"Damn it… just when I thought things would go my way…" Leo muttered, gripping the controls of the Shark Jet-Ski as it cut across the calm sea.
(A/N: Skiff name changed from Shark Sub-Ski to Shark Jet-Ski)
Leo sat at the front, driving, while Sanji sat behind him. Luffy, meanwhile, was tied securely to the fin above with rope, his rubbery body stretched and dangled in the air, purely to prevent him from wrecking the Jet-Ski like last time or as a revenge only Leo knew.
Leo still hadn't gotten over that incident when Luffy had almost destroyed his Skiff and killed both of them, and now his navigator had run off with his Devil Fruit worth over a hundred million. The irritation sat heavy in his heart.
"Gulllluuugghhh— Pleas...!"
Luffy's voice broke through the wind as the Skiff burst back to the surface, soon he coughed up seawater, completely drained of his strength.
Leo's lips curled into a mischievous grin.
"Ahahaha… let's dive again." Without hesitation, he angled the Skiff downward, plunging it beneath the waves again.
"Hey, that's enough," Sanji snapped, grabbing Leo's arm to stop him. "you're going too far—"
"That idiot captain of yours is going to drag you into a mess worse than this," Leo shot back, not even looking at him. "Might as well enjoy the ride while you can."
They dove deep nearly hundred meters before shooting back up again. Leo repeated the process over and over, each plunge and rise rougher than the last, until he finally seemed satisfied.
Only then did he steady the jet-ski and set course toward Conomi Island, where Cocoyasi Village lay.
Behind him, Sanji had already drifted off into his usual daydreams about their beautiful navigator, while Luffy lay limp and tied over the fin, completely exhausted, looking like he had sworn off ever boarding this thing again.
Unaware of what awaited them ahead, they sped toward the village.
Beneath the water, a large sea cow, one of Arlong's subordinates blinked lazily at the strange silhouette gliding above. The shape of a shark… yet not quite right.
'Weird-looking thing… must be a new fish...'
Deciding it wasn't worth the effort, it went back to sleep, already full from its last meal.
As the shoreline drew closer, another odd sight came into view, a large humanoid octopus carrying a massive brown drum across his back.
He paused, noticing the unusual "shark" floating above the surface. From where he stood, the glass of the jet-ski made it impossible to see clearly inside, but the shape alone was enough to catch his attention.
He waved enthusiastically.
"Hey there, beautiful!" he called out, completely misreading the situation. "I'm Hachi the octopus! Haven't seen you around these waters before… what's your name?"
The strange "shark" didn't respond and sped ahead.
Hachi tilted his head, squinting.
"Huh… maybe she's shy… or hungry?" he muttered to himself, eyeing the unconscious human tied to its fin. "That poor guy might be in trouble…"
Leo didn't spare him more than a glance. Whoever or whatever that was didn't matter right now, he must reach the island before someone ate his devil fruit.
"I've never seen a fishman before… are they all this stupid?" Leo muttered, glancing back briefly toward retreating Hachi who mistook him for a fish.
Sanji gave a small shrug. "Looks like it." A second later, something clicked in his head.
"Wait… if there are fishmen here, that means there could be mermaids too!" His eyes lit up instantly. "Leo, full speed ahead!"
'So this is the crew Luffy ended up with…'
The swordsman was skilled no doubt about that but completely Suicidal.
The sniper… Leo almost sighed just thinking about him. A coward to the core, he'd seen children with more spine back in his village.
The navigator had already proven herself by robbing her own crew without hesitation.
'And this cook…'
Leo glanced back at Sanji, who was still grinning at the mere thought of mermaids.
'…a hopeless romantic, distracted the moment a woman appeared in front of him.'
'And their captain?'
Leo's eyes shifted to the back. Luffy was still sprawled over the fin, half-dried by the sun, completely passed out.
'Unbelievable.'
Soon, Leo steered the Shark Jet-Ski toward a secluded stretch near the jungle and brought it to a stop. The three of them disembarked onto the island.
Sanji grabbed a bottle and splashed fresh water onto Luffy's face. The moment his consciousness returned, Luffy bolted toward the shore, dropping to his knees as he started throwing up everything in his stomach.
"What are you planning to do now?" Sanji asked but Leo didn't reply and disappeared into the forest.
***
A few hours earlier…
"Hey, it's Nami. Open the door."
At the call, the massive gates of Arlong Park creaked open, allowing the orange-haired girl to walk inside.
Behind her, a bruised kid lay sprawled on the ground another fool who had come alone, chasing revenge for his father's death.
"Ah, Nami… my precious navigator," Arlong called lazily, stretched out on his chair. "How have you been?"
Nami didn't return the greeting. "Arlong… do you remember our deal?"
Her voice was serious, though a faint smile lingered in her heart.
'Bell-mère… after today, we'll finally be free,' she thought, with hope radiating in her eyes.
Arlong's eyes narrowed slightly. "Why ask that all of a sudden?"
"We agreed that if I gathered a hundred million berries, you'd free the village," she said, stepping forward. "I don't have the full amount yet… but I brought something worth just as much." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, strange-looking fruit.
"You're from the Grand Line. You must know what this is," Nami continued, holding it up. "A Zoan-type Devil Fruit. It can turn its user into a bear, not some useless ability. It's easily worth more than a hundred million berries. Take it… and consider our debt paid."
A murmur spread through the present fishmen as all eyes shifted to Arlong.
"I see…" he said slowly, a grin creeping onto his face. "So the time has finally come." Something in his tone made Nami's chest tighten.
"Of course, I'm a fishman of my word," he went on. "But there's a small problem." Her grip tightened slightly around the fruit.
"It's valuable, yes but only in the Grand Line," Arlong continued casually. "We'd have to send someone out, find a buyer… It will be quite the hassle. So while it might be worth a hundred million, factoring the effort…" He shrugged. "Let's say I will buy it for seventy-five million berries."
Silence fell as Arlong started negotiating with the girl.
"You'll need to make up the remaining twenty-five million yourself," he added.
"And naturally, we can't free your village until we've sold it. If you don't like that… you're free to sell it on your own." His smile widened revealing his sharp teeths.
"Though I wonder how long a helpless girl carrying a Devil Fruit would last once word spreads across the sea." The meaning behind his words was clear.
Nami bit back the anger and countered.
"…Fine," she said after a moment. "But the fruit counts for eighty-five million berries. I'll bring the remaining fifteen million berries myself. In return, you'll free the village within fifteen days, whether you've sold it or not." Arlong studied her for a long second, then chuckled.
"Oh, Nami… always thinking a step ahead." After a pause, he nodded.
"Alright. I agree." He took the fruit from her hand.
"I'll be back," Nami said quickly, relief breaking through as she turned and ran, already thinking of the treasure she had hidden back home and the moment she could finally break the news to the rest of the villagers.
In all her excitement, she didn't notice a cold glint in Arlong's eyes and the long nosed boy hiding behind Arlong Parks gates listening everything.
"Call that Crippled captain, Nezumi from marines," Arlong said the moment she was gone. "Send him to her place first. I want every last treasure she's been hiding." Chew, one of the fishmen, stepped forward, taking the fruit.
"We'll tell her the Marines raided us and took everything along with that devil fruit," Arlong continued with a laugh. "Blame it on her that she attracted the marines here. And this time… she has to collect two hundred million berries instead, if she ever wants to become free."
"Hahahaha—!" The laughter echoed through the park.
Hachi hesitated, before stepping forward. "But Arlong… What about our promise? This isn't how the Sun Pirates—"
"Shut up, Hachi," Arlong snapped. "Keep your morals to yourself. We're dealing with treacherous humans here."
Hachi fell silent, stepping back as he glanced toward the direction Nami had left.
***
"Hey, long nose… you ran off with Zoro earlier, didn't you?" Leo's voice came from above. He crouched on a thick tree branch, looking down at the boy sprinting below.
"Where's your navigator Nami?"
Usopp skidded to a halt, breathing hard, sweat dripping down his face as he looked up. "Leo… Is Luffy here? We need to—"
"Where is Nami?" Leo cut him off again.
The shift in his tone made Usopp pause. His expression changed as the pieced everything together—Leo had come all the way here, tracking her which meant she had stolen devil fruit from him.
And if that was the case, then the situation had already gone far worse than expected.
The Devil Fruit was already in Arlong's hands.
Usopp had heard Arlong's plan, hiding behind Arlong park's gate. The trap set by those dirty fishmans.
He had been running to warn her before things spiraled out of control… and now Leo stood in his way.
Soon a sly smile appeared on his face—something Leo immediately picked up, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"I know where Nami is," Usopp said, turning on his heel. "But we need to hurry. Trouble's already catching up to her." Without waiting, he took off again.
'…What are you planning Usopp?' Then he moved along dropping from the branch and following him.