"Chu. How's this for justice, dumbass?!" The water shot a hole through the trunk of the tree supporting the sniper king, his footing reduced to empty air, he vaulted to the next. Following suit two more times as the fishman continued to shoot the pressurised portable geyser in his direction.
"What are you a monkey? Get out of those trees!"
"The king of snipers is aware of all terrain. You call yourself a sharpshooter, ridiculous."
"You say that, but you've done a lot of skittering around like a rat. Some king you are!"
"I wonder. Just how dense are you?"
"What was that?!"
"You aren't in the ocean anymore."
"The hell's your point?!"
"A sharpshooter… should always be aware of their surroundings. And their munitions." The fishman looked towards the opening in the forest, a clear shot to the river that ran through Cocoyashi village. It would be all too simple to run back and refill whenever he needed.
Just as he thought that.
"Sure-kill move: Fire star."
Flames erupted along that pathway and all around them. A circle ignited, trapping the two of them. In the sea of trees. What once was a quiet wood had turned into a razing inferno.
"Huh?! Are you insane?! You're trapped in here with me!"
"You've been a bit more sparing with the shots now. More and more. I wonder; will you continue to fight me, or will you use your abilities to escape with your tail tucked between your legs?"
"The hell?!"
"You live on land and sea."
"What are you-?"
"You need oxygen as much as I do."
"-!"
"I wonder. Will you take the chance to turn your back on an opponent? Or will you attempt to drive me into the ground before succumbing here?"
"You're insane!"
"Wrong. I am justice." The embers reflected in his resolute eyes. The sniper king stares at his prey. Run or stand their ground. The result would be the same. His target had been locked all along.
[Piracy?]
The clashing of swords. Cries of pain. Blood being spilled. It was chaos. Skirmishes upon skirmishes. One could fail to see that in the chaos wrought in this small expanse the humans were overwhelming their captors.
The fishmen's number and morale was expunged before the fighting had even begun. Humans, they were numerous. Weak but plentiful. The weak had their own way of fighting. Struggle as they might, fishmen were put at odds with the strength of 5:1 odds. In this enclosed space, the only thing they could do was struggle before they suffocated.
"Johnny!"
"Yeah, Yosaku. Now!" They followed through with slashes in tandem, using teamwork to overwhelm the sheer might of the fishmen.
The number of combatants, injuries from the exploding ship, the experience of these bounty hunters and their teamwork. The officers of Arlong's upper brass all taken by the pirates that suddenly invaded. But above all, the idea that the one responsible for every single devastation taking place on this battlefield was looking down at them. With the possibility of them striking happening at any moment. Every single instance pointed in the direction of a total victory for Cocoyashi island. If they knew just what other contingencies their eagle-eyed manipulator had planned, they would surrender immediately.
The only thing keeping their spirit in battle was the fact that these were the hated humans. The same species that they had always held a vengeance for. Too much time at the top had allowed for them to forget the fear of being hunted. A fear that all too readily creeped back into their skin as soon as they turned their backs.
They could only hope that their commanders held strong and defeated the humans that challenged them.
"Damn." The blonde chef muttered as his waist was trapped by a long and surprisingly dense tether. The overgrown ponytail of his enemy.
Kuroobi threw his hair which wrapped around the chef, tethering them before he pounced forward into the cook's space.
"Kuhahahaha! Try getting out of this. This single punch is the epitome of fishman karate, your chances of survival are zero!" His legs spread slightly into horse stance, a single fist retracting across his waistline.
"Thousand brick fist!" Only for it to come forth with enough force to make a harsh cracking sound as it impacted against the helpless human in his grasp. The cook was sent flying into the open water, immediately sinking into the cold blue expanse.
"Shitty cook!"
"Sanji-san!"
"Kuh! The recoil is still a bit much… Hachi hold that guy still, we'll get rid of him and then the rest of these guys are history."
"Bastards! I'll take both of you if need be. Bring it!" The swordsman looked towards the water, hoping for some kind of opening, one that fishmen wouldn't be kind enough to provide.
"Interesting! Gladly. Hm?"
"What the-?" The fishman suddenly braced, his back to the water, but was seemingly being dragged towards it.
"Hah, seems like you've still got someone to take care of." The swordsman snorted, laughing at the karate enthusiast as he was dragged against his will into the blue depths.
"Tch. Take care of him, Hachi. I'll finish this quickly."
"No need to hurry, Kuroobi. I've got him right where I want him." The octopus fishman danced on the spot, his outwards protruding mouth forming into a circular smile.
"Hmph." The fishman allowed himself to be pulled fully into the sea, a snide grin covering his features as he submerged.
The six-handed octoman brandished his swords, flexing his tentacles as he stood proudly in front of the former bounty hunter. "Give up. How is one sword to compete with my magnificent 6-sword style?" He pointed all six swords at his enemy, an attempt to break the other's composure.
"Shut up, stupid octopus! One sword style: Swallow's flight!" Gliding in the air, his sword shimmered slightly following a strange arc, by all means an amateur with a single weapon might be caught off guard by the strange movement, but in the face of such overwhelming numbers…
The octoman flung his swords about wildly, hardly caring for angle, power or technique of any kind. Still, he was overwhelming his opponent with options. Range, width, timing, readability. These were factors that swordsmen needed to rely on for battle. Something as simple as range could make or break a duel. In theory anyway.
Individual skill, strength and perseverance could overcome such things. Perhaps the swordsman might even be able to do that… on any other day.
"Tch!" the green-haired swordsman was pushed back a distance, clutching at his chest as a noticeable red seeps through the bandages along his midsection.
"Aniki!" The two bounty hunters watched the duel in the corner of their eye with bated breath.
"If this goes on… We need to get him more swords. And the cook as well…. No one can fight a fishman underwater."
"Yeah. Can't upset the balance here though… If we leave, the chance that another islander…" Their minds immediately thought back to the first and only casualty of this battle. They didn't want that number to get any higher.
"It'd help if that guy moved his ass." They spared a fleeting glance at the boy who should've been stood atop the sluice gate. However, he was nowhere to be seen now.
"…Still hard to tell if he's on our side." Johnny said before slashing to create some distance from another fishman. His watchful eyes glancing at every ongoing fight, judging the odds that each villager had. Understanding that if they don't place themselves perfectly then even more lives could be sacrificed at this moment.
"Can I leave these to you? I'll get him a sword. Leave the water to me as well." Genzo's face was covered by his cap, but the two could distinguish the resolve from his voice alone.
"…"
"That friend of yours... I hate to admit it. But that boy was right. Even if we defeat these guys, Arlong and his men are a different breed. Our best chance lies with you lot. I'm prepared to hedge all bets on those young men."
"They won't let you down! Just be careful, old man."
"Heh, not that old yet. These bones have still got some life in them!" He lunged forward grabbing one of the defeated fishmen's weapons in his hand and making a break for the current deathmatch between the octopus man and former bounty hunter.
[Piracy?]
"W-What is this?" The long-awaited last actor finally graced the stage. The short red hair of the navigator swayed in the ashy breeze. She stared at the floor horrified, her eyes scanning the battlefield at the ongoing hostilities. Looking at each and every townsperson, checking them off in a mental list. Almost as if she knew it was too good to be true, eventually her gaze was magnetised towards the wall.
Where a single man lay impaled onto the stone fixture, hung onto it like a decoration. His body lifeless.
"…N-No. No, no, no. This wasn't how it was supposed to go…" Her legs quivered, collapsing like a deck of cards into a heap on the floor. The sight of the almost crucified figure stuck in her view. She wouldn't look away, as much as she wanted to. She couldn't.
"Didn't you want freedom?" I allowed my bloodstained footsteps to reach her as she sat contemplating the battle.
"You… Again… Do you just cause bloodshed everywhere you go? I was right when I first saw you… you just destroy everything around you. Damn monster!"
"What part of this is my fault?"
"Everything! If only you didn't-!"
"This was always the result. Or rather, if nothing changed you never would've been free. This is the best-case scenario for you and your people."
"That's not true, if they had just waited-"
"Impossible. The last ten years have warped your mind. You find hope where none exists. As the weak, your only option was to depend upon the strong, in this case Arlong's magnanimity. He will never let you go. And the best way to keep you; is by holding the chains of this village firmly in his hand."
"…"
"You know, I always thought it was strange. All that equipment in your room on the ship, but not a single scrap of cartographical paper. Even despite the lack of maps on our travel." Strictly speaking, it was downright careless. Almost unprepared, especially considering the time period. Something that Nami usually wouldn't portray. I could only think there was a personal reason for it. Perhaps she was hiding any and all maps from the others as well. Or… it was due to some sort of personal trauma or weakness.
"…I should've guessed you were snooping around." She remarked tiredly.
"I was interested. And thankfully the fishmen are so arrogant they don't think to protect their own treasure." Accessing the levels of Arlong park both before and after this battle was more than easy enough. Who's keeping an eye on every single person in this bloodshed?
"I wonder how long you were kept festering in that room. Enough nautical charts to fill a library. Even holding a chart and pen must hurt to this day." Visions of a life gone by flashed by. Sat in that same room. Alone. Test papers day after day. Different equations but the same result. It was hard not to draw the parallels.
"…The hell do you know? It's not like you have anything to look back on, must be funny to see the rest of us bound to the past, huh? Freak." She spat those words at me, her eyes never leaving the body of the villager in front of her.
'Bound to the past', is it? I can't disagree. Perhaps that was why I had even taken things this far in the first place. I wanted to see something different. Wanted to believe an alternative. I didn't even know if the methods I had taken would show me what I wanted to see, or even what exactly it was that I wanted to see in the first place. I just put things into motion and let them make their decisions from there… hoping that something inside me will resonate with what I view with these cold unblinking eyes.
"You were never meant to escape. Such obsession with your abilities and still you never realised. You're smart enough to see that. So I wonder, just why you've willingly looked past such a thing for so long?" Hope. It both blinded and guided those it affected. Too much medicine will become a poison if unmonitored, after all. This was the inevitable result.
"You mean I…? Everything was all my fault…? Is that what you're saying?"
"Every single misfortune upon a person is due to their own negligence and lack of ability. The pirates you stole from are the same, is that not the case?" The world didn't care for justification, it cared for ability. Crime isn't justified by reason, it's allowed by an ability that supersedes law.
"…No." She still couldn't see it.
They're the same. All the same. There's no difference. We humans just think of it that way, but peel back a layer and every human is just a lump of flesh, muscle, bone and other assortments of tissue that result in these amalgamations that we call people. Good, bad, moral, amoral, black, white. Isn't it all just a bunch of qualifiers? Titles that didn't make any difference? I mean, you should be a good person, you should adhere to what ethics dictate and try to make life pleasant for others around you, right?
Why?
In this lawless world, the opposite is encouraged.
Operating on a mind obsessed with scarcity and value by rarity, if you did such a thing... Then one could argue that being 'good' is worth more. But on every other metric… they lose. By a lot.
I want to see it. What is the justification for sacrificing yourself for others, for altruism? Can I understand it?
Can I not only emulate it by going through the motions, but can I actually feel the flutter of my heartbeat as I aid those around me?
Can I become a human who is worthy to live, by the truest sense of the word?
I want to know.
And I will do anything to find the answer.
"Why did you think it was any different for you and your family? Because you didn't deserve the horrible things done to you? You aren't that naïve, are you?"
"And? What's wrong with that?! What's wrong with wanting the bastards that kept me in a cage for 10 years to leave us alone?! Why do we have to be put through this- this hell for them? Animals, the lot of them… And you… you're no better. I will never… absolutely never… forgive you." She muttered through gritted teeth, a look that might break someone's heart directed at me.
I regarded her coolly. "As much as I hate to admit it. I'm your saviour. Every last one of you." And I truly did hate to admit it. Because even if it was the truth, even if the methods I employed were dirty for the result I intended, I still didn't feel like it. I still didn't feel the weight of their lives. Of the life that had already been snuffed out.
"How could you possibly think that?! Nothing but death follows you, everywhere you go… Do you think he thanks you as a saviour, right now… as we stand before him…?"
"Whether he thanks me or not, it never entered my mind. The important thing… He will thank his and the village's courage in combatting the threat of his home. When they return to celebrate after their victory today, he will be the first the survivors thank. He might never be able to enjoy his life, but the number of people that get to live on because of his sacrifice is significant."
"…"
"You were in despair before. Your only view of salvation completely obscured, until Luffy arrived. The only reason your hopes manifested in Luffy were because I led him here. Led the rest of them here. The townsfolk by themselves would cause no fear in the fishmen. However, with the marines gone, and your crew assisting them. Doesn't the balance shift slightly in your favour?"
"…What? Do you want thanks for this…?"
"You demonise and hate what I've done… But I'm the only reason this town is still standing, untethered by Arlong. I even went to the trouble of thinning the fishman numbers whilst I was at it." The marines were the more important problem in my eyes. Two birds with one stone. Or in this case; two armies one ship.
"There's no point if the town still stands… everyone who lived there, they're about to get massacred by Arlong and his men…"
"That hope certainly died down quickly, didn't it? You and the rest of them." The people of Cocoyashi were hardy and as they should be for enduring this suffering for a decade. But they still wavered when confronted with the truth of war, blood, violence and sacrifice. They weren't battle-hardened warriors or anything of the sort… it was only natural that the romanticised views of freedom and war would turn to mulch at the mere sight of the real thing.
"…"
"Did you not understand what war entailed? War isn't like the storybooks or even witness accounts. War is a cruel beast that takes life all around it."
"And you unleashed that beast upon this village…"
"Indeed. However, through war a period of peace greets the victors."
"…"
"Everlasting peace doesn't exist. Wars were fought for that brief in between period. You thought you could solve this issue without a war. However, when diplomacy fails, violence is revealed as the only option. Did you really think that there were going to be no casualties? Or perhaps you wished only your opposition would be grieving for their fallen? And that they'd deserve every second of it? Maybe, that's true. It doesn't mean that will be the future that takes place."
"But…"
"Or perhaps; do you have a problem with the way he died?"
"…"
"Mounted like a trophy on the wall. Like an animal."
"Tch!"
"No matter how pretty his corpse was, the result is the same in the end. He would no longer be able to respond to your words or live on after your victory today. That hasn't changed. Do you think he would curse the man that killed him more, or less, depending on the grotesqueness of his corpse?"
"…"
"Do you think it makes a difference if Arlong, who is the real cause for all this, dies quickly and painlessly? Or must he be put through a similar experience in death? Or perhaps are you fine if he simply slinks away into the shadows, never for you to see again?"
"Seriously, what is wrong with you?! Why are you asking all of these meaningless questions…?"
"They aren't meaningless. Your village, or rather, you will win today. With minimal casualties. Every step I've taken has already decided it." I guided them here, but they chose these things all by themselves.
"…"
"Don't you think it's rude to expect defeat after a single man falls? Each and every person is fighting for victory and here you sit, averting your eyes, thinking that victory is impossible. They've depended upon you for 10 years, you should see their fight with your own eyes. Both the devastating and beautiful moments. Equally."
"But why… They didn't need to fight… I already asked…"
"Luffy, huh? Don't you think you're being a bit too greedy?"
"…"
"If the steps taken were a bit different, it isn't impossible the person impaled on this wall would be Luffy instead. Would you feel more or less guilt if that were the case?" She froze immediately, apparently picturing the all too possible mental image. Seeing the real thing in front of her must've given her quite the shock, attributing another face to that body was easy enough.
"…" She was likely seeing other faces superimposed on the body in front of her. Her sister. The old man at the plantation. Other random citizens she's known for years. Being so helpless would bring the desperation out of the best of people.
"Even if that were the case, every one of these islanders would need to live with the fact that they allowed someone else to be sacrificed for their life to continue. Like this, everyone is equally contributing, they share the benefits and risks. Isn't that how it should be? Or perhaps you'd rather have the positives and no setbacks? I suppose that would be the best deal for a thief, wouldn't it?"
"…Where are you going with this?" She asked. I settled myself lower to reach towards her ear. I didn't want to provoke anyone that might overhear me at this moment.
"Here's the truth. In the next few hours, probably after this battle is over. The fishmen will lose anyway. Luffy and his crew could be completely wiped out before that, or they could win. At the very least, they will damage Arlong and his crew. The majority will lose. And after, the navy will arrive, finding an exhausted Arlong and his crew, at the very least you will all be free for a time. He might escape or be arrested by the navy and that should be the end of your problem, for now."
"…but what if he… returns?"
"Well, we should just make that impossible. No?"
"But how do you…"
"The one that should draw the curtain on this period of pain, grief and despair. It should only be the one that experienced the brunt of it."
"…"
"When the time comes. Will you be ready?"
"…"
"Or will you leave a chance, no matter how slim, for your people to be overrun and kept in a cage once more?"
"…No. It doesn't matter what… anything's better than that." She replied steadily.
"Leave everything to me. All you need to do is be ready."
"But… I can't watch…"
"They've proven themselves. Take my words to heart. Not a single other member of your family will die here." I didn't make concessions for anyone else. After all, I still risked something by getting involved, no matter how small.
"It wasn't long… but we travelled together. Ate food off of the same table. How…? Just… how can you… be so ready to sacrifice them all?"
"What are you talking about? Weren't you ready to do the same?"
"But…" She might've made that decision, even spoken it out loud… But Nami, couldn't. Even if she really wanted to. That feeling. I desired it. My curiosity regarding it grew unbounded.
"Even if your feelings are conflicted you should keep in mind what your goals are; Survival of your friends and family. Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, the chef and those two bounty hunters. They don't matter on the course to that goal."
"…" She looked horrified for a moment. Her face pointed back in my direction as if to swiftly make a rebuttal. In response I averted my eyes back to the wall, where she would no doubt follow.
"It is impossible to protect everyone and everything. At a certain point you need to realise these people have their own autonomy, if they want to survive and reach their own goals they shouldn't depend on other people."
"…"
"But if that's what you wish for; then you should just make it happen."
"How the hell… I can't do that kind of thing…" Even the weak could fight. I wouldn't allow someone to give up before they even step on the podium.
"Do you trust them?"
"…What kind of question is that? I barely know them."
"All the same, with that hat atop your head. Can you really say that you don't?"
"…No."
"Then leave your hopes with them. Pray, or think, or even wish that they all defeat Arlong and his men. The navy will be unnecessary, and your village will be free without any more bloodshed."
"…"
"All you need to be prepared for after… is pulling the curtains to a close on this mess."
"…Hold on. Just one question."
"Hm?"
"Why are you doing all of this?" With the living villagers in her mind, it seemed her resolution had been renewed somewhat. She didn't have the time to be moping right now.
"I don't mind answering. But are you sure this is what you should be occupying yourself with at this moment? The clock is ticking." I looked over once again to the skirmish of fishmen and humans a ways away.
She stood, her fist trembling slightly as she looked towards the undergoing battles. "…And Ayanokouji…"
"What is it?"
"I won't thank you." I didn't do it with such a response in mind.
"I won't apologise either." For this… or what's to come.
A sudden voice gripped our attention.
"Roronoa Zoro! Catch!" The same old man with the strange pinwheel hat ran from the ensuing skirmish and threw two swords towards the green-haired swordsman. He reached out with a look of shock on his face, shouting immediately to warn the older man.
"Oi, behind-!" A sword shined brightly, the flames and smouldering ash of the collapsing ship reflecting off the glinting blade. Soon enough the arc would finish and another of the islanders would fall.
"Genzo!" The familiar voice of a certain tattooed sister came to mind. I suppose she didn't want to miss the day that would become an anniversary of this island's independence from Arlong.
This was a day that would become history for them.
How did that make me feel?
I hoped by the end of it, I could come to a resolute answer for that question.
For now, the only thing I could do was follow through on the one promise I had made.
"I think it was like this…"
"RAAAGH!" Before the fishman could finish his swing, I stood between them.
Legs slightly spread into horse stance, retracting my fist across my midsection and letting it fly directly into the fishman before me. Punching what felt like a hole not just through the target before me, but also through the large pagoda that stood in the centre of Arlong Park.
"What was it again… Thousand fists made of brick? Brick fist one thousand?"
I still didn't understand the meaning for calling attack names… just a vague feeling that it was a bit foolish for me to do such a thing.
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Word count: 4450
Had a bit of trouble with some decisions and also wanted to bring all the chapters at once. Sorry about that. Another two for this series should drop in a day or two.
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Until next time.