DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING, EXCEPT RAGNAR AND ALL VIKINGS AND OCs IN THIS STORY! ONE PIECE BELONGS TO EICHIRO ODA, VIZ MANGA, TOEI ANIMATION AND FUNIMATION ENTERTAINMENT/CRUNCHYROLL LLC
Chapter 38: Luffy in Big Trouble! Fish-Men vs. the Straw-Hat Pirates!
Storm clouds gathered over the Conomi Islands as the atmosphere was tense over Arlong Park. All the fish-men were just shocked to see their gates busted open…by a pair of fists! Whoever had that kind of strength was on the same level as they were! And it was only a boy who demanded to see Arlong?!
"Arlong?" Their captain asked as Luffy stepped forward inside the walls, "Well, that just happens to be my name."
"Good, you can call me Luffy," replied the boy.
"Luffy, eh? And just what are you supposed to be?" Arlong asked, seeing the attack on his fortress as indignant.
"A pirate," Luffy plainly declared, not even stopping to look at the other fish-men's reactions. Although Hatchan was genuinely awestruck by this turn of events.
'That kid…he just…punched through the gates!' the octopus thought.
"Hold it right there," said one of the fish-men as he and another blocked Luffy's path, "You wanna talk to the captain, then you gotta talk to us first, you understand? So, let's…" He did not finish. Luffy only placed his hands on both fish-men and knocked them out with a single blow to their heads. Arlong could tell that this boy meant business from how he knocked out two of his thugs.
"So, what does a fellow pirate want with me?" Arlong asked, his glare only getting stronger as Luffy got closer. Yet Luffy's rage seethed white hot as he wound up his fist and socked Arlong so hard in the face, the shark fish-man was sent flying right into the wall! Most of the fish-men were horrified! That boy just sent their captain flying, and now Arlong was confused as he looked up at his attacker. "Just who the hell are you!?"
Luffy's mind was still fresh with the sight of Nami crying in the streets of Cocoyashi Village begging him for help. That sight of seeing such an innocent girl who he liked sobbing in pain was enough to make his blood boil, and he knew just who was responsible.
"That was for making our navigator cry!" He growled. The rage in his eyes was clear for all to see. This was personal now! Before long, the rest of the Arlong Pirates rushed to their captain's defense, armed with swords, or clawed webbed hands. Yet they were suddenly met by a flurry of kicks and terrified by a mighty roar. Sanji and Ragnar had both come to their own captain's defense – the latter having taken on his lion hybrid form.
"Back off! You are way outta your league!" Sanji declared as he made his way to Luffy's side, much to Arlong's irritation, "Jeez, you just had to go and hog all the glory for yourself, didn't you?"
"Whoever said I was planning on doing that?" Luffy asked with a confident grin.
"If our captain agrees on one thing, then it's sharing the glory," Ragnar told Sanji, "We'll wipe these whoresons off the face of the earth, and we'll do it together!"
"W-Well…I just wanna let you guys know…I don't mind if you hog it all," said Usopp, who was clearly sweating like crazy at the thought of fighting fish-men. He barely could hold his own against Arlong, but he was still going to give it his all regardless.
"I see you're raring to go as usual," Zoro told the archer, as he himself entered the fray.
"That's him!" Hatchan declared, pointing at Zoro, "That's the unknown swordsman I told you guys about! Roronoa Zoro! That bastard tricked me, and I can't believe I fell for it, hook line and sinker!" The sight of Zoro only replaced Hatchan's regret about betraying Nami with the rage and humiliation he felt after being duped by the pirate hunter.
"And there's no sign of Willy among their ranks," said Chew, "Wapanda was just paranoid. Which means…"
"…That Nami was a traitor all along!" Kuroobi growled, "Just as I suspected."
Meanwhile, outside the walls of Arlong Park, the villagers of Cocoyashi were all floored by what they just witnessed: Arlong was sent flying!? That was unprecedented! Nobody dared do that and lived to tell the tale!
"Those guys are…really Nami's friends!?" One man asked.
"Incredible! That kid just decked Arlong!" Dr. Nako muttered in awe.
"No human should be able to send a fish-man flying…" Genzo added. Yet Nami, at that point, just walked past Johnny and Yosaku and made her way inside Arlong Park.
"Nami, wait!" Nojiko pleaded, but Johnny and Yosaku stopped her.
"Hold it!" Yosaku insisted, "Didn't we tell you? Just stay back here."
"Now do you understand why we're keeping you away from this fight?" Johnny asked, "You'd just get in their way."
"But why? I don't understand," said Genzo, "What reason could they possibly have to fight for us?"
"Reason?" Johnny asked, only to reply, "Big sis Nami was crying."
"Do they need any more reason than that to risk their lives?" Yosaku added.
Arlong only sneered at the Straw Hats, only to notice Nami among their ranks. He could understand the murderous intent and rage in her eyes and knew…she was here for one purpose alone.
"So, you're finally here to kill me, are you, Nami?" He asked before cackling like a madman, "Haven't you learned your lesson yet? How many times have you tried to kill me in these past eight years?" Both the Straw Hats and the villagers of Cocoyashi looked at Nami in utter shock. She tried to kill Arlong!? It seemed that he truly owed her a blood debt, "You tried assassination, poison, ambushes, the works! You must be aware that you mere humans can't kill me!" Arlong then turned his attention solely on Nami, "Now listen: I won't kill you, Nami, but you cannot leave. Your place is to be here, among us, as our cartographer forever…but as you know, I'm quite generous; if possible, I'd like you to be our cartographer of your own free will. It's your choice. I will not lose a wink of sleep if I let my men kill everyone else on this island…except for you!" At that offer, Nami's rage began seething once more, "However, that's only if you refuse to return to the Arlong Pirates and draw sea charts as one of our own…and if you decide to return to us, I promise I'll spare the villagers' lives…but I can't allow these ingrates you've allied yourselves with to live. They will be made an example of. So, tell me Nami: will you return with me and save Cocoyashi Village, or will you refuse and die fighting alongside them…it's all your decision. With these fools, you will be hopeless…you will die. But with us, you can be great, famous even."
However, Nami was not falling for Arlong's deception again. She knew all too well now that Arlong was a liar and a cheat. His words were honeyed but false. Instantly her thoughts turned to Luffy, and how he was willing to risk his life to save her multiple times. She couldn't abandon her captain now, not when he was fighting for her sake. She had to believe in him. With her mind clear and focused, she pointed her spear right at Arlong's chest.
"Y'know what, Arlong, we'll give you tribute…in the form of spears, axes and swords!" She told him, "I'm staying firmly with my friends! Either leave this archipelago, or die!" And with those words, Luffy couldn't help but smile at his navigator. He knew she was pissed at Arlong for lying to her, and that she would never try to make a deal with him again after what happened.
Arlong's wrath was fierce and the look in his eyes said it all. She was just like her mother in more ways than one. Hadn't this girl learned what happened to those who defied the fish-men before? Even now, she continued to defy him.
"So, it seems you've made up your mind," he growled, watching as Nami glared at him, only for him to sneer and cackle, "IN THAT CASE, YOU'RE ALL GOING TO DIE TODAY!"
"You fools!" Hatchan laughed, particularly at Zoro, "None of you have what it takes to face Arlong! We know exactly how to deal with your kind!" He then turned to the sea and blew his mouth, which sounded exactly like a horn. Instantly the villagers' eyes all widened in terror. Nami was in utter shock at that sound as well. She knew all too well what Hatchan was doing.
"Oh no…not that!" She muttered, and all at once the ground around Arlong Park began to tremble and shake as the sea nearby rose.
"WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE, GUYS!?" Usopp asked, clearly panicked by the tremors. On the horizon, the sea began rising like a small hill as the gates opened, all the while Hatchan only laughed in false confidence.
"Every single one of you is about to become his lunch!" The octopus yelled, "Momoo! RISE!" In that instant, the water burst and most of those who bore witness were terrified.
"IT'S SOME KINDA MONSTER!" Usopp yelled, "THAT'S THE NAME OF THE CREATURE FROM THE GRAND LINE THAT DESTROYED GOSA VILLAGE!" Yet as the creature in question rose to the surface…it was that same Quinotaur that Luffy's party encountered earlier! Momoo still had that bump on his head from when Luffy and Sanji struck him, and was crying in fear. His horns even still had the severed ropes that once were tied to the Going Merry.
"Well, look who's back," Luffy told Sanji and Ragnar.
"Seems he's a friend of the fish-men," Sanji added.
"This is the beast who destroyed an entire village?!" Ragnar asked only to burst out laughing, remembering how much of a coward that Momoo was, especially with the face the great Quinotaur was making, "He still has the bump on his head!"
Momoo instantly recognized Luffy, Sanji and Ragnar from before, and only began to swim away in fear.
"You actually traumatized Momoo?! How!?" Nami asked Luffy, only just in sheer disbelief that her captain had the courage to beat this sea cow into submission.
"Y'know how you asked if we hitched a ride on a whale?" Luffy explained, "Well, we kinda used him to pull the Merry."
"Hey! STOP! Where are you going!?" Hatchan shouted at the Quinotaur, "GET BACK HERE, RIGHT NOW, MOMOO! YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE! MOMOO!"
"Leaving so soon? Now, isn't that a shame," said Arlong, which caused Momoo to freeze right in his tracks. It seemed that the captain had some sway over this beast, "But…I supposed if you really are going to run, who am I to stop you? Well, Momoo, what will it be?" And with those words, Momoo's fear suddenly was overcome by Arlong's charisma, and the beast turned to face the Straw Hats once more.
"IT'S COMING THIS WAY!" Usopp screamed as he tried to back away. Yet the other fish-men charged forward, encouraged by their captain's words of encouragement to Momoo. Nami, Zoro and Ragnar all readied their weapons to face the hordes.
"Ragnar! I'll leave the fish-men to you!" Luffy shouted as he stuck his feet into the ground, "I'll take care of our old friend!"
"With pleasure!" Ragnar said happily as he faced the charging horde. First, he opened fire with his two francisca throwing axes, causing many of them to duck for cover as the two axes spun wildly through the air. Yet they did not have much time to recover before Ragnar drew his sword and shield to rush in and began hacking away at the Fish-men, still in his lion hybrid form.
Luffy, though, stuck both his feet into the ground to anchor himself, then began twisting his torso like a spring until he was wound up so much that he was once more facing the hungry Quinotaur's gaping maw. Yet Luffy only grabbed Momoo by the horns, which was enough to make the poor beast whimper in fear again. He remembered how Luffy was able to overpower him like it was nothing, and now it was happening again!
"How are his bones not broken!?" Hatchan asked, eyes wide with disbelief at what he just witnessed. Yet Wapanda was equally shocked at Ragnar's power.
"Uh…boss? THE VIKING JUST TURNED INTO A LION!" Screamed the lionfish quartermaster.
"So, those two must have Devil Fruit powers!" Arlong surmised, "And one of them is a Zoan type to boot." In that instant, Arlong was wary about the battle. 'This is going to be tough. With that Viking being a Zoan type, he can easily match us strength for strength on land!'
Luffy suddenly began to pull his whole body back, creating tension, like a catapult ready to launch a missile at a stone wall, much to the horror of his crew.
"Duck and cover, people!" Ragnar shouted as he crouched down as low to the ground as possible. Nami and Usopp quickly followed suit
"Wait, what the hell's he gonna do?!" Sanji asked, ultimately confused.
"I'm not sure I wanna find out!" Zoro added as he and Sanji got well away from what Luffy was planning on pulling off.
"TIME FOR SOMETHING NEW!" Luffy declared, keeping the image of Genzo's pinwheel fresh in his mind as he began to untwist his body, "GUM-GUM…PINWHEEL!" Luffy only began to throw Momoo around wildly, like a burlap sack full of rocks. As Momoo was swung round wildly like a rag, his massive body began destroying many of the exterior buildings around Arlong Park, while Luffy used the ground he anchored himself on to gain momentum. The wind gusts created from the spinning even sent some of the Arlong Pirates hurdling into the air, before Luffy finally released Momoo, sending the poor Quinotaur flying through the air and landing out of sight over the horizon. In the wake of such a powerful move, pretty much the entire outdoor area of Arlong Park was left in total ruins, with many of the fish-men either unconscious or sent out to sea, and were now swimming back to land. "All right, that does it, Arlong! I'm tired of playing your sick games!" Luffy growled at the shark fish-man, "I didn't come here to beat up all your cronies! I came here to teach you what happens when you mess with my crew! So, step up!"
"Oh, I will, boy, rest assured," Arlong sneered, looking up at the Straw Hats' captain, "In fact, I was thinking of just how to give you a slow and painful death!"
Outside, however, the villagers were all stunned by what they just witnessed. Never before had they seen such a beast like a Quinotaur, but they also never saw a boy who could have the strength to throw it like it was a dead gnat!
"That boy's incredible…!" Genzo muttered, "It's as if the Gods themselves are fighting…"
"What the hell were you thinking with that hair-brained plan of yours!?" Sanji asked Luffy, irritated to no end.
"Yeah, were you trying to hit us too!?" Usopp added in.
"It was a spur-of the moment, I just thought of it," Luffy explained as he tried to get himself out, "Uh…guys? I'm kinda stuck here!"
"BUT YOU'RE THE ONE WHO STUCK THEM INTO THE GROUND IN THE FIRST PLACE!" Usopp yelled.
"That's our captain for ya," said Zoro sarcastically, "Always thinking ahead."
"Sanji, can you kick that concrete apart?" Ragnar asked the chef.
"I can try," Sanji replied, "But this won't be easy."
"How dare you hurt our brother!?" Hatchan shouted, enraged by what Luffy just pulled against the rest of his crewmates. He, Kuroobi, Wapanda and Chew all were raring to go, as they were the only ones now left standing.
"Very well, it seems that we must now join in the fight," said Kuroobi, cracking his knuckles.
"Now you'll get a primary education in the inferiority of your species, Choo!" Chew added.
"Oh, is that so?" Zoro asked with a smug grin, "I'd like to see that."
Arlong only smiled as he rose to confront Zoro, Ragnar, Nami and Sanji, but Kuroobi stopped him.
"Just let us handle this, captain," said the ray fish-man.
"With all due respect, we'll be fine," Chew replied, "Besides, if you go on one of your rampages to quash these maggots, you could destroy all of Arlong Park."
"Please, captain! Just let us fight these weaklings!" Hatchan begged, eager to regain his honor.
"Alright, they're all yours, boys," Arlong only replied. Nami and Ragnar quickly got to work, trying as fast as they could to remove enough concrete from Luffy's feet so that he could escape. In that time, Hatchan only took a deep breath, extending his arms out, which caught Zoro and Sanji's attention.
"What the hell's that octopus doing?" Zoro asked.
"Octopus is best when it's cut thin and salted," Sanji explained, as if he was giving culinary advice, "Add some olive oil and paprika, and it makes the perfect snack while drinking."
"That sounds delicious, Sanji," said Nami, "We can definitely try that recipe out later, but right now, we have a fight ahead."
"Take this!" Hatchan shouted, "Zero Vision: Hachi Inkjet!" From his throat erupted a jet of black ink aimed straight at the Straw Hats! Zoro and Sanji got out of the way as fast as they could, while Nami and Ragnar raised their shields to protect Luffy from receiving the full burst of ink in his face.
"That settles it!" Ragnar told Nami, "When this is over, we really need to give our shields a good soak in the sea."
"Assuming Hachi doesn't crush us first!" Nami added, pointing with her spear to the sight of Hatchan lifting up one of the fallen pieces of Arlong Park's colonnade and lifting it over his head.
"Now to finish you off!" Hatchan declared as he made his way towards the three of them, "One Hachi Inkjet served on the rocks!" Yet as the octopus began to slam the piece of stone masonry down on their heads, Luffy stretched his arm back and extended it in a fist at the stonework.
"Gum-Gum Pistol!" He shouted and the masonry instantly shattered into rubble, leaving Hatchan just speechless. Yet Luffy's main concern was on Nami and Ragnar. "Are you guys okay?"
"Yeah, we'll be fine," said Nami, smiling back at her captain.
"Same here, thanks for the save," Ragnar added as he soon found Sanji, Zoro and Usopp making their way to join them.
"Looks like I ended up picking one hell of an idiot to be my captain," said Sanji, smiling confidently.
"We all did, present company included," Zoro added, his face seemingly devoid of all emotion.
"But, you have to admit, he's pretty smart when the situation calls for it," Ragnar replied.
"Luffy's great!" Usopp declared, "Ragnar's spot on there!"
"Point taken," Sanji remarked, "But the truth is that our idiot captain is far better than a gang of thugs who'd prey on a lady." As the chef spoke, Kuroobi only stepped forward, glaring right at the blonde.
"A lady, huh?" The ray asked, "You rushed into certain death for one lousy girl?! I think that's the most ridiculous thing I ever heard!" At this remark, Sanji only couldn't help but glare at the fish-man.
"Lousy girl?" Sanji asked, "You insult our navigator one more time, then I promise, I'll cut those wings off your triceps and steam them in sake. Got that?"
"Your skills are exceptional for a human, I'll admit," Kuroobi replied, "But I must admit that chivalry coming from a pirate seems just a little fake."
"I'm damn good at what I do, and I can assure you that there's nothing fake about my desire to help a beautiful lady in need." Sanji only took a brief smoke from his cigarette as he thought of Ingrid and Nami both. He was fighting for both of their sakes.
"Looks like I'll have to teach you a lesson about the true superiority of the fish-men!" Kuroobi declared as he cracked his knuckles and got into a karate stance. This clearly was a battle between the two masters of unarmed combat.
As the one confrontation between Sanji and Kuroobi took place, Ragnar, Nami and Usopp tried their best to free Luffy from the concrete. Usopp did his best to pull Luffy from the torso, while Nami and Ragnar constantly tried prying his feet loose with axes.
"Nice try, but they're still stuck," said Luffy.
"STILL?! THEY'RE STILL STUCK!?" Usopp asked in pure disbelief.
"Just how far under did you anchor yourself?" Nami asked.
"Like…two feet I think?" Luffy guessed.
"You think!? Luffy, this is serious here!" Ragnar shouted, "Without you, who's gonna face Arlong in your stead?"
"Nami, Ragnar…behind you guys!" Usopp whimpered. The two of them both turned and saw Hatchan lifting yet another piece of rubble over his head, right towards them.
"Maybe no one ever told you kids that the price for playing in Arlong Park is death!" He declared. Usopp ran with Luffy for dear life, while Nami and Ragnar only looked to see not only Hatchan hesitating, but also Zoro standing in front of them wielding the Wado Ichimonji's scabbard right at Hatchan.
"Hey, octopus. My friends are a little bit busy at the moment," said Zoro, who was definitely in the mood for a fight, "So, why don't you take me on instead?"
"You! Roronoa Zoro! I forgot about you!" Hatchan shouted, trying to slam the piece of stone down on his head, and only proceeded to miss. "You thought you could get away with tricking me!? And how dare you mercilessly kill so many of my brothers!"
"That stuff's ancient history, octopus man," said Zoro, "I don't really give a crap what your reasons are for wanting to kill me. The situation has changed." Zoro only smiled as he began to draw his sword, "You see, the tables have turned. You're not the predators anymore. Understand? Now, it's you fish freaks who are the prey!"
"How long do you think he can fight in his condition?" Ragnar asked Nami, worried that Zoro's old wound would open up if he exerted too much force.
"Don't know, but if he slips out, we may have to fight for him," Nami replied, only to face fault as Usopp let go of Luffy, causing the captain to snap back rapidly. "USOPP! WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR!?"
"Gah! I'm sorry! It was an accident!" Usopp pleaded, only able to watch on in horror as Luffy's upper body and head connected with Chew, sending him flying back across the yard. Nami and Ragnar got out of the way as fast as they could, though, unwilling to get hit by their captain in an incident of friendly fire.
"Oh, you're dead…" Chew hissed at Usopp, "I get it now, you must actually want me to kill you."
"Oh…crap…" Usopp whined as he began to look death in the face, then ran as fast as his legs could carry him, out of Arlong Park and past the villagers, who were all just shocked at the sight of the archer who saved Genzo earlier that day fleeing for his life. Chew also looked out to behold the sight before him: all of Cocoyashi Village mustered in a makeshift fyrd.
"Hey wait! You're the people from Cocoyashi," said Chew, looking out at the crowd, "Judging from the fact you all have weapons, I can only assume this is a rebellion. Then you'll all have to…" he didn't finish, as the sound of wind whistling caught him off guard.
"EXPLODING ARROW!" Usopp shouted, and an arrow exploded right into Chew's face, setting his head on fire, but not enough to severely burn him. "Did you honestly think that fighting me would be easy!?" Usopp asked with a confident grin on his face, "YOU'RE DEALING WITH THE BEST ARCHER IN THE EAST BLUE, NOW!"
"Enough is enough!" Chew yelled as he got to his feet, "I'm going to kill you right now!" Yet Usopp only ran like the wind as fast as he could, with Chew following after him. All the villagers could do was look on in utter confusion.
"Who is that boy?" Genzo asked, remembering Usopp from how he caught Arlong off guard earlier.
"Brave one minute and cowardly the next," Dr. Nako commented, "He's honestly a baffling young man."
'Why are these people pirates?' Nojiko thought, unsure of what to make of any of this.
At that moment, Wapanda charged forward, right towards Nami, the dorsal spikes on his neck and spine shooting forward.
"Well, now that those distractions are out of the way, it's time to die, traitor!" He cackled, "Eat this! VENOM LANCE!" Yet as Nami stood frozen in fear, Ragnar blocked the attack head on with his shield – the rawhide covering protecting him from the hollow spine. He and Nami only watched as venom trickled down the shield and onto the concrete floor.
"I'm your opponent now, fish-face!" Ragnar growled, "And don't you dare call Nami a traitor! She's one of our crew, and we'll gladly fight for her sake!"
"Impressive. No one has been able to successfully block my venom lance," said Wapanda as he jumped back, creating some distance between himself and Ragnar, "You should know, however, that I am a lionfish. Among all the fish-men, we are by far the most underestimated."
"You think yourself untouchable?" Ragnar asked as he grinned, revealing a row of fierce white fangs, "Well, let's see how you fare, then, against the King of Beasts!"
As the Straw Hats were concerned with fighting Arlong's officers, the shark himself rose from his position and marched right towards Luffy.
"You mongrels are truly a pathetic sight to behold," he growled to his officers, "I'm sick of watching this! Now, get out of my way!"
"But boss! There's no reason to go on a rampage," Kuroobi pleaded, "Think of Arlong Park!"
"Don't worry, Kuroobi, I have no intention of destroying what took eight years to build," said Arlong reassuringly, "I just thought of a fun game, that's all."
"I don't care, because now, you're going down! Gum-Gum Pistol!" Luffy shouted as he unleashed a punch right at Arlong, only to miss his head and just pass his hair. Arlong grabbed Luffy by the extended arm.
"Do you honestly think that your sad little group can defeat us?" Arlong asked in false confidence.
"So, what if we do? What's your point?" Sanji asked, with a smug grin on his face.
"Actually, yeah, we did," Luffy confirmed, smiling back, "Now, you gonna let go of my arm, or what?"
"You got something to say to us?" Zoro asked as he drew his sword. Nami only readied her spear as she and the other Straw Hats watched on, horrified as Arlong then lifted the concrete that kept Luffy's feet imprisoned.
"I'm sure you're aware, boy, that those with Devil Fruit powers can't swim," Arlong told Luffy as he raised the Straw Hats' captain over his head, "Though honestly, anyone in this situation would sink right to the bottom!" As Arlong only cackled, Zoro, Sanji, Nami and Ragnar all knew he was right! Luffy would sink like an anchor without someone to keep his head above the surface.
"Gum-Gum Pistol!" Luffy roared as he punched Arlong in the face again, only to have his right fist locked into Arlong's jaws. He could feel the pain of the shark teeth in his arm. Yet he only bore the pain and proceeded to bite Arlong's arm in turn. Arlong did let go of Luffy's right arm, but only proceeded to throw the boy right for the water!
"Oh no! Luffy!" Nami shouted as she ran after her captain, watching the trajectory Arlong threw him at so she could get an accurate reading. As they neared the sea gate entrance to Arlong Park, Nami held her spear out by the very butt end of the shaft. "Here! Hold on!" She shouted. Luffy only bit the shaft with his teeth, which kept his head above the surface of the water, his neck extending as the rest of his body sank deeper and deeper below like an anchor. "You okay?" Nami asked him, holding his head in her hands.
"I think so. It's just the rest of my body's unable to move," he replied, only smiling up at his navigator, "That's twice you saved my life thus far. Thanks, Nami." The calm moment between them was only shattered by Arlong's seemingly triumphant cackling, as he thought that he managed to kill them both. "Nami, whatever happens, please, don't let go of my head."
"I promise. I'm here for you, Luffy," said Nami, smiling confidently at her captain, "Let's just hope that Willy can free you when he gets here with our naval support."
Meanwhile, as Arlong cackled in triumph, thinking that he'd managed to kill Luffy and Nami both, Sanji ran towards the sea gates of Arlong Park, only for Zoro and Ragnar to cut him off.
"Wait! Don't be stupid!" Zoro told his shipmate, "Those fish-men can't wait for us to jump in the water after them. They'd have a massive advantage over us in an underwater fight." Sanji didn't like the thought of leaving Luffy trapped where he was unable to swim, but he had no choice. "There's only one way to save Luffy and Nami: We gotta take these guys out at the same time, then go in the water," said Zoro as he and Ragnar drew their swords, "There's no time, so let's do it!"
"Zoro's right! We'll have to finish them off here and now on dry land," said Ragnar, baring his fangs and readying the claws on his hands and feet.
"So, how long can you captain hold out?" Arlong asked as he sat down in what remained of his throne. "Hurry up now, the clock is ticking."
Zoro, Ragnar and Sanji only looked at each other in agreement. They knew exactly who they had to face out of Arlong's officers in this battle. With Usopp still gone, it was only obvious.
"Sanji, you can take the stingray," said Zoro.
"Will do, Zoro. You just slice and trim the octopus," Sanji replied.
"I'll take care of the lionfish," Ragnar added, prepared for battle. He didn't even listen to Arlong's damned cackling, which he honestly was drowning out as Zoro spoke once again to Hatchan.
"Hey! Calamari, let's go!" Zoro declared as Hatchan only laughed, charging him head on, "I'll kick your ass in five seconds flat!"
"We don't have more than three!" Sanji reminded as he charged for Kuroobi.
"Let's just shoot for four minutes!" Ragnar interjected, readying a shield bash aimed straight for Wapanda.
"Hey, what's the rush?" Kuroobi asked the three men, "You're all running headlong into death! None of you will leave this place alive!" Then he used his wing to block one of Sanji's kicks.
"Works for me!" Ragnar declared, "If we die today, tonight we drink with Odin! Either way, we claim victory!"
"HACHI INKJET!" Hatchan yelled, spewing another torrent of ink right at Zoro, who dodged it and struck it with his sword.
"Hang on, Luffy! Nami!" Zoro shouted, he was not going to let his captain and their navigator die today, or so he thought they would.
Meanwhile, in the rice paddies further inland, Usopp was still running as fast as he could away from Chew, and he was just downright terrified as he screamed at the top of his lungs.
'Oh crap! I'm gonna be killed!' He thought. His only thoughts now were on trying to find some way to defeat this smelt-whiting fish-man and make it back to Arlong Park. So far, though…it was going to be a long and hard fight ahead.
A/N: Happy New Year everyone! So, it looks as if the battle for Arlong Park is finally off to an intense start...well, except for the bit at the end where Usopp is fleeing for his life. Expect him to do that for the next chapter as well. Now, you may be wondering about Wapanda's moves and for how cocky he's been since his debut. This was meant to reflect how actual lionfish are in the wild, especially off the Atlantic Coast of the U.S., which is where I'm from. So, let's get to talking about the fish that Wapanda is based on!
Lionfish are normally indigenous to the Indo-Pacific, but has actually been introduced to the Caribbean and the Atlantic, and is causing major problems for the coral reefs and fish populations in North America. A lot of the evidence we have for their presence in the Atlantic points to the pet trade. One fish gets too big for the tank, so a careless pet owner decide to let it go thinking that it won't be a problem. However, it has become a problem since you've had people releasing lionfish a few times until bang! The Atlantic now has a breeding population.
Lionfish also don't seem to have many predators in the Atlantic. They have no fear, as they understand that they have this venom they can protect themselves with. In the Atlantic, we have what's called prey naivete, in which juvenile fish in those waters have never seen a lionfish before, and don't see them as a threat, until it's too late. Something you should know about Wapanda's anatomy is the spikes on his neck, back and legs. All the dorsal spikes of a lionfish that extend from the head down towards the tail carry the venom, as do the first spine on the pelvic fins, and the first three on the anal fin. So, all the big spines are the ones to look out for, especially the very front dorsal spike near the head, because the fish has actually got some dexterity with it, and can move it around. So, if you're diving on a coral reef infested with these guys, you'll find that the lionfish will just sit there, and as you come up to it, it will lay the dorsal spikes towards wherever you're going. And you have to be careful, as these spikes are like a hypodermic needle.
Now, let's talk about the venom of the lionfish. So, the venom gland goes down the dorsal spikes and ends about the spine. The venom is actually a protein based venom, so if you get stung, it will not kill you, but it will give you plenty of unpleasant side effects. Symptoms include extreme pain, nausea, convulsions, dizziness, fever, and numbness. If you are spear-fishing for these fish to eat, one of the things you can do is to take the whole fish with the spikes and cook it all the way through, and the venom is denatured, so you can consume it safely without any adverse side effects, but it's still recommended that you remove the spines, so that it's easier to clean. The pectoral fins don't have any spikes that deliver the venom, though.
One of the things I can highly recommend with lionfish is that you can actually eat these fish as a way to control them, and you can eat as many as you want. Some fishermen from Bermuda had some lionfish meat sent away and tested in a lab. What they found is that it's very high in Omega-3 and fatty acids, and very low in heavy metals. What this means is that it's very healthy. So, you can eat as many of these fish as you want and feel absolutely no guilt about it.
I did also include some Nami and Luffy moments as well, for those of you fans who ship them as a couple. But don't worry, Luffy will definitely be freed soon enough.
One last final thing I want to mention is that back in Chapter 36, I showed the transponder snail earpieces. Those were inspired directly from the live action Netflix series, which I honestly thought was the coolest thing ever, and wanted to include that in the storyline.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and stay tuned for the next one!