A Clash of Claws and Fangs

All around the two captains, the fire raged on, sounding like the roar of some hellish crowd. If the two had been in an arena match, the audience might have actually been that loud. The show was getting good, after all. With his transformation, Lynn now stood only twice as short as Barboso, whereas before the bear-man had quadrupled him in height. Even with the immense size difference still being there, Barboso couldn't help but hesitate. Especially at the electricity that now crackled around Lynn.

"So, Tacken," Barboso said, "You had this kind of trump card the entire time, eh?"

Lynn, sporting a new, toothy grin, shot back, "Well, if I had pulled it out earlier, then this would have been a whole lot less interesting, wouldn't it?"

Barboso let out a low snarl. "Is fighting me just a game to you, pup?"

"Oh, please, you should count yourself lucky," Lynn said, licking his lips, "This is the first time in three years I've had to transform. I'm a little happy I gave Julia my gun, now, cause I would have missed out on this fight."

With every word that Lynn spoke, that quiet voice in the back of Barboso's mind grew louder and louder. He had fought fight-happy individuals in the past before - hell, he had even made a few of them join his crew. The man that stood before him, though, was something else entirely. If this had been the first time he and Lynn had fought, then he would have been able to chalk it up simply to personality. But it wasn't the first time.

When Tacken had first assaulted his crew, he didn't waste any time in dispatching them. From the second he stepped foot on their vessel, he was always on the move. He ripped through his men like a hurricane. No one was able to stop him. Hornet was dragged from his hiding spot and was dealt with ease. Fisk never even had the chance to activate his Liquid Enhancement gear before Tacken zapped him into unconsciousness. And when his sights were finally set on him... Barboso couldn't help but shiver at the memory. The way Lynn had been able to wipe out his entire crew with such cold precision was something he didn't think he would ever forget. Which made the contrast between how he was then and how he was now even sharper.

Barboso had sailed the seas long enough to hear plenty of rumors about various individuals and groups. Of those groups, the Tacken clan had no shortage of them. It especially made sense if you gave the group more than a second of thought. How had some no-name family from the backwater that was the East Blue rise up to challenge one of the most powerful pirate crews of that era? Sure, they had eventually failed, but the fact that they put up a fight for so long had to mean something. It was this fact that spawned whispers of them potentially possessing an Ancient Weapon, some kind of mythical devil fruit user, or maybe having some kind of connection to the World Government. Of course, all of these were just rumors, but one eventually began to stick, and Barboso could now see why. The Tacken family was insane.

But the Grizzly captain wasn't about to be cowed by some runt. With a roar, he swiped at the still-grinning Tacken. Lynn leaped out of the way, letting the paw soar by him. Barboso wasn't finished. He turned his swing into a roll, somersaulting and causing the area to shake. Even more cracks formed in the pavement, which Lynn simply danced around. The smirk never dropped from his face once.

Clambering back to his feet, Barboso went in for another swing, only for it to hit nothing but air. His roars of frustration became louder with every swing, which only seemed to make Lynn's laughter grow. It was after a third series of attacks that Lynn went on the offensive. Vaulting over Barboso's arm, he returned the injury he had received earlier in the fight. Slash marks raced across the bear's chest, causing the captain to convulse. Electric currents danced through his fur, which produced the horrible smell of burning hair. With a shudder, Barboso fell to his knees, panting from the attack.

Lynn stood only a few feet away, his eyes shining with mirth. There was a low growl in his voice as he began to speak again. "That all you got? C'mon, this was just starting to get fun!"

The Grizzly captain couldn't remember the last time he had been so thoroughly trounced. Maybe it had been roughly a year ago when he and his crew were forced to flee the Grand Line. If he remembered correctly, the Marines had proven too difficult to handle with their security heightened from dealing with the Straw Hats. As he pondered, though, a doubt began to settle. It hadn't been that long ago, Barboso thought to himself. He was certain there had been some encounter right here in the West Blue. The details were vague, but he remembered it feeling even more one-sided than this fight with Tacken. Now that he thought about it, the only reason he was even alive was because...

With a start, Barboso rose to his feet, coming to his full, towering height. A grin of his own began to form. His ticket to freedom was right in front of him.

"Now that I think about it, Tacken, I'm actually glad I ran into ya," he said, the edge returning to his voice, "I don't remember all the details, but if I kill you and take your devil fruit, I'll be handsomely rewarded!"

Barboso's words dragged Lynn from his battle high. Somebody was after his devil fruit? But who? The break from his haze was only a brief one, though, and he was already sinking back into the brawling mindset.

"So, there's more to this fight then just revenge, huh?" Lynn smirked, "Then I guess that'll give your attacks some more conviction, right? And if it's about my devil fruit, you should probably know its name: the Dog Dog Fruit; Model Thunder Beast."

"Well then, if you're a dog, I guess I'll have ta put you down," Barboso growled, baring his fangs.

Like an arrow released from a bowstring, the two fired themselves off into battle. Barboso slammed into the street, sending pavement flying with a crash. Lynn just managed to avoid the debris. Before he could answer back, Barboso was back in a roll, ignoring the shattered pavement. There was no time to avoid this one. Lynn planted his feet, ready to catch the tumbling mass that was the bear. The force was almost too much. His knees buckled. With a shout, energy coursed through his body and flowed outwards. Barboso howled in pain as electricity shot from Lynn's hands into his body. Even with that attack, Barboso had too much momentum. He began to crumple over Lynn. Realizing he was about to be crushed, Lynn threw himself out from under the collapsing bear, using an electric current to force his legs into expending more effort.

Rising to his feet, it was Lynn's turn to huff. He looked down at his hands, curling his fingers as electricity danced across them. He never gave a precise number for how much energy he ever expended in an attack. If he had to guess, though, it felt like around a fifth of his total output. He could feel his lips curl at the thought. Lynn threw his head back, letting out a roaring cackle. It had been so long since he had transformed that he forgot what it felt like. So much power at his fingertips, and he was only scratching the surface. Now all there was to do was to finish the fight.

"You know, I've gotta say, you've been real disappointing, Barboso," Lynn said. He launched himself on top of the fallen bear. The smell of burnt fur was still pungent. "After you spouted that crap about my devil fruit, I thought this fight would last longer, but I guess you're done, right?"

Slam!

Lynn was squeezed into Barboso's chest. The wind had been knocked out of him. He tried to wiggle free, but he was trapped. The bear had caught him in some kind of hold. And it was slowly getting tighter.

Arms wrapped around his prey, Barboso let out his own weak chuckle. "For a pup, you're one cocky son of a bitch! Need to learn how to recognize the strong for the weak, kid." He flexed his muscles, strengthening his grip. "Now, just die for me, will ya?"

Boom!

Barboso's arms were flung to his sides. More rubble flew into the air as they crashed into the pavement. Along both his arms and his torso, smoke billowed from patches of skin that had suddenly formed. Froth was already leaking from the bear's snout. Lynn, like some kind of apparition, appeared from the smoke. He gave a small cough before turning back to his prey.

"You know, I never said you were weak," Lynn said, the smile returning to his face, "It's just that I'm much stronger than you." He turned back to the burning ruins, letting out a chuckle. "We skipped a couple steps, but now you should know the third rule of fighting me, grizzly bear."

Just like that, the fight was finished. But Lynn wasn't. His heartbeat sounded like a drum in his ears. He could feel the blood coursing through his veins. He gnashed his teeth. Stopping now would be a waste. Especially when he felt that good. He turned his gaze back towards the ship plant. A grin spread across his face. The shipwrights were probably still struggling with the pirates. If anything, they could very well be on the verge of losing. A warm shiver ran through his body at the thought. Lynn began to walk back towards the harbor. While they would pose even less of a challenge in his hybrid form, the remains of the Grizzly crew would at least be a start. If necessary, he could always turn on-

"Lynn!"

He stopped dead in his tracks. Lynn had only known her for a few days, but every one of those days had been filled with her nagging, questions, and laughter. He'd recognize Julia's voice anywhere. She raced out from one of the alleyways, panting and covered in sweat. Upon seeing Lynn, though, she slid into a stop and doubled over. She could barely raise her head to stare at him. The heat had obviously been affecting her. Maybe it had even been affecting him.

At Julia's sudden appearance, the fog that had clouded his mind finally cleared. It was as if his senses had flipped back on. With a shake of his head, he realized a new sound was coming from the shipyard. Off in the distance, there was no sound of swords clashing or shots being fired like he thought there would be. Instead, all he could hear was the sound of whooping and hollering. The shipwrights had won their battle. It was all over.

What was he thinking? There was no reason to keep fighting. Both his mind and his body began to deflate. He didn't want to think about the mistake he had been just about to make. Instead, he just let himself shrink back down to his regular size. He was at least thankful to have a lot less hair to deal with. He turned back to Julia, who still looked flabbergasted from what she had just witnessed. Before either of them could say anything, though, a new sound began to fill the air: that of falling rain.

All around them, the fires hissed as more and more water fell from the sky. At first, it was only a few droplets. Soon, though, the sky began to pour, quickly dousing the flames. Steam rose into the sky, choking out the smoke. It didn't take long for both Lynn and Julia to be soaked. Neither of them cared. Dust no longer floated in the air, as the rain glued it back to the ground. They were still surrounded by ruins, but the heat that had been almost unbearable was quelled.

It was like all of Lynn's thoughts had been washed away in that heavy downpour. He turned his gaze skyward. He didn't know what to say. He wondered if there was anything to be said. He looked back at Julia. She had never once looked away. Lynn gave a sigh. It seemed he would have to say something after all. Not everything. Not yet. Hopefully not ever. He would at least state the obvious, though.

He raised his hand in a three-fingered peace sign. "I won."