One Piece: Luminosity

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Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or its affiliates, nor any characters contained within unless specified as an Original Character. I do not own Shonen Jump, Funimation (and for the sake of it I don't own 4kids either). This story is not being used for profit and is purely for the enjoyment of readers everywhere. Now let's enjoy the story shall we? Note that some villages have been renamed. This is to suit backstories a bit better and to give them a bit more character and class. Some villagers have also been renamed. If you do not like it, you don't have to read. As always though, read and review, constructive criticism please. Ideas to enhance the story are welcome. This story begins near the end of Arlong's Arc, for convenience, side arcs will not be included in the story-line.

With the latest update, I have included a new feature. These are labeled "Episodes". Much like One Piece the anime and the manga, each chapter now has sections within the chapter. These Episodes can be found with the find function. They range from "Episode One" all the way up to "Episode Nine" or perhaps more in future chapters. It all depends on the flow of each individual chapter. Sometimes there will be special episodes (such as Flashback Episodes or Dual Timeline Episodes). These will be searched for by their names (it will always be Flashback Episode: etc... or Dual Timeline Episode). Prologue Episode is for Chapter One only!

The cover image is supplied by heivais and the link is not on my profile (thanks to Fanfiction's anti link policy). That said, search up heivais on deviantart. You should be able to find the works. heivais, if you read this story, I hope you enjoy the work and I hope you are okay with me using the image.

Please read and review, and let me know if you like the Episode system.

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Normally I try to place character lists in this section, however I believe that almost anyone reading this story will know all about the Straw Hats. Instead I will place a short summary of the plot thus far.

Luffy (our hero and captain) set sail to become King of the Pirates and to find the One Piece. On his journey he met and recruited Zoro the Bounty Hunter, Usopp the Liar and Sharpshooter and Sanji. The latter is a strong fighter who uses only his feet and legs in battle. He is also one of the best cooks in all the world. The final crew member they recruited was Nami, who joined right after Zoro. During their travels, the Straw Hats took down Kuro who the Marines thought was dead, Buggy the Clown whose parts were separated, and Don Krieg who was supposedly the strongest man in all of the East Blue with an armada of 50 ships (all but one of which was taken down by Mihawk, the final one being taken down right in front of the Baratie). Zoro was severely injured by Mihawk but had earned the man's respect by refusing to back down even a single step. Finally, Nami had stolen the Going Merry (Luffy's ship) and had set sail to her home island.

The entire crew (Usopp and Zoro left first with Jonny. Luffy and Sanji left after them with Yosaku) caught up to her at her home island and eventually got the whole story from Nami's sister Nojiko, well all of them save Luffy who went for a walk rather than listen to Nami's history. It is on this island that this story takes place.

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Chapter One: Fish-Men VS Straw Hats

Prologue Episode: Nami's Desperation and Luffy's Resolve

Luffy watched in shock as Nami was pointing a dagger at her own village people. She shouted, "I can't let you throw your lives away, I'll stop you myself if I have to! I won't let anyone else be hurt by these monsters!"

She slashed the dagger at them, but Genzo stepped forward and caught the blade. He stared straight into her eyes and stated sternly, "We've already made up our minds Nami, you've fought so hard and bravely for us, for eight long years. Enough is enough! Arlong will never set you or this village free, it is something we've accepted. I for one, would rather die than live forever under his rule."

Nami hid her face as she did not want them to see her crying and whispered, "What're you saying Genzo? I can't lose all of you, I've worked too hard to see it end this way. What was all my years of hard work for? You're just going to die!"

Genzo smiled then whispered, "We aren't going to die, we are fighting to live."

Her eyes widened in astonishment. Those words were nearly identical to something Luffy had said to her at one point of their journey. It was only at that moment that she truly was able to appreciate the value of that phrase.

Genzo shouted, "Get out of our way Nami!" He drew his blade and held it skyward before he ordered, "Forward, we will do our best to cause them enough pain to make them sorry to mess with humans!" The village moved out leaving Nami behind in the dust.

Nami's eyes rose skyward in shock, then she fell to her knees. In her mind, she could swear she had just heard the sound of something metallic hitting some surface. It was only then that she finally looked down and saw that she had dropped the dagger beside her. She could hear Arlong's laughter ringing in her ears as though he were standing over her. She held her head with both her hands and shook on the spot. She tried to fight it off, but her emotions began to run wild. She screamed and slammed her fist on the ground. Her eyes turned to her left arm and she reached over to her upper arm. This was where the tattoo of Arlong's crew was inked onto her. She dug her nails into her flesh and bit her lip hard enough to make blood trickle down her chin. Her mind had gone completely blank, she could barely even see in front of her.

Luffy watched the way Nami was and something about it just rubbed him the wrong way. He could feel anger bubbling up within his body. Everything about Nami's body screamed that she was in intense pain.

Nami hadn't even noticed that Luffy was still around. She held her left hand to her side. Her mind was still blank, but then images slowly began to swirl in her head. Her thoughts gravitated to everything that had happened since she had met the Straw Hats and everything she had done to them in order to keep them out of this battle. She had even pretended to kill Usopp and acted like a cruel woman. This was putting it mildly. Her eyes fell once again to the tattoo and she screamed in pure agony.

Sanji was on the sidelines of the town, farther away than Luffy. He blew out a small cloud of smoke and was resisting the urge to go to Arlong Park and defeat them all himself. He was a chivalrous man, thus a young woman screaming in this much pain really hit him hard..

Luffy's eyes regarded Nami carefully. He could feel her pain, for the emotion in the air was nearly tangible. He just hoped that she would not do anything reckless.

Nami stared at the tattoo on her arm with anger and hatred in her eyes, then she grabbed the dagger at her side and began to stab her arm, where she had tattooed the bastard's mark on her skin. She screamed, "Arlong you son of a bitch!" She began screaming his name over and over again as she stabbed her arm. After the seventh stab, she felt her hand stop in mid stab. She looked up and saw Luffy staring at her.

He wasn't saying anything just holding her wrist, staring at her. His gaze felt like it pierced her very soul and his eyes, they were so focused it was almost terrifying to her. This was, of course, compounded by the fact that she was vulnerable at the moment and he knew it. He had managed to make it before had done any permanent damage to herself. The moment he saw her pick up the Dagger, he had started to walk towards her. No matter what Arlong had done to her, he wasn't going to let her do anything final.

She gasped out, "L-Luffy." The dagger clattered uselessly into the dust of the road. Her eyes fell towards the ground and she asked, "Why are you still here? Did I not tell you to get the hell out of here?"

Luffy answered, "Aye, you did." He let her wrist go now that she no longer had the dagger in her hand.

She softly said, "It's none of your business! I am a Pirate Thief, not your friend! Do you understand?"

Luffy said, "So you have told me."

Nami screamed, "Then get out of here! Go on leave!" She began using her right hand to throw dust behind her and continued to scream desperately, "I am not going to let you get involved in this, no one else! Go on, get away from me now!"

Luffy merely stood there, taking her dusty abuse and just waited. Even though he had his principles which preventing him from getting involved, something was slowly eating away at his resolve. The fact that she was this desperate to keep him out of it told him that Arlong had really hurt her mentally as well as emotionally. He had already decided to save her from Arlong, all she had to do was swallow her pride and ask. After about five minutes of this she began to break down and crying uncontrollably. Finally, he saw her glance back at him. Luffy stared back at her and realized that he wasn't really looking at Nami. The person before him was akin to a frightened child. He could see the tears streaming down her face and bit his lip hard.

Her mind was conflicted. She wanted to just beg him for his help, but how could she after all she had done to him and the rest of his crew? She had faked killing Usopp, stolen their ship and even told him that she didn't care about the crew or him. She shook her head and thought, "I can't ask him for help now."

Luffy knelt down and put his arms around her, drawing her into a hug yet still said nothing.

Nami shook in his arms and whispered, "Luffy, I can't involve you. If anything happened to you guys-"

Luffy grinned and said, "I knew you cared about us." He heard a funny noise from Nami and could have sworn she torn between laughing and crying.

Nami held him tightly and whispered almost inaudibly, "Please help me Luffy. I don't know what to do anymore. I don't want to lose anyone else, but I-"

Luffy had finally heard the words he needed to hear. He took the hat off his head, the most treasured possession he owned and placed it on her head, which stopped her mid-sentence, then said, "Take care of my hat Nami." He stood up and walked away towards Arlong Park. He screamed hard enough to cause the trees to shake, "He's going to pay for this!"

Zoro, Sanji and Usopp were at the edge of the village. They felt the sheer intensity of the emotion in the air.

Sanji took a drag from his cigarette then exhaled slowly. He said, "A man who breaks his word is not a man anymore, especially when that promise is to a lady."

Zoro said nothing, but merely waited for Luffy's command. His eyes said it all though, they were narrowed into close to just the pupils and his hand was clenched on his prized katana, the Wado Ichimonji.

Usopp shook slightly around the two more experienced fighters. Outside of fighting Captain Kuro's crew, he had very little experience fighting actual pirates, let alone mermen. That said, he was determined to help all the villagers after hearing the entire story from Nojiko.

Luffy was a simple man, but something about the look on Nami's terror and heartbroken face had filled him with a rage he hadn't felt since the pirates had insulted Shanks. Even that paled in comparison to this. He hadn't heard the story, but he knew how much she had suffered protecting her village. He saw it in her eyes. He could feel it somehow. He said, "Let's go!"

The three said, "Right."

Zoro shouldered the Wado Ichimongi, his only blade left. The other two had been cut to ribbons by Hawkeye Mihawk. If looks could have killed, anything he stared at right now would have died. He may have hated some parts of what Nami was, however the look on his captain's face was more than enough to fire him up. Despite how he felt, he also regarded Nami as his friend. Seeing her upset had made his blood boil.

Sanji didn't even need to look at Luffy to be ready to kill. He was a chivalrous man who hated anyone who hurt a lady. Knowing how much pain she had gone through and knowing how Arlong had betrayed her hopes and dreams was more than sufficient.

Usopp didn't seem like a hero type, however he had grown close to Nami, especially thanks to her risking her life for his village, something that netted her virtually no profit at all, unless you counted the ship that is. He also had found strength in her resolve and determination.

Prologue Complete: Stage Set for the Battle

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Episode One: Straw Hats VS Arlong Pirates – Beginning of the Fight

Meanwhile at Arlong Park, two men blocked the villagers' path. They were badly injured, however they refused to move a single inch. One said, "I'm sorry, we can't let you past us."

Genzo pointed his blade and asked, "Why the hell not?"

The other man answered, "If Yosaku and I can't defeat those mermen, your group stand no chance at all. The two of us could take out your entire village without too much effort and we lost, but only by a hair. We are awaiting the arrival of a certain group of people."

Yosaku continued, "If they can't defeat Arlong and his mermen, no one can. Make no mistake, they'll come."

Jonny pointed his blade in the direction of Cocoyashi Village and said, "It's them!"

Genzo spun around and saw Luffy leading the way with three men alongside him. His eyes narrowed then he blinked as he saw the long nosed man and asked, "Wait a second, isn't that the young man who attacked Arlong in the village to save my life?"

Nojiko nodded and answered, "That he is. I met the others too, but the one leading them went for a walk when I tried to tell them Nami's story. That green haired one just slept through it all though."

Jonny said, "If they cannot defeat them, it's the end of not only this island, but the entire East Blue, maybe even the world. Burn the image of those four men into your minds forever, for they are here to change your destinies."

Luffy said, "Step aside, I have business with that fish bastard." The villagers moved aside faster than ants fleeing before a flood.

Inside the park, Arlong couldn't help laughing heartily, then asked his men, "You think Nami will run?"

Hachi answered, "Not a chance, she will protect the villagers until the day she dies. At least I think she will, won't she?"

Kuroobi said, "Maybe, but Ruronoa Zoro is still out there, as is that guy who was taking a walk."

Arlong smirked and said, "So what, it's not like they could challenge us anyway."

The wall suddenly shook with a massive bang. As Arlong looked over, the wall suddenly exploded and four men were standing on the other side.

A man with black hair stood up and asked, "Which one of you is Arlong?" He began to walk forward.

Arlong glanced at him as two mermen moved to block his path and sneered at him before they warned, "If you wish to speak to Arlong, you go through us first."

Luffy grabbed them both and slammed them into each other, knocking them out instantly and said, "Now, which one is Arlong!"

Arlong's eyes narrowed as he stared at this insolent human being before him then he answered, "I am Arlong, who are you?"

Luffy stated simply, "I am Monkey D. Luffy, a pirate."

Arlong calmly asked, "And what does a pirate such as yourself want with me?"

Luffy glared at him then said nothing and merely punched him clean through the concrete wall. The mermen stared in shock at the display of power exhibited by this human. They hadn't seen anything like this since their stay on the Grand Line.

Arlong slowly raised his head and asked, "Who the hell are you?"

Luffy thought back to Nami breaking down uncontrollably, then remembered how hard she fought back asking him for help and her tears. The memory of that angered him beyond belief. He shouted, "That's for making our navigator cry!"

Kuroobi quickly leaped into action and ordered, "Brothers, stay out of this fight, you are no match for these men. And since I can see the long nosed freak is alive, that is proof enough to me to show Nami as the traitor she truly is!" He slid back as a ball hit him in the chest which exploded upon impact.

Usopp said, "Awe is the poor little Fishman's feelings hurt because of a little gunpowder?"

Kuroobi glared and said, "You just signed your death warrant long-nose." He nodded to Hachi to call Mohmoo the Sea Cow.

Luffy stared at Arlong until a shadow covered him. He looked up to see a very familiar Sea cow.

Sanji blinked then said, "Oh, it's just this guy? We already beat him up on the way over here."

Mohmoo took one look at Luffy and Sanji then began backing away to leave.

Arlong said, "Mohmoo, I wouldn't blame you for leaving, but you won't do that, now will you?"

Mohmoo's eyes glazed over then a look of pure rage covered his face. He rushed Luffy and Sanji, but Luffy slammed his feet in the concrete and rotated his body about fifteen times or so, then he launched his hands up to grab Mohmoo by the horns. At this moment, Mohmoo's eyes became fearful as he had a bad feeling as to what was coming.

Zoro said, "Let's get away from here."

Sanji asked, "What's he going to do?"

Zoro said, "I don't want to stick around to find out!" He quickly left the general area with Sanji and Usopp.

Luffy shouted, "Gumo Gumo no Pinwheel!" He began spinning and used the sea cow to knock out the mermen then send the creature flying over the horizon. He then looked at Arlong and said, "I didn't come here to fight your cronies, I came here to beat you up, now let's go!"

Zoro, Sanji and Usopp raced back up to Luffy.

Sanji whacked him upside the head and shouted, "Be careful moron, you could have killed us too."

Luffy wobbled back and forth from the smack upside the head and he said, "Sorry about that." He blinked looking down and began trying to pull his feet out of the concrete. He struggled a bit more, then realized there was a major problem with his Pinwheel attack.

Hachi glared then shot a blast of ink towards Sanji, Zoro and Luffy. Sanji and Zoro swiftly dodged it, but Luffy was stuck in place.

Zoro shouted, "Idiot, why didn't you dodge it?"

Luffy screamed, "I can't see!" He wiped the ink from his eyes and said, "That's just it, I'm kind of stuck!"

Zoro clapped his hand to his head and groaned. He growled out, "Dammit what a moron." He drew Wado and pointed it at Hachi and taunted, "How are you doing Octo man, I think your fishy friends here need a lesson in manners."

Sanji stood in front of Kuroobi and said, "Interesting, a mere fish thinks he can stand up to a cook. Should I fry or sauté you?"

Choo glared at them and was about to fire water bullets at them but was stopped when he was hit in the back with flames.

Usopp, who had circled around to the area where Arlong had been punched through the concret. He had used that hole to launch the fire star, which had hit Choo. He laughed and said, "Come get me long lips, or are you too stupid to catch me?"

Choo glared then shouted, "You really want to die! Come here long nosed freak!" He raced out of Arlong park chasing Usopp.

Arlong, who had watched Luffy's pinwheel attack carefully, slowly stood up said, "I think I just had an idea, how about a game pirates?" He walked over to where Luffy was trapped and looked down at him. He reached down, then stabbed the concrete with both hands. He dug in deep and pulled and without much effort, he had picked up a large chunk of it. This also included Luffy who was trapped within.

Luffy moved both hands back then called out, "Bazooka!" Both of his hands came crashing down into Arlong's chest.

Arlong grunted, sliding back a few feet. He smirked and sneered and shouted, "You can't put much power in that attack in your current condition Rubber Man! Devil Fruit users lose their power in the ocean, but honestly even a normal person wouldn't be able to escape in this situation either."

Zoro pointed his blade at Arlong. He stared with cold eyes and said, "You wouldn't dare."

Luffy launched his fist at Arlong who dodged it as he was expecting it this time.

Arlong retorted by tossing Luffy, concrete around his feet and all into the sea. He said, "Drown and Perish, Devil Fruit user." He started laughing maniacally.

Kuroobi smirked and asked, "How long do you think he has down there? Can you save him before we kill you all?"

Sanji quickly began running towards the sea, but froze when Zoro blocked his path with his sword drawn.

Zoro shouted, "No stop Sanji!" He kept his blade steady and said, "That's precisely what they want. They are fish-men, they will have a natural advantage in the water. We have only one way to save him. We have to take down these two and get in that water to save him. We don't have time, I'll take the octopus, you take the fish. It must be fast! I'll finish that octopus in a minute."

Sanji lit his cigarette and charged the fish and said, "No, thirty seconds Zoro!" He slammed his heel onto the fish's fin.

Episode Complete: No Victor

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Episode Two: Zoro VS Hachi, Dancing Blades

Zoro called out, "Jonny, Yosaku, your swords!" The two of them threw the blades. Zoro caught them and said, "Bring it on Octo man." He shook off the pain from his previous fight with Mihawk. He then dashed toward Hachi and slashed his swords at him, but Hachi just jumped up and clung to a pillar. Zoro shouted, "Oi, get down here damned Octo man!"

Hachi grinned and made a playful face.

Zoro glared and thought, 'That idiot, I don't have time to play like this!'

Hachi said, "You think you can beat me Roronoa Zoro?" He ran inside and came back out with six very large blades. They looked like two handed swords or the Bastard swords as they were appropriately named.

Zoro shook his head to clear the headache for a moment and shouted, "Oi get down here!"

Hachi leaped down and placed his blade together, "Octo Pot." He dashed and it was blocked by Zoro. He waited a second then smiled and continued, "Open!" He slashed them open breaking apart Zoro's guard. He smirked as he finished the combo, "Octo Head butt!" He head butted Zoro right in the chest.

Jonny winced and said, "Now that's just mean, he attacked him right in his large wound."

Yosaku asked, "Is he going to be alright? It hasn't even been a couple of days since he received that slash across his torso from Mihawk and he is swaying back and forth like he is on the verge of death."

The doctor from Cocoyashi answered, "He truly is on the verge of death, that young man is fighting both that octopus and the injuries he received earlier. He was a fool to not see a doctor immediately to at least get proper stitching to help it heal better. If his wound is as serious as you just said, then he had best prevent it from opening fully or he will die. There is no doubt about that."

Zoro thought to himself, "Even if this wound would kill a normal man, I cannot fail. I must transcend normality and become extraordinary."

Hachi said, "1000 blade flurry!" He charged and began to slash with a fierce speed and strength.

Zoro quickly took his bandanna from his left arm and tied it onto his head. He then closed his eyes and felt the world grow silent around him. Nothing else was there, not Nami or any of the villagers, nor Sanji who was holding off Kuroobi. He then called out, "Three sword style!" He began dodging every blade slash and appeared on Hachi's other side and finished, "Streaming Wolf Swords!"

Hachi fell to his knees in pain as there were cuts all over his body.

Arlong stared with his eyes narrowing at the scene before him. He had never seen anyone move that fast before save some of the swordsmen on the Grand Line itself. It was at that moment that he realized this crew before him had potential to reach the Grand Line.

Zoro groaned then fell to his knees and finally face forward onto the ground.

Sanji gasped, "Zoro? Jeez you idiot, you're still injured and are overdoing it!" He ducked under a punch.

Hachi glared then said, "You aren't supposed to die until you are on one of my blades."

Zoro slowly rose to his feet and said, "Way of Six Blades? Don't make me laugh. I have someone I have to meet again. Until I do, not even death himself can take me from this mortal coil."

Hachi asked, "What?"

Zoro said, "No matter what, you can't beat me Octo freak!"

Hachi glared and shouted, "Why you little, I'll crush you with my six swords!"

Zoro said, "My blades have far more weight on them Octo man, you will never defeat me!"

Hachi blinked in confusion then said, "Your blades have more weight? Mine are six compared to your three and they weigh three hundred kilograms each, So how can you say that?" His words were like a combination of a statement and a question.

Zoro groaned and started to explain, "I mean the weight of my destiny, oh forget it. Simpletons will never understand." He felt the pain growing worse in his chest and knew his focus had to be bang on target.

Hachi smiled then said, "Do you know why I am invincible Zoro? I will show you." He dashed right next to Zoro and began to clash his blades together. The resulting twister pushed Zoro into the air and Hachi laughed and shouted, "Perish human!" He darted under where Zoro was going to land and began to spin his six blades like a propeller blade. When Zoro hit the blades, everyone watching seemed to gasp in horror.

Jonny watched the fight, breathless and unable to turn away. He knew that Yosaku was the same way.

Suddenly, Hachi screamed in pain and fell to his knees. Zoro had appeared behind the Octo man.

He smirked and said, "You have to do better than than if you want to kill me. At least make it a challenge."

Hachi growled and said, "How dare you dance on my blades and cut up my hands! You stupid, arrogant, annoying..." He paused then said, "Actually, I suppose it was a good move, yeah that is right. Well time to end this, Octo Pot Stance." He placed his six swords together, then dashed straight at his enemy.

Zoro's eyesight was fading he had no choice. He thought, 'I must finish this immediately.' He began to charge his chi into his blades and called out, "Three sword style, Dragon Twister!" He spun and a spiral blade set appeared going upwards knocking him into the air, "Finisher, Three sword style, Aerial Onigiri!" He dashed upwards and slashed with all three then landed on one knee. He sheathed all three blades as Hachi crashed into the ground hard and exclaimed, "Now Octo man, you know the true weight of destiny on my blades!" He made his way towards the ocean.

Episode Complete: Victor Zoro

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Intermission: Battlefield Situations

Zoro groaned, "There's no time, I'll go rescue that idiot Luffy."

Sanji held up his hand and said, "If you were paying attention, I was going to do this!" He dove into the water.

Zoro looked back then said, "Idiot, that's just what they want you to do."

Kuroobi laughed and asked, "Does he really want to fight a merman underwater? What a fool!" He ran towards the sea.

Zoro tried to move in order to intercept him, but he was still too weak after all the exertion he had just gone through and was unable to prevent it. He saw Kuroobi dive in and hoped that Sanji knew what he was doing.

Flashback begins...

Before the fight between Zoro and Hachi had even begun, a conversation had taken place just outside Arlong Park.

Jonny had started to move toward the sea with Yosaku beside him.

Genzo tapped them both on the back and the two of them collapsed. He said, "You would die if you enter the sea in your state. I will go in after the boy. I feel he may be our only hope to win this oncoming fight."

Nojiko stood next to him with a sledgehammer resting on the ground beside her and said, "I'm coming too."

Genzo said, "You are injured, absolutely not!"

Nojiko placed a hand on her hip then exclaimed, "These men are fighting for my sister, there is no way I am just standing on the sidelines and doing nothing! That isn't happening, besides I am not badly hurt, understand?"

Genzo stared at the young woman before him then sighed and said, "Very well, we do this together." The two of them dove into the water and swam down to find Luffy stuck underwater, unconscious.

Nojiko handed the Sledgehammer she had brought with into the depths with her to Genzo who began slamming it down onto the rock, trying to break it, but to no avail.

Genzo thought, 'He doesn't look too good, if he doesn't get air soon, he will die.'

Nojiko pulled on Luffy's arm to find it stretched then realized something. She grabbed Luffy's head and began to swim upwards, stretching his neck as she went. Soon she made it to the surface and held his head in her lap while Genzo began to push on Luffy's chest to attempt to get him to breathe. They had to make him spit up the water he had swallowed before it was too late.

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During Zoro's fight, Sanji had been holding off Kuroobi fairly well. He found that he was faster than Kuroobi and could hit with more power, but he hadn't gotten the opening he required to start combos that would finish off the giant fish he wanted to sauté.

When he saw Zoro swaying on the spot in pain, he gasped and thought, "I knew it, you've still not recovered from your wounds you received from Mihawk."

Kuroobi shouted, "Pay attention to the fight on hand, pathetic human! Fishman Karate 100 Brick Punch!" His punch sent Sanji flying through the concrete like a torpedo.

Jonny froze then, after a moment of looking around for what had come out, saw Sanji laying on the ground behind them. He gasped then called out, "Cook?"

A bit more of Zoro's fight had gone on and by the point where Hachi had started spinning his blades, Sanji reached into his pocket. He pulled out a single cigarette and lit it. After he took a drag from the smoke, he blew it slowly out and got on his feet.

Neither Jonny, nor Yosaku saw him get up as they were too focused on the battle between Zoro and Hachi.

Sanji took another drag from his smoke as he began to walk towards Kuroobi slowly and with dedicated purpose.

Kuroobi saw him walk back onto the battlefield as though nothing had happened and said, "Impressive human, I didn't know there was anyone in this sea who could get back up from that attack."

Sanji tapped his smoke and said, "Oh I know of quite a few people who could. Most are back in that floating restaurant. It is a shame really, if the old geezer were here, he'd have crushed you without breaking a sweat."

Kuroobi glared and asked, "Oh and who may that be? Your father?"

Sanji smirked and said, "Oh, I guess you could call him that. You see, his original nickname was Red Foot Zeff. He was aptly named due turning his shoes red with the blood of his enemies."

Arlong turned to look at Sanji and thought, 'Red Foot Zeff's apprentice, that explains a lot.' He called out, "Kuroobi, be cautious, for if this human has learned Zeff's techniques, then he would be very strong. You can defeat him as you are stronger than any human, but do not drop your guard."

Flashback Complete

Intermission Complete

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Episode Three: Sanji VS Kuroobi, Deadly Aquatic Fight

Sanji saw Genzo trying to revive Luffy and thought, "I get it, they couldn't move Luffy so they just moved his head. If I can break that damned rock, the bastard can fight Arlong." He was hit in the back of the head with a forearm.

Kuroobi had attacked with his Forearm Sledge attack. He smirked then said, "You were quite the fool to face me underwater. Fish-man Karate, Aqua Pummel!" He swam and began a barrage of punches then kicked him into the ocean's cliff like wall. He looked down and said to Genzo, "I see you're interfering in our game. That is something I cannot allow! I am afraid we will lose one hundred thousand a month thanks to your actions, you are a dead man!" He charged towards Genzo, but screamed, "Argh!" He found himself being pulled back by his long braid. He glanced over his shoulder and saw that Sanji had grabbed his braid and was pulling backwards.

Kuroobi pulled forward then spun around and shouted, "You're starting to piss me stupid human. What can you do when you can't even pull yourself out of the water?" He said, "Fish-man Karate, Tether Shooter!" His hair grabbed Sanji."Fish-man Karate, 100 Brick Punch!" He punched Sanji back and continued the combo, "Fish-man Karate, Sledgehammer Kick!" He kicked him down and as Sanji started going down, he rapidly swam down to get below his victim and followed through, "Fish-man Karate Chest Shot!" He kicked him into the wall again. Just before he was about to turn in order to deal with Genzo once more, he saw Sanji frantically trying to get to the surface. He grunted and swam to intercept the struggling human.

Sanji thought as he frantically swam upwards, 'Damn lost too much air! Must, get to the surface and fast!' He found Kuroobi blocking his path.

The powerful fish-man warrior sneered and asked, "Where do you think you're going? I admit you have some skills but you don't stand a chance. I am twice as fast and powerful underwater. Your precious chivalry is useless! Once you're dead, I'll kill your friend Zoro and the long nosed freak if Choo hasn't already performed the deed. Then I'll wipe out all the villagers of Cocoyashi village for standing against us. As an extra gift, I'll hack that traitorous bitch Nami into pieces! Your love is worthless, you can't even save yourself!" He paused then continued with a smirk on his face, "Your kind doesn't do well with sudden changes in pressure. Well then I'll just have to take advantage of that!" He grabbed Sanji then plummeted straight to the bottom. He noticed that blood came out of his victim's mouth. It had worked like a charm.

Sanji had to fight to stay conscious. He pointed upwards as if to say one more time.

Kuroobi stared at this man and thought, "How is he still even conscious? He has been underwater for a good five minutes now and has even taken an insane amount of damage. This should not even be possible." He said, "Well then, you are a lot stronger than I thought human, so we shall just do it again." He grabbed Sanji and began the rapid ascent towards the surface. He would stop just below the surface and then dive straight to the bottom this time.

Sanji thought quickly, 'Let's see, they use their lungs to breathe on land, but gills to breathe underwater. Right now, he's just a talking fish which means-' He lunged forward and began blowing the last of his air into Kuroobi's gills and finished his thought from before, 'Breathing air into his gills will suffocate this bastard!'

Kuroobi screamed in agony underwater and released Sanji due to the pain.

Sanji swam toward the surface before he lost consciousness and choked in the cool air. He never had appreciated just how sweet the air tasted until this very moment. He climbed out of the water and told Zoro, "Luffy's alright, well half alright."

Zoro blinked then asked, "Half? What are you talking about?"

Sanji said, "I'll explain later!" He picked up his pack of cigarettes and lighter from the floor of Arlong Park and lit a cigarette. He took a drag of the smoke and slipped his shoes back on then shouted, "Get the hell out of there! I want to fight you where I can breathe, you damned sushi platter!" Smoke came out from his mouth as he spoke.

Kuroobi got out of the water and coughed painfully for a moment before he said, "Land or in the water makes no difference. I'm powerful on either. Prepare to face my Fish-man Karate, what the?" Sanji was gone and Kuroobi had no clue where he had gone.

Sanji had gotten behind him in a single second. He was extremely pissed off. He rarely lost his composure during a fight, but Kuroobi had made a critical mistake taunting him like that and he was going to make the damn fish pay for all the insults he received. He was fighting for his own honor as well as his friends' lives now. He knew that until Luffy was free, he was the only one who could fight. He knew that Zoro had used up almost all of his strength thanks to Hachi and the injury from Mihawk so he would fight with everything he had. He shouted, "Coilleir Shoot!" He kicked Kuroobi in the chest."My love is worthless huh?" He kicked him in the shoulder."I can't protect anyone?" He kicked him in the knee."Leg, Chest, Back!" He kicked him in the other two spots as well. He said angrily right in Kuroobi's left ear, "You won't lay a finger on the villagers or Nami! Even if I had fallen, Luffy would have crushed every last one of you."

Kuroobi coughed up blood and thought, 'What the hell? Where did all this speed and power come from? Is it really from my taunting him earlier?' He called out, "Dammit, Fish-man Karate, 1000 Brick Fist." His eyes widened when he realized his attack had missed completely and thought, 'No one is that fast, no one!'

Sanji had flipped through the air right over the attack and shouted, "Mutton Shot!" He sent him crashing through Arlong Park. He took another drag from his cigarette and said, "He won't be back for dessert!"

Zoro watched in surprise as he hadn't really seen Sanji fight yet. He thought, "This cook isn't half bad at fighting." He asked, "Now explain what you meant by 'half alright'?"

Sanji whispered, "They have his neck stretched out and are trying to resuscitate him as we speak. I need to go back underwater to break the cement around his legs, but somehow I don't think that little bastard will let me do that."

Zoro drew all three blades held them between Sanji and Arlong, then said, "30 seconds, that's all I've got left in me!"

Sanji said, "It'll be enough!" He swiftly kicked off his shoes and tossed his pack of cigarettes to his left, making certain they landed in front of Jonny. Another object landed in front of there which was his lighter then he dove back into the water.

Episode Complete: Victor Sanji

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Episode Four: Usopp VS Choo, Underdog's Conquest

A trail of dust was being kicked up as someone screamed, "Crap, crap, holy crap! I'm going to die I just know it!" He tore across the island faster than he ever had run before.

As he gave chase, Choo shouted, "Damn straight, you're going to die!" He thought, 'Why can't I catch him? He shouldn't be that fast.'

Usopp noticed he had a few seconds and spun and fired, "Usopp Fire Star!" He fired and caused Choo to start screaming in agony, the fiery projectile had gone right down his throat.

Choo coughed out smoke and drank some water to recover from the flames. He glared at Usopp angrily and thought, 'Why do I have to fight this nitwit? He isn't even on the same level as his friends!'

Usopp began to laugh and said, "You really are an idiot, aren't you? I've gotten you away from Arlong don't you see? That leaves only two to face Zoro and Sanji!"

Choo's eyes widened as Usopp continued, "You've left him wide open, now I'll win! You are such a moron! Sanji and Zoro will take down those other two leaders, then Luffy will finish off Arlong once and for all. Your reign of tyranny ends now!"

Choo glared then began firing water blasts at Usopp.

Usopp began to dodge the water blasts and shouted, "I can't run away from this! I could easily fake my death and see you head back, but with everyone risking their lives I have to do the same or I won't be able to stay on their ship!" He smacked Choo in the foot with a cry of, "Usopp Hammer!" As Choo held his foot in pain, hopping in place, Usopp followed through with, "Usopp Rubber Band of Doom!" He pulled back the rubber band, aimed right at Choo's face.

Choo flinched in reflex then after no smack came he slowly opened his eyes saw that Usopp was gone. He screamed, "Not again! Come out right now you coward!"

Usopp had hidden behind a group of trees grinned. He knew he was rattling Choo and continued to take advantage of the situation. He called out, "Special attack!"

A bottle flew at Choo who caught it and looked at the label. He blinked and stated, "What in the world, sake? Poor man's Sake at that, does this guy have no taste?"

Usopp shouted, "Lead Star!"

The bottle shattered. Choo stumbled and found he was completely soaked in sake. He was flushed in embarrassment now. He shouted, "Now you're dead you little rat!" He drew in a lot of water from the nearby rice fields and shot a huge blast destroying a bunch of trees.

Usopp's head stuck out and shouted, "Holy shit!"

Choo groaned as he saw Usopp's head poking out from behind the trees. He thought, 'This guy is too easy, he is making himself wide open.' He got more water then fired a massive machine gun barrage of water bullets right where Usopp was.

Usopp began shaking and crying. He cried out, "Shit, crap, damn it! How did he find me? This battle will be over soon though!"

Choo broke a tree and held it above Usopp's head to crush him and asked, "What will be over?"

Usopp smirked and said triumphantly, "This whole fight, alcohol lights on fire you know, Fire Star!" He fired the Fire Star right at Choo's chest.

Choo dropped the tree to his side as the flames quickly spread all over his body and head and immediately screamed in pain. He started to run towards the rice fields and screamed, "Water water water water water!"

Usopp chased him down and shouted, "Oh no you don't! Usopp Hammer!" He smacked him down. He crashed into the other side of the water and started to try and catch his breath.

Choo shook his head and growled out, "Why you little-"

Usopp's eyes widened then he ran up to him and began his deadly barrage of attacks. He called out, "Usopp Hammer, Usopp Hammer, Usopp Hammer, Usopp Rubber Band of Doom, Usopp Hammer, Usopp Hammer, Usopp Hammer!" He began to laugh and said, "I beat him! Oh yeah, even I can do it if I keep trying." He picked himself up and began heading back to Arlong Park. Choo was left behind with so many lumps on his head and face that he looked like a patient from a horror film.

Episode Complete: Victor Usopp

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The Straw Hats have defeated all the Arlong Pirates, save Arlong himself. Will Sanji be able to free Luffy from his underwater prison? Will Zoro be able to hold off Arlong long enough? Who will be the final victor in this deadly battle? Stay tuned for Chapter Two: Clash of Titans – Luffy VS Arlong.