lordofthesea | (no subject)

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[He sees her sitting in the bar. Just like that. And maybe it's not her but it is. He can tell. A shock grips his spine, grits his teeth so that they hum against one another and his hands clench. He recongizes it and hates it. But more importantly. It's her. Sitting there. As if she has any business even still being alive.]

[He comes up behind her in a slow even step, looking around for any of the other impudent humans that had been with her. That had destroyed his crew, his park, his dream. There is only her, though, sitting alone and as he comes up right to her back he restrains himself from knocking her from her seat and sending her sprawling across the hardwood floor.

Just like he used to.]

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[It pisses him off. He knows her game. So it shouldn't. And yet it does. Well he can use that, too.]

You're right. I don't really need her do I? [He holds her up with a hand wrapped around her throat and puts on the slightest pressure so she screams]

Maybe I should just snap her neck.

No, stop--!! Fine! Okay, fine!

[And the electricity crackling at the end of the climatact dies. Nami takes a step forward, as if to follow.]

Why don't you put that thing down? We're nakama, aren't we?

[Not that he's afraid of it but it's annoying to be electrocuted and he's not kidnapping her to be prodded like a damn sea cow]

And come here. [He tightens his grip just a little.] Then we can all be friends.

[....dammit.

Has she bought enough time? Does it matter if she has?

She breaks down the climatact into its three sections, holding them out to her side in one fist.]

Let her go and I'll drop this. This is the only threat to you here.

[Once she drops it, he can do whatever he wants.]

[That isn't even a threat. Still... He's a generous fishman, he can compromise. He apporoaches her slowly and then darts out a hand to grab her wrist, squeezing so she will let go.]

Deal.

[And down goes the girl right into the bay. Well hope she can swim.]

Now hold up your end of the bargain. [And he presses even harder. Either the strange weapon will go or her wrist will.]

[Nami jerks as the girl disappears under the water with a frightened shriek, her lunge toward the water brought short by Arlong's grip on her wrist. But the girl resurfaces with some pitiful splashing-- she can swim, but not well-- and Nami knows the rest is out of her hands.

The climatact drops onto the ground with a jangle of hollow ringing sounds.]

Syahahahahahaha! Don't look so gloomy. It'll be just like old times.

[Though too much like old times if he stays out in the open much longer. He grabs her wrist and starts off through the docks. Fortunately, there's not a lot of people here and his safe house is close and well hidden. If he can just get her there than he can figure out what to do next.]

[Hopefully before any of that damn crew show up. But on the other hand, killing one or two might feel damned good after so long.]

[Nami drags her feet. Not that it makes much difference, given the vast difference in strength, and it's frustrating to know that without the climatact she's near as weak against him as she was two years ago.

With one difference. Her looks back the way she came at the deserted area, and her eyes flick upwards as the last of the bubbles she released joins the dark cloud overhead. Rumours and a landmark. At least it won't take very long at all for her nakama to realise she's in trouble.

She trusts her crew.]

[Yeah yeah. He feels the love. Nakamaship forever and all that. Not that he's afraid but more of a deep abiding concern that keeps him motivated. Nami is being easy about all of this. Too damn easy. Just one threat isn't good enough. He should have held onto the little girl as insurance, damn it all.]

[Though he does make it to the safe house soon enough he's damned if he knows what to do with her now and shoves her down against a pile of crates while he goes to check the door. It doesn't seem like they were followed. Good.]

[

[...you haven't planned this out at all, have you? Just saw her and reacted. Clever shark, but none too bright in this regard. That's a point in her favour.

Nami shifts to stand by the crates, casting her eyes aross the gloom in the hope of a weapon. She thought she'd be terrified. It's gratifying to realise she's just angry.]

So what now?

I don't know I didn't think that far. [He sits against the door and folds his arms. Now that he actually looks at her she seems a lot different than she used to. Harder and softer at the same time. Much softer in certain places but in an all too human way.]

Still conning with your assets, are you?

[He'd always admired that about her in a certain way. She was weak and fleshy and to just as weak and fleshy human men she was nothing but live bait--until their wallets are gone.]

I bet you have a hand in all of their pockets.

[She bristles at the inference, but Nami just shifts to lean against the crates. Keeping it casual, maybe. Maybe she can buy more time. Hell, maybe she can talk her way out of this.]

Maybe. We rake in a lot of treasure.

[She could've bought Cocoyashi back six times over by now.]

Maybe but you could never hold on to it for very long.

[He grins. Those were good times.]

It could have gone a lot further, you know. [He folds his arms behind his head]

You could have had a small village or two all your own. Besides,

I think you owe us after all the work we did saving your ass. [Especially when she was a kid and helpless as a worm. There had been more than one charting excursion where one of his precious fishmen had risked life and limb to protect her little marshmallow body.]

My ass wouldn't have needed saving if you hadn't put me in the firing line in the first place. [Flatly.] And I don't want one or two villages. And there is no us.

I gotta admit it was kind of fun to watch you scream.

[Not that he really would have let anyone touch her. She is his after all. Was his.]

But the way I figure you learned a lot of valuable things from your time with us. No matter how you look at it you owe me. I intend to make you pay.

[Somehow]

I owe you?

[She stands up, taking a step forward.] I owe you!? You taught me nothing except that your word is worthless, Arlong! I learned everything I know on my own! Whereas you took everything that was precious to me!

If anyone owes anyone here, it's the other way round.

[She is such a shrieky bitch.]

[He stands in an easy movement and comes toward her, wondering if she'll back away or stand her ground.]

Just like humans have been doing to my people for hundreds of years. At least we didn't kill you, eh? And I gave you a chance to save your village. You just got stupid. In fact, you could say, I was generous. I could have taken everything.

[He cracks his neck]

Maybe I'll start now.

Maybe you should. [Standing her ground, because fuck you.] There's nothing else you'll ever get out of me.

[So maybe he'll take the last thing she's got. And, yeah, he might get in a little trouble but it was a big damn sea and the Mugiwara wouldn't get far without their bossy little navigator.]

Have it your way.

[And his hand is around her throat and he's lifting her into the air and this feels good. Like he's completing something. The ultimate revenge. His home had been shattered, now lets watch Mugiwara's go, too.]

How does it feel, Nami? It should be an honor!

Syahahahahahaha!

[Despite everything, she wasn't expecting him to cut straight to killing her, and Nami's eyes fly wide as she chokes, hands gripping onto his and trying to pull it away as her feet leave the floor.

What was more important? Pride, or common sense? If she'd been smart, she'd have played for more time, even if that meant playing the craven.

(Pride. Definitely pride.)]

Hkk--!!

[It's a little sad how all this turns out. Nostalgic even. She chokes pretty but in the end she can't even fight. In the end she's just one more worthless, useless, weak human. Though he gives her credit for dying bravely. For not backing down. She never really has.]

[In fact he almost has a feeling of...affection for her.]

[Not that it will stop him from crushing her windpipe, though.]

Too bad we couldn't just stay how we were.

[and he is surprised to realize he means it]

[So, Luffy's not exactly the brightest bulb. But even he knows that when his nakama's weapons are just lying around? And people around the area are being really, really cautious? He knows something's up. He picks up her climatact, and immediately begins asking around. He knows Nami is strong, so this must've been something big. Meaning there is some serious shit about to go down.

When the villagers finally tell him where they saw a FISHMAN and a girl go, he sprints over there. if it's Arlong, he is going to cut something.

Preferably him. So, when he busts into the storage-type area and sees him choking her? Arlong, you are in serious trouble.]

ARLOOOOOOONG! [Serious. Shit.] LET HER GO, YOU BASTARD!!!

[It's not like he doesn't know Mugiwara's coming. He can hear him. More importantly, he can sense him faintly (or maybe ripples of his own ~~fear~~ tension.[

[He has just enough time to turn to meet Mugiwara's entrance, Nami in front of him as a shield and high enough against him so he could rip out her throat with his teeth if he has to. A bead of wet slides down his face that must be from her.]

I think I'd rather just rip her throat out.

[Because he could fight but he would rather see a human suffer for once and this human in particular and she makes a fairly nice shield, already turning the same color of his skin]

[Cracking knuckles. BIG TIME. His anger rises, but he keeps it under control long enough to get his haki going. He pinpoints it carefully to Arlong. He is not wasting anytime here.]

She's my nakama. I'm not gonna let you hurt her anymore.

[And you know what? You are going to get a very nice blast of Conqueror's haki. And that is some powerful shit. Hell, he didn't even need to punch you for this fight.] I'm not gonna go easy on you.

[He looks different somehow. DOesn't matter. There's something stirring. Something in the focused look in his eyes. Tch. It doesn't matter. He's not--

The world greys, narrows, centers on that damn face and and then a fist punches straight through his brain. Breath stops. Heart stops. Everything twists and cracks and he wants to sink into darkness.]

Forces his eyes open. On the ground. Clawing at it. Foam dripping between his teeth. Breath shuddering against his ribs. Black around his vision. Not beaten. Not yet.

Not...yet....]

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So this is the closest to a choking icon I have really

This is my sympathetic Icon

This is my BITCH, DON'T EVEN icon and keywords

Going to be a dead bitch in a minute

NOW WITH CORRECT GRAMMAR >>

Tis only a flesh wound!