Well shit guys, we've reached a hundred reviews… This is just insane… I never really thought I would get to this point, but here we are. I can't thank you guys enough though, It really is an awesome feeling. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who has reviewed! And hell, thanks to everyone who just reads and enjoys, without reviewing. That's how a lot of people (including me sadly) like reading fanfic, so thanks to everyone who has supported this story in any way imaginable! :)

Wealth, Fame, Power…

Chapter 35: Tempers Collide

If Luffy was being honest, his arms were stinging like hell right now. And he hadn't even tried to stretch them out for an attack yet! They had just really started burning as soon as Arlong forcefully ripped off the bandages while they were fighting earlier. Either way though, there was nothing he could do except suck it up and be a man. There were bigger problems at hand right now, like this freak of nature fishman who was eating his hits like they were an everyday meal.

He was seriously gonna have to get creative if he wanted to beat this scumbag without stretching his arms.

And right off the bat, that's exactly what the rubber man attempted. Sending his leg out to the side in a hurry. "Gum gum," he began as he stretched it to the limit. "Whip!"

Even though Luffy threw out his attack with decent speed, Arlong was still easily able to see the attack coming, giving him plenty of time to prepare for it. This was most likely because of the small charge up nature behind the rubber man's techniques, and how their startup was quite revealing.

Then again, it's not like Luffy preferred anything other than a straight up confrontation.

With the obvious direction of the gum gum whip going right for Arlong's side, the fishman was ready for it. Catching it with both arms right before it could make contact with his hip.

Smiling evilly, Arlong pulled on hard on the leg. Making the hatless teen lose his footing as his body began to retract right into his enemies hands. It didn't take long for him to reach the fishman either, the good amount of tension that was on his leg made sure that he was flying right into the danger zone at a rapid speed.

Already aware of Luffy's punch proof, paramecia body, Arlong had something different in mind for hurting the rubber freak flying at him. Sure, he could easily just take one step to the side and fling him into the ocean, but where was the fun in that? He needed to suffer for all the fishmen that had fallen today.

So rather than take the easy way out, the shark pirate pulled harder and raised his face to meet his enemy any second. Making sure his big, sharp nose would be the first thing Luffy collided with.

And that he did, because right when the rubber man finally had control over his movements again, his thigh was impaled all the way through by the long nose of his enemy. "Ahh!"

Arlong grinned as the blood of his enemy trickled down into his mouth. He would have preferred to have stabbed the boy somewhere on his torso for extra damage, but this still felt amazing. Victory sure did taste sweet... Literally.

Luffy didn't let him enjoy the moment for long though, because as soon as he bit back the pain, he was punching the top of Arlong's head like a madman. Clearly just trying desperately to free himself at this point.

"Hehe, I don't even feel that, kid. Now hold still so I can chomp this leg off would ya?"

Luffy's eyes widened at the shark fishman's words, halting his repeated assault on his skull. Unfortunately, he wasn't bluffing, because after a few more seconds, his jaws were opened up wide right in front of the rubber man's knee.

"Damn," Luffy muttered. He was really in a jam right now. Not only did his enemy have a hold of both his legs, but if he didn't act fast, he was gonna lose one of them. "Oh well. Sorry, old man, but I have to use my arms. If I don't make them stretchy, then they can't hurt this guy... Gum gum," he began again as he shot his right arm out to the side as far as he could. He was gonna have to hurry too, otherwise he was gonna end up just like the old man that gave him said warning.

Right as Arlong finished positioning his jaws on the boy's leg, he heard him cry out and moved his eyes up in curiosity.

"Pistol!" Luffy yelled, pulling his arm back with a serious amount of torque and sending his fist flying at his enemy's cheek.

Not seeing it coming at all, Arlong was blindsided, getting sent tumbling towards the entrance of the park by the strong blow. This in turn caused Luffy's thigh to be freed rather forcefully from it's impaled state.

He wasn't focusing on that at all though, even with how much blood was running down his leg and onto his sandals as he stood back up.

Because at that moment, there was another pain outweighing the stinging in his leg, and that was obvious by the way Luffy was holding his shoulder and how slowly his arm was retracting back into it.

And when his red limb was finally a normal size, many small rips could be seen in the rubber of that arm, and boy was it excruciating. "Ah, damn," he whispered to himself, biting down hard on his teeth to avoid screaming. "That was a bad idea." In all honesty, the boy doubted he would even be able use his abilities on this arm after this was all over, or at least it sure felt that way.

"Heh, better watch out kid, I almost had myself a meal there! Ahahaha!" Arlong joked as he stood up once again, looking perfectly fine.

But in any case, Luffy was starting to get used to this about the fishman. Already staring him down again, preparing himself for the next move.

Meanwhile, this captivating start to the fight had many different reactions from the crowd watching from the man-made hole in the wall. And they were mostly negative considering the fact that Nami was the only straw hat watching. Sanji was further back standing over the medic as he treated his two unconscious comrades, insisting that he could hold off a bit longer on treatment.

The rest of the village on the other hand was really starting to doubt whether or not Luffy could beat Arlong or not. I mean c'mon, just look at that size difference.

"Are you sure about this Nami? If we don't get in there soon, your friend might die," Nojiko suggested to her clearly stressed out sister.

Nami didn't respond though, too focused on the battle that she was sure would be Luffy's last. Damn it Luffy! I told you this would happen!

"Nami? Did you hear me? I said we're going to-"

"No."

"What?" Nojiko asked incredulously. Was she blind? That lanky little kid was about to get chewed to bits!

Nami gently reached up to touch the valuable hat resting on her head, finding comfort in the way her fingers brushed over the texture of the straw. "I said no, Nojiko. I trust him. Even though he's the biggest idiot I've ever met, he said he can do it, so I trust him on this. There's no need for anyone else to die," she said shakily, barely even believing her own words as she looked back to the fight with concern. You better not die you moron.

On the ground behind the whole crowd and commotion, a semi responsive swordsman was able to catch those deep words from the navigator while he was drifting in and out of consciousness. Damn Luffy, you really do know what you're talking about. The witch is actually on our side… And here I thought all that emotion sensing nonsense was a load of crap.

Arlong licked up some spare blood running down the side of his lips as he stared the rubber man down with pure confidence. Already coming up with another way to taunt him. "Well that was fun, for me of course, I'm sure it hurt like hell for you, ahahaha!"

When the fishman's laughter died down a moment later, he saw that his little jab hadn't affected Luffy one bit. In fact, the boy's stare seemed to be as cold and emotionless as ever. Sure, this was a bit of a surprise to the blue-skinned pirate, but it wasn't that big of a deal. He had other ways of inciting anger in his opponents.

"Heh, look at how bloody you are kid. How the hell could you ever think that you'd be the next Pirate Ping! Ahaha!"

That was it, he knew it. He knew that as soon as he looked back at the pathetic brat that he would be absolutely seething with fury. Then he would charge recklessly and get himself killed. Sometimes I even surprise myself with my incredible non-human genius! He thought to himself smugly as he looked back down at his target.

Shockingly however, Luffy's demeanor was unchanged, somehow showing an incredible amount of restraint towards the man who just insulted his dream.

Arlong let out a low growl at the failure of his mind games, trying to think of something else quickly to rile the rubber man up in any sort of way.

Luffy didn't allow for this though, because before Arlong could even open his mouth, he opened his own and began to speak. "This isn't about my dream right now, so don't bring that into this."

The blue fishman would have normally been ecstatic that his insult had somewhat gotten to his enemy since he at least acknowledged it, but something was off here. The way that he said it was oddly calm and composed, it was completely different to the way he'd been yelling and screaming this whole battle.

"This is about my friend and how badly you've hurt her and the people of that village. So don't even get me started on insulting my dream, you've already done enough for me to wanna kill you.," Luffy finished, his voice extremely even.

Arlong's jaw almost dropped when the boy finished his venomous statement. Almost being the key word. And it's not that he wasn't surprised, that wasn't the reason at all. He just didn't want to give his enemy the satisfaction of seeing him so shocked.

When he finally gained his composure, the fishman captain scowled, totally forgetting about his earlier plan to lure Luffy in. Instead he decided to take the initiative for himself and run at the boy in anger. "Yeah!? We'll see who's talking when I rip off your arms and legs! A scrawny brat like you could never kill me!"

The rubber man prepared himself for the impending attack coming his way. With a solid amount of speed, and even more power, Arlong lunged at him. Opening his jaws nearly up to 180 degrees.

His aim was initially at Luffy's neck, trying to go for a killing blow right away. But the boy quickly moved his entire head to side with his powers, sending a powerful fist into the fishman's gut while he was wide open from the missed attack.

But while even Luffy's regular punches were a force to be reckoned with, Arlong's abdominal muscles appeared to have come out on top, because he instantly took the hit in stride and regained his footing.

And without further delay, the blue skinned pirate opened wide once again, ready to take a big, juicy bite out of the rubber man's stretched out neck.

Again not having any other choice, Luffy made another risky play, shoving out his left elbow to meet the razor-sharp teeth coming down on him.

"AHHH!" He shrieked loudly as the sharp rows of teeth sunk almost all the way through his arm. His lack of solid bones allowed for even further penetration of Arlong's teeth.

And speaking of the fishman, he couldn't be happier! Sure, he didn't exactly land his killing blow like he wanted, but at least his opponent was suffering.

Even all of the villagers were starting to freak out, with Nami and Nojiko wincing in pain as if they could feel the pain as well.

But right when Arlong thought he'd won the battle, Luffy composed himself and pulled back his free arm, not hesitating to bring down a rock solid punch onto the fishman's cheek.

"Hehehe," Arlong laughed to himself as he bit down harder on his target's arm. He wasn't going anywhere, his jaws were even more mighty than those of a sea king. "I didn't even feel that kid, and even if you'd been able to shatter my teeth, It wouldn't have mattered. I can grow them back lickty-split!"

No one except Luffy really understood what the fishman had just said. This may have been because he was pretty much mumbling it. His mouth was quite occupied at the moment after all.

The rubber man didn't care though, he was running out of options fast, if he didt find a way out of this in the next minute or so, he was gonna have even more in common with Shanks than he already did. And for once, that wouldn't be a good thing.

Not really sharp enough to come up with some complex escape plan, Luffy inspected his enemy while he was up close, trying to find the most direct approach possible in order to free himself. He had already tried punching his lights out, and no matter how much he squirmed and kicked at the fishman's stomach, his jaws just wouldn't budge.

On one hand, his neck was nice and free to stretch upwards into a gum gum bell, but he doubted Arlong would fall for it again. Especially with how easy of a counter to it he had with that sharp nose of his.

Staring up at the mentioned sharp appendage on his enemy's face, an idea popped into Luffy's head. It wasn't out of this world clever or anything, but it was an option.

The hatless teen thought back to an instance right after he and his crew had left Syrup Village. He remembered how pissed off Nami was at Usopp and how the boy had tried to apologize, only to be forcefully shut up by the orange haired teen. But that wasn't the important part, it was how she did it that had Luffy thinking so hard.

The only reason he even remembered this whole encounter was because of how hilarious it was to hear Usopp cry out when Nami had him by the nose. It was almost as though the cowardly sniper had some sort of weakness to being grabbed there, because as soon as it happened he went completely limp.

This was definitely a fond memory to the rubber man, he honestly didn't know how long he and Zoro laughed on the deck of the Merry while Nami gave Usopp the beating of his life.

And as Luffy stared down at his heavily bleeding arm, he hoped that Arlong had a similar weakness to Usopp.

"Let go, you bastard!" The hatless teen yelled, reaching out with his free arm to grab Arlong's spiked nose. He couldn't care less about the pain in his hand when he dug it into the spikes for extra grip.

The fishman captain didn't say anything in response to the rubberman's last ditch effort, only trying even harder to close his jaws even more.

With as much strength as he could possibly muster, Luffy pushed as hard as he could on the nose, grinning when it began to bend upwards slightly.

Arlong's jaw dropped in sheer agony as the tiny movement rocked his pain receptors. Every now and then it would bend on its own while he was training or something, but that was usually to the left or right, where he could simply bend it back into place. But as soon as it even nudged up towards the sky, he felt the pain of hell wash over him. A real 'that's not supposed to bend that way' moment.

Luffy was smiling victoriously through, because as soon as his other arm was free, he wasted no time in wrapping his legs around around his enemy and grabbing his nose with both hands secring him in some sort of gum gum leg trap.

But this was where the fun really began, because as much as Arlong tried to break free from the binding holding him, he couldn't hold back a look of fear when Luffy leaned back and began pulling his sharp nose in the opposite direction.

"WAHHH!" The fishman captain shouted as loud as his lungs allowed him. His prized nose had gone from slightly pointed upwards, to an almost ninety degree angle facing downwards. And Luffy wasn't finished yet.

"This is for Nami's shoulder you bastard!" Luffy declared boomingly, giving one last final yank to the fishman's sharp appendage.

Not even two seconds later, a bone chilling crack was heard throughout the park, and everyone watching knew exactly what caused it.

The blood curdling scream that escaped Arlongs lips was among the loudest things heard in the park that day, which was quite the feat, considering Luffy was one of the people present.

Nevertheless though, the rubber man grinned proudly with what looked to be Arlong's severed nose in his hand. And boy did the fishman look disturbing without it.

The boy quickly got his head back in the game too, not delaying at all in giving the shark fishman his lost body part back.

"Here ya go! I don't think this thing grows back like your teeth do!" The hatless teen mocked, raising the saw-like nose and stabbing Arlong right in the chest with it.

The suffering fishman wailed again as agony took over his system. There wasn't any blood coming from the stub where his nose used to be, but it still felt awful. It was honestly indescribable. After a while however, his demeanor began to rapidly change.

In an instant, he stopped crying out and turned to his enemy like nothing had even happened. His eyes were now beady and looking deadly serious, it was quite frightening indeed. It was as if his brain had just shut off and he was now acting out on only instinct.

And so with his eyes dilated in a new wave or rage, Arlong slowly reached down to his chest where his nose was buried. Not even flinching as he ripped the jagged spike from his flesh.

Luffy was ready in his battle stance soon after. Prepared to take on anything else the fishman pirate would throw at him. And with how pissed he looked right now, the boy was also expecting some more taunts to be thrown his way any second now.

But that expectation never became reality, because Arlong didn't even bother.

With a new level of breakneck speed, he sprinted towards the rubber man. Catching him completely off guard and grabbing his entire head with his large hand.

Luffy did his best to try and struggle out of the grip, but Arlong didn't hold him there for long, because after just a few seconds he started spinning him around, building momentum.

He didn't really know what the hell had gotten into his enemy and why he was so silent now, but Luffy didn't really have too much time to think about it, because after being spun around for a bit, Arlong let go, launching him up high into the sky.

Not really knowing which direction he was flying in, the hatless teen braced himself for impact just in case. Happy he did so when he crashed right through a wall and into a room inside the large tower of the park.

His opponent didn't waste any time in following him too, landing with heavy thud after a ridiculously large jump. "This… This ends now! I'm gonna make this pathetic room your grave!" The fishman wailed. His mind was clearly off the handle right now. Hell, he was practically foaming at the mouth!

"Like hell!" Luffy shot back. "I already paid you back for Nami's arm, but now I'm gonna do the same thing for every single villager down there!"

Arlong smiled slyly, at last showing some kind of emotion besides anger in his rabid state. "Wow kid… Just looking at you and thinking about how much damage you've caused to me and my crew makes me more angry than you'll ever know."

"Yeah? Well the same goes for me. And I'm sure as hell not about to lose after I promised Nami that I'd take you down."

The shark fishman growled lowly and charged at the boy again, attempting another grapple with his razor sharp teeth.

Luffy was ready for it this time though, jumping straight over his attacker. He didn't really have any other choice for evasion considering the small size of the room they were in. After the jump, he turned back to his opponent in mid-air, hoping to see him crash into the desk at the back of the room that seemed to be filled with maps.

But the rubber man had seriously underestimated the fishman's intelligence.

Arlong knew full well that the only way to avoid him would be up, and so that's exactly where he was looking. Not delaying at all in snagging Luffy's ankle out of the air.

"Hah!" Arlong laughed in triumph, dangling Luffy upside down by the leg. "Now I've got you, you squirmy little runt! And I know exactly how to finish you off."

Nami chewed her lip nervously. It had been almost five whole minutes since Luffy And Arlong had taken their fight up to her map room, and she still had no idea what was happening.

Nojiko and the rest of the village seemed to be just as invested in the battle as she was, because they were listening intently for any possible sounds that could give away any hints. Seeing as they had just watched Nami's captain rip off Arlong's entire nose, they were now starting to believe that a victory was possible.

And not five seconds after that thought, said captain came shooting out of the roof like a bullet.

"What the hell?" Nojiko breathed, not believing it was possible for a human to even reach such heights.

"Luffy!" Nami yelled. What the hell was going on!?

The hatless teen was much too busy, and much too far away to hear her however. Instead choosing to focus on what the hell Arlong's plan was. Why would he just throw him through the ceiling and up into the sky?

Unfortunately for the rubber man, the fishman captain did indeed have a plan. A plan that was instantly revealed when he climbed up on the roof of the tower with a large serrated blade in his hands. "AHAHAHA! Come on down kid, I'll be waiting for ya!" He screamed maniacally as he reared the sword back for a swing.

"Aw crap," Luffy muttered to himself. Now this was a real pickle. Searching his mind, the boy tried to think of a way out of the situation, before giving that up immediately. Thinking wasn't his strong suit, so he was just gonna go with what he did best… The direct approach.

"Alright then, let's shatter that sword," he smiled as he looked down to the ground for anything he could use for leverage. If he was gonna pull this off, he was gonna need speed, and a lot of it.

Figuring the closer the better, Luffy decided to go with the Arlong Park flagpole that was mounted up on a shark head statue. It would be perfect, he could stretch out, grab the flagpole and launch himself at his enemy. And since the shark head was higher up than the top floor, Arlong wouldn't be able to interfere with his attack.

The only problem with this thought though, was the fact that Luffy's arms weren't exactly in stretching condition. In fact, he would even go as far to say that if he tried to extend either one right now, they would rip off completely.

That only left his legs, and those were usually his last resort for a reason. Nonetheless, he had no other option, so without further delay, the hatless teen shot his feet down, halting them when they reached the jagged flagpole so his legs could wrap around it.

Gritting his teeth at the pain the spiked flagpole caused him, Luffy raised both of his fists above his head. Tucking one into the other before the tension in his legs shot him downwards. "GUM GUM! SLEDGEHAMMER"

Arlong gripped his blade tightly as he salivated for the coming encounter. This was it, this was for all the marbles. He was either gonna win, or see all of his comrades in hell soon. Either way, he couldn't wait any longer.

Nami couldn't watch. Luffy was set to meet that blade head on, was he crazy!? Well yes, yes he was, but still!

But as much as she wanted to look away, she couldn't bring herself to do it, there was too much riding on this, and it was the moment of truth.

A loud crash signaled the collision of both pirates. Immediately, the entire park went up in smoke, a large cloud of dust beginning to occupy the area. Nami grunted in frustration, not being able to see the outcome of the long awaited clash. Please tell me you're not dead you idiot!

A few moments later, when the dust settled, an array of gasps escaped from the lips of every single villager. Not because they could see who had won the battle, but because of the condition of the park's main tower.

Not only was it no longer standing, it was in total ruins! Had Luffy's attack been powerful enough to annihilate an entire building!? Thinking this, Nami began to form a smile on her face. If those thoughts were true, and Luffy was strong enough for this, then there was no way Arlong would get up again.

All thoughts stopped however when the rubble shifted and a figure began to emerge. Nami quickly shook out other stupor and ran up to the pile of rubble to meet him. Only for all of her blood to run cold in temporary shock.

Right in front of her eyes, she saw a blue head sticking out of the rubble as it continued to shift. And she had seen it for enough years to know instantly that it was Arlong's.

"No…" She whimpered, both of her hands going up to cover her mouth. "There's no way…"

But when the big rocky pile moved around again, her shock turned to confusion, because the more of Arlong's body that was revealed, the more she saw that he was completely unresponsive.

Without warning, the fishman was thrown from the hole he was in. With the rubber man who'd just thrown him climbing out right after him.

It wasn't long after that when Luffy spotted the limp form of the fishman and studied him over. He was the definition of unconscious at the moment, and that long and jagged blade he was holding before had been reduced to nothing but a handle.

Nami watched hesitantly as the boy picked the fishman up by the neck with malice in his eyes. If she hadn't been so relieved that Luffy had won the fight against Arlong, then she probably would have thought he was acting pretty scary right about now. Was he really gonna kill him? Not that she'd have any objections, but it just felt weird to see Luffy like this out of the blue.

But now that she was thinking about it, she'd never really seen him this mad before.

"Luffy," Nami called softly, getting his attention right away.

The hatless teen turned his gaze to the navigator wearing his hat and his gaze softened in a matter of seconds. He didn't know how, but he found all of the rage in his body leaving him little by little. Everything he'd just fought to help and protect was now safe, and he just wasn't the type of guy to hold grudges after everything was alright again.

Nami appeared to have also picked up on his slight hesitation, because soon she was smiling, allowing for it to spread to her rubber friend.

And as much as he wanted to join in, there was still a noseless fishman to deal with. Thinking about it a bit further, Luffy thought of the perfect way to settle the decision and make it up to his friend at the same time.

"Nami! Villagers! Listen up!" He yelled as he slammed the body of the fishman down onto the pavement. "He's all yours. You can kill him or just turn him into the marines, I don't give a damn, it's up to you."

Well, that wasn't so easy for our good friend Luffy was it? I wanted to make Arlong at least a little tougher for him since he was limited to less than half of his gum gum attacks, but let me know what you guys thought. This was also my longest chapter to date, and I think I'm gonna keep it that way. I don't know about you guys, but when I read fanfic, I prefer chapters that I can read in one sitting, and I feel like after 5000 words I'm starting to push that limit. Another thing, I'm aware that I kinda skipped over the important dialogue from the map room scene. This was intentional and will be brought up later in the story ;)