Canon Fodder

CHAPTER 25 TWO PLACES AT ONCE

We ran around the deck of Baratie to our own ship. Half-way there we were stopped by Usopp and Zoro. 

“What was that?” Usopp asked. Fear clear in his voice. 

“That giant ship was cut in two,” I said. “By a single sword slash.”

Zoro gripped his sword handles. “Any idea who did it?”

I looked behind us. The figure was there. Slowly heading toward Baratie. “Him,” I said. “Hawk Eyes Mihawk.”

“Finally,” Zoro said. He began to walk toward the man. 

“Zoro, what are you doing!?” Usopp asked. “We should be running away from whatever happened there.”

“You have your goals, I have my own,” Zoro said. His eyes sparkling. I could almost feel the excitement from him. I too was looking forward to one of the single greatest fights in the history of the manga. It only lasted a comic or 2. Which helped cement the importance of it. But it also showed the badass attitude of the 3-sword style fighter. 

“We can’t be playing around with this, our ship is gone,” Usopp said. 

“What?” Luffy and I exclaimed. 

“It’s gone. Someone took it,” Usopp said. “We were coming to find you when we heard that happen.” He pointed at the ship and the Dracula villain moving toward us. 

“Who took it?” Luffy asked. 

“No idea.”

“Where’s Nami?” I asked. Remembering who took the ship. 

“I-I don’t know,” Usopp said. 

“Fuck,” I blurted. Gathering chakra I expelled it out and a shadow clone was made. “I’m going after the ship. My clone will stay here to watch-help out.”

“How are you going to go after the ship?” Usopp asked. I jumped over the railing landing on the water. Chakra kept me upright. “I’m a ninja, remember.”

“So cool, I want to walk on water,” Luffy said. I ran away. Hoping my clone could stay alive long enough to at least watch the Zoro and Mihawk fight I could at least see a memory of it. 

When I was a few hundred yards away I remembered I didn’t know where the hell I was. I ran to the Baratie information kiosk and they told me where Arlong was known to frequent. I ran in the general direction as I heard Zoro yell out a challenge. It was hard not to turn and watch, but I didn’t know how much of a headstart Nami had.  

I didn’t see anything at first. Simply running as fast as I could on the water. I couldn’t help but get invested in the drama. I had hoped Nami wouldn’t make the same choice. But she had. I wasn’t sure what I could say to make her believe but I wanted to try. 

Eventually the ship came into view. Speeding up it took me 2 hours of running to reach it. When I did I was actually winded. Climbing up the ship I walked up the stairs to the second level where the helm was. 

Nami stood at it. Tears in her eyes as she steered the ship. She had been crying a while and some of my anger deflated. But not all. 

“I had to do a lot of running to catch you,” I said, acting like I was more out of breath than I was. She jumped, locking eyes with me as I walked closer. 

“What are you doing here?” She asked. Fear in her voice. 

“What are you doing here?” I retorted. “I don’t see the captain or the rest of the crew.”

“He’s not my-“

“He is, Nami,” I said. “He is your captain. Just as much as he is mine. Just because you’re fighting it doesn’t make it any less true.”

“I am not a pirate!” She yelled angrily. Wiping more tears away. I stopped a few paces from her. 

“And Luffy is?” I asked. “I know you’ve had bad experiences with pirates, but Luffy is different. I know it’s like saying a good vampire. But Luffy is a good pirate. And his crew is too.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Nami mumbled. “I have to get back. My people can finally be free from-“

“Arlong?” I asked. “You actually believe that saw-toothed fish?” She rocked back a little as if struck. “You really believe he will honor the agreement after you collect what? 100,000,000 berries?”

“How do you know about that?” She asked. “You said you lost your memory.”

“I know…things…about the people around me. One of my ninja powers,” I said quickly. 

“Prove it,” she said. 

“How?” I asked. 

“I don’t know. Prove that you know what I’ve gone through. What pirates put me through.”

I frowned but nodded. “If I do. I want you to swear to secrecy,” I said. “No telling anyone.”

“If you can prove it enough to make me believe you, fine,” she said. 

“Okay,” I said. “Simply look at my necklace.” I raised the Chikyugi heart necklace. She glanced down at it and we were on a battlefield. It wasn’t a normal battlefield but a cartoon version. 

“Where are we?” Nami asked, fearful.

“Your mind. I’m simply making us see this,” I said. 

“Can-can you read my mind?”

“No,” I said. “This is simply me using my ninja powers to make you believe we are here.”

“Why does it look like it’s all a drawing?” She asked. 

Because I’m making it up from memory of the show about your life, I thought to myself. “Because that’s how it works,” I said. “watch.” I pointed to a marine running toward us. She had a gun and cherry red hair. 

As she ran, the fires around her kept burning. Rubble and destroyed homes all around us it was a bloody fight, and she was the only one around. “That’s-“ Nami said, tears in her eyes. 

“Your adoptive mom, yes,” I said. The woman stumbled but heard crying babies. Running to them Nami and I followed to see her finding Nami and her sister. Orphaned when Nami was a newborn. 

“How is this possible?” Nami asked. 

“Ninja ways are mysterious. I’m sworn to secrecy,” I said. “This is when you were found by your adoptive mom. Or a close representation of it.” The scenery changed to her adoptive mother being killed by Arlong. Nami cried out in anguish. 

Dropping to her knees she couldn’t watch it. “Why are you showing me this?”

“Because you asked me to show you what I know. I know that woman raised you like her own. I know you regret telling her you weren’t a real family. This was the moment she proved to you that you were. And Arlong took her away from you.” She began to sob. 

“I know he’s scary. I know you’ve been through a lot. Stealing from everyone. Making enemies everywhere. But this here. This ship we are currently on is an opportunity. We can fight back against him. Beat Arlong for good. And no one else will have to suffer,” I said. 

“What about the marines?” She asked. “They’ll let him go.”

“No, they won’t,” I said. I couldn’t remember why but I was pretty sure they double crossed Arlong. “And if they do. I’ll just kill Arlong myself.”

“You really think you can?” She asked. Teary eyes locking with my own. 

I released her from the Genjutsu. I held a knife at her throat. A simple butter knife, but still a knife. “He would be just as susceptible to this illusion. I guarantee I can end him.” Dropping my arm I kept my eyes locked with hers. “Trust me Nami. Trust Zoro and Usopp. But most of all. Trust Luffy. He can beat Arlong. And no matter what, I’ll ensure he doesn’t bother anyone else again.”

Her chin scrunched up fighting back her sobs. Her tears flowing I couldn’t think of anything else to do but draw her in for a hug. She was rigid at first but slowly she grabbed onto me. 

Her arms pulling at the back of my shirt she wailed as she released some of the guards she had put up. Her whole body shaking, I rubbed her back and whispered to her. “It will be alright. We would work together. You won’t have to be scared anymore.” It took time. And by the time she had finished crying I already had the ship turned around. 

“I’m trusting you,” she said. “If you betray me… I don’t know. But I won’t be happy.”

I nodded. “If I’m wrong then I’ll steal 200 million berries for you,” I said. 

She chuckled. “Good luck with that,” she said. “It’s taken me forever to get the money I do have.”

“Yep, but you’re just a cat burglar. A cat burglar and a ninja? I think we could do some interesting heists,” I said. 

She chewed her lip. “Can you read everyone’s minds? Their backstories?”

“Just the crew,” I said. “I didn’t share yours with anyone. Don’t expect me to share theirs. You’ll have to find out the old fashioned way.”

She nodded. Standing up she moved to the helm. “We are off course,” she said. Coughing as she took it back. She moved the helm a few degrees. I nodded and jumped over to the side rail. Sitting on it we sailed back in silence to Baratie. 

When we got there it was complete pandemonium. My clone was fighting the rest of Don Krieg’s crew with Usopp and Sanji. The clone was lucky that the pirates were too slow to actually hit him. They had done a good job keeping the crew at bay as Luffy fought Don Krieg. 

“They need help. I’m trusting you to not run again,” I said. Jumping off the ship I didn’t give her a chance to answer. When I got close I signaled for my clone to stay as I went to Baratie. 

“What did I miss?” I asked Zeff. 

“Uhh nothing. You’re over…there,” he said pointing at my clone. 

“Thats an illusion,” I explained. 

“Oookay then. Um your swordsman buddy got pretty beat up.” Zeff pointed to Zoro unconscious on deck. There were people still crowded around him. “We stopped the bleeding and got him a blood transfusion but he’s out of it. Sanji fed the Kriegs men. Then they attacked us trying to get the Baratie.”

“Sounds about right.” I nodded and jumped back onto the water. Releasing my clone I joined Sanji in beating up the crew trying to shoot at Luffy. 

By that point it was a foregone conclusion. Kreig kept pulling out weapon after weapon. An exploding spear, flamethrower and all that. Luffy would use his rubber powers to throw his arms way back then pull them to him to hit his foe. Hitting Kreig with way more strength than he could handle. 

At the end Kreig pulled out a net and entrapped Luffy. Luffy simply twisted his legs around and grabbed Kreig with them. Untwisting the legs Krieg went flying into the wreckage and was knocked out.

Luffy fell toward the sea while wrapped up in the net but I ran over and grabbed him before he sank too far into the water. “Good fight, captain,” I said. Luffy was bloodied but conscious. 

“Who cares about that?” Luffy asked excitedly. “Teach me to walk on water.”

“You’re an anchor, Luffy. There’s no way you can learn,” I said. 

“No fair. Will you at least try?”

“Of course. If the captain is asking, I need to at least try,” I said. Luffy chuckled and passed out. A smile still on his face as I dropped him on the deck of the Baratie. 

“Luffy is going to be really hungry when he wakes up,” I told Sanji. “We could use some help to make sure he doesn’t eat us out of house and home.”

“Yeah yeah,” Sanji said. “I’ll see what I can whip up.”

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