Author's Note: Before we begin, I want to first apologize for not posting another written chapter of this story in such a long time. Events that required my attention took hold of me, but that wasn't the only reason. I found myself lazy, claiming that I'd work on my writing but made up some excuse to not simply use my free time while it was there.

Luckily, family and friends had given me advice to use my time more wisely. With this, I hope to be putting out chapters more frequently. I want to say thank you to all those that continue to read and support me!

Yamato The Brave

Zoro let out a quiet grunt as he sat with his legs criss crossed. The binds holding his wrists firmly together behind his back was not comfortable to say the least. But he was fully aware that he would have to stay in that position for the time being. Being surrounded by a large quantity of fishmen that looked as if they wanted to tear him limb from limb on the spot was the only thing that kept him from attempting an escape. Each of them glared violent daggers at him. As if the mere presence of a human gave way to their anger.

After Zoro's so-called capture due to Yamato's recklessness and Ussop's lack of intelligence, the fishmen had brought him into their territory. They immediately began prodding him for answers. Mostly involving his presence on the island that they owned. And who else had arrived with him. Zoro was not so easily swayed into acknowledging their questions.

"I already told you, I came here looking for a single woman." growled Zoro, his eye twitching with agitation. "You half fish mutant!"

The fishmen snarled and bit at him. His confident demeanor angered them despite the fact that he was the one who was not in control. Zoro smirked when he saw that his insult seemed to have injured their pride.

"He insults us!" hissed Sharptooth, baring his sharp piranha teeth. "Let me tear his flesh!"

"No! Let's drown him!" another fishman yelled. "That'll make him lose that look! It's pissing me off!"

"Maybe we can tear one of his arms off and start beating him with it!" Gura, the large fishman brute, suggested with a mean glare.

Zoro raised a brow at each of the suggestions but then turned his narrowed eyes onto Arlong, who sat in his usual chair at the shaded entrance of the tower in the middle of Arlong Park. It was clear to Zoro that he was the fishmen in charge of the rest. The other fishmen stood around him like bodyguards.

Arlong eyed Zoro with a menacing smile, his eyes bloodlusted as they were currently locked onto the green haired human standing before him.

"Oh? An inferior human dares to insult me and my brethren? Removing your flesh from your bones doesn't sound like a bad idea after all!" hissed Arlong, his sharp teeth baring. "But I am a patient fishman. I will keep you alive. But just barely until we get the truth out of you! But if you ever call us half-fish again, I may just change my mind, and drown you at the bottom of our pool!"

The captain of the Arlong pirates leaned back in his seat as he continued, "We fishmen are superior to puny humans like you in every way. We're of a higher order! We can breathe while submerged in the sea! Our strength and agility exceeds yours tenfold! In short, us fishmen are the lords of creation! A human who defies fishmen is essentially defying nature!"

"What the hell is this guy talking about?" Zoro thought to himself as he allowed Arlong to rant.

Before Arlong could continue, a voice suddenly called out, "I'm sick of hearing you blab on about that stupid pet theory of yours, Arlong."

Zoro looked to the right and out of the shadows, stepped Nami. Her arms were crossed and she had annoyed expression on her face as she glanced at Arlong. Much to Zoro's surprise, the fishmen did not react to her presence violently as she walked to Arlong's side.

"Shahaha! No need to make such a scary face, Nami!" Arlong laughed. "You're a different case of course. The Arlong Pirates' prized 'Cartographer'. You make the most accurate charts! We'd be lost without you! Shahahaha!"

"Of course." Nami replied with a smirk on her lips, her face taking a more relaxed expression. "My brain's of a much 'higher order' than any of you."

"Cartographer?" Zoro repeated, his eyes narrowing. "Hey Nami. Why the hell are you so chummy with these guys?"

Nami's expression turned even more smuggish upon hearing Zoro's question. "I expected you to already guess that I'm part of this crew when I swindled you. But I gotta say, I didn't expect you guys to chase me all the way here."

She continued, bending down to Zoro's level to face him and spoke in a tone full of mockery. "And judging by your face, you still can't believe it."

"Is this your true self?" asked Zoro, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"I guess you can say that. I've been a pirate ever since we first met." answered Nami, her grin growing even wider. "I'm an officer for the Arlong Pirates."

Zoro did not muster words in response to the revelation. A loud chorus of laughter erupted over the plaza of Arlong Park. Each fishmen took Zoro's silence as a way to express his disbelief at being fooled by their cunning 'cartographer'.

"Shahahaha! She had you completely strung along!" Arlong cackled. "This girl right here would do anything for the sake of money! Even forget the death of her own parent! She's a real cold blooded witch!"

While Arlong continued his taunting, Zoro noticed Nami's body stiffen ever so slightly. Her smug gaze millisecond was replaced with a conflicted and almost sorrowful look. There was a soft and quick tremor in her eyes. Zoro raised one of his eyebrows when he had caught onto her change of demeanor. Even if it was for a short second.

"Tricking people to swindle them is like second nature to her!" continued Arlong, leaning back in his chair. "Moreover, she's got us as her backup—"

"Captain! Captain!" The loud cry of a fishmen called out to Arlong, interrupting his goading.

The fishmen in the plaza turned their gaze to the fishmen who called out to their captain. He stumbled into the plaza, but much to their shock, clothes were ripped and his face was filled with bruises and bleeding wounds. He limped to the middle of the plaza and quickly succumbed to the pain and fell flat on his face.

"What's the meaning of this?!" Arlong snapped, rising from his seat.

The fishmen tried to explain as quickly as he could while his comrades assisted him to his feet. "Captain! We've been attacked! There were others with the human that we captured! There was a long nosed one, but he ran away when I gave chase and I lost him!"

The fishman continued his explanation, his voice trembling with fear. "When I lost sight of the long-nosed one, I went back to help our brethren, but...but Captain, you wouldn't believe it! There was this...this monster with them!"

Arlong narrowed his eyes, trying to make sense of the fishman's panicked words. "A monster? Speak up, what are you talking about?"

The fishman swallowed hard before continuing, "She was a demon with horns! She may look human, but she fought like a beast! His voice cracked as he recounted the harrowing experience, fear palpable in his description of his attacker. "She wielded a massive mace and tore through our ranks as if we were nothing! She knocked out whole groups of us with single swings, and her strength was unbelievable! We were helpless against her, Captain!"

Arlong's expression turned dark, his teeth grinding together as he clenched his fists. "A demon with horns? What rubbish!" His voice boomed with anger, clearly displeased by the intrusion and disruption of his crew. "Looks like we've got some interesting pests to deal with! How dare someone even lay a finger on my fishmen brethren!"

While the fishmen began shouting and hissing bouts of violent words, Nami's eyes had widened in confusion. But within a few seconds, they shifted into terrified realization. Zoro had seen the way her brown eyes shifted back and forth at a panicked pace. Whatever plan she had for herself, was slowly falling apart at the seams.

Zoro couldn't help but smirk at the sight of it. He could easily tell by the description that the so-called 'demon' with horns that broke through the fishmen's ranks was Yamato. And that the long nosed one that got away was Usopp.

"Looks like things are about to get interesting around here," he chuckled, muttering under his breath, his fighting spirit clearly piqued by the prospect of an unexpected ally and the chaos unfolding.

"My fishman brethren!" Arlong shouted loudly. "Prepare for a skirmish! It seems someone doesn't understand the hierarchy around here! We are fishmen! And we rule this island! Let us go pay this unwanted visitor a warm welcome!"

A cry of agreement rose over the plaza. Fishmen, large and small rose from the pools of water either brandishing a sharp weapon that they already had on them, or rushing to get one that they had stored somewhere. Nami glanced uncomfortably as Arlong rose from his seat and grinned viscously. Sharptooh laughed, excited at the thought of finally sinking his teeth into an enemy. Gura, who had been sitting the entire time, rose to his feet with a deadly glare. His toned body towering over that of even Arlong and yet, he awaited his orders.

Arlong asked with a violent stare, "Which way did you see this…'demon' go?"

"The last we've seen her was in the direction of the human village!" The fishman answered swiftly. "We tried cornering her but she broke through our defensive formations! Some of our brethren are trying to still track her down!"

Arlong grinned. "Good, we've been meaning to visit Cocoyashi village for some business anyway." He spoke in a loud tone as he raised his hands in the air. "If we find this demon, we'll execute her right in front of the humans as an example to all who would go against nature! Let's move! To the human village!"

A loud cry of agreement rose over the plaza as the crew of fishmen followed Arlong out of the plaza and on the road toward Cocoyashi village. Nami stared at the group as they departed. Her eyes shifted over to the fishmen that were still posted inside the Arlong Plaza to keep guard of any intruders. She then shifted her gaze onto Zoro who grinned slyly at her.

"Judging by the look on your face, you know as well as I do that this whole situation is going to become even more complicated." Zoro said, glancing down at his rope bonds. "You gonna untie me yet, or keep me waiting?"

Nami narrowed her eyes and grabbed Zoro by the jaw, pulling him close. "Keep your mouth shut." She hissed before giving him a swift punch to the area that was wrapped in bandages.

A sharp throbbing pain shot up Zoro's spine. Nami's gesture forced Zoro to fall to his side, the sword wound he received pulsating with burning agony. The recollection of his wounds making him so susceptible to pain, angered the green haired swordsman.

Nami's action caused the other fishmen to glance over at her in confusion and then glare at Zoro who coughed from the pain.

The other fishmen glanced over at Nami, wondering what she had planned to do with her captive. She stared down at him, her teeth grinding together. Oddly enough, she let out a deep sigh and looked over at the fishmen.

"Lock him up for now!" Nami ordered, glancing at the other fishmen. "I'll put an end to his life later!"

※

In the vast forest full of trees and vegetation, the birds chirped in disarray as they were sent scattered by a loud thunderous collision. This anomaly was caused by Yamato. She had just finished sending a fishmen flying after swinging her mace into his chest. The impact sent the fishmen screaming as he collided with a tree, shattering the wood in the process.

The fishmen that were sent to track her down all laid on the floor, bloody and beaten. Their broken bodies scattered amongst the foliage. There had been only one fishmen left that stood in Yamato's way. He stared at her with trembling fear, holding his spear out like a talisman to keep a demon away.

Unfortunately for him, Yamato wasted little time to close the distance between them. Her mace was already pulled back to deliver a powerful strike.

"Stop right there!" The fishman shouted, his spear raised over his head, preparing to strike at her with a blow.

"Screw you!" Yamato responded in kind, swinging her mace at him with great force.

Yamato's mace collided with her opponent's face and the fishman was sent flying backward through the numerous trees and bushes of the forest. His body spun and spiraled until eventually, he came to a crashing halt against a large boulder. As the fishman sank to the ground and fell flat on his face, Yamato sprinted deeper into the forest.

The white haired Oni glanced in every direction, surveying the area to see if there had been any more enemies that she had missed. But she had not heard any sounds of someone shouting for her to halt or see any more enemies in her path. She had taken all of them down and none of them had come even close to matching her power. With a determined grin on her face, Yamato couldn't help but think back to her childhood memories.

The fishmen chasing after her reminded her of the days back in the land of Wano, the country of gold. She recalled the numerous nights of her declaring to the heavens that she was Kozuki Oden, and that she was going to open the country's borders in an attempt to fulfill his dying wish.

This declaration prompted her to escape the confines of her home and lash out on her father's own men. They made every attempt to stop her, trying to tell her to come back home, but she pummeled them with her mace and ran from them as they pursued her around the island. The same adrenaline and sense of defiance she had felt many years ago was all coming back to her.

Her so called moments of freedom were always halted by the likes of her father. She would always challenge him under the name of Kozuki Oden whenever he stood in her way. And every time, she'd be beaten severely to the point where she could not even stand. But this time, her father was not here. No one could stop her. Not even the army fishmen that had been attempting to stand in her way.

Though excitement and adrenaline filled her soul, she had not forgotten her current goal. She needed to find Zoro, who was most likely under captivity by the same fishmen that had been chasing her. But first, she needed to find the most likely location of where he would have been taken. As she rushed through the forest, she recalled the village she had passed earlier. She could have easily asked the residents of Zoro's whereabouts and why the fishmen were on the island and attacking them on sight.

But Yamato did not want to bring so much trouble down on the village. At least, not with so many fishmen on her tail. For now, she'd continue to explore the forest until she was absolutely sure that her pursuers had lost sight of her. Another happy giggle escaped her lips, the thought of exploring such a massive new island making her excited. The possibilities were endless.

"Looks like they lost me. I wish Ryuza-San could have seen that!" She laughed to herself, continuing to run forward, her sandals clicking against the ground and her white kimono waving along as she moved. "Don't worry Zoro-San. I'll find you. Wherever you are!"

While she ran she saw something unexpected. In a clearing of the forest, a few distances ahead, near a small watery pond were three children. Each of them knelt down near the pond, one with a long wooden stick and the other two with glass jars in their hands.

The kid with the stick, a boy, said with a smile. "The frog should pop out at any second, guys. I swear I saw it at this spot."

"You said that last time!" The second child whined, a girl with freckles and a bandage on her cheek. "And last time, it wasn't here at all! We stood here for hours!"

The third kid, a boy with glasses, nodded his head vigorously. "Yeah! And I already told you, it won't come out when we are standing so close to the pond!"

"Yes it will!" The boy with the stick argued, determined to prove his friends wrong. "Just keep those jars at the ready! It'll pop out! I'm sure of it!"

Seeing the three children made Yamato quicken her pace. This was perfect for her. She could easily ask them for directions without needing to get close to the village itself. As she ran faster, the ground around the kids rumbled like a miniature tremor. The water inside the pond began to vibrate and so did the small shrub bushes surrounding the three kids.

The frog that the children had been waiting for leapt out of the water with a croak of terror. The kids jumped at the frog, trying to grasp the slippery creature in their hands. Instead, they merely ended up falling on top of each other, failing to capture their target. As the frog leapt into the bushes and out of sight, the three children, despite their anger, realized that something was heading their way.

The three looked over in the direction of the noise and saw Yamato leaping out of green bushes and making her way toward them. Once she noticed that the three children had spotted her, she smiled widely and waved her arm at them.

"Hey! You three! Excuse me!" She yelled loudly, forgetting for a moment that her goal was to stay hidden. "I have something to ask you guys!"

"M-m-monster!" The second child squealed, her face turning pale at the sight of Yamato's sharp horns and intimidating height.

Yamato blinked in confusion as she continued to run toward them. "Huh?! I'm not a monster! Hey! Wait! Don't run! Come back! I just have a question!"

The three children fled from Yamato with terrified screams. Yamato, even more bewildered, gave chase to them. Why would they be running away from her? She figured that the three children must have lived on the island. Meaning they'd know what was going on and where Zoro may have been taken. The children continued to cry and shout that a monster was chasing them, leaping over logs and rushing through bushes as they fled.

The first boy, his stick still in his hand, lost his footing after tripping over a branch that was sticking up from the ground. He came to a tumbling halt, falling flat on his face. The two children that were with him continued to run, not noticing that their friend was calling out to them as he tried to pick himself up from off the ground. The child whimpered and tried to stand to his feet but then froze when Yamato's large shadow loomed over him.

Yamato panted as she finally had caught up to him. Once she wiped the sweat from her brow, she smiled down at him, her orange eyes practically shining.

"Finally!" She said, letting out a deep breath. "You guys are pretty fast! Now, I have a few questions! Can you tell me—"

Yamato was not given the courtesy of finishing her sentence, as the boy began screaming and crying and terror. His voice was high pitched enough to scare any remaining wildlife out of hiding and send them fleeing toward higher ground. Yamato leapt back at the sudden wailing of the boy. The boy stared at her as if she were a beast threatening to crush his bones, much to her confusion.

"H-hey now! Why are you crying? Don't cry!" Yamato stammered, unaware of what to do to stop the child's tears and whimpers. "I'm not gonna hurt you! I just wanted to ask you something!"

"You're a monster! You're gonna eat me!" The boy cried out, shaking and trembling as he stared up at her like a deer cornered by a predator. "You're gonna eat my arms and legs like from those scary stories the adults tell us! I know you are!"

Yamato was stunned by the child's claim. Although she quickly recalled that this was not the first time someone was intimidated by her stature. She remembered the times when she and her rescuer had arrived at a village after a long journey of fleeing and had decided to make it their home. She was only 9 years old at the time. Despite her young age she was much bigger than the average child.

At first, the children and even adults of the village had considered her presence off putting. Her horns and inhuman strength did little to ease the other children's worries. It was only after spending years there that the villagers had grown accustomed to her presence. That, and also a bundle of heroic deeds that she and her rescuer had performed to protect the village. During her time at the y here, she had to usually bend down to smaller children's levels in order to not frighten them. Yamato realized that this tactic would probably be best in her current predicament.

"Huh?! No! I'm not going to eat your arms and legs! I promise!" Yamato pleaded, bending down and sitting on her knees. "You have my word. I will not do anything to hurt you. See? It's okay."

Yamato did her best to put on a bright and happy smile to show the boy that she meant him no harm. The boy's teary eyes drifted up to stare at her and he sniffled and wiped his nose. His wails had subsided, which made Yamato nod her head in accomplishment. She'd give herself a pat on the back, but there were more important matters to attend to. She made sure to be wary and soft in her voice so that she would not scare the boy and force him to cry once more.

"Sorry about that. I didn't mean to scare you and your friends." Yamato said, scratching the back of her head with a sheepish smile. "What were you guys doing out here in the woods?"

"We were trying to catch a frog." The boy stammered out after taking a deep breath. He rose to his feet and rubbed his arm uncomfortably. "My friends didn't believe me when I told them that it was in the pond. But it hopped out after it heard you coming. We didn't get the chance to capture it though."

"Catching frogs? That sounds like fun!" Yamato said, smiling broadly with interest and trying to befriend the young child. "You know, me and my best friend came across this yellow spotted frog on another island that we visited while traveling the seas."

"A frog, with yellow spots?" The boy repeated, his eyes growing wide with surprise at the thought of such a rare looking frog.

His tears had stopped flowing from his eyes, which made Yamato smile even more.

"Yep! It was very small, but very fast!" Yamato giggled, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "I bet there are tons of frogs out there that people have probably not even seen yet! The one we saw had great agility!"

The boy blinked vigorously then puffed out his chest in an attempt to look brave in front of the oni. "Y-yeah! And one day I'm gonna catch them all! Including the very rare ones! I'll even catch the ones all the adults say that don't exist! And my friends are gonna be super jealous!"

"That's right!" Yamato said, nodding her head vigorously as she laughed. "I bet you'll be able to catch a ton of frogs one day! You should see such a goal to the end!"

The boy smiled but then slowly began to frown. "I…I want to. One day. But the fishmen here won't allow me or my parents to leave the island."

Yamato's smile faded and was replaced with a curious frown. This was exactly the type of information she wanted to hear. Maybe now she would finally understand what was going on and why the fishmen attacked her and friends and also why there were so many. Feinting curiosity Yamato continued to gently pry for information.

"The fishmen?" She repeated, tilting her head to the side.

"Mhm! The mean fishmen are always coming to our village and stealing our stuff!" The boy said angrily, kicking at the rocks near his feet. "They won't let us leave the island! They're mean! My parents said they are bad people and to stay away from them! Especially the mean one with the long nose that lives in that big tower."

"What big tower?" questioned Yamato, leaning in further.

"The super tall one at the edge of the island!" The boy answered. He turned and pointed off in the distance toward a tall tower that could be seen through the trees and foliage. "It's a very scary place! My parents always tell me to never step foot in there! And that I shouldn't even look at it!"

Yamato gazed at the tower and her eyes widened in realization. "The tower! Of course!" She exclaimed, remembering the tall structure that had letters on it that spelled 'Arlong Park'. "That must be where they are holding Zoro!"

"H-huh?! What's a Zoro?" asked the boy, tilting his head to the side. "You aren't going there, right? We aren't allowed to go there!"

"Sorry, but I have to. My friend is in trouble and I have to help him." Yamato said, rising to her feet. with a determined nod and smiling down at the boy. "Thank you for your help! But please, don't tell anyone you saw me here. Promise?"

"H-huh? Uh…okay. Promise." the boy answered , nodding his head up and down vigorously.

Yamato flashed one last happy smile before dashing away, leaving the boy to stare at her curiously. She leapt through the trees, and rushed past the bushes. Her orange eyes were locked on the tall tower of Arlong Park. She was fully aware that there'd be a large number of fishmen who would try to stop her. But she didn't care. She'd pulverize anything that stood in her way.