Ch. 29- Taking Nami Back
One Piece © Oda
Blizzard, Monkey D. Aika, Kumi, Kovar, and Monkey D. Star © Me
"I have to admit," Nami began, "as stubborn as Luffy was...it was that stubborness of his that saved me and my village that day."
"He chose you to be his navigator," said Zoro. "To him, no one else would be better."
"And perhaps the fact that he was crushing on you back then might've helped, too," Usopp said.
"Even if Luffy wasn't," Nami began, "I don't think it would've mattered. He saw that I was in trouble and he decided to lend a hand, plain and simple."
"That's just how Luffy is," Robin smiled.
"Yeah, but now those Fishmen don't look happy," said Aika as she saw Arlong's crew began to charge at Luffy, enraged at the sight of their leader getting punched.
"DAMN HUMAN SCUM!" one shouted.
"YOU MUST HAVE A DEATH WISH OR SOMETHING!" yelled another as he brandished his sword.
"Stay outta this, you crap-fish!" Past Sanji yelled as he sent the mooks flying with his kicks, much to Arlong's further anger. "And as for you, Luffy, you always gotta dive right in, don't you?"
"Well, yeah," Luffy began, "but I don't lose!"
"That's not what I'm worried about, dumb-ass!" Past Sanji barked as Past Zoro and Past Usopp joined Luffy's side, the latter looking quite nervous, indeed. "Look, just save a little for us, got that?"
"Sure," Luffy nodded.
"J-just so you know," Past Usopp stammered, "you don't really have to share with me."
"My, how generous of you, Usopp," Past Zoro quipped.
"Luffy never did share much," Zoro muttered. "In fact, he still doesn't share, sometimes."
"Oh, brother," Usopp rolled his eyes.
"You're kidding, right?" Nami asked.
"That's Roronoa Zoro!" exclaimed one of the Fishmen, Kuroobi.
"Hey, that's the guy who tricked me-nyuu!" Hachi exclaimed. "He took me for a ride! Or...err...I took him for one, I think."
"What's that about?" Blizzard asked.
"Don't ask," Zoro answered. "The guy was just an idiot."
"Wait a minute, isn't that that long-nosed guy?!" asked one of the lesser mooks. "I could've sworn Nami killed him!"
"Pirates, eh?" Arlong asked as he stood up. "So that's the connection."
In the memory, the Straw Hats could hear the sound of the townspeople murmuring, but it was somewhat faded, so they deduced that Luffy was just too focused on Arlong to really listen to them.
"So," Arlong began, "you human scumbags are here for Nami, are you? SHAHAHAHAHAHA! You're just four people from an inferior species! What the hell do you think you can accomplish?!"
"You think you can get away with making a fool of Arlong?!" Hachi asked. "You'll pay for this!" He then put his hand around his mouth and began to make a tooting sound, like a bugle. "MOHMOO! COME HERE!"
"GAH!" Past Usopp cried. "WHAT IS THAT?!"
"Here it comes!" exclaimed one of the Fishmen. "The monster from the Grand Line that completely destroyed Gosa!"
"MONSTER?!" Chopper, Brook, and Kumi questioned before they hid behind Blizzard, who rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"Oh, boy," Sanji muttered. "I remember what happens here."
"What do you mean?" Aika asked. "What does happen here?"
"You'll see," said Zoro.
"COME ON OUT, MOHMOO!" Hachi called, and soon, something burst from the water in Arlong's pool: it was indeed Mohmoo...but boy, did he look a pitiful sight. He had a lump on his head and tears in his eyes. To put it simply: he had been put through the wringer.
"AAAAAAAH!" Past Usopp shrieked. "IT'S THE MONSTER!"
"What the...?" Hachi muttered in confusion. "Mohmoo, what happened to you?!"
A pause...but then, Mohmoo's eyes fell on Luffy and Past Sanji, who glared up at him.
"Oh, it's the cow," Luffy said.
"I guess he works for these idiots," Past Sanji mused.
"MOOOOOOHOOOO!" Mohmoo wailed as he turned to flee.
"What'd he say?" Franky asked.
"He said 'I'm getting outta here'," Chopper answered.
"Can't say I blame him," said Nami as she side-eyed Sanji, who chuckled sheepishly, while Robin could only chuckle in amusement.
"Where do you think you're going, Mohmoo?!" Arlong questioned, causing Mohmoo to freeze in his tracks. "...If you wanna run away...I won't stop you." He then gave a vicious, toothy-grin akin to a shark. "Go on, Mohmoo..."
A pause...but then Mohmoo turned and roared at Luffy's group.
"What happened?!" Chopper asked. "First he was scared, and now he's vicious?!"
"Obviously, he's going be an alpha-rank mentality," said Blizzard. "It's the same with most animals, no matter how big or small they are. If a creature senses there's someone stronger than they are, they feel like they have no choice but to submit or be faced with punishment."
As Mohmoo roared, the Arlong Pirates soon charged forward, again.
"That's right! Follow Mohmoo's lead!"
"Let's show these insolent humans how they're going to die!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAGGH!" Past Usopp screamed. "THEY'RE COMING!"
Past Zoro began to unsheath his swords while Past Sanji smirked and loosened his tie a bit. As for Luffy, he slammed both his fists together with steam coming out of his nose.
"That's it!" he shouted. "This is a complete waste of time!"
As Mohmoo roared and opened his massive jaws, Luffy did something that no normal would do: he stomped the ground so hard, his feet got planted into the concrete.
"Umm...is there a point to that?" Brook asked.
"Why did Big Brother put his feet in the ground?!" Aika asked, but she soon got her answer when Luffy began to twist his body around, then stretched his arms and grabbed Mohmoo by the horns.
"What's he doing, now?" Past Sanji asked.
"I got a bad feeling about this," said Past Zoro.
"Holy crap!" cursed one of the Fishmen. "He's got Devil Fruit powers!"
"Quick! Run for it!" yelled Past Zoro.
"What?! Why?!" Past Sanji asked.
"JUST DO IT!" Past Zoro shouted. "TRUST ME!"
"GUUUUUM-GUUUUUUUUUM..." Luffy shouted before he began to pull Mohmoo out of the pool and throw him around and around. "WINDMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIILL!"
Thus, the destruction that was left in the attack's wake was massive. The lesser Fishmen mooks were soon mowed down to nothing in a matter of seconds, with poor Mohmoo lowing helplessly as he was used as Luffy's living weapon of mass destruction.
"Wow!" Aika exclaimed. "Big Brother's so smart!"
"Why'd he have to use poor Mohmoo, though?" Nami asked. "Seriously, every time he gets rough like that, I end up feeling bad for the monster!"
"We're lucky we got away from that, in time," said Usopp. "Still, he could've given us just a little warning."
"I think that was his warning," Zoro replied.
Before too long, Luffy tossed the now-dizzied Mohmoo into the water, where he landed with a huge splash...and yet, surprisingly, Arlong remained stoic about it.
"I didn't come here to waste my time with your little mooks!" Luffy barked before he pointed a finger at Arlong. "I CAME HERE TO KICK YOUR ASS!"
A pause...but then Arlong gave a toothy grin.
"Well, that works out perfectly," he said. "I was just thinking about doing the same to you."
"Looks like we'll have to get involved, now," said Kuroobi.
"HE'LL PAY FOR WHAT HE DID TO OUR CREW!" Hachi yelled as he pointed his thumbs down.
"We'll show what happens when humans decide to mess with humans-chuu," said Chew.
"Heh," Past Zoro smirked. "Now the real players step up."
"Next time, give us a warning, moron!" Past Sanji yelled as he stamped his foot against Luffy's head.
"You trying to kill us or something?!" Past Usopp questioned.
Behind them, the townsfolk gaped in disbelief at what they had just witnessed. Up until then, they couldn't believe that there was someone who could actually be strong enough to oppose the Fishmen. Hell, it even seemed to impress Genzo.
"We should've crushed these inferior humans the moment they set foot here!" shouted Kuroobi.
"Lord Arlong," Chew began, "please don't get too worked up. If you lose your temper-chuu...you might completely destroy Arlong Park."
"Was he really that strong?" Brook asked.
"Oh, yeah," Nami answered.
"Well, Big Brother's way stronger than he is!" Aika exclaimed. "Right, Big Sis?! I mean, look at what he did to the cow!"
"I think you're really overthinking this a little too much, Aika," said Kumi.
"All right!" Hachi exclaimed as he took in a deep breath. "Time for...Zero Visibility!"
"Zero what-now?" Luffy asked.
"Hachi...INK JET!" Hachi shouted before he fired a glob of black ink at Luffy, who cried out in surprise as the entire memory went black, but the Straw Hats could still hear his voice.
"AGH!" Luffy cried. "MY EYES! I CAN'T SEE A THING!"
"Luffy, why didn't you jump out of the way?!" Past Zoro asked.
"Look out! He's got a piece of the roof!" Past Usopp yelled.
"Uh...yeah, slight problem," Luffy said. "I can't move...and I can't see."
That's when the Straw Hats remembered that Luffy practically planted his feet in the ground, thus immobilizing himself.
"You're kidding me, right?" asked Past Sanji.
"Why does that idiot always have to go and do such stupid things?" asked Past Zoro.
"BUT YOU DID THAT TO YOURSELF!" Past Usopp yelled.
"...I guess that wasn't very smart after all," Brook said.
"That idiot!" Nami exclaimed. "He never thinks these things through!"
"Hachi Ink Jet ON THE ROCKS!"
For a moment, Luffy could see Hachi pick up a chunk of debris from when he was thrashing Mohmoo around, and realized that the Octopus Fishman planned to smash him with it (even though he was made of rubber). When it looked like he was about to, however, Past Sanji soon swooped in and kicked the rubble away, shattering it into pieces as he did.
"All right, Sanji!" Luffy cheered.
"What the hell am I doing?" Past Sanji asked. "I've entered the fray on behalf of this idiot of a captain."
"You and me, both, pal," said Past Zoro.
"Whoa! So cool!" Past Usopp exclaimed.
"But you know," Past Sanji smirked, "compared to a bunch of women-hating scumbags...I'd take this moron, any day!"
"I sure would," Sanji said with a smile on his face. "Even if he is a headache."
"That's just how he is," Zoro agreed.
"You're quite strong for a human, aren't you?" asked Kuroobi. "Although, for a pirate, that was rather gallant of you."
"Oh?" Past Sanji asked.
"Urrrrgh!" Past Usopp strained as he tried to pull Luffy from the ground.
"My feet are still stuck!" Luffy exclaimed.
"Still?!" Past Usopp questioned.
"You're trying to test my gallantry, you crap-fish?" asked Sanji. "I was raised by a former pirate, you know."
"Hmph!" Kuroobi scoffed. "I don't think you can take me on with your puny strength, human."
"Come on, Luffy, are you out, yet?!" Past Usopp asked.
"Nope," Luffy answered. "All my legs are doing is stretching."
"Then why don't you help me out here?!" Past Usopp shouted. "How about now?!"
"Nuh-uh," Luffy shook his head. "Still stuck."
"He could've helped a little..." Usopp grumbled.
"Why did he even think it was a good idea to plant his feet in the ground?!" Chopper asked.
"You think this is fun and games, fools?!" Hachi asked as he picked up another hunk of rubble. "I'll teach you what happens when you underestimate us, especially here at Arlong Park! I'll smash you to bits!"
"GAAAAAAAAAH!" Past Usopp screamed as he kept trying to pull Luffy out. "COME ON, LUFFY! TRY POINTING YOUR TOES UP OR SOMETHING!"
"I can't even move my toes!" Luffy answered.
"Hold on there, octopus," said Past Zoro as he walked passed Hachi. "Can't you see they're kinda busy, right now?" He then smirked. "So why don't you try and smash me, instead?"
"Roronoa Zoro!" Hachi shouted with great rage. "I almost forgot about you!" He then threw the rubble at the swordsman, who jumped out of the way. "You made a fool outta me, and you killed my friends!"
"That's ancient history, pal," said Past Zoro as he held up Wado Ichimonji. "What you think doesn't matter. The tables have turned. You Fishmen aren't gonna be doing anymore terrorizing: WE are!"
"What?!" Chopper questioned. "Zoro, you weren't supposed to be fighting! Your wound still needed to heal!"
"Zoro..." Robin said in a bit of a scolding tone.
"I was fine!" Zoro countered. "Jeez!"
"Oh, sure you were," Nami answered, sarcastically, "that is, after it looked like a waterfall of blood was coming out of you!"
"GET OFF MY CASE!" Zoro yelled. "IT'S IN THE PAST, NOW!"
"DON'T YOU YELL AT NAMI LIKE THAT, MOSS-HEAD!" Sanji barked.
"I CAN YELL AT WHOEVER I WANT TO YELL AT, EVEN YOU, DARTBOARD!" Sanji barked.
"QUIET!" Franky yelled, silencing the two.
"Thank you Franky," Nami said.
"S'all right," Franky replied.
"Phew!" Past Usopp sighed. "Thanks, Zoro. I'll let you take it from here."
"Uh...Usopp?" Luffy asked.
"What?" Past Usopp asked, only to gasp when he saw him slipping out of his grasp. "OH, CRAP!"
Unfortunately, before he could get a good grip on him again, the sniper accidentally let him go, causing Luffy to crash right into Chew before Luffy ended up standing back in the same place again.
"Dammit," Luffy cursed. "Back here again."
"Uh...my bad...!" Past Usopp squeaked...but it seem Chew wasn't in the mood for an apology. Before the Straw Hats realized it, Past Usopp turned and ran away while Chew chased after him, leaving Luffy behind while doing so.
"...Definitely not one of my best moments," said Usopp in shame. "But hey! At least I kept him away from the townsfolk! He was about to turn on them, next!"
"Wow! So you used yourself as a diversion!" Chopper exclaimed.
"That's so brave, Usopp!" Aika added.
"Well, of course!" Usopp grinned. "You know I could never let innocent bystanders get hurt!"
"Yohohohoho!" Brook chortled. "That's Usopp for you!"
Thus, while the others were busy with their respective foes...Luffy was left with Arlong, who still had that same toothy, malicious smirk.
"You're mine, now, Arlong!" Luffy shouted as he reeled his arm back and threw it at him. "I'll kick the crap outta you!"
However, it seemed that his boast was nothing but hot air, for Arlong grabbed Luffy by the wrist.
"How pathetic," Arlong said. "Did you fools actually think you have a chance at beating us?!"
"Honestly, we actually do," said Past Sanji.
"Damn right we do!" Luffy yelled in confidence. "Now leggo of my wrist, jerk!"
"There something you wanna say to us, maybe?" asked Past Zoro.
"No thanks," Arlong answered...as he pulled Luffy out of the ground with a chunk of concrete still stuck to his feet! "Hey, boy...I know a little game we can play!"
"YIKES!" Luffy cried. "W-WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING! PUT ME DOWN!"
"Oh, no!" Aika cried. "What is he gonna do?!"
"Hey...how come he's looking at the sea like that?!" Kumi asked.
"...He wouldn't dare," Nami whispered.
"He did," Zoro answered.
"Those who even taken one bite of the Devil Fruit can't swim, right?!" Arlong asked. "Of course, given your current condition, you'd sink, either way! SHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"Oh, no!" Past Zoro yelled. "The sea!"
"Luffy, get outta there!" Past Sanji shouted.
"Damn you!" Luffy cursed. "GUM-GUM PISTOL!"
He tried to punch Arlong, again, but his other fist got caught, too...right in his teeth, which caused him to scream in pain. So, in retaliation, he tried to bite Arlong back, but that just made him angrier. Before he knew it, the Saw Tooth Shark Fishman threw him into the pool, where he quickly sank to the bottom.
"Oh, no! Luffy!" Chopper cried.
"Dammit, I should've known he'd do that!" Franky cried.
As the world began to grow dark around Luffy and the sound of the ocean began to fill his ears...there was only thing the Straw Hats heard as the Straw Hats saw large air bubbles escape from their captain's mouth.
'Can't...drown...here...! Have to...save...Nami...'
"Oh, no!" Aika cried as the memory went dark.
"Dammit, that cheating bastard!" cursed Franky.
"The battle started, and already Luffy's at near-death!" Blizzard shouted.
"How did he get out of there?!" Chopper asked.
"Nojiko and Old Man Gen managed to help him breath," Nami said. "Even though Luffy was underwater, his body could still stretch, so they stretched his neck out and brought his head to the surface, then used chest compressions on him so he could breathe...at least, that's what they told me."
"I see," Robin said. "In a way, they were doing CPR on him."
"So, what were you three doing in the meantime?" asked Brook.
"I was fighting with that Manta freak," said Sanji.
"I was off, fighting for my life in an epic battle between man and monster!" Usopp declared.
"You mean after you ran away like a chicken?" asked Zoro.
"OH SHUT UP!" Usopp yelled.
"And you, Zoro?" Robin asked.
"...Okay...I was...still fighting when I shouldn't have," said Zoro, "but what was I supposed to do? In battle, no matter how grievous your injuries are, you can't take a moment to rest because they're gonna take advantage of that!"
"He's got a point," said Blizzard. "Even if you're injured, the enemy won't care. They'll exploit in any way possible."
"But...but he still should've been-" Chopper started.
"Chopper, it's over, okay?" Zoro asked. "As you can see, I'm alive. I know I probably should've been resting, but come on...if it were Nami, would you have done the same?"
Chopper blinked before he looked up at Nami, who stared at him before the reindeer sighed.
"...Yeah," he whispered, causing Zoro to smile and put a hand on his hat.
Just then, the darkness of the void just vanished all at once as they heard a loud gasp for breath. The Straw Hats gasped, realizing that it was Luffy, whose head was being held by Genzo. The boy panted, rapidly, as he felt air fill his hungs, once more.
"Wow," Chopper whispered. "How much water did he inhale?"
"Enough to make a rainbow," said Sanji.
"Hey, kid!" Genzo called, causing Luffy to glance up at Luffy. "Are you okay?!"
"Y...yeah...I think so," Luffy answered.
"Just hang on," Genzo told him. "We'll have you outta this in no time!"
"Thanks, old-timer," Luffy said before he blinked in slight perplexity.
"What is it?" asked Genzo.
"Hey," Luffy began, "what happened to that pinwheel of yours? It was pretty cool!"
"NOW'S NOT THE TIME FOR THAT!" Genzo yelled.
"Hey, can I ask you a question?" Luffy asked. "Are you Nami's dad or something?"
"What?!" Genzo questioned with a blush. "Of course not!"
"You sure?" Luffy asked. "Because you kinda act like you're her dad...you're also both pretty scary."
"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Genzo questioned while Nami face-palmed, and yet at the same time, she couldn't help chuckling, just a little.
"Even when he's in the face of danger," she began, "he can still joke and laugh."
All of a sudden, Luffy felt his body begin to twitch.
"Whoa!" he exclaimed.
"What's going on?!" Genzo asked. "Are you free, kid?!"
"Hell yeah, I am!" Luffy answered as he felt his torso beginning to retract.
"All thanks to yours truly," said Sanji with a smirk, and before too long, Luffy sprang up out of the water and went flying through the air!
"I'M BAAAAAAACK!" he roared.
"Yay!" Aika cheered. "Go, Big Brother, go!"
"Kick some Fishman butt!" Kumi added. "...Hey, what's he doing?"
"...Oh, god...!" Zoro whispered with dread when he saw Luffy stretch his arms and grab his past self by the back of his shirt.
"ZORO! TRADE YA!" Luffy called before he threw Past Zoro towards a random direction.
"...Pfffft...!" Sanji and Franky buzzed their lips.
"AH!" Zoro pointed at them. "Don't even think about it!"
"...AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Sanji cackled as he fell backwards. "AH! OH! OH, MY SIDES! AHAHAHAHAHA!"
Soon, the others joined in laughing at their hapless swordsman...even Robin, as hard as she tried not to. All Zoro could do was grumble in defeat. However, all humor soon left when they saw Luffy about to attack Arlong.
"All right!" Luffy exclaimed as he stretched his head back. "Gum-Gum...BELL!"
BONG! His head landed directly against Arlong's jaw.
"AND WHIP!"
He stretched his leg out and kicked Arlong in the side.
"BULLET!"
He punched Arlong in the gut.
"AND NOW...GATLIIIIIIING!"
Soon, he sent Arlong to the ground in a flurry of rapid fire punches, much to the shock of the townsfolk, as well as Past Nami, who had come to join them at the time.
"All right, he beat him!" Aika exclaimed.
"Not quite," Nami replied. "Keep watching."
"Huh?" Aika muttered before she looked up, and to her shock, Arlong sat straight up!
"What was that?" Arlong asked. "Were you trying to do something, boy?"
"HUH?!" Aika questioned.
"No way!" Kumi exclaimed. "It didn't even faze him!"
"My word! Just how powerful is this Arlong?!" Brook asked.
"I was," Luffy said as he cracked his knuckles. "I was just warming up, is all."
"Shahahahaha!" laughed Arlong. "How tenaciously you human scum hold on by your stubby little teeth...but you'd have been better off, dying peacefully on the ocean floor!"
"Well, I'm glad my friends got me outta there," Luffy said as he stretched his arms from one side to the other.
"...You don't really understand why I'm so upset, do you?" asked Arlong. "I just had to watch my dear comrades be defeated by human worms like you! Keep messing with me, and I'll be sure to make you wish for death."
"Yeah, right!" Aika shouted. "Big Brother would never lose to someone like you!"
"Tell me," Arlong began, "do you know the difference between you and me?"
"Our noses," Luffy answered, still cracking his knuckles, which seemed to irritate Arlong greatly. "Our chins?"
"...Is he serious?" Franky asked.
"Sometimes, I wonder," Nami replied with a deadpan tone.
"Or...webbed fingers?!" Luffy asked as he pointed at his hands.
"No..." Arlong replied before he lunged at Luffy. "OUR SPECIES!"
He then attempted to take several bites out of Luffy, who jumped back at every chomp, but then, Arlong grabbed him by the neck and pinned him against a stone column.
"Oh, no!" Aika cried before she covered her eyes. "I can't look!"
"Me, neither!" Kumi cried as she also covered her eyes.
Just when Arlong was about to bite off Luffy's neck, the Straw Hat Captain grabbed his own head and pulled it out of the way, causing Arlong to bite the column instead. However, when he did, the column shattered into pieces.
"My word!" Brook exclaimed.
"He shattered that thing with one bite!" Franky added.
"Eh," Blizzard shrugged. "I bite a lot harder than that guy. I can even bite through steel, now!"
"Whoa!" Luffy cried as he managed to free himself from Arlong's grasp. "That was scary!"
"Damn right it was," Sanji said. "If Arlong had actually managed to get those jaws of his on Luffy, they'd leave more than just bite marks. He would've torn a good size chunk out of him!"
"...You sound like Robin," Usopp muttered with dread.
"Superhuman strength is the birthright of all Fishmen," Arlong boasted. "The heavens didn't smile on your puny kind in that regard. You humans are inherently inferior to us Fishmen! From the moment of birth, an unbridgeable gap separates our species!"
"Ugh...I hate when he gets like this," Nami muttered. "Always talking on and on about how Fishmen are superior."
"Thank god that Jimbei wasn't like this insufferable jerkass," said Zoro.
"So what?!" Luffy asked. "That's nothing!" He then punched away the remainder of the column that Arlong had bitten. "Who says you need strong jaws to shatter stone?!"
Behind Luffy, he could hear Johnny and Yosaku laughing at Arlong, who grew even more enraged.
"It's pointless to argue with you," he said before he charged at Luffy. "You humans are a weak, foolish species! You sink like rocks in the ocean! What can you possibly do?!"
"Maybe I can't do much," Luffy started as he picked up two cutlasses, "but I have friends who will have my back!"
"Huh?" Chopper asked. "Is Luffy gonna fight with those swords?"
"Not likely," said Zoro. "Luffy doesn't know the first thing about swordplay."
"Then why did he pick them up?" Aika asked.
"I suppose he thought that if he used the swords," Robin began, "he'd have more of an advantage."
Soon, Luffy began to swing and slash the swords...well, more like flail them about wildly, and he missed Arlong every time.
"What are you doing?!" Arlong asked with a smug grin. "You're just swinging those swords about, wildly!" He then pulled one cutlass out of Luffy's grip with his teeth. That didn't discourage him, however, for the boy swung the other sword at Arlong, who shattered the blade with one bite, as well.
"Enough of this foolishness," Arlong hissed, only for Luffy to whirl around and punch him right in the jaw, and the force of the strike was powerful enough to shatter his fangs!
"Yes!" Aika cheered. "Did you see that?! He broke them!"
"Don't celebrate, yet," said Blizzard. "I have a feeling that this is just the beginning."
"AAAAAAAAGH!" Arlong screamed as he held his mouth. "MY TEETH! YOU BUSTED MY TEETH, YOU BASTARD!"
"Haa...haa...haa...!" Luffy panted before he stood up straight. "LIKE HELL I WOULD KNOW HOW TO USE A SWORD, YOU DUMB-ASS!"
"Huh?" Franky muttered. "What's he talking about?"
"I'm a terrible sailor," Luffy began, "I can't cook...and I definitely can't lie!"
"Hey," Past Usopp muttered in offense.
"Seriously, why did he think the only thing I could do was lying?!" Usopp asked.
"I know this much," Luffy said. "Without my friends' help, I'd be dead, by now!"
"...Luffy..." Nami whispered.
"Shahahahahaha!" laughed Arlong. "You're quite clever, aren't you? Admitting how helpless you really are. What a burden it must be for your so-called friends to have an idiot like for a captain! I don't know why they fight so desperately to save you! You lack the slightest shred of dignity and ability! What makes you think you can be a pirate captain?! What can you possibly accomplish?!"
"...I'll tell you what I can accomplish," Luffy smirked. "I can kick your ass!"
The memory seemed to pause, giving the Straw Hats a moment to reflect upon this.
"...Luffy really depended on us, huh?" Nami asked.
"It sounds that way to me," said Robin.
"But you know, I gotta wonder," Franky began, "do you think that maybe, Luffy's not as confident in himself as we think he is?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Zoro asked.
"Are you saying Luffy's got some issues with self-esteem?" Sanji inquired.
"It's a theory at best," Franky admitted. "He said there were just some things he couldn't do on his own."
"If that's the case," Nami began, "then don't you think he would've trusted us a bit more? If he knows he can't do anything without us, why not admit when he needs help?!"
"You know how stubborn he is," said Blizzard. "Maybe he thinks he'd be burdening us if he asked for help. He expects each of us to carry our own weight."
"But if you need help, there's nothing wrong with asking," said Kumi.
"Like I said," Blizzard replied, "he's too stubborn."
On that, the memory resumed, and Luffy and Arlong continued to have their bout. By now, Arlong was using his own disconnected teeth like weapons, but the Straw Hats were quite shocked when Luffy used one of the Fishmen as a living shield. They didn't think too much on it, though. Just a moment of desperation at best and he probably didn't even realize what he was doing. At one point, it looked like Luffy wasn't taking things very seriously, especially when he put Arlong's discarded teeth in his own mouth and tried to bite him back with them. Of course, Luffy ended up getting more injured than before when Arlong managed to take a bite out of him. Although Luffy managed to bite back, it still didn't put too much damage on him. As the fight went on, it almost looked like Arlong was going to bite off Luffy's arm, but Luffy managed to slam him into the ground, free his elbow, and then wrenched Arlong's broken teeth out of his side.
Robin decided it was best to cover Aika and Kumi's eyes by this point, as if sensing that something very violent was about to happen. As for Chopper, he was watching with his usual expert doctor's eye, and he could tell, right away, that Luffy was beginning to feel fatigued. The loss of blood from Arlong's bites were beginning to get to him.
Soon, Arlong decided to try and play dirty by hiding in the water, and then leaping out and hitting Luffy with his Shark-On Darts attack, and since he was faster in the water, it was nearly impossible to dodge his attacks, and Luffy only groaned as he felt his blood seeping out of his stomach. Despite this, though, he continued to try and fight back while Arlong mocked him. However, in a stroke of pure luck, Luffy managed to dodge him again...and Arlong's nose ended up getting stuck in the concrete.
"Huh?" Franky muttered.
"He's stuck," Brook said. "Does that mean that Luffy won?"
"Not quite," Nami replied...and to confirm this, just sprang up and hit Luffy again, knowing his guard was down, and took advantage by getting in at least 5 more hits on him before jumping back in the water. Despite Past Usopp, Johnny, and Yosaku urging him to run and hide, Luffy refused, declaring that he would knock Arlong out, somehow. All he could do was stand at the pool and wait for him.
"Luffy better finish this fight, soon," Chopper said. "I'm not sure if he'll last much longer!"
"He'll make it," Zoro said. "It's Luffy."
Before long, Arlong launched out of the water, preparing to skewer Luffy with his nose, but the rubberman stretched out his fingers with his Gum-Gum Shield, and it seemed somewhat effective, for it managed to stop Arlong from hitting him, again. However, they did end up crashing into Arlong Park with Luffy landing on a higher level.
"Yes!" he exclaimed. "Now I've got you, Arlong! Now that trick won't work on me-"
"SHARK-ON DARTS!" Arlong yelled as he jumped out of the room and sent Luffy flying again.
"Oh, crap!" Blizzard cursed.
Despite this setback, Luffy refused to give up. Intertwining his fingers, he used his Gum-Gum Net to catch Arlong in mid-air and then throw him down to the ground, followed by a Gum-Gum Spear to send him crashing down, faster. The Straw Hats could hear Arlong crying out in pain...and yet, for the members who were not there...they felt strangely uneasy.
"What happened?" Kumi asked. "Did Luffy win?"
"Not yet," said Usopp.
As the dust finally settled...they soon saw Arlong's eyes: wide and bloodshot with slit pupils and a vicious snarl on his face. It almost looked like he had become a different creature, entirely.
"AAH!" Chopper shrieked. "WHAT'S WRONG WITH HIS EYES?!"
"This is what happens when a Fishman goes crazy," Sanji replied. "Luffy pushed Arlong too far. The thought of getting defeated by an inferior human like him...it pushed him over the edge."
"...I thought Arlong was scarier when I first saw him," Nami said as she hugged herself, "but when I saw those eyes...my fear for him increased, at least tenfold."
"You...!" Arlong hissed as he grabbed Luffy by the hair and swung him around, furiously. "You are an inferior human...and I am a mighty Fishman! YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!"
He then hurled Luffy into the wall, and at first, that didn't seem to do much to him, but then Luffy yelped as he began to scamper his way up to the upper floor. That's when Arlong reached inside the wall and then pulled out a gigantic, saw-like blade: his Shark Saw.
"That's a big sword!" Franky exclaimed.
"That's no sword," Zoro replied. "It's a saw."
Soon, Arlong began his relentless pursuit, chasing Luffy up the tower while the latter scurried up the rooftop like a monkey, and every time, it almost looked like the Shark Saw would catch him. Eventually, Luffy managed to reach the very top, but now, it seemed he had nowhere to run...until he looked to his right and spotted a window. Knowing this was his only chance, he ducked his head and jumped through the glass, not caring that some of it might have pierced his skin. When Luffy stood up...he found himself in a room, filled with maps, bookshelves, and cartography tools.
"A map room?" Usopp asked.
"It's filled with all kinds of sea charts," Robin said.
"...This was...my room," Nami said with great hatred. "No...more like it was my prison."
The Straw Hats all turned their eyes on their navigator, who hugged herself as her body began to shudder, uncontrollably.
"Every day...every time I came back to my home..." Nami whispered. "He'd force me in here...and make me draw his damn maps for him...!" She gritted her teeth, trying to choke back her sobs. "Whenever I drew something else...or if I ever cried in front of him...he'd beat me to the point where I was bloody all over...! I was tortured, every single day, for 8 whole years!" She then whimpered as tears fell from her eyes. "It got so bad...I even thought of killing myself, just to get away from it all!"
"...My god...!" Sanji whispered in horror.
"...Big Sis," Aika said, sadly.
"Oh, Nami..." Robin said as she put her hand on her shoulder.
"...I'm sorry...!" Nami sniffled. "I...I just-"
"We understand," Zoro replied, causing Nami to look at him.
Soon, Arlong entered the room.
"Looks like this is the end for you," he said with that same toothy grin of his.
"What's this room?" Luffy asked. "And what's with all this paper?"
"This isn't your ordinary paper!" Arlong shouted. "This is the map room, where that girl draws all of her maps."
"So...this is Nami's room?" Luffy inquired as he looked around.
"All of the maps you see here are sea charts that Nami drew for me," Arlong replied. "Impressive, don't you think? Eight years of hard work...my greatest treasure."
"...I see," Luffy said before his eyes fell upon a blood-stained pen...obviously Nami's.
"We Fishmen may be capable of gathering all the information of the sea," Arlong continued, "but we're nothing without a good cartographer, and I've never seen more accurate maps than hers. Nami is truly a genious...and there is nothing more tragic and stupid than someone, wasting their talents."
"...This pen...is stained with blood," said Luffy as he picked up the pen and inspected it.
"Uh...why is Luffy just sitting on the floor, looking at a bloody pen?" Kumi asked, worriedly.
"For Nami, this is her greatest happiness," Arlong said. "I can have her doing what she loves best!"
"What the hell does he know about someone's happiness?" asked Blizzard, hatefully. "He murdered Nami's mother in cold blood! You think she'd be happy, working for her mother's murderer?!"
"That bastard really makes me sick...!" Sanji growled.
"For me to rule the world," Arlong began as he put the Shark Saw near Luffy's neck, "Nami's sea charts are absolutely vital! She will continue to draw her sea charts for the sake of my ambitions! Once I have all the maps of all the seas in the world, we Fishmen will be unstoppable! This world will mine!"
"Who does he think he's kidding?" Franky asked.
"Even with all the maps in the world," Brook began, "there's no way he could accomplish such a thing."
"He was merely having delusions of granduer," said Robin.
"And it all starts right here on this little island in the East Blue," Arlong said. "Then, I will move on to all of the East Blue! You can never use her like me! She would be wasted on you!"
Luffy suddenly tensed up, and the memory began to change red.
'Did he say...use...?!'
"Uh-oh..." Blizzard muttered as he watched Luffy raise his hand up and grabbed the blade of the Shark Saw...and for some reason, Arlong seemed to be having trouble moving. Then, with an angry growl, Luffy squeezed on the blade until it shattered like glass.
"My...my Shark Saw!" a shocked Arlong exclaimed.
"You bastard...!" Luffy hissed. "What the hell is Nami to you?!"
"Shahahaha!" Arlong laughed, clearly not understanding that it was not wise to enrage Luffy even more than he was at that point. "She may be an inferior human, but she has certainly risen above her peers. If the rest of you humans are nothing but sewers, then she's a feisty little kitten. Not to mention she's quite cute, as well."
Hearing that made Nami shudder in disgust. She didn't know why, but...it almost felt like she was being violated in some way. She almost wished they would skip this part.
"What a terrible person he is," Robin said with a vicious glare. "No...he's lower than that. He's a lowly insect!"
"To him, Nami was nothing more than just some tool," said Sanji. "Eventually, when she outlived her usefulness, he'd discard the moment he got."
"Nami will continue to stay here in this room and draw her sea charts for me for the rest of her life," Arlong said. "I feed her, buy her all the beautiful clothes she could ever want. She will never have any worries about anything. All she has to do is do what she loves most. After all...she is my friend."
"NO SHE'S NOT!" Luffy roared as he stood up, causing Arlong to stumble back slightly, which surprised the other Straw Hats. "You...you're not her friend...you're her WARDEN! You treat her like garbage...you take her sister and all her friends and neighbors hostage...and you really think that that makes her HAPPY?! WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"
"...Luffy...!" Nami whispered in awe.
"Heh," Zoro smirked. "Tell it like it is, Captain."
"...You know, it occurs to me," Robin said. "Nami isn't the only human girl that Arlong associated with. Didn't Fisher Tiger look after another girl? Koala?"
"Hey, you're right!" Sanji exclaimed. "Jimbei told us about her! Isn't she with Sabo, now?"
"But what does she have to do with any of this?" Usopp asked.
"Think about it," Robin said. "After Koala was put in his care, Fisher Tiger tried to provide her with as many necessities as she would need...but somehow, Arlong misconstrued that."
"...I see, now," Franky said. "You're saying that he thinks that he's actually doing right by Nami doing all the stuff he said, right?"
"Why the hell would he think that, though?" asked Sanji. "If you ask me, he's treated Nami just like how the Celestial Dragons treat their slaves!"
"...I wonder if Big Sis Koala even knows that Arlong is a bad guy," Aika spoke up.
"...If she does," Nami began, "it's best she knew the truth."
All of a sudden, Luffy looked toward a desk, where a map was in the process of being drawn. Then, with a deep growl of fury, he raised his leg up and kicked it out through the wall.
"Huh?!" Arlong questioned. "What the hell are you doing?!"
"What does it look like I'm doing?!" Luffy questioned as he began to trash the whole place.
"Huh...so that's how that desk came flying outta there," Sanji muttered.
"Stop that!" Arlong shouted as he tried to cut Luffy with his broken Shark Saw, but the latter dodged, which caused Arlong to accidentally slice a stack of sea charts instead. "AH! NO, MY SEA CHARTS!"
As Luffy continued to run around the room, destroying all the sea charts, Arlong tried his damnedest to stop him. As he did, Nami couldn't help beginning to tear up at the sight. Then, she chewed her lip before she sniffled and a smile grew on her face.
"...Thank you, Luffy...!" she whispered as she gripped the rim of Luffy's hat. "Thank you, so much...!"
Aika reached up and gently held Nami by the hand, causing the navigator to smile. However, the tender moment was short-lived as the Straw Hats heard Luffy cry out in pain, causing them to turn and see that Arlong now had his neck in his jaws!
"Oh, no!" Brook cried.
"That's way too close to his jugular vein!" Blizzard shouted. "If Arlong bit any deeper, Luffy will bleed to death in seconds!"
"NOW YOU'VE GONE TOO FAR!" Arlong shouted as he prepared to rip Luffy's throat open...but Luffy, ever determined, grabbed Arlong by the nose and began to twist, even as his nose began to pierce through his palms.
"I...don't give a damn about...how great you Fishmen are," Luffy began, "or about your stupid sea charts. I don't understand any of it...but I finally figured how I can save her!" On that, he bent Arlong's nose into an angle, causing him to scream in pain as he fell back on the floor while Luffy gave a fierce death glare. "This whole room is like her jail cell. There's only way for Nami to escape! I've gotta tear this place apart!"
On that, he stretched his leg high up toward the heavens.
"GUUUUUUUM-GUUUUUUUUUUM..."
"Arlong Park can be brought down by some inferior human," he started as he bent his nose back to the way it was, "especially not by some rubbery freak like you!" He then opened his mouth wide and began to spin around in a manner similiar to Blizzard's Twister Fang attack. "SHARK TOOTH DRIIIIIILL!"
Luffy gasped, realizing the predicament he was in before he pulled his leg down, just as Arlong collided with him.
"BATTLE AAAAAAAAAXE!"
SMASH! He stamped his foot against Arlong's back, causing him to cough up blood before he sent him straight down to the very bottom of Arlong Park!
"YES!" Aika cheered. "YAHOO! BIG BROTHER BEAT HIM!"
"Yeah, take that, Arlong!" Kumi added.
"Phew!" Usopp sighed. "I held my breath the whole time..."
"Uhh...guys?" Sanji asked. "Look."
The Straw Hats looked up, only to realize that the building was beginning to crumble around Luffy..and it seemed he knew it, too.
"Uh...uh-oh..." Luffy muttered before all of Arlong Park collapsed on top of him, and the memory soon turned black.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Next time on One Piece: The Fire Within!
Luffy: NAMI! YOU'LL ALWAYS BE MY FRIEND!
Past Nami: *teary-eyed* Right...!
Nezumi: Not so fast! I'll be taking the credit here, thank you very much!
Past Zoro: *grabs him* I don't think so, pal.
Dr. Nako: How can you not have a doctor on your ship?!
Luffy: Doesn't a musician come first?
*That night, while everyone's partying*
Luffy: *standing in front of Past Nami at her house* Look, Nami...I want you to be our navigator, but...at the same time, I can't make you come with me if you don't want to. I'll be happy with whatever you decide.
Past Nami: Luffy...!
Next time: Nami's Smile
Yeah, this took a while, but it's finally done! And most of all, it's one of my favorite parts in the series!
Review, please!