Raiding the Tower and Decisions

"Time to see what secrets this place holds," I muttered.

Chibi chirped in agreement from her perch on my shoulder. Her tiny wings fluffed up from excitement—or maybe just the chilly atmosphere I tended to generate wherever I went. Either way, we had a task to complete.

We began our systematic sweep of the tower. Five floors, and I wasn't leaving a single room unchecked.

The first floor was essentially an armoury, its walls lined with weapons of every kind. Swords, spears, axes, maces, even cannons were stacked in one corner. A few of the weapons were crafted from materials I'd never seen before, clearly stolen from the Grand Line or far-flung parts of the East Blue. Though impressive, it was all mundane to me. I left the weapons untouched—they were trophies of Arlong's brutality, and the villagers should decide what to do with them.

Moving up to the second floor, I found what appeared to be a supply room. Barrels of food, alcohol, and other provisions were piled high. It was clear that Arlong had planned on staying for the long haul, given the sheer volume of supplies. But there was nothing of particular interest to me here. Although, I did yoink a bottle or two of some wine I found lying around. I mean, rum's good and all, but the alcohol in this world is meant for those logic-defying beasts in human skin. Therefore, with my relatively 'basic' pallet, the strong spirits here just taste of gasoline. Wine, on the other hand, I found provided a much more pleasant experience with little to no hangovers. I'm not an alcoholic, just a drinking hobbyist. Don't judge me.

Chibi flapped her wings as we headed to the third floor. This one had a more sinister vibe—a torture room. I felt a chill, and for once, it wasn't coming from my Devil Fruit powers. Shackles hung from the walls, and a few tables were equipped with rusty tools. Bloodstains covered the stone floor, evidence of the terror that Arlong had inflicted on anyone who dared oppose him. My jaw clenched, and for a moment, I considered levelling the entire building right there. But I held back, reminding myself that it wasn't my decision to make.

The fourth floor was more of a personal space, and I could tell right away that this had to be Arlong's office. The room was lavish compared to the others, filled with stolen treasures—gold coins, trinkets, and even some fine art that looked completely out of place. A large desk dominated the room, with a thick stack of papers on top. Chibi immediately hopped off my shoulder and began inspecting the room, her beady eyes scanning the corners.

"Find anything, Chibi?" I asked absently as I rifled through the papers on the desk. They were mostly boring, detailing Arlong's control over the village and his business dealings with some less-than-reputable folks. But something told me there was more to be found. 

Chibi chirped excitedly from the far corner of the room, pecking at a small section of the floor. I walked over, my brow furrowed. "What've you got there?"

I knelled down, noticing that one of the wooden floorboards was slightly misaligned. With a simple application of my Snow-Snow Fruit, I created a thin blade of ice and slipped it into the crack, lifting the board. Beneath it was a small, simple hidden safe with a keyhole and handle sticking out. 

"Good work, Chibi." I said, scratching under her chin.

The safe was locked, but that wasn't a problem for me. I focused my powers, placing my finger over the keyhole and formed an icy key from snow, carefully moulding it to fit the lock. With a small twist and a click, the door creaked open.

Inside was a ledger and a small, black box. The ledger was thick and full of scribbles—names, dates, and numbers. My eyes scanned through it, and I felt my stomach churn as the truth became clear. From taking bribes to human trafficking, everything was detailed every evil act that Arlong's done with Nezumi's consent. 

"Well, well," I muttered, flipping through the pages. "Looks like Arlong had a little arrangement with the Marines. Specifically, Captain Nezumi."

Chibi tilted her head, as if asking for clarification.

"Corruption, Chibi," I explained. "Nezumi's been taking bribes from Arlong to look the other way. That explains why the Marines never stepped in. Arlong's been paying them off, and Nezumi's been padding his pockets with the blood money from these villagers."

I tucked the ledger under my arm. This was damning evidence, and with it, I could turn the tide against Nezumi. At least I hope so. Honestly, even a quick scan through the ledger made me want to storm the marine base and raise hell. But acting irrationally won't solve the problem, so I stayed put and looked at the other stored item.

Turning my attention to the black box, I felt an odd energy emanating from it. The material it was made from was strange—dense and almost unnatural. It wasn't until I touched it that I realised what it was.

"Seastone," I murmured, feeling the familiar drain of energy as the Devil Fruit powers within me seemed to retreat. Weakness and vertigo washed over me and I quickly pulled my hand away. "Fuck me sideways, that sucked! Though, looks like this box is designed to hold something special," Excitement started bubbling inside me. By that point, Chibi was already perched up on my head, tapping her legs to mirror my anticipation. "Yeah, yeah, I know... Just give me a second, I'll figure out how to open this thing."

I quickly scanned the room and found an ornate sword hung on a wall nearby. I couldn't help but scowl. "Pretentious prick, as if you couldn't get more hateful. Well, at least it's going to be used for something productive rather than gathering dust."

I took the ornate sword down from the wall, its hilt studded with gaudy jewels that probably came from some looted treasure. As distasteful as it looked, I had to admit that it was sharp. With a swift motion, I jammed the blade into the seam of the seastone box and twisted. The lid creaked and, with a final push, popped open.

Both Chibi and I leaned over, peering inside, and what we saw made my heart skip a beat. Nestled in the velvet lining of the box was a fruit—oddly shaped, with swirling patterns that marked it as unmistakably a Devil Fruit.

"Woah..." I muttered, eyes wide with excitement. "A Devil Fruit! But... what kind?" I reached in to pick it up, but then hesitated. Handling something this rare, this powerful—it almost felt like touching history itself. I lifted the fruit slowly, feeling its strange weight in my hands.

Chibi fluttered off my head and landed on the edge of the box, her tiny beak open as if mimicking my own shock. "We really hit the jackpot, Chibi!" I exclaimed, holding the fruit up to the dim light. "This could be anything. Strength, invisibility... or maybe the ability to control storms!" My imagination started running wild, but I had to rein it in.

Still, I couldn't help but grin. "What do you think? Maybe Arlong stashed a Devil Fruit encyclopedia somewhere. You know, just to flaunt his prize?"

Chibi chirped in agreement, though she seemed far more interested in the fruit than my musings. Her little eyes were locked on it, and her head tilted like she was sizing it up for a meal.

"Don't even think about it," I warned, wagging a finger. "Who knows what kind of powers this thing holds. You might blow up the entire island!"

I rummaged around the room, pulling open drawers and rifling through papers, all while trying to find any clue or book that might tell me more about the fruit. "If I were a racist, tyrannical, megalomaniacal shellfish-looking mf, where would I hide a—"

CRUNCH

I slowly spun around, eyes wide in horror. Chibi, that little piece of... fluffball, had sunk her beak into the Devil Fruit and was nibbling at its flesh. Her expression turned sour almost instantly, and she spat out the piece she bit off, but not before swallowing some of it.

"CHIBI!" I groaned, grabbing my head in disbelief. "Are you serious? You couldn't have waited five minutes before devouring a mystery fruit?"

Chibi chirped back sheepishly, then hiccuped, releasing a sudden, ear-piercing BANG that rattled the entire room. Both of us jumped, startled by the unexpected sound. Chibi blinked, looking around in confusion.

"Did... did you just make that noise?" I asked, unsure whether to be impressed or horrified.

She chirped again, and this time, the sound of a ringing bell filled the room. It wasn't the bird's usual sound—it was perfect, as if an actual bell had been struck somewhere nearby. I stared at her, then at the half-eaten Devil Fruit in her tiny claws. I was still standing in a daze, trying to process this whole ordeal, when suddenly a voice I never expected to hear in this lifetime resounded.

"Hello... Can you hear me?..."

I snapped my attention back to Chibi at breakneck speed. Chibi was waving her wing in front of me, trying to bring me back to reality. At that moment, my face could contend with the dumbfounded expression Enel made when facing Luffy. 

"...Chibi, did you just sing like Adele?"

She just stared at me in confusion until belting out, "HELLO FROM THE OTHER SIIIIIIIIIIIDE!", and continued flying around the room while performing the song. Everything sounded perfect, as if Adele was performing right in front of me. At the end, I couldn't help but start clapping, my face still stuck in a state of shock. Chibi, however, was less affected as she bowed to me and to an imaginary audience, I guess.

My mind was racing to find an answer to this development. Only one option came to mind. The Devil Fruit, let's call it Sound-Sound Fruit, gave Chibi the ability to replicate any sound she ever heard. Although we still haven't tested its range, it's an amazing and versatile power to have. It's utility for recognisance and message-delivery are pretty self-explanatory. But what makes Chibi so special, is that she also retained the sounds she heard during her time on Earth. Which means that...and I had to hold back tears for this part...

No more training without music on!

I started fist-pumping air like a little kid who got a present that he always wished for. Almost three years of travelling and training, all in the company of crashing waves and chirping every now and then. It took me less than a month of such routine to understand why Luffy was so eager to get a musician in his crew. And now, I got something much better!

I moved to Chibi and started petting her, "Have I ever told you that you are just the best!"

Chibi flapped her wings excitedly, as if to say "Of course, I know that already!" and then let out another sound—this time, a faint melody of violins that filled the room like a concert hall. It was surreal, like a one-bird orchestra. I couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all.

"Well, I guess we found out a bit of what your fruit does," I said, chuckling as I rubbed my temples. "But now we've got to figure out how to control it before you accidentally deafen someone."

For the next several minutes, we experimented. Chibi tried chirping, squawking, and even mimicking words I said, but every sound came out different—a drumbeat here, a distant explosion there, even part of a David Attenborough documentary was voiced out. She seemed to grasp some her ability to replicate any noise she'd heard, but the control was still somewhat unpredictable. At one point, she accidentally triggered what sounded like a ship's horn, and I had to rush over to cover her beak before she brought the entire tower down.

"We're definitely going to need some training," I muttered, shaking my head in disbelief. "But at least now you're officially a Devil Fruit user, Chibi. I guess that means we're a team of two fruit-eaters now, huh?"

Chibi puffed up her feathers proudly, giving a chirp that sounded like applause. I couldn't help but smile. She was already showing off.

After our little discovery session, we headed up to the final floor of the tower—Nami's office. The moment I opened the door, my heart tightened. The room was filled with all kinds of maps with bookshelves packed full of navigation books. At the centre of it all stood a table with a half-drawn map spread across the desk, a few books and navigation tools, and most painfully, a bloodied pen rested at its corner.

Chibi's chirps softened as she landed on the desk, sensing the change in mood. The map caught my attention. It was intricate and detailed, clearly drawn by a skilled hand. This was her life's work—her dream, her pain, all laid out in ink and paper. I carefully rolled it up and tucked it away. Nami deserved to keep this when she returned.

"She really went through hell for this place," I whispered, my chest heavy with empathy. Chibi let out a soft, mournful coo, as if echoing my thoughts. We lingered in that room for a few moments longer, silently paying our respects to the girl who had endured so much.

Heading back down, we found the villagers gathering outside. Nojiko and Genzo were at the forefront, their expressions grim but hopeful. Genzo was an older man with a rough, weathered look to him—a lifetime of hardship written in the lines of his face. His eyes, however, held a fire of determination that hadn't yet been extinguished.

"Are you all right?" Nojiko asked, her voice full of concern. Her eyes scanned me for injuries, but I waved her off with a smile.

"I'm fine," I assured her, pulling the ledger from under my arm. "But you might want to take a look at this."

I handed the thick book to Genzo, who stared at me for a second, before flipping through the pages with a frown that deepened with each passing entry. "Bribes… human trafficking… Marines involved," he muttered, shaking his head in disgust. "This is worse than we thought."

"Nezumi," I said simply, the name like poison on my tongue. "He's been working with Arlong from the start. This ledger details every corrupt deal they made."

Nojiko and Genzo exchanged a look, both of them visibly shaken. Nojiko clenched her fists, trying to hold back her anger. "So, what do we do now? Even if we show this to the Marines, they might just sweep it under the rug."

I looked up at the sky for a second, my mind racing to make a decision: to help or not to help. Honestly, I hoped to stay out of the Marine's radar for as long as possible. I had plans to mask my presence when travelling with the Straw Hats, stay low-key until I was strong enough to not care about such things anymore. I don't have much of a hero complex. The hunt for Arlong was more out of selfish reasons than compassion. I got to test out some newly developed moves, found enough money that would make Nami drool for days, even got Chibi a cool Devil Fruit to boot. I could easily rest my legs and even then nobody would judge me. As a pirate hunter- i finished my job. But as a human... I would regret leaving the villagers to fend for themselves. If left unchecked for too long, Nezumi will probably figure out a way to get rid of any evidence of their involvement in this mess.

I turned to Chibi who was perched on my shoulders, meeting her gaze. As if reading my mind she softly mimicked Ed Lover's quote, "Come on, son!".

...Fuck it, we ball. I already stepped on shit, might as well clean it up.

I nodded, acknowledging the truth in Nojiko's words. "There might be a way to sort this out, but we'll have to be careful. The Marines won't want their corruption exposed, but this ledger is too damning for them to ignore. We'll use it to negotiate—force them to clean up their mess and compensate the village. If they refuse, we'll leak the evidence to the public. Make it impossible for them to hide."

Genzo nodded, his jaw set in determination. "If it comes to that, we'll make sure the world knows. These people deserve justice."

"We'll need to be smart about this," I added. "I will be goign to the marine base alone. Once I confront Nezumi, he'll try to cover his tracks, so stay sharp. But with the villagers behind you, and this ledger in hand, we have the upper ground."

Afterwards I told them the outline of the spur-of-the-moment plan I came up with. It wasn't perfect, but it was the best we had. Genzo turned to me with a hopeful yet suspicious gaze. "Young man, why continue helping us? You have already dealt with Arlong. Why the need to go to such lengths for us?"

I let out a self-deprecating sigh as I answered. "Honestly, I planned to leave the ledger with you all and be done with it. But as I looked through it, the tower, the last floor...", I could hear Nojiko whisper "Nami...". Nodding in her direction, I continued, "...I realised I wouldn't be able to call myself human if I didn't do something about it all. Besides, I have nothing better to do. Cleaned up one scum off the seas, might as well get rid of another one. I hope that satisfies your curiosity, old man." I smiled.

Genzo scrutinised me a bit more before sighing in defeat, smiling he finally said, "Then, thank you, we will be relying on you once more."

Nojiko placed a hand on my arm, her gratitude unspoken but clear in her eyes. "Thank you, Haku," she whispered.

I gave her a small smile. "Don't thank me yet. We still have work to do."

Chibi, not one to miss out, chirped an enthusiastic "Job's not finished." sounding exactly like Kobe Bryant, prompting silence and confusion from the small crowd. Nojiko couldn't help but ask,

"Haku, you bird, did she just...?"

"Oh yeah, Chibi, I know. She ate a Devil Fruit, it's kind of a new development, so don't mind her. She actually plays quite a crucial part in the plan."

That prompted an already excited Chibi to exclaim "THIS IS WHAT WE PLAY FOR!" in Bill Burr's voice. Everyone couldn't help but laugh at that, which lightened the tense mood a bit. After a quick rundown on what everyone is supposed to do again, I placed Chibi on my head and started walking towards the Marine base.