Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. If I did, I'd be preparing for my tonsil removal surgery. And my cyborg enhancements. I really want to hold Oda to his word on getting that bazooka on his shoulder, but I know I'll just be happy to see more One Piece in two weeks. Apparently there's a lot of potential complications with this kind of medical procedure.
Chopper! Get on your creator's case ASAP! Whatdya mean you can't cross dimensions? Can't the Door Door Use—OH, that's riiiight, Blueno sucks at his power. Damn...
Oda! Quick! Make Blueno have a better imagination ASAP!
alittlebitlate—The best overarching description of Kaijōsei's canon-relationship remains 'For Want of a Nail' AU, to pilfer the ponderings of a certain someone *cough* Phalanx *cough*; As of this posting, I've put that in the description so it can be known. Thank you again for our discussion!
Nurofen—Thank you for your uplifting words! *applauds*
Fairy of the Friz—*reads post-underscore sentence* *re-reads description* *re-reads said sentence* *whistles to self* (Dunno if what interaction you'll find here some large number of chapters away will keep your little fangirl heart fluttering, but I hope it shall suffice); And lo, you always have enough patience that when you ask questions, most are answered the next chapter!
Chapter 5: Changing Beliefs
(Polestar Islands — A Forest North of Loguetown)
In the midst of the Buggy Pirates taking over the Loguetown's main plaza, the Marines made sure to have the civilian populace evacuate away from their homes. The reports of the damage Buggy had done to Orange Town and out in the Organ Islands in general gave them enough reason not to have them simply hide inside, and the man's entrance only solidified that plan.
Luckily enough, the only major property damage that occurred was mostly superficial from the storm, as Buggy didn't set off any bombs this time around.
Despite the crisis being over and the town safe from the Buggy Pirates, the civilians that had been evacuated remained under guard by the Marines. Some of the citizens got irritable at that, but it was quickly revealed that not even the men stationed with them knew what was taking Smoker-Taisa so long to give the all clear.
Despite the low mood, one young girl kept right along with her happy day as she explored the nearby forest they'd been evacuated to, much to her father's chagrin.
"Hey Yū, don't go running off!" the man called out to his daughter, who had climbed partway up a leaning tree and was looking off into the distance. Blond hair blowing in the wind even from underneath her two cyan clips, she bounced happily on the branches as her tan stripped dress with candy-cane collar flowed in the wind. "Come down from there, dear!"
"Daddy!" the blond child called down excitedly as she spied a caravel sailing out from the docks, "There's a sheep-ship sailing out there!"
"Hmmm? Ah, that's nice dear..." the man sighed, trying to calm himself down. "Now please come down from the tree?"
Yū sighed before making her way down. "Yes, Daddy..."
"Thank you, sweetie," her father said with a ruffle of her hair as she rose back up from picking up a blue shoulder bag.
Looking back out towards Loguetown for a moment, she walked back over to her father and tugged on his shirt. "Daddy? Are the bad pirates still attacking?"
Her father blinked before sighing worriedly. "It seems that way, dear. But don't you worry your little head, everything will be just fine."
Contrary to what he expected, his daughter just beamed at that. "I'm not scared, Daddy, cause the good pirates and the Marines will stop them!"
"...good pirates...?"
"Yep! Oh...!" Right... I was supposed to keep that a secret... "H-Haven't you heard? Some of my friends said they heard some grown-ups talking about how some pirates do nice things."
"Hmmm... Well, all right... Just be careful now, sweetie." Sighing, the father patted his daughter's head and went back to talk with some of their neighbors. He was a bit too worried about the current situation to be too concerned with his daughter's notion of piracy, but maybe he'd hear something while he chatted with his fellow citizens.
Meanwhile, Yū just looked back at her hometown, smiled, and whispered a chant of, "Go get 'em, Koala!" before running off to find her friends and play.
—-—-—
(Loguetown — Eastern Harbor)
Honestly, the Marines would love to explain to the citizens of Loguetown why they were still on high alert evacuation, and kept from returning to their homes. Really. But in the end, no one really wanted to be caught holding the empty bag in front of the people they wanted to protect—the bag being the highest-security prison on the island, and the cat being Arlong and his entire crew trying to hijack a ship and escape.
Nor did any of them feel like leaving the bag in the hands of their comrades who were actually guarding the townsfolk was fair; they had done their jobs to the letter and were still doing it.
...they had to stop the pirates first, anyways...
...and Smoker hadn't arrived from catching Straw-Hat Luffy yet...
Yeah...
The downside for Arlong and his crew is that they busted out pretty quickly, before the Marines that dropped them off there could leave. Not that they really thought it'd make a difference, even with Shū-Taisa on board, but they couldn't help but note that it'd make leaving rougher.
The Captain, on the other hand, was rather pissed but slightly happy to be in some action as he and his men moved to clean up what he saw as Smoker's mess; his crew was also rather stir-crazy from their time at Marine Headquarters, and hyped up for a fight.
As it stood, however, just being excited wasn't a good enough match on its own to face down a group of fishmen—already far stronger than the average human—who had a surprisingly large advantage due to the rain, fairly desperate, and not in the mood for fair play.
Their first move? Arlong ripped the prison from the ground and threw it at them.
A lucky handful survived by being scooped up by said penitentiary and grabbed something for dear life, but most of the Marines outpouring from the main gangplanks of the Warship were struck dead in the single toss. The side sprinkling of bricks that fell off of it added up, too.
"You bastard...!" One Marine who had been off to the side spat out through his mustache-beard combo, pulling a large zanbatō off his back that had large points on it like shark teeth. "You and your crew are either leaving here in chains or in a body bag!"
Arlong simply grinned as he ducked the slash casually. "Ah, you've brought Kiribachi (Shark Saw) along for me. How thoughtful." Before the Marine could even swing the weapon again, Arlong leapt in and stabbed him in the chest with his nose. "I'll be taking my weapon back now." With a flick of his neck, the mustached Marine was thrown up onto the deck of the ship while the sawshark fishman took some practice swings out on the nearby Marines trying to stop him.
And giving the leader of the enemy his giant weapon back made it his own mess, not only to Shū's dismay but to his men who knew that it had become his problem and, therefore, theirs as well.
"I hate it when you're right!" one of the Marines on board the ship cried out as he readied his rifle.
Another one nearby slapped the first in the back of the head before doing the same. "Less talking, more shooting!"
"Heh, worthless," A pale ray fishman in a dark blue gi chuckled, ripping a large cutlass from another Marine as the snipers fired. In a flash, he swung his blade out and deflected the shots aimed at them, slashing up a fair number of enemies nearby at the same time. "This is all the Marines can do to stop us?"
Hurrying to reload, the gunners soon found themselves under attack as shots of water fired through their cover. From Arlong's other side, a blue smelt-whiting fishman with puckered lips smirked as his targets scrambled for cover. Following his comrade's example, he nabbed two katana from the defeated and brandished them threateningly. "You think we were just sitting idle all these years? We've been training our asses off to take you Marine bastards down!"
"Is that so...?" From behind him, white smoke enveloped him and hoisted him into the air. Forming at the end of the smoke near the ground, Smoker-Taisa grimaced as he shifted his cigars to one side. "I could say the same here: I've been training my ass off to take you rotten pirates down too!"
"Wantō Giri (Arm Blade Slash)!"
From behind him, the gi-wearing fishman swung at the Captain's neck with the fin on his arm. To the surprise of all humans present, Smoker didn't disperse into smoke and coughed up blood as the attack sent him flying into the wall of the thrown prison, releasing the other fishman from his grasp. Grinning, the ray fishman slid into a solid fighing stance, cutlass sheathed beneath his black belt.
Getting back up and wiping his face, the white-haired Marine grimaced as he stared down the pirate. "What was that...?"
"Didn't you know?" the fishman replied, "Smoke partially consists of water vapor—which leaves you vulnerable to my Gyojin Karate. And the whiter the smoke..." Catching some rain water in his hand, he tossed it casually only for it to fly from his hand at an incredible speed and slam into Smoker's chest, eliciting a painful grunt as he failed again to turn to smoke and coughed up more blood. "...the more water vapor you're made out of."
"That bastard, chu..." the blue fishman muttered as he got to his feet. "I'll kill hi—!"
"Chew..." Pausing, he turned to Arlong who's eyes were shadowed but hands clenched in what he could only assume was anger. "Let Kuroobi handle Smoker... Go with Kaneshiro and the crew to take that Marine vessel. I can trust you to handle any big-shots on board, right?"
Sweating for a moment, Chew let out a cleansing breath before giving his captain a grin. "I gotcha. Alright everybody, we're taking that ship!" Joining with him in a rousing cheer, the fishmen charged onto the warship amidst the fading gunfire and clashing of weapons as Smoker and Kuroobi's fight drifted further away, leaving Arlong alone in the ruined docking area.
"Whoever is hiding back there, you'd best come out before I make you," Arlong spoke out amidst the patter of rain, not bothering to turn to face the direction he knew he was speaking towards. "I may not train in Gyojin Karate like Kuroobi, but I learned enough to sense presences in water; the rain works well enough for me to find a lowly human."
"Oh...?" A feminine voice replied, her voice ringing true somewhere deep within the fishman's memory. "And for what purpose has "Saw-Tooth Arlong" for sensing lowly humans?"
Arlong chuckled. "Besides your reveal? I do find it useful when challenging certain members of the Shichibukai."
The woman chucked back at that, and he could sense her presence walking up to his back. "I take it you mean Jinbe-sama, correct? I suppose against a master of Fishman Karate, being able to sense oncoming attacks would be rather useful indeed."
"-sama...? Human trash like you don't deserve to refer to Jinbe-aniki like that!" The sawtooth shark fishman swung his zanbatō about him but hit nothing but air and rain. Focusing out his senses, he found the moisture in the air far more condensed around him. "What...?"
"Don't be like that, Arlong-san..." Moving to slash again at hearing the voice behind him, the pirate's blade was blocked before he could gain any momentum as it clashed against a twin-kusarigama. And holding the chained weapon stood the woman herself, wearing a red tea-length sundress with a dark-blue belt-like waistline and matching wave-design at the bottom that matched the color of her eyes. Her brown hair was soaked three shades darker in the rain and darkened by the storm, but there was no mistaking the woman that stood before him. "I looked up to all of the Sun Pirates, even you when you weren't being a jerk."
"Koala..."
—-—-—
(Eastern Harbor — Marine Warship — Chew vs Shū)
"Man..." Chew muttered as he and the fishmen charged the vessel, "Even if Arlong isn't pissed at me, I'd be better off not giving him a reason to be, chu. I underestimated that long-nose brat and he got the better of me, and I can't let my guard down anymore!" Turning to the men, he gave them a forward motion with one of his katana. "I'll take down their defenses, you charge the topside!"
As the crew charged up the gangplank or dove into the ocean, the smelt-whiting fishman dipped his mouth in to the ocean, filling up with seawater until his stomach expanded tremendously. At his side, a pink-skinned fishman with large blue fins on the side of his head grabbed his shoulder. "Aim for the cannons on the broadside—some damage to the wall isn't too hard of a fix once we're out of here."
"Understood, Kaneshiro. Mizu Taihō (Water Cannon)!" In an instant the whole glob was fired out at the ship, smashing into the side of the warship and blowing a massive hole in the hull. "There's another entrance, charge on in! Hyappatsu Mizudeppō (Hundred-Shot Water Gun)!" Instead of firing one large blob, Chew started spitting out shots of water at high speeds at the Marines now revealed by his previous attack.
Before the attack could reach them it was intercepted as rubbish was thrown in the way, turning orange-red as it spread itself wide and walled the side of the ship closed. Not only did it stop the shots, but the hole was sealed up preventing the pirates from entering that way.
Chew grimaced before drinking up more water. "Tch... A Devil's Fruit User... The rest of you board the ship from the deck; I'll handle this one. Mizu Taihō!" Firing another large blast that blew away the substance, the fishman officer leapt into the hole as the material returned and closed the breach.
Waiting for him was a Marine in the usual officer wares trimmed to their liking, save for the newsboy-styled cap and the veil about his face. Two dark-orange braces on his wrists shifted as the man moved to a low stance with his arms outstretched. "You got through I see..." He spoke lowly, "I take it you're one of Arlong's best?"
Grinning, he shifted the two katana in his hands. "Yep, Arlong Pirate Officer Chew, ready and willing to kill your crew. Mizudeppō (Water Gun)!" Shooting a long burst of water, the Marine ducked it and charged in. The fishman swung a katana at him expecting him to dodge into his prepared shot, only for his opponent to ignore the blade completely and reach for his face. "Woah there!" Backing off while extending the swing, Chew looked down to find his blade weakening before his eyes. "What is this...? Rust?"
"Indeed. I ate the Sabi Sabi no Mi (Rust Rust Fruit) and became a Rust Man. By touching me, your blade has oxidized and become weak. The rain is a rather nice bonus, as rusting goes faster with the moisture." Charging ahead and kicking out at him, the fishman blocked with his blades on instinct, only for the rusted sword to shatter and the other to rust and crumble as the Marine landed made to grab his throat.
"How's this for moisture? Mizudeppō!" Spitting another burst of water out, he forced the man to dodge as he gained some distance. "You got a name, rust trash? Or are you only going to show off your fancy power, chu? Hyappatsu Mizudeppō!"
"Sabi Kabe (Rust Wall)!" Grabbing a nearby rifle, the Marine threw it towards the fishman as the whole thing began turning to rust and spread into a thin barrier. Taking the hits until the attack ended, the wall crumbled to the floor revealing the man ready to leap into the fray once again. "I am Shū, a Captain from Marine Headquarters, and I'll be taking you into custody!"
—-—-—
(At The Same Time — South-Eastern Harbor — Smoker vs Kuroobi)
"White Blow!"
"Gyojin Karate: Hyakumaigawara Seiken (Fishman Karate: Hundred Tile True Punch)!"
Fist empowered by smoke billowing forward met its grey webbed match as Smoker and Kuroobi's techniques collided. Gritting his teeth with a smile, Kuroobi slid back against the force as Smoker clenched his other hand against the extended arm. "White Out!" Using the smoke from the arm, he tried to envelop the fishman and lift him into the air.
"You don't learn very quick, do you?" The martial artist chuckled as he began to spin around, "I'm practically in the ocean like this! Itomaki Kumite (Devilfish Sparring)!" From the spiral a black thread launched out through the smoke, trailing damage through the arm before wrapping around the Captain's neck.
Choking as it wringed his throat tighter, Smoker looked down as he tried to free himself. "Ack... Hair...?"
With a spin in the other direction, Kuroobi dragged Smoker in through his own retracting smoke. "Gyojin Karate: Ka Ka Kakato Otoshi (Fishman Karate: Fire Flower Heel Drop)!" From the spin, he slammed his heel into Smoker's dragged head and sent him straight down to the cobblestone, dispersing the smoke as he retracted his own hair and caught water in his hands and threw it. "Uchimizu!"
"White Vine!" Turning to smoke, the Marine swirled around the pirate as he dodged the water bullets and rose behind him, swinging his jitte as his upper half formed behind him.
"You think that'll work on me because it's not made of smoke?" the ray fishman taunted as he drew his stolen cutlass and deflected the strike—avoiding the kagi that would mean his disarming—before instantly dividing the Taisa's torso into fractions of floating smoke, leaving his head floating by itself. "Hissatsu: Jōdan Bakushō (Certain Kill: High-Rank Exploding Palm)!" Slamming his open palm into Smoker's chin, the smoke it turned to went shooting into the sky too fast for the cry of pain to carry.
Reforming back on the ground as his opponent landed, Smoker brandished his jitte before him as he panted. The hits just keep coming, and he's a skilled swordsman to boot...! Are fishmen really this much stronger? Or is it just my ability that means I take greater damage?
Tsk, how irritating... Despite the clear lead in the fight, Kuroobi thought to himself much of the same as he resumed his own stance. Not one, but two humans survived that blow from underwater-like conditions... And this man is a Marine Captain; have I really grown so weak to fall behind these inferior... No...
"Hmmm...?" Smoker paused as his opponent changed his stance with a loud exhale before staring at him solemly. "Looks like you've got something to say..."
"Not to you, particularly..." the marital artist replied as he took another cleansing breath. "It seems I've let arrogance blind my judgment for too long; I'll have to redouble my training and my focus. In any case, it seems you're a decent opponent, but I cannot fall here!"
He's kicking me up and down the street, and he thinks he's going soft? Smoker tightened his hold on his weapon as he charged forward. "I'll end this here and now! You pirate scum won't leave my city!"
A small smile grew on Kuroobi's face at that. "Your city, huh..." Arrogance after all... With that last thought, he charged as well with cutlass at the ready. "Let's see if your justice can protect it!"
—-—-—
(Meanwhile — An Alley Off of Main Street)
"...t...e sh...s!...Oi! T...uch...Tashigi-Sōchō!"
"...!" Tashigi sat upright in an instant, only to cringe as pain wracked her body.
"Easy there, Sōchō," She heard from behind her, hands holding her still. "We've only just patched up your wounds."
That voice... "Mashikaku-san...?"
"Yeah, it's me."
Sighing in relief for a moment, the Master Chief Petty Officer focused in and spoke to her subordinate. "What happened to my men?"
"We were hoping you could tell us, Sōchō." Following his eyes, Tashigi saw Marines out on the main drag carrying others on stretchers. "All of them were cut up by something or somebody, then blown across town with the debris when the wind picked up."
Cut up... Wind...! "Ah!" Looking around, the dark-haired Marine scanned the alleyway. "Where is he? There was a man here with me!"
Mashikaku blinked. "Ah, that one. He was severely injured, but he took to treatment well. He ought to be ba—!"
"No!" Tashigi paled, realizing what they had done and the danger they were in. "Where is he? That man—!"
"GAH!" A cry of pain echoed from the street as a Marine ran in with his arm bleeding.
Standing while supporting his standing officer by his knees, he turned to the injured man. "What's happening out there?"
"Mashikaku-Ittōhei (Seaman First Class)!" the Marine saluted as best he could. "The man we picked up from the alley is attacking us!"
"What?"
"We have to stop him!" Tashigi asserted as she used the wall to help her stand. "That man isn't just some bystander: he's Eric the Whirlwind!"
Mashikaku's face went grim at that information. "Eric? That bastard who bribed the chore boys and that Seaman Recruit to spy for him?"
"The very same. Don't let his appearance fool you," she spoke with trepidation, "he's a powerful Devil's Fruit user, and is very ruthless. He's the one that attacked my men, as well as the base earlier today."
Nodding, the Ittōhei spared a look towards his own subordinate before turning back. "We can handle it for now. Can you move, Sōchō?"
"I'm good enough to go up against someone more injured than I am. We'll fight him together!"
"But Sōc—!" the Marine tried to object, but Mashikaku held him back with a halting hand gesture, his other hand pulling the green-sheathed sword from his back.
"Understood, Tashigi-Sōchō." Handing over her katana, she moved to take it only for him to hold it in his own grip. Meeting his stare, she nodded once more before he stayed his hand. Hearing another cry closer than before, he drew his rifle. "He's coming. I'll cover you."
Drawing Shigure, noting the lack of her own blood upon it with some relief, Tashigi steadied herself as they heard the Marines outside the alley moving to keep their target surrounded as the sound of bare feet approached the alley. "Understood, Ittōhei!"
Eric stepped into the alleyway with an odd swagger, his hair no longer upright and flowing with his sway. His hands and suit were covered in blood that was a mix of his own and others, but what caught Tashigi's attention was his feet, which had long, sharpened nails extending from each toe like his hands previously had.
Did he have those nails prepared this whole time? Why didn't he use them...? Remembering the intel they had on him and his combat style from the short skirmish with Koala, she steadied herself and warned her allies. "Watch out for swings from his feet—he can create blades of wind with those nails of his! The rest of you, stay out of the alley; we'll handle this!"
"Head back to port by the base quickly," the Seaman added, "they'll need you there more than here!"
Tashigi turned in confusion. "What do you mean? What's happening?"
"Where is she..." Eric muttered as he stumbled forward, his sunglasses slipping in the rain to show his squinted eyes that one couldn't tell if they were open or closed. "Kaijōsei... Where is she?" And in an instant his shamble became a skillful run towards the Marines.
"I'll tell you later; we've got our own problems first!" Mashikaku replied as he moved to fire, but as he did, Eric pulled out his hand and waved in front of him. The bullet approached through distorted air as it careened off course into the wall. "What...?"
Shit, he can still use his broken nails? Moving in to swing as she tried ignored the pain in her elbow, she wasn't surprised to find him blocking with his broken nails, a hands worth of broken nails clutching the blade as he moved to stab through her heart with the other. Sidestepping to avoid the fatal strike, she dragged her blade with her with sparks flying as she tried to rip it from his grasp and slash down his side.
"Out of my way!" Leaning into the wall and gripping it with his shattered nails, the mercenary launched a flurry of kicks that send wind blades coming at her in force. Blocking as many as she could see with her strained eyesight, she still took a slice across her face before a foot planted itself in her stomach, pushing her back against the other wall.
Another shot rang out from the side, but rather than deflecting it Eric simply pushed off the wall and latched onto the other with his toes, his sunglasses falling to the ground with a crack as they shattered. Not even sparing a glance at the Ittōhei for shooting, he pushed himself off towards the Marine's superior again. "Tashigi, above you!"
Preparing to block, she paused as she noticed him whispering with his hand at his mouth before he shouted out, "Kama Kama no Kamaitachi!" A distorted blade of wind larger than the others came flying down threatening to entrap her between it and himself, but the swordswoman dove out of the way as the unstable attack crashed into the cobblestone with a grating whir.
He did something to make that attack bigger than before, Tashigi thought as she got back into her stance with a wince of pain, but his nails must have made it not work properly... Ah! Understanding lit within her eyes as she recalled the last attack. The whispering? Maybe that's why he didn't bother with his feet, because he can't strengthen the attacks that way!
The Devil's Fruit User growled like a wild animal before he leapt off the wall at her. "Where is Kaijōsei? I'll kill her!" Putting his foot forward into a leaping kick, he brought his hand to his face in preparation. "Shushushu... Kama Kama no Tsumujikaze!" Launching multiple bursts of wind from his hands, he surrounded her in attacks as he barreled in for his strike.
The dark-haired sōchō remained still with her sword ready, The way he's acting, it's like he's in a mad rage... As he descended upon her, she sidestepped his kick at the last moment, deflecting the wind blade that came with it with her katana. Before she could retaliate, the distorted wind attacks collided with the ground and knocked her back on impact alone despite her dodge.
Whether or not he's conscious of it, he's fighting desperate. We can take him. "Mashikaku! I've pinpointed a weakness; fire on my mark!"
The Ittōhei nodded with a smile as he readied his rifle. "Understood!"
—-—-—
(Meanwhile — Eastern Harbor — Koala vs Arlong)
"Wah!" Dodging the swing, Koala rolled to her feet and stared at the gash left in the concrete. "What was that fo—WUYAH!" Before she could finish, she cried out as she leapt into the air as a vertical swing threatened to decapitate her. "Seriously, I thought I was the one who would need calming down! What is with you? I don't understand!"
Arlong grunted as he swung the Kiribachi at the brunette while she was in midair, only for her to leap off the air and get behind him. "You bitch! You think you can just waltz in here and act like nothing happened?"
Shaking out the cobwebs, the martial artist whipped out her kusarigama and started deflecting his swings with precision as she stared into his more narrowed, bloodshot eyes. "I expected ten years was long enough of a wait spent trying to find your ass in the first place, so I didn't think you would go animalistic on me from the get-go!"
"Shut your mouth! It's your fault...!" Pausing for only a moment, Koala could see in that instant the tears that were forming as he swung his zanbatō with reckless abandon. "It's your fault that Big Brother Tai is dead, you damn human!"
"No, you shut your damn mouth! Gyojin Karate: Umizoui—Zanzō (Fishman Karate: Wading Through The Tides of Life—Elephant of Balance)!" The brunette threw out the kama directly at Arlong's saw-sword with an underhand swing, blade coming in for a slice from below aimed at the rope supports of the weapon.
"Calling that technique like you can do it... Disgusting!" Twisting the blade to deflect the slash, the sawshark was in for a surprise when the second kama started slicing through the supports as the weapon shook down to Arlong's arm. "What? You little...!" This ripple... It's like Fishman Karate, but it's impossible to channel the effects through weapons! Twisting back the other direction—saving the upper teeth from falling out—he went to smash the kusarigama into the ground when the weapon's heads suddenly merged together at his side. "Huh?"
On the ground, a whole loop of chain started changing shape along with the two kama with rapid speed. As the form quickly solidified within a brief instant, the humongous shape burst towards Arlong with sharp points ready to skewer him. Blocking with the remaining blades of Kiribachi, he barely kept himself from being bore by the twisting shape of tusks.
In an instant, Koala was behind him, the chain around her waist now half-transformed into a tail. "Let's let the weapons sit for now and talk with our fists properly. I can't get a word in edgewise in either fighting or conversation with you swinging your angry sword around like that!" As she spoke, the tusks somehow clamped down on his zanbatō and ripped it from his hands as the chain loosened and retracted fully into the tail of the—
"—Elephant...? Your weapon is a Devil's Fruit using elephant?"
"To be more precise, he's a kusarigama I had forged that ate the Zō Zō no Mi (Elephant Elephant Fruit)," the brunette corrected with a wide grin at Arlong's barely-hidden surprise. "The Marines come up with some crazy things, eh? Arlong, I'd like you to meet my good friend and companion, Umizoui."
The elephant let out a friendly burst of sound from its trunk over its head as it walked away with Kiribachi, which only made Arlong balk the more. "How did you get your hands on something like that?"
Koala scratched her head. "I accidentally stole it..." Pausing, she blinked before her shoulders slumped. "...and I realize how dumb and unbelievable that sounds now that it's left my mouth..."
"Not as much as you'd expect, but yeah." the pirate captain interjected with a bit of a deadpan that caught her by suprise. "What is 'Umizoui' supposed to mean, anyways? Ocean Elephant...Strange?"
The brunette's shoulders went lower as her hair blocked out her eyes. "Not just the Marines, but you guys too...? I thought it was cool... Umizoi is 'coastlands', zo is like to keep plowing, ui is 'shifts of karma', and it makes the pun with 'elephant'... not to mention—!" In an instant she perked and sidestepped as Arlong lobbed a pile of water at her with incredible speed, smashing a hole in the cobblestone where it landed. "Hey! Don't be splashing water at me!"
Arlong twitched as a vein grew on the side of his face. "I said shut your damn mouth! Rattling off ridiculous naming combos like Jinbe after he got that epithet of his... Using Fishman Karate like you're one of us... I've had it with your childish innocence bullshit! I'm going to make you pay!"
"I don't know what you're talking about..." the martial artist began as she too gathered water from the rain, "but it seems like I'm not going to get anywhere in talking to you until I put you down a peg. Easier said than done but I'd like to think I can back it up, and you just likened me to Jinbe-sama, so I'm feeling pretty good today. Bring it on!"
"There he is!" Charging from the side of the ship came a force of Marines with weapons at the ready. "If we can take down Saw-Tooth Arlong here, the pirates morale will..." Circling right around the fishman, the leader of the group paused as he stared at the brunette standing opposite him, her eyes shadowed by her hair. "Hey, who are...?"
In synch, Arlong and Koala each grew a wide vein on their heads as they shouted, "Don't get in the way!"
The Marine leader balked as the woman revealed her face. "Oh no..."
"Uchimizu!"
—-—-—
(Meanwhile — Marine Warship, South-Eastern Harbor — Chew vs Shū, Smoker vs Kuroobi)
"Why do I always have to fight the quick and tricky ones...?" Chew bemoaned as Shū dodged another Mizudeppō and ducked behind more cover. As much as the Fishman could have expected, he popped out from a completely different place with guns blazing. Taking care to dodge or shoot down the incoming bullets, he fired back his own salvo with a call of, "Hyappatsu Mizudeppō!"
Ducking behind the extension of the mast, the Captain avoided getting shot only to pop out from the upper half firing his pistols. The height change finally caught the pirate off guard as one bullet caught in his arm. Trying to shake his arm out, he realized he couldn't as rust started to spread from the wound. "Hmmm... Odd," the attacker mused as he landed in a kneeling position, "It's less effective than I expected..."
Sighing, Chew stuck his lip to the opening and sucked in, spitting out the rusting bullet and a mass of rust and blood that crumbled away. "I thought so... Rusting iron bullets. You planning on rusting my blood still?"
"Either that, or rusting your bones away," the newsboy-capped Marine replied, standing up from his crouch. "I would say that it ought to have been more effective, but judging by your comment you could tell it entered your bloodstream and slowed its advance with your race's skills?"
"Got it in one, chu..." the officer answered as he shook the arm out. "You've got a good mind, so why are you sticking around fighting me?" Gesturing above with his other arm, he grinned. "Even if you hold me off, the rest of the crew ought to be able to handle it, and once I take you down it won't matter."
Shū-Taisa shifted at that with his hands clenched tighter. "And what makes you think your victory is assured, fishman?"
Chew chuckled. "To use your ability to the max like you did with those katana, you need physical contact—especially since I can counter those rusting bullets."
"Arrogant... What makes you think I can't get closer, pirate scum?"
Suddenly, the wall of rust behind Chew crumbled towards him, causing him to jump back in surprise, only heightened as he realized what his opponent had done. He can't actually do anything with that rust—it's a feint!
"Soru!" Turning back, the Captain was on him, catching his throat in one hand and his injured arm in the other. "You're done..." the Marine said with certainty, only for nothing to happen. "What...?"
"You should really let people finish talking, Marine-san..." Grabbing him by his own throat with his free hand, the Arlong Pirate lifted up Shū and pulled him off of his own neck with distance alone. "Last time I did get cocky, but this time I've thought it out. There's more than one reason why I've won this fight."
"Impossible... How are you not rusting?"
"Oh I was, and it itches like a bitch, chu," The fishman smiled as he puffed his cheeks up and spat a rusty blob of water in the man's face, continuing his speech while scratching rust off of his throat while his opponent cried out in pain. "As I was saying, you admitted yourself that moisture helps you rust things faster... So I simply went the other direction and sucked the water out of the air around me and off of my own skin."
Shū's eyes widened on instinct, causing him to cry in pain as the foreign material slid further into his eye sockets. "But how... How can you do that?"
Chew tilted his head as he carried the Captain to the side of the ship that was now open to the elements with the wall of rust released. "Didn't you know? Liquids remain in their state of matter because they constantly produce their gas form to resist atmospheric pressure. Sucking the water in the air just means the water on my skin will turn to gas faster."
"You... you pirate scum..." Shū struggled against the grip but found it difficult with his airways constricted.
"Ah, that sounds better than slurs about my race," the fishman chuckled as he extended his hand. "For that, I'll be merciful and let you drown in the ocean. Shooting you full of holes with seawater would be a worse fate. Heck, maybe someone will be able to save you." Letting go, he waved with his open hand. "Farewell, Shū-Taisa."
"Damn it...!" Smoker muttered as he got back up again bleeding and bruised all over as his opponent walked forward, having taken some hits as well but not slowing down at all. Why can't I put this guy down?!
Kuroobi raised an eyebrow as he stopped a short distance away. "Again you rise... Your toughness and tenacity are worthy of praise."
Panting, the Captain sheathed his jitte on his back. "You're the last person I want to hear that from! White Snake!" Turning his arm to smoke, he extended the plume forward in a serpentine fashion that the fishman eyed wearily.
Rather than respond, the fishman simply stood still as he awaited the arm to come to him. After snaking about him, the trail finally charged him with a fist aimed for the back of his neck. "A fair attempt, but no good." Sidestepping instead of blocking, he ran towards the Devil Fruit user and declared, "Wantō Giri!" as he followed the trail, slashing it apart with his cutlass and striking each part with his fin.
Despite the immense amount of pain and damage the assault was dealing, the Marine officer held his ground before turning his entire body into smoke. "White Spark!" Barreling towards Kuroobi, he surrounded him entirely before trying to barrage him with fists from all around. "Just go down already!"
"You first..." the martial artist replied as he withstood the rain of blows and sheathed the sword. "It seems you've not yet learned your own lessons about arrogance. Is it coincidence...?"
"What nonsense are you mumbling to yourself now?" Smoker's echoed around him as the blows continued, now adding kicks and knees to punches and elbows.
"Perhaps you'll see once this fight is over, Smoker-Taisa..." the ray fishman smiled as he closed his eyes. "With you spread all over the place, you're wide open."
Seeing him still standing there, Smoker reformed behind him with his jitte ready to swing when suddenly the weapon was pulled right from his hands. "What?"
Kuroobi chuckled as he turned around in a flash with his eyes still closed, the Captain's weapon hanging from his ponytail. "Predictable... This is the end. Gyojin Karate: Senmaigawara Seiken!" Sending his fist out, the smoke shuddered as it collided into Smoker's face before he and the whole cloud were sent flying into one of the harbor buildings.
Walking over to the destruction, the fishman confirmed that Smoker had lost consciousness before leaning his jitte on the rubble tip-down. "Even amidst water or the sea, Seastone sticks out like a sore thumb. Look over yourself and harden your resolve, Taisa. Otherwise you won't be able to protect anything, just as we failed years ago to protect our captain."
Looking up at the rain, Kuroobi sighed as he felt the water trickle down his form. "Where did we go wrong, Tiger...? Was Jinbe right...? Does Arlong's anger truly make us weak?"
"Gyojin Karate...!"
"Hmm...? Was that...?" The grey fishman turned at the echoed sound of—
"...Samehada Shōtei (Fishman Karate: Sharkskin Palm Block)!"
Kuroobi leapt up the rubble to the rooftops, now certain of what he heard. That sounded like it was coming from where Arlong was. But there aren't any shark fishwomen on our crew, so who could it be...? Running across, he quickly moved to investigate the sounds of battle.
—-—-—
(Meanwhile — Eastern Harbor — Koala vs Arlong)
"Gyojin Karate: Samehada Shōtei!"
"GAH!"
"I'm sorry!" Koala cried as Arlong skewered another Marine, having unintentionally caused the injury by deflecting his nose from stabbing her instead.
"Reporting to all troops! Saw-Tooth Arlong and Kaijōsei Koala are fighting in the Eastern Harbor Square! I repeat—!" The nearby sound system was silenced as an unconscious Marine went flying into it hard.
"Tooth Gum!" Arlong called out as he swung a set of his teeth in his hands and tried to dig into her with the deadly chompers. "We should never have taken you in in the first place!" The sawshark yelled as he continued his assault, paying no mind to the Marines that got caught as they tried to apprehend the two of them. "How stupid, the things that we do... Like mother, like daughter: the scum of the sea!"
Koala blew back her hair derisively before ducking another strike and rolling out for some distance. "You call me the scum of the sea, but you and I both know that it's the Tenryūbito that really fit that moniker! Gyojin Karate: Karakusagawara Seiken!" Throwing her fist out that visibly distorted the rain, the Marines were slowly inched backwards before being launched painfully back in a shockwave while Arlong simply guarded his face with his arms and held his ground.
"Wrong technique, you damn human!" Arlong shouted before crouching on the ground. "Shark on Darts!" Launching himself out at her, the martial artist barely rolled safely out of the way—loosing a bit of her skirt to his solid nose as he ran a dozen Marines through. "And what do you think those bastards represent? They are the world incarnate!"
The brunette sighed at her dress before turning back to her opponent. "First of all it's called training, you ido—WOAH!" Ducking at the last second, Arlong sailed right over her and took out a trio of Marines that were sneaking up on her.
Standing up, Arlong went on as he snapped the pairs of teeth in his hands. "The World Government is the standard for which the world is set, and it's the cesspool of humanity's filth!" The fishman launched another barrage of swings at the former slave as the rant continued. "Humans can't do anything on their own, but together they leave a world that's tortured and ruined!"
"I don't see you helping make it a better place, Arlong!" Koala chastised back as she dodged and blocked the strikes while trying to counter with some strikes of her own, the two not scoring any solid hits, "You talk big about conquering the world and all the problems it has, but at the end of the day you just want revenge for Tiger's death!"
"And you don't?" Arlong raised his voice even louder as he missed to the right and smashed a Marine's arm, leaving the teeth to grab another from his mouth before he spoke further, "The fishman who saved your life is dead by these bastards' hands and you won't avenge his passing? That's what is wrong with your ungrateful race!"
"You're wrong, Arlong!" the martial artist shouted back as she missed a low sweeping kick, knocking down another five troops with the aftershock of water vapor, "I honor Tiger's memory by living by the morals he taught me, the good in the world that he left behind!"
The sawshark fishman spat at that from the air, sending another Marine flying as it made contact when his target dodged. "What 'good' left behind? All he left behind was a grudge against the humans that wronged him..." He seemed to pause with his landing as a group of Marines took aim and fired their rifles.
At the last second he crouched and leapt with another call of, "Shark on Darts!" as he dodged the bullets and ran the shooters through with his hardened nose. Turning back to the brunette, she recognized the residual moisture of tears wiped away as he yelled back to her. "He cursed the humans that he couldn't forgive!"
Koala let her eyes widen as her features hardened in focus. "Is that the truth then?" she spoke lowly but well enough so he could hear her, while the Marines about them froze at the coldness with which she spoke. "After all these years of reciting that lie you told to the Marines at G-2, is that supposed to be the truth that you've been hiding from the world?"
Those words seemed to hold Arlong back rather than launching himself off as he rose. "What? How do you know about G-2?"
"They've both stopped, take them down!" another Marine cried as he and six others charged with weapons aimed for the former slave's limbs form behind. "Headquarters wants them both alive!"
The vein on her head grew more pronounced as she shouted back. "We're having a moment here, butt out!" Whipping her hands back as if reloading her punches, the Marines behind her were blasted back as a force of wind and water slammed into them, breaking weapons and slamming them into the ocean beyond.
The surrounding Marines faltered a bit at that. "Damn, they're just brushing us off like flies!" one of the Marines cursed before looking to the side, where Umizoui was shrugging off gunshots and charging through their ranks. "And that elephant is tearing us up before we can even get Kairōseki anywhere near it! How are we supposed to stop these monsters?!"
"I was there, you bastard!" Koala responded to Arlong as tears slid down her own face. "When you came back to Foolshout Island, I stowed away to try and save you!"
"Don't fuck with me!" Arlong shouted back as he gathered two handfuls of water to throw at his own group of attackers, "You were safe with your filthy human family, rejoicing in your freedom while Tiger bled for your treachery!"
"You think I wanted Tiger to die?" she rumbled with fury as her hands clenched so tight that her nails drew blood. "You think I figured out what my people had done and rejoiced?!"
One of the Marines nearby gritted his teeth as he took aim with a large bazooka. "Screw alive, this bitch is dead!" Firing the weapon, the explosive detonated on contact, only for the target to appear behind him with her hand on the device. "No way...!"
"I was fucking livid! Soshāku(Rough Shark Mastication)!" With a tightening of her grip the bazooka shattered into pieces, exploding the ammunitions still loaded inside blowing the Marine back while the brunette didn't even flinch. "I hadn't been home for more than an hour when some plad-wearing kid tried to befriend me with some racist bullshit!"
Arlong couldn't help but laugh at that as he . "Shahahaha! Like parents like kids, they teach their children to hat—!"
"Yeah, and it fucking sucks!" Koala agreed with pain in her voice as she brought her hands to her dress, drawing water from it into a sphere about each of them. "I didn't just nod my head and forget all our time together—I punched his damn face in! Gyojin Jūjutsu: Mizugokoro—Bakusame (Fishman Jūjitsu: Water Heart—Exploding Shark)!"
Slamming her fists through the cobblestone, the water exploded out beneath a huge group of the Marines throwing them sky high towards the ocean. "Mother was so..." The brunette struggled with her words as she tried to restrain her rage. "...so embarrassed that her little girl... 'stood up for the... things that hurt her... how could I stand up for them?!' she said!"
"And then," she continued as she ripped her hands from the ground, "while I was waiting grounded in my room, I heard the sounds of laser beams in the distance."
"Laser beams...?" Arlong repeated before his own memory sparked. "That Borsalino...!"
"Not just him, either," the former slave elaborated, "The sounds of explosions, gunfire... That's when I knew. I recognized the sound I had heard that day, while the village celebrated my return..."
Staring Arlong in the eye, Koala couldn't help but cry as she recalled her feelings of the past. "I heard sound of gunshots ring out as Tiger was attacked. I heard him being killed, and my village... my mother lied to me! They traded your lives for mine—my life which was worthless if not for yours!"
The sawshark fishman simply stood and listened. Does she really feel that badly about Tiger's death? And yet she keeps holding back this deep anger inside...why?
"That day... Everyday since then, I've struggled to earn back the life I lost that day, that life that died with Tiger!" Slapping her hands together, the air gained weight and pressured down upon everyone, with only the two pirates unaffected as the woman narrowed her eyes. "And do you know the first thing I had to do, trying to be worth that life? I got some of that bloody vengeance you talk about so much..."
Arlong couldn't help but widen his own eyes before he focused in. "What do you mean?"
"Didn't you ever wonder why I had such a high starting bounty, but my crimes were never announced?" Koala chuckled before giving Arlong a slanted stare. "Or did you not even know that I became a pirate?"
"What are you trying to say?"
"I don't really care if you heard about me or not... As for the crime, well..." the former slave paused, her own eyes lowered for a moment as she tried to find the words. "I didn't even know what I'd done at first—I wasn't really myself at the time... One of the Tenryūbito... that old bastard... died by my hands."
—-—-—
(Meanwhile — Alley Off of Main Street — Tashigi and Mashikaku vs Eric)
Got to line up a clean shot...! Tashigi thought as she stumbled back to her feet panting. Her shirt and coat were falling apart, revealing heavy bruising and a few cuts to her gut along with a trail of blood seeping from her chest.
"Tashigi-Sōchō!" Behind her with rifle still cocked, Mashikaku called out to his superior.
"I'm fine," she tried to reassure him "just keep him in your sights!"
The Seaman First Class grimaced but held his rifle steady. She can't take much more of this; the injury to her breast reopened, and she's taking on a lot of damage.
The dark-haired swordswoman knew the same as he did, but both of them also knew that they couldn't give up. Whatever else is going on, it's keeping Smoker and the others busy. We've got to take him down and support their efforts!
At the same time their opponent stalked forward with hands flexed. Unlike her, the mercenary didn't seem affected by the seeping blood within his suit from his previous defeat. "Why won't you just die?" Eric growled at them, "Disappear from my sight so I can kill Kaijōsei!" Dashing towards them, he launched his right hand out to run the female Marine through.
Deflecting the stab and subsequent flow of wind with her blade, Tashigi turned Shigure slightly as she moved to slice into his arm. In response, the Whirlwind twisted his own hand about and drew it back with broken claws ready to catch it and plant themselves into her face.
"Shit!" Bracing herself as he pushed back against the katana, she held out long enough for the distortions in the air to blow her back from him. Letting out a gasp of pain as the failed wind attack managed to still slice partially into her breastplate, she caught herself on the wall and tried to work through the pain that now heightened in her chest.
"Grrr... Persistent bitch!" Eric swore spitefully as she failed to collapse.
Even if he isn't aware that his hands aren't cutting with precision, they're still effective at dealing damage... the sword wielder thought as she stared down her opponent, trying to grip the hole in the wall to help herself up. Wait... Holes? Looking at her hand and then the walls, a plan came to form as she steadied her breathing. These are from when he caught himself on the wall; let's hope their solid enough!
With newfound purpose, the sōchō leapt up the wall using the stab marks from Eric as footholds to rise far above the purple-haired man, much to his own pleasure as he drew his hand to his face. "Fool! I'll have you sliced to ribbons before you land! Kama Kama no...!"
Tashigi grinned as she raised Shigure over her head. "Now! Fire!"
"Roger that!" Before the mercenary could stop whispering over his hand, Mashikaku fired a shot that went through the open bleeding hole in his hand and straight into his throat, causing him to choke and cough up blood as his hand went to grip his new injury. From the other end, Mashikaku couldn't help but pump his fist in victory at his own shot. "Direct hit! Finish him, sōchō!"
Looking up in pain, Eric's eyes actually widened to open for the first time as Tashigi descended upon him with her sword swinging down too fast for him to block. "Take this! Suichō Shobun (Grounding the Wader)!"
Landing right in front of him, the sword's blade was behind its wielder in an instant—the blood from her attack thrown from the blade to the ground. In that instant, Eric crumpled to the ground, the slice from his left shoulder across to his gut opening to reveal its decreasing depth of puncture as the light faded from his open eyes. The instant he collapsed, Tashigi followed him to the ground clutching her legs.
"Tashigi-Sōchō!" Mashikaku ran over to his superior, rifle discarded as he kneeled down to her. "Are you alright?"
Panting, the Marine woman pushed herself against the alley wall. "I think I fractured a bone in my leg. I put too much stress on it earlier and then I pulled this stunt..."
The Seaman couldn't help but grin before scooping her up in his arms. "If that's all you have to complain about, then you'll be fine with a bit more proper care."
"H-h-h-h-hey!" Tashigi stammered in embarrassment, "Put me down, Ittōhei!"
Mashikaku shook his head, knowing how stubborn she could be about this kind of thing. "You said it yourself that you fractured something in your leg, and you expect me to let you walk, Sōchō?"
Blushing, the dark-hared woman looked away with a pout. "Well, yes, but—!"
"No buts," he interjected, using his foot to flip his rifle off the ground and onto his back. "I'm taking you in to get treatment."
"F-fine..." Tashigi mumbled, face steaming up behind her bangs as she sheathed her sword properly.
Grinning, Mashikaku couldn't help but let a bit of color grow on his own face as he saw how embarrassed she was. S-so cute... Man, I can't believe I caught my rifle! I never thought I'd manage to look that cool—and in front of Tashigi-Sōchō too!
"Hey, Mashikaku..."
Her voice interjected into the Marine's thoughts, breaking him out of his daze to address her. "Yes, Sōchō?"
"You said you'd explain later: what's going on back at the port?"
—-—-—
(Meanwhile — Eastern Harbor — Koala vs Arlong)
For once, Arlong simply let go and stood there dumbfounded at the revelation. "You... You killed a Tenryūbito...?"
Koala nodded, still keeping eye contact while she spoke tearfully. "I was so ashamed of what my mother—my home—had done... I just kept on running, scraping by on what skills I could gleam from that book of Jinbe's..."
"Jinbe's...? That manual for Fishman Karate he was writing? You found it in the wreckage?" That was almost more surprising than the last revelation for the fishman. She picked up Fishman Karate this well from Jinbe's book? It wasn't even complete yet!
"Eventually I made it out to Sabondy Archipelago, and that's where he found me." Her words slowed down even as the pressure continued to build, weighing the Marines down and keeping them from interfering. "He recognized me from my... master's collection... His guard detail managed to corner little old me in an abandoned building in the Lawless Groves... Of course he chose to go in alone, so sure of his superiority. He wanted a taste of his fellow's property...!"
"After all the years of avoiding that fate, being free... I knew it was all over..." Koala closed her eyes and took a deep breath before locking back on Arlong with a grim stare. "And then the next thing I know, his life is fading from his eyes, blood gurgling down his face between my fingers at this throat...! I'm out again, and suddenly I'm on a Marine warship headed for Enies Lobby for murder."
"What...?"
The brunette gripped her head with one hand as the pressure spiked, sending some Marines to their knees. "For years later, I've had those blanks, and while I don't know who I become during them, I know that horrible things always happen... and it's all so hollow... Vengeance is just worthless!" With her last shout, the pressure turned and threw the onlookers outwards, most of them crashing into the ocean while an unlucky few hit things on the way and taking injuries.
"So don't tell me what it means to honor Tiger..." she growled out as she walked towards Arlong, who was now clenching his own fists, "because you sully his name when you speak it in vengeance!"
"Shut up!" he shouted back, tears now threatening to fall from his animalistic eyes as he started throwing water at her again. "You know nothing! Tiger should have lived that day, and he refused to take your filthy human blood! He died because deep down he couldn't open himself to humans... And yet he talked of you!"
"Wh-what? Urk...!" Distracted by the statement, the martial artist stopped dodging long enough for one of the shots to strike her in the stomach.
"After all that talk, giving up on living... he didn't think of any of us!" Arlong cried as he ran towards her, teeth in hand once again as he made to kill her. "His friends, his nakama, his race! All he could think about was you! It made me SICK!"
"Arlong..." Koala muttered in surprise as she stood herself back up despite her tears and defended herself from his attacks. "I... I always—!"
"No more words... No more words! It's a time that is dead!" Arlong spat as he continued to use his natural weapons to try and end her life. "This is where we stand, Koala, at the turning of the years. There is nothing else left that we share; one of us dies here, and all's fair!"
"That's not true at all, Arlong!" she exclaimed as they both pushed each other back. "I—"
But Arlong had already stopped listening to her, talking as if she were mute. "Either kill me, and live the life you think would make Tiger proud... or die by my hand, and after you I'll kill them all—every last human will be wiped face of this miserable world!"
Through the tears, the martial artist managed to squeeze out one word. "No..."
"What...?
"You never got it..." Koala chuckled ruefully, "Tiger's own words... 'We won't kill anyone!' If I want to live in his name, then I follow his path. I won't kill you!"
"Then die! Shark on Tooth!" Opening his mouth wide, Arlong spun in a circle as he launched out to shred her to pieces.
Readying her stance, she focused her mind as she intoned the name of her attack. "Gyojin Karate: Samegawara...!"
Hearing her declaration, the sawshark grew angrier. "First Shōtei and then Soshāku, making fools out of us...!" he yelled as he approached, "What kind of shark do you think you are, you human trash?!"
"Only a kasusame (angel shark; kasu—dregs)... Arlong!" Before he could reach her, she launched her fist out at him—and with it came a visible ripple of force that smashed into him, completely stopping his forward momentum before launching him back through the cobblestone wall of one of the harbor buildings. "...Seiken! (Fishman Karate: Shark Tile True Punch)!"
Letting her fist down, Koala clutched her chest as she coughed heavily, blood trickling down her mouth. "Damn... A handful of water from a shark fishman really isn't a joke..." Panting, she wiped her mouth and straightened up as she turned to Umizoui who was walking over with Kiribachi. "Still, I feel better winning this way: not needing to resort to Rokushiki against a fishman is a good achievement. Could you give me a lift over to him, buddy? I'd rather not waste the energy using Soru this exact second."
As the elephant-kusarigama lifted her up with its trunk, they heard a hack inside the building. "Shahaha... To think, you had a whole other bag of tricks up your sleeve... Hard to compete against that."
"I'd have rather we not fought at all, Arlong-san," the brunette replied as she was brought into view of him, buried in some rubble and heavily bruised. "Like I was saying... If any of you had asked, I would have joined up as a Sun Pirate in an instant."
"Heh...You say that easily now because your mother betrayed you..." Arlong reasoned, pushing some rubble from him slowly but with a difficulty that showed he wasn't up for more fighting.
The former slave gave a small smile. "I thought that too at first, but... If you guys had asked, I definitely would have given it some serious thought. What hurt about Mom's betrayal the most was that underneath it was what I was expecting. Spending years of slavery makes you doubt everything you've known before."
Arlong shook his head at that. "You certainly think these things through... That epithet—what was it again—?"
"Kaijōsei," Koala supplied.
"—Kaijōsei..." the sawshark fishman chewed mentally on it for a moment "I figure Kaijō means 'maritime', and jō probably means 'woman'... Do you fancy your self a sei-nt?"
"For one," she replied in a lecturing tone as she wrote symbols in the air, "it's a play on 'kaiōsei', or Neptune—so to answer your question, it's the kanji for star. Second, jō is specifically 'unmarried woman', as compared to josei. And lastly the Marines are the ones who officially came up with it, but I took the liberty of... hinting at it. Besides, all three have such well-mixing kanji to use, it's quite—"
Arlong chuckled as he removed another piece of rubble. "Yes, yes, it's got a lot of meanings... As I thought, Fishman Karate isn't the only thing you picked up from that book of Jinbe's."
Koala blushed for a moment before shaking it out. "If you see him around, let him know I'm out here, will you? Getting these guys to raise my bounty higher is like learning about the Void Century sometimes, if you know what I mean..."
"Is that why you became a pirate?" he questioned as he leaned up against the wall, "To get Jinbe's attention?"
"By the time the idea came to my head, I was well on my way to piracy without really trying. And yes, we all get it now: I inherited Jinbe's love of wordplay," she chuckled back before letting a more serene expression grace her features. "In a way it was like reliving the old days, as if Uncle Tiger was still with us. And I guess... I hoped I might find that place that I belonged to, just like I always hoped Fishman Island would find a place for you all and the world for Fishman Island."
"Tch... You've got grand ideas like Jinbe too," Arlong commented without malice. "What's your big next goal, bring peace to the whole world?"
"Zaahahahaha!" the former slave laughed shaking her head. "What are you talking about? I'm just a lowly pirate who's nothing compared to those monsters in the Grand Line. I've got plenty more training I'll have to put under my belt before I can do anything earth-shaking like that..."
The pirate captain let out a laugh of his own as he shifted his body what little it could. "Still, you really got me good: I can't really get away from the Marines like this."
The brunette smiled widely at that, signaling for Umizoui to return to its weapon form about her waist as she gestured behind her. "Oh don't worry about that, you've got reliable friends of your own to help you with that." Cupping her hand to her face, she called out while her other hand took the zanbatō from the vanishing mouth. "Isn't that right, Chew? Kuroobi?"
Almost on cue, the two remaining Arlong Pirate Officers ran over from where they were watching the final part of the battle unfold, quickly moving to help their captain up. "Sorry, Arlong-san," Kuroobi began as he took the shark fishman's right arm, "I let my guard down as I watched you fight..."
"We've taken the warship without too many problems," Chew continued as he took the left, "but we'll have to get going soon before the Marines rally again..."
Nothing but the rain and wind was heard as the two fishmen shared glances between the woman before them and one another before the ray fishman spoke. "Koala... I... We..."
Grabbing her own head, Koala couldn't help but laugh at their awkwardness. "Come on, get out of here," she managed to get out amidst her levity with a light 'shoo' motion as she handed them Kiribachi, "It's all water under the bridge, but the bridge is crumbling and you better get your boat out from under it!"
Nodding as Chew took the weapon, they started carrying their leader away before she called back to them. "Oh, one more thing! What happened to Hatchan and Nami?"
Kuroobi flinched visibly at the latter before turning to reply. "Hachi somehow managed to escape custody, probably because he passed out underwater from how Arlong tells it. As for Nami... I assume she joined that Straw-Hat, considering he and his crew fought us for her."
Koala blinked. "Wow... Really...?" If Luffy were smarter, I'd say he was trying to lure me into your crew... Can it be coincidence...? "Thanks for that..."
The grey fishman didn't turn back, however. "Koala—"
"If you want to talk later, meet me at Warship Island in a week," she interrupted her fellow martial artist. "Right now you need to bail and quick. Go!" Pushing them forward, she made a dash for the city streets herself, still choosing not to stress her body with Rokushiki.
Well... That turned out way better than I expected, considering we fought, Koala thought rather stressfully as she ran down the streets of Loguetown. Probably better I not find out what Arlong did to Nami or anything else until I can get some more medicine anyways. Knowing him, it probably wasn't too pretty...
Still, it was nice seeing those guys again... Smiling a bit, Koala looked up as the storm started to clear as the sun shone down on her. Uncle Tiger... I guess even you had trouble forgiving, but you still managed to help me. I can only hope that Arlong and the guys can be so fortunate...
—-—-—
"Kaijōsei, huh...?"
"Hmmm?" Chew toned in, hearing Arlong mutter, "What is it, Arlong-san?"
"Nothing... Just thinking about Jinbe, I guess." Turning to his other officer, the sawshark asked him, "Sei can mean 'epoch', right?"
"Yeah, I suppose so," Kuroobi answered thoughtfully, "Why?"
"And Kaijō can be 'reform' or 'change'..." Grinning, he righted his hat as he chuckled, "A Kaijōsei wouldn't... be bad these... days..."
Techniques (and Specific Translations)
Sabi Kabe (Rust Wall; 錆壁). With high amounts of moisture in the air, the user throws a rusting object and manipulates the process to spread the rust into a weak but effective defensive partition.
Umizoui (Wading Through The Tides of Life; 海耝有為). A kusarigama that ate the Zō Zō no Mi and became an Elephant-Kusarigama, it's Koala's longstanding partner in battle. Being a living creature, Koala has spent a lot of time training with Umizoui and has managed to instill the basics of Fishman Karate onto the animal-weapon—enough to be able to replicate her own skill using its body as a conduit without taking a lot of damage.
Gyojin Karate: Umizoui—Zanzō (Fishman Karate: Umizoui—Elephant of Balance; 魚人空手: 海耝有為—残象). A triple-feint attack, Koala throws one kama in the shadow of the other while she shifts enough of the chain close to the opponent, so that Umizoui can change into elephant or hybrid form quickly for a surprise attack from another angle. Channeling the force through water in the air or the enemy, bodily contact with any of the hits will deal a lot of internal damage. The name is is a play on words, as 'zanzō' itself means 'afterimage', but 'zan' alone can mean 'balance'.
Gyojin Jūjutsu: Mizugokoro—Bakusame (Fishman Jūjitsu: Water Heart—Exploding Shark; 魚人空手: 海耝有為—残象). A technique designed to work with low-level skill in Fishman Jūjitsu, this technique takes the core of water and explodes it upwards from below the ground all around the user.
Suichō Shobun (Grounding the Wader; 水鳥処分). An overhead slice across the body, this technique relies on putting one's whole weight behind the diagonal draw as if to bifuricate. By pulling the blade back mid-slice, the damage becomes more varied and thus harder to recover from even with medical care.
Kaijōsei (Goddess of the Sea, Neptune—海娘星; Epoch of Change—改定世).
Whew! 4 chapters released in the span of a month... Setting the bar high much, me? Still kinda surprised I managed to write the whole of this one already. Inspiration churning like crazy, play performance is going great, plenty of relaxation time between... If only the rest of my life could work out so nicely and neatly. Ah well, such is life.
Well, I'm gonna take a break before I write Chapter 6 to do something I ought to/can finally do: post reviews on a bunch of stories I've read. It didn't really phase me before, but I realized I can finally post reviews on all authors now that I'm not an anon, which was a huge turn-off for me way-back-when.
When you spend 5-10 minutes writing a review only to then be told you can't post it, it dampens the enthusiasm. But the whole 'do-unto-others-as-you-want-done-to-yourself' thing is pretty important too. I'm no review-driven writer, but it's nice to read afterwards and respond; also, concrit is gold. Anyways, hope the ride continues to prove enjoyable; until next time!
