"It's okay, you guys—although flying fish are faster than Fishmen, you don't have to worry," Pappagg trilled, his tiny voice carrying across the Sunny's deck. His casual cheer drew every anxious gaze, and even Duval snorted in disbelief.
"You see," Pappagg went on, puffing his starfish chest, "mermaids hold the title for fastest in the ocean. Camie will bring Sanji back—no problem."
"Camieee!! Please take care of Sanji!" Luffy cried, voice raw with hope. The plea hung over the waves like a banner—then the sea answered in thunder: the Flying Fish Riders hauled up a monstrous anchor, chains squealing like a beast awakened.
"Watch out—if they drop that thing on us, we're done for!" Usopp howled, sprinting for cover. The anchor loomed, a shadow swallowing the Sunny's deck. Lucas shot up the mainmast, eyes narrowing. "They're aiming—now." Brook called the warning; the Riders' hands tensed on ropes.
In an instant the anchor plummeted. Iron and rope screamed through the air, wind tearing sails. The Sunny's deck flashed with panic—hands clutch at rails, Chopper's face went white.
Lucas changed. A green ripple shivered up his form; he shrank, then—Upchuck—his mouth gaped and tendrils unfurled. With a grotesque GURK, he lunged at the falling mass and swallowed the anchor whole. The iron vanished in a wet, echoing gulp.
Chopper and Luffy's mouths fell open. "Whaaa!" they breathed. Nami's lip curled in mild disgust; Franky's jaw dropped in awed approval. Duval and his Riders stared, slack-jawed. The sea echoed the impossible sound of metal being digested.
Lucas wasn't finished. He vaulted from the mast, launched himself toward a nearby floating structure, and belched a glowing green orb—Acidic Burst—that detonated against a support strut. The base buckled; a chunk of platform sheared away and plunged into the sea with a thunder of splintered wood.
Usopp and Franky whooped, eyes glittering at Lucas. Luffy and Chopper cheered, breathless. Even Nami allowed a small smile as the Riders reeled from that unexpected volley.
Moments later Camie burst from the surf, cradling Sanji. He coughed and sputtered, a crimson smear at his nose, but alive. Chopper's medical bag flew open; he fussed and patched, bandages wrapping and antiseptic steaming in the briny air. Usopp, ever melodramatic, stared blankly. "If he dies… well, he looks happy anyway," he muttered before choking on guilt.
Duval scoffed. "What the hell is wrong with you freaks?" A Rider hissed, "They're all maniacs!"
Duval's voice slithered into fury. "Fine. If you want to see real wrath, watch this." He invoked Motobaro—his giant bison enforcer—and the platform trembled as the beast stomped forward, nostrils flaring.
"Luffy—look out!" Chopper cried. Motobaro charged like a landslide. Wide shot: the bison's hooves hammered steel, spray flinging off its fur. Close-up: its eyes burn with a predator's hunger. Luffy planted his feet, grin blooming as if the approaching stampede were a tickle. He didn't move.
Motobaro hit him with the full force of its charge—wind raked sails, boards shuddered—yet Luffy stood unmoved, muscles flexing like coiled springs. The horned beast neighed and froze; sweat beaded along its flanks. Something in Luffy's presence—raw, unshakable confidence—beat at the giant's instincts. The bison squealed, wheeled, and then fled in panic, crashing through the base and collapsing in a heap, snorting and shuddering until unconscious.
Franky and Usopp blinked. "It ran away?" Usopp whispered. "Without us even doing anything?" Franky pumped a fist. "We didn't even get to SUPER it!" Luffy shrugged, smug.
Duval's face twisted, veins throbbing. He lunged, harpoon spitting, but Sanji—patched, furious—leapt back into the fight. He moved like a hurricane in slippers: a ballet of kicks, air-piercing strikes that shredded armor and reformed tempers. Sanji's Parage Shot-style barrage—fast, articulate blows through cheek, jaw, and throat—dismantled Duval's smug expression until the boss's face looked like a beaten mask.
The Riders tried to snare Sanji with a steel net. He fought the iron like a living flame—kicking ropes like they were noodles—then, in a breath, was dragged toward the water. Camie sprang with him; the sea roiled as she dove to shield him with blazing speed. Waves crashed white, boots skidded, nets tore.
Nami barked orders; Zoro and Brook slashed with surgical precision, while Lucas morphed back—quiet, composed—his purple Omnitrix gleaming. Luffy, hair plastered with spray, punched a wake that knocked the last Riders off balance. Sanji, grim and dignified even with a bleeding nose, delivered a final spiraling kick that toppled Duval like a felled statue.
The Straw Hats gathered on deck—soaked, ragged, laughing with the adrenaline still humming in their veins. Afterwards when things dulled down, Hachi pressed a tray of steaming takoyaki from his small boat Tako8yaki to the Sunny's planks, while Camie and Pappagg grinned.
(I just noticed Luffy once called Hachi TakoHachi and first I thought it's just Luffy giving people nicknames but Hachi's sign or mast literally is Tako8yaki it's literally takohachiyaki)
"Good job, everyone," Nami said, wiping salt from her lips. Luffy planted his straw hat back and grinned, "Let's eat!"