"There are 4 types of measures you can use to effectively deal with an attack. Defense, which would include basic blocking, parrying or any type of redirection. Avoidance, which includes your basic dodging, and also making your opponents think you're in 1 place but you're actually in another. Counteraction, which includes counterattacking or stifling you opponents attacks before they get it off or hit it's intended target. For example, if somebody tried to shoot a cannonball at our ship, I could send a ranged slash at the cannon ball and destroy it before it hits the ship."
"You could just do that?!" Usopp gawked at Zoro.
"Let me finish Usopp. The last type is nullification. It's self-explanatory and generally only works on specific types of attacks. The best example I can give that you're familiar with is Luffy. He's made of rubber so he's virtually immune to electric and blunt physical attacks."
"Really?! Must be nice. But why're you telling me this?"
"It's because you suck at them. Your attack Avoidance generally boils down to you sprinting away from people, and relying on your reaction speed and agility, while your footwork and your dodging technique is bad. Your Defense consists of either raising your forearm or tucking down, which sucks because you're unarmored and your blocking technique is extremely elementary. Your Counteracting ability is your best option, but it's still average at best. Your attacks aren't very debilitating, so people can just take the pain and keep sprinting towards you. I'll let you off on nullification though, since virtually everyone is the same as you on that front."
"How would you even know? You haven't even seen me fight yet, have you?"
"I have, but I'll explain it later, after the fight, when I'll also expand on Haki. Focus on the fight."
"Ok, but what could I even do? I'm not a blacksmith, I can't make armor, not to mention I only have a few metal sheets left. Maybe a shield? I do have smoke bombs."
"Smoke bombs only work for running away. It actually puts you at a disadvantage as a sniper since you'd only be able to see your opponents once they're close to you. Once you get and improve your observation haki, that con goes away, but so does the pro of it hiding your presence once you're fighting with similarly levelled opponents. At best it would simply hinder their breathing. I was thinking maybe you could make more debilitating projectiles, but if you can make a shield, that works too, even if it's a rush job."
"I got it, I'll see what I can do." Usopp said and ran back to his house.
While Zoro was lecturing him, dark clouds formed in front of his house.
"Me and Zoro are going on the northern passage and guard the ships." Nami proclaimed, Zoro's demonstration of power in Orange Town was still fresh in her memory.
"Usopp, make sure you never let Luffy out of your sight and stick to him. He's gonna get lost." Zoro warned Usopp.
"As if you're to talk!" Nami and Luffy replied. "You got lost in Orange Town when we were moving the treasure."
"Their houses all looked the same!"
"Is that how you somehow got further inland instead of going towards the shore?"
Zoro grumbled insults at the 2 under his breath, but Nami then proceeded to validate Zoro's warning.
"But yeah, Usopp, Zoro might be worse than Luffy, but Luffy does have some weird ideas about directions."
"Luffy, follow Usopp." Nami then threatened Luffy.
"Yes, ma'am." Luffy immediately resigned.
The 2 groups then separated, with Usopp and Luffy going south, and Nami with Zoro going north.
"So, why are you holding back? You should be able to beat them by yourself no?" Nami immediately asked him, curious for his reason on extending the conflict.
"Yes, I can, but this is a good opportunity for Usopp and you. You can both use the experience. This is his first real fight, and you just got that new weapon. Usopp also needs to be involved in the defense of his village. He needs the closure before we take him in."
As they were walking through the forest, Nami flourished her new Clima-Tact around and checked over it. She's trying to get used to both the increased weight and the weight distribution of her new weapon. They arrived at the northern passage during twilight, just before the crack of dawn.
"I'm gonna start setting up. Your haki would be able to sense them right?" Nami asked.
"I could, I'll tell you once I sense them." Zoro said while covering his eyes with his bandana.
"What's that for?"
"To avoid Django's hypnosis, but mostly to train my observation haki."
"...Ok..."
Soon, the entire area around the northern passage was filled with initially inconspicuous, but weirdly located clouds. They waited there for a few minutes more before...
"They're coming." Zoro said, while pointing at a barely visible ship, miles away from them.
"I'm just gonna hit 2 birds with 1 stone." Nami said and then sent a Thunder ball towards the clouds closest to where the Black Cat pirates' ship, the Bezan Black, was headed. The thunder ball was slow, so it only reached the cloud just before Bezan Black passed underneath it. It was perfectly timed, and the cloud produced a lightning that hit fairly centered on their deck. It caused massive damage and panic among the Black Cats.
"Hopefully they heard that."
Nami's hope was then swiftly answered, as Luffy and Usopp flew down and cratered just behind them a few moments later, the latter riding the former's back, Usopp visibly shaken by their "flight". On Usopp's back is a round shield, which is just 7-metal-sheets stacked, without a buckle, and held together with rivets around the edges.
"What the fuck Luffy?! You should've told me you planned to slingshot us through most of the island!"
"Hahaha, that was fun." Luffy just said, grinning.
"Nami, did it really work? Can't believe you actually got that to induce lightning!"
"Heh, of course, don't ever question my weather expertise again." Nami said playfully.
From their vantage point, they had visuals on the Black Cat pirates, desperately trying to put out the fire caused by the lightning strike, which they eventually did.
"What about another one?" Nami said maliciously, obviously getting a bit too drunk off her power. She timed another lightning strike which struck their deck, shocking their crew and burning their ship again.
By the time they reached shore, most of them were either tired, injured, or both, from Nami's attacks. Some jumped towards the water to cool off their burns, or extinguish their still burning clothes. But soon, they did step on land. They were quite confused at first, seeing 4 teenagers standing on their way, but after a quick order from Jango, they proceeded.
When they started attacking, the Strawhats easily repelled them. Usopp threw caltrops in front of them and peppered the front runners with his Lead Stars. Zoro and Luffy easily took care of everybody who came at them. In contrast to Luffy and Zoro, Nami and Usopp decided to fight with each other, and sacrifice their speed of taking care of the goons, in return for higher safety. Even when some of them got close towards Nami and Usopp, courtesy of Luffy's playfulness, and Zoro wanting for them to safely experience the melee, the 2 still easily repelled the common riffraff of the Black Cat Pirates.
Usopp blocked and outbalanced them with his shield. Nami then hit them with her new Clima-Tact, a thunder ball on its end. And if they didn't go down, they still got stunned for a second from her thunder ball, allowing Usopp to outbalance them again, and they go through that cycle till they beat them, with Usopp sometimes hitting them in the eyes with his lead stars once in a while.
Jango tried to reverse the situation by hypnotizing his crew into becoming stronger, but Luffy still easily beat them all up and literally sent them flying. Some of them even flew as fas as back on the deck of Bezan Black, causing some who were still inside the ship to come out. The Nyaban brothers, who heard the commotion, came out when some of their crew were sent flying and hit their ship.
"What the hell is happening?!"
"Nyaban bros, come on down and help us!" Jango ordered them.
The very physically dissimilar duo then jumped out of the ship and landed beside Jango.
"What's the problem?" "What do you need help with Captain?" they asked him.
"Remove those kids blocking the passage."
"But boss...the one with the bandana looks scary."
"He looks very mean..."
"Just do it! We're already out of schedule. Captain Kuro will have our heads if we don't arrive soon."
Both looked very hesitant and scared of them, at least on the outside.
"Why is their captain forcing those scaredy cats to fight?" Nami wondered.
"Ok! I'll go! I'll go!" Sham, the skinnier of the brothers meandered towards Luffy. "I'll scratch your eyes out."
"Why'd they send a cowardly wuss like you?" Luffy wondered, and then immediately got his answer when Sham abruptly accelerated and dug his claws in Luffy's forearm when Sham tried to go for the latter's eyes. Sham then pulled his claws out of his forearm and kept his distance when Luffy tried to punch him. Luffy then immediately noticed the lack of his treasured hat on his head.
It was being skewered by Sham's claws. "Looking for this, rubber boy?" Sham taunted.
"GIVE THAT BACK!" Luffy screamed, and he used his Gatling to try and pummel Sham to the ground, to no avail. Sham dodged every single one of Luffy's haphazard punches.
"Focus Luffy!" Zoro shouted.
"Maybe you should take your own me-" Buchi, the more rotund of the brothers, got his sentence cut short when Zoro quickly sent a flying slash towards him, opening up a huge horizontal gash on his torso. He was left laying in on the floor.
"Buchi!" Sham was surprised by the sudden and casual defeat of his brother, which gave the opening that Luffy needed to hit Sham, who then lost possession of the straw hat. It flew up and Luffy immediately took the hat and put it on his head, his left hand never leaving the thing. He glared and gritted his teeth at Sham for taking and damaging his most prized possession.
"Don't let your anger take over Luffy. You'll just get caught again." Zoro warned again.
"Yeah, got it." Luffy nodded, neither removing the hand on his hat, nor turning his eyes away from Sham.
"What are you incompetent imbeciles fucking around for?!"
The man who started the entire conflict has arrived.