Chapter 1

Sins of the Past Arc

Part 1

"Watch your backs", Riptide yelled over the angry bellow of a sea king. The captain of the Saw Pirates jumped back avoiding the snapping jaws of a sea king and glared at the beast. The sea king growled, rearing its head back readying for another attack when Momoo exploded forth, slamming his horned head into the beast sending it backwards. "That a boy, Momoo!"

Momoo merely grunted a response as he smacked a small sea king in the face with his flipper before he head butted another one. The Wave cutter rocked on the turmoil waves as the nest of sea kings surrounded the steamer angry that their territory had been invaded. The entire crew was fighting off on sea king after another, all of them soaked from sea water. Nami struck an impressive size sea king in the eye with the end of her Clima Tact forcing it to retreat with a howl of pain.

"I told you, we should have gone the safest way", she yelled, glancing back at her oldest. "Reverse Mountain is the safest way to the Grand Line!"

"Ah, where's the fun in that", replied Riptide with a grin.

"Gods, you sound like Luffy", she exclaimed.

Riptide laughed. "Well he did practically raise us you know", he said slashing the face of a frog like sea king.

"Quit talking and pay attention", Arlong bellowed punching a sea king in the snout. "Or have you failed to notice our current situation here?"

"What does that mean", Nami yelled back at him.

"Hey this isn't the place or time to have a lovers' quarrel", Tarlong called out from the top of the figurehead.

Before Arlong or Nami could reply, Neeta shouted, "They're retreating!"

"Retreating", Blade said as he joined Riptide's side. The older pirate watched as every sea king looked alarmed and they quickly dove as if they sensed something. "Then he's here."

"Who?" Riptide asked looking at the shipwright in curiosity.

"Goliath."

"Hey", Kaiuleale shouted pointing. "Look there!"

Ahead of Wave cutter the water churned angrily and a mountain of water began to rise. "Captain", Longtooth called from the wheel. "You better get ready because we're going to need them!"

Everyone gasped at the sea king that had surfaced and glaring down at them. It was the grand daddy of all sea kings with black and grey stripes running over it scaled covered form and a red frill ran from the tip of its snout all the way down its back. Its right eye was milky in color while the other eye was a glowing red. An angry rumble came from its triple row toothed mouth.

"Son of a gun", Blade muttered. "That bastard's still kicking."

"You know that sea king?" Nami asked.

The older saw shark chuckled nodding to the rusty harpoon that was protruding from the corner of the right eye. "How do ye think he got that?"

"YOU DID THAT!"

Goliath threw his head back roaring in rage as if answering Nami's question. She screamed stumbling backwards and slipping on the wet deck, falling against Arlong who instinctively wrapped an arm around her waist. No one had paid any attention and if they had they would have noticed the slight blush that came to the pair's cheeks. Riptide stepped forward as motioned for his crew to get to safety and yelled out to the sea king, "Hey Goliath!"

Goliath heard and looked at the tiny being that stood glaring up at him. The sea king narrowed his eyes and drool began dripping from the tooth filled mouth.

"Get the hell out of our way!"

"Did he just-," Slashback said in shock.

Gaff blinked in surprise as well. "Dude, he did", he said. "He just told a frigging sea king to move."

Goliath looked surprised as well, but he shook his head and snarled at Riptide who really looked pissed then. "I'm taking that as a no", he said as he separated his kiribachi. "I guess we're going to do this the hard way, aren't we?"

The emblems of the six Guardians began to pulse slowly then grew steadily stronger as the mist like energy flowed from the blades of the kiribachi. Goliath reared back preparing to strike.

"Riptide!" Skie screamed as Goliath lunged, mouth open.

Don't think so! Hammer slammed head first into the sea king knocking him backwards.

Goliath surfaced roaring with rage and froze. Hovering above the Wave cutter were the six Guardian sharks and they all looked really mad. Thrash went on the attack lashing out with his tail striking the sea king on his blind side, Goliath howled in agony. The sea king snarled in rage as he turned to face Kaiju and Mate. The two Guardian sharks hit him head on sending him in farther back then Hammer had. Growler plowed into the sea king's back and both disappeared beneath the surface as the other five Guardians followed suit. Riptide keep watching as did everyone else, the minutes passed. Suddenly there was a geyser of water as the merged form of Guardian surfaced, his razor sharp claws holding the sea king by his tail. Goliath was struggling, his good eyes filled with absolute terror. Guardian growled as he began spinning the sea king around and around his head till Goliath was a blur of black and grey and then he released the sea king. Goliath went soaring till his was a mere speck in the sky. Throwing his head back, Guardian roared his victory as he glowed a bright white and once more became six separate shark spirits.

You guys did very well, Riptide praised the six.

Saw turned her barbed nose going across the entire width of the ship and Riptide affectionately scratched her head. Riptide happy?

You know I'm happy, Saw, Riptide told her.

Little sister, Kaiju rumbled and Saw faced her older brother. We have our duty to due, you may play later.

Yes big brother, the saw shark Guardian rejoined her brothers and they dove into the sea, taking their more physical form. Five massive and one towering dorsal fin broke the surface surrounding Wave cutter. Gaff and Slashback hurried to the Port side rail and stood gawking at the sheer size of Mate.

"Look at the size of that thing", Slashback said.

Mate teasingly leaped out of the water, twisting and diving nose first causing water to coming splashing onto the deck, nearing drowning the two. Longtooth was laughing his head off at the sight of the two, "Bet you lads will think twice on that one, eh?"

Gaff was snorting and spurting as he his head sending water flying from his hair. Slashback on the other hand was grinning like an idiot. "Now that was cool", he said.

"Oh shut up", Gaff said.

The rest of the Saw crew all laughed.

With the Guardians swimming along side their ship, the Saw crew had no more problems with sea kings and it was at dinner that night that Nami announced that according calculations they would soon enter the Grand Line. This was applauded by all except for Poseidon who was on watch at that moment.

"So what should we do first?" Neeta asked a gleam of excitement in her eyes.

"Well lass", Longtooth said resting his chin on his folded hands. "We find the nearest port and get fully stock and perhaps recruit some more crewmates."

Riptide nodded, trusting Longtooth's judgment. "So where's the nearest port?" he asked.

"It's been a long time since we traveled this route, but if I remember correctly", the mako said. "The place was called Shark's Guild."

Blade snorted shaking his head, "Ye got that wrong. Shark's Pass it was called."

"I don't think it was Blade", Longtooth said.

Blade gave his friend an insulted look. "What makes ye think ye right", he said "Ye were drunk half of the time".

"Drunk", rumbled the mako. "How dare you-,"

"Guys, that's enough", Riptide barked. "Let's go with Shark's Port for now. Okay?"

The two older pirates looked rather embarrassed and mumbled their apologies among the amused chuckles of their crewmates.

Dinner was soon done and everyone went about their business or retired for the night. Arlong was sitting outside with his older brother as the two enjoyed the quiet of the night. Tarlong sighed as he pulled out his cigar, "Better be sure to get some more before we leave that port."

Arlong gave him a side ways glance. "How about quitting?" he suggested.

"I'll quit the day you tell her the truth."

"What are you rambling about?"

Tarlong took a long draw on his cigar blowing smoke in Arlong's face causing him to cough. "Your feelings for Nami", he said.

"Feelings for her?" he was still coughing some, "You're crazy, and you know that?"

"So you're saying you have no feelings toward her?" Tarlong asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That's what I'm saying!"

Tarlong shook his head, chuckling in amusement. "You sound like me at one time", he said.

Arlong gave him an inquired look. "How so?"

The beard saw shark scratched his throat. "I denied that was in love with Chizzara till some creep nearly killed her", he said. "Garth and hunted the creep down and well, it didn't end pretty to let you know."

"You killed him, didn't you?"

"Had to", Tarlong answered with a heavy. "He had taken a pregnant woman hostage and was threaten to kill her. What choice did I have?"

Arlong nodded in agreement, "Not much. So that's when you realized you were in love, huh?"

"Yeah especially after Chizzara told me she was in love with me. We've been together ever since, well almost."

"I know", Arlong said. "Riptide told me that she had left you after she learned we were brothers and that you went looking for me. Having me for a brother no doubt caused you allot of problems."

"They caused allot."

The two brothers looked over their shoulders to see Chizzara and Nami walking up to them. The blonde haired navigator smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck only to frown at the cigar. "Tarl, I thought we had talked about this", she said.

"Ah, come on Chizz", Tarlong said. "You know..."

Arlong rolled his eyes as Chizzara placed a finger on his lips silencing him. Well, time to leave before I loose my dinner, He thought standing up. "Since it's going to get mushy here, I'm off to bed."

He headed off struggling not to limp, but he did some. Nami watched him limp as did Tarlong and Chizzara; they looked at each other with concern written on their faces. "He's not limping as badly as he did before we left Unity Island", Tarlong said. "Still you know it's bothering him."

Nami folded her arms. "He'll never admit", she said. "He's to prideful to do that."

"Maybe he will if you talk to him", Chizzara said.

"Why should I do that?" she turned and stormed off.

"Looks like you were right", Chizzara said as she and Tarlong watched Nami.

"They have children together and neither is willing to admit anything to the other besides their own hatred toward each other", Tarlong sighed. "I worried about Arlong though."

The former marine looked at her beloved, "Why?"

"I think he's afraid."

Chizzara found this strange and she had heard about countless of stories from different marines about Arlong's ferocity and to hear Tarlong say that his own brother was afraid was strange. "Why would he be afraid of?" she asked.

Tarlong looked at her, "His past."

Chizzara looked surprised, Arlong was afraid of his past. Why? Why would he be afraid of his past?

Arlong was laying on his bed, recalling everything he had done when he served under Jimbei as his first mate and then after he formed the Arlong pirates. HE had made enemies and comrades and one particular came to mind. "I wonder what Scales is up to", he wondered out loud.

Scales was a mere pirate, but he was nasty and both he and Arlong shared the same views when it came to the humans. They became friends and when Scales learned about Nami and how talented she was as a cartographer, it was Scales who gave Arlong some of the recorded information for Nami to draw the maps. Arlong shuddered when he recalled what Scales had once said about hybrids: "They nothing but weaklings and they deserve to be slain along with those who conceived them."

If he ever learned about our children... Arlong felt a sudden fear growing in his heart. He feared not only for his children, but for Nami. He knew Scales would do anything to get her. I hope we never run into Scales cause if we do, I don't think even Riptide or me could ever defeat him. His mind was still on Scales and the danger his family would be in when he fell asleep.