Chapter 11: Electric Water

Real quick, before I forget: [CREDIT TO VickH ON DEVIANTART FOR THE COVER IMAGE]

NOW LET'S FIGHT!

I twitch anxiously as Luffy storms forward. I've never had such a motive to fight before and it was starting to make me want to explode! I smirk as Luffy punches Arlong right in the face, sending him flying into the wall. "That's for making our navigator cry!" he yells.

At that point all the fish guys on land lunge at Luffy and I see a few getting ready to jump out of the water; easy pickings. I shoot a bolt of electricity at the ones in the water, their dampness frying them extra good while Sanji easily takes out the ones on land. Ah, that felt good; who else wants some!

"You just had to rush ahead of us didn't you?" Sanji says.

"Don't worry, I can handle this." Luffy says lowly.

"I'm not worried," Sanji says. "I just don't want you hogging all the action." You can say that again! I want to shock more fish!

It's pretty fun to watch the fish guys realize that Zoro and Usopp are still alive; octopus finally figured out that he got tricked, slow guy. Unfortunately, Arlong says he's not planning to give Nami up, so I guess we'll have to do this the hard way.

Octopus guy does some weird horn call and the water starts to get restless. All the people start freaking out as well; if it's a water creature, I can take it down with one shot. A giant rises out the water revealing...a cow? It has tears in its eyes and a big bump on its head, like it had just returned from getting beaten up. I tilt my head; were we supposed to be afraid of this thing? It looked so upset that I'd kinda feel bad for shocking it.

It suddenly flinches when it lays eyes on Sanji and Luffy. "Look who's back." Luffy says.

"Must be a friend of the Fishmen." Sanji says.

The cow starts crying tears of fright and sinks back into the water, swimming away. Guess it must have run into Luffy and Sanji on their way here. "Hey! Where are you going?!" the octopus protests. "You can't just leave!"

"Leaving? What a shame…" Arlong says, causing the cow to stop. "But I suppose if you want to run, who am I to stop you?"

The cow suddenly growls and lunges back towards us. I growl and sparks fly from my cheeks, but Luffy punches his fists together. "This one's mine." He quickly plants both his feet in the concrete and begins spinning his upper torso around like a screw.

"He's got a plan, right?" Sanji asks.

"I have a bad feeling about this…" Zoro says.

Yeah, I do too; I really hope this doesn't backfire on him.

He then grabs the cow's horns. "Time for something new!" Luffy yells.

Oh no, please don't tell me this is going where I think it's going! Sanji, Zoro, Usopp and I clear the scene as Luffy tightens his grip on the cow.

"Gum Gum...Pinwheel!" I watch as he spins the cow around and around, knocking away any remaining fish guys before throwing the cow out to the sea, destroying more of Arlong Park in the process. He was definitely stronger than when I last saw him on the Baratie! "C'mon Arlong, I came here to teach you a lesson, not fight your cronies!" Luffy yells, pointing at him. "So step up!"

"Oh I will, don't worry." Arlong says dangerously.

I shudder while the others berate Luffy for coming up with such a stupid plan. I really don't like that look in his eyes. "Uh-oh." Luffy says. I look down at his feet and grimace; uh-oh is right! I guess he's a bit too strong for his own good…

I watch as Arlong sends his last three henchmen at us, including the octopus and wave to the others. "Pika pi…" 'Uh guys...we have a problem...'

"Pika-chan." I flinch and look up at Sanji. "Get back and hide somewhere; we'll take care of this."

My jaw drops; excuse me? Are you seriously telling me to sit out?

"Just do it Pika-chan; don't make me throw you out of here myself." Sanji says sharply.

My eyes widen as I see Sanji's eyes harden; I understand. The last time I fought I ended up all the way out in the middle of nowhere. Even though it wasn't my fault, I must've worried him pretty badly. He didn't want to lose me again. I grimace and grudgingly sneak over to the side of the pool where an arch is. He may have told me to sit out, but that didn't mean I couldn't jump in when I was needed. I just had to wait for the right moment.

I watch as the octopus squirts a whole bunch of ink at Luffy, Zoro and Sanji (Usopp ran off to hide somewhere a while back; coward…). Sanji and Zoro dodge it, but Luffy isn't so lucky considering his feet are stuck.

"I CAN'T SEE!" Luffy yells, rubbing his eyes.

"Idiot! Why didn't you dodge that?" Zoro demands. I smack my forehead; how did they not notice?!

The octopus picks up a giant piece of debris and throws it right at Luffy, but luckily, Sanji's there to break it. I sigh in relief and Luffy grins. "Sanji that was so awesomely awesome!"

That's Sanji for ya.

"Looks like I picked one hell of an idiot to be my captain." Sanji says. Yes, yes you did; all of you did. "But our idiot captain is a far better man who doesn't prey on a lady."

One of the fish guys scoffs. "You rushed into certain death for some lousy girl?" Oh buddy, better watch what you say.

"If you insult Nami one more time, I'll be sure to turn you Fishmen into Fish Sticks." Sanji warns. You tell him Sanji.

By the looks of things, Zoro's taking on the octopus and Usopp's gonna handle the other fish guy, one with weird lips. Usopp was trying to free Luffy by pulling him but accidently let go, making Luffy rebound right into the fish guy. So Usopp did what he apparently did best: he ran, the fish guy right on his tail. Eh, I'm sure he'll be fine; he cheated death once before I'm sure he could do it again.

Arlong then gets up from his seat. "You morons are a pathetic sight to behold." he says walking towards them. "Get out of my way."

"Sir, there's no reason to go on a rampage." The remaining fish guy says.

"Don't worry," Arlong reassures. "I've just thought of a little game we can play." My ears droop; a game, huh? Luffy tries to throw a punch, but Arlong dodges it and catches his wrist. Oh boy…

"Do you really think your sad little group can beat us? Four mere humans?" Arlong asks. Uh, I'm here too you know…

"So what if we do?" Luffy retorts. Arlong responds by kneeling down and digging his hand into the ground. My eyes widen as he starts to rise, cracking the concrete with him. No way! He lifted the piece of concrete holding Luffy clean out of the ground! Holy crap!

I let out a silent squeak as Arlong threw Luffy into the water. Sanji ran to go in after him but Zoro stopped him, and for good reason. If they went in the water, the fish guys would just follow and then they'd be toast! Maybe this was my chance! Arlong and the others probably didn't even remember I existed; I was Luffy's only hope!

I watched as Zoro and Sanji started to take on the fish guy and the octopus; I was gonna have to be sneaky here. I wait near the debris as I spot some more sticking out of the water. I run over and jump into the water behind the debris just as someone throws the first hit, disguising my splash. Taking a deep breath I dive under water, now completely hidden from view.

It was easy to find Luffy in the empty pool; the kid was still struggling to get loose while trying to hold his breath. He wasn't going to last much longer. I swim towards him and latch onto his legs to plant my feet on the concrete holding them. I pull as hard as I can but it's no use; I'm too small and the concrete is too thick! There had to be a quicker way to do this!

My eyes fall on my tail and I mentally slap myself; I should've done that in the first place! I let go of Luffy and swim a few feet away, charging up my tail. Once it hardens, I swim towards him as fast as I can and swing my tail right into the concrete, shattering it easily. I grin in triumph and Luffy lets out a cheer, only to remember that he's under water, and swallowing a huge gulp of water.

I start swimming towards the surface only to realize that I'm alone. I look back at Luffy. He isn't floating to the top or making an effort to swim...can he not swim?! I frown, swim back to him, and grab the back of his red vest, pulling as hard as I can. I even swing my tail to give myself more propulsion as I make my way to the debris I dived next to.

After many agonizing minutes I finally get us both above water; who knew someone as stretchy as him could be so heavy? I drag him to the edge of the pool and get out before dragging him after me. To my horror, he had passed out from lack of air so I was stuck pulling his dead weight.

I manage to drag him behind some debris for him to rest and look up just in time to see that fish guy punch Sanji. I cry out as he flies across the area and right through the wall. I resist the urge to go after him; I had to have faith that he was okay. I had to keep an eye on Luffy and Zoro.

I go over to Luffy and shake him, but he won't respond; had he really swallowed that much water?! 'C'mon, wake up already!' I don't have time for this! I have to help somehow!

"Is he alright?"

I flinch and look up. Nami's sister, the blue haired lady and the pinwheel guy had managed to sneak over to me. "Pi...pika." I say worriedly, gesturing to Luffy. They had to help him. I stare at Zoro who's holding his own, but looking really weak. His injuries are still pretty bad from the looks of his bandages. That's what you get for facing a guy from the Grand Line.

"Don't worry, we'll take care of him." Pinwheel guy says. I smile and nod my thanks. That was one weight off my back. I look back to the fight and sneak along the wall to peek through the hole. To my delight, Sanji is just fine, muttering about how Zeff's kicks were harder than that punch. I really need to have more faith in the guy.

I look back to the fight and a smile graces my face. Zoro has won, the octopus is down, but Zoro is still hurt. My eyes widen as the fish guy appears behind him to strike him down. I get ready to charge in there but Sanji beats me to the punch, or kick in his case.

Zoro then faces the water and my eyes widen in fear; they thought Luffy was still under water! Guess I was a bit too sneaky. I got ready to give them some kind of signal that Luffy was okay, but Sanji had already jumped in before Zoro could. Before I could even blink, the fish guy jumped in after him.

That idiot! I take back what I said about having faith in him, I have to make sure he doesn't get killed again!

I quickly jump into the water after him, making sure Zoro sees me so he doesn't try anything stupid. I swim as fast as I can towards Sanji but I can already tell I'm not going to make it in time. I try not to cry out as the fish guy slams the back of Sanji's neck.

Sparks fly from my cheeks but I quickly stop them; I couldn't use any electric attacks now, not while Sanji was still in the water. I had to get him out or at least help him beat this guy. The fish guy wraps his ponytail around Sanji's waist and pulls him back to him to land another hit.

Almost all the air is knocked out of Sanji as Fish Guy's knee hits him right in the abdomen. Sanji flies back in the water and Fish Guy starts to spin, drawing Sanji back again. I swim towards them, charging up my tail and get right between them before smacking my iron tail right onto the fish guy's head as hard as I could. I manage to stop the guy's spinning and quickly pull my tail back to hit him again. I hit him right in the face and get him away from Sanji.

I look at my friend; he's conscious, but too dazed to swim. I have to get him out now! I grab the back of his shirt and begin to swim to the surface.

"Oh no you don't!" Sanji is suddenly yanked from my grasp; the hair is still wrapped around him! Fish Guy gives him one more hard hit making him slam into the wall and I see my chance.

I swim until I reach the hair, and baring my fangs, I chomp into it, ripping it apart and breaking the tie between Fish Guy and Sanji. Fish Guy looks furious but I'm ready. I charge up my tail again and give him one more hard hit to the face, knocking him back a good distance.

I grab onto Sanji again and begin swimming, noticing that he's beginning to get his bearings back. He's a lot heavier than Luffy; even with my tail it takes me a good amount of effort to get to the surface. I thrust us above water, both of us taking huge gulps of air.

"Pika-chan?" Sanji asks in shock, finally realizing my identity.

"Pika." I grunt as I help him to the shore. Zoro looks a bit surprised before he helps Sanji onto land. "You beat that guy?" he asks me in disbelief.

I shake my head, still in the water. "Pika pika-" I cut myself off as something grabs my tail.

"Pika-chan!" Sanji yells as I'm dragged back under water.

I turn around to see Fish Guy, grinning and dragging me all the way under. "I've got you now, you little pest!" he says. His face is smug with victory, but he's just signed his own death sentence. I smirk at him as sparks start to fly from my cheeks. Fish Guy seems to get the message and his face becomes drawn with fear. "No...that can't be…"

Oh, but it is. Like Sanji said, this is what you get for grabbing my tail. I finally let loose and electricity fills the entire pool. The water practically explodes, showering everyone on land. I get knocked around a bit, but it calms down pretty quickly. I look around and spot Fish Guy floating a ways away from me, golden brown and extra crispy; Sanji would be proud.

I swim back up to the edge of the pool and haul myself out, letting out a few coughs before shaking out my fur. I head back over to Sanji and Zoro and Sanji pats my head. "Nice move." he compliments. I smile and lean into his touch; I was just glad he didn't drown.

Sanji stands back up abruptly and gazes at the pool, "Wait! Luffy, he's-"

"Pikachu!" I quickly cut him off. I subtly point to where Blue Hair and Pinwheel are still trying to revive him. Luckily Arlong seems to be too busy wallowing in anger to notice.

Sanji looks between them and me before finally focusing on me. "Did you…?" he trails off.

"Pika!" I say with a proud smile.

Zoro smiles in relief, along with Sanji, "You sneaky little bastard..." Sanji breathes. He gives me a scratch behind the ears, riddled with praise. I rub the back of my head sheepishly, but I don't notice the bubbles coming from behind me.

"YOU DAMN RODENT!"

I can't even register Fish Guy, springing out of the water towards me. I suddenly feel a sharp breeze and a crash. I blink and look up; Sanji had redirected Fish guy right into the ground with one swift kick. I sigh in relief; who knew the guy could withstand that much electricity. "Pikachu!" I say gratefully and Sanji gives me a smirk. It seems that we can watch each other's back without any worry in a fight.

"You're fight's with me, asshole!" Sanji says, turning to Fish Guy. "Get your ass up and fight me on dry land!" I watch in amazement as Sanji pulverizes the Fish Guy, ending the fight by driving him through a building. That's what you get for messing with us!

"In the end, they're all just seafood." Sanji says, putting his shoes back on. "This game is ours."

"You bastards…" I watch warily as Arlong gets to his feet, "You've killed my brothers one after the other...I've let you get too carried away!"

Yikes, he doesn't sound happy. Zoro slowly gets to his feet and I spread my paws, sparks flying from my cheeks. I was ready to shock this jerk like there was no tomorrow! Arlong walks towards us, putting us all on our guard. I tilt my head in confusion as he dips his hand into the pool, cupping a little water; what was he up to?

He grins toothily and throws the water at both Zoro and Sanji; uh...what good will that- holy crap!

Sanji and Zoro suddenly fly back a few feet, as if they've been punched. Both of them cough up blood and Zoro's bandages start to redden; his wound was open again! What the hell did he just do?! Zoro falls over unmoving and Sanji falls to his knees, gasping for breath that isn't there. I look up at Arlong as he grins, water still in his hand; did he do all that...with the water?

"I don't even have to touch you!" Arlong says gleefully. "You humans are so fragile, all I need is a little water!"

I grit my teeth, and leap towards him. "Pika…!" 'You son of a-' My tail becomes iron and I give it a swing towards his face, but I'm stopped in mid air. My eyes widen; he blocked it with his nose?!

He grabs my tail, leaving me suspended in mid air. Thinking quick I give him an electric attack, covering his entire body in electricity. I open my eyes once I finish and my heart stops; he didn't even flinch! Even if he wasn't in the water that should've done something! How strong is this guy?!

"You aren't even worth my time." Arlong growls. He grips my tail and throws me straight down. I squeak as I bounce on the ground before he throws a few drops of water down at me.

I feel like an invisible giant has just kicked me in the gut. I know water was usually my ally but I had no idea it could pack a punch like that! I can barely cry out as I'm thrown back, slamming right into Sanji, throwing us both to the ground.

Sanji slowly sits up, using one arm to support him, and the other to hold me. "Bastard…" he growls as I cough, trying to get my air back. What now? How can we beat this guy when he can floor us with freaking water?! Even my lightning is useless; what can we possibly do against someone this strong?!

"Arlong!"

My ears prick up; I know that voice. Sanji and I turn to see Nami, holding a staff and still wearing Luffy's hat.

"Nami," Arlong greets as if talking to an old friend. "What are you doing here?"

Nami's eyes are hard and focused; she's done crying. "I'm here, to kill you." she says lowly.

I'll admit, Sanji's underwater fight is one of the many cringe-worthy moments in this show for me. I love swimming and the water, but my worst fear is drowning so that fight is just so...so...ugh *shudder*