A/N: Nothing much to say. Make sure to place your votes on the two polls (dojutsu on profile and crew members on forum). I have decided to continue the ScreaverxNami pairing, meaning that Vivi will actually be paired with Luffy and will end up becoming the second strongest female on the crew (second to Nami). If you have suggestions for future pairings, let me know through PMs or reviews. Will create poll for any that are popular with multiple suggestions (LuffyxHancock vs. LuffyxRobin). On with the show!
Arlong's Coming Demise
It had taken three days for Nami and I to reach Commi Island. During that time, I had attempted create metal weapons with Steel Style, but had no luck until the morning of the third day. I had finally gotten an actual kunai instead of just a lump of disfigured metal, and I had also begun to master mass creation before we reached the archipelago. I had actually gotten a bunch of dirt from various islands we had stopped at so that I could practice my earth jutsu on the ship, but I had been able to use it for Steel Style as well. As it turns out, Steel Style is merely an advanced form of the Earth Style. Each basic nature has an advanced form, but one can only achieve the advanced form if they have an affinity for the basic nature. I had not discovered Fire Style's advanced nature yet, but I had discovered the other three. Water turns into Poison, Wind turns into Hurricane, and Lightning into Plasma.
"Nami? Where are we going to dock?" I asked the navigator as the island came into view. She pointed to a tall building that towered over the treetops. Its red-tiled roofs were separated by pale yellow panels of wood that designated the separate floors. A unique Jolly Roger that was a red shark head on top of two bones flew atop the building's peak. I looked at Nami's tattoo, noticing the similarities between the two. I ran up to the crow's nest and grabbed the bag that I had taken from the kitchen. It held all the kunai and shuriken that I had created. I slung it over my shoulder before leaping back down to the deck. I smiled at a trepidatious Nami, pulling her close.
"Don't worry, Nami. I'll protect you and save your island," I promised, getting a pair of teary, hopeful eyes in response. I gave here a thumbs-up before I gave her a kunai. "Keep that. If you are ever in trouble, just channel chakra into it and set it on the ground." She cocked her head in confusion, but she nodded anyway. "It acts like a flare," I explained, showing her a needle-thin hole in the bottom ring. "When you channel normal chakra into the kunai, it will cause the latent fire chakra to ignite and shoot into the sky. Got it?" She nodded with an awed expression on her face. I turned back to the approaching archipelago, staring at Arlong Park with an angry gaze. "Now, let's take out the trash."
Arlong Park
Nami and I had disembarked with the redhead now standing before Arlong. The Fishmen were sneering at me, but a glare infused with some killing intent easily cowed the weaker ones. The one who was sneering the most was Kuroobi. The gray-skinned martial artist was very suspicious of me, but it seemed that he could sense my strength. 'I wonder, is Conqueror's Haki better or worse than killing intent?' I heard an answering hum from Michael as he thought about the answer.
"Killing intent is just a projection of chaotic chakra into a malevolent aura that can be enhanced by subtle body movements and low-level genjutsu," explained Michael. "However, Conqueror's Haki is unique in several ways. Much of its potential is wasted, but it essentially works as a projection of will. In a sense, it is linked to Armament Haki. So, if you have a user of Conqueror's Haki, and they also have an easier time using Armament as well, then their Conqueror's will naturally be stronger. However, if they specialize in Observation Haki, then they will have to work much harder to make their Conqueror's Haki stronger due to a smaller amount of raw potential to project their will." I nodded in understanding, sending Michael a mental thank-you before refocusing on Nami and Arlong's conversation.
"Welcome home, Nami!" greeted an exuberant Arlong. His beady eyes focused on me, his toothy grin morphing into a degrading sneer. "However, you know how I feel about humans. Why have you brought this…boy into our sanctuary?" I growled at the word, causing the crew to tense up in warning. Arlong ignored it, however, returning his gaze to a cool Nami. She turned to me, a faint smile on her face. She walked over and linked her arm with mine, planting a kiss on my cheek, making my jaw drop.
"Because he's my boyfriend," she announced bluntly, lacing her fingers into my own. "His name is Screaver, and he saved my life. He was a part of the previous crew I… joined. He ended up coming with me on my journey back, saying that he would never leave my side." The crew of Fishmen gaped at us, minus a growling Kuroobi and a grinning Arlong. "He has a very unique set of skills, including the ability to walk on water." This caused Arlong to leap out of his seat, his grin replaced by a frown.
"What?" he growled. He strode over to us, stopping right in front of me. He was about a head taller than me, but I stared right up into his eyes without flinching. "You have access to chakra?" I nodded, stomping my foot on the ground to raise a thin pillar of earth as a demonstration. Before he could respond, my eyes morphed into the Hoshigan as my arm became my basic bazooka. It was very reminiscent of Mega Man's blaster with a blue shell, a red core, and various buttons lining the sides. I shot a Mega Buster at a rock that sat in the ocean, demolishing it instantly. I turned back to Arlong, noticing the animalistic look in his eyes that was also evident in his savage smile. "Excellent! I had a mentor named Hoshigaki Shiroisame who left for the Elemental Archipelago years ago. He sent me a letter about his new clan in a shinobi village called the Hidden Mist Village." I shrugged in response.
"I've never been there. I was born on an island on the outskirts of their territory," I explained. "My father was a painter while my mother was a former shinobi of a village that was one of the Hidden Mist's enemy." Arlong hummed in understanding before returning to his "throne." He nodded to Kuroobi, whose grin widened before Arlong turned back to me.
"You will fight one of my commanders to test your fighting skills," explained Arlong before grinning savagely. "However, I ask that you avoid using anything besides martial arts and weapons, alright?" I nodded before taking my stance. I had changed my appearance but had kept a somewhat professional air. I wore my suit pants and the suit, minus the sleeves that Nami had taken off along with those of my dress shirt. Black gloves covered my entire forearm with metal plates hidden between the two layers of cloth. Lastly, I had two bandanas, a grey one with black design that was around my neck while the other was a headband that had a white skull printed on the black cloth. I removed everything except for my shirt and pants. I smirked as I finished gathering the necessary amount of chakra to activate the second stage of my dōjutsu. The five-pointed star spun wildly as three dots appeared around the right star and two around the left.
"Bring it on, sushi man!" I challenged, launching the martial artist into action. His scaly fists lashed out quickly, but my training with the Sharingan's abilities had paid off. I used minimal movement, barely dodging the Fishman's fierce attacks. He slowly sped up, causing me to do the same as well. He finally left himself open with an overextended punch, causing me to begin my counterattack. I launched into a quick combination of kicks and punches, causing Kuroobi to grunt from the amount of force behind my strikes. I finished it off by morphing my arm into an iron block, sending Kuroobi flying into one of Arlong Park's walls. I duted off my knuckles before walking toward the exit, only stopping to send a sickly sweet grin back at Arlong, who was shocked at how easily his best hand-to-hand had been defeated.
"Just remember, Arlong," I warned, getting his full attention. I motioned for Nami to follow me, causing her to quickly walk over to my side. I put my arm around her waist to keep up the impression of us being a couple. "I am only here for Nami, which means that I report to her, not you, got it?" Without waiting for a response from the stunned shark Fishman, Nami and I began to walk away. She turned her head to me with an odd expression.
"How are you so strong, Screaver?" she asked quietly, glancing back at the frantic Fishmen as they excavated the unconscious and bloodied Kuroobi from the broken wall. "No one has ever been able to even defeat Kuroobi, especially with the ease that you did. When you first appeared at Orange Town, I thought you were just an overconfident pervert." She rubbed her arms uncomfortably before gaining a far-away look in her eyes. "Will I ever be as strong as you?" I grinned widely, squeezing her in a brief hug. She squeaked, her face exploding in a blush.
"Of course, Nami!" I promised, turning her so that I could look into her eyes. "With me training you, there is nothing that we can't defeat. Besides, once Luffy gets here and decides to kick Arlong to the New World and back… then I can make all of us the strongest pirate crew in the world." The redhead smiled widely, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes as she nodded confidently. I returned my gaze to the road ahead, my grin getting more and more evil as I thought about Arlong's coming demise.
I hope you guys enjoyed the fluff! This is not the true start to Nami and Screaver's relationship, but it will jumpstart it majorly. Don't forget you have multiple votes on each poll! Until next time!
~Sir Zesto