The bounty hunters' small boat cut through the waters of the Conomi archipelago, a strange tension hanging in the air. Zoro was recovering from his wounds, Usopp was tinkering nervously with his slingshot, and Johnny was at the helm, his expression grim. They were entering the heart of enemy territory.
Soon, the twisted, unnatural structure of Arlong Park rose from the sea, a monument to a tyrant's ego. It was bizarre and imposing, a place that screamed of a power that did not belong in the peaceful East Blue.
"So that's it…" Usopp whispered, his throat suddenly dry.
"Let's just charge in and get this over with," Zoro grunted, his hand already on the hilt of his sword.
"NO WAY, ANIKI!" Johnny shrieked in panic. "Are you crazy?! That's the stronghold of the Fish-Men! Yosaku told us what they're capable of! A frontal assault is suicide!"
Zoro just scoffed. But Usopp, remembering the tales of the Krieg pirates' demise, sided with the terrified bounty hunter. A heated argument ensued, which ended with a strange compromise: to prevent the hot-headed swordsman from getting them all killed, Usopp and Johnny would tie him up.
"It's for your own good, Zoro-aniki!" Johnny said as he tightened the final knot around the furiously protesting Zoro.
With their "berserker" safely neutralized, Usopp and Johnny began their scouting mission. They crept along the coastline, Usopp puffing out his chest, his bravery miraculously returning now that the immediate danger (Zoro's recklessness) was contained.
"Leave it to Captain Usopp! My stealth skills are legendary!"
They soon found what they were looking for, moored in a small, hidden cove near a quiet village. The Going Merry. She was a beautiful, welcome sight, but their relief was short-lived.
Standing guard on the shore next to the ship were three figures. They were not human. One had the blue skin and gills of a fish, another had an octopus-like head, and the third had the sharp teeth and dorsal fin of a shark. They were Fish-Men. They were laughing amongst themselves, and one of them casually picked up a large boulder and crushed it into dust with his bare, webbed hand.
The bravado instantly drained from Usopp's face, replaced by a cold, liquid terror. His knees began to knock together. The stories were true. These were monsters.
Just then, one of the Fish-Men turned and spotted them. "Hey! Look what we have here! Some little human rats are snooping around!"
Usopp and Johnny didn't need a second invitation. With a simultaneous scream of pure terror, they abandoned their tied-up crewmate without a second thought, dove into the sea, and swam for their lives, the mocking laughter of the Fish-Men echoing behind them.
They emerged from the water further down the coast, gasping for air, their hearts still pounding. They had stumbled into a town, but it was a ghost town. The houses were smashed, the streets were overturned, and an eerie, deathly silence hung in the air. It was a scene of total devastation.
"What… what happened here?" Johnny whispered in horror. "It's like a storm came through."
"This was no storm," Usopp said, his voice trembling as he looked at a deep crater in the ground. "This was them. This was the power of the Fish-Men."
Suddenly, they heard footsteps. One of the Fish-Men from the cove was walking into the village, a look of suspicion on his face. "It was strange… that swordsman was just sitting there, tied up. Something's not right. Maybe there are more of them."
Johnny quickly dove behind a ruined wall, but Usopp, in his panic, just started running. He sprinted blindly through the devastated streets, his only thought to get away. He rounded a corner and slammed directly into two people, sending all three of them tumbling to the ground.
One was a young woman with short, dark blue hair and a determined look in her eyes. The other was a small boy with a defiant, hate-filled expression.
The Fish-Man was upon them in an instant. "Well, well. More rats."
He loomed over the woman and child, ready to grab them.
Seeing this, something inside Usopp snapped. His own cowardice was one thing, but to watch innocent people be captured… He couldn't do it. He scrambled to his feet, planting himself between the Fish-Man and the two villagers, his slingshot held in a trembling hand.
"S-stay away from them!" he yelled, his voice cracking with a fear he was trying to overcome.
The Fish-Man just laughed. But before he could act, and before Usopp could launch his heroic—and likely fatal—attack, a sharp, sudden pain exploded at the back of his head.
WHACK!
The last thing he saw before the world went dark was the blue-haired woman, Nojiko, holding a heavy piece of driftwood.
Usopp awoke to the gentle scent of oranges and the soft light of a lamp. He was lying on a simple bed in a rustic, cozy-looking house. The blue-haired woman, Nojiko, was sitting at a table, watching him.
"You're awake," she said, her voice calm.
"What… what happened?" Usopp asked, his head throbbing. "Why did you hit me?"
"Because you were going to get yourself killed," she replied simply. "And you were going to get us killed along with you. Nobody fights the Fish-Men. To do so is suicide."
The small boy, Chabo, was also there. He looked at Usopp, his eyes filled with a sad, weary wisdom that no child should possess.
"She's right," he said. "My father… he tried to fight them. To protect our village of Gosa. They killed him for it. And then they destroyed our home." He looked down at his small fists. "I want revenge… but revenge won't bring him back. And it won't rebuild our village." He stood up. "I'm going back to my mother now. We have to survive."
He left, leaving a heavy silence in his wake.
Usopp finally understood the deep, crushing hopelessness that permeated this island. It wasn't that the people were cowards; it was that they had learned, through blood and tears, that resistance was futile.
"My intentions were not bad," Nojiko said, seeing the look on his face. "Now, tell me why you're here. Who are you looking for?"
"I'm looking for a friend," Usopp said. "A girl with orange hair. Her name is Nami."
Nojiko's calm expression faltered. A flicker of deep, profound sadness passed through her eyes. She looked at Usopp, and her next words shattered his entire world.
"Nami… is my sister."
She took a deep breath, her voice dropping to a near-whisper.
"And yes, she is a member of the Arlong Pirates."