Chapter 43: Some Things Are Meant To Be

Third Person's PoV:

Among the entirety of One Piece, a character such as Genzo was not at all important. Not to the story, not to the plot, not to anything except for being the peacekeeper of a small village on an even smaller island among the weakest sea in the world.

All of this was true...however, none of that mattered at this moment. So what if he was just a small figure when compared to everyone else that showed up in the anime? So what if he was nothing but a humble village leader?

It didn't change the fact that Josh caused his death. It didn't change the fact that guilt was slowly overwhelming him.

Badump!

'I was too naive...'

Badump!

A man stood there silently, watching a pair of grieving women. His scalp was slowly becoming numb. Worse of all, it started to rain slowly, which just made the entire atmosphere more depressing.

Badump!

'I need to abandon my current mindset...'

Badump!

Looking up at the weeping heavens, the gray clouds embraced the lively sky, robbing it of it's brightness. His entire body was becoming drenched in rain water, but he didn't care at this moment.

Badump!

Badump!

Badump!

"This isn't just a fictional world for entertainment! This is a real world. They aren't simply characters...they are living, breathing human beings. There are consequences for my actions!" Josh muttered softly. However, his words didn't enter anyone's ears due to the sound of the rain and thunder.

Josh felt like he just had an epiphany. He wondered if this was how cultivators from wuxia novels feel when they reached sudden enlightenment.

Although it sounded very simple, which it was, it didn't change the magnitude of the situation.

Truth be told, Josh's statement just now was nothing complicated. If anyone from the world of One Piece heard him, they would write him off as someone equivalent to a chuunibyo who finally came back to reality.

The reason Josh failed to realize this was because he had read way too many fan fictions and considered that he was currently living as one. Maybe there was even someone pulling the strings behind his entire situation. Thus, he had acted brazenly however he liked, not giving any thoughts about consequences.

On this day, Josh realized that this world wasn't just the awesome pirate anime he saw from behind a screen.

With a grim expression on his already darkening face, a dull hum quietly came about. Yellow arcs of lightning slowly charged up outside his body and the figure of a man suddenly disappeared from the place. All that was left behind were two footprints.

A bit further ahead, two women were lamenting over the loss of their loved one. They were also feeling incomparable guilt. Even if they knew that the reason for Genzo's death was fundamentally someone else's fault, it didn't change the fact that he was already gone.

After the brief moment of sadness and sorrow passed, feelings of hatred welled up within them. Not just Nami, Nojiko was also feeling deep hatred for the ones responsible.

As tears after tears fell from the usually bright girl, Nami could hear the shadows of the laugh that always tormented her. The laugh that would induce nightmares when she was younger.

'Shaaahahahaha....'

The figure of a purple Fishman with a jagged nose, gleefully laughing at her misfortune slowly crept into her mind. This caused the girl to go into a momentary state of frenzy.

In the village,

Right after Nami and Josh ran off somewhere, the rest of the crew were left there without knowing what to do.

The villagers couldn't care less about their state of mind, so all of them took off with a final battlecry. Slowly, they made their way to Arlong Park.

"This is bad. What do we do!?" Usopp asked in panic. From his point of view, these people were going to get themselves killed!

"Where did that shitty bastard and Nami-san run off to?" Sanji questioned. He had a leg lifted up as if he was about to kick someone. Needless to say, he wasn't happy about the situation either.

"You two. Go stop them. They'll only die for no reason. And I doubt that witch will like that." Zoro said while pointing at Johnny and Yosaku. He was also feeling a little bitter about the situation, but didn't show it on his face. Instead, the usual sternness was present as always.

"Fine...come on." Johnny relented after a bit of hesitation. Hinting with his head towards the marching group, he and Yosaku swiftly left to stop them. If they couldn't, then stall them. Besides, it wasn't like they would have to face off against the entirety of the Arlong pirates.

The bounty hunter duo wanted to do something to help Nami out as well after hearing the situation, so they quickly made their way as they were ordered.

"Let's go." After the two left, the voice of Luffy sounded. It wasn't angry, nor was it lively. It was simply normal. Usopp and the others were unable to see his face as he started walking the opposite directions as Johnny and Yosaku, so they missed the fiery light that glinted in his eyes.

Following the direction Nami ran off to, the Strawhat pirates arrived at the girl's house not long after.

Walking up towards the orchard, they witnessed a sight that daunted all of them. Frowns quickly sprouted and most of their faces were ominously shadowed, however, this did nothing to hide the emotions they were all harboring.

All of the boys stood there, some gaining dangerous veins on not just their foreheads. This was especially true for Sanji and Luffy. All of their previous thoughts were wiped away and only one thing entered their minds collectively.

Clenching his fists tightly to the point of making cracking sounds constantly, Luffy walked up to Nami who was currently scratching the tattoo on her arm as if it was a bomb about to go off at any moment.

Blood was already gushing in her frantic struggle, even though the scratches only left shallow marks. Some flesh could even be seen between her fingernails.

"Arlong! Arlong! ARLONG!!" Screaming out the name of her most hated person repeatedly, nobody was able to figure out exactly how many times she injured herself.

On the side, Nojiko looked horrified. She had both of her hands covering her mouth and the tears she thought she had used up came rushing back. Even then, she didn't do anything to stop her.

This was because Nojiko knew that even if she stopped her by force and bandaged up Nami's wounds, she wouldn't be able to stop the girl's bleeding heart.

During the middle of Nami's mindless chant and self mutilation, a hand suddenly grabbed the one she was using to harm herself.

Once she was interrupted, Nami came out of her momentary state of insanity. Looking up, she saw the tall figure of someone she came to know during the last few weeks.

"You! Leave this island immediately! You're unwanted here, you pirate! You're nothing but a weakling! I don't need your help. Leave!" The girl unexpectedly snapped. Even Nami was inwardly shocked by the words that just came out of her mouth.

Without a doubt, the other party was also surprised as well. Nonetheless, those simple yet hurtful words did not deter the man from continuing. Luffy only stared at Nami without a hint of expression besides the deep frown on his face.

After a few more hysteric curses and shouts, Nami gradually calmed down. Her already dried up and tear stained face once again experienced another flood. Even in the rain, nobody missed the fact that she was crying.

"Luffy...please help me."

Silently, the captain took off his treasured straw hat, along with his captain's coat and placed them on Nami's head and draped it over her shoulders respectively.

Nami watched with her eyes wide open as her captain walked a few steps away from her, still not uttering a word. Flashbacks of how Luffy once confessed to them about how important the hat was to him appeared in her mind.

"OF COURSE WE WILL!"

Suddenly, a loud and resolute voice that startled many of the birds in the nearby forest can be heard. With his fists clenched once again and both his arms stretched in front of him in a victory pose, Luffy shouted at the top of his voice.

"It's time."

With that, four men with indomitable resolutions walked off from the simple tangerine orchard, leaving behind two softly sobbing women.

Somewhere on the same island, a man suddenly had a shadow of a smile once he heard the loud exclamation, however, his previous grim expression quickly returned and the man quickened his steps.

"Some things are just meant to be..." he muttered to nobody but himself.