Another Nakama IV

by QPython

There's another pirate on board the Going Merry. Follow the Straw Hats as they challenge the World Government and the best they have to offer in order to protect their crew and pursue their dreams. ABANDONED SHIP.

3. Round 2

Another Nakama IV

Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit fanfic. One Piece and all the related characters are owned by Funimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, Shueisha, Shonnan Jump Manga and Eiichiro Oda. QPython only owns the original characters that he created for this story.'

Round 2:

-x-

Ricky, Zoro and Sanji stood together on a large field that was the size of a soccer pitch. White lines had been painted in the grass to form a large rectangle. Another line went through the middle of the field to divide it in half. Each half had a large white circle painted in the middle and then at the far opposite ends of the field were two large red and white striped rings for goals.

The remaining Straw Hat Pirates and the Foxy Pirates had gathered all around the huge field to watch the second round of the Davy Back Fight.

"So how's this ball game go?" Zoro asked.

"Ricky says we have to get a ball into a hole," Sanji answered. "I guess he meant that ring over there on the far side."

"Sound simple enough," Zoro replied. "Where's the ball?"

"One of the players on each team is the ball," Ricky stated.

"Okay, so we just need to knock one of the other guys into the goal," Sanji reasoned.

"Yup," Ricky confirmed. "But now the loud mouth on the bird is going to explain it and make everything more complicated."

"WELCOME TO ROUND 2: THE GROGGY RING!" Itomimizu announced as he flew over the field on Chirp Chirp. "I WILL NOW EXPLAIN THE RULES. WE HAVE A PLAYING FIELD AND WE HAVE TWO GOALS. KNOCK THE BALL INTO THE GOAL AND YOU WIN! HOWEVER, THE BALL ISN'T ACTUALLY A BALL. THE BALLS ARE PEOPLE! BOTH TEAMS MUST SELECT SOMEONE TO BE THE BALL."

"Which one of you guys is gonna be the ball?" a fat Foxy Pirate barked as he came over with a red and white striped ball.

Zoro eyed the straps on the ball. "You mean we have to wear that stupid thing on our head?" Zoro pointed over his shoulder to Sanji. "It should fit him."

"Who said you get to pick!" Sanji snapped. "I'm not wearing that stupid thing! You're the ball you moss-headed bastard!"

"Just give it to me," Ricky requested. The Foxy Pirate tossed Ricky the ball.

Suddenly, the Foxy Pirates started chanting. "UNGA-LAKA-LAKA! UNGA-LAKA-LAKA! UNGA-LAKA-LAKA!"

"THEREIT IS! THEIR ENTRANCE THEME SONG! IT'S TIME TO WELCOME BACK THE UNDISPUTED ELITES OF THE GROGGY RING!"

Everyone's attention went to the silver fox head on Foxy's ship the Sexy Foxy. The fox's mouth dropped down like an elevator to reveal Ricky, Zoro and Sanji's opponents.

"THEY'RE UNDEFEATED, UNBEATABLE, UNSTOPPABLE!"

"Gah!" Nami and Usopp stared in wide-eyed horror at the sheer size of the opposing team.

"YEAH! CRUSH 'EM!" a Foxy Pirate cheered.

The Foxy crew continued their chant, "UNGA-LAKA-LAKA! UNGA-LAKA-LAKA!"

"THE FAMOUS GROGGY MONSTERS HAVE TAKEN THE FIELD! FIRST, IS THE TEAM CAPTAIN 'FULL DASH' HAMBURG…"

The first of the menacing trio was the leader Hamburg. At twenty feet tall, Foxy's right hand man was the smallest of the three Groggy Monsters. He wore his normal blue bottoms and elbow length-foxy gloves.

"FOLLOWING BEHIND HIM IS 'TACKLE MACHINE' PICKLES…"

Pickles towered over Hamburg at nearly forty feet tall. He was a huge round man with tanned skin that wore a foxy eye mask and foxy ears on his head. He wore dark green pants and a light green top with a v-cut neck. Pickle's arms weren't as thick as Hamburg but they were still incredibly long and hung down to the huge round man's knees. Those long arms were clad in a pair of green elbow length Foxy gloves and at the top of the huge, long arms were two round metal shoulder pads.

"AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, THE HALF-GIANT, HALF-FISHMAN HIMSELF… BIG PAN THE WOTAN!"

If Pickles was big, the mountain of a man that towered over him was enormous. Big Pan showcased his half-giant heritage and stood at a gigantic sixty feet tall. He had a long scruffy red beard and red hair that was shaved into a Mohawk-like mane that ran all the way down his back to his waist. Most of Big Pan's huge muscular body was exposed which revealed the brown fishman markings that went up one arm, across his shoulders and down the other. He wore a short pair of yellow boots that went halfway up to his knees, yellow trunks and yellow gloves that went halfway up to his elbows.

"PRESENTING… THE GROGGY MONSTERS!"

The ground shook as Hamburg, Pickles and Big Pan marched out onto the field.

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed at the sight of Big Pan, "What is that?"

"Waah!" Chopper the newest Foxy Pirate gasped in shock.

"THAT FISHMAN IS GINORMOUS!" Nami shrieked.

"OH CRAP!" Usopp exclaimed, "HE'S THE ONE WEARING THE BALL MARKER!"

It was true, all the way up Big Pan's huge, muscular body, perched on the top of his head was the tiny red and white ball marker.

"Fehfehfehfehfeh!" Foxy laughed. "You'll never beat them!"

Hamburg, Pickles and Big Pan reached the middle of the field and cast a huge shadow over the three Straw Hats.

Sanji stood at five foot nine and a half, Zoro stood at five foot ten, Ricky stood at six feet. The three of them barely came up to the top of the twenty-foot Hamburg's waist.

Sanji scowled up at their opponents, "Disappointed?" he asked.

Zoro cracked his neck, "Not at all."

"Should at least be interesting," Ricky stated.

"THE GROGGY MONSTERS HAVE TAKEN THE FIELD. THEIR OPPONENTS ON THE STRAW HAT TEAM ARE THE 'SAVAGE CHEF' SANJI…"

"I think you mean stylish chef," Sanji said. He didn't seem pleased with his new nickname.

"BESIDE HIM, WITH A BOUNTY OF SIXTY MILLION BERRIES… 'PIRATE HUNTER' RORONOA ZORO…"

"Hmph…" Zoro grunted.

"AND THEIR PARTNER, THE HORRIBLE EXCUSE FOR A BIRD-STEALING COLOR COMMENTATOR FROM THE FIRST ROUND… 'ONE EYE' RICKY…"

"Right, I'm the horrible excuse for a commentator," Ricky muttered, "He could at least pretend to be objective."

"It hardly seems to be worth our time to squash some pipsqueaks like these," Pickles taunted from across the half-court line. "Right, Big Pan?"

Big Pan slowly raised his long arm to his ear, "Huh…?"

"Pupupupupu!" Hamburg laughed, "He can't hear you!"

"Man, what do these guys eat?" Sanji wondered as he stared up at their huge opponents.

"We'll start out with a coin toss," the referee announced. He was a skinny man with tan skin, pale hair and a short red nose. He wore a yellow and black striped shirt and a Foxy mask. He held out his white coved hand with a gold coin on it and flipped it. Flik!

"Tails," Hamburg called it.

"What about you?" the referee asked the Straw Hats.

"Kinda has to be heads," Sanji pointed out.

The referee looked down and saw Foxy's face smiling up at him. "It's tails." The crooked referee smirked and turned to the Groggy Monsters. "Field or ball?"

"Ball please," Hamburg requested.

"YOU HEARD 'EM! THE GROGGY MONSTERS HAVE CHOSEN THE BALL!"

"It landed on heads," Ricky muttered.

"THE STRAW HATS' BALL-MAN MUST NOW ENTER THE OTHER TEAM'S MID-CIRCLE. THE BALL MEN ARE THE PLAYERS WITH THE SILLY LITTLE HATS ON THEIR HEADS. KNOCK THE OPPONENTS BALL MAN INTO THE RING ON THEIR SIDE OF THE FIELD AND THE GAME IS YOURS."

"Hey Ball-Man, get in position already," Zoro ordered Sanji.

"I never agreed to be the ball in the first place!" Sanji reminded him. "You'd better shut your mouth unless you want a boot to the teeth."

"Guys, guy!" Ricky spoke up, "We won't stand a chance in this game unless we can work together here. We have to win Chopper back so this isn't the time for you two to be fighting."

"How am I supposed to look cool with that stupid ball on my head?" Sanji protested.

"You never look cool anyway!" Zoro retorted. "You really gonna cry over a hat? I think it would look good on you."

"WHAT'D YOU SAY TO ME JACKASS!" Sanji yelled. "LIKE I'D FALL FOR THAT!"

"RICKY! ZORO! SANJI!" Luffy cheered from the sideline where he, Usopp, Nami and Robin all stood together. "WE'RE COUNTING ON YOU!"

"I'm sorry we lost the last round you guys," Usopp sobbed. "It's up to you now! Please get Chopper back! You've gotta!"

"Wow, it's a real Wotan," Nami observed as she stared at the half-giant, half-fishman Big Pan.

"They actually aren't even as large as pure blooded giants," Robin informed her. "But he's still pretty big."

"FEHFEHFEHFEH!" Foxy laughed as he strutted passed the Straw Hats. "Don't bother cheering for your friends! It's no use!" Foxy pointed at his monstrous team. "Those guys are more than just muscle! They are Groggy Ring experts!"

"Oh, hey split-head," Luffy noted Foxy's presence. "Did you want something?"

Foxy dropped to his knees and moped, "He… he called me split-head again…"

"Aw Boss!" Porche cried out as she ran over and knelt down next to Foxy. "You poor thing!" Porche helped Foxy back to his feet and glared at the Straw Hats. "Why would you be so cruel to this sweet gentle man?"

Porche's words were enough to get Foxy feeling cocky again. "What's with that face?" Foxy taunted Luffy and Usopp who were both glaring at him. "If you're afraid that I'm going to interfere again, then don't worry. I won't even need to in this round, you babies!"

"Don't tell me you can butt-in on this game too!" Nami complained, still sore about Foxy costing her team the Donut Race.

"Yup," Foxy replied. "It all depends on how the Captain feels! Naturally, some pirates like to fight fair and square so that they can test the strength of their crew. Others will cheat any way they can to make sure they never lose a match. BUT I JUST DO WHATEVER I WANT! FEHFEHFEHFEHFEH!"

"Nyya!" Porche pulled down her eyelid and stuck her tongue out at Nami.

"I don't see why you're complaining about a little foul-play here and there," Foxy remarked. "If you're a real pirate you should be used to these sorts of things, right? The sea is treacherous."

"You would know," Nami spat.

"By the way," Foxy said, "It doesn't seem like your team is getting along to well…"

"YOU WEREN'T EVEN SUPPOSED TO BE ON THIS TEAM!" Sanji yelled at Zoro. "I SAY YOU WEAR THE BALL!"

"I thought you were supposed to be Mr. Prince?" Zoro asked. "That ball could be your crown… as the Prince of Lame-Asses."

"YOU BASTARD!" Sanji yelled at he launched himself at Zoro for a flurry of kicks but Zoro deflected the kicks with his swords and swung the blades at Sanji.

"Are you guys gonna pick a Ball-Man or not?" Pickles demanded.

"Pupupupupu!" Hamburg laughed at the other team fighting amongst themselves.

"Guys, quit fighting!" Ricky ordered. "Come on! We're fighting them, not each other."

"I DON'T NEED HIM ON MY TEAM!" Zoro and Sanji yelled at the same time.

"FEHFEHFEHFEH!" Foxy laughed at the bickering Straw Hats.

"Grrr…" Nami growled, "RICKY! GET IT TOGETHER!"

"ENOUGH!" Ricky snapped as he shoved Zoro and Sanji apart. "If neither of you wants to wear the ball then I'll wear the stupid thing and be the Ball-Man." Ricky pulled off his white beret and slipped it into his pocket then put the silly-looking ball on top of his head and tied it on. "But this means you two are going to have to work together on offense. Got it?"

"Whatever," Sanji scoffed. "I don't need him anyway."

"Shut up, fancy-cook!" Zoro snarled, "You're just gonna get in my way!"

"QUIT WASTING TIME!" Usopp yelled. "START THE MATCH!"

"HEY! NO WEAPONS ON THE FIELD!" the referee barked at Zoro. "Lose the swords!"

"THAT'S RIGHT! THIS IS A BALL GAME! WE CAN'T HAVE YOU SLICING EACH OTHER UP! NO WEAPONS ALLOWED!"

"I warned you about this," Ricky reminded Zoro. "This is why you weren't on our original Groggy Ring Team. Why do you think I left my sword back on the ship?"

Zoro handed his three swords over to the referee then pounded his fists together. Pow!

"Fine," he stated. "My fists are all I need."

"You sure you're gonna be okay out there?" Sanji asked. "A swordsman without his swords is just… a normal guy. Now who's the Prince of Lame-Asses?"

"WHY YOU!" Zoro yelled as he launched himself at Sanji and lashed out with his bare fists. Sanji spun and blocked Zoro's punches with his feet and retaliated with a barrage of kicks.

"Good grief," Ricky groaned as his two teammates started fighting each other again. "This is why I wanted Chopper on the team. GUYS! I'M GONNA START THE MATCH! GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER!"

Ricky turned and followed the Groggy Monsters onto their side of the field.

"IT LOOKS LIKE THE STRAW HAT'S BALL-MAN IS FINALLY MAKING HIS WAY TO THE OPPONENTS' MID-CIRCLE."

"I HOPE YOU GET TRAMPLED!" Zoro growled as he swung at Sanji face.

Swish! Sanji dodged the punch and lashed out with a kick, "UP YOURS!"

"And they're still fighting…" Ricky noted as he stood in the far circle with the three Groggy Monsters towering over him.

"Hey Big Pan, are you ready to make some grown men cry?" Pickles asked.

"…huh?" Big Pan grunted.

"Pupupupupu!" Hamburg laughed. "He can't hear you!"

"Eh?" Pickles questioned then laughed as he turned and patted Big Pan's stomach, "Heh heh ha! Heh heh ha! Come on, man! Pay attention for once! Heh heh ha!"

"Pupupupupu!" Hamburg continued to laugh.

Big Pan looked down and saw both of his team mates laughing so he started laughing too. "Sheesheeshee!"

"WHAT CAN I SAY? THE GROGGY MONSTERS ARE ALWAYS UP FOR A GOOD LAUGH!"

Ricky crossed his arms over his chest and frowned at his three laughing opponents, "If Ace, Ollie and the others learn that I lost to these clowns, I'll never live this down."

"JUST TO RECAP, THERE'S NO TIME LIMIT! THE FIRST TEAM TO SCORE WINS!"

Ricky turned around and saw that Zoro and Sanji were still fighting. "GUYS! KNOCK IT OFF!"

Zoro and Sanji backed away from each other and looked over at Ricky.

"Stupid cook," Zoro growled, "You almost made us miss the start of the match."

"It's your fault dumbass!" Sanji argued. "You started it!"

"Look, all we've gotta do is plant jumbo's head in the ring," Zoro pointed out. "I'll do that. You focus on keeping them for getting Ricky in our ring."

"CAN THE STRAW HAT TEAM WIN BACK THE REINDEER THEY LOST IN THE FIRST ROUND? OR WILL THEY LOSE ANOTHER MEMBER? FOXY'S REIGNING CHAMPS ARE LAUGHING IN THE FACE OF THEIR COMPETITION. BUT WILL THEY BE THE ONES TO LAUGH LAST?"

"Pupupupupupu!""Heh heh ha!" "Sheesheesheeshee!"

"THE WHISTLE IS ABOUT TO SOUND!"

The referee raised his whistle to his lips. The laughing immediately stopped and all six competitors tensed. The referee took a deep breath and blew.

TWWWEEEEEEEEEEEE!

"LET THE GAME BEGIN! WE START WITH BALL-MAN RICKY DEEP IN ENEMY TERRITORY. WILL HE RETREAT OR ATTACK?"

"LET'S DO THIS!" Pickles exclaimed as he charged at Ricky.

"'TACKLE MACHINE' PICKLES TAKES OFF WITH A HEAVY CHARGE!"

"I'm not just gonna stand here and take the hit," Ricky growled as he charged to meet Pickles.

"SLING TACKLE!" Pickles lunged shoulder-first at Ricky. SKISH! Ricky jumped up and planted his foot on Pickles' metal shoulder pad and launched himself up into the air.

"Heads up, big guy!" Ricky called out as he flew up into the air in front of Big Pan.

"FLYING ARROW KICK!" Ricky's feet connected with Big Pan's chest… and slid right off. SWWIIISSSHH! Big Pan leaned back and Ricky slid up Big Pan's chest to his shoulder. "Whoa-whoa-whoa…" Ricky couldn't get his foot and slid along Big Pan's shoulder and down the half-fishman's long brown-marked arm.

"HEY RICKY! YOU CALL THAT A KICK!" Sanji shouted.

"SHUT UP!" Ricky snapped. "His skin's slippery!"

"LOOKS LIKE RICKY COULDN'T EVEN LAND A KICK! NOW HE'S SLIPPING ON BIG PAN'S MASSIVE ARM. BUT THAT'S NO SURPRISE TO US. AFTER ALL, BIG PAN'S HALF-LOACH FISHMAN. THEY HAVE SLIPPERY SKIN."

"Whoa-whoa-whoa!" Ricky ran on Big Pan's arm but couldn't gain any traction due to his slippery skin and ended up sliding down to his elbow.

"RICKY GET DOWN FROM THERE!" Zoro hollered as he shoved Sanji to the side and ran onto the other side of the field.

"DON'T PUSH ME, YOU BASTARD!" Sanji yelled as he charged after Zoro.

"Pupupupu!" Hamburg laughed as and Pickles ran passed Zoro and Sanji in the other direction. "Run and Gun!"

"PUNK PASS!" Big Pan roared as he swung his other arm down and smacked Ricky off his arm with his yellow-gloved webbed hand. WHAM!

"WAAAH!" Ricky cried out as he was sent flying clear over Zoro and Sanji's heads to the other side of the field towards the far ring.

"IT'S BIG PAN'S SUPER LONG PASS!"

"AAH! RICKY!" Luffy yelped in alarm.

"Damn it, we got suckered in!" Zoro complained. He spun on the spot and raced back the other way but Hamburg and Pickles were already halfway to the goal and were ready to receive the Long Pass from Big Pan.

"AND TEAM CAPTAIN HAMBURG RACES ONTO THE SCENE FOR THE CATCH! ZORO IS IN HOT PURSUIT!"

"SAUTE'!" ZZZZOOOOOOM! Sanji streaked passed Zoro as a black and white blur and raced after Hamburg and Pickles.

"IF RICKY'S HEAD MAKES IT WITHIN AN INCH OF THAT RING, I'M GONNA CHOP YOURS OFF!" Zoro hollered as he ran after Sanji.

"SPEAK FOR YOURSELF SLOWPOKE!" Sanji retorted as he blazed through the mid-circle on their side and caught up with Hamburg.

"SWEEPING TACKLE!" Pickles lunged to the side and slammed shoulder-first into Sanji who was still going at full speed. WHAM! Sanji collided with Pickles' metal shoulder pad and went flying back the other way.

SKISH! Hamburg launched himself high up into the air towards Ricky as he flew overhead towards the goal.

"PICKLES TAKES OUT SANJI WITH A BIG TACKLE! MEANWHILE, HAMBURG FLIES HIGH FOR A FANCY MIDAIR CATCH!"

WHAP! Hamburg grabbed Ricky in a big bear hug.

"Uugghh…" Ricky groaned, "Let me go, you big gorilla!"

"Pupupupup! Sure!" Hamburg happily agreed. SWISH! Hamburg spun in midair and threw Ricky down towards the Straw Hats' goal. "GORILLA THROW!"

THUD! Sanji landed hard in the mid-circle while Zoro ran passed him.

"I've got it! I've got it!" Pickles called out as he raced towards the ring.

"NO YOU DON'T!" Zoro yelled as he raced after him.

SKIISH! Pickles skidded to a stop and spun to face Zoro. "SPINNING TACKLE!" WHISH-WHISH-WHISH-WHAM! Pickles spun in place and Zoro slammed right into him then bounced off and flew back towards Sanji.

"Oh no…" Ricky groaned as he fell downward right towards the still-spinning Pickles. WHAM! Ricky was knocked right back up into the air.

"WITH HIS PARTNERS DOWN, BALL-MAN RICKY IS SENT FLYING INTO THE SKY!"

"WAAH!" Luffy gasped.

"RICKY!" Usopp shrieked.

Robin looked beside her and noted that Nami had her hands over her mouth and was staring up at Ricky in clear concern.

THOOM! THOOM! The field shook with each huge footfall as Big Pan barreled across it.

"BRINGING UP THE REAR, BIG PAN STORMS ACROSS THE FIELD… AND CATCHES THE FALLING HAMBURG!"

"PUNK RECEIVE!" THOOOM! Big Pan dove onto the ground and brought his hands together to bump Hamburg back up into the air like a volley ball.

WHAP! Hamburg flew back up and grabbed Ricky and raised him overhead as he flew down towards the ring below them.

"ONCE AGAIN, HAMBURG NABS RICKY WITH A PERFECT CATCH! INCREDIBLE!"

"UUGGHH!" Ricky grunted and coughed up blood from the second tight squeeze.

"THE GOAL IS IN SIGHT! THIS IS IT!"

"YEAH! IT'S THE HAMBURGER DUNK!" a Foxy Pirate cheered.

"WAAAAAAHH!" Chopper screamed from where he was still seated on the stage.

"DAMN IT! I'VE GOTTA STOP HIM!" Zoro and Sanji shouted together as they shot back up.

Zoro charged at Pickles and grabbed the big man's leg. Whap! "Hey! Cut it out!

SKEESH! Sanji took advantage of Big Pan still being on the ground and slid along the Wotan's huge slippery body, "Coming through!"

"HURRY! DO SOMETHING!" Luffy, Usopp and Nami all shouted at once. "ZORO! SANJI!"

"THE STRAW HATS ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME!"

"I know…" Zoro growled, "You don't need to remind me!"

WHOOOSH! Hamburg rocketed down towards the hoop with Ricky poised overhead.

"RAAAAAHH!" Zoro let out a loud roar and hoisted the forty-foot Pickles up off of the ground. "IT AIN'T OVER! I WON'T LET YOU SCORE!" WOOOSH! WOOOSH! WOOOSH! Zoro spun in place and started to swing Pickles around him by his leg. FWING! Zoro threw Pickles and sent him flying towards the ring.

SLOOOOSSHH! Sanji skated up Big Pan's back to his shoulder and launched himself up into the air. "I WON'T LET ZORO BEAT ME!" Sanji flew up into the air over Hamburg and swung his leg down. "I'D NEVER LIVE IT DOWN! EPAULE SHOOT!" THWHAM! Sanji drove his foot into Hamburg's shoulder.

"GAAH!" Hamburg groaned as he was knocked through the air. Now he was on a collision course with the ground in front of the ring. Or he would have been.

"OH HELL!" Ricky exclaimed as Pickles came flying over and collided with him and Hamburg. KER-WHAM! Ricky, Pickles and Hamburg all went flying clear over the ring and crashed down to the ground outside the white lines.

Tmp! Sanji landed on the ground next to Zoro and the duo surveyed their work.

Hamburg, Pickles and Ricky were all laid out on the ground behind the goal.

"NO GOAL!"

-x-

Groggy Ring:

-x-

"NO GOAL!"

TWWEEEEEEE! The referee blew his whistle.

"THE STRAW HAT'S BALL-MAN HAS LANDED OUT OF BOUNDS! THE GAME IS STOPPED UNTIL HE CAN BE PUT BACK INTO PLAY!"

The Straw Hats cheered for the 'save' while Foxy and his crew stared in shock.

"I already told you, I don't need your help!" Sanji snapped at Zoro.

"Because of you they almost scored!" Zoro argued. "Stay out of my way!"

"IT SEEMS OUR GROGGY MONSTERS HAVE FINALLY FOUND SOME WORTHY ADVERSARIES IN THE GROGGY RING! THIS ONE WILL BE A MATCH TO REMEMBER! THE STRAW HATS PREVAILED BUT CAN THEY DO IT AGAIN?"

"You're cramping my style!" Sanji growled, "Go back to the sidelines moss-head!"

"Your style almost cost us this match!" Zoro retorted.

"They're tough!" one of the Foxy Pirates remarked.

"That one guy picked up Pickles and tossed him!"

"And the other one's so fast! He kicked Hamburg right out of the air!"

"…" Foxy silently gaped at the field. He didn't even notice the snot dripping out of his nose.

"NO! HAMBURG!" Porche wailed as she grabbed Chopper off of the stage and hugged him. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT THERE! WE CAN'T LOSE CHOPPY! IF YOU LOSE I'LL NEVER, EVER FORGIVE YOU!"

"Listen, you PLAYBOY COOK!" Zoro yelled, "You'd better get those FANCY EYEBROWS OUTTA MY WAY in a hurry!"

"No, you listen, YOU DUMB OAF!" Sanji fired back. "If you don't GET YOUR MEATHEAD OFF THE FIELD RIGHT NOW I'm gonna FRY IT UP!"

"WHAT'S THIS? THE STRAW HAT TEAM SEEMS TO BE HAVING SOME TYPE OF DISAGREEMENT WITH EACH OTHER."

"SHISHISHISHI!" Luffy laughed, "Those two sure are funny!"

"Grruuhh…" Ricky groaned as he pushed himself off the ground and glared passed the ring at Zoro and Sanji, "ARE YOU TWO STILL FIGHTING?"

"IT'S HIS FAULT!" Zoro and Sanji insisted in sync.

"KNOCK IT OFF!" Ricky yelled. He staggered passed the ring back onto the field. "We're gonna lose if you two keep this crap up! And you know why?" Ricky grabbed Zoro and Sanji's ears and yanked them closer. "It's not because they're stronger, it's not because they're faster. We're stronger. We're faster. It's not because they're huge monsters. It's not because the commentator's on their side. It's not because that crooked referee is in Foxy's back pocket. We can overcome all that. We're gonna lose this BECAUSE THEY'RE WORKING LIKE A FREAKING TEAM!"

"THE STRAW HAT'S BALL-MAN IS BACK ON THE FIELD. HE NEEDS TO RETURN TO HIS TEAM'S MID-CIRCLE FOR PLAY TO RESUME!"

"GET 'EM GUYS!" Usopp called out. "THEIR BALL-MAN IS ALL ALONE!"

"I'm not asking much here!" Ricky continued, "If you guys can stop tripping over each other and work together for just TWO MINUTES we could beat these big clowns and win Chopper back!"

"That's way too long," Zoro insisted. "I won't work with this guy for even one minute."

"Same here," Sanji agreed. "This dumbass has been holding me back from the start."

"LISTEN!" Ricky snapped. "If you can't work together… then work with me. I need you both. Now come on you numbskulls. Let's end this while we still have a chance."

Ricky marched back across the field their mid-circle. Zoro and Sanji stalked after him. Big Pan stood waiting on the mid-field line.

TWWWEEEEEE! The referee blew his whistle once Ricky stepped into the mid-circle.

"BOTH BALL-MEN ARE BACK IN PLAY. THE GAME CONTINUES!"

"TOO BAD DANCE!" Big Pan raised his foot up into the air and stomped towards the Straw Hats.

"BIG PAN'S NOT BACKING AWAY! HE'S STOMPING RIGHT AT THE STRAW HATS!"

"Oh crap!" Ricky cursed.

For the first time, Ricky, Zoro and Sanji were all on the same page. They all turned and ran.

"DON'T RUN FROM THE BALL!" Usopp yelled as Big Pan thundered after the trio. "HOW ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO SCORE?"

"HE'S GOT KNIVES ON HIS SHOES!" Zoro snapped back. "IF WE DON'T RUN AWAY HE'LL MAKE MULCH OUT OF US!"

"Eh?" Usopp said as he looked closer at Big Pan's boots. There were spikes on the bottom. And due to Big Pan's monstrous size those spikes were each the size of a sword.

"HEY REF!" Sanji yelled. "I THOUGHT YOU SAID WE COULDN'T USE WEAPONS!"

"…" the referee turned his head away and started to whistle to himself. Sweeesweeetweee… Sweat ran down his face as he blatantly ignored the foul play by his crew's team.

"WHAT?" Usopp demanded. "HE'S NOT EVEN TRYING, IS HE?"

"FEHFEHFEHFEH!" Foxy laughed. "You can't expect him to catch every little thing, can you?"

"STOP SCREWING AROUND!" SWISH! Sanji swung his leg and his shoe flew at the referee. Since the referee wasn't looking at the field he didn't see it coming and it slammed into his face. WHAM! The referee was knocked back passed the Straw Hats.

"Sanji!" Nami exclaimed. "WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?"

"YOU SAW THE WHOLE THING!" Sanji hollered while Usopp tried in vain to hold him back. "I SAW YOU SWEATING OVER THERE YOU LITTLE CHEATER!"

"No… no way…" the referee groaned. There was now a large lump on his head. "I didn't… I didn't see nothin'… Not a thing…"

"YOU LIAR!" Sanji yelled.

"That's the ref Sanji!" Usopp pointed out. "You're gonna get in trouble!"

TWEEE! The referee got up and blew his whistle. "Yellow Card to Sanji on Team Straw Hat."

"YOU WANT ANOTHER BOOT TO THE FACE!" Sanji screamed at him.

"WAAAAH!" the referee shrieked and scrambled away.

"Whoa, hold on!" Usopp tried to reason with the cook. "You're only gonna make it worse!"

"AND THERE IT IS, A YELLOW CARD FOR SANJI! JUST ONE MORE OF THOSE AND THE CHEF WILL BE EJECTED FROM THE GAME ONCE AND FOR ALL, FOLKS!"

"SHUT UP!" Sanji shouted up at him. "I'LL EJECT YOU!"

"THE THREATS KEEP COMING IN FROM THE FOUL-MOUTHED STRAW HATS. ARE THESE GUYS PIRATES OR GANGSTERS?"

"Grrr…" Sanji growled as he calmed down. "We'll worry about the boots. The ref can wait." Sanji turned to see Ricky and Zoro still running from Big Pan. WHO WAS SWINGING A GIANT AX AT THEM!

"HOW'D YOU MISS THAT?" Sanji asked. Angry all over again.

"I didn't see anything," the referee insisted as he turned his head away and whistled. "Are you sure?"

"OF COURSE I'M SURE!" Sanji snapped. "LOOK, HE'S GOT A GIANT AX! YOU CAN SEE FOR YOURSELF STUPID!"

"SHUT UP!" Usopp scolded him. "You're gonna get a Red Card if you don't shut it!"

"Why are you siding with them all of a sudden?" Sanji demanded. "We're gonna get julienned out there!"

"I know," Usopp agreed, "But they're trying to make you do something stupid! You're falling right into their trap!"

"Who cares…" Sanji growled.

"If you won't do it for me at least do it for Chopper!" Usopp urged him.

"Then let me handle that jerk!" Luffy offered as he stomped towards the referee.

"Noooo!" Usopp cried as he grabbed Luffy's vest and dragged him back. "We don't need the captain butting in and complicating things!"

"Sanji, please!" Nami pleaded. "Win the match for me!"

Sanji dropped down on one knee and wore a wide goofy grin as he held his hands together in a heart for a 'Pose of Love'. "I won't let you down!"

"That was easy," Usopp remarked.

"NOW BACK TO THE GAME!" Sanji shouted.

"Zoro, Sanji's done fooling around with the referee," Ricky pointed out as he and Zoro continued to run from the ax-wielding Whotan. "Now!"

Skish! Zoro spun around and held his arms together. Ricky jumped and landed on Zoro's arms. FWING! Zoro swung his arms up and launched Ricky up into the air towards Big Pan's ax.

"Machete… BACK KICK!" Ricky spun and lashed his foot back behind him. KLANG! The metal bottom of Ricky's boot connected with the blade of Big Pan's ax. The ax swung backwards and collided Big Pan's head and slid off. SWISH! Big Pan hadn't taken the full hit but he still recoiled from the partial blow as Ricky continued to fly towards him.

"His skin's all slippery," Ricky recounted to himself, "But his chin's covered in hair. That should give me enough traction to land a solid kick."

"JAVELIN KICK!" THWHAM! Ricky slammed his foot into Big Pan's bearded chin. The full blow connected and Big Pan was knocked backwards. His body was so huge that he fell across the mid field line. "SANJI! HE'S COMING YOUR WAY! KICK HIS BEARD!"

"SAUTE!" ZZZOOOOOM! Sanji sped across the field and launched himself at Big Pan. "COLLIER SHOOT!" THWHAM! Sanji was still just a blur as he shot forward and drove his foot into Big Pan's beard. The power and speed behind the kick was enough to knock Big Pan up into the air and send him flying across the field towards his team's goal.

"BIG PAN WAS JUST SENT FLYING!"

ZZZOOOOOOM! Sanji raced after Big Pan and launched himself up into the air and did a flip. "CONCASSE'!" THWHAM! Sanji came down and drove his heels down onto the top of Big Pan's head and drove it and the ball INTO THE RING!

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! THE STRAW HATS JUST SCORED!"

TWEEEEEEEEEE! The referee blew his whistle. "NO GOAL!" He pointed at Ricky. "There's metal on the bottom of his boots. That makes them a weapon. No goal." The referee pulled out his Yellow Card again. "Yellow Card to Ricky on Team Straw Hat."

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" Ricky, Zoro and Sanji shouted at the referee.

"WHAT A GREAT CALL BY THE REFEREE! RICKY'S ILLEGAL WEAPON USE MEANS THAT THE GOAL IS NEGATED AND THE MATCH CONTINUES! THAT REFEREE MIGHT NOT CATCH EVERY LITTLE THING BUT HE DOES HIS JOB WHEN IT REALLY MATTERS."

"THAT'S IT! LET ME AT HIM!" Nami snapped as she charged the referee.

Usopp struggled to hold her back, "Nami, you're gonna blow the whole match!"

"That's only if the referee doesn't just giftwrap it and hand it to those other guys first!" Nami snapped.

"Take the boots off," the referee ordered Ricky.

"What about his?" Ricky asked as he motioned to the still prone Big Pan's boot and pointed at the sword-sized spikes that were on the end.

"Those are just spikes for traction," the referee insisted, "Yours are weapons."

"Un… believable…" Ricky grunted as he reached down and removed his boots then tossed them over to the sidelines.

"THAT DIRTY, CHEATING BALL-MAN MUST NOW RETURN TO THE MID-CIRCLE BEFORE THE MATCH CAN CONTINUE."

"Still not as dirty as your referee!" Ricky shot back as he walked barefoot back to the mid-circle that he'd started the match in. Zoro and Sanji glared each other as they stormed back to their side of the field and left the two Ball-Men alone on the other side.

"Uuuggghhh…" Big Pan sat back up.

"YOU CAN'T KEEP A GOOD MONSTER DOWN! BIG PAN'S BACK UP. BOTH BALL-MEN ARE IN PLAY SO THE MATCH CONTINUES."

TWEEEEEEE! The referee blew his whistle.

WHAM! Big Pan lashed out and smacked Ricky with his gloved hand. He was once again sent flying clear across the field. Ricky flew over Zoro and Sanji's heads as they raced at Big Pan.

"GET READY BIG MAN!" Sanji shouted. "IT'S PAYBACK TIME!"

"GO BACK TO THE SIDELINES!" Zoro snapped at Sanji, "THIS BASTARD IS MINE!"

"THERE'S PLENTY OF HIM FOR BOTH OF YOU!" Nami berated them.

"AND THEY'RE OFF ALL THREE ARE ABOUT TO COLLIDE!"

"I can't attack him where his skin's exposed," Sanji thought to himself, "That leaves his chin, his hands, his feet, his mask and his Trunks."

"LOACH SCOOPING SLIDE!" THOOOM! Big Pan dove forward and landed on the ground. SKISH! Sanji and Zoro both jumped up to avoid the falling Loach Wotan but while Sanji cleared his head, Zoro landed on his shoulder and started sliding.

"LOACH RACING CIRCLES!" Big Pan curled his arms and legs up to form a big circle.

"UH-OH! HERE COMES BIG PAN'S SIGNTURE MOVE! THINGS ARE ABOUT TO GET SLIPPERY!"

"Waaaahhh!" Zoro yelped as he slid out of control down Big Pan's back.

"Bring it on!" Sanji growled as he surfed down Big Pan's back after Zoro. "Who's afraid of a little skating?"

WHISH-WHISH-WHISH-WHISH! A little skating turned out to be a lot of skating. Zoro and Sanji both became blurs as the slid in circles around Big Pan's slipper loop-shaped body.

"I'M GONNA LOSE MY LUNCH!" Sanji cried out and he and Zoro found themselves trapped in a rollercoaster loop from hell.

THUD! Ricky finally landed from Big Pan's hit and crashed down in front of his own ring. Two large shadows fell over him.

"IT LOOKS LIKE PICKLES AND HAMBURG HAVE FINALLY RECOVERED FROM THEIR EARLIER ACCIDENT!"

"Yeah! They're back in it!" a Foxy pirate cheered.

"SLAUGHTER 'EM GUYS!" another Foxy Pirate shouted.

Pickles and Hamburg loomed over Ricky on the far side of the field. Both of them were sporting a lot more metal than they had been previously.

"WHAT'S THIS? IT SEEMS LIKE THEY'VE UPDATED THEIR WARDROBE! HAMBURG IS NOW SPORTING SOME HIGH END KNUCKLES AND ELBOW GUARDS. WHERE DID THOSE COME FROM?"

"Pupupupupu!" Klank-klank-klank! Hamburg looked like a monkey playing a cymbal as he smashed together the metal knuckles on his fists.

"Heh heh ha!" Pickles laughed as he stood beside Hamburg. His shoulder pads now had five sharp metal spikes coming out of them.

"MEANWHILE, PICKLES HAS DONNED SPIKED SHOULDER PROTECTORS. THOSE CLEARLY VIOLATE THE NO WEAPONS RULE."

The referee was currently in a split as he faced away from the field and did stretches.

"BUT BY COMPLETE COINCIDENCE THE REFEREE APPEARS TO BE DOING SOME STRETCHES RIGHT NOW. OH WELL, YOU CAN'T EXPECT HIM TO CATCH EVERYTHING."

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" Ricky snapped.

"Pupupupupu!" Hamburg laughed.

"Time for revenge my friend," Pickles announced, "Are you ready?"

Hamburg and Pickles charged. Ricky flinched. They ran right passed him.

"IT LOOKS LIKE THE GROGGY MONSTERS HAVE ABANDONED THE BALL-MAN IN FAVOR OF HIS PARTNERS."

"Here it goes!" Big Pan called out as he finally broke the loop and extended his arms out in front of him. "LOACH COASTER!" WHOOOSH! Zoro and Sanji went flying along Big Pan's arms and shot up into air and across the field/

"Wah! Stop spinning!" a dizzy Zoro moaned as he and the equally delirious Sanji flew across the midfield line.

"Now to bring the pain!" Pickles taunted as they charged to meet them. "SPINNING TACKLE!"

WHISH-WHISH-WHISH! Pickles spun in place and Hamburg jumped up onto his shoulders. SKISH! Hamburg launched himself high up into the air towards Zoro.

Hamburg raised his metal-clad arms up over his head, "HAMBURGER HAMMER!" WHAM! He slammed his metal knuckles and elbow guards down into Zoro. The swordsman crashed down to the ground and coughed up blood. KRASH!

"NOOO! ZORO!" Usopp shouted.

"Bastards!" Ricky snapped as he ran across the field. "Speed Step…" ZZZZZZOOOOM!

"SWEEPING TACKLE!" Pickles lunged in front of Ricky to intercept him. SLISH! Ricky was slashed by Pickles' spiked shoulder pad and flew backwards.

"THE ASSUALT ISN'T OVER YET!"

Hamburg was still way up overhead. He flipped in midair and crossed his arms in front of him as he dove downward. SKISH! Big Pan jumped up behind Hamburg.

"BIG PAN READIES YET ANOTHER BRUTAL ATTACK! HAMBURG IS BRANDISHING HIS MIGHTY ELBOW GUARDS AND IS PREPARING FOR AN AIRBORNE STRIKE!"

"OH NO!" Nami gasped.

"This is bad," Robin realized.

"THE STRAW HAS ARE ABOUT TO LEARN THE POWER OF TEAMWORK!"

"Uuugghhh…" Zoro groaned as he laid on his back on the ground.

"LIKE AN ARROW FROM THE SKY!"

"LOACH SPIKE!" WHAM! Big Pan swung his arm down and spiked Hamburg. Hamburg flew down with his arms cross and drove his elbow guards right into Zoro's chest and stomach. BOOOOOOOM!

"NOOOOO!" Usopp screamed.

"A DIRECT HIT! HE WON'T BE WALKING THAT ONE OFF. BY THE WAY, FATALITIES ARE A COMMON OCCURANCE IN THE GROGGY RING. IN CASE YOU DIDN'T KNOW."

"So… dizzy…" Sanji mumbled as he finally recovered from Big Pan's spin cycle and stagger to his feet. He didn't notice Pickles running back towards Big Pan.

"AND NOW THE FOXY TEAM TURNS THEIR ATTENTION TO THE CHEF SANJI."

SKISH! Pickles launched himself up at Big Pan and rolled into a ball. WHOP! Big Pan knelt down and caught Pickles in his mouth then spat. "HUMAN CANNON!" BOOOOM! Pickles rocketed across the field like he'd been fired out of a cannon.

"THOSE SPIKES ARE CLOSING IN FAST!"

"SANJI! MOVE!" Luffy hollered as Pickles flew spikes-first at Sanji.

"Uugghhh…" Sanji groaned. He could barely stand let alone move.

"SLING TACKLE!" SLA-SLISH! Pickles slashed Sanji with his spiked shoulder pad and knocked him up into the air.

"WHAT YOU THOUGHT THAT WAS IT? THEY'RE JUST GETTING STARTED!"

"What the…" Ricky sat up and held his chest. WHOMP! Hamburg crashed down on top of him then launched himself off of Ricky and up into the air to meet Sanji.

"SIZE ATTACK!" Hamburg lashed out his fist and smashed Sanji with his metal knuckles. POW! Blood stained Sanji's white shirt as he went flying back the way he came. "SMALL!"

"HAMBURG USES RICKY AS A TRAMPOLINE TO SEND SANJI FLYING BACK. THEY DON'T EVEN CARE ABOUT SCORING ANYMORE!"

SKISH! Pickles jumped up into the air and smashed Sanji with his shoulder pad again. SLASH! The cook was knocked even further up into the air and peaked at a good hundred feet. "MEDIUM!"

SKISH! Big Pan jumped up into the air and raised his arm up over his head. "PAN!" WHAM! Big Pan spiked Sanji and sent the cook plummeting down to the ground. "LARGE!" KRASH!

"THE GROGGY MONSTERS STOMP THE COMPETITION FLAT WITH A SPECTACULAR THREE-MAN TEAM ATTACK."

When the dust kicked up by Sanji's collision with the ground finally cleared, both the cook and the swordsman were left lying bloodied, battered and unconscious on the ground.

Luffy gaped in shock, Usopp cried, Nami had her mouth covered in terror, Robin stared calmly.

"Sure is a cruel way to win," Robin remarked.

"Get up Zoro!" Luffy urged his Nakama. "Come on Sanji!"

Chopper struggled to hold back tears as he watched from Porche's tight hold.

"BOTH BALLS ARE STILL IN PLAY BUT IT LOOKS LIKE ZORO AND SANJI FROM TEAM STRAW HAT ARE BOTH DOWN FOR THE COUNT. IN FACT, YOU MIGHT SAY THEY'RE GRRRROGGY! NOW ALL THAT'S LEFT IS TO STUFF THE BALL-MAN INTO HIS COFFIN-I MEAN GOAL AND IT WILL BE TWO WINS IN A ROW FOR THE FOXY PIRATES."

Ricky pushed himself back up and stared at the Groggy Monsters as the stood in a circle around his own unconscious teammates Zoro and Sanji and struck poses for their adoring crew.

"IT JUST GOES TO SHOW, YOU CAN'T KEEP A GOOD MONSTER DOWN!"

"This is what happens when we don't work as a team…" Ricky muttered as he now found himself in a three-on-one situation.

-x-

Teamwork:

-x-

"ZORO AND SANJI ARE BOTH DOWN AND OUT. RICKY THE BALL-MAN IS ALONE ON HIS SIDE OF THE FIELD. IT LOOKS LIKE THE MATCH IS ABOUT TO COME TO A CONCLUSION WHICH MEANS ANOTHER WIN FOR OUR GROGGY MONSTERS."

"The match isn't over yet," Ricky insisted. "I'm still standing."

"Oh right, we still need to score," Pickles realized.

"Pupupupu! What an oversight!" Hamburg laughed.

"I'll tell ya what," Pickles said. "How 'bout you just jump in that ring on your own and we won't have to rough ya up like your two pals."

Ricky's eye narrowed. "Go fuck yourself."

"MORE PROFANITY FROM THE STRAW HATS! NO WONDER HE DEFENDED THAT SOULESS WITCH AND THE SAVAGE COOK, HE'S THE WORST OF THE LOT."

"DON'T PROVOKE THEM, YOU IDIOT!" Nami yelled.

Ricky walked passed the mid-circle and stood over Zoro and Sanji.

"I promised my furry little brother that I'd win him back," Ricky stated. "My teammates spent more time fighting each other than they fought you guys so now I'm on my own. But if you think I'm just gonna roll over and give up when that little guy is counting on me to win this, you've got another thing coming!"

"Oh boys, I have a little request…" the Groggy Monsters turned to the sidelines at the sound of Foxy's sinister voice. "ONE MONSTER BURGER, PLEASE!" The Straw Hats stared in confusion but all around them the Foxy Pirates' jaws dropped open in shock. "FEHFEHFEH!"

"Huh?" Nami questioned.

"Now what could that be?" Robin wondered.

"Did someone say burgers?" Luffy asked. "'Cause I could go for one."

"Is that all you ever think about?" Usopp scolded him.

"UH-OH! DID YOU HEAR THAT? OUR BOSS HAS JUST ORDERED THE FAMOUS MONSTER BURGER!"

"…" The Foxy Pirates were still in shock but then as one they broke into a humongous cheer. "YYEEEEAAAAAAAHHHH!"

"Fehfehfeh…" Foxy chuckled to himself.

Ricky's eye narrowed as he watched Hamburg reach into the front of his pants. "Really? Right here? In front of everyone?"

SWISH! Hamburg pulled out two huge metal clubs and started to bang them on the ground. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

"How'd those even fit there?" Ricky questioned then watched as Pickles reached into his pants. "Oh great, you too."

SWISH! Pickles pulled out two long swords that were each well over twenty feet long and spun them around at his sides. SWISH-WISH-WISH!

"I GET THAT YOU GUYS ARE CHEATERS!" Nami snapped, "BUT CAN YOU AT LEAST TRY TO HIDE IT!"

Then, to make matters even worse, the Groggy Monsters started to sing.

"Grind 'im all up like burger meat…" Hamburg chanted.

"Slice 'im like pickles sour or sweat…" Pickles chimed in.

"WHAT ARE THE TOPPINGS?" a group of Foxy Pirates called out.

"A ripe red tomato… freshly squeezed…" Hamburg and Pickles sang.

"Sheesheeshee!" Big Pan laughed as he held two huge steel pans on his giant webbed hands. "Smash between some big pans… what do I see?" BANG! BANG! BANG! Big Pan smashed the two big pans together.

"A monster burger for me to eat!" Hamburg, Pickles and Big Pan finished together.

"HERE IT COMES! THE MOST TERRIFYING TRIPLE ATTACK! THE MOST HORRIFYING HAMBURGER!"

Foxy let out a shrill laugh, "FEHFEHFEHFEHFEH!"

"IT SEEMS HOPELESS FOR THE STRAW HATS. BUT I CAN'T HELP BUT THINK THAT THE GROGGY MONSTERS MIGHT GET HANDED A RED CARD FOR SUCH A BLATANT VIOLATION OF THE RULES."

The referee was, of course, looking away from the ring as he bent backwards for more stretches.

"BUT LOOK AT THAT. THE REFEREE APPEARS TO BE DOING SOME STRETCHES RIGHT NOW. OH WELL, HE CAN'T CATCH EVERYTHING!"

"I'M GONNA MAKE HIM TURN AROUND!" Luffy hollered.

"KICK HIS ASS LUFFY!" Nami snarled right next to him. "He can't give you a Red Card! If Foxy can interfere in the Donut Race then as Captain you should be able to interfere in this one by punching that guy's teeth in!"

"YEAAAH!" Luffy cheered as he punched his fists together.

"ROBIN! HEEELP!" Usopp whined as he was dragged along the ground by Luffy and Nami in a clearly failed attempt to hold them back.

"Doce Fleur…" Twelve arms grew out of the ground and grabbed onto Luffy and Nami to assist Usopp in holding them back.

"Guys! He wants you to get mad so you'll butt in and do something stupid!" Usopp insisted. "Knowing him, he'll give Ricky the Red Card if you interfere! That biased commentator will say we lose by forfeit and then Foxy will take another one of our crew! You can't let that happen!"

"THE PREPARATIONS ARE NOW COMPLETE. ALL THAT'S LEFT NOW IS TO SIT BACK AND ENJOY THE CARNAGE! WHATEVER HAPPENS FROM HERE ON OUT, DON'T BLAME ME!"

Ricky stared up at the Groggy Monsters and their Monsters Burger weapons. "Bring it on then."

BOOM! BOOM! Hamburg pounded the ground with his clubs as he led the charge at Ricky.

SWISH-WISH-WISH-WISH! Pickles and his swords spun after him like a green tornado.

BANG! BANG! BANG! Big Pan smashed his pans together as he followed behind them.

SWISH! Ricky ducked under Hamburg's first swing then deflected the second with a kick. THWAK! He spun and drove his foot into Hamburg's stomach. "Machete… BACK KICK!" THWHAM! Hamburg was knocked backwards.

Pickles stopped spinning and tackled his teammate, "SLING TACKLE!" WHAM!

Hamburg was knocked back at Ricky and smashed his club into his stomach. WHAM! Ricky doubled over and coughed up blood. Hamburg landed and swung his second club in low. WHAM! He smashed the club into Ricky's stomach and knocked him up into the air.

SKISH! Hamburg jumped up to meet Ricky and smacked him with his club. WHAM! Ricky was sent flying towards Pickles.

"I can't watch!" Nami wailed as she dropped to her knees covered her eyes with her hands.

Pickles spun in place and slashed his swords. SLISH-SLISH-SLISH-SLASH! Blood rained down on the field as Ricky was turned inside out and went flying up to Big Pan.

"BIG PAN!" Big Pan raised his pans above and below Ricky and brought them together. BANG!

Big Pan pulled his pans apart and Ricky dropped limply to the ground between Zoro and Sanji.

"NOW SERVING, ONE MONSTER BURGER!"

"GAH! RICKY!" Luffy shrieked. "YOU CHEATING BASTARDS! I DARE YOU TO COME TRY THAT ON ME!"

"RICKY! OH NO!" Usopp wailed. "THEY KILLED HIM! THEY KILLED HIM!"

"Robin…" Nami spoke up in a small voice. "How bad is it?"

"He's too far away for me to tell if he's even still breathing," Robin answered.

"ALL THAT'S LEFT IS NOW TO PEEL HIM OFF THE FIELD AND DROP HIM IN THE RING THEN THIS MATCH IS OVER!"

Ricky laid still on the ground but beside him Zoro's eyes slowly opened.

"Hey…" he called out to Sanji. "Let's work… together for… ten seconds…"

Sanji tilted his head to the side and he spotted Nami on her knees and in tears on the sideline.

"Okay, fine," Sanji agreed, "But no longer."

"THAT WASN'T FOR THE FEINT OF HEART! BUT THAT'S WHAT HE GETS FOR OFFENDING THE GROGGY MONSTERS. THIS MATCH IS FINISHED! THE STRAW HATS PUT UP A GOOD FIGHT BUT WERE SIMPLY NO MATCH FOR OUR REIGNING CHAMPS. NOW WITH TWO WINS IN A ROW FOR THE FOXY PIRATES AND ONE ADORABLE NEW DOCTOR ON THE CREW, WE MUST WONDER WHO CAPTAIN FOXY WILL CHOOSE NEXT."

"HEY WAIT! LOOK!" one of the Foxy Pirates called out.

Zoro and Sanji were on their feet standing over Ricky.

"THEY'RE UP! AGAINST ALL ODDS THE STRAW HATS ARE BACK ON THEIR FEET! EVEN AFTER A DEMORALIZING BEAT DOWN, THE SWORDSMAN WITHOUT HIS SWORDS AND THE SAVAGE CHEF STAND TALL IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY ONCE AGAIN!"

"YEEEAAAAH!" Luffy cheered.

"YOU GUYS!" Usopp sobbed. "DON'T SCARE ME LIKE THAT!"

"THE QUESTION IS: EVEN IF THEY CAN STAND, DO THEY HAVE ENOUGH STRENGTH TO FIGHT?"

"OH BOYS!" Foxy called out, "TWO MORE MONSTERS BURGERS!"

"OH NO! NOT AGAIN!" Usopp shrieked.

"NO! NO MORE!" Nami cried.

"WE'RE GONNA NEED MORE COFFINS! THE CAPTAIN JUST ORDERED TWO MORE MONSTER BURGERS!"

"Pupupupu!" Hamburg laughed. "One more time! Grind 'em all up like burger meat…"

"Slice 'em like pickles sour or sweet…"

"AND TOPPINGS!" the Foxy Pirates called out.

"A head of green lettuce and some fine yellow cheese…" Hamburg and Pickles chanted together.

"Smash between some big pans what do I see…" Big Pan chimed in.

"Two more Monster Burgers for me to eat!" the Groggy Monsters all finished together.

"HERE THEY GO AGAIN! AFTER THIS MATCH THERE WILL ONLY BE FOUR STRAW HATS LEFT TO CHOOSE FROM."

BOOM! BOOM! Hamburg pounded his clubs on the ground as he led the charge while Pickles spun after him.

"THEY'RE HEADED FOR THE SAVAGE CHEF, FIRST. UNLESS HE ACTS FAST, HE'LL BE GROUND AND POUNDED, SLICED AND DICED, TRASH AND SMASHED INTO A BURGER PATTY!"

"Alright then," Sanji said, "If you want a cooking battle you've got one. Though I've gotta warn you, I've never cooked scrumbags before so I can't say how it'll turn out."

"YOU ARE MINCEMEAT!" Hamburg called out as he lunged at Sanji.

Sanji launched himself at Hamburg with a series of flip, Fwip! Fwip! Fwip! "TROISIEME HACHEE!" THWAK-WAK-WAK-WAK! Sanji flipped straight in between Hamburg's clubs and drove his foot into his face for a barrage of kicks. THUD! Hamburg toppled over and Sanji flipped over him. Sanji raised his foot and brought it down on Hamburg's chest. THWHAM! Hamburg's body bounced up off of the ground and Sanji spun in and landed another barrage of kicks to his back. THWAK-WAK-WAK!

SKISH! Sanji launched himself up over Hamburg and drove his feet down into his face. THWHAM! Sanji flipped off of Hamburg and landed on his hands. "BOUQUETIERE… SHOOT!" THWAK! Sanji shot up and drove both his feet into Hamburg's chin and sent him flying.

WHOOOSH! Hamburg flew up through the air over the still-spinning Pickles' head.

Pickles watched in horror as Hamburg landed in between Big Pan's pans. "STOP CRUSHING!"

BANG! Big Pan smashed his pans together on Hamburg and flattened his captain.

"NO! HAMBURG!" Pickles cried out.

"Huh…?" Big Pan grunted as he pulled his pans apart and watched Hamburg drop to the ground.

"YOUR'E GONNA PAY FOR THAT!" Pickles yelled as he spun towards Sanji.

Swwish… Zoro slid into Pickles' path. He ducked under the spinning swords and caught the big man by his legs. WHAP! "Hold up, fatty. Did you forget about me?"

"OUTTA MY WAY SMALL FRY!" Pickles snapped as he kept spinning in Zoro's hold. "I'LL SLICE YOU TO PIECES!"

Zoro closed his eyes and concentrated. "No-swords-style… DRAGON TWISTER!" SLA-SLISH! Zoro slashed out with his bare hands for his own tornado attack and sent Pickles flying up through the air towards Big Pan.

Pickles was still spinning as he flew between Big Pan's pans and drilled into the wotan's chest. SLISH-SLISH-SLISH-SLISH-SLISH!

"RAAAH!" Big Pan howled as he was pushed all the way back to his own mid-circle.

"OH NO! SAY IT ISN'T SO! BIG PAN HAS FALLEN VICTIM TO PICKLES' SPINNING BLADE ATTACK!"

"Someone help me!" Pickles cried out. "I can't stop spinning!" He stopped spinning. And dropped to the ground. THUD!

SKISH! Sanji slid passed Pickles and he went through Big Pan's legs and stopped behind him. "BAD MANNERS… KICK COURSE!" Sanji shot up into the air and drove his foot straight up into the falling Big Pan's back. THWHAM! Sanji's powerful kicked knocked the nearly toppled Wotan all the way back up onto his feet.

"GAAH…" Big Pan groaned as he stood groggily on his feet.

"WHA-WHA-WHAT?" Itomimizu shrieked. "NOT ONLY DID THEY KNOCK BIG PAN DOWN. BUT THEY KNOCKED HIM RIGHT BACK UP TOO! ALTHOUGH BIG PAN IS INDEED ON HIS FEET, I DON'T THINK HE HAS ANY IDEA WHERE HE'S AT NOW. TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, PICKLES IS LOOKING PRETTY DAZED HIMSELF. TEAM FOXY IS IN A REAL PINCH!"

Zoro charged across the field towards the two remaining Groggy Monsters.

"NOW ZORO IS CHARGING IN! WILL HE BE ABLE TO OVERTAKE BIG PAN IN HIS STATE OF CONFUSION?"

"GGGRRR!" Pickles growled as he spotted Zoro. "YOU'RE NOT PASSED ME!" He was so caught up looking at Zoro behind him that he didn't notice Sanji charging in from behind until the cook kicked him in the face. THWHAM!

Pickles flew across the ring. The Foxy Pirates on the sidelines screamed and scattered… except for the referee who was still looking away from the match. WHAM! Pickles slammed into the referee and crashed down on top of him.

"I've had enough of your crap," Sanji called after Pickles. "And that goes for the ref too."

"THE CROWD-ALONG WITH THE REF-TAKES A DIRECT HIT FROM THE FLYING PICKLES. DID SANJI HAVE AN ULTERIOR MOTIVE PERHAPS?"

"Uuugghhh… uugghhh…" the referee groaned as he dragged himself out from under Pickles. "You did that… on… purpose… uughh… Red Card!" The referee pulled out a card. But it wasn't his Red Card. It was a playing card with Sanji's face on it.

The referee blinked and stared at the strange card in surprise. "Wait a sec… my cards… my whistle… they're all gone!" FWUMP! The referee promptly fainted.

"Fufufufu," Robin chuckled, "You're such a naughty girl."

"What can I say?" Nami replied as she reached through the whistle around her neck and into her shirt to pull out the referee's Red and Yellow Cards. "Old habits die hard. Hehe…"

"Hah… ha…" Ricky gave a weak groan as he laid in a puddle of his own blood and finally opened his eye. "I love that girl…"

Zoro ignored the fact that Pickles was gone and charged across the field straight at Sanji.

"OH! THIS IS BAD! HERE THEY GO AGAIN. WITH VICTORY WITHIN THEIR GRASP THE STRAW HATS TURN ON EACH OTHER!"

SKISH! Zoro jumped while Sanji swung his leg at him. Tmp! Zoro landed on Sanji's leg.

"ARMEE DE L'AIR… POWER SHOOT!" WOOOOSH! Sanji swing his leg and sent Zoro flying all the way up to Big Pan.

Whap! Zoro grabbed onto Big Pan's upper lip as he fell passed him and brought the dazed Wotan back down again.

"INCREDIBLE! BIG PAN… THE MASSIVE WOTAN WARRIOR…"

"NOOOOO!" the Foxy Pirates screamed.

"ALRIGHT!" the Straw Hat Pirates cheered.

"IS HEADED FOR THE GOAL RING!"

"RAAAAAH!" Zoro roared as he came down and drove Big Pan head first down into the ring. WHAAAM! The ground shoot as the rest of Big Pan's big body dropped limply to the ground.

"GOOOOOAAAAAAAAALLLLLLL!"

-x-

Luffy's Choice:

-x-

"IT GOES IN! GOAL! GOAL! GOAL!"

"WOOO! YEAH! WAY TO GO!" Nami cheered while Robin smiled beside her.

"YEAH! ALRIGHT!" Luffy shouted as he threw and a crying Usopp held each other and swayed from side-to-side. "WE WON! HA! WE WON!"

"I'M… SO… HAPPY!" Usopp bawled.

"WAAAH!" Chopper cried. "YOU GUYS! RICKY! ZORO! SANJI!"

"Aw, no fair!" Porche complained as she clung to the reindeer. "He's mine! You can't have him!"

"Awesome!" one of the Foxy Pirates remarked. "Those guys are amazing!"

"Bravo! Bravo!" another Foxy Pirate cheered while a third let out a whistle of approval.

"Do your best in the third round too!" a four Foxy Pirate encouraged the Straw Hats.

"SHADDAP!" Foxy snapped at his crew. "WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON ANYWAY, YOU TRAITORS?" Foxy turned and glared at the field. "I can't believe this! Nobody's ever beaten the Groggy Monsters!"

The referee finally opened his eyes.

"Oh, hi ref," Nami greeted him. "Wakey, wakey. Look, you dropped your whistle. You'd better make your call. Go ahead and give it a blow." Nami held the whistle out to the delirious referee.

"Oh… thank you…" the referee grunted as he looked back over at Pickles. "That last move was a flagrant foul if I've ever seen one. He's out of the game!" The referee snatched his whistle back and blew into it.

TWWWEEEEEEEEEEE!

"AND THAT'S THE FINAL WHISTLE! THERE YOU HAVE IT FOLKS. THE GROGGY RING MATCH IS OFFICIALLY OVER!"

BLOOM! BLOOM! BLOOM! Fireworks went off to signify the end of the match.

"YEAH! YEAH!" Chopper cheered. "THEY DID IT!"

"SHISHISHISHI!" Luffy laughed as he and Usopp continued to rock together.

"I CAN'T STOP… CRYING!" Usopp sobbed.

Behind them, Robin gave a small smile. "Go team."

Nami smirked at the referee, "Nice work!" she taunted the shocked referee. "You're a real pro!"

"Hah…ha…" Ricky let out a weak laugh. "Love that girl."

"Oh, so you're still alive," Zoro noted. "I'm guess you're delirious though." Zoro bent down and lifted Ricky up off of the ground and slung his arm over his shoulder.

Hamburg, Pickles and Big Pan were all left lying unconscious on the field.

"IT'S THE END OF AN ERA. THE GROGGY MONSTERS HAVE FINALLY BEEN DETHRONED AS THE KINGS OF THE RING. OUR NEW CHAMPIONS AND WINNERS OF THE SECOND ROUND ARE ZORO, SANJI AND RICKY OF THE STRAW HAT PIRATES!"

"SHISHISHISHI!" Luffy laughed. "What did you think would happen? Like our guys would ever lose to you!"

"NAAMIII! ROOOBIIIN!" Sanji practically sang as he noodle danced over to the two women. "Was I great? Huh? Was I?"

"You were just wonderful," Robin told him.

Whak! Whak! Usopp chopped Zoro over the head. "You're nothing but a jerk! Don't scare me like that!"

"Hey, hey, stop," Zoro complained.

"I'm so glad you followed my plan after all!" Usopp gushed.

"Your… plan?" Ricky weakly repeated as he hung half-limp off of Zoro's shoulder. "I was telling them… to work together… from the beginning. I got turned into… a burger… because they wouldn't follow it."

"But we did in the end right," Zoro pointed out. "That has to count for something."

"I just want to… get our doctor back…" Ricky stated, "So I can figure out… how many of my internal organs are still intact…"

Nami turned to face Zoro and Ricky with her arms folded over her chest.

"What?" Ricky asked. "Want to finish me off? It wouldn't take much at this rate…"

"Idiot," Nami grunted as she turned away from him.

-x-

Itomimizu flew above the stage. Everyone had left the field and were now waiting the result of the second round.

"NOW AS I'M SURE YOU ALL KNOW, AT THE END OF OUR FIGHT OUR WINNERS, THE STRAW HAT PIRATES, GET TO CLAIM THEIR HARD EARNED PRIZE! WILL THEY TAKE A MEMBER OF FOXY'S CREW? OR WILL THEY TAKE HIS JOLLY ROGER? EITHER WAY, ITS UP TO THEIR CAPTAIN AND THEIR CAPTAIN ALONE. DRUMROLL PLEASE…"

Luffy stared at the Foxy Pirates in front of the stage and at the reindeer that was once again seated in a chair on the stage.

"Well, the choice is obvious isn't it?" Luffy pointed out.

"He's going to pick me," a Foxy Pirate thought to himself.

"I get it… they want me don't they? They've wanted me this whole time."

"My heart… my heart isn't ready to say farewell yet…"

"Oh no! He's looking this way! He's gonna take me! I know it!"

"I bet it'll be me. So long guys."

"I don't wanna go…"

"I'll put a smile on my face for my friends… even if I'm crying on the inside."

"Curses! Why do I have to be so lovable?"

"Come on Luffy!" the only Foxy Pirate that mattered thought to himself as he sat in his chair on the stage. "Please…"

"Okay!" Luffy called out, "I choose…"

"Hold on!" Nami interrupted causing the Foxy Pirates to face-fault.

"What's up Nami?" Luffy asked.

"Think about it," Nami said, "Their boss is probably gonna take part in the next round, right? We've already seen what his Slow Slow Beam can do. If he fights we won't stand a chance in any game no matter what the rules are. So the answer is obvious. If Foxy is gonna be our biggest treat in round three then we should recruit him so we have the advantage. Sure, we'd all like to get Chopper back. But if we end up losing the next round they'll probably take him right back and then our win will go to waste. And since his crew will be dumbstruck when they lose their precious boss we'll stomp 'em no problem and claim Chopper in round three. Then we're guaranteed to keep him for good. Get it?"

"That's devious…" Ricky spoke over Luffy. "I love it."

"AH! NO! SAY IT ISN'T SO! THEY'RE REALLY GONNA TAKE OUR CAPTAIN AWAY?"

"WHAT! THAT'S THE PEANUT STRATEGY!" an angry Foxy Pirate exclaimed.

"You guy are the lowest of the low!"

"Go home! Lousy peanutters!"

"Are you afraid to fight us fair?"

"BOOO! BOOO! HIIISSSS! PEA-NUT! PEA-NUT! PEA-NUT!"

"ALTHOUGH THERE'S NO RULE AGAINST THIS STRATEGY IT CERTAINLY SEEMS A BIT UNDERHANDED. A LITTLE CHEATING IS EXPECTED OF PIRATES BUT SUDDENLY TAKING A CREW'S CAPTAIN AWAY IN THE MIDDLE OF A GAME IS NO DIFFERENT FROM RUNNING AWAY FROM A FIGHT. SHAME! SHAME! SHAME ON YOUR STRAW HATS! AND SHAME ON THE HEARTLESS DEVIL OF A WOMAN WHO CAME UP WITH THIS PLAN! YOU'RE TRULY A NEFARIOUS NAVIGATOR NAMI!"

"AH!" Nami gasped as all the jeers from the Foxy Pirates and the commentator struck her.

"HOW DARE YOU TALK TRASH ABOUT NAMI!" Sanji berated the still booing and jeering Foxy Pirates. "I'M GONNA FILLET YOU PUNKS!"

"IN ALL THE HISTORY OF DAVY BACK FIGHTS, NO ONE HAS EVER HAD THE AUDACITY TO PULL SUCH A LOUSY, NO-GOOD STUNT! SO WHAT DO YOU SAY MEN? YOU CAN'T CALL A WIN AGAINST A CRW WITH NO CAPTAIN A TRUE VICTORY, CAN YOU?"

"NOOO!" the Foxy Pirates chorused.

"AFTER SWEARING ON DAVY JONES' NAME, IS IT RIGHT TO THROW AWAY YOUR HONOR AS A PIRATE JUST TO WIN A MATCH?"

"NOOO! PEA-NUTS! PEA-NUTS! PEA-NUTS!"

Tears spilled out from Nami's eyes as she automatically turned to Ricky but then stopped and turned to hug Robin instead. "Why are they so mean?" Robin awkwardly patted the crying navigator's back.

"Well, even if it doesn't go against the rules," Robin said, "It does seem to go against some of their pirate sensibilities."

Ricky looked from the crying Nami to the still jeering Foxy crew. He pushed himself off of Zoro's shoulder

"You lousy… low-brow… spineless… cheating… BASTARDS!" Ricky snarled as he stalked towards the Foxy Pirates. He left a small trail of blood in his wake. "You blatantly interfered and cheated to win the first round… You pick Chopper so he couldn't compete in the second round… Your team blatantly cheated by breaking the no weapons rule multiple times… Your lousy cheat of a referee pointedly ignored your cheating and he penalized us so we had to win that match twice… We got pounded, pummeled, slashed and smashed… but we pulled through and won. And now, we decide to make a choice… that's completely legal! And you have the AUDACITY protest it! Worse yet… you made that amazing woman cry for even suggesting something the slightest bit underhanded! You do realize we wouldn't have to resort to this if you guys had competed with honor in the first place and followed the rules!"

Nami looked back over her shoulder then tilted her head up and whispered into Robin's ear.

Ricky's legs gave out and he dropped to his knees but he immediately pushed himself back up. "You challenged a Captain who had no idea what it was to a Davy Back Fight. You swore on Davy Jones' name to abide by the rules of the Davy Back Fight. You cheated in both rounds. And now you DARE to question our honor as pirates! You should be ashamed, you sniveling, whiny, honorless cheaters!" Fwump! Ricky's legs gave out again and he dropped back to the ground. "Yup... still bleeding..."

"Yeah!" Usopp chimed in and jumped in front of Ricky. "I'm with Nami on this one! Shame! Shame on you!"

"I don't know, this doesn't seem right," Zoro said, "Why don't you grow a backbone, Nami?"

WHOMP! Zoro was now unconscious.

"YOU'RE JUST MAKING A BIG FUSS BECAUSE YOU LOST!" Nami berated the Foxy Pirates. "HOW 'BOUT YOU SHUT UP AND DEAL WITH IT!"

"Yes ma'am we're sorry!" Foxy exclaimed as his terrified crew stood around him in shock.

"UNDERHANDED WITCH THOUGH SHE IS, THE GIRL IS RIGHT…"

"Don't make me come up there!" Ricky growled.

"MONKEY D. LUFFY IS THE CAPTAIN OF THE WINNING TEAM. HE GETS TO DECIDE HOW THIS BATTLE WILL UNFOLD. THAT MEANS HE'S FREE TO CHOOSE ANYONE HE LIKES. INCLUDING FOXY HIMSELF."

The unimportant Foxy Pirates all whimpered and whined to themselves at the prospect of Luffy picking them.

"Straw Hat… you little punk!" Foxy himself growled. "You're really going to choose me aren't you? Yes, it's obvious. It was probably your plan all along. Farewell Foxy Pirates, farewell my wonderful crew, I'll say goodbye with a smile on my face. I owe you that much at least. If having such a charming personality and stunning looks is a sin then I accept my punishment. Those poor Straw Hats really need a poster boy for their crew. I can't blame them for wanting me. I can't blame anyone for wanting me."

"Say… just a quick though," Robin spoke up and finally interrupted Foxy's vein internal monologue. "That plan of yours Miss. Navigator, although it would give us a big advantage, you realize it would actually make Foxy a part of our crew."

"Oh…" Nami said. "Yeah, one fox is enough."

"Yeah, I think I'll pass," Luffy, a newly conscious Zoro, Sanji and Usopp chorused.

Foxy dropped to the ground and moped.

"Ah!" one of the Foxy Pirates whined. "Our sweet Captain's heart has been crushed under the weight of those cruel words!"

"It's one thing to turn him down but did they have to do it like that?"

"Aw… it's okay…" Porche tried to console Foxy. "Even if they don't want you we still do."

"You're always welcome here," another Foxy Pirate insisted.

"D-do you m-mean it?" Foxy whimpered.

"Nobody makes fun of our boss and gets away with it!" a Foxy Pirate growled.

"Yeah! You'll see! We'll get 'em in the next round!"

"We won't let you down boss, I promise!"

"We love you!"

"You guys… thank you," Foxy gushed as he literally glowed from the admiration of his crew. "I promise I will never leave! You're the only crew for me!"

"Cut the crap, will ya?" Sanji snapped. Fwump! Foxy face-faulted.

"IF THE STRAW HATS ARE DONE EMOTIONALLY ABUSING OUR BOSS, CAN THEIR NO-GOOD CAPTAIN FINALLY MAKE HIS DECISION? HURRY UP ALRIGHT!"

"Fine," Luffy stated. "In that case, there's someone I wanna take back."

On the stage, Chopper lit up and smiled.

"SHELLY!"

"Who the hell is Shelly?" Ricky wondered while Usopp and Nami gaped in shock.

Tonjit who had been sitting beside the stage with his beloved horse all through the first two rounds looked up. "Huh?"

"WHAT A TURN OF EVENTS! THE CAPTAIN OF THE STRAW HATS HAS CHOSEN SHELLY. A HORSE THAT CAPTAIN FOXY PICKED UP ON A WHIM AFTER COMING TO THIS ISLAND. IS THIS PURE GENIUS OR JUST PLAIN IDIOCY?"

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU DID, YOU SORRY EXCUSE FOR A CAPTAIN?" Usopp hollered Luffy as he grabbed Luffy's ear and stretched his face out.

"Yeah, of course," Luffy replied.

"LISTEN!" Nami snarled as she grabbed Luffy other ear and stretched his face in the other direction. "I KNOW YOU DIDN'T LIKE MY FOXY PLAN BUT THIS IS A BAJILLION TIMES WORSE!"

"Okay… but could you stop stretching my face like that?" Luffy requested.

"We promised Chopper we'd win him back," Ricky pointed out. "And I really needed a doctor..."

"Did you hear that little Choppy?" Porche cooed to Chopper as she nuzzled him with her face. "Looks like you get to stay with us after-all."

"FEHFEHFEHFEHFEH!" Foxy laughed at Luffy's dumb choice.

"I know I told you not to pick Chopper but I wouldn't have said that if I knew you'd pick some horse!" Nami snapped as he yanked on Luffy's ear. She and Usopp finally let go and Luffy's face finally snapped back the way it was.

Luffy looked up in time to see Tonjit wheel Shelly over on a cart.

"There you go stilts-guy," Luffy said, "Now you have your horse back once and for all."

"How can I thank you?" Tonjit asked.

"Seeing you together is thanks enough," Luffy replied.

"Hey, your friends don't look so good," Tonjit remarked. "That last match was a doozy. Are yo sure they're okay?"

"I blame it all on that loser with the crazy eyebrows," Zoro insisted.

"YOU BASTARD!" Sanji snapped as he charged Zoro and the two started fighting again.

"They sure are a lively pair aren't they," Tonjit noted.

"I still have no idea who this guy is," Ricky stated.

Robin came over and held her hand out to Ricky, "Need a hand, Mr. One Eye?" Ricky grabbed Robin's hand and she pulled him up to his feet. "By the way…" Robin reached out and hugged Ricky then quickly pecked him on the cheek.

"R-Robin…" Ricky sputtered as he leaned away from her.

"That wasn't from me," Robin informed him.

Ricky looked over at Nami who pointedly looked away.

"This means so much," Tonjit told Luffy. "Really, thank you."

"Don't sweat it," Luffy reassured him.

NEEEIINEEEII Shelly chimed in as she nuzzled Tonjit.

"Good girl," Tonjit commented as he patted his beloved horse. "Shelly says 'thank you' too."

"Ugh, guess I can't blame him," Nami sighed.

"Yeah," Usopp agreed, "That is totally what I would have done."

"Allow me to repay you for your kindness by treating you to some cheese back at my house," Tonjit offered.

"NOT IN A MILLION YEARS!" Usopp yelled.

"Heh," Tonjit chuckled and bowed. "It's your loss. Suit yourself."

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed, "Just keep off the stilts, okay?"

"Are you sure about this though?" Tonjit questioned. "What about your little reindeer friend?"

"Yeah, you jerk?" Nami snapped, "How do you think he feels being left with those weird-os?"

Chopper sniffed and cried on the stage, "Luffy…"

"Poor little guy…" Nami commented.

Luffy turned to Chopper. "Chopper, I'm sorry. I know this is hard on you but no matter what I promise we'll win the next game and get you back. So hang on a little longer, okay? I know you can take it. After all, you're a man, right?"

"YOU BET I AM!" Chopper chirped as he crossed his arms and plopped back down in his chair.

"Hehehe," Nami laughed, "That's our Chopper."

"Leave it to me little pal," Usopp boasted, "You'll be just fine."

"If you're Chopper's last hope, he's screwed," Sanji stated.

"Still need a doctor…" Ricky muttered. "Now we have to win another round before I can get looked over."

"Fufufu," Robin chuckled, "Now that you mention it, I wonder what the next game will be."

"Humph, whatever it is, I'm ready for it," Zoro insisted.

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed. "We're gonna have Chopper back in no time."

-x-

Next chapter is Round 3: the Round, Round, Round.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!