The fight hadn't even started when the air changed. Arlong looked out over the ocean, eyes landing on a small raft floating into Arlong Park. On it were small chests and bags, and a figure wearing a red cloak sitting against the mast made from a large leaf. The air had become charged, and Arlong swallowed quietly, "Choo?"
"What is it, boss, Choo?"
"Shoot them."
A bullet of water flew out of Choo's mouth, flying across the air and smashing into the figure's face, knocking the hood off their, her, head. Immediately, Arlong saw something that caused his stomach to roll. The hole in her head was full of writhing vines, bark at the edges of the wound growing until there was no sign that the shot had even hit her other than the water dripping from her chin.
Choo opened fire, bullet after bullet of water hitting the girl as she stood up only for the process to repeat itself for each hole. The black haired boy in red called out, "Ruby, the big guy with the stupid nose? He's mine, I don't want you getting involved no matter what."
'Ruby' nodded, cracking her neck and flexing her fingers before saying, "Then that means I should take out…"
Next thing Arlong knew, she was between Choo and Kuroobi and grabbing them both by the face before slamming them into the ground. Arlong took off then, tilting his head sideways as he aimed for the pale throat of the young human. The arm holding Kuroobi shot up, putting itself in the way of the bite as solid wood that flashed with red energy.
Compared to the crushing force of a shark's bite, it was nothing. He tore through the red energy and crushed the wood, leaving the arm to drop as Kuroobi shot up, yelling "Sharkskin Palm Thrust
!"
The shockwave tore through the red energy, but didn't pierce the wood that appeared over her outfit. It did, however, blast her back from them, sending her flipping so she should have landed head first and broken her neck, not that Arlong had any faith that would be enough to stop a damn
Logia.
What the hell was a Logia doing in East Blue?
Instead, at last second she shot her left hand, the only one she still had, while the other regenerated in lashing vines and hard wood, and planted it on the ground to launch off in a textbook one handed spring.
"Take her down," Arlong ordered, focusing on the biggest threat. He had left the Grand Line to not deal with Logia.
"Gumu Gumu-" Arlong had just enough time to see the arm stretching out into the distance and the boy charging him before the fist snapped back and drove into his side, causing him to feel something crack, "Bullet!"
"You-" Arlong growled, "I don't have time to deal with you-"
"You don't have a choice," the boy said, brown eyes blazing, "We're gonna settle this, captain to captain, because you hurt my navigator."
—
Kuroobi stared at the girl who had taken his Fishman Karate without so much as a flinch. He charged her, pulling back his fist before shooting it forwards, "Hundred Brick Fist!"
She swayed to the side at the last second, leaving the attack that should have punched right through her to instead sail harmlessly through air. It also allowed him to see the black suited human flying through the air, barely getting a Fishman Karate guard up in time as the foot smashed into it, "Collier Shoot! Ruby, you handle fish lips. This guy wants a martial arts battle? I'll give him one."
"And I'll handle the octopus," the green haired man said, drawing a sword with a white tsuka, "give him hell, Curly Brows."
"Same, Moss Head," the man said, lighting a cigarette, "What do you have for me, buddy?"
"Hundred Brick Fist!" Kuroobi shot forwards, driving his fist for the human only for him to drop into a one handed handstand and shoot his foot out, smashing it into Kuroobi's chest.
"Côlettle!" The human said, "and-" he spun on his hand, driving his foot into Kuroobi's lower back, "Selle! Is that brick move the only thing you know?"
No, but most of them required him to be in the water. That was where Fishman Karate truly shined.
"Forearm-" Kuroobi swung his manta ray fin at the human's neck, slamming it into the side with enough force to snap it, "Sledge!"
It looked like nobody had informed the human of that, instead, he drove a kick into the center of Kuroobi's chest, "Poitrine!"
How was this happening? How was a human beating him?
he lept back, drilling his hand into the water and ripping it out in a spear of water directed at the human, "Spear Wave!"
The man sidestepped the blow before leaping at Kuroobi, kicking him into the air, "Poitrine Shot! And-" he hooked his foot around Kuroobi's neck and threw him back onto dry land with the force of the kick, "Reception!"
He rolled with the force, growling as he watched the human take a puff of his cigarette. Tightening his fist, he charged the man, "You're finished! This move is the essence of Fishman Karate! Thousand Brick-"
The human lept high into the air, over Kuroobi's punch and head, before spinning downwards and smashing into Kuroobi's skull, "Brochette!"
Kuroobi slammed into the ground, feeling his consciousness fade as the human walked away, "Anyone want caguamanta?"
—
Zoro had always been in touch with Wado Ichimonji. It was the sword he had trained with for most of his life. It was a sword with a soul, that was undeniable to anyone with a brain and a taste for swords.
Now, though, he could feel every inch of it in a way he never had before. The energy Ruby had unlocked flowed down the blade and made it harder, stronger, sharper. His soul and the soul of Wado Ichimonji were more in sync than they ever had been before.
If this was Aura, Zoro was glad Ruby had unlocked it. Anything that made him more in touch with his swords was a good thing in his mind.
He pushed more of the energy into it, feeling it flow like fire into the blade. Green energy began to rise off Wado Ichimonji, from his entire body.
"Alright, big guy," Zoro said, "My name is Roronoa Zoro."
"The Pirate Hunter?" The octopus fishman asked, "I'm Hatchan. It's nice to meet you!"
Well this guy was weird. Who said that to someone they were about to fight?
Normally, it'd be die to, but Luffy would bitch and moan if he killed anyone. Instead, he twirled the blade around in his hand.
"Don't you normally use three swords?" Hachan asked.
"Normally," Zoro agreed, "but I'm running a bit low."
"Then I'll only use two," Hatchan said.
"Use as many as you want, big guy, I'll still beat you," Zoro said, before launching forwards. Hatchan brought up two blades, only for Wado Ichimonji to sink into them. After a second, the blade cleaved through them and cut Hatchan's hair.
"My hair! You- you- I'm going to- forgive you of course, it might take a while, but it'll grow back," Ok, Zoro had met some weird people over the years of pirate hunting, but this guy was starting the cake, "but I gotta ask, each of those swords weigh over three hundred kilograms, how did you cut through them."
"Something I'm learning," Zoro said, "You might want to draw the other four swords."
"Yeah, probably," Hatchan said, drawing his swords off his sides, "thanks for being so accommodating, Roronoa, you're a pretty good guy!"
"There's no honor in beating you while you're down," Zoro said, "I would have preferred you had all six swords, honestly."
"Honor? From a pirate? That's pretty weird," Hatchan said, "I mean, I'm not judging you, to each his own and all that, but it's still pretty weird."
Zoro was pretty sure he couldn't have killed this guy even if he had already decided to. That guy was way too nice. He didn't want to judge given Luffy and Ruby, but that was as weird as a pirate with honor in his opinion.
Zoro lunged forwards, blade clashing with Hatchan's four. Each time they met, Hatachan's four chipped and cracked. Finally, Zoro shattered all four, feeling shards of heavy steel nick his face only for the wounds to immediately seal shut, and slashed Hatchan across the chest, letting the octopus fishman fall.
—
Ruby wasn't sure why everyone in Arlong's crew had decided she was the one to gang up on, but if it kept them off the others, she wasn't going to complain. With every attack she let through her aura, it allowed vines to slither out and hogtie them at Ruby's will.
That was something she had begun to figure out recently, she just had to
want it, and as long as it was part of her powers she could do it. How else could she have bound everyone at Branch 16? Created wood light enough to float and bound them together with vines?
Really she probably should have realized that when she had created a banana tree, or when she had created a functioning replica of Ember Celica. But hey, at least she was still figuring out how this all worked, ok?
Anyways, by this point it was reduced to her and the lieutenant, Choo, whose water bullets were strong enough to punch through her aura and tear chunks out of her body. And while she didn't want to use the precious few bullets she could figure out a way to create more, she could give him a more rudimentary sniper's duel, if that's what he wanted.
Ruby quietly willed her left arm into a crossbow, slotting a blunt bolt she had created with her other hand into it and Petal Burst onto the roof of the large building. Choo looked around wildly until the first bolt indented the ground behind him, looking up just in time to see Ruby slotting another bolt into the crossbow. The razor thin vine pulled back as he fired a shot at her that took a chunk out of the building before crashing against her Aura. Ruby adjusted her aim, hitting Choo straight in the chest and throwing him into the water.
Ih hindsight, that wasn't the best decision the had made. She watched Choo float there for a second, gasping for breath as she loaded another bolt. The he dove under the water and the barrage began.
It was like he had got his hands on a water version of Gianduja, a torrent of bullets shot out of the water and at Ruby. The edge of the building was torn to pieces by the bullets, and Ruby dodged away as it started to chew closer to her. Ruby raked her mind for ideas of how to draw him out of the water before settling on the bluntest way possible. She stepped into the way of the bullets, letting them shred her and tipping over to smash back first into the ground. Slowly she wormed the wood into the ground the moment she hit it. She looked through her one remaining eye as Choo jumped out of the water, walking close to her and spitting another shot into her gut, "I don't know why Captain Arlong seemed so afraid of you, choo. You're nothing but a huma-"
"Choo!" Arlong called, "get away from he-!"
The order was cut off by a Gumu Gumu Bullet to the jaw from Luffy. It was too late, anyway. Roots exploded out of the ground, warping around Choo and crucifying him, one slithering out to turn into a makeshift gag.
Ruby stood up, regenerating the holes in her wooden body. Patting the spot where Choo's shoulder should have been, she advised, "If you're gonna fight to kill, make sure you've actually killed them before you start boasting."
—
Luffy watched Arlong spit out broken shards of teeth. Twisting his arm around again and again, Luffy ran forwards, slamming the fist into Arlong's chest and beginning to untwist his arm like a drill, "Gumu Gumu Rifle!"
The punch threw Arlong back, slamming him into the wall. Arlong staggered back, teeth having regrown and grinding.
"I don't have time to deal with you, brat!" Arlong snarled, slamming his feet on the wall and kicking off it, shooting at Luffy like a "Shark Dart!"
Luffy felt Arlong's nose stab into his shoulder as they both continued back. Luffy slammed his feet into the ground as he skid past Ruby and the tied up fishman. Slamming his elbow into Arlong's back, he knocked Arlong off him before grabbing him before stretching both arms back, "Gumu Gumu Bazooka!"
Both fists slammed into Arlong, throwing him back and leaving Luffy with blood leaking down his shoulder. Arlong growled as he stood up next to the water, before splashing his hand into it and dragging it out, the water slamming into Luffy and pushing him back further. Then Arlong dove into the water and swam towards the sea.
"Running away?" Luffy said, before turning towards Ruby, "Guess we wo-"
"Luffy!" Ruby suddenly cried out in warning, causing Luffy to turn around just in time to bring his arms up into a guard. Arlong's nose drove into his arms, punching through them both.
"Shahahahaha!" Arlong laughed, "You see how weak a human is! A fishman could have stopped that attack without any injur- y?"
"Gumu Gumu-" Luffy pulled his foot back, before snapping it forwards and driving it into Arlong's shoulder, feeling something give as he did, "Stamp!"
The stupid nose tore from Luffy's arm and Arlong was thrown back into the building. Jumping up to the floor with a spring, Luffy looked around and barely resisted grinding his teeth. Navigator gear all over the place. Maps.
It had to be Nami's room.
"Gumu Gumu," Luffy grabbed Arlong by the shoulders, feeling something shift and hearing Arlong gasp in pain, luffy pulled back his head until it was out of the building before snapping it forwards, slamming it into Arlong's head and feeling his teeth shatter again, "Bell!"
"You're picking a fight you can't possibly win for one girl?" Arlong snapped.
"Dunno, seems like I'm winning to me," Luffy said. Not a girl, his friend. This place had to be destroyed. It would only hurt Nami if it existed. Luffy stretched his foot into the air as Arlong shot forwards again, before bringing it down as hard as he could, "Gumu Gumu Battle Axe!"
Arlong was slammed through several floors, his nose digging into the floor before Luffy jumped down, legs pointed at Arlong, "Gumu Gumu Spear!"
Arlong's nose broke with a crack as he was thrown through the back wall and embedded into the wall of Arlong Park.
Arlong staggered forwards, before tipping forwards and collapsing unconscious, the building of Arlong Park beginning to collapse around Luffy.
—
It was several days later, and the crew of the Going Merry was back on the ship, sailing towards a place called Loguetown, when Nami slammed a piece of paper onto the table, growling, "this is the most obvious hit job I've ever seen. How would they know your name if you did that?"
"Did what?" Ruby asked, looking at the piece of paper and feeling her heart stop.
—
The man with a black bandana over his eye growled as he stared at the piece of paper, eye shirking as he did. She was here? One of that damn team was here?
Good. It was time to send Blake a message.
Wanted Dead or Alive
"SDC" Adam Taurus
Wanted for the murder of several nobles, inciting rebellion, arson, murder.
Bounty 200,000,000
—
The gun on the desk snapped up, punching three holes through the poster and scaring the recruit holding it enough that they dropped it.
"Rose," the man growled out.
—
The tattooed woman's axe lodged into the poster on the wall, causing the girl next to her sipping from a tankard to jump before turning enough to look at the poster.
"She would never-!" She started indignantly.
"I know," the ax wielder said, tearing the axe from the wall, "come on, we have to go find her."
—
The young woman yelped as she burned her hand on the hot skillet while cracking an egg, dancing in place and blowing on it.
"Hey!" Paulie slammed open the door, panting for breath, "New girl! Look at this!"
He lay a piece of paper across the table, and the young woman's green eyes widened as she stared at it. Well, at least she was here, but-
"-It's a lie. I know Ruby, she would never do that."
—
Wanted Dead or Alive
Ruby "Red Bloom" Rose
Bounty 20,000,000
Wanted for the massacre of Marine Branch 16.
