Author's Note

Sorry this chapter took a while, I took a break and decided it was a good time to revise the story. I didn't add anything huge, just a few details I thought weren't explained clearly, but mainly grammar and punctuation errors. anyways, here's the chapter! this is an action packed one.

guest - I am yet to watch the movies, but I don't mind adding non-canon characters since I am already adding original characters, so Bullet is not completely off the table.

DoubleM7 - always happy to hear your thoughts, bro! the fights are harder to write than I initially thought, but hopefully I am getting them right. glad the Ririka scene affected some people as I was hoping! Shu already got his W against Mihawk, so that's enough wins for him today, lol. oh god Onigumo, what have I created?!

O0DBL0O - welcome back, things weren't the same without you! sorry to inform you Sainless isn't gonna have a good time this chapter, lol. I think I might have made him a little bit too cruel, too late to go back now.

O0DBL0O - this chapter was also my favorite to write, t least until this one. you don't have an idea how hard naming attacks is for me, but I am getting lucky and finding some good names.

Enough discussion already, here's the chapter!

East Blue - Yotsuba Region - Shells Town - Marine 153rd Branch - Dungeon

"Where is the key, Where is the key..." Buggy panicked as he looked through Shu's clothes quickly, unable to find it.

"What is taking you so long, Buggy?!" Belle-mere shouted.

"I can't find the stupid key!" Buggy said frustrated, as he continued searching.

"Look under his hat!" Belle-mere suggested.

"Don't be stupid, who the fuck hides a key under their hat!" Eddie yelled at Belle-mere. Buggy decided to listen to her suggestion, lifting Shu's hat, to find the key indeed hidden under it.

"There it is!" Buggy celebrated. Belle-mere smirked at Eddie with a proud look. Buggy then ran to the door to unlock it. But suddenly a giant shadow appeared in front of Buggy. It was Onigumo with his hybrid from, ready to cut Buggy into pieces.

"AAAAAAH! IT'S A MONSTER!" Buggy panicked, trying to run for his life, but it was too late. Onigumo indeed cut him to a hundred pieces with his 8 sabers as he screamed in agony.

"Buggy!"

"Clown!" Belle-mere and Crocodile cried.

"Looks like I made it on time to catch the cornered rats." Onigumo said with a smug smirk on his face. Onigumo then scanned the area to see Mihawk and Shu's fallen bodies.

"Shu, you useless trash. You couldn't do something as simple as guard the dungeon. All you had to do was fight an opponent who is weak to your useless ability that you rely so much on." Onigumo scorned his subordinate, not even giving him credit for weakening Mihawk. Onigumo then grabbed Shu's barely conscious body by his neck. "That's the reason why I don't need comrades or subordinates, I can just do everything on my own. I only send them on tasks I'm not in the mood for." Shu looked angry at Onigumo's heartless remarks. "The marines do not allow me go solo, so why not use the scum for my entertainment." Onigumo laughed.

"Damn you, Onigumo..." Shu said under his breath, which Onigumo heard. "I always carry on my mission, I always do the job, no matter how. The end justifies the means." Shu said while coughing, barely muttering the words. "I was the most competent of your subordinates, and yet..." Shu grabbed Onigumo's hand, rusting it with the last ounce of his power. "And yet you never appreciate my efforts, you ungrateful bastard." Shu said as Onigumo let him go due to his hand rusting and his grip weakening.

"Fool. You will die here with these criminals." Onigumo said in a low but angry voice. "I do not overlook criminals. Treachery is the worst crime." Onigumo's arm was completely rusted all the way to his neck, but Onigumo still had his six additional spider arms, which he used to slash through Shu, leaving multiple scars next to the ones Mihawk left on him earlier. "Good riddance."

'He's finally got his eyes off me, now is my chance... Assemble!' Buggy thought as he slowly reformed, Buggy tried to open the door again but Onigumo noticed him. 'Crap, he noticed me!' Buggy thought while tears of fear flew from his eyes.

"So you survived, Clown." Onigumo said as he grabbed the fleeing Buggy by his neck. "You must be a devil fruit user... what is your power though..." Onigumo said as he grabbed the terrified Buggy closer to him for closer inspection.

'Oh god. I am dead, I am dead, somebody save me!' Buggy panicked. 'This guy must have defeated Shanks, which means I am the only one left!' the sudden realization made Buggy even more.

"If swords don't work on you... then I will choke you to death." Onigumo said with a sadistic smile, choking Buggy to death.

'Think, Buggy, think!' Buggy said, barely hanging on for his life. 'Wait, I got it. This is my last chance.' Buggy finally got an idea. "CROCODILE, HELP ME!" Buggy said as he shot his hand that was holding the key at the door. The hand put the key into the keyhole and twisted it, finally opening the door to freedom for the prisoners.

Crocodile kicked the door open and charged at Onigumo, headbutting him in the head with all his might, making him drop Buggy. The other prisoners lead by Belle-mere and Eddie followed.

"Now is the time for my revenge, you arachnid freak!" Crocodile said with a crazy smirk on his face. "Buggy, unlock my cuffs."

"Right away!" Buggy said, quickly sending his hand towards Crocodile, but Onigumo used one spider hand to grab Buggy's hand, two more to pin Buggy's body, and the last three to pin Crocodile's body to the ground.

"I'd rather not deal with your logia powers again, Desert King." Onigumo said while pinning the duo. But rising from the dead, catching everyone by surprise, Mihawk got up and sent an 'Eagle Cannon' at Onigumo's arms, forcing him to disengage to avoid the attack.

"Buggy, now!" Crocodile commanded

"Too late, pirates!" Onigumo extended his arms again within split seconds from retracting them, pinning the duo once again. But Onigumo was the one who was too late, as within said split seconds, Crocodile adapted to the change of events with exceptional quick thinking and called to Buggy to snap him out from the shock. Buggy indeed was able to unlock Crocodile's cuffs just before Onigumo's hands pinned them to the ground again.

Crocodile dissolved into sand in Onigumo's grip, making the Commodore slightly panic, he let Buggy go and turned around to anticipate Crocodile's next attack. Crocodile swung his hook at Onigumo which he blocked with his sabers.

"Buggy, Belle-mere, grab the injured and get the hell out of here." Crocodile commanded to which his crewmates complied. Buggy went to Mihawk and helped him walk, Eddie did the same to Otto. Belle-mere decided to save the unconscious Shu too, but she grabbed a rifle from one of the marines to make up for the rifle the marines confiscated from her. The other prisoners followed Belle-mere's example and some of them helped the unconscious marine soldiers escape their death.

"Since you keep saying you will bury us here, I will show you a true burial!" Crocodile declared as he flew away, avoiding Onigumo's attacks. 'Sables!' Crocodile made tornados of sand that kept getting bigger until they went out of control, destroying the dungeon.

"What are you doing, you fool!" Onigumo said with panic. Crocodile fought Onigumo to prevent him from escaping the crumbling dungeon.

"This place will be your literal graveyard, you son of a bitch!" Crocodile said as the dungeon started falling apart, the roof fell down, rubbles blocked the entrance, and the dungeon that kept hundreds of innocent prisoners for years was no more.

"What the fuck is happening back there, is your friend gonna be okay?!" Eddie cried.

"Don't worry, he got this." Belle-mere said with a confident grin on her face, and as if on cue, grains of sand found their way out of the blocked entrance and formed into Crocodile, who caught up to the others.

"Nice work, Crocodile." Mihawk said with a smirk on his face, being helped by Buggy.

"Couldn't have done it without you, Mihawk." Crocodile smirked too as the two shared a hearty laugh. They may have not noticed it at the time, but the bond between these four people, only gathered together because of a common Captain, was little by little getting stronger.

The group ran out of the building, which looked like it would collapse at any moment due to the dungeon's destruction. They finally made it to the courtyard, ready to leave and finally get their freedom. But standing at the door were men that would be obstacles on their quest for freedom, three to be precise. Captain Stainless, Captain Comil and Captain Cancer were guarding the gate.

"Captain Comil, we finally did it, we took down Onigumo!" Eddie said with an excited grin on her face, as if she is a child who saw her parents returning with a big of candy.

"I am glad to hear that." Comil said, but his expression didn't seem to reflect said gladness.

Meanwhile, Belle-mere and Buggy ran to Shanks' unconscious bloodied body. "Shanks!" Belle-mere cried, hugging her Captain's body. "Get a hold of yourself, Shanks!" Belle-mere was starting to tear, as her Captain was not responding. Mihawk and Crocodile made their way to them too and looked in concern.

"Oh chill, guys." Buggy said with a bored expression.

"What do you mean? He is not responding!" Belle-mere said while shaking Shanks.

"zzzzzzz..." Belle-mere got her response finally, in the form of snoring.

"That idiot... is sleeping..." Belle-mere was starting to get angry, as Mihawk and Crocodile were amused by their captain's idiocy.

"I think you should let him sleep, he hasn't had a good night's sleep being worried for you." Mihawk said. Belle-mere looked at Shanks with a genuine smile, moved by his concern for her.

"Alright, you idiot, have a good rest, it's all over." Belle-mere chuckled.

"YOU BASTARD!" their gazes were shifted towards the scene happening at the gate. Eddie was shouting at Comil. "I thought you were a good marine, Captain. I thought you were forced by Onigumo, but corruption runs in your blood, fuckin' marines!"

"Say what you will, I won't let filthy pirates escape my grip." Comil said with a calm voice. "I am only asking you to wait until we arrest the pirates, and then we will let you go."

"And we are not going to let you arrest these pirates." Otto said, getting up from his good nap. "Do your worst, they're our saviors, we won't let you take them."

"YEAH!" the other prisoners agreed.

"Helping a criminal is a crime, kids." Comil said in a concerned voice.

"You don't get it, do you?" Eddie said in an angry voice. "We are not gonna believe this bullshit anymore. 'Pirates' and 'Marines' are just labels, they mean nothing. These guys, despite being pirates, saved us from a slow, painful death. And the marines, bringers of justice, are the ones hurting us for no reason. You bastards should go to jail! The marines are nothing more than a fucking glorified criminal organization!" Eddie cried. Comil, Stainless and Cancer closed their eyes, not knowing how to respond to Eddie's word, which they know deep down that they are true.

"What did I tell you, Eddie?" Eddie and Otto turned around to see Belle-mere, Crocodile, Mihawk and Buggy standing side by side. "I chose to be a pirate, this is the path I chose, and I don't regret it." Belle-mere said with a confident smile.

"The civilians aren't meant to defy the marines, that's our job." Crocodile said.

"What do you guys mean?" Otto said with a confused look.

"What they're saying is... if they won't move..." Mihawk declared, gripping his sword, Belle-mere got in a fighting stance, Crocodile started to dissolve, and Buggy pointed his dagger claws forward.

"WE WILL MAKE THEM MOVE!" the four of them said in unison, as they started attacking the marines. Belle-mere hit a jumping kick on Stainless which he blocked with his sword, Crocodile rushed forward and reformed, attacking Comil with his hook which he also blocked with his sword. Buggy's dagger claws shot at Cancer who shoved them away with his sword, and Mihawk dashed forward swinging his sword at Cancer and clashed with him.

"That's right, stay out of it, kids. This is a classic battle between marines and pirates, we do not intend to hurt you no more." Comil declared. The matches were decided, who will win, marines or pirates?

"Go get him, guys! I will protect Shanks!" Buggy said, bravely making his retreat from the fights.

"Clown, I already took down one in the dungeon." Mihawk said with a serious expression, while blocking Cancer's attacks.

"You can fight two, Mihawk!" Buggy cheered for his crewmate. "You want to be The World's Strongest Swordsman, right? Beating two guys should be nothing!"

"I wasted my time training you, so halt your cowardice and put it to use." Mihawk said, blocking Cancer's last attack before falling down, fainting from his gaping stab wounds that he didn't find a chance to cover them.

'Crap, I forgot about his wounds. He really is in no condition to fight.' Buggy thought to himself while tears gushed from his eyes.

"Hey, you over there!" Cancer shouted at Buggy. "Turn yourself in or I will bring you with force."

"You aren't gonna take me alive!" Buggy said while running for his life, Cancer comically chased him.

Belle-mere vs Marine Captain Stainless

"Hey, thank you for earlier." Belle-mere thanked Stainless for standing up to her when she was getting bullied by Shu's men.

"Don't mention it, what these guys did was inexcusable. I was only doing my job." Stainless said with no expression on his face, he didn't want to fight the guys who took down Onigumo, but nobody is above the law.

"You are not so bad, Stainless-san." Belle-mere chuckled, while blocking Stainless' attacks with her rifle.

"Stop pretending like we are the criminals here, filthy pirate." Stainless was getting flushed as his attacks were becoming more reckless. Belle-mere went for a kick but Stainless blocked it with his sword. Belle-mere pushed herself with all her might, launching herself away from Stainless, she took her rifle and shot at Stainless, which he blocked with his sword.

"If I hadn't met this guys, I would've become a corrupt marine like you." Belle-mere said while jumping to punch Stainless who he grabbed her wrist and sent her away.

"I'd rather be a 'corrupt' marine than be a criminal!" Stainless charged at Belle-mere swinging his sword.

"What's the difference?" Belle-mere chuckled, blocking his swing with her rifle. "I didn't know Marine Captains would be so weak. Even a civilian with one month of combat training is enough to defeat one." Belle-mere said confidently while jumping away to cover the distance, to which Stainless laughed.

"Hahahaha! Your overconfidence is what lead to your capture. You really believe that I'd lose to a little girl like you?!" Stainless smirked and sheathed his sword. "I will show you the true difference between us, brat!" Stainless stretched his arms, letting Belle-mere attack him. "Give me your strongest punch!"

"But I... never mind." Belle-mere smiled confidently before stretching her fist behind her. 'Pink Force Punch!' Belle-mere comically mimicked Shanks' punch, but she was much slower as she couldn't use Shanks' Soru-like ability. Belle-mere delivered her strongest punch to Stainless' face. "How is that, bastard?"

"Is that your best?" Stainless replied, shocking Belle-mere. Belle-mere thought he was bluffing, so she kept punching him over and over, and he stayed unmoved.

'Is the difference in strength so huge?! Even my strongest punches don't work on him!' Belle-mere panicked, palming Stainless repeatedly with all her might. Stainless thought he had enough toying with the girl and he punched her in the face with all his might, sending her into a wall.

"BELLE-MERE!" Eddie called out to her friend who was getting beaten easily by the Marine Captain. 'I can't believe it, are these guys too strong for them?' Eddie's eyes twitched. Suddenly, the prisoner's hope was starting to fade again, after being raised with Mihawk defeating Shu and Crocodile burying Onigumo in the dungeon, they were suddenly hit with the harsh reality that they still got more Marine Captains to worry about, their freedom is still a far off dream now.

"Do you get it now, brat? You had no chance from the start!" Stainless laughed. "One month of training, you say? Well I had several years of training, so there's no way I will lose to a weak girl like you!" Stainless taunted confidently. "You should've stayed on your home island and worked in a farm or something." Stainless laughed.

"You talk too much, Stainless-san." Belle-mere said, starting to get angry. "If you say any more, I will lose all my respect for you." Belle-mere wiped the blood from the punch off her mouth. "I am sick of hearing this remark over and over, I've heard it enough for a lifetime in the past 24 hours. No matter what I say, I keep hearing it. So I must use actions instead of words." Belle-mere started to get up and brushed the dust off her clothes. "You punch well, Stainless." Belle-mere said, dropping the honorific from his name. "Is that all you got?!" Belle-mere has an intimidating but confident smirk on her face.

"Hahahaha! You're a teenager after all! Mimicking my words like a parrot, without having weight behind them." Stainless taunted the girl. "That's my best, but my best is hurting you, unlike your best, weakling."

"My best?" Belle-mere tilted her head.

"You said these were your strongest punches." Stainless answered, raising his eyebrow, confused at Belle-mere's reaction.

"Yes, but that's far from my best." Belle-mere answered with a stoic face.

"What are you trying to say, idiot! Bluffs won't work on me!" Stainless was starting to get angry at the teenager playing dumb.

"You told me to deliver my strongest punch, but if you really want the best I've got, then you asked for it." Belle-mere smiled, regaining her confidence as she dashed forward. 'Charming Kick!' Belle-mere roundhouse kicked Stainless in the neck, slamming him into the ground.

"Ahhh!" Stainless gasped. Everyone is shocked to see the sudden display of strength by the girl.

'Trowel Kick!' Belle-mere raised her leg upwards and hit and axe kick on Stainless who was trying to get up, earning herself another gasp of pain from the man. 'Elegant Punt!' Belle-mere finished her combo with a powerful punt kick to the face of Stainless, sending him several feet away.

"What is this?! How did you get so strong suddenly?!" Stainless said, slowly getting up, blood covering his face.

"I didn't. You said you wanted to see my strongest punch, and I wouldn't call my kicks 'punching'." Belle-mere grinned.

"You were toying with me, a girl like you?! I trained for years, there's no way you can get that much stronger in a month." Stainless was angry.

"Don't underestimate these legs." Belle-mere raised one leg in the air. "Running from an entire village for a decade finally paid off, after all."

"You trickster!" Stainless realized he underestimated his opponent. "Alright brat, this won't work on me twice, I am more prepared now." Stainless got up and grabbed his sword from its sheath. "Now block this!" Stainless swung his sword at Belle-mere, which she blocked with her rifle, she struggled a bit but she managed to shove Stainless' sword away.

'Disarmer!' Belle-mere powerfully kicked the grip of Stainless' sword, sending it away and effectively disarming him. Stainless punches Belle-mere but she dodged it and spun around. "Now for the finishing touches."

"What?!"

'Disfiguration Heel!' Belle-mere hit a devastating vertical upwards kick where the heel of her sandal hit Stainless' jaw, cracking it and sending him flying away.

"AAAAHH!" Stainless gasped in pain. His eyes turned white and he spit blood from the powerful attack. Stainless then landed a few feet from Belle-mere, not moving.

"Now that's a Makeover!" Belle-mere taunted.

"Amazing!" Eddie and Otto had stars in their eyes at Belle-mere's graceful finish.

"When did she get so strong?!" Buggy had his mouth open in surprise.

"Not bad, kid." Crocodile had a proud look on his face.

"Name's 'Flower Leg' Belle-mere, the Pretty Flower of the Red Hair Pirates. Remember the name, for it will shake the world one day." Belle-mere said with on her face.

"BELLE-MERE!" The prisoners hail for the new female pirate in town.

Buggy 'The Clown' vs Marine Captain Cancer

"I am sick of this game already." Cancer was getting annoyed with chasing Buggy around.

"You will never catch me alive!" Buggy ran away, laughing. 'That's right, stupid marine. I will just keep distracting you until the others finish their fights.' Buggy thought to himself.

"So that's all you are good for, huh?" Cancer said with a mocking voice. "I was wondering why a crew consisting of Desert King, Hawkeye and an anonymous strong person would need that girl and a pitiful clown. The girl proved to be stronger than she looks, but now I know what the clown is for."

"What?" Buggy raised an eyebrow.

"A clown's job is to entertain the crowd by making a fool out of themselves, right? With their stupid big red nose..." Cancer stopped mid-sentence when he saw Buggy had stopped in his tracks.

"Take that back." Buggy said with a serious voice, while his back still turned to Cancer.

"Hm?" Cancer tilted his head but then realized what was happening. "Oh, you don't like me making fun of your nose? Well it is the most stupid nose I have ever seen in my life." Cancer laughed.

"I am the great pirate, Buggy 'The Clown'. How dare you mock my nose, you lowlife marine? I will show you who is the one making a fool out of themselves." Buggy charged at Cancer recklessly, but the Marine Captain made quick work of him, cutting him into pieces.

"You are an idiot for falling into my trap." Cancer smirked.

"Hey, I am right here!" Buggy's parts reformed behind Cancer.

"What the..." Cancer turned around with a shocked expression, but elected to slash him again. Buggy detached his upper body from lower body to dodge the attack.

"Nope, didn't hurt me." Buggy stuck out his tongue.

"Grrr... Bastard." Cancer went for his neck and tried to slash at it.

'Chop-Chop Emergency Escape!' Buggy shot his head in the air, which freaked out Cancer. Cancer jumped in the air and slashed his head into pieces. "...Wanna hear a joke?" Buggy said while split into piece.

"That's the Buggy I know!" Belle-mere said while laughing, Crocodile was smiling too.

"What are you?!" Cancer said with a horrified expression on his face.

"I said it before. I am the great pirate Buggy 'The Clown', you fool!" Buggy declared with confidence.

"You are a monster!" Cancer said with a shaky voice, dropping his sword and running away. Buggy started chasing Cancer, ironically creating the opposite of what was happening a few minutes ago.

"There's no escaping the almighty Buggy!" Buggy then split his body into multiple parts. 'Chop-Chop...' Buggy's parts surrounded Cancer from all direction, who looked with wide open eyes that could be seen even behind his glasses. '...Festival!' Buggy's various body parts shot at Cancer, hitting him from all directions, his hands punching him, his feet kicking him, his other body parts crashing into him. Buggy finished it with a headbutt to Cancer's forehead, breaking his sunglasses and knocking him unconscious.

"I am not getting one upped by you, Belle-mere. So let me have my cool introduction." Buggy smiled, pointing at himself. "Name's Buggy 'The Clown', the Vice Captain of the Red Hair Pirates. Remember the name, for I will be the richest man in the world one day!"

"Showoff." Belle-mere said, rolling her eyes.

"Who cares, Belle-mere is cooler." Otto, Eddie and the other prisoners said in a bored voice. Buggy's jaw dropped, he was speechless, and his eyes were wide open.

'Desert King' Sir Crocodile vs Marine Captain Comil

"So you have this strange ability too, huh? I will to learn it one day or I will keep running into trouble." Crocodile said while dodging Comil's slashes, as the Captain had Armament Haki as well.

"I may be a Captain, but I am far more experienced than everyone else in this base." Comil said, continuing to attack Crocodile with his two katanas. He indeed looked much older than the rest.

"Yet you were overthrown by an insect." Crocodile taunted with a smug smile on his face. He tried to anger Comil, and it worked.

"Silence, Desert King. You're not one to talk." Comil blocked Crocodile's hook with one sword and slashed him across the chest with the other, where Onigumo wounded him, cutting the bandages Belle-mere used on him in the dungeon, causing Crocodile to gasp in pain. "I owe you one for taking down this monster, but I can't let a ruthless pirate like you escape to the world at any cost." Crocodile held his chest in pain.

'That bastard, at this rate, my wound will re-open.' Crocodile gritted his teeth. 'I was barely able to destroy the dungeon and get this far because of the bandages and my devil fruit powers which give me a recovery boost, but the wounds are too deep this time, so I am yet to recover. '

"Don't drop your guard." Comil said, attacking Crocodile with both sword, which he blocked with his hook. Crocodile dissolved his other hand into sand, which then reformed before Comil and grabbed him, slamming him into the ground. Crocodile reformed on top of Comil and tried to stab him with his hook but Comil barely blocked it with his sword. After a power struggle, Comil attempted to slash Crocodile with his other sword, but Crocodile dissolved into and to dodge it.

"'Desert King' Sir Crocodile, a pirate with 27 million beri bounty. The one who gather a strong crew of elites and they were able to take down one of Whitebeard's Commanders." Comil said what he knew about his opponent. "I heard about the incident where you were betrayed by your crew, but why would a notorious Pirate Captain like you join some kid's crew." Comil wondered.

"I am under no obligation to tell you anything." Crocodile denied him an answer. 'Desert Spada!' Crocodile sent his strong blade-like wave, which Comil was barely able to dodge, but it sliced through the wall behind him. Comil ran towards Crocodile, Crocodile tried to stop him by repeating the move, but Comil was able to dodge them. 'Desert Spada!' Crocodile hit it when Comil was a few feet away from him, but this time, Comil found it hard to dodge, so he had to jump over it. 'Barchan!' Crocodile created a crescent-like stream of sand that caught the airborne Comil off guard. Comil tried to block it with one of his katanas, but the katana was dissolved into sand by Crocodile's attack. But luckily for him, it bought him enough time to regroup and jump away from his opponent.

"Looks like your reputation speaks for you, Sir Crocodile. You're stronger than I perceived." Comil admitted, clenching his teeth angrily for losing one of his weapons. 'Bean Splitter!' Comil delivered a very powerful air slash towards Crocodile. Crocodile panicked from the attack, but was barely able to split his body in half to dodge it, the slash created an explosion behind him.

'If this attack reached me, I will be done for, I must dodge it at any cost.' Crocodile dissolved into sand and moved at a great speed, making it hard for Comil to hit him. Comil kept going for the attack nonetheless. 'My wound is starting to reopen, I can't move at this speed for too long. I need to finish this fast.'

"For how long do you intend to keep running, Crocodile." Comil said while continuing to send his slashes at Crocodile.

"You picked a fight with a fish in water." Crocodile said, making note of the fact the yard is made entirely of sand. "But I don't need to use this advantage to beat a weakling like you." Crocodile then shot his hand forward. 'Desert Grande Spada!' Crocodile sent a huge wave this time, making it impossible for Comil to dodge, the huge wave slashed through Comil, making him gasp and cough blood, before dropping his sword. Crocodile then appeared in front of Comil, grabbing his lifeless body, and forming a sand dagger in his hand, ready to stab him.

"CROCODILE, NO!" Belle-mere tried to stop him from killing the man.

"Why do you want me to spare this pig? He deserves to rot in hell." Crocodile said with a cold expression.

"We already defeated them, we won! We don't need to go that far and shed more blood!" Belle-mere said with an angry voice.

"Stop your naiveté, this is the cruel world we live in. It's kill or be killed."

"If that's how you think, then how does that make you any different from Onigumo?!" Belle-mere shouted with tears in her eyes. Crocodile was speechless, but he was fuming as he was producing much more smoke from his cigarette.

"What do you want from me, you copycat?! Ever since I met you, you keep acting like this woman, like a ghost hunting me from beyond the grave!" Crocodile shouted at Belle-mere.

"I am not copying anyone, stupid! I am saying what a human being would say, so stop trying to act like the monster you simply aren't."

"Leave me alone, brat! People like you are the ones who die in the end, this is no fairy tale." Crocodile dropped Comil and walked away.

"Why did Shanks have to bring someone troublesome like him onboard?" Belle-mere sighed. Meanwhile with Buggy, he was looking around for something.

'Now where's the treasure room of this base?' Buggy said with a stupid grin on his face, as he headed towards the building.

"Where are you going, Clown?" Buggy stopped in his tracks when he heard the stoic voice of Mihawk from behind him.

"NOWHERE!" Clown chuckled nervously. "You're awake, I thought you passed out from your wound."

"I didn't."

"Oh, that's good to hea- WAIT A MINUTE!" Buggy's sentence was cut by the sudden realization. "YOU FELL ON PURPOSE TO LET ME FIGHT BY MYSELF?!"

"As I said, I desired to see the fruits of your training."

"DON'T GIVE ME THAT CRAP, YOU LAZY BASTARD!" Buggy shouted with shark teeth at Mihawk. Unlike the mood in Belle-mere and Crocodile's conversation, these two decided to quarrel instead.

"You guys were so cool! You took down every single one of the Captains like they were nothing!" The prisoners ran towards the crew.

"That's right, it was I who take down all the enemies. BUGGY THE CLOWN, VICE CAPTAIN OF THE RED HAIR PIRATES!" Buggy stole all the credit for himself, which made the crew sigh. "NOT EVEN THIS ONIGUMO BASTARD CAN TAKE DOWN THE ALMIGHTY BUGGY THE CLOWN!" Buggy bragged, but he would soon eat his words, as they heard something moving from destroyed dungeon, and coming towards them. "AAAAAH! HE SURVIVED!" Buggy shouted, hiding behind Mihawk.

"You pirates pushed your luck. No one escapes the Demon Spider's web of fear." Onigumo said as he rose from the ashes, exiting the building. The prisoners turned around to escape the base, but Onigumo shot spider webs at the gates to prevent them from opening. "Neither pirates, nor criminals, nor treacherous marines."

"Onigumo, you fuckin' bastard!" Eddie said in anger. "WHY WON'T YOU DIE ALREADY?!" Eddie ran towards Onigumo recklessly, but Otto grabbed Comil's katana and charged at Onigumo, blocking his attack before he could slash Eddie.

"Idiot, don't go dying on me after I dragged you into all of this." Otto said with a serious expression his face.

"Otto..." Eddie said with tears in her eyes, she felt great despair after thinking the nightmare was over, now it is back with full force.

"Don't tear, Eddie, you are stronger than that." Otto said, wiping the tears off his friend, but their moment was interrupted by Onigumo who tried to slash Otto, Otto turned around blocking the attack. "This time, I will protect you for real." Otto started attacking Onigumo was all his might.

"Otto, you don't have to do this..." Eddie said with a weak voice as she watched her friend fight an opponent much stronger than him. Eddie started remembering all the times Otto protected her from bullying when they were children. Even recently, he chose to be executed first to give Eddie a chance to live longer. Eddie would've starved to death already had the Red Hair Pirates not come to save the day. But now it is futile as they are all going to die here.

"I don't even know who you are, brat. Be gone." Onigumo overpowered Otto and went to stab him, but a hook blocked his attack, and Crocodile appeared in front of him.

"I don't know what kind of monster you are to be able to escape from the rubbles, but I won't lose twice to you, bastard." Crocodile said with an angry voice. Onigumo was more than just a strong opponent to Crocodile, he embodies what Crocodile could've been had he let himself fall into the dark side.

"Oh but you will, pirate. Don't show your weakness on full display in front of a predator." Onigumo proceeded to stab Crocodile even more in his chest where he was wounded, causing him to gasp and cough blood. "You couldn't defeat me before, what makes you think you stand a chance now?" Crocodile dropped to his knee in pain.

"Leave him alone, freak!" Belle-mere hit a flying kick on Onigumo, who grabbed her leg and tossed her into the wall. Buggy shot his hands at Onigumo who grabbed them, crushing them with his own hands, causing Buggy to scream, before throwing them to the ground.

"Now is your turn, Hawkeye." Onigumo said with a menacing smile.

"As much as I'd like to tear through your limbs, I can't break my promise." Mihawk said with a cold voice.

"Your promise?" Onigumo raised an eyebrow.

"I promised Red Hair I would leave you to him." Mihawk sheathed his sword and stretched his arms, opening himself for attack. "I'd rather die than break a promise I made." Mihawk had a scary smirk on his face, which made even Oigumo's eyes twitch.

"I have never seen anyone so fearless in the face of death. But I will not spare you just because of that." Onigumo grabbed his sabers, ready to attack Mihawk, but he heard voices coming from the city.

"What's that?!" The prisoners looked towards the city, everyone could feel the ground shaking, and footsteps can be heard. The entire town's population have decided to revolt against Onigumo, and they're all here with pitchforks.

"GO TO HELL, ONIGUMO!" one of the townspeople making their way to the base shouted.

"YEAAAAH!" Everyone agreed, as they all ran towards the base, they reached the gate and are all trying to open it, they walls are shaking.

"Hahahaha, so you are all going to revolt against me?" Onigumo challenged the town. "It doesn't matter if it's ten versus one or hundred versus one, no one on this island is gonna escape death today. I can do everything on my own, I can kill everyone in my way, no matter the number."

"WE DON'T FEAR YOU! LEAVE OR WE WILL TEAR YOU TO PIECES!" one of the townspeople shouted to which everyone agreed.

"Fools. What made you like this, what gave you hope. What made you think you can take me down this time?" Onigumo was confused by the villagers' sudden fearlessness.

"BIG BRO IS GONNA BEAT YOU, YOU HEARTLESS MONSTER!" Ririka shouted at Onigumo, gripping the Straw Hat, as if it gave her some new superpowers.

"Red Hair this, Red Hair that. Why do you all believe this rookie can defeat me, I crushed him without breaking a sweat."

"You could say they are placing their bets on him." Mihawk grabbed Gryphon and threw it at the pole, which is next to where Shanks' fallen body is. "Like I am gambling right now."

"That's it, you idiot. I'm gonna put you out of your misery." Onigumo said, about to stab Mihawk, but Otto jumps at Onigumo stabbing him in the side, earning a gasp from the Commodore.

"I commend your bravery and trust, Hawkeye. But I can't promise to not kill this bastard myself." Otto said, twisting the sword inside of Onigumo's side, making him gasp even more. "Now rot in hell, Onigumo!" Otto took his sword out trying to cut his head, but Onigumo spawned his spider arms, which grabbed Otto's hand before the sword landed on Onigumo's neck.

"Don't get carried away because you caught me off guard, weakling." Onigumo grabbed his eight sabers and one of them knocked the sword off Otto's hand. "No one hit me and lived to tell the tale." Onigumo raised his swords in the air.

"STOOOOP!" Eddie ran and threw herself in front of Otto. 'Otto, this time I will be the one to protect you.' Eddie thought, her life flashing before her eyes, she was afraid to die, but she was happy to die protecting her friend. Eddie closed her eyes and awaited her death, but nothing happened. She hear the sound of steel clashing. She opened her eyes to see, in front of her...

"You did well, everyone." in front of her was none other than 'Red Hair' Shanks, blocking Onigumo's swords with his own trusty sword, Gryphon.

"You!" Onigumo said with an angered voice.

"SHAAAAAAAAAAAAAANKS!" Belle-mere and Buggy cried with tears gushing from their eyes.

"BIG BROOO!" Ririka had a similar reaction.

"RED HAIR!" Otto and Eddie said with tears in their eyes, happy they were saved.

"You finally got up, you big-mouthed brat." Crocodile said with a smile on his face.

"Oi, Mihawk! Thank for keeping the sword safe for me." Shanks smiled.

"Don't make me make a promise like this and proceed to get defeated." Mihawk scolded angrily. "If you don't defeat him here, I will kill you."

"You won't need to do that." Shanks chuckled.

"Red Hair, you've come to die?" Onigumo said, preparing to attack Shanks.

"No, I am here to kick your ass!" Shanks disappeared in thin air, appearing in front of Onigumo. 'Dark One-Sword Style: Burning Phoenix!' Shanks slashed Onigumo across the chest, with a fire aura engulfing the blade, burning Onigumo's chest, as he gasps in pain. Suddenly, there was hope for the people of Shells Town and the Red Hair Pirates, as this would be the final showdown that would decide their fate.

To Be Continued

Red Hair Pirates.

'Red Hair' Shanks (15) - Captain

Buggy 'The Clown' (15) – Vice Captain/Lookout

'Hawkeye' Dracule Mihawk (19) - Swordsman/Navigator

'Flower Leg' Belle-mere (16) - Cook

'Desert King' Sir Crocodile (22) - ? - 27,000,000 Beri

Loguetown - Cocoyashi Village - Goat Island - Shells Town -

Hohoho boy, what a chapter! now that everyone got their fights, which was your favorite so far? and what are your thoughts of this arc? this arc is approaching its end already, I won't drop any hints about what the next arc is though, so you will have to wait for that. for now, enjoy this arc!

as always, don't forget to leave a review if you enjoyed, any and all reviews are more than welcome, they keep me going, any criticism is welcome, and that's all for today, I bid you farewell for now!