arlong."
"He finally awakes!" Jou turned to the source of the voice and found the village doctor, Nako. The older man approached the bed as he stared at Jou with eyes covered by sunglasses. Jou had to admit, they were pretty cool shades.
"Hey, doc..." Jou greeted as he carefully leaned from the bed. Jou noticed his shirt was missing and found his shoulder was freshly bandaged and wrapped securely.
"Be careful, you might not be able to move that arm too well thanks to that bite in your shoulder," Nako explained. "You'll be fine. The bones in your shoulder were fractured but it'll heal as good as new so long as you don't exert yourself." Jou gave the old doctor a nod.
"That's great news," Jou said.
"Although..." Nako continued. "There will be scaring. I did what I could but I'm afraid you'll have to get used to them." Jou got up and stayed seated on the bed with his feet on the floor. He touched his bicep and let out a sigh. Jou was fine with having a lasting scar. It was a reminder that he brought Arlong down for Nami.
"It's worth it," Jou nodded.
"In that case..." Nako replied as he made his way in front of Jou. Jou wasn't prepared for the village doctor to place a hand on Jou's wounded shoulder. Jou even felt him give a light squeeze causing Jou to grind his teeth and shiver in pain.
"Jackass..." Jou gave a low growl. "What's your deal, old man?" Jou watched the doctor take off his glasses, showing a fierce look in his eyes.
"Let me make one thing clear to you..." Nako spoke. "Nami seems to care about you and those friends of yours a great deal. As a doctor, I just don't know where to heal, I also know where to make it hurt. I've known Nami ever since she was just a baby and if you ever hurt, Nami, you'll be in for a world of pain. You got it?"
Jou knew where the doctor was coming from. He had a feeling everyone in this village must cherish Nami a lot. They cared about her happiness and well-being and put that first. Jou understood and promised Nako.
"Your message was loud and clear, doc," Jou nodded. Nako released his shoulder and stepped away. He grabbed a grey t-shirt and threw it at Jou who caught it with one hand.
"Put that on, apparently that's yours," Nako said.
"Really?" Jou questioned. It had to be one of his spare shirts.
"Nami came by and brought it for you," the doctor explained. "Said something about you two being even. She came by a number of times just to check on you."
"I see," Jou said as he stared at the shirt in his hands.
He wondered if this was the same shirt he gave Nami when they fell into the ocean when she tried strangling him for leaving that treasure back in Orange Town. Jou chuckled at the memory. It was hard to believe that was only a few weeks ago. Jou managed to carefully put the shirt on without any help and gave Nako a grateful smile.
"Thanks for the patch-up," Jou stated. "I appreciate it. You're a good doctor. You ever thought about being one for a small group of rookie pirates?"
"I'm too old to go sailing on the ocean," Nako dismissed the idea as Jou chuckled. "If you don't mind, now that all my patients are fixed up, I'm gonna go join the festivities outside."
As the doctor left, Jou heard the noise outside once Nako left out the door. There definitely had to be a party going on. Jou tugged on his combat boots and found his chains nearby and secured them around his wrist. He made his way out of the doctor's office as most of the people that had been partying saw Jou and grinned once they saw him.
"Hey, it's our savior!"
"He's finally awake!"
Jou was immediately crowded by almost every single villager as they dragged him over to one of the many tables that were covered with multiple platters of food and enough booze to knock out an army. Jou knew Luffy must be in heaven with this amazing food spread and was probably making the cooks for the party work for it. Jou was brought to the front of the table as a villager shoved an empty tankard in his hands and a female villager filled it for Jou with a wink. Jou rubbed the back of his neck nervously as most of the attention was on him.
"Go on, drink up hero!"
"I'm not a hero!" Jou snapped back. "You guys know I'm a pirate, right?"
"We know that! But this whole party's happening because of you!" Jou realized arguing was futile and rose the mug to his lips with a smirk.
"Ah well..." Jou said and chugged the booze in a few gulps. Forget pacing himself, with all the near-death experiences he's had so far in this journey, he was gonna take full advantage of Cocoyashi's hospitality. The villagers cheered as Jou sighed contently after the drink. Jou laughed with the cheering villagers as he wiped the leftover booze from his mouth. The crowd around him dispersed as they went back to their own partying. Before leaving they told Jou he can have whatever he wanted since he's the 'hero'. Jou didn't care as long as he got to sample every bit of booze at this party. Jou browsed the alcohol portion of the table and looked over what different kinds were available to him. Jou felt a tap on his good shoulder and saw the face of Nami's sister.
"Hey," Nojiko waved.
"Oh, Nojiko," Jou said as he faced her. He noticed a young boy was with Nojiko, her arm around the boy's shoulder. "And who's this?" Jou gestured toward the kid beside her.
"This is Cabo," Nojiko introduced. "I thought the two of you should meet since he wanted to see the guy who beat Arlong."
"Really?" Jou said as he knelt to Cabo's level and smiled. "Hi, Cabo. I'm Jou. Kusari Jou."
"Did you really beat Arlong?" Cabo wondered. "You don't really seem that strong."
"I don't, huh?" Jou chuckled. "I sure did. I even have a scar to prove it." Jou pointed to his bandaged left shoulder. "So, what? You were just curious as to what the guy who took down Arlong was like?"
"It's just, well..." Cabo looked at the ground sadly. "Arlong killed my daddy and I just wanna know if Arlong suffered just as much when he took my daddy away from me."
Jou's eyes widened when he heard that. How many parents did Arlong kill to make kids like Cabo and even Nami suffer such a loss? Just the thought of that made Jou think he probably should've finished Arlong permanently, but killing definitely wasn't Jou's style and he wasn't gonna start now.
"Arlong won't be able to hurt anyone anymore," Jou claimed with a shake of his head. "Not after I got done with him. He won't kill anyone else's parents ever again."
"Really?" Cabo questioned with tears starting to form.
"Really," Jou nodded and touched Cabo's shoulder.
"I wish I was strong and brave like you," Cabo sniffed.
"Being strong and brave have nothing to do with each other," Jou dismissed with a smile. "People become strong through hard work. But bravery can come from anyone and it doesn't matter how strong you are. You understand?"
"Y-Yeah..." Cabo nodded as he wiped his tears.
"Good," Jou said as he put his hand out for a handshake. Cabo wiped away the last of his tears and took Jou's hand. Jou shook hands with Cabo and heard an approving chuckle from Nojiko. Cabo said bye to Jou and Nojiko and watched him run over to play with the other village kids.
"Strong and good with kids," Nojiko commented as Jou looked at her with a raised brow. "I can see why Nami likes you."
"What?" Jou wondered what she meant by that. "Speaking of, have you seen Nami? Apparently, she came by to see me while I was still conked out. Know where I can find her?"
"You're looking for Nami?" Nojiko asked. "I haven't seen her in a while. I'm sure she's around somewhere."
"I see," Jou said. "Thanks a lot." The front of Jou's shirt was grabbed by Nojiko's hand as she pulled him close to her face. The scary part was her lips crept into a wicked smile.
"Listen here, buddy..." Nojiko whispered. "Nami's my one and only sister, and as her big sis seeing her happy is something I take absolute pride in. If you take away that happiness from her, I will hunt you down and kill you. You got that?"
Jou gulped a lump down his throat from the threat. Nojiko was Nami's sister so of course, she would make it clear to him about Nami's happiness. Jou wanted Nami to remain happy, too, so the best he could do was promise her that he would.
"I got it," Jou said. "I promise Nami's happiness won't be taken away." Nojiko seemed to accept that as she released his shirt.
"Glad we have an understanding," Nojiko remarked as she lightly tapped Jou's face a few times. "Enjoy the party."
Nojiko sauntered away which left Jou standing alone. Twice now, two people, that Nami was important to have told him they'll kill him if something happened to her.
"I need a drink," Jou decided with a weary sigh as he searched for something decent to drink. By some stroke of luck, Jou found a bottle of West Blue whiskey on the table. He picked it up and looked at it, and lucky him, it hasn't even been opened yet.
"Why is this here?" Jou wondered but decided not to question it. Jou found Zoro sitting alone and watching the villagers party like there's no tomorrow. Jou swiped two empty tankards off the table and made his way over to the swordsman who saw him approach.
"Yo," Jou greeted with a wave.
"Oh, hey Jou," Zoro noticed and took note of the whiskey in Jou's hand. "Whatcha got there?"
"Ah, I was thinking after all the close calls we've been through..." Jou said. "I thought we could have a drink together. You down?"
"Sure," Zoro smirked. Jou took a seat beside Zoro and handed him one of the tankards. Jou started to remove the cork with his teeth. "What kind of booze is that?"
"This beauty right here..." Jou muffled and managed to yank out the cork and spat it somewhere on the ground. "Is West Blue Whiskey. It was a favorite of my mom's since she's from the West Blue." Jou poured the drink into his and Zoro's tankards. "Cheers." Jou rose the tankard out to Zoro with a smile.
"Cheers," Zoro smiled back as they clanked mugs and drank. Once they finished drinking, the two gave a pair of content sighs. "Stuff's not half-bad."
"Told you," Jou agreed. "Refill?"
"Hell yeah," Zoro said. The tankards were soon re-filled as Jou and Zoro shared another drink together. This moment brought Jou to remember something that happened some time ago which caused him to laugh.
"You know, I just remembered something," Jou stated.
"What's that?" Zoro questioned.
"Remember when I said I'd buy you a drink when Nami and I left after you fell down that oil slick at Usopp's home island?" Jou reminisced with a chuckle. "Remember?" he heard the low groan from the swordsman.
"Very much so," Zoro remarked as he seemed to glower at the memory.
"I didn't purchase this drink or anything since everything here is free," Jou stated as he swished his drink around. "But I suppose this is close enough and makes us even."
"I guess you're off the hook," Zoro sighed. "No point in holding petty grudges."
"Thanks," Jou said. "You know, after all the crazy situations we ended up in so far, it makes me wonder if we'll end up in even more once we get to the Grand Line."
"Being on Luffy's crew..." Zoro mentioned. "It's bound to happen."
"Like I said before..." Jou smirked. "Where's the fun if there isn't a little danger."
"Heh," Zoro chuckled in agreement. "I'll drink to that." The two clanged their mugs and took a drink at the same time.
"Boy, am I stuffed," the voice of Sanji was heard as he took a seat across from Jou and Zoro.
"Hey, Sanji," Jou greeted the cook. "I only saw one of the tables, but they got food everywhere at this party."
"Yep, it's a nice change from not having to cook," Sanji stated. "So, how are you feeling Zoro?"
"I'll be okay," Zoro replied. "I think all I need is a little bit of rest."
"That's good," Sanji smiled. "What about you, Jou? That shoulder giving you trouble?"
"Not as much as you'd think," Jou replied with a shrug. "As long as I don't move it a lot, it's fine." Zoro looked out amongst the crowd of partying villagers.
"Seriously, how much longer can they keep this up?" Zoro wondered in disbelief. "It's been three days now."
"Can you blame 'em?" Jou asked. "They're just happy to be free. Is that so wrong?"
"Nothing wrong with that," Sanji agreed and took out his lighter and a cigarette."Smoke 'em if ya got 'em." From out of nowhere came their crew's captain carrying all the meat he can hold.
"Hey, captain," Jou said with a wave.
"Jou!" Luffy muffled through the meat in his mouth. "You're awake!"
"Just woke up a little bit ago," Jou smiled. "I figured you would be enjoying all the free food that's spread around."
"Hey, Sanji!" Luffy addressed the cook. "Where'd you get that melon you had? I wanna give it a shot!"
"It isn't polite to talk with your mouth full," Zoro scolded the captain.
"Wow, that's the last thing expected from you, Zoro?" Jou wondered as Zoro rose a brow at him. "If I didn't know any better, you sound like your Luffy's mother."
"Shut up," Zoro grumbled
"Hahaha!" Jou chuckled in response.
"I don't know," Sanji answered the straw hat. "It was raw ham melon with raw ham on top."
"Raw ham melon?" Luffy repeated. "Tell me where you found it!?" Luffy sounded as if he were interrogating the cook.
"I can't," Sanji stated. "The whole town is basically one giant buffet. Good luck finding it." And like a flash Luffy was gone, he went so fast it was like he disappeared.
"He ran off," Zoro said as he took a drink.
"Three days of stuffing his face," Sanji commented.
"I suppose I'm not the only one who thinks Luffy's stomach must be a bottomless pit," Jou suggested with a grin.
"You're not wrong there," Sanji and Zoro said in unison.
"Now that my belly is full..." Sanji sighed as he dowsed his smoke in the ground. "Time to dance." Sanji ran off to dance with a huge group of girls. Jou and Zoro both shook their heads but smiled in amusement at the cook. Jou downed the rest of his mug and put it on the ground.
"Rest of the bottle is all yours, Zoro," Jou stated as he stood on his feet. "I'm gonna stretch my legs and take a walk."
"Alright, see ya," Zoro gave a nod to Jou.
Jou made his way through the partying villagers. Everyone was drinking until they passed out and ate until their bellies were full. They even played all sorts of games, too. Ring toss, bobbing for apples, all-you-eat contest, and all-you-drink contest, etc. Jou found Usopp who was on a mountain of stacked tables and sang how he bravely beat a Fishman as everyone praised and sang along with him. Johnny and Yosaku were amongst the crowd, the bounty-hunting duo dancing with the other villagers.
Jou smiled as it appeared everyone needed a chance to relax. He still wanted to find Nami and hoped to spot her out in the crowd. While staring about, Jou wasn't looking where he was going and bumped into someone.
"Hey, watch- Jou?"
"Sorry, about that," Jou apologized. "I didn't mean-" Jou noticed the person he walked into was Nami. "Nami, hey. I was just looking for you."
"Funny," Nami smirked at him. "I was actually just looking for you."
"Really, why?" Jou wondered.
"Nojiko found me and told me you were asking about me," Nami shrugged. "Figured I'd come and find you."
"Well, here I am," Jou smiled. "Now that you found me, what's next?" she seemed to think on the idea and continued to smile at him.
"Walk with me," Nami said as Jou grinned at her.
"Sure," Jou replied. "Lead the way."
Nami led Jou out of the village as they walked up the hill. It was awfully quiet as they strolled together side-by-side and neither of them said anything until Jou broke the silence.
"This is quite the stroll your taking me on," Jou wondered. "Mind telling me where we're going?"
"We're going to my house," Nami stated.
"You mean house you grew up in?" Jou asked.
"Mmhm," Nami hummed. "That's right."
"Can't wait to see what it looks like," Jou remarked. They finally reached the top of the hill and were soon at Nami's childhood home. Jou seemed impressed by it as he let out a whistle which caused Nami to chuckle.
"This your house?" Jou wondered. "Nice looking place."
"Yep, this is it," Nami nodded. "This is where Nojiko and I grew up with Bell-mère raising us." Nami grabbed Jou by the arm which caused him to raise his brows at her. "Over here, I want you to meet someone." she led him over to Bell-mère's grave as they stopped before it.
"This must be Bell-mère, isn't it?" Jou wondered.
"Sure is," Nami nodded.
"She meant a lot to you, did she?" Jou asked.
"She raised, took care of, and protected me," Nami mentioned as she kept her eyes on the grave.
"You must miss her," Jou figured.
"Is it that obvious?" Nami questioned.
"Nothing wrong with it," Jou shrugged. "The way Bell-mère was there for you reminds me of my own mom."
"You only told me a little bit about your mom," Nami stated as she looked at him. "That she died when you were 9-years-old when pirates attacked your village."
"You remembered when I said that?" Jou wondered with a smile.
"Of course I did," Nami grinned at him. "How could I forget that horrible game you came up with?"
"Well, excuse me?" Jou held up his hands in surrender. "I thought it was a good idea at the time..." Jou murmured as he rubbed the back of his head as Nami giggled.
"You mentioned pirates attacked your village," Nami said. "How could I forget about you telling me that when that's how I lost Bell-mère."
"Get ready, I'm about to you the story about my mother," Jou said.
"You don't have to if you don't want to..." Nami voiced. "I'm not gonna force-"
"No, I want to tell you," Jou shook his head. "It's okay. I already know your whole story, thanks to Nojiko. It's only fair that you know mine." Jou let out a sigh. Nami wanted to stop him from saying more but at the same, she wanted to know what happened. "Just like how Bell-mère raised you, my mom, Becky raised me. We were a small family, so it was just the two of us. Before I was born, she used to be a pirate..."
"A pirate?" Nami eyes widened at the new information. "Your mom was a pirate?"
"That she was," Jou nodded. "Remember back on Usopp's island, I talked about a she-pirate I knew 10-years-ago? Well, my mother, Becky was that pirate."
Nami put it together since it all lined up since Jou would have been the age of 9 when his mom died. So it was exactly 10-years-ago today. It's terrible because Jou already lost his mom before Bell-mère was killed and he's older than Nami by 1 year.
"Long story short, pirates arrive on my home island and raid my village," Jou continued. "The captain of the crew was an old enemy of my mom's. They found her, believed they killed her, and then decided to kidnap me. My mom came to my rescue aboard their ship, my mom decided to light the ship on fire before we made an escape. An "eye for an eye", she said. The captain stopped our escape short. The captain's ship went up in flames and my mom used that so I can escape. I watched as the ship blew up with my mom still onboard."
"Is that how she died...?" Nami wondered.
"No," Jou shook his head. "She survived the ship exploding but her wounds were severe. My mom was strong, she held on for a few days until the wounds became too much to handle. Before she died, she gave me this chain." Jou held up his left arm with the red chain around his wrist. "She told me to use it to protect myself and to protect my friends, the friends that have a dream just like me. Told me she'd always love me and then... that was last we ever talked. My last memory of her."
Nami turned her eyes to Bell-mère's grave with a sad look. Maybe she and Jou were more alike than they'd like to admit.
"I'm so sorry, Jou," Nami apologized solemnly.
"You don't have to be sorry," Jou told her. "It happened a long time ago-"
"How could I not be!" Nami raised her voice which caused him to jump. "It's not fair that pirates like Arlong and that captain you talked about take our mother's away."
"But that's why I didn't despise pirates like you did," Jou stated. "Because my mother was a pirate, and now I'm a pirate. Strange how things turn out. Bottom line is, mothers will do anything to defend their kids and that's what my mom did for me and that's what Bell-mère did for you and Nojiko, defended you two." Nami smiled warmly at Jou and turned to Bell-mère's grave. He was right about that.
"Yeah," Nami nodded. "She did." a gentle breeze blew through the air which went in Nami's hair. She put a hand through her hair to keep it down. Nami noticed Jou gazing at her and smirked at how he looked right now.
"You alright there, Jou?" Nami wondered.
"Y-Yeah, just fine," Jou said and was probably trying to play it cool and cleared his throat. Nami thought for a second and decided to tell Jou what she planned the day the crew leaves.
"Are you-"
"I need to-" Nami said as they spoke at the same exact time, it caused the two to start laughing.
"Sorry," Nami got her laughing under control. "You go first."
"No, no," Jou shook his head. "You go ahead. I didn't mean to cut you off."
"I wanted to tell you that I decided I'm going to set sail when you guys leave," Nami mentioned with a smile.
"Are you serious?" Jou asked as a smile spread across his face. "That's great! That's just-I mean, that's amazing. It'd be awesome if you were with us and I'm sure Luffy wouldn't want it any other way." Nami smiled at Jou's giddiness, her coming back to crew seemed to excite him. "And well, I was thinking if you didn't, to me, it just wouldn't be the same without you."
Nami sent a smile Jou's way. It made her happy knowing that Jou gladly welcomed her back to the crew.
"But since I told you..." Nami said. "Don't tell Luffy and the others that I'm going with." Jou rose his eyebrow until she smirked. "I want it to be a surprise. You promise?"
"I promise," Jou smiled. "I'm gonna head back down." Jou started walking off. "See you later." Nami didn't want him to leave just yet as she had something else she wanted to say to him. Nami grabbed him by the arm and stopped him. He turned to look at her but Nami's head was down and her hair covered her eyes. "Nami, what's wrong?"
Jou gasped as Nami yanked him toward her in a hug as Nami's arms were thrown around his neck.
"I'm sorry for how I treated you," Nami stated.
"Why?" Jou wondered. "What for?"
"Remember, when I saw Arlong's wanted poster, I kept telling you to mind your own business," Nami began. "And then, when you were right about everything, about my situation with Arlong, I hit you. I'm just wanted to apologize for how I've been treating you and..." Nami gasped as Jou put his arms around her waist and held her close and lifted her, Nami's feet barely touched the ground.
"Stop," Jou whispered in her ear which caused a shiver to spread through her body. "I knew you were sorry for what you've done but you don't have to be because I was never mad at you to begin in with."
Tears started to fall from Nami's eyes as she buried her face in the crook of Jou's neck. She let out a breathy sigh as she calmed in his embrace.
"I still can't get Arlong biting you out of my thoughts," Nami said softly. "Me, just standing there feeling powerless to do anything and you, screaming out in agony is something I never want to hear or see ever again."
"If I was going to get hurt fighting Arlong, it was bound to happen eventually," Jou stated and pulled back from their embrace and took her hands in his own. "Besides, I'm not the only one who came out of this whole thing with a scar." Jou looked at Nami's own bandaged left shoulder. "You don't need to worry about that anymore." Jou gave her a smile. "We can move on now. Don't you think so, too?"
Nami wiped her tears and smiled at Jou. Nami didn't know what came over her to do this. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed Jou on his right cheek. It was the spot where she hit him not long ago for about 3 seconds.
"I'll never forget what you've done for me," Nami murmured in his ear before pulling away. "And you better take full responsibility for this."
"S-Sure..." Jou stammered. Nami almost laughed when she caught the faint red on Jou's cheeks. They released each other's hands hesitantly. Nami walked past him and started on her way down the hill. "Where are you off to now?"
"I need to go to talk to Nako real quick," Nami mentioned.
"The doctor?" Jou wondered. "What for? Is it about your shoulder?"
"It is, yeah," Nami smiled as she had a new brand new idea.
"You seem like you've got something planned," Jou smirked with crossed arms. "Mind filling me in?"
"Nope," Nami stuck out her tongue. "It's a surprise. Good night." she gave him one more smile as she started her way down the hill.
"Night," Jou said and watched her leave until she was out of sight. Jou touched his right cheek where Nami kissed him. He felt his face heat up as a smile crept on his face. Jou's eyes widened and literally shook whatever thoughts out of his head.
No, no... Jou thought. I don't know what compelled her to do that but I wouldn't want to take advantage of it. It probably didn't mean anything. I wouldn't want it to ruin our friendship. But I do really enjoy talking to her. I feel like we have... a connection? No! Stop! But what if-
Jou continued to think about what he felt his relationship with Nami truly was until he ultimately realized Nami just kissed him on the cheek while they were pretty much standing in front of her mother.
I don't think she noticed she did that in front of Bell-mère... Jou mused. Nami probably knew what she was doing.
While Jou was here, he decided to say a few words to the woman who raised Nami. Jou used to talk to his mom's grave all the time and would picture what she would say to him. It's going to be tough since Jou never met Bell-mère but he was going to give it a try.
"Hi, there," Jou waved. "I just wanted to say to you that I think Nami's wonderful. Feels like she knows how to surprise me every time. She and I didn't get along much at first, but I feel like we have an understanding now. But that doesn't mean I'll take it easy on her. Gotta be consistent and mess with her for my own enjoyment." Jou chuckled. "But what I'm trying to say is that you did a great job taking care of her. I know we never got to officially meet, but from what I hear you seem like a pretty cool lady, one I wouldn't mind having a drink with. Also, for some reason, I feel like I've met you. I just can't tell how that's even possible?"
Jou's notion on that was paused as he wasn't alone long since Genzo came by shortly after. The man had a quiet look on his face as he noticed Jou.
"Hello there," Jou greeted the village leader.
"Hi," Genzo nodded. Jou felt like he was in his way or something and rubbed the back of his neck.
"I was just about to leave..." Jou said.
"No, no it's alright," Genzo assured. "Stay if you want." he sighed. "I just came to talk to an old friend, that's all." Jou found the bottle in Genzo's hand.
"You gonna give her a drink?" Jou asked with a smile. The villager nodded and made his way to Bell-mère's grave and poured down the cross as the alcohol cascaded into the soil.
"Bell-mère..." Genzo began. "Your daughters are strong young women now. You'd be so proud." He finished pouring down the cross and grinned. "It's like I'm standing right in front of you again. We're not going to waste a single moment now. So much has been lost. Every one of us has had to make terrible sacrifices. Which is why I don't care if I look like a fool. I'm happy for the first time in a long while."
"Well said," Jou smirked as he waited until Genzo's speech was done. "I think she heard every word." Jou didn't see Genzo had another bottle with him as he pulled the cork out. The village leader took a long swig out of the bottle. He sighed and passed the bottle to Jou. Jou was surprised at first as he stared at him but got the nod of approval from the village leader. Jou snatched the bottle, chugged and wiped his mouth after he finished drinking.
"Hey, I wanted to talk to you..." Genzo spoke as he looked at Jou.
"Hmm?" Jou wondered with widened eyes. "Okay, what did you want to talk about?"
"It's about Na-"
"RAW HAM MELON!" Jou looked to his right and saw his captain and smiled.
"Hey, Luffy!" Jou called. "Still no luck finding those raw ham melons, huh?"
"No, I can't find 'em anywhere!" Luffy muffled through the meat. "Have you seen the raw ham melons, Jou?"
"Nah, sorry captain," Jou stated as he shoved a hand in his pocket. "You won't find any here." Jou took another drink from the bottle.
"Then I guess I'll go back-" Luffy said as he turned to leave.
"BE QUIET!" Genzo shouted as Luffy turned and finally noticed Bell-mère's grave.
"A grave?" Luffy wondered. "Did somebody die?" Luffy didn't know this was Nami's mother's grave, then again, Luffy didn't hear the story.
"Yes, a long time ago," Genzo muttered.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Luffy apologized. "I give you my conveniences. Wait, my sincere compliments. No, my darkest condiments..." Jou couldn't help but give a quiet chuckle in his hand but decided to help his captain out.
"I believe the words are deepest condolences, captain," Jou corrected.
"Yeah, right," Luffy nodded. "Thanks."
"No problem," Jou said taking a sip from the bottle.
"Listen, you two..." Genzo spoke. Jou noticed the somber tone in the man's voice. "I know Nami's going away with you. She's got her mind set on becoming a pirate and that's dangerous business. And I'm fine with that, it can't be helped. But if any of you ever do anything to hurt her, I will kill you."
"We're not gonna hurt her..." Luffy answered.
"Of course not..." Jou shook his head. "That's the thing we don't ever want to do." Genzo turned from the grave to peer into the eyes of Jou and Luffy.
"YOU SURE?!" Genzo rose his voice as it caused Jou to drop the bottle in his hand. Jou noticed the hard stare Genzo gave him and his captain. He wanted assurance that Nami will be fine with them.
First the doc, then Nojiko... Jou listed. And now him. They really care a great deal about Nami. Makes sense as they've known her for a long time.
"You have my word, sir," Jou nodded. "I get where you're coming from. You only want to know if Nami will be okay with us? I can promise you she will. Nami's strong enough to protect herself but you can bet I'll be there whenever she needs help. With us, she can make her dream come true." Jou put out his hand for a handshake. "I promise that smile of hers won't be taken away as her happiness is more important than anything."
Jou had to be truthful and honest in what he said to Genzo. The man just wants to know if Nami will be in good hands with them. Genzo nodded with a stern expression and took Jou's hand and the two had a firm handshake as a promise was made between them. A promise is a promise after all.
After her talk with Jou, Nami went to Nako and was in his office. She was lying face down on a bed without a top. Nami asked Nako if he could take care of the tattoo on her shoulder. If he could get rid of it.
"I'll do my best," Nako tried to assure. "But you do realize this is a tattoo. There's bound to be some scaring leftover when I'm done." Nami gave a mirthless chuckle.
"I was stupid," Nami expressed. "I knew it wouldn't come off." the tattoo from Arlong was a reminder that he believed she was his to own. But remembered a certain day, after Nami escaped from a group of pirates and stole their treasure, she went back to her house and saw Nojiko with her own tattoo's claiming she was just like her. It was a fond memory as they each shared a laugh that day. Nami smirked and thought about the surprise she mentioned to Jou earlier.
"Hey, doc?" Nami said. "I think I want a new tattoo." she lifted a sheet of paper in-between her fingers. "Something like this?"
The next thing Nami had to wrap up was to head back to her home. Nami stuffed all the treasure she had into a sack and left it there for the Cocoyashi villagers to have. Nami stood in her childhood home and it brought old memories of her, Nojiko, and Bell-mère. Nami had an odd feeling that someone was watching her. She turned and saw Bell-mère, sitting at the table with hands clasped in front of her, smiling at her. Nami knew it was only her imagination, but smiled at the vision of her mother.
"Well, Bell-mère..." Nami started. "We finally made it. It took 8 long years but we're finally free. The village and me. It's just like you told us when we were children, "Be brave and smile and nothing will be able to stop you". So true. Arlong's gone and now everybody is so happy to be free." Nami turned to face Bell-mère with a smile. "And me, I'm finally gonna leave this island. But don't worry, I'll be okay. I'm going with good strong people, like you. And this last map..." Nami stared at the rolled piece of paper clutched in her hand.
"And this last map is all that I have left to remind me, but none of that really matters anymore, right? Cause now, I'll start again and every map I draw will be for me. Nobody else. Oh, you see!" Nami couldn't contain the excitement in her voice. "This time when I see the world it will be with all of my friends. You know that's what I've always wanted. Anyway, I'm just trying to say goodbye." There was sadness in Nami's voice. "I don't know if I'll be back." Nami held tight to the map and wiped a tear from her eye as the imaginary Bell-mère was gone from the table.
"I'm going now," Nami declared. "Okay." Nami made her way to the doors. As she opened them, she felt something give her a shove out of the house. Nami gasped as she looked behind her and saw nobody around. Nami figured that shove was from Bell-mère who was really there listening to her which made Nami laugh happily.
The day finally came when the crew was gonna set out from the Conomi islands and continue their adventure. Jou was back to wearing his standard outfit. His cardigan was fixed by an older woman that lived in the village. Jou thanked her as the woman suggested she could set him up with her granddaughter. Jou politely declined the offer but thanked her again for fixing his clothes. Zoro climbed up the rope ladder while holding a crate.
"That's the last one, right?" Usopp asked as he took the crate from Zoro.
"Yep," Zoro said as Jou gave the swordsman a hand and pulled him aboard the Going Merry.
"We got everything?" Luffy wondered.
"Yep!" Usopp answered.
"Alright!" Sanji declared. "We're stocked up with everything we need. I think we're good to go."
"You know, we only been on this little island for a few days but it feels more like a lifetime," Usopp voiced.
"Heh, you said it," Jou agreed.
"Yeah," Luffy chuckled. Johnny and Yosaku stood by their ship with their arms crossed.
"We can't thank you enough for everything you've done for us," Yosaku expressed. "But we gotta go back to our regular jobs as bounty hunters."
"So, this is goodbye," Johnny added. "I hope we get to meet again someday."
"See ya around," Zoro smirked at his old friends.
"Good-bye!" the bounty-hunting duo bid farewell to the pirates. They were going back to hunting pirates and also decided to reside on the island.
"Now it's time for us to get going!" Usopp suggested.
"But we can't leave yet!" Sanji affirmed. "We gotta wait for Nami!"
"Well, maybe she's not coming," Zoro said.
"What? Why not?!" Sanji shouted at Zoro. "If you tried to hit on her again I swear I'll break your freakin' neck! You got it!?"
"Why would I do something like that?" Zoro questioned.
"She might not even be coming," Usopp figured. "After all she has achieved her goal, Nami doesn't have to be a pirate anymore, she might be better off if she stayed here with all her friends and family."
Jou silently smirked to himself as he knew Nami was definitely going to sail with them. He kept it a surprise as was her request last night. It was fun to listen to the others be clueless about her coming with them when Jou knew her true intention.
"What about me, dammit!" Sanji shouted. "Without Nami on board, I have like 98.72% less reason to stay with you people on this stupid pirate ship!"
"Hey, I'm still upset with you about the raw ham melon!" Luffy reminded the cook.
"Relax," Jou said as he nudged Sanji's shoulder, causing the irritated cook to growl at him. "She'll either not come or she won't. But that's up to her." Jou shrugged nonchalantly. "Though, she did tell me something last night."
"L-Last night...?" Sanji wondered as his visible eye went wide.
"Yeah, you see she and I-" Jou spoke until Sanji snatched him by the cardigan. Jou's eyes widened as Sanji glared directly in his face.
"YOU BASTARD!" Sanji shouted.
"What did I even do...?" Jou questioned as he thought what had Sanji all riled up.
"How dare you take away Nami's innocence!" Sanji yelled. Jou sweat-dropped at Sanji's ridiculous accusation. Jou put it together and figured what the cook was implying. Jou's cheeks flushed as he remembered the small kiss he received from Nami which just made the cook press him for answers even more.
"I knew it!" Sanji exclaimed. "I see the red all over your damn face! Just because you're the big hero, you just took advantage of her, huh?" Jou sighed and took Sanji by the wrists and didn't like pretty much being man-handled by the cook.
"Take your hands off me, jackass," Jou said. "Nami and I only talked the other night," Jou explained but decided to have a little fun with this. "Or did we...?" Jou nudged his eyebrows a few times. "I did just beat the guy that pretty much kept her prisoner for 8 years, so who's to say she didn't thank me rather... profusely."
"Why you...!" Sanji growled as Jou smirked at how visibly upset he seemed. Jou saw Luffy, Zoro, and Usopp snickering in the background. Zoro especially seemed to be loving the fact that Sanji was piping mad over this. Jou looked over the side of the ship and saw the girl that was being talked about.
"Check it out, it's Nami," Jou pointed.
"Don't try to trick me Nami's presence," Sanji was too angry to notice. Jou rolled his eyes and turned Sanji's head as the cook noticed the girl in question. Sanji quickly shoved Jou and ran to the side of the ship. Jou adjusted and smoothed out his cardigan. All the villagers noticed Nami as well. She stood all the way at the hill, her hair shadowing her eyes.
"SET THE SAILS!" Nami demanded and it was at that time Nami made a sprint toward the Going Merry.
"I don't get it?" Usopp wondered. "Why is she running?"
"She said to set sail," Luffy said. Nami continued her dash toward the ship.
"No!" Genzo exclaimed. "She's planning on leaving without letting any of us thank her or say goodbye!"
"Set sail!" Luffy announced as the guys did just that as the sail unfurled. Zoro lifted the anchor as the Merry began to sail from the dock.
"Wait, don't go!" a villager shouted as he pointed at the ship. "They're leaving!"
"Nami! Stop!" Nako called. "At least let us say goodbye!" Nami ignored the doctor's plea and kept running. It was at this time, she picked up speed but the villagers continued to try and stop Nami but went unlistened by her.
"Nami, come back here!" Genzo tried getting through to her. "You can't leave this way!"
"So, you sure you wanna let her leave like this?" Sanji questioned Luffy.
"Not my decision," Luffy stated. "She does what she wants."
"I'm certain she's got her own reasons for doing it like this," Jou added with a smirk. The villagers tried to block Nami off. But Nami was too quick on her feet and easily wove through the villagers and made it through the entire crowd.
"Nami!" Nojiko shouted and this time tried to stop her sister from leaving.
Nami paid no attention as she easily sprinted past Nojiko, Genzo, and Nako and made a giant leap toward the Going Merry and safely landed on the deck. Nami stood to her full height and lifted her white t-shirt which allowed a large assortment of wallets to plummet out from underneath. All the villagers' jaws dropped as they realized that they have just been pick-pocketed.
"The cat-burglar strikes again," Jou smirked at her. Nami chuckled and sent a wink at Jou. She turned and kissed the berri bill in her hand and smiled at the villagers.
"Thanks a bunch!" Nami exclaimed.
"YOU BRAT!" Genzo yelled in anger.
"Great," Usopp grumbled. "She hasn't changed a bit."
"I'd watch my back," Zoro suggested.
"Hahahahaha!" Jou laughed as he made his way beside the sniper and swordsman. "What's up, guys? That wasn't funny to you?" Sanji gave an approving thumbs-up to Nami as Luffy chuckled as well.
"You lousy pickpocket!" Genzo called to Nami. "We'll miss you! Hey, you two!" Genzo's attention was toward Jou and Luffy. "Remember what I told you! And you better remember you made me a promise!" Jou remembered what he and Genzo agreed on and gave the village leader a grin.
"And I intend to keep that promise!" Jou replied. "We shook on it, after all!" Jou gave a two-fingered salute. "You all take care of yourselves!"
"You can count on us!" Luffy gave a thumbs up. "So long!"
"Goodbye, everybody!" Nami waved bye to her fellow villagers. "I'll miss you! Take care!"
The crew sailed away from the Conomi islands where Nami's home of Cocoyashi was. Despite believing they had to keep a close eye on their own pockets, they were happy to permanently have her back on the crew with them. Nami was a handful but she is their navigator and most importantly, no matter what issue they had, she was their friend.
There we go, folks! We have now completed the Arlong Park arc. I know this story hasn't been around long but I just want to say thank you to everyone who's currently reading. I am also glad people enjoyed the fight between Jou and Arlong last chapter. A lot of positive feedback on that and that makes me believe I did a good job.
This story is also close to exceeding the number of followers the last story had(although I still sometimes get notifications for that one)
Whether you're an old reader from the last story or a new reader for this one, there is more of Jou's story to tell and I am very excited to share it with you guys.
The next chapter might be released sometime after Christmas or New Year's. We'll see depending on how things go.
I'll next you guys next time.
Later!