"Ka. Ra. Da. De."

Four syllables and I was hooked.

Bellemere is a special character to me.  She had such a profound effect on the tone of the Arlong Arc though her appearance was short.  She was tough, proud, funny, and she was a hero.

We know that she was a hellion in her youth and that she left the village to join the Marines.  No one heard from her for five years until the day she returned, in the middle of a storm, clutching two children and screaming for a doctor.

She raised the two children while working an orange grove to support the three of them.  She never registered the children in any records on the island. 

And, one day, pirates came to her village and her story ended.

This background does not satisfy me.  Who were Bellemere's parents? Why did she suddenly decide, after being a hellion, to join the strictest and most conservative military organization in her world?  What happened while she was in the Marines?  What rank did she achieve?  Where did she go?  What happened at that port that caused the Marines to be massacred with Bellemere, Nami, and Nojiko the sole survivors?  Why did she choose to return to the village at that time?  Why did she choose to work as a farmer?  What were the villagers reactions to her homecoming?  Was she ever reprimanded by the Marines for going AWOL?

And why was I so sad when Gen took Bellemere in his arms and asked her if she had enough money to save herself?

So I started writing my own answers - this is my tribute the shotgun slinging Marine of East Blue, Bellemere.

I hope I do her justice.

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