Chapter 41

Meanwhile, in the depths of the sea where Arlong and Luffy fell to, shocking events started to take place.

"Did you think you can best me here?" Luffy asked cocking his head, while sitting in a criss-cross position in the ocean.

"H-How the hell are you able to do that?!" Arlong shrieked in confusion, ignoring the question. Even he needs to swim in the ocean, but yet the kid before him was sitting in the waters as if they were not draining his energy. "You are a devil fruit user!!!! Heck you shouldn't even be able to talk under water!"

"Devil fruit user?" Luffy mumbled. Gone was his cheery attitude. Gone was the goofy teen who wanted to show Arlong that races didn't matter at all. There was a devil sitting right before Arlong right now.

"Yes, you are!" Arlong shouted in fury, as he started attacking the kid who was approaching him by walking in the ocean in a slow and steady pace. "Fishman Karate: 1000 bricks!"

None of his attack hit the teen as he dodged it skillfully just like the ones in the New World did, with the power of observation haki.

"Do you think you can attack me in my own territory?" Arlong laughed, hiding his panic behind it. He couldn't be defeated in the waters. He is invincible here, despite the fact that the kid was same as him. He was thinking that the kid was a half fishman, a disgrace to all fishmen. Arlong will kill him, no matter what.

"Your territory?" Luffy asked lifting his head a bit. One of his eyes shone a pure scarlet color in the dark waters which was illuminated by his mere presence.

"For a half fishman like you, you don't belong anywhere!" Arlong shouted in fury as he dashed towards the kid, wanting to show the true power of the shark fishman.

Luffy's red eyes started glowing fiercely. The little fishes, and the sea kings awaited in the dark at a safe distance waiting for the order of their little king to finish the insolence excuse of the fishman, who showed his fangs to Nika.

Arlong's jaw connected to Luffy's shoulder, which was allowed by Luffy himself.

"Is that it?" Luffy asked, when he felt Arlong froze. His golden blood was flowing in the water, blending with it to patch up Luffy's wound the instant Arlong let go of Luffy's shoulder.

"W-W-Who are you?" Arlong asked, he could feel his entire body trembling. The being before him neither was a human nor a fishman. He was a devil fruit user and yet he wasn't. He was a kid and yet he could feel from those eyes that he wasn't. Arlong had never been so scared in his entire life like now.

"Shishishishi!" Luffy laughed, kicking Arlong in his stomach and making him hit a wall. Arlong coughed out blood. He was terrified of whatever was standing before him.

Luffy was feeling satisfied with the fear and acknowledgement which Arlong was going through. But he deserves more. More for making Nami cry.

"Before that," Luffy's eyes fell on the sun which was engraved on Arlong's heart. "What does that symbol mean for you? Why do you have that?"

Arlong wiped the blood from his mouth. He could feel himself getting dizzy, but he didn't want to be defeated by someone, who was an anomally to him. He couldn't afford to, even if it was scaring him.

"Y-You d-don't need to KNOW!" Arlong shouted as he mustered up all the courage he had and started swimming at a fast rate towards the kid.

Luffy looked at the sun symbol again and scooted his eyes, trying to remember where he had seen that one before.

"Do you understand just how angry I am?" Arlong shouted in fury, trying to override his panic by it. "The seething rage I felt after seeing my beloved brethren be crushed by you pathetic insects!"

"With the speeds I can attain underwater nobody can stop me!" Arlong said to the ignoring Luffy who was trying to remember why the symbol was making him want to remember something.

"Shark on darts!" Arlong yelled, swimming in a faster rate to pierce Luffy who wasn't even paying attention to him. 

.

On the land, in the Arlong's Park, Zoro stumbling. His wounds have started to reopen. He wasn't yet healed and here he was up fighting an octopus. But he wasn't one to give up.

"His wounds are just too deep. They haven't healed yet!" Yosaku yelled as Zoro fell face first on the floor.

"Obvioulsy! It's a wound that would disable a man for at least half a year, if not kill him!" Johnny added. "Was he enduring the pain all this time?!"

"I knew something was up when he acted normal even after receiving those wounds! That moron!" Sanji gritted his teeth. He can't believe that Zoro had been doing exercise in this state. Does he want to die so badly?

Unfortunately due to Sanji's distraction, Kurobi managed to land a hit on him, square on his chest, making him fly through the villagers.

"I warned you before not to look somewhere else! I'm a 40th level fishman-karate practitioner," Kurobi boosted. "That's all taken care of," Kuroobi said looking in the waters yet he can't see a single thing. No movements. He was getting a bad feeling about all this. "I just can't wait for Arlong to finish off his little game."

"NYUUUU!" Hachi roared, from where he stood with his six blades. "You have really pissed me off. I'm going to butcher you. Did you know that aside from one man, I, Hachi, of the 6 swords style, am the number 1 swordsman in the fishman island?! Even if the heavens were to be flipped over, you would have no chance of beating me!"

"Who're you trying to fight, Hachi?" Kurobi asked Hachi in a bored tone.

A low snicker was heard and arose a man. "6 swords style? Don't make me laugh. Just what's so great about that?"

Zoro stood firm on his legs, despite the wounds which were bleeding and making his fresh bandage turn scarlet red. He stood despite the dizziness which he felt. "Let me tell you something, you little octopus! I've got a man I have to meet no matter what and until I meet him," Zoro faced the octopus with fire in his eyes. "Not even the grim reaper can take my life away!"

"Yosaku! Johnny! Lend me your swords!" Zoro asked and in an instant he had an affirmative from the duo.

"I'll kill you, Roronoa Zoro!" Hachi roared in anger.

Zoro untied the bandana from his left arm, while giving a low snicker to Hachi's threats.

"What's the matter Roronoa Zoro? You look so exhausted," Hachi taunted seeing Zoro clearly at his brink.

"That's none of your concerns," Zoro said through his sword, as he tied the bandana on his head. It was time to take things seriously.

"Brother, catch!" Johnny and Yosaku yelled at once, throwing their sword at Zoro, who was feeling like he would pass at my moment now. He could feel his body's temperature rising tremendously, yet all the choice he had before him was to fight. He can't lose this match.

"B-Brother! We already threw our swords!" Yosaku yelled desperately.

"Didn't you ask or our swords?! Catch them!" Johnny followed, as he and Yosaku saw Zoro standing in his place and making no attempts to catch the blades, which were spiraling towards him in a tremendous pace.

"I'll show you the vast gap in skill that's unsurpassable for a human with only 2 arms!" Hachi declared in anger. "The six swords style that can only be used by having 6 arms and a supple body..."

"BROTHER, WATCH OUT!!" The swords were just about to hit Zoro.

"Takoashi kiken!" Hachi announced as he dashed towards Zoro in frenzy while Yosaku and Johnny began crying when Zoro made no attempt to catch the swords which were only a few inches away from his head.

But surprising all, Zoro twisted his body and caught the swords, simultaneously countering Hachi's attack.

"Three swords style..." 

"I'd like to see you try to take on my barrage with only 3 swords!" Hachi yelled as he furiously began attacking Zoro, who dodged each and every attack of his and went past him.

"Tourou Nagashi!" Zoro finished. Not even a second later Hachi screamed in pain as his chest was wide open and bleeding, but Hachi was not going to give up.

"You've reeeaaallly made me mad now!" Hachi yelled in anger, dimming the cheers from the villagers and the duo. "I swear I'll kill you! Just think about it logically. There's no way you could beat my 6 swords when you have only 3!"

"Logically?" Zoro asked through his sword. "Seems like you've made a big mistake in your calculation," Zoro said as he remembered the words of Hawkeye.

"What are you burdened with? What do you desire at the limits of your strength?"

"I may have only 3 swords, but the weight of our swords are completely different!" Zoro said, despite the burning fever, which was making him sweat.

"The weight? You mean to sat that your swords are heavier than mine? Don't be stupid!" Hachi yelled out, not realizing what Zoro meant in the first place. "You may not realize it just by looking at them, but each of my swords weigh 300 kg! They're far heavier than any swords that you puny humans use!"

Zoro huffed and said, "I have nothing to say to an idiot like you."

That seemed to have done one thing, that is agitate the octopus fishman more. "Six Sowrds Style: Octopus Pus Pot stance!" A barrage of attacks were aimed at Zoro by Hachi, and consequently one attack was directed to his wound, making Zoro cough out blood instantly. 

Hachi didn't stop at that. He threw Zoro in the air, and declined to give even a safe landing to him. He started twisting his swords, while Zoro had his eyes closed in pain.

"I'll make you a mincemeat!" Hachi yelled.

"BROTHER!" Yosaku and Johnny yelled at once, with tears and snot.

"ZORO!!!" Nami yelled for the first time. She really shouldn't have brought them here.

But that wasn't required as Zoro slashed Hachi's swords away and stood his ground, while Hachi's swords clanged to the floor.

"That bastard!" Hachi growled, as he picked his swords despite his bleeding hands. "I really really really can't forgive you anymore! It's time to finish you off!"

Meanwhile, Zoro's blood was dripping drop by drop on the ground, making him feel dizzy. Yet, he couldn't afford to pass out now.

"6 swords style: Octopus pot stance!" Hachi yelled as he brought his blades together. "Time to die!"

Zoro took his stance. Even if his wounds were normally enough to kill him, he can't afford to die.

"This technique is 100% unavoidable!" Hachi yelled in his dash towards Zoro. "Just like my attack before!"

Zoro crossed his arms, ready to attack. In order to beat that abnormally strong Hawkeyes, he can't afford to be normal either! That was what he came to conclusion, as he yelled out his attack. "Demon Slash!"

Hachi's blades broke to pieces.

"Now do you understand the difference in the weight of our swords? I hope you're satisfied, octopus!" Zoro said through his swords, preparing for the last attack.

"Tatsu.."

"Takoyaki punch!" Hachi yelled not giving up.

"...MAKI!" Zoro yelled, cutting Hachi and making him fly in the air.

Zoro sheathed his sword, as Hachi fell to the ground with a thud, unconscious. "I have to hurry up and save Luffy-"

"Roronoa Zoro! How dare you cut down Ha-" Kuroobi yelled as he was about to punch Zoro, who was sitting on the ground, clutching his wound.

A kick landed square on Kuroobi's hands as Sanji appeared in the scene backing Zoro. "You sure did punch me back pretty far."

"There's actually a human in East Blue that can live after taking one of my punches?" Kuroobi asked in shock. 

"I'm sure there're more than just me," Sanji said through his cigarette confidently. "Especially at a certain restaurant." 

"It seemed I'm being underestimated," Kuroobi said.

"Gotta save Luffy," Zoro said huffing as he tried to near the sea.

"Don't!" Sanji stopped Zoro. "With your injuries, you'll end up dying if you jump into the sea!"

"Shut up! Luffy can't swim properly. He can't hold his breath properly," Zoro said, as the world started to spin around him. "I don't have time to wait for your fight to end!"

"I know," Sanji said with a smirk on his face. "I know that better than anyone so say no more!"

Zoro looked at Sanji with a raised eyebrow, but in response Sanji kicked off his shoes and his jacket. 

"I'll go in so you can quit your complaining!" Sanji yelled as he dove in the water, without any hesitation.

"Kuhahahaha!" Kroobi laughed. "How interesting! A human dares challenge me to an underwater battle?"

"You dumbass!" Zoro yelled. "That's exactly what they want you to do!"

And that was true as Kuroobi jumped right after Sanji.

.

On the other side, Usopp laid in a pool of his own blood.

"That was more trouble than it was worth," Chew said looking down at Usopp. "How the heck can he run away so fast. But that still wasn't enough to save him. A quick death from a single blast of my water gun."

Chew started walking off, thinking that Hachi and Kuroobi should've taken care of those trash by now.

Meanwhile, Usopp who was laying on the pool of ketchup he had made for escaping situations like this, sighed in relief. He wondered what he will say to others when he gets to them.

"I should cover myself with some dirt. That'll make me seem more like I was in a fierce fight!" Usopp said to myself, lapping dirt on his skin. He wondered what excuses he can make.

""My bad but I ended up losing"...?" Usopp thought.

"Aren't we crewmates?" Luffy's innocent face came up. 

"Or maybe "Damn it, that guy barely got away from me! "" Usopp thought sitting up. ""Don't cry Nami, it was only natural for us to try and fight.""

"I'd rather die!" Zoro's words with Mihawk repeated in his brain. 

""We've all fought well.""

"It's still a 100 times better than being in a crew that would harm a lady," Sanji's words when Luffy was acting all dumb and made problem for them in the Merry. 

""It was a real close fight to the death.""

 "For the sake of my business, this was the only way," Nami's tears and her words when she was telling how much she had endured. 

""No. No. My wounds are nothing to worry about!"" Usopp's voice was wavering.

"We trust you, Brother Usopp!" Yosaku and Johnny's words when Usopp led Chew away from Arlong's Park. 

"Let's fight!" The villagers yells of fighting for their freedom. 

"Well, if I were to seriously fight..." Usopp mumbled as he made a cocoon of himself. His hands stopped covering him with mud. Tears feel drop by drop in the muddy ground.

"I'm so pathetic!" Usopp thought as he wiped off his tears and stood, despite his shaking legs.

"STOP RIGHT THERE YOU FREAKING FISH!" Usopp yelled through his tears, making Chew stop in his path.

"What, so you were still alive?" Chew asked as he looked at Usopp through his shoulders.

'From the moment I took one step outside my village, I should've thrown away all notions of 'peace' or 'safety'!' Usopp thought as his shaking hands pointed to the fishman. "As if a little attack from some half fish bastard could ever hit me!" Usopp yelled out.

Usopp was realizing many things. He had been hiding in the shadows of the crew. He had solely agreed to join Luffy 'cause at first he had thought that he would be safe with him. But now, he was realizing that is not what he joined for. He wants to laugh from the bottom of his hearts just like everyone in the crew does. Just like Luffy. That's why he decided to go out to the seas as well. 'Cause he wanted to be able to smile and laugh like they do.

Usopp pulled out his slingshot and loaded it. He realized that if he doesn't fight seriously right now, he doesn't have the right to sail on the same ship as them. Nor would he have the right to laugh with them.

With tears in his eyes and a fire, Usopp yelled, "Certain kill: Flame STAR!"

Fire arose from Usopp's attack, but Chew was fast enough. "As if that'd work on me," Chew said punching Usopp straight on his nose.

"Would've been better if you have just pretended to be dead. But I guess you're too dumb for that," Chew said looking at Usopp's pathetic state.

"It's... over," Usopp said in a wavering voice.

"Damn right, it's over! Over for you, that is!" Chew said as he began kicking Usopp in stomach.

"It's over," Usopp repeated, as he brought out a hammer from somwhere. "USOPP HAMMER!!" He hammered Chew's legs in an instant, making Chew scream in pain.

Usopp took the chance to stand on his own legs, and brought forth a rubber band. "Usopp rubber band!" He yelled as he fling that rubber band straight to Chew's face, who instinctively closed his eyes.

Usopp took this chance to hide, so when a pissed off Chew opened his eyes, he found no one in his vicinty, except a bottle of rum flying towards him.

"That damn bastard!" Chew said in anger as he caught the rum with one hand. As his attention was on the rum, Usopp used this chance to attack him and break the rum bottle on his face through his shooting skills.

"That inferior human and his idiotic stunts!" Chew said wiping the rum from his face. He bent down to the paddy field which was nearby and started sucking water. "I don't know where you're hiding, but I'll blast you out of your hiding spot with this field's water!"

"It doesn't matter if it's stupidly or cowardly," Usopp said to himself, kneeling on the ground and hiding behind a tree. "This fight isn't something that the man Usopp can just run away from. I'll die if I lose! I'm already a real pirate."

"Water Cannon!!" Chew yelled as he blasted a portion of trees, shocking Usopp.

"Why the hell do I have to fight an idiot like him?" Chew questioned when he clearly saw Usopp looking at the destruction which he made by coming out of his hiding place.

"I'll pump you full of holes!" Chew shouted, "100-shot water gun!"

"Aghh!!" Usopp screamed as he held his head for protection. "How'd he know where I was? Damn! Damn! Damn! I'll show you, my former Usopp pirate members and Kaya! I've left for the seas and become a pirate!"

Usopp knelled on one leg as he took out his slingshot. "And so I'm going to fight. Because one day I'm really going to become a brave warrior of the seas!" Usopp yelled with a fire in his eyes. "The carefree fun days I spent plaing pirates ARE OVER!!"

The tree behind which Usopp was hiding was kicked, making Usopp roll to the ground.

"What did you say was over?" Chew asked holding a tree in his hand.

"Our fight!" Usopp said with determination, targeting Chew with his slinghsot. "Did you know that alcohol is flammable?"

"CERTAIN KILL FLAME STAR!" Usopp shouted and in a moment Chew started burning, and hence ending the fight for good.

.

When Sanji dove in the water, surprise can be a word which cannot be said with what he was seeing. Luffy was drifting in the water like a normal human who can swim easily and then there was Arlong coming towards an unaware Luffy who looked lost in his own thoughts at a tremendous speed.

"You-" Sanji regretted opening his mouth in an instant, but that seem to have snapped Luffy out of the trance, who blinked at him and gave a peace sign.

Sanji understood the meaning, despite the questions which spiraled in his brain.

Sanji dove upwards, feeling satisfied that Luffy was not hurt or anything which he had thought him to be. He needed to finish the match from his-

A punch greeted Sanji's neck, making Sanji open his mouth once again and inhale the sea water.

"What the heck is happening here?" Kuroobi asked looking at Arlong trying to attack the brat but the brat dodging it skillfully, like he wasn't even a devil fruit user. "Arlong stop playing with your prey!"

"Shark on Darts!!" Arlong yelled as he dove after Luffy who was acting like he was swimming before Sanji.

Kuroobi was starting to dive towards the brat, in order to help his captain, when he felt someone holding his legs.

Sanji didn't know what was going on, but he knew one thing he can't let the fish guy attack Luffy too.

"You want to fight me underwater?" Kuroobi asked, raising his eyebrow.

But before any of them could do anything, a wave of water threw them both out of the pool.

"What was that?" Kuroobi asked getting up on his legs, while Sanji took a huge gulp of air.

"Hey!" Zoro asked instantly.

"Don't worry-" Sanji didn't need to complete even, when Arlong's and Luffy's body hit the Arlong Park, and hence they came out of the water. "He's fine." Sanji said with a sigh.

"I can see," Zoro said with a sweat drop. 

"What happened?! Was he hit?!" Usopp shouted. He had just arrived a moment ago.

"No! He bounced himself away from Arlong!" Zoro leaning against a pillar.

"It's time I kill you!" Sanji shouted pointing at Kuroobi. He needs to finish his match soon, to take a dumbass to elsewhere or rather to a doctor. 

"I shall kill you with the my fishman-"

Sanji was too pissed to even give an ear to listen to the babbling which the fishman was doing before him.

"Collier!" Sanji shouted as he kicked the fishman in his neck, making him fall face first in the ground.

Sanji was way too pissed and the falling stones from the Arlong's park did nothing more than make him worry about a certain idiot who was breathing heavily and leaning against a pillar that can crash anytime. 

"Epaule!" He shouted, kicking the fishman on his face.

"What did you say you would do?" Sanji asked, kicking the fishman again in his legs just as he stood up, "Cotelette! Selle! Poitrine!"

A series of kicks, all targeted at the fishman was made my Sanji, shocking the villagers. Kuroobi wasn't even given a chance to talk or attack. It seemed like a one sided battle.

"Mutton shot!" Sanji announced giving the final kick, making Kuroobi unconscious.

.

A few moments earlier, Arlong got a grip on his Kiribachi, his weapon which looked like a huge saw, and started chasing after Luffy.

"Oh, do you think you can beat me with that?" Luffy asked in taunting voice, as he skipped in his path and avoided Arlong easily. He was having fun, the least to say.

Arlong was completely fueled by the rage, he had forgotten the fear which he had faced moments ago. All he knew that he would defeat the brat. It didn't matter to him that he was destroying his own Arlong's park by his two hands. He would kill the kid no matter what.

"Do I hear him laughing?" Usopp asked while in shock. His eyes were travelling between Sanji's and Luffy's fight. In one place, Sanji was barraging the fishman with his kicks while Luffy was playing around with the berserk fishman like a toy. What a monstrous bunch! He shivered at the thought alone.

"Mutton shot!" Sanji's voice came, snapping Usopp from Luffy to Sanji, as he saw Sanji give a final kick to the fishman and rush towards Zoro, who protested for a moment.

Usopp forgot his cowardice and rushed to give a hand. 

Stones were falling here and there, threatening to crush anyone who would get nearby the park, and yet the idiot, Zoro chose to lay there. 

"He's not stopping!" "He's chasing after him all the way up!"

The villagers shouted as they witnessed the battle.

"We need a doctor!" Usopp yelled as he and Sanji brought Zoro near Nami.

"Not now," Zoro pushed away them and leaned against the wall to look at the fight. He trusts Luffy to win.