Chapter 17. The end of Arlong. 30 million and the city of Alpha and Omega!
The villagers were shocked as Arlong simply laughed at what he said, claiming that he tried to kill him earlier during the eight years they've been together. She has to be aware that mere humans cannot kill him.
Arlong told Nami that she won't kill her and that she can't escape from them. Therefore, she will be her surveyor forever, but as a man of good character, he wants her to be her surveyor by her own will. He offered that he would kill everyone here except Nami unless she comes back as one of his leaders. The ones she would kill would be Sanji and Zoro since they went too far.
He asks who she is friends with. To the? From them?
"How dare you...?! How could you think of yourself as his 'friend'?!" Thalia yelled with her electric blue eyes blazing, her friends agreeing with her.
Nami tried to think carefully about her words, acknowledging that everyone's life is in her hands. Meanwhile, the villagers argued that no matter what she chooses, Arlong will not give her any freedom.
Nami pulled the brim of the straw hat over her eyes, reminding herself that she shouldn't doubt Luffy. A loud chime can be heard as a spider crawled towards the captured butterfly.
The audience braced for what she would do.
Nami suddenly turned around and apologized to the villagers. She asks them to die with her. Just as the butterfly escaped from the spider, the villagers gave a loud cheer and agreed to fight with Arlong looking on.
Relief washed over the demigods. Hestia smiled, though he was worried about what Arlong would do to them now.
Under the water, Nojiko kept praying for Luffy to stay alive, punching him in the chest. His hand trembled, then suddenly grabbed his arm.
On the surface, Luffy released a fountain of water, letting everyone know that he is finally awake.
"Finally!" Ares yelled in delight as the teens cheered him on.
"And the cement?" Athena pointed, causing everyone to feel disappointed, just as they were about to see hope.
Sanji and Zoro were able to get to their feet, but slamming his sword, the swordsman declared that he wouldn't last more than 30 seconds.
Nami was relieved when the cook quickly jumped up. Arlong noted that there was no fountain here, and wondered if he was the rubber man. He took a step towards the water, but with a swing of his sword, Zoro was able to stop him from going any further.
"Will 30 seconds really be enough?" Clarisse thought, listening to Annabeth whisper curses at Arlong. while the sea gods looked coldly at the Fish Man
Sanji swam towards Luffy's weights as Nojiko struggled to get the rubber man out.
Arlong told Zoro that Devil Fruit users are supposed to lose their energy and powers in the ocean and die. Even if he is still alive, the fish man thought that he "spoiled this game".
Gen asked Luffy if he was alright. Luffy is, but he wonders where his cool pinwheel went.
Some of the gods laughed at the necessary levity, especially at Gen's angry response, as Artemis slapped her face, and yet at the same time, she couldn't help but laugh, just a little.
"Even when he faces danger," she began, he "he can still joke around and laugh."
Zoro thought that this was not a fair game to begin with. Still, Arlong needs to check out the obstacle. The fish man told him to get out of the way, but Zoro stood his ground.
Out of nowhere, he fired an egg at Arlong, but he was able to block most of the splatter with his hand.
Johnny was proud that Usopp acted so bravely. It was then revealed that Usopp was fighting from a distance, from the hole in the wall.
"...Well, bravery doesn't always last." Apollo sighed, though he didn't seem too disappointed.
Still, Nami was glad to see the sniper when Usopp happily proclaimed that he defeated one of the leaders. Arlong realized that it was Chew that he defeated.
Turning back to Gen and Luffy, Gen asked the rubber boy if he could escape on his own, but Luffy bluntly said that it was impossible.
As Sanji swam, Johnny and Yosaku cheered for Zoro. Seeing what they were doing, Usopp planned to stop Arlong from moving and reached into his bag.
At that moment, Hachi started to get to his feet, determined not to let his rivals get away with it.
"Damn, why don't these guys learn to stay dead?" the God of War complained.
"Brother, I'm pretty sure he wasn't dead to begin with." Athena said annoyed by her brother's scathing comments.
"Yeah, sure."
Usopp called out to Arlong, about to launch his powerful rubber band attack until the fishman ignored him, saying that Zoro would be the first to be killed for getting in his way. Usopp was quick to cheer Zoro up, pretending he wasn't going to attack to begin with.
The giggles began.
"Oh yeah, a rubber band would have brought it down." Artemis said sarcastically, though impressed by Usopp's accuracy.
Zoro swung his sword, aiming for Arlong's serrated nose, but somehow, he was able to withstand the attack. Arlong bragged that his nose is unbreakable and said that if Zoro had all the strength in him, he could have scratched himself.
"Really!? Even his nose is strong?!" Hephaestus's jaw dropped.
"Now this is getting ridiculous." Zeus said, seeing how Arlong was able to push back Zoro's swords.
"What a spoilsport." Junior commented, ignoring the looks from Zeus and Hephaestus.
Yosaku panicked at Zoro's situation. Then Johnny notices that Hachi is up, but for some reason, the octopus man is trying to defend himself.
He widened his eyes, groaning at how he thought the rubber band was going to fly at him.
Everyone was shocked, even Usopp. Still, he tried to play it off like it was something he had planned, he thought Nami pointed out that he yelled for Arlong.
Another round of giggles.
"Okay, I admit it. That was fun." Hephaestus gave Usopp a golf clap.
"If only the Titans were that easy to fool…" Hades sighed playfully.
Hachi jumped into the sea, planning to crush Luffy. Zoro was distracted by that, giving Arlong enough leeway to use his sharp nose to stab Zoro.
"Zoro!" The demigods gaped at the sight of blood flying around them.
After their looks passed, Sanji swam down as fast as he could while Nojiko paused momentarily at the sight of the cook. Sanji made a sign to leave the rest to him, but Nojiko's eyes widened, now seeing Hachi swimming towards them.
Nojiko swam past Sanji, allowing her to notice Hachi sending her a frenzy of punches, who was trying to defend Sanji.
"Nojiko!"
"No, you can't hurt yourself after all you've been through!" Tyson yelled.
Back on the surface, Arlong held Zoro by the neck, unimpressed by how quickly the battle was over.
"Argh, it seems to be getting worse and worse!" Groover ruffled his hair.
Arlong wondered about Zoro's bandages, reaching for them and ripping them off. Blood splattered over him as Zoro screamed in pain.
Both Arlong and the Olympians were horrified by Zoro's scar.
As blood dripped down Zoro's feet, Arlong was horrified at how he could still be alive, bow still standing.
Gods and demigods alike shuddered at Zoro's Mihawk wounds.
Those seams don't look like they belong on a human. It seems that they barely hold two halves of a human being together.
"Shit... I knew Mihawk did a good number on him, but how bad?" Ares's daughter whispered.
"And he was allowing her to live." Percy exhaled, his big eyes glued to the negative image.
"And we haven't even been to the Grand Line yet." Junior spoke, focused on what was happening.
Staring into the swordsman's eyes, Arlong interpreted them as those of a dying man, a man who needs to put him out of his misery here and now.
The fish man stopped when Zoro let out a laugh. He recognized that if a person stays still, his wounds do not open. Arlong agreed, wondering if Zoro finds his situation amusing, but… Zoro wasn't talking about himself, he was talking about the 'Octo-Man'. They will win this game.
Back underwater, Hachi suddenly bleeds out from his wounds, turning the water red.
The demigods cheered the success.
For a moment, Nojiko and Sanji stared at what had just happened, but the cook reminded himself that he had to get back to work.
With a single kick, the cement around Luffy's feet broke, allowing him to finally be freed.
Luffy was practically thrown into the sky by the force of the throw. Everyone gasped at the revelation.
"I'M BAAAAAAAAKKK!" he roared.
Los semidioses aplaudieron junto con los aldeanos y algunos dioses sonrieron, contentos de que Luffy finalmente pueda luchar contra Arlong ahora.
"Oh finally!" Ares groaned, though he couldn't resist the wide grin plastered across his face.
"...Oh God...!" Zoro whispered fearfully as he saw Luffy reach out and grab his past by the back of his shirt.
"ZORO! CHANGE NOW!" He called out to Luffy before launching Zoro in a random direction.
"...Pfffft...!" Apollo and Artemis buzzed his lips.
"...AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Athena laughed as she fell backwards. "AH! OH! OH, MY SIDES! AHAHAHAHAHA!"
Soon, the others joined in laughing at her hapless swordsman... even Thalia, who kept laughing uncontrollably. However, all the humor was soon gone when they saw Luffy about to attack Arlong.
"It's okay!" Luffy exclaimed as he jerked his head back. "Gum-Gum... BELL!"
BONG! His head landed squarely on Arlong's jaw.
"AND WHIP!"
He stuck out his leg and kicked Arlong in the side.
"BULLET!"
He punched Arlong in the stomach.
"AND NOW... GATLIIIIIIING!"
Soon, he sent Arlong to the ground in a flurry of rapid blows, much to the surprise of the townspeople, as well as Nami, who had come to join them just then.
"Wow, that must hurt" said the son of Poseidon closing his eyes, but smiling.
"Alright, he beat it!" Tyson exclaimed.
"Not quite, little cyclops," Themis replied. "This was only the first round."
"Hey?" Tyson muttered before looking up and to his surprise, Arlong sat up straight!
"What was that?" Arlong asked. "Were you trying to do something, boy?"
"HEY?!" The cyclops questioned.
"Somehow, I knew I wouldn't go down so easily!" Clarisse exclaimed. "It didn't even faze him!"
"How powerful is this Arlong?" Grover asked.
"He's a Grand Line pirate. Of course he's strong, he's just overconfident." I speak Junior.
"He was," Luffy said as he cracked his knuckles. "He was just warming up, that's all."
"Shahahahaha!" Arlong laughed. "How tenacious, you human scum, hang on to your stubby little teeth... but you would have been better off dying peacefully at the bottom of the ocean!"
"Well, I'm glad my friends got me out of there," Luffy said as he stretched his arms from side to side.
"...You really don't understand why I'm so upset, do you?" Arlong asked. "I just had to watch my dear comrades get defeated by human worms like you! Keep playing with me and I'll make sure to make you wish for death."
"Yes of course!" Percy yelled. "Luffy would never lose to someone like you!"
"I'm with Seaweed Brain, although I don't like Luffy very much, he is a very good person and a formidable warrior."
"Tell me," Arlong began, "do you know the difference between you and me?"
"Our noses," Luffy replied, still cracking his knuckles, which seemed to irritate Arlong greatly. "Our chins?"
"...Are you serious?" Hephaestus asked.
"Sometimes, I wonder," Nami replied with a deadpan tone.
"Or...webbed fingers?!" Luffy asked as he pointed at his hands.
"No..." Arlong answered before lunging at Luffy. "OUR SPECIES!"
He then tried to take several bites at Luffy, who jumped back with each bite, but then, Arlong grabbed him by the neck and pinned him against a stone pillar.
"Oh no!" the Goddess of the Hearth wept before covering her eyes, to the concern of her brothers and sisters. "I can not look!"
"Me neither!" Aphrodite wept as she also covered her eyes.
Just as Arlong was about to bite Luffy's neck, the Straw Hat Captain grabbed her own head and pushed it away, causing Arlong to bite the spine instead of him. However, when he did, the column shattered.
"By the Elysium!" Hera exclaimed.
"Wow, he tore that thing apart in one bite. That was...impressive, I admit." Dionysus added.
"Hey," Ares shrugged. "I hit a lot harder than that guy. Although that thing about crushing a column with my teeth... Even if he's a mortal, it's unbelievable."
"Oh!" Luffy screamed as he managed to free himself from Arlong's grasp. "That was awful!"
"If Arlong had really managed to get those jaws on Luffy, they would leave more than just bite marks. He would have ripped a good chunk out of him!" Athena said.
"Superhuman strength is the birthright of all Fishmen," Arlong boasted. "The heavens did not smile on the puny in that regard. You humans are inherently inferior to us Fish Men! From the moment of birth, an unbridgeable gap separates our kind!"
The gods, even those of the sea, scoffed at that comment.
'You keep thinking you're perfect.' their children thought wryly.
Overtaken - One Piece OST
"And that?!" Luffy asked. "That's nothing!" He then hit the rest of the column that Arlong had bitten off. "Who says you need strong jaws to break stone?"
Behind Luffy, he could hear Johnny and Yosaku laughing at Arlong, who got even angrier.
"There's no point in arguing with you," he said before attacking Luffy. "You humans are a weak and foolish species! You sink like rocks in the ocean! What can you do?!"
"I may not be able to do much," Luffy began as he picked up two machetes, "but I have friends who will have my back!"
"Hey?" asked the God of the Forge intrigued. "Don't tell me that boy knows how to use a sword."
"Hell yeah!" said Ares. "My champion knows how to use the sword!"
"Tch, don't trust yourself. Even if it were, I doubt it, Roronoa has a greater ability" Athena growled.
Soon, Luffy started swinging and slashing the swords… well, more like waving them around wildly, and he missed Arlong every time.
"...I take it back."
An arrogant smile appeared on Athena's face, while Annabeth sighed.
"Even so... What are you doing, Straw Hat!?" bellowed the King of the Gods, thunder could be heard on the horizon. "You have no idea how to handle steel!"
"¡¿Qué estás haciendo?!" preguntó Arlong, inconscientemente de acuerdo con Zeus, con una sonrisa. "¡Estás balanceando esas espadas salvajemente!" Luego sacó un machete de las manos de Luffy con los dientes. Sin embargo, eso no lo detuvo, ya que el chico agitó la otra espada hacia Arlong, quien también destrozó la hoja con un solo mordisco.
"Enough of this nonsense," Arlong hissed, only for Luffy to spin around and hit him right in the jaw, the force of the blow powerful enough to break his fangs!
"Take it already!" Thalia cheered. "Did you see that?! He broke them!"
"Seriously, I want to fight him!" Ares's daughter said enthusiastically.
"Don't celebrate yet, dear stepdaughter," Themis said. "I have a feeling this is just the beginning."
"AAAAAAAAAGH!" Arlong cried out as he held his mouth. "MY TEETH! YOU BREAK MY TEETH, YOU BASTARD!"
"Haa...haa...haa...!" Luffy gasped before straightening up. HOW HELL WOULD I KNOW HOW TO USE A SWORD, YOU FOOL!
Huh?" The God of Thieves muttered. "What is he talking about?"
"I'm a terrible sailor," Luffy began, "I can't cook...and I definitely can't lie!"
"Hey," Usopp muttered offensively.
"Don't complain, it's the truth." I speak The Goddess of the Calm Seas.
"I'm not a god either, nor do I have any goat parts!" Luffy continued, causing confusion among the villagers, but surprising the Olympians.
"Seriously, why did he think the only thing special about me is my goat legs?!" The Faun asked, annoyed.
"I know this a lot," said Luffy. "I know that I need others to HELP me if I want to continue living!"
Both gods and demigods stopped at his words and how honest Luffy is. On the part of the demigods, of course they have weakness in their abilities. Even being children of the gods, they are not invincible, they learned that the hard way in many moments of their short lives. The incident at the Sea of Monsters, Daedalus' Labyrinth... THE TARTARUS, in Percy and Annabeth's case... all these events tested them both physically and psychologically and emotionally. On the part of the gods... surprisingly, they nodded. As much as they didn't recognize it, there were times when they couldn't do everything on their own. Zeus was the one who most understood this situation; his first defeat at the hands of Typhon perfectly represented Luffy's words.
... And yet there is another thing to bluntly admit that you have flaws and that you need people by your side.
"He's so...confident." Hermes concluded.
"He's humbler than us in that regard, in my opinion." said Demeter. "It's a good trait."
"I don't think you really know how limited you are." spoke the Goddess of Wisdom, unable to speak. She was surprised by this unusual act of maturity from the rubber pirate. For their part, the demigods were impressed. Luffy was the same age as him even if his mental age was more than a child... and they liked that he was humbling the gods, even though the latter had no idea.
"Shahahahahaha!" Arlong laughed. "You're pretty smart, aren't you? Admitting how helpless you really are, even with your delusions about gods. What a burden it must be for your so-called friends to have an idiot as a captain! I don't know why they fight so desperately to save you! You lack the slightest shred of dignity and skill! What makes you think you can be a pirate captain? What can you accomplish?"
"I can kick your ass!" Luffy smiled, to the delight of his crewmates and the villagers.
At this point, Luffy and Arlong continued to have their fight. By now, Arlong was using his own disconnected teeth as weapons, but the Olympians were quite surprised when Luffy used one of the fishmen as a living shield. However, they did not think too much about it. Just a moment of despair at best and he probably didn't even realize what he was doing. At one point, it seemed like Luffy wasn't taking things too seriously, especially when he put Arlong's discarded teeth in his own mouth and tried to bite him with them. Of course, Luffy ended up more injured than before when Arlong managed to bite him. Although Luffy managed to bite him back, he didn't do too much damage. As the fight progressed, it almost looked like Arlong was going to bite Luffy's arm.
Soon, Arlong decided to try to play dirty by hiding in the water, and then jumping up and hitting Luffy with his Shark-On Darts attack, and since he was faster in the water, it was almost impossible to dodge his attacks, and Luffy just groaned when he felt that the blood was leaking from his stomach. However, despite this, he continued to try to defend himself as Arlong taunted him. However, in a stroke of sheer luck, Luffy managed to dodge it again... and Arlong's nose ended up getting stuck in the concrete.
"Hey?" Hephaestus muttered. "This is serious...?
"It's stuck," Aphrodite said. "Does that mean Luffy won?"
"Not quite, dear lady", Junior replied... and to confirm it, he jumped and hit Luffy again, knowing that he was off guard, and took the opportunity to give him at least 5 more hits before jumping back to the Water. Despite Usopp, Johnny, and Yosaku urging him to run and hide, Luffy refused, declaring that he would somehow knock Arlong out. All he could do was stand in the pool and wait for him.
"Luffy better finish this fight soon," Hera said, worried for him. "I'm not sure if it will last much longer!"
"He'll make it," Percy said. "It's Luffy."
Before long, Arlong launched himself out of the water, preparing to skewer Luffy with his nose, but the rubber pirate stood there, sticking out his fingers. "GOMU GOMU NO...TATE!"
"I think you need a bigger shield than that." Athena's daughter said, biting her thumb.
"Or at least something made of steel!" added the cyclops, frightened.
Arlong boasted that this time he will pierce her heart, once again performing "Shark On Darts".
When Arlong lunged at Luffy, Johnny, Yosaku, and Nami thought that he had been stabbed, but surprisingly, Luffy was able to catch Arlong in his small movement.
"Shit, that really works." the God of War's jaw dropped.
"Of course, that's it! How clever!" The Goddess of Strategic War applauded Luffy's idea. "Using a net, she can catch Arlong, preventing him from not only having a place where he can run, but also having stopped the attack! Whenever he wants, he has the mind of an experienced strategist."
"Don't believe it, smartass!"
"Yes!" he he exclaimed. "Now I've got you, Arlong! Now that trick won't work on me-"
"SHARK IN DARTS!" Arlong yelled as he jumped out of the room and sent Luffy flying again.
"Oh shit!" Hermes cursed.
Despite this setback, Luffy refused to give up. Interlocking his fingers, he used his Gum-Gum Tate to catch Arlong in the air and then throw him to the ground, followed by a Gum-Gum Spear to make him fall faster. The gods could hear Arlong screaming in pain…and yet the members who weren't there…felt strangely uncomfortable.
"This isn't over, is it?" Demeter asked Junior. "Is there something else?"
"Not yet," said the bird-shaped pirate. "We are entering the climax."
When the dust finally settled… they soon saw Arlong's eyes: wide and bloodshot with slit pupils and a vicious snarl on his face. He almost looked like he had become a completely different creature.
"AAH!" Tyson shrieked. "WHAT'S UP WITH HIS EYES of him?!"
"I-It's exactly the same face as the monster when it attacked Luffy when he was a kid! The day Shanks lost his arm!" Artemis said.
"This is what happens when a Fishman goes berserk," Themis replied. "Luffy pushed Arlong too far. The thought of being defeated by a lesser human like him... pushed him over the edge."
"Oh..."
"You...!" Arlong hissed as he grabbed Luffy by the hair and spun him furiously. "You are a lesser human...and I am a powerful Fishman! YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS!"
He then threw Luffy against the wall and at first that didn't seem to do much for him, but then Luffy screamed as he started running upstairs. It was then that Arlong reached inside the wall and then pulled out a gigantic saw blade: his Shark Saw.
"That's a great sword!" Clarisse exclaimed.
"That's not a sword," replied the God of the Forge. "It's a saw. It's pretty big, though."
Soon, Arlong began his relentless pursuit, chasing Luffy up the tower as the latter ran across the rooftop like a monkey, and each time, it almost seemed like Shark Saw was going to catch him. Eventually, Luffy made it to the top, but now, it seemed like he had nowhere to run…until he looked to the right of him and saw a window. Knowing this was his only chance, he ducked his head and jumped through the glass, not caring that part of it might have pierced his skin. When Luffy stood up... he found himself in a room filled with maps, bookshelves, and mapping tools.
"A map room?" Artemis asked.
"Wow, there are many maps." I speak the God of Thieves. "The quality is extraordinary. This place then must be..."
"...This was...Nami's room," Themis said with great hatred. "No… more like it was his prison."
Soon, Arlong entered the room.
"Looks like this is the end for you," he said with that same smile of his.
"What is this room?" Luffy asked. "And what about all this paper?"
"This is no ordinary newspaper!" Arlong yelled. "This is the map room, where that girl draws all her maps."
"So…this is Nami's room?" Luffy asked as he looked around him.
"All the maps you see here are sea charts that Nami drew for me," Arlong replied. "Impressive, don't you think? Eight years of hard work...my greatest treasure."
"...I see," Luffy said before his eyes landed on a pen stained with blood...obviously Nami's.
Hestia rested her eyes on the quill. And in that moment she felt all the pain that Nami had accumulated for almost a decade. She closed her eyes in great sorrow and anger as she returned her gaze to Arlong. The look she had... Let's just say that there are unknown parts of people that are better to ignore; I will only say that the wrath of the Goddess of the Hearth was as powerful as Zeus's Master Bolt.
"We Fish Men may be able to gather all the information in the sea," Arlong continued, "but we are nothing without a good cartographer, and I have never seen maps more accurate than hers. Nami is truly a genius...and There is nothing more tragic and stupid than someone wasting their talents."
"...This pen...is stained with blood," Luffy said as he took the pen and inspected it.
"Uh... why is Luffy just sitting on the floor, staring at a damn pen?" Clarisse asked, concerned.
"Calm down." Junior said
"For Nami, this is her greatest happiness," Arlong said. "I can have her do what she likes best!"
"What the hell does he know about someone's happiness?" Percy asked, hatefully. He knew really well what he was talking about. After all, he turned his mother's abuser into a stone statue. "He murdered Nami's mother in cold blood! Do you think she would be happy working for her mother's killer?"
"That being really makes me sick...!" Annabeth grunted.
"For me to rule the world," Arlong began as he placed the shark saw near Luffy's neck, "Nami's sea charts are absolutely vital! She will continue to draw her sea charts for the sake of my ambitions! Once I have all the maps of all the seas in the world, we Fish Men will be unstoppable! This world will be mine!
"Please... Who does she think she's kidding?" Artemis asked, visibly upset.
"Even with all the maps in the world," Themis began, "there's no way she could pull off such a thing."
"Hah... What he has are delusions of grandeur," Ares said. "Even Usopp could kill you!"
"Do not pass..."
"And it all starts right here on this little island in the East Blue," Arlong said. "Then I'll move to the entire East Blue! You'll never be able to use her like me! He'd be wasted on you!"
At that moment, they saw Luffy tense up and heard his thoughts.
'He said... use...?!'
"Uh-oh…" Artemis muttered.
"Oh yeah." Junior smirked as he watched Luffy reach up and grab the Saw Shark's blade…and for some reason, Arlong seemed to have trouble moving. Then, with an angry growl, Luffy clenched the blade until it shattered like glass.
"My... my shark saw!" exclaimed a surprised Arlong.
"Bastard...!" Luffy hissed. "What the hell is Nami to you?!"
"Shahahaha!" Arlong laughed, clearly not understanding that it wasn't wise to make Luffy even angrier than he was at the moment. "She may be a lesser human, but she's certainly risen above her peers. If the rest of you humans are nothing but sewers, then she's a feisty kitty. Not to mention quite cute, too."
Hermes and Aphrodite were beginning to rage; The God of Thieves had come to appreciate Nami not only because of her abilities, but also because she was a good and kind soul. Aphrodite shared her thoughts with Hermes, but she too was furious at Arlong's "perverted" notions of love.
"What a terrible person she is," the Goddess of Love said with a cruel look. "No…she's shorter than that. She's a lowly bug!"
"To him, Nami was nothing more than a tool," said Hermes. "Eventually, when she outlived her usefulness, he would discard the moment she got."
"Nami will continue to stay here in this room and draw her sea charts for me for the rest of her life," Arlong said. "I feed her, she buys her all the beautiful clothes she could ever want. She will never have to worry about anything. All she has to do is do what she loves the most. After all...she is my friend."
That anger continued to bubble up from the audience, wishing that Luffy would beat him up already.
"Everything except his freedom." Thalia muttered. "Come on, Luffy, break his nose!"
"NO, SHE'S NOT!" Luffy roared as he got to his feet, causing Arlong to stumble backwards a bit, which surprised the other Straw Hats. "You... you're not her friend... you're her GUARDIAN! You treat her like dirt... you take her sister and all her friends and neighbors hostage... and you really think that makes her? HAPPY?! WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"
"...Luffy...!" the Queen of the Gods whispered in awe.
"Heh," Clarisse smiled. "Tell it like it is, Captain. Show him how it's done."
Suddenly, Luffy looked over to a desk, where a map was being drawn. Then, with a deep growl of fury, he raised his leg and kicked her through the wall.
"Hey?!" Arlong questioned. "What the hell are you doing?!"
"What are you doing?" Tyson tilted his head in confusion.
"What any professional would do, always resort to the golden rule... Break everything and destroy it!". Junior said to cheers from Ares and Clarisse. The others smiled, this time it was allowed.
"What do I look like I'm doing?!" Luffy questioned as he started trashing the whole place.
"For!" Arlong yelled as he tried to cut Luffy with his broken Shark Saw, but the latter dodged, causing Arlong to accidentally cut through a stack of sea charts. "AH! NO, MY SEA LETTERS!"
As Luffy continued to run around the room, destroying all the sea charts, Arlong did his best to stop him. As the room visually destroyed, Nami could remember her trauma and the abuse she had suffered there.
As the maps flew by, Nami put a hand to her mouth, crying.
" Thank you..."
However, the tender moment was short-lived as the Straw Hats heard Luffy scream in pain, causing them to turn around and see that Arlong now had his neck in his jaws.
"Oh no!" Brook cried.
"That's too close to his jugular vein!" Blizzard yelled. "If Arlong bites any deeper, Luffy will bleed to death in seconds!"
"NOW YOU'VE GONE TOO FAR!" Arlong screamed as he prepared to rip out Luffy's throat… but Luffy, ever determined, grabbed Arlong by the nose and began to twist, even as his nose began to pierce into his palms.
"I...I don't give a damn...how cool you Fishmen are," Luffy began, "or your stupid sea charts. I don't understand any of it...but I finally figured out how he can save her!" "
Just as blood spurts from his hand, Arlong's nose breaks, causing the fishman to scream in pain and writhe on the ground.
"Finally, some nose breaking!" Ares's daughter yelled, as her friends cheered.
Luffy gave him a fierce look of death, the same look Percy had gotten when he was on the streets of New York with no memories. "This whole room is like her jail cell. Nami has the only way to escape! I have to tear this place apart!"
At that, he stretched his leg towards the sky.
"GUUUUUUUUM-GUUUUUUUUUUM..."
"Arlong Park can't be brought down by a lesser human," he began as he tilted his nose back to the way he was, "especially not by a gummy monster like you! Shark..." Suddenly, Arlong realized turned around, lunging at Luffy. "...Haguruma!"
" ...Ono!"
SMASH! He slammed his foot into Arlong's back, causing him to cough up blood before sending him straight to the bottom of Arlong Park!
Just as Arlong bit into his side, Luffy slammed his foot into Arlong, also smashing through the floors below them.
"YES!" The cyclops cheered. "YAHOO! LUFFY WON IT!"
"Yes, take that, Arlong!" Percy added.
"Haha, excellent Luffy! Even if I didn't try, you've saved the Sea God's reputation." exclaimed Poseidon, to the annoyance of Athena and Zeus
"Phew!" Annabeth sighed. "I held my breath the whole time..."
"Uhh...guys?" Junior asked. "Look at."
Just as Luffy was about to rest, he noticed that the ceiling was collapsing.
The building shook, causing the villagers to run for their lives. Although Nami is worried about Luffy, Johnny had to hold her back.
They watched as the building collapsed.
"Okay, it was good that we stopped at the celebration." Aphrodite whispered to herself.
"I'm sure it's fine. It's made of rubber." Hephaestus rejected it.
After the stares, the building practically exploded as the villagers watched it happen. The impact was so strong that it caused a piece of the fence to break off and fall on Zoro's head, waking him up.
Through the giggling of the children, Hades said, "Well, at least he's awake...and somehow alive."
Arlong Park has been demolished while the others wondered who made it out alive.
With the sun shining down on him, Luffy emerged from the rubble. As he stood there, he panted heavily until he called out Nami's name.
"Nami!" Everyone's eyes are on him. "YOU ARE MY NAKAMA!"
At his words, Nami shivered, crying as she nodded.
Smiles spread across the audience, some goddesses even crying, just as the villagers were given hope.
The villagers cheered, launching Luffy into the air.
Nami approached Luffy when the rubber boy ran away from the villagers' hands. Nami placed her straw hat on her head. She raised a hand and the two of them gave a high five.
"Stop there!"
"Oh no…" Hera muttered in annoyance at the familiar face of Unit 16 Marine Captain Nezumi.
"Not that rat, again," Groover muttered.
"You again?!" Nojiko questioned.
"Yes, me again!" Nezumi smiled. "It's my lucky day! I just saw the whole thing. Well done, I must say. It might have been a mere fluke, but somehow you bunch of two-bit pirates, no one really defeated the Fishmen!" !"
"Listen to him," Amphetite hissed. "Who the hell does he think he's kidding?"
"Bah!" Ares scoffed. "It's full of shit!"
"Now, thanks to you, the treasure I was supposed to give to Arlong and all the treasure in Arlong Park belongs to me!" Nezumi stated. "Drop your weapons! Your brave deeds are recorded in the record of Captain Nezumi of Unti 16 of the Marine Corps!"
"Really?" Hades asked, incredulous. "Is he trying to take credit after he squatted?"
"What an idiot," Demeter muttered.
At that moment, Zoro grabbed Nezumi by the shoulder in a crushing grip, causing him to yelp in pain.
"Stop being a wet blanket," Zoro said with a wicked grin and an almost demonic gleam in his eyes. "We're trying to celebrate our victory, here, idiot."
A few minutes later, Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and even Usopp gave Nezumi and his crew a thorough beating, and they were all on the ground, bloodied and bruised within seconds.
"LOL!" Apollo laughed. "Speaking of karma!"
"They certainly deserved it!" Hermes added.
"Guuuuhh...!" Nezumi groaned. "You… you better not… mess with me. I'll make you regret it!"
"You still don't get it, do you?" Sanji asked.
At that moment, Nami walked over to the cowardly Marine captain and apparently patted him on the cheek.
"...This is for shooting Nojiko," she began, "and trashing Bellemere´s tangerine grove."
So, BAM! She hit Nezumi in the jaw with her bo staff, sending him flying into the water.
"Yes! Nice hit!" exclaimed the God of War, prompting Aphrodite to applaud the orange-haired woman.
"Well done!"
"I'll say it, I liked it," smiled the God of Wine.
Nami continued to punish Nezumi by forcing him to arrest Arlong and his men, rebuilding his island, giving Arlong's treasure to Cocoyashi's people, and finally, returning all the money Nami stole from him. Outraged by this disgrace, Nezumi swore that he would not forget this attack on his person and threatened that Luffy had now "incurred his wrath" and that "something terrible" was going to happen to him.
"What is he going to do?" Artemis asked.
"You'll see soon," Themis smiled.
"Trust me, it's not as bad as you think. In fact, it's a pretty big deal for a pirate," Junior said.
"...Okay," The goddess shrugged.
The villagers ran down the beach to tell the others about Arlong's fall, that they are finally free.
In town, they will be partying until exhaustion.
"Yeah! A big party to save the day!" Clarisse yelled excitedly.
"That sounds like a lot of fun." Annabeth added, fondly remembering Camp Half-Blood.
"The parties should be in honor of Luffy; he has saved them." Zeus reminded them.
"And isn't that what they're doing? You don't always need a great hero for there to be cause for celebration...although in this case it doesn't happen." Junior joined.
"Bah, nonsense!"
Luffy was sitting in the doctor's office with Zoro, the latter screaming in pain as his stitches were replaced. As for the former, he had patched up his wounds and was sitting with the swordsman to keep him company.
"What an idiot, trying to heal such a serious injury by himself!" Dr. Nako frowned as he pierced Past Zoro's stomach with the surgical needle, causing him to scream once more. "Hey, don't you have a doctor on your ship?"
"A doctor?" Luffy repeated. "Not really... but doesn't a musician come first?"
"What?!" questioned Dr. Nako. "Why would you think of such an absurd idea?!"
"Well, don't pirates sing?" Luffy asked.
The Olympians just looked at him with blank eyes and the demigods shook their heads in disbelief.
"...Of course, Luffy didn't really have his priorities back then, did he?" Athena asked.
"Not really, no," Junior replied.
"How will he manage without a doctor?" Amphetite asked, annoyed.
"No idea, but I guess we should be used to it by now," Poseidon said.
This time, it was night. The whole town was alive with music, singing and dancing. After Arlong's defeat, it was time for Cocoyashi Village to celebrate his freedom.
"Wow! Talk about a party!" Zeus exclaimed. "Reminds me of King Host!"
"Yes, practically the whole island came," Themis answered. "It's an amazing party."
"Well, don't expect less!" Ares laughed.
"But where is Luffy?" Artemis asked, searching everywhere.
"There," Themis said as he pointed to the Straw Hat Captain, who was running to who knows where with bits of meat on his fingers.
"Where does he go?" Percy asked.
As Luffy continued to wander in his relentless search for food, he soon ran into Genzo...who was, for some reason, pouring sake on a wooden pole, causing Hestia to gasp silently, ignoring the fact that Luffy had scared Genzo with his cries for food.
"...That tomb will not be of...?" Athena asked.
"...from Bellemere," the Goddess of Hearth replied as she felt tears form in her eyes. Even now, seeing Bellemere's headstone made her feel nostalgic…in a good way, of course. While she was still saddened by the death of such a wonderful foster mother, even comparing her to Rea, she was still grateful for everything she had done for Nami and Nojiko, even if back then, she didn't actually act like that. Noticing the sadness in the figure of his sister, Poseidon walked over and put his hand gently on Hestia's shoulder while Zeus put his hand on her other shoulder as he smiled at her, prompting the navigator to smile at them.
"I'm fine," she assured. "Thanks to both of you."
"From time to time, we should get along."
"What is this?" Luffy asked. "A grave? Did someone die?"
"...Yes," Genzo replied. "Nami's mother...she died, a long time ago."
"...Nami's mom, huh?" Luffy repeated in a slightly somber tone. "I give my deepest…uh…trust," Luffy said as he bowed his head. "...Wait, that's not right...huh...my deepest...seasoning? No, that's not right either. My deepest...umm..."
"My deepest condolences," Genzo corrected.
"Yeah, thanks," Luffy replied.
"...Boy," Genzo spoke up. "I heard that Nami is going to sail with you and your crew as your navigator...it will be very dangerous...but...I'm going to trust you to protect her from now on."
Luffy felt his eyes widen at this, while Nami blinked in surprise.
"But listen," Genzo began, "if you do anything to take away Nami's smile... I'll chase you down and kill you. Got it?"
"I wouldn't do anything like that-" Luffy began, only to be interrupted.
"I said 'SO?'" Genzo questioned, causing the raven-haired teen to gulp before nodding.
"Yes, I do," he said.
"Fine," Genzo said. "Now, if you don't mind…I'd like to stay just a little longer."
Back in town, everyone was finally tired. Even Percy and his friends joined in the fun, though they couldn't be seen. Well, almost everyone.
After the glances passed, it was revealed that the gods, Hades, Hera, and Demeter went to Nami's house to pay their respects to Bellemere. Upon arrival, they saw that Nami was inside of it, dragging a giant bag and then pinning a message to it.
She can't help but look around her as the message is revealed that she will leave the bag here because it now belongs to everyone.
The eyes of the Goddess of Agriculture seemed to shine for a moment. Whether from Arlong, Nami or both, Demeter felt good that Nami continued to be charitable towards her people.
Nami took a photo of Bellemere, remembering the time he spent with her as a child. Rolling up the map, she turned around and in the story was Bellemere herself.
Hera looked at Hades, who crossed his arms as he looked at mother and daughter.
To Bellemere, Nami told her that they are finally free after so long, reminding her of what she had said before: "As long as you live on, the good times will come back eventually."
Because of her, Nami decided to leave the island, but Bellemere doesn't need to worry as she will be with good and strong people. She is glad that she managed to save a map, the first map she made of her, and from now on, she will only draw maps for her. She wants to see the world with her nakama! That is her dream.
So...she doesn't know when she's going to come back.
As Nami wiped away her tears, Bellemere disappeared.
Just as Nami was about to leave, Nami felt someone push her from behind, but she was only left with the emptiness of her house. For a moment, she looks confused, but she was able to smile and laugh. At that moment, the gods smiled when they saw Bellemere behind them.
"So you are the gods who helped my daughters and my island... Thank you." Bellemere said, bowing to them.
"Please, we were just bystanders. Thank the boy in the straw hat." I speak Demeter with sincerity.
"Besides, I assumed you would still watch over the town and your other daughter, so I decided to give you a few moments with Nami. Rest assured, you would go to the Elysiums in our world." Hades spoke with a slight smile.
"Thank you." Bellemere looked at the Queen of the Gods and smiled at her. "Don't worry; being a mother is a very difficult job, but I know she can handle it... if she is really willing to love them, to educate them, to believe in them."
Hera looked at the soul of the former marine and was speechless. She would normally insult or curse her for her insolence, but at the same time, she couldn't find a single feeling of anger. In fact...
"Thank you for your advice, but I'm afraid it's too late for me..."
"It's never too late to fix things" Nami's mother interrupted her.
Hera began to tear up as she smiled softly, much to the delight of Demeter and Hades.
Soon after, Luffy was sitting on the figurehead of the Merry, again. The moment they saw him looking up at the sky, some Olympians approached Luffy.
"Boy, I admit it." Ares said. "I had my doubts about Arlong, but what a beating you've given him! Know that you're welcome to my cabin anytime!"
"Really?! Thanks...! What's this about a cabin?"
"I'll tell you later."
"Well, the truth is that you are quite intuitive." Athena stood next to Luffy. "It's impressive how you've managed quite well."
"Thank you, Thena!" Luffy said smiling, to the confusion of the gods, especially the Goddess of Wisdom.
"'Thena'?"
"Yes, Athena is very difficult for me, so I'm going to call her Thena!"
The God of War began to laugh while Apollo and Hephaestus hold their laughter and Hermes tried to calm down Artemis, burning with jealousy. Even Zeus had a smile.
"Hey...how's Hera? She was crying a lot." asked Luffy a little worried.
The divine beings' eyes widened as they looked at him.
"I'm here, mortal." Hera had arrived, accompanied by Demeter and Hades. She would be lying if she said that the Queen of the Gods was not moved by the rubber pirate's concern.
"Oh hi. Are you okay?"
"Yes, thanks to you."
"Great! I'm glad!"
Hera sat down next to her and smiled.
"You know, thanks to you, Nami's mother's soul is at peace."
"Oh yeah? I'm glad, besides Arlong was a bastard and Nami is coming with us!"
"Yes..."
Hey, is it true that you're a bad mother?"
The question made Hera break out in a sweat, but she didn't have to answer when she heard a collective reply.
"Yes." Ares, Hephaestus, Athena, Apollo, Artemis and Hermes responded in unison.
"Luffy, I like you, so I'll tell you this: don't get together or trust "mom", Hephaestus said to Luffy. "She loves families, yes, but only the "perfect" families, the rest could easily throw them off a cliff, like she did with me."
Aphrodite wanted to comfort her husband, but she stopped almost immediately. Then Luffy faced the God of the Forge.
"Don't talk nonsense! Hera is a good person, she would never do something like that!"
At that moment, the Olympians looked at Luffy as if he had grown a second head.
"You heard what he said, right?" Poseidon spoke with wide eyes.
"...It's clear, I somehow overindulged." Dionysus tried to convince himself in vain.
"I can't believe someone said THAT about Hera." The God of the Underworld couldn't believe it.
"I don't care what you say, she's a good person and if anyone says otherwise, I'll kick her ass!"
"...Oh, Luffy...!" Hestia whispered as she tried to hold back her tears...but it was so sweet to hear him say that, that she couldn't help but cry. Hera was just like her sister, but much happier. It was obvious because Artemis fell in love with Luffy.
"Stop." Zeus said, calming everyone down. "Regardless of our opinion of my wife, we have to leave tomorrow. And the demigods and my daughter are sleeping, let's focus on our journey."
With that order, the Olympians left, leaving Zeus and Luffy looking at each other.
"I appreciate you standing up for Hera."
"You're welcome, old man."
It was finally morning when Luffy's crew was bringing the last box to the Going Merry. They were already stocked with food, happy to have many memories of this island.
Sanji looked around, confused. Meanwhile, Johnny and Tosaku have thanked them and plan to return to their normal jobs as bounty hunters. They hope to meet them again one day.
Usopp said that they should go, but Sanji soon realized that Nami wasn't here. Zoro just thought that she wouldn't come.
"No way! After all that, Nami is a permanent member of the crew!" Thaila protested.
"How little confidence she has…" Percy sighed.
"Don't blame her, she's bitter." Junior said, with his eternal smile.
Sanji angrily walked towards him, believing that Zoro had said something rude to him, but Usopp believed that Nami had no reason to be a pirate anymore, saying that she would be happier here.
The cook proclaimed that Nami is 98.72% of his reason for being here, but Luffy never found that Namu-Hamu Melon.
"That's...very specific." Clarisse sweated.
"That's the whole reason for her to be there apparently." Annabeth soon added.
The villagers wondered about Nami's location, they hadn't seen her all day. Gen himself can't believe that Nami left the 100 million Beri to the village, especially since he has worked so hard on it, but Nojiko explained that Nami plans to steal more. He was sad that they couldn't have thanked him.
"It's hard to say goodbye to family, huh." Thalia nodded.
"And now imagine that with a whole town." Grover sighed.
From the ship, Luffy and the crew could see Nami, and soon, so did the villagers.
Nami suddenly yelled at them to power up the ship. She ran when Gen realized that this must be his plan to leave without hearing his thanks and appreciation.
As the Going Merry began to set sail, the villagers tried to stop Nami. Sanji asked Luffy if he really wanted to let her out like this, but Luffy simply said that it was her decision.
Nami was able to make her way through the villagers, dodging her grasp, and with a huge jump, she was able to land on the Going Merry.
"Ten!" Groover, Ares, Hermes, Apollo and Junior yelled at the same time, raising their hands as if they were displaying large signs.
Athena could only shake her head at this.
Nami didn't turn around. Instead, she pulled up her shirt.
A couple of demigods blushed while Percy blushed when his girlfriend hit him in the head.
"Why, Wise Girl?!"
"You've earned it, Jackson." His girlfriend said angrily.
The villagers gasped. Purses and purses fell, piling up on the floor. They realized that their wallets were gone.
"How did that?!" Artemis gaped.
"She's a much better thief than she thought." said Hermes delighted. "Very well, Nami is my champion, she is determined!"
Nami kissed a 10,000 beri bill, telling them to take care of themselves. Although she was called a brat, the villagers were still able to thank her.
"Well, at least she left the money to them." Hestia sighed with a soft smile.
Gen called out to Luffy, reminding him of his promise. The rubber boy gave him a thumbs up.
Nami said goodbye to her village.
The villagers could only laugh at what she had done, cheering and sitting on the ground.
The village doctor showed Genzo a piece of paper, the paper with Nami's tattoo design on it. Genzo asked what she was and the doctor stated that it was a mikan and a pinwheel.
Nojiko soon asked about Gen's pinwheel, wondering where she had gone. He giggled, saying that she no longer needed him.
While sailing on the Going Merry, Nami looked at Bellemere's grave. In the tomb at Bellemere there was a mikan and a pinwheel.
Soon after, Nami was complaining to a seagull about the newspaper's price increase, saying that if the price goes up again, she won't buy it.
"Hey, don't blame the messenger." Hermes said, amused.
"...They have seagulls that deliver newspapers." Athena felt that this was strange.
"Well, it's a lot cheaper." commented the son of Poseidon.
As the seagull flew away, Usopp told it that it was just a newspaper, working on his ammunition. Nami thought it would add up soon, but Usopp reminded her that he doesn't need to save money anymore. Nami stated that since she is under no obligation to save money for Arlong, she is doing it for herself.
"Well, I guess it's good that she does it herself." Hestia smiled a little.
Usopp told her to keep it under her as she is working on her "Hissatsu Tabasco-Boshi" here.
Luffy tried to reach a mikan from the Nami trees, but a kick sent Luffy flying towards Usopp, which in turn caused Usopp's formula to splash in his eyes.
Usopp cried out in pain as the flame reached high above the Going Merry.
There was a mixture of two reactions: laughter and grimaces.
Luffy complained, wanting only one fruit, but Sanji told him that no one can touch Nami's grove, then declared him to be the 'security guard of love'. Nami simply thanked him.
"Oh, she still has a piece of the garden. Excellent." Demeter smiled widely.
"And she is a good way to fight scurvy." Annabeth nodded, remembering the beginnings of the Baratie arc.
Zoro simply thought that Nami was using Sanji as a tool.
Although Luffy thought that Sanji was being stingy, he is still in a good mood. Nami looked at the newspaper and saw that the world was in chaos right now, but a flyer soon appeared. They all screamed when they saw what was in it...
"Well, surprise." Junior smiled playfully.
...and everyone's jaws dropped to see that it was a "wanted" poster...with Luffy's smiling face pasted on the front.
Luffy's first bounty.
"WHATAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA the Straw Hats questioned in shock before Luffy went and picked it up.
"Wow, Luffy's first bounty huh? How much was it?" asked Apollo.
"Oh, nothing serious; just about 30 million," Junior replied. "That's actually the biggest reward in the East Blue."
Pactically the demigods fell on their backs and the gods smiled intrigued.
"Not even the biggest criminals in our world have such a quantity!" Athena's daughter ranted, while Clarisse cursed for not being able to fight.
"Yes, most of them only reach 10 million..." Percy said surprised and amazed by Luffy.
"Actually, it's the biggest reward in the WEAKEST sea. The Grand Line rewards are much higher." Themis said, bored.
"How much more?"
"At least... 10 times more."
"10 TIMES MORE?!" Apollo shouted in shock.
"Now I understand some of the fear mortals have of the Grand Line." Zeus said remembering Milhawk's impressive skill and Shanks' look ten years ago.
A pause... but then Luffy smiled as he held up the poster for all to see.
"Alright guys, we're wanted criminals!" he cheered.
"Wanted dead or alive," Usopp read. "30 million berries?!"
"That's a WHOLE bunch of berries!" Luffy boasted.
"Hey, check it out! I'll be seen all over the world!" Usopp exclaimed. "Girls might even fall for me~!"
"What?!" Sanji questioned. "They put in Long Nose but left me out?"
"That's what I want to know! Where is Big Nose?!" Ares asked looking at the poster.
"Wait, what is he talking about?" Artemis asked. "I don't see Usopp there."
"Look at that little corner," Usopp said. "If you squint your eyes right, you'll see."
"Uhh…" Apollo muttered before gasping. "Oh! Now I see you!"
"It's the back of his head!" Tyson exclaimed.
"Small, but you can see him." Amphetite said.
"But why the hell was Luffy smiling at the camera?" Clarisse asked. "I don't think it's a good idea to smile at the camera."
"He's so adorable...!" Artemis said with hearts in her eyes.
"Maybe it's someone who likes to have their picture taken," smiled Hera, she had come to appreciate Luffy. Zeus breathed.
As for Sanji, he was pouting that he wasn't in the picture and complaining that Usopp wasn't anything special. The sniper reassured him by telling him to work hard and that he didn't have to be a captain to have one.
"Ahahahahaha!" Luffy laughed triumphantly. "Let's go to the Grand Line, men!"
"Yes!" Usopp and Sanji cheered, their arms hooked around each other's shoulders, while Nami lamented his 'apparent doom'.
"Hi guys!" Zoro called. "There's an island up ahead!"
"Oh!" Luffy sang as he and the others gathered at the stern of the Merry, where an island soon appeared on the horizon.
"What's that?" Hermes asked.
"That's Logue Town," Junior replied. "It is the last island in the East Blue before entering the Grand Line. In other words, it is the last stop before going to the sea of madness. It is known as the City of Alpha and Omega."
"In fact?" Hades asked. "Why that?"
"Because," Themis smiled, "that is the city where Gold Roger was born and died…it was also where the Great Age of Pirates began."
"Wow, really?!" Thalia questioned in amazement. "No way!"
"That's right, guys," Junior said. "The place where a new era was born
"Hey Nami, what is that place?" Luffy asked.
"That's Logue Town," Nami answered. "They say it's 'The City of the Beginning and the End.' It's where the Pirate King, Gold Roger, was born...and also where he was executed."
"...So this is where the first Pirate King died, huh...?" Luffy asked with an eerily serious expression.
"Yes," Nami answered before looking at the captain from him. "So... do you want to go there?"
"Shishishishi!" Luffy laughed. "I bet so! Head to Logue Town!"
"Yes, yes, Captain!" exclaimed the Straw Hats as the Olympians followed the Merry closely...
In Logue Town...
Some pirates were stopped by men from the Navy, they were led by a man with white hair and smoked two cigars.
"Pirate scum... Tashigi, take care of them." the man yelled forcefully.
"Yes, Smoker-san!" A young woman with blue hair and glasses ran, but after a while she fell.
"Ouch! I'm sorry, Smoker-san..."
"Idiot, don't apologize for everything. I thought she was with you."
"Ah, yes. Rachel-san was putting on her uniform... Oh, here she comes!"
Coming quickly was Rachel Elizabeth Dare, but she wasn't wearing any of her usual oversized T-shirts or jeans, but instead was wearing the Navy's regulation uniform, consisting of a short-sleeved white T-shirt with the simplified Navy emblem, represented by a seagull with the word "Navy" below it. In the back, a blue scarf. Also, dark blue pants and a cap with the word "Navy " on the front.
"I'm sorry, the ones that were there were too big for me... and I always wear shirts bigger than me..."
"I don't care, Dare. You're in the Marines now, in my unit, so behave yourself!"
"Okay, okay, Captain Smoker." the teen said, annoyed at Smoker's mannerisms. "So what are we doing here, sir?"
"You are as innocent as Tashigi; our duty is to stop any pirate who tries to pass from this island. I don't know how you did things from the place where you saw, but I'm not fooling around. Is that clear?"
Rachel said yes, though she couldn't help but be inspired by Smoker, so she decided to play along and began patrolling the streets of Logue Town with him and Tashigi.
To be continued...