Breaking the Chains of the Heart

Morgan was back on the surface and dragged out of sight by Nojiko and Genzo to be resuscitated while Zoro did his best to hold off Arlong.

"Nojiko…How does it look?" Genzo asked her as he kept watch with his sword drawn defensively; He had reservations about the boy and stepping in but he understood that he was doing it to help someone he considered a friend rather than for the glory of beating a Fishman.

"He's still out, he threw up a lot of water but we need to get him breathing again." Nojiko explained as she was starting to get desperate and then came up with an idea: "Sorry Nami, but it looks like I'm gonna be first in this one…" Nojiko would think to herself as she found herself gazing down at the unconscious Morgan.

Zoro meanwhile was starting to struggle agains the Sawshark Fishman as he was held aloft by the neck; "Those wounds you sustained would kill a normal man…let us see how much a human could possibly…." Arlong was interrupted as he saw the gruesome stitching that was practically holding Zoro together; "How is this man still alive? I should eliminate him before he becomes a threat." Arlong mused as he then readied himself to finish off the half dead Zoro but he was thrown off as he received a flying kick to the head and dropped Zoro in the process.

"T…Took you long enough…Morgan…" Zoro wheezed as he was quickly dragged away by Johnny, Usopp and Yosaku while Arlong was dazed.

Panting heavily and staggered to his feet, Morgan was walking his way over to Arlong who was starting to get more and more angry that Morgan was still alive. "It's gonna take more than a cheap shot and a little water to take me out!" Morgan would yell out as he thumped his chest with his fist.

"Don't undersell it! You nearly drowned, you idiot!" Nojiko yelled at him from the distance as she was shocked that he had either the strongest nerve or the most unhinged head but still relieved that he was able to get back on his feet.

"You are annoyingly tenacious for a human…Trespassing on my park is one thing, but threatening to steal my Nami and raising a hand to me and my brethren is something I cannot…and WILL NOT ALLOW!" Arlong yelled out as he finally snapped; frightening both Fishmen and Humans alike as they saw Arlong's pupils become slits similar to that of a Sea King's.

"That works out for me because I won't stop hitting you until you pass out for being a promise breaking and lying piece of shi-WHOA!" Morgan yelped out as he ducked under a grey swing; once he got his bearings back, he saw that Arlong was brandishing a giant shark toothed saw in his hands.

"You won't live long enough to do that!" Arlong roared as he swung it down again, this time cleaving into the edge of the roof as Morgan started climbing up the tower while trying to avoid each swing.

"With that thing swinging around, I'm gonna need to draw him away so no one gets hurt in the crossfi-oh no!" Morgan was thrust out of his thoughts as Arlong swung at him with an open fist and knocked the pirate through a window at the top of the tower; into a room that was plastered from ceiling to floor in maps of all sizes and locations…Nami's Map Room.

"Now this brings back memories…You see all this? This is all Nami's hard work while she helps us spread our control…With that Grand Line map, we can return there and she can help us take control of not just the seas we sail but the lands that hold the treasure…" Arlong sneered as he held the saw by Morgan's neck, ready to pull as he realised that Morgan was not moving or even responding.

"All of this…the maps, the paper and everything here…is what you kept Nami for?" Morgan asked quietly as he was lightly holding a pen in his hands, it looked like it had been wrapped over to hold it together and Morgan could recognise the dried splotches of blood on the handle too.

"Wonderful, isn't it? A pathetic human like yourself could never even fathom the sheer potential that Nami has…Even as a small child when she was brought here, she had impeccable skills with drawing up a map and has continued to do so for us ever since for the last ten years. Nami is our navigator…No, she's our friend." Arlong remarked with a predatory sneer on his face as he held the jagged teeth of his saw closer to Morgan's throat; "As long as we hold her village in our hands then we will have maps for years to come…Can you honestly say that you could use her in such a way?"

Morgan had gone deathly silent and he had lifted a hand up to grab on to the saw tooth that was the closest to his throat and gripped onto it.

Arlong simply chuckled as he chalked this down to Morgan accepting his fate and decided to end it for good by sawing off his head…He would've but he started to realise that no matter how much he tugged at the handle, the saw was barely moving. "What is this? This thing should slice his hand to ribbons but I can barely move it!" Arlong was starting to get a little panicked as he kept trying to pull; noticing that Morgan's grip held it in place despite the trickle of blood against the blade.

Morgan dug his fingers more into the saw as the metal saw tooth began to crack under him before it finally broke into pieces; "USE?!" Morgan finally looked up at Arlong and then thrust his palm into the stem of the saw and caused it to break in half. Morgan was finally at his most angriest; his brow was furrowed and his anger tic mark had grown much larger. "The only reason Nami stays here…is because of this room!" Morgan yelled out as he swung his leg around and kicked Nami's desk out of the window to send it shattering into splintered wood at the bottom.

"NO! Don't you DARE!" Arlong roared as he rushed forward with the broken saw and swung down on him again, however he missed Morgan completely and it sheared a stack of maps in two with his saw, proving it was still as dangerously sharp as he remembered it. "THAT LITTLE BASTARD! HE'S JUMPING AROUND LIKE THE APE THAT HE IS!" Arlong snarled in his mind but felt his anger reach new heights as he watched Morgan smashing and breaking other parts of the room, this was enough…no more being civilised or merciful, Arlong lunged himself forward and threw the saw to the side: Grabbing Morgan by the hair and the shoulder and then sinking his teeth into the Straw Hat's shoulder. Causing Morgan to let out a pained scream as he felt warm blood trickle down his chest and back.

"I won't let Nami stay anywhere she doesn't want to! And in order for her to be happy again… This place will fall." Morgan growled in between his grit teeth as he grabbed onto Arlong's pointed nose with both hands, his mind now fully focused on Arlong as he thrust both hands to the side, breaking Arlong's proud nose with a satisfying snap. 

"YOU ARROGANT LITTLE FOOL! NO PUNY! WEAK! INFERIOR BEING WILL EVER BRING DOWN THIS TOWER!" Arlong was rabid at Morgan's determined assault and then reset his nose in place before ducking himself low; "GO AHEAD AND DIE, HUMAN! SHARK. DARTS!" Arlong screamed as he twisted himself into a corkscrew and sprang himself towards Morgan, intent on either skewering him with his nose or shredding him apart with his teeth.

"STRONG STYLE KENPO!" Morgan yelled out as he got into his boxer's stance; Focusing all the Haki he could muster into his fists but with his mind burning with the desire to beat Arlong into the ground, he waited until the Fishman had sunk his teeth into his side and then brought his fist down onto the side of Arlong's head, crashing him into the floor and then Morgan climbed on top of him with his fists raised: In that moment of channeling every ounce of Haki through his arms and his intense desire to beat down Arlong had made a change on his arms: a deep black started to spread from his finger tips all the way to his elbows as he showed his momentary leap from invisible Haki to fully visible Armament Haki; "CRUSHING LANDSLIDE!" Morgan roared with all his might as he slammed punch after punch into Arlong while picking up speed with each punch.

Arlong was barely able to move, each of these punches were like getting hit with a steel club and he felt the ground give way each time a new punch drove itself into his face and knocked him down into lower and lower levels at a faster pace.

Everyone outside of the Tower could see the rumbling and hear the smashing as the floors were destroyed each time; everyone was looking worried, even the likes of Sanji and Zoro as they knew Arlong could most likely survive a building falling on top of him but Morgan was in there too and he was still only a human.

"MORGAN!" Nami screamed out as she watched the tower crumble in on itself and fall into a heap, the shark's figurehead and the flag were fluttering in the breeze from atop the now pile of rubble that used to be Arlong Tower.

"Morgan's still in there!" Zoro yelled out but could barely move with his injuries.

"The Kid!"

"You think he's okay?"

"I want to be hopeful…but…"

Nami was feeling her hand cover her mouth out of concern as she was worried that Morgan had finally reached his limit but the rocks and rubble of the pile were starting to shift, whoever was going to climb out would be the deciding factor.

Everyone remained hopeful and for a brief moment, despair washed over them as they saw what looked like Arlong's body pushing through the debris but that despair quickly turned to shock as they saw Morgan had lifted Arlong out of the rubble and rolled him onto the stone floor

"I can't believe it…"

"This is a dream, right? There's no way that I'm seeing this right….Is it…really over?"

The villagers were in a state of shock and disbelief as the Fishman that made their lives a living hell was unconscious on the ground and a complete stranger standing over him; his shirt was entirely destroyed and his pants were completely tattered from being scraped and cut at. Though plenty of people could see that he did not walk away with a flawless win: His body was bruised and he was covered in dirt and blood, his neck, shoulder and his left side were all crimson from where Arlong had bitten him.

Nami felt like a weight had been lifted off of her chest, both from seeing him safe but also at the fact that it was all over…Arlong was defeated and now Cocoyashi Village, it's villagers and every land that Arlong had conquered could now go back to the way they were, it was something that made her tear up with joy as she tried her hardest to hold it together.

Morgan however wasn't done, he took in a deep breath and yelled out a cry of victory for everyone to hear through the trees and across the village itself; "NAMI! YOU'RE MY FRIEND AND I'LL FIGHT FOR YOU AS MANY TIMES AS I CAN TO ENSURE YOU CAN LIVE A FREE LIFE HAPPILY!" 

Nami couldn't even form the right words; this man who she saw as an annoyance, an idiot who cared about punching things and a endless font of optimism had taken the source of all her suffering and made it vanish like the sun peeking through the clouds after a long storm. There were a lot of things she wanted to say, things that felt right in the moment but that could wait…Because right now all she could bring herself to say was with a heavy voice full of unbridled emotion and let her tears of relief and joy start to flow; "Y-Yeah…."

Morgan grinned happily but the injuries took hold and the adrenaline wore off as he fell forward and collapsed to the ground, making everyone rush over to ensure he was okay.

"H-He's bleeding pretty badly!"

"SOMEONE, GET THE DOCTOR!"

Genzo smiled a little to himself; "Get him down to the village, I'm sure Nako will want to get him and the others patched up." He called out to the other villagers as they grabbed who they could like Zoro and Sanji who were the most injured along with Morgan.

—A couple of hours later, in Cocoyasi Village—

The Village was in an uproar and engaged in a party to celebrate their freedom and the end of Arlong's tyranny. Plenty of people had rushed out to other parts of the island to spread the word that Arlong was gone and his extortion racket was collapsed.

"You need to rebuild your village, shouldn't you be keeping all this food and supplies for yourselves instead of doing all this?" Usopp asked Genzo as Sanji was helping the others cook food for everyone and keep the drinks pouring.

Genzo merely chuckled; "We're used to the minimalist lifestyle so scrimping on a few Berries isn't going to hurt us badly. Plus with everything that you all did for us, it's the very least we could do…Throwing this kind of party proves to everyone that all of the hardships that Arlong and that crooked group of Marines put us through is over…It's now our chance to prosper again, one step at a time." He admitted as he took a deep drink of his cup.

"So where's Morgan now? I thought he'd be wolfing down Sanji's cooking." Usopp asked as he noticed that Morgan wasn't in the crowd of people who were lining up for food.

"He's still being looked at by the doctor, I'm honestly surprised that those three were able to handle the likes of Fishmen on their own." Genzo remarked as he looked to Usopp; "But you did too…So it's reassuring to see that if Nami does decide to go back with you, she'll be surrounded by people who can look out for her."

In the Doctor's cabin however were the sounds of pain; Zoro was currently being re-stitched up after his wounds opened during his fights; "Hold. Still! it's hard enough to put you back together without you rocking about like that." Nako would reprimand Zoro as he kept him still while Morgan was laying on his bed, currently wearing a baggy t shirt with bandages around his arms and his head along some pyjama pants.

"Zoro's tougher then he looks, Mister…He's been able to fight back against a Warlord." Morgan pointed out with a proud smirk, one that was returned by Zoro; "Besides, I know he can pull through on this."

"That's besides the point kid, this wound was barely holding together before, fighting in this shape plus what he got himself into at Arlong Park didn't help things either….Didn't your Ship Doctor warn you about this." Nako would ask Morgan as he turned to face him.

"We uh…We haven't got one yet…did you want to join our crew to be our doctor?" Morgan asked curiously but noticed the shocked look on the Doctor's face before it turned to anger.

"You've been sailing for however long and you didn't take the precautions to get a doctor on board?!" Nako bopped Morgan on the head and then pinched the bridge of his nose; "And to answer your question, no…Cocoyashi Village needs someone to look out for them, especially with everything all damaged." 

"Morgan doesn't tend to think things through all that much, doc…But he's tough and so are we." Zoro mentioned while sticking up for Morgan.

"You ARE tough but none of you are invincible as far as I've seen…" Nako would point out; "This goes for both of you…I've stitched up what I could but those wounds are going to scar and stay that way for good…AND YOU!" Nako would then turn to Morgan; "I can't tell you how to live as a pirate but pick your fights carefully until you DO get a doctor, the fact that Arlong bit you multiple times and had a whole building collapse on top of you is nothing short of a miracle that you survived." 

"I got it, I got it…We'll be more careful…But the risk is part of being a pirate, it makes life more fun." Morgan admitted as he sat up; "Besides we need a Navigator if we're gonna get to the Grand Line regardless." 

"I thought you were dead set on getting Nami back on your crew." Zoro asked with confusion; "We did stay behind to get her after all." Zoro mentioned as he then got up out of bed and waved off the Doctor, mentioning about needing a drink.

"So, you still want Nami on your crew? From what I heard she was dead set on getting you guys to leave…Then again with Arlong gone, she's pretty much a free agent now." the Doctor said as he got up.

"Of course I do…But I'm not gonna force her to join us, Nami's my friend and I want her to live a free and happy life…if she wants that and it's not with us, then I understand." Morgan would admit as he thought about it more; surprising Nako as he was half expecting the straw hat pirate to be more determined to get Nami back no matter what.

"Awfully mature of you, anyway, get yourself some rest…you've been going non stop, the food outside isn't going anywhere and I'm pretty sure the people in the village aren't going to want their hero to keel over trying to push himself." The doctor mentioned as he grabbed his pipe and headed outside, leaving Morgan to lean his head back against the pillow to take a nap.

—Meanwhile at the party—

Nojiko was sat on a crate with a bandage around her midriff and watching Usopp singing a song on a table before she noticed Nami holding on to the Straw Hat and a bandage over her tattooed arm before she walked over; "Come on, grab a seat."

"I'm surprised Morgan hasn't been out here to clean out all of the food." Nami mentioned as she watched the party unfold.

"Nako gave me strict orders to watch out if he's gonna try and sneak some food, he's on bedrest for the day at minimum." Nojiko pointed out as she had a bottle of tangerine juice in hand; "Reckless brat needs to learn how to slow down and rest!" Was what he ranted at me…Can't say I blame him for being strict, considering what we watched out there." She mentioned casually.

"I guess so, but then again…He's not exactly the kind of person to be told what to do, Zoro's the same way." Nami chuckled a little as she gazed down at the hat.

"So…You gonna join his crew now that Arlong and his gang are bust?" Nojiko asked her curiously; "Because I don't think he'd say no to you if you asked." She suggested as Nami felt herself slacken a little in hesitation.

"After everything? Maybe it'd be better if I stayed here and helped everyone…I could help raise money by making maps to sell for reparation funds…It's my fault that..." Nami remarked with a guilty look on her face; "It's my fault that we got Bellemere's tangerine grove dug up and trodden over by the Marines."

"That was Arlong's fault for tipping off those Marines..No one blames you for anything, you were raising money for us for ten whole years. So why not pursue what YOU want for a change, whether it's the kind of map you make or the guy you like~" Nojiko said with a teasing tone at the last part.

"I…he's better off without me on his crew anyway…I don't even think he sees me like that." Nami said with both a heavy pink tint in her cheeks and a growing frown.

"Nami…The guy strolled into Arlong Park and beat the crap out of him because Arlong made you cry…I'm pretty sure he wants you around, then again if you don't wanna take him…then I will since I got his kiss first."

"…You did what?!" Nami quickly got both shocked and angry as she saw Nojiko smirking smugly at her before starting to explain; "I had to give him mouth to mouth so he could breathe...And I gotta admit, it's a real nice feeling~" She added to really tease her.

"Nojiko!"

"What? You clearly care about him and if you're not gonna take a chance then someone else will." Nojiko warned her and raised an eyebrow.

I don't know what you're talking about…" Nami denied and looked away with an obstinate huff.

"Nami, I saw the way you looked when you talked about him back at the house and even now you're holding on to his hat like it's a treasure…Besides; despite the pirate thing, he's a pretty good guy. He's loyal, he's driven AND he's more than willing to hear you out." Nojiko listed off as she was flabbergasted that Nami was clearly in denial. "Plus…That body of his, all that muscle packed in…Just wow~" Nojiko admitted though she had a blush on her face too from just thinking about it.

"Yeah, but….You know what? I'm not even gonna dignify that at all…Since you're being so childish." Nami said to try taking the high ground.

"All I gotta say is; You snooze, you lose, Nami~" Nojiko stuck her tongue out playfully.

"W-Well, I saw him first so hands off!" Nami retorted almost immediately.

"Now who's the childish one?" Nojiko joked before starting to laugh, even though Nami was trying to stay mad, she couldn't help but laugh as well.

"Fighting over a guy…I wonder what Bellemere would've said about it, if she was here…" Nami mused as she grabbed a drink too.

"Well, she'd either yell at us to knock it off…Or tell us to share him." Nojiko theorised, their minds immediately going to different places as both of them were a glowing pink in the face.

Nami then shook her head; "I think I should probably get this back to him before he gets worried…Maybe I can sneak some food in for him as well, he's probably pretty hungry by now." She would mention rather quickly as she got up and grabbed a plate.

—Meanwhile, back in the Doctor's hall—

Morgan was lying awake and staring out of the window as he was getting pretty restless from being all cooped up inside, he took a look around the room and noticed that Nako hadn't come back so he carefully slipped over to the window and tried to be quiet while opening it when he saw the door open.

"I figured being here would've bored you." Nami teased as she held on to Morgan's hat in one hand and holding a plate of food in the other; "I came by to give you this." She mentioned before placing the food on a table next to him and then sitting at the edge of the bed to hand him the straw hat; "And to give you this back….With an apology." She said and turned to look at him.

"An apology? Nami, you don't have to apolo-"

"Yes I do! I shouted at you and insulted you every time you showed your face in the village…I can't even begin to apologise for everything I did just to try and push you away." Nami protested at him with a guilty look at him.

"Nami…I kept pushing in to try and help, I accepted that it probably wasn't my business to butt in." Morgan admitted; "But I still want you to know, I meant what I said back there…whether you still want to be a part of the crew or you want to do anything else, I will fight however much I have to in order to make sure you can do it with the freedom and happiness that you deserve." He said with a resolute smile.

"You really do mean it." She would say softly as she noticed that his eyes were back to their calm and tranquil blue; her stomach felt like it was swarming with butterflies with the closer she got to him but stopped herself; "S-So…Nako fixed you guys up pretty well." She said to try and change the subject while clearing her throat.

"He gave us a real talking to…but he said that me and Zoro are gonna be scarred after the fight." Morgan explained as he tugged the collar on his shirt and showed her the scarred bite mark that Arlong's mouth had made on his neck and shoulder.

"I still think that this is crazy…and that you guys are going into danger, but I guess that's why you need a navigator to do it." Nami made up her decision as she smiled at Morgan; there was no longer a need for the fake smiles she offered around Arlong or for the people she duped, this was her in her happiest moment and she was glad that she could share it with someone that she cared about.

Morgan smiled back as he then picked up the plate of food and started to eat; "Speaking of which, I see you met Sanji…He's our cook for the crew." He mentioned casually as he managed to clear his plate in record time.

"From that Ship Restaurant? He's pret-"

"PIRATES AND VILLAGERS OF COCOYASHI!" A shrill voice came from the outside and in the streets; drawing Morgan and Nami outside to see the commotion. Once they got past the crowd, they were able to see who was making the noise: Captain Nezumi. "The Marines have received word that the Arlong Pirates have been defeated and their base is now shut down. You won't need to worry yourselves as we will take the credit for it's downfall and appropriate any funds or stolen goods on behalf of the World Government." Nezumi would say with a slimy grin on his face, he may have lost the deal that he had with Arlong but he pocketed 100 Million Berries plus whatever Arlong had stashed.

It didn't take long for both Nami and Morgan to jump in and beat him into the ground; For Nami it was to get her money back so it could be given to the village, Morgan just hated the Marines and wanted to take a swing at the Captain.

After a resigned signer from Nezumi to Nami, the Captain and his Marines began hightailing it out to their ship; "Morgan D. Ford! That's your name right?! Well, I'll make sure that you regret ever lasting this long because I will make sure you are marked as an enemy of the Marines!" Nezumi screamed out from his boat as they left Cocoyashi for good.

—The Following Morning—

Nami had said her goodbyes to the village after cementing her status as a Cat Burglar by stealing their wallets and waving everyone off with a heartfelt goodbye. 

"So now we got Nami back, where exactly do we go now?" Usopp would ask as he steered the ship out of the dock and onto the open sea.

Morgan decided his answer while watching over the railing as Nami gave her goodbye. "Simple, we got a map, a top notch Navigator and everything that we could need for the Grand Line so I say that's our next stop!" Morgan would cheer but was then stopped by Nami as she unfurled the map.

"It's not going to be that easy, first we have to get to the entry point; Reverse Mountain…But before we can think about moving on to a brand new sea, we should stop for supplies and get some new equipment." Nami elaborated as both Usopp and Zoro agreed considering that their Marksman needed new gear and ammunition while Zoro was looking for new swords.

"Is there anywhere close by that we can go to?" Sanji would ask, wholly intent on getting all of his attention on Nami now that she was here.

"There is one island that's the closest to there, it's home to a city called Loguetown." Nami mentioned as she pointed at a landmass near the Red Line.

"The City of the Beginning and the End…right?" Morgan added; "It's the city that the Pirate King Gold Roger was born and it was also the place that he died, right before he started the age of Pirates at the execution stand."

"Well, how about we check it out? We can resupply make sure we're good and ready for whatever the Grand Line has in store." Sanji mentioned; "I do need more ingredients if we're gonna be at sea for longer."

"Then it's settled, Next Stop: LOGUETOWN!" Morgan announced as Usopp steered them per Nami's instruction.