"Even if she tells me to leave... I don't have anything to do outside of here... And I promised Luffy that I'd bring her back... Shit, I really got tied up in a complicated mess, didn't I?"
You had your head in your hands as you sat next to Zoro. You didn't pay too much attention to the bodies of the Fishmen piled up around you– and the green haired boy aside you didn't seem to care that he was the cause of them.
"Nami's... Really too smart for her own good. Was I that obvious?" You muttered, a cloud of depression forming over you.
"Apparently. What's that wanted poster about–?"
Slapping the back of his head with one of your hands, you grunted. He batted them away and the fight between you ended before it even began. Kosai had retracted the extra arms he had given you– and he had informed you that he was almost at the island. All you had to do was wait for him.
Though... It's not like it was a bad thing that she found out. If anything, it was my fault that I wanted to wreak havoc early on. The only thing I'm worried about is her turning me in for the bounty reward.
"Well, maybe it was the fact that even though you hid your arms, you still used ANNAN as your main sword, and she saw the wooden mask THROUGH the fabric of the bag. You're very stupid."
All you ever do is patronize me.
"And? Once you're smarter, I'll stop."
You sunk back into the oversized lounge chair, still next to Zoro. "Uh, you're cool with the whole 'fight thing' happening after all this is cleared up, right?"
His response was a grunt
"What're you, a caveman? I need a yes or a no."
"I said yes!"
Sure. You crossed your many arms and sighed. "I have a feeling that we're going to need all the energy that we can get..."
All you had to do was stick to the plans that you, Kosai, and even Annan, had formulated the past few years. You weren't planning to fight Arlong at all– maybe just kick him a few times when the Marines got ahold of him. You were letting Luffy handle that shit– he was the main character for a reason.
You'd still help. Out of everyone in the crew so far, you were undoubtedly the fastest swimmer. You figured that if there were going to be multiple Devil Fruit users on the ship, you might as well learn to swim well.
So, when the actual fight began, you'd be on lifeguard duty. You were going to use those valuable stabbing lessons for their intended purpose.
Zoro's gaze was pointed at the sky. "Incoming."
You raised your head and saw a black streak against the sky. Ah, your faithful crow, Yatagarasu, had come to you.
"Yikes. Hope nobody notices him," you muttered, holding your hand out to wave at the bird.
The crow's talons from its three legs almost sunk into your arm as it perched on you. Rasu flapped his wings and his feathers puffed up in the hot sun. You hummed and rubbed under its beak as it sunbathed.
"Luffy tried to eat you, didn't he?"
It cawed softly and pecked at your finger.
"Poor Rasu. I see you didn't bring Kosai back. I wonder how close they are..."
"You can tell?"
"Only if Kosai knows. Other than that? Nope."
A loud trumpet-like noise pierced through the silence. It didn't startle you, but it did startle your bird a bit. You looked around from your shared seat as you tried to figure out where the noise came from.
Zoro stood from the seat and raised a brow. "Was that a horn?"
"Beats me... Want to go find out?"
He nodded and the two of you walked away from the plaza of unconscious fishmen bodies. (You also sent Yatagarasu to go and watch over any of your new crew members that were at the village to keep tabs on them).
It didn't take long to figure out where the noise had come from, as Zoro looked over a wall where the sound came from at its strongest point.
You leaned over too and were met with the back of a fishman that you didn't recognize. His back was broad, and he had three pairs of arms. Like you had previously claimed to have –you actually felt a bit bad for lying, but that blue fish stick killed people who couldn't pay him– and what Arlong identified you to be a fishman, model type octopus.
Kosai –who could see through your eyes at any time he wanted when you allowed him to– brought the fake arms back as Zoro called out to the mystery fishman.
"Hey... Were you the one who blew that trumpet just now?"
The fishman jumped in surprise– and when he turned around, you saw who it was. Hachi! The... kind of good guy?
Well, I only remember reading a few spoilers that Hachi ended up helping the Straw Hats get somewhere, but that's about it... You sweat dropped when Hachi let out a startled 'nyuu?!' from his pursed lips.
He was fully facing the two of you– dear god, was that an entire roasted pig on a stick??
"Who-Who're you two?? Who– me? I'm Hacchan! You can call me Hachi!"
His exclamation was a little quick and confusing– and he even answered his own question, but... you knew where this was going.
You and Zoro were looking down at him from your ledge on the wall. "Are you a fishman too?" The marimo asked.
Hachi nodded vigorously, chanting 'yep! Yep!' a few times. "I'm an octopus fishman! I... I feel like I've seen you before! Do you work for the Marines? Are you a guest??"
"A guest...?" Zoro muttered under his breath and decided that it'd be the best option to go with. "Yeah, we're guests."
This man can't lie to save his life.
"Oh- okay!"
And Hachi believes anything we tell him. This poor soul.
"Well, Arlong's not actually here right now," he said, each of his hands giving you different (sadly, none obscene) gestures.
Wasabi-Head nodded to himself in fake acknowledgement.
"Yeah, he's not. I noticed."
"Do you... Do you know where Arlong is?" You asked. The octopus-man nodded quickly, and his gestures increased. He was excitable, wasn't he?
You already knew the answer– Hachi didn't even have to tell you. Arlong was harassing the people of Cocoyashi Village. Maybe roughing up the windmill guy before he found Usopp. Oh, and then he brought Usopp back to the...
Yikes, do I leave??
Your brows furrowed a miniscule amount as you 'listened' to Hachi, his words going through one ear and out the other.
You were presented with another choice. You were no stranger to the world fucking with you– and this choice was essentially the same no matter what you went with. Staying and leaving was an equal death sentence.
Thinking outside of the box was what you had become accustomed to for the past two years, ever since you had started to hunt Marines for sport.
Hiding your arms was easy during the time since you had Kosai as a jacket. Due to most of him being torn from you, he didn't have that much to work with at the moment. Although the fishmen didn't know who you were, and with you having about the same fame as Alvida as long as you had your whole getup on, you'd just have to be careful for the time being.
Once you were off the island, you wouldn't have a care in the world anymore (read: the weight of things to come would be a crushing burden on your shoulders forever, and everything in the world is your fault)
Now? You had to save Nami. And you could still think without the quips of Kosai, or with his help.
Usopp might spill that he knows me if I stay, but if I leave, they'll lump me in the same group as blockhead over there. Glad they don't know me by my stupid criminal's name. Why'd they have to make it so long?
"--Oh, you want to go to the village? Sure!" Hachi pointed at a nearby pot that Zoro was supposed to get in. Yeah, you weren't about to share that with him. You could wait. "You're a guest, right? I'll take you there!"
You drummed your hands against the ledge you sat on. "I can wait until the next trip back, Hachi."
He looked like he was about to suggest that he could swim next to you– but then he reminded himself that you were a 'guest'. Hachi suggested something else instead.
"You don't have to. There's another guy who also feeds Momoo with me, he'll be more than happy to help. Just a bit down that way."
Glancing the way he pointed, you found that Hachi only wanted you to walk to the other edge of the dock he was on and take a left. Meaning that this supposed 'guy' was probably waiting for the famed sea cow to come and eat the roasted pigs that they prepared for it.
Smiling, you thanked Hachi (he just looked happy to be there, if you were being frank) and watched as Zoro climbed into the pot and was whisked away. You waited until you couldn't see them anymore– and then you finally moved.
The walk was quick, and when you rounded the corner you saw, who you assumed, to be 'the guy'--
HOLY SHIT
YOU WERE NOT EXPECTING THIS MAN TO BE A GIANT
How tall is he?!! I can't even see his legs since his lower half is in the water– HE'S GOT SIX ARMS TOO–?!
Gaping– you barely got a word out as the behemoth before you held up a roasted pig between his fingers like it was some sort of finger food on a toothpick. (Speaking of THAT, you were probably the size of one of his fingers! Maybe smaller!)
How did you NOT see him?
He was (aside from being too tall– he probably stole all the height from the short people) surprisingly... soft looking? You only got a side view, maybe less than that, but he didn't look like the fighting type.
The fishman's hair was long, as it disappeared past his lower defined and slightly muscular back and into the water– and a coral-like pink, his skin lightly tanned– even though you could tell it was because of the sun. His skin was smooth and looked soft.
Hm. You take back what you thought earlier– you did need Kosai's thoughts and inputs on this. You snuck back behind the corner and barely peeked around it.
Kosai. Are you seeing this shit?
It took him a second to respond- and his voice was stressed like he had just been yelling at someone. "Yes, (Name), What is it–? Oh. Who is this?"
You think I know? That's why I'm asking.
"What's happening?"
I have to leave before Arlong comes back from Cocoyashi Village with Usopp. This guy's gonna be my ride, but I really don't want to ask him because he could squash me like a bug.
"He looks familiar... I don't feel as if you're in any danger, however. Go ahead."
You know I hate tall people. You lied, and I think I'll just wait for Hachi.
"So Arlong can come back?"
You frowned and drowned Kosai's voice out. Fine, you'd ask him. If you died, you blamed Kosai. Stepping around the corner again, you walked towards the colossal fishman.
"Um... Excuse me?"
He turned to you, looked around in his own view– before his eyes trailed down.
And you realized quickly that you weren't ready for this. Yes, you could flirt with Sanji, yes, you could bully Zoro with no fear, and yes, you could humiliate yourself in front of Mihawk, but you could not do this.
Why couldn't you deal with someone that was your size? You know– when you say 'oh, I had to crane my head up to see you'--' you actually meant it now. This man was well over fifty feet tall from what you could tell.
He remained silent, but his brow raised. Why was he staring down at you like that? He looked too... amused... for your own liking.
Oh ho ho, he's gonna skewer me on that toothpick that's the size of a spear. Dying internally, you continued. "I, um... I was told that you could bring me to the village... I'm (Name)..."
The corners of his eyes crinkled, and his lips upturned as he sunk further into the dark sea. Only his upper chest was visible out of the water, and his main set of arms rested on the ground in front of you. To the side, another one of his hands held the roasted pig out of the ocean.
...Why isn't he saying anything??
He gestured to his throat as if he read your mind. There was... scarring. A jagged scar covered his throat.
"Oh!" He's mute! That's a painful looking scar. "Sorry, I didn't know."
Next, he made a few gestures. Sign language.
You clapped your hands together. "I can understand sign language!" I CANNOT UNDERSTAND SIGN LANGUAGE. KOSAI???
"On it."
His gestures were quick after hearing your declaration. You actually understood the first thing he signed. "My name is S-H-I-Z-U-M-O-R-I."
"...He says he'll take you to the village–" Kosai's voice abruptly cut out, and you immediately knew that he was probably yelling at Luffy. "--And he says 'it's nice to meet you'."
Knowing that you were really on a time limit, you tried to hurry. "Uh- yeah, nice to meet you too! I really need to get there–"
"Cocoyashi Village?"
"Yes– unless you're busy, but I can't exactly–"
"Aren't you a fishman?"
"Uh, I can't swim that fast." How is he interrupting me–?!
Shizumori immediately grabbed you, literally encasing your entire body with his massive hand. He used his other hand to sign quickly, using the alphabet. Your eyes couldn't keep up with his.
"Huh. I may have judged him too quickly," said Kosai.
What's wrong?
"Simple. Your cover's blown."
WHAT?? WHAT DID HE SAY–
"Well, I don't know how, but he could tell that your arms were fake. Doesn't look like he's going to turn you in, though."
Shizumori waved his hand in front of your face to get your attention.
"H-I-D-E?"
"No! I'm trying to get to Cocoyashi Village!"
Why did he want to help you in the first place? From all he knew, you were just a little liar. The glint in his eye wasn't worrying, but you knew it. It was the same look you had when you saw things that you liked.
Like treasure. Gold, diamonds, rubies, you name it. The look he was giving you was the same.
Shizumori looked down at you, lips pursed. He blinked before nodding to himself and sinking a bit further into the water. His hair billowed around him in the soft waves. He sent you an 'ok' sign and started to swim. You noted one thing.
"HOLD ON A GODDAMN MINUTE– HACHI DIDN'T GO THIS WAY!! PUT ME BACK PUT ME BACK–!!"
~ . . . ~
"I'm so unhappy right now. I can't believe I let myself get taken to a secondary location."
There was silent laughter from behind you.
"You can't laugh. You kidnapped me!"
"To be honest, (Name), you didn't do that well when you tried to stop him." Kosai muttered, disappointed.
What were you supposed to do? Grow a pair of wings and fly away? That was impossible. If it was anyone else, you'd have already spit in their eyes and bitten them.
You tried to bite Shizumori– it didn't work, by the way, and he found it funny.
"Goddamnit let me out of this cave! I have to get back to my friends!"
He shook his head.
"Yes! Do it!"
No
"Yes!"
No
"Yes...!"
No
"FUCK YOU"
He pressed his giant-ass finger and thumb onto your shoulders and forced you to sit down. The rocky ground was cold against your skin, but you weren't concerned about that. You didn't care that the cave was mostly dark, and the only light came from the water that exited the cave.
Your eye twitched. "Arlong's gonna find me and he'll try to kill me. Granted, I won't let him, I'll cook that sucker before he lays a finger on me, but it'll endanger my friends. I need to leave."
Shizumori lifted his hands to sign again. Kosai translated accordingly. He also shortened the words, of course. That was your world class translator, for you.
"You shouldn't fight, you'll get hurt."
"I–" You sputtered, "We just met– why are you this concerned? We're on the opposite sides!"
"You'll get hurt," Shizumori repeated.
You were being babysat by this guy?! Those two fishmen were right from earlier, though he was huge, he didn't look a day older than you did. He probably wasn't– you had to check–
"How old are you, even??"
"Eighteen."
I'M OLDER?? I LITERALLY JUST TURNED NINETEEN BEFORE I WENT TO THE BARATIE, I–
You exhaled slowly.
"I'm surprised he's humoring you."
How are we looking on time, Kosai? You wondered, hoping that they were close by now. From the manga, you knew that Momoo was supposed to be pulling around Luffy, Sanji, Yosaku, and Kosai right around the time you were being snatched.
"We're fucking zooming. I want to push Sanji off of the boat."
Ugh, that sounds fun! I wish I was with that dumb clown now! Buggy's probably having the time of his life beating the shit out of everyone and saving his crew- It could've been me! Now I'm stuck with this giant baby!
You turned to face Shizumori again, who was still staring intently at you. Closely– Why was he that close?! Putting your hands on the bridge of his nose, you tried to push him away. He didn't budge. Figures. He could crush you like an m&m.
He should leave. Usopp was probably captured (maybe the stabbing had already happened) and you needed to get to the village so you could watch Zoro get run over by Luffy's ship.
"Shizumori, listen– they're going to look for you if you don't go back. At least take me there!"
He shook his head again. Shizumori then made a few gestures that Kosai didn't need to help you translate. He pointed at you, then the rocky cave floor, then the hoard of treasure in the corner.
You blew a raspberry. "I'm not your damn treasure and I won't be bought into staying here!" I will absolutely be stealing all of it later, though. Sorry not sorry!
"You'll see...?" Kosai trailed off, unsure. "Well, he's obviously done."
Shizumori lowered into the water, his nose barely submerged as he stared beadily at you.
You felt a headache growing. "Fine– Fine! I'll stay. Happy?" Just think of a way to get out of here... That's easy enough...
He disappeared beneath the light waters, soft pink hair swirling down with him.
Great, your mood was soured. You had to get your clothes wet again. Nothing would bring your mood up for the rest of the day.
"HAHAAAAH!! WE JUST RAN INTO ZORO– IT WAS PRICELESS!! HE'S YELLING AT THE OTHERS!!"
"WHAT?! THAT'S SO UNFAIR!!"
"THAT'S WHAT YOU GET FOR WIMPING OUT LIKE A LOSER!!"
"FUCKING– FUCK YOU, KOSAI!!"
You buried your head in your hands. I should've stayed behind to help fight Krieg. Then I would've had the honor of running Roronoa Zoro over with a ship. Your eye twitched in annoyance. That's also my ship, Kosai.
"It's nothing you can't handle," Your sword said with a sigh.
A hum of agreement came from you. "I guess. I should get ready to swim, shouldn't I?"
"No, you really shouldn't. Shizumori went through all that trouble to keep you dry, didn't he?"
Confused, you looked down at your hip. "What? You're agreeing with the enemy?"
You imagined him shrugging. "He's not an enemy, that is clear."
"...And how can you tell?"
"It may be the fact that I am a coalescence of hundreds, if not thousands, of angered, malevolent, cursed spirits, amongst other things, but I have a strong sense that he will not hurt you."
"Stop being smarter than me. It's not funny."
Annan laughed, "I did not mean it in that way, Master."
He 100% meant it in that way, he was just being polite about it
Cheeky fucker. You rubbed the side of your neck and sighed. "What do I even have to gain by waiting here? Nami's doing all the stabbing and I'm sitting around here like an idiot next to a pile of gold that's five times bigger than me."
"Well, take me out of the scabbard and let me see where he took you."
You did as he asked, and Annan surveyed the room for a little while, before he finally gave you some sort of answer.
"I believe that Shizumori... is... hm..." He sounded displeased. Nevertheless, he continued. "I think that he's trying to protect you."
"Uh, I know that's weird and all, but if this were any other situation where I wasn't being kidnapped... What's wrong? You said he wasn't my enemy. I'm trying to understand why he's doing this himself." Your brows knit together as you truly did try to understand.
Annan's eyes narrowed. "Well, if it's the second reason, then I'll have to kill him."
"Uh, what the fuck? You wanna tell me why?"
"No, I do not. It's highly unlikely anyways– he just seems curious. And he certainly likes pretty things, considering that he offered you his hoard," He huffed, "–either that or he added you to it like some sort of dragon."
You looked back at the treasure, then back at Annan. Yeah, you'd need to sort out some 'not-okay' thoughts he was having about casually killing someone like that unless you wanted him to.
"That man does not want me."
Kosai laughed from inside your head. "You're emotionally intelligent, aren't you? He went 'not to be too forward but you can have all of my treasure if you stay here' before leaving! If anything, you intrigue him. But Annan's right. If the second bit is true, I'll help."
...Help what? Kosai, HELP WHAT??
"Doesn't matter. Go stuff your pockets with some of the treasure he has. Do you want me to send Sanji to find you? He's asking where you are."
"Isn't it obvious? Tell him not to bother. I'm doing great– absolutely peachy."
"...I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not."
"Just say I'm looking for Nami at Arlong Park. And that I'll start laying my explosives if she doesn't turn up."
You could feel all the eye rolls that Kosai gave you. "Oh ha-ha, (Name). Go distract yourself with some jewels. I'll handle everything."
You flipped a gold coin between your fingers as you rummaged through the heaping piles of gold and other valuable trinkets. Getting out of there was easy– it was time that was your main problem.
Usopp had probably grouped up with the others by now– Nami had probably arrived to bring the "bad news" by then, and the Marine ship that you knew you saw earlier was definitely at the bottom of the sea by now.
You shoved and clipped some sapphire, ruby, and emerald bedazzled bracelets to your wrists and dug through heaps of golden and silver plates, coins, silverware –uh, to each their own– you had your own favorite spoon and fork– and many other things that you couldn't even begin to name.
You were missing so many things. But Sanji and Zoro's first actual fight– God, you wish you were there to see it. You wanted to punch the back of Zoro's stupid green grown-out-buzz cut head so bad right now. Making that man your personal stress reliever would be the first thing on your to-do list once you got out of there.
A sigh filtered through your lips as you put a diamond necklace over your head and started looking for rings that would fit you. "Life's really unfair when it comes to me, huh?" Oh, a string of pearls! That piece also went over your head and around your neck.
"Ah, I wouldn't say that..."
"You absolutely would, you bastard. Just look at where I am now."
"Covering yourself with expensive jewels and treasures? Wasn't this your dream, to be given everything you wanted– not to have, but to just look at, by someone who seemed interested."
Kosai was obviously not a supporter of this personal dream, since you still had the other main one, and it did make you laugh a bit when you heard him grumble it out.
"Sanji's reprimanding Zoro now."
Great. Mr. "love's a hurricane" just made Zoro his rival.
I'm sure you just meant 'Sanji and Zoro screamed at each other before Usopp got caught up in one of their attacks'.
"...Go back to your fancy dream, idiot."
You heard the splashing of water, and when you turned around, you locked eyes with the colossal fishman who took you to the cave in the first place. His eyes seemed a bit brighter since you had actually decided to distract yourself with anything shiny and pretty that you could find.
He wasn't dumb, you knew that. The guy immediately saw through your disguise, which not many could do. (WE DO NOT MENTION NAMI WHEN TALKING ABOUT THIS, SHE IS AN EXCEPTION)
He just seemed to be hiding something. Like you were.
You decided that you were gonna make Shizumori your... accomplice.
Plot and cannon may be against you, but you have yourself, a demon, and a fucking talking sword on your side. You figured that if you could persuade demons to do your bidding– you could do anything.
If Shizumori wasn't bad, and he was actively trying to help you by hiding you, then you'd gladly take his help.
But only if you got to keep the treasure
It was really, really, really pretty
Your lips pursed as you made a split second decision.
Kosai, could you do something for me?
"Yes, what is it?"
Go ahead and tell whoever you want in the group about the fight– I'll be honest, I really don't care if they figure out that I know everything, just tell them I know what's going to happen already. Leave out the part where I'm from a different world, though, and that I died and got reincarnated.
Your 'powers' of 'seeing the future'-- you weren't concerned that you'd fall into the wrong hands. You were with the Straw Hats. You'd be safer with them on their ship than anywhere else on the planet.
"Why...?"
Easy. They won't listen now, but they will once they realize that I'm right.
You turned back to Shizumori and stood up, your upper arms crossed and your hands on your hips. His eyes followed you keenly.
"Alright, Lover boy, I'm not angry anymore. Wanna do something silly?"
Maybe even a little devious?
"Nami, I should've warned you sooner about the Marines. I hope we can make it up to you."
Nami sniffed a few times, trying to stop the tears that were rolling down her face rapidly. It wasn't working. The more she thought about it, the more she cried. Luffy had long gone by now. What he left behind was his hat, for her to protect. He had left with the three others- Usopp, Sanji, and Zoro.
And... Luffy also left her with this weird... creature.
It didn't look like it was going to hurt her, and Luffy clearly trusted it. So, if he did, then she did. Even if it freaked her out a little. It was still the only thing around her that she could talk to– and the only thing that could talk back to her.
"I...I don't understand... Why are they doing this....?" Her eyes widened in alarm. "(Name)! Sh-She's still at Arlong Park–!"
The blob in front of her wobbled. "She's safe."
"Huh?"
"One of the fishmen took her to a cave. One called 'Shizumori'." Yes, from what he had observed, Shizumori definitely wasn't going to hurt (Name), but he kinda pissed Kosai off anyways.
He was unpredictable, but cooperative. Either way, Kosai had a feeling that even though they'd be leaving Arlong Park behind, along with the arc, they'd still end up seeing that guy around. (As long as Shizumori didn't tag along for the ride, Kosai would be fine)
"Th...The new recruit?"
She didn't know him that much. He supposedly joined when she had left for her second to last trip in the first place.
"It appears to be so. He likes his treasure– a little too gullible for my own liking, though. Regardless, she's safe. She isn't just some princess. (Name)'s been on the seas for over two years– she's more than capable of handling herself."
"Where is she now?" Nami held back a hiccup as she slowly began to calm down.
Kosai hummed. "Getting revenge. For you. With that fishman."
"What?"
"That Marine ship, earlier..." He said, drawing out his words. "She's made quite the name for herself. Though you may not know it –though you did figure out who she was– another one of her aliases is the 'Marine Hunter'."
"Marine... Hunter..."
Like... Pirate Hunter? Odd.
"Where the Marines go, (Name) tends to follow. Unfortunately, it also seems to work the other way around...!"
Nami rubbed her eyes and tugged on the straw hat that Luffy left for her. "So she's okay..."
"Yes. I'm sorry that I couldn't do anything about those Marines who stole your treasure, but she will. In the meantime, I must go."
She heard low cawing from up above.
"My ride's here."
~ . . . ~
"Hide under the ship– keep your hair together, too. Got it?"
Shizumori nodded eagerly, tongue poking out between his sharp teeth. Before he set you down on the very back of the Marine ship, you pat part of his hand and smiled.
"Don't get caught– I doubt they'll care, since you're with Arlong, right? Well, in that case, you don't have to hide for that long. I'll drop... this over the ship when I want you to come back up." You flipped a gold coin between your fingers to show him.
His head shook up and down to your words. Damn, he was really down for this, wasn't he?
You pulled your wooden mask out of your bag, which you had gotten back from Nami right before you got kidnapped and slipped it over your head.
What was left of Kosai from the split slowly covered some outer edges of the mask in places you couldn't see from. You'd use haki to see who was near you, anyways. You didn't fail to notice that Shizumori's expression visibly soured when you hid your face.
"You're a baby, aren't you? Get under the ship. If you don't want to do that, then go help my friends."
He dove under the water at your word. It was better that he was at least doing that instead of helping Luffy get unstuck from his temporary grave under the sea.
... speaking of that...
You exhaled slowly through your nose. "You can't just think about what I want to do– Luffy is literally drowning right now."
"This isn't about him," Shizumori signed.
Though you secretly found it hilarious that he said that– He could've helped!
Now you were stuck with fighting the dumb Marines.
Think it'll scare them to know that I have four arms?
"Just hold on a minute. You're very close to where I am."
You tapped your foot against the ground impatiently as you hid in the shadows that part of the ship casted. Most of the Marines had already gotten off on the Island. But you could sense that there were still quite a few on the ship. They had returned from stealing Nami's treasure and all.
"Incoming delivery!"
You held your hand out into the sunlight and out of the shadows. Kosai fell against your palm with a wet splat, and he quickly disappeared beneath your skin.
Be quicker next time.
"I was consoling Nami."
Ah. Your tardiness is excused, then.
You strolled back into the sunlight and right onto the main deck.
Which was filled with Marines
They were all crowding around the hordes of money that Nami had spent years collecting. They didn't even notice you when you walked right behind them and looked over their shoulders.
"This is so much money!"
"We get thirty percent? How much of this pile...?"
"But some of its covered in dirt or blood..."
"Well, we can wash the gold, can't we?"
"I'm gonna bring home so much..."
"What can I even buy with this much money?"
"...I can't believe that us Marines get to get paid like this."
"Yeah, you're not supposed to."
"Huh, why not?"
They all turned away from the glittering treasures and looked at you. You stared at them through the mask as your arms crossed. A beat of silence passed. Then another... None of the Marines were moving.
Your eye faintly twitched from beneath the mask. Are they dumb?
"Shellshocked, it seems."
Well, it's annoying.
"I know."
A frown split across your face. If this was what Marines had come to be after your years as a pirate, you weren't amused or impressed. You were actually insulted. "You're all disappointments. Smoker would be appalled at your actions."
"..."
"..."
"..."
You sweat dropped. "What, are you all deaf now? Blind, maybe?"
They visibly recoiled and got whiplash.
"ONIHIME!??"
"SHUT THE HELL UP!!" I HATE THAT NAME!!
Now they were starting to realize the gravity of the situation. You found yourself in a circle of Marines, their guns drawn and pointed right at you. An unamused huff fell past your lips as you rested your hands on all of your swords.
"What are you? A monster– or a human?"
"Doesn't matter. I'm going to rob you."
Their guns were still drawn.
Raising a brow, you tested them. "You know how much damage I caused with only two swords? I could triple or quadruple it with four."
"We'll shoot before you even draw your swords!"
"Then I'll unsheathe them before you can pull the trigger."
They laughed –maybe to calm their nerves or just out of arrogance (maybe ignorance) and you silently sighed. Nobody took you seriously anymore. Not even you. But you were satisfied as your hands twitched in anticipation.
And the feeling that bloomed in your chest when their guns were sliced through– you felt as if it was your reward for outclassing them all.
Your aura was screaming "I'm better than all of you!"
And indeed, you were
One rushed at you– you grabbed his wrist and flipped him over your shoulder. Three came at you from your front– another was rushing you from behind. You pivoted, grabbed the front of the Marine's shirt who was behind you, and flung him effortlessly into the other three.
You weren't even moving from your spot or using your swords and you were still winning.
The tragedy of man, you thought, as you grabbed another Marine and rammed your forehead into his. Your entire face was protected with metal, wood, and Kosai, and his was not. You could already see the red marks forming on his face, and the slight blood that it drew from his skin.
"AUGH!"
He went to clutch his forehead but you didn't let him.
After he got tanjiro'd once, you did it again. The second time knocked him out cold and you tossed him aside and grabbed the throat of another Marine and lifted him off the ground. He held his hands up shakily by his head while sweating profusely.
"S-SPARE ME!"
"What happened to spending all of this treasure?"
"You-You can have it! Pl-Please, I have a wife and family!"
Your brow raised. "I don't see a ring."
Sensing that you were going to be attacked from behind, two arms, darker than the night, shot out of your back and punched the Marine in the stomach. He was now being held up in the air as the arms stretched further from your back.
"That sucked. Do better." Thanks, Kosai.
"You're welcome." He threw the Marine overboard.
"Why is she attacking during the day–?!"
"--You think I know?! Just kill her! The poster says dead or alive!"
"We don't have any guns! She cut them all!"
You deflected the blade of another Marine with your free hands. He let out a cry of war or something, because he tried to push you back or at least move you from your position. You obviously didn't budge, and instead found his advances incredibly aggravating.
Each clang that resonated from the swords grew louder and louder.
"Come on– I don't like cutting people with my swords– and I don't want to ruin my new dagger," you said, casually fighting back as your grip on the Marine's neck tightened slightly. Not enough to cut off his airway– but enough to make him uncomfortable.
"Stop this at once, Onihime!"
"Can it, ugly. I'll break that sword of yours if you don't back off."
He growled lowly. "You're conceited!"
"That's a big word from you. And you'd be right." You raised your hand high above your head before cleanly cutting the man's sword in two. Annan was shivering in delight. "Also, refrain from saying that you'll kill me. It's not very polite."
You knocked the broken blade from his hands.
"My friends don't like it when I'm threatened."
"Can you let me go?" Annan asked, leering at the man with evil intent.
Your grip tightened on the hilt of the sword as you felt him try to force his way out of your hands. That happened once before, and you wouldn't let it happen again. His actions made your nose crinkle slightly as the Marine's expression faltered.
"Stay. I never said I wouldn't cut him."
Just like that, you slashed at the man. Right across his chest. He screamed and you wished that you could cover your ears. It wasn't going to kill him– but it'd probably leave a scar.
"Maybe if you weren't such a pathetic Marine I would've fought you sword-to-sword instead! Get better and grow the hell up!"
He fell to his knees and clutched at his chest. You raised your foot and planted it right on his hand before you kicked him back– and he tumbled right over the edge of the ship. You slowly turned back to the one who was pleading for his life.
It made the one in your grasp shriek. His throat rumbled against the flesh of your palms as he begged.
"PLEASE!"
Wow, that's sad. "Sure. I'm not a monster, I don't take lives. No matter what." You let go of his throat and pushed him back. "Jump overboard. I won't give you another chance if you get in my way."
He dove over the side of the ship with another protest.
Only to reemerge, kicking and screaming in Shizumori's hand. You facepalmed.
"Drop it."
Shizumori tossed the screaming human over his shoulder. He must've been able to tell that you had dealt with everyone else that was left on the ship. Odd. Maybe he could use haki as well. (Did he do anything to the first guy Kosai threw overboard??)
"Well... That was..."
... More underwhelming than you thought it'd be
"Ah, hope the fight's not over. Should we go check it out, Shizumo?"
He looked incredibly pleased that you already had a nickname for him. The fishman made a few excited gestures. You called upon google-translate from hell and he answered.
"Too dangerous. Straw Hat is destroying everything."
"You don't care about that though, right?"
"No. I don't... like Arlong?!"
Kosai was just about as surprised as you were. "You don't like that guy?! Why do you work for him?!!"
Shizumori gestured to your chest, mainly- your tattoo, and then gestured around his entire body. What did he...? Oh, did he mean that he didn't have Arlong's tattoo? Come to think of it– he didn't have any tattoos. Why was that?
You asked
He signed again
"I'm lost– HOW ARE YOU LOST?!!"
"Wh-Where are you trying to go?"
"Fishman Island...!"
"Uh... I don't think I can help you with that, bud. I don't know where Fishman Island even is–"
Kosai sprouted from your shoulder and heaved a sigh. He was irritated. "I will tell you, but you must leave right away."
Shizumori blanched when he saw Kosai. You quickly waved your hands around in a slight panic. "He's with me— this is Kosai– he's one of my friends. He's okay!!"
"Why must you always attract the most problematic ones? Dear god, you're rather unlucky, aren't you? Not only has the plot been twisted when it comes to us– but now it's been changed."
...What do you mean by that, Kosai?
"It-It's not important right now, I'm just saying!"
The way he said it made it seem like it was incredibly important. You trusted Kosai- so you'd refrain from prodding him even further. You watched as Kosai quickly instructed Shizumori that he'd literally show him the way to Fishman Island from where they were.
What, could he transfer data like some sort of computer? Was Kosai actually a GPS in disguise?
"UNFORTUNATELY, we will run into him later."
"He can still hear you!"
Kosai huffed indignantly. "I hope he can!"
Shizumori sent the demon a scornful glare as he lowered his head to Kosai's level.
"Girls, girls, don't fight. We'll sort this all out later."
You heard what sounded suspiciously like Luffy throwing Arlong through several building floors.
"What? Was it seriously that fast? Impressive... Well, Shizumo, can you help me gather up the treasure and get it back on land? It's hard to carry."
"I believe that he needs to leave. Now."
Kosai had replied to Shizumori's scornful expression with a withering glare of his own. You facepalmed. You were only allowed to simp over others, but the moment that someone even glanced your way, Kosai and Annan always scared them off. (yes, Annan threatened to slit the throats of any potential suitors)
Rude, in your opinion
"Just calm down! Shizumo still has to take me to Arlong Park after this!"
"If I let him."
Shizumori huffed silently and started signing quickly. With all of his hands. Kosai gasped, like the fishman had just insulted you. You facepalmed, fingers dragging over the carved lines of your mask.
"YOU TAKE THAT BACK!"
I hate my life.