A month had passed after Shanks and his crew left the island, and you have been enjoying your free time with most things. You were swimming underwater in the ocean with your new form, befriending the marine creatures and exploring parts of the ocean. You even managed to dig up some of the treasure and berries from sunken ships.
Great, you got at least worth 10 million berries from sunken ships you have salvaged.
After washing up, you changed into your new clothes for your next journey.
Your new outfit
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You have been sailing for a few days and you need to restock your supplies again before you could sail to the Grand line. You heard about this from Shanks, plus you need a map to get there. You're lucky that you learned the basics of navigation beforehand.
You need a lot of food cuz you just realized that because of your form, you digest food very quickly. What a strong metabolism, not a good advantage. You found an island not far from where you are so you steer the course.
After docking at a beach far from the docks, you hop out of your boat and strolled around town to restock your supplies. As you walk around, you could feel the stares from the villagers. You ignored the stares and started shopping.
After shopping, you decided to take the stuff back to your boat but then something bumped into you as the stuff you're carrying is in the way, making you fall to the ground along with it.
"I-I'm sorry!!"
You looked to see a little girl with short orange hair, wearing a light and dark green dress and orange sandals helping to pick up your stuff on the ground.
"It's okay. It was my fault for not looking" you reassured her.
When she looked at you, her eyes widened with small pink on her cheeks.
"Y-you look very pretty..." she mumbled.
You chuckled as you patted her head which took her by surprise.
"I appreciate the compliment, little girl," you said as you smiled which made her flustered a little.
"What made you in such a rush??" you asked.
The girl looked down with a sad and angry expression like a child throwing a tantrum. "It's okay if you don't want to tell me. We just met after all" you smiled.
The girl looked back up with a serious look, hesitating as to whether she can share her troubles with you. She then told you everything about her argument with her foster mother, Belle-Mere, and ran away from home. You went silent, listening to her story.
"So what if you're not related by blood?? It's the bond between you, Belle-Mere, and your sister that counts. It is much deeper than you think. You should be glad about what you're given and not take them for granted. There are people in worst situations than you so don't be so down about it!!" You gave her a close-eyed grin.
"And didn't you say that your dream is to draw the map of the world?? That's a big dream you have but I'm sure you'll be able to accomplish that!!"
The girl's eyes widened at you and started to tear up. You bring her into a hug, comforting her as she cries.
A girl with Indigo(?) hair came running and found you hugging the little girl as she said that she was the orange-haired girl's sister when you heard someone shout, "Pirates!!"
You grabbed both the girls to the nearby woods to hide. You saw a group of pirates claiming that this whole island will be under their rule. You overheard one of the villagers mentioning the rumors of the Fish-man pirates splitting up. The group of pirates claimed to be Arlong Pirates and the sawshark fish-man who seems to be the leader now known as Arlong said that they'll kill the people that can't pay the tribute. You grabbed both the girls around your arms without hesitation to warn Belle-Mere about the Arlong Pirates.
"W-where are we going??" the orange-haired girl asked.
"We need to move fast. We need to warn Belle-Mere about this!! Show me the shortcut to your house!!" You said, running across the woods at a fast pace.
After showing the way to their house, you can see the smoke on the chimney. You had no time to knock as you barged through the door and force yourself in.
"Belle-Mere!!" the orange-haired girl shouted.
"Nami!! Nojiko and who are you??" The woman with long fuchsia hair tied in a ponytail, grey eyes, and wearing a shirt with the word 'Mace' printed on it.
"No time to explain right now. We need you to listen very carefully and follow what I will tell you to do" you said in a serious and firm tone.
Belle-Mere looked at you warily and then replied, "Okay..."
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After hiding Nojiko and Nami with you in the woods after warning Belle-Mere about the Arlong Pirates, the three of you waited for Belle-Mere to pay 100,000 berries. When the Arlong Pirates were about to leave, one of their crewmates found the ocean charts. You were too busy watching when Nami suddenly ran up to Arlong to get the charts.
"Nami, get back here!!" you shouted. Nojiko was about to run to her but you blocked her way with one hand.
"Give 'em back!! Those are my charts!! I drew them!! I'm going to use them to sail the seas!! They're mine!!" Nami shouted.
"Hmm....well, I'll be. These excellent charts were drawn...by a kid?!" Arlong said.
You wanted to intervene but you can't do anything about it so you could only grit your teeth as you and Nojiko watch Arlong grab Nami and took her away. The old man tried to fight them off but he got severely injured by them. When the Arlong Pirates left Cocoyashi village, you and Nojiko joined in with the injured villagers at the infirmary.
"Nojiko!! You're okay!!" the doctor exclaimed.
"Thank you for helping us even though it has got nothing to do with you," Belle-Mere said.
"It's fine and I'm sorry for letting Nami go like that" you apologized.
"It's okay. It's not your fault. No need to be saddened by it" the doctor said.
"They sank all of our boats and our plan to have Nami and Nojiko escape to sea..."
"Was Folly!! And the Navy isn't doing anything about this problem as usual. This island is under Arlong's rule now" The old man said now known as Genzo.
You looked at them feeling helpless. You wanted to help but you're not sure if you can intervene or not since it's none of your business.
The next day, all the villagers found out that Arlong and his crew are going to settle on this island. They decided to fight them head-on and save Nami. One of the villagers turned his head and noticed that Nami is standing there, safe and sound but what Nami will say next shocked everyone including you.
"I-I'm joining Arlong's crew!! I'm going to be their navigator and draw maps for them" she said.
"What are you saying Nami?! Do you have a fever?! Did they do something to you?! Something terrible?!" Nami shook her head.
"Did they threaten you?! Is that it?! Tell us!!"
"No!!" Nami shouted. "Nami!!"
"LET GO!!" Nami shook off Genzo and we noticed a tattoo on her left shoulder.
They gasped and your eyebrows furrowed.
Nami took the money out of her pocket and said, "Look...they gave me this money. They said they'll buy me anything I want!!"
Then Nojiko tackled Nami to the ground. "NAMI NO!! I WON'T LET YOU!! I WON'T LET YOU BECOME A PIRATE!! DON'T YOU KNOW WHAT THEY ARE?!" she shouted.
"DON'T DO IT, NAMI!!" Belle-Mere shouted.
"Forget it, Nojiko, Belle-Mere...GO NAMI!! AND NEVER SET FOOT IN THIS VILLAGE AGAIN!!" This causes Nami to run off. You looked back at her as she disappears out of sight.
"Nami..."
"What stupidity...She doesn't even consider Belle-Mere to be her mother!!" Genzo was shaking. You tapped on Nojiko's shoulder and signaled your head to find Nami.
You and Nojiko looked everywhere for Nami only to find her at the edge of the cliff.
"Nami!!" Nojiko shouted.
"Belle-Mere used to say...if you can just survive...someday lots of good times will come your way!!" Nami said.
"Yeah..." Nojiko replied.
"After I was taken to their ship, 5 Navy ships came to capture Arlong but he sank them all. I don't think the Navy will be sending any more ships to save us and if they do, Arlong will sink them too!! So it's up to us to help ourselves!!" Nami said as she explained to both of you about the promise she had made with Arlong.
"BUY BACK THE VILLAGE FOR 100 MILLION BERRIES?!" Nojiko exclaimed while your jaw dropped in shock.
"Yes but I have to join the pirates and draw maps for them!!" Nami said. Nojiko tried to persuade Nami but she is too determined to change her mind.
"And if I go to anyone for help, they'll just get hurt!! I won't let that happen again!!"
You could only be silent and listen.
"Nami..." the girls turned to you.
"If that's your resolve, then I won't stop you BUT..." you gripped her shoulder but not too tightly so that it won't hurt her. "You must promise me that you must stay strong and endure until I grow strong enough to save you," you said firmly. Your last statement shocked them.
"Are you crazy?! You can't beat them!! They're fish-man. What's more, you're outnumbered!!" Nojiko shouted.
"I'm well aware that I'm outnumbered, Nojiko but I can't just sit by and watch a little kid suffer under the hands of those scum. To tell you the truth, I'm strong but I doubt it will be enough to defeat them. That's why I told Nami that she must endure for a while till I'm strong enough to beat them" you replied.
You turned back to Nami and said, "So please wait for me, Namikan!!" you smiled, revealing your sharp teeth.
Nami tried to hold back her tears from falling as you bring her into a hug and you can feel her body trembling as she embraces your warm body.
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"It's a good thing your boat is safe from getting sunk by Arlong," Belle-Mere said.
You were preparing something on the boat while Nojiko and Belle-Mere were watching you on shore.
"Yea, do you hate me for hiding the fact that I'm somewhat the same species as them?? You know, since they did this to you..." you were rubbing the back of your neck, feeling nervous about their reaction to you.
"Why would we?? You saved my life from getting killed so we know that you mean no harm" Belle-Mere replied.
"So what are you doing??" she asked. You turned to them revealing the shark tooth necklace.
"I'm making this for Nami, out of my shark tooth. I just wanted her to remember me by" you smiled.
"I'll give it to her myself"
That shocked Belle-Mere and shouted, "You're walking into the enemy's territory!! Why are you putting this much danger to someone you just met?!"
"Because........Nami's my friend with a big future ahead of her!!" you grinned.
Belle-Mere's eyes widened at my words as you walked to Arlong Park.
You were casually through the main gates when you saw them at the entrance of the building.
"What is a weak human like you doing here??" Arlong asked.
"I'm not here to fight. I'm only here to talk to Nami, the little girl you just brought in" you said, not being swayed by their words.
"You can't just waltz in here out of nowhere and how can we be so sure if you're not trying to trick us??" One of the crewmates who looked like an octopus narrowed their eyes at you.
You inhaled deeply and shouted, "NAMI!! IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, COME OUT WHEREVER YOU ARE!!"
This startled the crew except for Arlong. You can see Nami peeking out of the window of the building in front of you. You looked up and grinned widely.
"Nami, I told you this before and I'll say it again. I will save you no matter what it takes so please don't forget me!!" you shouted at the top of your lungs.
Nami's eyes widened and were about to tear up but held back. You prepared to throw the necklace you made and threw it to Nami's window. It was so fast that the Arlong pirates didn't notice it. The necklace landed on the floor and Nami picked it up and gripped it closer to her chest.
Then Arlong laughed and said, "And what makes you so sure that you will do that?? You're just a human, an inferior species!!"
"Lord Arlong, don't waste your time with her. Leave her to one of our brothers" One of the crewmates who is a stingray pointed you out.
Sigh, in the end, I have to fight them. This is getting troublesome. What I said to Nojiko that I'm not strong enough to fight them was a lie. I want to defeat them with my strength but my power is on par with theirs and Im outnumbered so this will be a pain in the ass if this goes south.
"Why send a weakling?? If you're scared to fight, just say it. At least I don't have to beat small fry" you snarled.
This pissed the crew off while Arlong was just sitting there as if he was watching a shit show. What a joke. The stingray fish-man walked towards you and towered over you. You were just a tad bit shorter than him.
(Arlong is 8'7)
"Little girl, it seems I have no choice but to use my Fish-man karate!!" The stingray man said. He was about to use his palm straight at you.
"Miss!!" Nami shouted.
You blocked his attack with your bare hands.
"My, my. Thanks for landing a hit on me. I only held back my strength a little to see if you are strong-worthy of my fist" you smirked.
Everyone was shocked. Even Arlong had his eyes widened as you punched the guy in his chest and sent him flying, crashing to the building which made a big crack. It almost made a hole in the wall.
"Tch, I did say I held back but this is making my fist go numb" you flailed your hand.
Arlong asked, "What's your name, puny human??"
You were internally disgusted when he asked that but you answered regardless.
"It's (First Name). Get that into your thick skull, Arlong" you pointed your finger at him.
You were slowly walking away when he asked, "You're not human, are you??"
You stopped in your tracks with your back facing him.
Just how did he find out?? I never tell anyone. I just told Belle-Mere and Nojiko about me and I know they would never do that.
He then started laughing. Everyone was confused.
"Who would have thought that you were the same species as us? Fine, I'll let you go but don't even think about beating me" he snickered.
The edge of your mouth twitched. You didn't bring your weapons with you when you came here so fighting them will be troublesome.
"Change of plans. Why don't I beat some sense into you right here, right now?" you cracked your knuckles and started to attack them while the Arlong Pirates except Arlong joined in the battle.
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"Why did you have to fight them if you're gonna be beaten up like this?" Belle-Mere was helping you patch up your wounds while lecturing you for acting so recklessly.
"Hehe, sorry. I can't help it if Arlong taunted me like that" you rubbed the back of your neck sheepishly. You managed to defeat the henchmen of the Arlong Pirates but you barely managed to hold your ground. If you had your weapons with you, you would be able to defeat them easily so that you wouldn't waste time waiting to get stronger.
"Even so, that's careless of you but I'm glad you're okay," she said worriedly.
You gave them a small smile. Once you're all bandaged up, you walked toward your ship and unfolded the sails.
"Take care, Belle-Mere and Nojiko!! I will come back again to save the village no matter how long it takes!!" you shouted as you set sail. You stole some stuff from the village while running back to the boat since the village is in the mess.
"Take care, (First Name)!! And thank you!! We will wait!!" Belle-Mere shouted as she and Nojiko waved goodbye to you.
Wait for me, Nami. Just hang in there...
Edited: 26/02/2023