32 Chapter 32: Years Go By

[I am paying for my 2 children and this man, but I can't pay you]: bell-mere

[Bell-mere!... No don't!]: nami

Bell-mere and Arlong's attention was brought towards the crying Nami, and Nojiko who was holding Nami back from rushing in all crazy, and when Arlong saw the two of them another smile appeared on his face as Bell-mere saw this and spoke.

[I have paid for their lives, so you can't hurt them, and let them be]: bell-mere

[Yeah, sure… I won't harm them as long as they can pay the tax]: arlong

Bell-mere then had a slight sigh of relief as she then looked towards Soren who looked to still be unconscious then she mumbled under her breath to herself where not even Arlong heard her.

[I hope you can take my kindness today, and repay it in the future if you truly are a noble… Goodbye]: bell-mere

Bell-mere then looked towards both Nami and Nojiko and spoke what she thought would be her final words as Arlong took his pistol and placed it at Bell-mere's forehead ready to blow her head off.

[Nojiko! Nami!... Take care of each other… I love you girls!]: bell-mere

As Bell-mere said that, Nami began shouting while tears were streaming from her face like a waterfall.

[Bell-mere!... I'm sorry! I didn't mean it! I didn't mean anything I said!]: nami

'I know you didn't… Nami… Nojiko… Thank you for letting me be your mother': bell-mere

Just as Bell-mere closed her eyes waiting for her impending death, the sound of the flintlock went off as the smell of burning gunpowder permeated the air, but nothing happened. Bell-mere opened her eyes to see what happened and saw Arlong's confused face as he was sure he loaded the gun with a bullet, but nothing shot out, and Bell-mere was still alive.

[Bell-mere!]: nami

Nami broke out of Nojiko's grasp as she was shocked as well to see Bell-mere was okay, and then Nami grabbed Bell-mere and hugged her, but Arlong broke his silence and started shouting.

[Shut up brat!... Step back or die, you have been paid for, so don;t waste your life here]: arlong

Arlong used his gun to back hand Nami off of Bell-mere, and she flew back and crashed into Genzo who sprung into action to catch Nami so no more damage could be done to her body.

[Now… Where was I… Oh yeah! Time to kill you ahahaha!]: arlong

As Arlong began to move in to tear Bell-mere apart with his hands rather than shoot her, Arlong forze in place after feeling a crazy aura being placed on him, and turned to see Soren who still appeared to be out of it, but he was just acting.

[You!... Wake up!]: arlong

As Arlong began walking towards Soren, he grabbed Soren by his hair and raised his head to see him completely awake with a smile on his face as he then took his weight off the Fish-man who held him up, and Arlong watched as the Fish-man fell to the ground dead.

[You!... Did you do this?]: arlong

Soren then raised his hand towards Arlong who just backed away due to his senses telling him to flee, and as Soren opened his fist showcasing what was in his palm, everyone was shocked to see a warped bullet and appeared to look like an eminem with its shape.

[I would think I did this, but it seems you couldn't see me, so… No, I didn't do it… Do you believe me?]: soren

Arlong saw Soren's cocky attitude and felt anger from how he acted. Soren then stood up straight and stretched his body as the sound of joints began to crack due to stiffness that was now being loosened due to movement.

[Now… Would you prefer to die with dignity, or shame?]: soren

[Ha!?... What do you mean by your words you cocky Human]: arlong

[Human? No… God? Yes… As for what I meant, you can choose to die with dignity by trying to fight me, or you can die with shame as you try to run, but still die just the same… So choose]: soren

[It wasn't funny the first time you said it, so what would make it funny the second time round… I gave you the chance to correct your words, but it seems you failed to understand… You inferior Humans will never be my match… We are the key to the future as we are the Apex of you Humans]: arlong

[Oh?... Then let's see who is truly stronger… Die]: soren

Soren's hand flashed for a single second and when it was visible once again it was covered in blood that began to soak the ground, and when Arlong saw his hand he turned to see all of his men Headless with blood spurting out like a fountain.

[W-Wha!?... How!?]: arlong

[Now, I'm not one to offer again, but I think I made my point clear… Will you choose to die with Dignity, or Shame?]: soren

When Arlong heard Soren and turned back to him, he saw Soren's Sharingan revolving in his eyes as Arlong felt terror, but soon a rush of anger came over him and brought a calm attitude to his mind as he spoke.

[Damn Human!... I'll kill you for this]: arlong

Arlong then began using his special attack where he pulled out two sets of sharp teeth and used them in his hands as a weapon and charged towards Soren.

[So Dignity it is… Good choice]: soren

Arlong then tried to clamp onto Soren's arm to rip it off, but the set of teeth held in his hands shattered and was now gripping Soren's unscathed arm, then Soren looked towards Arlong and tried to test out his Eye ability from the Devil Fruit and when Arlong looked Soren in the eyes he activated his Eyes of Destruction and completely destroyed Arlong's soul making him a hollow husk of a Fish-man.

[Now, I guess I can leave him for you guys as payment for my stay here, he should have a high bounty… As for me, I'm gonna take whatever's in their ship]: soren

Soren then made his way towards the Arlong ship and noticed a Octopus Fish-man and recognised it as Hatchan, and when Hatchan saw Soren he felt something bad happened in the town and Soren told him everything and told Hatchan to leave or he would die just like the rest, and Hatchan was quick to leave as he never agreed with Arlong's style. Soren then raided the Arlong ship and gathered a total of 6 million beli in a mix of cash and jewels, but didn't complain as it was hard to amass this much from the East Blue. Soren then stored all the treasure in his Inventory and went back to the village to see Arlong now tied up and Genzo was about to take a boat to the nearest Marine HQ to claim the reward for Arlong.

[Young man… I thank you for saving Bell-mere from this pirate… Please give me your name so that I may know who our savior is]: genzo

[My name is Soren, but you can call me Ren or Soren… And don't mention it as you have saved my life, or I would have died on my own]: soren

[Don't mention it… It was Frank who saw you in trouble and rescued you… So, are you some Noble from the East Blue?]: genzo

[No, I am no Noble, I was just fighting someone strong in the Grand Line and ended up here somehow]: soren

[I see… Then you can stay here with us until you are ready to leave… I can lend you a spare room in my home young Ren]: genzo

[I thank you for that]: soren

Just as Genzo was about to nod his head and leave, Bell-mere interjected and began speaking.

[No, please… Stay with me in my home… It will be my thanks for saving my life and letting me spend more time here in this life with my kids]: bell-mere

Bell-mere spoke with a bit of a blush as Soren turned towards her, then looked back towards Genzo and saw his nod before Soren then turned towards Bell-mere and agreed to stay with her. Soren then began to spend the next 8 years living with Bell-mere, Nami, and Nojiko, while acting as a father figure to the two girls. And during the first year, one of the things Soren had to teach Nami was about money as Bell-mere apparently told her that if she ever found someone she wants to stay with, all the money should be held and divided out by her. Soren immediately corrected this and taught her how money should truly be viewed, and after the lesson Nami thought the same way as Soren.

[Okay Nami… This is the thing… Money indeed is great, but it's something that was never meant to stay long… Don't try and base your life around money as many won't like you if you do that]: soren

[W-will you not like me if I chase after money Soren?]: nami

[Of course not… I look at you as if you are my sister, but if you ever want to have a boyfriend, he might not like if you try and take control of his money]: soren

[Ahh.. I think I understand… So rob the ones I don't like, and share my money with the person I do like]: nami

[...*Sigh*... Yeah, sure… Just try not to go overboard with friends and family about money, that was the point I was trying to make]: soren

Soon, another 7 years had passed and Bell-mere and Soren had become intimate as expected, while both Nami and Nojiko were now considering Soren as their father, but still called him Soren rather than dad. Nami had wanted to go out to sea for quite a while to start her dream of making a map of the entire world, but Soren told her that she would need to wait until she was 18 to set sail, to which she pouted, but agreed as Soren said he would go with her. Nojiko on the other hand didn't want to travel the world, but she wanted to open a bakery in the East Blue, so Soren tried to help her with her goal by using what he was taught by Rin to teach her how to cook, and Bell-mere decided that she needed to go back to the Marines so that nothing like what happened 8 years ago would ever happen again, so she asked Soren to train her, and train her he did, both in the bed and in martial arts, and over the 8 years, Bell-mere was strong enough to match a Captain, and she was still growing.

[Soren, I'm going to be gone for who knows how long, but until I return, take good care of the kids]: bell-mere

[Don't worry Bell… I'll be taking Nami with me, and Nojiko said she would be staying here to finally open up a restaurant]: soren

Bell-mere then smiled and left the home wearing her old Marine Uniform and took a small fishing boat to the nearest Marine base to reapply.

'So today is the day Cannon starts… And back at home Goku should be starting his journey with Bulma… Thank god I was able to wish the Dragon Balls to go back to Universe 7's Earth': soren

Soren had forgot to return the Dragon Balls to Kami, so after a year, he took them out to see them recharged, and upon summoning Shenron in a deserted island, he found that he was able to use the wish to send the Dragon Balls back to Earth as long as he could provide the energy required, and after draining Soren almost dry, the Dragon Balls left the One Piece world in Universe 13 and went back to the Earth in Universe 7.

[Nami… Let's go, it's time to travel the sea and fulfill your dream]: soren

Nami was excited to finally get the chance to start her journey even if it was with her adopted father, she was happy he was there to protect her if anything bad were to happen, as she was a bit scared after Soren began telling her about all the scary monsters that lurked in the sea. Both Soren and Nami then bid farewell to Nojiko and left on Soren's small boat he made using parts from Arlong's ship, and after getting sufficient food put in the storage, Soren released the sails and they started sailing the sea for the first time.

'Thank God I wasn't some kind of Dragon Slayer from Fairy Tail, or I would be just an OP cannon fodder in the One Piece world when it came to ships': soren

Soon, a week passed and Soren and Nami came across the sight of a passenger ship, and what appeared to be a Pink ship with a goose head with Hearts in its eyes as well as a heart around it neck and around the ship, while the sails had hearts painted on them, and they had 2 jolly rogers which depicted a skull and crossbones with a Heart inside the skull.

[Look Nami… Pirates… This is the time to rob somebody, but only pirates who do bad things like this]: soren

[But aren't all pirates bad people like this?]: nami

[No… Do I look like a bad pirate?... I was a pirate on the Grand line]: soren

[Well I guess no… But the way you make Bell-mere call you daddy in your bedroom makes you seem a bit dirty… hehe]: nami