Usopp limped toward the group, his long nose twitching as he took in the scene. "Hey, what's wrong with Lucas?" he asked, voice laced with concern.
Sanji and Zoro turned, surprised to see the injured sniper standing there. "Usopp? You made it," Sanji remarked, exhaling a stream of smoke.
"Where's that fishman you were fighting?" Zoro asked, raising an eyebrow.
Usopp grinned, despite his wounds. "Hah! With the mighty Captain Usopp's skills, some two-bit fishman was no challenge at all!" This time, his boast wasn't a lie, he had won.
"Is Lucas okay?" Usopp pressed, his tone serious now.
The others shook their heads, but their expressions were reassuring.
"Good," Usopp sighed in relief. "So, is the fight over?"
"Almost," Sanji said, flicking his cigarette ash. "If Luffy takes down Arlong, we win."
All eyes turned toward the park, where Luffy and Arlong stood locked in battle.
Zoro smirked. "If he can't beat that overgrown guppy, we're getting a new captain." His tone was dry, but his confidence in Luffy was absolute.
Inside the park, Arlong's ragged breathing betrayed his injuries, many of them courtesy of Zoro's blades. His fury burned hotter with each fallen comrade.
"You don't understand, human," Arlong spat, baring his razor-sharp teeth. "Nami belongs with me. She's the key to my dominance over these seas. A navigator like her is wasted on fools like you."
Luffy's fists clenched. "Nami's not some tool. She's our friend, our navigator, and she's free."
Arlong scoffed. "Freedom? She'll be free when she's dead!" With a roar, he lunged, his sawtooth sword gleaming.
CRACK!
Luffy barely dodged as Arlong's teeth sheared through a stone pillar like paper. "Whoa! That's sharp!"
"Fishmen are the superior race!" Arlong snarled. "Let me show you true power!"
Pillars shattered under his relentless assault, forcing Luffy into a defensive retreat. Seizing an opening, Luffy retaliated.
"Gum-Gum Pistol!"
His fist rocketed forward, but Arlong didn't flinch. Instead, he bit down on Luffy's extended arm.
"AGH!" Blood sprayed as Arlong wrenched Luffy off his feet and hurled him into the rubble.
"Pathetic," Arlong sneered. "Humans break so easily."
Luffy staggered up, undeterred. "Gum-Gum… Machine Gun!"
A barrage of punches pummeled Arlong, cratering the ground beneath them before finally launching the fishman into the water.
Panting, Luffy wiped his brow, only for the earth to tremble.
SPLASH!
Arlong erupted from below, his nose spike aimed like a spear. "DIE!"
"GYAH!" The attack pierced Luffy's shoulder, but he gritted his teeth and countered with a haymaker, sending Arlong crashing through a wall.
Outside, the villagers watched with bated breath.
"Straw Hat! You can do it!" one shouted.
The cry spread like wildfire. "Beat him, Luffy!"
Arlong's rage flared at their defiance. "I'll slaughter every last one of you after this!"
Luffy grinned through the pain. "No, you won't."
Their final clash erupted in a whirlwind of blows, until Arlong's sawtooth sword pressed against Luffy's throat.
"Nami's a tool," Arlong hissed. "With her maps, I'll conquer the East Blue. You're just a stepping stone."
Something in Luffy snapped.
"Tools don't cry!" he roared. "Tools don't fight for their dreams!" With brute strength, he crushed Arlong's blade in his grip.
Arlong's eyes widened. "Impossible!!!"
Luffy's leg stretched skyward, piercing the roof. "Gum-Gum… TOMAHAWK!"
The descending kick struck like a meteor. The ground split. The building imploded.
A deafening BOOM shook the island as dust swallowed the battlefield.
Silence.
Then, a straw hat emerged atop the rubble. Beneath him, Arlong lay motionless.
A collective gasp. Then cheers erupted.
"HE WON!!!"
Tears flowed. Eight years of tyranny are over.
Luffy raised a fist to the sky. "Nami… you're free."
...