AN:

Hey there!

I saw a comment about the pacing of the story so far and it honestly made me laugh out loud. Because they were totally right, lol. It is a lot slower than originally planned... I will say this, though, if I hadn't done the pre-cannon arc, we'd probably be a lot further by now. However, that arc is what inspired this whole story... And I think it's really cool... Also, I'm writing this for enjoyment, as something that I, myself, would enjoy reading, and that's the main reason I've really taken my time in letting the story develop. I could definitely probably speed up the pacing but I feel like I would miss a lot of cool moments and that's something I just can't see myself doing. Anyway, I just wanted to mention that and thank you for the comment, I enjoyed the laugh.

On another note, I also want to say thank you for all the likes and follows, as well as other comments. I absolutely love reading through them and hope to see even more in the future!

Onto the chapter! I'll go ahead and warn you that it's kind of another setup for the big fight... Hopefully, that doesn't upset anyone too badly... I still think it's a good chapter, though. Pretty much all action. So buckle up, and don't be afraid to let me know what you think! I'll try not to keep you guys waiting too long for the next chapter but I hope you enjoy this one for now!

Chapter 35: Warm-Up

"You'll be too busy being dead!", Kuroobi screamed, rapidly sprinting in his opponent's direction. "Hachi!", he yelled, leaping off the ground and high into the air.

The hair on Luffy's neck stood straight up and he immediately dropped to the ground, two swords passing above his head. Without thinking, he rolled backward and pushed his hands off the concrete, slamming his feet into the octopus fishman's middle. His vision stayed locked to the large body sailing into the air until it was replaced by a heel descending toward his face and he quickly flattened his form.

The pirate captain rolled to the right, standing to his feet as the concrete where he'd been previously been violently shattered. Before the fishman with the weird arms could make another move, he stepped toward him and pulled his arm back in the blink of an eye. When he went to throw it forward, however, the hair on his neck stood up again, his head turning toward the gate to find a flying projectile headed straight for him. Luffy's eyes widened and he twisted his body as quickly as he could, his fist flying in its direction, "Pistol!".

A boom sounded and the rain around the boy scattered, but before he even got the chance to see the projectiles collide, a fist rammed into his face and his body smashed into the ground.

"Fishman Karate:", Kuroobi yelled, diving toward his downed opponent, "Hundred Brick Fist!".

Luffy rolled over to face the sky and wasted no time in throwing his arms into a hasty block, gasping when the attack met his guard. The force behind it caused the ground to crack around him and he growled, pushing back with all the strength in his body. A roar left his mouth as he shoved his attacker away and rolled backward, standing to his feet when he felt his soles hit the concrete below.

The teen barely even had time to take a breath before his vision was consumed by a multitude of swords. Six of them to be exact. His eyes carefully watched their sharp edges while he gracefully weaved in between the blades, simultaneously bringing himself into his attacker's guard. "Sun Palm: Impact!", he screamed, his palm finding the middle of the fishman's chest and creating a boom that ripped though the area.

Hachi's eyes widened when he felt the air leave his lungs, a circular shockwave of pain rolling through him before his body shot in the opposite direction.

Luffy wasted no time in watching the octopus crash into the wall, the sound of cracking concrete filling the air, and shifted his head to the side not a moment too soon. A water bullet grazed the skin on his cheek but the teen barely even felt it, his foot mashing into the ground and sending him in the direction it had come from.

Luffy's battle-crazed grin only seemed to grow wider during his approach, his wet sandals slapping against the concrete. Before he'd taken even three steps, his form leapt from the earth, fists blurring through the air. "Gatling!", he roared, shockwaves scattering the rain with every punch while a wall of transparent projectiles descended toward the ground below.

Debris sailed into the air as the area surrounding Chew was practically ripped apart by the bullets of compressed air. Boom after boom reverberated through the area before the boy's form began to fall back down to the earth, his feet slamming into the ground. He eyed the smoking debris for a moment before the sound of rapid footsteps grabbed his attention.

Without turning, Luffy shifted to the side and grabbed the arm careening past him, tightly gripping it before roughly lifting its owner into the air.

Kuroobi's eyes widened when he felt his body begin to descend, a grunt of pain leaving his mouth when his back met the ground. The concrete underneath violently shattered around him and he barely even had time to regain his breath before he was lifted into the air again.

The black-haired boy loudly growled as he slammed the fishman into the ground on the other side of him, keeping a firm grip on the wrist in his hand. His head shot up at the sound of shifting debris coming from the gate and his roar grew louder, lifting his opponent once more. He spun on his heel as fast as he could and launched the large form in the direction of the noise using every muscle in his body.

Chew groaned at the aches wracking his figure, slowly standing amongst the remains of the gate. He'd tried to move out of the way, but the attack was too fast and covered too much area… His gaze shifted through the destruction surrounding him with a pair of wide eyes… Just who exactly was this kid?…

The fishman had barely made it back to his feet when his vision was suddenly consumed with a body, his arms shooting out in front of him in an attempt to catch his fellow crew member. However, the momentum the flying form carried was far too much for his hasty attempt, his arms immediately buckling under Kuroobi's weight. The two collided with a loud smack and were sent careening backward before they forcefully crashed into the debris littering the area.

Luffy huffed in exertion, his large smile still firmly in place. He was having fun… He hoped this Arbong guy showed up soon, though… That was his name, right?... He shook the thought away... Regardless of what his name was, he wanted to beat him up so bad! The bastard had made his navigator cry… And that was unforgivable… His head shifted away from the gate and to the wall he'd sent the octopus into, his black orbs widening slightly when he saw he was no longer there.

"Octopus Pot Stance!", Hachi shouted, thrusting all of his swords toward the middle of his opponent's chest. He expected the boy to try and block so when the tips of his blades instead met the center of a palm, his eyes widened.

"Sun Palm: Shatter!", Luffy screamed. He grunted when the sword's tips pierced his skin, but the pain only lasted a moment, a shockwave radiating through the weapons and sending spiraling cracks through them. He sent a silent thank you to Zoro for his advice back when they'd been bounty hunting... It had taken a while, but, with some help from his first mate and his knowledge of swords, he'd eventually figured it out... His hand continued pushing forward and suddenly the air was filled with the sound of sheering metal.

Hachi didn't even have time to watch his blades shatter, just barely managing to stay on his feet as he skidded backward. He gasped at the ache in his hands, dropping what was left of the swords before his vision was suddenly consumed by a pair of black eyes. Lightning flashed in the sky and, for a moment, the black orbs seemed to glow blood red, freezing the fishman in place. He was sure it wasn't real… But, in that split second… He thought he'd seen the face of a smiling demon…

The pirate captain slammed his foot into the ground and stepped into his paralyzed opponent's guard, his curled knuckles flying forward and finding the fishman's middle, "Pistol!".

Hachi's frame buckled under the blow and he immediately felt a few of his ribs crack, a boom ripping through the area as he shot off toward the port like a speeding bullet. He connected with the wall facing the sea and flew straight through it, the sound of shattering concrete being followed by the splash of his body sailing into the ocean.

Luffy spun on his heel and pushed off his toes, sprinting in the direction of the gate. He shifted his head to the side, narrowly dodging a water bullet passing by his face, and jumped in the middle of his stride.

Just before Chew went to unleash his own version of the kid's 'Gatling' attack, his consciousness suddenly vanished from the waking world, blood flying from his mouth as a sandal smashed into the side of his face and sent him violently crashing back into the ground.

Luffy quickly stepped off his downed foe and turned not a moment too soon, a fist flashing in his direction. His arm snapped up and knocked the attack off course before he dashed behind Kuroobi, his feet leaving the earth once again. His leg shot outward just as the fishman turned to face him and met a hasty guard.

Kuroobi's arms strained against the leg pushing into them but he still managed to force the appendages away, sending his opponent flipping backward.

The black-haired teen deftly landed and turned on a dime, his eyes widening when they were met with empty space. His vision shot upward when he heard a shout coming from above and he couldn't help but send the descending figure a large battle-fueled smile.

"Fishman Karate:", Kuroobi screamed, coming out of his flip and bringing his heel down with enough momentum to split a boulder, "Axe Kick!".

Luffy shifted out of the way and the attack shattered the concrete directly in front of him. Before the fishman had even made to stand back up, the boy was behind him. "Impact!", he screamed, his palm finding the center of his opponent's back.

Kuroobi hissed when he felt a shockwave roll through his body, his eyes widening when he was lifted off his feet and sent careening in the direction of the port. His body rag dolled in the air as he tried to right himself and he crashed into the ground, rolling to a stop just before he would have fallen into the water.

Luffy was already in pursuit once again, sprinting toward the water and trying to reach the fishman before he could recover. Just as he made to leap off the ground once more, a series of loud splashes grabbed his attention and he stopped himself, sliding to a stop on the slick concrete… It sounded like someone swimming… And fast…

"Hachi Ink Jet!", Hachi yelled, breaking the surface of the water and shooting a deluge of black ink from his large mouth.

It only took a moment for the pirate captain to realize that he needed to move, but it was already too late. In an attempt to duck under the ink, he let his body drop to the ground but was far too slow, his face receiving the full force of the attack. His vision suddenly went dark when the black liquid connected and his head snapped backward.

Luffy's back painfully hit the ground and he rolled away from the attack, desperately rubbing a hand over his face in an attempt at restoring his vision. He scowled when he realized it was futile… What even was this stuff?… Was it spit?… The thought made him cringe slightly… "Gross.", he said to himself, quickly rising back to his feet.

"Fishman Karate: Hundred Brick fist!", Kuroobi roared, his fist flying toward his now blind opponent.

Luffy suddenly felt a fist slamming into his gut and gasped when the air left his lungs, his feet leaving the ground as he flew backward. His back hit the concrete and he wasted no time in standing back up, pain radiating from his stomach.

An irritated growl left the boy's lips and he quickly began moving again, furiously rubbing at his eyes. He had no more success than the last time he'd tried… "Dammit!", he yelled, hands dropping back down and clenching into fists. He couldn't see anything and the rain was dulling both his senses of sound and smell… How was he supposed to keep fighting?…

The hair on Luffy's neck stood straight up and he dove forward, rolling when he hit the concrete… That feeling… It'd been something that started on East Lodestone, but he'd never paid that much attention to it… He quickly stood back to his feet and continued darting around the area like a chicken with its head cut off… Maybe it was something he should focus on more… With his vision gone, it didn't sound like a bad idea…

Before the teen could finish the thought, a gasp left his mouth, and the ground underneath his feet vanished. He was suddenly flying through the air, not even thinking to hold his breath, before he was consumed by the waters of the ocean.

Still currently blind, Luffy immediately burst through the surface of the water with a gasp, taking in as much air as he could. The cold liquid had been quite the shock to his system and his lungs were in overdrive as he tried to slow his heart rate down. The hair on his neck stood up again and, without any other avenue of escape, he dove back underneath the water, something heavy splashing into the space he'd previously occupied.

Kuroobi's fins sliced through liquid instead of the head he'd been aiming for and he growled, letting his body be pulled into the ocean. His vision immediately found his prey swimming in the opposite direction and he grinned, a second form splashing into the water and stopping beside him, "You're dead meat now, kid.".

Nami's eyes drifted open and her blurry vision was met with a wooden ceiling. The waking fog surrounding her mind slowly began to lift as she shifted her body underneath the warm sheets covering her.

"Nami!", exclaimed Nojiko, tearfully standing from her chair next to the bed and practically tackling her sister.

The orangette's breath left her lungs and she gasped for air while the blue-haired girl held onto her like a lifeline. "Nojiko…", she hissed, "Can't… Breathe…". The arms surrounding her loosened immediately and she sucked in a breath as fast as she could, waiting for her breathing to even out before looking down at the girl still tightly attached to her.

It felt like it was the first time Nami had really seen her in what felt like years… The corners of her eyes began to prickle and her arms wrapped around the girl still clinging to her side. "I've missed you, Nojiko.", she whispered into the top of her blue hair. The words only seemed to make the girl's body shudder more while the two stayed attached to one another.

"Glad to see you're okay, Nami.", Genzo said, stepping into the room with a small smile resting on his lips. He'd never admit it, but the sight he'd walked in on made his eyes water slightly.

The orange-haired girl looked up from her sister's head and her gaze met the man slowly walking into the room, returning the smile he was sending her, "Hey, Genzo.". Her eyes glanced up to his hat and she couldn't help the laugh that left her lips, "Still wearing that pinwheel I see.".

Genzo didn't answer, softly sitting on the other side of the bed before reaching over to grab the two girls in a loose hug. As happy as he was at the sweet reunion, the guilt eating at his stomach soured the moment. "I'm sorry, Nami.", he said before he could stop himself.

Nojiko finally loosened her grasp on her sister and sat back up, the girl's arms falling back to the bed while her face took on a similar look to the man across from her.

Nami looked between the two for a moment in confusion. When neither went to explain, she spoke up, "What do you mean, Genzo?".

The scarred man looked down at his hands in shame... That damn Nezumi... "Those marines… I'm the one that told them where the stash was…", he admitted, his jaw clenching in anger.

"Stop it, Genzo!", Nojiko exclaimed, turning to explain further. "Nezumi threatened to have me arrested.", she said. She saw her sister's expression darken at the mention of the marine captain but continued nonetheless, "Genzo knew he didn't know where your stash was… So he called his bluff…". Her hand came up to softly hold her bruised cheek, her voice quieting, "Nezumi didn't like that… He... He said he was going to ki-". The blue-haired girl's words were suddenly cut off when Nami grabbed the two in a hug once again.

The orangette released them from her grasp and smiled at the pair, looking at them for a moment before pulling them back into her chest. "It doesn't matter now.", she whispered, her heart rate rising at the thought, "I'm just happy to see the both of you.". She released them once again and immediately pushed the covers off of her, making to stand. She wanted to go to Arlong Park. She had to. She had to be there to see her captain set her free. "I'm going to Arlong Park.", she declared, slipping past her sister to swing her feet off the bed.

Nojiko and Genzo both looked at each other in alarm before scrambling to follow the girl to the door.

"But, Nami… Your treasure…", the blue-haired girl said cautiously, "It… It's ruined…". She and Genzo had gone to check and see if any of it was still worth anything and they'd only been able to recover a few small pieces of gold and jewelry that hadn't been too severely deformed… It wasn't even close to enough to buy the village…

"Like I said before.", Nami smiled in their direction and stepped into the living room, making her way toward the entrance to her home, "It doesn't matter now.". Her grin widened at the straw hat sitting on the table and she softly placed it back on her head before moving to grasp the handle of the door. She pulled it open, the sound of water pounding to the ground now coming through the opening, and stepped out into the pouring rain.

The orangette looked over her shoulder at the two people still following her with a smile, "My captain is going to set me free.". She turned away and her eyes found the top of Arlong Park peeking over the trees, "He's going to set us all free...".

"But, Nami!", Nojiko yelled over the pouring rain, "You don't have the money anymore!". The words didn't seem to reach their recipient and she shot the man standing beside her a nervous glance. "What does she mean, Genzo?… Isn't… Isn't Arlong her captain?…".

The scarred man eyed Nami's back as she continued to make her way in the direction of Arlong Park before he turned to Nojiko. "I don't know.", he replied uncertainly. He was brought back to earlier in the day, after the lightning strike… That was something they still needed to talk about… He shook the stray thought away and nodded after the girl's retreating form, his eyes glued to the straw hat she'd been given…

As they followed the orangette into the forest, Genzo couldn't help but wonder… Who exactly was that boy from earlier?…

The black ink obscuring Luffy's sight had long since been dissolved by the water, but his vision was still blurry, the saltiness of the sea stinging his eyes as he pushed himself to swim as fast as he could.

"Fishman Karate: Forearm Slash!", Kuroobi yelled, bursting through the water on a direct line for his target.

As good of a swimmer as he was, the teen still couldn't manage to completely dodge the fishman's sharp elbows, two clouds of red erupting from his right shoulder. He hissed in pain, losing some of the air in his lungs but made no move to retreat, pulling his arm back and curling his hand into a fist. "Water Shot!", he roared, the words being muffled by the clear liquid surrounding him. Even though his mobility was reduced, the boy's fist flashed forward in the direction of his opponent and something akin to a speeding ocean current left his knuckles.

Kuroobi abruptly halted his approach and shot off to the side, grunting when he felt the blunt force of the attack ram into his hip. He was sent careening through the water before he quickly righted himself, glaring at the kid now moving back toward the surface, likely to take another breath. Somehow, the brat was keeping the fight relatively even… Even with the number and terrain advantages on their side… The thought made him growl, looking down to the bruises covering his body before his glare shot back up.

The pirate captain's head broke the surface of the water and he sucked in a deep breath of air just before he was pulled back under, a slimy tentacle wrapping around his ankle.

Hachi ripped his arm downward before releasing the hold he had on the ankle in his hand, his opponent's body sailing through the water on a direct course for Kuroobi. As he watched the boy travel through the water, indecisiveness ate at him... This wasn't a fight he wanted to be a part of... He peeled his eyes away from the descending form and gazed to somewhere that couldn't be seen... The fishman hoped he would arrive soon...

Luffy scrambled to regain control of his body, but soon found his momentum halted by a hand grabbing him by the wrist. Air left his lungs when a fist buried itself into his stomach and he gasped, large bubbles rising from his lips. He desperately tried to wiggle out of Kuroobi's grip, but it felt impossible with encroaching water. He just couldn't move anywhere near as well as he could on land…

Kurooi's fist flashed out over and over again, knocking more and more air from Luffy's lungs while he continued to struggle in place. His body ached from the impacts and, while he could probably hold his breath longer than most, he didn't know how much longer he could hold out under the onslaught he was receiving.

Kuroobi's smile widened maniacally as he halted in his attack. "You're pretty strong, kid.", he admitted, his vision dropping down to find the dark depths below. Bringing his head back up, his smile widened at the struggling boy caught in his grasp, "But you were dead the moment you fell into the water.".

The teen's fingers slipped under the hand holding his wrist and he desperately pulled at it, but, by then, it was already too late.

"Fishman Karate:", the fishman roared, suddenly bursting through the water and dragging his captive into the darkness of the deep sea, "Pulverizing Pressure Plunge!".

Luffy's body swirled violently as he was pulled through the water against his will. All of his focus went into holding his breath, his lungs already screaming at him to take in more oxygen.

The pirate captain's blurry sight continued to darken as he was pulled deeper and deeper into the sea, the pressure around his body beginning to increase the further they descended. His lungs begged him for air while they compressed under the weight of the clear liquid encompassing him, ragdolling as water rushed around his figure.

Suddenly, the teen's momentum was halted and his shoulder felt like it almost came out of its socket. He resisted the urge to grunt and his head wildly shifted around, black consuming him on all sides while the pressure tried to crush him. The hand gripping his wrist disappeared but before he could even think about starting the long swim back up to the surface, a loud voice cut through the darkness.

"Fishman Karate:", Kuroobi roared, his smile widening to even larger proportions as he watched his helpless opponent scramble to escape to the surface. He pulled his fist back and twisted his core, loading as much power as he could into his arm. No human could survive this… And even if he somehow did, the brat would run out of air soon, anyway. His knuckles shot forward, the water seeming to part when a shockwave rolled through the clear liquid surrounding him, "Thousand Brick Fist!".

Even though he was underwater, the hair on Luffy's neck seemed to stand up again and he desperately shifted his eyes through the darkness. Suddenly, all the air he had left in his lungs vanished when a fist rammed into the center of his chest, his form flashing through the water and crashing violently into the ocean floor. The spongy surface softened the impact slightly, but vicious pain still spread through his body as the ground ruptured and a massive cloud of displaced dirt erupted around him.

Kuroobi eyed the dark cloud for a moment before smirking in satisfaction. He'd had more fun than expected while fighting the little brat… He eyed the bruises littering his body, wincing at the severe aches he could feel now that his battle lust had faded… Arlong always said that fishmen were the superior species and this fight cemented it, but… He eyed the area for another moment... That kid was pretty damn strong… The fishman shook his head, turning away from the dark cloud still hanging in the water, and began his swim back up to the surface.

Air. He needed air. If he didn't get it... He was definitely gonna die... The thought made the black-haired boy panic slightly. Not in fear of death, however… No, the only thing that frightened him was the thought of not being able to much the man who'd made his navigator cry… He grit his teeth and scrambled to lift his aching body, his heartbeat growing louder in his ears with every second that passed. A painful stab shot through his chest and he almost buckled, letting the pressure of the ocean settle on his shoulders as he bent his knees. He needed to get to the surface… Now.

Luffy's head lifted up before he curled his body as tightly as he could, his legs coiling beneath him while he ignored the muffled grinding of cracked bones emanating from his chest. His toes dug into the soles of his sandals and he suddenly launched himself from the ocean floor with every ounce of strength he had, a muffled boom reverberating through the water.

Kuroobi whipped around at the sound coming from below and his eyes widened, shock keeping him frozen in place.

Another massive brown cloud erupted around the teen and he shot through the water like a speeding bullet. In but a moment, the darkness consuming his vision began to be rapidly replaced by light as he rushed by his opponent's still figure, but it was quickly growing dark once again. His chest felt like it was going to explode and as fast as he was moving, it wasn't enough. He wasn't going to make it before he passed out...

Kuroobi's shocked gaze stayed locked on to the teen's form as it continued to sail toward the surface... What the hell was this kid?... His paralyzation lasted for another moment before he came to his senses, a growl leaving his lips before he shot through the water in pursuit.

Luffy's momentum began to decrease and his vision was getting darker by the second, his mind growing hazy from lack of oxygen… It was close… The surface was close… He just knew it… He just had to get there… He tried to start swimming, but the action only sent more pangs through his chest… His body curled in on itself as it tried to somehow expel the pain shooting through it and the haze in his mind continued to grow, his position bringing him back to moments earlier... He didn't know if it was the lack of oxygen or what, but... A strange thought floated through his head… If he could push off the ground like that… Why couldn't he do the same with the water?…

Kuroobi pumped his arms and legs as quickly as he could, his opponent's slowing form entering his vision once again. He grit his teeth and pushed himself to move even faster… He was making sure the damn brat was dead this time.

Luffy kept himself curled and tensed every muscle in his lower body… One more… One more would get him there… He'd need to push even harder this time. The water wasn't solid like the sea floor, so it was definitely going to be a lot more difficult… With every ounce of energy left in his body, the black-haired boy desperately uncurled his body and his legs shot out below him, his feet smashing against the water so hard that the liquid compressed for a split second.

A massive shockwave rolled through the ocean as Luffy once again blasted his way toward the surface and, just before he would have lost consciousness, his body burst through the water.

The pirate captain sailed into the air, roughly landing back on solid ground, and tumbled a small distance before stopping, eyes hazily gazing at the sky. His vision seemed to go in and out with the rhythm of his heartbeat while he sucked in air as fast as he could, only a moment passing before he heard the thumps of feet meeting concrete coming from off to the right. His head lulled to the side and his eyes were met with two figures rapidly sprinting in his direction… Oh, yeah… He was still fighting…

With his heart still trying to beat out of his chest, Luffy rolled to the right, a heel cracking into the concrete where he'd previously laid. It took more effort than he would have liked, but he stood to his feet and turned just in time to slip under a tentacle headed for his face. Another one, aimed at his middle, shot out and he grabbed it without thinking, roughly pulling its owner toward him while his curled knuckles shot out at the same time, "Pistol!".

Hachi's mind had barely registered what was going on when he suddenly felt a fist ram into his nose, blood flying from his mouth. Most of the bones in his face shattered, the skin rippling with the impact, and his body left the ground. The last thing the octopus fishman saw before his mind went dark was the backrest of the stone chair sitting in front of Arlong Park's main building as he smashed straight through it, cracking into the wall not two feet from his earlier impact print.

Luffy's breaths continued to come fast and short, his hands dropping down to his knees for a moment before a roar came from his left, his head shifting in its direction. He'd had enough with these guys... A fist shot out in his direction and he breathed deeply, launching off the ground to flip over the fish man's head. He righted himself in the air before he began to drop downward and the bottoms of his legs found the tops of his opponent's shoulder.

The teen kept himself glued to his opponent, his thighs tightly squeezing around Kuroobi's neck and locking at his front while the fishman desperately clawed at him. Without another thought, his hands flashed straight out to his sides, his fingertips curling inward.

Kuroobi wildly whipped around, trying anything to remove the boy sitting on his shoulders, but no matter what he did, the brat stayed in place. In his scrambling, he managed to get his hands under the legs wrapped around his neck, however, just when he went to wrench them off, his opponent's voice made him look up.

"Sun Palm:", screamed Luffy. He tightened his grip on the fishman's neck before his hands smashed inward, "Bell!". His palms impacted on either side of the head held tightly between his thighs and a crack pieced the stormy air, blood shooting from his opponent's nose and mouth as the surrounding rain violently scattered. The two seemed to stand still for a moment, the echoing crack once again being replaced by pounding rain, before Kuroobi's body suddenly went limp, his open eyes white and showing no signs of lucidity.

The pirate captain rode his opponent to the ground, stepping off of him when the fishman's knees met the concrete, and his breathing finally began to even out.

Luffy couldn't help but sigh in relief… Almost drowning sucked… Bad… His eyes shifted around the area and took in all the destruction... They had really done a number on the place… The area where the gate previously rested was completely destroyed, nothing but a large pile of debris with an unconscious body lying on it, and the courtyard had a multitude of craters marring its surface, broken stone meeting his eyes wherever he looked... He was glad that he wasn't the one who had to clean it all up...

Luffy turned toward the building behind him and noticed that it was the only thing that had been left practically untouched… Besides the two huge craters… His gaze was pulled to the octopus fishman buried into the wall and he couldn't help but think that it didn't look like a very comfortable place to sleep… He shrugged his shoulders and looked down at the form lying at his feet for a moment before turning away. Now, there would be no interruptions during his fight with… What was his name again?… Arsong?… Argong?… Arbong?…

The black-haired teen shook his head, none of the names sounding quite right, and moved to take a seat on the broken throne sitting at the front of the large building. He didn't have anything other to do than wait, so, that's precisely what he did, taking some time to examine the state of his body.

His breathing was pretty much back to normal and Luffy couldn't help the slight shudder that ran through him at remembering the feeling of almost drowning… He quickly shook the thought away and went over the rest of his body. Besides the two bleeding cuts on his shoulder and the cracked bones in his chest, everything else was rather tame. He had some bruises where he'd taken some hits and his body was pretty achey, especially the large bruise on his chest, but, other than that, he didn't feel too bad.

With his inspection done, the pirate captain once again began to wait, leaning forward to bring his hand into his vision. He clenched the appendage in anticipation… He felt warmed up enough to go all out right from the start...

Luffy's eyes lifted and his black gaze shifted toward the place he'd left his navigator, a large smile rising to his lips… He hoped his opponent would show up soon…

Because he was about to beat the bastard straight into the ground.