Hope you enjoyed last chapter! It took me a while to write it, I don't know why, but know that I'm actually working at a table instead of my bed, I think I can get this chapter done faster. But, that wouldn't really matter for you guys, right? Since it would technically already be done…
Oh, and I want to mention, I guess I have to go back to basically every single one of my chapters and change the color of fear, 'cause I find happiness/joy to be more fitting for yellow and fear should be green or something, right? So, I'm gonna go back and redo that, so it'd be great if you guys can point out spots that I missed. Thanks.
Onto the story!
"LEAVE THIS ISLAND, ALREADY! I'VE TOLD YOU SO MANY TIMES, JUST LEAVE!" she screamed at him. For a second, Luffy felt bad since the anger from before seemed to have grown more than the former events, and he supposed that he was the only one to blame, but if he hadn't butted in, it was very likely that her sister was going to be shot, since she had lunged in front of Nami and shielded her like armor, but that was completely ignored since Luffy was the only thing on Nami's mind.
Luffy looked back at the wounded marines, the rest of the soldiers murmuring to themselves on how they should 'eliminate the nuisance'. The captain of the marines turned back, surprised to see many of his soldiers sprawled on the ground, some bleeding more than others and others almost none-moving. "What?!" the captain squeaked, causing Luffy to look at the rat-like marine captain.
The neko took a step closer to the marines, addressing to Nami, "These guys bothering you?" he asked her, his voice surprisingly very low. Nami halted her angered trembling and bit her lip, looking down on the ground as the anger returned again, but this time not towards the jaguar. Although she didn't gesture any sort of response, Luffy understood completely, having smelled the complete rage she was building up for a specific person, whether that be Arlong or the marine captain, he was going to beat them both.
Nami sprung up to her feet and sped away from the group of people, taking a different path that was painted with the smell of fish and sea life. Luffy frowned, turning to glare at the captain with a hard stare that could smash rocks.
Luffy walked closer to the rat man who smirked, "What do you plan to do, kid? Don't you know that hitting a marine will immediately get you arrested?"
Luffy curled his fingers into a fist, squeezing and releasing his clutched hand, "That doesn't matter to me." The marine captain stared at him dumbfounded, his sneer turning into an expression full of fear and confusion.
"What…?"
Luffy raised his fist and charged at the marine captain, "I was ready to punch a marine ever since I became a pirate!" he yelled at him mid-air, lunging near the rat man who squealed in fear, demanding his men to shoot the pirate, but couldn't even manage to sputter his third word, "Gomu Gomu no Pistol!" the jaguar yelled, punching the man hard on the nose, forcing the man back many feet away and onto the floor with a bloody nose. The marines cursed at him, figuring guns wouldn't work and exchanged their firearms for their blades, each one letting out a battle cry.
Luffy glared at them hard, "I don't know what you guys were doing, but Nami obviously didn't like whatever it was…" he said, bringing his leg back, preparing for another attack, "That much is enough for a beat down!" he positioned his leg, "Gomu Gomu no Whip!" he knocked down all the remaining marines in a single swoop, bringing the white-clad men down easily.
He looked at his work, watching as the conscious men passed out from pain or blood loss and the rat captain with a red punch imprint on his face. He turned around, facing Nojiko and the pinwheel man, who stared at his work in amazement.
The pinwheel man spoke, "H-How did you bring them all down?! Your body just stretched!"
"I'm strong." Luffy said and smiled, "And I ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi. I'm a rubber man." He said as he stretched the right side of his mouth as far as his arm went, before releasing it and letting his cheek slap back onto his face properly.
"What…?" Nojiko whispered, beads of sweat rolling down the side of her face. "A devil fruit?" Luffy nodded, smiling. Luffy looked to where Nami had run off, and Nojiko seemed to have understood what he was thinking. She walked over to him and bonked him on the head, "Devil fruit or not, you already heard her. And that goes for all of us. We don't want you here, so it'd be best if you just left with the rest of your friends."
Luffy stared blankly at her, having decided that Nami's history was finally catching up to her and she was unable to handle it. He could smell it when Nami wasn't feeling a specific emotion too strongly, that small tinge of hope that it was going to get better. But if you don't work for achieving something, then it was never going to be achieved. He understood that Nami was working hard, but was she working hard enough? Did she really have the strength to beat down her enemies whenever she wanted too? He doubted it. She was strong. He knew that and he accepted it, but she wasn't strong enough to stand back up once she fell.
So, he decided to wait.
Wait until she fell.
Once she fell, it would be decided.
If she was strong, she would get back up with a hard look, ready to climb the ladder again, but if she wasn't…
Then he and everyone else were going to lend their strength to her. She was special to them, and they weren't going to let her down when she needed them the most. Although she hurt, although she lied, although she wanted them to leave and abandon her, they were going to stand next to her and face her obstacles with the stony faces she needed to wear. They would be the strength she needed when her strength diminished climbing that ladder.
Luffy didn't reply, only giving her an emotionless stare that didn't express what he was thinking. The neko turned around, walking back to the place where he was before and once there, he noticed many villagers huddled near the pathway in between the two houses, all of them giving him weird looks when he passed by them, settling himself on a square wooden seat encasing a palm tree, crossing his legs and placing his hands behind his head for a makeshift pillow.
He was going to wait.
●ω●
Luffy's ears perked high from underneath his hat, suddenly hearing a ruckus that started not too long ago, each passing minute the sounds of yells and cheers would grow in sound, and when they quieted down, he could hear someone speaking to them, as if the lone voice was protesting and everyone was agreeing. He sat up and rested his feet on the ground, suddenly interested in the smell that expressed so many emotions: anger, fear, sadness, hope, confidence… a sign that the group he was getting closer to was preparing for something. Something big.
As he neared, he sat himself a few blocks away from the small crowd of people that were there, each person having a say in what they were discussing about.
"Any objections?!" the man with the pinwheel on his head asked the group of people. Luffy wondered when he had gotten there.
"Of course not! Now let's go!"
"As if we'd accept their rule now that things have come to this!"
"Everyone in the whole village has always been prepared to fight!"
"So let's do this!"
Luffy soon understood what they were getting at and what they were planning on doing, but he made no move to stop them. He wondered though, if they really could try to take him on. Sure, he didn't know how strong Arlong was, but he was a pirate, and most pirates in general could easily beat a civilian no matter the type of weapons they carried—unless of course it was a weaponless pirate pansy that depended on his weaponry to fight (much like someone he recently beat) that was against a person with a common weapon, like a pistol, then perhaps the innocent person had a chance.
But, for them to finally start a fight now for who knows how long, then the chance that Arlong was weak was very slim. Over the loud noises of cheering and yelling, he hadn't noticed quick-paced footsteps quickly closing in on the crowd, much less recognize them.
But once he caught sight of short, ginger hair, he knew that she had something to say.
"Wait, everyone!" she caught everyone's attention. Luffy hadn't noticed before, but Nojiko was also among the group; only seeing her when he heard her say Nami's name in a very surprised tone. The ginger girl's heels stopped their clacking and she opened her arms wide, wearing a surprisingly sincere smile and cheerful eyes, a small faint blush dusting her cheeks as if she was actually tickled pink. But, no smell was stronger than fear and anger. It surprised him that he could actually smell something sweet around her, but the smell of ash and onion completely overpowered it, "Please just wait a little more! I'll try my best again so please!" she chuckled nervously and immediately, Luffy understood where she was getting at. He growled, "I promise I'll raise enough money once more! It'll actually be easier this time!" he could make out the very thin layer of sweat her body bore, and knew that it wasn't because of the run she had.
The villagers' looks softened, some even looked a tad guilty, as if they were little kids who were caught sticking their hands in a pit of snakes. After a few, agonizingly slow seconds, he could feel the exchange in smells, suddenly the atmosphere turned damp and mucky, and although no one else could smell it, they were probably feeling it. So much dampness that it seemed to turn the ground into mud that stuck onto your shoes and slipped off when you took another step, only for more to stick on.
Something that stuck on, but left, only to return again.
It seemed like it happened to them once before, and it was currently happening to them right now.
The pinwheel man lunged forward, bringing Nami into a tight embrace that she was definitely not expecting, her confusion turning into sadness when he started to speak, "That's enough… you know that doing such a thing would be futile. You've carried all our hope alone for long enough… you've fought splendidly…! I know that working with them must've been more painful than a thousand searing knives." Luffy frowned, hearing Nami's pain like a poem really seemed to have gotten to him. "You've fought well." Everyone smiled at his next words, "You can now leave this village."
Nami flinched and pushed herself away from the man littered with multiple scars, "What?!" her eyes were watery, tears haven't yet fallen, "B—"
Nojiko interrupted, "Nami…" she smiled, walking up to her younger sibling and with the brightest smile she could muster, she told her, "You're cunning and you've got what it takes to survive out there! Besides, you've got a dream to fulfill!" Luffy's ears perked at this, and almost a few seconds later, he smelled a very pacifying smell that he could only identify as his friends, the tiger smell overpowering his sense of smell above every other emotion. Zoro must've smelled the pother of emotions in front of Luffy, since they were nearing surprisingly quickly.
"Nojiko!" Nami said in shock. She shook her head and wailed, "No! please stop, everyone!" she took out a dagger and pointed it in front of her offensively and defensively, "I don't want to see them hurt anyone of you again!" she was panting. Her fear was taking its toll on her body, exhausting her, "You'll die, you know!"
Gen frowned, his chin wrinkled, "We know." He brought his hand forward and clutched the blade, the palm of his hand and his fingers easily cut, blood oozing through and dripping onto the dirty pavement.
A man wearing a black bandana with a white cross and a white coat stepped in, "It's no use. Our hearts are set!" he said to her with a determined voice, the villagers behind him either smiling in compassion or grinning in determination. By now, Luffy could smell Zoro, Usopp and Sanji perfectly, the three having split up to hide behind different objects, such as houses and trees to watch the scene before them unfold like a blooming flower, along with various colorful and resolute emotions. Some bright yet raw yellow, a few tints of orange from the red mixing with the former, very small tints of a sick and ugly green, proving that the villagers were indeed afraid, but cared for Nami more. There were even some sad and dull blues. The nekos felt bad, having too say that such a beautiful display carried such a heavy weight. The colors flowed around each person like a dusty cloud as the people smiled, unaware of the spectacle they had created.
Nojiko's eyes watered, "Nami…" she hid her eyes by lowering her gaze.
All of a sudden, the mist around the pinwheel man because a dark, bloody red, radiating a smoky and ashy smell, "NOW MOVE OUT OF OUR WAY, NAMI!" he charged, the clouds around everyone turning into a sick green and red, the demonstration from before completely obliterated by anger and fear. Everyone followed suit, raising their spears, daggers and swords in the air, prepared for a bloody bath, "LET'S GO EVERYONE! EVEN IF WE MAY NOT WIN, LET'S SHOW THEM OUR SPIRIT!"
They trampled past Nami yelling out their battle cries, and once everyone had passed her and were too far for even the nekos to specifically make them out, they watched Nami, unknowing of what was going to happen. Her sadness changing to anger in no time at all. Everyone could see her tremble, her right hand latching onto her left shoulder—where the forsaken Arlong tattoo laid imprinted on her skin. Her fingers dug into her sketched skin, as if she wanted to claw out the tattoo with her nails. Everyone flinched when they heard her seethe out the name that tortured so many minds.
"Arlong!" she drawled out the name, hissing as if it hurt to just say it. The red mist around her seemed to drip, as if the 'clouds' really were like rainclouds containing water, but instead of the clear and healthy liquid, it seemed to seep the red essentiality for the body, agonizingly slowly. It didn't drip, it just seemed to spring down then split into small dot-like orbs dancing underneath the blood red mist. Each passing second, it seemed to just grow darker and darker, up until the point where the red fumes were almost black. Once it had reached that shade of red, she screamed out Arlong's name again with much more ferocity, "ARLONG!" she grabbed her dagger off the floor and immediately after saying it, she plunged it into her arm, exactly where the black tattoo of a sawfish laid imprinted in her skin, "ARLONG, ARLONG!" she stabbed repeatedly, and as she was going to do it again, Luffy grabbed her arm, preventing her from causing more damage to her body.
Her arm was bleeding profusely, but the mist around her was still darker than the liquid escaping her shoulder. The neko held her hand high using enough force to keep it that way. The red clouds that consumed the space around them stopped dripping and piecing apart, changing beautifully into a shy turquoise. Fear and sadness. It really punctured the neko's heart.
The ginger girl looked up, tears rolling down to her chin as she bit her bottom lip, attempting to silence her whimpers as she trembled, still trying to get one more stab in her shoulder. "Luffy…" she said softly.
She released her grip on her dagger when Luffy let go of her wrist, letting her arms support her on the ground, her legs bent to both of her sides, "WHAT IS IT?! YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW THE FIRST THING ABOUT ANYTHING!" she yelled at him, the neko noticing that it was the most frequent tone she had been using only for him.
Luffy let his hands clutch into fists, "Nope, I don't know anything." He said in a flat tone, but the air around him was full of emotion.
Nami, with her good hand, grabbed a fistful of the sandy dirt the pavement was made of, her nails filled with the soil, "This has nothing to do with you…!" she rasped out, her voice close to hissing. She swung her arm back, the sand in her hands vanishing into small clouds of dust around Luffy. Small packs of stones hit his legs, but he ignored them, "DIDN'T I ALREADY TELL YOU TO LEAVE THIS ISLAND?!"
"Yeah, you did." Red mixed in with the turquoise.
Once she stopped throwing sand on him, she covered her face with her dirty hand, her tears taking the dirt off her hand as they dropped onto the floor. The ground on her right side had a small hole, with smaller and thinner ones running inside it. If someone were to pass by, they would know that the hole was made with a thin hand.
"Luffy…" her voice started to shake, and the red immediately vanished, leaving behind a very vibrant sea color, not pure blue, not pure green, but somewhere in between. The blood from her arm seeped down onto the ground, a few red dots painting the sandy soil. She turned to him, biting her lip as she looked up at him with tear filled eyes, filled with so much pain that one could write a small story book only detailing the emotion in them, the lost hope, the pain, the sadness, and one last plead, "Help me…"
Luffy knew now was the time.
She fell off her ladder, and he knew she couldn't get back up. She attempted to create an excuse when she tried to convince the villagers that she could get back up again, but they knew she couldn't. The strength in her arms had vanished, and she couldn't get back up, not mattering even if she tried, she would just fall down again.
Right now, she needed the strength of someone else, someone along with few others, but with the strength they were willing to give her, she could get back up the ladder she had fallen from.
Luffy wore a frown, lifting his hand and placing it on top of his hat, massaging it before grabbing it and placing the straw hat on Nami's ginger hair, rather bluntly but firmly, revealing his black jaguar ears. The exposed neko took a few steps away from Nami, turned around and took in a deep breath facing the sky. With enough air in his lungs, he released it in one loud yell, "OF COURSE I WILL!"
She whispered his name as he walked away, with good reason as well. Not only had they agreed to help her, despite all her trickery, Luffy had given her his precious hat, something he'd never do. the three other members already prepared to be her strength. "Let's go."
Zoro smirked, unsheathing Wado Ichimonji and immediately sniffing the blade, the scent of steel very powerful, yet he left himself completely exposed, not being bothered by his flaunting. If Luffy was showing his identity, his pride as another fellow neko and friend drove him to do the same. He was only awaiting the moment when he would have to take out his other two swords. Usopp snapped on his goggles, running his hands on the ammunition inside his orange ammunition bag, appearing confident despite his cowardly nature. Sanji blew out the smoke from his cigarette, clicking his tongue. He tapped the floor with his toes, getting a better feel in his feet and legs. Better feel; better kick.
"Roger!"
They've been preparing for this moment.
●ω●
Walking past the villagers near the gates to the entrance of Arlong Park wasn't much of a problem, but Luffy and Zoro had been the center of attention in the whole crowd of people, since their cat extremities were on display for everyone to see. Yosaku and Johnny were perplexed at first, wondering why Luffy didn't have his hat and why Zoro was showing his special features as well, but after seeing Nami wearing Luffy's hat far (almost ambiguous to be exact, as only her shadow was visible in the town faraway, but her short, tangerine hair and the straw hat on her head seemed to give it away) behind them, they got the answer to their first question, but were still left wondering about the second.
Zoro, on the other hand, knew perfectly why he would show himself to everyone after many years of hiding. He had a captain to follow and protect, whether he liked it or not. If his captain decided that he would let everyone see him, then it would be shameful for him not to do the same, since not only was he the first crewmember, thus knowing him the longest in their short period of time together, but because he wouldn't let Luffy suffer alone. If his captain was shunned upon or wanted, then he would be to. And besides, friends stuck by each other's sides, didn't they? Although, he would never say that out loud. It almost surprised him how well he got along with the other neko, taking into account the way Luffy had black-mailed him to join, but he was greeted with a new sense of adventure he doubted he would've received had he not joined. Besides, Luffy wasn't a bad man to follow.
Luffy, after everyone had left a path for them towards the red gates to Arlong Park, raised his fist and punched the doors, blowing them off their hinges and crumbling completely many yards away. He clenched his fingers, wringing them inwards and outwards, "Who's the one called Arlong?"
The fishman in the wooden lawn chair growled immediately, baring his sharp teeth and glared and the neko, anger so evident that even though Luffy's cat ears and tail were exposed, the fishman named 'Arlong' didn't even seem to notice. "Who's this brat…?" his voice dripped in anger, enraged by the simple action, yet after composing himself and pursuing a more dominant voice, he said, "Arlong? That would be my name."
"I'm Luffy." The neko told him nonchalantly.
Luffy stared blankly at the fishman, wondering if the hybrid had even noticed his ears and tail. Judging from his unchanging expression, it seemed he didn't, "Luffy?" he said it slowly, as if finally observing his features. Luffy confirmed his suspicions when the fishman growled, baring his sharp teeth, "I see…" he pointed out the different oddities, something nobody should have, "And just what the hell are you?"
Luffy let his gaze harden into a small glare, "A pirate." He said.
The fishman glowered at him, yet not intimidating enough. Don Krieg was one thing, since a man such as him was incomprehensible in Luffy's mind ('How could he just hurt his own crewmate?!' It was beyond his understanding.) but a fish was in no means stronger than a cat, and he doubted the fishman being a sawfish would make much of a difference, since he himself was no mere cat, but a jaguar.
"And that on your head?" he asked, impatience audible in his voice.
"Ears."
The fishman was clearly not pleased with the answer, but refrained himself from asking more. It was probably just a weird hat and it was never in his blood to ever actually ask too many time-wasting questions unless it was one-hundred percent necessary.
The neko whipped his tail back and forth, casually strolling in through and over the debris of the fallen doors, the fishmen pirates staring at the appendage almost warily, as if they were unsure of what they were staring at. A pair of larger fishmen than himself stepped in front of him, wearing grins that obviously meant trouble. The neko stopped in front of them, the one to his right setting a webbed hand on his shoulder. The gesture was strange physically, as the fishman's hand was slippery but not wet, and very stretchy, but unlike his rubber. Plastic was the best the neko could describe the feeling, "Hey you, stop." He said, his voice low but normal, as if it belonged to any other normal person.
The one to his left laughed, "Where d'ya think you're going?" he interrogated the neko, but it was obvious he was simply stalling, and Luffy had no time to stall, "We can't have you go through without talkin' to us first." The fishmen around them chuckled, one calling over the rest closer to the front so they could see the bloody and amusing death of the strange cat-like man.
They said at once, "If you don't hold it right there…" Luffy clicked his barbed tongue, the feeling well-known against the roof of his mouth.
He stretched his arms over their heads, confusing them for a moment. Of course, it probably seemed like a friendly gesture similar to a pat on the back, but Luffy left the palms of his hands occupy the curving part of their heads, and before they could react, he glared at them hard and slammed their heads together in the middle, a sickening thud resonating throughout the park. "MOVE IT!" he growled. The enemy was right in front of him, and he wasn't going to be stalled any longer.
The two fishmen fell to the floor as Luffy was over them, studying the reaction of the large sawfish man, which was amusing to him. The fishman probably thought he was going to be easy meat. The others around them shouted out their surprise, obviously not having expected the quick defeat of two of their superior members (in comparison to humans).
Arlong glared at him, but kept his head facing the front, having to depend solely on his eyes to watch the neko. Luffy thought silently to himself, They obviously have no idea what a neko is, And with good reason too, the pirate pair from before had easily underestimated them, and they ended up on the ground with killer headaches and bloody foreheads.
"What does a pirate want with me?" Arlong asked. Luffy could see the red, cloudy cloak around him, but it definitely couldn't match with how Nami's was earlier.
As Luffy was only a few good feet away from the fishman, he bent his arm back and quickly lunged his arm forward, punching the pirate on the cheek and sending him crashing on the white walls on the other side of the wide enclosed area, tumbling the lawn chair on the ground from the force. The walls were easily broken, large chunks sprawling on the ground as dust blinded the spot where Arlong was thrown. Luffy brought his fist back, his fingers popping as they flexed independently.
There was a brief moment of shocked silence, but each of the members from the fishmen pirates immediately cried out to their captain, chorusing his name in dismayed worry. Luffy blew out a very large amount of air from his nose, as if he were a raging bull ready to charge at the red flag. Red. A sign of violence. That meant Arlong was the red flag. The concept of colors was easy for any neko. A brief image of Nami appeared in his mind, her eyes clouded as if a misty film had been placed over them, tears running down them as she looked up timidly at him, as if she was finally accepting her fate in a timid manner. The words that left her mouth, 'Help me' was like carrying the heaviest thing on his back and shoulders, heavy, but if he were to drop it, it would be harder to pick up again, rather than to carry it.
"Just what the hell…" Arlong started, his voice was trembling not from fear or pain, as Luffy could determine from the lack of green and onions, but of anger. He interrupted the fishman with his own angry protest.
"Don't you dare, make my navigator cry!" he scowled, his eyes almost gone from the lack of color in them, his pupil practically thin slits. He found himself a bit heated up, but it didn't deter him at all. He simply wanted this fishman out of Nami's life. The source of her misery and hopelessness was right in front of him, and he was going to get rid of it for her.
Immediately, despite their previous shock, the pirates charged at Luffy, some baring weapons such as swords, while others charged with their webbed fingers outstretched, as if they were going to claw at him. If one thing Luffy knew for certain, it was that cat claws were far more lethal than the 'claws' a fish would possess. They yelled out their battle cries, but somewhere far behind in their mix of yells, the neko could hear the quickening footsteps of his new crewmember, halting only a few feet away from him. Luffy didn't even blink when all the fishmen were immediately knocked down with swift leg movements. "Small fries can just get the hell back!"
Once they were all knocked down, Sanji strolled next to him, his kicks applying so much force that clouds of smoke were encircling the fallen victims and on some empty parts of the ground. "Jeez… running head first alone like that." They had witnessed Luffy's punch to the door, they were there with him when they walked through the crowd of armed villagers, but as soon as that door had been knocked down, Luffy simply walked in without them, not giving them any signs that he was going alone. When he had tried to follow him into the park, the tiger neko stopped him. So of course, they had watched the whole event, only interrupting when they realized that all the fishmen were running towards Sanji's new captain. He was newly recruited, so he found it only made sense that he showed he could be powerful.
Luffy clutched his fists, staring with an angry expression at the debris that laid on top of the fallen enemy, dust still clouding everything, providing them with no clue if the enemy was down or not, except for the nekos, "Don't worry, I ain't gonna lose." He said confidently.
Sanji clicked his tongue, the smoke from his cigarette blowing out unintentionally, "Dumbass! When did I ever say I was worried for you?" he asked roughly. In truth, he really wasn't worried. That was probably due to the fact that that he had watched the neko singlehandedly beat up one of East Blue's most retched enemies, once considered to be the ocean's worst threat but was now probably humiliated with himself if he had already woken up. He wondered if Gin was okay. If the neko could beat up a man with hundreds of weapons, then he should be able to beat a fish, right? "I only meant you shouldn't hog all the glory for yourself."
"Oh." Luffy said calmly, but still wore an angered look that Sanji was glad wasn't directed at him, or else he would be at the receiving end of his captain's monstrous punches. The neko cracked his knuckles.
Zoro walked up next to Luffy, Usopp tailing him a tad behind. The tip of the tiger's tail moved a bit, without a sign of hesitation. Usopp responded to Sanji in his own preference, "I d-don't particularly mind either w-w-way, Luffy."
Zoro cocked his head to stare at Usopp with confused amusement, "Aren't you gutsy?" he asked him, but of course he got no response.
There were a few fishmen who hadn't charged, one who appeared to be a manta ray due to the large fin-like extensions that extended from his elbows. His skin with a very light blue tinted gray, though he did have the appearance of a martial artist because of his clothes, wearing a dark blue gi with a black belt. "Roronoa Zoro…!" he scowled when he saw the neko, sharing a very small but confused glance to the other two next to him when he spotted the white, black-striped tail and cat-like ears like the captain. He compared the two and deemed them the same, although different colors completely.
The octopus with the strange, white hair pointed at the tiger, Zoro immediately recognizing him since it hadn't been very long since he had last seen him, "That's him! The one who tricked me!" the octopus bared his teeth, "How dare he take me for a ride… no, wait. I was the one who actually gave him a ride…!" he didn't seem to know what he was saying, the people listening concluded.
The one behind them, with strangely thick, red lips and dull yellow hair—unlike Sanji's more vibrant yellow—didn't say anything, but it was evident with the look on his face that he was far from pleased.
The other pirates who had gotten up noticed something impossible as well, "That long-nosed human is still alive!"
"He should've already been dead!"
The nekos perked their ears when they heard crumbling coming from Arlong's direction, confirming that he still hadn't fallen. The other two, realizing that the nekos were staring intensely at the fallen rubble, they looked as well, knowing that the fight was still not over. After a few seconds of small rocks cracking as they fell against the floor, the voice belonging to the punched enemy spoke, "Pirates, huh…" his voice was on the verge of growling, but the nekos still took it as a free invitation to start a fight, "I see… so that's how you're all related."
From behind them, they could hear the villagers speak among themselves, but Johnny and Yosaku still blocked them, "Hey! Just who are those guys?! To be able to send Arlong's gigantic body flying with a punch…! That's not something a normal person could do!" a villager asked, but shock was extremely evident in his expression and voice.
The small group of four pirates turned around, losing interest in the conversation behind them, though Usopp still seemed a bit reluctant to be standing inside the park rather than outside, where the rest of the blocked villagers stood.
Arlong, still listening in on the conversation between the villagers and Johnny and Yosaku, started to laugh after hearing their reasoning, "So your goal from the very beginning was only to get Nami, is that it…?" he cackled louder, "Just what could four measly humans do?!"
The octopus growled as well, the nekos staring at him with intense glares, "You idiots! As if Arlong would fight the likes of you! I'll turn you all into fish food!" he clutched the middle of his elongated mouth, baring his teeth in a sort of whistle, before blowing out a large quantity of air, imitating the same trumpet sound Zoro had heard before. The tiger raised his eyebrows, now understanding where the previous sound had come from, "Come out, beast!" he yelled.
The nekos perked their ears when they heard deep in the depths of the ocean a growing rumbling noise, as if something were swimming quickly towards them. The villagers outside all immediately grew scared; they knew what was going to happen, while the straw hat pirates stood on the white pavement, wondering what was coming towards them. The sound of water being pushed elevated, and soon the surface of the water broke into a growing mountain of water, the sea water pulled down by gravity.
"Come out, Mohmoo!" the octopus fishman yelled, raising his arms as if he were the one elevating the water like a waterfall.
Luffy and Sanji were surprised, but for a completely different reason. They both thought the same thing. 'Mohmoo' was the cow sea king that they fed and happily took them to the island, although it did crash into the rocky coast, but that was probably because it was going at incredible speeds that not even itself could stop.
The 'beast' surfaced, the water running down its head, broken ropes still tied to its horns that Luffy and Sanji immediately recognized. It appeared to be fine, judging from its peaceful demeanor, but it sported a large bruise on its forehead along with a few others, which was most likely caused by the crash. It mooed softly, asking what it was needed for. Luffy looked at Sanji, who seemed to be mildly pissed, probably because it had crashed into the island and sent them flying. He couldn't help but smile at that event and at Sanji's reaction. The chef noticed his new captain giggling at him and couldn't help but feel a tad more annoyed, "What? That hippo sent us crashing over the damn island!" he hissed at him in a low whisper.
Luffy ignored the annoyed protest and looked over to Mohmoo, "Wonder if he's still hungry." Sanji felt like smacking him, but not like it would even affect the kid when he was made of rubber and completely oblivious to his friend's punches and smacks.
Usopp screamed, "IT'S THE MONSTER!"
The octopus man looked at the large bruise on the beast's head, most likely wondering what had happened and how the monster had gotten it.
Mohmoo took notice of the jaguar and mooed happily, slapping its fins against the water in a joyous gesture to invite both he and Sanji in the water, which Luffy would've happily complied if it weren't for the current conjuncture they were all in (and because he had a devil fruit, but he still would've jumped in, either way). "Hey Mohmoo!" Luffy shouted, waving his hand at the beast, "We can't swim, sorry Mohmoo…! Maybe some other time!" he shouted, the beast appearing to be a bit saddened that his invitation was denied.
Everyone was shocked, to say the least. Zoro, who usually had an idea of what his captain had been up to, was among the group of flustered people (and fishmen). They probably met somewhere and Luffy just made it his friend, was his simple conclusion, and it seemed to fit the situation like a puzzle piece.
"It wanted us to swim with it?" Sanji asked, Luffy replying with a cheerful 'yep'. "You do realize you can't swim, right?"
Luffy stared at Sanji and widened his eyes, as if barely realizing he indeed couldn't, "You're right! I can't!" he replied cheerfully, placing his hands on his hips in an almost prideful manner, which Sanji couldn't get. The cook guessed he was just going to have get used to his captain's strange emotions and logic.
Luffy was about to continue when Arlong growled like a feral dog at the beast, scaring it, "Mohmoo… the hell do you think you're doing…"
Mohmoo's eyes seemed to go blank, his demeanor completely still. The water around him acted as if he wasn't even there in the first place. Despite being in water, the cow sea king was sweating bullets, and when Arlong continued to speak, it began to tremble, "If you want to play with them, I ain't gonna try to stop you, but…" he glared at the beast, his cold glare almost freezing the sea king in place, its pupils almost gone from how pale they had gotten, "Well, Mohmoo…?" he said, abandoning the 'but' in his previous statement.
The cow continued to stare into Arlong's eyes, pure terror was evident in the poor creature. Luffy cursed at the fishman, scaring his friend like that, but before he could charge at the sawfish man, he heard a loud roar come from Mohmoo's direction. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Mohmoo baring its sharp teeth at his crew, splashing the water violently, screeching out a powerful howl that got the nekos covering their ears. Usopp screamed in terror, but his didn't even come close to the sea king's roar.
Zoro, having seen the earlier and happy expression and tone the beast wore, knew that the monster in front of them wasn't an enemy, but an ally. Despite knowing this information, his hand pulled out Wado from its sheath a bit, the light shining off the katana's blade.
The fishmen roared out as well, "Alright! Follow Mohmoo's lead! Let's show these inferior humans not to mess with us!" Zoro unsheathed Wado a bit more, staring at the charging crowd with almost to none enthusiasm. Sanji on the other hand, seemed to be pleased to be able to kick some more, while Usopp took out his slingshot at rapid speeds, fearful yet courageous at the same times. Usopp was weird.
Luffy jumped in front of them though, slamming his fists together and blowing out smoke through his nose, his tail waving from side to side, showing he was more than annoyed now, "Leave it to me!" he told them, surprising and halting them of their movements, "They're just a bunch of time-wasters!" he glanced at Sanji, "Sanji!" the cook looked at him, "Convince Mohmoo!" the blonde clicked his tongue, looking at the large beast in front of them, baring its teeth and lunging towards them.
"Troublesome captain. It would be easier to just beat it…" he muttered to himself before he charged at Mohmoo, jumping high in front of the beast, "Whatever. Don't think I'm gonna sugarcoat my kicks, idiot captain!"
Luffy nodded, his tail flicking in recognition, then charged towards the stampede of fishmen, positioning himself in a way where he could get a good attack in, "Gomu Gomu no Whip!" he stomped the floor, halting his running and bringing his leg back a good distance away to his side before slamming it against the crowd, bringing the majority down. Those who had fallen were left unconscious by the powerful kick, but a few had been left standing. He would have to take those down with something other than a kick, so he charged at each individual, aiming to give each one of them a punch, which was made easier since they fishmen encircled him, attempting to get a good scratch on him.
Sanji, on the other hand, had no idea how to calm down the beast. He jumped high enough to get in the cow's face, which grew noticeably softer when it noticed Sanji, "Hey, cow," he started, he honestly didn't know what his captain wanted him to do. Sure, he had been there when they fed him and when it took them across the sea to the island, but he wasn't the one who spoke to it, "Luffy ain't gonna fight you, so just give it up already!" he told it, hoping with his life that he said the right thing.
Mohmoo glanced at Arlong, who although wasn't staring at him, still frightened him to an extent. The cow roared again, about to ram its head into Sanji. The cook cursed, but a blur of white and green rushed past him and landed on Mohmoo's forehead. Zoro held Wado in his hand but it remained sheathed, and with his katana, he bonked the cow's bruise roughly, causing it to mewl in pain. He pushed the cow back a bit as he and Sanji landed on the floor, "Dumb cow, just get out of here already! Luffy considers you worthy to be his friend but if you're just going to bother him, then get out of our view!"
The cow looked hurt, a small tear running down from one of its eyes. It even seemed to sniffle, "But… Arlong…"
Zoro clicked his tongue, "He said you could leave, didn't he?!" Mohmoo looked at Arlong, then to Zoro and Sanji, then finally stared at Luffy, who was done punching the last fishman. Seeing the display of strength the neko possessed, it encouraged the sea cow a bit. The sea king hesitated as it looked at the wide ocean behind it, especially when it took a quick peek at Arlong, who was now glaring at him. Mohmoo trembled, but he was now taking into consideration the options it had: hurt its friends and obey a man it didn't want to follow or escape.
The cow nodded and quickly dove back in the ocean, its white and dark green pelt disappearing under the deep blue waters. Zoro glanced at Sanji, who seemed annoyed yet pleased by the outcome. When the chef caught him looking at him, he told the tiger, "I could've handled that."
The neko gritted his teeth, "Didn't seem like it to me. It actually seemed like you were about to get head-butted by a cow." He said back to the blonde. The cook bit his cigarette, aggravated.
Before they could continue though, Luffy's voice cut them off, but it wasn't directed at them nor their fight, "I didn't come here to fight these small fries!" he turned to Arlong, "The one I want to beat up is you!" he pointed at the man, beads of sweat starting to form on his face.
Arlong smirked, baring his sharp teeth as his eyes expressed the violence he wanted to place upon the neko and his companions. With a raspy voice, Arlong said, "How excellent. I was thinking of killing you myself just now as well." Luffy glared at him back. Back at the Baratie, he had witnessed the eyes and grin of a man he wanted gone, and now he had overcome those features. Violence expressed in the structure of a face and body didn't affect him now.
The manta ray, octopus and smelt-white appeared, the manta ray fishman looking definitely displeased, "Seems like we have no choice but to fight."
The octopus flexed his arms, his upper two pointing at himself in pride, "HOW DARE YOU HURT OUR BRETHREN!" he yelled.
The smelt-white fishman grinned, although it could've been his normal expression because of the large lips that were hard to read, "Looks like we need to teach these humans the difference between races. Chu ❤︎."
Luffy cocked his head. Races? That's how they compared themselves with people? Not that it really mattered to him, but if they were comparing themselves because of races, then nekos were far superior. He looked to Zoro, who wore a blank face.
Zoro had already heard their rant about races when he was a prisoner, and he thought differently. He had thought these fishmen had been over the water for a good ten years, but if they still hadn't heard of nekos, then they really needed to study more than just the seas. Knowing this, he smirked, his ears flattened to his sides and his tail stilled. Sanji noticed the change and immediately an image clicked into his mind, thinking that he really did look like a hunting tiger. "Looks like the main force is out to meet us." Zoro massaged his lone sword, missing the feeling of two more on his waist.
The manta ray spoke up, his arms crossed, "If this was how things were going to turn out, we should have fought from the beginning." The manta ray cocked his head back a bit to signify to Arlong that he was talking to him, "Arlong, please just sit right there."
The smelt-white fishman turned to their captain as well, the octopus hunched over in a way that made it seem he was about to vomit, "If we let you fight while that much enraged, Chu ❤︎, all of Arlong Park will end up destroyed."
The crouching octopus suddenly trembled violently, then looked up, "Take this! Zero Field of Vision…"
Zoro's ears twitched, unsure of what was happening, "That octopus is doing something." He warned Luffy and Sanji next to him, since he had heard Usopp quickly back away from them before they faced the fishmen. Taking a peek back, he saw Usopp standing in a confident pose, his arms crossed and his head high. He sighed and looked back, wondering what was going to happen as Sanji calmly smoked from his cigarette, listing off a short recipe of an octopus dish. As Sanji finished naming off the last step and concluded the recipe with a wine combination, the nekos' ears laid back against their heads, causing the cook to look a bit flustered at their reaction.
"What's wrong?" the chef decided to ask the nekos, who always seemed to be a step ahead of everyone. He was starting to get annoyed at not being the same level of alertness like the other two. Though, he felt confident to say that he felt a tad superior than their sniper.
Luffy sniffed once, then twice, not sure if what he was smelling was correct, "Smells like ink." He said, then he looked to Zoro and Sanji for more details, "Where's the ink?"
Sanji immediately understood, "Idiot. Ink comes from octopi." The three looked in front of them, watching as the octopus fishman continued to tremble. They all seemed to have understood at that moment, watching as with wary eyes at their enemy.
"Then we have our answer." Zoro said, already prepared to jump out of the way.
The octopus fishman "Tako-Hachi Black!"
The three jumped out of the just in time, the ink splattering on the pavement like wet, black paint. Dots of it landed on each one, but it was easily removable but smeared uncontrollably. Luckily, the ink hadn't gotten on the nekos' tails. That would've been another story of complete discomfort.
Zoro immediately perked his ears, suddenly remembering the name that belonged to the octopus; 'Hacchan'. That was the name he told him, but it seemed as if Hachi was the type of nickname a friend would give you, and judging that the enemy was the one with the name, he wouldn't be using it.
The three glared at the octopus, who seemed also annoyed with the outcome. Sanji turned to Luffy then sighed, "Luffy, how is it possible you didn't know ink came from octopi?" he asked him, a bit annoyed that his captain didn't know such simple trivia. He picked out a new smoke and lit it, placing it between his lips, "Honestly, I just agreed to following a dumbass for a captain."
Zoro sighed as well, "My feelings exactly." Sure, he had been the longest member on Luffy's crew, but he had already lost count of how many times he questioned his decision of following Luffy.
Sanji smirked, "But it's still a thousand times better than being in a pirate crew that would harm a lady."
The manta ray man stood in the exact same position as well as the smelt-white man, "A pirate going around spouting chivalrous lines? How half-assed."
Sanji chuckled, "Would you like to test just how half-assed my chivalry really is, Mr. Fish? Despite what you may think, I've spent half my life as a pirate."
"It seems that you fools don't understand the level that we fishmen are on."
Sanji raised his visible eyebrow, blowing out smoke, thinking back when the wood and armor around Luffy seemed to just burn and melt. He really needed to ask some questions later, but he really doubted that fishmen could do that, or climb very well, or sense emotions plus fight on the same level as the ones behind him, "I'd have to disagree." He said, "I may be human and 'below fishmen level', but technically those two behind me aren't completely man."
The fishman seemed curious now, "And why is that?" he asked slowly, his eyes dimming.
Sanji smirked, suddenly feeling a tinge of mocking, "Because they're more cat than human. You might've glossed over this, but don't cats enjoy a nice plating of fish?" he felt success when the manta ray stilled, his face showing growing anger.
Meanwhile, Hacchan had managed to dig out a loud chunk of broken debris from the ground next to him, probably from Luffy's rampage when he was fighting the minor fishmen. He held the large chunk of building above his head with his upper two arms and one of his mid-section, "I'LL KILL YOU ALL!"
Luffy was about to immediately escape, not fond of the idea of the large chunk of rock was going to be thrown at him. Granted, it probably wouldn't hurt, but there were some sharper ends that could definitely cut him if thrown correctly. Usopp immediately panicked, since he was still in the range of the throw, but the tiger tapped the fishman's back with the butt of his katana, somehow ending up behind the fishman, "Hey octopus, why don't you play with me instead?" he asked with a sharp grin, knowing that the fishman held some sort of dumb grudge because he had 'tricked' him.
"Nyu! Roronoa Zoro! That's right, I forgot!" the octopus slammed the large chunk of building he held above him to Zoro, the tiger barely managing to dodge, "How dare you deceive me before!" Zoro left his hand on Wado, prepared to unsheathe the blade at any given moment, "Not only that, you cut down my brethren!" Zoro smiled, remembering when Nami had released him and since he had no idea where to go, he decided to just kill time.
"I don't care about ancient history. It doesn't matter for what reason you want to kill me. The situation's different now." He unsheathed Wado, baring the left side of his teeth, revealing some that were indeed sharper than the average person's, "You guys aren't going to be doing the killing. It's us that's going to do the killing."
Usopp swiped his head, apparently sweating from fear, "G-Good Zoro, I'll let you deal with that octopus." He shot a thumbs up at their swordsman, "Nice work." As he turned around, he noticed the smelt-white fishman staring at Luffy with a powerful gaze, and as soon as he noticed, the fishman charged towards them, running past Zoro and the octopus man and nearing Luffy. The neko took notice as well and was about to counter but Usopp instinctively took out his slingshot with an egg, shooting the 'bullet' but it landed on the floor, "D-Damnit! I missed!" his legs were shaking, and because of his trembles, his aim had been off, but what surprised both him and Luffy was that, despite having aimed incorrectly, was that the fishman stepped on the wet mess and slipped, landing hard on the floor.
The sniper was about to was about to cheer until he saw the sharp glare on the fishman who had slipped. Tears immediately fell from his eyes, terrified, "… My bad…" immediately, he ran the other way at an incredible speed, exiting Arlong park and creating a pathway from the villagers there, screaming in terror.
"LOOKS LIKE YOU REALLY DO WANT TO BE KILLED BY ME!" the fishman shouted, chasing after the the fishman crossed the gate, he noticed the villagers there, each one holding a weapon. He stopped and grinned, "Oh, it's you hooligans from before. You were still here? Chu ❤︎. Oh, it looks like all the Cocoyashi villagers are here, too. Seeing as how you're all carrying weapons, I take it that you're rebelling, which means you'll all be—"
Usopp noticed the absence of the fishman chasing him and turned around, noticing how he seemed to be targeting the villagers. He quickly placed a marble inside the small pouch of his slingshot and shot the fishman, "Flame star!" the ammunition impacted against the fishman, setting the hybrid on fire. The fishman collapsed on the floor, burning out the flames and grasping his face, "Don't forget! Your opponent is me!"
The fishman, after burning out all the flames, got up and immediately charged after Usopp again, causing him to scream out in terror, "FINE, SINCE YOU WANT TO BE KILLED SO BADLY, ALLOW ME TO MAKE IT QUICK!"
●ω●
Arlong got up from the broken debris, a wicked grin on his face as he stepped towards his comrades, all of which had halted their battling against the Strawhats when he took a single step. The manta ray spoke up, "Arlong, I already asked you not to fight."
Arlong spread his arms wide, as if inviting them for a hug, but that just seemed unlikely, "I ain't gonna fight, but…"
Luffy, after hearing those words, immediately scowled. He wasn't going to fight? Then he just had to provoke him. He charged towards the fishman, preparing to hit him with a powerful punch, "I'm gonna kick your ass!" he said, throwing his punch attempting to hit Arlong's face, but the fishman simply cocked his head and evaded the attack. Instead, Arlong caught his wrist, pulling Luffy near him.
"Do you seriously think you can win against us?"
Sanji and Zoro smirked, the blonde responding with another question, "And what if we do?"
Luffy growled at the fishman, attempting to free himself from the others grip, "You bet I think so, you idiot!" he tried wringing his wrist around, "Now let go of my hand!"
"Seems like he has something to say." Zoro said.
Arlong grinned wickedly, pulling Luffy high in the air with a stronger grip, causing the neko to hiss at him, "No, no…" he said, "Why don't we play this game? Devil fruit users are said to be unable to swim." As soon as he said that, he brought Luffy over the water, the neko immediately set into a small panic.
Zoro and Sanji lost their cool composure and were taken aback by the sudden change of tactic. Immediately, they were on the offense. Luffy, being the one held in the air, also took on the offensive side. He brought his hand back and attempted to punch the fishman with a 'Gomu Gomu no Pistol', but he immediately winced in pain, screaming in agony as the sawfish chewed on his hand, his teeth digging into his wrist.
Luffy bared his sharper canines and bit down on the fishman's exposed arm, the taste of blood powerful in his mouth. The fishman cried out in pain, surprised by the sharp pain a supposed human could inflict on him by biting. Arlong immediately yanked off the neko from his arm, the red liquid dripping from his arm. He attempted to throw Luffy into the water, but Luffy stretched his arms and managed to grip on a pillar, bringing himself back on land. The other two Strawhat pirates sighed in relief, mildly pleased by the outcome.
Good thing nekos have sharp teeth as well… Zoro thought grimly. If he hadn't, he'd probably be down there. He sighed.
Luffy sighed as well, panting a bit and taking a look at his hand which was bleeding profusely. He wiped the blood on his hoodie, the red camouflaging quickly with his clothing. Arlong snarled at Luffy, staring at the neko with pure anger evident in his eyes, "You…" he growled. Luffy growled back. The other fishmen looked surprised, having heard their captain yell out in pain from a human bite.
Zoro turned to Luffy who was jumping off the pillar, landing on the broken pavement with a soft thud, "Luffy, you okay?" he asked, watching dots of blood squeeze out from the shark teeth marks on his wrist.
Luffy nodded, "Yeah. That bastard bit me on my hand." He glared at the sawfish man, "So I bit him back." He said, baring his sharp canines that were tainted a smeared scarlet, clear due to his saliva. "He tastes like raw fish."
Sanji clicked his tongue in distaste, "Luffy, I didn't need to know that." He was sure the swordsman didn't mind, since he was a cat as well and had most likely eaten a raw fish for all he knew, but he was a chef and raw fish that was still living shouldn't be going in someone's mouth. He knew some chefs did it, where they offered a live, small animal to a customer so they could eat it, but he preferred the rational side of cooking.
Luffy smiled, "Sorry Sanji."
Arlong stared at Luffy, glaring at his smile which bared his blood, "Those teeth aren't human." He darkened his gaze, "What are you?"
Luffy glared back at the man, "I already told you. I'm a pirate." Zoro and Sanji looked at him, wondering if he was doing it on purpose or if he really thought Arlong was asking the same question again. Knowing him, it would usually be the latter, but Luffy seemed completely pissed at the fishman, staring at him with a gaze that usually promised suffering pain. Something inside them told them that it was more likely the former, since a confused Luffy did not look like that.
The sawfish man bared his teeth, revealing his own bloodied teeth, "I'm not talking about your occupation. You seem to already know that."
The jaguar stared at him blankly, as if he were arguing with himself whether or not he should tell or not. After a bit of silence, Luffy responded, "A neko. What does it matter to you? You obviously think your race is superior than ours."
Arlong frowned, "A mere cat? You're right. I shouldn't care about your race, but you're enough of a pest to make me want to kill you." He looked at Zoro, "Your friend there is one, as well." His eyes dimmed, "Hachi." The octopus responded immediately with a 'yes', "Take care of that one. To think that a race such as this dared to fight beings far superior."
Hacchan pumped his three pairs of fists together, the manta ray already having his eyes on Sanji while Arlong immediately wanted to snap Luffy's neck (although that was impossible because of his elasticity). Zoro threw Wado's sheath on the ground a good distance away from them, so that it wouldn't get caught in the possible damage. Sanji hunched over a bit, his arms stuffed in the pockets of his black dress pants. Luffy faced Arlong, the two having a staring contest. For a moment, Luffy's eyes turned into thin slits, before returning to their original, round orbs.
"LET'S DO THIS!" the three Strawhats yelled.
●ω●
Luffy felt the anger around Arlong radiate as if he were a volcano erupting dangerous, black gas fumes. The jaguar let his hands clutch tightly, pausing proper circulation through his knuckles. As much as the fishman seemed to just want to rip him apart with his damned sharp teeth, Luffy could tell the sawfish man was debating something with himself, and the neko had a good idea of what it could be, if the glare the fishman gave when he observed the bite mark he had was any clue.
Luffy grit his teeth and glared at the fishman back, blowing out air from his nose and feeling his tail bristle upon contact from a cool breeze. He unclenched his fists and popped his aching knuckles, before pulling them back into fists, "Stop thinking already! If you really think you're far 'superior' than us, then just get started already!" the neko charged at the fishman as he said that, pulling his fist back in an attempt to get a normal punch in, but the fishman simply tilted his head to the side—evading the attack—and grabbed Luffy's arm, swinging him off to the side and sending the pirate sprawling on the ground and crashing on one of the pillars of the park.
The raven-haired boy quickly stood up however, the counter barely having any effect on him since blunt attacks and objects didn't harm him. A few small stones dug into him however, but his elasticity prevented maximum pain.
He charged again, but as he neared, Arlong snickered and side-stepped the attack. It was undeniable that Luffy felt annoyed, since he could clearly read the mockery written on his enemy's face, and chose at that moment to let out an exasperated huff.
"There's really no point of you fighting me. Clearly our races are showing what we're capable of, and so far yours has yet to show any difference from a normal human's." He chuckled, "All you really are are pitiful humans with an extra set of ears and a useless appendage, while we, superior fishmen are far more advanced, as it is in our ability to thrive underwater in the ocean." He glared at Luffy with a mocking gaze, "Unlike you monkeys."
Luffy clicked his tongue, "What does superiority matter anyway?" the neko said, air quoting 'superiority', "As long as someone wins, then they're the winner, race or not."
Arlong frowned, "You seem to not understand how the world works." He grinned, baring all of his teeth, "Let me give you a quick lesson."
●ω●
Zoro faced Hacchan, wielding his white katana with confidence. His tail flicked from side to side, clearly from agitation from the lack of patience Zoro held, "Don't think your head and eight limbs will still be in one piece after I'm through with you, octopus!"
Hacchan laughed loudly, "What a fun game this'll be!"
Zoro growled and charged at the octopus fishman, bringing his sword back with one hand, "I'll end this in five seconds!" Hacchan hunched over, once again in the same previous position he was in before spitting out bucket loads of ink everywhere on the ground. Zoro immediately evaded the ink attack, side-stepping in a way that flipped his body horizontally in the air so he could still slash the octopus if he positioned himself correctly. He brought his katana behind him and quickly swung at Hacchan's head with the intentions of decapitating him, but before Wado made it to the octopi's neck, he dodged and Zoro slashed at two of the white cones for hair on his head swiftly.
As he skidded behind the octopus, he huffed, disappointed. Hacchan wailed in surprise and seemingly in horror as well, "Nyuu! My hair!" he bent backwards with all of his arms crossed, "Why you…! But…" Zoro cocked his head to the side a bit, "I'll forgive you since it's only hair! The important thing is I'm still alive!"
Friction worked against the tiger's feet and stopped him from sliding on the floor any further, "Oh? Is that so? Thanks." He said sarcastically, but wasn't completely evident due to his bored and low tone. Despite the tiger's steady resolve, it had become evident that the neko had gotten tired after his somewhat effective counter before. He cursed at himself. He needed to improve his stamina badly, or else he was going to end up in situations where he simply couldn't swing his swords anymore due to exhaustion.
Hacchan turned to Zoro, spreading his arms, "Did you know, Roronoa Zoro, that I'm quite strong against swordsmen?" the neko twitched his ears, "Do you understand what I mean?" he asked.
Zoro raised his lone katana above his head and charged, aiming to get a good hit on the fishman's forehead, "Like hell I do!"
The octopus fishman poised his arms in front of him, as if he were the goalkeeper of a soccer game, "Octopus Three Continuous Naked Sword Catching Technique!"
Zoro frowned and as soon as the three pairs of hands were about to clamp on his sword, he swung down and cut the top of the fishman's head, blood splattering on the ground. The fishman was obviously pained and uncaring that his defense had failed, since he let a stream of thick tears slide down his cheeks, his hand covering the wound, "OWWWW!"
The neko growled, "I don't have time to play around with you!" he gritted his teeth and stared at the fishman continue to whine, "This is getting ridiculous…" he flicked his tail and charged again, this time with the intentions of slicing his waist, "Go to hell already, you octopus bastard!"
"Tako-Hachi Number 9…" Zoro swung forward, but blinked when he felt no hard contact with his katana nor the bubbles of blood. As he looked where he had supposedly cut his enemy, he was flustered when his opponent had disappeared. He sniffed once and immediately caught the smell of raw octopus, and felt himself heat up in anger when he found him at the top of the pillar, using his suckers as a means of sticking onto the structure.
The neko couldn't help but glare at the enemy he was forced to put up with, and he swore he could hear himself snap, "The hell do you think you're playing at! Get your ass down this instant!" he bared his sharper canines, and could feel his eyes slit up for a moment. He was losing his patience, and he suddenly had a craving for octopus-filled takoyaki. He saved that thought for later. He would ask the cook if he really started to crave some, "You trying to buy time or something?!"
Hacchan ignored his question and asked with one of his own, "I've heard that you use three swords, so why are you only using one?!"
The tiger remembered his fight with Mihawk and how he had completely underestimated the 'Greatest Swordsman in the World', but felt no obligation to tell the honorable deaths of his other two katana. Honestly, he felt almost naked without other two swords strapped with Wado or in his hands and mouth, but he quickly came up with a more suitable answer in his situation which he found fit, since he would still do the same thing had he still had his other two katana, "That's because using one sword is still more than enough to beat you!"
The fishman snarled, but by the flustered air around him, the tiger knew that even his enemy had admitted it to himself as well, "Shut up! I haven't fought seriously yet!" he grinned, and the air around him suddenly vanished. Zoro was a bit surprised by the quick change, and wondered if what he was feeling before was just an act. If it was, then he was definitely going to make the fishman suffer for wasting his time, "There's a clear reason why human swordsmen can never hope to beat me."
Zoro's eyes widened as a jolt of pain shot through his spinal area and his torso, causing him to shiver. The tiger suddenly felt numb around the area, and his legs gave in. He found it ironic how he thought before that his stamina was the one to blame for his sudden exhaustion. When he had paused to take a short breather when he had cut off part of the fishman's hair, he had caught sight of Sanji watching him, probably knowing what was going on, and now for neglecting his chances of healing, he was starting to feel the outcome. It felt horrible.
"And the reason why humans can't hope to beat me is—" Hacchan halted though as the tiger fell onto the ground. He could feel all eyes land on him, Luffy's and Sanji's concerned stares and yelps boring into his back. Great, he thought, the wound opened… he eyed underneath him, the movement of forcing his eyes to look lower giving him a nauseous headache that he couldn't control, but even as he shifted his head a bit to the side to get better mouthfuls of air, he could feel his bandages dampen with something that was definitely not the water from the sea. He could feel it dribbling to his sides, and if he were to get up, he was sure a puddle of red would be left behind,
"Nyu?!"
"Zoro!" Luffy called after him, taking a step towards his friend but felt a shark-like grin bore into him, immediately setting off trigger that sent a cold shiver down his spine. As he turned around, he was quickly met with a dull blue fist in front of him, a few centimeters away from his own face. Before he could react though, he was punched a good distance away from his enemy.
The neko glared at the fishman, but despite his growing distaste for the 'man', he still wanted to make sure his crewmate was okay. As he glanced at the sawfish man and making sure that there was a semi-wide distance away, he took the chance and looked at his swordsman, who was weakly attempting to get up. He could hear Sanji yelling about confirming his suspicions, and hoped that this distraction wouldn't prove to be the blonde's downfall, or at least give a free hit to his opponent. He knew Sanji was strong, he had seen most of his fight with Gin, but despite having watched some of it, he didn't know if his new crewmate was in a good enough shape to fight, either.
The octopus fishman took it as his chance to defeat the swordsman and commenced to punch the pillar he had suctioned to, shattering it but jumping off before it completely crumbled. As he landed further away from Zoro, he posed with his arms positioned outwards, the rocks beginning to slip from their crumbling holds, "Meet your doom as you get crushed, Roronoa Zoro!"
The tiger growled and quickly pushed himself up, the octopus facing away from him. Just because he had fallen didn't mean that it was over, not yet. He picked up Wado to keep it away from the crumbling rubble and grabbed the hem of Hacchan's shirt, throwing him back to his previous spot. With perfect timing, the enemy was thrown underneath the crashing stones and boulders, clouds of thick, white dust covering the fallen fishman. "Why don't you just get crushed instead?" he said, walking a safe distance away before collapsing down on the ground again. His blood had yet to taint the cream colored pavement, but he knew that if he walked any more or continued any strenuous task, then his wound would definitely open and spill freely again, "Damn it… of all the times, why now…?!"
He closed his eyes, praying to the known gods above, that purring would be what would save him. He knew, judging from their attitudes, that they weren't going to simply leave him be, despite already having fallen. He needed to heal up as much as he could and close up the slash on his chest as if he were working with magical medicine. Any sore and ripped muscles and tendons would be massaged by invisible hands and palms, his wound on his chest would be no more once the interior of his upper torso and waist would finally begin to heal from the inside out, closing the wound and only leaving fresh blood in its wake.
As much as he hated doing it, and as much as it embarrassed him (since people always saw him as the tough, scary and intimidating guy, they would judge him differently if he ever started to do that), he knew that if he wanted a second—more yielding—positive outcome, then he would have to do what his instincts told him to do. He clutched his eyes shut and coiled his tail around his leg, biting his lips before giving in, and commenced the low grumbling sound in his throat.
Sanji cursed, looking at his wounded comrade, "I knew something was up when he acted normal even after receiving those wounds." He bit onto his cigarette, "That moron…!" before he knew it though, he found himself blasted away from a swift punch from his opponent; he could feel his organs in his stomach area hurl around like floppy sacks of sugar, and no doubt about it, the contents were spilling.
He crashed into the fencing of the park, the walls crumbling down as he burst through the rock. He could hear the fishman's voice, probably mocking him in some way, but his ears rung with a deafening 'shiiiii'. A cold, damp liquid ran down over his eye, his body facing the sky as he took in deep breaths. He could hear the villagers and the two bounty hunters gasp in surprise, their shouts loud but incoherent for the cook. He cursed. He really should've been paying more attention. No matter, he was still not down, and he wouldn't in this place.
●ω●
Luffy gawked at the sight of Sanji flying away, his arms and legs tensing at the sight, "Sanji!" he could smell blood from his cook's direction, and it was really starting to bother him.
"Those two have been taken care of, Arlong. Once you defeat that one, what should we do with Roronoa Zoro?" the manta ray fishman asked his captain with crossed arms, staring intently at Luffy who glared back at him.
The neko chewed the inside of his mouth, his tail whipping from side to side. He glanced at Zoro, perking his ears when he heard a soft rumbling sound emit from him, and immediately he felt like grinning. Zoro had yet to give in, and he was even going out of his way to purr, which from past experiences, the jaguar could tell that the swordsman was not fond of the action.
"Just throw him into the sea, couldn't even put up a fight… how boring."
Luffy glared at Arlong, grinning, "You've still got me to tussle with!" he faced the fishman in a combat stance, prepared to continue their fight.
Arlong glared at him, baring his sharp teeth as he flicked his head to the side, staring at the rubble from Hacchan's fall, "Hey, Hachi! Wake up! How long are you going to be sleeping?"
Immediately, the octopus emerged from the debris and large boulders, holding six sabers in each of his hands.
Luffy growled, getting Arlong's attention with a confused and amused glance, "What is it? Haven't you learnt your lesson, yet? It is undeniable in anyone's eyes that our race is far more capable than yours. You have yet to land a hit on me, and both of your friends are down. I'm sure the human that ran off was already killed. Humans and whatever you are are no match for fishme—" his speech was cut short though when Luffy slammed a hard kick to the saw shark's stomach, kicking away the enemy into the main building.
"Shut up about species! If you're so obsessed with superiority, then at least study what we are!" Luffy huffed at the crumbling spot he had kicked Arlong through, the fishman standing upright with his abdomen badly bruised, thin streams of blood cascading down the fishman's jaws. Luffy poised high and glared at him, "Me and Zoro are nekos, and if you really think we're weaker than you, we'll just have to show you the painful truth!" Luffy charged forward again, morphing his human nails into a sharper, feline-shape. He lunged at the fishman and clawed the blue skin, deep cuts forming, causing Arlong to grunt in pain and annoyance, punching Luffy hard on the stomach and sending him sprawling on the ground close to the water.
"You annoying cat, you don't honestly believe that you can beat a fishman, do you? It goes against the laws of nature!" He laughed, and the neko couldn't help but scoff at the idea of it 'going against nature'. In fact, he was sure that cats ate fish. He sure did. "Us fishman are the ocean's creations, and the ocean is the queen of nature itself! Going against us is like a snail going up against a bird!"
The neko sighed. This man really wasn't going to understand, was he? He hardened his stare at stood up, having not felt the punch that the fishman had blown him. He felt like lecturing him more, but knew that the fishman would not give in to his beliefs. If words couldn't do the job, then actions could. He charged forward again, sending a series of punches, kicks and scratches, a few landing on the fishman as he countered back, biting, punching and slamming.
As they separated from the force from the barrage of attacks, Luffy could hear his first mate halt his purring, slow and rough movements replacing the deep and ragged rhythm from before as the swordsman worked his way up to stand up. He grinned. If this fishman really was ignorant to how powerful a neko could get, then he was going to get bottle-fed the retched news.
●ω●
Zoro purred, listening to the boulders and rocks shift as Hacchan emerged from them, wielding a sword in each hand. He slid open his eyelids, seeing the octopus man cross two of the swords wearing an angry glare that he found odd on his face. "You've really pissed me off! I'm going to butcher you! Did you know that aside from one man, I, Hachi of the 6 swords style, am the number one swordsman in Fishman Island?! Even if the heavens were to be flipped over, you would have no chance of beating me!" Zoro scrunched his eyebrows, if the heavens were to be flipped over? How was that supposed to work? "NYUU! Nyu?"
The enemy who fought Sanji looked at Hacchan, "Who're you trying to fight, Hachi?"
Zoro smirked at the comment. They thought he was already down, didn't they? Well, as Luffy had screamed out earlier, they were going to show them how nekos really fought. He steadily stood up, proud of his healing work that had soothed his muscles and sealed up the cut fairly well. If he were to be hit there, no doubt about it would it open freely again, but for now, swift movements and his own attacks weren't a problem to him.
"Six swords style? Don't make me laugh. Just what's so great about that?" he reached for Wado, hoisting himself up as he smirked hungrily at Hacchan, "Let me tell you something, you little octopus! I've got a man I have to meet no matter what… and until I meet him…" his tail bristled at the thought, fueling the energy circling his body like wildfire, "Not even the Grim reaper can take my life away!" he turned to the two bounty hunters near the broken gates of the park with his hungry smirk, though they seemed to be completely unfazed by the look, "Yosaku! Johnny! Lend me your swords!" the two exchanged glances with each other before throwing their swords at him, "Allow me to show you my three swords style."
Hacchan brought his six blades forward, calling out Zoro's death while the manta ray behind him mused out loud, surprised by the fact that he was still alive. The tiger almost snorted. He hadn't even been hit once by the octopus. The reason he fell definitely wasn't because of the fishman, but from a previous, more worthy battle. As if he'd be brought down by his current enemy. He himself had a better chance of taking himself down, and it had even been shown before.
But, despite purring, he still felt a tad woozy, the word around him slightly hazy, Damn it… I feel like I'm going to pass out any moment now. I though moving around a bit might lower my fever but it's only gotten worse…! He mentally cursed as himself. Of course purring could only do so much, but he wasn't half-assed to let his neko abilities take care of the whole job. If he was going to become the greatest swordsman and be the best first mate for Luffy, then he'd have to do his part as well, and he felt no regret doing so, neither was he the type of person to let luck charm his way through. If anything, he preferred it this way, because he would feel prideful of his own achievements, and not those of his body.
"B-Brother! We already threw our swords!"
"Didn't you aks for our swords?! Catch them!"
He heard his 'brothers' warn him of their swords, but he wasn't clueless. He could feel the air on both sides of him shift rapidly, his ears picking up on the sound of cutting air. Once he felt this, he stripped the black bandana from his shoulder and tied the article around his head, the dinging of his earrings hitting each other muted as his cat ears were covered.
"I'll show you the vast gap in skill that's unsurpassable for a human with only two arms! The six swords style that can only be used by having six arms and a supple body!"
The tiger concentrated on the air around him, knowing that if he missed a single detail, it could end humiliatingly for him. He heard his brothers warn him once more, and he took it as his cue to be ready to slice. As the octopus man charged at him, flailing his swords wildly, Zoro reached behind him and grabbed the hilts of the swords, bending his body past three swords stabbed at him, his loose body twisting unnaturally for a human as he poised his three swords in a specific manner.
"Three swords style…"
Hacchan looked flustered for a second before attacking again in a rapid barrage of stabs and slices, "I'd like to see you try to take on my barrage with only three swords!" the attacks continued, the tiger twisting and turning as he took advantage of three swords and defending against the attacking blades with them.
As the fishman started to finish his barrage, he looked absolutely terrified as he saw Zoro swiftly slide behind him, "Tourou Nagashi!" the neko skidded to a stop behind the octopus man, for a moment complete and shocked silence overtook the area, the soft rustle of leaves and grass muted, the chirps from birds zipped tightly as if their songs would be a perish theme to anyone who heard them. The silence was interrupted by a disgusting splatter, and behind the tiger, the fishman's chest was sliced open, red liquid painting underneath him and dotting spots further away, some of the droplets that fell into the water turned into a sickly purple hue.
Zoro heaved a sigh, resisting the urge to pant by keeping his lips sealed shut, but ended up breathing heavily through his nostrils.
He turned though when he saw his fishman had yet to fall, blocking out the praise he was being showered in from the bounty hunters, "You've really made me mad now!" he lengthened the 'really', emphasizing the hatred he was gathering for the three sword style swordsman, "I swear I'll kill you!" he seethed, "Just think about it! Logically, there's no way you could beat my six swords style when you only have three!"
Zoro scoffed, "Logically…? Seems like you've made a big error in your calculation." What are you burdened with? What do you desire at the limits of your strength? He remembered that moment, his fight against Mihawk did a number on him in countless ways, "I may only have three swords, but the weight of our swords are completely different!"
Hacchan straightened his swords, "The weight? You mean to say your swords are heavier than mine? Don't be stupid! You may not realize it just by looking at them, but each of my swords weigh 300 Kilograms! They're far heavier than any swords that you puny humans use!"
Zoro blew out air from his mouth, "I have nothing to say to an idiot like you…"
"Six swords style: Octopus Pot Stance!" he positioned his swords so that the tip of each one touched in front of him, then stabbed towards the neko, the tiger blocking it with his own, "Take this! New Year's Octopus Opener!" the fishman swung each of his swords outwards, causing Zoro's own swords to be lunged outwards as well, leaving his chest and abdomen completely exposed to the enemy.
Shi…
Hacchan obviously noticed the opening and took advantage of it as soon as possible, "Body Slam!" he slammed his whole body on the neko's chest like a bull, blood spurting out of the tiger's mouth and nose. He felt more pressure go onto his wound, pushing him back until he was literally sent flying high in the sky. "I won't give you a safe landing! Six swords style ultimate technique!" he spun his swords upwards like a tornado, making it impossible for anyone to escape without getting sliced, "Six swords Waltz! Touch it and you'll be mincemeat! Time to dice you up!"
Zoro cracked his eyes open, his wound bleeding freely again. As he fell towards the spinning blades, his found his grip around his swords suddenly go cold, as if he were touching the freezing steel instead of the warm, leathery hilt. He could feel the environment around him expand as his eyes changed into thin slits, his tail bristling and curling in on itself from the sudden cold chill running through his whole body. No, it wasn't fear. It wasn't anger. It was his body instantly reacting to the wound now bleeding freely on his chest, his instincts kicking forward and thrusting a new cord into a different socket—not his normal, sane socket, but instead the power filled, blood-lusting socket of the kyōbō.
His eyes glazed over, as if being covered in a thin layer of frosted ice, as he fell towards the spinning offense. His grip around his swords tightened, and his eyes shot open as he shot himself down into the blades, passing through each one and ending up touching the floor next to the unsuspecting enemy. He skidded back a step and as soon as Hacchan realized where Zoro was, the tiger immediately attacked, bringing his three swords towards the enemy with a blinded, cold sight. His swords immediately made contact, cutting the palms of the octopus and another, much wider, cut on his chest.
Hacchan released his hold of each of his swords as he yowled in pain, unable to grip neither his chest or his hands as they immediately stung upon contact, "Ack! It's cold!" he said as he attempted to soothe his wounds. The swords on the floor glazed in a light blue tint, as if they were slowly freezing to the brim.
The tiger turned around and observed his enemy, watching as the octopus fishman shivered noticeably to any eye, both from the pain and cold his swords had inflicted on him. He slightly gnawed on Wado's hilt, careful not to bite into it too hard—he didn't want to damage his important katana. He avoided using his sharper canines, but realized that they had lengthened in size. He hadn't noticed.
"I really, really, really can't forgive you anymore! It's time to finish you off!" Hacchan reached down and grabbed the six swords, waving them around as he let out a loud battle cry.
The tiger, now facing his opponent, studied the similar wounds on their chests, bleeding profusely on their chests as they heaved powerful breaths. He looked at his own, the diagonal slice completely hidden from his bandages that had now been bled through into a painful yet gorgeous dark red. While the cut on his enemy was placed differently, in the shape of a cross that strangely resembled the red cross you'd find in a hospital (especially since it was red, too. Strange.), he found it almost soothing to his soul and wound, knowing that his enemy was dealing with double the pain than he.
He could already feel his wound patch itself up, but that could've simply been his imagination. His body felt so numb from the cold that he wasn't sure if he was dying or not, or if his wound was opening rather than closing. His hands and fingers felt like they had been frostbitten, and the tip of his double set of ears felt cold, as if he were standing in a winter island without earmuffs nor gloves. It felt strange, since he could tell he was in a warm climate with the sun shining bright above them all, but his body confused him when all he could feel was the cold creeping into him, as if someone stuffed ice into the back of his shirt, the ice melting into freezing water that would run down his spine. Yet, it felt so much colder than that. He huffed out air, expecting to feel the warmth of his breath cuddle his face, but was instead met with a dusty mist, expulsing out between the thin gaps between his teeth and the hilt of his sword.
His eyes widened considerably, not having expected cold air to wash his lower face, but dismissed it as his fever getting to him. Yeah, that made sense. His fever was simply messing with his whole body, causing him to believe that he was becoming the fable Jack Frost or something. Before he could question his situation any longer—which he felt oddly correlative with, despite being completely flustered about his current condition—he noticed his opponent prepare an attack.
He was confused, no doubt about it, but he was still amazed by the durability of the octopus. The tiger guessed that octopus skin was harder and thicker than he thought, unlike a squishy fish. Hacchan redid the attack before his Waltz, a hard glare trying to bore through his own eyes, but the thin glaze that covered the tiger's own seemed to protect him from any intimidation, the glare nothing more than an empty threat that the neko saw through. His eyes glazed in something so similar to frost, it prevented any actual and perfect sight of his surroundings. The building next to him was a mere, hazy structure, the water looked like it was covered in thin ice, the octopus sported skin tinted slightly blue…
He really was going insane, wasn't he? Because whatever what was going on with his sight and body, it was definitely like no fever he'd ever experienced.
"Six swords style: Octopus Pot Stance!" Hacchan charged towards him, and Zoro's blood suddenly felt freezing, the cold liquid rushing through his limbs and chest and freezing his brain similar to a brain freeze that didn't come from a cold beverage or dessert. Despite it being clearly cold inside, he felt as if magma was running through his veins, pumping his arms and legs with energy that the cold temperature seemed to numb out.
And yet, even when the heat coursed through his whole body, he still felt cold, as if the freezing temperatures were working alongside the heat. It felt like the cold had planned this all along, and he started to have second thoughts if this really was a common fever.
Whatever this is, I can't afford to die. My wounds are practically nothing now, but, in order to beat that abnormally strong Hawkeye… he crouched down, preparing his own attack. His arms crossed over themselves with his swords poised high and his head ducked low, his white katana off to the side, "Demon…" he charged forward, running towards the six blades.
"New Year's…"
I can't afford to be normal either! He uncrossed his swords on Hacchan's own, ignoring the sudden cold that chilled his spine, running down to his toes and fingers to the tip of his ears, "Slash!" Hacchan's swords were completely broken, bits of the blades sprawling and dotting the ground as the larger pieces littered around them with satisfying 'clinks'. Zoro looked up, grinning as he saw the octopus take many steps back, holding his chest with a wounded hand as his enemy literally turned blue. He expected it was from fear or astonishment, but as soon as he was met with the shivering limbs, he suspected something else.
He smirked, the gasps released from his visible in cloudy puffs in front of him. No way this is a fever… he studied his enemy as the blood seeping through his clothes seemed to still, dots of frost sprinkled on them and below, keeping the liquid in place, if the cold I feel is inflicted on him as well… he felt like snorting. When he said he couldn't afford to be normal, he wasn't expecting it to go to this extent. Simply breaking the swords was fine enough, but freezing blood wasn't part of the plan. No matter, he found it useful.
He raised his head and glared at the octopus with a deadly stare, "Now do you understand the difference in the weight of our swords? I hope you're satisfied, octopus…!" he outstretched his arms and looked down at the ground, glittering pieces of steel shimmering the light's reflection. "Tatsu…" the air around him grew cold, and now that he realized it, the bits of steel were suddenly covered in frostbite, the ice spreading to the water and covering it in a cracking layer of frost. His teeth grit onto Wado's hilt a bit harder, his canines growing and shortening that he found completely annoying. Each time it was lengthened, he felt like he was biting too hard, but as they shortened, he felt the complete opposite. His body was really getting on his nerves now, and since he wasn't fond of the idea of harming himself, he decided the octopus man in front of him could do the job of releasing his annoyance. Just a bit. "Maki!" he swung his swords in a circular motion with the cooperation of his spine and waist, allowing him to do a few three-hundred sixties before completing the attack, which brought upon Hacchan a twister of spiraling wind, his own blades and the sharpness of the wind from the harsh cold cutting him up and no doubt about it opening all his deadly wounds.
His enemy was sent sprawling in the air, mumbling a phrase of incredulity. Zoro turned to Luffy, who was grinning at him with a satisfied laugh. The cold air surrounding him seemed to warm up a bit, and he was relieved to say the least. His eyes lost their haziness and his fingers could feel the blood coursing through them, as if he had been neglecting circulation. The frost dotting the ground and on the blades quickly started to melt, as if he was their source for surviving, which, in actuality, from his previous experience and body temperature, didn't seem too far-fetched.
"Damn it Luffy, I did my part, go ahead and finish yours!" he gripped the bandages on his chest, soaking his hand with blood. His eyelids dropped low, So during the whole fight, I was only bleeding more… Damnit… my body got so numb that I couldn't even tell… he cursed and thought about purring, but he'd had enough and he wasn't sure if it would do much anymore—not that it had a limit, but the numbness had reached his throat to the point where it felt sore.
He let himself collapse, not sure what to do other than rest.
So instead, he looked to the side, noticing the manta ray man approach him with his arm raised high, positioned so that he could karate chop the bleeding swordsman, "How dare you cut down Ha—" Zoro heard familiar footsteps quickly approaching them, and sighed. It was about time he had gotten up again.
The blonde kicked the large protruding fin of the manta ray fishman, preventing him from landing a hit on the tiger neko. "You sure did punch me back pretty far." Sanji said, taking a step back behind Zoro, the neko between him and the fishman.
"There's actually a human in east Blue that can live after taking one of my punches?" the fishman pondered out loud.
Sanji grin, and Zoro got a good look at the chef's face, which wasn't in the best shape it could be, with a thick trail of blood running down from his forehead to his chin, his nose bleeding and his gums dyed red from the red liquid in his mouth, "I'm sure there're more than just me. Especially at a certain restaurant."
The manta ray grimaced, "It seems I'm being underestimated."
●ω●
Luffy punched his palm, "Looks like one of your guys are down and Sanji is still going strong." He grinned as he faced Arlong, who was anything but pleased at the loss of one of his brethren.
His eyes lidded for a second though, thinking back when Zoro was-way through finishing his enemy. The area around him had suddenly grown cold, and the look in his eyes was so similar to his own, yet so different. Zoro seemed to also have a good control of his body, and that would explain the lack of overall power when he was in that mode, but even at this distance, he could still feel the freezing temperatures; it really did feel like he was standing in snow without protection. Glancing at the floor underneath his crewmates and the fishman, he caught sight of water on the floor next to the steel shards.
Water from melted ice.
So Zoro really is different from me. Well, if it gets too hot, now I know who to ask for help! He grinned at the thought. "Come on fish guy! I'm still going to beat your sorry ass!"
Well, that took longer than expected to publish. Whelp, I hope you enjoyed it either way.
Anyway, I'd like your opinion about something (which is more like to see if you approve or not rather than an actual, justified opinion, but whatever). I was planning to combine the first chapters from the beginning since some range from 2,000-7,000, and thought, 'Well, it looks damn annoying with so little words in a story that now has a range of 10,000-17,000 words,' so I'm planning on merging them together, perhaps editing a few and so on.
I'd probably still do it either way, but, I guess I just wanted you guys to know.
By the way, I seriously need to do something for Zoro's birthday which is coming up in a few days. What do you guys think? A special chapter just for him? Zoro deserves one, or at least something special.
Thank you for reading, (One) piece out!
