Two Piece: A One Piece Story

Chapter 31 (Arlong Park Arc: Part 3)

Everyone watched as Arlong's eyes took on a crazed look, a sight never seen before. In a surprise attack, he managed to grab Shiki and began choking him. Shiki struggled to break free as Arlong flung him into some debris.

"You caught me off guard!" Shiki yelled, trying to regain his composure.

Just as Arlong prepared to deliver a devastating punch, Luffy leaped onto a nearby ledge, allowing Shiki to grab onto his stretched arms just in time to evade the blow.

"You okay?" Luffy asked with concern.

"I'm not hurt…" Shiki assured him.

"Good…" Luffy replied, relieved.

Arlong's attack tore through the wall, revealing a giant saw-like sword.

"What the!" exclaimed Usopp.

"It's the Shark Saw!" Nami identified.

Arlong relentlessly pursued the two brothers with the intimidating weapon, forcing them to climb up the fortress to evade his strikes. Despite their efforts, Arlong closed in on them, almost landing a devastating blow. Ducking just in time, they found themselves in an adjoining room, the fight spilling into it.

"The top room on the left…" Nami directed their attention.

Inside the tower, Arlong addressed them with disdain. "Stay out of my tower, little rubber man and monster…"

"What is this room?" Shiki questioned, eyeing the charts covering the walls.

"These aren't just charts… they're maps Nami painstakingly created over the last 8 years," Arlong explained. "Fishmen excel at gathering oceanic data, but without a skilled cartographer, it's meaningless. No one in the world can draw maps like Nami."

"Nami's a genius…" Shiki acknowledged.

Seeing a pen on a nearby desk, Shiki picked it up and noticed blood on it.

"This pen… has blood on it," Shiki observed.

Luffy sniffed the pen, his expression turning grim. "Horrible," he muttered.

Arlong threatened Luffy with the blades of his sword, taunting them about Nami's talents and his grand ambitions. Shiki's glare intensified.

"This island is the stepping stone to the whole East Blue," Arlong declared.

"I see…" Shiki responded.

"You think you can use Nami like I do," Arlong accused.

"Use…" Shiki's tone grew dark, while Luffy growled menacingly.

Attempting to move his sword, Arlong found it stopped by Shiki's bare hand, breaking the blade effortlessly.

"What do you think Nami is…" Shiki began, positioning himself protectively in front of Luffy.

"She's an excellent cartographer, even if she is an inferior species. Compared to the rest of you humans, she's quite intelligent," Arlong remarked. "She's rather like a spirited kitten."

With every passing second of Arlong's speech, Shiki grew increasingly enraged.

"Nami will continue to draw charts in here forever," Arlong declared. "I'll feed her, buy her the most beautiful clothes she wants. She will want for nothing, and all she has to do is what she loves. After all, we're shipmates."

Shiki and Luffy exchanged a glance, their silent communication understood. Shiki kicked Nami's desk out the window, while Luffy hurled a large chair through the opening.

Outside, onlookers gasped as debris tumbled from the fortress.

"What's that?" Usopp exclaimed.

"It's a desk and a chair," Sanji identified.

Johnny and Yosaku breathed a sigh of relief.

Inside the room, Shiki and Luffy unleashed destruction, demolishing furniture, books, and most importantly, charts, sending them all plummeting out of the gaping hole.

Outside, Nami felt a hand on her shoulder.

"That's a good sign, Nami," Usopp reassured her. "They are fighting for you."

"Thank you…" Nami thought, touched by their actions.

Amidst the chaos of destroying the charts, Arlong seized Shiki by the throat, prompting Luffy to intervene. But before Luffy could reach Arlong, the fishman struck first, delivering a blow that sent Luffy reeling.

"How dare you ruin 8 years of Nami's work!" Arlong bellowed, sinking his teeth into Shiki's neck.

"Shiki!" Luffy yelled, rushing to his brother's aid, sinking his own teeth into Arlong's shoulder.

"Keep it up, Luffy!" Shiki encouraged, grappling with Arlong's nose. "I don't care about how great Fishmen are! I don't care about sea charts or any of that! I'm here to kick your ass, take Nami out to sea with us, and help my brother find the One Piece!"

"He tastes disgusting…" Luffy thought, pushing through his disgust.

"So none of that stuff means anything to me!" Shiki continued, attempting to pry Arlong off. "But I've figured out a way to save Nami! Luffy, now!"

Luffy released his grip on Arlong, allowing Shiki to bend the fishman's nose and loosen his hold.

"That's got to hurt…" Luffy mused.

"The problem is this room… maybe if I destroy it, then she'll find peace!" Shiki declared, his body enveloped in flames as he stretched his leg high into the air. "Blaze Dragon…"

"You think that a puny human and his idiotic brother can bring down Arlong Park?" Arlong scoffed, straining against Shiki's hold.

"That's my brother!" Shiki shouted defiantly.

Arlong lunged forward with his "Shark Tooth" attack, but Luffy intercepted with a powerful punch before Arlong could reach Shiki.

Luffy then tossed the fish in front of Shiki. "Finish him off, bro!" said Luffy.

Shiki nodded and swiftly ended Arlong with a powerful kick, sending him crashing down to the first floor.

"It's over…" sighed Luffy, "I can't get the taste of shark out of my mouth…" Shiki chuckled at the comment.

That's when everything began to shake. On the outside, everyone could see the fortress collapsing.

"It was too much force… it's collapsing!" exclaimed one of the townspeople.

"We have to get back to Nami!" said Usopp.

"But Shiki and Luffy are still in there!" protested Nami.

"Don't worry… those two are strong, they'll make it!" assured Usopp.

The entire fortress collapsed, and everyone managed to escape the debris, well, almost everyone. A large chunk hit Zoro on the head, who was asleep.

"What's with all the racket!" yelled Zoro.

"You were asleep the whole time!" retorted Usopp, then realizing, "Oh, never mind… you need your rest…"

Nami stood there trembling, everyone staring at the wreckage, hoping for a sign of life. Two figures emerged from the debris—Shiki and Luffy.

"Go on and say it…" said Luffy, patting Shiki's back.

Shiki took a deep breath, "Nami!" he yelled as everyone fell silent, awaiting his words.

"Welcome to the Straw Hats," Shiki smiled.

Tears welled up in Nami's eyes as she nodded.

Shiki then fainted.

Luffy caught his brother and brought him to the crew. The crew was worried.

"What's wrong with him?!" asked Nami, concerned.

Luffy just chuckled, "Oh, he's fine, he's just tired, that's all," said Luffy.

The crew sighed in relief. With that, everyone began to cheer and celebrate Arlong's defeat.