EPISODE 8 : WORST IN THE EAST
( Shedding Selfish Skin )

THEY DON'T TALK about it. More accurately, they don't have time to talk about it, because Luffy barrels through the front door of the house, and Zoro and Estrella are suddenly a few feet of distance apart, staring at each other with wide eyes and the beginnings of slightly bruised lips.

Night falls on them quickly, enveloping the two in stardust and minuscule remains of broken constellations amongst a moonlit sky. Zoro stares at Estrella and shadows flicker against his face, half-coated in darkness. The only light refractions are from the gloss of his eyes and lips.

( They don't talk about it. He wishes they had ).

Estrella tears a jagged rip through the skin of her lips, eyes lowered to the ground and fingers curled around her own arms. She can still hear her crazed heartbeat in her throat, begging to be spit out and silenced. She takes a deep breath.

( They don't talk about it. She doesn't know whether that makes her happy or afraid ).

Heavy limbs rise from behind the house, and with all the energies that remain in their bodies, muster up the strength to run after Luffy.

From a distance, Estrella can spot a head of blonde hair and the crisp suit belonging to their chef, as well as the bandana and childish suspenders belonging to Usopp.

They run in silence, until that loud, ringing silence becomes the furious screams of a woman wailing out a cursed name — "ARLONG!" Nami cries as she digs the knife deeper into her arm, carving out her wretched tattoo that acts as a brand — And then they run faster, urging their legs to move closer to the scene.

Nami is a limp ball of tears by the time Estrella and Zoro make it. Her eyes are cloudy, dark against the harsh hues of nightfall. Luffy's prized straw hat lies atop her head, acting as a cocoon that hides her sorrows away from the rest of the world.

Something in the bounty hunter twists sourly, seeing such a proud woman so feeble, so defeated. She frowns. Perhaps the Nami she has never gotten the chance to know beneath all the lies and false faces is different from the one she wants to be seen as.

"What's that?" Usopp points to the distance. The duo is now close enough to hear the worry in their voices.

Everyone turns in the direction his finger lands on, and Estrella's eyes are consumed by bright explosions of red and yellow flames licking the sky and pulling the color out of it. Smoke envelops the crisp night air, muddling the blues and whites of the heavens into a dark grey.

"They're attacking the village!" He cries.

The feeling of empathy, a long-dormant emotion Estrella had forgotten how to express, erupts against her chest like an open furnace. She glances over at Nami, who trembles in anger, her fists clenched against the dirt floor.

Estrella does not pity her. But she now understands. And although the feeling is bitter and all too new, she thinks that for Nami, killing Arlong will be what saving Punto Alto is to Estrella. A dream that has been nothing more than that — A dream.

But for Nami, her dreams and ambitions are slowly coming together. Perhaps she will be able to break out of her birdcage and soar. No longer as a plundering Raven, but as a Swan.

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‎THE VILLAGE IS now in ruins. Makeshift tents built from remaining charred wood litter the ashen dirt, streaked with soot and debris. By the time the crew arrives, most of the larger fires have been put out, but the damage done is irreversible.

"Arlong did this?" Sanji asks as he looks around what's left of the village, a frown on his pale lips. "Why?"

Nami swallows back the beginnings of salty tears against her eyelids and averts her eyes to the burnt remains of her home. A myriad of emotions crosses her irises, pupils expanding and retracting heavily against their brighter blues.

"To punish the villagers." She answers shakily before pausing. "And to punish me."

Estrella places a rough hand on the woman's good shoulder. She doesn't say anything, doesn't know what to say to magically make such a dire situation any better, so she settles with the comfort of company. The tangerine-haired woman doesn't remove the hand on her shoulder, and she doesn't utter any words of gratitude. The bounty hunter doesn't expect anything from her, anyway.

( Even doing as much as this is uncharacteristic for Estrella ).

Marching and orders being barked out fill the small space, and the sounds of water splashing against the sizzle of any remaining flames follow suit. The crew comes face to face with the scarred man from earlier and the rest of the village that trails after. By his side is Nojiko, who looks less like the woman they had met last night.

"What's going on?" Nami asks, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"Nojiko told us about your sacrifice." He sighs. "We didn't know. Can you ever forgive us?"

The navigator lets out a shuddering breath. "There's nothing to forgive. Coco Village is my home."

The man — Genzo, Estrella overhears one of the villagers mutter — Looks determined as he sets his sights on Nami.

"Then it's our turn to sacrifice." He states, his shoulders stiff and proud. "We're done living in fear."

"We're gonna march on Arlong Park. If those fishmen want a fight —" The man gets cut off by Nami, who looks shaken, almost frantic.

"That's not a fight!" She says in exasperation, carding a hand through her vibrant hair. "That's a massacre! You will all be killed."

Genzo's eyes grow sharper. "If there's no hope for us to buy our freedom, then I say we die trying to fight for it!"

The villagers clamor in agreement, raising their dusty weapons of wood and rusted metal. Estrella directs her gaze to the floor. Their fighting spirit is admirable — But still, in the end they will be nothing more than playthings for Arlong.

( Just as Estrella had been nothing more than an insignificant speck of dust in the universe's foul games ).

"No, everyone, please!" Nami begs them not to do anything, but the village's inhabitants are too tired of losing battles they never fight in, too tired of being complacent chess pieces being used for the purpose of something fouler.

"I — I won't let you do that." She refutes, and the cheers and yells simmer down to confused looks. "This is my fight."

"No," Luffy adds in suddenly, making his presence known. Silence has never been his strong suit, that much Estrella knows. "This is our fight. Right, guys?"

Zoro looks bored, and Estrella doesn't know when he'd ditched his spot at the end of the row to snake his way beside her. "Finally, I get to cut something."

The Suneater flinches in surprise at the sound of his voice, near gritting her teeth as she spots the piercing eyes and twitchy smile of the green-haired swordsman.

"But how are we gonna beat Arlong?" Usopp asks the million-dollar question with a tangle of his brows. "We saw what he did at Baratie."

( Luffy screams below the waves, choking, losing air. Estrella watches him from above the deck, yelling after him, unable to do anything. Her chest seizes uncomfortably ).

"Every creature has its weakness." Zoro mutters.

"We just have to find what it is." Estrella adds as an afterthought, mentally kicking herself for being so quick to pitch in when it comes to the man.

"Even bulletproof ones?" The sharpshooter snaps, looking more and more consumed by terror as the minutes pass. Nobody blames him. Usopp is fragile at heart, despite his big talk.

The crew exchanges looks of unease.

"I'll know it when I see it." Luffy murmurs. "And when I do, I won't hesitate."

After that, he doesn't utter another word.

Zoro tugs at the hem of Estrella's shirt, motioning for her to lean closer. When he feels that no one else is listening, he places his lips close to her ear and whispers the last words that crumble Estrella's iron barriers.

"Are we gonna talk about it?" He asks, leaning back to get a look at the woman's face.

The brunette lets out a long sigh, closing her eyes in order to ignore the rapid increase of her heart rate.

( Too close, her body cries, and yet not close enough ).

"Now's not a good time." She mutters under her breath. "When this is all over, then we'll talk about it."

The pirate hunter presses his lips together in a pensive manner, brows furrowed.

"Okay?" Estrella urges. He nods.

"Okay."

( They don't talk about it. But eventually, they will ).

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‎A HALF-BAKED plan is concocted from the depths of Luffy's brain, placing all of the Straw Hat Crew in the middle of the chaos that is Arlong Park.

The grand wall that separates Human from Fishman stands at least 10 feet tall, thick metal casings barred with a wooden board from the other side.

Everyone holds their smoke bombs close to their chests, not bothering to crouch; They can't be seen, anyway.

Estrella clenches the small detonation device in her palms, getting ready to uncap the latch and throw it into the interior. A feeling of sour justice claws at her arms, stiffly and slowly like the drip of metallic gold sliding off her fingertips.

She has ditched the gloves, material too close to the everlasting seep of the bombs to risk an accidental explosion. Her fingers tremble, they ache, they cry out for relief, but the bounty hunter grits her teeth and clenches the bomb tighter.

Luffy nods to the crew. At his signal, the Straw Hats rip off the safety pins off their makeshift bombs and catapult them into the park, over the gate and right into Fishman territory. In a split second, each crew member digs their hands through Usopp's satchel, grabbing another bomb and preparing to fling it.

Estrella wipes the small beads of sweat that the beginning heat draws from her body with her arms, fingers covered in soot and foul-smelling gas. This is a war — Not her war, but a war nonetheless. She would be damned if she didn't fight to win.

Their captain stands a few feet away from the gate, elbow poised like a battering ram and feet planted into the dirt ground. He rushes for the metal exterior and slams into the wall with all his might. The sound of tearing wood breaks the door into two, and the Straw Hat pirates gather to strut in.

As she always seems to be doing these days, Estrella takes a spot beside Zoro, her pristine machete already unsheathed. He wears his black bandana over his hair, a staple of his determination. They do not spare each other many glances, or so Estrella assumes. She refuses to look at him, refuses to quell the empathetic anger that sears her belly at the sight of Arlong's chaotic reign.

( Looking into honey-brown eyes and tousled green hair will only serve to make Estrella Narváez into a docile creature. She doesn't need that, not now ).

The woman swallows the dryness in her throat as she walks forward with everybody else, eyebrows knotted into a vicious scowl. For the first time in a long time, Estrella puts the needs of others in front of her own, shedding her selfish exterior and choosing to make a team effort.

Nami deserves as much.

Before them stands an empty pool with small round, sandy stones for stepping on. Further on lies bristling a colony of angry Fishmen with burns sallowing their slimy skin.

A Fishman with abnormally large lips and cerulean-hued skin angrily corrals the rest of his crew with a tick in his jaw and a clench in his fists.

"Fishmen!" He yells to the opposite crowd. "Stand by to repel boarders!"

Luffy holds his livid gaze, his curly-haired head still devoid of the signature straw hat. Instead, it sits safely on Nami's head, framing her killing intent and her pretty tangerine-colored hair.

"Where's Arlong?" Their captain grits out, massaging his knuckles threateningly.

Nami answers briefly, her eyes scanning the Fishman-infested Park. "He's probably in the map room."

Luffy turns to face his navigator, the look in his coffee-brown eyes searing into her very rib-bones and beyond. And Nami knows that she can count on Luffy, no matter how hard she tries to keep him away.

"Then that's where we're going." He says in finality.

The two depart rapidly, leaving behind Estrella, Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji. Out of the four of them, Only she and Zoro hold real weapons. Usopp carries a sling, and Sanji relies on just his feet.

A bead of saliva trickles down Estrella's throat, and she ponders whether or not she should say a few parting words to her newfound. . . people. She has rarely felt so fiercely protective over anyone, not since loss was engraved into the marrow of her very bones, not since the burial of her first home.

So Estrella Narváez settles with the remaining embers of her brash attitude and the beginning seeds of her newfound hope.

"If any of you die, I will gut you myself and put your heads on my wall. Got that?" She snarls, clenching her weapon tighter in her palms.

Usopp chuckles nervously. "That's a joke, right?"

Sanji looks bemused, as though Estrella's warning is a lighthearted thing. "Got it, Stardust."

The woman raises a confused brow, but she allows the flirt to get away with calling her such an absurd name because that is the type of thing friends can do.

Zoro gives her a look, and Estrella realizes that he holds more emotion in his eyes than in his words. He is a man that is more than skin-deep, more than just his sword and his goal.

"Stay safe." He settles with instead, in a too-warm tone as he curls himself in Estrella's eyes to rest for an eternity. A smile pulls at his dry lips.

She doesn't have a moment to reply. The Fishmen advance in a heavy rumble of stomping and yells, holding weapons of all kinds; Staffs, swords, daggers, blades, bats, clubs — If it's sharp or heavy, they use it.

Splitting up four people doesn't take very long. In a few minutes, each crew member is on a different side of the park, battling at the very least 5 fishmen at a time.

Estrella plunges her machete through the heart of an unsuspecting enemy, splattering blood all over the sand-colored floors and onto her own skin. Her heart pumps in her chest, thickly weaving its way through her veins. Her limbs are heavy. She has not slaughtered in a long time. The pain begins building steadily with each kill.

White-hot needles poke at the brunette's palms, tearing apart her tendons and rearranging her bones into muddled sticks in syrup. The yells and battle cries of the Fishmen begin to mold into a singular voice thrumming in Estrella's ears.

She doesn't know where the others are. Another hoard of Fishmen approaches, and her body has grown tired from the continuous use of her healing ability over the last few days. The dawning realization that Estrella Narváez is no longer the Suneater, no longer the powerful being she once was, settles against her bones like an eerie premonition of her impending demise.

The stardust that once seeped into her skin now turns against her, rotting her into a statue that will only serve to be destroyed for the sake of a richer pocket. Estrella Narváez knows what lies for her at the end of the tunnel, yet still, she continues to fight.

( What for ? She asks herself ).

A warm body presses against her back, tethering her back to the bloody Park, back to the weapon in her hands and the bodies on the ground.

"You need to focus." Zoro grits under his clenched teeth. Estrella can tell that his wound is aching, but he doesn't say a word about it.

"These stupid Fishmen won't quit!" The woman shouts in retaliation, bringing her machete to cut open another enemy's throat.

For a brief moment, their dynamic returns to normal. No more awkward pauses or sneaky looks, just two blades dancing together in an attempt to outshine the other.

Then they are torn apart once more. Five Fishmen charge at them at once, forcing Estrella to leap out of the way to avoid the javelin that is thrown in her direction. In a fit of rage at almost getting herself killed by some bottom feeder, she hurls his weapon right back at him, spearing the Fishman into the nearest tree.

Anger and bitter shame overtakes Estrella. She wonders what brought upon such a pitiful self-deprecating moment. She has long known that her path would never be an easy one, and there is nothing she can do to change it. What matters is the here and now, and Estrella Narváez knows without a doubt that she will never be killed in such a lowly manner. She is built for greater things than death at the hands of Fishmen.

In a pause from the onslaught of practically worthless bodies, Estrella catches sight of Sanji and Zoro bickering atop a small rock in the middle of the pool. She sighs, and feels that no matter how large the problems are, there will always be men who make a competition or an argument out of it.

"Guys!" She yells at the unsuspecting men as she jumps onto the stone just in time to cut down a Fishman lurking in the waters below.

The three stand cramped against the small ledge as Estrella glares at both of them, grabbing each of their shoulders to keep them all steady.

"Now's not the time." She grits out, tightening her hold. The blade in her hand sits dangerously close to Sanji's precious hair.

The Fishmen charge into the water, each a torpedo beneath the waves. Estrella is the first to hop off the stones and make it to solid ground, Zoro and Sanji following suit.

"You look tired!" Sanji yells mockingly from the other side of the pool when Zoro doubles over in pain, clutching his chest and steadying himself with his sword. "Maybe you should take a break."

In anger and defiance, Zoro stands up and continues to slash at Fishmen despite his deteriorating condition. Estrella watches them in annoyance, turning her focus back to the Fishmen.

"You oughta get back in the kitchen." The pirate hunter snarls in response, removing his blade from the side of an opponent's stomach.

"Quit screwing around!" The blonde shouts as his leg is caught by an enemy. "Luffy needs us!"

He spins out of the Fishman's grip, knocking down a second oncoming one in the process.

"You just got here." Zoro rolls his eyes. "You don't know what Luffy needs."

"I know he needs my cooking." Sanji announces proudly. The three are back together, cornered into a small huddle.

"You mean, putting two slices of bread together?" The green-haired man scoffs.

"Holy shit, can both of you just shut the fuck up!" Estrella says through gritted teeth.

"Ooh, looks like someone's feeling threatened!" Buggy chimes in from the sack in Sanji's arms.

"Shut up!" The three yell in unison, and Estrella slams the blunt side of her blade against the side of the sack.

"Ow!" He groans. "I'll shut up if you get me back to my body! We're close, I can feel my toes."

"Trust me, I can help you guys with this one!" Buggy says, his voice muffled from the cloth.

"I swear, clown, if you screw us over . . ." Zoro mutters.

"Can't I just stab him once?" Estrella asks.

"No!" Buggy shrieks, and his headless body begins to thrash against the prize board its pinned up against. "Do not let that crazy woman anywhere near my body!"

Sanji groans and tips the sack upside down, letting Buggy's head slam into the floor before magically flying and starching to his body.

Estrella scowls. "This is going to end up badly, but don't say I didn't warn you."

The man begins to cheer and dance, wiggling his arms and fingers in delight. "Oh, it's so much better than I even remembered."

The pirate clown turns around to face the three, and his rotten teeth curl up in a nervous grin.

"Hey, so, um . . ." He sticks up his two gloved hands, each donning a middle finger. "I'm gonna get out of here."

The man giggles and begins to sprint away. Estrella grabs to closest weapon that isn't hers — A small knife — And flings it at Buggy. He unattaches his chest from his legs just barely, allowing the blade to pass through.

"Hey!" Zoro calls after him in anger, but Buggy is too far away for any of them to reach.

"Sorry, kiddos." He grins. "I'd love to make things right, but it's time to exit stage left."

"Fucking clown." Zoro mutters angrily.

Estrella gives them an 'I-told-you-so' look.

"I hate to say it. . ." She begins smugly.

"No, you don't." Sanji rolls his eyes in defeat.

". . . I told you so." Estrella shrugs. "Never trust clowns. They're ugly and creepy."

With a small huff, Estrella leans against a rock, her weary bones aching from moving so much. If this had been back at Marine Headquarters a few years back, Mihawk would've certainly had a blast chewing her out for getting so rusty.

For now, she would rest. At least for a few moments, before Fishmen reinforcements arrive to ruin Estrella's fighting pause.

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‎ ✣ AUTHOR'S NOTE !

finally finally finally got this chap written after another wave of terrible writers block omg !!!

i came up w the title last minute bc i got lazy and idc anymore atp im js gonna use song lyrics for when im out of ideas 😭

i love zostrella sm and i didn't wanna get rid of their bickering dynamic so i brought it back for a while before they get all lovey dovey (barf) or js more romantic in general

pretty long chapter (around 4k words) so yay ! i was gonna make it a bit longer but i still wanna hit the 30 chap mark for the first vol so i decided to cut it off here and leave the rest for next chapter which i can hopefully get out soon since i have some motivation left

ending this vol is actually making me depressed cuz some of my books are getting near the end and it makes me sad i wanna write ab them forever cuz i love my characters sm ☹️ hopefully s2 of opla comes out soon tho (not before i finish the vol tho) so i can get right into the story again without forgetting my characters (gulp...growing pain)

this chap had a little bit of ep 7 in it too but not that much so i didn't put it in the beginning !

this chapter is dedicated to all of u who continue to support this fic i love yall mwahhh 🤗 and to those that have been here since the beginning u guys are prob the only reason i'm still updating !

next chapter will be from estrella, zoro, and sanji fighting that one karate fishman guy to probably when luffy and nami defeat arlong !! might make it a bit longer to include the celebration but idk we'll see !

as always feedback would be very appreciated !! questions, advice, etc, anything goes!!!! i take criticism pretty well so dw ab hurting my feelings

anyway pls lmk if there are any mistakes in the spelling or anything so i can fix it !

also don't b afraid to vote or comment, i will probably (very likely) reply!!!! and if you don't understand something, plsplspls lmk!! i want yall to fully understand what's going on

happy reads!

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─── ANNIE