-Chapter One Hundred and Ninety-
"Just you wait, I'll end this soon!" Foxy huffed. "Slow Slow Beam Sword!" he pulled the stick in his front pocket out, revealing that it was actually a sword made from his Slow Slow Beam. "You'll have to do better than that!" he sneered.
"Oh no! He can't dodge!" Usopp cried as Luffy's leg was hit by the sword, instantly slowing its momentum. "His poor legs are too worn out to run!" he wailed in realization.
"It's too cruel, I can't stand to watch!" Chopper sobbed.
"You just have to have faith in him, he'll win—I know he will!" I confidently huffed, refusing to be despaired like the rest.
"Here, let me put you to rest!" Foxy grinned, pulling a lever and causing a cannonball to be shot toward the rubber man. "Slow Slow Beam!" quickly, he slowed the momentum of the cannonball before it could get too far.
"Boss goes on the offensive! He slowed down the cannonball, but to what end?" Itomimizu pondered as the long-nosed captain hopped onto the slow-moving cannonball.
"Flying Foxy Fighter!" Foxy held up a strange object that was in the shape of a bird. "Watch out for my flying fists! They're going to knock you out at the speed of a cannonball!" he warned.
"He's using the Flying Foxy Fighter to finish his blow! It may be slow now, but once the beam wears off, there's no escape!" Itomimizu gasped.
"Listen, he used his beam on you a few seconds before the ball, dodge as soon as you're back to normal!" Sanji shouted.
"I can move!" Luffy cheered once he finally got his momentum back.
"Oh! Straw Hat recovers, but it's too late!" Itomimizu announced as the captain dodged out of the way of the line of attack.
"Nice try, but I'm too fast!" Foxy laughed, changing his direction as he shot forward and punched Luffy in the face—instantly sending the rubber man flying back into some barrels.
"Watch out! That thing's going to blow!" Usopp cried as the Flying Foxy Fighter shot toward Luffy.
"Here you go, a parting gift!" Foxy mockingly laughed as the weapon hit its mark and exploded on impact.
"A direct hit! Ow!" Itomimizu winced. "I don't think Straw Hat will be getting up from that one."
"Oh no! Luffy!" Chopper worriedly as I leaned over coughing—throat painfully sore from the strain I was putting it through...makes me wish I still had that drink from earlier. Sucking in a large amount of air, I straightened my back out and stood tall.
"Stand up and fight! I know you can hear me and I know you're not down for the count!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. "So please, all I'm asking is for you to stand up and give it your all because if you lose this match! I'll kick your ass!" I fell into another harsh coughing fit as Chopper grabbed my hand and ushered me to sit back down.
"You're straining your voice too much—keep this up and you'll lose your voice" he scolded like any good friend and doctor would.
"Thanks for the concern, but I don't care" I croaked. "If I can cheer on Luffy then I'd gladly lose my voice" I smiled, causing him to huff even as his expression softened.
"That jerk! Is he trying to kill him?" Nami huffed before brightening as the smoke cleared away and we saw that Luffy was back on his feet.
"He's back up!" Itomimizu gaped as the crowd grew rowdy once more.
"B-but how?!" someone sputtered in shock as the rubber man stumbled a bit before straightening himself back out.
"You're going down!" Luffy angrily screamed.
"Is that so?" Foxy questioned. "Then how do you plan to beat me if you can't even stand up straight? But never mind, if that's how you want it then I'll just have to pound your face in until you stay down for good!" he rushed the rubber man with a shout. "Megaton Nine Tails!"
"Now, Gum Gum...!" Luffy stretched his arms back before shooting them forward as Foxy began his own attack—the two ready to clash head-on at the same time.
"Such intensity! Both fighters are unleashing a fury of fists at lightning speed!" Itomimizu gaped.
"Go! Slaughter that fox!" Usopp laughed.
"You can do it!" Chopper shouted.
"Finish him!" I cheered.
"So fast, so strong, so brutal!" Itomimizu gawked as the crowd started to roar with utter excitement, all of them eager to see who was going to come out on top.
"Slow Slow Beam!" Foxy shouted the second he realized that he wasn't going to win this.
"Wait...what?" Usopp gawked, shocked when he saw that the beam wasn't hitting Luffy at all.
"He stopped moving" Nami owlishly blinked as Foxy instead seemed to freeze in place.
"Who knew Luffy had such a deviously smart trick up his sleeve" I chuckled, grinning as I watched how the opposing captain's beam was instantly reflected right back at him.
"I...I think Straw Hat is beat?" Itomimizu questioned, unsure what was happening as Luffy suddenly dropped to his hands and knees. "No, wait—he's on his knees, but he's still moving! Unlike our boss who's standing but strangely frozen in place!" he realized.
"How did he...?" Nami tilted her head.
"Oh no, boss!" the crowd worriedly wailed as a shard of glass dropped from Luffy's hand.
"It's a mirror! A piece of mirror has fallen from Straw Hat's hand!" Itomimizu gawked.
"It was stuck in my afro...I got it when I broke the mirror..." Luffy panted as Foxy started to sluggishly move. "Gum Gum..." he swung his arm around and smashed his fist against the opposing captain's face—walking away the minute his arm snapped back into place as the hit slowly started to register on Foxy's face.
"Boss no!" one of the men in the crowd gasped.
"Eight seconds..." Zoro counted.
"Could this be the end?" Itomimizu asked.
"Seven seconds..." Sanji counted.
"To what?" Nami frowned.
"Six..." Robin and I smiled.
"Say it ain't so!" the crowd wailed.
"Five!" Usopp laughed. "Hey, you guys, don't just sit there! Count along with me! Four!" he encouraged as he turned to face the crowd.
"Three!" they chanted, the sharpshooter's excitement instantly infectious as they seemed to almost forget their concern. "Two! One!" the effects of the beam finally started to wear off as Foxy was sent flying high into the sky.
"Yeah!" I loudly cheered, eagerly jumping up from my seat alongside Robin and Chopper.
"He's flying!" the crowd gaped.
"Up goes our boss, high in the sky!" Itomimizu announced.
"Oh no, boss! Come back!" the crowd panicked as I quickly raced down the steps of the stands with Robin and Chopper following close behind.
"Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!" Nami and Usopp cheered as I rushed past them and flung myself at Zoro—arms weaving themselves around his neck as I straddled and clung to him from where he still sat. Brightly did I smile when he reached up and tangled his fingers into my hair before giggling as he smashed his lips against my own.
"And now he finally comes down outside of the battlefield! Ladies and gentlemen, the final round of the Davy Back Fight has come to an end after an epic battle between captains" Itomimizu said as Foxy landed in the water. "Our boss's legendary record of nine hundred and twenty-one wins and zero losses has been broken! Let's hear it for Straw Hat Luffy!" he cheered.
"Stop! That tickles!" breaking mine and Zoro's kiss, I looked toward a laughing Nami who was currently attempting to push back against Sanji who was trying to kiss her.
"Seems you weren't the only one in a celebratory kissing mood" I teasingly giggled, turning back to press my forehead against Zoro's as I gently held his face.
"Yeah, well at least I'm not being a creep about it" he scoffed, causing me to snort as he closed his eyes and leaned into my touch.
"Our boss really lost..." one of the men mumbled in disbelief.
"We've seen it all today, folks" Itomimizu sighed as he started to wrap things up for this round.
"Hey, don't just sit there, guys! The boss needs our help—let's do something!" someone in the crowd shouted.
"You can count me in—let's go!" another nodded.