Hey peeps, sorry about not getting you an extra chapter this week. My free time has been pretty scarce recently so I haven't gotten a lot of writing done. Luckily though, I can get away with things like this and still update because of how many chapters are written already, so here it is. I'll do my best to get out an extra this next week, but no promises. Enjoy :)

Wealth, Fame, Power…

Chapter 32: Two Is Better Than One

Zoro and Sanji stood back to back against the army of fishmen encircling them. So far they had only been successful in repelling incoming attacks, still not having a proper plan to go on offense with.

And it didn't really help that Zoro was short a few swords and struggling to move all together.

As a few more underlings jumped at him, Sanji swiftly sent out his leg to push them back again. Things were starting to get out of hand now, they really needed to make a move. "Hey, dumbass, we've gotta start pushing back and thinning this herd. You up for it?"

Zoro ignored the insult as he pushed a fishman off of his sword, catching his breath before answering. "Yeah that sounds great and all, but that's what those big guys over there are waiting for," he motioned over to Kuroobi and Hachi.

Sanji risked a quick glance at where the swordsman directed him and noticed the two bigger fishmen. They were watching over their subordinates very carefully, ready to jump in at any moment. It looked like this was gonna be harder than they thought. "Alright then, in that case, we'll just take them all on at once. You can still fight with only one sword right?"

Once the pirate hunter was out of any immediate danger, he responded to his crewmate. Albeit, rather slowly. "Yeah uh, about that…"

"What?" Sanji asked in annoyance. "Don't tell me you've only practiced with three swords your whole life."

…

"Are you serious!? What about that huge attack you were about to use on Mihawk!?"

"I was just talking out of my ass! I don't actually know any one sword style!"

The blonde cook could only give a look of sheer hopelessness to his green haired crewmate, what and Idiot!

"Hey, don't give me that look! How many punches do you know how to throw, curly brows!?"

Sanji gritted his teeth as he kicked away another enemy. "Alright fine! Whatever. Let's just hurry up and do this fast. These guys smell horrible!"

"Finally, something we can agree on. Let's see how many of these small fry we can kill before those big guys join in."

All of the fishmen surrounding the two pirates instantly stopped their assault at the man's words. His demeanor seemed to have done a complete one eighty, and now he was smiling?

"C'mon you disgusting bastards, it'll be a cold day in hell when I let a bunch of weaklings like you get the best of me."

The opposing pirates only starred in frozen fear as the swordsman began sprinting towards them. Adrenaline flooding his system at last and allowing him to fight without pain holding him back.

Sanji watched his crewmate with a tiny smile on his face. Now they were getting somewhere. "There you go, mosshead, I'm right behind you."

True to his word, Sanji followed the pirate hunter closely as he slashed the chest of a fishman in his way. This instant show of force seemed to snap the rest of the Arlong Pirates out of their stupor, because as soon as they saw their comrade fall, four of them surrounded Zoro in an attempt at revenge.

But alas, it remained only an attempt, because before they could even think about jumping him, They were all met with a powerful shoe to the face, knocking them all on their asses.

Zoro turned around just as Sanji was getting back on his feet. "Hmph, you didn't need to do that."

"That's a pretty funny way of saying thanks. But forget about that, we've got more incoming."

For their next attempt at eliminating the straw hats, The fishmen tried the foolproof plan of dogpiling them. That was sure to work right?

Wrong, because for some odd reason, Zoro and Sanji were pretty decent at working around each other for two people who didn't get along.

In fact, to the untrained eye, one could almost confuse their weird way of trying to outdo one another for coordination and teamwork…

And wouldn't you know it, there were two pairs of untrained eyes watching over them as they steadily chipped away the small army in front of them.

"Hey uh, Kuroobi? Is it just me, or do those guys have perfect harmony?" Hachi asked innocently.

The ray fishman in question only gritted his teeth as he watched his men get mowed down. As much as he hated to admit it, Hachi was right. These two were in perfect sync. "It's not just you Hachi, these two warriors are masters of teamwork. I'm sure they have been fighting side by side their whole lives. It's the only explanation."

Hachi widened his eyes at the deep statement. "Wow! Really!? You can tell that just by looking at them?"

Kuroobi merley scoffed at his friend. "Of course Hachi. You should know by now how observant and keen my eyes are for this sort of thing. You should expect no less from me."

"Wow…" Hachi gushed as he turned his eyes back to that battle in awe. It truly was impressive how calculated their movements were. Whenever the swordsman would strike, the blonde would cover his back. And whenever the blonde went for a kick, the swordsman would duck out of the way to give more room.

It wasn't until the duo was halfway through all of his comrades that Hachi jumped up in realization. "Oh crap! I was so busy watching them fight that I forgot how badly they're beating us! We've gotta get in there!"

Before Hachi could jump in however, one of his tentacles was grabbed by the ray fishman next to him. "Hold on Hachi, we're waiting this one out."

"What, why!? Our brethren! They're getting-"

"Just shut up and listen! They aren't inflicting any lethal wounds, our comrades will be fine. If these guys want a test of teamwork, then we'll give it to them. You and I have fought together since we were children after all. There's no way they can best us."

It was obvious that the octopus fishman wasn't all the way on board with this suggestion from his friend but nonetheless, he backed off and turned back to the battle. Hopefully the crew didn't get hurt too bad.

Back with Zoro and Sanji, things were going completely different from what the two fishman officers were seeeing. Everytime that Sanji would go for a wide kick over Zoro's head, the swordsman would barely duck under the attack in time and bicker with the blonde to watch where he was swinging.

And the same could be said whenever Zoro jumped in and took down a fishman that Sanji was about to attack. The blonde cook would complain about getting his action stolen and try even harder to beat his crewmate.

All the while, anyone who was watching the fight without hearing their arguing would think that all of those moves were planned and coordinated. It was actually a very interesting dynamic that the pair were creating for themselves. They were both skilled enough on their own to attack independently while working and moving around each other without paying it much mind.

"And, twenty one! Hah, beat that you shitty swordsman!"

"What the hell are you talking about you crappy cook!? I took down twenty one also!"

"What!? That's bullshit and you know it. I got way more of them than you."

"Yeah, in your dreams pal. Maybe if you took away all my swords and gave me a few more stab wounds."

Hachi looked on in confusion as the duo began arguing yet again over something silly. These guys sure are odd.

Kuroobi merley rolled his eyes in annoyance and signaled to Hachi that it was time. "Ehem!" He cleared his throat as he and his comrade stepped forward.

Zoro and Sanji both turned to the two fishman like they had just interrupted something big. But nevertheless, Kuroobi began speaking.

"The two of you are an impeccable force when you are working as one. I cannot wait to test your teamwork against our own."

The pair of Straw Hat Pirates instantly changed their facial expressions from irritation to bewilderment. What the hell was this guy babbling on about?

Zoro was the first to turn away from the argument to share his amusement on the topic that the fishman brought up. "Hmph, I don't know what you mean by all that teamwork crap, but you can do what you please. I plan on taking one of you down so get ready. Which one do you want, curly brows?"

Sanji too turned to the battle at hand and responded to the swordsman. "I couldn't care less. All I know is that someone is gonna pay for what happened to my sweet Nami."

Kuroobi chuckled at his two opponent's responses. It was gonna take more than that to fool him. "Heh, good try, but you can't trick us. I know that you're trying to seperate us to pick us off easier, and it won't work. Our teamwork is superior!"

The pirate hunter and the well dressed man looked totally lost at the fishman's claim. What the hell was he talking about?

"You ready Hachi!?" Kuroobi shouted. It was clear that he was really revving himself up for battle now.

The octopus fishman in question didn't hesitate to nod his head and reach his six arms behind his back. "Let's do this!"

With a winning smile on his face, Kuroobi flexed his muscles and picked up Hachi by the torso, slowly starting to spin and gain momentum with his comrade in his arms.

Zoro temporarily lowered his sword while Sanji neglected to breathe in anymore smoke as they watched the situation with even more confusion. Was this a fight, or a dance?

Pretty soon, Kuroobi was spinning at a decent pace, and before the straw hats knew it, he made his move.

With immaculate timing and strength, Kuroobi let Hachi fly right at the pirate duo, and at a decent speed too. It seemed that this was something they had practiced before, because as soon as Hachi was airborne, he revealed his six arms, and this time they were each holding a large cutlass.

Zoro barely had time to blink before the octopus fishman was on him. Having to rapidly bring up his singular katana to form a defense against all six blades. And defend he did, raising his sword horizontally to parry his opponent.

But the pirate hunter was quick to notice that this was no ordinary attack, because he immediately brought up his other hand to support his sword close to the tip. What the hell!? Why is this so damn heavy!? Are those swords made of lead!?

Zoro wasted no time in pushing away those thoughts though, he needed to focus on holding back this incredible force right now. The last thing he wanted was for one of his wounds to burst because he was messing around. Alright then, I can do this. This may be a powerful attack, but I've held back much heavier before.

Remembering his most recent battle put a smirk on the swordsman's face as he compared it to this one. This guy had nothing on Mihawk.

Sanji saw his crewmate smile and mirrored him. It was time to kick some ass. But when the blonde man turned back to face his own opponent, he was gone. "Where the hell did he- Oh shit! Mosshead, behind you!"

Zoro had no time to be surprised, and with his full attention on holding back Hachi, he was wide open for Kuroobi's surprise attack.

"Heh, way to take the bait. I told you before, you will see our superior teamwork," the ray fishman patronized as he reached back his left fist.

Zoro gritted his teeth and prayed his wound would stay closed after this. It was either take the onslaught of six swords, or take the hardest punch ever to his unprotected back.

Needless to say, his front side was already torn up enough…

"No!" Sanji yelled as Kuroobi slammed his fist into the center of the swordsman's spine, making him crumble to the ground in pure agony.

Without hesitation, the blonde cook took action and jump kicked the octopus fishman off of Zoro. At the very least saving him from dying now that he couldn't defend from the swords.

Hachi winced from the direct hit he received and looked to his teammate. All it took was one nod from Kuroobi and they were back in sync again, already starting up a new plan. "Ow! That hurt!"

Sanji didn't know what to expect as he got on his guard again. It was like these two could communicate without even speaking!

Hachi puffed out his chest as he took a huge breath, ready to unleash one of his unique techniques. "Take this!" He shouted, blowing out all of the air he had just accumulated. However, instead of air coming from his mouth, a black substance came spewing out like a hose.

The well dressed cook bulged his eyes open as the thick and heavy liquid coated him from head to toe. This was truly an all time high for the grossest situation ever. "Aww, what the hell! What is this stuff! It smells worse than you guys!" The poor blonde screamed, rubbing his eyes for dear life trying to get his vision back.

"Hehe, It's my super special ink! Pretty handy huh?"

Ignoring the playful remark from the fishman, Sanji continued to try and scrub the ink from his eyes. Not only was it seriously starting to burn, but he needed his vision to defend himself!

Unfortunately for him though, he couldn't scrub fast enough, because it only took a split second for phase two of the fishmen's attack to get going.

Phase two of course, being Kuroobi coming in for the finishing blow, delivering a devastating lariat to the cook's neck and slamming him into the pavement below.

Once the ray fishman was satisfied with the limp state of his blonde enemy, he casually stood up and returned to the side of his friend. Finding humor in the way the tide had turned for these two humans. "Hmph, how odd. You two were much more efficient when you were fighting as one. What happened? We even told you we were attacking together, did we not? Perhaps we are just too strong, you are just two humans after all, and my fishman karate is quite advanced."

Zoro groaned from his face down position on the concrete. His back was aching to the limit right now. And he was certain that his wounds on his chest and stomach were starting to leak too. Damn… What would hurt more? Standing up and getting my ass beat again? Or working together with that shitty chef?

Ironically, Sanji too was contemplating something similar. His eyes were bloodshot red at the moment, and he was really struggling to focus his vision. Although who could blame him? He didn't even get the chance to brace for the blow he just took, making it that much more catastrophic. Well shit… I'm gonna regret this…

"Hey mosshead," Sanji spoke softly from the floor. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

Zoro took his time in responding, finally doing so as he painfully pushed himself to his knees. "Sadly, yes…"

Luffy stood his ground as he and Arlong continued to trade blows. They had been in a bit of a stalemate ever since They moved the battle into the nearby forest.

But fear not… Because Luffy wasn't any less angry.

Clenching his fists, the rubber man grew frustrated at the slow pace that the fight was going. Something was gonna have to give eventually, but he decided to take a risk and speed up the process.

Right as Arlong cocked back his right fist for a heavy punch, Luffy dug his feet in and prepared himself.

Arlong didn't hesitate to launch his right fist right into the boy's stomach, he wasn't about to not take advantage of the opening after all.

However, this was exactly what Luffy was counting on, instantly grabbing the fishman's arm and locking up around it. "GUM GUM!" He screamed, throwing his head back and stretching his neck to it's absolute limit.

It was an understatement to say that Luffy was lucky right now, because if Arlong hadn't been so shocked at finding out he was a devil fruit user, he would have likely stuck out his nose and had the rubber man impale himself when his attack connected.

"BELL!" The hatless teen screamed, letting go of all the tension and sending his forehead right into Arlong's.

"AH! DAMN!" Arlong cried out as he stumbled back with his hands on his face. It didn't matter who you were, some of Luffy's attacks were seriously something else.

And in the end, even the rubber man didn't get out of the encounter unscathed. This was clearly demonstrated by the gash on his chin leaking a solid amount of blood down his body. It appeared as though Luffy wasn't able to fully avoid that dangerously sharp nose that Arlong had. He didn't really seem to care though, still staring down the shark fishman with hate in his eyes.

"First you take this village's freedom. And then you hurt my friend right in front of my face…You've really managed to piss me off you damn bastard!"

Arlong just chuckled as he recovered from his disorientation. "Aww, is the little brat gonna throw a temper tantrum? Don't worry, After me and my men kill you pathetic excuses for pirates, everything will go back to normal. And since she means so much to you, I'll even let Nami live so she can go back to being my property. Ahahaha!"

…

…

…

Words truly could not describe the absolute fury coursing through Luffy's veins at the fishman's words. He swore he couldn't ball up his fists any harder right now.

Arlong was right in the middle of his loud and obnoxious laugh when he felt a strange pressure in the air. He quickly ended his laughter and looked back down at his opponent, clearly the boy was very close to the edge right now. "Haha. Careful now kid, don't lose your cool in the middle of a fight. You might end up doing something you'll regret later."

Luffy stayed completely stoic, slowly taking a battle stance and keeping up his glare right up until he responded. "You're right, I'm definitely gonna regret this later."