Amarillo's Pirate Adventure (One Piece SI)

Chapter 20– The Cards We Are Dealt.

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"Hey, can you please talk to me?" I ignore those annoying words with ease, instead burying my head in my hands. I feel like pulling the hair out of my head with how frustrated I am, feeling stuck between a rock and a hard place, except there are pitchforks lacing either side.

The memory is pitch clear in my mind. I can remember with crystal clear clarity the moment the idiot that was my previous self picked such a dumb option. And I was stuck with such a shitty condition, one that had a one in a billion chance of actually taking effect since I would have to come in contact with the single female on the entire planet that I would imprint on, and it happened right on the island where I was born. So my luck is pure dogshit. Even if I did have a trait called lucky, it has been bloody nerfed since this occurred.

I recall the exact wording that showed up on the blue screen all that time ago, word for word, exactly as it was delivered.

[Condition Selected. Condition Is Imprinted

Imprinted:

A female in your new world will be chosen upon your birth, and they will be selected as the person you imprint on; of course, you can go your whole life without meeting them, or they can die before you meet them, which will nullify the condition. You can't control when it happens or to who, and it can happen at any age. Imprinting on someone means when you see her, everything will change; you will listen to her every word and not be able to refuse her regardless of how you feel on the inside. You will not be able to harm her, you will be a slave to her every command, and there is nothing you can do about it.]

"Hey, can you tell me your name? Why are you here like I am? Can you also draw maps?" Reviewing it, it seems to be a really bad deal that I got dealt. But seeing it in effect now, it could be a lot worse because, thankfully, the result is not as pronounced as it seems to be stated in the text. Especially given how my, whatever she is, has been pestering me about all sorts of stuff since I retreated away from the door and slumped down against one of the walls.

"Can you shut up already?" I say, turning to glare at the little orange scamp who quickly clammers up under my gaze, and tears threaten to pour from her eyes. I immediately feel bad about it, but the girl, Nami, refuses to let her tears spill and sucks them back up, hurriedly moving away to sit in another corner of the room. I know that I am angry at the situation as a whole, the pirates, the condition enforced upon me... George's death. And I am taking it out on her when she didn't ask for any of this, she is just a ten-year-old girl that has just... lost her mother, and I just shouted at her.

Sighing and feeling like a piece of shit, I look over to see her lightly sniffling with arms wrapped around her legs, her head hanging low to cover her face. I forgot in all this that I am not the only one that has been affected because she has lost Bellemere, her mother. She is just as sad, just as angry and just as messed up as me right now. And she was trying to keep a brave face on to distract herself from her pain, and I just demolished her with my ignorant words.

Standing up, I shake myself out of my hazy fugue of self-pity and despair, and I walk over to sit down near her. She lifts her head up slightly, eyeing me with a single red eye before quickly retreating to the safety of her legs. I stay silent for a moment, thinking things over and wondering how to break the ice.

To be honest, the condition isn't as bad as I thought it was. First of all, Nami had been bugging me for a while, constantly asking me questions, and I had completely ignored her. I even shouted at her and told her to shut up, which I wouldn't think would be possible due to the description of the condition. But I can. I don't feel an obligation to be nice to her or to answer her questions. And I think it is because they are questions. After all, if she were to demand answers, then I would have to give them to her.

I think a lot of this will be based on intention and demand. Since Nami was only asking, then it was up to me whether to answer, whereas if she demanded answers, then I would be forced to give them. I also think it depends on how much she cares and is adamant about the things she says, such as when earlier when I was going to leave. I was simply leaving, and she was scared and told me to stay. It hurt, but I could continue to move forward. And then she demanded to know where I was going, and I told her I was going to kill the fishmen pirates, at which point she was staunch on not letting me leave, and I couldn't.

Essentially this condition can be boiled down to three simple things. First, the things Nami adamantly demands, I can't refuse. Second, I can't hurt her physically, and I assume I will have to protect her from harm. We will wait and see. Finally, I can resist her words depending on how much she wishes to enforce her terms, and it will hurt the more I go against her wishes, but I can.

All in all, not terrible. I can live with this. Still, I am pissed at my past self, he was an asshole, or rather I was. He had picked the traits I have, which I describe as video game traits for some stupid reason, but they are part of who I am. I was born like that. But then I realised he realised there was no point to any of it if he didn't keep his memories when starting a new life, so he selfishly rolled the wheel of conditions, wanting to take a chance to live a new life.

Past me had two options, either deny the wheel of conditions and have his soul move on without his memories, which wouldn't really be him. Or roll the wheel of conditions and get stuck with a condition but keep his memories without the emotions or attachments, a chance that he would somehow remain and experience the next world. Confronted with these two options, he naturally chose the latter, the one that had a chance of him surviving in some form. And it worked, but not exactly.

It didn't work out like he had planned because all the attachment and emotion were censored from those memories. And while I had those memories, all it really was was knowledge. I remember that life and all the things in it, but I feel no attachment or anything to it. It is merely my past life memories, something that can aid me but not something that defines me.

Thankfully, the drawback is not proving to be that bad at the moment since I can resist the things Nami says but doesn't really mean or care about. The only reason I am severely hating this right now is that I want nothing more than to go out there and chop off all the heads of those fishmen pirate bastards out there and chuck them back into the sea where they should have stayed. However, the only thing Nami is adamant about right now is me not doing that because she thinks I will die, and she doesn't want anyone else to perish.

A nice thought, but ultimately it is stifling me and preventing me from avenging my best friend. But another thing to consider here is that the person I am forced to listen to is currently a vulnerable little ten-year-old girl that has just lost her mother and is being held captive by pirates. It might make me seem like a scum, but she has no one right now, and I am here. So I should take advantage of that and become the dominant one here so I can manipulate her into not forcing her will onto me later down the line.

But this is just as much for her sake as it is for mine. I need to get her on my side. If I can become the dominant one here, and take control, then I can get her to defer to me, and she will not be so adamant about telling me what to do and stuff. Then I can go and take out all of the pirates, freeing the island and herself, so in the end, my being a bastard will benefit her. The only question is, how am I going to do this.

I am not the most social of creatures, what with me living pretty isolated on a beach far from the village. I only really talked to people when I went there for work and never to anyone younger than me. I am used to talking to mature people, people older than me who know what they are doing and have their lives somewhat figured out. However, I have no clue how to talk to a child, especially one that is grieving so much. This could quickly go wrong and end up with her hating me, which would be very bad for my future as she would have some control over it.

"Amarillo Detoro..." I say, answering one of the questions she had been asking me before I stupidly told her to shut up. The words hang in the air for a moment, permeating through the silence, and I see her tilt her head out of the corner of my eye, revealing a single brown pupil that stares at me.

"That's my name, Amarillo Detoro. As for the other stuff you were asking me about, I am not here because I can draw maps like you apparently can. They took me because I am a good builder, a craftsman." I answered her other questions from earlier, well, the only ones I can remember since she asked quite a few while I was freaking out. Apparently, this girl was taken because she can draw maps? I was taken because they saw the house that I had worked on for the last four years, so I wondered how impressive this girl's maps must be for them to also take her.

"...A craftsman?" She says, her head perking up from her hidey-hole. A promising sign, the more I draw her into the conversation, the more she gets to know me and I her.

"Hmm. I am good at building things, mainly out of wood, but I can work with metals and other materials. The fishmen pirates saw the house I had built, and they took me. They want to use my skills like I assume they want to use your map-building skills." I try to relate to her, as well as drop some inkling of my skills and reliability. I built an entire house, after all, that should instil some merit in her eyes. If she can trust me and find me reliable, then maybe she will no longer try to stop me from going and getting vengeance.

"You built an entire house? Why? You are just a kid like me. Didn't your parents help you?" She says, her head entirely retreating from her knees and looking towards me. I stop staring straight ahead and turn to look at her as well. Her eyes are still red, but there are no more tears, just some light sniffling.

"I don't have any parents. I am an orphan that lived at the orphanage, but apparently, I was too rowdy, and the other kids didn't like me and were scared of me for some reason. So Mummy Mee and Daddy Dee moved me to a beach, where there was a little shack for me to live in. Over the last four years, I had transformed that small shack and expanded it massively into a full home with all sorts of functions." I reveal, pulling Nami even more out of her shell. The frown on her face slowly lightens as she seems to realise something, recognition blooming on her face.

"Oh, I know those two. They came over sometimes to check on me and Nojiko, my sister... So you built an entire house? It must have been a lot of work to do all that building, way more than just drawing some maps." She says, a bit depressed at the end there, reminded of her situation. I am a bit surprised that she knows Mummy Mee and Daddy Dee, which must mean there were some other factors regarding her household affairs if those two were visiting.

"It was a lot of work, but I had my best friend to help me with it. He did a lot of the heavy lifting since he was so big and strong." Honestly, I don't think my house would be anywhere close to complete if George didn't help me build it. Of course, George didn't even really make anything, but his job was still important, lifting, carrying and handing me things as well as holding things in place so I could secure them. I didn't realise it at the time, but that lazy gorilla would always help me if I asked.

"Best friend? I don't really have one, though I would say my sister Nojiko is my best friend. So what is your best friend like? Where is he?" She questions, trying to distract herself from her own pain and, in the process pulling mine out from where I was trying to forget it.

"George... he died... The fishmen killed him..." I say, the words leaving my mouth with difficulty. Nami doesn't say anything after that, leaving us to stew in the deathly silence, which is even worse. Saying it out loud, telling someone, somehow makes it feel even worse. Before, it was as if it wasn't real because I hadn't talked about it or spoken about it, but now someone other than me knows, and Nami now knows. I can't explain it, but it hurts even more now for some reason.

"...just like Bellemere." I hear her finally say, and I look up to find her staring at me. But she isn't crying or looking like she is pitying me. Instead, there is a look of understanding, not as if she knows the pain I am feeling but as if she knows that I am in pain. Because she is too, probably much more than me, since she lost her mother, and she has never been independent before. I am not lost. I can survive. I don't have any of those doubts and worries, but she is probably full of them, and here she is, locked away in a dingy room, stuck with me.

"That is right. Just like they killed your mother, they killed my best friend. I have no one else now. So, I want to go out a kill them all. Even if they are too strong, even if I am so weak that I can't kill a single one. At least I can injure one of them, making it easier on the rest of the villagers on the island. So let me go. I have no one else waiting for me. I have nothing to lose. So at least let me try to avenge my best friend." Seeing the opportunity presented to me, I strike, trying to convince her to let me go and take them out. A bit hasty, but the desire to get my revenge burns inside me. I can't wait.

"No." I look at her, shocked, unable to understand why she is refusing me. Her face, still red from crying, is staunch. Her expression is unrelenting. She is resolved to not let me do what I want, to not let me get revenge for George, for her mother.

"No..? WHY!? AREN'T YOU ANGRY!? AREN'T YOU PISSED OFF!? THEY KILLED YOUR MOTHER!! THEY KILLED BELLEMERE!! THEY COULD KILL ANYONE NEXT!! EVEN YOUR SISTER!! DON'T YOU WANT REVENGE!! DON'T YOU WANT THEM TO DIE!!!" I shouted, losing control of myself the second she refused me. A simple no from her, and I have to follow it. I just don't understand. Why isn't she letting me? Why doesn't she want me to kill them?

"Of course I want them to die... I hate them. But they are too strong. You won't be able to kill them all. And even if you do manage to injure one, or maybe even kill one of them, all you will do is make the rest angry, and they will take it out on the villagers. So don't throw your life away just so you can hurt one of them. Stay alive. No one else needs to die. No one else needs to suffer." So Nami says, surprising me that she is just as angry as me, and yet she won't let me go, even though she understands how I feel.

"Then what am I supposed to do? What are the villagers supposed to do? Do we just wait around forever, hoping for something to change? For the nearby marines to come to rescue us? Because I have met the leader of that branch, and he is a coward that cares more about himself than the people here. He won't come to rescue us, so we have to deal with this ourselves. I am strong. I can beat them. A bigshot marine from the Grandline came here and trained me for a couple of months four years ago. I can do it." I won't be able to take them all on at once. I don't have enough experience for that. But one by one, using sneak attacks and planning each one out down to the point? I can defeat them all.

"You are just a kid, like me. If you try to fight them, you will die. But I can free everyone. Arlong made a deal with me, and if I can fulfil it, then he and his crew will leave. If I can gather one hundred million berries and give it to Arlong, then he will leave." She says, frustrating me even more.

"And you believe him? That he will just leave like that?" That is absurd. There is no way he would just leave. This entire village is a goldmine for him, with income every month with no work under the threat of death. There is no way Arlong will give this up. And one hundred million berries? There is no way she will gather that much. It is an impossible figure to attain. However, Arlong clearly want her for her map drawing abilities for some reason, and to that effect, he has given her hope, so she will work for him.

"What other choice is there? This way, everyone gets to live. While I am working on getting all that money, they will be fine. Maybe someone will come to free the island while I am trying, which would be great." Is she serious? And that is when I realise me and her are different because she is a legitimate ten-year-old. She wants to believe in this, that she can free everyone, and she won't believe otherwise. I can see it in her eyes. No matter what I say, she won't listen. Only when she has definitive proof in front of her will she accept that.

"He is a pirate. There is no way he will abide by that agreement. So just let me go and kick all their asses, and solve this now. There is no point in waiting. Even if you gather all the money, he will just take it and keep ruling this island. You know that, right?" Even so, I try to tell her. Try to convince her and show her reality, but it doesn't seem to work.

"But I have to try. If there is a way for us to be free without any of the villagers having to die for it. Then no matter how tiny, I have to try. We have to try. And if the day comes when he doesn't do what he agreed to, then... you can do whatever you like. You said you are strong, right? So while I am trying to get one hundred million berries, you could maybe keep getting stronger. So if that ever happens, you can try to kill them." That is... something. Honestly, it is the best I can hope for because I am not convincing her otherwise. She is seriously stubborn, just like that mother of hers.

But gathering all that money is going to take years, maybe even decades. And I need Nami to collect all that money as soon as possible, so then Arlong can betray their deal, and I get free range to kill all of the bastards. The only way I can think for her to get that much is for her to resort to piracy and stealing because there is no other way to get that money so fast. So I am going to help her gather that money as soon as possible so that she can get her hope crushed quicker and free me from this restraint.

"Alright, fine, if that is what you want. But collecting all that money by yourself is going to take too long, so I will help you with it. Hell, we can even get some of the villagers to help as well. With all of us collecting as much as we can, we should be able to raise the full amount much faster." And then Arlong can refuse to abide by the terms of the agreement, and Nami will be shattered. Unfortunate, but what other option do I have? Nami needs to have her hopes destroyed so that she will no longer restrict me and allow me to avenge George, as well as Bellemere.

"We can't. The villagers will already be using their money to pay Arlong. We can't take more from them. They might need it in the future. Arlong already said that I don't need to pay the tax because I will be working for him, so you probably won't have to, too, so you can help me." I know that it would have been tough on the villagers, but if they contributed at least something, then the faster this process could go. I am still trying to figure out how to raise that much money. I certainly can't do it on this island, and I am curious if Arlong will even let us leave the Conami Islands.

"Whatever, there is no point discussing this now. I am going to go, and I promise I won't try to fight, not until you have tried your plan. Is that okay with you?" I phrase the last part sarcastically, but it is a genuine question. Because right now, I am still under her orders to stay here, but as I get up and begin to walk towards the door, I feel no such restraint anymore. Without her having to say anything, I can already feel that I can leave, which is good? It shows that I don't have to obey any verbal commands to the letter, and an order can stay or go depending on how she feels... I think.

"A-Are we allowed to leave? Won't they be angry?" Nami questions behind me, trepidation in her voice, but I can hear her footsteps as she follows me. Good, seems like she is latching on to me, which means I can try to regulate her commands. But, of course, if I am in a higher position than her, then she wouldn't give me orders, would she?

"Let's find out." Of course, some might argue that it is terrible, that I should keep my distance, and I would want that too. But I have already met her, and we are both going to be forced to work for Arlong. And she has already declared that I can not attack or kill the fishmen, which means we will be stuck together. So it is best to undercut this thing now and get ahead of it, then try to ignore it and have it come back to bite me later on.

Approaching the front door, I go to grab the handle, but I still when I hear voices outside, and I quickly turn to Nami and bring a finger to my mouth, gesturing for her to be quiet. Thankfully she is quite an intelligent girl, and she listens to my order, letting me listen to the other side of the door. Since I can't attack these guys now, the best thing I can do is gather information in preparation for the day when I finally can. People reveal much more when they don't think you are listening and when they feel they are in a safe space with no one around. So, pressing my ear against the door, I begin to try and listen for anything important.

"What is Arlong-San thinking? We should have killed him. Did you see what he did?" Hmm, they are talking about Arlong sparing someone, and they think he should have killed them. Who could they be talking about?

"Arlong says to keep him alive, so that's what we will do. Arlong knows what he is doing. So let's trust him." Hmm, these guys seem to have heavy loyalty to their captain.

"I know, I know. But- It was all of us, every single one of us. Only the captain was unaffected. I just can't help but feel this could come back to bite us later if we don't deal with it now." So they were all affected by something, and only Arlong wasn't? I wonder what happened, who on this island did it, and what they did.

"Shh, shut up about it. The captain has already decided, so what else is there to say." At his words, they both quiet down, neither speaking further about the topic. Intrigued, I want to learn more, but they start talking about unimportant things, so I decide to leave. I have something to do, and I can't leave it any longer.

Opening the door, the two fishermen pirates spin around to look at me, hands quickly going to rest on the handles of their weapons as they look at me with caution. Strange, but I ignore it. I don't have time to waste on these guys.

"You guys have already taken over the island, right? So there is nowhere for us to go for help, so can we go? It isn't like we can run away." I raise an eyebrow at them, inquiring because I don't want to provoke or start a fight with any of them. Right now, I am forbidden from fighting with them, so if they begin to attack me, I have no idea if I will be allowed to defend myself. So I don't want to risk it.

They both turn to look at each other before looking back down at me, their grasp on their weapons tightening before they simply give me a nod and move to the side, giving me way. I start to walk past them, Nami quickly following behind me.

I notice that they never take their eyes off me as I move away, and their hands stay tightly on their weapons. Very strange, these guys were so rough and loud on the beach, and they definitely don't like humans. But they just let me go without saying a word, not even swearing at me when they seem to hate humans.

Very weird, but I don't have time to dwell on it any further. I have to go deal with... Shaking my head, I quicken my pace, Nami scurrying along behind me.

 

Disclaimer: If you recognise it, surprise, I don't own it.

Chapter 21– Rest.

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Walking through the streets, I don't really recognise anything around here. The style of the buildings is familiar, but I have no recollection of this location at all, and I know for a fact that I have not left the island. Of course, I don't recognise it anyway either, but perhaps that is because there is hardly anybody out on the streets. I can see the occasional eye peeking out through the curtains through their windows, everybody too scared to leave their homes now that the Conami Islands are under new management, for however long that remains to be the case.

"Um, where are we going, Detoro-Kun?" I hear Nami ask from behind me, still following me along. Honestly, I thought when we were out of that stupid shack, she would quickly run back home to her sister, so I don't know why she is still trailing behind me. Maybe, because her home is the same place her mother just died, just like my home is where George just died.

"I am going home. I have something to do there." I say, keeping my tone neutral. There is no point in isolating her and making her my enemy by being aggressive, it isn't even her fault after all, and she doesn't even know about the hold that she has over me, and I am going to keep it that way. But I also can't be so friendly that she starts to follow me around for the rest of her life, which would seriously hamper mine. And if it does turn out that our paths going forward are going to be majorly intertwined, then like I said before, I am going to make sure that I am higher up the hierarchy so that she won't give me orders, ever.

"Oh... Which village, then? This is Cocoyasi Village, my village." Hmm, good to know. I never really ventured to explore the rest of the Conami Islands because I had no need to. I had everything I needed right there on my beach or close by at Shokuyasi Village. However, the thought of the village fills me with dread at what could have happened to it while I was out of action. I know that everyone has enough money to pay for themselves, so they should be safe on that front, but there are a few volatile and aggressive characters as well. I hope Bob just paid up and didn't try to resist, for his sake.

"Shokuyasi Village," I answer, but I don't change my direction. I might not have known where I was, but I know where I am going. I am not an idiot. I have been alive and left to my own devices long enough to figure out enough crap for myself, and knowing where the sun rises and sets and, in turn, the four directions are easy. So given the position of the sun, I was already on my way home, and then after that, I would check out Shokuyasi Village. I am worried about the village, but I have to go home first. I don't know how long I have left before things go... stale, and I have already been out for at least a day.

Feeling the urgency, I start to speed up, building myself up to transfer from my walk into a slow jog and, from there, ramp up till I am sprinting home. Weighed down by everything that has happened and that I have been hit by, I find it hard to work up the energy, but I slowly do so, dredging it up from the depths of my being since I don't have time to get weighed down by all the bullshit.

"H-Hey, wait! Let me come with you!" I heard a desperate voice call out in the distance behind me just before I seriously sped up and left her in my dust. Hearing her voice, my body starts to slow down. She has just lost her mother, and she doesn't know where her sister is, and she doesn't want to go home to her mother's site of death either, so she is latching onto me. But I am not stopping, and I don't intend to bring her with me, so I keep moving forward. But I am so slow now that I can hear her behind me, maintaining the distance between us, and I am unbelievably frustrated since I don't have time to waste here.

Stopping, I turn around and hurry back towards her, but she doesn't see me on account of her running for her life, her head down and seriously out of breath as she tries to keep up with me. She lets out a startled shriek of surprise when I reach her and grab her under the armpits and throw her up into the air before quickly turning around and catching her behind my back. With Nami now piggybacking on me, I will no longer have to slow down in the least as she will be with me, which is why I immediately sprint off at full speed before she even knows what's happening. And if she starts to scream and cry because of the intense speed I am travelling at, well... she shouldn't have forced me to take her with me then.

Tuning out her screams and cries, which are surprisingly now forcing an effect on me, I focus on sprinting as fast as I can, wanting to get home before she regains her wits enough to tell me to slow down. I also push the thought of what is waiting there for me out of my mind, knowing that I need to go there before the situation deteriorates too much.

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Now with my feet on familiar ground, I begin to slow down, my feet not willing to listen to my brain as they automatically slow as we near our destination. The trepidation I was ignoring so well starts to swell back up inside my heart, and this nauseous feeling starts to bludgeon inside my gut. My legs want more than anything to stop, to keep from arriving at my home, but I force them on anyway. I am determined to not be the sort of man that runs away because then I would be running away forever. I need to face this and deal with it. Otherwise, I will never best any of the future challenges to come my way.

Now just walking, I continue down the path, the trees becoming sparse as I move onward. The only sound accompanying my feet hitting the ground is the panting of Nami as she rests listlessly on my back. Even though she didn't exert herself in the least, she was out of breath and dazed from the whirlwind tour through the scenery of the Conami Islands I just took her on. Which I prefer because I would rather not deal with her questions or voice right now.

The dirt path transforms into sand with a stone path laid out in front of me as the trees disappear, and I am shown the full sight of my home, surprisingly the same as I left it. But down by the shore, just out of reach of the encroaching waves, is the body... is George. In two separate pieces...

Turning my upper body around, I grab hold of Nami, who doesn't put up a fuss or raise a commotion since she is so tired. I turn around and walk to the closest tree and place her down on the ground so that she is resting against it. She looks up at me but is too busy coming down from the high of my sprint that she can't say anything, and she is too lethargic to move.

Leaving her there, I walk down to the beach, my feet sinking into the sand just like how my heart is sinking into my stomach. Then, finally, I come to a stop before the motionless body of George, my sandals now resting on dry red sand. On the ground, not far away, is his unattached head. The only thing I can find in this to take respite in is that his head is facing away from me because I don't think I could face looking at his unmoving face.

Quickly looking away, I walk towards my shed, wasting no time on the door and kicking it open, uncaring about the damage. Walking in, I walk to the section where I keep my tools and pick up my shovel, which used to be just for digging up paths or terrain that was in my way, but now it will be used to dig a grave. Then, walking back out with the shovel in hand, I look out at the sea, trying to calm my beating heart, the thrums with malevolence. I stifle it for the moment so I can focus on the task at hand, but it remains there, just beneath the surface, waiting to erupt once more.

Turning my eyes away from the sea, I can see a bunch of debris washed up onto the shore, and it takes a moment for me to connect the pieces of wood littering the beach with my boat that was destroyed. Another emotion rises in my heart, one that I am unfamiliar with, but I know that it is painful to feel. Ignoring it, I spot a particularly big piece of wood laid out on the beach, relatively intact, and so I go and grab hold of it and take it over towards George, resting it on the sand beside his body.

Picking up my shovel, I go to the other side of George's body and aim for my shovel so that I can move the body onto the wooden panel. But I can't do it, somehow using the shovel to move him, to shovel him away like he is dirt, feels wrong. And so I place it down and move back to the other side of his body and grab ahold of his hand to pull him onto the wood. But again, my heart drops, and I feel as if a chunk of my soul is ripped out as my fingers touch against his cold, stale, lifeless hands.

The tears come unbidden, leaking uncontrollably from my eyes. I try scrunching up my face to deny them their leave, but I can do nothing to stop the stream from pouring out. The most I can do is force my mouth closed, biting viciously on my lips to keep the noise from escaping me. I try to carry on through the anguish, to push it to one side and focus.

I grip George's hand tightly, ignoring how it is hardly affected by my grip, and my other hand quickly grabs it as well. Then, denying everything else I am feeling, I start to pull, moving backwards as I do so, my eyes shut closed. I do not want to subject myself to the sight, but also not wanting to look at the rest of his body, at the place where his head no longer is. I don't want to see it. I don't want to see the disconnect. The exact spot where it separated...

I move backwards, my feet scraping across the red sand and George's body digging a groove into the red sand. It is hard and slow going, but not because it is physically demanding. I might not have trained religiously these past few years, too busy with my numerous jobs and building our home, but I did my fair share. I should be able to easily move his body. I had lifted and moved boulders the size of a horse. This should have been easy, and yet it was taking every ounce of m willpower to move it the slightest-

I lose my footing and almost fall back, saving myself with a quick foot back to steady myself. The weight that felt near impossible to move before suddenly lightened, and I nearly tripped up because of it and lay down in the red- in the bloody sand. My eyes open, and I look around for whatever was the cause, and to my left is surprisingly Nami.

I look on, shocked at her grabbing hold of George's leg and pulling on it with all her might, which doesn't have much of an effect now that the driving force I was providing has vanished. Seeing that her actions were now futile, she looked up to see what had changed and found me looking at her with a no-doubt ugly look on my face because of all the fluid and my scrunched-up face.

"N-Nami..? W-What are you doing?" I questioned, surprised to see the tiny little girl that was just resting listlessly against a tree now beside me, trying to help me move George's body onto the wooden panel. I remain there, holding George's hand and looking at her, confused.

"This is your friend, isn't it? George. I am helping you with him, but I can't do it alone, so help me." With my concentration in such a lapse, my body starts to automatically follow her orders, even with it being such a weak command without much force in her voice. I am so distraught right now that it is actually affecting me.

And I am letting it. I know I resolved myself to never give in to it and to never let it get the better of me, but I think I should be allowed this one concession. With everything that has happened, George dying, me finding the person I have no choice to obey, being forced to not get my revenge immediately and having to follow her orders.

And now, burying my best friend is arguably the most challenging thing, so I don't care what anybody would think of me, but I am going to allow this because I see no other way to bury my best friend. He deserves to have a grave and be put to rest and not left here to decay and be devoured by other animals. He was more than just an animal, so I would allow this control. Otherwise, I would be here forever, trying to bring myself to lay my friend to rest.

My body moves to the best of its ability and starts to move George with no fuss or complaint. However, the key word in that order was to help Nami, so my body moves at her pace, and we work together to move the body, though I am doing all the lifting. I try to avoid the actions of my body by focusing on something else, and so I try talking to Nami.

"W-what about your mother? D-Doesn't Bellemere-San also need to be... put to rest?" I question, looking over at Nami instead of the body that we are moving. Also, she is helping me with this out of her own will. There was no influence, gain or advantage to her actions. She saw me struggling and immediately came to help me, a kind act that made me see the silver lining that my new commander could have been a lot worse and cruel, but this girl wouldn't do anything horrible. At the very least, I should try to help her with the burial of her own mother.

"I- Nojiko will... Genzo-San is also there, and he is a good guy. He will take care of it along with the others, but there is no one here to help you except me. So we have to stick together and look out for each other now. We are stuck under the Arlong pirates for now." She explains as we finish moving the body, at which point I turn to the most dreaded part. The head...

Nami got up and looked around for a moment. No doubt she had already spotted the head before she started to help me, so she didn't have an adverse reaction. But she seems to be looking for something else, which she finds as she quickly runs off and picks something up in the distance before coming back to me.

I recognise what is in her hands, as it used to belong to me. It was one of the sacks I was going to take with me on my journey before Arlong destroyed my boat, except now the string is loose at the top, and everything that was inside it has disappeared, no doubt floating somewhere in the ocean. I look at her in question, at which point she starts to look at something behind me nervously.

"I-Its for the head..." She says, leaving me speechless. I merely look at her with a blank look on my face before turning my gaze downwards to the empty sack. I don't know how long I just stared at it with no thoughts running through my head. It was as if I had been put on pause because I had just stopped functioning at the sight of the sack, which reminded me of my friend's beheading and which would hold his head.

"I-I can do it. I- I will take care of it." Nami quickly says when I don't respond, and she hesitantly turns and goes towards the head resting on the circular pile of sand dyed red with dry blood. I watch her go slowly, cautiously. She clearly doesn't want to do it, but she is forcing herself to, for my sake. She just met me, and she is willing to do such a thing, and I am letting her.

"Stop," I say, coming forward to grab her by the shoulder and spin her around. She looks at me, her face wavering on the edge of breaking, tears gathering at the corner of her eyes. She clearly didn't want to do it, I don't think anyone would, but she was willing. I grab the sack from her hands and rip it free, taking it for myself.

"I will do it myself. He was my best friend. I should take care of him now. I need to take care of him now." Left unsaid is the fact that I couldn't force a little girl to do such a thing. I had already let her help me with the body. A fact I kind of hate myself for now, but I was in a different head space, and I didn't realise it. I can't let her take care of the head. That would just be too cruel.

Nami nods her head at me, obviously relieved to be relieved of this duty, and so I move forward towards the head. I hurry along, wanting to do this quickly and not spend any more time than necessary on it. On the other hand, I don't want to think about it, either.

I make sure to approach it so that it is facing away from me, and I kneel behind it, opening the sack wide and placing it on the ground before me. I take a quick look and memorise the positioning before I close my eyes and take a deep breath to calm my nerves. Then I reach out, grabbing the head by the two spots I picked out earlier and quickly pick it up, I hear the sound of something hitting the ground, but I ignore it and focus on placing the head in the sack and then hurriedly grabbed the string at the top and tightened the sack, making sure it was secure.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I open my eyes and see that my actions did indeed result in what I wanted, as the only thing in front of me now is the sack- and something metallic glinting in the sand. Confused, I reach my hand out gingerly to grab at it, making sure not to touch the red sand at all. Pinching the edge of it between my two fingers, I pull it up and get a good look at it, and then I nearly drop it.

I-It's my key. My house key for the front door that I gave to George for safekeeping before I set out on my rowboat. And he stored it... he held it in his mouth, keeping it hidden there for me until I came back to collect it. It must have fallen out when I picked him up... I don't want to think about how it did.

All of a sudden, I can't keep it in anymore, the tears pour forth, and I scream aloud. I let my anguish out, unable to keep it at bay anymore. I roar at the unfairness of it all. George didn't deserve to die. He didn't hurt anyone. He didn't even hurt other animals. Geroge was capable of eating meat, but he stuck to fruit and vegetables. I always asked stuff of him, and he always complied. He always helped me, and all I ever did was let him sleep in my home and treat him like a burden. Even at the end, I gave him a task to keep my key, and he came out to defend me and save me from Arlong.

Even after he died, he was still helping me. Even dead, he kept my key safe for me until I came back to take it. If he had never left Troga, he would still be alive, and I regret that I brought him from there only to die here. But to be honest, I am still happy I did so, even if this is how it ended, because we had a great time together and looked out for each other when we had no one else. So now it is my time to look after him in death, just like he looked after me in life.

Standing up, I gently lift the sack and move back towards the board. No longer conflicted or hesitant. I am going to lay my friend to rest. And then, to make sure he rests easy in the grave, I will make sure Arlong and all the other pirates stop cursing this earth with every breath they take.

I am not content to wait. First, I will have to convince Nami, but that shouldn't be too hard. She will soon see that the only way for us all to be free and to avenge George and Bellemere-San is for us to take it with our own hands.

I place the sack on the board and then pick up the shovel and place that on it too. I look down at the key in my hand before placing that on the board as well. George did his job, he gave me the key back, and now I am giving it to him. I will place it with him in his grave, so he can protect this key forever.

I then grab ahold of the board and prepare to drag it into the forest when I look up to see Nami holding the other end and giving me a firm nod.

Even in this grim situation, I manage a smile, though fleeting, before hefting the board up and moving towards the forest.

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Moving back through the forest, holding just my shovel, I spare a glance at Nami, who is walking beside me, before quickly looking away. I definitely have conflicting thoughts about this girl now, but that doesn't change the facts, and what has to be done still needs to be done. With George now buried, I have to focus on getting Arlong now.

Walking back into the clearing where my house is, I turn to thank Nami for her help, but I am interrupted before I can do so. I look on enraged as the front door of my house is kicked open, and Arlong and some of his crew leave my house laughing and joking, not at all concerned that they had intruded open my home.

"Oh, Nami! Other Brat! Haha, I gave this house of yours a look over, and it is pretty nice. But, unfortunately, it is in the way of my new Arlong Park. Kuroobi." Arlong says, spotting myself and Nami and acting casually with us as if we were nothing. And then he commands one of the other fishmen, one called Kuroobi, who gives a firm nod and turns around to face my home, and then he...

*BOOM!*

... He flipped my house.

The house I built with George, which we both struggled with and spent many hours over. Sweat and toil went into it, and it was just completely flipped on its head and destroyed.

"AAAARGGGH!" I charge at Arlong, wielding the shovel in my head, wanting to use it to beat the shit out of them.

 

Chapter 22– Rage.

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"AAAARGGGH!" I roar, rushing forward, raising the shovel high above my head and belting ahead to bury it in the saw-nosed fuckers stupid head. I am not stopped, there is no command to impede my actions, and there are no restrictions on me at this moment keeping me at bay. I rushed forward without even a halt in my step when by all rights, the commands of Nami given earlier should have stopped me as I brought my foot forward for the first time.

A saner person would probably have thought about this, contemplated it, and sought out the meaning behind it and why the commands were suddenly lifted. But I don't claim to be sane. I never have done it, and I certainly will not in future because I don't give a shit about any of that at this moment, and all I care about is turning this long-nosed fucker in front of me into sashimi.

I am so filled with this raw hatred that I even contemplate just subduing him and then cooking his friends and eating them in front of him. Would that even be classed as cannibalism since they are technically a different species altogether, even if they are sentient? Just one of the many ludicrous thoughts that ran through my head during my sudden bought of insanity induced by the fact I had just buried my best friend in two separate pieces. Then his murderers just destroyed our home and the only place I had memories together with him.

"DIEEE!" I scream as I suddenly appear in front of Arlong, drawing surprised gasps from his surrounding crew, and then I cleave my makeshift weapon down to his head, edge first to split him in two. As an arrogant guy like Arlong and someone from the Grandline who is bound to be strong, I fully expected him to try to block or even capture my weapon. I would not even be surprised if I was suddenly blown away, having underestimated him. But none of those things happens.

Instead, Arlong acts with surprising caution and sidesteps my clumsy attack, my shovel barreling past him and plunging into the sand, kicking up a storm that surrounds us. I don't question why he is so wary of me and even why he seems to be not underestimating me like he did previously when we first met. Instead, all I am thinking about is my next move. And so I pull and heave my shovel outwards, only to hear a large crack and for the handle to be lifted up without the shovel attachment on the end. Uncaring, I swipe it to the side where Arlong had dodged, blowing away the sand in the air only to reveal nothing at my immediate side where I thought my enemy to be.

In my fugue, after seeing my enemy not being where I expected him to be and only wanting to batter his face in, I spin around, expecting him to be on my other side and trying to attack. Still, when I swing the broken handle in that direction, there is no one there either, but this time I do not have the time to move on to my following action as that choice is quickly taken away from me as I feel a hand grasp the top of my head.

And then I am driven face first into the sand, my whole head being forced into it and then sunken so that my head was implanted straight down, the rest of my body then being pulled taut by the sudden pain and attack from nowhere, resulting in my body becoming rigid and unflexible as my feet point upwards towards the sky, my body staying in that position for a few moments.

And then the massive sharp-fingered hand releases my head, and I collapse like a puppet that has had its strings cut. A loud vibrating ringing resounded on the inside of my skull and disorientated me, not allowing me to continue with my former course of action and instead forcing me to bring a stop to all of my movement, my body merely twitching when I tried directing it to carry on.

I lay there, my head buried in the sand and finding it hard to breathe. But even with my ears blocked, I can still hear the mocking laughter surrounding me. My head still ringing and pounding, I try to move so I can get back up, but my body refuses to listen to my commands no matter how much I try to force it to.

I try, and I try, but nothing comes of my efforts. I don't know how long I try for, but eventually, I am able to use my limbs once more, and so I don't waste a second and move my hands to push against the ground. But before I can push my head out of its sand tomb, I feel that giant rough hand on my body once again, grasping one of my legs and then pulling me up by it like a fucking chicken.

The sudden rush of sand against my face and the whoosh of air as I am pulled up, disorientates me further, and I find myself dazed and unable to react to the sudden change in my circumstances. And finally, when my mind manages to reorientate itself, I can see the grinning, sharp-toothed smile of Arlong looking at me upside down. Immediately my foot lashes out, trying to kick him in his smug face, but my attempt proves to be futile as my foot comes nowhere near him.

His mocking cackles remind me of the fact that there is a severe height difference in our frames, and our body types are widely different, along with him being fully grown and myself being a child. He is holding me at arm's length, and his arms are way too long. My leg doesn't even reach far enough to surpass his elbow. Realising I won't be able to smash his face in held tightly in his grip like this, I start to twist and turn, but my efforts to free myself result in minimal results. His fingers dig painfully into the skin around my ankle, and my movements exacerbate the pain, but I don't let that stop me.

"Shahahaha! Stop struggling, you little shit! A pitiful human like you could never escape my grip. Though I have to admit, you are a bit more durable than the other pissants in your species. But that doesn't mean anything when you are still just as stupid. SHAHAHAH!" As I struggle, I try to contemplate what has just happened and how I was struck down so suddenly without any sort of warning. And then I realised what he meant by me being stupid because I actually am.

I ran straight at him very aggressively, with no plan in mind other than to attack him straight up. However, my movement was very telegraphed, and it was very obvious just how I would strike at him, not to mention the fact that I screamed die at him. I might be strong and fast, relatively at least, but I don't have any technique or experience, which this guy clearly does, and he evaded me and counterattacked without difficulty. He had jumped straight up, high into the air, and while I looked around like an idiot, he had come straight back down and used the gravity to accentuate his attack and take me out in one palm straight to the top of my head.

Shaking my head, I ignore my flaws and try and focus on the here and now. And while my legs might not be long enough to kick his teeth in, they are easily capable of reaching other parts of him. Lashing out again, my free leg smashes into the forearm of the arm that is holding me at a distance. My shin impacting against his rough blue skin sends my bones shaking, but I know from just how deep I dug in that it definitely hurt him as well, but he shows none of that on his face.

Arlong snarls and tightens his grip on my leg, almost painfully wrenching it in two but not quite. I freeze up from the sudden pain, and using that time, Arlongs other hand whips out to grasp the leg that I had just damaged him with and ensnares it in his tight grasp before shoving it towards my other leg and then using a single hand to grab both of my legs leaving only my hands free. Still, they are incapable of doing anything but wave in the air right now due to the distance between us.

Before I even have the chance to panic and figure out how to free myself, a strong fist suddenly embeds itself in my stomach, twisting my guts around the bludgeoning hand driving into me. My mouth widens into a soundless scream, voice and air being cut off inside me, and all I manage to get out is some spittle from the force pounding into me.

"D-Detoro-Kun!" I vaguely hear someone shout, but I don't have time to focus on that. The blood is rushing to my head, the oxygen in my body has been cut off, and I am starting to black out. The combination of these two things proved too much for me. Trying to work through the pain, I begin to take deep, slow breaths, trying to regulate the oxygen within me and stabilise myself.

"Oh, Nami. Is that this brat's name? Shahaha! Look at him, his head is turning all red, and he sounds like he is dying. I guess I should let him down since he still needs to be alive to help make our new home." My body is suddenly in free fall, having been released. Thankfully when I landed painfully back on the ground, it was on my back, the distance was not that much, and I could still breathe. I ignore the conversation that is going on around me in favour of taking care of myself.

When I finally tuned back into reality, my anger has diminished, and I no longer find myself uncontrollably angry and wanting to pulverise them. Or rather, while it is muted now, and I still do feel those things, my body refuses to move to act on those impulses. Looking around, I can see the surrounding fishermen, except Arlong, looking at me in caution. At the same time, the man himself is standing facing my destroyed house and talking with Nami, who is worriedly looking in my direction.

"What do you think, Nami? We can even get you your own room to work in." Arlong is saying something to her, but she is looking back at me and notices that I have refocused. Her gaze then turns stern and warning as she glares at me, though no less worried, warning me not to attack them recklessly and get myself killed. So I guess I know now why I can't attack anymore, and it is because Nami doesn't want me to, and I have to abide by that. Though I wonder how I was even able to rush him in the first place since Nami had already told me not to.

"Hm, oh, the brat is finally back. Shahaha! Amarillo Detoro, you are quite impressive for a human, though that means you are still incredibly weak. It is a good thing that you aren't so fragile since you have a lot of work to do." Arlong says, looking back over his shoulder at me with a vicious grin and a malicious glint in his eyes while Nami's stern gaze wavers as she looks on worriedly. A sinking feeling begins to stir in my gut, and I try to inquire further on the matter, but all I can manage is a questioning grunt, my head still not settled properly though Arlong seems to intuitively understand.

"Shahaha! There is a reason I destroyed your home, I am not a cruel man, after all, and I would not do such a thing for no reason. This will be the ground for our new home, and sadly your home was in the way of my new vision, so it had to be removed." He punctuates his point by lightly kicking a piece of debris which used to be a supporting beam in my house, and sending it flying across the ocean, watching it disappear with glee. And I just look at my home, reminded by his action that my house has been destroyed and once more, that impossibly large rage bubbles forth, ready to spill forth and make itself known, and yet I can not act on it.

"And with it gone, the construction of Arlong Park can begin, the construction you will be in charge of. Before it was destroyed, I looked around your home, and it was quite nice. You did a good job on your own home, but I expect you to do a better one with my own." My rage, unable to be released, starts to fester inside me, but I cannot act on it. This guy destroyed my home and now expects me to be the one to build on top of the remains for his and his crew's new house or park or whatever. And now that Nami's orders are back in effect, I can't act on it anymore, so it is best to try and stifle these feelings now than allow them to start hurting me.

"Shahaha! Aren't we lucky, boys! Not only did we find a single prodigy child, but we found two! One of the little geniuses will draw us a map, and the other will build us a home and then whatever else we need. SHAHAHAHAHAHAH!" He starts to laugh uncontrollably as Nami and I glare daggers at him, which he clearly feels but ignores, not bothering himself with us or our feelings as he already has a hold over us. Myself and probably Nami really hate this man, but that doesn't seem to bother him, and there is no getting out of this.

"W-Wait, it took me four years to build my home, and you want me to build a place big enough for your entire crew. There is no way. You would need materials, money and a lot of labour, more than just myself, to get it done. Oh, and I am not going to fucking do it. So instead, I will figure out a way to pay that fucking tax, so you can go find some other idiots to build your park." I try to quickly debunk what he is asking me to get out of it before I realise I don't need to try and worm my way out of it and can just say straight no. Why should I?

This fucking asshole is going to kill my best friend, destroy my home and take over the entire island and then expect me to happily build on the shattered remains of my home a new building for him and his ilk. Like fuck that is going to happen. I don't care if this mother fucker decides to kick the shit out of me or whatever. I literally have nothing left, and I refuse to bow down before him.

Before, I had my home, and I had George, and that was really all I really had. Sure, I have the villagers and Mummy Mee and Daddy Dee, but they can look over themselves and those people, while friendly, aren't as close. The villagers I know purely through the quantity of time I spend in the village, running into them and talking to them in my jobs and while they are nice they only really bother with themselves and even my bosses, if I don't do a good job, then they wouldn't keep me around.

And Mummy Mee and Daddy Dee, while I appreciate everything they have done for me, they got rid of me at the end of the day. They didn't leave me helpless, but I was kicked out because the other kids disliked me and were scared of me when they were the ones picking fights with me. So they got me a home, but other than that, they got rid of me and kept their distance because I proved to be too much trouble.

And then, when Captain Nezumi came along, and he stopped the little bit of help in the form of money that they were giving me, they just let it happen. The only reason Captain Nezumi was even able to do such a thing was because I no longer lived at the orphanage, so the easy solution would have been to just bring me back in. But they didn't. They let me go with no support to fend for myself. Now admittedly, I can look after myself, but they didn't know that. I was just a child, a capable child, but a child all the same, and they kicked me out because it was easier for them. Right now, at this moment, I don't care about this island. It could go burn for all I care, but there is no way I am listening to this fucker.

"Hoh? You don't want to? Shahaha... You fucking brat! You think-" Arlong starts quite calmly, but I can hear the burning fury building as he talks. His voice was getting more severe as he turned around to pin me with a furious glare, and I was getting the distinct feeling that if I wasn't going to work for him, then I wasn't going to get the chance to pay the taxes. I would end up sleeping with the fi- ew, no. They would probably end up eating me, but I don't give a shit. I refuse to bow down, I have nothing left to lose, and I am sure that Arlong can see that as I glare right back at him as I stand back up on my two feet.

"HE WILL DO IT! SAY YOU WILL DO IT, DETORO! HE WILL DO IT. HE IS JUST UPSET BECAUSE HIS HOUSE IS GONE!!" Before Arlong can get too riled up and before I can say too much, Nami quickly shouts and draws his attention and, in the process, cements a command for me that I have to obey. Nami has given the order, and now I can feel it deep inside that I will have to build this fucking Arlong Park.

"Hm, are you Detoro? Are you going to build my new home on top of this pile of shit you used to call home?" Arlong says, purposely demeaning me and being a prick about it. He is making this incredibly difficult on me, pushing me to the very brink and seeing if I will crack, and I can see that he is finding pleasure in pushing me into this moral quandary. But, unfortunately, the decision is out of my hand, and so I grit my teeth and nod my head in affirmation.

"...Yes. I will do it. But I will need materials and a workforce, and you will have to specify exactly what you want." So I say, going along with the new restriction rather than trying and fighting it only to hurt myself and end up doing it anyway when I can resist no longer. Right now, the only hope I have is that this command will fade eventually, just like the one Nami placed on me not to attack the fishmen that disappeared a few minutes ago, allowing me to attack Arlong before Nami made it again.

I theorise that commands and orders have to have intent and feeling behind them, which could be both a blessing and a curse. For example, she could order me to do something, but if she doesn't actually want me to do it, then the command will not come into play. Also, if she wants me to do something but doesn't correctly tell me, then I don't have to do it. Instead, she has to say it to me for it to come into effect. And also, commands don't have to be rescinded by Nami. They can be lifted and fade on their own, depending on the circumstances.

Just like earlier, the command Nami gave after I woke up and met her in that shack and revealed my intentions to kill them all. She gave it to me, and it was in effect since I couldn't leave the shack if I intended to kill any of them, but for some reason, later on, the command disappeared. Thinking back, it was after burying George and coming back and seeing Arlong order my home's destruction that the restriction was taken off.

My only guess is that after seeing and helping me bury George's body and feeling my hurt, and then seeing their dastardly behaviour in destroying my home, Nami no longer felt that I should not kill them. Instead, she thought that I had every right to, even if it was just for an instance. But an instance was all that was needed for the order to disappear, and she would have to make her intentions known again to have it placed back on me.

"Whatever, go sort it out, brat. Go find some other humans and the materials, and then we will talk. Now leave. The sight of you is bugging me." Arlong says, uncharacteristically not doing his evil laugh and then shooed me away with a hand. I swear, everything this beast does is purposely done to anger me, and for a second, I think I can see a glimpse of a smile on his face when he sees me grit my teeth out of anger.

The bile inside me begins to rise, and I find it unbearable to keep it down, but I am not allowed to attack him. But there is more than one way to relieve yourself of anger, and while violence is almost everybody's go-to, there is always cursing. So I take a deep breath, and my mind quickly starts filtering through all the swears and insults I have in my dictionary to begin insulting the pieces of shit before me and lessen this weight inside of me.

"Stop, please, Detoro. Don't mess it up now. Just wait, and be patient." Nami, seeing that I was about to make a wrong move, quickly stopped me and whispered to me quietly. She grabs my hand and starts to pull me away from the beach, and I have no choice but to follow, but I still stare back, looking at the fishmen with pure vitriol. For some reason, Arlong looks a bit disappointed as we leave with no further words. The sadistic bastard probably enjoys this.

With Nami leading me by the hand, we walk back along the path, and when Arlong and his crew, and more importantly, my home, disappear from view, I finally stop staring backwards, and some of my anger begins to bleed away. I then turn to Nami, not questioning where we are heading since I don't particularly care at this moment and instead look at her questioningly.

"Don't push it and ruin things, Detoro. I know it is hard, I want to smash his face into pieces as well, but we can't. We will just die for no point. We have to be patient, and then soon, this will be solved. People will notice this. Merchants and traffic will stop coming through here, cut off and then the Marines will investigate and come kill these bastards. We just have to be patient." Nami explains quietly, as if afraid that the pirates behind us would still somehow be able to hear us. This is actually viable since some fish have echolocation and stuff, so maybe they could.

"What happened to getting one hundred million berries and buying the island back? You changed your tune, didn't you?" I say because her plan before was just to gather that money no matter how many years it would take. And now, suddenly, she has realised that is a dumb, stupid plan and reverted to something that makes more sense.

"I- I don't know what I was thinking. I guess I wasn't thinking. And then, seeing that stuff... back there, I just... Whatever, come on, let's go." She says, not properly confirming what had changed her mind. Personally, I think she got a lot more time to reflect as she made that decision under duress, stuck inside a shack. Plus, she then helped me bury George and then saw them destroy my home. Something in there changed her mind.

"Where are we going?" I don't have a home anymore, and I can't stay with any of the villagers since they have their own selves and their families to look after. So I don't know where to go now, and I am definitely not staying back there with those assholes.

"We are going to my home..."

 

Chapter 23– Sympathising.

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The travel back the way we came, to Cocyasi Village, after that incident, was quiet. Instead of rushing back, we took it slowly and walked back in silence. I don't even remember much of the walk since I was kind of out of it and not really in the mood to do anything, so I just shut my brain off and kept putting one foot in front of the other.

It was only about halfway back that I realised Nami was still holding my hand and guiding me along. I was a bit surprised and ended up staring in bewilderment at her tiny hand, grabbing my bigger one tightly, her little fingers clasping around my palm. It felt good.

At a time when I was feeling all alone and was in the process of falling into despair, this little hand was holding me up. And was gripping me tightly, refusing to let me go. So I follow the hand up, along the frail-looking arm, to the girl's small face. And that's when I realised how self-absorbed I have been and how ignorant I have been to the people around me and all the other people on this island.

Looking at Nami's straining face, doing it all to keep from crying and scrunching up to keep her moving, I have a moment of clarity. I am not the only one who has lost and been hurt; I am not the only one suffering and in pain. Right now, in front of me, there is a little girl who has lost her mother and been enslaved against her will and will be forced to work tirelessly in the near future.

She was scared and frightened and clung to me, and instead of taking her to her home, which was nearby, I selfishly dragged her across the island with me, and then she helped me bury a body and was forced to meet those bastards again. And as if that wasn't enough, she had to be the one looking out for me and dragging me out of there before I went too far.

I don't know why I was acting as if the people of this island owed me anything because they don't, not even Mommy Mee and Daddy Dee. These people have their own families, their own problems and their own worries. If I refused, If I said I couldn't and if I asked for help, I am sure they would have let me stay at the orphanage, but I didn't. The people on the island as well struggle to provide for their own families, so why was I berating them for not lending a hand to me.

I was leaving this island without much of a thought for these villagers, assured that an animal like George hiding in the woods would be fine. I didn't care about them or how they would survive in the meanwhile when I wanted to travel and find the good marines to free the island.

And then I despaired and cried for George when he died, but how would the villagers on this island feel when it was their son, or their daughter or their wife or mother or father. I am sure their pain would be as much as mine, probably a lot more than mine, in actual fact. And I was abandoning them to such a fate, thinking that they would be fine since they could pay for their lives for a single month.

I am a really selfish piece of shit, aren't I?

I am cut from my self-depreciation when Nami suddenly comes to a stop, only just managing to keep from bumping into her from behind, thanks to my above-average reflexes. I stumble backwards slightly, confused as to what made her come to a sudden stop, but my vision is quickly focused on the lovely sight before me.

Orange-topped trees spread out in front of us, tangerines growing aplenty, fresh and juicy, packed to the skin with deliciousness which myself and George can- would have attested to... Shaking my head, I focus back on the beautiful sight in front of us. Taking in the resplendent view, I can feel myself calm at the serene sight.

Vibrant grass, trees so full of vitality that even the brown of the bark seems to shine. The location itself adds the beauty, as this tangerine farm is located on a grassy cliff, and just beyond the sheer drop, you can see the vast open sea, the bright sun shimmering on its blue waves and reflecting the scenery up above, the stray cloud passing by.

One would think such an area, so full of nature and vitality, would be marred by anything man-made, but you would be wrong. To the side, away from the tangerine trees and further up on the cliff, is a small house. Made with pink-coloured panels of wood and topped with blue tiles is an abode with two floors. Instead of taking away from the picturesque scene, it actually seems to add to it in some strange way. The small pink home looks right in place here, as if it would be wrong for it not to be there.

"Oh, is this your home Nami?" I came to the natural conclusion, as Nami had stated that Bellemere was her mother, and Bellemere had owned a tangerine farm. Though I had never been to this place or had many interactions with the woman, exchanging money and the tangerines through Genzo-San, who came once a month to buy those navigation books, which I now realise were for Nami.

Nami doesn't reply, however, obviously finding the situation difficult, just as I did. Returning to your home, a place that was once so full of happiness and security, and expecting someone that has always been there to be there, because you have never had it otherwise. Except, it won't be like that anymore, it will feel like something is missing, and this place which used to make you feel so good suddenly seems empty, and painful. Those happy memories, which brought so much joy, now only bring sorrow.

Nami begins to walk forward silently, clearly not in the mood for conversation, understandably. And so I follow, equally as quiet, not interrupting and simply just being there for her. After all, she was there for me and helped me bury my friend and lay him to rest, helping me deal with it all. So the least I can do is follow her and be there for her, and if there is anything that she needs help with or struggling with, then I will step up, just like she did for me.

I follow her up the hill and towards the house, trailing slightly behind her and giving her the space she needs. As I do so, I watch her, looking at her clenched hands visibly shaking at her sides and the tremble of her shoulders as she takes each step. I am very much thinking over all the plans and ideas I had hidden away to circumvent this order business and escape from her clutches, most of them not so nice and would very much end badly for Nami.

But having gotten to know her, and after her helping me so much, I am very much rethinking such drastic measures. She may have that power over me and be capable of forcing me to do whatever she wants, but she didn't ask for it. It is not her fault that she has it, and she has no idea it even exists. This is my fault. I made that decision and rolled the dice, knowing it would result in me being hampered sometime in the future, death doesn't suddenly make you a genius, and you can still make mistakes.

She doesn't even know about the hold she has over me, and even if Nami were to find out, I find it very hard to believe that she would actually use it against me and force me to do things I don't want to do. But even so, I won't reveal it to her and will hide it from her with all my might since I can't take the chance that all that sudden power and authority over me wouldn't go to her head and turn her into some kind of monster.

Trailing up the hill, we eventually near the house, coming towards the front door, but I notice a slight hesitance in Nami before her head flitters up towards the crest of the hill. She stalls for a second and then resumes her walk, turning away from the door and ultimately moving past the house and continuing up the mountain.

Not questioning it, I continued to follow her, hiking up the hill and looking ahead. Then, finally, I could see why she had ignored her house and continued moving forward. There, near the edge of the cliff, is a single gravestone underneath a single large tangerine tree, much more significant and grander than the rest. Again Nami comes to a stop at the sight of it, and after giving it a moment, I move forward to encourage her, but it seems it was unneeded. Nami is a strong girl, as I am starting to find out.

Feeling that I have gone as far as I should, I stop, staying in place as she moves forward and kneels before the grave, tracing the stone with her fingers. I don't see much from my position except the slight trembling of her shoulders and the movement of her arms, though I can hear slight mutterings from her, but I respect her privacy and don't pay attention to it.

It is a while later that she finally stands up and seems to have said and done everything she had wanted to for the time being, and she turns around to look at me. I ignored the redness around her eyes and the scratches on her arms and hands from where she hugged and touched the gravestone too hard instead of us leaving. Finally, however, she decides to start talking.

"This was Bellemere's favourite tree. I am glad she was buried here. I can't think of a better place for her to be laid to rest." Hearing her words, I understand that she wants to talk about her beloved mother, which I can understand. Reminiscence can make you feel better. For some people, at least, talking about them and remembering the good times and the laughs you had can make you feel better.

"Really, well, it is a grand tree, isn't it? I can see why she would like it." I go along with it, furthering the conversation so she can continue talking about Bellemere.

"That isn't why she liked this tree," Nami says, surprising me. I would think the sheer size would be what was most impressive about this tree. But, aside from that, what else could it be?

"It isn't the size? Then she must have liked the shade, right? This is a nice spot, and the big tree provides a lot of shade on sunny days." So I say, coming up with the only reasonable explanation I could think of, not able to see what other advantages this tree could possibly have.

"No, though, that is why I liked it. Bellemere likes this tree because of its tangerines." She says, confusing me as this place is a tangerine orchard, so why would this particular tree be her favourite when they all grow tangerines.

"Oh, are these tangerines special somehow? Do they get more light and rain than the others, or is it something else?" I ask, puzzled as to what made these tangerines so special. Especially because this tree was very much an outlier, as the others were all relatively small, and while they are trees, they look more like bushes as the tangerines could be picked even by children.

"Nope, they are the exact same as the other tangerines," Nami says, a big smile on her face as if she herself was exasperated by the actual answer and found it quite endearing. This tree was huge, so much so that the tangerines on it were very high in the air, and you would have to climb the tree to get them. Why do that and expend so much energy when you could easily just pick it off any other tree.

"Then, why is this her favourite tree? why did she prefer these tangerines over the other ones?" I am seriously confused as to the answer. I can see no reasonable explanation for such an opinion if not to do with the size of the tree.

"It is her favourite because she used to climb the tree herself and pick the tangerines with her hands. She said the tangerines tasted better when you worked hard to get them. That the labour you put in makes the reward you get out of it all the more sweeter." Nami tells me, and I nod my head in understanding, even though I don't really get it. It must be some kind of parent lesson thing for her daughters to help them grow up into fine responsible people.

Still, I would like to see if there is any truth to what she is saying and if these tangerines are sweeter. I have already tasted the normal tangerines, having usually gotten a batch every month or so as a treat for myself and George through Genzo-San, so I want to compare it with these ones. So, moving forward and past the grave, giving it a slight birth, I reach out and touch the tree, intending to climb it before realising I might be jumping the ball a bit.

"Uh, can I? I want to see if Bellemere-San was right." I say, looking to get permission from Nami since this is no longer just any old tangerine tree. It is now the sight of her mother's grave, and maybe climbing it would offend her, though I am reassured when she gives me the go-ahead. And so I begin to rise, putting my arms around the tree and starting to shimmy up its length.

I grab the branches when I rise high enough and start to rapidly ascend to the very top, breaking through the leaves and poking my head out of the very top of the tree. Finally, taking Bellemere's opinion to the max, I have climbed to the very top, and I reach my hand out to pluck the highest tangerine.

With it in hand, I jump and leap away from the tree, effortlessly landing on the ground a distance away from the grave since I didn't want to risk disturbing it. Now standing back on the ground after having easily scaled the tree, Nami watches me, not too shocked at my abilities. I guess she saw my attempt to murder Arlong and the power I exerted there, so she was aware of my capabilities.

Under her gaze, I peel the skin from the tangerines and then bring the tangerine to my lips and bite a chunk out of it, the delicious juice quickly filling the inside of my mouth with its terrific flavour. Indeed, this is one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten, which doesn't say a lot given I have hardly tasted cuisine off of this island, and when I was on Troga, I only at those weird fruits and poorly cooked meat.

Still, while this is one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten, arguably the most, I have already tasted it multiple times over the past few months in the batches delivered to me monthly by Genzo-San. This is no different from all the other tangerines I have already eaten, but looking at Nami's face, I can't help but feel the urge to tell her it is the most delicious tangerine I have ever tasted.

"Ah... This is, uh... It is delicious, but it is not any better than the other tangerines, in my opinion." I can't help but feel giving a disingenuous answer would be wrong, and, honestly, I don't really feel like being the type of person who lies for any reason, especially about small stuff like this. I expect Nami's face to falter and turn into a frown, but she actually smiles and starts to laugh.

"Haha, well, obviously it doesn't taste any better than the other ones to you. Did you see how easily you climbed that tree? It was like breathing for you?" Nami giggles, wiping a tear from her eye, though I think it is a remnant from earlier rather than her obvious enjoyment at my puzzled face now.

"What?" I say simply because I just don't get it. What does my quickly climbing the tree have to do with the taste of the fruit? She said I obviously that it obviously doesn't taste any better than the other ones because I effortlessly climb the tree, so then the opposite is true. If I had struggled to climb the tree, then the fruit would taste even sweeter? Is that right? and if so, why? Again, I don't get it.

"Bellemere was trying to give us a lesson. The things that you work hard for and that you struggle to achieve are so much better when you finally get them rather than if you got them with no effort at all. If you had worked hard to climb the tree and get the tangerine, then it would taste much better." So she says, explaining the meaning behind the tree, which is some fortune cookie nonsense, I am guessing. What is it about the struggle that makes the end result so good, really?

"Oh, is that so. I don't really get it. It is what it is. Whether you struggle for it or get it given to you, at the end of the day, isn't it still the same thing in the end?" If someone were to give me a tangerine and if I were made to climb a giant beanstalk to the sky to get one, I don't think either of them would taste differently from the other. The only thing different is that I would much rather have the one given, as the other requires an expenditure of energy for the same thing.

"I would have gone for the easy option as well, but then one day, I decided to climb the tree to see what Bellemere was talking about? It took me hours, but I did it, and the tangerine was the most delicious thing I have ever tasted. Bellemere said it tastes even better for her because she is the one that grows them, but she only said that to me after I took way longer climbing back down the tree." She smiles, remembering it, and I am sure that it must have been a beautiful memory, given the big smile on her face.

"Ha, I guess you still don't get it." She says, looking at the obviously confused look still on my face. "Then, how about this? Let's think about an example, how about your house?" She asks, obviously testing if I was okay with that given that it was just destroyed, and it is a bit of a touchy subject. I give her a nod, gesturing for her to continue. I am still angry about the destruction of my home, but that is all pointed directly at those Fishmen.

"So, you worked hard to build your house over the last four years with George helping you all the while. Building it all, buying all the materials and tools yourself and toiling away day after day to improve your home, right?" I nod. "Then, how about if you were simply given that same exact home without having to make it or buy it yourself. Which one would you care about more? Which one would you take better care of and be upset about if it were to be destroyed?" It dawns on me.

"See, you get it right?" Nami says, happiness on my face at my understanding. I understand it now, and I have even felt it before. Her example worked very effectively. If I had been given that house as it was before it was destroyed, I wouldn't have cared much about it or taken so much pride in it, and I would not have been so upset about it when it was destroyed.

However, since I built it and put so much time and effort into my home, I cared about it more. I always looked after it, keeping on top of repairs and improvements, constantly cleaning and keeping it spotless. As a result, I was proud of my home. I could easily just sit and look at it and be filled with an incredible feeling and every time, it brought some unknown good feeling to me. Was that fulfilment, pride or something else?

The more effort and work you put into something, the better the results you get out of it are. Would such a viewpoint apply to anything else? Everything else? Would living life in such a way give me a better enjoyment of life and more fulfilment out of it? Instead of being cautious and conniving, living a sly life hiding in the shadows and using people, is it better to live an upfront, straightforward life?

Before I can think about it further, I can hear footsteps approaching behind me, and by the look on Nami's face, she clearly recognises them. Nami immediately runs, tears gushing from her eyes, no longer held at bay. Rushing past me, I can hear Nami slam into someone behind me. Her cries are joined by another youthful voice, another girl.

Turning around, still eating the delicious tangerine, I bear witness to the reunion of two sisters, I assume. Though I can only really see the back of Nami, the other girl only reveals two small arms wrapping around her and a head of blue hair embedded into Nami's shoulders. I can understand the emotional response, as their mother had just been killed, and then Nami had just been kidnapped and taken, her fate unknown.

I look on as they both fall to their knees, still hugging and crying, softly whispering to each other. From down the hill, I can see the front door has been left open, so I am guessing the sister had seen us from the window and rushed straight outside to meet her sister. Still, the three women of this family sure have unique hair colours and are somehow related. Bellemere's hair was a reddish-purple, Nami's is a bright orange, and this new girl is a bright blue. So either the two girls both have different dads, or this family is in more of an adoption-type situation... or was, at least.

Still silently watching, I notice Genzo-San walking out of the front door, and then detecting the two girls near the top of the cliff, he runs up to meet them, but as he nears them, he slows down, and when Genzo comes to a stop he just watches them with sadness, as well as some guilt. He looks like he, more than anything, wants to go and hug them both, but for some reason, he can't let himself.

Finally though, he seems to get out of his funk and notices me standing behind them, still munching on this juicy tangerine. Damn, I would protect this island just so I can keep having these things. They are damn delicious... George loved them.

"Detoro-San, what are you doing here?" Genzo asks, obviously confused by my presence as he rightly should be. Last he saw, I was in my own village where I assured everyone that I could pay for myself, which I couldn't. After I saw that everybody could pay for themselves, I decided to leave instead of staying and fighting, endangering everybody else. That obviously didn't work out.

"Hello, Genzo-San. It is good to see that you are okay. As for why I am here, well, I am in the same situation as Nami." I say, answering his question. Though I am not sure if he is fully aware of Nami's circumstances, but I quickly move on and ask another question.

"More importantly, how are the rest of the villages?"

 

Chapter 24– New Living Arrangements.

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"Oi, Detoro. How much longer will this building take? We have things that need to be done." I look up from the plans I was going over, turning around to see Arlong walking over, his face smiling as he approaches, but his snarly grin frightens the other people around, who quickly scurry out of the way. The workers don't even look at the man, the fish man, as he approaches me, and I notice the men around me quickly finding something urgent to do elsewhere.

You would think after all this time working here without once being shouted at or accosted by any of the fishmen, they would have cooled down by now, but they haven't. In fact, they are even more twitchy and frightened than they would otherwise be, being in such close proximity to their terrorisers. Thankfully no accidents or anything has happened over the last few weeks since we began, which is how it should be since that is what I demanded.

"It will be done when it gets done. No faster, no slower. Now, did you want something else?" I say, turning back around to continue working on the plan for the future Arlong Park. How I hate that name. If I could, I would love to do a shoddy job and fuck it all up so it collapses on them all one day, but apparently, they are taking Nami after it is built, so I can't do that. And also, to be honest, I refuse to make something half backed without proper effort. I might be a shoddy self-taught craftsman, but I still have my pride, and everything I make, no matter the purpose, will always be to the best of my ability. To do anything less would be shameful.

"Come on, Detoro. I have given you everything you asked for, but me and my men are getting tired of not having a place to call home. So hurry it up, kid." He puts his big blue-clawed hand on my head and... starts to ruffle my hair. Immediately I was incensed, not only because of him ruffling my hair like we got along but because of him calling me kid, just like Garp called me it. I don't know what the fuck is going on in this fuckers head, but I know I don't like it.

After that day at Nami's, I have been staying with her and Nojiko at that house, with Genzo coming to check in every day. With Nami and me being in the same sort of situation, she feels like we should stick together, and Nojiko is a lovely girl that feels the same. It was only the next day that Arlong came and ordered for me to start work on Arlong Park, and Nami ushered me to go along with it, telling me to wait until the Marines undoubtedly arrived.

I went along with it because there was a good chance of the Marines coming, and I myself am not strong enough to beat them yet, at least not according to the fight I had with Arlong. So far, I have seen both the best and the worst of the Marines, if Garp can even be called the best. So the middle ground should at least be someone capable, and right now, I am holding out for them to come. Nezumi isn't the only marine captain around these parts, after all.

So I got to work, beginning with the planning, and after getting the frame of the scope of just what Arlong wanted, I gathered all the builders and workers on the island and got them working on it. Everybody had already paid for the one month, and so I told Arlong that I would only do this if I were in charge without interference if he bought all the materials and if he waived all the workers and their family's payments for the next month's. Surprisingly he agreed, which I did not expect, and then, even more weirdly, he started acting all pally with me and mostly giving me the things I asked for.

And so I have been working on this stupid project for the last few weeks, which infuriated me enough, but to add on top of that, Arlong has been acting all buddy-buddy with me while the other fishmen have all been keeping their distance like I have the plague. Two extremes that have seriously concerned me, though I don't have time to worry over that.

"Do you want this done fast, or do you want this done right? Because if it is the latter, then you will stop crowding us and let us work. These men find it hard to function properly when you and your crew are around." So I tell him, still looking down at the plans, but I am hardly focusing on them. I can't, not when this fucker is behind me acting all friendly, and the weird thing is, I think he actually is trying to be.

"Shahaha! But not you, right Detoro? You aren't like the rest of these weak humans, are you?" Arlong laughs, good-naturedly patting me on the shoulder. At least from his perspective, he feels like he is giving me a compliment and praising me, but from where I am sitting, he is taking the piss out of me and mocking me. But, I have experienced much the same over the last few weeks, so I ignore it with familiarity, not ease, because it is anything but easy for me to restrain myself.

"Whatever. Now can you go? We have work to do and don't come back until we are done, you or your men. We will get stuff done faster without you looming over us." I say, turning around to look him straight in the eyes, showing I am not messing around. In turn, the jovial look- I think that was the look he had, it's hard to tell with all the sharp teeth- on his face turns into a hard stare, no longer so nice.

"How long." No more niceness in his tone, but no anger or anything either. His voice is level, calm and, most importantly, serious. He expects an answer, and no matter how lenient and hospitable he is, he demands results. I don't know what this dude's game is, what he wants here on this little island while bleeding us for all we have, and frankly, I don't care. All I care about is the end of his continued existence, whether that be tonight or two years down the road, as long as it happens. An idiot can only wait a single day for revenge, but a strong man can wait ten years.

"A month. Month and a half. Definitely no longer than two months. It is hard to give an exact time frame since there is a lot to account for, but two months is what we are aiming for. most of our time is going to be focused on reshaping the land and giving you that water entrance you want, big enough for the sea cow of yours." And wasn't that a surprise, discovering a massive fucking seaking was under their control. Just thinking about it gives me shivers, especially after that time when I was drowning, and there were hundreds of the bastards coming to eat me and would have if Garp didn't save me.

If there were one reason other than Nami that would keep me from attacking these fishmen, then it would be this fucking big seaking. Momoo. It is a cute name for the big fish, and I guess it fits as it is primarily white with patches of green, and its face looks like a cow with horns and even a bull ring. So it could be a seabull. Either way, it is big with the power to match its stature. I have seen it in action. And more worrying than that, it is very scarred of Arlong and follows his every order.

"Good. It better be. I am being very magnanimous and generous right now, but don't take my lenience for weakness. If it isn't finished, then that waiver of fees will no longer be in effect, and Momoo has been hungry lately." He says, utterly serious. If there were one thing that would be an effective threat to the people on this island, then it would be Momoo. So Arlong gathered all the islanders and had them witness Momoo rise out of the sea and terrorise a patch of woodland, completely destroying the area. But, of course, everybody wants to survive, and so they will work as hard as possible to avoid such a fate.

"It will be done, don't worry," I assure him with a nod of my head, not backing down. I might have to follow his orders and work for him, but that doesn't mean I have to be happy about it, and I am not going to make it a smooth ride for him, either.

"Shahaha. Good, don't forget this isn't just for us. You and Nami will be living here as well. You are building your new home." He says, irking me again. Damn bastard, destroying my home and then making me build on top of it, and then even going as far as to say it will be my home too. As if. He destroyed my home. I don't have one anymore. But Arlong has a home as well, his crew. I can tell he cares for each and every one of them, truly cares, which I find hard to believe given how vicious the man is. I wonder if he would be as distraught as I was if I were to take his home from him.

"I don't understand. You only needed me to build this house. Why would you want me to stay here? Haven't I served my purpose after Arlong Park is finished?" Seriously, I hate this man. He knows I hate him. And yet he wants me close to him. He gives me nearly all the things I request and even wants me to live with him after the park is built. Why? What does he want from me?

"Shahaha! Don't sell yourself short, Detoro. You have a lot to offer, more than you know. Be sure to keep me updated. You wouldn't want me jumping to conclusions, would you? Shahahah!" Laughing and leaving me with those ominous words, he turns around and moves back towards the village. More than that, he has left me with confusion because I still don't know what he wants from me. Just what is it that I have to offer?

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"Ah, Detoro. Your back. Just wait; dinner will be ready in ten minutes. There is hot water as well, and the shower is clean, so you can go clean up. I am sure you have had a long tiring day." The voice of an angel calls out as soon as I step inside of the house, and like a breath of fresh air, I can feel my frustration throughout the day settle, at least until tomorrow.

"Ah, Nojiko-Chan. Thank you, you genuinely are a blessing in these dark days." I say to the blue-haired girl, who turns from where she was working over a stove to wave a ladle at me in greeting, sporting a happy smile. I wasn't lying when I said I felt blessed. Well, maybe that is an exaggeration, but even so, in recent times, this girl has lightened my spirits.

Nojiko is Nami's older sister, twelve years old, the same age as me. She wears some red sandals as some incredibly light blue going on teal jean overalls that come up over her shoulders, under which she wears a dark blue shirt. Her face is good-looking, which is as much information as I can give at this point in time as she is just twelve, even if that is the same age as me. On her forehead, she wears a dark red headband with a white design on it. The headband serves to hold back the waves of her blue hair though a lock manages to make it over the barricade and flows down the side of her face.

Smiling and waving back, I quickly move up the stairs, leaving my dirty shoes near the front door, knowing that I would find them clean and shiny tomorrow morning. Nojiko was just that nice. In this time when I have lost my home, where I have lost my friend and have basically had my freedom taken from me, this girl has welcomed me into her home with no ulterior motives or ambition, purely just to help me.

Or maybe to help her sister as she wanted me to stay with them. I guess Nami is just as kind, but with the power she holds over me I just can't bring myself to see her in such a light because if I do, I might let down my guard, which would come back to bite me in the future. Nami wanted me to stay with them. In fact, she pretty much demanded it, and I had to oblige.

Nojiko agreed after hearing about my circumstances, but obviously, Genzo had a problem with it. A young boy living with two other girls, even without puberty in the picture, the man felt like their father, so obviously, he would have a problem with it. There was nothing he could do about it, though, as Nojiko had already said yes, and Nami was vehemently fighting for it, refusing to let me live elsewhere. Genzo now comes in to check several times a day. Paranoid man, what the hell am I going to do? I am not old enough for anything like that yet.

Having gone up and finished my shower quickly, changing into some clothes that Genzo thankfully brought over for me, I come down to find Nami walking through the door. As opposed to the other days when she would come home nearly in tears, the calluses on her fingers from hours of drawing stinging, she actually has a happy smile on her face. Confused since this is a far cry from how she usually is on a daily basis, I quickly rush down the stairs, and Nami seeing me come down, has excitement rise on her face and opens her mouth.

"Guys, come to the dinner table. Dinner is ready. Make sure you wash your hands first. I am talking to you, Nami!" Nojiko shouts from the kitchen, keeping Nami from telling me whatever had brightened up her mood and making her smile sheepishly. She quickly takes both her sandals off with her feet and leaves them thrown near the door before rushing off to go wash her hands.

I quickly follow behind her into the kitchen, finding Nojiko setting down the plates for dinner and Nami climbing up onto the stool in front of the sink to wash her hands. Not needing to, as I had just had a shower, I quickly moved to take my place, sitting at one of the three chairs around the round table, feeling a bit bad when I noticed Noriko twitch a bit as I took my seat. She does so every time, as does Nami sometimes, and rightfully so since it used to be the two of them and Bellemere, but now I am taking her place. Ignoring that, I calmly sit down and smile at Nojiko, who smiles back in turn and takes her seat as we wait for Nami to come to join us.

"How are the tangerines, Nojiko-Chan? I can help you collect them all if you need me to." I say to fill the silence as we wait to start dinner. You can't just start eating what is in front of you straight away. More than filling your gut, this is about eating together and taking comfort in each other's presence. That is at least for these two girls. As for me, well, I don't hate it.

"It is fine, Detoro-Kun. The trees are small, so I can pick the tangerines just fine. Plus, you and Nami are dealing with a lot. So the least I can do is make things easy for you when you get back here." She whispers quietly so that Nami doesn't hear, smiling brightly at me, though I can't bring myself to do more than a little quirk of the lips. After all, it is not just me and Nami going through a hard time, but Nojiko as well. But for the sake of her sister, she keeps on a smile for her to not add to her worries.

Nojiko is just as worried and troubled as the rest of us, even more, maybe. Her mother had died, her sister had basically been kidnapped and forced to work for the people that killed her, and she also had to live with this random boy as well. Even so, she doesn't let it show, she doesn't cry, and she doesn't complain. Instead, she holds it all at bay, stuffing it down and showing a smile for her sister. Speaking of, Nami has now cleaned her hands and is currently sitting at the table. With a quick thank you for the food, we start to eat, Nami getting stuffed in while Nojiko watches her, and I begin to eat as well.

"Gesh wah happen tuday! Ar virrajah manaed tuh caw da-" Nami excitedly begins while stuffing her face, unable to choose between conversation and food and deciding to do both, which of course, messes both up as not only is she speaking gibberish but Nami is sending bits of food out as she does. Nojiko, seeing this, takes action and pushes up Nami's chin, stopping her from talking.

"Don't talk with food in your mouth, Nami. Remember your manners, plus no one can make sense of what you are saying if you are trying to use your mouth for two different things." Nojiko lectures drawing an irritated look from Nami, though I can tell it isn't a negative thing, more of an exasperated sister thing. Of course, doing the proper thing expected of someone in Nami's station, she plays the role of the annoying little sister, and instead of taking the advice properly, she takes it literally.

Ceasing her talking, Nami looks at Nojiko with her bulging cheeks full of food and then with a look of concentration, her cheeks deflate, and with a loud gulping sound, she swallows all of the food in her mouth. Then, as if in victory, she opens her mouth wide. Finally, she sticks her tongue out at Nojiko as if taunting her while showing that there is no longer any food in her mouth, drawing a quiet sigh from Nojiko that transforms into a tired smile when Nami looks away in victory.

"See, all gone. Now, guess what happened today?" She says a lot more clearly this time, and with some of the excitement bled out this time, she waits for us to guess. The joy on her face is palpable and nearly spreading to the rest of us, and her excitement is very much high, which is weird considering how dire the times are right now.

"Did Genzo-San get you some new books?" Nojiko asks, going along with the game but clearly not serious as books are far from being something that would make Nami happy now. The books she used to get and enjoy were all about navigation, and the skills she derived from them are all being abused and used by her mother's murderer. So, naturally, the only thing that she would get so excited and happy over at this time would be something that would be to the detriment of Arlong and his crew.

"Nope. Any more guesses?" Obviously, I have a few, and as Nojiko goes through the process and continues to give wrong answers, I contemplate about trying my hand. However, I decide to keep silent, not wanting to get too excited and say that one of the bastard fishmen fell over and got a rusty pitchfork through the eye, though I do wish it was something like that. But with me not offering any answers, I shake my head at Nami's question, and not long after, Nojiko does the same, prompting Nami to reveal it finally.

"One of the villagers from Chosa village said that he has managed to contact a marine branch. They said that support would be coming soon. Did you hear that, Detoro? It won't be long till the Marines get here and kick Arlong's ass." She says excitedly. Nojiko quickly got infected and was just as happy about this. I, however, cannot bring myself to feel as excited about this as the girls are since, according to my knowledge, the closest marine base is the one that has Captain Nezumi in charge, and he is a weak coward.

Still, I am sure the knowledge that the pirates are fishmen should be told to the Marines, and since they come from the Grand Line, then they should know they are ill-equipped to deal with them. Moreover, since the Marines are a large organisation then, instead of sending the nearest weakest forces then, they could send stronger, more equipped marines to take down the fishmen. If there is one thing I am sure of, it is Captain Nezumi's cowardliness. Instead of coming himself, surely he would send for other more capable people to take care of it, especially after finding out that the pirates are fishmen.

"That is good. I can only hope that Garp is the one that comes. Then these bastards would be blown away." So I say, remembering the only good marine that I know. He might not be the sharpest tool in the box, but he is the most powerful, and primarily righteous, so I can only hope that he or someone like him comes to answer the call.

"What, Marine Hero Garp! Yes, if he could come, then we would be safe." Marine hero? Well, the guy is stupidly strong, though I don't know how that scales, having not seen much of the world. Still, I find it hard to believe that that barbaric man could be looked up to by anyone after having found out his actual personality.

I guess he must have done some crazy things with that idiot strength of his, and, well, it got spread by the newspapers, and they can't very well find out about how he is through that, can they? Kind of funny, now that I think about it, that most everybody in the world thinks he is an awe-inspiring, dashing hero when in actuality, he is a big silly brute that follows orders... sometimes follows orders.

"Just think, Detoro-Kun. This time next week, we could be free. Arlong will be locked away by the Marines, and we could go back to.. how it used to be..." Nami starts before trailing off after mentioning going back to how it used to be, which is, of course, impossible because you can't bring back the dead. I can already see the emotion dwindling from Nami's face. Nojiko notices this as well and quickly begins to talk.

"Good. Arlong will be gone, and so will his crew. Hopefully locked away somewhere dark and cold until the day they die, where they will suffer until they do. And we will be here, living, happy and taking care of the tangerines." Nojiko says, doing her best to comfort Nami and keep her from thinking about it. She does her best, which is more than could be said for any other twelve-year-old. We are the same age, but obviously, I am a bit different than other people my age, but Nojiko herself is doing way more than is expected of her. It is a bit awe-inspiring how mature she is and how well she is handling this, though Nami doesn't seem to respond to her efforts.

"Alright, eat up, Nami. You need your strength for tomorrow, and you need to stay strong until the Marines get here." Nojiko says, grabbing Nami's plate and moving it closer to her, encouraging her to eat. Nami, not saying anything, picks up the fork and continues to eat, but there is not much conversation after that.

Soon after, Nami, having finished her food, pushes her plate away from her and, without a word, quickly leaves and goes upstairs, presumably to her room. Nojiko silently sighs before going to stand up, moving her hand to Nami's plate. I quickly reach out and pick it up before she can, prompting her to look at me in question.

"I will wash up today, and I have finished eating anyway. But you have hardly touched your plate Nojiko, so eat up." I say, standing up and picking up my own plate as well before walking towards the sink. Nojiko stuttered behind me, trying to say something before finally speaking up as I reached the sink.

"Don't, Detoro-Kun. This is my job, you two are struggling every day, so the very least I can do is take care of everything else for you." Nojiko says though she doesn't get up from her seat, merely spinning around while still sitting to talk to me.

"Nojiko, I know these are hard times. And this is hard on you as well. You are struggling just as much as we are, even if you try not to let Nami see it. You are letting me live here, so the least I can do is help you out. I know trying to keep a brave face on might seem like a good idea, but you shouldn't keep all the burden for yourself. I will help you out. You are not alone in this." I say, turning on the tap and beginning to wash the plates. I hear some light sniffling behind me, but I don't turn around, and then I hear the sound of a fork tapping against a plate.

"T-Thank you, Detoro-Kun." I hear her say behind me, and I smile, knowing that I have helped her. It is a change of pace from always being angry and letting these rageful feeling stew inside my guts. This... this feels better.

I feel better.

 

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Chapter 25– Confrontation On The Horizon.

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It was just another morning, working on this stupid fucking park. Why is it called a park? I have absolutely no idea. I mean, it doesn't have any rides or slides or anything. All it is is a big building surrounded by walls with a water entrance. Nothing theme or water about it. He just wanted a massive defensible compound that looked nice, but he wanted to call it a park.

Honestly, this thing is massive as well. Most of our time was spent cleaning the surrounding area and terraforming the land to make the foundation for exactly what he wanted. We had to cut a lot of the surrounding woodlands, though thankfully, we didn't go far enough to disturb George's rest. There was no sand there anymore. The little beach I made my home on no longer exists. All of the sand was dug and shovelled out to make way for the concrete foundation we had laid out.

And then, we had got to work on the surrounding walls of the compound, starting with the white concrete wall surrounding the compound, including the water entryway from the ocean, including a gate in the water preventing entrance with two watch towers on either side of it. And then, another section after that is made with a brick wall which opens to the ocean. And then inside the compound, with a large patio in front, is a big pagoda-like building, the rooms getting smaller as you go up, and there are five floors.

To the right of it, when facing Arlong Park from the ocean, there is a section of grasslands that was filled with water due to the terraforming of the land. Naturally, the Fishmen did not much care about this since they had no problem with the water, but my workers did, which is why I had a raised walkway made that goes to the main road and leads to the entrance of Arlong Park, which is in the east wall. Also, deciding to make use of the new watery lands for everybody, we turned them into paddy fields.

That was the end product, at least, but right now, we have gotten the base and foundation laid along with the walls being mostly done, and we have an excellent framework for it set in place. As much as I hate this place and the fact that I am making it, I am learning a lot as I go along from the other craftsmen, and we have worked tirelessly to get this done before Arlong gets pissed and someone ends up paying for it.

With me leading this project due to Arlong's favouritism or perhaps cursed attention, I had to pull my weight. Though at first, it was hard, ordering around and directing people older and more experienced than myself, that was mostly me finding it difficult. They all cowered before Arlong, and in their own words, I stood up to him, and so they don't mind following my orders. So after I got used to it, I had to order, delegate and direct a multitude of me in order to get this project done to a good standard and in a short amount of time.

Today, the sun was bright, and the seas were peaceful. One would ordinarily call this a good day, enjoying the heat and relaxing under the rays of the sun. But not us. We have been working tirelessly under the shine of this hot sun day after day, overworked and tired, yet forcing ourselves to carry on with hardly a break. We are here from the second the sun rises to the second it sets, working as much in the daylight hours.

This day should have been no different, with us slaving away until the sun sets, and we go home to try a rest before getting up the next day to start again. But our morose downcast mood is interrupted, a wave of workers suddenly getting excited and cheering, and when I look up from my work, I understand why. There, in the distance, is a fleet of marine ships heading in our direction. Three ships, to be specific. I don't know what constitutes a fleet. How many do you need to call it a fleet?

Wait, why the hell am I focusing on that? There are bloody marines heading here, three ships full, and they are heading directly for us, which means this has been planned, and they have someone feeding them information from the island. Why do I say that? Well, it is because there are no Fishmen here. Why are there no Fishmen here? Well, that is ultimately down to me.

Initially, Arlong would be along every so often to check up on us and check on the progress of the construction. But I put a stop to that when I agreed to the timeline he gave me in exchange for him leaving and not coming back until it was done, on account of his presence scaring and slowing down all the workers. He agreed since he wanted to have his home built, but then when another Fishmen decided to drop by and push his weight around, I immediately stopped all work and went to see him, demanding that all Fishmen stay away from the area so we could work in peace. And they did.

Naturally, this news would have spread all over the island to all of the villagers, but the fact remains only the workers knew initially, so they must have spread it around. And now, someone used that information when contacting the Marines to provide them with a breaching point where there will be no Fishmen around. Fighting the Fishmen at sea would obviously be disadvantageous for them as the Fishmen thrive in the water, but getting and forcing the battle to be mostly on land will even the odds.

I would estimate there are at least thirty men on a ship, and with three ships, that makes ninety men. My guess might not be accurate, but the number of men incoming is above fifty, which is almost five times the amount of the Arlong pirates, who only have ten pirates, eleven if we count Momoo. But they are all Fishmen, said to be ten times as strong as a human, so can this amount really put up a good fight. Let's hope so. Hopefully, they have someone that is capable because I have seen just how far human strength can go.

Still, those ships are pretty far away in the distance, and it will take them at least another five minutes to get here. I would not have spotted it with it being so far and myself being so focused on my work, but some of the men here did. Meaning they were expecting it. I can only assume it was one of the workers here that had called the Marines, like Nami had told me two weeks ago at dinner. Still, is two weeks long enough to rally the troops, the truly strong marines, from the Grand Line? I doubt it, but then again, I have no clue just how long the travel time is.

I make sure to tell the men to stay right here, not wanting to risk any of this information to leak out in their excitement and making its way to Arlong and his crew so they can go on the attack. Still, the ships are all the way out at sea, and this is hardly the only spot on the island that can see them though I don't think there are too many villages situated with an ocean view. And there are only ten pirates on the islands, so if we are lucky, then they will be caught unaware and-

I see a flash of blue to my right, in the midst of the trees, and the only blue things that I know are mobile on the island right now are the Fishmen. I see it darting through the woods to my right side, heading inland to the path leading to the other villages. Immediately I drop everything I am doing and spin around to bolt off into the distance. But, of course, I couldn't trust a pirate to live by his word, and of course, he would have someone watching over us n secret since we might try to fuck the house up to bring it down on them after they start living there, which was a thought I had to be honest, but I didn't think it would work and would only serve to piss them off.

To my surprise, whoever it is in the trees is very slow, but given that I have only ever fought against Arlong, who is the captain, I may have been overestimating the Fishmen as a whole. Nevertheless, I sprint and manage to get in front of the Fishman, who reveals himself to be one of Arlongs top pirates, the guy with the big lips who I have heard being called Chew. Surprisingly, he was still a long distance from me as I had sprinted over to block him as fast as I could, but I had gotten far ahead of him.

Spotting me, the blue-skinned Fishman stalls for a second, confusing me as I would have thought he would have tried to barrage straight through a kid like me, but he stops for a second with caution, and I can see it in his eyes that he is reevaluating the situation. Seeing that, I didn't move and decided to stay here to prevent him from leaving since he chose to keep his distance from me. Still, is it just me, or is this guy fatter than the last time I saw him? Like seriously, his belly looks enormous in the distance, and is it getting bigger- OH, SHIT!!

"Hyappatsu Mizudeppo! (Hundred-Shot Water Gun)" The Fishman's mouth suddenly widens, and a massive spray of blue erupts from his mouth. Obviously, from hearing his words, I know that it is actually water. Neverminding any of that, I quickly dive to the right and take cover behind a particularly big tree, wary of the water, as it was just described as a hundred shots from a gun. And it was a good decision as well since immediately a barrage of noise assaults my ears, and apart from the rushing of water I hear I can also listen to the breaking and shattering of wood, as countless trees are torn apart from this water attack which I had no idea was possible.

Seeing literal trees being blown apart from the force of the water shots, I quickly lower myself even further down behind the tree until I am flat against the ground, decreasing the risk of any of the shots getting lucky and hitting me. And once again, it is proved that I made a good decision as the tree I am hiding behind suddenly has a section of it blown apart, and the tree suddenly breaks and falls to the right. Thankfully the stump is still there and provides sufficient cover for me.

Being aware of just how deadly this ability is and the fact that all of the Fishmen could be capable of this suddenly makes me a lot more wary of the whole pirate group. If all then of them pull off a water move like this in a synchronised manner, then they could probably obliterate hundreds of people at once. And now, even with the water shots stopping, I find myself cautious, not willing to put my head out yet. If this guy is capable of one hundred shots in a widespread manner, then surely he could be capable of a single accurate, deadly shot, and if I poke my head out, then I could lose it immediately.

Instead, I decided to wait here and allow my opponent to think his previous attack had felled me. Then, when he advances in surety and closes in on me, I will hop out and begin a close-range match, knowing that I am faster than him and will be able to deal with him in close combat. Which is a good plan, except after a minute or so, I hear no sounds, and nothing has happened, and I can't afford to keep my eyes off my opponent for this long. Since he is a fish, maybe he has echolocation or something and knows where I am and is setting a trap.

Deciding I have wasted too much time, I quickly jump to my left and move behind another tree, glancing towards my opponent as I do so, only to discover that he is no longer there. Peeking around the tree, I begin to look in every which direction, trying to spot my enemy, but no matter where I look, I am unable to spot them. I try and think about this logically, trying to reason out which direction he could have headed in until I remember that he is different from me and the land is not his only option.

With a start, I begin to pelt it using my full fore back the way I came, heading toward the ocean, only managing to just break through the tree line to see a splash in the surface of the sea and the resulting ripples. Chew had just entered the ocean, his natural territory, meaning I could no longer pursue him, and Arlong is pretty much confirmed to now know about this event. I look to my left, where Arlng Park is, to realise that the workers had not even noticed, so focused on the enclosing marined boats.

Sighing, I begin to make my way back to them, coming to terms with the fact that the element of surprise has been lost. I try to focus on what I can do now, and that is waiting for the marines to land and then provide them with as much information as possible on what they are facing and hope that they are actually decent strong marines capable of handling this. If they have come here, then I at least know that they are very much above that coward Nezumi whose base is nearby and yet he has not shown his ugly face once.

As I join the others and wait patiently for the Marines to get here, I contemplate on the possible ways this can go and what precautions I might have to take. Then, going through a mini checklist in my head about the things that are of utmost importance, I cross them off one by one when I confirm they are not in danger. For example, Nojiko should be at her home on the tangerine farm, which is isolated and should be fine. The orphanage is also separate from the villages and should be fine until the dust settles from the battle.

Genzo- Genzo is his own man and is also the sheriff, so I can't waste time thinking about him. He is a man, and knowing the type of man he is, I know he will be in the fray, trying to help or assist in some way to the benefit of all of the islanders. So I will try and see if I can do anything if I see him. Now, my ultimate concern, in both meanings of the word, is Nami. Nami should be at the temporary base of the Arlong pirates, that same little shack that I woke up in. They had taken over the surrounding buildings there and were living there until construction was finished, and I know that they had given Nami a room there.

Not a nice room or anything, aside from a bed, all she had apparently was a desk and reams and reams of papers and the tools necessary to make maps, as well as some books to help her. That is where she will be, even now, working her fingers to the bone on maps. She would always come home with bloodied hands and her fingers stressed, and Nojiko would always have to patch her up. They gave her a bed because they wanted her to stay there all the time, but I managed o get them to let her go home so she could get her hands mended. Otherwise, she would be unable to continue working on the maps.

But as I said, my concern for her should be evident. And my concern, speaking purely in terms of survival, would be if she didn't get caught in the crossfire. I should want her to get caught up in it and result in a state where she can no longer command me, based purely on survival. That is what I should want. Except, it isn't. I don't want her to die or get hurt. I have seen her suffering ever since the Fishmen came, and for her to die before having another taste of freedom, before having any sort of joy or happiness. I would rather live under her commands forever than be the sort of person that would commit such a horrible act and condemn this innocent girl to death.

I refuse to be that sort of person. I decided to live my life properly and to get as much out of it as I could. But the right way. To do things properly, without running away and to face things head-on instead of cowering. To live a life I can be proud of, that I can take pleasure in and look back on without regret or shame. The Marines will likely be heading towards Arlongs base since all the islanders know where it is, and that has probably been communicated towards the law-keeping force.

This means Nami will be caught up in the ongoing fight. So I need to get there quickly, before anything happens, and sneak her out of there. So instead of waiting for the Marines to get here, I make the decision to be proactive and go and get Nami to a safe place before the violence ensues. But when I turned around, I realised that there was no need for me to go and get her... because she had come to me.

"SHAHAHAHA! What is going on here, then!?" My heart drops as I see Arlong walking calmly towards us from the village path. However, that is not what is causing me such dread. It is the fact that he is dragging an unwilling Nami along behind him directly towards the confrontation. The mood and situation change drastically with his appearance. The happy and joyful countenances of the people surrounding me instantly deform and disfigure into abstract disjointed expressions of horror and despair.

"SHAHAHA! Now, what's with the long faces..? Why so glum?" He grins toothily, now reaching us, his oversized stature looming over us until it comes to bear entirely down on me. His big blue sandal-clad feet stop in front of me, and he bends down, blocking the sun from my view as his dead fish eyes look directly down into mine.

"You didn't have anything to do with this, did you, Detoro?" He emphasises my name as the grin disappears, leaving only his cold merciless face behind. He is trying to intimidate me, and while I do feel some fear in front of his ugly scary face, I am sure most people that don't have shit for brains would. But that doesn't mean I am gonna let him see it.

"Does it matter?" I reply, neither confirming nor denying his suspicions. I did not actually have anything to do with this, though I did know that something was in the works since Nami told me about it a while ago. Still, I am not going to deny it either since I am not backing down, and I at least have this much pride. I won't wipe my hands of the matter because these workers under me clearly knew about it, and they are under my command. To abandon them would be the work of scum, and I just decided I would never be scum.

"Hmm, well, I guess not. I will deal with that stuff later, but right now, I have to deal with those bastards." He continues to walk forward, dragging Nami along with him. The Villagers start to move, first starting t split like the sea around him and then slowly moving behind him and towards me. However, that process momentarily stops when Arlong stops, and not of his own accord.

"Hm?" He glances back to find me holding onto Nami's other arm, refusing to allow her to go forward towards the danger with him. The girl herself has tears brimming on the rim of her eyelids as she looks at me like I am signing my death warrant, rapidly shaking her head no at me to try and dissuade me from this course of action and make sure I don't risk myself for her. But, seriously, what kind of piece of shit was I for even thinking about taking everything from her.

"She doesn't need to be here. Neither do the rest of the workers here. We will leave. Come get us when you want us to resume working... If you can." I say, not relenting in the least as I stare back into his eyes, refusing to let him take her there. I adamantly try to ignore the slight bits of blood on Nami's fingers that I can feel with her palm against mine, confirming for me that she was being worked to the bone before being abruptly forced here.

"I brought her here so she could see the results of her work and how much good she is doing. In fact, I want everyone here to see this. But I suppose you can watch from a distance. Make sure not to go too far, and make sure you keep your eyes on those marines." Strangely he smirks at me, seeming to see something in this situation that I do not. Of course, I want everyone here to get as far away as possible, but I can't push my luck right now.

"Men. Move back to the tree line and stop there." I say, commanding them to stop back there, far away enough to keep looking like Arlong wants but with enough cover if things end up going south and they end up in the line of fire. Arlong nods his head at me after hearing my words and relinquishes his hold on Nami, the girl dropping to the ground as soon as he does. Moving forward, I ignore the big blue beast that continues to walk forward as I quickly grab hold of Nami and move back with the rest of the men towards the treeline.

As I do, I chance a glance back at Arlong, watching as the Fishman walks forward with unending arrogance to meet the fleet of marine ships heading in this direction. He is all alone, none of his men in sight, but this just worries me more. He is confident in beating all of them, and not only that, but he showed up at such an opportune time, making me think that he knew this would be happening. Even with Chew here, I get the feeling that Chew was not watching us but waiting for the sight of the marine ships.

They somehow knew this would be happening today, and instead of cowering or preparing, they anticipated it and have come to meet it head-on. Not only that, but Arlong mentioned the work Nami has been doing. The maps, and as far as I know, have only had her working on this island and the surrounding water so far. And yet, he just said that he wants her to see the fruits of her labour, which confuses me as to how a map of this island would help in any way in a confrontation against the Marines.

As I finally reach the rest of the workers at the treeling, I lay Nami down to rest against a tree before turning to look back out at whatever the hell was about to happen. I have no confidence right now, and all I have is an ominous premonition that things are going to go wildly wrong... for the Marines.

"SHAHAHAHA! MARINE SCUM! WHAT, PERCHANCE, BRINGS YOU TO THIS LOVELY LITTLE ISLAND OF MINE!?"

 

Chapter 26– Confrontation.

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"SHAHAHAHA! MARINE SCUM! WHAT, PERCHANCE, BRINGS YOU TO THIS LOVELY LITTLE ISLAND OF MINE!?" Arlong bellows, laughing vindictively while spreading his arms out to his sides as if to encompass the entire island and proudly proclaim that it belonged to him. I might hate the man with a passion, but I have to admit, I watch in awe as he faces forward, head held high, facing three shipfuls of marines and laughing in their face.

I quickly squash the feeling of awe burgeoning inside me, knowing that this fucker doesn't deserve it. Even if Arlong does look fearless and undaunted in the face of insurmountable odds, I know it is built on cruelty and disdain for those he sees as beneath him. I might not have seen Garp in an actual fight, but I can feel it in my bones that he is far above Arlong. Arlong might be fearless and ruthless, but he is not unbeatable or infallible.

It takes a moment, but eventually, someone walks up to the front of the marine ship in the middle and pulls a sword out of a scabbard and points it towards the beach. Watching him, I can tell that he is the leader of the fleet that has come today, and by the splendour and intricacy of the clothes he wears, I can tell he is above Nezumis station as a captain but below Garp's status as a Vice Admiral. So he is of a rank somewhere between Captain and Vice Admiral.

"Wretched pirate scum that is terrorising the innocent people living on this island! I am Marine Commodore Pudding Pudding! Surrender, and I will leave you with your lives. Resist, and those lives are forfeit! You have ten seconds!" He says quite calmly from the prow of his ship. However, even at such a distance, his righteous tone reverberates across the water between us and into our ears. His voice tells us that there is no room for bargaining, and these are the only two options he is giving to the pirates.

At least he isn't a scumbag like Captain Nezumi. However, I have yet to see his strength. But even so, the fact that he is here and speaking so factually as if these two things are the only possible things that will happen makes me think that freedom is coming. He is so sure, so absolute, that he is convincing me that it is only a matter of minutes before we are free and showing much more emotion than me. The other villagers are all but cheering. Thankfully, still not being liberated yet, they are clever enough not to show their joy verbally.

Still, I guess all people with some strength end up looking a bit cooky because this guy does not look anything normal, especially with a name like Pudding Pudding. First of all, while he is dressed like a marine and generally looks like an average human, he isn't. Even from this distance, I can see that he is a pretty tall man, I think he might be nearing Arlong's levels of height, and Arlong is tall. Secondly, while he would look normal even being so lanky and tall, it is his hair that is strange.

Not his hair colour, which is a purply lilac, since I have met all sorts of people with all types of hair colours and even eye colours. No, what is different about this man is the hairstyle has chosen, and while I usually wouldn't care about such a thing, when it is paired with his lanky nature, it looks really weird. You know how when you have long hair, you can make a bun with it that's a bit floppy? That is how he has all of his hair.

With all the serious things happening right now, I really shouldn't be getting caught up on one man's hairstyle, but what the hell? He has, like, six buns on his head, two that go down the sides of his head, two that stick out diagonally, one that comes down directly onto his forehead, and one that sticks straight up into the air, and I can't even see the back of his head right now.

Not to mention that this man has facial hair just under his chin, and even that is in a bun. What's even weirder about it is that I can tell it was originally a soul patch which has grown too much, and he has put it into a bun, but the rest of his face is clean-shaven. I have to say, there are definitely more weirdos in this world than there were in that other one. Not just that, but strong weirdos in positions of power or just willing to do whatever they want, no matter who gets in their way. I am beginning to think past me was an idiot and should have chosen some other traits.

"Shahahaha! I have a counter offer! Kill yourselves right now, and spare me the bother of having to get my hands wet! Or, make me take your lives, which I can promise will be painful! You have five seconds!" There is none of his characteristic sadistic laughing after he has made his statement. Instead, he just stares hard back at them across the ocean, waiting for them to make a decision.

He took what they said to him and threw it right back in their faces. I can feel the air practically simmering and the sudden wariness of the villagers around me, Nami trembling next to me. Still, that is nothing next to the sheer rage of emotion I see bubbling across the sea, Commodore Pudding Pudding's face rapidly morphing into a rictus of fury and his face turning red.

"Front cannon, fire! Destroy this pirate scum!" The Commodore gets very angry and orders for a cannonball to be fired directly at Arlong. Not expecting this course of action, I get very worried as clearly, we are on this beach as well, just behind the tree line, and there is a very high likely hood of civilian casualties if they are blowing up the coast. On the upside, we are probably far away enough not to be affected, and a cannonball is definitely something that Arlong can't survive. No one can-

*BOOM*

A burst of fire from the front of the middle ship and a black ball of death comes shooting out, bursting across the ocean on a direct collision course with a certain ugly blue Fishman. I watch as it shoots towards Arlong before it vanishes from my sight, and all I can see now is Arlong's enormous back. I take pleasure in the fact that this will be the last time I will see it because it is about to be blown into about a million pieces. I can't wait to know what burnt shark smells like-

A sudden rush of wind and a black blur shooting off to the side is all the warning I get before an explosion hits the beach to the left of us, confusing and shocking us all. Then, looking forward, I see the horrifying sight before me that leads me to the dreadful conclusion of what had just happened. Arlong stands there in the exact same place as before, in the very same stance as before, except for one difference.

Arlong has his left arm to the side, and it is the exact same as it was before, except it is stretched out to the left, pointing to where that explosion went off. As a fast learner, I quickly work out what has happened and just how devastating that it is for the people of this island as well as the marines incoming. A ball of destruction was coming right at him, and he just backhanded it away to the left, the ball not phasing him in the least.

He just bitchslapped a fucking cannonball away like it was a fly- no, for him, it was less than a fly since you need precision and timing to swat those little creatures. He did it effortlessly so, so much so that it was scary because if a cannonball can't take him down, then what can? Definitely not me, not right now, as I am now.

"Fire again! He is- A single, you fool. There are civilians on the beach!" Skirting by the fact that someone was just about to litter this side of the island with cannonballs before the Commodore mentioned our presence, why is he doing the same thing again? Is he insane? If it didn't work the first time, then why would it work the second time? Apparently, my internal monologue doesn't actually have any effect on his actions, as another cannonball is fired from the front of the ship.

Before I know what is happening, I am already moving forward, gathering gasps from the workers behind me and a cry from Nami, but it doesn't impede me, not now. Instead, I set off on instinct, my blood pumping rapidly through my body and making me faster and stronger, as well as making me think more quickly. I am already sprinting at Arlong's back, having come to the only conclusion my rushed thoughts could bring me to.

Arlong backhanded the cannonball away, letting it explode away from him, meaning that while he can deflect it, he is still susceptible to the damage from it. The Marines are probably going to be useless, so the most I can do right now is make the most of the opportunity. I need to stop Arlong from deflecting or dodging the cannonball, making him take a direct hope and a lot of damage so myself and the Marines can wear him down together and defeat him.

The only possible way I can see of having the cannonball actually hit him is for something to get in his way, and that something is me. Moving faster than I ever have before, I reach Arlong just before the cannonball does, and I leap forward. I can already see Arlong moving to slap it away, the cannonball's trajectory aiming straight for his chest, which works perfectly for me.

My foot lashes out, and using my momentum and downward force, the back of my heel, the hardest part of my foot, smashes into the back of Arlongs head. I know right now I am too weak to actually do any damage to him, even with a direct hit on his head, but that is not what I am aiming for. My foot might not hurt him, but it does move his head downwards and changes his position meaning that he can't deflect the cannonball that continues on true, now moments from impacting his face.

I know that I am too close and will definitely be injured in the resulting explosion, but I don't care. I don't mind losing my leg if it means that this bastard loses his entire head. In fact, I think it is a worthy trade. A vicious grin of victory lightens up my face as the cannonball is finally here, and I am so joyous that I forget to brace myself for the impact or protect myself from the incoming explosion. Even as I realise it, I don't move to defend myself, caught up in this beautiful moment of victory that will soon be shown by a bang.

But it doesn't come. There is no bang. Instead, there is silence just for an instance where confusion reigns in my mind. A cannonball should explode straight away unless maybe this one is just a blunt projectile, but even so, something should have happened. My confusion only lasts a second as suddenly Arlongs head comes back up and throws me back a little, and then he turns around and relieves me of my confusion. And there it is, the cannonball that is.

Right there in his mouth. Arlong's mouth is wide open, unnaturally so. The black ball of supposed death is held there, being kept in place by his sharp teeth, which clench all around it. I am still in the air, and everything is happening so fast, but I manage a look at Arlongs eyes, which are staring right back at me. They are not angry, which I would much prefer to the perverse emotion showing within his pupils.

Even with his face being unnaturally elongated due to holding an entire cannonball in his mouth, he still manages to look at me. His dangerous pupils are locked on me. His eyes are narrowed, but instead of showing anger or fury, there is something else entirely in his eyes. I can't place it, but it is not a negative emotion aimed at me. Instead, it is positive, as if my actions which tried to end his life, have somehow pleased him. He is happy, which scares the shit out of me.

He smiles. Somehow, someway, he smiles at me, even with the cannonball in his mouth. And then he brings his jaw down, eliciting a grating screech of metal. He crunches it in his mouth, and then a blast of black smoke fires out and blasts me back. I fly backwards, only just managing to get my arms crossed against my face as I twist backwards through the air. My elbows and forearms burn as they skid and scrap against the sand as I fly across it before finally slamming my back into a tree.

A series of gasps and curses sound at near me as while as a cry, but I ignore it as I continue to stare back at Arlongs. When the cannonball burst and sent me back, I didn't close my eyes. I couldn't. I kept my eyes on Arlong as much as I could have as I flipped through the air. My eyes kept locking onto him as I flipped because if he decided to rush and attack me, then I wouldn't be able to do much.

But nothing. Arlong watched me go, his smile of something constant on his face. He wasn't joyous to see me hurt or in pain, but something else, something that I couldn't understand. He liked the fact I tried to kill him. He had something akin to respect in his eyes as he watched my beaten form resting against the tree before turning away from me and back to the Marines.

"Detoro-Kun!" I hear beside me, and I look to my left to see Nami rushing towards me, the other villagers behind her looking on worriedly, but ultimately they stay where they are, their self-preservation taking point. Nami quickly kneels by my side and starts to check my condition. All the while, tears are escaping her eyes.

"I told you not to! I screamed for you to stay and let the Marines handle it! Why didn't you listen... don't die, Detoro-Kun." She starts to sniffle, trying her best to keep her sobs in and not let her cries escape. With her hands patting me all over and checking me for damage, though I don't know what she can do about it, I notice her hands are still bloody. Bloody from working her fingers to the bone at all hours of the day, and now she is using them to check me for injuries.

"It is fine! Stop! I am fine, Nami! Don't worry!" I quickly grab ahold of her wrists, stopping her from using her hands to keep checking my condition and causing her more pain. She is still crying, but I know she is a strong girl. She isn't crying for herself. She is ignoring her own pain. She is crying for me because she thinks I nearly died. I don't question how she had apparently told me not to go and how I somehow managed to ignore that order. I don't care about that right now. It isn't important at this moment.

"Nami, let's go. It is too dangerous here now." What is important right now is getting the hell out of here because things are not looking good for anybody here. Arlong is too strong to be defeated by a single accurate shot and will require a full-blown barrage to deal with, and the rest of his crew isn't even here. If the Marines have any hope of winning, it will be because they used all of the firepower at their disposal as soon as possible. Otherwise, they will die.

"O-Okay... But, Arlong told us to," I don't even dignify that with a response, because fuck that dude. Why do I give a fuck if he told us to stay here? This area is about to become a warzone, and all of us are about to get caught up in it. So, if I could do something to feasibly help, I would stay and try, but I just landed a full power kick on the back of his head and tried to force him to take a cannonball to the face, and he just shrugged it off. Actually, no, he didn't shrug it off. He fucking ate it.

"It doesn't matter. We need to leave before we get caught in the crossfire." Saying so, I grab her by the shoulders and drag her to her feet, but when I notice she is still very haggard, I pick her up and put her on my back, moving my hands behind me to carry her. She stays quiet, no doubt dead tired, most likely having been working tirelessly on maps before being dragged here to witness this battle for some reason.

With Nami on my back, I start to make my way back towards the other villagers, who are more focused on keeping an eye on Arlong. I also look over to see what is happening, only to see Arlong calmly waiting on the beach and waiting. Looking over to the Marines, I can see their ships coming closer, clearly having realised that they won't be able to deal with the Fishman at range after Arlong's display. Still, while they are approaching, some of the marines are definitely considering if that is the appropriate course of action, given that Arlong is patiently waiting and staring at them on the land.

Especially when you consider the fact that he is a Fishman, and the water is basically his domain. He could go over there and start attacking the hull of the ships, biting chunks out of them underwater where they can't do anything but slowly go down with their boat. And then there would be no chance of survival left for them, being ripe for harvesting as Arlong and the other Fishmen can just attack them like a bunch of piranhas. So the fact that he isn't doing anything like that means he doesn't see the need, which is worrying.

Clearly, some of the marines on the ship have realised this and are trying to make their opinion known, but the Commodore is hearing none of it. So I don't know if Pudding Pudding is supremely confident in himself and his abilities or if he is so infuriated by the scum pirates' actions and arrogance that he is ordering all ships to head forward. Either way, I don't think this is going to end well for them, so we should get out of here before things turn south. I just about make it to the rest of the villagers and go to tell them to evacuate when I am interrupted by some ominous laughing.

"Shaha! Nami! Watch closely! This is the result of all your hard work! Be proud! Thanks to you, the Arlong Pirates will be brought to greatness! SHAHAHA!" Arlong laughs, drawing all of our attention and stifling the words I was about to speak. With that, he just kept me and the rest from leaving because all of us, Nami included, had been wondering just how her maps would be assisting the pirates. Finally, it seems that we are about to find out.

"Hachi! Kuroobi! Chew! Send them to hell! SHAHAHAH!" A gasp from behind me draws my attention, and when I look back, I see realisation slowly blooming in her eyes, which clues me into the fact that something big is about to happen. Looking forward, I find it hard to keep track of everything that is happening since it is all moving so fast, but I manage to keep track of what is happening.

First of all, when Arlong called out to his crewmates, the marines barely had any time to react before suddenly there was a large cracking sound, like a house collapsing and stuff. And that is when I saw the massive rudders on all three ships ripping free and flopping into the water, confusing all present. And then we see the three fishmen that Arlong just called out to appear from behind all three ships, floating on the water, and we understand that those three fishmen just ripped the rudders off of the marine vessels.

Before anyone can react, Hachi and Kuroobi dive beneath the water and disappear into its depths while Chew, the guy I was just fighting a while ago, quickly descends into the water and then come rocketing out of the water to land on the middle marine ship. I guess Chew didn't run away from me to go inform Arlong but rather to take his position in the sea, which lends credence to the fact that they knew this attack was coming and had already planned for it.

Kuroobi lands in the middle of all of the marines, who are so shocked that they cannot react, and instead of pulling out their swords and flintlocks like they should, they panic, probably never having been in such a situation before. Kuroobi just laughs at them, finding their pathetic actions funny, and they all panic even more for some reason, making me think that these Marines have never had a real fight or have been dealing with weak pirates that usually run away.

There seems to be at least one marine that has at least some experience, which he shows by trying to rally his men. Commodore Pudding Pudding works his way through the throng of marines, coming to the front to face Chew himself. Thankfully this is all taking place at the front of the ship, in clear view of all of us, so we can still see what is happening, though I wonder what Hachi and Kuroobi are up to underneath the water.

"You filthy pirate, how dare you lay your filthy feet upon this ship! Men, what the hell are you doing! This disgusting pirate has come to us for a change instead of us having to hunt him down. Reward him by showing him true justice! PIRATE! Surrender now, and we will let you live, or refuse and-" Commodore Pudding Pudding begins to rally up his men, motivating them, and it is working as his men look more confident and begin to glare at Chew. It seemed like they were about to gang up and beat the shit out of Chew, and then Chew opened up his mouth.

"Mizudeppo! (Water Gun)" A single glob of water is fired from Chew's mouth faster than anyone can react. And then, Commodore Pudding Pudding is missing an entire chunk of his midsection. Silence reigns as the formerly alive Commodore folds in on himself and collapses to the floor, the surrounding marines unable to comprehend what had just happened. Chew calmly jumps off of the ship and back into the water while I realise that a whole barrage of those things was fired at me, and a single one could have blown me apart. I am lucky to be alive.

And then, a moment later, The sea starts to collapse in on itself. Out of the blue, the waters begin to swirl and twist and turn, and the ships have no choice but to try and follow along. The ships are broken apart by the raging currents, and before long, they are dragged beneath the sea. We all watched it happen in silence, unable to look away from the horrific sight. Nami is the most affected, with a look of horror on her face, her tears now churning out and a lot of apologies leaving her mouth.

And then Hachi, Kuroobi and Chew appear out of the water, walking up out of the sea and onto the shore, smirking on their faces, though Hachi shows a simple, honest smile making me think he is not all there. They walk up to Arlong, who is still staring out at sea, and then he turns around.

"Now, let's have a talk. Who did something that they shouldn't have..?"

 

Chapter 27– Time Part One.

-----------------------------------

"Yo, Detoro! Play with me!" My eyebrow twitched at the loud voice bellowing behind me as I worked on sawing a piece of wood, working towards making a chair. I really do try my best to ignore the grating voice behind me, a voice which always is making its appearance and annoying me when it should really be keeping away from me.

"Detoro? Can you hear me? Can we play?" I stop my sawing and slam my saw down on the workbench, turning around and glaring angrily at the constant annoyance. Hachi, in turn, willows under my gaze as he quickly backs away. This stupid idiot really isn't like the other fishmen because they are actually cruel and vicious, while this idiot is just a sheep that follows his pals.

For the last few years, I have been playing board games and stuff with this stupid octopus man. At first, being kind of intimidated by his dopey nature, thinking something more sinister lay underneath. But, of course, I found out very quickly that he was just an idiot and was not vicious like his friends. Of course, that doesn't mean I like him, but I could maybe spare him when I kill them all.

"Hachi, what do you think I am here to do? You guys are always messing about and breaking this place apart, and I have to come and fix and do all the repairs. I don't have time to play, Hachi. Now leave me alone." While I would much rather be ruder and straightforward about it and tell him to fuck off, that would be a mistake. Not because he isn't like the rest, but because if one of the others overheard it, they would take offence at my words, and nothing good would come of that.

"Ah, uh, okay then... Um, Arlong wanted to know if you are going to try and kill him today. He, uh, he has something he could be doing... otherwise." Hachi says nervously, not hesitant to talk to me as he is used to m behaviour if a bit nervous about it, but he is more confused about the killing Arlong part and usually can't quite get his head around it.

"Not today," I say, still looking at him and not taking my gaze off of him. Unwilling to turn my back to him until he is gone, and he looks back awkwardly. Now normally, I would be taking every moment I can to try and kill the giant blue shark man, but I can't, not today. The simple fact of the matter is that Nami is coming back today, and I can't let her know of my attempts unless she tells me to stop, and I have to obey. She has completely given up on the assassination route since we found nothing we did even hurt him. Though, I have continued to try and end him, just in a more direct way.

Hachi gets the message after a few seconds of me staring at him deadpanned, and awkwardly turns around and heads off to do whatever it is he does on when he is not annoying me. I honestly don't know what he does most of the time since he is too dumb to be cruel like the rest of them and mess with other people, and I don't care.

With the nuisance gone, I turn around and get back to work on a chair designed to the specifications of one Fishman with a fin on his back. But, of course, since they have me make all their things, they decided to get specialised stuff to make life more comfortable for them, and then they break it, and the cycle repeats. I don't care, it keeps the peace, and Arlong still allows me to have a crack at killing him with no repercussions for my murder attempts. Win-win, he gets him and his people some comfort, and I get to try and take his life.

Sighing to myself, I get to work on this stupid chair. A lot has changed over the last few years. A lot has changed over the last few years, and by that, I mean pretty much everything has changed since a few years ago. Then, we were only easing into captivity, but now we are fully captured. The villagers still held out some hope at the beginning, but that all began to change after the events of the failed marine attack.

Arlong was very fucking mad after he had dealt with all of the marines, but it wasn't a brutal, fiery anger, but a cold, simmering one that was controlled. Immediately after the incident in question, he asked just whose idea it was, and of course, nobody fessed up, knowing that they would probably be severely punished if they owned up to it. And so, when Arlong did not get a response, he was all ready to head to Shokuyasi village and flip it all on its head as punishment. At that point, one worker from the village stepped forward and claimed responsibility, and then the others, feeling inspired, also stepped forward until all of the workers were claiming that they had a hand in that day's events.

Of course, with this, Arlong was stuck between a rock and a hard place as he needed all of these people to continue working on Arlong Park, but he also had to punish them. Very cruelly, he had decided that Shokuyasi Village would be destroyed as punishment. Thankfully I manage to get in the way and convince him not to do that, using a lot of reasoning and threats.

However, seeing the need for a punishment to take place still, I helped to decide that their privilege would be taken from them. As while they were working on Arlong Park, they would have the taxes for themselves and their families lowered. So Arlong waived that and made them pay the full price while also working full-time on Arlong Park with no other work. Needless to say, that month and the following few were tough for those workers and their families. Thankfully the other villagers helped them out as they did what they did for the sake of the village.

After that, we knew that the Fishmen, or Arlong at the least, were too powerful to let go of this island without a fight with severe consequences. One thing that we knew for definite is that we could not rely on outside sources to help us gain our freedom, let alone the marines that had just shown they needed to be stronger to contend with the pirates. After that, Nami had a big change of heart and realised that as well, especially after she saw just what the results of her strenuous efforts were.

The Arlong pirates had used the map that Nami had created to defeat three entire ships full of marines and doom them to a watery death. They were forcing Nami to make heavily detailed maps, and then they were obviously planning to use those insanely detailed maps for nefarious purposes, no doubt being used to kill countless people in the future. Nami realised this. She understood exactly what they did and just how horrifying this could be in the future if they could use such a method all over the world.

After that, she was adamant about freeing herself and the village from Arlong by any means necessary, and she ended up enlisting my help to do so. So after that, aside from fulfilling the duties forced upon us, we would constantly be brainstorming and coming up with methods to try and kill Arlong. We figured without Arlong, the rest of the pirates would crumble and skedaddle, cut off the head of the snake and all that. But, of course, this snake had a nearly indestructible neck.

We tried all sorts of things using the resources available to us, firstly going for the subtle methods, which I disliked but was forced to do because of Nami's orders and also because I realised it was the only option I had at that point in time. So we tried all sorts of stuff, countless poisons, acids and toxins, as well as trying to find out if he had allergies and foods he was allergic to.

Of course, we were limited in what we could get our hands on, and we refrained from involving anybody else on the island. That was Nami's decision as she came to the conclusion that she and I were indispensable for Arlong, and so even if we were caught, we would not be killed. I am sure it is only her that is crucial to their plans. However, I made no mention of this and continued to assist her.

However, nothing seemed to work, and any positions that we had access to in the East Blue just would not cut it, his Fishman biology handling it with ease. So we decided to get more clear-cut with our methods when the subtle ways were not panning out, and by that, we made the decision that bodily harm was in order. But, of course, we did not forget the poisons, and so we laced our assassination tools in them to the best of our abilities and then waited for the right opportunity to stick inside him.

He had proved to be resistant to blunt attacks, so we decided to pierce him with blades. When the time finally came, Nami jumped the gun and ran straight to stab him in the chest. I myself aimed myself at his eyes. He ignored Nami and took me down, and then that was it. He did nothing more. He laughed and then sent us on our way, weirding us both out, but we didn't care as it just meant that we could try again.

And we did. Again and again and again. And yet, every time, our efforts amounted to nothing. We would regularly return to Nojiko's house covered in wounds when Arlong was a bit heavy-handed, and she would patch us up without saying anything, even though it pained her to see us like that. We used everything that we had, and the results always remained the same.

After that, Nami despaired at the fact that Arlong was seemingly invincible and pinned all of her hopes on her last option. She could not wait for us all to be freed by someone else. However, she had already seen one failed attempt, and therefore she returned her gaze back to the one hundred million berries she would have to raise to buy this island and everyone's freedom back from Arlong.

I myself did not think that. Even if she somehow managed to raise the full amount that Arlong wanted, I doubt Arlong would actually abide by the terms of the agreement. However, this was nami's hope, and I could not crush it, similar to how the villager's hope was for marines to come and free them, stronger than the ones that showed up previously. I could not crush that either, though I knew no one was coming for us.

With my job being what it was, I was allowed unfettered access to nearly the entirety of Arlong Park. The Fishman were constantly breaking things, and I was always there to fix them and to make improvements, so I got to see a lot more of them behind closed doors than anyone else, even Nami, who was usually locked up in her room atop Arlong Park constantly working on maps.

So it was inevitable that I would eventually overhear some of the more secretive happenings going on in Arlong Park. Arlong wasn't overly aware of his surroundings all the time, or maybe he just wanted me to hear this out of some sadistic pleasure. Arlong was talking on a Den Den Mushi, and I learned that he was bribing the nearby marines to keep everything going on here covered up. More specifically, that bastard Captain Nezumi was profiting off of our misery, which somehow pissed me off way more than Arlong, who was actually causing us to suffer, Maybe because it was a dereliction of duty. I never mentioned it since the villagers needed that hope, and Nami didn't need distractions.

Nami asked for my help to figure out a way to somehow get off of this island and start gathering funds. The second part, she decided she would deal with it, and she just needed my help for the first thing. We decided on going to Arlong and convincing him that she should be allowed out so she could draw more maps, having done all she could while confined here to these surrounding islands.

Surprisingly Arlong agreed without much fanfare, he even revealed he could guess our actual objective to gather money, but he didn't care. So my plan A was to kill the fucker, plan B was for Nami to collect the money, and by some miracle, Arlong actually agreed to it. Plan C... Don't get me started on plan C. It is our unfeasible doomsday plan which Nami knows nothing about, and if that is required, then things have gotten too drastic. I would rather not think about it.

However, he did not allow me to go with her. I tried, I did. I tried my best with sound logic and reason to convince him to let me also leave, but for some reason, he refused to let me. In fact, he forbade me from leaving the island entirely, on the threat that a lot of people would die if I did. I had no clue why he was so adamant about it, but he told Nami not to try and get help; otherwise, she would be dooming everyone still here. My only guess is that he is not letting me go because he thinks maybe I could do something that would be detrimental to him while off of the island. I don't know what that is, but it doesn't matter since I won't be leaving this island any time soon.

Nami was not allowed to leave freely either, Arlong did not fully trust her not to mess up and bring more attention to the island, and so he decided to send a Fishman subordinate with her every time she left to protect and monitor her as well as make sure that she didn't do anything she shouldn't. He also ordered them not to help her with anything and only intervene if it looked like she might die since her death would hurt his plan. Aside from that, they were just there to monitor, and Arlong knew that Nami was going to try and get money, and he knew that one hundred million bellies could only be gained by crime.

Arlong fully expected Nami to go out there and try and steal and for her to get very fucking hurt and come back fallen, no longer willing to try and gather the money. Well, he was right about that first part. Nami had gone on a few expeditions by this point, with nothing happening much and some slight thievery taking place as she tried to find her groove, her Fishmen escort usually always hiding in the waters and waiting.

After a while, she was trusted not to make any waves, and she had gotten used to her new role as a thief, befriending and helping out bad people and pirates with her skills and stealing from them, usually without doing the former if she could help it. Finally, Arlong, satisfied after her year-long effort, decided she no longer needed an escort, trusting her not to run to the marines and to not run to the marines and not to get herself killed. And indeed, she was cunning and skilful enough to end up not dead, but that didn't mean she always got away unscathed.

On this one particular occasion, she had come back with bruises and cuts all over her, but her face was hard, and there was no sadness or pain on her face, only guilt and anger, anger at her own weakness. She had tried to steal from somebody, and she had vastly underestimated her target, though thankfully, she hadn't overestimated herself. While the theft did not pan out, she did manage to escape with her life. That was not good enough for her, and so she came to me. Why did she come to me? Well, I had been busy working on Plan A while she was busy with Plan C.

Of course, I could not stand idly by as a young girl tried alone to free all of us in a way that I did not think would work. Nevertheless, I never truly gave up on Plan A, which was killing Arlong. Except for this time, I knew that I could not rely on cunning or subtle methods, and the only way to do such a thing would be to use my own strength and skill. Thankfully Arlong was okay with our attempted murders, so all I had to worry about was getting stronger.

I continued with the exercises and training methods that Garp had told me so long ago, but clearly, that would not be enough. And so I supplemented it with all of my past life knowledge as well as all of the knowledge and help I could get from the villagers on the island. Arlong actually provided me with money as he realised nearly all of my time was spent working for him, and I needed to eat and rest as well. So I used this money to buy food and aid from the villagers. I was getting the advice from experienced villagers to come up with the best training regimen and the best nutritious food. And I carried this on for a long time, mainly using my past knowledge to help me get an edge.

I had constantly been trying to get stronger whenever I could, in the hopes that I could use my own two hands to take down Arlong. However, it would be a while before I reached that point, which meant I just had to work that much harder. When Nami came and asked for my help, I was going to help even before the order was made. It was a long shot, but maybe Arlong would actually follow the deal he made. Anything is possible. So then, it became a question of whether or not she could raise one hundred million berries before I became strong enough to end this once and for all. I couldn't possibly comment, one way or the other.

So with the decision to train Nami came the consideration of how to do so. My objective was to kill Arlong, which required me to have power and speed. However, Nami's goal was to steal, which requires agility and dexterity, and above all else, she needed speed and evasion. Her goal was to steal and run away. Self-defence and combat prowess were secondary to that.

And so that is how we started her training, trying to strengthen her entire body with a concentration on her lower body, especially for her to run away as fast as possible. We trained her whenever possible, which was whenever she was on the island, as she did most of her mapwork while travelling now and usually finished up back in her room at Arlong Tower. I also advised her on what she could do on her own without my help, and she took to it like a horse to water. Not to say that she was a prodigy or anything, but she dove in like she was dying of thirst.

But, even with all my training, she was coming back still covered in cuts and bruises. When I questioned her on it, I discovered that she had not used her new capabilities to continue doing the level of theft she was doing but used them to elevate her crimes to the point she was still escaping from dangerous situations. At this point, I realised escape couldn't be her only option, and she needed some combat capability to help her survivability.

I asked her to spar to start teaching her, and we did, and she was so very weak before me, and I realised that she would need time to bridge such a gap. However, Nami was not willing to wait and would continue to steal, so we decided that she needed a weapon. After some debate, we figured out she needed a weapon that was easily hidden as she would sometimes be infiltrating, and she needed something to protect her as she would only be trying to steal and escape. Her aim was not to try and kill or maim her opponent but escape with all that they treasured.

She ended up deciding on a collapsible bo staff, even though I was in opposition and wanted her to pick a bladed weapon or a ranged weapon, something that would be more lethal. She refused and kept to the collapsible bo staff she decided to keep strapped to the side of her thigh, though I managed to convince her to take a knife as well. I trained her to use both as best I could after searching out some villagers knowledgeable on the subjects. Nami had been prepared to the best of my ability, and only with consistent training would she grow even stronger.

However, even with my training, she would constantly come home with bruises and injuries, pushing above and beyond to try and gather the funds. And then, when she got back, she would train as well as draw up all of her maps. She was doing an excruciating amount of work, constantly working towards her goal of freeing this island from the Arlong pirate's clutches.

After knowing her for so long, I must admit that even though I hate to be so indentured, I do not wish for harm to befall her head, even if it would mean my freedom. She doesn't even command me to do much, only occasionally when she seriously needs help.

It broke my and Nojiko's hearts to see her constantly in pain and putting up a brave face for everyone, working for everyone's betterment. We tried to get her to stop and take a break, to rest for a while, but she vehemently refused. I think she is so adamant now, not only because of the possibility of freeing everyone but also to break free and stop making maps for the Arlong pirates, knowing just how much destruction they could cause. She would let nothing get in her way, least of all us, and Nojiko and I would just have to deal with that and cope in our own way.

Speaking of Nojiko, that brilliant blue-haired girl had also had her hands full these last few years, mainly dealing with us. She truly was fantastic, allowing me to live there with her because I had nowhere else to go, and while Arlog wanted me to also stay at Arlong Park, I abhorred the thought with my entire being, and luckily Nojiko let me live with her.

With Nojiko being the only one left at the tangerine farm out of the pair of sisters, she took charge of it and looked after the farm, growing and selling the tangerines. I helped her occasionally since I lived there with her, and I also helped around the house as well.

Honestly, if Nami was a greedy devil as she had shown herself to be with her incredible talent in pilfering, which I learnt she had before the pirate invasion, then Nojiko was a benevolent angel. She had a little bit of a vulgar tongue which she picked up from her mother, but that was something I grew to like as well.

I genuinely do not know how I could have handled all of this if it were not for Nojiko, who was there to look after both Nami and me, looking after our injuries, cooking for us, cleaning for us and lots more. I make sure to look after her and help her where I can since she does do much for me.

Seeing her and Nami working so hard every day, doing what they could, I decided to work hard as well and upped my training as much as I could when I wasn't working. I was doing my all to free myself, Nami and Nojiko, as well as everybody else, but more than that, I seriously wanted to bash Arlongs head in.

But even that was proving to be complicated.

 

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Chapter 28– Time Part Two.

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I couldn't just sit around and do nothing but twiddle my thumb and listen to orders and wait and hope for something that wouldn't happen. Nobody was coming to help, at least not anytime soon. So Nami's plan probably would not work, and unless we all want to stay like this, there is only one other option. Killing Arlong and all his buddies.

Of course, I had been trying for a while, but to no effect. When the poison and subtlety did not work, I reverted to the method I liked and appreciated most. Beautiful, brutal violence focused purely on destruction. Of course, while my preferred method, it was really like pushing a boulder up a mountain. But damn it, I was going to get the big hunk of rock to the precipice, and then I was going to drop it on Arlongs head.

Arlong was fine with me trying to kill him. In fact, he liked it. He appreciated the fact that I would try and kill him straight up and would allow me a time and place to have my shot, never once refusing me my chance. I would challenge him nearly every day and try to fight and beat him head-on.

Of course, just because I kept trying and he was letting me didn't mean I was getting anywhere. He was letting himself be attacked since it only meant the same was true for me, and I was fair game. Oh, and he made sure I knew it by beating my ass black and blue at every available opportunity. However, he also needed me for my skills and capability since it was always within reason, but he knew how to make it hurt without leaving any damage, or he learnt and got very good at it over the course of our battles.

Even with the brutal outcomes of every attempt, I never let it stop me. Every time I was beaten down, I would get back up and come back for more the next day. Day after day, week after week and eventually year after year, I would try and kill this man, and he would laugh in joy all the while at my attempts. But, of course, people can become bored of anything after a while and a lot of repetition, and that includes fishmen as well.

While I gave it my all and never let up, even after so many defeats, I believe Arlong just got more and more bored with it. Continually handing me my ass, while fun at first, must have become really dull after a while. So, I think in order for Arlong to liven it up some more and have some fun, he started to draw the battles out instead of kicking my ass straight away.

Like a cat plays with its food, Arlong began to fuck around with me and make it more enjoyable for himself. Where before, he would just straight up tank all my blows and laugh at my feeble attacks. Lately, he had begun to dodge and avoid all of my blows and hits, it made me think I was actually getting somewhere, and I was close to finally beating him.

He would avoid my strikes by just the thinnest of margins, and while, at first, I thought it was me getting better, eventually, I would figure out that it was him messing with me and using pure skill to avoid my blows with no wasted movements. Of course, when that got boring for him, he decided to take it even further and start letting my hits connect. The excitement that pulsed through my body when I hit him and he went flying backwards was terrific. Even when before they had not even managed to push him back, suddenly they could blast him backwards and send him shooting head over ass.

Needless to say, I was on cloud nine when these things were first occurring, and I felt like soon I would be free, and so would everybody else, that there was light at the end of the tunnel. But, of course, as is customary, this was taken away from me as well. Some of the Fishmen pirates saw me, and they must've been annoyed by the smile and joy I was feeling because they took measures to rectify that. Finally, one day, after one of my showdowns with Arlong, where we had both exchanged blows, and I had only lost by a bit of bad luck, they pulled me aside.

They laughed at me, asking if I truly believed that I was going to beat Arlong. I didn't click on it at first, but then they laid it out, plain and simple, for me. They said he was messing with me and letting me believe that I was actually getting somewhere. I thought about it and refused the notion, sure of what I was feeling with my fists and body, but they were adamant.

They had told me that he had decided to go along with it and let me actually believe I could maybe one day beat him, giving me some hope. They said it was because Arlong didn't want me to kill myself out of despair so that he wouldn't lose his skilled expert on all things woodworking and crafting. But, I will admit that it had introduced some doubt in me, and I had gone over everything in my mind with a fine tooth comb and had some problems with it.

But then I decided to fuck that and ignore it completely. So what if some of it was false, or even if all of it was. It doesn't matter. All that matters is that I keep trying. Nothing is impossible, and as long as I keep trying, then I can definitely do it. I have no time for doubt, especially not in this climate. Because I know that if it sets in, then that will be the end. I will be defeated and unable to ever free myself; I will give up.

That was not an option. So even with the things they told me, I kept on trying. Harder than ever, I brought my all and tried to kill him even more. The fact that he was actually having fun and making it more interesting for himself just served to piss me off instead of demoralising me. I was determined to make this fucker stop taking me lightly and start putting some effort into this shit. I am going to kick the long-nosed fuckers ass, even if it is the last thing I will ever do.

However, even after all this time, I remain at a stalemate. The same thing just carried on happening, with no change. No matter how much I trained and how much stronger I got, the battles would stay the same. He would mess around with me, still playing around. However, I know I am improving. The amount I can lift and the speed that I time when training. It has all improved over the years, and yet Arlong still continues to dodge me by just a little. But I am improving. That is a fact, and I will keep improving until my fist punches right through him and blood covers my fingers.

Of course, aside from helping Nojiko with her tangerine farm, maintaining Arlong Park and trying to kill Arlong on a daily basis, I have one other thing that I work on nearly every day. You see, I was fully maintaining every inch of Arlong Park since all of the other people capable of it were too afraid to approach the place, so I had to learn a lot of stuff and things I never knew before to do my work correctly.

Of course, being in charge of all that stuff, the idea of bringing it all down on their heads while they slept crossed my mind. However, Nami slept in that building when she was here, and I couldn't be sure that the thing wouldn't come down with her in it if I stopped maintaining the place properly. Plus, I have seen how strong and durable Arlong is, and that is not even mentioning his minions. So it wouldn't work and, at most, would bury him for a couple hours before he got out.

Anyway, back to what I was saying. I was learning a whole lot of new things to keep up with my new duties, and I was getting good at them fast. Arlong noticed. He inquired. He wanted to know how I knew these things, and when I told them that I was learning them now, he laughed. He was happy. Another genius, he said. Another prodigy he could make use of. I wasn't a genius. I was just a fast learner that could probably pick anything up. However, I probably wouldn't be an innovative master of my craft.

Arlong didn't care, he saw something, and he ran with it. He wanted to get the most use out of me. So he started bringing me all sorts of books on things he thought would be useful and chucked them at me, forcing me to learn all kinds of things so he could benefit from them. One thing I ended up focusing most of my energy on was weaponry. Arlong wanted to upgrade Arlong Park and make it more defensible and provide it with some weaponry facing out towards the ocean. I don't know why. He showed that he could efficiently deal with any attack from the sea. I guess he just doesn't want to use it unless necessary, to not play his hand too soon and keep it as a special move.

So, with Arlong wanting to add to the offensive qualities of his base and make Arlong Park into a veritable fortress. And to that effect, they wanted all the weaponry and cannons they could get their hands on put all over the place, and even more if they could have it made and installed. Obviously not familiar with this neck of the woods, what with this being the East Blue and them being from the Grand Line, they had tasked me with dealing with this.

Of course, I didn't know anything about it either, but they didn't give a crap, and so I was forced to do the job. I was limited to the island since I was not permitted off of it, and I talked to all the villagers I could to gain information. While none of the villagers had any experience with weapons manufacturing, they did know of a few places that did it off of the island. However, the places they knew of did work for the nearby marines, and so anything we commissioned off of them would obviously be suspect and raise some flags.

When I informed Arlong of this, I thought he would end up using his marine contact Captain Nezumi to push it under the rug or act as a middleman, but he didn't. Arlong instead acted very cautiously, not wanting to do anything that might lift some eyebrows more than he had already done. Instead, he foisted it off onto me. He saw my learning ability and thought that I was his solution. Why outsource your problems when you could solve them at home and keep it all private.

He provided me with the books and told me to get any others I needed which he would fund, and that he would also provide me with any materials that I would need at my request. I was a bit confused why he was going to be so trusting, handing me such knowledge as well as the materials to make use of it. Then again, once more, as I stated before, he can tank cannonballs without a scratch. He obviously doesn't feel threatened even with handing me such things. Why would he? Any weaponry I could make would really have no effect on him.

And so, with the books on hand, I started to learn all I could to fulfil my new job. With the books teaching me and the fact that I am a very fast learner, I quickly began to evolve my craft. I learnt all I could to the point of manufacturing my own weaponry and cannons. I knew exactly how to do that. All the inns and outs, I knew, and all I had to do now was start actually making them.

When I told Arlong that, he only permitted me to make cannons and cannonballs for his base, and that was all. He made sure to punctuate his order with a threat that if anybody were to be found with any weapons or guns on the island, including me, there would be dire consequences. The villagers would be killed along with their village being punished, and he said something worse would be in store for me.

I don't know why he didn't want guns to be manufactured when he could take a cannonball head-on, but I think perhaps it was because he didn't want a rebellion or something. As much as he hated the humans on the island, they were still the source of all his money, and so if he started culling them, then that would mean less profit for him overall. I am guessing he doesn't want guns around because then they would have the courage to fight, which means he would have to kill quite a lot of them to break that spirit.

Anyway, weapon manufacturing didn't quite go as easily as I thought it would when I started to experiment. Even if I had the technical knowledge, my practical knowledge was not up to scratch, and so there was a fair bit of trial and error until I started producing results. And even then, I was not getting the amount needed to be done, and so I had to do a little outsourcing of my own, strictly limited to the island, of course.

So, in order to help with the manufacturing of the cannons and other weaponry, I enlisted the help of some blacksmiths and workers on the island. Anybody that was willing, I took on to help me make this stuff, and eventually, we had made all the weaponry and installed it all at Arlong Park, giving it some defensive capabilities. I thought that would be it, and we would all be going back to life as usual now that Arlong had gotten what he wanted, but that was not the case.

Like a shark in the water smelling blood, Arlong caught opportunity on the horizon, and he struck. We had manufactured weapons entirely on the island and secretly, with materials coming in and no one keeping track of them. Arlong saw the capability and decided on a new business venture. I am not too sure what happened, but we were ordered to keep working on stuff, and Arlong disappeared for a bit before coming back very happy.

Arlong had never left the island before, and so I obviously had to consider my options now that he had gone all of a sudden. But, of course, he had left his crew behind, and he didn't mention it or anything, and neither did his crew, but given my close proximity to them all, it was easy for me to notice. I could have maybe put up a fight and taken out some of his crew, but there would have been some casualties, and I am not sure I could take all of them together. So I decided it was better to not do anything since Arlong would come back, and I still could not kill him, and he would be wrathful if some of his friends were dead.

He came back not long after, having swum wherever it was he was going very fast and then coming back. I felt very much like I missed an opportunity when he came back with a big smile on her face, and I had a feeling that things would get worse. They quickly did when Arlong relayed his next orders. He called me up to talk with him soon after he got back.

It was then that I learnt we would be making weapons to be sold in the underworld. Apparently, Arlong had managed to get in contact with some old pirate crews he knew, humans, even though he was loathed to do so, and he managed to get a deal going with some guy called Joker, who would be buying up the weapons.

I don't know much of what deal he had going on with this guy, but Hachi and Chew would take MohMoo out every month or so to deliver what we are now being ordered to make. That being cannons, weaponry, swords and everything else in between. If it was used for violence and combat, then yeah, we were told to make it so Arlong could sell it.

And so I was forced to tell all of those workers to get back to work, and I also explained to Arlong that they would have to be given some concessions to actually work and to produce the amount he wanted. Arlong, devious bastard that he was made a new deal for them. However many weapons they could make each month would be knocked off of the tax they would have to pay each month. He had them working commission and was selling the result of their hard work and then even charging them what they did earn.

Thankfully, there were enough workers on the island that they all got separate shifts and spread the work out so they could also do their other jobs as well. Unfortunately, however, there were quite a lot of them that would be working through the night as well. Arlong, the clever piece of shit, made a twenty-four-seven weapon production system and was making literal gold off of it, off of us. And there was nothing that we could do about it. So we were stuck with it.

However, our new duties did open up some new avenues for us. Well, for those of us willing to risk it, which was basically just me. You see, I was the expert on the island when it came to all this crap, so Arlong was giving me nearly total control over it. He relied on me to order the materials and then oversee the process of turning it all into weaponry. Actually, I didn't order the materials but more specified about what we needed and then Arlong's contact or whoever would bring it. I am not too sure, he never was too open about that in particular, and he always made his calls on the Den Den Mushi in private whenever he had to.

Anyway, with me having such a position, I was able to order more than necessary and squirrel away some of the materials. Of course, only a small amount at a time, just in case Arlong ever clicked on and took a closer look. For some stupid reason, it brought up a memory of a tv show from my past self's life called The Office. A scene where the boss is having a surplus explained to him by his accountant.

Imagine you are five years old, and your mommy and daddy have given you ten dollars to run a lemonade stand, but you go out and get everything done only using nine dollars. Now, you can go and give that extra dollar back to Mommy and Daddy, but guess what. Next year? I will be six. Yes, but when you try and run the lemonade stand again, they will only give you nine dollars because that is how much it costs to run.

It is stupid how my brain works, but that was essentially the situation I was in. I was asking for a certain amount of materials from Arlong, more than I needed. And if he found that out, then I would be in trouble and only given what is strictly necessary for me to make the weapons. This is why I can't change the material amount I have requested since that would be suspicious as we were producing the same amount each month unless told otherwise, or we were running low.

It wasn't enough at the beginning, but over time it built up and became an amount that I could work with and experiment with. Because one facet of my past life that I was now very focused on was the advancements in weaponry and ammunition, which was way more developed than the flintlocks and rifles we had here. The heights of inane human weaponry from my past life were right there, and I had the vision and knowledge to bring it to this world and give myself a leg up. Arlong isn't susceptible to this world level of warfare, but maybe he is to another world. If something ain't dying, then you haven't shot it enough.

Of course, which I am saying a lot now, things were not as easy as I thought they would be. Primarily because while my past self had known about and seen such weaponry in movies, he had no clue on exactly how they worked. As for myself, I was only knowledgeable on weaponry from this world, and so it was hard for me to figure out something so advanced. Still, the concepts were the same though the rate of fire and damage were night and day. So, once again, trial and error came into effect, but knowing what I wanted, I was continuously improving.

I had made some guns though they were not on the level of what I wanted. Still, I was definitely getting there. I was building up my stock. However, I couldn't give them to any of the villagers in case any of them got trigger-happy and fired off a couple shots ruining what I had going on. However, I did slip a rifle to Genzo, knowing he could be trusted. I had gotten to know the man very well over the last couple of years, given how much he tried to look after the two sisters and how much he tried to keep his eye on me like I was up to something.

Genzo didn't say anything when I gave him the weapon, and he keeps it hidden, and I know he will only ever use it when it actually needs to be used. So I trust him with it, just like he trusts me when it comes to Nami and Nojiko, however begrudgingly. As for myself, I had made a couple, but I had a favourite. I had made a six-shooter, designed like a Colt Python, which was my favourite so far. Given my new relationship with guns, I had started to train with them and tried to keep it under wraps.

It was not possible, and while I had improved amazingly when it came to my aim and accuracy, I was eventually found out. Arlong found out since I was firing shots off whenever I tried, even with the makeshift silencer I was fabricating. However, it only really limited the noise instead of silencing it completely. So yeah, Arlong strolled up to my training area in the secluded woods one day, and I was caught with my pants down.

However, instead of being angry or something like I thought he would be, he didn't actually punish me. Well, he gave me a beating, but I was already used to those. No, he thought that I would not be able to do anything with it, assured of his Fishman superiority, and for all he knew, all I had was that little peashooter.

Thankfully Arlong didn't know anything about weapons even though he was selling them, so he did not realise my gun was a one-of-a-kind, never before seen in this world. I think it is, at least. However, he did make sure to reiterate his threats if any guns found their way to the population since it was also my job to make sure none of the villagers stole any at work.

So henceforth, no one really questioned the gunshots coming from the woods if they heard them, which allowed me to get a lot more practice in, shooting targets, swinging logs and animals and birds to train myself up. I continued my work, mainly theorising and drawing blueprints and plans for weaponry that I still needed to get the material to build. I was working up to a weapon that could kill Arlong without killing everybody else on the island. It is a work in progress.

But for now, Nami is back, and I need to go home. Nojiko likes to make a big welcome feast whenever Nami comes back since all of the villagers treat her bad for some reason, even though they care about her. Whatever, I don't know why those idiots do what they do.

I wonder what Nojiko is cooking today?

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I want to talk more with you guys, so I am starting to leave little notes at the end of each chapter like this.

To the person who recommended to me the anime Grand Blue Dreaming. Thank you so much. I really needed a laugh! I had this anime on my list, but it was very low down, and it would have taken me a while to get to it, and even then, I might have just skipped over it. If not for you, I would have missed it. I haven't had a proper laugh in a while, and this gave me that, so thank you.

That Titanic Ocean Gate submarine thing was crazy, right? Rich people really are crazy. I bet they just thought if it was expensive, then it couldn't possibly go wrong. Sad, really. Even in the face of the thing being controlled by a goddamn game controller, when they saw how expensive it was, they thought it must be fine. I presume, I don't know. They had a monitor screwed into the very thin hull of the thing; I mean, that should have rung alarm bells. They literally screwed something into the only thing keeping the water out.

I don't know; it is a messed up situation overall. I mean, James Cameron had gone down there multiple times, over thirty, and he has been fine. But money-hungry fuckers start popping out of the woodwork, and they don't care about safety, and they cut corners, and people die because of it. I mean, surely you are making enough money off of it; why do you have to cut corners. What is even more fucked up is that the CEO was the fucking pilot and drove the thing himself. He cut the corners to make money, and yet he got in and drove the thing himself. What the fuck!

Anyway, that is enough ranting about rich people. Why they do the things they do, I will never understand. As I am not rich. Though, maybe that will change in the future. One can hope. If it does, I will fund my own exploration to see the Fortress of Solitude. Or something that actually exists.

Anyway, Marvel's Secret Invasion came out, and the first three episodes were good, but it wasn't amazing. So let's hope things ramp up and things get going. Also, SPOILERS, that ending of the first episode was unexpected, but it also felt kind of cheap. Look away now if you don't want it spoiled. But I feel like Maria Hill was wasted. She has basically been in it from the beginning, and they never expanded on her character much. I mean, Nick Fury is definitely going to bow out at some point, and she should have been the one to take over. Like in the comics, where she is a hard-ass bitch, and she takes no prisoners. It just seems like they just always used her as an assistant to others, and they didn't use the great actress either. I don't know, maybe she will come back in a later episode, and she didn't actually die. Anyway, Super Skrulls are incoming.

YOU CAN LOOK NOW. Anyway, with Secret Invasion coming out, I realised I was behind on my Marvel movies, and so I have started watching them on Disney Plus. Only three, really, and I have just watched Wakanda Forever. Good movie, no complaints. I think they handle the situation surrounding Chadwick Boseman very well. I don't see any other way they could have done it. I watched Ant-Man Quantumania next, and now only Guardians of The Galaxy 3 is left, which is not on Disney Plus yet.

If you want to chat more about this or any other topic, come to my Discord through the link.

The link to everything you need and my patronage:

https://linktr. ee/dragonfield

(Remover the space between the dot and the ee)

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Chapter 29– Finding Comfort.

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"Nojiko! I'm home!" I shout as I enter through the front door of the building that has been my home for the last few years. I take my shoes off at the entrance with my feet as I close the door with my hands. It isn't a rule to take our shoes off, but I have been toiling away all day, and my boots are dirty, and I don't want to dirty the house.

I won't get shouted at or anything if I get anything dirty or make a mess, but I will feel bad. Because a while later on, I will see Nojiko cleaning it up without even mentioning it, and I will feel like a tool. She already does enough for me, so I would rather not add to her workload. So I try to clean up after myself and help around the house as well where I can, though I sometimes end up making more of a mess than it was before I started. So I do what I can.

"Welcome back! I'm in the kitchen!" I hear Nojiko shout from the kitchen and begin to make my way towards her. Of course, I already knew exactly where she was, given that Nami was coming back. Because every time Nami came, Nojiko would prepare a massive feast to welcome her back full of all her favourite foods.

Well, it wouldn't be a feast if it was only the two of them because most of the food goes in my stomach. I am a growing boy, after all, and I need all the sustenance I can get to grow big and strong. I am not an unfair man, and that is why I pay for this feast since I will be eating most of it. Nami comes back every two weeks on the dot, Arlong not allowing her any more time than that away from the island; we didn't question it since it was a miracle he was letting her leave the island alone at all.

Walking into the kitchen, I spot Nojiko standing at the stove with a ladle in hand. Her short blue hair stopped just before her shoulders and revealed her nape. I can just about make out the red ribbon she wears, keeping her hair held back; the ribbon ends sticking off the right side of her head. She wears an orange tank top and ripped blue jean shorts that end just before her knees, along with some yellow flip-flops.

She has a gold bangle with intricate designs on her left wrist, a gift that Nami had gotten her on one of her escapades. Her skin was tan from working hard in the sun all the time. As if kissed by the sun, she looked exotic. She also has an apron on that I can see is tied from behind. I can't see the front, but I know the exact one she is wearing.

A keepsake from her mother. A yellow apron with a tangerine on the front as well as a blue curly sigil and the name Bell-mére across the top. She has a few aprons, but she always wears this one every time we have this feast. I approach her from behind, trying to silence my steps to keep her from hearing me, my gaze focused solely on her.

A lot has changed over the years, and not just for me. One example would be the fact that Nojiko is a lot more curvy and sensual now. This is to be expected since we are both seventeen years old now and have long since grown up mentally as well as physically, given our living situation. Finally closing in on her, my body so close to hers, I can't hold myself back anymore, and I launch myself forward.

"Agh! Detoro!! I'm trying to cook here!" Nojiko screams as I grab her around her midsection and pull myself in close to her, hugging her tight.

"Sorry, I can't help myself. You just look so beautiful when you are cooking." I say, moving my head forward to rest in the crook of her neck and smelling her sweet smell that always puts me at ease. And even though she is complaining, she leans back into me, her free hand going down to rest on my forearm.

"...You stink." She says after a moment, and I laugh. Still, she doesn't pull away, and I still hold her tight. She is used to it, after all. Just like I am used to her smelling sweet, she is used to me stinking to high hell. I am constantly training and working hard, resulting in a lot of sweat and smell, and every day I come back and hold her tight.

"Your bath is ready. Go clean up quickly. Dinner will be ready in an hour." She says, Pulling away slightly but not leaving my grasp and raising the ladle in her hand threateningly. I just smile and raise my hands in surrender as I back off, knowing she is just joking but having made the mistake of pissing her off once and facing the wrath of the ladle.

"Okay, okay, stand down. I'm going, alright? Don't ladle me." I say, taking a few steps back as she spins around and crosses her arms, feigning anger as she frowns at me. She does this sometimes, and I don't tell her that I find her angry face and puffed-up cheeks really cute. Otherwise, she would stop after seeing that it isn't effective.

"Hey, why don't you join me? It sure would make the bath a lot more fun." I say, trying my luck. Being seventeen and not having much to do on the island other than our jobs and my training, we had already gone the distance. And I have to say, it is something that really does feel good and helps me relax and destress. What can I say? I am a man. I am always going to try my luck.

"Detoro, I need to cook. So as tempting as your offer is, I am afraid you are going up the stairs alone, mister." Nojiko says pointedly, pointing the offending end of her ladle at me. I start backing away in response, still smiling.

"Ah, well. Maybe later, then? I'm sure we can have some bath time fun together later." I say, still backing away, but I stop when I see the frown on her face falter, and my own smile fades a little as well. I realise the mistake I just made, and I try and get in and talk, but she has already started before I can.

"Detoro, no more talk like that today, okay? Nami doesn't know about us, and I don't want her to know. She is always out there and risking her life while we are... I just feel-" Nojiko starts, already starting to feel down and guilty. I quickly open my mouth to stop that, already having had this conversation numerous times before.

"Hey, hey. I know. I was just joking. You already know my opinion on this, but this is what you want, and so I'll follow your lead. Although it is hard, I will keep my distance from you, though it pains me to do so." I say, walking forward and grabbing her by the shoulders and pulling her close to my chest. I put my head down, resting my chin on her head as she buries her face into my front.

"Which means I have to get my fill now. Otherwise, I will go crazy. Come here, beautiful." I finally say, moving a little bit back and grabbing her by the chin before leaning down and connecting my lips with hers. I do so gently; as much as I want to lose myself in her right now, I know she doesn't need that right now. I pull away as she looks up at me with a smile, and I kiss her on the forehead.

"...You still stink. Go take your bath." She says, and I smile, seeing that she is back to normal, and so I let her go and turn around to go upstairs and wash myself. As I leave the room and start up the stairs, I can hear her shout to me from the kitchen.

"I'll be joining you in the bath one of these times, okay!? Look forward to it!" I can't help but chuckle amusedly as I continue making my way up the stairs. Man, do I love that woman.

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I let out a sigh of pure pleasure as I ease myself down into the bath. Then, finally, relaxing and letting go as I allowed my head to flop back and enjoy the nice bath Nojiko had drawn for me. And not one of those standard hot water baths, but one of those special smelling bath salt and herbal baths that are relaxing and really let your worries fade away. I wouldn't prepare one of these myself, mostly because I could never do it properly, and Nojiko knows just what I need. I am so lucky to have ended up with her.

Letting my bath take me away, I can't help but let my mind wander and think of only good things. And nowadays, the good things in my life mainly focus around Nojiko. I remember fondly how we first got together, and now that I think of it, it kind of seems inevitable given that we were pretty much living alone together with only each other for company.

It was like that for a long time, even when Nami hadn't yet been off-island. I had been living here ever since my home had been destroyed since I had nowhere to go, and the two sisters were kind enough to let me stay with them. Probably because I was in the same boat as Nami, and Misery loves company. And then, when I finally finished Arlong Park, Nami ended up living there forcefully so that she could work on her maps all the time.

Of course, I couldn't just let that happen, and after some convincing and some concession from myself, I managed to finagle nami being allowed home for the weekend. It took a lot of arguments from myself and making points of depression and suicide if she wasn't allowed something good once in a while, and Arlong didn't want to lose his precious map maker. Still, I was living alone with Nojiko five days out of the week, and we got a lot closer. She was always looking after me.

With Nami gone except for the weekends, it was just me and Nojiko, and when I saw her constantly working on the tangerine farm by herself, I couldn't just stay still, even after my work for arlong and gruelling training. She looked after me, so I started to help her. Where I could, since my clumsy fingers weren't great for very intricate things. I must have a great affinity for crafting and creating because, somehow, I am a skilled craftsman, even with my sometimes clumsy fingers.

And then Nami started leaving the island, and she wasn't around most weeks out of the month, and it was just me and Nojiko left. Genxo dropped by every so often, but he took his duty as Sheriff seriously, even with the island now under the control of pirates, and he had to look after everyone on the island. So as much as he wanted to stick around and keep an eye on me, which he was right to do so, given how things turned out, he couldn't.

Nojiko really worried about and missed her sister, which was part of the reason I was so hard on Nami when I was training her, to put Nojiko's mind at ease that her sister could handle herself. And then Nami started leaving for more and more time until we reached the current point where she was leaving for around two weeks more often than not, and we were here still stuck on the island. Together.

We lived together. We ate our meals together. We cleaned up and did our chores together. We helped each other, and we relaxed together. And we did so for years. We grew up together. And then we got together. Thinking about it, it was only natural since it was just me and her for so long. Even on this populated island, everybody else was much more preoccupied with their own lives and families and trying to pay the tax. Where we lived was a bit removed from them, and it was nice.

She really saved me when I didn't even know I needed saving. All I was living for was the death of Arlong. I worked for him begrudgingly, biding my time and seeing if there was anything I could glean from the few times I saw them use their Fishman Karate. Focusing on making more and more weaponry, trying to develop something capable of killing Arlong, and then training all the rest of the time to build me up with the possibility of killing Arlong with my own two hands.

And then, Nojiko asked me what I wanted to do after that, and I didn't have an answer. It really made me reevaluate everything. Before Arlong, I wanted to be the strongest man in the world. I wanted to explore as much of this world as possible. I wanted to record everything I saw and then make one massive database for it, making an internet for this world. I just knew I wanted to be strong enough so that shit like this didn't happen again and that I could do something about it. And I did want to see more of the world, knowing that there must be things better than all the bad I have seen. Wondrous things.

Nojiko really did save me. Because instead of focusing on Arlong's death, I started to focus on my freedom. I started focusing on the after, and it was all thanks to her. In this shitty situation, I found her, and in her, I found comfort. We both needed it, and everything got better once we found each other. More manageable. I could bear the long hours of Arlong ordering me around, and I could go even longer, training determined to free everyone. I resisted the even harsher beatings I got from Arlong when I tried to kill him, knowing at the end of the day, I got to come home and rest with her by my side.

"Detoro! Hurry up! Nami will be home soon, and the dinner is almost done. I need help setting everything up!" I hear Nojiko yell from downstairs, bringing me out of my memories. I got a bit lost there, reminiscing on my good memories, even the extreme bruising I would get since Nojiko would always patch me up with such tender care. Shaking those thoughts away for now, I quickly get to properly clearing myself so I can go help her prepare the feast for Nami's return.

I can't wait to eat that food.

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"Welcome Back!" Myself and Nojiko shout as Nami comes through the door, though we both were quickly scrambling to our feet from where we sat at the dinner table. Nami usually came back around the same time every time, but today she was late for some reason. Not overly late, but around half an hour or so late. Thankfully, I managed to spot her walking towards the house through the window, which is how we quickly got the do our welcome back.

"Mou, do you guys have to do this every time?" Nami complains, puffing her cheeks at the sight of both myself and Nojiko standing together before her as she opens the door and walks into the house. Still, the slight smile she is trying to hide doesn't escape either of our gazes, and we know how much this thing means to her.

She would probably be devastated if she were to come home and we weren't doing a big feast to welcome her back. But then, maybe she does have a little bit of a problem with it, as I can see she is a little sad as well. She quickly covers that up, however, and continues in closing the door behind her.

"Of course we do! You have probably been starving yourself out there, trying to save as much money as possible, you little money-grubber. Which is why we need to fill you up as soon as you get home." Nojiko says good-naturedly, with a little bit of a scary smile. Nojiko has made it clear time and again before that she doesn't like what's going on, but there is nothing she can do about it except try and pressure Nami to not be so reckless and express caution.

"Alright, alright! I don't know about you guys, but I am starving! So how about we start eating this food before it gets cold and before you guys end up having a catfight... actually, I can wait on the food." I say, trying to lighten the mood with some comedic relief, though I don't know if I am actually good with that. The last thing I want to happen is for these two to get into an argument because then I will get no peace or quiet.

Nami is as stubborn as a mule, and Nojiko can be just as uncompromising when she cares enough. Nojiko still sees Nami as her little sister and is always trying to look after her, while Nami thinks of herself as capable, and she is because I trained her to be. But still, big sisters are going to worry, and bratty little sisters are going to take offence. And I would rather not listen to another screeching contest when they decide to duke it out again. There is never a resolution anyway.

"Shut up, Detoro! You big lug! You can't just expect to watch us have a catfight!" Nami says, with a frown on her face. Well, that didn't have the reception I wanted it to have. Oh well, I never claimed to be a comedian, and with them both now forgetting about the little spat that was about to start, we can get this over with quicker. Living with two temperamental hormonal girls has helped me learn exactly how to survive the horror that is the female species, and that is with silence and sometimes apologising if you are in the wrong.

Also, even though Nami told me to shut up, she didn't actually mean it. Or if she did, then the intent behind it was very weak and had no effect on me. Because right now, I am staying quiet of my own volition and not because she told me to. Knowing things would just get worse if I opened my mouth, and I could also feel Nojiko giving me a death glare.

"Don't say stupid things, Detoro," Nojiko says, and I could practically feel the cold breath she was directing at me, and I obviously knew why. She thought I was looking at her little sister in a sexual manner when I should be treating her like a little sister. Unfortunately, I will never see her like a little sister because she is kind of my boss, and I can't refute any orders that she actually means. It is also hard to see her in a sexual manner for the same reason, but not impossible. She is very hot, and I am a man. Not that I will ever let that get out, on fear of death.

"That right! It's ten thousand berries to view, and for every extra ten thousand, we will remove a single item of clothing!" Nami says, berries flashing in her eyes. I am deadpan at that, though my head does do a quick bit of accounting in my head to figure out just how much of their bodies I could afford to uncover—quite a lot. I quickly look to the left, worried that Nojiko somehow clicked onto my thinking, but thankfully, she is also deadpanning at Nami.

"What happened to the nice little girl that used to follow me around everywhere?" Nojiko says with an exasperated look on her face, though you can still see the smile that follows. We had found out about her money-grubbing tendencies very early on after her first big haul, which she brought back to the island.

She had brought the big sack into the house and then spilt it onto the table before proceeding to just sit there and hug it for ages. We thought it was because it meant a lot to her as her first step to gathering the hundred million berries to free this island. That was until we saw the drool leaking from the side of her mouth and the berry sign in her eyes, and she practically writhed atop the wealth. She was money crazed.

And then, she decided to go and bury the stuff somewhere, and I offered to help bring the manly man that I am that does all the man things. She shut me down hard, and I could tell just how much she craved that loot, as that was the only ever order that I couldn't refute. With every single other one, I was, at the very least, able to resist a little and move a bit, even if it ended up hurting me. But that time, I could not move an inch. That was how much she cared about her stolen goods.

I still don't know where that buried treasure is, which she has been steadily amassing and adding to over the years. Apparently, Nojiko walked upon her in the middle of adding to it and discovered its location. By that point, there was just too much of it there to move it; since then, everybody would know its new location, so Nami had to live with Nojiko knowing where it was. And I still don't know even though I badger Nojiko all the time about it, she refuses to tell me, citing that it is a sister's secret.

Anyway, after that little welcome back which was actually pretty par for the course, we all sat down and started eating. With me eating the bulk of all the food, which thankfully wasn't at all cold even though Nami was late. And man, am I glad about that because Nojiko is one hell of a cook. I love her cooking. And before I know it, all the food has disappeared from the table. The food in front of me, that is, since the girls still have some of theirs left.

"Guys," Nami suddenly speaks up, and we both pay attention since she seems to be acting quite solemn. "I have something to tell you." She finishes and then turns her head down and looks down at the table. She seems to be struggling with whatever it is, and though both I and Nojiko are concerned, we give her the time she needs to gather her thoughts. And then she speaks.

"... I- I will be gone for longer from now on. For months."

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[WE ARE ON THE NEW SCHEDULE NEXT WEEK! THE WILL OF GIL IS UPDATED EVERY WEEK FROM THE SMOKE, AND AMARILLO'S PIRATE ADVENTURE IS UPDATED EVERY TWO WEEKS IN TURN, ALTERNATING. UPDATES EVERY SUNDAY!]

So, Secret Invasion episode 6. The finale. The final one in this spy thriller series is about espionage and secrets and things happening in the dark. Surprise, it ended with a big super battle. Actually, there were no witnesses to that, I don't think, so a semi-secret battle. This was supposed to be Fury-centric, I think, but all he did was go to a hospital where everybody was already taken out by Olivia Coleman (I think) and then talk at the president before shooting fake Rhodey in the head. Instead of wasting time, they should have popped the motherfucker from the get-go so they could stop the nuke. But no, let's talk and not kill him, which would immediately reveal he's an alien.

Now, about the big battle. Ghia was acting as Fury, so much so that you wouldn't have any idea it wasn't Fury. How? I guess Javik was doing most of the talking, if I recall, so maybe that was it. And then, the power up. Why did he leave Fury in the inside chamber? Surely even if it is for Skrulls, it would have some effect on Fury, probably kill the fake Fury. But, Javik got powered up and then didn't question anything. Until he got smacked in the face.

The big blown-out battle, which ended with Javik getting a hole blown through his stomach. How did that kill him? We know he had regeneration and took a bullet to the head before, so how did a hole through the stomach kill him? What the fuck? Do Skrulls have their brain in their midsection? Did the new powerup somehow get rid of the extremis power he had? So confused. Ghia had blasts from miss marvel and other characters, so surely they could have had her do a kame hame ha style blast and disintegrate Gravik in true Cell fashion. But no, hole through his stomach, kill shot.

Anyway, aside from that, I mentioned Dragon Ball Z Abridged last week, and somebody said Sword Art Online Abridged was the best, so I checked it out. A few episodes in, and yeah, it is funny. However, I still think DBZA is the best, just for the sheer amount of more content and jokes in it. I still haven't finished SAOA yet, so the verdict is still out.

Didn't have time to watch the new Bleach episode this week. Hell, I still need to watch a few episodes of One Piece and several other animes, some that I haven't even started. I'll get to them eventually. I will see Gear Five soon.

If you want to chat more about this or any other topic, come to my Discord through the link.

The link to everything you need and my patronage:

https://linktr.ee/dragonfield

That is all for now. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I will see you in the next one!

Stay safe, and have fun!

 

At least the next three chapters are available on my pat reon. The link is at the bottom of the page.

Thank you to my Hero Patron, Cory A Cinquini.

Thank you to my Superhero Patrons, Marcus Lane and Gregory. Thank you for all your support.

Thank you to my Galactic Hero Patrons Toramier, Luis Barreda, Spoder man, TheBerryMan, OettamLass, Gerard Steeghs, Gentleknife, Julian Riviera, Prince Acheampong, Lifirion_, Torrent ,reader 76 and MaliMi. Thank you for your extraordinary support.

Thank you all for your support. I truly appreciate it.

If you wish to become a supporter: "DragonField", on pat reon.

Or use the link at the bottom.

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Chapter 30– Drastic Action.

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Utter silence. Nobody speaks, and everybody stays silent after what Nami just said. The tension is so thick that you could cut it with a knife, and I can tell Nami is incredibly nervous right now, and Nojiko has gone shockingly still. I can tell she is on the verge of erupting, having found myself there quite a few times myself, and so I stay quiet and still. I will stay out of this and let the sisters sort it out between themselves.

"So, you are going to be gone for months at a time now?" Nojiko lowers her fork to her plate, the cutlery gently landing on it, but the sound is loud and clear to our ears. I don't think I have ever seen her quite on this level before, and I have made some silly mistakes before, like the time I tried to introduce some risky stuff and put it in-.

"...That's right. I am going to be leaving for a couple months at a time, maybe even longer." Finally, Nami finds her courage and says, even under Nojiko's hard cold stare. This is like a clash between an unstoppable force and an immovable object because both of these girls are as stubborn as mules.

"...Why?" Nojiko responds. I am actually impressed and proud of her because that was a really measured response. I honestly thought she was about to flat-out refuse it, but she didn't for some reason.

"It is so I can go out and find as many islands as possible and chart them. I managed to convince Arlong that it would take multiple years if I kept going out to islands and then returning immediately after. And so I got permission to travel the entirety of the East Blue for however long I want, within reason, of course. At least, that is the official reason." Nami finishes, and I already know what she has planned.

"And the unofficial reason?" Nojiko enquires though I am pretty sure she already knows what this is about, and she is just asking directions to get it from the horse's mouth.

"I am never going to get the money if I keep spending my time both here and out there. I need to commit. I need to be out there all the time, travelling and robbing every pirate I can find along with as many stupid rich assholes." So she explains, just like I thought. She wants to be out there twenty-four-seven so she can keep stealing as much wealth as possible so she can free this island from the Arlong Pirates.

"Nami, you can't-" Nojiko immediately goes to refute and forbid Nami from doing it. But, of course, Nami had obviously thought this out before coming today and had already thought out her argument and points.

"I can't keep living like this, Nojiko! We can't! None of us! And it is only a matter of time till something goes wrong and people die! So I need to do this!" Nami shouts, getting out everything that she had thought about beforehand and bringing up what I think were some pretty good points. It's true. It is only a matter of time. Which is why I have to kill him and his ilk.

"But, how can I be sure you are safe? Even now, you check in every two weeks, and I am still worrying all of the time. So now you are going to leave for months? And I am just supposed to stay here and not know where you are or what you are doing?" Nojiko shouts back, again bringing up some good points. They are both saying reasonable things.

"I can get you a Den Den Mushi, and you can call me anytime!" Nami tries to refute that last point.

"You know we can't! We aren't allowed them on the island! If Arlong finds it, then there will be consequences!" Nojiko says, speaking true. We aren't allowed any Den Den Mushi's on the island, and only Arlong and his crew have them. It made things a bit harder for the villagers, but they adapted and got used to it.

"Then trust in Detoro!" Nami shouts, bringing Nojiko up short. She is both surprised and confused, as am I. No doubt, Nojiko, for a moment, worries that Nami knows about both me and her, which is what is really throwing her for a loop, and so do I. But that is only for a second since my reason kicks in.

Nojiko was very clear to me when she said she didn't want Nami to know about us, and so I did my absolute best to make that a reality; otherwise, my relationship with Nojiko would be in jeopardy. I know Nojiko, intimately. And I know how guilty she feels about having this relationship with Nami out there, constantly working hard.

Suppose this relationship were to be discovered, no matter how much we tried to hide it. In that case, even if Nami didn't have a problem with it, I know Nojiko would probably end it out of guilt. Nojiko cares the most about her sister, as does Nami, and I am not willing to let go of what I have found. Which is why I have never gotten too close to Nojiko whenever Nami is on the island, so she definitely doesn't know. So it must be something else.

"W-Why would you mention Detoro? What does he have to do with this?" Nojiko says, flustered, trying not to let her thoughts show on her face. She obviously thinks we have been found out, and I can already see the guilt coming up on her face. I grow worried, worrying that she is going to start apologising or something, but thankfully Nami speaks before she can say anything she will regret.

"Because he has trained me," Nami says, referencing the measures I took to ensure her safety since I couldn't leave the island with her. "I know how to use all sorts of weapons, and I have my bo staff and knife with me. Detoro has even showed me how to use guns, so trust in him. He has taught me everything I need to know." Well, I wouldn't say everything. Hell, I was figuring most of that stuff out myself.

"But, still-" Nojiko tries, but she has been effectively defeated. The two things Nojiko cares about most are, I would assume, Nami and myself. Now put your hands together, and she finds it very hard to fight against that. Nami, spotting her chance, presses her advantage.

"And this is the East Blue, the weakest sea. And the only Fishmen are the ones on this island. The rest of the pirates and assholes out there are human. I can hit, stab and shoot them, and they will go down. And, Detoro has trained me to be fast and run away. I will be fine, so don't worry." Nami says, and everything she says is correct. However, there is also a lot wrong with what she is saying as well.

Just because the East Blue is the weakest doesn't mean there are not strong people here. It just means, on the whole, there are a lot more weak people here. Plus, devil fruits are a thing, apparently, given the one time I heard mention of it from Garp just before he left. Also, she seems to think Fishmen are the end all be all in terms of strength and that they are the strongest. I should sort that out before she leaves again because that has the potential to manifest itself in a bad way later on.

"...Fine. But don't think I am happy about this. If you run into trouble, then run away. If you see someone strong, then get out of there. And you better not die, or I don't know what I will do." Nojiko forces it out, having no choice but to agree. I can already see the tears leaking out of her eyes, and Nami's are also leaking.

"Don't worry, I won't die till I am the richest woman in the world," Nami says, though I don't think that is her actual dream. Well, maybe one of them. Anyway, the two sisters stand up and quickly start hugging and crying. Women are such emotional creatures, and I don't understand them. I haven't cried since... I will only cry when somebody dies or something else on that level happens. Water won't leave my eyes otherwise, I refuse to let it.

Having cleaned my plate and a few of the surrounding ones, I stand up and move to leave the room, leaving the two girls to have their moment. I will have a chat with Nami later to warn her properly. I can't do that with Nojiko here as that will just cause her more worry, and Nami is going out there no matter what anyone says.

What troublesome girls. I am glad I have already left the room. Otherwise, they would see my smile. Plus, this way, I won't have to do the dishes and end up breaking half of them.

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"Hey, I thought I would find you here." I hear behind me, and recognising the voice, I don't turn around to acknowledge them and focus on what I am doing.

*Pew* *Pew* *Pew*

I lower my revolver, having shot my three targets perfectly. Targets I crafted myself, and with three perfect bullseyes on each of them. Hearing footsteps approaching from behind, I reach down and unscrew the silencer from the end of the revolver. Specially made. I worked on it after Arlong discovered me out here testing guns I made without his knowledge.

He knew about me doing it and wanted me to continue for some reason. I think he thought any designs I made he could manufacture and sell, but I vehemently refuse to do so. This is why I immediately got around to developing a silencer for my guns, and while it took a lot of trial and error, I managed to get it done. And now, I can freely practice in the woods with Arlong none the wiser. Let's hope he thinks I stopped after he caught me.

"Here, give it a go. Show me you aren't rusty, and I will reassure Nojiko that you will be fine." I say, after unscrewing the silencer and checking that it was still in good condition. The first few ones broke after a couple of silenced shots, and I accidentally fired loud shots in the woods. Thankfully, this was during the day on one of my days off, and all the manufacturing warehouses were in full work mode, so there was more than enough noise pollution to cover it up.

"Ha, please. I am better than you are. Give it here. I'll show you how it's done." Nami says, walking past me and taking the gun from my hands. It's true. She is better than me, though I am a pretty good shot myself. I am supposed to be clumsy due to my traits, and I am, but when it comes to certain subjects, I have the precision of a surgeon. For some reason, I have selective clumsiness, which I am glad for. I am not going to question it.

*Pew* *Pew* *Pew*

I watch as Nami fires three shots as well, her shoulders relaxed and the gun raised to her eye line. I taught her well, so much so that she is better than me now. Which I can see clearly by the fact that she has also hit all three bullseyes. We weren't snipers by any means, and we don't try to be but put us within 20 meters of a target, and we will make that shot nine times out of ten. Things get a bit iffier past that, but we do alright.

"There, that enough for ya?" She says, handing me back the six-shooter with an arrogant smirk on her face. I take it back without saying anything and quickly check that the weapon is still in working order before I walk around over to my case and get to packing it away. My weapons case is enormous, and it is where I store all my weapons since I don't want anyone getting their hands on it and doing something stupid. I hide it in the woods under a big gnarled tree with lots of knots and a little hiding spot underneath it.

"No, not really. But I suppose it will do." I say, locking up my case and then turning around to face Jer. She doesn't look at all happy with my response, which is fair, I suppose, since she is a far better shot than me. And she also probably has a lot more experience, what with her going out there all the time while all I ever do is fight over and over again with the same Fishman who keeps manhandling and playing with me.

"It will do? I am better than you." Nami says, her face irritated.

"Yes, but there are others out there better than the both of us combined. And that isn't even mentioning the weapon users and people that fight with their bare fists. Because they are out there and they are dangerous. Be careful, Nami." I warn because I don't want her to die. Even if her death would free me, I have figured out workarounds, and there is no need for that. She didn't ask for this power over me. Plus, I feel that I taught her everything I could using my half-assed knowledge, and if she goes out there thinking she is strong and dies, then it will be my fault.

"Detoro, they are just humans. One shot, and they are dead. The Fishmen are here, not out there. Technically, it is more dangerous to be on the island with them than to be out there fighting weak human pirates." Nami says, which I find myself disappointed with though I already expected this. She has basically become a believer in Fishman's superiority because of Arlong and his gang running roughshod for years.

She tried everything she could to deal with them before, finally, she settled for bargaining because there was nothing else she could do. She tried her best, but it wasn't enough. It is actually kind of natural for her to believe such a thing, and I would probably as well if I didn't have a fortunate encounter as a kid and learnt just how strong people could get. Even humans.

"Nami. Fishmen are not the only thing that can hurt or kill you. There are others out there, humans included, that are just as strong or even stronger. And then there are the devil fruit users, which you must avoid at all costs." I tell her, making sure to emphasise the last part. I have never encountered a devil fruit user before, but I know they are real and exist because of a report Garp got that someone had stolen a devil fruit.

However, even if I have never seen a devil fruit user in person, I know just how dangerous they have the potential to be. Everyone knows the rumours and stories, though there are so many. Different theories state different things, such as the devil fruits being the incarnations of the sea devil, them being enchanted by sea ghosts, that they are actual magic and sorcery or even curses. Or my favourite, that Devil Fruit users housed actual devils inside them. According to the rumour, if a Devil Fruit user went near an uneaten Devil Fruit, a devil would come out of the fruit and rip the user apart.

No matter the rumour, one thing stayed synonymous throughout all of them. If you were to eat a Devil Fruit, then you would gain a power but be forever cursed by the sea to never swim again. You would never be allowed to eat another one, or you would die, and you would have your power until the day you died, at which point the fruit would reappear in the world. Also, they apparently taste very bad.

And not only that, but I know how dangerous this world can be. Before Garp left, I heard another report he got. Genocide. An entire island was Genocided. I think it was called Minion Island, and everybody there died. I don't know the details, but if something like that happened, then it could happen again. I know how dangerous things can get, but Nami doesn't. I need to make sure she does before she leaves again.

"Be serious, Detoro. Everybody knows Devil Fruits are a myth. Just like giants and dragons." Nami looks at me like I am stupid, which I am not. Except, I don't have the proof to show that I am not an idiot. I have never seen anything of the sort before, THough I know for a fact that they exist.

"They aren't a myth. In any case, there are plenty of strong people out there. Be careful. Don't rush into anything. And always scout before stealing. Don't lose your mind when you see money. I know you want it, but it's not worth your life." I try to express the seriousness of the situation, as well as instil some caution in her. However, I know that it has obviously not worked when I see the berry signs light up in Nami's eyes.

"Oh, if they exist... then they would be worth a lot. Right?" Nami asks, missing the point entirely. She is so utterly without hope and broken down, it is disappointing. She hears about mythical power-granting fruits, and she doesn't even think of eating them and gaining the ability to beat Arlong but selling it to get money to buy the island back. She really does think they are unbeatable, doesn't she?

"Nami, are you listening to me? You need to take care, okay? Always scout before stealing. Take your time, and don't rush and make bad decisions. I don't want to have to tell Nojiko that something happened to you. And I don't want you getting injured to the point that Arlong won't let you leave the island unaccompanied out of fear of you dying." I try again, but this girl is too stubborn. Sometimes it is a blessing for her, and sometimes it is a curse. Right now, it is a pain in my ass.

"For god's sake, Detoro. Calm down. I will be fine. Arlong wants me alive, and so I can't die... even if I wanted to. So relax. Nobody out there can hurt me, and I am fast enough to run away. With their treasure, of course." Nami grins, but I don't see what there is to be happy about. I don't bother myself about thinking about what she meant on that first bit, either, since that wouldn't help anyone. Still, I need to find a way to get it through this girl's thick skull.

"Nami, you are really pissing me off. I am getting tired of this shit... I am getting tired of you." I start, a plan coming to mind. I would rather not do this, but I can see no other way. I had never spoken like this to her before because I saw no need to, and I didn't want to antagonise her and have her start ordering me around and realise she had that power over me. But I know she isn't like that, and I need to make a point right now.

"W-What? Detoro, what the hell- ACK!" She choked as my hand clasped around her throat tight and lifted her up into the air. Her eyes bulge in panic and confusion, and I can tell she doesn't believe what is happening. Her legs start to kick about as I increase my strength, and her hands come up to grab my hand and try to pull it off to no effect. And then, once her brain catches up with what is happening, I feel it take effect.

A command. Stop, release me. Let me go. Nami wants me to stop, and that is already affecting me. This isn't one of the weak commands with low intent. No, she wants me to stop with all of her being, and I can feel that. And it hurts. My body starts to feel immense pain, and I can feel the command growing stronger with each second.

Nami, acting off of pure survival instinct, swung her legs up to wrap around my arm to try and pry herself free. When that doesn't work, she reaches a hand down to her thigh and unsheathes her bo staff, quickly putting it together and starting to swing it at my head. It doesn't have any effect except for making me squint my eyes when she aims the end at my eyes. My body is tense, able to withstand that attacks. I never stopped the training that Garp made me do, and when I brace myself, I can withstand a lot of damage. Unfortunately, it impedes my movement.

Realising this, she changes her target. And her staff swings down... between my legs.

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The UK TikTok murder thing was crazy, right? Horrible stuff. Not much to say this week.

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