Chapter 8 – Fighting For Those We Love

Vivi took the binoculars from Usopp. She looked out at the island the Going Merry was approaching. "Nope," she said. "That's definitely not Arabasta."

Nami frowned. "Well, then, what island could it be?"

Vivi also frowned in concentration. "Let's see..." she said slowly, handing the binoculars to Luffy. "Hmmmm... I think I got it. I remember something about a small, rocky, desolate island near Arabasta." "Well, that island sure is rocky," noted Luffy, who handed the binoculars to Sanji. Vivi nodded. "Then that must be it." Nami's face lit up. "Wait; did you say near Arabasta? That's great! Maybe my ordinary Pose can set itself to Arabasta from there!" "Hopefully, if you're right, it won't take, like, a year," Zoro muttered, who was now looking at the island through the binoculars. He handed them to Chopper. "Oh, cool!" said the little reindeer. "This will be the first island I've ever been on that isn't Drum Island!" He handed the binoculars to Nami who was the only one who hadn't got to take a look yet. She looked, handed them back to Usopp, and sighed. "Well, let's see what happens when we get there."


They docked the Going Merry at a small pier. There were no other ships in sight. "Hmmm..." said Usopp thoughtfully. "This island looks deserted..." "Deserted? What are you, stupid?" Zoro scoffed. "Didn't you see that little village through the binoculars? This place is not quite deserted." He put on a serious expression again. "There's just no welcoming party, that's all. And if you ask me, thinking about our previous experiences, that's a good thing." "Maybe, maybe not," said Nami calmly. "Let's go to the village. I remember what direction it's in..."

The island was pretty hot. There was a lot of sand, like a desert, but there were also a lot of fields of just sun-scorched rock. The only green they saw was from rough little fern bushes poking out between rocks here and there. Luffy gave a low whistle. "It would suck to live on this island." Vivi shrugged. "You can't say that for sure, Luffy-san," she said. "Looks can be deceiving, especially while on the Grand Line. This place could have a huge gold mine, or a huge supply of oil. The people here might be really rich." "By the looks of that village we saw, I'd have to say this isn't the case," Zoro disagreed. Vivi nodded. "Yeah, I didn't see any big or nice houses, but I'm just saying. Don't always take islands for face value, or anything on the Grand Line, really."

They were mostly silent as they trudged through the rocky wasteland. Luffy sometimes complained about his hunger, and Usopp sometimes started whining about how he was going to die of dehydration, but other than that, they mostly stayed silent. Interestingly enough, Luffy and Nami kept their distance. In fact, Luffy walked with Vivi the whole way there. He and Nami knew that they needed to concentrate on the matter at hand, and the closer they got to each other, the more distracted they would become.

After about a half hour more of walking, they reached the gate of the village. It was a big, wooden gate and it was locked. Nami tugged at the door, but to no avail.

"Stand aside," Zoro said. He drew two of his swords and prepared to cut the door down...

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

The voice came from up above them. They all looked up.

Casually sitting on the top of the gate was a young man who appeared to be in his late teens. He had short, blue hair, a tan and weatherworn face, and his clothing was ridiculous. He wore a purple shirt, green pants, and a bright red superhero-type cape. Despite the absurd clothing, he was quite handsome. He smiled down at the girls. They smiled back at him a little shyly.

Sanji growled dangerously and Luffy raised an eyebrow with a slightly annoyed expression on his face. They were both jealous.

Zoro smirked at him. "Yeah? What are you going to do to me, burn my eyes out with your horribly colorful clothing?"

The teen's smile faded. He jumped down from the tall gate and nimbly landed right in front of Zoro. "No. I'll crush you."

Zoro drew his third sword and placed it in his teeth. "Care to repeat that?" he threatened as he got into a stance.

Nami grabbed Zoro's shoulder. "No! Don't kill him. There's no need yet. We don't know if he means us harm or not." Zoro raised an eyebrow at her. "You just like the pretty boy, don't you?" She blushed, and before she could respond, Luffy yelled out, "She does not!"

Everyone looked at Luffy. He sweat-dropped. "Uh... well... she doesn't." Nami shrugged. "He's got a point there."

The blue-hair teen laughed. It was a deep, hearty laugh. "My name is Marco," he said and he bowed with a flourish. "I am the Warrior of this village, and it is my duty to challenge any and all pirates or other kinds of fighters before they enter this village." He flashed a perfectly white smile at the girls. "But don't think of me as a bad guy." He sighed dramatically. "It is my burden to be one of the toughest fighters on the Grand Line."

Sanji was hating this kid more and more every second. "What the hell makes you think you're so tough? Just because you're the best fighter on this island certainly does not make you the toughest on the Grand Line."

"Toughest?" Marco said, mocking being shocked. "Oh, I think not! You are forgetting the Seven! But besides them... yes, I am the toughest."

Nami smirked. She walked up to him and stroked his chin with her finger. "You may be very good-looking and very tough, but you're no match for the Straw Hats, honey."

He flashed her another smile. "Well, I guess I'll have to show you, my dear." He took her hand and kissed it. "I'll show you I'm truly the strongest."

Nami smiled. The only reason she allowed him to kiss her hand was...

"GOMU GOMU NO PISTOL!"

The navigator quickly ducked, and Luffy's fist hit Marco square in the jaw. He went flying into the giant wooden fence behind him. He almost went through it.

Everyone looked at Luffy. He was absolutely seething with anger. "Don't... hit on my navigator... ever again!" Nami jumped into the air and cheered. "Yay! Get him, Luffy!" Usopp and Sanji grinned, Zoro smirked, Chopper just looked on in confusion, and Vivi bit her lip. (The bond those two share...) she thought desperately. (I'll never share the same bond with Luffy!)

Marco got up with ease. He lightly swept the dirt off his clothes. He barely looked hurt at all, which was amazing because he nearly went all the way through that extremely thick wooden gate. He grinned arrogantly at Luffy. "I guess you'll be my opponent, then."

"No, pretty boy, I will be your opponent." Sanji stepped forward.

"NO!" yelled Luffy. "I want to-" "Forget it," Sanji interrupted him. "You got to hit him really hard. You've got your revenge. Now... it's my turn to make him pay for shamelessly hitting on Nami-san like that! Prepare to die, kid!"

Zoro sweat-dropped as the two got into fighting stances. "Isn't that what he does to Nami every waking minute of his life?" Vivi giggled in spite of her negative mood. "Yeah, you're right. Let's see how this turns out. Which lover boy is the best?" She giggled more. "Maybe they'll both die," said Zoro hopefully. Vivi hit him hard in the back of the head. "Not funny."

Marco grinned. "Tell me, Mr..." "Sanji." "Mr. Sanji. Tell me, Mr. Sanji; do you like rocks?" "What kind of shitty question is that?" "Not too shitty if you ask me." And suddenly, two huge boulders came out of the ground on either side of Sanji and crushed him.

Everyone gasped. "SANJI!" Luffy screamed. The rocks fell apart of their own accord. Sanji fell to the ground, limp as a doll. Chopper ran up to him. "Sanji! Sanji!" he yelled. Sanji opened an eye. "You think... that will finish me off?" He slowly got up, to Chopper's dismay. Chopper tried to pull him away from the battle, but Sanji just kicked him away. "Hold him back for me." He looked at Marco and grinned. "So... you're a Devil Fruit bastard."

Marco's smile was large and arrogant. "Yes. The Seki Seki Fruit. There's nothing you can do to beat me. That's why I should be fighting Straw Hat, not you." "Why do you fight, kid?" Sanji asked calmly, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. "Well, for one, quit calling me kid. You're no older than I am!" "Whatever you say... kid. Now answer my question." "I fight because I'm the best. That's it. If any kind of fighter comes here, they are to be challenged by me, and they can't refuse. I am proving to the world that I am the best fighter. You think I've lived here my whole life? Ha! I go all around the world, stationing myself at troubled towns like this one. I've been here for a year protecting this town from the nasty pirates sailing the Grand Line. I'll be moving on in about a month. I am a hero, I get paid whenever I need to be by the people I protect, and I am slowly proving to the world that I am the best."

"Hm," grunted Zoro. "Just like me. I'm trying to become the greatest swordsman in the world. Being the best... It's a hard dream to follow, and if you can't even beat love cook here, you better give up now."

"Oh, I'll beat him." Marco smiled yet again at Sanji. "SEKI SEKI ARM!" Stone comes shooting out of the ground. They surround Marco's right arm and combine. His arm now has a huge shell of thick, solid rock. "WOAH, cool!" Luffy exclaimed.

Sanji decided to go straight for the kill. (You can never be too careful when fighting bastards with Devil's Fruit abilities...) He charged at him. "COLLAR SHOOT!" He aimed a very powerful kick right at Marco's throat...

A giant sheet of rock shot up from the ground right in front of Marco. Sanji's kick shattered it, but it stopped him from reaching his throat. Normally, the shattered rock would fly in all sorts of directions, but instead, all the little rocks fell back onto Sanji. He instinctively threw his arms up to protect his face from the sharp little rocks. Marco saw his opportunity and took it. He drew his stone arm back, and punched Sanji hard in the midsection of his torso. The fist was so big, it effectively knocked the wind out of Sanji and broke a number of his ribs with a sickening crack!

"SANJI!" Chopper positively screamed in horror. "His bones weren't even fully mended yet! I knew I should've stopped this...!"

Marco looked down at the cook. He seemed to have genuine regret in his face. "You were injured, huh? That's a shame... I feel bad now... But a battle is a battle, and I have to finish them all." He raised his huge stone fist, preparing slam it down on Sanji...

"GOMU GOMU NO-"

WHACK.

Nami jumped at Marco, unfolded her collapsible bo, and hit him hard on the side of the head. The only sound he made was a small grunt of pain before he hit the ground. Luffy's fist was halfway to hitting Marco when he stopped the punch in order to not hit Nami. His fist stayed suspended in midair like that for a couple moments before he finally drew his arm back in. "Nami," he complained, "why'd you do that? I was about to send him flying, and I almost hit you instead!" She grinned sheepishly in response. "Sorry, Captain, I couldn't help myself." "I forgive you," said Usopp serenely. Luffy hit him. "I'm the captain, not you!"

A huge rock in the shape of hand suddenly sprung from the ground behind Nami and grabbed her. She screamed and struggled, but to no avail.

Marco slowly got up. "NAMI!" Luffy screeched. "Release her, NOW!" Marco smirked. "She almost got me there. Then again, my body is fortified with stone... I'm nearly indestructible!" He laughed. "Captain Luffy, I wanted to fight you in the first place. An all out battle is what I seek. So, I decided to make things more interesting." He looked at the struggling Nami with an amused expression on his face. "Whoever wins gets to keep this lovely young lady..." "KEEP?" Luffy yelled. "Nami is not a prize you get to win! She is my nakama, my navigator, and I lo-" He stopped himself there. He didn't know why; his instinct told him to stop. "But fine, if this the only way I can get her back safely, prepare to get the shit beaten out of you!"

He stretched his arms behind his back extremely far. "GOMU GOMU NO..." Marco dug his feet into the ground to brace himself. "...BAZOOKA!" He raised his stone arm to intercept the blow. The ground all around them shook with the impact. The stone surrounding Marco's arm received very deep cracks. He looked at it in horror and amazement. "How did this happen? The stone I make from the planet's crust is one of the strongest substances in the world!" "Not anymore," Luffy responded, flexing his right arm. "Oh, I'll show you!" Suddenly, a huge chunk of rock shot up beneath Marco's feet. It launched him into the air and the stone that launched him followed him up into the sky. The rock started forming a tight circle around him. "SEKI SEKI METERORITE!" he cried before his face was covered. The sphere of rock did indeed represent a meteorite and it was falling extremely fast. It was headed straight for Luffy. He was able to avoid the attack. The rock shattered when it hit the ground. All the pieces followed Luffy. "GOMU GOMU NO BALLOON!" They bounced off his puffed-up body easily.

"Help...!" cried Nami all of a sudden. "This thing is starting to hurt me..." She struggled more in the makeshift hand, but it was still useless. "I'm coming, Nami!" called Luffy anxiously. Marco raised his stone arm and rocks started coming out of the ground to repair it. "GOMU GOMU NO GATLING GUN!" The repeated punches were hard for Marco to avoid. "SEKI SEKI DOME!" What could only be described as a huge dome made of stone sprung out of the ground and completely hid Marco. The punches kept on going, though. Luffy eventually broke a huge hole in the dome and kept throwing wild Gomu Gomu no Gatling Gun punches at his opponent through the hole. A few of them connect. The dome seemed to fade back into the ground after Luffy's attack was over. Marco was not happy. "That's it... SEKI SEKI FULL BODY ARMOR!"

Stone popped out of the ground all over the place. They formed around their caller. He was wearing a full suit of rock armor, the same kind that he had only on his arm moments earlier. The only part of him that wasn't covered was his head. He actually looked kind of funny with a small head perched on a huge stone body that was more than 3 times bigger than his original body. He attacked Luffy head on.

They fought for a good 10 minutes. Both were worn out, but Luffy was cut up and bruised whereas Marco was barely hurt. "I'm getting sick of this!" Marco declared. "SEKI SEKI DEATH TRAP!" He pounded the ground with one of his massive fists. The ground behind Luffy seemed to cave in all on its own. Luffy almost fell into it. He looked down at the bottom of the pit. The bottom was covered with a layer of extremely jagged and deadly-looking rock. Marco shot rocks at him to make him stumble down the pit. It almost worked. His feet slipped... but he shot out a hand and grabbed Marco's huge stone shoulder for support. He shook the hand off of him. The other hand grabbed onto a shoulder, but this time he dug his fingers into the stone. "What the-?" The other hand dug into his other shoulder. Luffy then unhooked his feet from the edge of the pit and was sent flying towards a horrified Marco.

"GOMU GOMU NO BELL!"

BAM. Even though Marco's body was nearly invincible, Luffy shattered his nose. Blood flew everywhere. Everyone cheered.

But the pissed-off Luffy wasn't done yet.

He wrenched one of his hands out of the stone armor and kept the other one latched on. He drew that arm back... and punched Marco's armor as hard as he could, dead center.

The special stone shattered.

Marco collapsed onto his knees. He started coughing up blood. He groaned and fell down all the way, clutching his chest. Chopper gasped. (That blow shattered his ribs... and it even ruptured a lung... And his body was supposed to be nearly invincible! Amazing...)

Luffy still wasn't done. He was very angry. He drew his foot back...

"NO! Luffy, stop!"

Luffy froze and looked at Nami. He slowly put his foot down. "Oi," he said softly. "Release the girl." Marco didn't show any signs of acknowledgment, but the stone hand suddenly fell apart. Nami collapsed onto her knees, too, and coughed. Luffy noted there was no blood, though... Thank God...

Chopper ran to examine Nami, and everyone except Sanji and Zoro followed him. Sanji was too hurt to move, and Zoro walked over to check the boy's pulse. He looked at Sanji. "He's dead... No pulse, and he's turning cold already... Happy?"

I know the battle seemed a little pointless, but I hope you all understand the significance of it. Anyway, I am really tired, so I stop here for now. Until next time!