Chapter 5: Chapter 5
As Jack predicted, not much time passed before Nami showed up. Judging by the park's silence, the fishmen were gone—probably collecting protection money from the villagers.
Glancing at him and Zoro in turn, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"You guys are still alive. I'm glad."
"I take it the Arlong pirates aren't known for their good treatment of prisoners?"
Unsheathing a knife from her waist, Nami nodded, walking briskly toward Jack.
"That goes without saying. But we don't have time to chat. They'll be back soon, so you two need to get out of here while you still can-…"
When she was about to cut the bonds tying his wrists and hands, Jack shook his head.
"Don't bother. Even if you cut my ropes, I won't go anywhere."
Nami tightened her grip on the knife, looking like she wanted to stab him with it.
"Haven't you realized it yet? You might've taken out captain Kuro with one punch, but these guys are in a different league! You'll end up dying for nothing!"
Jack shrugged.
"What's the point in me leaving? It won't be long before the other three show up. You think they won't rush here immediately to rescue you?"
His words caused Nami gasp, her eyes turning slightly red. Looking away from them, she covered her face with one hand.
Jack and Zoro exchanged glances.
"…well, I'm not as lazy as this guy, so you might as well help me get out of here. I'll turn Arlong into sashimi before Luffy shows up with that shitty cook."
"Fine! I don't even care anymore! Just do what you want!"
Her expression suddenly turning angry, Nami stormed toward Zoro before cutting him loose.
She returned to the threshold, her feet lingering. It was only a second before she shook off her hesitation, leaving the two of them behind.
Zoro stood, going over to the door and collecting his swords where she deposited them.
"You not interested in fighting this Arlong guy?"
Jack shook his head.
"Are you kidding? One of his goons took me out in one blow. I wouldn't stand a chance."
"Huh. I was just curious, seeing you got no blood or bruises on you."
"…maybe they couldn't bare to damage this pretty face."
Zoro snorted, glancing over his shoulder.
"You're one suspicious guy."
"I'd prefer you use the word 'mysterious'."
Zoro's reply was a silent wave. Soon, he'd disappeared down the long stone hallway, leaving Jack to wait by himself.
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It was a few hours before Jack heard a ruckus outside - the sound of people yelling, buildings smashing and general violence. Taking his cue, he stood, flexing his muscles against the rope. It held for a moment before coming apart with a snap.
Freed, he casually strolled toward the exit.
Standing outside Arlong Park's main building, he was met with the sight of a dozen fishmen, sprawled over the concrete. Blood flowed from split lips and broken noses, their faces already swelling with bruises.
Luffy, Sanji, Zoro and Usopp stood a few yards away, looming over Arlong's prone figure.
"Jeez, running in alone like that…"
"Don't worry, I aint gonna lose!"
Sanji sighed, gesturing at Luffy with his cigarette.
"Dumbass, when did I say I was worried for you? I mean don't hog all the glory to yourself."
Behind them, Usopp tried his best to keep his legs from shivering.
"I d-don't particularly m-mind either way, Luffy."
"Aren't you gutsy…? Oh, there you are Jack."
Resting one boot on the head of a fallen fishman, Zoro glanced toward the entrance, noticing Jack.
Under their collective gazes, he slowly walked out from the shade. He turned his head toward Sanji.
"Ah, you're that waiter from that restaurant! Couldn't make it in customer service so you decided to become a pirate, eh?"
His words caused Sanji to twitch, nearly singing his own fingers.
"And you're that childlike bastard who doesn't eat vegetables! Also, I'm not a damn waiter-…!"
Before the two of them could get very far with their quarrel, exclamations broke out among the fishmen. An octopus-looking guy balled his many fists, pointing his snout-like mouth toward the open ocean.
"You idiots. As if Arlong would fight the likes of you. I'll turn you all into fish food! Come out, Momo!"
A loud trumpeting sound ensued, followed by a tremendous shape rising from the ocean. Soon, a strange cow-like sea monster loomed over them, looking somewhat the worse for wear.
Luffy furrowed his eyebrows, getting into a sumo stance.
"Leave it to me. They're just a bunch of time-wasters-..!"
Lifting one leg, he was about to slam it into the ground when Jack grabbed his arm, hurling him directly at Arlong.
"You're the time-waster here, captain. Just beat that guy up already!"
Both Luffy and Arlong barely had time to widen their eyes before their heads slammed into each other, the collision sending gravel and dust into the air.
"…"
The rest of the straw hats turned their heads, looking at Jack strangely.
Ignoring them, he put his hands behind his head, walking toward a lawn chair. He lied down and closed his eyes, basking in the sun.
"Ah, that move really took a lot out of me. Since I did my part, I'll let you guys handle the rest."
"You didn't do anything!"
"As if I'll take orders from you!"
"Oi Jack, don't you understand the concept of friendly fire?"
After easily dispatching the sea beast Momo, Sanji, Usopp and Zoro were beset by a group of three fishmen. With Luffy and Arlong in the mix, it was long before the park devolved into a state of chaotic fighting.
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Having dragged his chair closer to the exit to avoid collateral damage, Jack reclined in a spot not too far from the gathered villagers. He noticed immediately when a pair of footsteps approached from outside. He didn't need to look to know who it was.
"There you are, Nami."
Stopping at the edge of the compound, she observed the Straw-Hats' sorry state. Everyone aside from Arlong was down, the big fishman looming over their bloodied figures.
"Oh no…!"
Jack nodded.
"They're looking pretty pathetic. If they took the fight more seriously from the beginning, things wouldn't have ended up like this."
Nami's gaze lingered there before suddenly whirled around, grabbing Jack by the hem of his shirt. She forced him to look at her.
"Why are you acting like this has nothing to do with you? Aren't they your friends?!"
"Shahahaha-…!"
Before Jack had a chance to reply, Arlong burst into laughter, staring at them with murder in his eyes.
"Nami, shouldn't you know by now it's impossible for inferior humans to kill me? Even if your friend got involved, he'd only die uselessly."
Extending a finger, Arlong pointed at her.
"But as you know, I'm an understanding guy. I don't want to hurt a promising young woman like you. If you agree to continue being my cartographer out of your own will, I'll even spare the lives of these pathetic villagers…"
He stepped hard on Sanji's leg, eliciting a groan of pain from the cook.
"…but not these guys. They pissed me off too much. So, who will you side with? Me and your fellow villagers, or these weaklings who decided to fight me?"
"…"
"You rotten monster, you're still forcing Nami either way!"
"Yeah, being the crew-mate of you and your evil gang isn't a life worth living!"
"Nami, ignore this bastard! Don't forget, we're here for you!"
The villagers' supportive shouts struck her to her core, tears starting to roll down her cheeks.
Nami agonized for a long moment before turning toward them, speaking with a trembling voice.
"I'm sorry everyone. Could you please die together with me…?"
Their response was immediate, roaring toward the sky with weapons raised.
"ALRIGHT!"
Seeing this a dozen-or-so yards away, veins stood starkly in the whites of Arlong's eyes. It didn't take a genius to figure out their response had completely enraged him.
With the expression of a madman, he stormed toward the them. He covered the distance in the blink of an eye, muscles bulging and teeth flashing bloodthirstily.
"I'm not done yet-…!"
Suddenly appearing from beneath a pile of rubble, Luffy was still mid-exclamation when an enormous fist caught him under the chin, sending him flying into the main building.
Not losing momentum, Arlong followed through with his punch, aiming directly at Nami's head. There were no signs of holding back, or even a shred of mercy.
"I can't believe I actually have to play the hero. It's like a bad joke."
Having gotten up at some point, Jack shoved Nami with one hand, sending her flying into the crowd of villagers. Giving Arlong no time to react, he shot forward into shoulder-tackle. The impact sent the fishman flying into the compound, smashing through walls and pillars in sequence.
Straightening, Jack patted the dust from his shoulders.
"You guys shouldn't be in such a hurry to die. Just sit tight and let them deal with this. Those three should still have some gas left in the tank."
Being embraced by Nojiko, Nami rubbed her teary eyes. She spoke in a voice of frustration.
"You bastard. If you can fight, why didn't you help them sooner…?"
Jack sighed, producing his pipe from somewhere. Already, an annoyed yell sounded from the compound, followed by stone and wood breaking. He watched as Luffy emerged from the third story, busting a hole through the wall.
"I'm just not in the mood. That's all."
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It went as Jack predicted. With a little help from Sanji, Zoro and Usopp, Luffy managed to take Arlong down. His three lieutenants were likewise felled, scattered across the park with the rest of the henchman.
When it ended, Nami sagged to the ground, the strength leaving her legs.
"They really did it. I can't believe it. Everything is over…."
Jack glanced from her slumped figure to the villagers. Their faces were frozen in shock, staring at Luffy's triumphant figure.
Walking over to Nami, he put his hand on her head.
"Now you need to decide what to do with them."
Emotionally exhausted, she didn't protest. She just looked at Jack with confusion.
He gestured at the fallen fishmen before giving her his hand.
"I only heard a little, but it seems those guys did some horrible things. You and your sister seemed to have suffered the most."
Taking a deep breath, Nami grabbed his arm, letting him pull her up. Using her staff for support, she walked into the courtyard.
Turning his head, Jack looked at Noriko. He took a knife from his waist, stuffing it in her hands.
"What about you, Onee-san? This is your chance to put and end to things."
Contrary to expectations, there was no distress or uneasiness on her face. Looking at the blade, she considered his suggestion quietly. When she followed Nami into the compound, Jack trailed after her.
The three of them stopped at the feet of the octopus-looking fishmen, practically cut to pieces by Zoro. Jack glanced at Nami, seeing her hesitation.
"Though this guy has such a goofy look, I bet he watched Arlong kill a lot of people. I wonder what type of face he made? Did it bother him? Or did he think it was funny?"
Nami's knuckles turned white around her staff, blood dripping from a cut in her palm. Her reaction was an answer in and of itself.
In various states of consciousness, the rest of the Straw-Hats watched silently from the sidelines. Even Luffy had a serious look on his face. The only exception was Sanji. Leaning against a wall, he puffed irritably on his cigarette.
"You bastard, taking the lead when you barely did anything. It makes me want to kick your ass. Well, I guess I'll let it go this time for Nami-chan's sake…"
Ignoring the peanut-gallery, Nojiko put a hand on Nami's shoulder in a sign of support.
Nami rested the butt of her staff against the fishman's neck. A carefully placed blow would be more than enough to snap his spine. She tried taking aim, but as the seconds passed, her trembling grew worse until she could barely hold her weapon.
Eventually, she slumped, her strength leaving her. Her staff clattering to the ground, Nami stuffed her face in Nojiko shoulder. She cried like a little girl.
"Isn't it enough already? I'm so tired of killing. I just don't want anyone to die anymore…"
Jack looked questioningly at the blue-haired woman, but she just shook her head, affectionately stroking Nami's hair.
Barely able to speak, the octopus raised his head, looking up at them with tears in his eyes.
"W-we'll leave. You don't have to w-worry about us. We won't come back…"
Seeing the two girls had no intention of replying, Jack shifted his gaze from the fishman to Luffy.
"In that case, it's your decision, captain."
Luffy looked from one fishman to the next. Those that had regained consciousness didn't say anything, simply waiting silently for his judgement.
Eventually, Luffy put one hand on his hat, strolling toward the villagers. Letting out a long sigh, he rubbed his stomach.
"Man, I sure am hungry. Hey, do you guys have any food?"
"…"
The Straw-Hats exchanged glances quietly. Zoro was the first to stand, blood dripping down his chest.
"I guess it's settled then. But I'm feeling a little lightheaded. I think I'll take a nap somewhere in the shade…"
"Go see a doctor, Moss Head. It wouldn't bother me if you died, but Nami-chan might be sad. Ah, she's so kind~…"
"Hey Jack, did you see how many guys I, the great captain Usopp, defeated? Even though I could, I didn't need to call in my eight-thousand subordinates…"
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