Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. I only own my OC, Aurora and Kai.

I'M BACK BABY! Sorry for the wait!

I had started this chapter and then completely lost my muse. I had no motivation for this story whatsoever for a long time. The reveal of the new opening for One Piece is what kickstarted things back up again. I literally listened to Dreamin' On by Da-iCE on repeat the entire time I wrote this chapter.

Whatever works, right?

Anyway... I present to you the latest chapter of 'From Heaven Above'! Please enjoy!


Chapter 45

Falling…

They were falling…

The Going Merry plummeted from the sky, landing with a resounding Crash! amongst the waves. The crew fell heavily to the deck, seawater drenching their forms.

"Waaah!"

"Ouch!"

"Uwaaaah!"

"It's cold!"

Sanji called out to the girls. "Aurora, Nami, Robin, you okay?"

"We're fine!" the angel responded, lifting her head from the firm surface she had landed upon. A surface that was… moving? It was then Aurora realized she wasn't lying on the cold, hard wood of the deck. She was atop someone else. The angel turned her head, coming face to face with Zoro.

The swordsman's cheeks flamed a bright red as he slowly slid out from underneath the angel, putting some distance between them. He refused to make eye contact, trying not to think about the soft curves that had been pressed up against him mere seconds ago. How did he keep ending up in situations like this with her? "Sorry…"

Aurora felt her face grow warm in response, the shy angel mortified by the closeness they'd just shared. It's not like this was the first time she'd been in close proximity to the swordsman… so why was she so flustered? "N-No. It's okay."

"Ou! Puh!" Luffy cried out, disturbing the moment as the octopus that had acted as their balloon fell directly onto his face.

"Heh… heh…" Nami panted. "That was scary… why did the octopus suddenly shrink?"

"Maybe there was a leak…?" Robin suggested.

Luffy managed to pry the creature off his face. "Phew… thanks to you… we're still alive. Thanks, octopus."

"Well, whaddya know…" Kai took in their surroundings. "Back in blue seas once more."

"Is everyone safe?"

"Well…" Sanji lit a cigarette. "That was… one magical trip."

"Now that we are back down… that trip feels like a dream…" Robin remarked.

Nami agreed. "That's because it really was a dreamy place…"

"Heh… I wonder… if we will ever go back again…"

Zoro glanced at the reindeer. "Maybe you will go there after you die. Or somewhere close… heheh."

"Zoro… are you sure that we'll go to heaven?" Usopp asked the swordsman.

"I'd say it's about a 50/50 chance." Kai responded instead. "You got her holiness here spreading purity all over the place-"

"But you're here as well." Aurora cut him off, irked by the way the fallen angel talked about her.

Kai took it in stride. "That I am. So… this ship and its occupants are both blessed and cursed. We could end up in Heaven or down in-"

Aurora slapped her hand over his mouth. "Don't speak of it! You'll jinx us!"

"All right!" Luffy popped up, interrupting the conversation. "Men, drop the sails! We're going to the next island!"

"Hey, Luffy. Give us a short break, will ya?"

Nami clicked her tongue. "Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. If you can rest whenever you want in this sea… nobody would be afraid of it. Everyone, move it!" The navigator turned. "Ah… see? Here it comes."

Chopper's jaw dropped. "Uwaaaaaaaaaah!"

Usopp quickly set into motion. "Full speed ahead! It's a tsunami!"

"There are giant monsters in those waves!"

"Look! Sea monkeys!"


"Finally… it calmed down…"

"That was close…"

"Puuh!" Luffy spat out a mouthful of water. "Guh puuhh!"

Usopp dragged the boy back onto the ship, the two thoroughly drenched. "Geez…"

Sanji could only shake his head. "I told you so."

"I couldn't do it in the sky sea. I thought I could do it here…" Luffy whined, face-planting onto the deck.

"Aah! Somebody get him a doctor!"

Aurora sweatdropped. "T-That's you, Chopper."

The reindeer paused, processing the angel's words. "Ah! I'm the doctor!"

Kai face-palmed. "That's what she just said!"

"Like I said, only Nami can do it regardless of which sea it is." Usopp pointed out.

"Nami~~~! Nami~~~! Go~~~!" Sanji cheered.

"Yes!" The navigator sped by on the waver. "It works in the Blues, too!" She did one more circuit around the ship, pulling up alongside it and getting back onboard. "Chopper, pull it up."

The reindeer did as told, switching to his Heavy Point form to reel the waver in. "Nami, you were great!"

"Everything except cloud dial works down here, too." Usopp relayed, tinkering with his new toys.

"You have to be in sky island for the cloud to take shapes…" Robin told the sniper.

"That's no big deal. The other dials are much better." Zoro expressed his opinion, munching on some breadsticks.

"Ah!" Luffy instantly took note of the food. "Hey, Sanji! I want breadsticks, too!"


"Alright! Thank you for waiting. Now we will officially start distributing the loot!" Nami spread out their newly gathered treasure. "Each of these is worth a lot of money!"

"Yay!" Usopp cheered, letting out a shrill whistle.

"Hurray! Let's buy a statue! I want a statue!" Luffy expressed his desire.

Chopper leaned forward. "Can I buy books?!"

Sanji had a list. "New pots, new pans, new silverware… and a few mouse traps…"

"I'll be swimming in rum." Zoro grinned widely.

"Like any of that's gonna happen…" Kai muttered, Aurora silently agreeing with the fallen angel. She knew what Nami was like when it came to their money. She preferred to keep most of it for herself and tried to spend as little as possible. It was highly doubtful anyone was going to get what he or she wanted.

"First things first…" Nami moved a large portion off to the side. "My share is 80% of these."

The boys all sweatdropped. "Hold on a second!"

"I was just kidding!" the navigator laughed nervously.

"You better be!"

"You have to share equally!"


"Repair the ship? Going Merry?" Luffy questioned.

"Yes." Nami replied. "The ship is just barely holding together right now…"

"That's true…"

"Let's do a super upgrade for Going Merry!"

"Agree!"

"We don't know how much it will cost, so we'll distribute the loot later." Nami told the crew.

"We can't really rely on Usopp to fix everything…" Zoro spoke between bites of his sandwich. "His repair skills are quite limited.

"I am a sniper. S-N-I-P-E-R!"

"But we know you did the best you could given the circumstances." Aurora praised the marksman.

"Hm… let's go to a shipyard…" Sanji suggested. "A professional one, and get everything fixed up."

"Eh?" Chopper perked up at that. "There are people who can fix the ship better than Usopp can?"

"Anyone's better than long-nose." Kai quipped, ignoring the glare sent his way.

"Come to think of it… the ship has been sailing without major repairs ever since we left my village." Usopp pointed out. "We should really have it looked at, big time. Otherwise, we may sink before we know it."

Luffy stood. "Ok. I've decided. Our next crewmember will be… a ship repairman! If our journey is to continue… we will need such a person. Going Merry is our home. It's our lifeline! We need to find someone who can keep it in good shape!"

Silence fell over the group.

Sanji broke it first. "Did he just…"

"Yes… he did say those intelligent things…" Zoro couldn't believe it either.

Aurora bit back a giggle. "Even Luffy's due every now and then."

"Alright! It is decided then!"

"Yup! It's decided."

"Hopefully we will find someone like that soon…"

"Oh! We also need a musician, by the way!"

"Uh, no, let's shelve that idea for now…"

"Eh?!"


Luffy was frozen, sweat dripping down his face at the sight of the oncoming wave. The towering form of water was not what alarmed the boy though. It was the familiar faces poking out that did.

"Run away! It's the sea monkeys!"

"They're here again!"

"There's no wind!"

"Pull up the sail!"

"We'll use the paddles!"

"Emergency! Emergency!" Usopp hollered from the crow's nest. "Another ship at 12-o'clock!"

Luffy turned. "Eh? Enemies?"

"At a time like this?!" Chopper cried.

"No… on that ship…" Usopp peered more closely through his binoculars. "There is no flag and not even a sail… what kind of ship is that?"

Aurora mulled over the sniper's words. "A ship with no flag or sails? That doesn't make any sense…"

"Yeah." Kai agreed. "Why are they out on the sea?"

The true angel glanced at her opposite. "Should we… go check it out?"

"Let's focus on getting away from the damn monkeys before we get ourselves into anymore trouble."

Aurora raised a brow in question. "I thought you liked trouble?"

Kai smirked. "I do… but I try to be smart about it. I know when not to get in over my head."

"Oh, really? Previous interactions tell me otherwise. I think your chaos intake has killed some brain cells."

The fallen angel snarled. "Why you-!"

"The sailors!" Usopp called out. "They look… kind of strange..! They're all just sitting there and look disheartened… it's like they all got killed spiritually!"

Kai fought not to strangle Aurora at the side-eye she was giving. "Quit looking at me like that!"

"Like what?" the true angel feigned innocence.

"Like I sucked the light out of those people! You know that's not how my powers work!"

"If you say so…"

"What the heck?" the angels' conversation was interrupted once more. "Can that ship make it?"

"It'll get swallowed by the wave if it just drifts like that!"

"Hey!" Luffy called over. "You guys, the wave and sea monkeys are coming! Turn around!"

"…Ah…" the other crew began to show some life. "It's a ship…"

"A pirate ship!"

"Everyone, get up! It's an enemy ship! Let's rob their treasures!"

"It's a giant wave! We have to dodge it!"

"We can't let the enemy get away!"

"Fire the cannon!"

"You can't command me!"

"Hurry up!"

"T…Turn the ship around!"

"You have to know your place!"

Aurora sweatdropped at the ongoing chaos. "You can't tell me you're not causing that…"

"I wish I could take credit." Kai replied. "But for once, it's not me. Something else is going on."

Luffy sighed. "That ship's crew lack discipline."

"Let's just ignore them." Sanji growled, focusing on maneuvering the paddles.

The crew of the Going Merry continued to steer themselves to safety, the other ship sailing into the oncoming wave. The crew's arguing was still audible even over the roar of the ocean. In mere seconds, the larger ship was engulfed, vanishing into the fathoms below.

"Phew… it's over."

"That wave was probably caused by those sea monkeys."

"The temperature and humidity is stabilizing… are we near the next island?" Nami wondered. "Hey, Robin. Do you see anything?"

The archaeologist peered down from her perch in the crow's nest. "Yes… a while ago…"

"What?!" Luffy and Usopp shouted. "Why didn't you say so earlier?!"

"Yeah, Nico. Would've been nice to know." Kai griped.

"You are on watch. So when you see a island, you're supposed to say…"

"YOU GUYS!" Luffy picked up from Usopp. "I SEE AN I-S-L-A-N-D! LAND HO!"

"Now you do it." The sniper commanded.

"There is a heavy fog…" Robin disregarded the two boys, speaking directly to Nami.

"A fog? There may be danger. Chopper, go watch the front."

"Yes, sir!" the reindeer replied.

"Do you know how much we want to see an island?!" Luffy continued to complain.

"I'm sorry." Robin apologized. "I'll announce next time."

"That's better."

"Hey, you guys… don't you think that ship was kind of weird?" Usopp changed the subject. "The captain wasn't there… nor was the navigator… no flag, no sail… then all the crews looked all disheartened and lacked discipline… how could they have been pirates?"

"Maybe they lost a fight." Zoro suggested. "The captain died… and they lost all their stuff?"

"Doubtful." Aurora responded. "The ship didn't show any sign of recent battle…"

"And there was nothing on it to suggest that they were pirates!" Usopp added.

Sanji shrugged it off. "So they weren't pirates. No big deal…"

"Maybe…" the sniper was still perturbed. "But my instincts tell me that they were pirates! I have bad feelings about this…"

"You always do." The cook dismissed Usopp's concern.

Aurora frowned, pit forming in her stomach as her holy energy roiled through her veins. "You're not the only one who has a bad feeling about this…"

Kai glanced between the sniper and angel, his dark energy humming to life underneath his skin. Some form of chaos had happened… and it had been close by. The two were right to be wary.

Luffy swung himself onto the upper deck. "I wonder if there is a town or shipyard on this island."

"Luffy, don't go on the island before everyone is ready!" Nami warned.

"I hope we meet a good repairman." Chopper chimed, gaze set forward as he kept an eye out for the island.

"The shore is near!" Luffy called, having caught sight of a shape in the fog. "Get ready to anchor the ship!"

"Yeah."

"Ooo!" Usopp curled in on himself. "Everyone… listen to me…"

"Chopper, Usopp is suffering from the die-when-going-to-an-unknown-island syndrome." Sanji told the doctor.

"Y… Yes…!"

"I don't know how to cure that."

Aurora settled a hand upon the sniper's shoulder, releasing a calming wave of holy energy throughout his body. She could sense the knot in his gut beginning to relax, but hers did not. Something didn't feel right.

"We're there!"

The island came into view. It was large in size, plain upon plain of grass meeting their gaze. Sparse amounts of trees dotted the landscape. But…

"THERE'S NOTHING!"

Luffy still looked on with glee. "So big! So empty! It's an endless plain…!"

"It's plain alright." Sanji wasn't impressed. "There's nothing to see."

"I wonder if it is inhabited…" Robin mused.

"YAHOOO!" Luffy dove onto the grass, taking Usopp and Chopper with him. "A giant plain!"

"Hold it!" Nami huffed. "We still don't know anything about this place and they…"

"This place is so empty, there shouldn't be any danger." Zoro assuaged the navigator's fears.

Aurora bit her lip, wanting to agree with the swordsman… but the knot in her stomach only grew. 'Something's not right. My powers wouldn't be reacting this way if there weren't any danger. Which means…'

Kai shifted, leaning in close. "You sense it too, right? Something happened here… which means we're not alone. Keep your guard up."

The true angel glanced at the man, hating that he was her only ally in this instance, but nodded. The others couldn't sense things like they could. They had no idea of the potential danger that may lie ahead. Even if they were to say anything, the two angels would most likely get brushed off, same as Usopp and Nami. The crew didn't see any other signs of human life… so what reason was there to be concerned?

"Wooow!" Chopper's voice reached their ears.

"What is it, Cho…!" Luffy trailed off as he caught sight of what the reindeer had seen.

Usopp froze. "Ah…"

"Eh?" the doctor eyed the walking mammal. "A human?"

"You stupid!" Luffy chided. "How can a human be so furry?! It's a bear! A bear!"

"T… tall!" Usopp began to wail. "This bear is tall! The trees around us are tall, too…"

"Look at this!" Luffy held up a long, red fruit. "It's an apple!"

"Don't eat it!" Chopper scolded. "It may be poisonous!"

Luffy continued to chomp on the strange looking fruit. "Yum!"

Aurora fought not to squirm as the boys began to wander further inland. "Should we… go after them?"

Kai shoved the angel forward. "You go. Try and keep those idiots out of trouble. I'll stay here and keep any eye out for anything suspicious." The last part was said lowly so only the true angel could hear.

The berry-haired girl nodded, releasing her wings to fly after the trio of boys. In a snap decision, she swooped down to grab the staff she'd tossed aside. Something told her she might need it.

As she flew, Aurora grudgingly had to admit that Kai's plan was the best option. Something had happened here, something that involved the ship from earlier. Neither angel knew what it was… but they needed to tread carefully.

"Look!" Usopp's voice rang out. "Is that a house?!"

"Yeah!" Luffy saw it too. "Is there someone in it?"

"Is a repairman in it?" Chopper asked.

Aurora landed next to the group, drawing her wings back in. "I highly doubt that. I don't know whose in that house… but we need to be careful. This is the direction that other ship came from after all."

Silence greeted the angel. She turned to the boys, only to find their attention drawn elsewhere. Numerous animals walked the plains, each large in size and strangely elongated in shape.

"So… long… everything is so elongated here… how did they get so elongated?"

"After looking at all of this, I think I'll elongate too…" Chopper hummed, the group having made their way to the sole house on the island.

"What kind of island is this…" Usopp wondered.

Luffy barged into the home. "Helloo~~~! Excuse me!"

"Wait! We don't know if there's danger!" Usopp attempted to yank the other boy back. "Hold on, Luffy! This must be where the boss of this island lives! It's probably a monster with a snake like body and…"

"Nobody's here…"

Aurora peered inside, finding Luffy's words to be true. "Even so… I think it'd be best if we leave. Something doesn't feel right about this."

"Hey, Luffy! Usopp! Aurora!"

The young captain turned. "It's Chopper!" He quickly scurried outside, Aurora and Usopp forced to follow. Luffy's eyes widened at the sight before him. "It's a giraffe!"

"Neah…"

"Wow…!"

"No, Luffy." Aurora argued. "It's a horse."

"A white horse with a long neck! A long white horse!"

"You are a horse?" Chopper questioned the animal.

"Neah…"

"What a beautiful horse!"

"Its name is Sherry…" Chopper relayed. "It's a she!"

Usopp reached out to pet her. "She has a saddle on her, so there must really be someone living here."

"You're right." Aurora agreed, glancing around uneasily. "But where's her owner? There's no other place on this island to go, so we should've seen someone by now…"

"…"

Usopp turned, noting Luffy's silence. Their captain appeared to be distracted. "What is it, Luffy?"

"Usopp… is that a bamboo?" he pointed to the nearby plant.

"Yup." The sniper's gaze turned skyward. "Wow… I can't see the top of this thing… how did it get so tall…"

"Look carefully. This bamboo…" Luffy jerked when the bamboo slide several feet back. "Waaah! It moved! This must be some kind of animal too!" The bamboo proceeded to move again, slamming into Luffy.

"Aaah!" Usopp screamed. "The bamboo attacked Luffy!"

Aurora flinched at the noise, hurrying over to the duo, staff clenched tightly in her fist. "Luffy!"

"Be careful, Luffy!"

Their captain recovered quickly, surging forward. "I won't lose to stupid bamboo! Gomu Gomu… WHIP!" His foot shot out, breaking the stalk in half.

"Hurray! We won~~~~!" Usopp cheered.

"Yeah! It broke!"

Aurora gripped the staff even tighter, knuckles turning white. "Yeah, but… how was it moving?" The angel soon got her answer. A figure fell from the sky, landing heavily upon the ground, causing a plume of dust to rise up.

Chopper came running. "What happened?"

Luffy glanced down at the figure. "Is this… the genie that appears… when you break the bamboo?"

"Heh… heh…"

Aurora swung her staff around, jamming an end into the man's neck warningly. Ignoring the squawking of her companions, she glared icily at the old man. "Who are you?"


Back on the Going Merry…

"Who are you people?" Zoro glared at the massive ship that had just appeared, features darkening in anger. "Come on down and fight!"

Nami gazed warily upon the large galleon. "What do you want from us…"

Kai eyed the large chains that blocked off any escape. "One in the front… and one in the back. We're boxed in."

"Come out, cowards!" Zoro raged.

They finally got a response. "We are the Foxy Pirates! Don't be so anxious… our duel shall begin shortly."

Kai frowned. "Duel? Shit..."


"Aurora! Let the genie go!" Luffy wrapped his rubbery limbs around the girl, yanking her away from the man.

The angel let out an uncharacteristic swear. "Damn it, Luffy! Let me go! We don't know who this guy is! He could be trouble!"

"No way! He's a genie!"

"A genie?" Chopper glanced at the boy questioningly.

"Yeah! It's the thing that appears after your break the bamboo stick!"

Aurora growled, but ceased her struggling. She was letting the feeling she'd got earlier consume her. This man had done nothing to them and nothing in his aura indicated he meant harm. So then… why did she still have a pit in her stomach?

"Long time no see… long time no see…" the man spoke. "Are you well?"

Usopp blinked, expression puzzled. "Huh…? Do we know you?"

"I don't know him…" Luffy chimed.

"Me neither." Chopper agreed.

"Ah… no wonder I have never seen your faces before…"

Usopp's jaw slackened. "Yo! What kind of answer is that?! Who the heck are you?"

The old man rubbed a finger underneath his nose. "My name is Tonjit. Firstly, I must thank you… for getting me down from the stilt."

"A stilt?!" Further inspection of the bamboo proved the statement to be true. "Wow! It's true!"

"But it was so tall…" Luffy raised his arms in comparison. "I couldn't see the top!"

"Yes, and I was on top of it."

"Oh… darn…" Luffy huffed in disappointment. "So you're not the genie of the bamboo stick, but… just an old man on a very tall stilt…"

"That begs the question… what were you doing up there?" Aurora wondered, the angel forcing herself to relax.

"The thing is, I have always been a fan of stilts, and I thought that… I would use the bamboo on this island to make the world's tallest stilt. However, after I mounted the stilt, I got so scared of the height that I couldn't get down!"

Luffy gaped. "Are you stupid, old man?"

"I got stuck there…" a haunted look crossed his face. "For 10 long years…"

"You are super stupid!"

Usopp gawked. "Ten years?! You were on top of that stilt for 10 years?!"

"Yes, and the bamboo kept growing longer and longer… so I got more and more afraid! Ah… the horror~~~!"

Aurora sweatdropped.

Tonjit shook himself from his stupor. "Luckily, there were plenty of other trees as tall as the stilt, so I could eat the fruits from those trees to survive…"

It was Usopp's turn to sweatdrop. "You know… your rather cheerful tone isn't making your story any more believable…"

"Hey, mister…" Luffy interrupted their conversation. "Why is everything so long on this island? The trees. The animals. Everything is so long!"

"Yes. Every visitor of this island always asked that question, and the answer for that is… well… you see this vast, empty plain? Everyone who lives here feels free… and so they naturally grow longer and taller than normal!"

Aurora scrubbed a hand across her face. "That makes absolutely no sense…"

"For example…" Tonjit gestured to two passing animals. "That's a daaaaaachsshund…"

"You're just extending the sound of the name…"

"That's a duuuuuck!"

Aurora groaned. "Oh for the love of-!"

"Some of them are aggressive, so you must be careful…" Tonjit pointed to a new arrival. "Look! That's a snooow leoooopard."

Usopp froze, shakily turning his head. "A leopard?!"

"Be careful. They bite."

"Hya Hya!"

"Eeh!" Usopp screeched. "Only his head is stretched out!"

Tonjit gestured for the group to follow him. "Come on in. I wish to express my gratitude and hospitality."

Luffy cheered. "Yeah!"

"Hurray!" Chopper was just as excited.

Aurora hesitantly followed after. "I guess it couldn't hurt…"

"In this village, milk is our main beverage…"

"Village?" Luffy cocked his head in confusion. "Where is the village?"

"And the cattle?!"

Tonjit's head swiveled, the older man glancing out the door. "Ah! The village is gone! Where is the cattle?!" He paused, deep in thought. "Oh wait… that's right. It's been 10 years. Of course there is no village here."

Aurora felt her brow twitch in annoyance.

"Yes… yes… that is very true." Tonjit continued what he'd been doing. "Good thing I still have some milk stored here…"

Usopp grimaced. "Milk…? Old man, you were on that stilt for 10 years, this milk…"

Tonjit reached a hand in, pulling out a large lump. A foul odor wafted throughout the small abode. "Here we go. Please enjoy the cheese."

The sniper was appalled. "Toss it! That thing is 10 years old!"

"Too bad. I'll just enjoy it myself then."

"No, wait-!" Aurora reached out to smack the cheese away, but Tonjit had already taken a bite. "Ugh…!"

"So… where do I start…"

"Hey… mister… can I?" Luffy went to grab some cheese.

Usopp smacked his hand away. "Stop!"

"Of course you can." The old man saw no issue with it. "It's just some 10-year-old cheese… I am different from you guys, I guess. I live in this great place… so my stomach is a lot stronger." He sighed in exasperation. "Youth these days are so weak…"

"No…" Aurora disagreed. "We're just being smart."

Tonjit abruptly fell to the floor. "I think I need a doctor…"

"I told you it's bad, you idiot!" Usopp screeched.

"Doctor!" Chopper wailed.

Aurora sighed. "That's you, Chopper…"

The reindeer halted his panicking. "Oh, right…" He pulled out his stethoscope. "I see… it is food poisoning…"

Usopp was just done. "ISN'T THAT OBVIOUS!"


"Nomads?"

"Wow, mister! Your people are interesting~~!"

"We travel from one area to the next periodically…" Tonjit explained.

"Is that why the whole village disappeared after 10 years?" Chopper inquired.

"Yes. This is an island of the long ring long land… I welcome you. The whole island is actually a ring shape, but… normally the tide covers up the lower grounds, and individual islands are formed." Tonjit continued. "Once a year, the tide would subside, and… the islands will once again become a single ring-shaped land. Every three years, we move to the next island using that opportunity."

"Oh… so that is why the village is gone…" Usopp realized. "You were left behind…"

"That sounds like an adventurous life style!" Luffy crowed. "I like!"

"Hm… if they stay on each island for 3 years, then it will probably take 30 years to go around once. Since you were on the stilt for 10 years… it'll take at least 20 years for you to reunite with your people!" Usopp theorized.

Aurora gazed sadly upon the man. "That's terrible…"

"Hm… not really." Tonjit debunked the sniper's theory. "If I have a hooorse… I can cross an island every year, so it will only take me 5 years to reach them."

"Oh! A hooorse?!" Chopper piped up.

"Yes. They are the most beautiful thing on this island. The graceful way they run on the field is fantastic, and… it is impossible to cross the land bridges without the hooorses. We always use them to carry us and all our belongings across the sea. Without them, we can never move fast enough to beat the tides."

"Can't you just use a ship?" Luffy wondered.

"We have no sailing skills… furthermore, the eternal pose won't help you go from one long island to the next… because these ten islands are one big island in the first place. It is fine. I can just wait here for 20 years."

Aurora frowned. "But… won't you be lonely?"

"Ah!" Chopper had a sudden epiphany. "Are "hooorses" the same things as "horses"?"

"Ah?!" Luffy caught on to what the reindeer was saying. "That's right. There is a hooorse here!"

The group proceeded to lead the confused man out back, his expression brightening at the sight of the familiar creature. "Oooh! Sherry! You… have you been waiting for me here?!"

"Shoo Shoo!"

Tonjit hugged the tall horse's face. "Oooh… Sherry! I missed you so much… every day without you felt like a year… this is great…"

"Shoo Shoo!"

"It must've been lonely for you all these years… thank you… thank you for waiting for me. We shall never part again!"


"Wow… so that horse has been waiting for that old man all this time…?"

The foursome lounged comfortably in the grass, watching Tonjit ride Sherry around the plains.

"That's a good horse."

"She must like the old man a lot."

The sight brought a smile to Aurora's face. "They're really good friends…"

"Wahahahaha!" Tonjit's happy laughter reached their ears.

"Shoo Sho!"

Luffy was in awe. "That horse is so fast… I want to ride it too!"

"The way it runs really is graceful…" Usopp couldn't help but admire.

"Sherry… next time the tide subsides, let's cross the land bridge!" Tonjit declared. "Be it a rainy day… be it a snowy day… we will cross it together!"

The horse neighed happily, leaping through the air.

"Wow, wow… don't jump too high, Sherry… you know I am afraid of heights!"

Aurora let out a small laugh. "Those two make quite the pair." She continued to watch the joyous reunion, all but forgetting the dread she'd been feeling earlier. It was in that moment she'd come to regret letting her guard down.

A shot rang out, Sherry collapsing not long after. The movement threw Tonjit from the horse's back, the old man landing harshly upon the ground. The group of pirates froze, momentarily stunned into silence.

"Eh?" Luffy was the first to recover.

"What?!" Chopper quivered, eyes wide in horror.

"The horse!"

"Mister!"

Tonjit quickly sprang to his feet, hurrying over to his faithful companion. "H…Hey, Sherry…"

The horse cried out in pain.

"What happened?! Are you okay?"

Usopp rushed over. "Hey… are you two alright?!"

"I heard a gun shot! Did she get shot?!" Chopper ran right beside the sniper.

Aurora hovered closely behind Luffy, knowing the reindeer could handle the situation for now. The angel shifted defensively, eyes scanning the surrounding area for any clues as to where the gunshot had come from.

"Oohohohohoho!" laughter rang out from their left.

Luffy turned to the source of the noise, eyes landing on a trio of people several feet away. "Ah?!"

"Huhuhuhuhuh…!"

Aurora gripped her staff tightly. "Who…?"

"Hey. That horse is mine. I shot it! Don't touch it!"

"Yeah! That's my boss's horse!"

Luffy growled in anger. "Who the hell… ARE YOU?!"

"Who am I?! He actually does not recognize my face?!"

Aurora's gaze flitted over the man and his two companions, the angel drawing a blank as to who they could be. The only thing she could think was that maybe they were pirates as well.

The stout man in the middle seemed to be the one in charge. His distinctive features were akin to that of a fox, his spiked hairstyle amplifying the comparison. He wore yellow-orange pants, held up by suspenders, with large, rotund buckles on the edges, tucked inside black boots. Under his pants was some sort of strange indument circling his waist, light-green with leaf-like motifs on it, and orange laces on the front. Threaded in his pants, he carried a short wooden sword. An elaborate necklace hung on his chest, and he sported a fur-lined coat, with a large collar and big buttons on the right side.

"We should teach them some manners!" the young woman was next to speak.

She was slender with dark blue hair, blue eyes, and a long pointed nose. She wore a pink jumpsuit with extremely puffed pant legs that was unzipped on the top to reveal a bikini top beneath. Several large, white puffballs adorned her outfit, the most notable one being the one hanging from her hat. A face mask laid over her eyes.

"Huhuhuhuhuh!" the larger of the two men laughed.

He was a huge gorilla-like human. He wore a face mask, same as the girl, and long-sleeved gloves. No shirt adorned his chest while he had simple blue pants on his lower half. A leopard-patterned scarf was wrapped around his neck.

"Damn!" Usopp eyed the trio fearfully. "Are they the shooters?!"

"Good. They only wounded her leg." Chopper relayed. "The bone is not hurt either, so she'll be okay."

"I don't care about your face!" Luffy shouted to the unknown man. "But I will kick your ass and send you flying!"

The man fell to his knees with a sob. "He doesn't know…"

"Nooo! Boss, don't feel sad…" the girl attempted to cajole. "He is probably just pretending to not know you…"

"Hahahah…!"

"Hamburg, stop laughing!"

Aurora blinked slowly. "What in the world…?"

The man abruptly rose. "I am the great Foxy, and I always get what I want. I don't give a damn about such a worthless horse. I only shot it for fun…"

"You bastard!" Luffy charged. "Gomu Gomu…"

"Hold it! Straw-Hat Luffy!"

Said boy froze. "Eh? How do you know my name?!"

"You have a bounty, Luffy!" Aurora reminded her captain. "I'd be more surprised if they didn't know who you were!"

"Monkey D. Luffy, wanted for 100 million…" the girl began to recite. "Roronoa Zoro, wanted for 60 million. With only nine people, your group has a total bounty of 160 million. That is quite a feat."

"That is why we, the Foxy Pirates, will challenge the Straw Hat Pirates… to an official Davy Back Fight!" Foxy declared.

"What Daffy Bark Fight? What are you trying to do? If you want a fight, I accept!"

Aurora smashed her staff over Luffy's head. "Are you crazy?! Don't go accepting challenges we know nothing about!" The angel glared at the Foxy Pirates. "I knew there was something wrong the minute we came upon this island."

"Uh… Luffy… wait a sec…" Usopp piped up. "That Davy Back Fight thing… and that weird ship we encountered near here…?" The sniper's eyes widened in horror as he recalled his knowledge about this particular game. "Hey! Luffy! We can't play that game! We'll lose our friends!"

Aurora spun around at this. "What?!"

"What is it, Usopp?!" Luffy seemed not to have heard the sniper's warning.

"I said not to agree to his game!"

"Hohohoho! Feh Feh! It's too late, fool." Foxy was downright gleeful. "I heard it loud and clear. Straw Hat Luffy accepted the challenge! Right, Porche?!"

"Yes, boss." She answered. "I heard him too. There is no way out of it now."

"Heh! Heheh! Hehehehe!" Hamburg laughed. "No way out!"

"Unless… you are not a man and… want to go back on your words…" Foxy goaded.

Luffy took the bait. "Of course not!"

Usopp smacked the boy. "Idiot, don't fall for his trap!"

"But he did that to the horse!"

"We know!" Aurora was growing more and more exasperated with her captain. "But your automatic response shouldn't be to immediately jump into a fight! We don't know anything about these guys while they seem to know plenty about us!"

"Sherry…"

"Don't worry, she'll heal!" Chopper reassured the despondent man.

Tonjit abruptly stood, brandishing a gun. "Move out of the way, all of you! I will return the pain they gave Sherry right now!"

"No, old man!"

"How dare you do that to my loyal Sherry!"

"Hu-eh… Hueh…!"

"Hang on… the bullet is almost out…" Chopper reassured the horse.

"Don't do it, old guy!" Luffy cried. "They are pirates!"


"Davy Back Fight?" Nami repeated back.

"Yes. The game begins when the captains from both ships agree to it." Came the answer. "Our captain is proposing the game to your captain as we speak."

"Proposing? Why bother?" Zoro wondered. "We never turn down a fight anyways!"

Sanji looked at the swordsman as if he were stupid. "Uh… have you never heard of it before? This isn't just a fight."

"Lover boy is right." Kai agreed. "Davy Back is a gambling game played between pirates."

"That is correct." Robin chimed in. "According to legend, the game was invented a long time ago in the "Pirate's Paradise Island". Many pirate groups have been using it to acquire good crews. It's the way pirate groups fight over pirates."

Nami glanced at the archeologist. "Groups fighting over pirates…?"

"Yes."

"You didn't even know that and you call yourself a pirate?" the Foxy crew mocked. "Davy Back Fight is the "contest for human resources!" The format we use is the 3-coins rule. That means 3 rounds per game! The victor of each game… may pick one crew from the loser's team."

"The chosen crew must then swear loyalty to the winning captain!"

"He will do so in the name of the great Davy Jones!"

"If you lose the game, you lose your friend?!" Nami was horrified.

"That's right! Lastly, if there is no desirable crew left in the losing team, the winner may choose to take the loser's pirate flag."

Sanji blew out a stream of smoke. "In this game you ante up your friends and pride. If you win, you grow stronger. If you lose, you can fall and never get back up again…"

"It's dangerous." Kai concluded.

"So that other ship… the one we saw on our way here…" Nami thought back to the strange encounter. "It had no sail… nor was there a captain…"

"Oh! You must mean the Fanged Toad Pirates. They were the loser of the previous games! Look, these are the new crews we got."

"Wuoooh~~! Long live Foxy's Pirates!"

One of the men spoke up. "I won't deny it. I was the captain of the Toads."

"I was the doctor."

"I was the navigator."

"I was the ship mechanic."

"They played "3-coins" and lost five times, so we took four crews and their flag." The Foxy Pirates gloated. "We literally stripped them of everything they had!"

"Yeah! Hahahahah!"

Nami balked. "That's so foolish and meaningless. We will never play such a lame game!"

"Tsk! It's not our call, carrot top." Kai reminded the navigator. "If both captains agree to it, the game will go on."

"That's right! You can cry. You can scream, but… as soon as your captain, Monkey D. Luffy, nods his head, you will all become the ante of the gamble."

"It can't be helped, Nami…" Sanji told the girl. "This is the "law" of the sea… no matter how foolish it sounds. If you run away or play tricks, you will become the laughingstock of everyone in the world."

"So? Let them laugh. Who cares?!"

"I do." Zoro responded. "I would rather die."

"Me too." The cook was in agreement with the swordsman.

"Same here." Kai jumped on the bandwagon.

"What the heck is wrong with you?!"

Robin smirked in amusement. "Give it a rest… men are always like that…"

"Fine! Then we have to stop Luffy now!"

"You're too late. When the captains fire their guns one after another, the game starts. It should come any moment now…"

The sound of dual shots rang throughout the air.

"Ah?!" Nami froze. "That means…?!"

"He accepted it…" Sanji drolled.

Zoro smirked. "Perfect…"

Robin bore an identical expression. "Interesting…"

Kai pounded a fist into his open palm. "Let's do this!"

"Challenged… accepted~~~!"


"Wahaha~~~ Hohoho~~~ Yahahaha~~~!"

"Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!" Usopp repeatedly slapped Luffy before proceeding to shake him. "Why did you accept?! Don't you understand the horror of this game?!"

"All we have to do is win…!"

It was Aurora's turn to slap the boy, frustration reaching a boiling point. "It's not that simple!"

"All right. The game has officially started!" Foxy declared.

"Yeah! I'm going to kick your ass!"

"Hehe. Are you sure you can do that?!"

"Of course I can, you 2-piece head!"

Foxy fell to his knees in anguish. "2-piece head…"

"Boss!" Porche fretted over her captain. "You little brat! How could you say such a thing?! Boss is very sensitive!"

"Pu… pu… puh… puh…!" Hamburg attempted to hold back his laughter.

"Don't laugh, Hamburg!"

"Luffy, I know you are pissed for what they did to the horse, but…"

"Please avenge our pain!" Tonjit cut Usopp off.

"You sure recover fast!"

"Leave it to me!" Luffy crowed.

Foxy glared at the boy. "I'll show you…!"


"Hot dogs! Get your hot dogs here! Pork chops and hamburgers too!"

"Gimme some hot sauce!"

"The initiation ceremony will begin soon. Please be quiet."

"Shut up!"

"Hahaha!"

"Will the contestants please come to the stage!"

"Hurry! It's starting!"

"Wow!" Luffy gazed around in awe. "It's getting really interesting… Are all these people the 2-piece head's crew?!"

"There are so many…" Chopper gushed.

"Give me 2 please."

Usopp glared at Tonjit, the man ordering food at a nearby stall with Sherry in tow. "OLD MAAAAN!"

Aurora's gaze drifted warily throughout the makeshift carnival as the crew headed for the stage. "They're certainly ones for theatrics…"

"All right, scums!" Porche garnered the crowd's attention. "Be quiet!"

"Yey! Porche!" The reaction made it clear the young woman was well favored by the Foxy crew.

"I will now state the rules of the game! Rule #1: The crews and flags lost in a Davy Back Fight may only be reacquired through another Davy Back Fight. Rule #2: The person chosen in the endgame must swear loyalty to the winning team immediately! Rule #3: The pirate flag that is taken away may never be used again!"

Nami slouched atop a nearby crate, head held in her hands. "Why do you all act like this is no big deal?"

"Nami~~~!" Sanji came running. "They sell cotton candy here!"

Zoro glanced at the depressed navigator. "Stop mumbling, Nami."

Aurora laid a hand over the swordsman's mouth, shaking her head. "Don't make it worse…"

"Anyone who disgraces any of the rules will be sacrificed to Davy Jones!" Porche continued. "Do you swear to honor these rules?"

"I do."

"I swear!"

"WUOOOOH!"

"See these coins?!" Foxy tossed them into the water. "I am reporting to the great Davy Jones that this official game under the 3-coin rule will commence now."

"Who's Davy Jones?" Chopper asked.

"He is a cursed pirate from ancient time that lives under the sea." Robin answered, offering cotton candy to the reindeer.

"He is living under the sea?"

"It's just a legend…" Kai waved it off. "But… it's said he also takes all the ships and treasure that sink to the sea floor."

"It must be a scary place under the sea…!" Chopper mused, taking a bite of the cotton candy. "So sweet!"

"Davy takes whatever he likes from the sea…" Sanji chimed in. "Just like how the winner takes what he likes from the loser."

"That's why it's called Davy Back Fight." Aurora realized with a sigh.

From the stage, Foxy watched the small crew of nine closely. "Hm~~~ Fufufuf…"

"Are you interested in someone in particular, boss?" Porche questioned.

"A monkey, a swordsman, a navigator, a sniper, a cook, a doctor, a archeologist, and two scouts? Hm… which one should I take first…?" An answer seemed to come to him. "Ah… I'll take that one after all~~~! Yes, that one will do nicely!"

Further away, the Straw Hat Pirates were none the wiser.

"Hey!" one of Foxy's men called out. "You know the rest of the rules, right? Exactly 7 people from each team will participate in game. Each person may play no more than one round. You may not change the grouping once the game starts."

"I knew that." Sanji huffed. "Get out of here."

"Damn you!" Usopp growled, pressing his fist into the left side of Luffy's face.

"It's all your fault!" Nami added, planting her fist against the right side of Luffy's face.

The rubber man's head was easily smashed between the two. "Guys! All we need to do is win!"

Aurora crossed her arms. "He makes it sound so easy…"

"Yeah… but you and I both know it's not." Kai glanced at the true angel. "This place is a shit storm of chaos. We have no idea what'll happen."

"Guess we'll just need to keep our guard up."

"For once we're in agreement, your holiness."

"When we win, we can get a ship repairman, too!" Luffy prattled on.

"Why would we want someone from that kind of pirate group?!" Usopp was fed up with his captain.

Zoro glanced down at the paper in his hand. "The games are racing, sports, and combat." He turned to the others. "I'll take combat."

"What?!" Luffy took exception to this. "No! I want to fight!"

Sanji shoved him away. "No. Let me! My legs are itching already!"

"No way! I wanna fight!" Kai got in on the argument.

While the four boys bickered, the rest of the crew decided on the contestants. Aurora looked over the listing, brows rising in surprise at the lack of two specific names. "Wait… why did you leave Kai and I out?"

The fallen angel heard this, stomping over to the group. "What?! What the hell is this?!"

"No offense, but… wouldn't we be better options?"

"I'm with her holiness on this one. What gives?"

Nami had an incredulous look on her face. "You're joking, right? Putting you two in is a horrible idea!"

Aurora frowned. "I don't follow… wouldn't we benefit from the use of mine and Kai's powers?"

"That's exactly why we can't have you two participate!" Nami wagged her finger at the duo. "These guys don't know anything about you or your powers-"

"Which is why we'd have an advantage!" Kai growled. "They don't know what they're up against!"

Nami clocked the fallen angel in the face. "If you use your powers in front of them, it won't be hard for these guys to figure out what you really are!"

"Nami's right!" Usopp chose that time to pipe up. "What if we were to lose? If they knew we had two angels on the crew, who do you think they'd take first?"

Aurora froze. "I… I'd be forced to serve someone else. I… I can't… No…"

"Easy, your holiness!" Kai's eyes grew wide in alarm, arms flailing about. "Get out of your head! That's not gonna happen!"

"You're right. It won't." Nami agreed, pointing a finger at the two. "As long as you don't do anything to draw attention to yourselves. I'm sorry. I know you want to help… but it's for your own safety. Can you imagine what a guy like Foxy would do if he got his hands on either one of you?"

"Nothing good." Kai grudgingly admitted. "I guess I see your point. Angels are rare, and their power is highly coveted. If it were to fall into the wrong hands…"

Aurora smiled weakly. "I suppose we'll just have to cheer you on then."

Robin, who had remained silent up until then, chose that time to speak. "It's decided then. I'll turn in our listing."

Round 1: Donut Race

Contestants: Usopp, Nami, Nico Robin

"Actually, I just remembered that I have the "Dies-If-Enters-A-Boat-Race Syndrome"…" Usopp quivered.

Nami turned on the sniper. "I don't want to do this either, but you need to toughen up!"

"We also need to protect our friends, remember?" Robin reminded.

Round 2: Groggy Ring

Contestants: Zoro, Sanji, Chopper

"Don't get in the way." Zoro sneered.

"That's my line!" the cook threw back.

"I'll do my best!"

Round 3: Combat

Contestant: Monkey D. Luffy

"YEAH~~~~~~!"

"First up, it's the obstacle course around the isle, Donuts Race!" the announcer's voice rang out. "You are given 2 oars and 3 barrels to make your canoe. You are disqualified if you use extra materials! It all depends on the ship mechanics' skills!"

"We're screwed." Kai deadpanned.

Aurora elbowed the man. "Have a little faith, would you?"

"Yeah… that died the minute I turned, sweetheart."

"Don't call me that!"

"Fine… your holiness."

"Grr!"

"Now for the self-introduction. I am the party captain of the Foxy Pirates, Itomimizu! I will broadcast the race from the air with my super sparrow of the south sea, Chuchun!"

"Chi Chi!"

"Now, introducing the Straw Hat team. They're Nami, the navigator, Usopp, the sniper, and Nico Robin, the archeologist! The boat they will use is called "Barrel Tiger"!"

"This won't sink… will it?" Nami glanced at the sniper.

"I told you I'm not a ship mechanic!" Usopp defended.

"It'll probably sink." Robin's outlook was not optimistic.

"Hey~~! That orange girl is cute!"

"I want to play with that dark hair chick!"

"Of course we won't even consider that male."

"Nope. Not him."

Aurora eyed the Foxy Pirates with disgust. "Animals…"

"Hey! Don't forget this cutie over here!"

Aurora flinched when all eyes turned to her. The unabashed attention did not sit well with the angel. One man had already seen her as a trophy… she didn't need it happening again.

Two larger bodies moved in front of her, blocking the angel from the Foxy Pirates roving eyes. Surprised, Aurora glanced up, immediately recognizing the shock of blonde and green hair. Sanji and Zoro had come to her defense.

"Keep your filthy eyes off my sweet angel!" Sanji growled, fierce glare set upon his face.

Zoro's facial expression was downright demonic, the swordsman making to draw his weapons. "If you wanna keep your sight, I suggest you look away…"

Fear heavily coated the atmosphere, dozens of eyes swiveling to focus on the race instead. It was only when every last head turned that the two pirates eased their defensive stance. Aurora heaved a sigh, the angel not having realized she'd been holding her breath.

Zoro glanced over his shoulder. "You all right?"

"Yes…" She smiled softly. "Thank you…"

Sanji wiggled happily. "Anything for you, my heavenly angel~!"

Aurora sweatdropped. It was amazing how quickly the cook could do a complete 180.

"And now, representing Team Foxy… she is our sweetheart, Porche!"

"Oo~~~! Leave it to me!"

"In assistance are Capote the Swordfish and Monda the Star-Shark!"

"Ooooh! We'll win by a huge margin!"

"Their ship is the Cutie Wagon~~~!"

"Hold on a second… they have a fish on their team!" Nami complained.

"Yes. So?" Porche didn't see a problem. "There is no rule that disallows fish crew!"

"Bury them, Porche Honey~~~~!"

"Kick their ass~~~~~!" Luffy hollered.

"Both teams, get ready~~~~!"

"I will make you sink."

Nami glared at the other woman. "Bring it on!"

"And now… what we are all waiting for… the winner will be greeted by celebration and the loser by the deep cold sea. It's the Davy Back Fight! The first round, Donut Race, is about to begin!"

"Wuooh~~~! Porche~~~!"

"Both sides are waiting behind the starting line."

"Drown that freak with the long nose, Capote!"

The sniper took offense to that. "Oh shut up!"

"But first… the objective! It's very simple. Just go around the island once! Oh. By the way… gun, cannon, sword… any weapon is allowed! If you don't like it then you don't deserve to be a pirate!"

Zoro grimaced. "What kind of a boat race is this?"

"I'm warning you, Usopp! If any of the ladies get hurt, I'll slice you into pieces and feed you to the fishes!" Sanji threatened.

Luffy cupped his hands around his mouth. "Don't lose! Usopp! Nami! Robin!"

"I'm so excited!" Chopper gushed.

"Something's off…" Kai muttered, eyes roving over the crowd before landing on Foxy. "He doesn't seem too concerned about losing."

Aurora followed the fallen angel's gaze. "You're right. Just what are they up to?"

"Stop talking and start the race already!" Nami griped. "We're going to win!"

"So we can also win if we destroy the opponent…" Robin mused, hands on her hips.

"Uh…" Usopp glanced at the woman. "I'll leave that to you."

"Tsk-tsk-tsk." Porche clicked her tongue. "Look, they are bluffing~~~!"

"They can bluff all they want Porche. We will sink them in three minutes. Right, Monda?!"

"Shark!"

"Racers, catch! Use these eternal pose so you don't get lost!"

Nami caught the pose, staring at it in confusion. "Lost?"

"Remember not to go too far away from the island. Be safe, and… good luck!"

"Leave the island? Why would we do that?" Nami scoffed. "The shortest path is along the ridge!"

"No." Usopp disagreed. "It won't be that easy."

"Everyone…"

"Why not?"

"We have to leave the island as soon as the race starts."

"Ready~~~~"

"Why?" Nami still questioned the sniper.

"DONUT!"

Aurora jumped at the sound of numerous guns and cannons firing.

"The two ships charge forward simultaneously! At the same time, the Foxy Pirates engage in support fire! The Barrel Tiger got blasted away and the Cutie Wagon takes the lead!"

"Go! Charge, Monda!"

"Yeeeha!"

"WUAH!"

Kai bristled in anger. "What the hell?!"

"They are breaking the rule! The audience shouldn't be able to attack!"

"T… Turn! Turn! We're going to overturn!"

"Ahahaha!" Porche laughed. "Excuse me. I'll be taking the lead. Don't sink so fast though! Let's have some fun~~~~!"

The makeshift boat landed harshly amongst the waves. "Phew! We're safe."

"Not yet." Robin warned. "Something is flying our way."

"!?"

"Where did that boulder come from?!"

Foxy laughed. "Hehe. Sink!"

Nami's eyes were wide with horror. "It must be from the audience again! ROW FAST!"

"Interruption from the audience is commonly accepted in a pirate-vs-pirate game." Usopp informed the two.

"I can't accept this!" Nami wailed.

"If their friends can provide support… so can ours."

Nami looked at the archeologist questioningly. "Eh?"

"How dare you mother fucking sons of bitches do that to Nami and Robin, you assholes!" Sanji went on a tirade, viciously attacking the Foxy Pirates.

"WAAAH!"

"IYAAAH!"

"You punks! I'm going to dice your heads into fish egg sauce!"

Kai gaped at the display of rage. "Whoa… I've seen lover boy mad before… but this is a whole 'nother level."

Aurora attempted to placate the cook. "Now Sanji, let's just calm down. Everybody's fine, see?"

"We're catching up!" Usopp's voice rang out. "They had a head start, too."

"Let's cut them off on the next turn!"

"Hoho…" Porche took note of the oncoming vessel. "Capote, show them your fish-men karate!"

"Sure thing! SEA SPLITTER!"

Sharp waves rocked the water, slicing through part of the Straw Hats boat. "WAAAAAAAH!"

"We lost a seat! We need to rebalance!" Usopp pulled out his slingshot. "Bastard, eat this! Certain Death Fire Star!"

Capote merely brushed it off. "Heheheheh… useless!"

Usopp ground his teeth. "D… damn him!"

Robin brought her arms up. "Eight-wheel Fleur!"

Capote began to struggle when various limbs sprouted from his body. "What's this?! Waaah!"

The Foxy Pirates took notice. "Look! That must be the power of a devil fruit!"

"That bitch! She's a devil fruit user!"

"Flip!" Robin finished the maneuver.

"Aah!" The extra appendages flipped Capote, the fish-man landing head first atop Monda.

"Capote! What are you doing?!" Porche cried.

"Good job!" Nami praised. "Now is our chance! Usopp! Swim and pull the ship along!"

The sniper gawked at the outrageous command. "Why don't you do that?!"

"Awesome! Kick their ass!" Luffy cheered.

"Go! Go!" Chopper joined in.

"The race just started, and it's already a mess inside and outside the court! But that's what the Donut Race is all about! In the lead is the Cutie Wagon and the Barrel Tiger is right behind it! The game has only just begun!"

"Look!" Usopp pulled an item out of his bag. "It's a breeze dial!"

"Good idea! Use it. Quick!"

Usopp did as told, maneuvering to the back of the boat and placing the dial in the water. The sniper activated it, the tiny vessel chugging along slowly.

Nami was regretting her earlier words. "Get back to rowing, idiot!"

"It worked in sky island!" Usopp attempted to defend himself. "There's not enough power with only one dial or something…"

"Then use jet dial!"

"Where would I get that?! It's extinct! We have to win somehow! One of our lives is at stake!"

"That's true. If we lose…" Nami began to sob. "They will take me away for sure because I am too cute. We must not let that happen!"

"They won't want you." Usopp bluntly stated. "Go back to rowing!"

Nami clocked the sniper before setting her sight on the archeologist. "Robin?! Why are you reading and not rowing?!"

"I am rowing."

Nami realized what the woman meant. "I see your other hands are rowing…"

"Yeah. If Robin had been doing this we wouldn't be behind."

"I will try harder from now on then!"

"Heh. That is some honesty…"

Nami glanced quizzically at the now crouching sniper. "What are you doing, Usopp?"

"Experiment." Came the reply.

"Ahahahaha! At this rate… we will win without breaking a sweat. Not bad." Porche commented.

"Hm…" Capote crossed his arms. "But I want to return the humiliation to that woman. I won't be satisfied with just winning."

"Hm?" a sudden noise caught Porche's attention, the woman glancing over her shoulder.

"IYAAAH!"

"Huh?"

"What the hell?" Kai couldn't believe what he was seeing. "How did they move so fast?"

"…I don't know." Aurora answered. "But look… they stopped. Whatever they did, it was only temporary."

"Hey, Usopp." Nami turned to the sniper. "What did you do?"

"Heh… heh… heh… I almost broke my shoulder…"

"That was amazing." Robin was impressed. "We flew past them!"

"Heh… heh…" The sniper held up his right hand, revealing a dial taped to it. "Impact dial!"

"All that power came from just one blast?"

"This is great. Even though it only lasts a short time. The speed boost is great!"

"Ah! Get back to rowing! They're catching up!"

"Monda, charge!" Porche ordered.

"Shark!"

"I don't know how you did that, but we will never lose!" the woman declared.

"They passed us! Now we have to play catch up again!"

"That was unbelievable! The undefeated Cutie Wagon actually lost her lead for a moment! It seems that the Barrel Tiger has a secret weapon to boost its speed!"

"Porche lost her lead?!" the Foxy Pirates couldn't believe what they were hearing.

"What is Monda doing?!"

"The race is getting more and more interesting! Go, Porche!"

"Hahaha." Capote chuckled. "So what if you went past us for a short moment. It won't happen again!" His eyes bulged at the sight of a chain of hands connected to their boat. "WHAT THE?!"

"How's that?"

"Great, Robin! That will simplify things!"

"You cheap bitch!" Capote lunged with his sword. "Let go!"

Robin retracted the hands. "Oh no. They found out too fast."

"Wuh!" the fish man landed in the water.

"Capote!"

He resurfaced angrily. "That bitch! Damn her!"

Kai let out a whoop. "Atta girl, Nico!"

"Usopp, it seems that… the dial is our only way to win. Try to store up energy and then use it again!"

"Again?!" Usopp whirled on the navigator. "That blast earlier almost cost me my precious shoulder!"

"That's okay." She gave him a thumbs up. "I don't mind!"

"Shut up! Just because it's my shoulder…"

Porche was beginning to grow annoyed with the trio of pirates. "Let's just sink their ship!"

"Aaaah~~~~~! Wow~~~! The most difficult challenges of the court are just ahead! The first is the "Long Coral" area. Then it's the terrifying "Long Whirlpool", followed by the "Long Gap"! How will these two teams conquer the challenges?!" The announcer made a sound of disbelief. "Ah?! That is… there is someone on the island!"

"Huh?"

"Ah!"

"Woah!"

"BOSS!"

Riding the amazing runner, Hamburg, it's… the genius of trickery, the natural enemy of rules, it's our infamous boss! Foxy the Silver Fox!"

The Foxy Pirates began to cheer. "Oh! Boss!"

"Yeah! We'll win for sure now!"

Kai spun around, scanning the crowd for said man and coming up short. "What the hell? When did he leave?!"

"I think the better question is, what is he up to?!" Aurora narrowed her eyes, trying to catch sight of the Foxy Pirates captain.

"Hm… our boss' face is a little twisted. He must be thinking about some very evil scheme! Go, boss!"

Kai made to go after the man. "Damn it! We can't let him interfere with this race!"

"Wait!" Aurora yanked the fallen angel back. "We promised Nami we wouldn't use our powers!"

"But-"

"But nothing!" she glared. "Let's find the others. They'll be able to do something."

"The blazing sun adds to the heat of the action as the racers face the new challenge, the long coral area. The Cutie Wagon is still in the lead, while… the Barrel Tiger continues its desperate pursuit!"

"We wasted too much time earlier, so we have to get back in it to win." Porche stated.
"Monda, we're depending on you!"

"Sha~~~!"

"What's this?" Robin eyed the upcoming obstacle. "The area is covered with giant coral…"

"…Hey look." Nami piped up. "Because of that, the sea currents are moving strangely… we probably shouldn't just blindly charge in…"

"Don't forget. There is someone on dry land waiting to unleash his wrath. He is our boss, Foxy the Silver Fox!"

"No one can survive my evil schemes! Get ahead of them, Hamburg!"

"Okay, boss."

"What is he planning?!"

"Go get them, boss~~~!"

"What exciting things will happen next?!"

"Who else wants to fight?!" Luffy addressed the crowd.

One of the Foxy Pirates came up and laid a hand upon his shoulder. "Yo, boy. Want something to eat?!"

"Here's some inari sushi and kitsune udon!" another offered. "All free!"

Luffy drooled. "Really?! Thanks a ton! It looks delitiouth~~~!"

A flirtatious giggle sounded throughout the air. "I like you best, pretty-boy chef. Come here."

"Eheheh." Sanji gladly soaked up the women's attention. "It seems that losing isn't half bad here~~~!"

"Want some apple?" Food was offered to Chopper. "Here."

"Eh?" the reindeer eyed the treat greedily. "What's that? Is it sweet?"

"Hey, we're running out of rum here! This brother sure can drink!" one of the men complimented Zoro.

"You're up next round, right? Show me some spirits!"

"Hehe. Is this a little awkward?"

Kai's brow twitched in annoyance. "They've been seduced…"

Aurora shared the fallen angel's feelings. "None of the boys are going to be any help. So what should we do?"

The dark-haired man cracked his knuckles. "We go with my original plan!"

"But we told Nami-"

"I know what we said! But we don't have much choice! The others are too distracted to even realize what's going on. It's up to us to stop that Foxy guy from doing anything."

The true angel heaved a sigh. "…You're right. But… Nami's not going to like this."

"She'll get over it." The fallen angel released his wings. "Now let's go."

Aurora did the same, following after her counterpart. Thankfully, the rest of the pirates were too wrapped up in distracting the Straw Hats to notice.

"Uh-oh. What happened?! Barrel Tiger suddenly slowed down!"

"Hey, Nami, what are you doing? Row!"

"Using this opportunity, Cutie Wagon extends her lead! She is entering the long coral area~~~!"

"Charge, Monda! Go!"

"Sha~~!" he did as told, but abruptly turned around.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

"Monda?!"

"Eh…?!" The sight bewildered Usopp. "It turned around…"

"Stop fooling around!

"Sha~~!"

"Oooh?! Cutie Wagon suddenly moved backward! What is happening?!"

"What are you doing, Monda?! Charge!"

"Sha!"

Usopp was further baffled. "They turned around again…"

"I knew it." Nami had a telling smirk on her face. "The current is the key here. It's our turn. Let's go."

"How tragic! No matter how many times the Cutie Wagon tries to move forward, it gets pushed back?! On the other hand, the Barrel Tiger has begun to move forward again. Now the two boats are both tackling the coral area!"

"Eh?!" Robin caught sight of something floating across the water ahead.

"Wah?! What's that?!"

"Th… This is…"

"Fueh Fueh Fueh!"

"That dangerous man… has made his move! What a dirty, dirty trick!"

Usopp flailed. "Wah! This smoke!"

"Without their eyes, the Barrel Tiger will risk running into something every time they move!"

"Fuehhehehehe!" Foxy laughed triumphantly. "Behold, my white smoke attack! Go on! Charge without your sight and ran into those corals! Fuehehehehe!"

"Pufufufu!" Hamburg was laughing as well. "Success!"

"Now that is a model villain!"

"Oh?!" Foxy's jaw dropped when the trio emerged from the smoke unscathed.

"Impossible! They passed it without breaking a sweat! Not only that, the Barrel Tiger is zooming through the forest of corals and making amazing progress! Yet, the Cutie Wagon remains stuck at the edge of the coral area!"

"Why is this happening?!" Porche shrieked in outrage.

"The boat is moving on its own?!"

"Yup." Nami responded to the sniper. "This place is the maze of the currents!"

"Maze of currents?"

"Because of the giant whirlpool behind the coral, a chain of smaller whirlpools are formed in this area! All I needed to do was determine the correct path and the currents would take us through." Nami explained. "With that, we can literally pass this place with our eyes closed."

"Awesome!" Usopp crowed. "Witness the skills of our amazing navigator!"

"Bastards!" Foxy roared.

"Don't celebrate just yet! The terrifying long whirlpool is up next!"

"Do long things come in two, too?! GYAAAAAAAAH!"

"Usopp, stop screaming. Get ready to use impact."

The sniper gaped.

"Otherwise, the whirlpool will swallow us."

"So calm…" he trembled. "D…Did you plan all of this in the beginning?"

"IYAAAAH!"

The boat was sucked into the large whirlpool, the tiny vessel being harshly flung about by the rapids.

"The Barrel Tiger is still speeding up! No… they are not just speeding up… the entire boat flew! They flew over the whirlpool and all the way to the other side of the long gap!"

Kai hovered high above the island, a small pinprick of an object catching his eye. The fallen angel squinted, barely able to distinguish three figures. "Hey, your holiness! This way!"

Aurora followed his line of sight, eyes wide in shock. The Straw Hat Pirates sailed through the air. The angel feared they might not survive the landing. "Go, quick!"

"And~~~~! They landed safely! What an unexpected turn of events?! Will the invincible Cutie Wagon lose like this?!"

"Don't count us out yet!" Porche asserted. "It's all up to you now!"

"Fusion! Turbo Sharkman!"

"It's not over yet. They have combined the strength of the fishman with the tail of the shark! The blazing boat shatters all the coral in its way to catch up with the leader! The race is halfway done and in the lead, we have the ever-struggling Barrel Tiger!"

"Usopp, wake up!"

"Where am I?!"

"I think I twisted my wrist…"

"Giyaaah!"

"Look." Robin pointed. "It's a sign! "Turn right"?"

"Okay. Let's turn right now!" Nami appeared as if she was going to follow the sign's directions. Suddenly, she stood, punching through the sign angrily. "Not! Only a idiot would fall for that!"

"Amazing! They saw through boss' trick #18 "Fake Sign Attack"! What a formidable foe! Is this woman untrusting of everything in the world?!"

"Be quiet, slime ball!" Nami roared up at the announcer.

"She's profane, too! Anyways, the race continues and the Barrel Tiger faces a new challenge."

"Waaah! Watch out!"

"Where are these pillars of water coming from?!"

"Shooting high into the air, it's the long ripple! And now, our boss strikes once more…"

"Granny… Granny…! Granny…"

"Ah… I can't… move… excuse me, captain of that boat. Please pity us and help us…"

"She pretends that she didn't see them! Nami the navigator is also very heartless and cruel!"

"You are annoying, idiot! I would never fall for that!"

"Very profane!"

"Look! Over there!" Usopp cried. "It's the finish line!"

"Victory seems to be at hand for the leader! But wait, the Cutie Wagon is catching up fast!"

"Steady now!"

"Who will end up as the victor of the Donut Race~~~~?!"

"Didn't I tell you to quit already?!" Nami punched through the fake finish line. "Impossible!"

Foxy was in a tizzy, the man sweating profusely as he realized his tricks weren't working.

"She did it again! Not even the "fake goal attack" could stop her! She is a tough foe indeed!"

"The real finish line must be close."

"Hey, I can't do another impact, by the way."

"I know."

"Excuse me miss. Do you ever believe in what you see?"

Nami glared up at the announcer. "Go to hell!"

"She has lost it! Anyhow, a tragedy has taken place! Porche's team has stopped at the fake finish line!"

"Did we win?!"

"Where is everybody?!"

"Her trusting and innocent mind shines brightly in comparison to a certain someone's. However, she must realize her mistake quickly!"

"If I lose to idiots like those, I will be too ashamed to stay alive!" Nami professed.

"More terribly, we will lose a friend!" Usopp reminded them.

"The race is 2/3 done, and the Barrel Tiger is still in the lead!"

"Damn it!" Porche cursed. "This is a fake finish line!"

"What?! Who could've done such a lowly thing!"

"The contestants are approaching the long bamboo shore. The finish line is just ahead!"

"It's true." Nami caught sight of the bamboo. "I can see it!"

"They're catching up! We won't be able to beat them in speed." Robin relayed.

"Hold on… Usopp, see that?!" the navigator pointed. "Can you hit that bamboo tree?!"

"Bamboo?!" the sniper didn't understand, but did as told, firing with his slingshot. "Like that?!"

"Yes. Shoot more!"

"Full speed ahead! Capote! Monda! Ram them into bits!" Porche ordered.

"Ok!"

"Shah~~!"

There was a creaking sound, and a shadow fell over the group. Porche looked up, freezing in place. "Eh?!"

Tall stalks of bamboo fell right in their path.

"Oh no!"

"Iyaaaah!"

"Yes~~!" Nami was thrilled. "Bingo!"

"Oh no… Capote!" Porche crouched down next to the unconscious fishman. "No mercy… I won't forgive them!" She stood. "Cutie Baton!"

Usopp looked over his shoulder. "What?! A trick that spawns flowers?!"

"Rose shuriken!" An array of flowers spiraled towards the Barrel Tiger.

"Wuaaaah!"

"Watch out!"

A multitude of white and black feathers soared through the air, piercing through each rose and obliterating it. The trio of Straw Hat Pirates slowly lowered their makeshift shields, confused by the disappearance of the flowers.

"What's this?! Porche's attack was countered! But how?!"

Robin caught a glimpse of movement along the shoreline, a smirk creeping onto her features. "I think I know how…"

Nami followed her gaze, jaw dropping in shock and outrage. She shook her paddle at the two distinct figures. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?! I TOLD YOU TO LAY LOW!"

Aurora had the decency to look sheepish, rubbing the back of her head. "Sorry…"

"A thank you would be nice!" Kai hollered back. "After all, we did just save your asses!"

"WE COULD'VE HANDLED THAT WITHOUT YOUR HELP! IDIOTS!"

Kai rolled his eyes. "So ungrateful…"

"W-What on Earth? What are those two?!"

This caught the attention of the Foxy Pirates, the various members trying to catch a glimpse of the two Straw Hat Pirates. Their curiosity had been peaked. Just what did their announcer mean?

"Look!" Robin steered the navigator's attention back to the race. "The finish line!"

Nami perked up. "It's right there! Let's charge!"

"This is it. Davy Back Fight Round 1… "The Donut Race" is about to end!"

"Yeah! Porche!"

"Go next to them!" Foxy ordered Hamburg. "We mustn't lose!"

"Okay, Boss!"

"Oh no you don't!" Kai flew after the duo, Aurora hot on his tail.

"Monda, charge! We can't lose to those three!"

"Sha~~!"

"Here they come~~~! Who will cross the finish line first?!"

"Nami won! Yey!" Luffy cheered prematurely.

"Nami~~! Robin~~!" Sanji swooned. "Your nimble bodies are always so beautiful!"

"Hey, you!" Foxy called out to the trio. "You three are pretty tough!"

Nami glared. "It's him again!"

"Too bad." One of the Foxy Pirates lamented. "You guys came close."

"Huh?" Luffy was confused. "We're going to win!"

"Hahahah! No you're not. Our boss is here."

"Boss is like you… he also has a devil fruit power."

Aurora managed to catch that little snippet of conversation, the true angel pouring on more speed. "Kai!"

"Yeah, I heard!" The fallen angel went high, throwing a punch at Foxy.

"Noro Noro Beam~~~~!"

Kai's fist slammed into the middle of the man's face, Aurora simultaneously swinging her staff into Hamburg's head. Both pirates were sent flying… but the damage had already been done.

"The winner is… Cutie Wagon! Round 1 of the Davy Back Fight, Donut Race has ended! Our idol, Porche, won~~~!"

"Good work, Porche!"

"How did you like that, losers?!"

Said woman raised her arms in victory. "That was too easy!"

"Let's claim our new crew now!"

"You're the best, Porche~~~!"

"Gyahahah! No one can beat the Foxy Pirates!"

"…." Luffy, Chopper and Sanji could only stare on in shock. "Eh…"

"Damn it!" Kai growled, landing next to the silent boys. "What the hell was that?!"

Aurora landed next to him. "Are you guys, okay?!"

"Hoihoihoihoihoi-Fueheheheheh!" Foxy had recovered quickly, laughing with glee. "It's time for you to say goodbye to one of your friends!"

"Wait!" Sanji halted the man. "Somebody tell me what happened back there! We were about to take the win…"

"Yeah, you were "about to" win, but you didn't!" one of the Foxy Pirates mocked. "Wahahahahahahah!"

"Hey! Usopp. Nami. Robin. What happened?!"

"Are you okay?"

"…What was that?"

"We… really lost…?!"

"We came to welcome you back, but then you stopped moving… and they passed you!"

Nami huffed. "Hm… we thought we were going to win, too… but after that beam hit us…"

"Noro Noro Beam!"

"I couldn't move my body… no… actually… we could move, but everything was going… very, very slowly. The boat… the wave, too."

"Yeah." Usopp grunted. "When we recovered the enemy had already won…"

"Any injuries?" Chopper inquired.

Luffy glared at the Foxy captain. "What did he do?!"

"Cheers!" the Foxy Pirates continued to celebrate.

Kai began to march towards the large group. "Why I oughta…!"

Aurora flew in front of the fallen angel, attempting to shove him back. She planted her staff across his chest. "Wait a minute!"

"Fueheheheheh!" Foxy's laughter reached their ears. "That was too easy. Thanks to my Noro Photon."

"Asshole! What did you do to Nami and the others?!" Sanji snarled.

"Noro Photon?!"

"It is an atom that was not yet discovered by scientists." Foxy began. "Anything from life-forms to liquid and air hit by its radiation… will not lose any energy, but… its physical velocity will decrease dramatically!"

"What kinda crap are you talking about, stupid?!"

Foxy fell to his knees at Luffy's insult. "He called me stupid!"

"Poor boss!"

"A think like that is not possible…" Nami argued.

"Not possible?!" Foxy crossed his arms. "Haven't you learned by now that anything is possible in the great seas…?! Anyways, anything it hits will slow down. That is the Noro Photon!"

"Oh. Why didn't you just say that earlier, 2-piece head?"

"Hah! After eating the Noro-Noro Fruit, I gained the power to emit these photons, and I became the almighty Noro-Noro man!" Foxy proclaimed. "Behold! I shall demonstrate my power! Hamburg!"

"Okay!" the ape-man shot a cannonball at his captain.

"Noro Noro… BEAM!"

"Eh?" Usopp's eyes bulged. "The cannonball stopped in mid air?"

"Fueheheh. Anything hit by the beam will slow down automatically. Most humans are ignorant of the world on the sea. The effect lasts for around 30 seconds before the object resumes its movement. Fueheheheh! With this, nothing is a threat to me…"

The cannonball drew closer to Foxy.

"Do you doubt your eyes? My No…"

The cannonball exploded, sending Foxy flying.

"BOSS!"

"Damn… so that's why we lost…" Usopp realized.

"That's a really dirty trick to use in a race…" Nami grumbled.

Sanji scowled. "No wonder those bastards were so confident… his power clinched the match for them."

Kai growled in frustration. "If we had just gotten to them faster…"

"All that matters is crossing the finish line!" Porche proclaimed. "We did it first, so you lost! No excuses!"

"That's right. The victor of Round 1… is my team!"

"The first match has officially ended. Now it's time for the highly anticipated crew selection! The captain of the winning team will choose a crew member from the losing team. Please proceed, Boss!"

Dozens of eyes suddenly landed on Aurora, the true angel shrinking back in unease. Kai followed the men's gaze, flinching when he realized why she was their target. Both angels' wings were still on full display. The dark-haired man shifted to shield the younger girl from view. Kai may not be a saint, but the hungry gazes directed at Aurora unsettled even him. The true angel had been subjected to this type of behavior before, and even Kai had to admit she didn't deserve to be someone's trophy again.

"Boss! Pick her!"

"That one! Pick that one!"

"She looks like an angel!"

"I'd love to play with her!"

"Pick the angel girl!"

"NOOOO!" Porche's angry shriek rang out above the cacophony of voices. She glared heatedly at Aurora as the men continued to clamor over the true angel.

Despite the situation, Kai barked out a laugh. "Somebody's jealous…"

Foxy ignored his crew's shouting, having already made his decision long ago. "The first one that I will take is… you!" He pointed to the unlucky Straw Hat Pirate. "The doctor, Tony Tony Chopper!"

"Meh?!" the reindeer squeaked.

"Nooo! Chopper!" Nami reached out to their tiny doctor.

"Wah! Wah!" he flailed against the grip of the two Foxy Pirates that had seized him.

"Stop struggling!"

"Yeah~~~!" Foxy hugged the reindeer to him. "You will make a wonderful pet~~~! You're more cuddly than I imagined!"

"Wah!" Chopper continued to struggle.

"Eh, boss? Can I hold him, too?!" Porche waltzed up to the pair, holding her arms out to take the reindeer next.

"Wuaaah!"

"Chopper!" Luffy cried.

"Those bitches…" Sanji growled. "They took Chopper because he looks like a rare pet."

"Is he a collector of rare pets?!" Nami worried.

"Hopefully not a collector of rare pelts."

Usopp eyed the archeologist incredulously. "What?! This is not the time for jokes! They took our friend!"

"Listen up! Dr. Chopper, you are now one of us… you must swear your loyalty to me! Put on the mask. Fuehehehe…"

"Everyone…" the reindeer whimpered.

"Chopper!"

"I'm sorry, Chopper. We lost… damn it!"

"Fueheheheh…" Foxy chuckled. "A rare pet, indeed~~~~!"

"He's not a pet!" Aurora growled, the true angel getting ready to fly over to the stage and snatch the reindeer back.

Kai locked his arms around her waist, ignoring the way the girl clawed at said appendages to break free. "Simmer down, your holiness! Getting angry won't do anybody any good!"

"It's an amazing talking reindeer!"

"Come. Sit next to me, comrade!"

"Hahahaha! Let's be friends!"

Chopper continued to whimper, gazing longingly out at his friends. "EVERYONE! I…" he choked on a sob. "I don't want this! I started sailing with you guys… Luffy! Luffy ask me… I only went because Luffy asked! I don't want to join these people!"

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH, CHOPPER!" Zoro's voice cut through the air. "YOU ARE DISGRACEFUL!"

"Zoro!"

The swordsman stood. "It was your choice to get a life on the sea. Dead or alive, the choice was yours alone. Don't blame it on others. We accepted the challenge! Usopp and the others tried their best. In the pirate's world, tears won't get you anything…"

"Zoro?!"

Aurora watched the green-haired teen closely. True, Zoro was known to be gruff at times, but this… this was something else. She could sense it.

"If you are a man…" the swordsman turned, staring right at the reindeer. "Then just sit tight, and… quietly watch the game!"

"How could you say that?!" Nami was furious. "He must feel terrible right now…"

Chopper didn't say anything in return, but his actions were a clear enough message. He ceased all crying and wiped the snot from his nose. The reindeer grew still, crossing his arms and staring on.

"Ooh!" Nami's anger was abruptly forgotten at the change.

Zoro nodded once in approval. "Much better…"

"WUOOOOOH~~~~!" a cheer rose up through the crowd.

"That swordsman sure can talk!"

"Boss will probably choose him next round."

"The reindeer is a tough guy, too."

"I'm so touched that I shed a tear! Look! At the corner of my eye! See?!"

"Yeah, Zoro!" Usopp joined in. "Win back my pride next round!"

Luffy threw up his hands. "Win Chopper back!"

"That's right…" Sanji spoke up. "There are two more matches. We have to retrieve our emergency food friend."

"Sanji~~~!"

"The conversion is now finished! Cheer as the Davy Back Fight continues!"

"Cook me. Fry me. I don't care. I'm a man!" Chopper put on a tough act.

"Wait…" Usopp realized something. "Isn't Chopper in the 2nd round?! You guys took him away…"

"That's true." Robin agreed.

"Let me fight!" Kai jumped at the opportunity to bash some heads.

"Um, Kai… it's against the rules to make changes after turning in our listing. Remember?" Aurora gently reminded the fallen angel.

He threw up his hands in anger. "DAMN IT! What does a guy gotta do to kick some ass around here?!"

"Oh dear…"

"In Round 2, Groggy Ring, team Straw Hat will only have 2 contestants! In other words, the Foxy Pirates also have this match in the bag!"

"What?!" Usopp screeched.

"Whatever, not like I need any of you." Zoro wasn't concerned.

"Shut up!" Sanji bit back. "You're the unneeded one, seaweed head!"

Nami sweatdropped. "I hope they don't end up fighting each other."

Aurora sent the navigator a look. "You do know who you're talking about… right?"

"We're doomed." Kai deadpanned.

"That's not what I said!"

"Now, I shall explain the rules for the Groggy Ring right now! In the court, there are two goals on each side. You win by throwing your ball into the enemy's. However, you won't be using a regular rubber ball. You'll use a person! So first, each team must choose a person to be the ball!"

"Which one of you will be the ball?"

"Mn." Zoro jerked a thumb over his shoulder, gesturing to Sanji.

"Here." The ball was placed atop the cook's head.

"Eh?"

"Ball sign!"

"Why do you get to decide?!" Sanji roared. "You god-damned seaweed *#%$*# !"

Music began to play from Fox's ship.

"You are listening to their entrance music… it's our returning champions for Groggy Ring! Naturally, they have gone undefeated in the past."

"Kick their ass!"

"They are the "Groggy Monsters!" They are now entering the field. HERE THEY ARE!"

Aurora felt her jaw drop at the sight of the three men. The first she recognized as Hamburg, who already towered several feet over Zoro and Sanji. The other two though… they were even bigger!

"In the front is the Four-Hoof-Driven Dasher, Hamburg! Behind him is Pickles, The Tackle Demon! Standing at the rear is the half-fishman, half-giant, Big Pan, The Wotan! They are literally the monsters of the ring!"

"Wow!" Luffy was in awe. "What are they?!"

"With that… the 2nd Round, Groggy Ring is about to begin!"