Phew, just went to the park and swung for the first time in years! …Actually, 2nd time, just remembered. That got my brain flowing!

Part 5: Touchdown on the Gangplank

The Raccoon Pirates and Deer-fox Hikers landed on a much calmer sea in the midst of twilight. "Holy moly!" Shimmy exclaimed. "A normal sea?! What is the universe coming to?!"

"It's coming to NORMALCY!" Ralph screamed.

"HAHAHAHA!" Even the others had to laugh at that joke. "And it looks like a nice place to rest, too!" Laruta cheered. "Captain, whaddya say we drop the anchor?"

"You wanna rest?" Jim questioned. "We just found out our family's been captured!"

"And we might have a whole island to cross before we find whoever's behind the kidnappings. You boys are exhausted, not to mention full of cuts!"

"And… I am also a boy in this context?" Christina asked.

"Boys and/or Chrises. We need a good night's sleep because we might be in for a fight soon."

"She's roight, Jim." Jason affirmed. "Even Mum says that a good pirate knows when to drop anchor and drop in bed. You shouldn't have too much adventure in one day!"

"I guess you're roight… So, wot you got to drink on this tub?"

"CHEERS!" With feet propped vertically on a barrel, the pirate boys clacked Flurp cans and drank.

"Ahhhh, they're so cuuuute!" Isabelle cooed. "Jason's never had another boy to play pirates with!"

"Yeah, and as far as girls go, Max was more a pirate than you." Ralph remarked.

"I'm gonna squeeze you, Ralph!" True to her word, Isabelle grabbed and squeezed the pilot's tummy, forcing a scream out of him.

"Jason-san?" Mali said. "You said you would play dollhouse with me, 'member?"

"Ugh, fine. Me and Jim will play with you in a bit."

"ME?!"

"Yep. We're gonna play the doggies, and Ah guess Mali's the mummy."

"And AH'M the LANDLORD!" Nugget proclaimed, stomping up to Mali with a wood sword pointed. "And Ah want me 200 doubloons for lettin' you live on me ship!"

"Wouldn't that be a sealord?" Chris asked.

"You pay me, too!"

"You know someone named Max?" Jim asked, registering the earlier comment.

"Aye, you met her back in that town."

"I know a Max, too! He's one of me other lubber mates."

"I have a cousin named Max." Christina said. "Heh, that's too many Maxes."

"Have you or your friends ever thought about joining the Kids Next Door?" Isabelle asked.

"Ah dunno about them, but flyin' around and savin' the world ain't for me. Besides, I'm already a pirate next door!"

"What's that mean?"

"It's wot Matilda calls us." Nugget said. "'Cause we live next door to her."

"Hehe, I getcha!"

"Ah still don't get you…" Jim eyed the Shandian, questioning her intent. "But speakin' of flyin'… I've always wanted to add a flight function and oxygen device to our ship. Always wanted to check out oceans on other worlds. Before this race, we've been to the White Sea, so I thought sailin' through space would be even cooler. But, y'know… I'm not sure I'd wanna go without…"

"Without Matilda?"

"Without me own crew… her included."

"Nah, I totally get ya!" Jason said. "It's like I was sayin' before, you gotta find a crew you feel right with! Like these guys! They're a real riot most of the time!"

"Eh, most of us are boring slobs." Chris inferred. "Like Lar."

"CORRECTION!"

"Y'know," Isabelle began, "whenever Jason wants to go exploring, he always at least tries to bring me, even if no one else wants to come."

"True, but when we went to Terraqua, he-"

"Ralph, I will stuff you in a cannon and SHOOT YOU AT A ROCK! My POINT is, if Matilda is your ideal first mate, you need to march up," she planted her foot to the barrel, "put your leg up on whatever's available, and say, 'MATILDA! WILL YOU GO SAILING WITH ME?!'"

"Sheesh, you a drama star? I ain't gonna act like a looney." Jim stood and walked to the rail, gazing out into the night. "'Course, in their town, I was already a looney… didn't matter to her though…" He was already imagining how she'd react.

Scurvy Sands

"Boy, this job's a pain on the cords." Itomimizu said, the wide-mouthed announcer taking a pill with some juice. "But it's why I was born with a mouth that circles my head! Hah hah hah…sigh…"

"Excuse me?"

"Huh?" He twisted to find a blonde, pigtailed girl.

"You work with the Contest Crew, don't you?"

"Well, yes. Why?"

"I was wondering if the spectators knew anything… about the Jolley-Rogers. If any of the family survived, besides Jim and Nugget."

"Er, uh…I wouldn't know exactly. The Contest Crew does escort stranded pirates back to the start, but I don't get told which ones survived or died, or else I couldn't make the commentary exciting."

"Then, could you perhaps… get an escort ship to bring me to where they sank? I have to find out myself if they're still alive. A-and, if they're not… then I'd still like to be taken to Jim. I won't interfere with the race, but I can't just support them from here. I need to be there for them."

"Awe…" Her genuine words brought him a smile… not that one could tell. "Then, I'll ask Captain Blackeyes if they can take you. The race is reaching its climax, so it'd be much better to see the action up close!"

"Thank you so much!"

The Oden; somewhere on a sea

Captain Yamato titled her ship after her favorite Japanese stew; it filled the Soup spot on her personal Full Course Menu. Of course, she was expecting to eat fish in the midst of watching the Dead Man Race, as soon as her guest caught one. "I wonder what's wrong with them…" She had noticed the Gabi Gang looking rather frantic, but the race's broadcasters couldn't fly close enough to hear what they were saying.

"WHOOOOAAAA!" a cry echoed from outside.

"Emma?!" Yamato raced out of the cabin. Her guest had been fishing on the deck just a minute ago, but was nowhere to be seen.

"AAAAAHHH!" An enormous koi fish burst out of the sea, its skin a lush red and gold. Its lips were puckered around a tiny fishing line, the base of which was held by the preteen girl flailing around on its back. She had bright orange hair with spikes bent in curves and emerald eyes, clothed in a white dress with a frilly skirt and brown boots.

"Emma, do you need some help?!"

"It's fine! It just came on a little suddenly! Okay, big fella, back to the ship…" Emma flapped directly against the back and planted her boots, stretching straight as she tugged the fishing rod with all her 12-year-old might! Leaning left or right when necessary, the elephant koi submitted to the guidance of the rod and swam toward the Oden. With a focused glare, Yamato readied her kanabo. In a swing as swift as a baseball bat, the koi stopped in its tracks, knocked out by the blow.

"Phew! Wait'll you try this, Emma, your mouth will shine like solid gold!"

"As long as it's not real gold; that would be unhealthy."

"Haha!"

Part of the fish would be roasted a golden-brown by Yamato's gold flames, while the other part would be eaten fresh. Emma would shine a vibrant visage as either flavor enlightened her tastebuds. Of all the former child slaves the pirates rescued, Emma was one of the most remarkable, agile, intelligent, and extroverted. Well, Yamato couldn't say the pirates rescued her, because Emma rescued herself and her own band of friends. Supposedly, she had an option to join the KND, but wanted to join the Marzipans instead to gain experience as a hunter. Her dream was one day to find her estranged father, whom was also a hunter.

Yamato didn't ask much on the details, but Emma certainly had the skills to do well in this crew, something even Augustus could attest to. She was always level-headed, hunting beasts with a sharp and conscience mind, and above all, her soul was kind. "Thank you for feeding us, Mister… I mean, Miss Elephant Koi!" Emma said, hands folded before her pure smile. "We hope you rest peacefully in the Spirit World! …I don't think I can eat another bite, Yamato."

"I can save the rest for the crew easy."

"So, how's the race? I didn't miss anything exciting, did I?"

"Honestly, it looked like they were in a panic over something…"

"Ahoyyy! 'Scuse me! Miss Yamato, ma'am!" A postman in a red bandanna and puckered lips zoomed up on a mail truck boat. "You have a video letter, ma'am!"

"A letter?" Yamato held a hand out for the post-pirate to throw the envelop to her hand. She sat down to Emma's level so she could join her in viewing the video inside.

The image was staticky, a crocodile's head barely visible in silhouette. Yamato's eyes creased in recognition, and Emma felt a spark of familiarity. "Miss Yamato of the Marzipan Pirates… hello. If you recognize me, don't raise alarm. I would like to have a word with you. I have something that you want…" The figure seemed to raise up a small foot, twitching as its owner squirmed. "If you want her back, come to these coordinates, alone."

"Lemme go! Big Sis Yamato, help Nel!"

"That's Nel's foot!" Emma gasped.

"That's why they were panicking!" Yamato said. "Was Nel kidnapped from them?!"

"What should we do, Yamato?"

"Tch…he wants me to meet him alone. If I don't comply, what'll he do to Nel…"

"Maybe I should call Gabi's crew and try to meet up with them. They'll want to know what happened."

"That's fine, Emma… but I don't want you to do anything reckless. That man is dangerous."

"I know who he is… Before I was born, he was one of Queen Mandy's worst enemies. The most feared pirate in the Nintendia Galaxy. But… this guy isn't the same one, is he?"

With the Raccoons

The young pirates were relaxed and rejuvenated in the morning, Jason waiting on the raccoon-headed keel for the dawn to warm him. "Blimey, that's the last time I drink Flurp before bed." Jim said, walking out to deck. "I was burpin' all night."

"Was it your first Flurp? Hehe, it ain't nice to first timers!"

"Ah reckon. …'ey, Jason, I know you don't like boasting about your mum, but if she's the Pirate King, who's your dad?"

"President of the Flurp Factory."

"For real?!"

"Haha, of course 'e's not! But he is their best worker. He's a poisonbender who bends soda. He can get crazy strong when he drinks Flurp, too!"

"What's the story with them, then?"

"Dad was Mum's first mate back when they were tykes. Oi dunno that much though, reckon they just met in the KND or somethin'."

Jim didn't exactly know his own parents' history either… Still, given how famous the Pirate King was even to small-time pirates like himself, Jim wondered why her husband and first mate wouldn't be equally famous. Maybe he was some plain-looking guy who didn't make a point to stand out.

Once everyone was fully awake, Isabelle fried up a grilled breakfast for them as they kept on course. They could see smoke rising from the grill aboard Sector GF's deck, too, though their cooking smelled notably more authentic given their camping theme. "Wait, I just remembered." Their leader, Abel said. "Are we still pretending they're our enemies and have to shoot blank cannons?"

"I don't think that matters, anymore." David answered.

"So, if we get past the 4th island," Frida began, "that'll take us back to Scurvy Sands, right? Where do you think we'll find the mastermind?"

"Wasn't that eyepatched pirate the captain of the Contest Crew?" Alfur asked. "Then he would have to be the culprit."

"Blackeyes, you mean." Hilda recalled. "Perhaps he is… Then, if this 4th island doesn't yield anything, we'll just have to ask him then."

"Next island, dead ahead." Ralph alerted. "Isabelle, can ya give us any deets?"

The Shandian gazed through her scope. "Huh…" The mountain on the island had a head-like shape with a gorilla mouth, but a pointed hair tip that leaned forward. "That shape looks familiar."

"What's it shaped like?"

"Like Donkey Kong."

"Huh?!" Jason gasped. "Are we going to Donkey Kong Island?!"

"Interesting." Silica said. "Let's see how well the games depicted it."

The notion of sailing to such a famous island renewed their intrigue. The closer it grew, the more its bloated shape, its exotic rubbery texture, and its artificial colors defined itself… what?

The face of DK Island bore puffed, manic eyes and a wild grin. The palm trees were clearly balloonish, and even the resident apes were inflatable tube men. "Whaaaaat the friiiiick did we find?" Ralph drawled.

"I think the games took some creative liberties." Silica said.

"More like someone else did." Isabelle followed. "This is obviously some kind of joke."

"Either way, looks like that's where we have to go. Want a headstart, Captain?"

"Aye! And I'll take me first mate this time!"

"Finally!" Isabelle gladly jumped into the catapult.

"Not so fast now." Jim climbed in as well. "Ah need me adventure's worth outta this race, too."

"Well, Mali," Jason hopped in, "please fire the-"

"I WANNA COME, TOO!" The giant plopped her rump right atop her little elders.

"GWAAAAH!" Jim choked. "So… moderately… heavy…"

"A big balloon island sounds fun! I wanna go bouncy bouncy everywhere! Chris-san, shoot us over!"

"Sure thing, kiddo." Christina rocketed to the sky and blasted down like a comet. Her immense force surpassed the weight of the little giant and the three others, launching them straight at the floating island! (Play "Secret Seclusion" from Tropical Freeze!)

Map 4: Expandong Island

Destination: Football Brawl

"WHEEEE!" Mali was sprung into the air upon impact with the balloon, her rump riders flying off. "Hahahaha! This is the best island ever! Follow me, guuuuys!"

"Maliiiii!" Isabelle's pleas were naught as the joyous giant sprung through the makeshift jungle. The waves generated by her weight grew smaller the further she went, allowing the three to bounce on their own. Jason's Ground Pounds could gain them extra height in their jumps if needed. The first enemies to impede them were Balloon Frogoons, whom were no challenge for the more volumed kids to kick away. However, they needed to actually jump on a few Frogoons and use the extra height to make it atop a tall cliff. The friends bounced along a jungle passage where Necky Balloons hovered on strings, but would unplug their corks and dart toward the kids. Their still-sharp beaks would puncture Jim and Isabelle, but their sword and arrow would repay the vultures with worse results.

Jason told them not to kill all the Neckies, seeing three targets around this zone. They lured the Neckies into these targets and were awarded a chest. Once past the Neckies, they found a small hot-air balloon attached to a pump. The kids all clung to and pulled the balloon off—"WHOOOOAAA!" The balloon packed as much heat as a rocket and soared to the sky! By the time it ran out, the trio could land on a bigger balloon shaped like DK, facing a series of giant balloon fruits! They first bounced some swaying bananas, landing on another safe balloon shaped like Diddy. However, a Kowalee (a purple koala in a hover craft) rose up and threw bombs, threatening to pop the platform. The boys quickly grabbed and threw them off while Isabelle sniped the Kowalee down with arrows.

The kids jumped floating berry balloons, which would sink from weight, so they only went one at a time to avoid sinking them too much. Later, they would be jumping on strawberries, but wouldn't be given the luxury of waiting as Red Zingers threatened to pop the balloons. The other two stacked atop Jason's shoulders and trusted the captain to jump for them. The strawberries led to a Lanky balloon, but as Jason failed to make the jump, Jim grabbed the nose of the clown Kong. To their bewilderment, the nose stretched an incredible length as they sank back down to the island, falling a slow enough speed to land safely… not that it would've mattered, given its rubbery surface.

"There you guys are!" Mali cheered, her body flopping every which direction amidst her bouncing. "Let's go see the clowns!" Further up were Klowns riding bouncing big balls. The Klowns maneuvered the balls toward the kids to force them backward, but Mali's gas blasts could blow them back just the same. "Look at that hooooooole…" As Mali plummeted down a gaping hole, they questioned if she'd done so on accident. The sides of the hole were painted a natural-looking brown, and the trio would learn the depths of it were just as bouncy. Because a bouncy surface circled them every direction, the kids were in an endless, ricocheting bounce. "OUCH, OUCH, OUCH!" Mali started screaming. "There's a bunch of spikies in this cave! Owwww!"

"Mali, let us squeeze through!" Isabelle said, the smaller kids crawling over the giant before resuming their bounce spree. They tried to control their ricochets to avoid touching the porcupines that appeared to be clung to parts of the cave. At the end, they could press a switch, causing the Spinies' spots to flip over, leaving the tunnel bare enough for Mali to crawl-bounce through. The tunnel let out into a bigger cave, the ground covered in stalagmites. "Bet ya THESE are rubber, too!" Jason leapt straight toward one, the others shutting their eyes in fear… fortunately, its spiked tip was safe and rubbery. When his normal-size friends joined him, they would soon realize hitting the sides of the stalagmites would send them bouncing into others, winding up in an incontrollable bounce spree.

"OW!" It wasn't until they had slammed into each other they were able to stop. "I'll help you!" Mali jumped down and sprung them upward with the shockwave of her bounce. She was thankfully too big to be caught in the endless bounce trap, able to freely bounce against the tips of the spikes as she scooped her friends up. Of course, her carefree progress wouldn't come without hazards: Cat-O-9-Tails came spinning from around the mites; they were blue, human-sized cats with big noses and apt tails. "AAH!" They wrapped around Mali's ankles and would throw her in a random direction. To make it worse, pufferfish balloons with actual spikes loomed around the area, pricking poor Mali whenever the cats decided to throw her there.

"'ow's this for nine tails?!" Jim Lad dropped between the mites and lashed spin attacks against the spinning cats, slicing their nine tails! Just as well, Isabelle shot arrows at the Puftups, but their spikes would shoot out upon popping, so Mali kept a safe distance back. The giant jumped up some escalating platforms leading out of the cave. They stopped to rest at a cliff overlooking a lake, its surface dozens of feet below them. There were several deflated platforms along the surface. "Hey, what's this?" Jim noticed the thick, straw-like tube on the cliff, leading into the lake.

"I wonder if this is meant to pump up those platforms?" Isabelle said. "Mali, you're the only one with enough gas to do this…"

"Then I'll try…" Mali pinched two Flurp cans and squirted them in her mouth. Her insides bubbling, she put her lips to the straw and belched with all her might. The lake rose within a huge, inflatable tub, along with the various platforms across it! "Huuuuff…now I need some air." Mali fell on her back.

"Just rest for a bit, Mal." Isabelle smiled. "You can wait for the others to catch up!" They first jumped onto an elephant floatie, its trunk angled up and shooting huge bubbles across the lake. A Snapjaw lurked in the lake, the purple piranha waiting for its prey to fall in, so they would need the elephant's bubbles to carry them. However, they needed to twist the elephant to face the next one before climbing on the trunk and being launched with the bubble. On the next elephant, they would have to repeat the tactic, except there were swordfish balloons swaying in and out of their intended route. Their swords weren't sharp, but would spring the kids into the water. That said, there was a swordfish away from the route, its sword aimed at a higher balloon. Jason launched toward that one and was sprung onto the platform, rewarded with a chest.

He could glide down to the initial intended platform, where Jim and Isabelle would launch to. From there, the kids climbed the entry slope of an inflated slide, with several grabbable handles to help them, but sudden currents of water would pour down random parts of it, intended to bring them back down. They made it atop the slide, where a constant, fast stream poured down, and would turn flat as it curved around much of the lake. The kids shared a grin, hearts pulsing with excitement, as they all jumped down together! In this position, they couldn't change sides, so some would have to jump Klaptraps lest they slide into their snapping jaws. The crocs were trickier to spot when the slide curved; luckily, the curving momentum kept them on track. Along the way, Jim slide over an elephant trunk and was squirted up onto a higher portion with some extra treasure!

The slide would abruptly end at a soft, but dense wall, the kids suffering mild whiplash upon hitting it. The next segment of the floating path was filled with holes of water, from which moles would emerge and throw bombs. The kids wouldn't question why the moles were in water, they would just do as always and throw the bombs back. One of the holes didn't have a mole, and upon searching inside, Isabelle found a chest! Past the mole zone, the crewmates had to launch from a series of elephant cannons, with swordfish balloons to evade past each blast. With careful timing, the kids finally reached the shore across the lake.

"Oi, that slide got me britches glued to me bum!" Jim said.

"Not a good day to wear a skirt." Isabelle blushed.

"By the way, any of you got suntan lotion? The sun's startin' to get pretty-"

"We don't carry that acid on our ship!" Jason hissed. "No wonder you're so pale, what kinda pirate uses that?!"

"I beg your pardon?!"

"Sunscreen is hazardous to lightbenders." Isabelle explained. "(But don't worry, Ralph and Laruta brought some.)"

The kids would climb on the back of a tall, balloon ostrich, its sturdy sneakers designed to withstand the spiky ground below. As predicted, the only way to make it move would be to uncork its rump plug. The released air forced the ostrich to run with great speed, but they felt their seat deflating. The friends quickly leapt to another ostrich before that one fell against the spikes. When the 2nd ostrich took off, Isabelle took hold of reins to steer it left or right, or else its neck would snag on branches. They leapt to a 3rd ostrich, but along with steering its position, pairs of Katches would throw baseballs across their seat, forcing them to jump and steer at the same time. "NO, you missed a chest!" Jason cried, seeing a hanging chest that the ostrich's head was meant to knock down.

"Jason, there is only so much my sharp focus can take!" Isabelle argued. Luckily, they could jump to safety after that ostrich deflated. They had landed on a cliff overlooking a football field, floating on the sea.

"Check it out, mates!" Jim pointed at the flagpole waving across the field. "There's our compass!"

"No kidding!" Isabelle smiled. "Wow, this island was both fun AND easy!"

But it was not so simple: a pair of big eyes inflated on the sides of the field, and an enormous, long green mouth hoisted it up. The field would rise skyward above an inflated, winding, Rattly the Rattlesnake. The colossal twister had several patches along its body, and was beginning to rotate. There was a cannon available with a pile of balls, so Isabelle manned the-

"NOT so fast." Nugget came marching! …on top of a panting Mali. "If it's a cannon, I'm the only girl for the job!"

"I wasn't done resting, but she made me carry her…"

"Oi, Isabelle's aim is sharper." Jason said.

"She can hold off, Jason." Jim declined. "My sis just earned her epithet. Let 'er shoot."

A grinning Nugget manned the cannon and aimed at Rattly's patches. Each successful shot punctured the balloon, and as it shrank, the body sank. The rotation would go faster as Nugget missed a few blasts. "Try to shoot where they're going to be." Isabelle said.

"Don't tell me what to do!" Nugget was able to shoot the next patch, but missed the next one three times. "Grrrr…"

Isabelle turned away and sneezed, "Achoo!" After the target rotated back around, she "Achoo!"ed again. It then clicked with Nugget that she was meant to shoot on that cue. "Achoo!" Nugget struck the patch this time. Finally, Rattly was up to his head, desperate to keep himself inflated by sucking air in through his nostrils. His rotation was even faster, but Nugget saw no patches. "The nose! You got to shoot the nostrils!" Jim exclaimed.

Nugget positioned the cannon so it was level with the nostrils. "Achoo! Achoo!" With Isabelle's indirect guidance, Nugget stuffed the nose full of lead! Unable to draw in more breath (because the mouth didn't work apparently), Rattly sank into the sea. But, how to get to the football field? Did they just have to dive down and swim? …No, they had to use the very same cannon! One by one, the kids loaded themselves up and allowed Nugget to fire them across! "Alright, you're next." She told Mali.

"M-Me? But I can't fit in it!"

"Ah think you know you don't get a say in this…"

"Waaaaahhh…" Tears drizzled down the child's cheeks. (End song.)

The field was wide open. There seemed to be nothing between them and the flagpole. Even the audience stands were empty, and the silence was eerie. "OW!" until Mali crash-landed. "I think Nugget isn't very nice…"

The four walked together to the field's center, where a football was set. They knew some kind of boss would ambush them, the setup was too obvious. (Play "Gangplank Galleon" from Donkey Kong!)

Then, music began to resound from the speakers. It was jaunty, classical, and seemed great for the sea, the kind you'd listen to while sailing peaceful waters. The kids only felt more confused as they crossed. But just a few feet from the football, THUD, a hulking figure in a blue jersey, helmet, white shorts, and sneakers crashed down! His beefy arms were scaly and green with gold gauntlets, and he wore a red cape. A big red "K" was marked on the jersey.

Boss fight: Gangplank Gator

The man grabbed the football and chucked it toward the goal behind the kids, afterwards bolting past them. "Uh…" This event started too suddenly for them to understand. But when he scored a touchdown, they noticed a scoreboard, an "R" on the left and "K" on the right. The "K" counted up by one. It was then cannons loaded up in the stands and rained fodder upon the Raccoons. "AAAAHH!" It wasn't especially strong cannonfire, but it rendered them weak for a moment. The player carried the football back to the center. "Guys, I think we have to play against him!" Isabelle deduced.

The Gator grabbed the ball and threw it toward the goal again, but Isabelle made a mad dash to catch it. Jason ran toward the opposite goal, hands open, but Gator was in pursuit. Jason dedicated his left fist to spin-charging while his right was open to the ball. He caught it and threw to Jim on his left, afterwards socking the boss right in the gut. "?!" The footballer was completely unfazed by Jason's sunny fist, dashing for Jim. The shoeless pirate was too slow to outrun him, but Mali dashed with a Gas Boost in attempt to tackle the man. He pushed Mali off without effort, but Isabelle had already swiftly swiped the ball from Jim. She scored a touchdown: the barrage of cannonballs rained upon the Gator, who choked out "AUCKs" under each blow.

The players returned to the center in a "hut" position. This time, Isabelle swiftly kicked it left, and Mali boosted after it while Jason tried to tug on Gator's cape. He was still too strong to stop, so Jason wound up flailing behind him. Mali raced for the goal, frantic at the charging, burly player, so she impulsively threw the ball over him. But, having read her movement, Gator jumped and caught the ball, throwing it to the other goal. Isabelle dashed, her speed faster than Gator's as she caught it. With Gator closing on her, Isabelle threw it to Jim, but Gator dove left to catch it. He raised the ball and ran for their goal, but Jason quickly climbed up to his head and flipped his foot up to kick it backward. Jim caught the ball and ran, hugging it out of Gator's sight, but when the man caught up, he seemed to throw the ball toward Mali. Gator rushed to catch it before she did… but then realized Jim actually threw his wooden sword. Even Mali was fooled by the trick. Jim made the touchdown, causing Gator to suffer another bombardment. "AUCK! AUCK! AUCK!"

The score was 2-1, the kids confident in entering the next round. But this time, Gator tossed it to the sky: a bunch of black footballs fell around the field. "The frick?" Isabelle cringed in confusion. Jason went to pick one up, but it blew up in his hand. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Gator laughed at her reaction and ran partway to their right, snatching the real, brown football. Jason and Isabelle chased him, but he kicked another Footbomb at Isabelle, who dodged with a start. Jason tried to mimic the tactic and kicked a Footbomb at him, but Gator tanked the damage and made the touchdown at their goal. The Footbombs harmlessly popped on their own, but the kids were bombarded by cannonballs.

The next round began with the same trick, the football hidden amongst bombs. Gator would wait for 10 seconds, giving them time to guess. With her keen eyesight, Isabelle quickly skimmed the balls and saw the real one to their left. She ran, grabbed, and threw it to their goal with Gator in pursuit. Mali was scared to chase and step on a Footbomb, but Jim encouraged Mali to pick up and throw him instead. Gator grabbed the ball, but Jim gripped it upon landing, unable to tug it out of his foe's grasp. Gator would shake Jim away, but Mali would blast a Gas Bomb over him, leaving Jason to kick a Footbomb and combust a greater explosion over Gator. The act blew the bomb out of his grasp, after which Isabelle dashed to grab it and touchdown!

Another round of "AUCKs" later, the players recentered. This time, Gator whistled, and two extra, thinner footballers with gray arms ran to his side. Isabelle snatched the ball and ran backwards, one of the Krushas chasing her while his teammates divided. Jason tried to punch the other Krusha, but it simply laughed, "Huhuhuhu!" Isabelle threw the ball to Jim, but when Gator charged him, Jim panickingly tossed it upward. Gator waited for it to fall in his hands, but the taller Mali snatched it from over him. She was about to throw it to the goal, but the other Krusha tackled the child's legs, bringing her down with a cry. Gator jumped on her chest, took the ball, and rushed to the kids' goal. An angry Isabelle leapt to grab it, but Gator threw the ball to the previous Krusha, who scored a touchdown.

The score was 3-3, but with Mali whimpering and rubbing her sore legs, Isabelle encouraged her to sit this one out. Isabelle took the ball and dashed around the enemies, going for their goal, but Gator grabbed a Krusha and threw him to tackle Isabelle down. He painfully squeezed the Shandian in trying to take the ball back, but Isabelle managed to fish for her Quake Dial, pressing it to the Krusha's chest and vibrating him off. Before the next Krusha could crush her, Isabelle chucked the ball to Jason, who raised it aloft as Gator charged him. However, Jim leapt, planting his feet firmly around the ball: Jason threw, and despite Jim's extra weight, both went flying from the captain's strong throw. Jim went tumbling upon landing, but he quickly grabbed the ball and ran with a Krusha on his tail. The man tackled him, but Jim reached and landed the touchdown, anyway!

With the soreness in their legs, the kids weren't sure if they could handle the last round; Jason was the only able-bodied player now. The situation grew worse as Gangplank Gator whistled for a troupe of Klumps to block his goal. When the round began, the other two split up while Jason took the ball and ran backward. The Krushas stayed near the teammates while Gator stood guard in the center. Jason spun both fists and charged light, and Gator could tell he was intending to switch the football between fists. Would he throw left, right, or forward, and with which fist? Jason chose to shoot either fist at Isabelle and Jim, both ready to grab them and withstand the impact. They were blown nearly into the stands, the Krushas charging to tackle and take the ball from whichever one. "?!" Neither kid had the ball!

As Gator looked confusedly at either one, Jason began to dash past him: the ball had been wrapped in his tail! Jason took it back in his hand, and once enough momentum was built, he took off into a Tail Flight! He was gonna go right over the Klumps and land the touchdown! "AAH!" But Gator had jumped surprisingly high and grabbed his ankles, yanking Jason back to ground with a bang! Jason chucked the ball left, a Krusha rushing to grab it… but Mali had gotten up the courage to get back in the game and take it first! With a Gas Boost, she dashed for the wall of Klumps, who readied to push her back. Mali belched a Gas Bomb against them, clogging their noses and vision. The child succeeded in bypassing and hitting the touchdown!

"AUCK, AUCK, AUCK…auck." After the final round of cannons, the Gangplank Gator keeled on his back. His minions sighed and returned behind the bleachers. (End song.)

The pillar where the Goal Flag was set lowered to ground level. "YOOOO!" The kids looked to see Christina and the others climbing onto the field. "Can't believe you didn't invite me to the big game, Jason!"

"Ah, no worries, Chrissie! They don't even 'ave hotdogs!"

"That island was a ton of fun!" Shimmy grinned. "Even Silica was enjoying it!"

"Couldn't focus on my game worth a darn…"

"Who is this big guy, anyway?" Chris asked, approaching the fallen Gator.

"Oi dunno, but he could sure take a punch. 'ey, Jim, want me to chuck you up to the goal?"

"I wanna catch the goal!" Nugget shouted.

"Jason throws pretty hard, Nug, I'm not sure you'd survive. Leave it to your brother!"

"No fair!"

Sector GF had gone down to explore the bouncy caves. They found a secret room where three Cat-O-9-Tails sat sadly. There was a big disco ball in the center, and three caged, pink 9-Tails hung on the ceiling. The hikers relied on the male Tails' RNG throwing to chuck them up to the cages, tug them down, and smash them open. Each Tails had a mate to dance with: the disco ball glowed to life and created a fancy, romantic party! The ball popped open as a disco-clad, monochrome kitten danced in the center. The sides of the ball fell off as its pole lowered to the ground. "What a… fascinating discovery." Hilda commented as she climbed the pole first. The abundance of treasure inside the upper room was a delight to behold… but the diary page peaked her curiosity.

By the time I was 20, word had already spread across the cosmos. People had gone frantic over my return… or, what they believed was my father's return. They were all asking, "Why? Didn't he die?!" And that's what I asked myself, for a time. But I had already accepted it. That I was the son of the strongest pirate known to all animals. I trained as he did, recruited followers as he did, and began to take the resources he left for me. But I'm still not complete. What am I still missing? The title that my father once had? Or was it perhaps… a worthy rival?

"Who in the world wrote this?" Alfur asked, tucked behind Hilda's ear. "And why would it be laying in here?"

"I haven't the foggiest idea." Hilda said. "The strongest pirate known to animals? …Would we know anyone like that?"

Jason chucked the football up to the flagpole with Jim on top! The Jolley Son snagged the compass and swapped the flag for a gold one. "STAGE CLEAR! Oi, game lubber, what's my score?"

"Hold on…" Silica's console began to tally their points. "…That's weird." The scoreboard usually sorted points by Enemy, Treasure, Combo, Tricks, and Time. However, they now read as Kutthroats, Koins, Kombo, Koolness, and Kountdown respectively. And, when the grade came in, instead any of the programmed letters, the kids were marked a solid "K."

The inside of Gangplank Gator's helmet was too dark and obscuring his head. Christina lit a fire in her hand and held it close: the man had the head of a crocodile to go with his scaly arms. "…?!" Somehow, it struck a chord of familiarity with the Uno. He looked a little like—his left eye opened.

BAM! Cut from their excitement, Jim, Jason, and the others were dumbstruck to see Christina blow into one of the field gates. "COUGH!" She puked a glob of blood, clenching her stomach.

"CHRIS!" Laruta rushed to her aid.

"Heh heh heh hur…" The fallen footballer rose to full height. "That wasn't a bad game, kids… I gave a half-decent effort, but it was a good warmup in the end!" The boss gripped his helmet and pulled it off. "You've beaten the 4th island… good job."

His head was smallish in proportion to his girthy body… but all too recognizable. They never met him, but had seen pictures… and heard stories. "Y-you!" Jason gawked. "You're…you're…"

"King K. Rool…" Silica gasped. It was quite rare for something outside her games to have her attention.

"King… K. Rool?" Jim asked, still clung to the top of the flagpole. "'old on… you mean the pirate what calls himself the Animal King? And one of the Pirate Emperors?!"

Jim only knew him from his parents' and grandads secondhand tales, but Sector V's parents had more to tell. A monster of a pirate who'd been terrorizing seas for nearly 80 years, born on Mushroom World, allied with several elite villain warlords, and, after Nintendo created a series based on his crimes, a classic game villain.

Or at least, he was… before he supposedly died 25 years ago. Not even their parents had any clue how it was possible, why he was back… but they feared with all heart that he was the very same. "Not quite." K. Rool said. "The Emperor you're thinking of was King Kroctus Rool. My name…" In place of his helmet, the croc placed on a gold crown, "is King Kaido Rool. And I am Kroctus's—AUCK!"

Jason socked him in the jaw… but even though his fist was strong enough to bend Kaido's head that way, it hardly bruised him. "YAAAAAAAHHH!" The captain was relentless in his beatdown, unconcerned for the growing pain in his knuckles. The only reason his attacks were able to budge Kaido at all were because the king had disregarded his own bodily stability.

"Jason!" Laruta screamed.

"You're the one behind all this, aren't you?! You're sabotaging our race! You kidnapped the other rookies! Wot kind of sick bloke are you?! Tell me where you took Jim's family right now!"

"Save some for ME, Jason!" Christina lunged up and set fire to the pudgy croc, burning off his football clothes. His reptilian tail was able to hang free thanks to this, but his cape remained intact. "Sucker punching me like that, shithead?! My mom said she beat your ass, so guess who's here to-"

Kaido snatched both kids, slammed them to the ground, and SQUASHED them beneath his fists! The horrified operatives hurried around them. Their strongest members still had pulses… but were out cold. "J-J…Jason…" Isabelle choked.

"Just like that…" Jim whispered. He knew full well Jason was significantly stronger than him… but for his punches to have no real affect on the king, to go down so easy…

"Nnnn…" A crying Mali fell to her hands in fatigue. "Laru-chan… I don't feel so good…"

"Why did the air get so heavy…" Ralph grunted, the kids dropping to one knee.

"Is he a gravitybender?!" Laruta asked.

"I guess this is the extent of your resolve." Kaido smirked. "There's a reason lubbers don't belong on the high seas. A reason rookies shouldn't drink more rum than they can swallow. Little child pirates like yourselves enter this race, thinking it'll be a fun sailing game, unaware of what kind of men inhabit the pirate world! And that despair when they so utterly lose to someone stronger is so TASTY!"

His fist didn't seem to project light or any element, but as he punched it in a 360-degree motion, without really touching them, the Raccoon Pirates and Nugget were on their backs, clinging to consciousness. "Ghh…" Jim now had a reason to stay up on this flagpole: he was too afraid to go down to where that beast was. He could feel K. Rool's aura from here… His dominating presence weighed heavily in the air. So much that Jim could fall down any moment. But it would only be a matter of time before Kaido remembered he was there.

"Jiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiim!"

He wasn't expecting someone to cry his name from afar. He wasn't expecting… to hear that voice. Jim searched around the air until he could find its owner… find her. Then, far away… he saw what looked like a giant brown bird, carrying two people. One was the announcer, Itomimizu, and the other… was waving her arms excitedly. "Jiiiiiiim! I came to watch you race!"

"M…Matilda?"

"When I heard what happened to your family, I was devastated! I'm so glad you and Nugget turned up all right! Maybe there's hope for the others! We can look for them together!"

"You…you came…"

But to the left of Jim's view was a ship with the figurehead of a gold crocodile. Its sails bore the symbol of a crocodile's skull. "Ar, ar, ar." Captain Blackeyes laughed. "It seems His Highness already be startin' the climax. What shall we do with her… Kaptain Kruckers?"

A skeletal croc in a velvet jacket, large belt, and captain's hat aimed his blunderbuss up at Matilda. "Let's watch a rookie go fishing."

The gun boomed, a cannonball flying skyward. By the time Matilda could notice it, the black ball was against her bent stomach, and her feet were carried off the bird. "MATILDA!"

The pigtailed lubber was used to taking cannonballs during playtimes with the Jolley-Rogers, but not when she was this high up. Matilda arched and fell into the sea, too dizzy from either impact to regain herself. With grit teeth, Jim dove into the ocean, swimming her direction as fast as he could. The pirates did nothing to stop him, it was just entertaining to watch. The ball had already fallen away from Matilda, and by the time Jim could take her hand, he was losing breath. Still, he wouldn't make a mad swim to the surface without both her arms slouched over his shoulders, so once he had that sorted out, he put full effort to his arms and legs.

"HUUUUUUUUFF…" Jim took the deepest breath he ever inhaled, refreshing his lungs. "Matilda! You okay?!"

"Cough, cough…" He pressed her stomach to pump water out. "J…Jim…"

"Mweh heh heh har!" Kaido laughed. "He got the compass AND the girl! He's a fun weakling, if anything."

"What shall we do with 'em, Brother?!" Kruckers exclaimed. "Er, I mean… Nephew?!"

"Well, since he DID get the compass… we might as well let him finish the race. He can swim back to the island and steal a ship, perhaps. As for these rookies…" Kaido eyed the fallen Raccoons. Jason looked remarkably similar to another pirate Kaido had heard about. "Lock them in the brig. They should invite good entertainment later. And speaking of which, it's almost time to meet my 'twin.' We'd better not be late."

"OI, YOU!" Jim called out. "WHERE'S MY FAMILY?!"

"Probably locked in my dungeon with the other failed rookies. You're free to come rescue them… if you dare. MWEH HEH HAH HA HAR!"

Jim and Matilda would float humiliated and helpless as the Kremlings loaded the Raccoons on their flagship. The lad knew there was nothing he could do to that beast. Kaido kept to his word and did nothing to impede Jim's return to shore. Though Jim feared for his new mates, he could only hope they would endure their time in the brig. All that mattered to Jim now was that his first mate was safe…