On Your Mark, Get Set, FIGHT!
Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece.
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"Let's go guys, we don't have much time!"
Axe ran across the deck of his ship while his crew made preparations, such as raising the anchor, unfurling the sails and checking to see if everything was in the right place.
"C'mon guys, we don't wanna be caught with our pants down,"
"Yeah, we really don't wanna see that,"
Axe shot a glance at Rayo, who was grinning slyly at his own joke.
"Oh, you're a sick man, aniki,"
"Hey, I take what I can get it from ya," Rayo watched the odd crew make the final preparations, "So...what, exactly, are we waiting for? Shouldn't we be heading for the racing area?
Axe checked his watch and looked at the slowly lightening sky, the sun barely peeking over the horizon, "We're on our way,"
Chizuru looked at the Partia Eternal Pose she held and looked back at the others, "We're ready...but you all might want to hold onto something,"
Immediately, Axe gripped a firm hold on the railing of the ship while Dusty latched onto the mast, digging her claws deep into the wood.
All the others looked at them, unsure of what they meant by holding on, but they decided not to chance it. Pingu didn't have to worry about holding onto something, he had found a secure, safe place, holding tightly onto Niri's back, looking over her shoulder towards the front of the boat.
"Three...," Chizuru wrapped a rope around her hand.
"Two...," Axe grinned.
"Why are you guys counting?" Dusty and Rayo asked at the same time.
"ONE!" both captain and navigator cried out.
Seconds later, a huge blast of wind struck the Tomahawk from behind and the next thing they knew, they were heading upstream at a great speed.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" Dusty shrieked, wrapping her legs around the mast, "WHAT WAS THAT?!"
Chizuru held her ground as the boat jerked slightly, "That, my dear nakama, was a strong gale wind that comes by this island every few years! It's essential for us if we're to get into this race!"
Axe nodded and pointed ahead, "Look guys, the island's got lotsa of rivers, and they all go upstream. That's where the starting point is, once we get there, the race will be officially started!"
After passing through a large, dark tunnel, the ship came out into an area of town where there were many people standing on rooftops, waving and cheering other pirate ships on as they made their appearances. The crew looked on at different ships. There was a large ship with a drill in the front, whose flag Herman recognized as the Merman Willy's. Another ship was easily recognizable as Straw Hats, what with the mark on the sail and the large goat head in the front.
"Yo, who are those guys?"
Axe turned to see Niri pointing to a ship a short distance away. It had a Jolly Roger flag that showed a skull with a fancy-looking mask and instead of crossbones, it had two batons crossed behind it.
"Those must be the Masque Pirates," Chizuru thought aloud, "Their ship is the Mardi Gras, I think...or something like that,"
Azu scanned the area and his jaw dropped at what he saw, "HOLY...guys, check that out!" he half-shouted, pointing to something behind them.
Everyone rushed one side of the ship and saw a huge ship making it's way upstream in a seperate area, on the other side of the Going Merry. It was a huge ship with a golden serpent headfigure in the front, and many masts with sails. On those sails, they could see the Marine insignia on the cloth, but ontop of the mark, was a giant, dark X that was painted over.
"Shit!" Niri scowled and glared at it, "That's Gasparde's ship, The Salamander!"
Azu whistled, "Looks like an awesome ship...," he turned to Niri, and jumped when he saw the dark look she was giving him, "O-Of course...it really is a piece of crap," he said quickly, walking back across the deck.
Rayo glanced at Niri, but then joined Azu and walked back to his original place on the deck, looking out at the different boats and their crews. After a short time of going upstream, every river on the island merged and became a big river, forcing the boats to cruise alongside one another. Not only that, but as they continued upstream, the ships began to suddenly incline as it rose up the side of the mountain.
Axe looked back and saw that most of his crew were thrown off by this and looked like they were about to panic. He grinned, pulled a smaller axe from his belt and cleaved into the ship, holding tightly so he could keep his footing.
"Get ready guys...," he said loudly, "The first step's a doozy!"
They all looked at each other, confused.
Moments later, all the ships seemed to level out as they reached the top of the mountain's river. As it did, everyone looked ahead and saw the sun ahead of them, peeking out from behind clouds that gave it a beautiful, red glow. Enthralled by the sight, Axe's nakama didn't have a chance...
Suddenly, the ship seemed to fall out from under their feet as it fell off the Grand Fall, rapidly falling to the new river far below it.
They all screamed as they tried to get back onto solid wood, but Axe was screaming at the top of his lungs with excitement.
"BANZAI!!!!!!!!"
The Tomahawk made contact with the new river and everyone that was thrown off before, hit the deck hard. Axe couldn't but wince at them, "Told them the first step was a doozy,"
"Damn you, Axe...," Rayo and Niri muttered, holding their faces as they climbed to their feet, "WARN US NEXT TIME!"
"I did!"
Chizuru checked the Eternal Pose and ran past the bickering friends, "We can't worry about who warned who right now, the race has started and unless we can get the ship to move out of the way of both the crews and the curves of the river, there's a good chance we'll end it here!"
While she ran to the helm, Devon watched as the other pirate crews either opened fire on one another with their cannons, or they boarded each other's ships.
He turned to his sharpshooter friend, "Niri! Get down to the cannons! If we get into a fight, we'll need some firepower!"
Niri gave a short nod, grabbed Dusty by the tail and dragged her below deck, "C'mon, Kit, you can help me and Pingu!"
Dusty struggled, but found herself being dragged below deck.
"Captain?"
Axe turned to see Herman walking up to him, "Yo?"
"Is there something I can do to help in this race?"
His captain looked out at the enemy ships, then looked down at the large river they were on. Tapping his arm, another grin crossed his face.
"I got something for you to do," Axe pointed to the river, "That must be pretty deep right now, so I want you to dive in and take out whosever ship you can!"
Herman blinked in surprise, "Captain...with all due respect, you know how I am with people,"
Axe nodded, "I'm perfectly aware of that, Herman. I did not tell you to kill them, I just said to render as many boats useless as you can. The more you take out, the less we have to worry about," he patted his chef on the arm, "Don't worry, you don't have to kill anybody,"
The lobster merman rubbed the back of his neck, "Well...alright, I guess,"
Rayo walked over as Herman dove into the water, "Interesting strategy...take out who ya can with guns, then wait for your Merman friend to take others out from below,"
"Do you not approve, aniki?"
"Oh, no, no," Rayo shook his head, smiling a little, "Just wanted to make sure what you're doing to get into first place so I can get my betting money,"
Axe opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when The Salamander started to pass them. He grinned and laughed under his breath, "Gasparde...there's something I've been wanting to do ever since we met,"
Rayo shook his head again, "You wanna fight him, huh?"
"Yeah, but not right now...too many people and they might get hurt,"
He's thinking of the inhabitants of the island... Rayo turned, "Well, then what-," he stopped, facefaulting at the sight that was before him.
Axe was bent over, his pants unbuckled and pulled down to his thighs, his bare ass mooning Gasparde's ship.
"Oh...my...God...,"
"YO! GASPARDE!" Axe stuck out his tongue and smacked a cheek, "Kiss my hiney, wet and shiney!"
Rayo turned away, feeling ill all of a sudden, "That...I didn't need to see,"
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Despite the excitement of the start of the race, nothing eventful happened as Axe and his nakama sailed into open water. No enemy ships came at them, no one came and boarded them...the only exciting thing that really happened as the damage that Herman, Dusty, Pingu, and Niri had done back at Hannibal.
Taking this pleasant, yet somewhat disappointing free time, everyone had something to do. Devon and DJ sparred, the former giving some pointers on basic swordsmanship. Chizuru and Kirsty talked with Rayo, the three of them learning something new about things. From Kirsty's mentor in Drum and the passing of her skills to Kirsty, to Rayo chatting about anything and everything that happened in his life.
When it came to dinner, Herman showed Rayo his skills as a sea-chef with knowledge of Merman delicacy's and recipes he had learned during his travels. Needless to say, there were no leftovers...not that there usually were any leftovers.
After dinner, Rayo and Axe sat alongside each other, staring at the water as clouds drifted over the evening sky, making it look darker than usual. Rayo belched loudly and patted his stomach.
"I'm not one for pigging out a whole lot, but your chef's stuff is really good," he commented, looking up at the sky.
"Yeah, he's a great guy, like I've said," Axe tore a piece off his meat rack and chewed with his mouth open, "He's always showing us new things everyday...so it's pretty fun to see what he's got," he turned to his friend, "So, any luck finding that ass?"
Rayo remained silent.
Axe looked at the waves, "Sorry, man. I know it's touchy,"
"Don't be," Rayo murmured, "We all have our demons to face...,"
"...our crosses to bear," Axe nodded in agreement, "Some may be bigger than others,"
His informant friend glanced at him, then back out at the sea, "Did you use my teachings while on your journey? Is that how you got such a big bounty?"
"I only used those moves when I had no other choice...my skill with axes and my strength were good enough against most,"
Rayo nodded, "Good to hear...that tells me you're not a complete idiot,"
Axe shot a glare at his friend, "Oi, you wanna-,"
"AXE!" Devon's shouting interrupted them.
The young captain looked over his shoulder to see Devon running over, "Sup?"
"We got company!" his first mate pointed to where he had just come from, "A ship's coming up and fast !"
Axe grinned widely and cracked his knuckles, "Alright, first fight of the race! About damn time!" he hopped off the railing and looked around, "Where is everyone?"
"I think they're still in the galley,"
"Alright, I'll need you out here just in case," Axe turned to Rayo, "Can you go get the others while we get ready?"
"Sure," Rayo nodded and headed towards the galley.
As Rayo shut the door behind him, Axe walked over to where Devon had sighted the ship and leaned outward, hoping to find it before it started to fire on them. He didn't have to wait long, because it appeared behind them, rather close to the boat itself.
When Axe saw the ship, when he saw the metal and wood components, when he saw the cannons and the masts with no sails on them, he facefaulted.
"Oh...crap,"
"It's them again," Devon said, joining him, "Those damn chicks...," he cracked his neck, "Permission to kick ass this time, Cap'n?"
"Only if they attack first, Devon," Axe watched as the advanced looking ship pulled alongside them. He recognized Shinatsu, the young woman with the monocle and the shipwright of the Nanatsu .
He waved at her, "Hey, Shina...look, I don't have time for you guys right now, okay? I'm trying to win a race here?"
"The Dead End Race," Shina nodded, "I know, Axe, we saw you at Hannibal. We figured we could give you payback for the last few times you screwed us over, and in the process, win us a large chunk of money,"
Axe grinned, "You think you can do that, Shina? Last time we ran into each other," he shook his head, "Didn't work out for Kimeru, if you recall,"
Shina opened her mouth to retort, when Raimei, her engineer of sorts approached her and whispered something in her ear. Axe could see a small smile crossing her face.
"Prepare yourself, Devon," he whispered to his First Mate.
The blonde swordsman nodded and ran a thumb over Water Moon, "Got it, boss,"
"Uh...Axe?"
The captain turned to see Rayo exit the galley, looking unsure about something.
"Wassup, aniki?"
"I can't find anyone in there," Rayo jerked a thumb to the galley, "I checked everywhere,"
Axe frowned, "Then, where are they?"
"Don't worry, they're all aboard the ship," a familiar voice assured them.
Axe and Devon spun around to see Kimeru walking up the stairs from below deck, holding onto a bound Austin, her hand gripping the boy's head.
"What the hell-?! What are you doing on my ship?!"
"Bitch, you let go of my brother, right now!" Devon whipped out his katana and gripped it so tight, his knuckles turned white, "Only chance I'm giving you...,"
Kimeru chuckled and pulled her strange, segmented sword from her back, "Axe, to answer your question, I was put here to screw with you and your crew. I'm sure you're familiar with my nakama's abilities as they sing?"
Axe nodded, "Yeah...,"
"Who's she talking about?" Rayo asked, looking back and forth from the four of them.
"I'll explain later, aniki...," Axe said quickly, "Kimeru, what have you done with my crew?"
The swordswoman laughed, "Nothing too badly...with a little help from Herman, I've managed to incapicitate them for the time being...though, some of them will wake up with major headaches,"
Devon advanced slowly on her, his sword pointing straight at her face, "I said...let go...of my brother," he hissed.
"Fight me and we'll see what happens to him,"
Devon cracked his neck, the sound of his neckbones echoing loudly on the ship, "Fine,"
Kimeru smiled, "This is great, I bet that nothing could be better for this...," she glanced at Axe, then eyed Rayo curiously, then chuckled again, "Or maybe I'm wrong? Shina!" she turned to her boss, "Tell the Sisters that it's time!"
"You read my mind Shina, I alerted them a short time ago!" Shina called from the Nanatsu, which seemed to drift away from the Tomahawk.
Axe opened his mouth, wanting to ask what they meant by that, but before he had a chance to ask, the ship suddenly shook violently, knocking both him and Rayo to the deck while Devon quickly steadied himself.
"The hell was that?" Axe muttered under his breath, "Did we hit a reef or something?"
Kimeru shook her head, "No...but our friend hit you guys,"
As if on cue, the boat began to rock back and forth as the sea around it began to look choppy. Axe climbed to his feet and held onto the mast when something began to rise up from beneath the waves. From the depths of the ocean, a huge, white, snake-like head and neck rose, it's teeth glistening and a low growl coming from it's throat.
"Dammit...," Axe frowned, "We got company,"
"Uh...Axe...?" Rayo tapped his shoulder, "You might wanna see this,"
Axe turned around and his jaw nearly dropped when he saw two more heads coming out of the sea, identical to the first one. The three beasts moved around the ship, each of them looking down on the two of them. Before too long, the three beasts were side-by-side, but when they thought they were going to attack, they did something they didn't expect.
Roaring loudly, the beasts rose a little more out of the water, and both Axe and Rayo could see that all three heads were connected to a single, massive white body hidden by the waves.
Rayo shook his head, "Holy...what is that thing!?"
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Kilnorc: DUN DUN DUN! This isn't good, ya'll! Most of the crew are out of it, Devon's about to fight, and now, there's a huge three-headed monster threatening the ship! AAAHHH!
On the next chapter of Grand Prix...
Devon: I've been looking for a rematch with you...that sword of yours won't best me this time!
Kimeru: Is that so? Well, let's see, shall we? Then afterwards, I'll take your captain's bounty.
Devon: Feh, whatever...now, let go of my brother and let's get this on!
Rayo: I've never seen a monster like this before! Think it's a Sea King?
Axe: Sure as hell ain't a tadpole!
Clash and Smash, Revenge of Nanatsu!
Axe: You girls think this thing will stop us from winning the race? Heh...how about I show you just what I'm capable of?!