Chapter 76

76

As they ate dinner, they also spoke about things. Even though with the exception of Luffy and Nami everyone had dinner, but Sanji's cooking skills can even make a full stomached person hungry. His skills were too fierce!

As they ate dinner, Nami also introduced the rest of the crew. She also explained to her sister that Luffy and the crew will take care of everything. And it actually made Nojiko break out in tears, even giving Luffy a wild hug and kiss to the cheek.

Sanji was at first angry that Luffy made her cry, but then he quickly became jealous and started crying himself when Nojiko kissed him. Poor cook has no game.

Another one who also surprisingly became jealous was Nami… she didn't know why though. And no one seemed to notice it.

Nojiko and Nami talked about their adoptive mother Belimere, Nami's dream to draw a map of the world, the arrival of Arlong, Belimere's death, and Nami's deal with the fishmen to buy back her village.

By the end of the story Coby, Usopp, and Sanji were crying with the latter rambling about how Nami was just as brave as she was beautiful.

Zoro and Gin were silent, the former because that's just who he was and the latter because he'd seen and heard worse. That didn't mean he didn't sympathize, but shit happened.

"We have to help her!" Coby reaffirmed now that he knew the whole story. "Those fishmen… they are monsters."

"Not all fishman." Luffy who didn't speak for the whole time finally spoke. "Well, there's another story as to why Arlong might have ended up that way…"

All of the heads moved towards the straw hat boy. "I'm won't try to justify the acts of Arlong or any of that… but the fishmen in general aren't treated that well in the grandline."

With that Luffy started his own tale. Of how the Fishman were discriminated against, and how their island was constantly under threat before Whitebeard took over the island. How the celestial dragons hunted Mermaids for their own amusement and auctioned them at Sabaody Archipelago.

"That's horrible," Coby added. "But didn't any Fishman stand against that…"

Luffy nodded, "Oh they did. And one man stood out amongs them. His name was Fisher Tiger." He said, "As far as sources tell me, Arlong was with Fisher Tiger's crew, the Sun Pirates. Though my info may be wrong. Take all my info with a grain of salt, I don't know if my info is hundred percent correct or not. It was mostly gathered from rumors." Luffy added the last part because this world was a bit different from the One Piece world he knew. So things might be changed a bit.

Nami's eyes widened in realization, the mark that Fishman had was that of the sun. Luffy looked at her and added the part. "You see Fisher Tiger was originally a slave for the world nobles and had a slave mark put on him… their sun mark might be originally ment to hide that. But who knows…"

Nami looked at her own tattoo… her fist balled up. Was she a slave to Arlong. Luffy didn't speak anything, so he continued…

"Fisher Tiger was great man. Or a great fishman." Luffy said, "He was all about freedom, so much so that… he led an attack on so-called Holy Land of the World Nobles, freeing a lot slaves in the process."

"Wait, someone actually attacked Mary Geoise?" Sanji said a bit surprised. He actually knew about the Fishman discrimination, but this was new.

The straw hat boy nodded. "Yup, but they keep the incident under wrap." Luffy said, "They don't want to give pirates or revolutionaries any ideas of doing the same."

"But if Fisher Tiger is so good… then how did Arlong become like that?" Nojiko was the one who asked this question.

"Well, Arlong might have been a bad apple. How World Nobles represents the worst of humanity, think of Arlong as the worst of Fishman… not all Fishman are the same same as human."

Nami and Nojiko were finding it hard to believe, but Nami trusted Luffy, and Nojiko didn't voice her opinion. Both the girls still remembered how Arlong killed their mother in cold blood. But then again, not all Fishman treated them badly, Nami remembered a six-armed Fishman that was quite gullible and even tried to save her from Arlong's wrath most of the time.

"Anyway, the story goes that one of the slaves that Fisher Tiger saved was a small girl that needed help getting to his home. The Fishman saw it as an opportunity to help the poor human girl and went there with his crew, but the marines had already put a trap there… and Fisher Tiger was killed and Arlong and the rest were captured. But not that their death mattered, of course, his death was in vain."

"Fisher Tiger didn't die in vain. He died while trying to protect us. You, humans, killed him." Hatchan said slamming the door open with fuming rage.

"Hatchan?" Nami shrieked. The rest of the people inside all stood on guard, except a few. Luffy on the other hand was mildly surprised, so Fisher Tiger didn't die because of blood loss, but while fighting. So this was the change here, huh.

"Well, I take it back. Fisher Tiger was a great warrior. And his death was grand, and someone did succeed in his will… sadly it's not you Fishman." Luffy said smirking, standing up from his seat, and walking towards the mad Fishman. "Do you know what the girl that you saved back then did? What was her name again… oh Koala. Did you know she's with the revolutionary trying to take down the world government that killed once enslaved and his savior Fisher Tiger? His will for freedom lives on with her. Not Arlong or your crew… Even Jinbei is trying to make things normalize between man and Fishman. But you guys… you guys are fucking disappointment."

"What would you know…" Hatchan growled at the man.

"Acting all high and might, saying that you are better than the rest, what Arlong is doing is almost similar to the world nobles that he hated most. You guys are making a mockery of Fisher Tiger and his ideals. Don't even try to lie." Luffy said, snorting. "You guys are a bunch of disappointment."

"Arlong isn't like…" Hatchan wanted to protest, but what Luffy said was on point. What they were doing was wrong, even now Arlong is trying to hide his deeds from Jinbe. Because he would stop him.

"Isn't like what? Didn't Fisher Tiger want to end the cycle of hatred?" Luffy said crossing his arms. "I don't have anything against your kind, in actuality, I want Zinbe on my crew in near future. I'm all up for freedom, but what you are doing here is just wrong… don't even try to justify Arlong's actions. You guys killed Nami's mother, don't expect mercy from me tomorrow, because it will be a slaughter." With that Luffy released his Haki.

Catching the fishman's breath, as he fell on his ass. It was as if death was looming over him. He was terrified of the smaller man.

Luffy didn't want to harm the Hatchan. He was better than the rest of the crew. But that didn't mean he wouldn't hesitate to kill him if needed. Luffy knew it wasn't morally right, and he wouldn't justify it. His first priority was his own crew, over the rest. Before he came here, all of them were just animated characters, now they were real… and he would act in a way that's better for him and his crew.

"Go tell Arlong… Tomorrow will be war," Luffy said coldly, as he crouched down. "A war between my crew and his. I don't know about you, but I advise you to run away, if you don't want to get killed." With that Luffy kicked the Fishman on the chest as he was sent flying out, breaking the door wall and into the ocean which was quite far from the house.

Luffy moved around, "Sorry about your wall there." He said sheepishly.

.

Hatchan drafted into the sea, as a Fishman he was not afraid of drowning but that kick there might have broken a few ribs there.

That strawhat boy was strong… and he was able to use that. Conquer's Haki… he only had seen Fisher Tiger use that. The boy was no ordinary opponent. He had to warn Arlong.

But thinking of Arlong, what they were doing… was it wrong… It was a stupid question. Of course, it was. They hated human for what they did, but even Fisher Tiger didn't want that… he wanted to end the cycle of hatred. But here they were, enslaving humans.

There was a reason why Arlong was trying to hide it from Jinbe. The warlord would stop it if he found out.

Hatchan knew they were in the wrong, but his rage over Fisher Tiger's death blinded him. Not only him, but the rest of Arlong's crew as well. But in their hatred… they became the same monsters that Fisher Tiger was fighting against.

The six-armed Fishman clenched his fist. His eyes shed a tear for his former captain… and the rage and shame he was feeling right now.

For now, he didn't know what was right or wrong anymore. He decided to warn Arlong. The straw hat boy was strong, they need to retreat. Or they will get killed.

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Random Stuff not related to the story: 

Luffy found himself on the execution platform, his hands tied with two executioners by his side. It was his execution, and yet he had a smile on his face. Someone from the crowd asked the second pirate king where the treasure was.

"You want my treasure?" Luffy grinned, "You can gave it. Only Zoro knows where it is, find him!" 

And thus began the great detective era.

The end!