A/N: /You know, I just decided to take a trip down memory lane, read my first chapters… and good lord, what a mess of grammatical errors! I might have to go back there just to fix those headaches! If you agree or disagree, please say so now. Otherwise, I'll decide on my own, and I've been told my decision-making can be wildly totalitarian. Also, Warning! The following chapter has gratuitous use of onomatopoeia.
Chapter 25: "For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf..."
Hook blinked at the familiar feeling of weightlessly flying through the air. He was sore, tired... and flying through the air? 'What was I... doing again? Feels like I got hit... by a tidal wave, or something… wait. I was... fighting Kisame, right? He tore out his eye... and then he started spinning... was that why-!'
SPLASH!
Hook hit the water and all his thoughts… strategies on the fight… were his friends doing okay… they all just... floated... a w a y...
…
…
Sploosh!
…
…
Splash! Splat!
...
...
"...me on... come on..." As Hook came to, he realized something was pressing on his chest repeatedly.
'Go away, whatever you are… I trying to nap here…'
"Damn it, open your eyes!" The pressing turns into punches, making something move inside his guts, like something wants to come up, but couldn't-
Suddenly, Hook finally had something to focus on, namely the pillowy soft things that touch his lips. 'What is that? It smells... citrus-y?' The punches came again for a while, followed by the return of the soft sweet-smelling objects before that weight in Hook's stomach shifted and bubbled up! Lurching awake, Hook turned his head and coughed up enough seawater to fill a bathtub! 'Crap, how long was I under!? Wait, why am I nearly drowning again!? Also, where the Hell am I!?'
"H-hey! Easy... people who almost drown shouldn't be moving so much!" A familiar voice chided as Hook sat up. Sure enough, it was Nami, the two of them sitting poolside in... some courtyard with a huge tower, as far as Hook could gather.
His wits back, Hook remembered his situation and seemed less than pleased about recent events. "Where is that prick!?" He snarled. "That frickin'..." He paused his tangent, finally noting Nami's worried and watery visage, and his face fell in memory of finding and confirming Kisame's actions to her childhood home. "Nami... I'm sorry, your house... Kisame-!"
Nami moved and Hook flinched, not even sure how Nami would react to such awful news. The last thing he expected was Nami hugging him, tight enough to squeeze out some leftover ocean water. "You were – I saw – and I just..." She stammered for a bit more into his drenched shirt, before letting go to look at Hook. Before she spoke, Hook noticed how open and honest she looked, a far cry from the careful mask she had worn around the crew since sailing with them. "I wanted to ask! Before all of this, at the Baratie – I just knew! I knew you could take Arlong, but this is crazy! This asshole's too much! Hook, I-!" Hook brought her into another embrace, which seemed to steady her. After a second, she spoke again. "My mother, Bellemere... she tried to stand up to Arlong when he first arrived. She was a retired Marine Captain, you'd think she could take him... that's not what happened."
As if the memory hurt to bring up, Nami's nails dug into Hook's back as she hugged back, her gaze miles away from her actions. "He... he charged the whole island for the sake of living. We – Bellemere, Nojiko, and I – we were dirt poor – I wore hand-me-downs from my sister most of my childhood. Bellemere only had enough for herself... or the two of us..." She sniffed thickly, but it didn't sound to Hook like she was crying again. "Arlong shot her in front of me and my sister. I... I was scared, Hook. I was so scared that... history would repeat itself, that you..." She cut herself off, pulling out of the hug. "I knew you could take on Arlong, but this..."
"Nami," Hook said firmly, cutting her off and getting her attention. He looked for all the world composed and mature; Hook gave Nami a confident smile, and stated firmly with all the wisdom in his body, "Fuck! That!" The crud comment was enough to shock her out of her funk, so Hook continued. "This guy hurt your sister and destroyed your home! He's just as bad as Arlong, and I'mma put 'em down for it!" Hook got up, grinding his teeth as the fatigue of battle wracked his body, shook it off, and cracked his knuckles. "I'm not playing his game; I'm teaching him a lesson... nobody messes with our family!" Nami blinked up from where she was sat, crying silently, as Hook looked at her with a triumphant face. Finally, she wiped her eyes, steeled her features, and nodded.
Hook's ears perked up as quiet footsteps approached; Nami noticed them too, and both parties turned around to see Kisame – haggard and bleeding – walking through the front gate, some pointy thing slung over his shoulder. He grinned at them in a broken way. "Well well~ Have I caught you at a bad time? Is this a private moment? Are you two looking to make more of you strong strong strong strong strong strong strong strong humans!?"
"Kisame..." Nami muttered in shock and disgust. She had suspected earlier something was off about the way Kisame had acted upon their first meeting, and now she had a benchmark to measure with. Kisame had hidden his passion, his drive, to appear weaker in front of Arlong. But now, after what had clearly been a brutal battle between him and Hook, the veneer had been stripped clean. This was his true face, Nami thought to herself.
Hook doesn't respond to his comment, content with just glaring a hole in the bastard's head. Never taking his eyes off of him, Hook addressed his friend and navigator. "Nami, head back to the others." He doesn't even need to look to see her unsure face. "I'll be fine. Get going!"
Nami swallowed hard, but she ran around the Fishman, who made no move towards her anyway. Upon her departure, Hook finally spoke to his opponent. "Looks like you're running out of steam, Kisame."
The Fishman only chuckled in response. "And you're doing so much better!? Those bruises you're sportin' are..."
"Let's cut the bullshit, asshole." Hook talking over him must have not been expected, because Kisame shut up in shock and intrigue. "That attack you used when we first met… that was Decree, right?"
Kisame outright laughed at that. "Watatatata! Now you want to talk like we're equals…"
"No, not really," Hook commented idly, stretching his screaming muscles. "Maybe you got it normally, or maybe… Anyway, I wanted to get that off my chest before I knocked your ass out."
Kisame considered that, before grinning. "I see... Well, in that case..." He then brought his weapon to bear... whatever it was.
"Is that your sword?" Hook asked. "It looks like an angry pine cone... did it eat a Devil Fruit?"
"This is still Samehada," Kisame commented, "but unwrapped. The main body of the blade is a Leech Urchin, a creature only found in the deepest of oceans. Funny thing, they're harmless in the water or surrounded by moisture. Once the sharkskin wrappings ran out of water, the Leech Urchin's spines shoot out, in search of moisture. Any would do – freshwater, seawater..." His grin grew to almost split his face as he suddenly lunged forward! "Or blood! It's not picky!"
Hook jumped out of the way, but one of the fish-sword's needles still nicked his leg. "Isn't that animal cruelty?" he quipped as he landed, wincing as a stinging pain shot through his calf. "What...!?"
Kisame grinned crookedly. "Samehada's use far outweighs the sacrifice! Case in point, the neurotoxin now running in your veins..."
'Poison?' Hook frowned as Kisame charged yet again. Hook leaped to one side, to get away from the swing of the living weapon... only for a scaly elbow to surge into his gut, knocking the wind out of him!
"Fishman Karate is more than just punches, human! Taste the Elbow of my People!" The hit launched Hook out and over the pool water!
Despite gasping in pain, Hook fought through it and activated Cannon Party, aiming it at the fish-bitch. "I reject your damn elbow! Cannon Party..." Kisame instinctively flinched, and rose the not-blade... blocking his sight from Hook's real target: the water! "Buster Ball!"
As the ballistic hit, the explosion of water worked two-fold: it saved Hook another saltwater bath by changing his trajectory from straight out to sea to sideways to the poolside, which roughly bounced the Combo-man off the cement, and saturated Samehada, causing every spike to retreat and grow limp. "Thanks... for telling me... your secrets, dumbass!" Hook panted as struggled to get up, the seawater drenching him to the bone and sapping his strength. 'Shit! I feeeeel bad!' he moaned miserably. 'But at least that jerk's also running on...'
"RRRRRAAAAAAAHHH!"
"...fumes," Hook finished lamely, as Kisame threw away his fish-blade and cracked a few joints. Tossing aside the tatters of his shirt, Kisame, Hook noted, was also drenched in seawater from his attack.
"Thank you, James Hook. I, too, was feeling dry! Now!" Empowered and clearly anchored by his fortunate shower, Hook's opponent leaped to strike with a downward swing! "Let me show you the strongest of Fishman! 1,000 League Trench!"
"Summon!" Hook screamed back, using the last of his strength to bring out the first thing that came to mind! 'Come on, just need one thing! Something I don't need to modify, that requires little to no energy to Summon!' Kisame came down, both fists trying to slam Hook into the ground!
KLANG!
-And was met with the equal opposite force of Wootz Steel! Specifically, Krieg's armor in full regalia, stupid cape included. "Clank-Clank Bastard Boxing!"
The last of Hook's strength depleted, and the boy's legs gave out as Kisame's attack finished pounding him into the concrete. As Hook glared up at the creep through bleary eyes, the bastard grinned at his downed opponent, teeth shining menacingly in the sun. "No more cheek now, how disappointing… and fitting, that which gives me strength can only take yours away..." He stomped on the chest plate, sending Hook a few inches more into the ground. He began to speak again but is cut off by Hook's tired but unshaken laughter.
"Clakakakaka… my strength is gone? What are you talking about?" Despite his exhaustion, the poison coursing through him, and the collection of bruises Kisame had handed him, Hook's defiant gaze never wavered. Even through unfocused eyes, on his back, and with a boot against his chest, Kisame could feel Hook was still looking down on him. "I've still got... plenty to spare! When I get up… my next attack is gonna knock your big ass... off of this island!"
Kisame blinked owlishly at the threat, before throwing his head back, laughing. "Watatatata! Get up!? Why the hell would I let you get up!? You've lost, and I'm not wasting this chance! That shiny shell of yours might protect most of you, but it did nothing for your head!" Grinning vindictively, Kisame raises his foot once more...
"STOP!" Kisame paused his strike, as he took an attack to the head without flinching. Grabbing said interloper by the neck, and making them drop their weapon, Kisame glared at them with a mixture of anger and shock.
"You're back, Sister Nami..." Kisame growled, his grip tightening dangerously to the point of strangulation.
"S-shut up!" Nami glared at Kisame. "You're n-no family of mine, bastard!"
Kisame looked at the redhead with a show of genuine confusion... before flinching as a shooting pain climbed up his leg. He looked down to see Hook biting his ankle. And not with metal teeth.
"Tch. Fighting after you've lost. How anticlimactic," Kisame noted callously.
"Let… her go! She... ain't your... sister," Hook growled out around the pound of flesh in his mouth. "She's MY navigator!" He punctuated his statement by biting down with his regular teeth until his gums bled, the liquid dripping from his mouth.
"How pathetic," Kisame leered down, only looking up when Nami spat on his cheek. "Hm. Sister, where is this hostility coming from-?"
"Don't you dare speak to me, asshole!" Nami's glare couldn't melt steel, but it came pretty damn close. "I have a sister, and she's hurt because of you! You talk to me again, you're gonna be picking up teeth!"
Kisame blinked (winked?) at Nami's words, before slumping slightly, his grip on Nami never wavering. "So, I take it you don't want to join my crew? Well, that is a pity..."
"How dare you hurt a lady!?" Kisame roared as a black dress shoe slammed into his good eye, dropping Nami as he reeled back. Nami dropped right into the arms of her savior, who was already swooning. "Dearest Nami, your prince is here to fry that fish bastard~!"
Nami barely registered the words, before Kisame recovered, readying his mouth to bite down... until his teeth met steel, as Zoro now stood in his way, one hand holding his white blade, while the other was pressed to his chest. "Oi, you ass! Just try to bite through me!"
Having let go of Kisame, Hook blinked up at the arrival of the pair and smiled tiredly. "Heeeey, Zoro~ Heeeeeeeeey, Sanji~ How the hell are you guys~?"
"Geez, what's with him?" Sanji said as Nami slipped out of his arms.
"Kisame hit him! I tried to jump in and-"
"Nami~ You're truly a gem among these lumps of coal~!"
"And you're an idiot," muttered Zoro. Sanji had no time to retort as Kisame pushed hard enough to fling Zoro back a few steps.
"Oh no~! Zoro, your sword~ Is your sword okay~?" Hook looked both worried and woozy at Zoro's general direction. Relaxing in the presence of his crew, it was clear the many collisions with solid objects had taken a slight toll on Hook's focus. "Wait… Where's, um... the o-other two?"
Before anyone could answer, Kisame's foot is back over Hook's head, poised inches from his face. "You three defend him admirably, but for naught! Once Hook's no more, we will sail to the highest heavens! We can-"
"Certain Death..."
"Wa?" was all the confused Fishman got out before blinding yellow flew into him, fist first!
"That's five of us, you freakin' sardine! And that's my turn!"
"THIS ISN'T A GAME!"
A moment ago...
The minute Nami took off, the rest of the village wasn't too far behind, save Genzo helping Nojiko along. Leading the pack, Sanji had arrived at Arlong Park just in time to see Nami running out. She paused, as did everyone else when the freakin' ground shook. The thief took a second to swear under her breath, turned on her heel, and broke out her new staff as she charged the gate. Sanji almost teleported, his chivalrous senses warning him of impending trouble.
Woken up by all the stampeding, Johnny and Yosaku were left Dead Weight A (Silk) and B (Zoro), both of which were sound asleep. After some argument about who would get to touch -er, carry Silk, Ussop came in, swung one of her arms onto his shoulder, and told the pair to get Zoro already. Ussop was on such an adrenaline high, he didn't even feel the daggers of jealousy poking him in the back.
By the time they had arrived, they were just in time to see one Tiger Shark Fishman about to mutilate one chef and one navigator. Thankfully, many people were spared that sight, as one swordsman got one whiff of Wake Up from one sniper, who used one sword to stop the one Fishman.
During the trot over here, Silk had slowly stirred but was now fully awake... and could only move one arm. Seeing Hook in a crater though, the blonde tried to stand up; if she could stand, she could skin the bastard...
"Are you nuts!?" Ussop pointed out. "Your legs are shaking!"
"Don't care!" Silk tried and failed to get off of Ussop's shoulder. "I... I just gotta get over there... then I..."
"Go over... and what? Flop in front of him?" As Nojiko and Genzo got closer, the bluenette chided. "Unless you can fly, Blondie, there's no way you can get over there before..."
"Fly... Fly? Fly!" Silk's face brightened, not acknowledging everyone's looks, and she looks to Ussop. "Ussop! Shoot me at 'im!"
"What!" most of the crowd gaped.
Silk paid no mind to the shell-shocked rabble though as she addressed Ussop. "We have to distract Kisame, and wake up Hook! I'm sure this'll work out if we do those two things!"
"S-seriously!? At the same time!?" Ussop groaned. "How would I even..." He trails off as he looks at the doors to the complex, pulls out a rubber band, and then started muttering to himself, as he looked back and forth from the doors to the others with front-row seats to Kisame's constant bitching. "...you're gonna owe me a crapload of rubber bands." Ussop deadpanned. Directing the bounty hunters to work fast, Ussop set up a makeshift slingshot with the doors. As Johnny and Yosaku pulled back, Ussop aimed correctly. "Wind resistance... distance... size of target... weight of payload..." he dropped a small deposit into Silk's hand, sporting five rings on each finger. "This had better work."
"Of course! It's my plan!" Silk grinned, already looking haggard despite just waking up.
"That's what I'm afraid of." Ussop lined up the shot just as Kisame knocked Zoro back. "Now! Certain Death-" The minute Kisame looked over at the battle cry, Ussop signaled the release! "Sunshine Star!"
"SUNSHINE!?" Silk only had a second to question the attack name before being flung at her target, a golden missile on gossamer wings. As she flew over Hook and the others, she opened her fist quickly before clenching it again, slamming it right into his head! "That's five of us, you freakin' sardine! And that's my turn!"
"THIS ISN'T A GAME!" the villagers exclaimed as Silk plowed into Kisame's face, knocking him all the way back into the stone fence that surrounded Arlong Park. As the dust settled on the surprise attack, the air stilled as all eyes stayed glued to the dust cloud. As it thinned out, Silk stumbled out, coughing as she limped forward. She barely had time to get her bearings before a shadow loomed up behind her.
"Silk-!" Nami tried to say, but the blonde was one step ahead, eyes darting to look over her shoulder as reached for Dorado, and turned on a dime... before getting kneed right in the gut, knocking bile and blood from her mouth!
"Why you freakin'-!" Sanji was already moving... but so was Kisame, as he flicked his hand, a single water droplet shot through the chef's hip and didn't stop until it hit the fence on the other side of the courtyard. As Sanji fell into a crouch, cursing in pain, Kisame came fully out of the cloud... looking absolutely tenderized for all the world to see.
"...You know, I have to respect a man who gives his companions so much joy, they'd go this far to protect him..." He grabbed Silk by the top of her ponytail and yanked her to her feet. He didn't even acknowledge Zoro's attack, as it cut into his forearm, stopping at the bone. He just batted him away... by backhanding him in his wounds, definitely opening them if Zoro's gasps of pain and inability to get up again were any indicator. Kisame looked Silk in the eye and met her defiance with resignation. "You would never join me now, I see that. However, I can't let you go... out of all of us, he's clearly going to be... trouble down the line." Silk had no time to guess what he meant as she was picked up and thrown into a stone pillar, stuck inside and hardly conscious. Nami ran over to check on her as the mad Fishman went on. "Now, none of you can leave this island... if he knows I failed... that I was wrong..." He scratched at his hollow eye socket, ignoring the blood seeping through his fingers. "No... that won't happen. I'll bring everything down first. That's why He gave me this ability... even if it's a drop, the water will help me... make me strong... make me the strongest." He chuckled darkly, his eyes not even focusing on anything anymore. "I will unite both worlds... in this life or the other. Even in Death, we will all be united. Even then..."
A sound reached his ears and he looked towards the pillars to see Silk... laughing away like the best joke ever was told. "Hm? What's this? Do you see what I'm trying to do now, young one?"
"You're an idiot," Silk stated bluntly. The silence that dropped over the area was deafening; the villagers found their meter for Nami's comrades' insanity had more notches, while Johnny and Yosaku were scared into hiding, peeking out from behind the doors. The most surprised face in the crowd though went to Kisame. "You say you'll unite people, but everything you're doing is just making the divide wider. You try to recruit people, and when they turn you down, you try to force them to join you. You're a thug, plain and simple. But Hook? All he does is help others!
"In one day, he helped me, Nami, and a whole village. All because of a dog. And the Mayor. And... because I asked." Despite the pain, Silk smiles warmly at the thought, a softer glow than her usually beaming. "Hook has big goals, but when a friend's in trouble, he'd drop everything to help them. But you? All you care about is your fucking dream. A dream that's worth less than Sea King shit! You can keep preaching about your destiny and crap, but all you do is oppress, intimidate, and step on people! I don't give a damn why you're doing this anymore. Once Hook gets up, and believe me he will, he'll snap you like a twig, and you'll just be one more 'big fish' he's wiped out! A 'drop' in the legend he'll become!"
A different silence settled over the area now; through Silk's exhaustion, she had gotten up, with Nami supporting her, both of their full attention on Kisame. Zoro, having noticed something during the speech, continued to lay down, content to see how things would turn out. Recalling the last hail mary he'd witness from his new captain, Sanji decided to just light a cigarette and watch what happened. Kisame stood motionless for a while, not reacting or even moving an inch. His nostrils flared at the smell of blood around him, his own heartbeat a deafening roar in his ears.
"A twig? A drop, am I..." He looked at the girl, every air he'd built up completely and utterly broken. "I think you're forgetting something, you rotten, ungrateful, ape bitch! If this man – this absolute waste! - is so much better than me, then why the hell am I still standing, and he can't move a damn muscle!" The water rippled at his voice, the moisture on his scales practically evaporating from his boiling blood. "Just what makes you think some unworthy, second-rate, bleeding-heart bottom feeder can get up from an assault from the strongest race of this world!?"
The slam of fist to concrete shatters everyone's composure. Silk, Ussop, and Zoro are the only ones unfazed; the blonde's openly laughing again, as Zoro just shakes his head in amusement.
"Gorororororo! Because dumbass! When Hook goes down, we just wake him up! When you go down, you'd be so lucky!" Sure enough, James Hook – battered, bleeding inside and out, and absolutely dead ass tired – was standing up again.
As he got up, he flicked a tiny blue pellet with a strong odor over his shoulder, stretching the kinks out of his muscles. "I needed that nap. Thanks for waking me up, guys." Kisame snarled at his arisen foe, while Hook just glared back, clearly not giving two shits about his opponent.
A/N: I'll be real here, I am most proud of this chapter right here! Please tell me your thoughts on it as well! Next time, Hook puts this matter under!
