DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING, EXCEPT ALL VIKINGS AND OCs IN THIS STORY! ONE PIECE BELONGS TO EICHIRO ODA, VIZ MANGA, TOEI ANIMATION AND FUNIMATION ENTERTAINMENT/CRUNCHYROLL LLC
Chapter 41: Luffy at Full Power! The Tide of Battle Turns!
All of Cocoyashi looked on in awe! In all, a total of four-thousand Vikings had come to save them! Hroðgar immediately dropped his long axe, and mounted a horse, grabbing a lance as he disembarked, and at his side…Ingrid! Together, they led the elite crack force of Norse cavalry.
"We didn't miss the fish cleaning, did we?" Ingrid asked Ragnar with a smug grin, noticing the unconscious fish-men laying about, who were just starting to recover from being thrown about by Luffy's Gum-Gum Pinwheel.
"Nope, you're just in time!" Ragnar happily told her. Yet what amazed the villagers more, was the sight of the Web Panic and Willy's crew being present. Humans and Fish-Men were fighting side by side? Did these fish-men somehow have an axe to grind against Arlong?
As the Web Panic disembarked, Willy jumped from the ship and swam towards the harbor, leaping to the air and landing right in front of Ragnar, Zoro, and Sanji, ready to face Arlong. As he and the rest of the Sun Pirates who came with him made themselves known, the Elgrings and their allies disembarked their longships. The cavalry made their way towards the land entrance to Arlong Park, behind the fyrd of Cocoyashi Village, whilst their infantry stayed within. The foot-soldiers then formed the legendary Viking shield-wall, blocking the path to the harbor, and forcing Arlong to fight on land.
"So, Wapanda was right," Arlong surmised after seeing his cetacean counterpart. He couldn't help bug glare and give a menacing grin towards the orca, "You really were here on this island, brother!"
"You lost the right to call me brother long ago!" Willy snapped back, brandishing his spiked mace as he glared at his old crewmate.
"C'mon. Willy, there's no need for us to fight," Arlong insisted, "Can't we just go back to how things used to be? Can't we have peace between us?"
"We shall have peace…" Willy began, and for a moment, he truly considered ways towards peace, but knew that this was one of Arlong's deceptions and once more glared at his ex-crewmate, "We shall have peace …when you answer for the destruction of Gosa Village, and the men, women, and children who lie dead there! We shall have peace, when the souls of lady Belle-Mere and Trygve jarl are avenged! When you hang from a gibbet for the sport of your own vultures, then and only then, we shall have peace!"
At the harbor entrance, Luffy only cheered happily as he saw what happened. His voice was all the villagers needed to know that he was alive.
"Perfect timing!" Sanji muttered, "Now, if that whale girl can just remove Luffy's leg weight, he'll be fine."
"I see. So that's what you meant," Zoro replied.
"No way! That means…" Yosaku began happily.
"Luffy's still alive!" Johnny exclaimed.
"So, that rubber boy survived after all," Arlong muttered, then turned to his quartermaster, "Wapanda! Finish him and Nami off!"
"Sure thing, boss!" Wapanda then rushed towards the harbor, but Ragnar blocked the path, sword in hand.
"Like I said before, you're not going anywhere!" The Viking declared, "I'm your opponent, and as quartermaster to the Straw Hat Pirates, I refuse to let you kill my captain and our navigator!"
"So be it," Wapanda replied with a grin, "Then I will gladly do the honors of killing you first, barbarian dog!" The lionfish then unleashed a deadly kick with his right foot, claws extending from his toes. "VENOM SPUR!" He shouted, and Wapanda managed to get land a kick on Ragnar, the hollowed claws on his toes sinking into the area between the Viking's neck and his shoulders – where his armor gave no protection!
"Dear Gods! Fuck!" Ragnar roared in pain, furious at himself for not having seen that attack coming. Indeed, it was excruciating, but somehow, he was still alive. He glared at the lionfish and asked, "So, you can store venom in your feet too, can you?"
"How observant you are," said Wapanda with a devious grin, "Correct! It's not just my dorsal spikes, but my clawed feet also contain my signature venom as well. Combined with my style of Fish-man Karate, it makes for a lethal combination." Ragnar tried to land a thrust, but Wapanda sidestepped out of the way, kicking him with the sole of his foot this time, "Uh-uh, I wouldn't move about. My venom won't kill you, but it will definitely cause unpleasant symptoms: extreme pain, nausea, convulsions, dizziness, fever and numbness. So, tell me: who isn't going anywhere?"
"You…are!" Ragnar growled, trying his damnedest to fight through the pain and dizziness. Like Zoro, his determination was ironclad. He would rather die for his captain than submit.
"You bastard! If it's death you want, then I'll be sure to send you to your Gods!" Wapanda lowered his front dorsal spike and then charged straight at Ragnar, aiming for his heart, "VENOM LANCE!"
"No! Ragnar!" Sanji shouted, as he looked to see what was happening. Wapanda thrust his front dorsal spike right into the quartermaster's chest. The lionfish only smiled in apparent triumph.
"It's over. You weren't even much of a…" He did not finish. As he gloated, Ragnar grasped the spike by the base. He was still alive, much to Wapanda's shock as he saw those eyes glare at his own, "What the fuck!?" Ragnar then pulled the spike out of his hauberk, and kicked Wapanda, sending him skidding across the ground. The lionfish was just perplexed when he rose. How could this Zoan type withstand a thrust of his Venom Lance to the heart!? "No! I had you! Any normal human would've died right now!"
"If it's of any consolation, you did penetrate my hauberk…but not enough to push apart the rings," Ragnar explained, noting how his mail hauberk was made up of rings that were so small and flat that nothing could thrust in the gaps, "See, among my people, we ensure that our mail is strong enough to resist a thrust from an infantry spear – and your venom lance doesn't even come close to that!"
"Then I'll just have to try this again!" Wapanda declared, charging at the Viking again, and readying himself with another kick, "VENOM SPUR!" As Wapanda kicked again, Ragnar managed to side-step out of the way, noticing that his opponent now left himself open. This was the perfect opportunity. With a single upward cut from his sword, he sheared off Wapanda's exposed right arm clean off right at the shoulder! The lionfish quartermaster screamed in agony as he fell to the ground, clutching what remained of his limb, "MY ARM! YOU CUT OFF MY ARM!" He bellowed, only to look up at the leonine Viking, who only roared at him. Wapanda let out a terrified scream, believing that he was going to die. Yet then…Ragnar struck the lionfish with the pommel of his sword on the head, knocking him out instantly.
"No! Wapanda!" Arlong shouted, horrified by the sight of his own quartermaster suffering such an injury. No man should have been able to sever a fish-man's leg right at the joint! It was virtually unprecedented! He would avenge his fallen quartermaster.
"Why did you amputate his whole arm off?" Dr. Nako asked Ragnar, genuinely shocked by the sight of just how brutal Viking combat could be.
"It was just the angle of the arm," Ragnar happily answered, "I couldn't resist." Hearing this, Ingrid only smiled and laughed. She could understand exactly what Ragnar meant.
"You bastard!" Arlong roared, "Wapanda was my most trusted officer and you killed him!" Soon enough, the shark was charging right at the Viking, "I'll send you to your beloved afterlife in his stead!" Yet as he charged forward, Arlong found himself halted dead in his tracks by Zoro, who was wielding all three of the swords he used to defeat Hatchan, slashing the fish-man on the left cheek, just under the eye.
"Just stay back…" Zoro groaned, "You're not getting anywhere…near him…"
"Ah, Zoro. I thought I told you to never say that again," said Arlong as he licked the blood off his face, "Now, prepare to die!"
Beneath the surface of the harbor, Celosia was still recovering from the shock of the explosion from the fire ship. Being a whale fish-woman, she couldn't help it, given that the sound messed with her sonar.
"Damn…I forgot that gunpowder explosions are much louder for me underwater," she muttered, "I'm gonna have to invest in some earplugs in case we use a fireship again." She then turned her focus to Luffy's legs, "Okay, if I can break this concrete apart, rubber boy here can fight."
Back on land, Arlong only grinned at Zoro, noticing that Wapanda's injury wasn't life-threatening. He knew his quartermaster would be physically able to survive, but he would not be the same emotionally.
"In the sea, those with Devil Fruit powers are supposed to lose the energy even to struggle, not to mention their powers," he told Zoro and Ragnar, clearly indicating Luffy, "Rest assured, your so-called captain will die. And if he somehow manages to survive? Well…that wouldn't be fair, now would it?"
"Wouldn't be fair!?" Zoro asked in rage, "This game hasn't been fair from the moment we started playing it!"
"Well, anyways, if there's a hinderance, I should be aware of it," Arlong replied, noticing Zoro's bandages, "Isn't that correct, pirate hunter?" Yet, at that moment, something interesting happened. An egg was sent flying straight for Arlong.
"EGG STAR!" A voice shouted, right as the egg cracked against Arlong's fist. Yet everyone knew exactly who it was, as they heard someone speak out, "I've got your back, Zoro!" Usopp happily replied, knocking an arrow to his bowstring.
"Usopp! Thank Týr you're still alive!" Ragnar exclaimed as he sat this fight out, in order to let the venom run its course. Yet he noticed that Usopp was peeking right through the hole that Sanji made when Kuroobi punched him.
Outside, at the harbor, Nami had Nojiko switch with her as it came to holding Luffy's head, as she saw Usopp alive and well. She just had to see this for herself now.
"You're okay!" She shouted to her archer friend.
"Hey, Nami! I beat one of their leaders!" Usopp happily declared, "Can you believe it? I wiped the stupid smug off of his face!" Usopp then pulled his lips out mockingly imitating Chew, before laughing in triumph, "Ingrid was right! Fish-men are so easy when it comes to guerrilla warfare!"
"No…you…beat Chew!?" Arlong asked in utter shock. That was all of his officers defeated! He would not tolerate this one bit! "How could perfect fish-men be defeated by such imperfect weaker species like you!?"
"Hey, Arlong!" Ragnar called out, "We humans may not be perfect, but we sure as Hel know it!"
"That's right! And now that I'm back, it's time we finish this once and for all!" Usopp added, smiling confidently, "This is the end, Arlong! Your reign of terror is over!"
"Alright guys!" Johnny exclaimed, "Now, if they can just set Big Bro Luffy free, those fish-men will be running for their lives!"
"Go Zoro!" Yosaku cheered, "Take down Arlong once and for all!" Usopp only smiled with Ragnar as he looked at the situation. Finally, the reinforcements made it, and the shield wall was holding firm. It was clear now that their plan was working, in spite of a few setbacks.
'Okay, so we just need to stop Arlong from breaking or getting behind the shield wall,' Usopp thought, reaching for his satchel, 'I'll just keep him from going anywhere!'
At that moment, Hatchan finally regained consciousness, and was rising onto his arms to get back in the fight, struggling to get to his feet.
"I…I won't…let you…have your way…!" He groaned, only to be pinned down by another one of the Sun Pirates, this time a narwhal fish-man, who pinned the octopus with his great big tusk.
"I would stay still if I were you!" He growled. Yet seeing Hatchan move about, Willy knew exactly what to do.
"Hachi! You need not follow Arlong!" The orca called out to his former colleague, "You were not always the fish-man you are now. You were once a proud member of the Sun Pirates; you can be one yet again!" Hearing those words, Hatchan was conflicted. Arlong had indeed gone too far, and he was starting to regret his decision…he always respected Jinbei and Fisher Tiger both, and he actually even liked humans. Was it possible for him to atone now? "Hachi, stand with us as you did before. Be free of him," Willy calmly told his friend. Yet the octopus then saw Wapanda getting up and pulling a knife from his belt.
"So, I really was right after all!" The lionfish hissed, "I'll be sure to send Jinbei your head!" As he charged though, Hatchan only got to his feet and punched Wapanda in the solar plexus. "Hatchan…why!?" Wapanda weakly asked as he spat up a gob of blood.
"I'm sorry…but it's over now," Hatchan coldly told his former quartermaster as the lionfish dropped to the ground.
"So, you turned traitor on me too, Hachi!" Arlong growled, only to sneer at the octopus, "Well, that's just peachy. Once I'm done with Zoro, I'll go and deal with you next!"
"Now's my chance," Zoro muttered, "Finally, I'll get a piece of that proud nose!" With an upward cut, Zoro tried to sheer off Arlong's nose, but the fish-man blocked the blade with the serrated edges of said nose.
"You fool! It's a proud nose because it's unbreakable!" Arlong told the pirate hunter with a confident grin, "If you were at full strength, you may have been able to give it a tiny scratch." With the edge of his nose, Arlong managed to push Zoro's blade away and tried to thrust, but Zoro blocked it with both dadao swords, and was pushed towards the shield wall, panting as he tried desperately to resist. Arlong then grabbed him by the chin and lifted him off the ground. "So, that's it, huh? Way too easy," he chuckled, noticing the bandages on Zoro's chest, "Say, what's with all these bandages? Did you have a good fall?" He asked, as he only tore the gauze off of Zoro's body, causing the swordsman to groan out in pain. Blood splattered everywhere as Arlong's eyes widened in horror at the sight of the wound Mihawk dealt the pirate hunter. 'Holy shit! Where did he get this scar!?' He thought, 'I can't believe he's still breathing! How can he still be alive with a wound like this!?' Blood poured from the open wound – clear proof that Usopp's medical skills were truly shoddy. Zoro only glared at Arlong defiantly, blood trickling from his nose and mouth. 'Is he dying already? Am I fighting a dying man?' Arlong thought, letting the bandages fall as he was ready to strike down Zoro right there and then.
Meanwhile, beneath the waves, Celosia finally managed to snap out of her funk and with one single punch from the knuckle guard of her sword, she shattered the concrete that imprisoned Luffy's feet, only watching happily as the boy's body stretched upwards.
"There we go! It's done!" She muttered, "Now, go get him, rubber boy!"
At the harbor entrance, Luffy felt a sudden pull from below, while Nojiko pulled back, trying desperately to stop him from being completely submerged.
"Did that whale woman free you!?" Genzo asked Luffy.
"YYYESS!" He groaned, as he felt his body snap back to normal position, and was sent flying in the air, Nami, Sanji, Ragnar and Usopp watching on. "I'M…BAAAAACK!" Luffy happily declared as he laughed in triumph over the sky above Arlong Park. All of Cocoyashi Village and the Norse warriors cheered in celebration: with Luffy back, Arlong was done for!
"It's him!" Dr. Nako exclaimed in hope.
"Kick his ass, Luffy!" Ragnar cheered.
"Luffy!" Nami exclaimed happily, hope soaring in her heart.
Nojiko only leaned back in relief as Celosia popped back up to the surface, giving the tangerine girl a thumbs up.
Arlong, however, was pissed at the sight. That boy managed to survive his fall, and now was back in the fray. This was definitely going to be difficult.
"That rubber bastard!" He growled venomously.
"You're…a bit late…" Zoro groaned as he saw Luffy descend. Yet Luffy only smiled in confidence as his arms stretched out again, now that he was free from the water.
"Zoro! Let's switch!" He exclaimed as he grabbed his first mate by the collar of his shirt.
"Hey…wait…hold on! What are you…?!" Zoro stuttered, eyes widening with terror as he feared what was going to happen next, and he was certainly not going to enjoy it. Much to his horror, his worst fear was realized, as he found himself freed from Arlong's grasp, albeit flying 10 feet in the air.
"YOU IDIOT!" The villagers and Vikings shouted at Luffy, knowing that there was probably no way a wounded man could survive such a fall. Yet the boy didn't care, and was more focused on finally kicking Arlong's ass as he descended, stretching his neck back while coming in for a landing.
"Gum-Gum Bell!" He shouted, as he then snapped his head and neck back for a devastating head butt into Arlong's face, "…and Whip!" He growled as he stretched his leg and kicked in a wide circle, striking Arlong in the stomach. Then he stretched his right arm back as far as he could, "Gum-Gum Pistol!" He shouted, smashing Arlong in the stomach again before unleashing a flurry of rapid fire punches and shouting, "Gum-Gum Gatling!" The punches were all so fast, that Arlong was sent crashing into one of the walls of Arlong Park!
Everyone who bore witness was just simply awestruck! Arlong was finally getting the beating he so rightly deserved! It was as if they were waking up from a nightmare! Arlong only emerged from the rubble, livid beyond belief at the power this boy wielded.
"Is that all you got!?" He growled at Luffy, who only cracked his knuckles in response.
"Oh hell no, that was just a warm up," Luffy only replied, "Get ready, cause I'm just getting started!" Nami only smiled as she saw Luffy stretch, acting as if this was all just an exercise workout for him. She knew he was smarter than he was letting on, so the chance to really tick Arlong off while not dying was all she needed to feel happy.
"What a bunch of fools," Arlong growled as he finally got to his feet, "You think you can actually beat me?! You were better off drowning on the ocean floor."
"Nah, I don't think so," Luffy replied as he continued to stretch his muscles, "I prefer it up here, where I can fight at full power, and where I can breathe."
"Do you not understand the depths of my anger!?" Arlong asked, growling as he stood, "I saw my brothers crushed like worms, and one of them betray me! You'll realize soon enough, that you should've quit fighting a long time ago!"
"Luffy! I've got your back, captain!" Usopp cheered as he held his bow at the ready.
"No need to worry," Nami happily muttered, holding her spear and shield proudly.
Sanji only tried lighting a match to smoke, only for the spark to not ignite due to the striker being wet. Celosia, Nojiko and Genzo sat down with him.
"If he loses, then it's all over," he declared, flicking the wet match away.
"In more ways than one," Celosia added.
"Not just for us…but for all the East Blue," Nojiko replied.
"Luffy's definitely gonna win, I just know it," Nami told her sister, smiling back happily at her captain.
Meanwhile, Zoro climbed out of the water, miffed that Luffy would dare do such a thing to him, but not considering it unexpected as well.
"That idiot…I'm gonna kill him if he survives," Zoro muttered, only to rest on his back. He was, however, paying attention to what he could hear.
Inside, Arlong finally got up and menacingly grinned right at Luffy. He was eager to fight and he wasn't going to be denied his fun. Arlong Park wouldn't fall to this rubber boy, not one little bit!
"Do you know what the biggest difference between us is!?" Arlong asked, irritated by Luffy's stubborn refusal to die.
"Lemme guess, the nose? Or jaw?" Luffy asked with a smug grin. It was evident that he was clearly trying to piss Arlong off by toying with him. Ragnar only smiled at the sight. This was not too dissimilar from flyting, but Luffy's methods were right up there. "Maybe…the dorsal fin? Oh! I got it! The webbing!"
Arlong's temper only flared up as he suddenly roared, "SPECIES!" Then he lunged to take a bite right out of Luffy, only for the boy to jump out of the way harmlessly. Time and again, Arlong snapped his jaws at Luffy, but with each bite, Luffy was able to jump or dodge out of the way successfully, until at last, Arlong pinned him down by the neck against one of the columns and made for the boy's head. Seeing this, Luffy pulled his head out of the way, causing Arlong to bite down hard on the stone column, which shattered on impact.
"Oh man, I bet that had to be painful! His teeth must be jacked…" Usopp began, only to face fault as soon as the stone column crumble into pieces. Johnny and Yosaku also were horrified at the sight.
"He bit right through that column!" Johnny yelled, watching as the colonnade fell to rubble. Luffy only ran as fast as he could out of the collapse, while everyone was still horrified by the thought of what would've happened if Arlong actually bit Luffy.
'Wow…if he bites you, it won't just leave marks,' Sanji thought, 'It'll bite right through your bones…!'
"Do you see it now, boy?" Arlong asked Luffy as he turned to face his opponent, "This is the inherent power of fish-men. I feel sorry for you humans, having been created with such limited power. We've been on a completely different level than you since the beginning of time. You, on the other hand, are inferior to us! Therefore, it's only natural for you to humble yourself and bow before me! You are truly weak, so much so that your very presence on the earth is deplorable! Don't you realize that your time has come to an end!?" He then sneered and grinned menacingly at Luffy, "Wait, I know you can't even fathom that. So, I'll show you how truly weak you are; the real difference between you and I!"
"Sure, go ahead, you're more than welcome to try," said Luffy with a confident smile on his face, "Just a heads up, Arlong: there's no way I'm losing to a racist fish-man like you! After all…I'm the man who's gonna be King of the Pirates!"
A/N: Woot! Another impressive development down! Luffy's back in action, all of Arlong's officers are down, Willy finally is making himself known, and Hatchan finally listened to reason and switched sides!
So, you'll noticed that I had Ragnar sever one of Wapanda's arms right at the shoulder. This was actually something I was planning on having Ragnar do to Wapanda's leg, but technically that meant he would've died from excessive blood loss from the femeral artery, so I decided to have him cut off one of the lionfish's arms instead. Also, in Norse mythology and both Germanic and Celtic literature, the loss of an arm is somewhat of a recurring theme among some gods and monsters. For instance, in Norse mythology, Tyr is said to have lost his arm when Fenrir was bound. Now, we don't know which arm it was for sure, but most sources indicate it was his right arm.
In the epic poem, Beowulf, Grendel also lost his arm when the hero fought and defeated him in battle, mortally wounding him in the process, while in the Ulster Cycle from Ireland, the Celtic god, Nuada, lost his arm during a fight against the Fir Bolg. As the loss of an arm is a recurring theme in Northern European myths and stories, I felt it was only right to have Ragnar sever Wapanda's arm. Also, you will notice that Ragnar told Dr. Nako that the reason he cut the arm off of Wapanda was because he couldn't help himself. This was directly inspired by one of the Icelandic sagas: The Fóstbrœðra saga, or "Saga of the Sworn Brothers". In the saga, one of the sworn blood brothers, a man by the name of Þorgeir, noticed a farmer leaning on his hoe in the field, with his neck stretched out at the right angle to be chopped off. So, unable to help himself, Þorgeir cut the farmer's head clean off.
You'll also noticed that Ingrid laughed when Ragnar gave his response to Dr. Nako. Yeah, this is very dark and morbid, I know, but you have to understand that the Vikings were not known for their compassion. There was one famous Viking who was nicknamed "The Child Lover" because of his refusal to kill children, which the other Vikings thought was hilarious, because they did that stuff all the time.
Now, for those of you wondering if a Viking sword can cut through bone: the answer is yes it could! There's a famous remnants of a skull that had part of the casing cleaved off with a sword. So, there's no doubt that Ragnar was able to cut off Wapanda's arm at the joint.
Now, on a much less gruesome topic, you may have noticed I used the term "fire ship" in the recent chapters. What's a fire ship? Well, during the Age of Sail, a fire ship was basically any ship that was meant to act as a suicide vessel, used against other ships in a ramming attack against other ships, or even gates in this case. These ships were packed with anything combustible, including gunpowder, oil, pitch and tar.
One of the most famous examples of how they were used was during the Spanish Armada, when Sir Francis Drake used them against the Spanish. In the battle, the Spanish sent their armada up the Channel, despite being harassed by the Royal Navy along the way. By August 6th 1588, they anchored off the coast of France, waiting for their massive army on the continent to arrive. Desperately low on ammunition, Francis Drake decided to attack the following night, by sending in eight fire ships straight at the heart of the Armada. The thought of these fire-ships destroying of the Armada was so frightening, that the Spanish cut their anchors in panic and fled the scene, which was a crucial decision. As the Armada suffered terrible losses by the English, the campaign was finished when the winds picked up sharply the next day, blowing the Spanish ships into the North sea, and because they had cut their anchors, there was little the Spanish could do about it. So, the Armada decided to cut their losses, and sail back to Spain by going north instead, circumnavigating Scotland and Ireland, but on their way home, the Armada was hit by violent storms, and half the fleet was smashed on the rocky coasts of the British Isles.
So, with that out of the way, will Luffy give Arlong a run for his money? Stay tuned for the next chapter!
