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"One Piece" – Speaking
'One Piece' – Thoughts
One Piece – Flashbacks
One Piece – Techniques
A Large Leap
Ten Vs Ten Thousand
Previously on A Large Leap,
"Luffy-kun!" Everyone turned to another familiar sight, a large blue fishman that Luffy knew every well indeed. They both own each other their lives during the great war two years ago.
"Jinbe!" Luffy cried out and then promptly hugged the large fishman like a distanced close friend. The former warlord was a little startled by the affection but smiled and returned it anyways. "I missed you Jinbe!"
"I did too myself. And I did hear about how you were able to make a lasting impression on the marines stationed there." Jinbe responded with a chuckle, "Now rumors are that you have become nigh invincible in standards of Paradise." Luffy just laughed,
"People can say all they want about me, but I don't regret what I did. After all, I wasted only a second or a half when they tried to arrest me for being a pirate." Luffy remarked and his crowd all shook their heads in amusement in prefect unison. They even ignored Jinbe with his expression of shock to see the presence of the princess outside of her room in the tower at the Ryugu Palace. But that steady and easy-going atmosphere was shattered once another arrival came; in the form of a desperate and scared Kiemi.
"Luffy-kun! Luffy-kun!" The mermaid looked like there was a murder, that happened right in front of her eyes. "The Palace! The…palace…!" Kiemi tried to utter what was on her mind but her voice was as unstable and broken like her thoughts were. That is until Luffy firmly grasped Kiemi by the arms, making her gasp.
"Take in a deep breath and tell me everything you know. Has anyone been killed or captured?" Luffy asked and Kiemi nodded at option number two. "Then what about the King or my crew?" That that question Kiemi looked down with sorrow and regret.
"Hody Jones?" Kiemi was twitching the name but nodded. "Someone I should know, since he threatened my crew?" Luffy asked and was answered with even more silence. Zoro, Brook and Usopp were also there as they were able to escape the chaos at Neptune's palace. Robin had finished her exploring of the forest and was enjoying yet another novel. Then Jinbe spoke up,
"Jones is the captain of Fishman pirates that originated from the Fishman District, the underpit of Fishman Island." Luffy nodded, urging Jinbe to tell more. "I knew him when I was part of a pirate crew too. Jones was an orphan that grew up, nurtured by the darkness that grew in Fishman District. And now he has amassed his own crew to try and take Ryugu Palace. His plan is to supposedly show the entire world that Fishman are the 'superior race'."
"Sounds a lot like Arlong." Luffy muttered and then his eyes widen. "Jinbe, your captain won't happen to be Fisher Tiger? And Arlong to be a crewmate of yours, under the same flag?" This caused a lot of gasps to be heard while Jinbe and Luffy were the only ones silent.
"I didn't think that Arlong still talked about our old captain. He hated and blamed humans so much that he did an assault on the nearest base, where he was captured." Jinbe responded. "I won't be surprised that he will kill one of his own for just saying the name for a human to hear."
"Thankfully, it wasn't from Arlong or his 'brothers' that I heard the name of Fisher Tiger." Luffy spoke which made Jinbe give out a silent sigh of relief. "I learned his name from the many souls he saved for slavery, Boa Hancock."
"ARRGH!" This sound spooked everyone and yet nobody even bothered when Sanji awoke worse than a bear, disturbed from hibernation. "Why!? Why the hell are you damn lucky, Luffy!? It's bad enough that you were sent to man's paradise, having the most beautiful pirate want you alive and now you even talked with her!?"
Luffy's forehead twitched worse which every word until tick marks were clearly heard, even several feet away. "Sanji…" The raven-haired captain muttered until he painfully grasped Sanji with a face grab. "I was almost glad that you are awake. Jinbe and I are talking about serious matters here!" Luffy started to scold at his cook, which was somehow amusing.
"…So, if you are awake and kicking, then get cooking!" Luffy finished it off by slinging Sanji over his shoulder, with the blonde chef landing on the Thousand Sunny with a bullseye. "As we were saying…" Luffy turned his attention back to Jinbe who was little irritated still himself.
"We were discussing how you heard of Fisher Tiger. So, Boa Hancock was one of the slaves that Captain Tiger saved, eh? I was never told of this." Luffy nodded,
"Fisher Tiger couldn't care about anything other than slaves getting free when he attacked Mariejois, the Holy Land." The crew grasped again. They heard about that place before. It was the city that was supposed to be located on top the indestructible Red Line, which is also five thousand meters from the ocean surface which is five thousand meters from Fishman Island.
Luffy continued, "Hancock knew about him from the newspapers, all the way to when he was surrounded by marines hired by a little girl's mother to turn him in. Even though he was rescued, he died of blood loss after refusing the only blood packs available to him that could have saved his life. All because he was a slave like the ones he rescued."
This left everyone with heavy hearts to hear such a tragedy. And while Jinbe was also heart-stricken, he wanted to know where Luffy got the details. "If you want to know, Jinbei." Luffy spoke up, "Always remember that the heart always speaks the loudest, even if you don't hear it talk. And I have learned how to listen during my training."
Silence spread, Jinbe had nothing to say to that. Instead he turned to Nami with a face of sadness and regret. "Nami-san, in my anger at Arlong I cast him out of the Sun Pirates. Ultimately that convinced him to give up on peace with humility and I understand that he and his own gang targeted your home island in the East Blue." Nami started to shiver as memories upon nightmares were leaking into his mind. "I want to apologize for being so rash with Arlong, my actions were the leading cause for his rampage on your home."
"I have gotten over it." Nami was silent and yet everyone heard a crack in her voice. "I am no longer associated with that beast of his kind. I am nobody's slave, not now and not ever." Nami then felt someone's hand grasp her with a comfortable and comforting way. Her heart soared when saw who it was, "And I am stuck with this hunk forever." While Sanji acted out his heart erupting, like the drama queen he was, everyone else had the look of curiosity; as if they were asking, what are you not telling us?
Luffy laughed sheepishly, "In his prime, Master Rayleigh used to be quite the player and every time I didn't get his lesson, he throw me into the den. And he did, twenty times, on the same day." Luffy let out a shiver and those who caught it also saw sliver of fear in his eyes before it died. "Besides, I needed to make up over two years of letting out in the wind. That is now how you treat a lady that has her heart soaring." All the while, Luffy rubbed Nami's hair almost like she was a human-sized house cat, not that she seemed to mind.
But that atmosphere was interrupted, rather slowly when a large snail moved into the middle of the group. This was a Den-Den Mushi (Transponder Snail), a type of animal-machine hybrid that has been in use for as long as anyone could remember. They are most commonly used as telephone and even sending faxes. Right now, this one was the model for projecting a motion picture and hardly some kind of movie to watch.
The Straw Hats knew that when the Den-Den Mushi activated and shown a projected image of a White Shark Fishman. "Hody Jones!" Jinbe shouted off and Luffy finally saw the face of this terrorist that he has been hearing about. After some monotone, the image shifted into something that truly was outrageous. It was King Neptune with the three princes all chained up in a fashion ready for execution!
Luffy knew what this was, a boast of their strength and a taunt to anyone who will dare try to defy them. Too bad for them, this is the Strawhats. As pirates, they naturally defy authority and they follow their own rules. "F-father…? Brothers…?" Shirahoshi was about to tear again when she felt something coil around her massive hand. It was Luffy's way of comforting a person of her size.
"Its going to be okay. You are not losing your family today." The giant princess wiped away her tears and clutched the rubber grip, not that it hurt Luffy one bit. Then he faced the crew and company. "Guys, I have a plan and it could only be done with your help." Luffy said, turning to his entire crew. "You spent two years learning in the surface world of Paradise, I have seen only the tip of the iceberg. Let's save the day. And show me more, captain's orders." This time, everyone smile with eagerness and excitement.
XXXXX
Later, in Fishman Island Plaza,
"What are they waiting for?" One of the inhabitants asked out loud to the crowd that surrounded the plaza from a higher, safer attitude. "Our king and princes have been beaten and they are the best warriors in Fishman Island."
"Yeah, the royal army didn't stand a chance. I mean look at all of them!" Another resident quietly shouted and pointed to the masses of fishman standing at the same level ground as the execution posts. "Just what can these Strawhats do? I heard that they were nine at best."
"I heard that Big Boss Jinbe helped their captain two years ago during the Whitebeard War." Yet another resident said. "Perhaps with Big Boss Jinbe's strength, the Strawhats can free our rulers?"
"Keep that down, or they will start shooting at us!" The first two residents faced the third and hushed him as if a crying baby. Then the ice was broken,
"Look up there!" Everyone turned to look, both the spectators and the pirates down below, and saw a large shark with a slightly larger figure riding it. Once it got closer, it was Shirahoshi and Megalo! And they were moving right where the pirates awaiting her! "There! On the shark too!" That same voice spoke up and Jinbe was sighted, riding Megalo!
Once Megalo landed, the masses of pirates immediately hurried to tie them up, without much resistance. "I see. You were always the peace-lover when you served this pathetic kingdom." Jinbe recognized that voice and when he turned, shock appeared in his eyes and Shirahoshi was also frightened.
It was Hody Jones but with a new look, he no longer had a large belly, being far more muscular than before, with his muscles bulging in size with thick veins appearing, particularly on his arms, and his size greatly increased, being in equal in size to Ikaros Much, the largest of the New Fishman Pirates, while sitting down. His dark hair had lightened exponentially. He no longer wore any headgear, and donned a shirt with the colors reversed from the one he originally wore, with the dark background having turned light and the light spots along the bottom having turned dark. He also carried his trident on his back.
"Jones, what did the hell did you do to yourself?" Jinbe talked as if a close friend of his had turned into a monster. "Was it the Energy Steroids that you stole from the Palace!? Do you know what they will do to you if you keep eating them so recklessly!?"
"A peace-loving wrench will never understand what must be done to place Fishman where they always belonged." Hody waved away at Jinbe, clearly showing indifference to the former Warlord. "But never in my life did I think that the pride of the army will become a dog to a government run by the same greedy men that enslaved and abused our brothers and sisters up above. Peace truly is an era for weaklings to get power they don't deserve."
"You are forgetting that a 'human' had once saved out island from slavers for simply saying that we are part of his territory." Jinbe retorted and Hody looked even more smug than before.
"That man is dead. Killed by his own men two years ago because he was still too weak-hearted to rule the oceans." Hody mocked and his crew mates laughed as a result. This rubbed Jinbe the wrong way, he really admired the late Whitebeard for providing absolute protection for Fishman Island in one day compared to the efforts of the World Government that lasted two centuries. "But enough of this useless dabble, it is time for the greater good of our kind. Starting with our weak ruler!"
Hody pointed his finger towards King Neptune as the massive ruler was brought down from the gallows, only to be placed right in front of Hody, still bound in chains. The terrorist Fishman just gleefully waited for the weapon of execution from another fishman, who delivered it promptly.
The crowds were in shock and were still in fear for their lives to cry out in protest. All they could do was watch Hody Jones raise that executioner's blade up high, the blade aimed for Neptune's neck. Time slowed to a crawl when Hody Jones brought down the weapon down for the kill
The princess looked like she was boiling over with tears before, "LUFFY-SAMA!" Shirahoshi shouted to the heavens and something epic happened. Megalo suddenly started to bloat and coughed up something that sped towards Hody Jones, delivering a devasting kick to the terrorist's stomach. Hody was sent right into the cliff walls, failing to behead King Neptune.
"Its Straw Hat Luffy!" One of the residents pointed out, "He was there all this time!?" The young man with a straw hat ignored the mumbling among the crowds, still staring where he still Hody Jones flying, with his entire body steaming red. "Hey, is that his ship!?"
The Thousand Sunny had appeared out of nowhere, flying with the aid of a large bubble attached by ropes, and the figurehead looked like it was charging for an attack. Franky was at the helm and took aim, "Gaon Hō (Gaon Cannon)!" That scattered a small portion of the pirates down below, granting enough spare room for the large ship to settle on the ground. Hopefully, Franky has a back-up plan to get his masterpiece off the dry ground to sail again.
Once the Thousand Sunny had landed, the Straw Hats jumped off and down on the ground with ice-cold stares at the Fishman surrounding them. Then the ice was broken yet again when, "Hey! The keys are gone!" One of the fishman down below suddenly searched his pockets and coming up dry. This confused his associates until,
"Mirāju Tenpo (Mirage Tempo)!" A woman's voice emerged and so did a certain orange-haired navigator, appearing near the prisoners. She had in her hand a metal ring with various keys attached, which she first used on Jinbe and then the princess and her pet shark. King Neptune and the princes were silently retrieved by what is left of the royal army so they can treat them. All of them then joined the rest of the Strawhats who assembled in front of the Thousand Sunny.
By this time, Hody Jones dug his way out of the cliff side with only pebbles to brush off his shark-like skin. "I am impressed, only a little. You puny humans must be so weak that you resort to stomp so low. You all used to head over to your doom, so why show off when you are going to die?"
"Because we are not." Luffy actually responded. "Nobody is going to die today. Not even you." Hody Jones laughed even louder,
"You certainly are an amusing human, talking about such garbage like our weakling of a king!" The terrorist mocked Luffy who said nothing. "But while I am on the something, not only will I become this island's king, but I will also be the next King of Pirates!" This caused something to snap in Luffy's mind and the young captain started to walk over in the direction of Hody Jones with a moderate pace. The crew called out as to what he was doing but they figured that Luffy had this under control. "Good puny human, kill him men!"
The fishman pirates armed themselves and charged in for the kill, thinking they got a clear shot. Then Luffy's gaze met the light of dawn and a ripple surged throughout the plaza. It didn't affect the populous that were watching above but Hody felt the chill, with his arm suddenly shivering. And right when the watching residents took in a breath of anticipation, the pirates started to fall.
One-by-one, dozens-upon-dozens, they all fell to the ground. Piles of bodies surrounded Luffy's feet. Half the entire army had lost to the captain already, leaving the other half to feel like they started the Devil in the face. They couldn't even stop themselves from shivering like newborn deer; their posture was swaying and out of focus, and their weapons were just about to fall out of their grasp.
"Your crew mean nothing to me, Hody Jones. This is between me and you, so keep them out of our way." Luffy spoke calmly. He truly looked like a king, displaying the power he had in his glare to his enemy. "You are free to become king of any country or island if you please…" Hody was still speechless, "But there is only room in this world for one King of the Pirates!"
End of Chapter 10.
*I never thought that I will get this chapter done, it has been over a year! My mind keeps shutting down every time I try at it. It doesn't mean that I am quitting the story, I am far too persistent and stubborn. Tell me what you think!*