As soon as the signal was given, Bruno and the others had no trouble telling the boats apart from their companions. It was even very easy to see them. They were the only boats that skirted the shore, while all of Foxy's other boats, except the Mother Ship, began to row away from shore.
"Can someone explain to me what's going on?" Yosaku asked.
"Surely they must know of a sea trap that lies near the shore." Vivi affirmed.
Growling, Bruno heard a commotion inside the Mother Ship, and he finally retorted.
"No! The trap is inside that big boat."
Indeed, the front of the Mother Ship disappeared, allowing a huge amount of water to spill out of the boat. Frightened Luffy's crew saw a real tidal wave coming down on them.
"AHHHHHHHH! What is that?" Usopp asked.
"This is our ship's specialty." The Mother Ship's captain affirmed.
Then, the pirates saw many barrels floating on the surface of the water and starting to scatter around them.
" What is that ? "
"Exploding barrels." The Mother Ship's captain affirmed. "With this, your ships will be destroyed to pieces."
"And that's the specialty of the Mother Ship." Itomimizu affirmed. "The Explosive Barrel Attack! Can Mugiwara's Crew Be Able to Resist It?"
"Hey, that's cheating." Nami affirmed.
"Not at all." Retorted the host. "Nothing prohibits crews from fighting each other."
"Really?" Velvet asked, starting to conjure up her demonic arm.
However, before she could move, she saw Hatterene position herself at the back of the boat and stare at the barrels that floated towards them. Then his eyes turned blue.
Hatterene use PSYCHIC.
Continuing to come towards them, the barrels suddenly stopped, before starting to float in the air.
"What...?" the captain of the Mother Ship wondered.
"They... They're flying." Itomimizu shouted. "Barrels fly in the sky."
Then, the pokemon directed its gaze to the giant ship and began to aim for it.
"Wiat! Wait! Wait! We can chat."
Too late. Aiming for the boat, Hatterene generously returned their barrels, which exploded upon touching it. Screams were immediately emitted, while a large part of the boat was damaged.
"WHAT?" Foxy yelled, feeling snot dripping from his nose.
" Nice shot. " Bruno affirmed.
"Little Hatterene, you're a champion." Johnny and Yosaku assured.
Yet, seeing his boat succeed in maintaining its waterline, the captain of the Mother Ship roared.
"You're going to pay us for it."
" Hey, guys. "
Looking down, the man saw Raynare's boat right in front of his.
" Huh ? "
Then, he flashed a look of fear, as he saw Raynare creating spears of light around her... Wiper aiming her bazooka at the boat... and Eevee preparing an energy sphere.
" DIVINE TORNADO ! "
" BURN BAZOOKA ! "
Eevee use SHADOW BALL.
Pushing a new cry of fear, the captain saw the triple attack completely cross the boat, before blowing it into a thousand pieces.
"The...The Mother Ship exploded." Itomimizu asserted. "It's amazing! This is the first time I've seen this."
"What's going on?" Porche wanted to know, turning around.
Surprised by seeing the Mother Ship sinking, she did it even more as she saw Usopp's boat taking advantage of the tumult to move at full speed.
" Great! If the others act as our escort, we have every chance of being first. " Affirmed Usopp.
"Tsss!" Porche growled. "Monda, maximum speed."
Then she turned to the other boats.
"Everyone, I'm counting on you to slow them down."
"AYE!" shouted the crews of the other boats, starting to slow down.
Trying to row at full speed, the three of Luffy, Zoro and Raynare saw the other boats approaching them.
"What do they want from us?" Lucy asked.
"Never mind, they're not the ones going to slow us down." Wiper asserted.
And as their boat continued to row behind Usopp's, they ignored their friendly nods from the crews of the other boats. Unfortunately, this was not the case for the other two boats.
Catching their attention, a boat that looked like a small street restaurant offered food to Luffy, who immediately stopped his boat. And before Sanji could react, a boat with a female crew started inviting him to come with them.
For his part, starting to speak with one of the men from the restaurant boat, Zoro was entitled to a bottle of sake, which he began to drink.
"But what are these morons doing?" Nami roared, seeing that.
"Huh?" Gin said, turning around. "I wonder if they have rum."
"KEEP ROWING!" Nami roared, punching him in the head.
Even Velvet was sitting on the railing of the restaurant boat, while she was eating a bowl of udon.
"Hey, that stuff isn't gross." She affirmed.
"Do you want me to give you the recipe?" asked a man from Foxy.
"Luffy! We don't have to stay here." Chopper asserted.
"Zoro onee-san, we have to win the race." Menma assured.
"Hey, do you want some?" a man asked, handing them two bags of candies.
"CANDIES!" the duo shouted, grabbing the bags.
Seeing this from the shore, Bruno affirmed.
"One day I would seriously consider writing a resignation letter."
"Let's see the positive side." Johnny said, looking at the other boats. "Usopp-aniki and sister-Raynare are still in the running."
But it was at this moment that they saw the crowd around them agitated while a dozen guns were taken near the shore.
" Huh ? "
"Guys, let's make this race more interesting." Foxy offered.
"Aye!" said his men, before firing several cannon shots.
The next moment, numerous projectiles hit the water around Usopp's boat, nearly capsizing its passengers.
"What else is going on?"
"I think they're cheating so they can win." Robin asserted, seeing the many cannons.
"No, it's not cheating." Itomimizu asserted. "Here's another rule that I didn't say: people not in the race have the right to attack the boats."
"ARE YOU ONLY NOW YOU TELL US?"
"Ready for next shots." A man ordered, aiming for the craft again. "FIRE!"
" ZIP ! "
Suddenly, the barrel found itself cut in half, before exploding.
"AHHHHHHHH!" Several people shouted, getting thrown backwards.
Startled, the others looked in the direction of Luffy's allies, who advanced towards the cannons.
"Guys, I have some advice for you." Bruno affirmed. "Sit on the ground and just watch the race quietly! Because otherwise, you might regret it."
Hearing her, Foxy's men looked at each other before smiling. Then, drawing their weapons, they asked.
"Haven't you seen how many we are? Do you seriously think you can stop us?"
In response, Yosaku presented the palm of his hand to the men in front of him.
"Look at the palm of my hand." He said, presenting the dial that was hanging there.
"Huh? A seashell?"
" FLASH DIAL ! "
Immediately, an intense light dazzles the entire area, blinding anyone who had the bad idea to stare at the dial.
"AHHHHHHH! My eyes!"
" I can not see anymore. "
"Help! I'm blind."
Taking advantage of this, Johnny ran towards a cannon, before pressing the palm of his hand to the metal.
" AXE DIAL ! "
Immediately, this cannon was also cut in half, under the surprised gaze of the pirates who had not been dazzled.
"AHHHHHHHH! They cut another cannon."
"Who are these guys? They're not human."
"Don't be fooled." Foxy roared. "You outnumber them! There's no way they can beat you."
Hearing this, his men nodded, before again targeting Bruno and the others with their weapons. However, they were surprised to see Vivi position herself in front of them, as she bent her arm in front of her.
Seeming to concentrate, she declared.
"I still can't control the lightning! But I think I have figured out how to control the wind."
"What are you talking about?" asked a man.
Suddenly making a quick movement with her arm, Vivi created an overpowering gust of wind, similar to a tornado. Screaming in horror, Foxy's men were swept through the air, as were many cannons.
With his mouth now wide open, Foxy saw two of his men fall at his feet, before jumping as a cannon almost crushed him.
" W ... What ? "
"Any other volunteers?" Bruno asked.
Growling in displeasure, Foxy ordered.
"Attack them."
"Saved." Usopp rejoiced, seeing the cannons stop attacking them.
"In the end, it was a good idea to leave Zip-man and the others on the shore," Robin remarked.
" Tssss! I suspected these guys were going to do something like that. " Nami affirmed.
" KAIMEN WARI ! "
Startled, the foursome saw Kabouti hitting the surface of the water, creating a shock wave that raced through their boat, before hitting its left side, which was completely destroyed.
" WHAT ? "
"HAHAHAHA! You're surprised, aren't you?" the fishman questioned them. "It's the famous karate fishman! Against him, you don't stand a chance."
Then he raised his hand to the sky again.
" KAIMEN ... "
" BURN BAZOOKA ! "
Ducking in extremis, Kabouti felt Wiper's attack pass just above him.
"Missed." The Shandian growled, as his boat came alongside Nami's.
"Damn it! They caught up to us quicker than expected."
Then, a spear of light pierced their boat.
" What ? "
"It's a gift from us." Raynare affirmed, with a mischievous smile.
Immediately, water began to spurt out of the hole.
"AHHHH! We're sinking." Porche frightened.
"Motherfucker." Kabouti roared, jumping into the water.
Then, swimming underwater, he found himself under Raynare's boat. "
" FISHMAN KARATE !"
Making a sudden movement with his fist, he managed to create a maritime shock wave, which rushed to the hull of the boat, before striking it.
Immediately, the boat was propelled into the air, while a huge hole was visible in its hull.
" GUYS ! " Shouted Usopp.
"You better worry about yourself." The fish-man retorted, rising to the surface of the water.
Swimming at full speed towards the boat, he wanted to ram it to sink it. Nevertheless, a sharp gust of wind brushed past him, scratching his cheek.
" What ? "
"NAMI-SWAN! ROBIN-CHWAN!" Sanji shouted, as Luffy's boat rowed towards them.
"We're coming." Chopper assured, as he tried to get his boat moving as best he could.
"Are they there?" Porche wondered. "Monda! We have to go."
Immediately, the shark dived underwater. Then, Porche's boat found itself raised as Monda carried it on her back.
"Go." Porch shouted.
Monda began to swim at full speed, followed by Kabouti who hastened to get back on the boat. at that moment, Raynare's boat crashed into the water with a great crash.
"Damn fish." Wiper roared.
"Huh…we have a problem." Lucy asserted, seeing the huge hole in the boat's hull.
However before the water could rush into the hole, a magic circle appeared under the hull, lifting the boat above the water.
" That ... ? "
Having created this magic circle, Raynare affirmed.
"I can use that to make the boat float above the water! But I can't make it move any faster that way."
She turned to Lucy.
"Summon your mermaid."
" What ? " Said Lucy.
Porche's boat was first, while Usopp's was struggling to keep up. Being third first, Raynare's boat was overtaken by Luffy's, while the pirate captain made a propeller-like movement with his arms and a piece of wood.
Moving slowly, Zoro's boat was in fifth position. Seeing Chopper vainly trying to get their boat moving quickly, Zoro affirms.
"What you are doing is useless! They are the oars."
"I... I used them to finish building the boat."
" Damn it. "
Suddenly, the boat began to accelerate slightly.
"Huh?" The duo wondered.
Positioning herself behind the boat, Menma pushed it with all her might, while flapping her wings.
"I'm going to move it forward."
However, Zoro barely felt any different.
"What did you think you could do?" He asked, sighing.
Seemingly offended, Menma let flames appear around her feet.
" PYRO-JET ! "
" What ? "
Suddenly, the flames acted as thrusters and the boat began to move much faster.
"Hey! We're moving on." Chopper enthused.
Noting the same thing, Zoro began to smile.
"This is the first time I have felt that Menma is doing something useful.
"HEY! I hear you." The child roared.
Suddenly, she was surprised to see Zoro reaching out and grabbing her by her clothes. Then he threw her forcefully towards Chopper.
" That ... ? "
The next second, the stern of their boat was pulverized, while two other boats had deliberately targeted it. Two huge metal spikes had pierced the back of the boat.
"Oye! I thought we could only use three barrels." Zoro remarked.
"Sorry." One of the men from both boats apologized.
"But it's our way of fighting."
"In that case, I would have no mercy."
However, as he drew his swords, Menma was faster than him.
" PYRO-BALL ! "
Positioning her hands in front of each other, the child creates a ball of fire in her hands, before throwing it towards the two enemy boats. Immediately, one of the boats caught fire.
"AHHHHHHHH! We're burning."
"QUICK! Water! Water!"
"Yes." Menma rejoiced.
Having seen him attack, Zoro could only be surprised.
"Usually, Menma is unable to create a spark without burning everything around her! Since when does she know how to use her power better?"
Now targeting the second ship, Menma created a second sphere of fire.
" PYRO-BALL ! "
Unfortunately, gathering too much energy in this attack, Menma saw the sphere grow in her hands, before exploding. Immediately, my enemy ship and Zoro's caught fire.
"AHHHHHHHHHH!" Crai Chopper, trying to get away from the flames.
"Zoro onee-san! HELP!" Menma shouted, clutching his leg.
"BAKAYARO!" Roared the man, while he had taken off his t-shirt to use it to put out the flames.
Too late. Reduced to ashes, the two boats disappeared under the water.
"And we have three disqualified boats." Itomimizu stated, as he flew over the area.
At that moment, Zoro's head emerged out of the water. Sitting on his shoulders, Menma tried to shake her arms to wring out her soaking feathers.
"I hate water."
As for Chopper, he was clinging to Zoro's face, sobbing.
"I thought I was going to die."
" DAMN IT! I'm really not helped." Zoro growled.
"Summoned Aquarius?" Lucy repeated.
"Yes!" Raynare agreed. "If she helps us by pushing the boat, we can win."
"But..." Lucy began, dreading the spirit's reaction.
" RAYNARE-SAMA ! LUCY-CHAN !"
Suddenly passing the boat, Sanji's boat passed close to them and continued to charge at full speed.
" What ? "
"Luffy, stop." Sanji ordered him. "We just passed them."
Continuing to imitate the propeller of a boat perfectly, Luffy retorted.
"It's impossible to stop me."
So continuing to advance, the boat met Usopp's.
"Hey, Usopp! Gin! Try to hang on to our boat."
"Huh?" The duo wondered, seeing them pass by them.
More reactive than the men, Robin created many arms that could link their two boats together. Taking advantage of the speed created by Luffy, Usopp's boat was able to move forward just as quickly.
"Amazing." Nami rejoiced.
Nevertheless, suddenly popping out of the water, a crab-like boat began to target the two craft.
"Don't underestimate the Kane Crab." Asserted one of the men in control of the boat.
However, as the crab boat was about to position itself in front of the other two boats, the men inside were surprised to see two figures appear on the front of their boat.
" Que ... ? "
"Yo." Velvet said, with her demonic arm already visible.
"Hatte." Said the pokemon, ready to attack.
Remaining silent, the men in the boat felt snot dripping from their nostrils. Then, as Luffy and Usopp's boats continued to move forward, cries of agony could be heard in the distance.
"Perfect." Nami said. "Velvet managed to stop those fools from getting in our way."
Then Porche's boat was visible in front of them.
"If we manage to overtake them, we will win the race."
Seeing that they were starting to fall far behind, Raynare insisted.
"Lucy! Summon your mermaid."
Finding she had no choice, Lucy reached for her belt and grabbed the key to Aquarius, before plunging it into the water.
"Come to me... AQUARIUS!"
Immediately, an intense light was visible and the mermaid appeared. Fearing a violent anger, Lucy tried to back away. But to her surprise, she made the mermaid put on a smile.
"Hi, Lucy! How can I help you?"
"Huh?" Lucy wondered.
to his surprise, Aquarius seemed in a very good mood. Ordinarily, the spirit always seemed to be annoyed when Lucy summoned her.
"A… Aquarius? Are you okay?"
"Absolutely," Assured the mermaid.
Radiant, she explained.
"This morning, I felt like killing everyone, when I learned that Scorpio had cheated on me with someone else! This woman had even come to strut in front of me declaring that she had become the Scorpio's favorite! I wanted to kill her, and kill Scorpio! However, when we came face to face with him, Scorpio claimed that it was me he really loved."
Laughing, Aquarius said.
"Of course I smashed his skull in for being unfaithful! But I'm so glad he chose me."
Hearing this, Lucy could only say.
"Huh...happy for you."
Then she questioned her.
"Could you make our boat go faster?"
Staring at her for a few moments, Aquarius assured her.
"Usually, I would have had fun destroying your boat! But today, I'm in a good mood."
Suddenly disappearing underwater, the mermaid twirled her jar in her hands. Immediately, a swirling jet of water appeared before hitting the back of Luffy's boat. And the next moment, its three passengers felt the boat find itself on top of a huge wave, which began to move at full speed towards the boats that were leading the race.
"WOW! We're going a lot faster." Lucy remarked.
"There, I'm starting to like this race." Wiper assured.
Going at top speed, the wave passed a huge pile of debris, while Velvet and Hatterene were sitting on a large piece of wood, once belonging to the Kane Crab. The duo had pulverized the boat and now watched as Raynare's boat caught up.
Meanwhile, watching the race start to go against him, Foxy growled. Especially since he didn't seem to be able to do anything. Even though his men attacked Bruno and the others using their outnumbered, each of them ended up on the ground, while the four people in front of them seemed to be enough to stop them.
Still, looking calm, Foxy affirmed.
"Hamburg! I believe it is time to act."
Struggling to quiet another giggle, the man declared.
"As you wish, oyabi."