Freckles
chapter 12
After getting the loot into safety, Eli and Ace ran to Arlong Park along the coastline. Apparently the rest of the crew was already there, and so were the villagers, well that's what the pair concluded seeing that the town was completely empty. The theft of Nami's treasure must have been the last straw for them.
Eli's heart pounded fast as she ran towards her friends, she couldn't help but being a little anxious for them. She had never seen them fight yet, except for Luffy and Sanji, and again it was never against a real enemy.
Eli bit her lip nervously. I hope they're ok, she thought. She looked over her shoulder at Ace who was running by her side. The wind blustered her short hair in her face, she raised her hand and slipped it though the tickling locks to hold them still. She wanted to ask him if he was he nervous too. But what was the point. All they had to do was get there, and get there fast.
He must have seen the worry in her eyes since he gave her a large cheering grin, she nodded and looked forward speeding up her pace.
On their way they ran into Usopp who was lying on the ground, they slowed down to walk to the boy. Hearing their footsteps he got up. Even though he had bruises all over his body, he grinned widely walking toward Eli and Ace.
"I did it !" he said cheerfully "I beat a merman !"
Eli looked around, and found the said merman lying unconscious in a rice field.
"He was Arlong's right-hand man, you know ? But I showed no fear !" Usopp boasted resting his hands on his hips.
Ace and Eli smiled at the boy. "That's great Usopp !" she congratulated giving the thumbs up. He looked so happy, that must have been hard for him to fight all alone against his opponent, but he did it, and she was really proud of him.
Ace cleared his throat to remind his two euphoric crewmates that the battle might be still raging in Arlong Park, they nodded and started running.
When they approached Arlong Park they saw a crowd gathered near the gate, they soon recognized some of the villagers they had seen earlier. Nami was there too, facing Arlong with fear in her eyes.
Eli's eyes widened when she saw that the redhead was wearing Luffy's strawhat. She had almost never seen the boy's hat on someone else's head. She turned around to look at Ace's cowboy hat. I wonder if he'd let me... she thought. The girl shook her head rapidly to get rid of her frivolous interrogation and focused on the current, and more important situation. "Where is Luffy ?"
"He's in the sea." Sanji replied. Eli turned her head to look at him, he was next to Arlong, on his knees, Zoro was beside him, lying unconsciously on the floor. "He's ok, I just have to go and free him."
"Like I'll let you pitiful human !" Arlong sneered kicking the young man on his back making him cough out some blood. Eli winced, the two fighters seemed to have reached their limits.
Ace walked to the cook. "I'll hold that fish for you then." he said cracking his fingers. Sanji glanced a second at him, before diving in the water.
Arlong looked surprisingly at his opponent. "You're the honeymooner from before."
Ace blinked confusedly. "What ?" He looked at Eli over his shoulder his eyes saying 'What the heck is he talking about ?'
The girl had already completely forgotten about her little lie, she smiled timidly. "I'll tell you later !"
Ace turned his head back to face Arlong. The two of them were about five steps away, each of them silently eyeballing his opponent, the only sound heard was the soft rustle of waves emphasizing the heavy tension. The audience was waiting speechlessly for one of them to make the first move.
"Shahahahaha !" Arlong laughed loudly. "Aren't you going to attack me ?"
Ace smirked. "I'm just here to hold you until my captain arrives. He won't forgive if I kicked your ass."
True, Eli thought. Luffy would be quite pissed off if his older brother took care of the main boss instead of him.
Arlong's eyes darken. "Weakling !" he snarled with a disgusted look on his face before jumping toward Ace with his mouth open. The young man swiftly crouched to evade the sharp teeth, and shot his legs into the shark's, tossing him on the floor. Arlong stood up slowly, looking scornfully at his smirking opponent. He huffed and without further notice rushed him swinging his saw-nose. Ace hopped backwards dodging his every attack effortlessly.
Eli chuckled lightly, Ace didn't even have to use his fire abilities to piss the merman off. She felt that the crowd gathered behind her had regained hope seeing their oppressor ridiculized so easily. They were making all sorts of cheering sounds looking at the comedy show. Ace must have noticed it too since his movements became more acrobatic owning him some "Oooh" and "Aaah" from the amazed audience.
But the show was soon interrupted by a long scream coming from Arlong Park's main gate.
"I'M BAAAAAAAAACK !" Luffy yelled happily flying in the sky above Arlong park. "Ace !" he cried falling toward his brother.
Ace took a side step for his little brother to land. But to his surprise, and everyone's, Luffy stretched his arm to grab Ace's shoulder. "SWITCH !!" And send him flying high into the sky.
"MORON !!" everyone scolded in unison.
Eli slapped her forehead before running toward Ace. She gritted her teeth seeing him fall in the sea. Of course, Luffy HAD to send the devil fruit user in the sea.
"SANJI !" she called desperately, noticing that the cook was still in the water. "Could you fetch Ace please ? He can't swim !"
"Anything for you Elisabeth !" Sanji replied warmly before diving in the water.
Eli stretched her legs, they were sore from all the running around. Ever since she had left Fuschia she had been basically stuck on her little boat, or strolling around towns. She scolded herself for not training enough and took a mental note to run everyday from now on.
A minute later she raised her head in the direction of a splashing sound, Sanji had just emerged from the sea, and he was now swimming toward her with one arm as the other one was tightly tied around Ace's inanimate body.
Eli keeled down to help Sanji getting hammer boy out of the water. "Thank you Sanji." She smiled at him, hitting Ace's chest with her fist until he started coughing water.
Sanji sat leaning against the wall. "You're welcome my dear." He reached his pocket for a cigarette. "So this is Ace." He tried to light a matchstick, and an other but they were all wet from all the swimming, he sighed.
Ace sat up and ignited the tip of his cigarette. "Yep, you can also call him matchstick." Eli grinned sitting in the keeling position.
"We haven't been introduced yet. I'm Ace, Luffy's brother. Nice to meet you." Ace bowed politely.
"Thanks, and I know Elisabeth used to talk about you all the time, I'm Sanji by the way." He puffed his cigarette.
Ace turned his head to look at Eli with a wide smirk. "Is that so ?"
"Oh look Luffy's got new teeth." Eli said evading the self satisfied look on the young man's freckled face.
Ace slapped his forehead seeing how ridiculous his brother looked with his "new teeth", which originally were Arlong's. Apparently the shark could grow them over and over again. In addition to his deadly jaws, he held one in each of his hand snapping them as if there were castanets, Eli gritted her teeth to the excruciating music.
Arlong charged Luffy with his deadly castanets, and snapped them in the boy's rubber stomach. The crowd gasped in horror. But Luffy wasn't easily defeated, he launched his pistol punch in Arlong's face sending him flying a few meters away.
Luffy slowly got up pushing himself with his arms, he winced extracting the jaws still stuck in the stomach. When he looked around for his opponent, he was nowhere to be found. "IN THE SEA" Usopp warned pointing a fin protruding above the surface of the water. This isn't good, Eli thought. Mermen are creature of the sea after all, and attacking from the water should give Arlong the upper hand.
The fin disappeared for a second, making Luffy lean forward to search for the shark. "Shark on... DARTS !!!" Arlong propelled himself out of the water like a torpedo right into the last floor of the mansion, taking Luffy with him.
The attack was so fast. "Did he hit Luffy ?" Sanji asked Eli worriedly, knowing that the girl, with the help of her devil powers, must have seen exactly what happened.
"Of course not !" Eli smirked proudly, she had trained with the boy for a few years, and this was nothing compared to the girl's speed.
"The left room of the highest floor.... The navigation room..." Nami muttered, her wide eyes locked dazedly on the said room.
The crowd was stunned with expectation, wondering what was going on in the mansion. After a few minutes of silence, the fight roared again, louder and louder.
A little desk fell from one of the windows, followed by numerous sheets of paper.
Ace grabbed one of them, to examine it, before handing it to Eli. It was a map, the girl looked at the sheets of papers scattered in the sky by the wind, the hundreds of maps that Nami had made for Arlong within the past eight years. She smiled heartily, Luffy wasn't the smartest chicken in the coop, but sometimes he did things like that, instinctively, and it was just perfect.
Eli looked at Nami, streams of tears flowed from her eyes. The nightmare was finally over.
Luffy stretched his leg up in the air and launched it on the mansion. Everyone watched in bewilderment as the huge building collapsed with an earth shattering noise.
"Nami !" Luffy was standing on the pile of rubble that was once Arlong Park. "YOU ARE ONE OF US NOW !!"
The villagers were overjoyed. "Arlong Park is destroyed !" they sang happily throwing their hero in the air, who probably wasn't even aware of the importance his fight had for the people of this island. Luffy was laughing like a child, bouncing up and down in the air, without a care in the world.
Eli swung around when footsteps were heard behind the joyous group. She frowned seeing Nezumi and a dozen of marines approaching, probably seeking help from Arlong.
A marine pointed a shaky finger at the pair who had previously raided their ship. "Fire Fist Ace and... the boy from before !!"
It wasn't the first time someone mistook the tall and skinny Eli for a boy, and every time it had ended in a bloodbath. Ace slammed his hands on his mouth to refrain himself from laughing.
Eli's reaction was immediate. "THE WHAT !?" She jumped on the marine and pined him violently to the ground. "Repeat that if you DARE !" The girl grabbed the young man's collar and pulled him closing gap between their faces, staring furiously in his eyes her orbs filled with bloodlust.
Ace grabbed her small shoulders and pulled her away from the marine who looked like he was about to piss in his pants.
Ace was having a hard time restraining the hysterical girl. "I'LL EMASCULATE YOU DICKHEAD !" As she kicked him repeatedly, harshly, he tightened his grip on her tiny waist making her suffocate.
"Look it's too late to ask help from your associate, Nezumi. My captain already took care of him." He turned his head toward Luffy.
Eli struggled in the young man's strong arms. "LET ME GO !!" She elbowed him in the chin.
"Arlong was defeated by this kid ?!" Nezumi yelled bewildered.
"Yes, and now I suggest you go before I unleash the beast."
Nezumi and his marines gulped looking at the frenzied girl, before running away their tails between their legs.
"I'M GOING TO KILL THEM !" she yelled furiously looking at her fleeing preys.
to be continued
Yes, Eli can be mistaken, for a boy, because she's REALLY tall (a bit taller than Ace) and REALLY flat (and her hair are a little short, and she doesn't wear skirts...)
I noticed that there are no flat female in One Piece, what a shame ! Big boobs are over rated, come and join my cause !
The fighting scenes were hard to write, I hope they're not too bad.
ThexWhitexPhoenix : Got your answers I guess :)
And I like cocky Eli too but it was kinda easy since she was facing puny marines hehe.
Art-sama : I can't really control the length of the chapters, but trying to keep than longer than 1500 words is my goal ! Is that good ?
iBeautifullyBroken : My third reviewer ! Me so happy, me cry ! Thank you.
I think it's something like that, and something about the threat of the blow too :)