Chapter 13
BOOM. CRASH. BANG.
Arlong Park was pure chaos. Smoke from Usopp's bombs curled through the air. Water splashed from shattered fountains. Dust swirled like a storm. It looked less like a battlefield and more like a natural disaster.
And in the middle of it all, Nami sat in the courtyard, Luffy's straw hat on her head, tears streaming down her face. Watching these insane pirates tear the place apart—for her.
---
"Alright, fish-face!" Silas roared, sabre gleaming as he charged.
"Let's finish this!"
His red hair whipped behind him like fire. Quadshot grinned, rows of shark teeth flashing.
"Come get some, pretty boy."
Then—what the hell?
Quadshot kicked out, and water bullets exploded from his feet. Silas dove, feeling droplets rip through his shirt and graze his chest.
"You know martial arts now?!" he shouted, rolling behind cover.
"Surprise!" Quadshot cackled, reloading two pistols while his feet kept firing.
"Twenty years of Fishman Karate, baby! You thought we just swam and shot?"
Silas spun his pistol, grinning.
"Finally. A challenge worth my time."
---
Across the courtyard—
"STOP SPITTING AT ME!" Usopp screamed, zigzagging as Chew chased him.
"THAT'S GROSS!"
"HOLD STILL!" Chew roared, water bullets flying.
"NO WAY!" Usopp's slingshot snapped.
"Smoke Star!"
Purple smoke exploded. Chew spat blindly.
"Where are you, coward?!"
"Right here! Usopp's Panic Shot!"
THWIP. BOOM.
The pellet ricocheted off three walls and knocked out two random Fishmen.
Usopp blinked.
"...Did I just do that?"
---
Underwater, Sanji was losing ground. Not drowning—but close. Kuroobi's kicks were relentless, each one a cannon blast.
Sanji's lungs burned. No jokes. No cigarette. Just grit.
"Fishman Karate: Thousand Tile True Punch!"
Shockwaves rippled through the pool. Sanji dodged, bubbles escaping his mouth. Vision blurring. But he wasn't giving up.
Not when Nami needed him.
---
Up top, Zoro faced Hatchan's whirlwind of blades.
"Six Sword Style: Octopus Pot!" Hatchan's swords spun like a blender.
"Tch." Zoro gritted his teeth, blood soaking through his bandages.
"Six swords? So what. Three Sword Style: Oni Giri!"
CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.
Steel met steel. Sparks flew.
"You're good for a human," Hatchan admitted.
"Pretty good?" Zoro's grin was razor-sharp.
"I'm gonna be the world's greatest swordsman, octopus. You're just practice."
---
In the center, Luffy faced Arlong.
Claws raked across his chest. Blood flew. Luffy grinned wider.
"Gum-Gum Gatling!"
His fists blurred, hammering Arlong's scales.
"GAHAHA! That all you got, rubber boy?" Arlong's jaws opened wide.
"Shark On Darts!"
He lunged. Luffy stretched, bounced, twisted—using Arlong's strength against him.
"You talk too much. Gum-Gum Bazooka!"
WHAM. Both fists slammed into Arlong's chest, sending him skidding.
---
Back with Silas, the duel escalated.
Quadshot's four flintlocks roared—BANG. BANG. BANG. BANG. Water bullets flew from his kicks. But Silas moved like a storm—sabres flashing, dodging, deflecting, closing the gap.
"Getting tired, Red Hair?" Quadshot taunted, reloading two pistols while the other two kept firing.
"Four arms, four guns, twenty years of training! You never stood a chance!"
"You talk too much."
Silas spun forward, sabre deflecting a water kick. His pistol rose—point-blank.
"Flash Reload: Point Blank Shot!"
BANG.
The bullet slammed into Quadshot's shoulder, spinning him.
"GAH! You sneaky bastard!"
"That's what you get for underestimating one."
---
And Usopp?
Usopp was accidentally becoming a legend.
"Usopp's Super Ultra Mega Panic Attack!"
THWIP. BOOM. THWIP. BOOM.
His shots bounced like pinballs, hitting everything except his targets—but somehow dropping enemies left and right.
"STOP MOVING RANDOMLY!" Chew screamed.
"I'M NOT DOING IT ON PURPOSE!" Usopp wailed, ricocheting another pellet into three more Fishmen.
"MY LEGS WON'T STOP SHAKING!"
---
The villagers watched from the walls, stunned.
"They're… winning," someone whispered.
Genzo gripped his walking stick, voice thick.
"They're not just a crew. They're family."
---
Underwater, Sanji's vision dimmed. Kuroobi pressed the attack.
Then he remembered Zeff's words:
"A cook protects his hands. But sometimes, you use everything you've got."
Sanji's eyes flared. His leg whipped through the water—everything he had left.
CRACK.
Kuroobi's eyes widened. Even half-drowned, this human was dangerous.
---
Nami watched through tears. Luffy's hat on her head. Her heart breaking and healing all at once.
"Luffy…" she whispered.
"Everyone…"
For the first time in eight years, Cocoyasi had hope.
These crazy pirates weren't just fighting.
They were proving something Arlong could never understand:
That real strength isn't power.
It's love.
It's loyalty.
It's nakama.
---
The sky churned above Arlong Park, thick with smoke and fury. The courtyard was a battlefield of broken dreams and scattered money, but the Straw Hats weren't backing down.
They fought like they'd already decided how this ends.
And in the center of it all, Nami clutched Luffy's hat, tears streaking her face, heart pounding with something she hadn't felt in years.
Not fear.
Hope.
Because these pirates weren't just fighting Arlong.
They were fighting for her.
And they weren't going to lose.