I'm back. Sorry for taking so long bla bla. I promise to release more quickly yadayada. Sorry to those anxiously waiting for the latest releases and to those who are getting to this fic when it has (hopefully) more than a hundred chapters, appreciate those who had to wait for my slow lazy ass to update.
Thank you to Angel Zamora for being an Advanced Tier member on my Patreon.
There's somewhere between 40-50 more chapters on my patreon. Without further ado, enjoy!
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Chapter 14
Nami and Luffy! I'll Always be your Friend!
Unfortunately, it didn't end there.
As Arlong gloated over Bellemere's corpse and the brutally beaten up villagers, Hatchan pulled out a piece of folded up paper sticking out of Bellemere's pants. That sight alone was enough to make the Demon Unit want to rip apart the octopus fishman.
Hatchan showed the map to Arlong, and Little Nami couldn't hold herself back.
"Hey, that's my map!" She shouted. "Give it back!"
"A child drew this…?" Arlong muttered, sounding legitimately impressed. A scheming smirk appeared on his face. "Impressive. Take her. We could use someone like her."
"You're kidding me…?!" Ellie snapped in outrage. "He actually took you…?! After, he had just…!"
Nami had been silent during the memory of Bellemere's execution. She had neither cried nor let a tear fall. She only stared stone faced at the awful scene. The only sign of emotion she showed was how she held onto Luffy tightly through it all. Luffy stared murderously at Arlong.
He had not known the specifics of what had happened between him and Nami. He never needed to know. All he needed to know was that he was making his friend suffer. But seeing this made him wish he had hit him even harder when they fought.
"Yeah," she said, as she watched Hatchan forcibly carry her and Nojiko struggling in vain to stop him. Genzo tried to stop them, but Arlong ordered Kuroobi to take him down. "He saw I had a talent for drawing sea charts. He wanted to use me to help him conquer the East Blue. And the world."
If they weren't currently observing the horrible sight of their friend's daughter begging for no more killing as she was being taken away by the monsters who had just murdered her mother, the marines might've laughed as if that was a funny joke. As if a crew of East Blue Bullies who ganged up on a lone woman could ever conquer the world. They wished he had actually tried. No way he could have stayed hidden forever if he had tried. Eventually, word would have reached someone in Marine Headquarters. Someone would have gone to stop them.
Jinbe certainly wouldn't have allowed Arlong to continue unchecked.
Lilia was thinking, with mixed feelings, she would have liked it if Arlong had chosen to invade Dawn Island instead of the Coconami Islands. She was fairly certain both her and Garp were on the Grand Line when Arlong separated from Jinbe. Were Axel or Carla there back then? Even if they weren't, she was sure Sasha would be able to take care of the entire crew with her skills. Sandi had already left the Goa Kingdom by that point.
While she didn't relish the idea of her kids fighting murderous pirates, a twelve year old Ace could probably hold his own. Luffy, Kyosuke, and Sona together were a fearsome threat even at nine years old when they worked together.
Of course, that was wishful thinking for many reasons. Goa was the East Blue's richest kingdom with the resources to make even a pirate like Arlong hesitate to invade. It would be a difficult conquest compared to a peaceful place like Cocoyashi Village.
That was likely why Arlong had chosen it in the first place. It made for an easy foothold for his ambitions.
"So, that's what happened," Lilia said finally after the memory faded. "I'd say that was worse than I thought, but I kind of figured it would be something like that, but I didn't know he had forced you to work for him."
"…After Arlong took me, he made me watch when his crew sunk five navy ships that tried to come help us. I had never seen anything like that before. It was then that I knew that no help would come for us. No one would save us. So I decided to take matters into my own hands."
"What did you do?"
"I struck a deal with Arlong. He told me if I could collect a hundred million berries and he would give the village back and leave us alone."
Some of them stared in shock. The others looked disgusted. That was no deal. That was him holding out a piece of food to a starving animal but keeping it out of reach. He was never going to set her free or honor their agreement. He might as well have demanded a billion berries!
No. A hundred million was possible if you had a lot of time. It would take a long time, but it was possible depending on how she went about it.
The scary question was, how could a little girl even go about making money.
"How did you plan to even try to get that much?" Lilia asked.
"I did what seemed easiest for me at the time. I stole from pirates."
She said it easily, but that was just another horror for the marines. A little girl putting her life in danger to steal from pirates was nothing short of madness.
And it suddenly reminded them of their dear Yuki. While Nami certainly seemed capable, they were highly doubtful she was anything like Yuki. They feared how she could have managed on her own.
Nami continued. "It was hard at first, but I managed somehow. I got really good at being a thief. The only advantage I had was that the sea had tons of pirates to rob. I didn't feel bad about it either. It felt like giving them their just desserts. It actually proved pretty profitable. On ,any of my campaigns, I managed to pull a couple million. Sometimes I even managed to make over ten million."
"High risk, high reward," Lilia murmured, allowing herself to smile. "Did Arlong or his crew even come to help you?"
She was not surprised to hear no one had offered her any help. They valued her skills, but the girl herself was worthless to them. They likely knew Nami was clever enough to survive out there, and there was no point in having anyone keep an eye on her. She could not run away while those monsters still controlled her village, otherwise they'd kill everyone. So long as she came back, it wouldn't matter how badly hurt she was.
"Nami-chan…I'm sorry for all that you had to go through," Ellie said. "I'm sorry we never knew about any of this. If we had, we would have ripped those bastards to pieces."
Nami recalled the incredibly powerful Tempest Kick she had fired at the memory Arlong. Not to mention the sorry state the Demon Unit had left the Iron Fist Pirates in before. Plus, there was Lilia's ability to trap people in Lilia World. These guys would certainly be able to trash Arlong if they had the chance.
She had come to learn soon after entering the Grand Line that a lot of people had the power to beat Arlong's crew easily. That was why Arlong came to East Blue in the first place.
"Please, don't blame yourself. Like I said, Arlong manipulated information so that what he was doing would never leave East Blue. Besides!" She let go of Luffy and spread her arms. "Obviously, I'm free now. I'm having tons of fun, too! As a pirate, though, but I hope you won't hold that against me!"
She smiled at them. It was the bright and amazing smile of a girl who was truly happy. It was all the more amazing after everything she'd been through.
"Well, now I want to see how this story ends," Lilia said. A new memory formed. They were in the sky. Luffy was being carried through the air while being trapped in a bird's mouth.
"Hey!" Luffy snapped. "This isn't Nami's memory! This is mine!"
"It is," his mom said coolly. She looked disappointed at the sight of her son's predicament. "Another bird, sweetheart?"
"I was trying to get food! And you didn't ask my permission!"
"You're my kid. I spent twenty hours of labor on you and your sisters. I don't need permission to see your memories."
"That's tyrannosaurus!"
"You definitely mean tyrannical. And yes, yes it is."
"Aunt Nagika!" Luffy whined. "Mom is being a tyrano again!"
"Sorry, kiddo," Nagika smiled sweetly. "I want to see this, too."
"Uncle Rizen!" Luffy turned to the last adult he could count on.
He grimaced. "What do you expect me to do about it? If it makes you feel any better, I'll forget everything soon."
"At least he's self aware," Lilia said.
"Not that it says much," Nagika said. "Only thing forgetful people remember is that they forget things."
The memory Luffy was struggling to break free of the bird's beak. Eventually, the bird dropped him and he plummeted towards a town.
"That doesn't look good!" Ellie said, looking scared that her boss's son was going to fall from such a height.
"It's fine," Lilia assured. Luffy fell to the ground without any cushion, but landed on his feet, seemingly unhurt despite a crater being made from the force. To answer the confusion of how that was possible, she pulled Luffy's cheeks to an impossible length. "This one ate the Gum-Gum Fruit when he was a kid. Out of my sight, I might add. Now he's made of rubber. Admittedly, it's been quite convenient. Unfortunately, he seems to enjoy getting himself into similar predicaments as what we just saw."
"I don't enjoy it," Luffy said, his words slurred due to his mother pulling his cheek. "It just seems to keep happening."
"So, that's why he fell from the sky," Nami whispered. She had wondered why that happened. Not too surprising.
"So, this is when you and Luffy first met out there?" Nagika said. The past Luffy landed in between a now grown up Nami in a white shirt with blue stripes and a trio of men who were obviously pirates.
Nami cringed. She remembered exactly what she had done and wished they weren't watching it. It wasn't her best look.
The past Nami, at first confused, smiled mischievously. "Hey, boss!"
"Huh?" Past Luffy looked at her with a confused look. "Who are you?"
"You're so funny, boss!" Nami laughed, looking at him familiarly . "Take care of these guys for me, okay?"
Then the past version of Nami ran off, not caring that she had just left behind a total stranger to deal with three violent pirates on his own with no warning. Present day Nami stared at her feet in embarrassment as Lilia and her crew stared at her dryly.
"…I had to think of something…" she offered weakly.
"You had to sell out my kid to a group of thugs?" Lilia asked. She didn't sound angry, just curious.
Nami couldn't answer, as Luffy laughed at the memory. "Oh, right! You did sell me out when we first met, didn't you? That's funny!"
The past version also didn't look mad. The three thugs bought that he was her boss coming to save her and surrounding him intimidatingly. He didn't look intimidated. In fact, he didn't seem to understand the situation and asked the men if they had something to eat. Thinking they were being made fun of, the biggest amongst them hit Luffy over the head.
That triggered Lilia and Nagika's lethal and ruthless maternal instincts. Those men had no idea how fortunate they were that they were just memories. Although, Nagika never forgets. Like a crow she could keep their faces in her memories for years. If she ever saw them, she would instantly recognize them. They better hope that if that day ever comes, she'd be in a forgiving mood.
Although, there was no real need for them to get angry. The one who hit him was too weak to even bruise Luffy, who was made of rubber. Luffy probably wouldn't have even registered the blow, if the hit hadn't knocked off his beloved straw hat.
Angered by that, he punched the man who hit him, knocking him out in a single blow. His two companions flinched drew their blades at him, but they made no difference as Luffy swiftly and easily beat them both.
"Nice one," Ellie said, impressed.
"You better keep your hands off my hat!" Past Luffy said as he put his hat back on.
"Why care so much about a piece of headwear?" Kureto asked.
"It's my treasure," was all the current luffy said.
"Still, those pirates were way too weak," the short man said. If that was all it took to scare pirates away, no wonder the East Blue was considered peaceful.
Past Nami, who had climbed onto the roof of a house while Luffy was fighting, voiced her amazement at Luffy's strength for defeating armed men. She offered Luffy a team up, but he flatly refused, much to her surprise.
"It makes me happy you've got the sense to say no to bad girls, sweetheart," Lilia said. "No offense, Nami."
"…Nonetaken," She said. Honestly, she was offended, but considering the things she was going to do if they kept watching the memory of her first meeting with Luffy, she decided to suck it up.
"I grew up with bad girls." Luffy said nonchalantly. "It made me kind of sensitive."
"I can't deny that."
'Too bad that sensitivity doesn't keep you from falling for obvious tricks,' Nami thought.
Past Nami followed after Luffy, not wanting to give up after just that. It was then Luffy's stomach rumbled and he fell to his knees and complained of hunger. Seeing an opportunity, Nami offered him food, which he happily accepted. She led him to a house, which he thought was hers, but was actually some unknown person's home. She explained to him that a pirate named Buggy and his crew had taken over this town and all of its citizens ran away inland to get away from them.
"So, basically?" Lilia said. "You set up Luffy the moment you met, and now you're feeding him stolen food from some random home? I gotta say Nami, if I wasn't familiar with you, I would make Luffy cut ties with you this instant. And Luffy! How many times do I have to tell you not to follow people just because they offer you food?!"
"It isn't like I do it all of the time."
"But enough that I have to say it to you again and again?"
As they bickered, the past Luffy and Nami talked more. When Luffy discovered that Nami had both a map of the Grand Line and was also a navigator, he immediately asked her to join her crew. Upon learning that he was a pirate, she looked at him with contempt.
"You know, I actually don't know much about how pirate crews form," Ellie said offhandedly. "Is it usually so straightforward?"
"Sometimes, I suppose," Nagika said. "At the end of the day, pirate crews are still organizations. They are formed how any business is formed. Sometimes the leadership recruits new members, sometimes they attract new members. Of course, forcing people is also an option. For a fledging crew like Luffy's, he'd need to do a fair bit of recruiting and increase his crew's size before he becomes capable of attracting more talent on his own."
Nami stared in amazement at how the woman dressed in miko attire broke down the basic process of building in such a simple and easy to understand way. She was smart.
"You really planned to go to the Grand Line on your own?" Lilia asked.
Nami blushed. "Yeah, I was a bit naive. And maybe I got a bit too cocky after years of success stealing from pirates. And I guess I was getting impatient."
"…How long were you under his control?" Lilia was sure she knew the answer, but she still felt she had to ask.
"Eight years."
Eight years, huh? Why, in all that time, had she not known about this? Even if he was keeping himself under the radar by bribing the navy, she lived in East Blue. Her children lived there. Why did she never reach out to Bellemere after all this time? Why did she only learn about what happened after her son invaded Enies Lobby?
She supposed the only answer was that she became too focused on the things happening in the Grand Line to consider anything outside of it. And when Angel started pursuing them, nothing else mattered.
And as a result her friend's daughter had to bear the burden of liberating her him from a monster.
"I was an idiot," Nami said. "No way I could have sailed the Grand Line on my own."
She didn't even know about Reverse Mountain at this time.
"Well, honestly, a crew of five people shouldn't be able to enter the Grand Line, either," Lilia smiled. "And eight also sounds too small."
"What made you want her so suddenly, Luffy?" Nagika asked. "Just because she was a navigator?"
"Well, I needed a navigator. The only member on my crew was Zoro at the time. And he's no help in navigation."
'Oh, yeah it was just those two before I came along, huh? How did they even survive without me?' Nami wondered.
"And I guess… I just knew Nami was worth having. She's the only person I'll accept as my navigator."
Nami stared at her feet, smiling bashfully. She whispered, "Idiot."
The memory continued for a little while long. Nami explained herself as a thief who only stole from pirates. She also said she only loved money and tangerines. Lastly, she told him of her goal of earning a hundred million berries.
The memory ended after that, and they were returned to the blackness of Lilia World.
"That's it?" Luffy said. "A lot more happened after that."
"I only wanted to see your first encounter," Lilia explained. "This is what I really wanted to see."
A new memory was revealed. They were on at a new place. Luffy, now without his treasured hat, was walking towards something with three other men. Zoro. Usopp. Sanji. They all had the air of men going to battle.
Or rather, men going to kick ass.
They reached a place. It was a large compound. It had a tall tower labeled "Arlong Park". Obviously, it was Arlong's base.
The marines could immediately see the resemblance it has to a certain park that was fairly close by now.
There was a crowd of people gathered by the entrance to Arlong Park. Cocoyashi Villagers, the marines could tell. They all carried either weapons or blunt instruments. They were clearly prepared to fight.
Amongst them was Genzo, now heavily scarred, and Nojiko, all grown up.
"Step aside," Past Luffy ordered, walking past the villagers, who looked confused by their presence. Instead of using the entrance, he stood in front of the wall next to it. Ellie and the others were wondering what he was planning. Those who knew him, knew exactly what he was going to do.
He punched the wall with enough strength to destroy it and create a huge hole large enough for people to walk through.
He stepped through and they all saw Arlong, who sat in a chair as if it were his throne, and his crew stare in surprise at his sudden arrival.
"Now, which one of you is Arlong?" Luffy asked threateningly.
"Arlong…" the man in question said. "That's me. And who are you, puny human?"
Luffy didn't respond to him. He walked coolly towards who was surrounded by his crew. A couple of his thugs attempted to block his way. They towered over him, but Luffy grabbed both their heads and knocked them both together. They comically fell to the ground.
Arlong stared in shock and anger at what Luffy had just done. Clearly, it had been a long time since he last saw a fellow fish man being beaten by a human. His life as a shark in a small pond had spoiled him.
Luffy leapt at him, punching him so hard, he was thrown from his chair and sent flying right through a wall.
"Hell yeah!" Ellie cheered. Not just her. All of the demon unit members watching pumped their fists up and cheered. They had been thirsting to see the overconfident shark get what he deserved for what felt like forever.
Not even the cool as I've Nagika could hid her enthusiasm. "Well done!
"That's my boy!" Lilia grinned.
"That's Kyosuke for you!" Rizen said.
"My name's Luffy, Uncle Rizen…"
Nami stared in amazement. She had missed the beginning of this fight tending to her wounds. She wished she hadn't, because the sight of it would have been everything. She was glad she could see it now.
"You are going to pay…" Past Luffy growled. His face had warped, looking almost demonic. "For making our navigator cry!"
"You know," Ellie said, staring at the past Luffy. "I'm starting to see the resemblance."
Her friends nodded. Luffy didn't really have many similarities between his mother, lookswise, but the way his face looked right now as he glared at Arlong was the spitting image of Lilia.
"Righteous rage," Nagika said lightly. "A quality both the mother and the father passed onto their children."
"Indeed," Rizen grinned. "You mean Dragon, right?"
"…Yes."
"Just checking."
"What did he mean by making you cry," Lilia asked, looking at Nami.
She frowned. "Basically, Arlong broke our deal."
That didn't surprise anyone. Men like Arlong, rarely kept their promises. And they had no qualms about manipulating the hope of a desperate young girl to get what they want.
She explained to them how she was just seven million short of the hundred million berries she needed to buy back her village. She was so close, but then Arlong had his hired marines go to her home and find the money she had collected and take it away. Eight years of stealing… all for nothing.
Hearing that, the Demon Unit felt a new sense of hate towards Nezumi. They didn't care if he was only the tool. They wanted to break that tool.
"When the villagers found out, they got fed up. I had thought they didn't know what I was up to, but it turns out they knew everything." Her voice cracked at that. She had been able to watch the memory of her mother's murder with an even face, but knowing that her hometown had always loved her and was supporting her from behind nearly broke her. "Preparing to die, they got whatever they could use as a weapon and went to invade Arlong Park. They were going to sacrifice themselves so that I would no longer have to keep fighting for them and be free to pursue my dreams."
She put a hand over her tattoo. "I'm not sure what I would have done had it gone that way. I'm just grateful it didn't have to go that way."
She stared at Luffy with such happiness and emotion, it actually made him feel embarrassed and self conscious.
"…I'll always be your friend, Nami," Luffy said.
"Yeah!" She said, smiling ear to ear.
The villagers stared out in shock and amazement at seeing Arlong get decked by a human of all people. Genzo made a comment wondered if this was a battle of this world.
"Did Bell never mention us?" One of the Demon Unit marines asked. "Did she never tell stories about the Vice Admiral and the others? I mean, that was nice punch-really nice-but it was still standard stuff for us back in the day and now."
"I don't recall telling stories of the past," Nami said. "I didn't even know that she was a marine until the day of her death. Even if she ever did tell stories of her days in the Navy, after eight years of living under Arlong's rule, it was hard to believe there was any human that could defeat Fishmen."
They nodded in understanding. For Nami, she only really understood how small Arlong and his crew were after they had entered the Grand Line and experienced the incredible and terrible strength the world had to offer.
Arlong really was just a big fish in a small pond, but for those eight long years, he felt like the most dangerous creature in the world.
The colors of the memory were changing. The memory was changing.
"Why is this happening now?" Ellie asked. She really wanted to see the fight continue.
"Not sure, exactly," Lilia said. "Sometimes this World acts on its own. I suppose what happened after this wasn't relevant for our needs."
Luffy was silent. He had a hunch the scene change was because just after he had punched Arlong, he had gotten himself stuck and got himself tossed in the water, taking him out of the fight for a bit. He was glad his mom wouldn't see that.
The memory fully formed. They were now standing in a room where only Arlong and Luffy were in.
Nami gasped. This room was…
Luffy put his straw hat on Nami's head.
"It's gone now, Nami."
Nami stared stiffly at him, before regaining her nerve. "I know."
The marines looked around. The room was filled to the brim with stacks of maps and sea charts. They didn't need to ask to know what this room was or how horrible it must be for her.
"…I could end this here," Lilia offered. To be honest, she wanted to watch to the end, but if this was too much for Nami, then she'd watch it later. "I'm satisfied having seen Luffy punch that bastard into a wall. If this last bit is-"
"No, I'm fine," Nami said firmly. "I get the feeling I will enjoy this."
Luffy was sitting in the room as Arlong stood several paces away from him. Clearly, they had been fighting for a while now as both were disheveled.
Lilia gasped. She typically gasp or show surprise very often, but when she saw one of Luffy's arms bleeding profusely, she couldn't help herself. "Luffy, what happened to your arm?"
"Arlong bit it," he said casually, as if it was not a big deal.
"If the damage was any more severe," Dr Kureto observed coolly. "You'd have lost that arm without question."
"…Kid, please take better care of yourself," she said through gritted teeth. She was angry at herself for only saying that much. If Makino were here, she'd nearly faint. If Dadan was seeing this, she'd make a scene. Nagika was silently inspecting the real Luffy's arm and sighed in relief that it looked okay. She was simply built differently from them, and had experienced different things. It made her a great warrior and leader, but sometimes she wondered if it made her lacking as a mother. "Your body is something to be respected."
Her crew felt for her, but she was one to talk about putting your body on the line. Not that they'd ever say that to her face.
"What room is this?" Past Luffy asked as he looked around with a certain look in his gaze.
"This is Nami's room," Arlong answered. "It's the room where she draws her maps and sea charts for me."
"This is Nami's room…?" He looked around more intently as Arlong continued talking. His expression was strange. It was like he was trying to find something that had caught his attention. While Arlong was explaining how only Nami could create such accurate and detailed charts with the data that the fishmen acquired with their ability to breathe under water, Luffy had picked up a pen that had fall on the floor. He stared quietly at it for several moments, as Arlong threateningly held the saw-tooth blade at Luffy's neck, the teeth of the unique sword in prime position to sever his neck. However, Luffy only kept staring at the pen.
"Do you understand? You worthless human! She'd be wasted on you! Her talent is one of a kind! Only I can use it to its fullest potential! These maps will be the cornerstone of my Arlong Empire! I'll take over the world!"
"This pen is covered in blood…" Luffy had whispered, only half listening to Arlong's rants. The demon unit soldiers looked at it. He was correct. The pen was stained by the blood of someone who had worked past her limit to draw the maps in the room.
"Answer me, you rubber freak?! Do you really believe you can use her talent better than me?!"
"Use her…?" Luffy whispered in a dangerous tone. His mother and godparents flinched. Not that they were afraid, but it was the first time they were seeing this side of Luffy. It was unnerving. He was not acting like the silly, happy boy they watched grow. This was a man that had fully reached his breaking point and was about to unleash all of the anger he had onto the monster that was causing it.
Gently, he put down the blood stained pen. With the bitten arm, he grabbed one of the blades of Arlong's saw tooth sword and gripped it tightly. Arlong's arrogant smile fell. He was trying to pull his sword away, but he couldn't break it free from Luffy's grip. In an instant, Luffy shattered the blade as if it was made of glass.
"What do you take her for, you bastard???!!!"
Luffy's face warped to become something truly demonic. If there was any doubt amongst her crew that he was Lilia's son, they were gone now. There was no doubting who Straw Hat Luffy's mother was.
Slowly, Nami stared in disbelief at the current day Luffy. "You didn't know anything and yet…?"
He had not bothered to listen to Nojiko when she offered to explain the island's situation and their horrible past. In spite of that, he knew exactly what Arlong had done. And it had enraged him like this? For her, he could look like that…?
Of course, she knew how strongly Luffy cared for his friends, but to see it like this. She could hardly describe it.
"Take her for?" Arlong smirked unapologetically. Despite seeing Luffy break the teeth of his sword, he still acted arrogant. "Why, she's a clever little human. All humans are inferior to us fishmen, but she's special. If all other humans are sewer rats, then she's a feisty little kitten. She's adorable like one, too."
Nami shivered. She was going to need a thorough bath after hearing that.
"…I really wish this creep would at least stop saying that every fishman thinks like him," Ellie hissed. "I'm glad Tom isn't here to hear this. It sucks to see members of your own species behave like this!"
"Nami is a cut above. A true talent like none other! It would be a total waste for her to just settle to navigate your little dinghy. Her place is beside me! All she has to do is continue making those marvelous maps, and I'll give her all the clothes and food she could ask for!"
It was Nagika, who moved almost unconsciously, that placed a comforting hand on top of Nami's head as she was already being held by Luffy. Arlong was becoming more disgusting with every word, and it brought back horrible memories of her own childhood.
"Until the day she draws every map in the world, she will always be my possession. No, my friend…"
It was that last word that triggered Luffy for the last time.
It's an unbalanced relationship, you and I. As in I do everything, and you do nothing. But I guess that's just the way our friendship goes.
A disembodied male voice could be heard.
"Where did that come from…?" Ellie asked.
"That was Kyosuke-kun's voice," Lilia said.
"You're right," Nagika said.
"Luffy must've been thinking about him at this time," Lilia guessed. "Lilia World does that sometimes. Voicing strong inner thoughts.
"Is that true, Luffy?" Nami asked. Luffy stood stiffly, making a comically embarrassed expression.
"Hey… this isn't funny…" he whispered dryly.
Lu-chan, you're my friend. So, of course you gotta help me find that treasure!
"That's Sona-chan," Lilia said.
Luffy… I don't know how to be a friend. If I'm being honest, I never really had a friend before I met you, Kyosuke-kun and Sona-chan. I guess what I'm trying to say is, you guys are my best friends…
That voice the whole Demon Unit knew.
"That's Yuki!" Ellie blurted.
"That's Yuki…?" Nami said softly.
Luffy… we're brothers…
"Ace," Lilia said
"Kid Ace, to be precise," Nagika said.
You can laugh at me, spill booze on me, you can even spit on me. Most of the time, I'll just laugh it off. But if you threaten a friend of mine… I'll make you pay!
"Shanks," Luffy whispered.
It was then, that Past Luffy kicked the desk that Nami had been forced to work at with so much force it was sent flying through the wall and fell off of the top floor of Arlong Park.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Arlong raged, as Nami and Demon Unit's eyes widened at what Luffy had done. He didn't simply stop there. He continued to destroy the room. Tossing out the tools, the furniture, and of course, the maps. He was throwing everything in that horrid room out of the top floor of the building like a man possessed.
"Why…?" Ellie began, but stopped. There was no point in asking after everything they had heard and knew. This whole park needed to be destroyed.
"Stop this!" Arlong shouted. He tried to cut down Luffy with his saw blade, but he dodged it causing the shark fishsman to slice a stack of maps. Luffy ignored Arlong's shouting and continued to kick out everything in the cartography room. He only stopped after Arlong finally caught him and bit his neck with his shark teeth. Lilia and Nagika clenched their fists at the sight. "You rubber freak! You've crossed the line!"
"You keep talking about how great fishmen are and about how much you need those maps," Luffy said as he resisted Arlong. "I don't get any of that! All I know is…I finally figured out how to save her!"
He grabbed Arlong's nose and snapped it. Arlong cried out in pain, releasing him.
"This room is nothing but her prison! As long is it exists, Nami can't be free! So, I have to destroy it… til there's nothing left!"
The past Luffy raised his rubber leg into a kicking poison and it stretched up breaking through the ceiling and high out of the roof of Arlong Park. The destructive potential of this next move would be massive.
"You fool," Arlong said, fixing his nose by just snapping it back into place. "Arlong Park can't be brought down by an inferior human! Least of all by a rubber freak like you!"
"…I really hate how he keeps calling him a freak," Lilia whispered.
Arlong lunged at him, spinning like a drill. He was a let bit Luffy one more time before he brought down his super extended foot down like an axe.
"Gum-Gum… Battle Axe!!!"
Luffy's foot fell right ontop of Arlong's head and the shark man was sent crashing down numerous floors to the bottom of Arlong Park. Numerous holes could be seen as he laid down-his nose broken and his teeth shattered -unconscious. He was done. He was defeated.
The next moment the sound of the building creaking dangerously could be heard. It trembled, unable to support the weight of itself anymore.
"Makes sense that after all of that, the building wouldn't be able to stay standing," Rizen said offhandedly.
"Wait… are you telling me…?" Lilia said, fully anticipating what was about to happen. As she feared, the build collapsed onto itself like a house of cards. The power of Luffy's last attack had completely demolished its foundation. Luffy, of course, fell with it. "You let a building fall on top of you?!"
"I'm okay," he said casually. "I'm made of rubber, you know?"
"That's not the point, Luffy!" Nagika snapped. Her panicked expression mirrored Lilia's. "You don't let buildings fall on you!"
Smoke and debris spread throughout the property of Arlong Park. The past Luffy appeared to have been buried under the rubble. Lilia didn't bother to ask what his condition was.
"Were you okay after this?" Ellie asked with concern.
"Of course!" He flashed a smile.
Just as he said that, his past self pushed away some debris that was on top of him. Okay wasn't the word anyone could use to describe him at the moment. He was covered in cuts and bruises and was bleeding in several places. Even so, he still stood. He could still shout.
"NAMI!!!" His past self shouted. At the edges of the remains of Arlong Park, a crowd of villagers stood in shock and awe. In the middle of them was Nami dressed in a green top and wearing Luffy's straw hat on her head, much to the surprise of Lilia, Nagika, and Rizen. For him to allow anybody to touch, let alone wear his treasure, they had to be very special. "You'll always be my friend!"
The past Nami stared out in complete shock, her face twist with incredible emotion, until finally she smiled weakly. "Yeah…"
The memory ended. They were returned to the blackness of Lilia world. Everyone was silent for what felt like a long time.
Nami cried. She had stayed composed at the sight of her mother's murder. But seeing how the monster who caused it was beaten by the one she cherished more than anyone else was too much and she couldn't hold it back any longer and sobbed as she held onto Luffy as if letting him go would cause him to disappear somewhere
It wasn't just that he had beaten Arlong. It was that he did it solely for her. He knew nothing of her history or what he had done. He wasn't fighting for the island or for the East Blue, he fought and risked his life for her sake and no one else's. He didn't need to know anything other than that Arlong was making her suffer and he couldn't tolerate that.
That alone was everything!
Maybe if Luffy hadn't come into her life, then some other strong monstrous person could have dealt with Arlong and his crew. Maybe Lilia and the Demon Unit. But that wouldn't have been just for her sake. Maybe it was selfish, but she didn't care.
She loved that Luffy had fought only for her.
"Luffy… thank you," she sobbed. "I can't express how much I…"
"We're friends, Nami," he smiled. "I'd do it again. And again. And a thousand more times to make that jerk pay for how he treated you. Because you're my navigator. And my friend!"
Yeah. Friends. She definitely loved being his friend, but at this moment, she found herself wanting more than just friendship. She wanted him in ways she never wanted anyone before.
"Ahem," Lilia force coughed to remind them they were there.
Nami jumped and separated from Luffy. She had forgotten that Lilia and the others were here, for a moment, which was quite dumb, but her emotions and desires had taken her over hard.
She couldn't stop her blush and wished they would leave them for a bit.
"What's up?" Luffy asked her. "You're all red, Nami."
"It's nothing…" She sighed.
"Anyway," Lilia said. Without warning, she punched Luffy right in the face. He was knocked down and went rolling a thousand feet at least. Nami and the others were taken aback by the sudden violent act.
"Ow!" Luffy whined, his body convulsing with pain. "What the heck was that for, mom?!"
"If you don't like to get hurt, then dodge once in a while. You let Arlong sink his teeth into you one too many times!"
"I'm fine, aren't I?! I'm made of rubber! I can take being bitten!"
"You're resilient. Not invincible. You could have won that fight faster and with less injuries if you had taken it seriously from the beginning. Act more like Kyosuke sometimes, will you?"
Luffy pouted childishly. "I'm not Kyosuke! I'm me!"
"I know you are, and I love you like crazy no matter what. But I also want you to stay safe and act at least somewhat smart. I don't need to lose one of my kids."
Luffy's face eased slightly. He stared at his mother with a soft look. "I know, mom. I'll try to be more careful."
"That's all I can ask," Lilia sighed. "Now, Nami."
Nami stood in attention. She watched the mother and son argue with fascination. She thought it might be similar to an argument she and Bellemere might've had if she were still alive. "Yes, Lilia-san?"
"Watching everything we just did, it took guts. Or a weirdly masochistic kink."
"Uh…?"
"Either way, you have my respect. For whatever it's worth. And though it might not mean much, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that you had to suffer all that time and we never even knew."
"Lilia-san… all of you. I don't need you to apologize. There was nothing good about those eight years, but I am who I am today because of it. Or in spite of it. I am where I belong now. And that's what matters. Bellemere used to say that if you wait long enough, good things are bound to happen. It took awhile, but I found those good things. And I'm living my life on my own terms. To be honest, I'm happy that things happened the way they did. I'm happy it was Luffy and the guys who saved me. Because they did it for me. If it were the marines or someone, they wouldn't have fought for just me. Perhaps that's selfish, but I don't really care. I'm happier than I've ever been."
The Demon Unit smiled contently at her. Luffy chuckled happily for her. He was glad, too, for how everything ended up.
"Is that so?" Lilia said. "Well, that's good enough. Bell-chan would be proud and happy for you, too. For the record, I don't think that's selfish."
"Thank you… and you know, even if it wasn't you. Luffy's your son. He was the one who finally brought down Arlong and his crew. You must be a big part of who he is. Can't what he does be something you're responsible for?"
Lilia shook her head. "I rather not be the kind of mother who takes credit for her children's achievements. In any case, I know Luffy wasn't fighting for an abstract concept of justice, for Bellemere, or even to save an island full of innocent people. He did it for you. Just you."
Nami blushed again and stared at her feet joyfully.
"And I couldn't be prouder, Luffy." She walked towards him and hugged him gently. Not only as a mother, but as someone honoring the one who avenged her friend's murder. "Thank you. I know who you fought for and I'm just so happy you grew up to be this kind of man."
"…It wasn't just me, mom. Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp fought, too. Plus, Nami's sister and the pinwheel guy saved me from drowning after Arlong threw me into the water when I got my feet stuck in the concrete."
"…I'll ask about that later. I'll thank your friends, too. Just let me hug you for a bit. Let me honor the one who avenged my friend, even if that wasn't your intention."
It was at that moment, Luffy remembered something. He remembered him.
The face of that inhuman and cruel angel flashed in his mind.
Luffy broke the hug. With a serious face, he stared at his mother. "Mom, I think there's something I need to tell you."
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And done. This was a fun chapter to write.