Electric Blue Chapter 2, an one piece fanfic

Warning: Rated M for character deaths and future gory scenes

A/N: Ugh... Yeah idk man. DOn't expect anything regular... It just kind of happened.

I'm sorry...

Chapter 2: Misery

The suffering had begun and Nojiko could do absolutely nothing to stop it. In the early years of Arlong's reign, the villagers had attempted to contact the marines, some even succeeding, but it only ended in their death… And the marines… they continued to ignore their suffering.

Some brave men even went as far as to challenge the Arlong pirates, for naught of course. It only served to multiply the many graves in Cocoyasi Village.

As for Nojiko? She only grew to hate herself further and further for not being able to prevent any of this! No matter how hard she tried to tell the villagers that the Arlong pirates could not be defeated, they would never listen to the frightened 10-year-old.

In the end she was forced to give up, letting them do as they would, letting history continue as it had done in a previous timeline. But she refused to stay completely still. She might not be able to persuade the villagers to just suck it up… as they eventually would, but she could continue her training, the few lessons she once had with Bellmere ingrained in her muscles.

"I don't understand why you keep exhausting yourself Nojiko…" A 13-year-old Nami would tell her. "I've already started gathering the money necessary to free Cocoyasi. It might take me a while, but you know yourself that I'll be able to."

Nojiko refused to look at Nami when she spoke of her mission, her eyes glued to the bloody bandages around her nuckles. She knew she'd be unable to hide the hurt in her eyes, knowing how dirty Arlong would do her. It was the hope that drove Nami further and further, hope that would lead her to Luffy and she'd be damned to take this once good thing from her.

"Since Bellmere's death… I don't think I can simply stay idle, tend to the tangerines while you go out there in the sea, endangering yourself to gather the required bellies and… and suffer under Arlong's hand. I just can't Nami."

"And what if Arlong discovers you've been training like mad person to defeat him? Even I won't be able to save you, please Nojiko, don't be foolish!"

Nojiko smiled at her sister, so kind hearted yet so underappreciated by everyone. No one could understand her suffering, no matter how much the villagers pretended they did. They did not know how her hands bled when she worked relentlessly on the maps Arlong forced her to draw, how she risked her life by stealing from the rich, pirates and marines. They didn't know ANYTHING!

But Nojiko did. So, to share her burden, at least by a little, she got herself a tattoo, to mirror that of Namis. A bird, to signify freedom and a tangerine hanging off its beak, in memories of Bellmere. She would train herself ragged, until her knuckles bled against the harsh bark of the trees, until her muscles ached, screaming for rest, until her feet were filled with blisters under the dirt of the earth.

For when the Strawhat pirates arrived, she would be ready to fight beside them, protect her sister and Cocoyasi and avenge Bellmeres death and Nami's suffering.

She would be ready.

"Arlong has only forbidden us to wield any weapon. He believes himself so far superior to humans, that no matter how much we train, he will never perceive us as a threat. Especially not a 15-year-old girl."

Nami shook her head at my words. "That's because he is that much stronger than us, Nojiko. If the marines are too cowardly to even approach him, what makes you think you can anything against him!?"

"Please Nami, just let me do this one thing," Nojiko hugged her sister as tightly as she could, tears welling up in her eyes. Five more years. Five more years and this will take an end.

If only Nojiko was stronger… If only she knew how to train Haki, how to become as strong as Luffy or Zoro! Maybe it was the fact that Cocoyasi Village was such a peaceful village… No wild animals or monsters except for the Arlong Pirates. And Nojiko could hardly measure her skills to one of them least she brought attention to herself.

All she had for an opponent were the trees of the forest and the walls of her home. It would have to be enough… No matter how much she wished to free the people she had grown to love so much, no matter how much she wanted to end Nami's suffering as soon as possible… rushing could only mess with the timeline causing for Cocoyasi Village to never be free ever again.

She would have to endure, just like Nami endured. She would not ruin this for her.

Luffy… please hurry.

Ϟ Electric Blue Ϟ

The years went by and Nojiko's skill became more refined, her strength big enough to shatter trees of considerable size with only her fists and kicks. Though she could have been stronger with the right nutrition, Nojiko was still pleased with her progress.

She even roped Ginzo and Nami in her training, so that she may have some experience fighting moving objects. She knew that she lacked distinct experience fighting opponents who could protect themselves and attack. She knew her defense was probably shoddy at best, but she tried her best to improve however she could in these limited circumstances.

Eventually, Arlong did get a whiff of Nojiko's training, of her strength to shatter trees and fell them with her fists. It had been Nami's nightmare come true and she would beg and scream for Nojiko's life to be spared.

"Please Arlong, she hasn't broken any rules!"

"The rules, dear Nami, where to not fight against the Arlong pirates," the fishman told her not so kindly, as he hovered Nojiko by her hands, facing her with anger and condemnation.

"What is it Arlong… afraid a human could match the strength of fishmen after all?" Foolish as she was, Nojiko dared to talk back to the tyrant. She had enough of keeping her silence.

"What did you say…" Arlong whispered menacingly, his razor sharp teeth exposed in a deadly grin.

"Not so superior to humans after all!" Nojiko replied cockily, despite being at the mercy of the fishman captain. Arlong threw the girl against the walls of own home, knocking her breath out of her lungs.

This was nothing, Nojiko told herself. This pain was nothing compared to the torture she had put herself through just to gather enough strength to be on par with the weakest of fishmen. She slowly rose to her feet, a defiant expression on her face.

Nami watched horrified as Nojiko took a fighting stance, ready to face the deadliest pirate in all of Eeast Blue.

"NOJIKO!" Nami yelled in fear and exasperation. Did she not realize how dire the situation was? Did she not realize that she was about to forfeit her life? She couldn't bear to lose another one… She couldn't bear to have Nojiko dead, not her as well. If only she could have waited one more year. She had almost enough bellies to buy Cocoyasi Village.

"I'll make it 150 million bellies…"

Arlong's attention was immediately broken from Nojiko's defiant stance, his eyes glued to Nami's instead. Nojiko on the other hand simply widened her eyes, unable to believe the words leaving Nami's mouth.

"If you spare her life, I'll pay you another 50 million bellies."

"My, my Nami and here I thought it was only the Village you valued, not the people in it."

"Do we have a deal or not, Arlong?"

The fishmen laughed at Nami's desperate deal, Nojiko's anger only rising further and further. Though she didn't know if that anger was directed towards Arlong, or towards herself. If only she would have been more careful, if only she could have waited one more year to punch that filthy henchman of a fish to oblivion, if only she hadn't defied Arlong…

"Nami, you can't do this…"

"200 million bellies and the village and her life is yours to do with as you please, little Nami."

Nami bit the inside of her mouth, anger and fear radiating from her body as her fists shook violently behind her back.

"Nami, don't listen to him! It doesn't matter if I'm gone, just save the vi-"

"Deal."

Nojiko fell onto the ground, tears of regret, hurt and shame flowing freely down her cheeks.

"Why Nami…" But Nami did not reply to her. She simply followed the fishman back to Arlong park, leaving a distraught Nojiko with her thoughts of the future and the fear that the timeline could be irreversibly damaged.

A/N: Ahaha...hahahaahaha...hahahaHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHA