One Piece pirates salty life

The waves churned violently, and from beneath the ocean's surface, a massive black shadow rose up, disturbing the water with a thunderous splash.

As the watery curtain cascaded down, a massive sea creature emerged, its chest covered in glistening scales and adorned with striking patterns of green and white. The beast looked absurdly docile for something so monstrous—especially with a ring dangling from its nose.

"A manatee? No, wait—food!" Sanji exclaimed, his eyes lighting up. His chef's instincts kicked in the moment he saw the beast.

He immediately began calculating how to prepare it. Boiled, grilled, braised—the possibilities ran wild in his head.

"Hahahaha! Is this a snack for us?" Leo chuckled from where he leaned lazily against the doorframe. His voice carried a mix of sarcasm and amusement. With an almost bored expression, his eyes scanned the chaos outside, then narrowed playfully toward Luffy.

"I've heard the meat of this sea monster is exquisite. Luffy, why don't you give it a try?"

The word "meat" echoed in Luffy's ears like a magic spell. His puzzled expression vanished instantly and was replaced by one of gleeful hunger.

"Meeeeat!"

"MOOO!!"

The sea beast let out a low, mournful bellow. The beast—Moo Moo—resembled a gigantic manatee. It opened its cavernous mouth, rainwater falling rapidly through the gaps between its teeth like a waterfall.

"Let me handle this one! We don't have time to waste!" Luffy shouted excitedly.

Whether it was his eagerness to finish the fight quickly or Leo's tempting suggestion that drove him, Luffy lunged straight at Moo Moo, who had already pulled itself halfway onto the shore.

Zoro intercepted Hachi immediately. He hadn't forgotten that Hachi was the one who brought him here under false pretenses. Had that not happened, he would've already dealt with him back on the ship.

Everyone else found their respective opponents.

Sanji, after a quick glance, reluctantly walked over to Kroobi, a merman with ridiculous twin ponytails. He found him a poor challenge, clearly disappointed that all the better opponents were taken.

As for Arlong, he had long since been designated as Nami's opponent.

"Ultimate Technique! Flame Bullet—Fiery Star Dance!" Usopp declared, narrowing his eyes as he retrieved a bullet etched with red-hot markings from his satchel.

BOOM!

The ground trembled as an explosion burst into a fiery shockwave. A searing heat rolled out in all directions, hurling the attacking fish-men back like ragdolls. Some screamed as they hit walls; others simply collapsed, unconscious or worse.

Rain mingled with blood on the battlefield, forming rivers of crimson that flowed grotesquely underfoot.

"Uhuhuhuhu!"

"Leo! That was insane!" Usopp's voice cracked with excitement. Even the villagers and Luffy's crew, who had fought alongside him before, were dumbfounded by the sudden display of strength.

Who would have thought that the most unpredictable, cowardly member of the crew could obliterate a whole squad of fish-men—beings known for being more than twice as strong as ordinary humans?

This gave the villagers of Cocoyashi Village their first true hope. Perhaps, at last, Arlong's oppressive rule could come to an end.

Tears welled up in many of their eyes.

But before anyone could revel in the emotional moment, a monstrous shadow loomed overhead, accompanied by a terrifying roar.

Luffy had climbed atop Moo Moo and was now gripping both of its horns tightly. With a powerful yank and an unhinged grin on his face, he spun the sea beast around like a spinning top.

WHAM!

With a final shout, Luffy hurled Moo Moo backward into the sea, where it crashed with such force that waves surged up around the embankment. The poor creature didn't even twitch afterward.

To achieve that mighty throw, Luffy had driven his legs so deep into the muddy ground that they were now stuck.

Usopp and Sanji exchanged amused looks, watching the aftermath of Luffy's rampage.

The damage was overwhelming. Arlong Park was a wreck. Tables, chairs, broken stone pillars, and bits of food lay scattered in the debris. The decorative walls were cracked; the once-pristine arena now resembled a battlefield.

"He threw a monster from the Grand Line like it was nothing...!"

"What insane strength..."

The villagers stared, slack-jawed. They had never dreamed of witnessing such destruction firsthand.

"Damn it! If we'd known these guys were this powerful, we should've started the rebellion long ago!"

"Is that guy a Devil Fruit user or something?"

Now, only three enemies remained—Hachi and the two remaining officers, Kroobi and Juu.

All the other fish-men had either been obliterated by Usopp's attacks or scattered during Luffy's stampede.

"Roronoa Zoro! You tricked me! I'll slice you into sashimi!"

Hachi screamed, enraged. With his six muscular arms, he drew six glinting swords all at once.

"Six Sword Style: Sheathed Blade!"

CLANG!

In a flash, Zoro and Hachi's bodies passed each other in a blur. The clash of steel echoed across the courtyard.

Zoro removed the Wado Ichimonji from his mouth and looked over his shoulder, unimpressed. Though he was still recovering from his earlier wounds, thanks to Leo's treatment, he wasn't at death's door anymore. With his dual katanas and resilience, he was far from defenseless.

"Hachi!"

Kroobi and Juu gasped as Hachi fell face-first into the ground. For a second, it looked like he had been defeated with a single blow.

But to their relief, Hachi groaned and pushed himself up.

"Damn it, now I'm really mad!" Hachi spat out some blood. Growling, he spun his six swords and unleashed his signature technique—"Six Sword Waltz," also known as the Meat Grinder.

The wind roared as metal clashed against metal.

Zoro deflected each attack with cool efficiency. With the wind spiraling around them, he slashed through Hachi's offensive, targeting the exposed gaps in his form.

"AHHH! You bastard!" Hachi screamed in rage. No matter how he twisted or turned, he couldn't land a single decisive strike.

"Hang in there, Hachi! We're coming!" Kroobi and Juu rushed to assist.

But before Kroobi could take a single step—

WHAM!

A long leg slammed straight into his face. The kick sent him flying into the wall, leaving an imprint behind. Bricks cracked as he slumped to the ground, unconscious.

Sanji, cigarette in mouth, stood proudly with a smug grin. He glanced at Zoro and gave him a cocky look, like he was saying, "You're welcome."

The remaining fish-man tried to retaliate, but a bullet embedded with a freezing agent hit him square in the chest. Ice rapidly spread across his body, immobilizing him in seconds.

Usopp smirked and gave Zoro a thumbs-up. "Didn't expect that, did ya?"

"Three Sword Style: Tornado… Wind!!"

Zoro let loose his final move. A swirling gust burst forth as he spun, lifting Hachi into the air. The cyclone hurled him skyward and sent him crashing down hard.

With that, Arlong's most trusted lieutenant was defeated.

Now, only Arlong remained.

"Sanji! Usopp! Pull me out!" Luffy's voice rang out behind them. He looked down at his legs, which were still embedded in the ground.

He flailed helplessly. "I'm stuck!"

Sanji and Usopp looked at each other again, wearing the same mischievous grins.

After the stunt Luffy had pulled earlier, nearly flinging them along with Moo Moo, they weren't in a hurry to help.

They approached him slowly, savoring the moment, ignoring Luffy's increasingly panicked shouts.

Meanwhile, Leo turned his eyes to the interior of the park, where Nami stood.

She held a wooden staff in her hand, facing off against Arlong himself.

His expression was livid. His soldiers lay scattered and defeated all around him.

"Nami," Leo called out calmly, "you've done well. But be careful. Arlong's not like the rest."

Arlong clenched his jaw, his shark-like teeth grinding audibly. "You traitor... You'll regret this!"

Then, with a chilling grin, he reached into his mouth and pulled out two jagged weapons—his detachable shark teeth.

His muscles bulged as he channeled his fury into his next move.

"You think you're strong now? Let me show you real fear!"

With a burst of energy, Arlong lunged forward like a cannonball. The force of his charge cut through the rain, parting the downpour around him.

However—

With her magic tattoos glowing faintly, Nami leapt effortlessly into the air.

Arlong's strike pierced only empty space.

Before he could react, Nami came down hard, her staff landing squarely on the back of his head.

CRACK!

Arlong's body slammed into the ground.

The battlefield was silent for a moment—everyone stunned by the sight of Nami knocking Arlong down in a single, flawless counterattack.

And just like that… the tides had turned.

pàtreøn (Gk31)