Chapter 16
"Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed."-Martin Luther King Jr.
Kya watched silently as Luffy kicked in the wooden doors to Arlong's courtyard. After seeing Nami cry, though she hadn't cried in 8 years, Luffy and the crew stormed off to fight the fishman. Johnny and Yosaku, who ad fought the fishmen earlier, were holding of the townspeople for their safety; they actually had brains.
"Which one is Arlong?" Luffy cracked his knuckles as the saw nosed fishman stared at him with interest. "Who is that man?" He asked out loud, only answered by the sound of Zoro unsheathing his katana. "Who is Arlong?" Luffy repeated, walking over the debris. "That's me. What do you want?" The air was tense, only a few fishmen stood at Arlong's side. "I'm Luffy."
"Oh! You're Luffy. Who are you anyways?"
"A pirate."
He was getting closer to Arlong when two fishmen stepped in front of him. "Hey wait a minute!" They laughed lightly at him. "Where do you think you're going? You have to deal with us before talking to him! Hey!" Luffy reached his arms up to their heads. "You're not stopping, eh?" He slammed them together, their skulls making a sickening crack that echoed. "Get out of my way."
"I don't think I've seen him this angry…" Kya murmured, following the captain's footsteps inside. "Ah. I didn't even think he cared about Nami as much it looks now." Zoro answered, following behind her with Sanji. "Don't talk bad about Nami-san." The cook breathed, but his words were ignored by the swordsman.
"What does a pirate need from me?" Along asked, only to be punched square in the jaw by Luffy, sending him flying into the wall. "Ah! Arlong-san!" His crew shouted, though they didn't do anything about it. Kya stopped walking; it wasn't their time to get involved yet.
"You!" Arlong growled as he removed the stone off him. "Don't you dare make my navigator cry." Luffy growled, his hands twitching in anger. "You!" Arlong's Crew lunged at him. "You've crossed over the line!"
"Weaklings are not allowed to interrupt!"
Sanji quickly defeated the fishmen with his strong leg before landing next to Luffy. 'A cook that can fight.' Kya mused as she walked up behind her captain. The four boys began talking but she tuned them out; there were better things to worry about.
"Roronoa Zoro." A fishman suddenly called out, gaining their attention. "That's him right?! I can remember! And the girl too! Why did you trick me?!" The octopus man, Hachi, cried. She smirked lightly; apparently they weren't that intellectual. "How come that long nosed man is alive?! He should be dead!"
"Pirates? I see. So that's how you're all related. So you really want Nami in the first place." Arlong laughed maniacally. "But you're just pieces of crap! What can you do?"
"You're not even worth fighting Arlong-san! I will make all of you become my pet's meal! Show yourself my powerful fighter!" Hachi's declared, before grabbing ahold of his mouth which created a trumpet like sound. 'So it was him earlier…' Kya mused as something large began to rise from the water. "What is that?!" Usopp was near tears at the point; grabbing his head and his jaw was slack.
"Show yourself Mohmoo!"
At that, a large sea king rose from the water. It had the head of a bull and seemed awfully fierce aside from the fact it was in tears. "Here comes the monster!" Usopp screeched and she placed a hand on the shaking boy's shoulder. The cow sea king's eyes widened as he looked down at the humans; mainly on Luffy and Sanji.
"What? It's you?" Luffy didn't seem too fazed and neither did Sanji. "You're a merman?" The beast mooed sadly before turning and slinking down in the water. "Stop Mohmoo! Where are you going?" Hachi shouted angrily.
"Mohmoo. What are you doing?"
Arlong's dark voice made everyone in the court yard freeze, including the giant sea cow. "Okay, if you really want to leave. I won't stop you." It began to shake. "Just go Mohmoo." With a loud cry, the sea king turned around, viciously baring its teeth to the pirates. "Here it comes!"
"Let's go with Mohmoo!"
"We have to teach these puny humans a lesson!"
"A bit racist are we?" Kya muttered, gabbing her dagger as Sanji chuckled beside her. "Yah!" Usopp shouted, though his knees were shaking, and Zoro began to unsheathe his katana. "Leave this to me." Luffy punched his knuckles together. "I will take care of them." Steam was pouring from his nostrils as the others, aside from Usopp, frowned impatiently.
Luffy marched forward, listing his left leg up before slamming it down into the concrete. He did the same with his other leg, and Kya hung her head low. "Oh no." She sighed to herself. "What is he doing?" Sanji muttered, his cigarette hanging from his lips. Zoro's hand rubbed his chin thoughtfully, his forehead straining. "I have a bad feeling about this."
His twisted his body around, his fists hitting the attacking fishmen in the face. He stopped spinning and stretched his arms out to grab Mohmoo's horns, and the poor beast was in tears again as the fishmen gasped. "He has the power of a Devil Fruit!"
"Let's get out of here!" Usopp took off back towards the villagers, making Kya slap a hand to her forehead. "Eh? What's he doing?" Sanji asked casually. "I don't know!" Zoro practically shouted.
"Rubber…"
Her arm was grabbed, and she was pulled back into someone's chest roughly. "Kya-chwan~! You're so cuuute!" Sanji cooed, wrapping his arms around her. "Stop calling me that!" She elbowed him roughly in the stomach, sending him backwards. "We don't have time for this Ero-cook!" Zoro shouted, and Sanji glowered at him.
"Windmill!"
Luffy's body untwisted, sending the cow flying into half the courtyard and most of the fishmen. When his body began to get to last few twists, he released Mohmoo, sending it flying back to the sea. "I don't want to fight these weaklings! The only person that I really want to beat up is you!" He yelled angrily, jabbing his finger at Arlong, who smiled devilishly. "That's great, because I was just thinking about killing you too."
Kya, Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp ran up to Luffy, who was stuck in the ground. Four fishmen stood by Arlong, looking unpleased. "It seems that we have to get involved too." One with large fins on his arms said gruffly. "How could you do that to my friends!?" Hachi shouted dramatically to the air. "Let's plays." Another one licked his lips; his legs and back were oddly taken over by large sail like fins, almost like wings. "We have to teach them the difference between species, chu." The last fishman had pouty, pink lips and rosy cheeks.
"So odd…." Kya muttered, crossing her arms as Zoro grabbed his katana, smirking. "So they want to fight now." He said, a little too eagerly; he'd nearly died the other day and he was already itching for another battle. "That was dangerous idiot!" Sanji kicked the imprisoned Luffy in the head roughly while Usopp stood on his other side. "You wanted to kill us too?!"
"Well! Let's warm up first!"
The fishmen walked forward, deadly smiled on their faces. "Arlong-san, you can just take seat and relax." Pointy Arms said to the captain. "We definitely got this!" The winged one stretched his arms above his head, shaking his hips a little as Hachi bent over with his arms crossed. "If we let you do anything, chu, Arlong Park would be destroyed." Pouty Lips said lightly.
"Take this! Dark power!"
"What is that octopus doing?" Zoro asked boredly, and Kya shrugged with an eyebrow raised. "First you have to boil the octopus, and then slice it into pieces. Eat it with sauce and it will be a very good appetizer." Sanji informed them casually. "Hey, listen to me!" Luffy tried to speak, while Usopp simply ran off.
"Black Ink!"
They barely had time to dodge the mess of black liquid hurdling towards them. Kya skidded on the ground and turned quickly, seeing everyone was fine…..except Luffy. "I can't move my legs! And I can't see!" He wailed. Her fists clenched tightly; how much of an idiot can one person be?
"Black Ink…." A loud rumbling noise came from the debris, and a large piece of the wall was lifted up by the octopus man. "On the rocks!" He went to slam the concrete onto Luffy's head, but Sanji was quick to intervene. "Geez…. I have to follow the craziest captain in the whole world." He muttered, his leg in the air. "That's nice Sanji!"
Kya let out a breath in relief; what would Luffy be without them? "Anyway, you're still 1000 times better than a person who makes a woman cry." Sanji smirked at the fishmen, who chuckled in arrogance. "You are just a human with little skill… I never thought pirates would become heroes. Anyways, you are nothing compared to us." Pointy Arms boasted loudly as Usopp tried to remove Luffy from the concrete slab.
"Nothing or something, I don't give a damn about that fishy. Even though I looked like this, I was raised as a pirate." Sanji tapped his cigarette, letting the grey ash fall to the ground. "It seems that you still don't realize the real level of the fishman species."
"Still not moving Luffy?" Usopp pulled the straw hat boy to the side. "It's just stretching, not moving at all." Luffy stuck a finger in his nose. "Are you taking this seriously at all?!"
'We're doomed.' Kya sighed heavily as she rubbed her temple with two fingers. 'We're all doomed.' "What are they playing here at Arlong Park?" Hachi shouted, seeming a bit offended. "You must die!" He picked up a large piece of stone, aiming it at the two boys before Zoro intervened.
"Now that Hachi's busy…." Kya turned quickly and grabbed the wrist of the winged fishman who was hurdling straight for her captain. "Tch. Did you not hear? He only wants to fight Arlong. Not you idiots." She pushed him back roughly, and he smirked at her. "I see we have a tough girl here." He snickered and the wings on his body opened up. "I am Furai, a four winged flying fishman!"
She jumped out of the way as he flew at her, smashing into the ground. "I'll get you!" He cried, and he grabbed her leg tightly. 'He's so fast.' She grimaced and brought her foot down onto his bald head. They both slammed into the ground, Furai hitting it harder than herself.
"Arlong-san, I told you to take a seat and relax."
She stood quickly, and Furai followed suit, as Arlong slowly meandered his way over to the group. "I'm not going to do anything, I just want to say something." But he never got the chance. "For you," Luffy brought his arm back. "You will be crushed by me!" His hand went straight into the fishman's mouth.
"You really think you can beat us up." She bit her cheek as Arlong walked in front of Luffy and bent down, the rubber boy's hand grasped between his webbed fingers. "So what if we do?" Sanji retorted smugly. "I must think I can moron! Release my hand!" Luffy shouted fiercely as Kya kept quiet. "So what do you want to say?" Zoro pressed, smirking.
"It's not necessary anymore." Arlong placed his hand straight into the ground by Luffy's feet. "Why don't we play a game?" He lifted a slab of concrete with Luffy's encased legs into air along with the young boy. "A person who has a skill from the Devil Fruit won't be able to swim but in a situation like this even a normal person can't survive." He cackled as Luffy yelled and squirmed.
"Is he going to throw Luffy into the sea?!" Zoro cried out as Kya lunged for the rubber boy. "Luffy!" She screamed, but her Furai's hand was quickly clasped around her throat, lifting her in the air. "Bullet!" She watched helplessly as Luffy shot his arm into Arlong's mouth. "Luffy!" She coughed out as the shark fishman bit down on his hand. "Hey that hurt!"
"Idiot." Arlong muttered before Luffy bite down on his own arm. "That's cheating!" He yelled, before tossing the boy into the water. "Luffy!" Zoro yelled as Sanji slipped off his shoes. "We must help him!" He yelled but Zoro grabbed his arm.
"You and your friends are dead meat." Furai chuckled, gripping her throat tighter. "Shut…up." Her voice was hoarse and her breath was limited; she was near unconscious. He humphed before tossing her to the ground. "You're worthless." He said as she gasped for air. "Shut up you bastard." She pushed herself, her lungs burning, up on her feet.
She looked over to see Zoro, panting and sweating heavily. "Tch. He's gonna kill himself." She muttered out loud, only making the winged fishman laugh loudly. "You should what what you're doing." He said, just before his fist collided in the ground just before her feet. 'Dammit.' She curse as her body was thrown backwards and she rolled on the ground painfully.
"You're so weak!"
She cracked her neck as she stood to her feet slowly, glaring at the fishman. This was getting old, real fast. Before she could attack, the octopus man was thrown back at her, nearly taking her head off. She ducked quickly and Hachi flew back into the building. "What the hell…." She looked at the scene behind before turning forwards just in time to see Zoro fall face first onto the ground. "Baka." She cursed, ignoring her battle yet again.
"Pay attention." Furai sung as he leapt forward, grabbing her arm tightly. With one thrust, she was thrown behind him, straight into the water. Her hands clasped around her mouth before she registered the fact she was sinking. A maniacal cackling echoed around her and she opened her eyes to see Furai swimming straight towards her.
'Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.' She tried to swim up but he was quicker; grabbing her leg as he swiftly pulled them both down. The pressure was building up and she could feel the blood escaping from her nostrils. 'I have to do something. I can't use Rankyaku, there isn't any air. Dammit.' She did the best she could, bringing her leg down as hard as she could under this pressure against his head. He released her leg and grabbed his head, wailing in pain.
'Isn't that…?' She watched with wide eyes as one of the villagers, the man with the scars, pushed onto Luffy's chest while his head was stretched out to somewhere on the other side of the wall. 'He's okay.' She let out a breath of relief mentally and quickly turned back to Furai.
"That only hurt a little!" He chuckled, swimming quickly towards her. 'Kami-e.' Her body floated in the water graciously, moving away from every one of the fishman's punches. 'Shigan.' Blood spewed from his chest as he floated backwards slowly.
Her lungs were on fire; she couldn't hold her breath any longer. Just as she began to swim towards the surface, Sanji jumped into the water. He smirked at her as he swam down towards Luffy. 'That idiot!' She watched him swim down a little farther until a disturbance caught her attention. Pointy Arms was swimming straight at Sanji, his arm ready to attack. She opened her mouth to scream, but only bubbles came out.
'I can't hold it any longer.' She kicked her legs, her body aching and nearly losing consciousness as she broke through the surface of the water. The air raced down into her lungs as she climbed up onto the concrete. "Sister Kya!" She heard Johnny cry out, Yosaku joining in with him. She shook her head as she leaned over before coughing violently. 'I can't stay in the water like that again.'
"You're an idiot! You could have drowned!"
She sat up slowly, wiping the blood from her mouth. "Mah, mah. I'm fine." She waved Zoro off casually, turning so she could sit. "You're the one who's in idiot." She frowned, looking at his bloody and torn bandages. "Don't. Just don't." He shook his head solemnly, making her snort.
She was about to say something, but Sanji suddenly popped up out of the water, breathing heavily. "Sanji!" She yelled and the young man swam over to them. "Hey you." Zoro started angrily as the chef pulled himself out of the water. "Don't worry he's safe?"
"Really?" Zoro seemed dumbfounded, and Kya chuckled. "Well, 50%." She muttered, a little bemused. "50%?!" He repeated and she chuckled more. "We'll explain later." Sanji then turned and pointed at the water. "Hey come on up here you stupid fish! I will slice you in pieces and eat it with sauce!"
That's when the two fishmen came out of the water; Furai opened his wings and flew straight into her and they crashed into the building. "You hurt me you little bitch!" He cried, kicking a few pieces of debris away. "Tch. You talk way too much." She grumbled, brushing herself off. "How dare you mock me!" She flipped forward, bringing her legs down in a diagonal line. "Rankyaku." The air blade cut across his chest, leaving a large and bloody wound. His mouth twitched and he gasped, looking for words, but none came to him as he fell to the ground.
She stepped over him, walking back over to the two boys. Arlong stood among the debris, an angry look plastered on his face. "After all, you are just losers. We win this game." Sanji stated smugly.
"You! How dare you beat up my beloved nakama?! It seems that I am too easy on you!" Arlong bellowed as Zoro began to unsheathe his sword. "You guys said that Luffy was 50% safe. What do you mean?" He asked suddenly. "First, he won't die for sure. But I have to go down there and take care of something." Sanji informed him.
"But I don't think that guy will allow us to do that." Kya added, clenching her fists. Arlong smirked devilishly, walking to the water. "I guess I'll take care of the girl first…" He bent down to the water, holding some of it in his palm. Zoro stood quickly next to her, growling lightly to himself. "What is this fish bastard doing?"
With a simple flick of the fishman's wrist, the water came hurling towards her, hitting her exposed stomach. 'What is this?!' Her body screamed in pain, blood escaping from her nose in mouth as she fell to the ground. Her vision was blurry, but she could still make out Sanji and Zoro next to her. "What did you do to her you fish bastard?!" Zoro screamed but Arlong only shot her with another water bullet. This time, she let out a cry of pain. She'd never felt this much physical agony before, and her body wasn't used to it. She couldn't hold on much longer.
"Stop it!" Zoro yelled again, silenced by being hit with a water bullet in his chest. "Stop." Kya coughed, her voice unheard as Zoro fell on his back next to her. "What the hell did-" Sanji's sentence was cut short as he was hit with the water also.
'This can't be happening.' She tried to move but her tired body resisted it. Sanji groaned, rolling on his side. "Sanji.." She whispered, spitting more of the coppery liquid from her mouth. The cook pushed his weary body up. "Brother chef! Please stand up! How is Luffy doing?! Or is he dead?!" Yosaku and Johnny were screaming at them, only adding more pressure. Blood poured from Sanji's mouth as he stood to face Arlong in front of Zoro and herself.
"You are just weakling humans. I don't even have to touch you and make my hands dirty." Arlong played with the water in his palm. "Just this amount of water can kill you. That is the difference between our species and yours."
"Maybe you underestimate us. Chest kick!" Sanji's slender leg came up to Arlong's chest, but his maneuver was easily avoided. He fell to the ground, having been hit with another water bullet. 'Shit. Shit. Shit.' Kya clenched her fists, pushing her body to its limit. "I think you'd better hurry and die, cause your life is not worth anything."
Kya pushed herself off the ground and onto her feet, staggering slightly. "Kya-chan…" Sanji heaved, blood pouring from his face. "You haven't even seen our full potential." She smirked at Arlong, making him chuckle.
"You've got a mouth on you."
His webbed hands were around her throat quickly, lifting her off the ground. 'This will keep him off the others for a little bit…' She coughed blood onto his blue hand as he grinned. "I don't like mouth women."
"Arlong!"
Nami's voice echoed around the park, drawing everyone's attention to her. "Nami-san~!" Sanji cooed, even though he was near death. 'Lovesick fool.' Kya mocked as Arlong squeezed her throat. "Nami. I'm about to crush these worthless pirates to the ground. What are you doing here?"
"I've come here to kill you."
Arlong laughed; he laughed so loud Kya thought her eardrum would burst until he dropped her on the ground beside Zoro. "Kill me?! For eight years we've been together…How many times have you tried to kill me? Attack me off guard, poison me, or even hire someone. Listen, I won't kill you, and I won't let you go. You will be our navigator forever! But as you've already known, I'm not a cruel person. I will not lock you up. If possible, I want you to still be our navigator. I am going to kill every human here except you. However if you say that you will join us again and continue drawing maps for us…I will spare every Cocoyashi villagers' lives." He took a moment to kick Sanji in the side. "But not for these guys, because they have created too much trouble."
Kya looked up at the evil fishman, growling to herself. If she could move she'd have that bastard's ass on a silver platter. She hated ignorant and manipulative people like him. They reminded her of him. "Join us and save Cocoyashi's villagers or follow these insects and try to kill me, but as you can see, these hopeful people can't do anything anymore. You cans see a big tragedy with your eyes. So Nami, will you join us? Or are you going to choose them?" She turned to look at the orange haired girl, who stood with a wooden staff clutched in her hands and Luffy's hat atop her head. Nami was sweating, her mind racing on what to do when she turned towards the villagers. "I am sorry everyone!" She shouted. "Please fight…with me!"
"Sure!"
"You asked for it." Arlong growled as the people began to march forward. But before the battle could ensue, a loud cry stood everyone in their tracks. It seemed like a large water spout had erupted on the other side of the wall and someone took in a deep breath. 'Luffy!' Kya smiled lightly. Everything would be just fine.
"He's back. The only thing left is to destroy that rock." Sanji chuckled lightly. "So, this is what you guys were talking about." Zoro rolled over on his side after he seemed to be dead. Kya staggered to her feet, crossing her arms over her chest as the swordsman gave the villagers a thumbs down. "We can give you 45 seconds. I can't take more than that." He informed Sanji, who quickly jumped into the water. "That's more than enough."
"We didn't have a fountain over there. Is it that rubber man?!" Arlong asked himself, but Zoro was quick to distract him. "Don't worry there's nothing going on, you half fish, half human." He growled lowly, making Arlong give a murderous stare in their direction. "I told you not to say that word. Do you want to die that much Roronoa Zoro?"
"Kya, stay back for a little." The green haired man said lowly, making her frown. "I'm not going to let you fight him by yourself." She declared finally, making him sigh. Just as Arlong pulled his arm back to hit the two, some sort of disgusting substance was shot over his arm.
"Rotten Eggs Shot!"
Kya turned to see Usopp, cowering behind a hole in the wall. "I've come here to rescue you, Zoro! Kya!" He declared, though his body was tremoring. She chuckled lightly to herself, she'd nearly forgotten about the sharpshooter. "Please fight hard!" He yelled making Zoro flinch in annoyance. "You're over there?!"
"Hey Nami! I defeated one of the other fishmen!" Usopp shouted, making the navigator smile lightly. "I won't allow you to do that!" Hachi was on his hands and knees, his body shaking. 'He's still conscious?' Kya frowned in the octopus man's general direction. This was going to be a lot harder than she originally thought.
"I don't know what that Brother Chef is doing, but it seems that is the most important key to win!"
"Brother Zoro! Sister Kya! Fight! Fight! Fight!"
Johnny and Yosaku were shouting from the sidelines, rather annoyingly, but everyone ignored them. "The person who got their power from a Devil Fruit will lose all their power underwater. If that kid is still alive, it means that there is someone else getting involved in this fight." Arlong stated.
"You've hit me for the last time girly!"
She dodged to the left just as Furai flew past her, landing on his feet and sliding across the pavement. 'How is he still awake?' He quickly shot after her again, and she jumped up, her body protesting her actions. The fishman reached up, grabbing her leg and slamming her to the ground. Her head made a sickly crack sound that shook her brain. 'Shit.' She turned over on her back, kicking him on the back and into the ground. "Soru." She reappeared above him, jumping down on his back, deeper into the ground.
"That was simple." She mumbled, before her legs gave out. She landed on her back, looking up to see Arlong holding a bloody Zoro by the neck above the water. "Why are you putting up with a lot of bandages?!" Arlong nearly shouted, before tearing them away from Zoro's chest. Th wound had reopened, blood pouring out like a waterfall down the swordsman's chest. "What is this scar?!"
Kya rolled over, coughing slightly, as she pushed herself to her knees. "Let him go." She demanded, her body burning with every slight move. 'Fishmen are too damn strong. That only means we should be stronger.'
"I don't need to be yelled at by a woman, especially a human woman." Arlong leaned over, grabbing her by her pink hair. She reached up and grabbed his wrist, clutching it tightly. "So you're a racist and sexist, huh?" She grinned at him, but he only frowned.
"Oi. She's weak. Don't bother with her." Zoro began to chuckle lightly, making Arlong release his grip on her. "For once, I'll agree with you." The fishman brought his hand back, aiming straight for her face. She flinched away, waiting for the impact that never came. "…Better do nothing." Zoro coughed out. "That wound is going to open…..what a moron." He seemed to be talking more to himself than anything else.
"That's right. You are a very strange person." Arlong chuckled, lowering his webbed hand. "I didn't talk about myself. I was talking about that squidy!" Zoro was chuckling to himself now. "What?"
"I told you that we would win this game."
Just then, a loud splashing sound came from behind the wall, and something shot up into the air. "Luffy!" Kya laughed to herself, placing a hand on her face. 'Thank heavens.' She couldn't help but smile. "I'm back!" The young captain giggled loudly. "That rubber brat!" Arlong growled lowly. "You're late, baka!" Zoro shouted, gaining Luffy's attention.
"Zoro! Kya!" Luffy's arm stretched out, grabbing onto them. "Hey don't! Are you gonna-!?" Zoro twitched in anger, while she stared horridly at Luffy's rubber hand. "Luffy, I swear to-"
"Let's change!"
She let out a cry as she flew upwards, seeing Arlong turn into a mere ant. 'I'm going to kill him!' She closed her eyes as she began to descend, bracing for impact. "I got you!"
A soft thud reached her ears as she landed, a small mass under her so she couldn't hit the ground. Opening her blue eyes, she saw Usopp, twitching lightly underneath her. "Sorry." She snickered, pushing herself off of him. "I-I's okay." He muttered, making her chuckle as she staggered her way over to the villagers.
"Kya-san." Nami was practically in tears, chewing on her bottom lip. "Meh, shut up." The shorter girl waved her off, turning to se Luffy doing some odd stretch with Arlong sitting in front of him. "What's going on?"
"I wonder if Brother Luffy can defeat him! Even though Brother Luffy hit him, he is still fine." Yosaku said, clenching his fist, ignoring the assassin's question. "How about Brother Zoro?! Where has he been thrown to?!" Johnny yelled at him. "Eh, that is a good question. I didn't see where that baka went….." She trailed off, scratching the side of her face.
"Get him Luffy! I will stay here and cheer you on!" Usopp yelled from the hole in the wall. "That's not necessary." Nami sighed heavily as Arlong stood to his feet. "Do you know what the difference between you and me is?" He growled lowly. "Teeth…" Luffy cracked his hands. "….Or jaw?"
"Brother is insulting that man!"
"No, that's exactly what he thinks!"
"Fascia, right?!" Luffy tried to prove himself innocent, only pissing the fishman off more. "It's species!" Arlong's jaws clamped down as he rushed past the dodging Luffy. He kept biting down, only grabbing air, as the rubber boy moved freely around him.
'It's almost like Kami-e….' Kya thought as her captain was held by the throat against a pillar. As Arlong reached towards his head, he grabbed his head with his hand, moving it away so the fishman bit down on the structure. "Idiot! You bite at the rock and your teeth will break!" Usopp shouted.
"This must be a joke! He can destroy that pole with his teeth!" Yosaku and Johnnys' eyes nearly fell out of their heads. "Oo. That was close." Luffy breathed, moving away from the very angered Arlong. "This is the power of the merman since we were born! Heaven gave us the power to separate us from you. So we are different! Humans have been lower and weaker than us since the day he was born!"
Luffy punched part of the rock near him, destroying it completely. "So what? Does that give you the right to boast? I don't have to bite to destroy a rock." He said simply. "Ouch that hurt!" Yosaku yelled out. "See that?! The result was still the same anyways!" Johnny screamed after him. "Even though he's an airhead." Kya sat down carefully. "He has some good points."
"Boring." Arlong stated before charging forward. "Humans are a stupid species with no power! When you were drowning, you couldn't do anything! So what can you do now?" That's when Luffy picked up to swords from the fallen fishmen, holding them awkwardly. "Tch. He's going to hurt himself. Baka." She muttered, leaning back on her hands.
"Because I can't do anything, others have to help me." He giggled, holding the swords out, before swinging them at Arlong, who dodged with ease. "What are you doing? You're just swinging those swords around. That's nothing." He said, before Luffy slapped him clear across the face. "If you want to play, I don't have time to play with you." He noticed just in time as Luffy swung the katana at him, catching it in his razor sharp teeth causing it to break.
Luffy leaned back, aiming his arm. "Your teeth will break!" He punched Arlong under the jaw, causing his teeth to shatter on impact. 'What brute strength.' Kya cocked her head in interest. "Arlong's teeth are breaking!" One of the villagers cried out in disbelief. "How can I know how to use swords, you idiot?! I don't know anything about navigation! I've never lied to anyone! And I can't sneak around quietly! I am sure that if no one helps me, I can't survive!"
A small smile spread over the young girl's face, her eyebrow quirking a little. 'Was that the best example you could use for me Luffy?' She thought sarcastically as Luffy began to laugh. "I've never though that you were this worthless. You are only good at boasting. Your crew must have headaches with a captain like you. I don't know why these people have to risk their lives for you."
"A person with no pride like you is not worth being a captain! What can you do?!" Arlong yelled, sitting upright. "I can defeat you." Luffy said cockily. "Get him brother Luffy!" Yosaku shouted, making Kya flinch. "So damn loud. Just let him fight." She looked up at Nami, who was currently staring at the scene dumbfounded. "You should have just told us." She mumbled to the navigator, who clinched her fists tightly. "I'm sorry." She muttered, her hands shaking.
"Shut up you puny human!"
Focusing back on the scene, Kya watched with mixed feelings as Arlong grew his teeth back with ease. "Ah! He can grow his teeth again!" Luffy stated the obvious. "Saw-fish can always grow back their teeth, and these teeth are stronger than the old ones!" He pulled the new pair of teeth out, regrowing more. "No matter how many times it is!" He pulled out his teeth again. "No matter when it will be!"
"That's so cool!"
"This is the gift that heaven gave to us!" He held the two teeth in both hands, snapping them. "So do you understand, how great fishmen are?" He asked, blooding dripping from his mouth. 'He's using his own teeth as weapons.' Kya swallowed heavily, chewing the inside of her lip. "Killing teeth!" He lunged at Luffy, who barely avoided the attack. Just as he stopped one hand, the other came at him, biting Luffy.
"Brother Luffy!"
She stood to her feet, nearly passing out in the process, but as the dust cleared, it showed Luffy was just fine. He used one of Arlong's crew to block the attack, the sharp teeth were currently imbedded in the fishman's face. 'That's a bit low.' She let out a breath of relief. "My…My crew!" Arlong cried as the fishman whimpered something. "Phew, I've got some good ideas." Luffy chuckled.
"You used my crew as a shield! You little brat!" Arlong was seething with angry, his muscles tensing with every word. "You don't have the right to say that because you did that too." Luffy retorted, placing his hands on his hips. "Brother Luffy said that he came up with a good idea." Yosaku noted. "I wonder what his idea is." Johnny added. "Probably something detrimental." Kya groaned, rubbing her temple.
"Tooth gum!" Luffy dodged the attacks again, this time reaching back, planting his foot on the fishman's face and grabbing his arm. "It comes out." He stated as Arlong went flying back, without teeth in his mouth. "You! How many times have I told you its worthless to try and destroy my teeth? Don't you get it!" His teeth grew back, yet again. "So, Brother Luffy's good idea is…." Everyone looked at the rubber boy…only to see him with Arlong's teeth in his mouth.
"Look! I have the same teeth as you now!" He pointed, making Kya hang her head low. "Just when I thought he was going to be smart…." She muttered out loud. "How long will you continue to insult me?!" Arlong reached out, barely missing Luffy's head. "Agh the shark is biting me!" Luffy yelled out dramatically, falling to the ground.
"Stop playing around!"
"Who said that I was playing?!" He shouted back at Yosaku and Johnny, trying to be serious. "Tooth gum!" He picked up a large rock, holding it in front of him so Arlong couldn't bit his body. The recoil of the attack sent him flying backward, making the saw-nosed man laugh out loud. He bent down, grabbing Luffy by the chest. 'Oh no. This isn't good.' Kya wanted to badly to help him out, but she knew he'd only be angry with her.
Suddenly, Arlong cried out in pain as Luffy bit down on his shoulder, blood spurting everywhere. "How was that?! You got hurt by your own teeth!" Luffy shouted, falling backwards. "It is my teeth, but your jaws aren't strong enough." Arlong removed the teeth from his shoulder. "Listen! Shark's teeth have the power that can destroy the human body in one bite!" He lunged forward, biting down on Luffy's arm. "This is the real power of a shark's jaw!"
"Ah! He got his arm!"
Luffy cried out as Arlong bite down harder, struggling a bit before taking the fishman and send him straight to the ground. He removed his arm, falling to the side. "He could've lost his arm, dammit." Kya curse, struggling with what to do. She watched painfully as Arlong sat up and jumped into the water.
"Eh? Where is he?" Luffy asked out loud after removing the jaw from his arm. "Luffy! In the sea!" Usopp shouted loudly. The captain walked towards the water, leaning over the side just as a fin came above water. "It's just a shark!" He declared stupidly, and she hit her forehead with her palm. "That's Arlong!" She told him, just as the fin disappeared again.
After a momentary silence, something large was shot out of the water, straight into Luffy and then into the building. "Arlong shot himself from the sea!?" Yosaku shouted loudly as Luffy flew to the side, his body covered in blood.
"Ouch, that hurt!" He whined after falling on his face. It hadn't even been a mere minute before Arlong shot himself off again, but this time Luffy dodged it. "He can use his nose to destroy the floor!" He exclaimed, staring at the scene before him. Arlong was in the ground, but only by his nose. 'How strong is his nose?!' Kya thought, watching as Arlong hit Luffy multiple times with the same attack.
"Luffy! Don't stand there! He went underwater again!" Usopp warned loudly. "Get out of there brother!" Johnny and Yosaku yelled together. "No." Luffy retaliated. "What the hell are you saying?! You are on his target! Get out of there!" Another voice shouted; most likely Sanji.
"No! I will catch him and destroy his nose!" Luffy stood over the edge of the water, his fists clenched tightly. "What is he doing, trying to get killed?" Kya grumbled, crossing her arms over her bloody midriff. "Why don't you try that again, you little shark!?" He growled angrily. "I told you to get out of there! Don't you understand Luffy!? If you stand like that he'll get you and you'll be killed!" Usopp shouted at him in fear. "Rubber shield." Luffy grabbed his hand, stretching his fingers in front of him.
"What's that?"
"So he wants to directly confront him?"
That's when Arlong shot out of the water, straight into Luffy, sending them both into the building. "He got him!" Yosaku cried out, nearly fainting at the sight. "What's that?! He got hurt!?" Usopp asked loudly, and Kya shook her head. "No! Luffy is the one who jumped!" She explained, pointing to him on the side of the building. 'At least he's okay.'
"I can defeat your technique now! You can't use it on me anymore!" He chuckled, holding onto the building tightly, though it didn't last long. Arlong shot out of the building, missing Luffy by an inch. "You can't escape from me!" He shouted loudly. "That was a lucky shot! You scared me!" Luffy defended childishly. "So you got a problem rubber?! Die!"
"Net!"
Just as Arlong shot towards the falling boy, his fingers stretched around him like a net. 'The fisherman casts a net. Followed by…" He placed his feet together before stretching them into Arlong, sending the fishman straight into the ground, destroying it. "Staff!"
"Wow!"
"It worked!"
"It's too early to celebrate." Kya said glumly, sensing the anger radiating from Arlong's body as Luffy began to descend from the sky. "Arlong's eyes are changing!" Someone cried out. "It's the first time I've seen his eyes like that." Nami muttered, her body shaking in fear.
"You're just a puny human!" Arlong grabbed Luffy by the hair. "But you dare fight…..a merman like me!?" He tossed the rubber boy straight into the building. "That was so scary." Luffy said suddenly, laying among the debris casually. "I'm not hurt but the man has become reckless."
"Then get up and fight." Kya sighed as Arlong charged. His fist broke through the wall as Luffy jumped up high with a grin on his face. When Arlong removed his arm, he had a long katana with multiple, large blades on it in his hand. "A giant blade?!" The bounty hunters cried together in fear. "What the hell kind of blade is that?" She frowned, stumbling forward a bit. "Kiribachi!" Nami cried out. Arlong swung the katana at Luffy, who dodged it, and it nearly sliced the building in half.
"He's not stopping!"
"How far is he going to chase him!?"
'I can't see him.' Kya grimaced, tapping her arm lightly. This would have to end sometime; there can't be two winners. "He went inside." She stated as the building was torn to shreds. "The left window on the highest floor…..The navigation room." Nami swallowed, her eyes shaking.
The air was tense, and nothing was happening. 'It couldn't be over…' Kya fought the urge to run inside. "Dammit! I don't know what will happen to Brother Luffy!" Yosaku cried out, and she had enough. "Stop wailing!" She demanded, and the two bounty hunters quickly shut up, backing away from her.
"What's that?!"
A loud crash indicated movement, and a large desk came flying out the top floor. Johnny and Yosaku began to chat idly, something about Luffy, but it was unimportant to her at the moment. "Luffy?" Nami whispered breathlessly, her body trembling. It sounded like a bomb had exploded in the room; loud crashing sounds echoed around them and furniture began to fall from the building.
Luffy was yelling, but no one could make out what it was. Nami placed a hand over her mouth, tears falling from her eyes. 'He must be destroying the room for her…' Kya scowled as the demolition stopped. "He can't be-" Johnny was cut off by a foot shooting up through the very top of the building.
"….Axe!"
That's when a large crack shot straight through the center of the building and the foundation began to give away. "What's that?!" Everyone began to back away as the building began to crumble to the ground.
"Look!"
"Arlong Park has collapsed! I must be crazy!"
"This is dangerous! Take shelter!" Yosaku shouted, running away. "Let's g Sister Nami, Sister Kya!" Johnny grabbed their arms, attempting to pull them back. "But Luffy is still in there"! The orange haired girl cried out.
"Luffy!"
Kya managed to grab the girl, pulling her out of the way of oncoming debris. "Luffy will be fine! We have to worry about ourselves!" She yelled, joining up with the rest of the villagers. That's when it fell apart completely, leaving only dust.
"Arlong Park is destroyed!"
"Brother!"
"What happened inside there?"
There, at the very top, stood a bloody and injured Luffy. His arms were tense and bloody, his face looking down. "Luffy!" Nami cried happily, while Kya grinned. "B-B-Brother!"
"Nami!" Luffy called out, silencing everyone. "You are my nakama!" His words caused sobs to escaped from her lips, tears pouring down her face. "Yes!" She declared, and the villagers began to cheer. "Arlong Park is destroyed!"
"Stop right there!"
Standing behind them stood a man wearing a mouse like hat and whiskers over his lips, many other Marines standing by his side as he snickered. "That man!" a few people cried, indicating he had done something already. 'Marines are a pain in the ass.' Kya 'tched' as she walked forward, standing in front of the Marines.
"This is my lucky day. I had a chance to witness a very interesting fight from beginning to end. It's not strange to say that you are very lucky because no one will believe that unknown pirates defeated those fishmen!" The Marine reached forward, cackling madly. "Because of you, every single Beli of Arlong will be mine! Everyone drop your weapons! I, commander Nezumi of Unit 16 will be happy to accept all the treasure!"
Just then, Zoro walked through the middle of the Marines, causing each and every one of them to have a heart attack, including a fleeing Nezumi. "Everyone is happy." He said after grabbing the back of the Commander's jacket. "So you'd better not disturb them."
"Oi, oi. Let me have a whack at him." Sanji butted in as he walked up to them. "Don't forget about me!" Luffy cried, pushing his way through the crowd. "Tch. Idiots." Kya muttered before punching the man square in the jaw. "Now I've got the first hit." She chuckled, sending the three boys, Usopp joining in later, into a beating frenzy of Marines.
"You think that you can get away with this?" Nezumi gasped, laying bloody and bruised among his subordinates. "Still talking like this?" Sanji asked boredly as Nami walked up to the Commander. "This is…" She bent down in front of him. "For shooting Nojiko and destroying Bele-meil-san's orange farm." She stood up, swinging her staff straight into his face, sending him flying back. "Sir!"
"Thank you Nami! That's so cool!" Nojiko said happily, while the scarred man seethed next to her. "I still want to beat him up!"
After getting rid of Nezumi and the other Marines, the villagers and pirates meandered their way back to the village, immediately beginning to celebrate the victory. Kya sighed lightly, crossing her arms over her chest. The doctor had treated them, and was now focusing on Zoro, whose grunts of pain could be heard on the other side of the island.
"Still not finished yet?" Sanji asked from her right side. "It is supposed to be that way. His wound needs more than two years to heal." Usopp explained from her other side. "He is so crazy! And he moves too much!" The cook exasperated, making her chuckle. "We're all pretty different, no?"
As night approached, festivities began; partying, dancing, singing, drinking, eating, and anything else you could imagine. Kya sat quietly in between two buildings, munching on an apple. 'It's weird to see so many people who have been through similar things as me.' She took a sip of her sake. 'It's really a small world.'
"Not a party person?"
She bit into her apple, shrugging casually. Zoro sat next to her, taking a large swig of his drink. "How's your wound?" She brought her legs up to the seat, sitting cross legged. "Doesn't hurt at all?" She asked suspiciously. "Nope." He almost did stop her hand from slapping the middle of his chest. "Don't you dare." He warned, making her chuckle. "Couldn't resist."
"My beautiful Kya-chwan!~ Why are you sitting with such a stupid marimo head?!" Sanji came twirling over to the two, hearts in his eyes. "I told you not to call me that." She mumbled, taking another bite of her apple. "Who are you calling a marimo you ero-cook?!" Zoro shouted angrily, but the chef simply ignored him, sliding down against the wall opposite of them.
"I've never eaten so much food in my life." He complained, puffing his cigarette. "Ah, they've waited eight years for this day. I can't even imagine." Zoro commented, downing his sake. "And Nami-swan~ will be joining us!" Sanji cooed; apparently that was more important than the fact they had just defeated a big name pirate.
"Ya." She sighed, looking down at her apple; suddenly she wasn't that hungry anymore. "So, Kya-chwan~, why are you in a crew full of idiots?" Sanji asked suddenly, blinking at her. She tossed her apple to the side, sighing lightly. "Why not? I need to get to the Grand Line anyways."
"Why would someone as beautiful as you want to go somewhere so dangerous~?"
She twitched, trying to ignore the sweetness. "That's where I'm from." She said simply before Luffy staggered over to the three, food in his mouth and hands. "Hey Sanji! What was the last piece of melon that you just ate?!" He shouted, food spurting from his lips. "What's with the full hand of meat? Are you going to sell it?" Zoro joked bitterly. "Oh! That's fresh ham melon. So the thing that was son the melon was fresh ham." Sanji noted idly.
"Fresh ham melon?! Where did you get that?!"
"The whole village is celebrating, so there's food everywhere. I can't eat anymore." He explained boredly, and Luffy huffed. "I will go and find it. I'll be back." He said as he left them. "The only thing he has done lately is eat." Zoro took a sip of his sake while Kya snickered to herself.
"Well in this case." Sanji stood, brushing himself off before holding a hand out to her. "Would you like to join me in a dance?" He asked in a deep voice. "No." She said simply, crushing his heart. "That's okay Kya-chwan~! I'll wait for you!" He sung, running off to find more women to flirt with.
"He's annoying." Zoro grumbled, leaning his head back against the building. "He isn't so bad, once you look past his flirting." She shrugged, looking up at the sky. "Annoying." She chuckled at him. "Maybe we'll find you a cute girl who will give you food without hitting you."
He snorted. "Shut up." She snickered lightly before sighing. "We're almost to the Grand Line." She said to the sky. "How far away is your home from the Red Line?" He asked boredly. "Not far enough." She said, though her reply went unheard as he was already fast asleep.
Thank you to everyone who reads my terrible story. School started so I haven't been able to update much, but I will try at least once a week!