Chapter 45
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East Blue – Conomi Islands
Arlong Park
Rewinding a few minutes, we arrive at the moment Luffy enters Arlong Park's building through the hole in the wall where he had sent Arlong flying.
Following the trail of destruction caused by Arlong's body after being struck by his punch, Luffy arrives in a room filled with scattered maps, with a large table at its center.
Luffy then turns his attention to Arlong, who is emerging from a wall, brushing the debris from his shoulders.
"Shahahahahaha, you're pretty fast. Even though I saw your attack coming with Advanced Observation Haki, it was quicker than my reaction time", Arlong says, wiping the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand.
"What is this place?", Luffy asks, shifting his gaze to a chain with blood-stained shackles lying near the table in the center of the room.
"This is the cartography room, or as I like to call it, Nami's room", Arlong says before noticing Luffy's gaze fixed on the chains. "And that's where she'll be going back to when I'm done with you and your filthy little friends."
"After that, I'll make her village an example and lock her here, forcing her to make maps for me until the end of her life", Arlong says, circling around Luffy.
"Did Nami make these maps?", Luffy asks, pointing to the scattered maps in the room.
"Yes, we fishmen have no problem collecting data, but finding a suitable navigator is the problem. There is no one in the world who can create maps with the precision that Nami does; she is a genius. Losing someone like her would not only be foolish but disastrous", Arlong replies, pacing back and forth across the room.
"You just said it would be disastrous to lose her. Did you ever intend to keep the agreement you had with her?", Luffy asks, picking up a blood-stained pen from the table.
"Of course. I'm a Fish-Man of my word, but let's say misfortunes happen, and the money she gathered might disappear overnight, and naturally, I'd have nothing to do with that. But the deal would still stand; she'd just have to start collecting money all over again", Arlong says, shrugging.
"And in the meantime, she'd still be here, making maps for you against her will, right?", Luffy continues.
"Staying here drawing maps is the best paradise Nami could have. Once we know all the seas of the world through these maps, the Fish-Men will be unstoppable, and the world will be mine to rule. My empire begins right here, on this island in the East Blue", Arlong says, spreading his arms.
"Wow", Luffy says, his face expressionless.
"That's right. And you come here telling me that Nami is your navigator? Do you really think you could use her better than I can?", Arlong says, a hint of anger in his voice.
"Use her? Nami isn't a tool to be used", Luffy says, boiling with anger, clenching his fists before kicking the table with full force, shattering it completely.
"What? What the hell do you think you're doing?", Arlong yells, watching Luffy pick up and tear apart the maps scattered around.
"You treat Nami like a tool, but in the end, you're nothing without her. Your entire plan depends on her, and I don't think she'd mind if I burn all of this", Luffy says, pointing to the maps on the floor.
"You son of a bitch!" Arlong growls, rushing towards Luffy using Soru.
As he nears, Arlong tries to land a punch coated with Advanced Armament Haki, but Luffy dodges, tilting his head aside and stepping into Arlong's space.
Luffy grabs Arlong's shirt, pulls his head back, and coats his forehead with both Advanced Armament and Conqueror's Haki before delivering a direct headbutt with a 'Gomu Gomu no Jet Kane', breaking Arlong's nose with a sickening crack and sending him flying through several walls before he stops.
Luffy stretches both arms back, coats them in Armament Haki, and sets them ablaze before unleashing a devastating 'Gomu Gomu no Red Gatling Gun', tearing apart and burning the entire room.
When Arlong comes running back and sees the room and all his plans burning before his eyes, he flies into a frenzy of rage, charging at Luffy with a guttural roar.
With a swift movement, Arlong condenses the moisture in the air into droplets on the tips of his fingers and hurls them at Luffy with all his might.
As Arlong continues to bombard him with 'Yabusame' like a machine gun, Luffy dodges the projectiles while closing in, suffering a few scratches in the process.
When he gets close, Luffy swiftly evades a punch from Arlong, ducks under it, and closes in. Compressing his legs like a spring, he launches upward, delivering an uppercut coated with both Advanced Armament and Conqueror's Haki right into Arlong's chin, shouting "Gomu Gomu no Gazelle Punch."
Arlong is sent flying upward again, crashing through ceiling after ceiling, rising several floors before finally stopping.
Luffy follows, continuing the fight, and as it progresses, it becomes increasingly clear that Arlong can barely land a hit, causing only minor scratches on Luffy, who seems to be toying with him.
After nearly landing a punch on Luffy, Arlong is sent flying upwards once more with another 'Gomu Gomu no Gazelle Punch', stopping only when he reaches the top floor.
At that point, Arlong barely manages to dodge a punch from Luffy, grabs his shirt to prevent him from dodging, and lands a solid hit on his chest with 'Fish-Man Karate: Samegawara Seiken', sending him crashing through the building's roof.
In mid-air, Luffy realizes his crew's battles are nearing their conclusions, so he shouts down to Arlong, who is standing on the rooftop, waiting for him to fall, "Looks like it's time to finish this."
Hearing Luffy, Arlong knows the next attack will be decisive. He charges toward Luffy, forming a large ball of water around his fist and compressing it into a thin layer. Coating his fist with Advanced Armament Haki, he delivers a powerful punch at Luffy while roaring "Fish-Man Karate: Vagabond Rocket-Drill."
Meanwhile, Luffy charges at the approaching Arlong. He inflates the bone structure of his right arm, activating Gear Third, and coats it with both Advanced Armament and Conqueror's Haki. Compressing it like a spring and adding a rotation, he counters with a mighty punch, shouting "Gomu Gomu no Atomic Punch."
When their attacks collide, a loud boom reverberates as Arlong is launched downward like a missile, while Luffy, despite sustaining some damage to his arm from Arlong's attack, barely moves from his spot.
Arlong's unconscious body cuts through the air with a loud "ziummmm", crashing through the building's roof and falling floor by floor until it finally hits the ground, creating a massive crater that shakes the entire island with a thunderous boom everyone could feel and hear.
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(AN: 1,150 Words)
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