Nami's brow snapped down as Luffy tumbled onto the deck. "What the heck were you even thinking, you idiot?!"
Her fist connected with his jaw in a sharp WHACK, and Luffy's eyes spun before he grinned sheepishly. Meanwhile, Zoro had already sprinted across the wet planks, three swords drawn, and sliced through the iron bars of Hachinosu's cage in one effortless arc.
"Nyuu! I'm free—thanks, Roronoa Zoro! You guys are amazing!" Hachi cheered as he somersaulted off the platform, his tail flicking back a pair of Makuro-gang Fishmen who'd lunged at him. With fluid punches and a final spinning kick, he sent them crashing into the waves below.
On deck, Luffy shook off the shock. His grin widened when six Flying Fish Riders burst through the mist, harpoons leveled. A crackling voice boomed from the transponder snail overhead: "Why don't one of you try a 'Zero Fight'? I'll cover your medical bills—up to a million beri."
"Got it, boss!" one Rider barked, hefting a metal club the size of a log.
"Guys—huge incoming!" Chopper cried, pointing skyward.
Sanji tapped his cigarette out on the rail. "Looks like a kamikaze attack. Brace yourselves."
Brook adjusted his top hat, bowing theatrically. "If he rams us at that speed, we'll sink the Sunny—oh, the irony. I'd drown again… though, technically, I'm already dead! Yohohoho!"
"Luffy, handle the fishmen!" Sanji called.
"Got it!" Luffy sprang upright as the first Rider dove like a spear. He stretched his torso into a perfect sphere—Gum-Gum Balloon—and met the impact with a POOOF!. The Rider's club clanged off his chest, shattering mid-swing. Luffy rebounded, grabbed the stunned Rider by the ankles, and flung him across the deck with a triumphant shout: "Dinner's served!"
"Wow—you guys were amazing!" Chopper cheered as Sanji landed beside him in a graceful pirouette. Robin leaned on the rail, arms crossed in admiration. "Quite the spectacle."
Above, a second Rider circled, harpoon raised. He dove toward Usopp with predatory speed, but Usopp's cowardly instincts kicked in—he rolled aside with a terrified Whaaaah!
"Persistent pests," Luffy muttered. "I still wanna ride one of these!"
"Give it a rest," Nami snapped. "You'll just drag yourself into the ocean again."
Suddenly, Brook vaulted skyward, disappearing into the clouds. The others stared, mouths agape as he reappeared among three Riders, violin in hand.
"Lullaby Flèche!" he intoned, bow dancing across strings.
Three harp-like notes twined through the air. The Riders and their flying fish blinked—and then slumped, asleep in mid-air. They plummeted like raindrops, splashing onto the waves below.
"Wh-what just happened?" Chopper blinked, rubbing his head.
Luffy yawned against the rail. "Nice work, Brook…"
Before the slumbering trio hit the water, Brook dashed across the surface, sword slicing through saddles. The thunks of collapsing wood roused the Riders with splutters and splashes.
"Hey, Brook—good call," Luffy mumbled, stretching and yawning. Spotting another fish streaking by, he grabbed its fin to hitch a ride—only to discover its Rider was also snoring.
"Gyaaah! He's asleep too!" Luffy screamed as he careened fang-first into the base's central tower.
The wood creaked ominously. Luffy staggered back—then froze. A scarred face in a horned helmet peered at him through the splintered wall.
"Aaaah! You…!"
The boss slammed on his helmet with a CLUNK. "You saw…"
Above the deck, a violet blur streaked across the sky. Lucas rocketed upward, aura crackling, and morphed into Jetray-Purple Storm. His wings spread like dark thunderheads as he hovered at the base's rim.
Jetray-Purple Storm's Five-Shot Barrage:
- In a wide aerial sweep, he gathers kinetic energy, the Omnitrix glowing purple across his chest.
- Close-up on his clenched fist as violet sparks crackle, then flare outward.
- He unleashes twin Chaos Lasers—twin arches of amethyst light that slice the sky, vaporizing two Riders in a flash.
- Pivoting on one wingtip, he fires a rapid Storm Scatter: three pinpoint blasts that shatter fish-armor and send harpoons raining into the sea.
- Final close-up on his stern gaze as he drops into a Nova Shot—a coalescing sphere of purple flame that detonates, blasting the last airborne Rider into the ocean below.
Back on the deck, smoke curled from Zoro's slashes and Brook's sword strikes. Hachi sat atop a chunk of wreckage, catching his breath. Luffy burst through the haze—only to skid to a halt as poison-dipped harpoons embedding the deck mere inches from his toes.
"There's an even bigger one coming," Brook called.
"A cow…?" Luffy mumbled.
"More like a bison," Zoro corrected, blades ready.
A guttural BUOOOH! boomed as a massive shape burst through the shattered tower. The deck trembled beneath cloven hooves.
Usopp shrieked, diving behind Chopper. "Somethin' came out!"
The beast stomped forward: Motobaro the Flint-Horn Bison, horns branded with black iron, eyes like molten metal. He hefted a spiked club that dwarfed any Sword of Zoro's making.
"You're not mosquitoes or flies," Motobaro rumbled, voice echoing like an avalanche. "You're the real threat. Once the Straw Hats are dead, this base is worthless."
The surviving Riders quailed, heads bowed. "Our deepest apologies, boss. We'll drag them into the ocean at once!"
Hachi backed away, tail flicking anxiously.
"Out of my way!" Motobaro snarled, each word stamping the deck. "I have no business with Fishmen or mermaids. If you want to run, run! I don't care!"
His tone dropped, low and gravel-deep. "I haven't done this because I enjoy it—you know that, don't you?"
The Riders whispered in unison: "Of course, boss!"
As dawn light cut through the mist, the Straw Hats squared off—Luffy bouncing on his heels, Zoro's swords gleaming, Sanji's cigarette smoke curling around his footwork, Brook's violin at the ready, and Jetray-Purple Storm hovering like a thunder god.
Motobaro charged. The deck trembled.