🏴☠️️Ch.36: Arlong Breaks His Promise! For a Crying Friend Yields A Siren's Ferocity!🏴☠️️
(First Name), Jimanekia, and the pack (minus Carmela and Ahio, who were still perched within the branches of a tangerine tree) remain hidden behind Bellemere's house observing the incoming Marines and sheriff/mayor of Cocoyashi village, Genzo.
Led by an officer who greatly resembles a rat, about a dozen or so Marines stop in front of Nami and Bellemere.
"I don't like the looks of this bloke[1], (First Name)." The yellow pearl Gem, Jimanekia, whispers.
"You and me both." (First Name) responds. "Better watch your gemstone." She advises the Pearl. Gems have enough problems with the Marines and the World Government. And to be aware that there is one this far from the Grand Line will bring a great amount of unwanted attention. But the placement of her gemstone made it seem like a decoration to her outfit.
"Are you the pirate thief known as Nami?" The rat-faced Marine asks.
Nami is frozen at the man's question.
"The Marine sources have revealed that you have quite a large sum of treasure that you've stolen from pirates. The Government hereby confiscates all said property. It is required that you comply immediately."
Nami remains silent through the whole exchange. The rat-faced man throws the girl a disgusting smirk.
"Sorry. Uh, perhaps you didn't hear me the first time. The Government hereby confiscates everything you've stolen. It is required that you comply immediately. Do you understand?" He repeats with a slightly annoyed look.
Nami's fearful look turns into a sly smirk. "Isn't that something? I can see you're very passionate about your duties." She crosses her arms over her chest. "You won't bring a brutal gang of pirates to justice, but you will shake down a lowly sneak thief. That's so very noble." She taunts.
"You tell that yakking prat [2], girl." Jimanekia snickers.
The head Marine officer chuckles at the girl's attitude.
"I'm only gonna warn you once; I'm one of the leaders of the Arlong Pirates. If you mess with me, Arlong won't sit by quietly."
The Marine chuckles in that annoying mouse-like way, the smirk on his face not falling. "Silly girl. Who do you think I am? You honestly think you can intimidate me? FIND THE STOLEN GOODS!" He orders his men.
The lower rank Marines stalk past Nami and begin their unauthorized search.
"Don't move!!" Nami snarls. But the Marines don't halt their search.
Nami then snaps. She removes her three-piece Bo staff, hidden in the small of her back, before piecing it together and going crazy on the Marines. "I SAID STOP!" She screams as she takes out two of the Marines. "Do you really think this is what the Marines should be doing now?" She snarls. "The Arlong Pirates are murderers; They've destroyed entire cities and YOU'RE DOING NOTHING!! HE'S RULING OVER THIS ISLAND AND TRAMPLING OVER PEOPLE'S LIVES! YOU IGNORE ARLONG'S ATROCITIES TO STEAL FROM A THIEF?! IS THAT WHAT YOU STAND FOR?!"
"Chichichi. Big talk from a filthy criminal." The Marine smirks. "Continue the search, men!"
The men continue searching without question or worry for their fellow comrades who were just struck down. Goes to show why (First Name) and her pack can't stand the Marines. At least, the corrupted kind.
"EVERY PERSON ON THIS ISLAND HAS BEEN WAITING FOR THE MARINES TO COME AND HELP THEM FOR YEARS!! HOW DARE YOU PASS THEM BY AND COME HERE SEARCHING FOR MONEY?!!" Bellemere backs up her foster daughter.
"Colonel. This tangerine orchard seems a little suspicious." Some Marine interrupts, holding a shovel.
"Dig it up." The Colonel orders. "The whole thing, if need be."
Nami rushes the Marine about to dig up her mother's beloved orchard, tackling him to the ground. "KEEP YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF BELLEMERE'S TANGERINE ORCHARD!!" One after the other, every Marine that holds a shovel near the orchard goes down. "I WON'T LET YOU TAKE MY MONEY!! THAT MONEY'S FOR . . .It's for . . ."
"THAT POOR GIRL'S MONEY IS MEANT TO SAVE COCOYASHI VILLAGE!! WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO TAKE OUR SALVATION AWAY FROM HER? DAMN YOU!" Genzo boldly shouts, catching everyone's attention.
The Marine Colonel's smirk still has yet to fall. "My, my . . .A mere village representative talking down to a Marine Colonel. How bold."
Nami looks to the mayor/sheriff in shock. "Genzo . . .How'd you know about that?"
A light breeze blows, causing the pinwheel atop the man's hat to spin and rattle. "I've always known, Nami."
The navigator's eyes glaze over as she remains frozen.
"I couldn't believe what you had done, so I confronted Nojiko and Bellemere about it later. Since then, everyone has known that you stayed with the Arlong Pirates so that you could save the village. But we all agreed we'd never tell you that we knew. If you ever thought the villagers were placing their hopes on you, you might never leave his gang for fear of letting us down."
"That can't be." Nami stumbles over her words. But the moment is ruined when the Rat Colonel opens his big mouth and comes to a stupid conclusion.
"Now hold on a minute. Just what are you saying here? Are you telling me that the villagers are thieves? And we should arrest every one of them? Is that what you're saying?"
"What he's saying is that every last one of us is fighting to survive!" Nojiko shouts as she enters the property. "We have to fend for ourselves because we can't rely on support from you Government people. So, if you're not gonna protect our village, then get the hell out of here! And be quick about it, or Arlong'll sink your ship too."
"Arlong will . . ." The Colonel trails off. But the way he just shrugs off Nojiko's warning as if her claim was the most impossible thing on the ocean. "I wouldn't be so sure."
Nami gasps.
"You still haven't found it? We're looking for 100,000,000 beris here, not a grain of rice!"
(First Name) takes a sharp breath in. "Etot korrumpirovannyy morskoy pekhotinets! [3]" She snarls as quietly as she can. "A Marine on a pirate's payroll. Just when I didn't think the Marines could hit a new all-time low. There's no other possible way this rat-faced coward could know the exact amount of how much Nami was collecting."
🌺This has to be the trick Arlong came up with to keep Nami in his crew. Without the money she can never free Cocoyashi Village or herself.🌺 Carmela says to her brother.
Genzo steps closer to the Colonel. "Hey, you! How do you know how much there is?" He demands.
The mousy Colonel turns to face Genzo, feigning stupidity, but he isn't doing a tremendous job of it. "Oh . . .I don't know. I just have a hunch that's the amount we're looking for."
Everyone glares at the smug Marine, while Nami looks like she's having trouble breathing.
"It's him." She breathes out quietly. She clenches her Bo staff tightly in her injured hand. "TELL ME! IT WAS ARLONG THAT SENT YOU, WASN'T IT?!!"
The Rat Colonel's grin widens as he snickers darkly. "Course not. I wouldn't do a pirate's dirty work; That'd be wrong. I'm just a public servant dealing with theft the way any Government worker would."
"YOU CORRUPT MARINE SCUMBAG!!" Genzo and Bellemere snaps.
"THE MARINES HAVE STOOPED TO BEING NOTHING BUT PIRATE CRONIES!!" Nojiko yells.
"I CAN'T EVEN BELIEVE I ONCE SERVED UNDER THE SAME FLAG AS YOU MONSTERS!!" Bellemere exclaims.
"Sir! I found it!!" A Marine calls out.
The Colonel rushes to view the findings. From behind Bellemere's house, (First Name), Jimanekia and the Pack could see the rat-faced Marine lift the lid of the stone chest and grins at the vast fortune hidden inside (some of which was covered in dried blood, most likely Nami's). "Incredible. I must say I'm impressed you gathered this much treasure."
"The money is all ragged and bloodied." The Marine who located the stash, observes. But the Colonel merely waves it off.
"No matter. Money's money." 'Thirty percent of this is all mine.' He thinks to himself.
"Don't touch that." Nami mutters angrily as she stalks towards the rat-faced bastard. "Don't touch that . . .Don't touch that . . ." The navigator doesn't even look in her right mind. And you can't blame her for it. "Stop it! DON'T TOUCH THAT!! STOP IT!!!"
(First Name) seethes further when the Marine takes out a pistol from his pocket and aims it at her friend.
Whether or not she could see the pistol being drawn, Nami still rushes at the Colonel, bo staff in hand. But as she's about to come close, Bellemere, Nojiko, and Genzo use all their strength to hold her back. Bellemere blocks the girl's path, pushing on Nami's shoulders to prevent her from moving forward, while Genzo and Nojiko grab her by the arms.
BANG!
The sound of a single gunshot resonates through the orchard.
The shot pierces Bellemere's right shoulder, and she begins to slump to the ground, a look of shock and pain etched on her face.
Nami drops her bo staff and kneels down to cradle her foster mother. "Bellemere! BELLEMERE!! MOM!!"
(First Name), Jimanekia, and the Pack look in shock. But then that shock morphs into anger and rage. 'That does it!' Is what goes through each of their minds.
Who am I?
Am I not unique?
May be I'm not here at all
Look, the fakers
Blinding us with lies
The breakers of us all
A sudden ethereal voice echoes throughout the orchard, followed by a loud roar draws the Marines attention, but none of them had time to react as they were pounced on by a massive lion and large tiger, taking fire from a rifle wielding sea otter, having their own weapons stolen by a tiny white dog, being either slashed up by fierce winds or entrapped in thick vines that appeared from under their feet by a big, colorful bird.
Oh, it's useless
What could it mean that we're here?
Can we make a difference
If we don't break outa here?
Or turned into living statues or had the life squeezed out of them by an enormous snake. Those that weren't attacked by an animal were taken out by a now hooded (First Name) with an amount of grace that would make a prima ballerina beg to learn and a voice that does her Epithet justice.
Wake up, get up, get out there
Raise your voice against liars
Feed your anger like fire
Why does nobody want change?
But her elegance is met with equal rage, her song speaking volumes on her outrage against the deplorable actions of the Marines.
Just imagine you're out there
Swatting lies in the making
Can't move fast without breaking
If you hold on life won't change
Though not loving the idea of killing, the fishwoman had no quarrels when taking such actions to those who were deserving of such actions. Much like she did to the two Krieg Pirates during the Baratie brawl. And these grunt Marines greatly qualified. Completely apathetic towards the villagers of the island as they full-well know of the pirate's rule over their humble home. With Fishman Karate and her hydrokinesis, she deals with her opponents without breaking a sweat.
The fakers
Are all sick at heart
Their faces hiding their fear
They look down on
All the rest of us
Like they're some special breed
The Colonel managed to shoot her in one of her soft spots through her shoulder, but she's too pumped up on adrenaline and rage to notice or even feel it.
Who's the high lord
Who thinks he's better than us?
Ain't it a crime, that?
Is there a mission for us?
Who is that high lord ...
Who'd kill a million of us?
And as the bell tolls
Is there no remission for us?
Soon enough, the Colonel is the only one left standing, and even he doesn't last that long. (First Name) lost count of how many blows she delivered on the scumbag Marine Colonel.
Wake up, get up, get out there
There's more to life than their way
If you'd live you can not stay
Why does nobody want change?
She only remembers leaving him a bloodied, essentially at death's border, beaten and broken to a mess pulp. Right now, her main concern was over Bellemere.
🏴☠️️☠🏴☠️️
During the fight, Jimanekia takes the wounded Bellemere to the village doctor to be treated, with Genzo, Nojiko, and Nami by her side.
Luffy lies in wait against a palm tree in the village hoping to catch Nami at some point.
"Doctor! Doctor!"
The desperate cry draws the young pirate captain's attention.
A group of villagers is gathered around the wounded Bellemere in the arms of a strange yellow-skinned newcomer. But after being told by Genzo that the stranger was a friend rather than a foe, they became less suspicious and more concerned for their injured fellow villager.
"Genzo! What is it?" Nako asks.
"Bellemere's been shot!" Genzo exclaims.
"By who?"
"The Marines." The mayor/sheriff growls.
"The Marines?" The village doctor questions in disbelief.
"Bellemere."
"I'm . . .alright." The woman tries to calm the crowd's worries.
"Arlong has been working with those damn Marines." Genzo states.
"What?!" Nako shouts.
"He's been lying to Nami for the last eight years. He never intended to honor their agreement at all!"
"That bastard!"
"Oh, no! That means . . ."
"That scoundrel! He lied to our Nami!"
The villagers continue to murmur.
Nami, shaking in anger, gently lays her foster mother's head on the grass.
Nako looks at the girl in confusion. "Nami?"
Luffy then pokes into the crowd, unaware of what was going on, and even more clueless on what happened before then. "Hey, Nami!" He waves. "What's up? Need help with anything?"
Nami's cold, angry glare is then aimed at the rubber boy. "Why are you still here?!" She snaps, grabbing him by the front of his red vest. "STAY OUT OF MY BUSINESS! JUST GET AWAY FROM OUR ISLAND!!" She throws Luffy off to the side before heading straight for Arlong Park.
☠🏴☠️️☠
Luffy dusts himself off, taking a seat beneath another palm tree. "What's her problem?" He grumbles with a pouty look on his face.
"Don't get too upset at her, Lu. She's going through some very stressful events right now."
Luffy turns to see his first mate coming up the path while stuffing her cloak into her bag, with the Pack trailing behind her.
"(First Name)! Where've you been?"
"Just wandering and taking care of some business." She smiles down at her captain. Luffy takes note of the girl's bloodied and beaten knuckles.
"Your hands . . ."
"Oh, this? It isn't my blood, if that's what you're wondering. Just taking care of a few minor annoyances." As she finishes storing her cloak back in the bag, she whispers something to the large colorful before it takes off in the direction Nami went.
"Where'd that bird come from? It's so cool!"
"I'll explain later. I have a feeling things are gonna get ugly on this island fast."
"So, does that mean we can help Nami?"
"I certainly hope so because it's getting harder and harder for me not to want to interfere."
During the captain and first mate's conversation, the villagers of Cocoyashi come to a final decision.
"We've had enough!" Genzo declares. "Take up arms; It's time to fight!"
The villagers let out roaring yells of agreement.
"Eight long years ago, we promised we wouldn't live our lives in vain. No matter the pain or humiliation we endured under Arlong, we swore to fight the long fight so Nami could meet the demand! But they lied! They never intended to keep their end of the deal. Instead they stole our only chance at freedom. So now, we should make those filthy Fishmen pay for the years they manipulated that kind, young girl, am I right?!"
"Yeah! Let's do this!"
"We're always ready to fight those monsters! Let's get 'em!"
"Time to show those lousy, stinkin' Fishmen what we're made of!"
"EVERYBODY, WAIT!"
The shout of Nami gains everyone's attention.
"Nami." Nojiko breathes.
The orange-haired navigator smiles at the crowd and chuckles, albeit nervously or rather an attempt to make it believable. "Calm down. It's not that much money. I can make it back in no time. I'll take care of it; Don't worry. It'll be easy this time. I'm used to it. I'll be fine. Just relax. Everything is okay. Hey, it's nothing compared to back then."
With every word Nami spoke, (First Name) could tell she was losing hope and began to feel the navigator's sadness and sorrow.
"C'mon, everyone. I'm perfectly fine."
None of the villagers utter a word.
Genzo is the one to take action, in the form of a hug. With one arm he cradles Nami as if she were still a child, tears flowing down his face. "You've done enough. You have to know that there is no point now. You struggled so hard, carrying our lives on your back this whole time. I can only imagine that joining them must have been more painful than being stabbed through the heart. You fought very well."
Nami tears up. "Genzo. . ."
Genzo releases Nami from the hug. "Set yourself free from this village."
"Genzo . . ." Nami gasps.
"Nami, do it."
"What? Nojiko!" Nami stares at her sister in shock.
Some of the villagers encourage Nami to leave them.
"You're an exceptional young woman . . ." Nojiko continues. " . . .and you have a dream."
"Everyone, listen!" Nami throws her arms out to her sides to block their path. "I won't let you go!" Seeing that wouldn't work, she brings out a dagger. Both (First Name) and Luffy knew she could never bear to use it. "I'm not gonna let anyone else get hurt by these monsters!" She starts breathing heavily. "You'll all die."
"We know that." Genzo says with fear or hesitation. He then grabs the dagger by the blade, but not hard enough to draw blood.
"Nami. We can't keep living in fear like this any longer." Bellemere appears out of the crowd with her shoulder bandaged up.
"Nami, it's no use. We've made up our minds." Nako says.
Nami bites her bottom lip as more tears begin to flow.
"GET OUT OF THE WAY!!" Genzo bellows causing Nami to rear back in shock.
The mayor/sheriff removes his sword from its scabbard and raises it to the air. "MOVE OUT!"
"WE MAY NOT WIN, BUT WE WILL . . .GIVE 'EM HELL!!" Nako finishes.
The village roars in agreement as they raise their makeshift weapons. They all run past a frozen Nami who is still gripping the dagger. As soon as the villagers are out of sight, the dagger falls from her hand and she drops to her knees, trembling. Tears of sadness turn into tears of anger, as she looks to the hideous tattoo on her shoulder that is what chains her to her 'captors'. She begins to claw at it, as if trying to erase it from her skin. She then grabs the dagger and proceeds to stab her shoulder in hope of trying to rid herself of it.
"ARLONG!" She shrieks the name like it's a curse with each stab. "ARLONG! ARLONG!! ARLONG!!! ARLONG!!"
Her self-massacre is halted by a firm grip on her wrist just as she is about to bring it done again on her already heavily bleeding shoulder. She looks over her shoulder and sees Luffy with (First Name) by his side.
"Luffy . . .(First Name) . . ." She sobs.
(First Name) steps in and grabs the bloodied blade from Nami's hand and tosses it away. Nami slumps in exhaustion and defeat.
"What do you want? You don't know anything about this. You don't know what's been happening on this island for the past eight years."
"Luffy doesn't, but I know far more than you give me credit for, Nami."
"This has nothing to do with you." She claws at the dirt road. "I told you to leave this place."
"Yup, you sure did." Luffy replies.
"So, leave!" She exclaims, scraping dirt at them. "I told you to leave! Get out of here! Get out of here now!! Go! Go away! Go, go, go . . ." Her shouts and weak attempts to get the two to leave begins to falter and she begins to sob.
"Luffy . . .(First Name) . . ." Nami shudders. "Help me. . . "
Luffy and his first mate are silent for a moment, before the captain takes off his own straw hat and places it on the navigator's head while (First Name) her treasured crystal necklace from around her neck, taking it into her hand. She kneels down next to Nami before lightly rubbing the crystal against the stab wounds in her shoulder before placing a water coated hand against the wounds. Nami flinches at the pain, but it was gone before she could fully feel it. When (First Name) removes her hand, a glowing handprint remains but quickly fades away revealing Nami's stab wounds to be completely healed.
(First Name) ignores the fact that her hand is now covered in her friend's blood, as she ties the necklace around the navigator's neck. "That's all we needed to hear." (First Name) answers for all the Straw Hats.
"That's right." Luffy breathes in deeply. "HE'S GONNA PAY!!" He shouts to the heavens.
"ChouChou, look after our navigator." The Siren orders as she puts her cloak back on and joins her fellow crewmates (who had been listening to everything) in the march to Arlong Park.
Ruff! The little, white dog snuggles into the crying girl's lap to comfort her.
"Let's go." Luffy says.
"Right." The boys sound.
No more words were spoken between the group of pirates and the animal pack.
🏴☠️️☠🏴☠️️
Meanwhile, the mob of villagers are halted at the gates of Arlong Park by the brightly colored bird, Jimanekia, and Johnny and Yosaku. The two bounty hunters realized they misjudged Nami after staying behind and listening to Nojiko telling the Straw Hats her life story. They thought they could challenge Arlong themselves but lost by a hair. Seeing that they had no chance themselves, they couldn't just sit idly by while the villagers threw their lives away.
"I'm sorry." Johnny apologizes. "But I can't let you through this door. You have no chance of victory."
"What's that?" Genzo questions.
"Be patient." Yosaku cuts in. "It won't be long now. You see, we're awaiting the arrival of a certain group."
"A certain group?" The mayor/sheriff echoes.
"Don't worry. They'll be here soon. I'd bet my life on it."
The bounty hunter duo then spots the group in question just over the horizon. "There!" They chorus.
The villagers turn to get a look at said group.
"It's them . . ." Nojiko mutters in recognition.
"But why would they come to defend our village?" Genzo wonders.
🌀🌺Because it means the world to Nami.🌺🌀 The colorful bird finally speaks, but in an odd way. It was almost as if two voices overlapping with each other could be heard if listened to carefully.
"If none of them can handle Arlong and his gang, then there really is no hope." Yosaku tells. "Not only for this island, but for the whole East Blue."
"Those are the faces of those who are here to change your destiny." Johnny adds. "Burn their images into your memory."
"Step aside." Luffy demands seriously as he and the rest of the group reach the closed gates of Arlong Park.
"Luffy." (First Name) starts. "I have a request."
"Hm?"
"Let me get first crack at him please. I have a feeling I might destroy everything in sight if I don't wail on something fast. Plus, I owe this Fishman a great deal of hurt for everything he's caused our navigator and this village."
Luffy takes in his first mate's seriousness, even though her face is shrouded by her cloak. "Alright, but I get to finish him off."
"Done."
"This seems awfully personal for you, (First Name)." Usopp takes notice.
"Arlong and I . . ." (First Name) trails off for a bit. "We have a history back on the Grand Line."
"A history?" Ghin questions.
"One that means nothing at this very moment, I assure you. And certainly, one that isn't going to save him from the Siren's fury." She growls as she raises and clenches one of her battered fists.
Arlong's evil laughter can be heard from over the high walls surrounding the monstrosity that is Arlong Park. It reminded (First Name), and a certain ex-experiment sea otter, of another disgraceful building further into the Grand Line. One they would never wish to see another of.
(First Name) shakes off her dark thoughts and looks to her captain with a smirk. "Shall we, Luffy?"
The rubber pirate returns the smirk. "Let's."
The captain and first mate ready their fists.
☠🏴☠️️☠
"Hey, do you think those two idiots that showed up earlier are members of Zoro's little crew?" Arlong laughs.
"Zoro?" Kuroobi scoffs. "They seem too weak for that. They weren't even worth killing."
"That's for sure!" Arlong continues his bout of laughter.
Suddenly, the thick stone gates of Arlong Park begin to crack, leading inwards until it was nothing but a pile of rubble. If one looked close enough at the piece, fist prints could be seen. A thick billow of dust covers the entrance for only seconds before Luffy and a hooded (First Name) can be seen.
Arlong's eyes widen in shock. "What the . . .?!"
"Now, which one of you is Arlong?" Luffy questions with a raised fist.
☠TO BE CONTINUED . . .☠
On the next One Piece . . .
"You just had to run ahead by yourself with, (First Name). I said don't hog all the prey!"
"Sorry, Sanji. But I just can't contain myself any longer."
"Oh~ (First Name)-koi, there's no need to apologize. I can understand your fury."
"Huh?!"
"What's wrong?"
"Yeah, that's the thing. I'm kind of in trouble! Hear me out."
"Oh, crap! That guy plans to do something!"
"What do I do? What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?! WAAH!"
"LUFFY!"
🏴☠️️Ch.37: Luffy in Trouble! Commence Fishmen vs. Straw Hats!🏴☠️️
🏴☠️️☠🏴☠️️
☠Current Crew: Luffy | (First Name) | Zoro | Nami | Usopp | Ghin | Sanji☠
🐾The Pack: Carmela | Ahio | Tito | Umi | Trigger | Calder | Richie | ChouChou🐾
💎Gems: Jimanekia the Yellow Pearl💎
☠🏴☠️☠
Translation(s):
[1] - Bloke — A man. (British slang)
[2] - Yakking — Talking too much. | Prat — low-key curse work for a stupid person or someone behaving in a foolish way. (British slang)
[3] - That corrupt Marine lowlife! (Russian)