Chapter 17: East Blue Arc: Luffy at Full Power! Nami's Determination and the Straw Hat!

"To kill me?" Arlong echoed. "You never learn, do you?" he mocked. "How many times did you try to kill me during the eight years you were with us? You tried assassination, poison, sneak attacks. Were you able to actually kill me? You must be completely aware that you mere humans can't kill me. Now, listen, I won't kill you and you can't escape from me. Nami, you'll be our surveyor forever. But, as you know, I'm a good-natured man. If possible, I want you to be our surveyor at your own free will. So, how about this? I'll be killing everyone here except you. But if you happily come back to the Arlong Pirates and draw sea charts as one of the leaders, I don't mind letting those people from Cocoyashi village live."

"Waterstrike." Sasha powered up her crystal sword. "Tsunami." she brought the blade up, casting a tidal wave at Arlong and blasting him into a damaged wall. "You talk too much." the water elementalist retorted, not at all repentant that she had interrupted the fishman in mid-speech.

"I see." Arlong noted, pulling himself from the rubble. "I didn't know there is someone like you who uses water as a weapon. I suppose I might have underestimated you a little. Out of my way, little girl."

"Egg Star!" Usopp's flying egg came in, Arlong splitting the egg before it hit him. "I've got your back, Sasha! Fight to the fullest extent!" he shouted from the gaping hole in the wall. "Listen, Nami." he grinned. "I beat one of the leaders."

"You defeated Chew?" Arlong echoed.

"I won't let you have your way." Hatchan swore, getting to his feet.

"Zoro, your target's still not dead yet." Sasha nodded at Hatchan. "Watera..." she raised her sword, readying her new attack as Arlong found himself encased by a huge water bubble. "Edge!" she brought down her blade, firing a crescent-shaped water blade at the trapped Arlong, the force throwing him back as the water bubble dispelled.

"Roronoa Zoro, I won't let you get your way!" Hatchan promised. "I'll crush your friend who's still asleep!" he rushed towards Luffy.

"I won't let you!" Zoro blocked off Hatchan's attempted assault.

"You don't have to be concerned since you'll all be dead, after all." Arlong chuckled, stabbing his pointed nose at Sasha.

"Pressure Blade!" Sasha fortified her weapon to guard against the jab.

"I'm back!" Luffy declared, after coughing out the water he had swallowed.

"That damn rubber man!" Arlong growled.

"You're late, idiot." Zoro muttered, Hatchan having fallen over once more due to the reopening of his injuries.

"Oi, Sasha, I'm tagging in!" Luffy shouted at his sister. "Gum-Gum Bell!" he extended his neck and headbutted Arlong. "And, Whip!" he kicked Arlong off. "Gum-Gum Pistol Gatling!" he rained punches on Arlong's chest, sending the fishman crashing into the building.

"Idiot." Sasha muttered, vanishing her weapon after her brother took over the fight.

"Indeed." Zoro agreed, returning to the group.

"Water Heal Dome." Sasha formed a hemisphere of water around Zoro and Sanji, the healing mist that sprayed out slowly closing both fighter's wounds.

"Did you do something?" Arlong mocked, climbing out of the rubble unharmed.

"Yep." Luffy cracked his fists. "That was my warm-up."

"What a bunch of scums nobly hanging on." Arlong tsked. "You'd have been happier if you died at the bottom of the sea."

"Not really." Luffy corrected. "I'm happy that Sasha saved me."

"Can you understand my anger?" Arlong glared. "It's the anger of seeing my dear brothers crushed by worms. You'll realize soon enough that you should've died without fighting. What's the terrifying difference between you and me?"

"Nose." Luffy replied plainly. "Jaw? Webs!"

"Species!" Arlong roared and bent forward to catch Luffy with his teeth. Getting frustrated that Luffy was dodging his strikes, Arlong finally managed to trap the rubber teen against a pillar and reached forward to bite Luffy's head off. Luffy pulled his head aside, causing Arlong to bite the stone pillar instead.

"That's scary!" Luffy gulped, moving out of the crumbling building after Arlong's jaws shattered the pillar.

"You see?" Arlong turned to his opponent. "This is the inherent power of a fishman. Heaven discriminated against you humans and made you powerless creatures that bow before fishmen. You humans are inferior creatures. We were on a different level from the moment we were born. I'll show you the real difference between you and me."

"Yeah, why don't you?" Luffy accepted the challenge. "No way I'll lose to a fish."