Chapter 3

The Flying Fish Riders

*Grr!* Maxwell tilted his head as he heard Sunny growl in the Fade. The spirit could feel the bubbles trailing up as they tickled his keel.

"HERE THEY COME!" Sanji, Zoro, and Maxwell yell at the same time. They immediately ran toward their objectives. Maxwell raced up the shroud to climb towards the crowsnest, and get ready to fire on the Flying Fish Gang. Zoro jumped the deck to reach the bow and go for the cage. Sanji jumped up to defend Nami and Robin—Which was NOT supposed to be his objective, but no one really payed it any mind.

Fish shot out of the water like a swarm of bats. The Flying Fish Riders were racing into the air, gaining altitude to use on their descent. There, they would glide on the winds and turn with the momentum, circling the Thousand Sunny as they made bombing runs with their mortar shells.

That didn't stop Luffy from grabbing a ride though.

"I've got you!" Their captain had stretched his arms to grasp the arms of one rider on his fish. Then he retracted them to get on the saddle, throwing out the original rider..

"UWAH! BOMBS!" Maxwell heard Usopp scream, "They're tossing them down!" Maxwell looked toward his side. He saw the falling spheres dive past him, but he wasn't worried. The explosions blasted off to the port and starboard sides. Sanji had kicked them all away, defending Nami and Robin, as they were on the main deck.

"Max! Pull the sails in! They're in the way!" Maxwell heard Nami call out to him. Chopper had released the tethers on the deck, and Maxwell finally reached the yard! Maxwell immediately started energizing the ropes. His magic may fizzle and dissipate against Sunny's Adam Wood structure, but he had figured found out the field distance of that dead zone! He ran across the beam as he conducted his magic. Ropes rose and fell like serpents, wrapping around the masts yards while folding up the canvas. The loops were going to be slack, but he could worry about the rush-job later.

The Magister jumped into the gaff crowsnest and immediately drew his mace, extending it into its staff form. Many of the Flying Fish Riders had dived back into the ocean, but Maxwell knew they wouldn't be down for long. It was a tactical rouse. They were going to refresh the the fish and re-arm themselves so they could continue the attack. Those bombs and circle byes were meant to measure their defences, but he was ready for them!

Maxwell's eyes glowed green, and with his free hand, he reached for the sky. The mage clasped his fist, then pulled it back like he was ripping down a curtain. Storm clouds began to form over the Thousand Sunny. A cold wind began to blow and swirl around the ship, expanding larger and larger! Rain began to fall, then it become snow, then ice.

"Oi oi oi! What's going on!?" One of the Flying Fish Riders called out, "It's flippin' cold!" Blizzard cold winds whipped around the platform in a flurry, creating turbulence for the pilots. Maxwell's Ice Storm pelts the Flying Fish Riders as they resurface! Winds pushed and harried the fish as they tried to keep their course! Hail stones the size of knuckle bones clipped both ride and rider as they fought the wind. Icicles pierced their fins as they flew in the sky. There was a reason no bird dared fly while a storm raged on. And Maxwell could call it, on demand!

*BANG!* *BOOM!*

"Ha! This is easy!" Usopp couldn't help but grin at seeing his cannon shoot another Flying Fish Rider out of the sky. These winds made shooting them like fish in a barrel! A normal marksman may have had trouble in these conditions, but it was nothing for the Great Usopp, Warrior of the Sea!

…Even if he was bloody cold! Seriously, why didn't he grab a shirt earlier!?

*BANG!*

Chopper was able to work better in these conditions, actually. He had to worry less about excess heat being trapped beneath his fur, while in his human form, and the cold winds actually felt comfortable to him. Plus, he could reload the cannon more quickly. Then Usopp was able to shoot more gangsters out of the sky!

*BOOM*

Maxwell let the storm rage on, and now started taking aim at the Flying Fish Riders. He tracked their movements, then brought his hand together in a loud clap! Lightning shot of the clouds, striking one rider with an Exploding Bolt!

*CRRRRACK!*

Both fish and rider fell out of the air, concussed and shocked at the sudden violet thunderbolt!

Maxwell saw another fish fly by and clapped his hands again.

*CR—CRRACK!*

It missed, but struck one of the platform's straw roofs, which were no caked in fallen snow. Maxwell wasn't worried about collateral damage. This was an enemy base, and if there was one thing a battlemage was good at, it was shock and awe!

O O O

"What the hell are you doing!?" Nami yelled at Luffy. She was kneeling beside him as he caught his breath on the lawn deck. "We're in the middle of a fight here!"

"I'm sorry!" Luffy coughed and sputtered. He was riding on one of those flying fish when they suddenly dived below the water. Nami had to dive in order to rescue him.

"And you guys! Why did you try to help!?" Franky had also dived in, bringing up both Chopper and Brook out of the water! They were both laying on the ground beside Luffy, wet and breathing hard. The two Devil Fruit users had been the first to see Luffy dive beneath the wavres, and for some reason, their first instinct was to dive in after him! It wasn't a bad reason per-say, it was actually a reasonable response to save a friend. However, they shouldn't have dived in when they themselves were anchors in the water!

"I'm… I'm sorry!" "I… I am also sorry for causing you such trouble…"

"That's right, you caused us trouble!" Nami smacked Brook and Luffy across the head. Brook's hair jiggled at the impact, while Luffy's cheek stretched. "We had to save all three of you morons! Don't make us work harder here!" She was wet, angry, and now cold with Maxwell's snow storm going on.

"Now! Grab Camie, while we still have the chance!" Macro pointed at the mermaid. Camie and Pappagu were on the dock while the pirating fishmen were still in the water. They stalked towards her, half submerge, but somehow walking in the blue.

"It's the Macro crew!" Camie realized she was suddenly vulnerable when Luffy was no longer with her and Pappagu.

"Hey, Straw-Hat! We could use a hand over here!" the starfish began to panic.

*SH-SH-SH-SHINK!*

*KERPLUNK!*

The Macro's froze as a huge splash suddenly dunked behind them.

"NYU! Finally, I'm free!" Hachi roared as he rose out of the water. The ink he sprayed over himself had been washed away in the sea water, revealing his usual pale coral hair and pink hide. He had all six of his arms pumped and ready to fight!

"Thanks, Roronoa! You really are a good guy!" Hachi thanked the swordsman, perched up upon the beam of his prison.

Zoro scoffed, "I was just doing what my captain ordered." He had cut through the cage bars like butter. It had been no challenge at all. He honestly didn't care all that much about the octopus.

The sea folk had more expressive reactions though.

"Hachin~!" "Hachi!" "GAH! IT'S HATCHAN!"

"You…!" Hachi glared at Tansui, Gyaro, and Macro as he stalked towards the slavers. His anger made his muscles bulge, making him appear larger than usual! "You guys really worked me over, while I couldn't move!"

"Ah—I'm not done yet Hachi… I'll finish you with my Fishman Karate!" Tansui hesitantly raised his fists in a judo like stance.

"You just have terrible luck! Mohahahaha!" Macro tried to laugh. "We just gave you a beating and now you're gonna get it even worse!"

Gyaro drew a sword, "Come on. I'll dye the sea red with you blood with my new Goldfish Style!"

They certainly looked tough, but it was all a bluff.

"TAKOYAKI PUNCH!" Hachi punched Macro, Gyaro, and Tansui with his three right arms. Sending those punk straight into the air!

"WE'LL LET YOU OFF TODAY—YAAAAH!" The three fishmen were sent flying with Hachi's punch. However, Chain Lightning had stuck them out of the sky. Electrocuting them, courtesy of Maxwell.

"Nyu… I'm glad I didn't fight him now…!" Hachi blanched as he climbed onto the snow caked dock. The power Trevelyan was unleashing on the Flying Fish Riders was unlike anything he's seen before! Was it a Devil Fruit? He certainly didn't have this spell back when he was at Arlong Park!

"I'M SO RELIEVED HACHIN!" However, Hachi then found himself with a mermaid and a starfish in his arms, hugging him in relief.

Hach hugged them back. "Nyu~ I'm sorry Camie, Pappagu! I thought I was coming to save you two!"

"Don't worry about it Hachi!" Pappagu reassured him. It was partially their fault too, for being swallowed up by that sea-bunny. None of them had thought the Macro Pirates would have joined up with the Flying Fish Riders!

The starfish then saw a Flying Fish Rider heading straight towards them! "AH! BEHIND YOU!"

"Did you forget!?" The rider was wielding a harpoon, ready to throw at Hachi. "We're the ones running the show here!"

"No." Zoro suddenly appeared above and behind the pilot like a looming bat. "You're just an annoyance." Using two swords, Zoro slashed both the rider and the fish he rode upon. The gangster yelped in surprise and agony as both he and his fishy mount were sent careening into the nearby lodge.

"Nyu! …Roronoa!" Hachi looked up in surprise. He was planning to cover both Came and Pappagu with his immense bulk, so they wouldn't get speared by the harpoon, but Zoro had saved them!

"Don't let your guard down," Zoro sheathed his swords. He still had his hands on a katana though, ready to quick-draw. "Leave the rest to us. You guys just stay back."

Hachi then felt a wave of emotion well up in his eyes. "I can't thank you enough, Roronoa!" He was grateful for the Straw-Hats help, despite their past history. "I'm even sorry for that one time!"

Zoro looked at him confused. "Huh?"

"When I hurt you with my Six Sword Style," Hachi clarified.

"I don't remember you touching me at all!" Zoro retorted. He may have been recovering from his duel with Mihawk, but he distinctly remembered trouncing that octopus fishman!

Hachi blinked in confusion, "Nyu? Is that a fact?"

O O O

An exasperated voice rang out on the intercom, "[Won't someone go and do a Zero Fight? I'll pay your medical bill up to one million.]" The gang had been making multiple passes now, but they had yet to land a direct hit on the Thousand Sunny.

"Got it boss! I'll go!" One biker stood out of his saddle and started twirling a giant metal club. "Out of my way!" His fish then began to dive, past his fellows, and straight at the Straw-Hat's ship. It was a suicide run!

Maxwell prepared to smite the kamikaze out of the air, "Like I'll let you—!"

"Hey, old man!" Sanji called up from the lawn deck. "You mind letting me and Luffy taking care of this one?"

Maxwell thought about it for a moment, "…You know what? Sure. Knock yourselves out." It was one less fish to worry about. And he could go back to zapping the other pests.

*ZZZZAP!*

"Luffy, you go for the fish." Sanji pointed at the incoming thug.

The captain nodded, "Got it."

"Hahaha! You got guts, taking me on yourselves!" The boisterous gangster laughed. "I'll have you know, when I ram you at this speed, I'll be hitting you like a meteor!"

Sanji and Luffy both jumped into the sky, "You're not the only one who hits hard in the air!" Sanji kicked the biker square in the jaw, slicing across to break the iron club in his hands. Luffy expanded into a balloon, catching the flying fish as it slammed into him. But then, Luffy did the unexpected and threw his body back, grabbing onto the fish. He literally preformed a suplex on the animal, midair! It landed hard on the deck, head first.

"You guys are too cool!" Chopper gushed at the epic interception by Luffy and Sanji.

"There's dinner!" Luffy landed on the ship. The fish was still alive, but it appeared stunned at the impact.

Robbin looked at the aquatic creature, inspecting the fins. "It really is quite big." The flying fish was about as wide as a man was tall, and about measured around 25 feet in length. They could probably cook this fish for about 3 days, if they portioned it out right. Provided Luffy didn't eat it all.

Maxwell spun around the mast as another Flying Fish Rider tried to lance him with a harpoon. He countered, flinging another arcane bolt at the pilot's back.

They were changing tactics, now. The Flying Fish Riders had realized their bombing runs weren't working on the ship, and they were losing pilots too rapidly! They were still disorganized, but the gangsters circled the Sunny, looking any weak points they might exploit. And their chosen targets had been the crew.

Attacking them was still folly. However, Maxwell's Ice Storm had finally fizzled out, and his adrenaline had nearly spiked since they started swiping at him. They were trying to take him out. Jousting him, slashing, thrusting, coming in at all angles. Maxwell was arguably the largest thorn in their side right now, but this magical pirate was milking it for all it's worth!

The mage then saw Brook jump into the air, far above the mast yards, and into the sky. It still amazed Maxwell how Brook had achieved the feat, but he was curious why Brook had his violin, though. A trio of riders had chosen to try and skewer him.

Brook held his violin to the crook of his neck and had his cane sword drawn to act like a instrumental bow. "Lullaby—" Then, with a procession Maxwell never thought possible, Brook drew the flat of his blade across the strings and swung it outwards in a large arc. "—Fleche!" The quick draw had actually produced music. A short but echoing melody from the instrument, and a string of musical notes floated towards the Flying Fish Riders.

As they heard the sound, the gangsters had begun to nod off and fall asleep, along with their fish! Maxwell actually had to slap himself just to not be entranced by the music! With neither rider nor mount awake though, they just dove down towards the water in a free fall. There, Brook ran on the water, having reaching it first.

"Yohohoho, music is power." Brook was running across the surface of the water, kicking furiously to stay above the water line, and rushing straight towards their falling foes, "Excuse me!" He slashed them all as he ran by.

"What did that bastard just do!?" Two Flying Fish Riders drew in close behind Brook, trying to make sense of what the skeleton did. "What kind of dirty trick did he use!?"

"Yohoho. It's not a trick. It's music!" Brook declared. His plan was actually pretty simple. Run across the surface and intercept every Flying Fish Rider he could spot coming in and out of the water! Maxwell was ruling the skies. Usopp was holding fast to their horizons. But HE would be the one to scour the surface! Giving them no quarter!

Luffy grinned, "Good work! Brook!" Between the thunder, cannon fire, and the waves, his crew was making quick work of their enemies! So, he extended his arms and grabbed onto a passing flying fish. "Things are pretty fun! I'm going, too!"

"Ah! Wait—Luffy!" Maxwell heard Nami try to reason with their captain, but he was already gone. Unfortunately, he had grabbed onto a flying fish that had already fallen asleep. So, he accidentally crashed it through the roof of a nearby building.

"Ack! That's the boss' room!" One of the riders flinched.

"Oh for the love of Andraste…!" the mage couldn't help but groan. Luffy drove him crazy sometimes, but he always found the most favourable coincidences whenever he acted. This just happened to be one of them.

"Mind if I join you?" a voice spoke from his left. Maxwell turned to see Robin, walking across a bridge of limbs between the masts, right towards him. There was a certain way Robin walked that Maxwell found hypnotizing.

"Of course, my lady," the mage made a sweeping bow, greeting the archeologist as she came into the crowsnest. "It would be my honour."

"Yoohoo!" Nami called from the other mast. She was giving the mage a raspberry and wink as she pointed downwards. Maxwell looked and the a second Nami, still on the deck. This one actually gave him a thumbs up, and Maxwell realized the one above was a mirage. He grinned at Nami's progress. No doubt she was manipulating the moisture content in the air from his spell earlier.

"[Form up! Go at the all together!]" the intercom shouted again.

Chopper climbed up the mast like a monkey, "I'm not to late, am I!?"

"[Attack them in aerial formation!]"

"You're actually just on time, Chopper." Maxwell watched as the flying fish gathered into flocks of three. Some formed kites, while others lined up behind one another.

"Women huh!" One group banked around to attack Nami on the main mast. "It's a waste, but our orders are to kill them all."

"Here they come," Chopper got ready to jump at a moment's notice.

Nami's mirage just waved at them, "Will you be able to kill us? Oh come on~" The flying fish flock had chosen her for their target, and each rider swung a club at her. However, as this "Nami" was a mirage, the metal clubs went straight through her! Particles shifted and distorted with her ruined image.

"WHAT WAS THAT!?" The three riders look back behind them, not understanding what just happened. They thought they hit the woman!

"Too bad," the real Nami smirked as her Mirage Tempo disappeared. "Look out for those thunder clouds ahead~"

"GYAAAAAHHH!" The Flying Fish Riders had accidentally flown through a miniature thundercloud made from Nami's climatact. The yellow lightning was bright as all three pairs were electrocuted.

"Dos Manos—" "Ice Mine." "Clutch!"

Two lines of Flying Fish Riders trined to go after Robin and Maxwell. Robin had summoned various arms and hands to appear on the fish and riders. They held the gangsters in place, while also realigning their spines. Maxwell had chosen to summon glyphs on the riders, close to the saddles. The circles exploded into juts of ice, capturing both the fish and riders in the freezing cold. Neither could move with their limbs caught, and the fish fell out of the sky, unable to compensate for the new weight.

Chopper did his fair share too. "Kokkutei, Diamond!" He may not have taken out schools at a time, but in his Arm Point, Chopper leapt at the underbellies of every fish he could reach. He jumped like a mountain goat, stamping his hooves each fish with incredible force!

"RAH!" One Flying fish Rider broke off from his flock to dive down at Franky.

"[Don't break parties!]"

"Panties?" Franky looked to the side, confused, even as the rouge rider fired a hail of bullets at him. Did that guy on the intercom say parties or panties? Whoever it was had this weird accent…

"UWAH! What's with him!? Bullets aren't working!" The rider was still coming straight at him though.

Franky refocused on the goon, "STRONG HAMMER!" and punched the oncoming duo with his bare iron fist! His punch sent them flying into the air, disorienting both the rider and the fish.

O O O

"They're all so strong!" Camie watched as the Straw-Hats defended their ship, "Pappagu, aren't they amazing!?"

Pappagu watched on a little nervous at the display, "I had no idea they were this strong… And I hear I was thinking we'd just grab Hachi and hightail it out of here…"

*BUOOOOOH!*

The sound of a bull's baying and the thunks of a hundred arrows sounded off behind them. Buildings were collapsing further into the platform, then Luffy burst out onto the perimeter. "That was close!"

"Luffy!" Both Brook and Zoro stood attention, noticing their captain was still running.

"Get out of here! A huge guy is coming!

"Is it Mr. Iron Mask!?" Hachi asked the pirate.

Luffy didn't stop, "It's a masked man with a cow!"

"A cow?" both crewmates looked at Luffy, incredulous.

*BUOOOOOH!*

The the guttural roar bayed even more angrily, echoing off the building on the platform!

"That's Motobaro's call!" "It's the boss!" *CRASH!*

Breaking straight through a building came "Iron Mask" Duval, riding atop his trusty bison Motobaro.

"You bastards, coming in here and making a mess!" Duval cursed. He looked like many of his underlings, with the shirtless leather jacket and black jeans. However where he differed in looks was the massive cast iron pauldrons on his shoulder and the knightly visored helm covering his face.

"You ain't mosquitoes or flies! You're Flying Fish Riders!" Dual scolded his men. "As long as we kill the Straw-Hats, we won't be needing this base!"