"Will you two stop already?" Sanji sighed in annoyance, eyeing the two bounty hunter brothers as he served food to everyone, including Zoro, who had regained consciousness. "Every time you see me, you start crying."
"B-But, it was so~ beautiful!" Johnny and Yosaku cried, still remembering the teary farewell that had taken place at the Baratie.
"Yeah yeah… Why are you with us, anyway? Aren't you two bounty hunters?"
"We found them dying at sea because of scurvy before we came to Baratie," Usopp answered on their behalf.
"Scurvy?!" Sanji gasped, "How the hell did you get scurvy? Don't you know how to eat enough fruits?"
"The idiots had no idea what scurvy even was," Nami interjected, and an enraged Sanji sat them down and gave a long lecture about the important food items that needed to be consumed while at sea. And the two actually diligently listened, while taking down some notes too, and thanked him by the end of it.
"Anyway, we'll get off at any island you stop at next," Johnny said before looking around at the sea curiously and asking, "Where are we headed to? This is not the way to the Grand Line, I think."
Luffy and Nami exchanged a look before Nami averted her gaze and Luffy understood that she didn't want the whole crew to know yet. "Another stop before we head to the Grand Line. You'll see when we get there," he answered and the others didn't think too much about it.
"Sooo…" Yosaku drawled, "Are you really planning to head to the Grand Line with only five people?"
"Yep!"
"Aren't you underestimating the Grand Line too much?" Johnny asked, "I get that you've been there but you yourself told us that it wasn't as a pirate, but a ride given to you…"
"Nah, it's okay. We'll pick up more crew members on the Grand Line"
"We already have one right? Your genius inventor friend," Usopp said, thinking back and pointing at Nami's shock staff, "The one who made that."
"Yeah, not sure when but she'll join us on the Grand Line somewhere down the line."
"She? Another woman? Yes!" Sanji predictably cheered with a perverted grin, "Thank you, God! I now get to serve two beautiful ladies! Hehehe I wouldn't mind if it's just the three of us!"
Luffy gasped and the drink he was drinking burst out through the wrong pipe, leading to a fit of coughs. But in spite of that, his lips twitched upwards in amusement. 'Oh god! It's his own sister!… Should I say something?'
"Drink slowly, you glutton," Nami said passing him a paper towel.
"Umm, Sanji…" Luffy began, wiping his face, "I get that you're crazy about women in general… But… about the other crewmate… don't speak of her that way, okay?"
Everyone perked up at that with unbridled interest.
"Why? Is she your girlfriend or something?" Nami asked eyeing him.
"No… but… just saying… that you shouldn't fantasize about her like that…" Luffy tried but failed miserably to explain himself.
"Heh, I don't care. A woman is a woman. I'll think whatever I want… Oh! Mystery genius inventor girl, how I want to meet and serve you! I'm sure your beauty is just as heavenly as your mind!"
'Well, I tried at least…' Luffy easily gave up realizing that this was a golden opportunity for a long prank.
"Well~" Luffy drawled with a smile as he retrieved a recorder and held it in front of him, "In that case, would you mind if I record whenever you profess your undying love to her?"
That sent alarm bells ringing in Sanji's head and the rest became extremely curious about the identity of their mystery crew member.
"Why?" Sanji simply asked.
"No reason. Just wanted her to know that such a valiant man is singing her praises, that's all. You don't mind, do you? You will recite the same to her face when we meet her after all, so what's the harm in me recording it?"
"Well… nothing really…" Sanji stood thinking hard not able to refute his logic, and so did the rest.
"Is she really old?" Nami guessed.
"Early twenties"
"Is she ugly?" Usopp guessed.
"She's sizzling hot"
That got a grin out of Sanji, and also the bounty brothers.
"Married?" Zoro guessed from where he was lying down, bandages wrapped around his chest.
"Nope"
"Boyfriend?" Yosaku asked before adding, "The over-protective type"
"She's single"
"Hates men?" Nami guessed.
"Just the normal amount"
"Oh! Do you like her?" Usopp continued.
"Yes, but not as a romantic partner"
"Over-protective parents?" Zoro continued, "Who would, you know, get in the middle of their relationship or kill anyone who looks at their daughter the wrong way"
"When did this become about relationships? We were just talking about Sanji singing her praises. And the answer is No." 'She wants her whole family dead if possible' he added in his head.
"Bad girlfriend material?" Yosaku continued.
"Again, not talking about relationships here… And No. We flirted a lot and she's a pretty caring person… in her own way," he added as an afterthought remembering how she would randomly inject poisons into him. "She'll be a great girlfriend if you could overlook some… quirks"
That only made the rest even more curious as to what kind of person their mystery member was.
"If it's none of that, then I have no idea why you would want to record him…" Nami trailed off finally giving up.
"Maybe she just doesn't like being praised?" Usopp offered. "So, if you record and make her listen to it, she'll beat him up?"
Sanji only grinned and that made Zoro cringe in disgust. "That will only make this horny dog happy"
Sanji's grin instantly morphed into annoyance as he glared at Zoro. "Oi! Watch it!"
"Wipe that grin off your face before you talk to me!"
"Oh-hoho looks like someone's still grumpy after their humiliating defeat"
Zoro glared at him, his one sword coming out of its sheath, "Watch your tongue. Or I'll cut it off"
"Try it. You can barely even stand"
"Stop it, both of you!" Nami interjected causing Luffy to groan.
'They were this close to their iconic nicknames! History was about to be made! Now, I gotta wait more…'
"Well anyway, you'll see her when you see her I guess. So Sanji, I'm recording you even if you say no"
Sanji forgot about the swordsman and thought about the mystery crewmate. He knew he wouldn't be able to hold back when he meets her eventually and if she really was as hot as Luffy made her out to be, then it was a guaranteed thing that he would swoon over her. 'Maybe Usopp is right. She's someone who probably doesn't like to be praised,' He mused before becoming sure of that reason. 'That won't do! She must know that she is a goddess, and I, Sanji, will valiantly make her feel like a goddess!'
"Sure, go ahead!" Sanji declared and Luffy grinned wider.
"Alright! Now, let's have a celebration party for Sanji joining!" Luffy cheered bringing out a guitar and before long, he was singing "SWEET~ HOME~ ALABAMA!" at the top of his lungs while cackling internally.
———
"Luffy, look!" Nami came up to her captain, who was sitting on the figurehead, with a bounty poster in hand the next morning. "Lizz apparently got a bounty. A double bounty no less…"
"Yeah, she called me last night to gloat," Luffy said as he took it from her and studied the poster. It showed Lizz and Bomby standing side-by-side - Bomby with a manic glee in her eyes while throwing bombs and Lizz with a tired look as she seemingly held Bomby back. "Twin sisters, Bomby and Lizz. 15 million each"
"Guess the Marines thought they were sisters huh?"
"Yeah. Technically, her bounty is 30 million now. The highest in East Blue… Ugh, she kept teasing me last night saying how she was pulling ahead of me"
"Heh," Nami chuckled, "It'll be a headache for her now. Who the hell wants a bounty on their head?"
"Are you an idiot? Of course, a pirate's gotta have a bounty! Can't wait to get my own!"
"…Of course you do…" Nami tiredly shook her head with a sigh before changing the topic, "So what are they doing?"
"They left for the Grand Line today itself in the early morning actually. She called me just before they went to Reverse Mountain and we promised to meet up somewhere down the line"
"Ah okay…" Nami nodded and leaned on the railing with a worried look on her face. "All this talk about going there… any future plans after today… it all just feels… unreal to me… Like I'm making up plans that I'll never get to execute…"
"You worry too much," Luffy waved her concerns away, "Just think of it this way - You'll either be free today and you can do whatever the hell you want with the rest of your life. Or you'll die today and well, you'll be dead, so no need to worry any more"
"Wow, what a great pep talk," Nami drawled sarcastically.
"Well, after we talked that night, you were the one who cried her heart out and even slept on me, so I'm pretty sure I'm gre-"
SMACK!
"Don't word it like that!"
"Shishishishi"
She sighed but knew he was joking around to bring her mood up and it actually did work. Alas, it went down again when loud shouts came from the below deck.
"Do you know where you're going?!" Yosaku yelled coming up on deck along with Usopp, "You guys are heading into Arlong's turf! Turn the ship back now!"
Nami and Luffy looked at each other and sighed.
"We can't keep it from the rest any longer, Nami"
"Yeah I know… I'll tell them," she said full of reluctance. Luffy was one thing as he was the most easy-going and kind-hearted person she had ever met but she was worried that the rest of the crew might just think that she was burdening them or taking advantage of them.
They both made their way to where Johnny had joined Yosaku in their freak-out session while Usopp was trying to calm them down.
"Calm down, guys," Luffy intervened.
"Big Bro Luffy! You have to turn the ship back now! You're heading into Arlong the Saw's turf!"
"I know. Exactly why we're heading there"
That only caused them to freak out even more. "ARE YOU INSANE?! What are you planning to do there?"
"Take him do-" Luffy was saying when Nami nudged him, reminding him that the plan was to just give Arlong the money. "Umm… stuff"
"No no no! You're gonna get killed! I know you took down Krieg with ease but he was a human. Arlong is a Fishman and he is from the Grand Line! He's in a whole other league and infinitely stronger than Krieg! You cannot beat him!"
That only caused Nami's anxiousness to rise and Luffy knew there was no way she could talk about her situation now.
"Calm down, you two," Zoro sighed after he came up onto the deck hearing the loud shouts, now able to walk without opening up his stitches.
"Big Bro Zoro! You have to convince Big Bro Luffy to turn back! Arlong is bad news!"
"Look, we have some business to deal with there. If you're scared, just take the boat and leave"
Nami perked up and stared at Zoro before looking back at Luffy questioningly, still not aware that Zoro had heard them talking. "You told him?"
"No, I overheard you two talking that night," Zoro answered and Nami's face slowly flushed in embarrassment. 'Another person heard me crying?!'
"For what it's worth," he said coming up to her and giving a reassuring pat on the shoulder, "I want to cut up that bastard right this instant. But I'll respect your wishes and follow your plan"
Nami gaped at him, stunned at the display of affection. She didn't think he was the kind of person who would care too much about other people's feelings… but she should have known that he was a very caring person. After all, the first time she had seen him, he was suffering hunger and abuse for a little kid he had just met once.
"Zoro's a total softie on the inside," Luffy whispered to Nami but it was loud enough to be heard by Zoro. Nami giggled with a nod while Zoro blushed and cursed "Damn captain!" before he started chasing Luffy around the deck which only caused Nami to laugh more.
"Umm… mind filling us in?" Usopp asked and Sanji nodded, looking curious.
Nami sighed, but after knowing she had the support of both Luffy and Zoro, she wasn't that anxious anymore. "Okay, let's go to the kitchen"
A minute later, everyone was gathered at the kitchen table and Nami began. She didn't go into too many details like she did with Luffy and just told them that her island had been taken over by Arlong, the deal she had made to buy her village back, and the fact that after 8 years, she had finally managed to collect the money. Seeing her distressed face, the others could fill in the blanks that her story was way more tragic than she let on, but they didn't pry.
By the end of it, Usopp had a solemn look and reassured her, telling her that they would be with her all the way, Johnny and Yosaku were bawling their eyes out and asking for forgiveness for telling them to head back, and Sanji was fuming in anger yelling "How dare that bastard do this to a beautiful angel like Nami-swan?! I'll kill that bastard!"
Nami quickly put a stop to it though. "No! We're doing it my way. I'll give him the money and he'll leave. That's it!"
"Wha?! No way are we letting that bastard walk away unharmed!" Sanji argued.
"Listen to her guys," Luffy spoke up, "We'll do it her way. It's her fight that she's been fighting for 8 long years. Let her finish it"
"What?! You of all peop-"
"When he betrays her and breaks the deal, we'll stomp his crew to the ground." Luffy finished and Sanji nodded with satisfaction.
"If, not when" Nami protested.
"No arguments from me," Luffy said and she sighed in frustration looking at the others' faces. She could see that all of them, including Usopp, were hoping that Arlong would break the deal. 'They don't know him. He'll surely keep his word when it comes to money.' She told herself for the millionth time and reassured herself.
Their conversation ended when the ship suddenly lurched as if it had hit something and everyone quickly filed out of the kitchen to see what was going on… only to find a sea monster that was just a bit bigger than the Merry in front of them. It resembled a sea cow, with green patches all over its body, a gold nose ring on its big, round nose, and two horns protruding from its head.
"M-M-MONSTER!" Usopp, Johnny and Yosaku screamed holding onto each other.
"A sea cow?" Sanji said calmly.
"Momoo!" Nami yelped in shock, her face paling.
"You know the cow?" Zoro asked.
Trembling in fear, she pointed at it "I-It's the monster Arlong brought back from the Grand Line. He uses it whenever he wants to destroy any town"
"It's cute," Luffy commented and the cowards screamed at him "Not the time to make jokes, idiot!"
"Looks like it's hungry," Sanji noted seeing how it was sniffing the air and looking towards the kitchen.
"Please don't eat us!" the cowards screamed while Sanji went into the kitchen and came back with some food.
"Here, eat up" He held out the food to the sea cow but it opened its maw wide and tried to eat Sanji along with the food he held. Sanji just kicked it hard, making its head snap sideways.
"Hey! Why did you attack it?!" Usopp screamed.
"The bastard was trying to eat me too!" Sanji growled.
The sea cow, after regaining its senses, glared at them and was about to attack them, but Luffy jumped on its head and stomped on it once. Feeling the immense power from just that one stomp, Momoo's anger melted away and got replaced with fear.
"Don't hurt…"
'Ooh, I can hear it!' Luffy cheered, his hours of meditation and trying to use his Voice paying off.
"It's fine. We won't hurt you," Luffy gently patted its head, and it whined in response. "You'll give us a ride though," he added before looking at Sanji, "Bring some rope. We'll tie the ship to the cow"
Sanji complied and went to bring some rope while the rest, other than Zoro, gawked at the sight of a small human taming a huge monster. The rope was soon brought and they quickly tied the Merry to the sea cow.
"Alright! Full speed ahead to Arlong Park! Go Momoo!" Luffy yelled and Momoo started pulling the ship at a really fast pace. 'Should reach the place long before Genzo's life is threatened'
"The hell is happening right now? This is insane…" Yosaku muttered disbelieving his eyes.
"Maybe this is some elaborate dream we're having?" Johnny suggested.
"No. We just have to accept that those three are actual monsters in human skin." Usopp said nodding sagely.
Nami stood next to Luffy at the bow as he commanded the sea cow, her mouth open and eyes wide, not able to believe that the 'Terrifying Grand Line Monster' she had been so scared of was being used to pull their ship now. Hope finally started rising in her.
———
The island was soon visible and Luffy told Momoo to stop before it crashed into the island and sent the Merry flying. He had been listening to what the cow said the whole way and it was pretty much something along the lines of 'I'm hungry', 'Want food', 'Don't hurt me', 'That smells great', and 'Thank you' when they actually gave it food for helping them out. Momoo happily ate the food before diving back into the sea and Nami sailed the ship the rest of the way discreetly, making sure no fishman saw them.
"We'll be secretly entering the island, okay? I'll take you guys to my house and you'll stay there until I say otherwise. Understood?"
"Yes, ma'am!" came the response.
They soon docked near what Nami said was Gosa village and the others, except the Monster Trio, gawked at the flipped houses, growing confused and terrified at the same time.
"What the hell happened here?" Usopp asked shivering.
"This is what happens to a town when even one person fails to pay the tribute," Nami said in a solemn tone, wanting them to understand that Arlong was too powerful.
Everyone silently walked through the empty village seeing the destruction that had befallen it and after they passed a forested area, they came across a blue-haired woman walking in front of them.
"Nojiko!" Nami yelled getting her sister's attention. Nojiko turned around and they saw that she was carrying a badly wounded kid in her arms. His legs, torso, chest and half his face were covered in bandages, and his clearly broken arm was in a sling.
"Na-chan," Nojiko smiled seeing her sister but her smile dropped when she saw everyone behind her. Nojiko studied all of them as they walked closer before settling her gaze on Nami. "You were gone for so long this time? Anything happened? And who are these people?"
"Oh! This is a joyous day that let me meet such a bea-" Sanji began as usual but was cut off by Nami.
"Stop. Let's go home. I'll explain there," Nami said and Nojiko nodded looking weirdly at Sanji before they started making their way towards their home.
"What's with the kid?" Nami asked as they walked eyeing the kid who had his head down the whole time.
Nojiko sighed. "He was from Gosa village. His dad was killed… I found him lying outside of Arlong Park today, beaten up badly… Took him to Nako and got him treated just now. Kid says he wanted to avenge his father's death by killing Arlong and so charged into their base…" She shook her head with a sigh, "He's lucky to be alive"
"I see…"
The kid finally lifted his head looking at all of them and when he saw Usopp, he got enraged and pointed at him with his good arm. "I'll kill every last one of you fishman bastards!"
"Me? What did I do?!" Usopp protested in confusion.
Nojiko smacked the kid on the head. "First off, look closely. He's human," she said looking at Usopp before noticing his long nose and adding "Just barely though…"
"Barely?!"
"And what did I tell you about throwing your life away?! Didn't you say you still had your mom?"
The kid, called Chabo, quietened down and again hung his head down in frustration. Luffy didn't know who the kid was and didn't remember him from the story either, but he was in the story. In another timeline, Nami would have been on the island when the kid tries to charge into Arlong's base and stops him, but here in this reality, Nami was with Luffy, so there was no one to stop him from entering the base and hence, got beat up.
Luffy sighed with his arms crossed, wondering if he could have saved this kid's father if he had just confronted Nami sooner and came here much earlier before Gosa was destroyed. He honestly didn't remember the village until he saw it and only now, did he vaguely recall that such a village was indeed present in the story too.
Besides that, he thought about the kid's words of wanting to kill every fishman he sees and sighed imagining this kid growing up and maybe hunting down fishmen indiscriminately because of his bad experiences with them… Similar to what Arlong and the others were doing right now. Just continuing the circle of hate. 'This sure is complicated and messy…'
Luffy had a dark look on his face while thinking and Nami mistook it for him being angry at Arlong for hurting the kid. And knowing his track record, she was afraid he would charge right up to their base right then and there but thankfully, he stayed silent and they soon reached a tangerine grove with a house in the middle.
A few minutes later, they were settled in the kitchen of the house with Nojiko offering to make them tea, which was quickly taken over by Sanji, and she finally sat across from Nami asking what was going on
"Well, introductions first," Nami began, "Guys, this is my sister, Nojiko" They all waved at her saying hello. "And Nojiko, this is… my crew"
Nojiko became confused but kept a neutral face, wondering if Nami was in some sort of trouble. 'Did she con these people and now stuck with them? Is she in some kind of trouble? Should I act here? What should I act as? C'mon Nami, give me some clue as to what I am to do?' She thought discretely looking for any signs.
Nami knew what she was thinking and chuckled. "I'm not conning them or anything… They really are my crew. Luffy there is the captain. This is Zoro, Usopp and Sanji. These two are Zoro's old bounty hunter friends we're just helping out currently," she said pointing to each one as she introduced them and Nojiko only became shocked and confused.
"Y-you joined another pirate crew? D-do they know…?" she trailed off eyeing Nami's shoulder.
"Yeah, I told them everything," Nami admitted, which further shocked Nojiko. Her sister had never opened up to anyone other than her, so suddenly finding that she had not only joined another pirate crew, which she hated the most in the world, but also opened up to them… Nojiko just couldn't believe it.
"I know what you're thinking. But these are good people… The best I've ever met… That idiot there," she pointed at Luffy, "broke down my common sense… not to mention, my sanity too… He's my captain and after we're done with Arlong, I'll go with him to the Grand Line as his navigator." She declared with a small happy smile and Luffy beamed.
"What happened Nami?! What are you saying?!" Nojiko screeched, "You're choosing to follow another pirate?! And what do you mean after you're done with Arlong?" She gasped, "Did you finally manage to collect the 100 million?"
"Yep. All 100 million! And more," Nami grinned, "We can finally be free, Nojiko!"
Nojiko just gaped at Nami, not able to process everything. Luffy saw that they would need to talk alone so decided to give them some space.
"We'll give you some alone time. C'mon guys, let's explore the tangerine grove"
"Don't you dare pick and eat them off the trees! Only the ripe ones need to be plucked," Nami chided before pointing to a basket filled with tangerines in the corner, "Take what you want from there"
"Thanks, Nami!" Luffy didn't stand on ceremony and picked up a bunch of tangerines.
Suddenly, Chabo spoke up. "Is it true? Can we finally be free from Arlong?" He asked hopefully.
Nami gave a small smile and ruffled his hair. "Yeah, just a few more hours. Keep quiet until then, okay?" She said softly and the kid nodded enthusiastically.
"Oh, I almost forgot. Do you have a doctor here? I want them to take a look at Zoro"
"I don't need no doc-" Zoro began to protest but Nami cut him off.
"Yeah, I'll go get him, wait"
"I can do it!" Chabo volunteered.
"Okay. Just bring Nako here. Tell him the patient was cut by swords." The kid nodded and soon left the house.
"Oi, don't I get a say?" Zoro growled. Luffy and Nami both said "Nope!" in unison and Zoro just sighed knowing they wouldn't listen to him.
"Alright, let's get out," Luffy, his hand filled with more than a dozen tangerines, left along with the rest, leaving the two sisters alone.
"Was all that true?" Was the first thing Nojiko asked and Nami chuckled.
"All true. You won't believe the adventures I've had, Nojiko… It all started when an idiot jumped into my dinghy I stole from a pirate ship…" Nami began narrating her experiences ever since she met Luffy.
As the story progressed, Nojiko couldn't believe all the stuff her sister had been through. A guy who can apparently catch and kick cannonballs, a powerful shock staff which she had used to take down entire pirate crews and also a huge lion, meeting Doppelgangers who were probably her distant cousins, crazy devil fruits… But more than anything, Nojiko was shocked at the way Nami talked about everything. With excitement, laughter, animated gestures, unrestrained joy… For the first time since their mother died, Nami looked genuinely and truly happy.
"Looks like you found friends, Nami…" Nojiko said with a smile, almost tearing up.
"Yeah, I did" Nami smiled too and was about to continue when they were interrupted by loud shouting coming from the living room. "…As much I like them, they drive me up a wall sometimes," Nami sighed getting up to see what the commotion was and Nojiko giggled following her. They came outside to see Nako scolding Zoro, yelling at him to not move so much and calling him an idiot for even walking with such a deadly cut on his chest.
"How the hell did you even get such a cut in the first place?!" Nako yelled exasperatedly as he disinfected his cuts.
"Idiot asked for it," Sanji scoffed.
"Watch it, punk" Zoro growled.
"The hell did you just say, bastard?" Sanji growled back.
"Well, he's not wrong. You just showed Mihawk your chest and basically asked him to cut you," Usopp added and flinched when Zoro glared at him.
"… It's a reminder" Zoro softly said.
"Huh?" Nami was confused but Zoro didn't elaborate on it. She turned towards Luffy knowing that he would know what he meant.
"It's a reminder Mihawk gave him to make sure he never forgets the difference in their strengths. And also to remind him that Mihawk acknowledges him and will be waiting for him at the top"
"I see…"
"But was it worth it?" Sanji scoffed, "Almost dying? And for what? Just to get an acknowledgement?"
"Are you kidding me?" Luffy asked incredulously, "Hawky is the World's Greatest. You just don't understand the significance of that title. There are only a few swordsmen he acknowledges as his equals and they are all in Shanks' league. Thousands of rookie swordsmen have challenged him to a duel and he has never ever acknowledged anyone. Zoro is the only one. The only person in the entire world to earn the respect of the World's Greatest as a rookie. And that scar is the proof. It's a badge of honour!"
Zoro beamed at the praise, nodding with satisfaction.
"Well, damn" Usopp and Sanji got a glint of respect, although Sanji would never admit it aloud.
"Big Bro Zoro! You're so amazing!" The bounty hunter duo chorused.
"See what I meant when I said he's a suicidal bastard?" Nami sighed, "And Luffy is a greater suicidal bastard"
"Looks like you'll have your hands full dealing with them," Nojiko giggled along with Luffy while Nami groaned.
The happy mood soon changed when loud screams could be heard coming from outside, alarming them.
"I'll go check it out. You guys stay here," Nami said and quickly went for the door, not waiting for an answer. She headed to the streets with Nojiko and saw a large gathering of people gathered around Genzo, along with Arlong and a few Fishmen. Nami's heart almost leapt out of her chest when she saw Genzo being lifted up in the throat and she ran towards them.
"ARLONG!"
"Oh? If it isn't Nami," Arlong smiled showing off all his sharp teeth. "You were back?" He asked still holding Genzo by the throat, "Why didn't you report in?"
Luffy stood on the branch of a tree watching everything play out and just looking at the way Arlong mockingly talked at Nami was enough to make him want to attack him that instant itself.
"I just got here… Why are you threatening Genzo?"
Arlong got an evil glint in his eyes and smiled sadistically. "Well, you see, this human here was found in possession of a weapon. And you know the law, Nami. Possession of a weapon is a clear sign of rebellion. It's a threat to our dominion and will just cause unrest and disturbance in my lands. So, I'll have to make an example out of this human to make the rest understand what happens to those who rebel!"
Nami stayed silent, glaring at Arlong, whose sadistic smile only widened. "Are you unsatisfied with what I'm doing Nami? Would you rather I destro-"
"This village isn't yours anymore." She stated calmly cutting him off.
Arlong's smile dropped and he frowned "…What do you mean by that?"
"I have the 100 million," she said, her lips slowly widening into a catty smile as Arlong's smile dropped. "I'm buying this village back"
Arlong lost all composure and dropped Genzo, forgetting about him completely.
"All the money is right there," she pointed at her house, "Ask your stupid men to come pick it up right now" Nami spat and revelled in the shock she was causing in her tormentor. "What's wrong, Arlong?" She tilted her head innocently, "You're not going back on your word, are you?"
Arlong finally came out of his shock and put on a fake smile. "Of course not, Nami. You finally did, huh? Very well. Bring the money to my base and we'll make it official"
"Okay, I'll be there soon. Now, leave my village and never set foot here ever again"
"Haha! Take your time. Let's go," Arlong said to his crew and turned around to leave. His fake smile instantly dropped and his eyes narrowed in anger. 'Guess I wasn't keeping a close enough eye on her… Now, how to keep that puny inferior human under my leash…' He remembered a map that Kuroobi had found in Nami's room which indicated where all the money she had collected was buried and also remembered then the rat-faced Marine and got an idea. He smiled sadistically and quickly went back to his base and called Nezumi.
———
"Nami? Is that true? Did you really manage to collect 100 million?" Genzo asked in disbelief as soon as Arlong left.
"Ye- Wait! You knew about it?!" Nami asked incredulously.
"Yes Nami, none of us believed for a second that you would willingly work for that bastard"
"They kinda made me tell them the first time you went on a run," Nojiko sheepishly confessed coming up to her.
"Then? All these years…?"
"We just didn't want to burden you with our troubles. We wanted you to run away as soon as possible so we thought that if we acted like we hated you, you would one day leave this place… but you never did…" Genzo started tearing up and many of the other villagers also started crying.
'They didn't hate me…?' Nami took in all the happy faces of the villagers and became teary-eyed herself.
30 minutes later after many villagers personally came up to Nami, apologized and thanked her, Nami was back in her house making Luffy dig up the money she had buried under one of the trees. He quickly unearthed the bag, brought it into the house, and dumped all the contents on the floor. Stacks and stacks of money bills, jewellery, gold, and gems littered the floor.
"Damn, this sure is a lot of money" Sanji commented, "Are you really sure we should even entertain the idea of giving him all this money? I just want to go and kill him right now"
"Yeah, me too" Zoro agreed.
"C'mon guys, we're doing it my way. If we do this without fighting then all the better. And Zoro! You're in no condition to fight right now!"
"Shut it, witch! I'll fight if I want to"
"Don't talk to Nami-swan like that, you stupid swordsman!"
"Shut it, you love-struck ero-cook! I'll send your head flying!"
"Try it, mosshead!"
'Ooh, there it is! The historic moment!' Luffy grinned, immortalizing the moment in his mind.
"Shut it! Both of you!" Nami yelled smacking them both on the head and they stopped fighting with Zoro grumbling and Sanji swooning.
"You guys sure are…" Nojiko thought for a moment for the right word, "Colourful"
"That's a tame way to put it," Usopp said with a sweat-drop.
The room then descended into silence where only the sounds of rustling paper could be heard as everyone got to counting.
"Count it carefully, guys. I don't want to give that bastard even one berri more than necessary"
"Yes, Nami-swan!"
Luffy soon got bored though and stopped, leaving it to the rest to them, while he scooted closer to Nojiko. "Hi" he whispered.
"Hey" she whispered back with a smile.
"Sooo… got any embarrassing childhood stories about Nami?"
A mischievous grin spread across her face. "Oh yeah, tons"
"Shish-Ow" A piece of gold had hit him on the forehead, courtesy of Nami.
"What are you two whispering about?!"
"Oh, nothing much," Nojiko said nonchalantly before whispering "Later" to Luffy, who snickered with a nod, and Nami watched the two with irritation thinking Luffy was flirting with her sister.
Soon, the counting was done and all the stacks of bills were arranged neatly on the floor with jewellery and other things arranged next to it. "103 million in total!" Nami breathed reverentially.
"Man, that's a lot of money," Yosaku sighed, "We could never see this much money even in our wildest dreams"
"We could have actually made a ton more easily," Nami sighed solemnly. "We didn't really steal much from the pirates you know… like Clockwork Island, the Bear guy had so much, but we didn't take even a single berri"
"The people there would have needed that to rebuild. Plus, it's theirs in the first place"
"Yeah, I know. We did the same for Eldaraggo too. He alone would have covered the amount I needed…"
"If we turned in all their bounties, we could have had way more," Zoro added and when Nami thought about it, her mood dropped.
"You're right… Alvida had 5, All four of the Trump siblings had bounties ranging from 7, 5, 3 and 2 million, Buggy had 15, Eldaraggo had 8, Kuro had 16, Krieg had 17, Gin had 12… I'm sure I'm forgetting more… but that alone makes… 90 million… in just bounties…"
She hung her head down. "Just over a month and we could have made that much… Makes my 8 years look like nothing huh?"
"Nami…" Nojiko hugged her from the side, "Don't say that. You were a child when you started"
"Yeah," Luffy agreed, "There was a time when I couldn't do anything against an 8 million bounty, you know…"
"Yes, Nami-san," Sanji said calmly for once, "If you started now, how long do you think it would take you to collect 100 million?"
"Umm… with all the experience I have now, 2 years would be sufficient. And if I had the shock staff? Even less…"
"See? No need to feel bad. Adult you is obviously better than younger you. That's a great sign that you've grown a lot. You should be proud"
Nami nodded with a smile. "Thanks"
"From that whole conversation," Usopp said gawking at Sanji, "I'm most shocked that you can actually talk normally to a girl!"
"Right? Even I'm shocked" Zoro added with a smirk.
"Anything for my Nami-swan!" Sanji twirled around.
"And he's back to his normal perverted self…" Johnny said with a sigh.
Luffy was laughing when he saw a lot of people coming towards the house through the window. He spotted Genzo, a few villager, and a lot of Marines including the rat-faced Marine which caused him to sigh.
"What is it?" Nami asked seeing Luffy sigh and came up to the window too along with Nojiko.
"The Marines?" Nojiko tilted her head in confusion. They opened the door only to be greeted by Genzo who had a solemn expression but was cut off by the rat-faced Marine.
"Chichichi… I'm Captain Nezumi of the Marine's 16th branch. And you must be Nami, the criminal"
"A criminal?… Well, I am technically an Arlong pirate. So what? Do you really want to displease Arlong by doing something to me?"
"Chichichi A pirate? I have no idea what you're talking about… Don't worry, we're not here to hurt you, but I have received reports that you're a thief! My sources say that you only steal from pirates, so this is an unusual case…" He got a smug smile on his face as he continued, "But a thief is still a thief. The loot you stole belongs to the people it was originally stolen from. Therefore, you must surrender it to us - The World Government"
"What?!"
"Let me make it clear. Hand over all the treasure! Men, search the place!"
"Yes sir!" The other Marines began entering the house but Nami knocked out a couple of them with her staff before they could enter.
"Stop! What do you think you're doing?! You can't just barge into somebody's house like this!"
The Marines kept trying to enter and Nami struck a few with her staff but there were too many for her to stop by herself. "Stop it! Is this how the Marines operate?! The Arlong pirates have been terrorizing this island for years! He's killed hundreds of people and wiped out entire villages! He's enslaved everyone on this island! Why don't you do something about that?! Instead, you're here prioritizing some petty theft! Is this how the World Government does things?!"
Nezumi still had an evil grin on his face. "Chichichi criminals have no right talking so high-handedly, little thief! Ignore her and continue the search!"
"That money is for the villagers! How dare you take that away?!" Genzo yelled getting into the fight too.
"Why don't you get lost?" Nojiko also screamed at them. "If Arlong finds you here, he'll attack you too!"
"Arlong? Attack us? Chichichichi I wonder what you're talking about…"
"Sir! There's a huge pile of cash and treasure in the kitchen!" came a Marine's voice from inside the house.
"Chichichi!" Nezumi laughed entering the house forcefully and his eyes became greedy when he saw the money laid out perfectly."Ah! The hundred million! All neatly arranged, ready for us to take it! Chichichichi!"
Nami gasped and paled. "H-How did you know it was a hundred million?"
"Hm? Just a lucky guess Chichichichi!" Nezumi laughed not even bothering to hide his allegiances.
"… Arlong is doing this… you're working for him…" Nami realized and her body started trembling with rage.
"Oh? I don't know what you're talking about. We're just Marines performing our civic duties and persecuting thieves"
"Why you corrupt bastards!" Genzo screamed gritting his teeth.
"How could you take orders from a pirate?!" Nojiko yelled while trying to comfort Nami.
"Chichichichi" Nezumi was just laughing when suddenly, a hand gripped his shoulder. He instinctively turned around and came face to face with the most terrifying pair of eyes he had ever seen in his life and his body involuntarily started shaking when the grip on his shoulder increased.
It was Luffy who was looking blankly at him. He and the others were just quietly watching everything going on but had had enough. Seeing Nezumi torment Nami, Luffy felt like he wouldn't be satisfied with just punching him as it would be over in a second, so decided to put the fear of the devil in him.
"Wh-who are you?" Nezumi's shaky voice asked.
Luffy increased the pressure on his shoulder a crack! followed by a scream followed.
"Sir!" The Marines inside the house panicked and raised their guns at Luffy, but he didn't bother looking at them and concentrated solely on Nezumi.
"I'm sure you've heard of the phrase 'A fight to the death', but have you heard about 'A fight to the pain?'" Luffy asked out of nowhere.
"W-w-what are you d-doing? W-we're the M-Marin-" Nezumi tried to talk, but his voice was too shaky to be comprehensible.
"Johnny, Sword," Luffy said, one hand holding onto Nezumi's shoulder while he held the other hand out and Johnny wordlessly gave him his sword.
"Let him go or we'll shoot!" One of the Marines yelled but he wasn't even acknowledged and they couldn't actually shoot with Nezumi in the way.
"I'll tell you what a fight 'to the pain' means," Luffy continued as he waved the sword in front of Nezumi's trembling eyes, "It means you and I fight. If you win, I die. But if I win, you get to live… But! It'll be on my terms… And what are my terms, you ask? Well, let me tell you. First, I'll cut off your legs… right below the knees," He moved the sword to said areas as he talked, "Then go your hands, just below your elbows… Then go your teeth. Each pulled out, one by one," His voice got deeper and deeper as he continued, "as painfully as possible until you have no teeth left… Then I'll cut off your tongue…"
Nezumi's trembling legs couldn't hold him up anymore and he started to keel over, but Luffy grabbed him and held him up by his shirt while he continued pointing the sword at each area he talked about, "Then, I'll stab your right eye, then your left, then goes your nose… Your ears though?" He smiled, "Your ears you'll keep, and I'll tell you why. It's so that every shriek of every child who sees your hideousness will be yours to cherish… Every babe that weeps at your approach, every woman who cries out 'Dear God! What. Is. That. Thing?!' will reverberate in your perfect ears!"
Tears were pouring down Nezumi's eyes by that point as his whole body shook in fear and his lips moved trying to say something, but all that came out were whimpers. Unfortunately for him, Luffy wasn't done yet.
He gradually modified his voice from deep to demonic as he continued, "That. Is what 'To the pain' means… It means that I leave you in anguish, wallowing in freakish misery forever and ever. And I'll make sure that you'll live a long LONG life… Do you understand, you RODENT-faced. MISERABLE. VOMITOUS. MEWLING. WASTE. Of Space?"
Nezumi almost fainted with his eyes rolling back into his head but Luffy grabbed his other shoulder and another crack! sounded, making him scream and snap back to consciousness.
"If you do understand, tell your men to get off the island," Luffy ordered, his voice back to normal, and Nezumi shivered nodding vigorously. He turned around to see that a few of his men were still inside the house, but they had backed away and were pressing into the far wall, terrified of Luffy.
"D-di-did y-you n-not h-hear him?!"
Luffy's face scowled in disgust when every single Marine instantly ran away without giving it a second thought, leaving behind Nezumi alone.
"P-please don't hurt me…" Nezumi begged, "I only did what Arlong told me to do… I have no ill intentions… if I hadn't done it, he would have killed me!"
"Rat-bastard," Luffy crouched down coming face to face with him, "I was here the whole time. I saw you taking immense pleasure while you tormented my friends"
Nezumi started sobbing more, both his hands dangling uselessly by his side, but Luffy had had enough fun. He just chopped him on the neck and he dropped to the floor unconscious. He then lifted him up and threw him out of the house, high and far. His body flew quite a distance before crashing into a tree in the forest and he fell, disappearing from sight.
"Shishishi…Hahahaha!" Luffy laughed turning back to face the rest. Usopp, Sanji, Yosaku and Johnny flinched and stepped back while Zoro gulped but held his ground. To the side, Nojiko and Genzo looked terrified while Nami was looking at him in shock.
"Umm… too much? I just dislocated his shoulder, that's all"
Zoro took a deep breath and sighed. "You were quoting something again, weren't you?"
"Yeah! That dialogue is from The Princess Bride! Guess it became too scary when I started using my demon voice huh?"
While Sanji asked "Quoting something? What does that mean?" to Usopp, who started explaining, an enraged Nami pounced on Luffy, pushing him to the floor before screeching right into his ears. "Don't joke around at a time like this! And that was way too fucking scary!"
"Ow! Ow! My ears!" Luffy groaned closing them up with his hands while wondering if Nami was a banshee. "I was just having fun…"
Nami sighed letting it go as he actually got the Marines to leave without taking her treasure… but she soon remembered Arlong's part in it and the rage and frustration came rushing back in full force. She was about to go to Arlong Park when Nezumi first confirmed it, but Luffy's sideshow had distracted her.
She got up from Luffy about to run to Arlong Park, but Luffy caught her hand.
"Nami… he just broke the deal," Luffy calmly said standing up.
"I know!" She snapped at him trying to pull her hand away but Luffy held onto her. "Let me go!"
The others stayed silent, waiting for her to give permission, and Nami knew that what she was doing was pointless. She stopped pulling away and her whole body trembled in rage and fear understanding the implications, understanding that Arlong never intended to keep his word, understanding that she would never be free from him if nothing was done…
"…I don't want you to die…" Nami softly whimpered, her eyes glassy.
"You know my answer, Nami"
She slowly nodded and after taking a deep breath, quoted him. "You can't change anything if you aren't prepared to stake your life on it…"
Luffy grinned and seeing how her hands were still shaking, took off his hat and placed it on his navigator's head. Her eyes drifted upwards to see the brim of the hat and her hand automatically went to touch it. She felt the rough texture of the hat, remembering all the times Luffy had told her about his greatest treasure… And now he had given it to her.
"Let's go" Luffy said to Zoro, Usopp and Sanji, who were all happy that Nami had finally agreed to fight and they started to go out.
"Wait wait, you guys are going to fight Arlong and his crew?" Nojiko cut in, "Don't be suicidal! Just take Nami away from here!"
"Yes, just take her away please!" Genzo also begged, "Nami seems to trust you, so I'll leave her to you"
"No…" Surprisingly, Nami was the first who denied them. "No," she said again, her hands going from the hat to her shock staff. "No, we'll fight them. If we win, we win. If we lose, we just die together!" she stated happily. Her crew agreed with grins while Nojiko and Genzo were stunned at her words.
"Give me a minute, guys. I need to get some steel wires," Nami said and a couple of minutes later, she was walking through the village along with her crew, with a shock staff in hand and a roll of steel barbed wire hanging off her waist.
The news had spread to the entire village and they were following behind the Strawhats, with Johnny and Yosaku getting the task to keep them all out of their way.
——o———o———o——
"We sure screwed Nami over, chew!" Chew laughed clutching his stomach along with the rest of the Fishmen.
"I can't wait to see the face of despair on that bitch!" Kuroobi laughed, "I hope she comes cryi-"
BOOM!
All noise abruptly stopped and their eyes turned towards the loud sound only to find cracks forming in the gates of Arlong Pa-
BOOM!
A second loud sound was followed by the gates shattering and they flew into a row of Fishmen that were unfortunately in its path. From the newly created hole, a man in a red vest and blue pants entered the Park with a blank look on his face. A second figure emerged from the smoke - one they all recognized, Nami with a straw hat on her head. Three more people followed them and they also saw the entire village at the gates with make-shift weapons in hand.
"Who the hell are you?!" / "How dare you?!" / "Nami's with them!"
"Nami?" Arlong growled, "What's the meaning of this?"
"What do you think, you piece of shit?" Nami replied twirling her shock staff. "We're here to take you down"
There was a beat of silence before all the Fishmen started guffawing with laughter.
"DID YOU HEAR THAT?! HAHAHAHA!" / "SHE'S GONE CRAZY!" / "LITTLE INFERIOR HUMAN THINKS SHE CAN BEAT US SUPERIOR FISHMEN! HAHAHA!"
Arlong was also laughing loudly until he noticed that someone was standing next to his throne.
"Hm? Who ar-"
Luffy's fist connected with Arlong's cheek, the force flinging him off his throne and sending him flying off and crashing into the far wall of the compound. The wall didn't stop his momentum though and he crashed through it, smashing the wall into bits, before his body carved a trench along the ground for a good distance before finally grinding to a halt
Again, all laughter abruptly stopped.
"Arlong!"
"Human scum!" / "You must be mad!" / "You'll pay for this!" Many Fishmen pulled out their swords and weapons and lunged at Luffy.
Zoro lunged right into the group of Fishmen with two swords out, which he had already borrowed from the bounty duo brothers, and many Fishmen fell with cuts on their bodies while some got flung away and crashed into their own comrades.
At the same time, Sanji also jumped into the middle of Fishmen and doing a hand spin, launched powerful kicks that flung away Fishmen, and they also crashed into their comrades.
Witnessing the two's formidable display of strength, many took a step back in fear, which lead to them clustering into little groups that were physically in contact with one another.
Few of them instinctively stepped back in fear after witnessing the two's formidable strength and ended up unintentionally colliding with others, thus clustering into small groups that were physically in contact with one another. Nami seized that opportunity to electrocute groups of Fishmen together and soon, more Fishmen fell, their bodies convulsing.
And finally, three Fishmen were hit with rotten eggs, courtesy of Usopp's Rotten Egg Star causing them to yell "Eww! Did he just throw eggs at us?!"
Arlong slowly got up from where he had crash-landed and walked back with a scowl on his face, only to be shocked when he saw lots and lots of his men were down. His eyes flashed dangerously as they fell on Nami and the four men with her, who were calmly talking amongst themselves.
"Did you seriously just egg them, Usopp?" Sanji asked incredulously. "Don't waste food like that, you asshole!"
"T-they weren't just eggs, they were rotten eggs. Besides, that was my special 'Smelly Bomb'! I'm saving my lethal ammo for the real fight! T-these are just small underlings, so you guys take care of them!"
"Then why even throw eggs at them?" Nami asked with a sweat-drop.
"I-I wanted to join in too!" 'And look cool!'
"Whatever," Sanji rolled his eyes.
All the villagers standing right outside the blown-off entrance were earlier telling Johnny and Yosaku to get out of the way so that they could fight too, but they had adamantly held their ground saying that they would just get in the way. But after Luffy sent Arlong flying, followed by the rest showing off their prowess, especially Nami, they stopped arguing and looked on in astonishment.
"What's Nami using?" Genzo asked shocked.
"She called it a shock staff. Something her captain gave her apparently…" Nojiko said noting how confident Nami looked.
Arlong finally made his way back and stood with his three officers.
"Nami… Looks like you found some slightly strong humans and now think you can take us down? Think you can betray us?!"
"Oh shut up! I know it was you who sent those Marines to steal my treasure. You're scum who can't even keep his word… Besides, I was never a part of your crew, so go fuck yourself, you abhorrent, disgusting, self-centred piece of shit!"
"Wow, been holding back a lot huh?" Luffy chuckled.
"You have no idea how much I wanted to curse these fucking motherfuckers right to their faces all these years!" Nami growled, "And hearing you curse out Nezumi kinda made me want to do it too…"
"Shishi, it's good," Luffy said always happy to see how small things he did changed the story and the people around him.
"Nami-swan! You look so beautiful even when you say such words!" Sanji swooned around.
"Nami…" Arlong growled, all his veins bulging in fury at seeing what he thought was his obedient slave acting out. But before he could say anything more, Luffy again stepped up to him and he froze, glaring down at him. "And who the hell are you?!"
"Luffy. A pirate"
"A pirate eh? Do you any idea wh-"
"You kinda make me sick," Luffy calmly said as he punched him and sent him flying out of the Park again.
"You?! How dare you?!" Chew, Kuroobi, Hachi and a few other fishmen all roared in anger.
"SHAHAHAHA!" Arlong laughed loudly and this time, quickly made his way back. "You think you puny inferior humans can do anything?! Hachi, call Momoo now! He's more than enough to take care of these bastards! And Nami, I'll make sure to kill each and every one of your precious people in the village right in front of you!"
Nami gulped, feeling fear rising up in her, but managed to not look away.
Hachi soon blew his elongated mouth like a trumpet. "Come on out, Momoo!"
"Wow, that's pretty great how you can use your mouth like a trumpet," Luffy suddenly complimented him.
Hachi stopped and stared at him before bashfully smiling and rubbing his head. "Oh! Nyuu, Hehehe, thanks!"
"Can you imitate other instruments too? Like a trombone or a saxophone or maybe even a flute?"
"I can do a trombone and I can kinda get the sound of a saxoph-"
"HACHI!" / "LUFFY!"
Shouts from respective crews put an end to that conversation and it was perfect timing too, as not even a second later, Momoo rose from the waters, terrifying all the villagers, but the Strawhats just looked on uninterested.
"Momoo, kill them!" Chew ordered but the sea cow flinched when it saw the Strawhats.
"Hey, Momoo!" Luffy waved at the sea cow and it looked conflicted about whether to be scared as Luffy and the others were really strong or happy as they had given it tasty food as a parting gift earlier.
"You know Momoo?" Chew asked in confusion.
"Go back. You don't want to be a part of this fight," Luffy told Momoo and it nodded before instantly turning its back and started descending… at least until it heard Arlong's voice.
"Momoo, what are you doing?" Arlong snarled making it shiver. "If you want to run away, go ahead" 'There will be consequences to your actions though' went unsaid but the threat was clear in his voice.
"Scary!… I'm sorry!" Momoo's voice reached Luffy and he sighed just as it rose from the waters and tried to attack them.
"Move back guys," he first told his crew before charging at Momoo. "Sorry for this Momoo" He jumped high in the air and kicked it right under its chin, making its head snap upwards and causing its whole body to rise up out of the waters because of the sheer force. Luffy jumped to its tail fin and grabbed it midair before eyeing all the Fishmen with a grin.
"Sea Cow War Hammer!" Luffy yelled just as he brought down the poor sea cow on some of the Fishmen. They didn't have a chance to even scream as it was just too sudden and unbelievable and as a result, they got flattened into the ground like a pancake. Luffy didn't let up for even a second as he lifted the sea cow back up and used it as a war hammer to flatten all the remaining Fishmen.
BANG! BANG! CRACK! BANG! BANG!
Most got caught up in the attack as it was just too fast, but a few did manage to run away. It wasn't as effective as the Pinwheel attack which took out pretty much all the Fishmen except for the officers, but the ones who did manage to escape were too terrified of Luffy after his stunt to try anything, so they were out of the fight too.
"Tch. Don't hog all of them!" Zoro complained.
"Yeah, leave some for the rest of us!" Sanji yelled in irritation.
"Ah… I'm okay with it. Just take them all down!" Usopp commented with a thumbs up. Nami, on the other hand, was too stunned to even move. She had imagined all of the Fishmen ganging up on them and making the fight difficult, but Luffy had so easily taken out everyone in just a few seconds, that too, using Momoo as a hammer, which she couldn't have imagined in her wildest dreams.
The villagers looked in equal parts shock and horror at the magnificent display of strength and felt hopeful for the first time.
Luffy finally stopped after whipping poor Momoo around ten times and threw it back into the sea where it slowly sank. Arlong, the three officers and a handful of fishmen were left standing by the end. "Shishi don't worry guys. The strongest are still left"
"Nyuu, What you did to my comrades wasn't nice!" Hachi yelled angrily pointing at Luffy.
"Looks like we'll have to get involved," Kuroobi spat irritated.
"Don't get cocky, humans," Chew said with a cocky smile, "The three of us are Arlong's officers and the strongest ones here, chew. You don't stand a chance against us!"
"Ah good then," Zoro nodded happily. "Let's do this!"
"Arlong, you shouldn't get involved," Kuroobi said placating his captain, "As angry as you are now, you'll just end up destroying this whole place if you fight, so please, leave this to us"
"Shahahaha! You're right. Go ahead and kill these filthy humans!"
Luffy didn't care and walked towards Arlong, ready to give him a beating, when Hachi lunged at him with two swords drawn while yelling "This is for Momoo!"
Luffy didn't slow down and Zoro intercepted Hachi's swords. "Oh, a swordsman huh? Great, I was looking for a good opponent to test some things. You'll fight me!"
"Nyuu who even are you?!"
"Roronoa Zoro!" Zoro declared as he pushed Hachi's two swords back.
Luffy slowed down to a stop. 'Test some things?' He wondered observing Zoro.
"You're the infamous Pirate Hun-" Kuroobi was saying when Nami suddenly charged at him with her staff in a thrusting position. Kuroobi saw her coming though and quickly jumped back, having seen the power of her staff already. Nami didn't waste a single moment as she spun around and aimed for Chew who was standing right next to him, but unfortunately, Chew also jumped back before her staff could reach him, causing Nami to click her tongue in annoyance.
"Why you bitch?!" Kuroobi growled, "Just because you have some weap-"
"How dare you call Nami-swan a bitch?!" A furious Sanji came flying in at Kuroobi who blocked his leg with his oversized fins.
"Chew You think you can defeat me, Nami?" Chew said in a mocking tone.
"Alright, you guys! Fight!" Usopp yelled standing all the way back near the blown-off entrance.
"Usopp!" Nojiko suddenly yelled in alarm and he turned around just in time to see a sword coming down on his head. He yelped in shock jumping back and the sword barely missed cutting him in half.
"Tch! Almost had him!" One of the three Fishmen who he had egged earlier was standing there staring him down.
"You bastard! We smell so bad because of you!" The other two also came up to attack him. Usopp's knees started shaking and he couldn't think of anything other than that they would kill him, so ran straight out of Arlong Park, past all the villagers while screaming his head off. "GYAAAAAAAAHHH!"
"Hey wait!" The three Fishmen tried to run after him but by the time they reached where all the villagers were, he had run far off.
"Did that idiot just run away?" Sanji asked incredulously while Zoro frowned with a dissatisfied expression. Luffy just stared towards where Usopp had run with a blank look and Nami kinda expected it already. He was the only 'normal' person on the crew after all.
The three Fishmen clicked their tongues in dissatisfaction but when they saw all the villagers right in front of them, especially Nojiko who was the one who had warned Usopp earlier, they grinned. "Guess we'll have to satisfy ourselves by killing you guys!" One of them said with a dark grin and was about to take a step towards them when someone interrupted them.
"FLAME STAR!" Usopp's loud voice rang in the air before one of them was hit with a projectile that engulfed him in flames. "SMELL STAR!" Another yell followed by stink bombs (rotten eggs) hit the other two.
"Your opponent is me! Come at me, ya bastards!" Usopp yelled full of bravado and the three, who were really pissed at him now, charged at him. Usopp again screamed his head off in fear and ran away but the three Fishmen chased after him, taking the fight away from Arlong Park.
That brought a smile to the other Strawhat's faces knowing he hadn't just abandoned the fight.
"Uhh, are you sure he'll be okay by himself?" Nami asked with concern.
"Yeah, don't worry," Luffy waved her concerns off, "He'll manage"
Some of the other stragglers tried to advance towards the villagers too but before even one of them could, a stone flew and hit one of them square in the face making them fall unconscious instantly. Eyes turned towards Luffy, who was sitting cross-legged near the Arlong Park building, and they gulped seeing the warning look he gave them and stayed in place.
"Shahahaha!" Arlong laughed as he sat down on debris a bit behind Luffy, both having come to an unspoken agreement to fight after their crew's fights were done. "Not even gonna help your crew? You think these humans can take on my officers? You think Nami can take on Chew? Shahahaha! This will be hilarious to watch!"
Luffy didn't bother answering him and focused on what Zoro was doing.
———
'Cut nothing… cut nothing…'
Zoro was struggling not only because his wounds from Mihawk were opening up but also because he was trying to achieve whatever the hell it meant to 'cut nothing'. The fight with Mihawk was humiliating, to say the least, and he hated that he not only lost the fight but had also lost his cool in the middle of the fight. He thought that if he had just fought with a steady mind, maybe he could've gained something.
'Can't not show progress… after all those hours of spars… after all the training and advice I got…'
So, he swung his swords at Hachi, who came at him with two swords, and blocked all his attacks but didn't go on the offensive. The bandages wrapped around his chest were being dyed red every time he moved and he also kept losing balance sometimes, which left him open to attacks and also got hit, but he pushed forth not just to defeat Hachi, but also to evolve his swordsmanship to the next level.
'Breath of things… cut nothing… cut steel… there are swordsmen who can cut nothing…'
"Nyuu! Hey, what are you doing?" Hachi yelled, looking at Zoro, who remained verbally unresponsive.
"Damn! I knew it… His wounds haven't healed yet…" Sanji gritted his teeth, looking worriedly at Zoro before his eyes turned to the side to see Nami fighting with Chew, and again got worried.
Nami also kept glancing at Zoro from time to time, cursing him for still choosing to fight with such severe wounds, but that, of course, meant she got distracted. Chew punched at her, and she barely managed to block it with her staff, but the blow flung her backward, making her crash into the compound wall.
"WHY YOU STUPID FISH!!" Sanji roared, charging at Chew, but Kuroobi took that chance to punch him in the gut. Sanji managed to bring a leg up to block the attack, but got pushed back. "Ugh… Nami-san, are you okay?!"
"Yeah, yeah," Nami staggered to her feet using the staff as a support stick.
"Hahahaha! You still think you have a chance? chew… Guess I'll have to hit you again and again until you understand."
"How dare you talk to a lady like that, you crap-fish?!" Sanji roared at Chew.
"Sanji," Nami said, staring at Chew, "Just focus on your fight… I want to do this by myself."
"Nami-san…" Sanji trailed off before nodding, while Chew only laughed harder at Nami.
"You act rather chivalrous for calling yourself a pirate," Kuroobi scoffed at Sanji. "How half-assed can you be?"
"Oh? Would you like to test my half-assed chivalry then, Mr Fish? Despite what you may think, I've spent most of my life around pirates."
Kuroobi sighed, "Looks like you fools don't understand the difference in level between us…"
"Yes, chew. And you have first-hand experience to know that, don't you, Nami?" Chew chuckled as Nami stood across from him. "You've seen us destroy multiple battleships! You think a little electric staff can hurt us? I just have to swat it away from your hands!"
"Try it, asshole!" Nami snarled just as Chew lunged at her. She held the staff in a defensive position in front of her, and Chew punched, aiming at the staff. Nami ducked, crouching on the ground, and just as Chew's hands passed over her head, she thrust the staff upwards and made contact with his hand. She turned the dial up at the same time, but unfortunately, Chew got electrocuted for less than a second before he yanked his hands away. He stepped back, creating some distance between them, and Nami cattily grinned at him. "Looks like someone's scared."
"Chew don't get cocky, bitch!" Chew growled, spitting on the ground.
"Nami-swan~ That was so wond-" Sanji's twirling got forcefully stopped by Kuroobi's punch, and Sanji ended up crashing through the compound wall, making a hole in it, and landed on the street outside.
"Heh," Kuroobi smirked, "All that talk and he gets taken down by a single hit. Well, I suppose it was to be expected. I'm a 40th-degree master in Fishman Karate after all!"
"That idiot," Nami sighed before looking over at Zoro, and got worried as he seemed to be struggling. That was a mistake, though, as Chew saw that she was distracted and threw a punch at her. Nami managed to point the tip of the staff at him, hoping to scare him away, but he sidestepped, coming to her right side before punching her in the stomach. She barely managed to swing the staff to take the blow, but the punch landed on her waist, flinging her away, and she landed a few feet away on the ground.
"NAMI!" Nojiko, Genzo and the villagers yelled in alarm. Nojiko and Genzo wanted to go help her but were again stopped by Johnny and Yosaku. "You'll just increase her burden if you go there," Johnny said and that shut them up. "Besides, Big Bro Luffy hasn't moved, so that means she's more than fine." They all looked at Luffy and he indeed looked calm.
Meanwhile, Arlong laughed in glee. "SHAHAHAHA! That's all it took to take them all down! Looks like you're the only slightly strong human in your crew!"
He waited for any response but Luffy didn't even bother acknowledging him and seemed to be engrossed in watching all the fights. He got irritated and looked at Hachi. "Hachi, finish that swordsman already."
"Okay! Nyuu Roronoa Zoro, I'll show you why no human will ever be able to beat me in a swordfight! I'm the second-strongest swordsman on this island! They call me Hachi of the Six-Sword style!" Hachi declared as he brought out and held six swords in his six arms. "Think about it mathematically, even if you are using three swords, there's no way you can win against my six swords!"
Zoro smirked and finally spoke. "Hoh… Is that so?" He then dropped the two swords Johnny and Yosaku had given him and only held Wado with both hands. "I'll defeat your six swords with my one sword. Come at me."
'THAT GODDAMN IDIOT!' Nami screamed in her head as she observed him while still on the ground. She then looked at Luffy and he was just looking on calmly in anticipation. 'Ahh, those suicidal bastards…' she cursed them in annoyance before calming down and sighing. 'Well… Luffy will deal with it. Let's concentrate on my fight'
Chew and Kuroobi were distracted by Zoro's fight too, so she took off the steel barbed wire that was hanging off her waist and eyed an unconscious Fishman that had been flattened into the ground by Luffy's earlier attack. She tied one end of the wire to the fishman's arm before spreading the remaining length of the wire around him.
She then got back on her feet again with a groan and only her arm was scrapped and bloody with the rest of her body relatively unharmed. It hurt where she was punched in the gut and she was sure a bruise would be there, maybe even a cracked rib, but she didn't care at that moment and pushed through the pain.
"Oi, crap-fish," Sanji walked in at the same time she stood up, looking almost unharmed except for his forehead, which was bleeding. "If that was 40th level, then the old geezer's kicks were 400th level"
"Hmph…" Kuroobi scoffed, "I never imagined that there's a human in East Blue that could take the full force of my punch and still live"
"I reckon there are lots, especially at a certain restaurant"
While they bantered, Chew and Nami's fight also resumed.
"Oh… chew, you're up too, Nami?" Chew smirked, looking at her. "Back for more, I see…"
"Yeah, come at me, ya bastard!"
Contrary to what it looked like in all her previous fights, Nami didn't recklessly fight, knowing that Luffy would always watch her back. She recklessly tested attack,s knowing Luffy would watch her back and protect her if something went wrong.
Before Luffy came into her life, she generally avoided fights and even if she ended up having to fight, she only used safe and sure-to-land attacks with her bo staff. But ever since that fateful day she met Luffy, he had made her feel powerful beyond her wildest imagination. The first time she had used her shock staff, she got drunk on its powers and recklessly charged into the fight, but Luffy was there watching her and making sure she didn't get hurt. In every subsequent fight since then, she had quickly come to realize that Luffy was her safety net. No matter how crazy and recklessly she acted in a fight, he always made sure she was safe.
So she recklessly tested all sorts of tactics and attacks. Some of her attacks worked, some failed miserably but since Luffy was there to take care of her, she did it again with slight changes in her footwork or something similar the next time. Nothing she learned was flashy like Zoro's attacks but what she did learn was how to read attacks from opponents, how to respond to them, how to pull an enemy into her pace, how to distract them,… and so on, and she had learned to do that effectively in a fight.
"You filthy human! Stop dodging, chew!" Chew screamed in irritation as Nami kept avoiding all his attacks, while slowly backing away.
"You can't even hit that 'filthy human' you stupid-face!" Nami taunted as she backed away and guided him towards her trap. 'Make sure to keep your staff up and pointed at him so that his eyes are up too and he doesn't look down… keep yourself in his field of vision so that he won't see the wires… taunt him so he charges without thinking… think on your feet, don't let him pull you into his pace… do it slow, don't let him realize that you're pulling him into a trap…'
Luffy smiled as he watched her gracefully manipulate Chew into her pace and finally reach the place where she had set up the barbed wires on the ground. She carefully, but discreetly, walked over it, making sure she didn't get tangled in the wires herself and successfully got over them. Chew chased after her, trying to punch or kick her, and finally, he stepped into the mess of wires.
There was tons of debris because Luffy had smashed and cracked the ground, so it was well-hidden, and everyone was too concentrated on Zoro when she had set it up. A couple of stragglers had seen it, however, and just before they could yell out a warning, Luffy had thrown large rocks at them, shutting them up.
"Wha?!" Chew finally looked down, saw his feet caught on wires, and tried to walk it off, but that only entangled him in the wires more. He eventually staggered and fell to the ground, his legs getting tied up.
Chew groaned as he looked up and saw Nami's staff coming at him. He quickly pushed off the ground with his arms and landed back a few meters away from her, ending up in a sitting position. "You set this up?" He scowled before laughing. "So this was your plan… Make me fall and electrocute me, huh chew… Well, looks like you missed your chance. Even if my legs are tied up, I still have my arms, so come near me if you dare, you inferior human!" He yelled with his fists raised.
"Nah," Nami drawled with a smile as she casually twirled her staff and touched the end of it at the unconscious Fishman around whose arm she had tied one end of the barbed wire to. Chew saw it too, panicked, and the thought of 'Have to untangle myself from these wires' formed in his mind, but before he could act on it, Nami turned the dial up.
BZZZZZZTTTT!
"GGYARRRRKKKKK!"
The unconscious Fishman's body jerked, electricity coursed through the steel wires, and Chew's body started convulsing violently as Nami turned the dial up to the maximum intensity level.
"Chew!" Kuroobi yelled, trying to go help him, but Sanji stopped him.
"Oi, where the hell are you going? Don't disrupt Nami-san's fight!"
"You! I don't have time for you!" Kuroobi yelled before punching him using Fishman karate again, but Sanji bent backwards to dodge it before kicking him right under his chin, sending him flying back.
Nami electrocuted Chew for way longer than necessary, even after it seemed like he had lost consciousness (It was hard to tell with his body jerking violently after all) and only stopped after she was satisfied.
"Nami! You did it!" / "Way to go, Big Sis Nami!" The villagers and bounty hunters cheered, and she smiled at them before collapsing to her knees, clutching her waist where she had been hit. She slowly reached for the hat that had ended up dangling on her nape during the fight and placed it back on her head with a small smile. 'I beat one of the terrifying officers on Arlong's crew…'
She looked at Arlong and revelled in seeing an extremely pissed-off expression on his face, and smirked at him before turning her gaze to Luffy, who was looking at her with a smile too.
———
Kuroobi glowered at Sanji as he alternated his gaze between him, the defeated Chew, and Nami. "Seems like you're underestimating us too much! You're no match for my superior Fishman Karate!"
Sanji jumped back just as Kuroobi threw a punch at him before lunging at him with a sidekick aimed at his abdomen. Kuroobi blocked his kick with his elbow fin and Sanji gritted his teeth, knowing that his skin was strong. But it wasn't a big deal for him. He just had to kick harder at all his weak points after breaking through his defences. He had been distracted as he was worrying over Nami but now that she had won, he focused on his fight. He did glance towards Zoro from time to time and even though it looked like Zoro was losing badly, he was sure Zoro was trying something, given how excited Luffy looked.
"Stomach Drop Kick!" Kuroobi growled as he drove his ankle into Sanji's stomach, who got bent in half at the sudden attack.
"Don't blame me because you keep getting distracted!" Kuroobi said as he brought his heel down on Sanji's back. "Fire Flower Heel Drop Kick!"
Sanji got flattened into the ground as Kuroobi slowly lifted his leg off of him with a smirk, but it died when he saw Sanji getting up instantly as if he was unharmed.
"Still alive, huh? Well, let me show you the true essence of Fishman Karate. What I used to send you flying earlier was my 100-tile smashing true punch. I'll use my ultimate technique - The 1000-tile smashing true punch! Your chances of survival are zero!"
'Time to end this.' Sanji blew out a wisp of smoke before going for the attack. It was too fast for Kuroobi to react, and he felt Sanji's foot on his collarbone before he could even react to it.
"Collier!"
"Gah!" Kurrobi groaned in pain, not able to believe that it was a human who the kick had come from. But before he could think about his next move, he heard Sanji saying "Epaule!" before feeling a debilitating kick on his shoulder.
Sanji did not give him a chance to recover and continued the onslaught, carrying the momentum from one attack to the next, thus increasing the overall strength of his kicks.
"Poitrine!"
"Collete!"
"Selle!"
"Gigot!"
"W-why y-you…" Kuroobi stuttered, barely able to stand or get into a stance. "T-take my ultimate te-"
"MUTTON SHOT!"
Sanji gave the last kick right on his midsection, and Kuroobi flew backwards, crashing into the Arlong Park building, making a life-size hole in the wall.
"I guess you won't be needing any dessert…" Sanji said as he relaxed his nerves before looking at Zoro's fight again, which was still ongoing.
"Sanji! You did it!" Nami cheered happily, and Sanji snapped his neck at her and found that she was near the entrance with Nojiko.
"Big Bro Sanji! That was amazing!" Johnny and Yosaku praised and the other villagers also threw in some praises.
"Anything for you, my beautiful Nami-swan!" he predictably swooned, going to her side, but got serious again and looked at Zoro, "Umm… what exactly is happening there?"
"As far as I can tell, Zoro seems to be on the verge of figuring some technique out and Luffy is watching with excitement," Nami said blankly, staring at the fight.
"Is he an idiot? Why now, of all times? Isn't he badly hurt?"
"Yes! I can't believe he's fighting in that state!" Nako interjected from behind them. "I want to drag him back here right now. Look at all that blood he's losing! It's a miracle he's still alive!"
Just then, a beaten-up Usopp showed up. "Hey, guys!"
——Flashback——
Usopp was lying on the ground in a pool of his own supposed blood.
"Tch, this guy was only good at running away, it seems," a Fishman with wide protruding teeth clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"Yeah, he's so weak. Nothing like that monster that whipped Momoo…" A Fishman with prominent pink lips shivered in fear, remembering Luffy.
"Let's go back. I'm sure Arlong has already killed all of them…" said a third Fishman with a fin on his head.
"Ugh, I'm gonna smell so bad!"
"You always smell bad."
"Shut it!"
Usopp slowly opened an eye and saw the three Fishmen going away and cheered happily in his head. 'Haha, it worked! Thank god I made this ketchup star blood… Wow, that was terrifying. Fishmen sure are a dangerous race. They can flip entire houses! And three of them came after me, too! THREE! There's no way I could've won that!' He thought internally as he finally sat up after seeing that they were far away.
"I do feel sorry for Nami, but I'm sure Luffy can take care of the rest," He said aloud with a grin before looking down at his body. "Hmm, I wish I had a few more battle scars. How should I spin this tale? Ooh, I should smear dirt all over myself to make it seem like I was in a fierce battle!" he laughed and started smearing himself with dirt, thinking about all the epic stories he could come up with.
"Hmm, what should I say when I get back… 'Sorry guys, I tried but I ended up losing?"
~You're already a part of my crew. Come aboard!~
"Or maybe 'I almost won, guys, but the three of them used cheap tricks and caught me off guard!'"
~I prefer death to defeat~
"Ooh, how about 'We've all fought well'?"
~We're doing this my way!~ ~Listen to her, guys, it's her fight she's been fighting for 8 years~
"'It was a really close fight? '"
"...."
'Dammit! I'm so pathetic!' Usopp cried, hitting himself in shame and rage. He finally made up his mind to fight and, with tears in his eyes, yelled out at the top of his lungs. "STOP RIGHT THERE, YOU STUPID FISHMEN!"
The three turned around in surprise. "He's alive?" / "Was he just pretending earlier?" / "Good! Now, we can kill him!"
Usopp flinched and his body wanted to run away, seeing the three's glare directed at him, but he willed himself to stand his ground. 'Pirates put their lives on the line for their dreams!'
"Come at me all at once, you three bastards!"
'Luffy and those guys live like there's no tomorrow. That's why they're so fearless and laugh so wholeheartedly!'
Usopp pulled out the new special explosive pellet that he had made on his way to Cocoyashi. He had picked up Krieg's spear before they left Baratie, intent on finding out what the explosive he stored in the spear was. Once he did, it was easy to create a pellet out of it- well, he called it a pellet but it was more of a bomb the size of a baseball that exploded on impact. He hadn't tested it, though, so there was no guarantee it would work.
He aimed the bomb at them and launched it at the biggest of the three, whom he called WideTeeth in his head. The bomb landed square on WideTeeth's head… and nothing happened. It just hit him before dropping like a rock.
"Dammit! It didn't work!" Usopp yelped as the three growled, charging at him. He assigned names - PinkLips and FinHead to the other two Fishmen as he ran into the trees to hide.
"What's with that guy?" PinkLips sighed, "One moment, he's yelling bravely and the next he runs away…"
"Let's just find and kill him!" WideTeeth growled.
Usopp hid behind a tree as the three entered the forested area, too. Again, every instinct told him to hide and run away, but he pep-talked himself. 'The moment I stepped out of the village and joined Luffy, I should've thrown away stupid notions like peace and security! I want to stand as equals with the others! If I run away here, then I don't deserve to sail with them or call them my crewmates!' Usopp resolved himself.
"Found you!" FinHead yelled, spotting Usopp from a distance and coming running at him, destroying all the trees in his path.
"Gyaah!" Usopp screamed, trying to get away, but he was body-slammed by FinHead, making him go flying back. A tree stopped his momentum, and he collapsed to the ground, his back feeling like it had broken.
He didn't have time to gather her bearings as he looked up, only to see FinHead running at him. He reached into his bag and pulled out the first thing he got his hands on, which turned out to be a bottle of booze.
"Take this!" He yelled, throwing it at him, and it shattered on FinHead, drenching him with alcohol.
"Ugh, eggs first and now alcohol. Are you just throwing your lunch at me?"
"Who the hell eats rotten eggs, ya bastard?!" Usopp couldn't help but rebuke before pulling back his slingshot. "And take this! You do know that alcohol burns, right? Deadly Fire Star!"
The pellet landed accurately on his forehead before he was engulfed in flames.
"AHHHH!" FinHead screamed as he burned. PinkLips ran up to him in a panic to put the fire out while a furious WideTeeth lunged at Usopp.
"How dare you do that to our brethren?!" WideTeeth kicked at Usopp, who hastily jumped away but the Fishman's sharp nails grazed the side of his waist, slashing him in the stomach.
"Hey, the fire isn't going out!" PinkLips yelled, and WideTeeth turned around to go help.
Usopp looked at his waist in horror when actual blood spilled out but forced himself to calm down when he discovered it was just a shallow cut. He sat up again and saw that PinkLips and WideTeeth were trying to put the fire out on FinHead who was screaming and rolling on the ground.
The fire almost seemed to be dying out, so he quickly took out another alcohol bottle- his only remaining one- and threw it right on PinkLips. The bottle hits its target, the alcohol spills onto PinkLips and also a bit on FinHead, thus burning him up again. Usopp was immediately going to follow it up with a Fire Star to burn PinkLips too, but the fire from FinHead ignited PinkLips too.
"GAHHH! PUT IT OUT! PUT IT OUT!"
"Bastard!" WideTeeth roared, wanting to squash Usopp to bits, but he had to save his two screaming friends first. He looked around everywhere, and when he saw that they were near a lake, he quickly picked up FinHead by his legs, which wasn't on fire, and threw him into it. He quickly followed it up by throwing PinkLips into the lake too, and sighed in relief when the fire went out on both of them.
"Uh-oh…" Usopp paled when WideTeeth turned and charged towards him with furious eyes.
"Usopp's Rubber Band of Doom!" He yelled, and WideTeeth flinched, stopping and closing his eyes with his hands up defensively.
'Wow, that worked?'
"I AM A BRAVE WARRIOR!" Usopp hyped himself up as he ran straight at WideTeeth, and just as he opened his eyes, threw chilli powder into them. He had planned to make some Red Chilli Star pellets, but hadn't had the time and just had chilli powder in his bag, so he had done the next best thing. "HAHA! HOW DO YOU LIKE MY CHILLI… throw? ATTACK?"
"AHHH! THAT BURNS! YOU BASTARD! STOP PLAYING DIRTY!"
"YOU GANGED UP ON ME! THREE-ON-ONE! YOU'RE THE ONE PLAYING DIRTY!" Usopp then pulled out his hammer and brought it down on his head. "USOPP HAMMER! USOPP HAMMER! USOPP HAMMER!"
WideTeeth eventually fell with multiple bumps on his head and tears in his eyes after Usopp kept up the barrage of attacks. After making sure that WideTeeth was down, Usopp collapsed onto his back, panting hard. "I did it… I DI-"
PinkLips suddenly appeared in his peripheral vision, and he rolled away yelping in shock just as PinkLips' leg came down where he was a second earlier. PinkLips was charred, but looked like he was still conscious.
"You! I'll kill you!"
"Gyaaah!" Usopp screamed as he ran away into the forested area again with PinkLips chasing after him.
"Where are you? Come ou-" He was screaming, but Usopp suddenly dropped upside down from the branch of a tree and shoved all the rotten eggs he had left into his mouth and eyes.
PinkLips managed to slap Usopp hard across the chest just before the eggs went down his throat. Usopp flew and landed on the ground a few feet away, just as PinkLips collapsed to his knees, gagging and retching.
Usopp was tired like never before, but he forced himself to move, telling himself that he could rest all he wanted after he was done. His body reacted and he walked up to the puking PinkLips and brought his hammer out. "USOPP HAMMER! USOPP HAMMER! USOPP HAMMER! USOPP HAMMER! USOPP HAMMER! USOPP HAMMER!"
A minute of blows later, Usopp dropped his hammer and collapsed to the ground, completely spent. "Hahaha…hahah…HAHAHAHAHA! I DID IT! I ACTUALLY BEAT THREE FISHMEN! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE GREAT PIRATE CAPTAIN USOPP! DON'T YOU DARE UNDERESTIMATE ME!"
——Flashback End——