I can't really think of anything to say. Hm. That's odd because I always have something to say. Uh...te he (Giggles nervously during awkward silence). On with the story!
Chapter 18
Crocodile cracked open his eyes very slowly. He decided against moving since he really didn't know if he even could. He felt like he had just been hit by a ten ton boulder. "What was that?" he thought. His vision was still blured slightly and his head was pounding. "So this is pain. I had forgotten." Crocodile thought. He finally decided it was time to get up.
Crocodile attempted to move his arm. It hurt like heck but he did anyway. Atleast he could still move it. He moved the other one and got similar results. He gritted his teeth as he pushed himself into a sitting position and gazed up to the balcony to see what exactly it was that had hit him.
When he looked up, all he could see was the outline of a figure far above him. It appeared to be a kid. Crocodile knew immediately who it was by the strawhat on the kid's head, regardless of the size of the person wearing it. "How?" was all he could think.
Luffy walked cautiously over to the balcony railing. His steps were slow as the blood flowed from the hole in his stomach. When he had activated Gear Third, the extra air had expanded his chest and reopened the wound along with the sores on his arms. He looked down and surveyed the scene. What he saw was his friends scattered on the ground and most of them looked either half dead or dead. "My friends? They're...they're here?" he thought incredulously. Then he saw Vivi lying against a wall. His heart stopped until he saw she was merely unconscious. Then, he noticed Crocodile staring up at him and immediately turned his attention back to the fight.
"Strawhat!" Crocodile bellowed. His call echoed through the chamber, bouncing off the stone walls. "How are you still alive?"
Luffy's eyes narrowed. He suddenly grew back to normal, the effects of Gear Third having worn off. "You should have learned a long time ago you creep...never leave me for dead!!!" Luffy replied.
Crocodile frowned deeply. "You're more trouble than help kid." he said.
"I'm not a kid anymore!!! I'm the Pirate King and you will learn to respect that title!!!!!" Luffy cried.
This seemed to anger Crocodile. He stood up all the way, ignoring the pain it caused him. "You talk big. I don't know how you ever got where you are today, but I'm going to make sure that ends now. After today, the world will no longer have a "Pirate King." Crocodile said slowly and coldly. He turned into sand and disappeared. Seconds later, he was standing beside Luffy on the balcony.
"Crocodile!" Luffy cried. "Gomu Gomu no Pistol!" He punched and made contact with his target. Crocodile was pushed back a little, but otherwise, he seemed unharmed.
"If that's how you want it." Crocodile said. "Desert Sword!" A line of daggers shot at Luffy who quickly jumped to the side. The attack barely missed.
"I need more room." Luffy thought. "I can't dodge forever up here. I have to get down below us somehow!"
Crocodile, however, didn't care. He immediately began another attack. "Desert Crescent." he said as he turned his hand to sand. He ran toward Luffy in attempt to suck the water from his body.
Luffy jumped back, but unfortunately, he was already backed against the balcony's railing. So, when he jumped back, he stumbled agaisnt the railing and then fell backwards over it's side. As he tumbled down toward the floor, he grabbed his hat in an attempt to keep it from falling.
Crocodile watched him fall. He knew it wouldn't hurt him. He was after all, made of rubber. But, when he saw Luffy put his hand on his hat, he saw his opening. He turned to sand and headed straight toward Luffy. He materialized right above Luffy with his hook raised, the gold cover off. He swung and this time, he made contact, leaving a huge gash on Luffy's chest.
Without his vest on, Luffy had nothing to stop the bleeding. The poison flowed into his blood system with no barrier while the remaining blood flowed out. He hit the ground with a thud while Crocodile turned to sand and landed safely about twenty feet away.
"What was that?" Luffy thought. "I'm sure it was poison, but that didn't feel like that scorpion stuff from last time. That burned!" He felt like his chest was on fire and his insides were exploding. His vision blured and small bursts of pain shot through his body every few seconds. "I'm dying." was his first reaction. "After all the pain and torture, I'm dying now."
Crocodile laughed as he watched Luffy writhe on the floor in pain. "It won't be long now." he thought. Then outloud, "Now that you've had a dose of poison, do you still think you deserve my respect?" he mocked. "I'll tell you what. Since you will soon be dead, I'll humor you." Then, with a mock bow, Crocodile said, "I am here to serve you oh great Pirate King." Then, he laughed.
Luffy heard him. Through the pain and suffering, anger slowly began to take form. "I won't let him get away with this. I can't. I can't die because I still have to save Alabasta for Vivi!"
Crocodile turned his back on Luffy with a smirk on his face. His enemies had been crushed and now they would be buried in this chamber as soon as he sealed it up. Now he had to find Cobra and move on to the final stage of his plan. The rock had been destroyed but Crocodile had already read what he needed prior to it's demise. He chuckled softly to himself, something he rarely did.
"CROCODILE!!!!" someone suddenly called from behind him.
With an annoyed frown, he turned around. This might be a little more difficult then he expected. Then again, his opponent was already in a pitiful state.
Luffy stood, barely, facing Crocodile. Blood flowed from what seemed like every inch of his body. His breathing was short gasps and he looked like a corpse that had suddenly decided to stand up. "Don't ever mock me." he said quietly, but in a voice that was so cold, it would send chills up your spine. He raised his head and his eyes shot daggers.
Crocodile's frown deepened. "Little pest." he muttered. "Who are you to tell me what I can and can't do? So what if you're the Pirate King? So what if you're still standing? You and your life mean nothing to me. I will kill you if the poison doesn't. Look around you because this chamber has suddenly become a crypt. You, your friends, and that worthless princess will die."
"SHUT UP!!!!" Luffy screamed. "I won't let you harm any of them! And if you even lay one finger on Vivi, you will regret it!!!!"
"Will I?" Crocodile asked and then vanished. He soon appeared next to the unconscious Vivi and raised his hook. "She will be the first to die. Watch carefully Strawhat." Crocodile looked over to the place where Luffy was standing, only to find that he had vanished.
"Gomu Gomu no Jet Pistol!" Luffy cried as he appeared behind Crocodile.
Crocodile went flying across the chamber and crashed into one of the pillars. "How did he..." Crocodile wondered as he slowly pushed himself up. That's when he noticed the steam coming off Luffy's body and the pinkish tone of his skin. "What is he?" Crocodile wondered.
"I told you never to touch her, got it?" Luffy asked threatiningly.
Crocodile rubbed the back of his head. He had, after all, hit the pillar pretty hard. He stood up anyway. "So what. You'll hit me? Is that it?" he replied.
Luffy's eyes narrowed.
"Speechless Strawhat? After all those threats, I would think you would be able to come up with something." Crocodile taunted.
Luffy was starting to feel the effects of activating Gear Second. The blood was coming out faster, the poison spreading, and of course, the normal strain on his body due to the speeding of his bloodstream. He was already feeling weak and he knew much more and he would end up killing himself. "I only have a little time." he thought. He glanced down at Vivi with sorrowful eyes. "I love you." he whispered and then turned back to Crocodile. "There can only be one winner in a fight like this. Do you remember what you told me all those years ago about how pirates fight?" Luffy asked.
Crocodile actually smiled. "Until the death." he replied viciously, enjoying the thought.
Luffy nodded. "Then let's find out who gets to live and who dies."
"Then let's begin." Crocodile said.
The pair began running at each other, both determined to be the victor.
"I won't lose." he thought as his speed increased to the point where he disappeared.
"The victor of this fight is already decided." Crocodile thought as he raised his hook, the poison seeping through the holes in the small, silver hook.
"Gomu Gomu no-" Luffy cried.
Crocodile raised his hook.
"Jet Gataling Gun!" Luffy finished.
Crocodile began to slash but never finished. Luffy's fists smashed into his face and various other parts of his body. He was sent flying backwards, Luffy never slowing down in his relentless attack.
Luffy yelled. It was a battle cry that was full of all the pain that he had been through. He thought of Vivi and what he had gone through with her. He thought of Crocodile and how he had been used and finally, he thought of the lives he had almost took. With each thought, his arms stretched farther, and it seemed like his strength increased.
Crocodile was pushed back farther and farther until he smashed into the limestone wall. He didn't stop there. Luffy wasn't finished. He started making an imprint in the wall and eventually, he broke throught the limestone and then into the dirt that was beneath the palace.
With one final yell, Luffy stopped. The chamber fell silent except for the small gasps of breath Luffy was taking. Then, without warning, a loud crumbling sound erupted from the wall around where Crocodile was buried. From the single hole, a thousand cracks ripped through the stone until finally, the wall crumbled apart. It fell and a giant dust cloud rose from the rubble. When it cleared, there was no hole anymore. Crocodile was gone. Forever.
Luffy's body returned back to normal and he suddenly felt very tired. Not wanting to look at the spot where Crocodile was buried alive, he turned away and returned to Vivi. He placed his hat on his head and kneeled next to her. He felt like he was going to faint, but his job wasn't done yet.
"Vivi." he said quietly as he gently tapped her shoulder.
One eye cracked slowly open and then the other. When she saw who was looking at her, she immediately was alert. "Luffy!" she cried happily. She attempted to raise up but when she tried to move, a wave of pain shot through her and she fell.
Luffy gently caught her and helped her up. "Are you okay?" he asked in concern.
"I'm fine. Just a little sore." she replied.
Luffy nodded, althought he was not completely convinced.
Vivi had so many questions she wanted to ask and so many things she wanted to say, but instead, she held her tounge. Now wasn't the time. "Luffy, we have other people to worry about right now." she reminded him.
He nodded, reluctant to leave her side. Still, he slowly stood up.
Vivi stood up beside him. "Over there first." she said indicating the place where Zoro, Sanji, and Chopper lay. She began to walk over there, only to stop when she heard a dull thud behind her. She turned around to find that Luffy had collapsed. "Luffy!" she cried. She rushed back to him and flipped him on his back. She examined the wound on his chest, only to find it had a faint purple liquid seeping out along with the blood. "Poison." she muttered, silently cursing Crocodile. "This wound is big enough to kill. It was a miracle he could even stand." she thought. She looked around at all the people lying around her who needed medical attention and gritted her teeth. As much as she wanted to help Luffy right then, there were others who needed her too. She gently layed Luffy down and stood up. Her body still ached, but that was the farthest thing from her mind. She headed for the passage way to find her father and get help. "Hang on guys!" she thought as she ran off.
So, I haven't writtten an almost completely action chapter in awhile. I think I'm a little rusty. But of course, that's up to you dear readers. (Wink. Wink. Hint. Hint.)
