Chapter 4
NOJIKO
Nojiko stood at the edge of Arlong Park, the place which had been the source of despair for her village for more than eight years now. Yet now, the mighty palace built upon their suffering had been reduced to rubble in front of their eyes.
Arlong and his crew, symbols of fear and tyranny, all of them lay unconscious on the ground, defeated. No, not just defeated. Overpowered in a way she had not thought possible.
The entire crew had been decimated, and the object of their destruction simply stood there, not a speck of dust on his uniform, not a single bruise on his body. He was completely untouched.
"I cannot believe it," Genzo gasped from behind her, and they had gathered the entire village so that they may be able to help this marine in his endeavors, but it seemed as if he had no need of them at all.
"It is over," a voice from behind added.
"It is finally over," and soon enough, the knives, the rods, the shovels hit the ground as the people of Cocoyashi village began to cry.
Nojiko herself felt her eyes tear up as the stick in her arms fell to the ground. They all began to cry out in joy, regaining their lives which had been held hostage for so many years by Arlong and his crew.
"We are free! We are finally free!" and Nami, besides her, was also bawling like a child, and she hugged her little sister and remembered their mother, who had given her life to protect them.
"Yes, we are!" and in their joy, they missed how their Savior had come before them and was looking at them with a solemn expression.
No, not at them, but at the group of people standing in front of them—the Straw Hat Pirates.
"Luffy," he called out as tension filled the air.
"Bartolomeo," and the two of them looked each other in the eye. They had seen how he had just defeated Arlong and his crew. As good as the Straw Hat Pirates may be, they stood no chance against him.
But they had helped them. Had helped Nami, and had even tried to protect her, and so Nojiko, rose up as did Nami, and pushed themselves in between the two of them.
"The Straw Hat Pirates have committed no sin against us," she spoke, swallowing her saliva.
"I cannot let you harm them," she said, and it pained her that she was standing against the person who had just saved them. However, she owed Straw Hat and his friends a debt because of Nami, so she would protect them.
They would all protect them.
"You say they are innocents," he asked again as she gulped down, as others joined her as well.
"Yes, they are," she nodded and he nodded and rubbed his chin before he began to chuckle, much to her surprise, before he suddenly called out.
"Hey, Luffy!" he called out to the Straw Hat Captain.
"What kind of a lousy pirate are you that this lady here is calling you innocent," and this seemed to irritate the Captain, who began to push forward.
"Don't you dare insult me Barto! What lousy! You are lousy, you damn Marine!" and the Marine captain continued to laugh as the tension in the air vanished, as she realised that the two of them were quite familiar with one another.
"Just you wait! I am the man who is going to become the King of the Pirates!" Straw Hat declared, but she was not looking at Straw Hat.
No, she was looking at the Marine Captain, Bartolomeo, who was smiling as he gazed behind her at the Pirate captain, and she found his gaze familiar, for this was how Bell-mere gazed at her and Namie, how she gazed at Nami.
"We will see about that," he whispered before turning towards her and the rest of the villagers.
"You see, I have grown quite tired after fighting Arlong and his crew and have no power to fight anymore," and she smiled as she understood his intentions.
"And as far as I can tell, it is considered quite rude to start a fight during a celebration, is it not?" and she nodded.
"Indeed, it is considered quite a taboo!"
"It's time for a celebration!"
.
.
.
And so Arlong and his crew were tied up, and a feast was prepared. The chef from Straw Hat's crew joined the people in preparing for the feast, and for the first time in eight years a celebration was held in Cocoyashi Village.
The adults laughed, and the children danced around a fire as a feast was cooked and distributed. Foods that they had never tasted were served, as the Marine captain let them pillage Arlong Park of everything viable.
The gold and the money were all to be distributed equally.
Her assessment was correct, for the Straw Hat captain and Captain Bartolomeo seemed to know each other quite well. Even now, as she carried a tray of dishes towards the Marine Captain, he was busy talking and drinking ale with Luffy-san.
"So, you are really determined to go to the Grand Line, huh?" she heard him ask, and the Pirate nodded.
"Yeah. I have already gathered a very good crew, and soon enough I will head to the Grand Line and become the King of Pirates," and he did not say much as Nojiko intervened.
"Here," she said offering him the tray, and the Marine captain nodded and took the offered tray, as a cabbal of ladies 'oohed' and 'aahed' behind her
"Thank you," and with that he dived in, and just as he had taken a sip of the soup he smiled.
"This was made by your cook, right?" he asked, and Straw Hat nodded, smiling wildly.
"Yeah, Sanji is my cook," and the man nodded.
"Yeah, I thought so. This is Zeff's cooking," and she wondered who Zeff was as she plopped down beside him.
"So, you have a cook, sharp shooter, a first mate, and a navigator, and" and at that, he looked towards Nami as he mentioned the last position.
"Yeah," agreed Straw Hat, and she was paraphrasing now, for the pirate had stuffed his face with food.
"Then your crew is still incomplete. You need a doctor and a ship wright," and Straw Hat frowned.
"Why?" and he narrowed his eyes.
"Are you trying to stop me, just like Grandpa!" he suddenly jumped back cautiously as Barto, as he had asked to be called, shook his head.
"No, I am just telling you the truth. Grand Line is brutal," and his tone grew solemn as he said that.
"Without a doctor you lot will not last a month in that place," but the Straw Hat was not listening.
"I am telling you! You cannot stop me! I will become the King of Pi..." but the Marine's patience had run thin, as suddenly a block appeared above Straw Hat's head and fell down on him hard.
"AHHH!"
"Just listen to me, you idiot!" he raged a bit, and seeing them like this was like seeing two brothers fighting with one another.
"Who am I talking to?" he rubbed his head and turned his focus towards the food once more.
"A shame you got Nami though, I am also in need of a navigator," she heard him whisper, and decided to cut in.
"Why?" she asked.
"Because my ship lacks a navigator. I had to kick out the last one because he refused to listen to my orders," he answered, making her frown.
"And if you are on my ship, then you have to follow my orders," and that was reasonable.
"And what exactly were your orders?" she asked.
"Nothing too dangerous. I just wanted to ride up the Knock-Up Stream," and she had never heard of that.
"Knock-up Stream?" she asked, and he waved away her concerns.
"Don't worry about it. I will find one soon enough," and she remembered her lessons with Bell-mere, and though Nami may have been the more talented of the two of them, Nojiko was a capable enough Cartographer as well.
And with Nami set in her own way, perhaps it was time for her to find a new life as well.
And as she gazed at the Marine uniform, she remembered their mother and how she had worn a similar uniform.
"And what qualifications does a cartographer need to have?" she asked, and saw Nami perk up at her question as the Marine captain answered without any thought.
"Not much. Since I will be taking them on as 'private', they just need to be a capable enough Navigator. As for the rest, it's up to them if they want to join the Marines or not, but I could bring them up to speed on the rest of the stuff quite easily," and she nodded, putting the information in the back of her head. So, hours passed as they talked and enjoyed their newfound freedom.
Food and booze were aplenty, and soon enough, the entire village was drunk. Nojiko, though, had kept herself grounded, and though her head had begun to buzz, she was still much better than the rest of the villagers.
It was why she did not miss when the air shifted once more as Barto and the Straw Hats stood face to face once more.
"So, this is it then, Luffy?" she heard him whisper as the Straw Hat captain nodded.
"Yes, it is time for us to part ways," and the Marine captain nodded.
"Well, as a Marine officer, I cannot simply let a Pirate crew get away, especially not you. So, let me give you a parting gift..." and she saw him raise his hands, as suddenly a barrier emerged separating the villagers from the Straw Hats, as Bartolomeo's posture shifted.
"And show you just what it means to be on the Grand Line..." and in the blink of an eye, a thousand weapons formed behind him, and with a single wave of his hand rushed towards the Straw Hat pirates.
"RUN!" Luffy-san screamed, as the crew tried to run away, but they were too slow as he appeared in front of Luffy and corked his hand, and she saw his hand shift slightly, as if it gained shimmer before he punched Luffy in the face.
"Do you really think you're ready to conquer the Grand Line as you are?" he asked, and he was angry. Luffy-san was sent tumbling into the forest, and Snaji-san and Zoro tried to attack him from the sides, but he simply erected two barriers, stopping their attacks before using the very attack he had used against Arlong and his crew.
"Grand Fall!" and two massive barriers crushed the two of them into the ground, and just like Arlong and his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates had been defeated in all but a few seconds.
The Sharp Shooter continued to fire at him, but none of his attacks made through the barrier around him, as she saw him walk towards a battered Luffy-san.
"Tell me again Luffy! Do you really think you are ready to venture into the Grand Line?" he asked, and the power emanating out of him was enormous, and the pressure it felt such that it could crush her.
It took all her will power not to just pass out, as Luffy-san pushed himself off the ground.
"Yes! I will do it. I will become the King of Pirates," and for a second it was as if he smiled.
"Then show me what you and your crew are made of," and so fighting ensued, and she watched as the Straw Hats continued to fight against him. They attacked and attacked yet he simply battered away their attacks as if they were nothing and beat them up, forcing them to their knees before the cycle started again.
And in all that, the villagers behind her slept peacefully, as if oblivious to the battle raging in front of them, and just as the Dawn broke, the Straw Hats were on their last legs, their bodies battered and bruised, yet Bartolomeo stood as imperiously as ever, and asked once more.
"Are you still determined on heading to the Grand Line?" he asked, and Luffy-san was tired, hurt, and battered. He huffed as he pushed himself up from the ground, and his crew joined him as they stood tall once more.
"Yes, I will go to the Grand Line and beco..." but his body finally gave out, as he collapsed on the ground, along with his cook and first mate. The only people left standing were Nami and Usopp.
She saw him look down at the three of them before he sighed and eased up.
"That idiot," she heard him whisper before he turned towards Nami and the Sharp Shooter.
"The Marine forces will be landing on the island in an hour. Your ship is at the Southern Bay. Get out of here!" he said, and they nodded, carrying the two of them away. He sat down on a torn tree trunk and called out to her.
"You can come out now," she said, hoping he wouldn't notice her. But he had, and so she fully opened her eyes and walked out from where she was hiding.
"What was that?" she asked, and she realised that the way the villagers were sleeping was not normal, and that this whole thing was entirely planned by him.
"What do you think?" he asked.
"Is he Luffy-san your brother?" she asked, and he chuckled before he slowly nodded.
"Somewhat, but we are not related by blood. I just owe someone close to him quite a debt, so this was my way of paying it back," and that made some sense.
"And why didn't you catch him?"
"Because there is a difference between criminal and evil," he answered, looking her in the eye.
"And I prefer to hunt evil men. Pirate he may call himself, but Luffy is not evil. He is a criminal, but not evil and the day he is I will be the first person to bring him down," he declared, and that made some sense.
The world was not black and white. The marine captain, Nezumi was supposed to protect them, yet he had joined hands with Arlong and had betrayed thousands of his comrades, leading them all to their deaths.
"What did you do to the villagers?" she asked, growing a bit worried, for they had not woken up yet.
"Ohh, don't worry about them. I just spiked the booze a little. They will all wake up in a few hours," and that was what she had guessed, but that did not explain everything.
"But the fighting was very loud. Some should have woken up at least?" she asked rubbing her chin, and he smirked.
"You are smart, so I will leave it to you to figure out," and he stood up, and she saw him reaching for a transponder snail, as he called.
"Arlong and his men have been neutralised. I repeat, Arlong and his men have been neutralised. All units move in for clean up," he ordered, and she saw him turn before she called up.
"Wait!" and he stopped at her words.
"Yes," he asked with a raised brow.
"You said you were looking for a Navigator, right?" and he nodded.
"Yes."
"Then take me with you," she said, and saw his eyes widen.
"I may not be as good as my sister, Nami, but I am a capable cartographer." Our mother trained us together. She was a Marine herself, a captain much like you," and he raised a brow.
"Are you sure? Being a Marine is no safer than being a Pirate. You could lose your life at any time," he warned, and she knew that. But Namie had made her choice to become a Pirate.
So, she would follow in their mother's footsteps and become a Marine.
"Yes, I am sure," she declared, and he shrugged as he turned to face her, offering her his hand.
"Then welcome aboard, privateer Nojiko..."
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