As the Going Merry, Black Pearl, and Toho continued their journey, the Straw Hats Pirates were busy recharging the Dials used up during their daring escape from the G-8 base.
"I'm a little surprised no one's tried to chase us down after that. We didn't even get any additional bounties." Nami noted.
"The Vice-Admiral who runs the base must have simply wanted us to stress test the fortress to prove it needed renovations," Alvida suggested.
"You'd be surprised at how talented Johnathan is." Grey chuckled. "Even I was impressed by how skilled he is at usingObservation Haki."
Ben nodded. "All Vice-Admirals are required to know Haki as a standard. And some have Observation Haki that could put Enel to shame."
"The more I learn about the Blue Sea, the less I find myself fearing Enel. I had no idea powers like his could be considered commonplace." Conis noted.
"He was definitely New World level, make no mistake. But he was only about as strong as a Warlord." Draco clarified. "The Yonko would eat him for lunch. Big Mom might even have done it literally."
"Speaking of Warlords, the News Coo just came in, and they finally replaced Crocodile. Now, Buggy is one of the Seven Warlords." Vivi said.
Kong gagged on his drink
"Wait…BUGGY?! As in, clown nosed Buggy? A Warlord?!" he asked, getting nods. "…Huh. Didn't think he had it in him. I mean, he was always sneaky and ambitious…..but he usually chickened out when thing got way too hard….How about Shanks?"
Luffy and Sonson beamed.
"Shanks is doing great!" Luffy beamed, always happy to talk about her idol. "Has his own crew and even Uta."
"Uta?" Tawna asked.
"His daughter." Ben smiled. "Ate the Sing-Sing fruit and is quickly becoming a very popular idol. Heck, Shanks himself rivals Whitebeard, Kaido and Big Mom now."
Kong's eyes widened and he whistled.
"…Damn. He always was a good fighter, but…damn! Rivalling those three? And without a Devil Fruit?"
The Ape Mink smiled.
"…Honestly, I feel I shouldn't be surprised."
Suddenly, the crew noticed a ship with a frog figurehead, but no sails or flag.
"What's that all about?" Double-D wondered.
"The crew looks listless. Like they've lost their navigator or something. Captain, too." Tawna noted.
They had no time to ponder this, as a tidal wave created by Sea Monkeys had started up. As the Merry, Pearl, and Toho quickly rowed away from the tidal wave, the other ship noticed them. And the crew quickly wound up arguing about whether to attack the Merry or escape the tidal wave, which would destroy their ship as the wave subsided.
"Geez! What the heck happened with that?!" Ruby wondered in shock.
"They apparently did lose their Captain and Navigator. Not sure why, they were too busy screaming at each other." Gottfried noted.
"Well, at least the climate's stabilized. We're closing in on the next island." Nami said.
"Heavy fog up ahead!" Usopp reported.
"Anybody got a lure?" Gin asked.
Delta suddenly took out some kind of syringe filled with a red fluid and injected it into a port in his wrist to reach his skin. He then held his hand out and created a blaze of fire to shine through the fog.
"Okay...does anybody know what that was?" Luna asked.
"It's called a Plasmid," Grey explained. "Don't know the full story behind them, but apparently, someone wanted to try making powers based on Devil Fruits. All those who tried using them ended up getting their bodies messed up really badly. Only Delta is able to make use of them without getting harmed."
"And you know this how?" Nojiko asked.
"Delta may not talk, but he has other ways of communicating. We got to know each other while we were locked up in G-8."
"So what was up with that crew earlier?" Carue wondered.
"Maybe they lost their vital crew members in a Davy Back Fight," Axol suggested. "That's how Ruby and I joined this crew."
"Man, feels like so long ago!" Sonson chuckled.
"Well, Nami did too, technically, but she was already planning to defect, so I don't know how valid that is," Ruby said.
"But how does that explain their flag?" Vivi asked.
"Sometimes a crew will demand the Jolly Roger of their opponent as a reward for winning a Davy Back. Once that's taken, the crew can no longer display it." Kong explained.
The ships soon reached the island, which was nothing but plain. Along with a few tall trees dotted hereabouts.
"Well, this place looks dull," Sanji said.
"Sure, but it's got an interesting feature to it; this is Long Ring Long Land, the laziest place you'll ever visit. And that's had quite the interesting effect on the wildlife." Draco said.
He pointed to a bear that was as tall as the trees. Luffy noticed some fruit growing from the trees and grabbed one to munch, revealing it to be an abnormally long apple. Indeed, every animal they came across was incredibly long in length or height. And incredibly chill as well, even the predators.
"Gotta say, this would be a great vacation spot!" Eddy commented. "I wonder if I can monopolize something here..."
"Leave it to Eddy to always find a way to make a profit." Hilda snarked.
"I wonder if anyone lives out here," Robin said.
"They did, but the last time I visited this island with Pops, the tribe was in the middle of migrating, so the place is likely devoid of human life other than us," Draco said.
"Then why am I hearing a guy's voice right above us?" Gottfried chimed in.
The crew approached a house with a long horse standing.
"Wow, what a pretty horse!" Nami said, her eyes sparkling.
Chopper started talking with the horse as Luffy noticed a set of long walking bamboo and cut it down, causing a man to drop out of the sky.
Conis gasped. "It's raining men!"
"HALELUIAGH!" Noire cheered.
"How peculiar!" Boss commented.
"This must be what Gottfried was hearing." Mifune noted.
"Ah, back on solid ground again. Thank you, young man. I've been stuck up there due to acrophobia for ten years." The man said.
Sanji and Noire freaked and bolted back to the ships, likely to get the guy a decent meal.
"Tonjit, are you okay?" The horse Shelly said, having previously been given a voice by Gottfried to talk with him and Chopper.
"Why were you on these long stilts?" Conis wondered.
"I've always been fond of stilts, so I tried to make the world's longest pair using the island's bamboo. I managed to get on them, but I was too scared to come back down." Tonjit explained.
"You have no idea how worried I was about you. I had to stay behind looking for you while the rest of the tribe moved on." Shelly said.
Tonjit looked around. "The island does look more abandoned than I remember."
"What happened to tribe?" Gonta asked.
"Long Ring Long Land is actually a ring-shaped island. But the sea causes it to be divided into ten separate islands. Once a year, the tide gets low enough that the island's original shape is visible. It only lasts a few hours, but that's long enough for my tribe of nomads to migrate to the next island in the chain every three years. We use that motivation to keep from getting abnormally long ourselves." Tonjit explained.
"How fascinating!" Double-D commented.
"This reminds Rolf of his One-Eyed Great Nana. She was such a sweet woman. Always bumping into things!" Rolf said.
Sanji and Noire then came running back, surprisingly without food.
"Guys, a large ship just blocked off our ships. It has a fox figurehead and a large-faced Jolly Roger." Sanji said.
Lassoo's nose perked up.
"Run!"
"Run?! Where to?!" Kaizo panicked.
"No! RUN!"
"He means GUN!" Hilda realized.
The fat girl quickly picked the gun-dog up and fired in the direction his nose indicated, firing a glob of tar that struck three figures. One was a wide-bodied man with a very goofy-looking face, the second was a gorgeous blue-haired woman with a pointed nose, and the third was a large gorilla of a man.
"What the hell was that for?! I was only going to fire a net gun!" The man snapped. "Do you even know who I am?!"
"Uh, no?" Rosa awkwardly replied.
"I've been living on a remote island for the past four years of my life. I doubt I'd have ever heard of you." Calvin commented.
"I know who you are: Foxy the Silver Fox," Draco noted. "Bounty of only 24 million Berris. Abysmally low for this side of the Grand Line."
"Well, to be fair, I haven't been doing a lot of raiding or pillaging. You of all people should know a pirate's bounty is more political than any real indication of their strength." Foxy pointed out. "Anyway, why are you so hung up about me shooting a horse? Hunting is for pure entertainment."
Conis suddenly slugged Foxy in the gut, making him keel over in surprise.
"Hunting is for food, you asshole!"
She started to get out her Five Cast Iron, but Foxy quickly hit her with a beam of purple rings from his fingers, which seemed to slow down her movements.
"Oops... Porche. Hamburg. I tipped my hand early..."
"That's obviously a Devil Fruit you're using. What even is it supposed to do?" Fuu asked.
"It's called theSlow-Slow Fruit," Foxy explained. "Anything I hit with the Slowmo Photons I project is slowed down for-YEOW!"
Conis suddenly returned to normal speed and whacked him before he could finish his sentence.
"Judging by that estimate, I'd say thirty seconds is your upper limit," Double-D noted.
Robin noted. "I was counting too, Eddward."
"Watch it, Angel Bitch! No one gives my man a concussion!" The woman, Porche, called out.
Conis blinked, then looked over to Foxy.
"You're dating such an unattractive man?"
A comical arrow pierced through Foxy's chest as he sank to his knees and sobbed, prompting Porche to comfort him.
"Foxy, baby, don't listen to her! I think you look positively darling!"
"Wow, really?" Eddy flatly commented.
Ben shrugged. "Love comes in all shapes and forms."
Kong nodded.
"I hear ya. Hell, Mr. Gaban married a giant woman, so who are we to judge?"
Elswhere in the New world
"ACHOOO!" An elderly, but incredibly well bulit man in shades and a kimono sneezed.
"Dad? You okay?" A very young giant boy asked.
"No worries Colon. Somebody must be talking about me." The left wing or the Pirate King smirked.
Back to the story!
"Sorry to offend, it's just that I was wondering what other traits he might have that might make up for his..." Conis struggled to find her words. "How shall I put this delicately?"
"Unique appearance?" Mifune suggested.
"Yeah, that's perfect!"
"Alright, alright, let's skip past any pretense of cruelty," Foxy said. "My apologies, it's just that I figured this was the best way to get your attention. I had no idea Conis would give me a goose egg."
"How did you know her name?" Amingo asked.
"We listen to the We Are broadcast regularly," Hamburg, the large man, explained.
"Not to mention you've got an amazing reputation; A total of 50 members, three ships, and a bounty nearing 4 billion Berris!" Porche added.
"We of the Foxy Pirates wish to challenge you to a Davy Back Fight!" Foxy declared.
The crew looked at each other.
"Did you by chance challenge a ship with a frog figurehead?" Luffy asked.
"Yeah, that was our last fight. Uh, what happened to their remaining crew?" Porche asked.
"They got swallowed by a tidal wave created by Sea Monkeys," Zoro said bluntly. "You seemed to have taken their Captain and left them without a leader to follow."
Foxy looked downtrodden. "Hamburg, let their comrades know what happened. Give them time to mourn."
"Yes, Captain," Hamburg said solemnly.
Foxy then noticed the Straw Hats were talking among themselves.
"You really think it's a good idea?" Nami asked.
"We're going to be upgrading Merry soon anyway, but even then, one ship alone is going to have a rough time reaching the end of the Grand Line," Luffy said. "Even with Pearl and Toho backing her up."
"So you're thinking we need to bring our numbers up," Grey said.
"Pops has an entire fleet made up of several pirate crews. Why can't we do the same?" Draco pointed out. "And this might be the best way for us to do that."
The crew all nodded, then turned to Foxy.
"WE ACCEPT YOUR CHALLENGE!"
"Wow, didn't need to threaten anyone or anything," Foxy said.
"There's no reason to do that. We've been looking for a new challenge." Hilda chuckled.
-OP-
Kibagaeru, the former captain of the Fanged Toad Pirates, led his three other shipmates in mourning for the loss of their old crew before the games began. Unlike the Arlong Pirates, the Foxy Pirates made the entire game a spectacle, almost like a traveling carnival.
"You guys really get into this," Honey noted.
"The Davy Back Fight is our specialty. So we make sure everyone has a good time." Foxy explained.
"Well, ain't that sportsmanlike of you," Fuu said.
Hilda and Rosa were joined by the Foxy Pirates' commentator, Itomimizu.
"Welcome to another fantastic round of the Davy Back Fight! And this time is something special! As the Foxy Pirates' opponents are the rising legends, the Straw Hat Pirates, this Davy Back Fight is being broadcast live over the We Are broadcast, courtesy of their comm officer, Gottfried!"
"And as Gottfried's partner, I'll be providing commentary alongside Itomimizu on behalf of the Straw Hats!" Hilda said. "Now, it should be noted that this isn't the first time the Straw Hat Pirates have been in a Davy Back Fight. In fact, our navigator Nami, chronicler Axol, and cabin girl Ruby Gillman transferred over to the Straw Hats from the Arlong Pirates due to a Davy Back Fight!"
"That sort of experience will certainly help the Straw Hats close the distance, but time will tell how narrow the gap has become!" Itomimizu admitted. "Both captains have fired off the guns to signal the start of the fight, and the doubloons have been offered to Davy Jones!"
"The first round is the Donut Race! Boats can only be made using two oars and three empty barrels! Using any other materials means instant disqualification!" Rosa said before drooling. "Mmmmm...donuts..."
Robin and Grey kept an eye on the Foxy Pirates to see if any of them might cheat, since they were providing the barrels. The course was a single lap around Long Ring Long Land. Any team that had their boat sink was immediately out, and weapons were allowed.
"First team for the Foxy Pirates; Porche alongside Capote and Monda!" Itomimizu announced.
Capote was a Swordfish Fishman while Monda was a Star Shark.
"Glad to meet a fellow brother!" Axol smiled as he and Capote shook hands.
"He's a pretty sweet guy," Ruby noted, petting Monda as Porche nodded proudly.
"Not bad for a start, but whereas the Foxy Pirates brought in two crew members good with water, the Straw Hats brought THREE! With Double-D, Axol, and Boss Dugong!"
"Let's have ourselves a good match!" Double-D said, waving politely to the crowd.
Several other boats were set up, including a large one that was just three barrels strapped together.
"I mean, that's technically legal, but is that thing gonna win?" Hilda asked.
"Heck no, it's practically got the booby prize, dead last in the odds department. The thing's even filled with seawater. It's just here to pad out the numbers." Itomimizu said.
The two teams hopped on the South Bird Super Sparrow Chuchun.
"All the contestants have their Eternal Poses for the race!" Gottfried announced. "Contestants, on your marks! THEY'RE OFF!"
The Straw Hats all raced out fast away from the Mothership Coaster as it opened up to launch Barrel Mines.
"Whoa, the Straw Hats gain a fast lead! And the other boats are getting rocked!" Itomimizu commented.
"The Water-Water Fruit, despite it's oxymoronic nature, is quite the trusted friend!" Double-D commented, having launched a tidal wave behind him to speed the Straw Hats forward while knocking the Foxy Pirates back.
"Whoooo! Go Sockhead!" Eddy cheered.
"You can win, Double-D!" Ed cheered.
"The Mothership Coaster's signature gets countered! But hold on! It looks like the Barrel Mines are getting knocked back!" Rosa commented.
The Mothership Coaster went up as the mines hit it, creating a wave that let the Foxy Pirates start to close the gap. Several of the smaller Foxy Pirate boats quickly capsized. Monda pulled the Cutie Wagon alongside Capote, but Axol was stronger, and Boss was no slouch either.
"Hey!" Porche called out to Double-D. "You really snagged yourself a real beauty! That big girl, Hilda?"
Double-D blushed but shook his head before noticing a quartet of girls from the Foxy Pirates used their boat to distract Sanji while Luffy was distracted by another boat with food and Eddy was distracted by a boat filled with treasure.
"Apologies, madame, but I am not one to be distracted when there is victory to be had!" The sock-hatted boy affirmed. "Axol! Boss! Let 'er rip!"
Boss smirked and activated a pair of Jet Dials to move faster, leaving Porche in the dust and completely befuddled.
"Wow, he's good," Itomimizu admitted.
Hilda giggled. "He's such a nerd, I love him."
"Anyway, it looks like the race is now down to the Cutie Wagon and Royal Caravel!" Rosa commented.
Capote quickly got out of the water for a second to launch a karate chop.
"SURFACE SPLITTER!"
The chop seemed to split the water apart, but Axol wasn't worried as he quickly rolled through hand signs.
"FIVE HUNGRY SHARKS!"
Molding the water around him, Axol thrust his palms and sent out five sharks made of water to attack Capote and Monda.
"Whoa! Who knew Axol could use Fishman Jujutsu!" Itomimizu commented.
"He told us that while the Arlong Pirates were still on the Grand Line, he got some hands-on training from a few masters," Rosa said.
Boss redirected the Royal Caravel using some expert spinning from his Buru Buru Blade, avoiding the strike from Capote.
"The boats are now coming up to the Long Coral Reef, behind which is a dangerous whirlpool!" Itomimizu said. "Cutie Wagon and Royal Caravel are starting to get neck and neck!"
Meanwhile, Foxy was riding on Hamburg as they got into position.
"We've had to avoid broadcasting ourselves to the crew this time. Let's use caution, Hamburg. We have to slow that ship down in order to make sure Porche wins."
Double-D had Axol and Boss slow down, letting Porche get ahead.
"What'd you slow down for?" Porche taunted.
"To make sure someone else makes the mistakes we can't afford to!" Boss quipped.
Porche looked confused, until Monda wound up caught in the unusual tides created by the abnormally large coral.
"The Cutie Wagon's been sent backwards!" Itomimizu called out.
"You'd think a Fishman would be smart enough to recognize a bad current when he sees one. You're doing our people a disservice, Capote!" Axol taunted.
"Bite me!" Capote shot back.
Hamburg shot off a smoke arrow just as the Royal Caravel started to enter the reef, only for a sudden wind to blow the smoke away from the racers. Foxy looked gobsmacked.
"But I checked the weather..."
Back at the fairgrounds, Draco smirked as he dug into a plate of fried squid rings with Vivi and Conis on his lap.
"Play all the dirty tricks you want, so long as they keep to the rules. But outright cheat, and we'll just cheat right back."
"Ukikikikiki!" Sonson chortled as she ate a peach. "All's fair in love and war!"
Robin had attached a Breath Dial at the point of the reef closest to the shore, set to go off if anything was fired from there.
"An astounding turn of events! Our great captain's interference strategy has been countered!" Itomimizu called out.
"Never underestimate the intelligence network of the Straw Hat Pirates!" Gottfried declared. "Because we have more brains than the Celestial Dragons have a good bone in their body!"
The Royal Caravel was easily carried through the current maze by the whirlpool's effect on the reef, Axol and Boss taking a second to rest as they didn't need to do anything.
"Boss, we're going to need the Impact Dial!" Double-D said.
"Alrightt, here we go!" Boss replied, diving into the water.
He attached the Dials to his flippers. The group had spent some time training to be able to use Impact Dials without blowing out their shoulders. Boss fired the Impact Dial into the water, causing the boat to leap over both the whirlpool and the cape behind it.
"We need to catch up quickly," Porche said.
"Leave it to me!" Capote said."TWO FISH ENGINE!"
He leapt in a way that allowed Monda to hold Capote's lower body safely in his jaws. This resulted in double the swimming speed, letting the Cutie Wagon catch up in short order. Meanwhile, the Royal Caravel spotted what looked like a course direction sign. Double-D, Axol, and Boss looked at it flatly, then turned their attention to the nearby Foxy.
"Do you really believe we'll fall for that?!" Double-D gawked. "Narcissistic ninny!"
The Royal Caravel plowed through the sign, knocking it into Hamburg.
"Wow, the Straw Hats are certainly more perceptive than previous opponents," Itomimizu admitted. "That trick has fooled five previous crews before now."
The Royal Caravel blew by several more phony lies Foxy tried to set up, including the old sick grandma routine and a fake goal line.
"Bad day! They're catching up quick!" Boss noted as he saw the Cutie Wagon racing toward them.
He then noticed the bamboo grove and got an idea, striking with a sonic wave using his Buru Buru Blade.
"BURU BURU SLASH!"
The bamboo was knocked down and bombarding the Cutie Wagon, knocking out Capote.
"Capote! You're gonna pay for that!" Porche declared angrily."CUTIE BATON: FLOWER SHURIKENS!"
She launched several flowers, hiding spikes inside them. Axol smirked as he rolled through hand signs and then began harnessing the water in his hands.
"WATER SYRUP TRAP!"
Using precise force and control to make the water he pushed high viscosity, Axol thrusted the now-syrupy water to deflect the blades and protect the boat.
The race was nearing the end, so Foxy decided to finally pull out his trump card.
"SLOW-SLOW BEAM!"
But just as he was aiming at the Royal Caravel, Hamburg felt something click under his knuckles while running. The duo was confused until they got knocked back by an Impact Dial buried in the ground. This is turn threw off Foxy's aim, and he wound up hitting the Cutie Wagon instead. The entire crowd was stunned into silence as Double-D and his team raced through the goal line to win the first round.
"Uh, the winner is the Royal Caravel!" Itomimizu eventually said when he found his voice.
Despite the loss, the Foxy Pirates still cheered for the Straw Hats all the same.
"Thank Oda! I was hoping we'd run into a pirate crew who could match us in the cheating department while making it all fair game!" One of the pirates commented.
"Nice to know they're good sports," Vivi said.
Foxy sighed, but he knew that to go against the rules of the Davy Back Fight would only dishonor his crew.
"Alright, Straw Hats. You won the first round. So then, who will you be taking?"
Draco noticed that Porche was looking longingly at Chopper, her hands making a motion like she wanted to pet him. He looked over to Luffy, who nodded.
"We'll take Porche."
Porche looked delighted and ran over to cuddle Chopper.
"Really, guys?" Chopper said flatly.
"Hey, I can't blame her. You're very cuddly." Luna chuckled at her little brother's expense.
"Besides, Berris to bushels they'll be taking her back the second they win a round." Nami pointed out.
"We're on to the second round now; the Groggy Ring!" Itomimizu announced. "Each side of the field has a goal that each team must guard while trying to get the balls into the opposite goal!"
"And by balls, he means people! So both teams will be selecting one member to be their ball!" Hilda said. "The Foxy Pirates have Hamburg, Pickles, and Big Pan for their side! While the Straw Hats are going with Luna, Delta, and Conis!"
"Alright, Delta, first time in the field. Think you can show us what you can do?" Draco asked.
Delta said nothing, simply nodding his head with a low groan.
"Don't get too cocky! The three I've chosen have mastered the Groggy Ring game, to the point where they're known as the Groggy Monsters!" Foxy declared.
Monster seemed like the right word, as Pickles was bigger than Hamburg, and Pig Pan was bigger still.
"Half giant?" Draco asked.
"Why yes, actually. How'd you guess?"
"Gut instinct."
"Specifically, Big Pan is a Wotan. Half-fishman, loach specifically, half-giant." Hamburg explained.
"We can breed with giants?" Ruby asked in surprise.
"With my powers, I'm the best choice to be the ball," Luna suggested. "We all know both of you can bench press my weight."
Luna was given a ridiculous-looking ball mark, Big Pan being given the same mark for his team. Hamburg's team won the coin toss, though the referee was likely cheating since he was with the Foxy Pirates, and chose to start with the ball, meaning Luna started in the Groggy Monsters' mid-circle.
Foxy chuckled. "There's no need to interfere with this game. Our Groggy Monsters are all experts, and there's no way they can lift Big Pan. We'll get Porche back in no time."
"Um, sir, the drill?" The referee awkwardly asked Delta, who looked at the drill that replaced his left hand and with a motion, made the whole thing fold back and retract.
"Just a heads up; Conis' strength is four times that of a Blue Sea dweller." Hilda pointed out. "That's what happens when you live your whole life in the sky, then come down to our level."
Itomimizu shook his head. "Crazy monster strength aside, it's time to begin the event! There's no time limit, first team to score wins!"
The whistle sounded, but Luna seemed nonchalant.
"Luna doesn't seem to be either retreating or attacking!" Itomimizu noted. "How will she fare against Tackle Machine Pickles!?"
Pickles charged at Luna pauldron-first, only to nearly wind up being launched out of bounds as he wound up crashing into her body as she inflated to elapahntine size with herBerry-Berry Fruit.
"HA! It's like a crash in slow motion!" Gottfried cackled.
"JUICE TRAP!"Luna shouted as she hoaked out a large glob of blue juice that hit Big Pan. The Wotan was left confused at his skin getting all sticky.
"Ooh, that's not going to go well for the Groggy Monsters' Ball Man!" Rosa noted. "A loach's greatest strength is its slippery skin, but now that it's all sticky, Big Pan is vulnerable!"
Pickles and Hamburg quickly switched to defense as Conis and Delta charged in. Pickles got a big shock as the slender Conis tackled him with the force of a galleon while Delta overwhelmed Hamburg's strength with his own, sending them flying into Big Pan and knocking him over, nearly scoring the Straw Hats the goal.
Luckily for the Foxy Pirates, Big Pan was able to stop himself just shy of the marker hitting the ring. He then got up and tried to attack with a giant axe, only to get a shock as Conis blocked it.
"Yellow card to Conis! Clear violation with weapon usage!" The referee called out.
"What weapon are you talking about?"
Conis innocently showed her empty hands. She had ditched the Impact Dial by throwing it to Delta, who quickly stashed it away descretely. The referee was stunned.
"Hey!" Usopp called out. "What about the other guy?! He pulled out a big freaking axe! And he's still holding it!"
The referee just whistled while looking away.
"I didn't see anything..."
"And the crowd across the world doesn't like that!" Hilda said. "We're getting callers in declaring the Foxy Pirates to be dishonorable!"
"I mean cheating isn't exactly wrong in a Davy Back Fight, but this is just plain favoritism!" Rosa added. "This could make the Foxy Pirates unable to make another Davy Back Fight!"
Foxy stormed over to the referee.
"Give Big Pan the yellow card and cancel Conis's... We cannot lose our reputation..."
The referee gulped and acquiesced, which shocked the other Foxy Pirates.
"Unbelievable! It looks like the Groggy Monsters will have to be way more subtle in their cheating if they hope to pull out a win against these three pint-sized powerhouses!" Itomimizu said.
"Well, pint-sized compared to the Groggy Monsters," Gottfried commented. "But something tells me they at least know how to make a lady happy! What with the Foxy Pirates having so many good-looking ladies on their crew!"
Without their blatant weapon usage, the Groggy Monsters were unsure of how to proceed. They were used to softening up a target before slamming them with their arsenal. But now they couldn't even get out their Monster Burger. Luna smirked as Delta then injected himself with a Plasmid and held out his hand, causing her to roll in place in a peel out via telekinesis.
"BLUE BOULDER!"
With Delta letting go, Luna slammed into Big Pan's head, knocking him out and causing his marker to fall into the Straw Hats' ring.
"And it's Goal!" Itomimizu called out. "The Straw Hats win the second round!"
Kong then noticed a red-haired woman with an eyepatch who seemed to be interested in Grey and smirked.
"How about we take her?"
"Uh, I dunno, what's her name?"
"Oh, that's our treasurer, Rozana," Foxy explained.
"We'll take her!" Luffy announced.
Grey was more than a little surprised when Rozana came over to him with a smile. Kong just gave a smirk at the former bounty hunter while looking away innocently.
-OP-
The Straw Hats and Foxy Pirates had decided to take a break to enjoy the carnival festivities before getting ready for the next game.
"Man, you guys have a lot of cool games you play for this," Hilda noted.
"Oh yeah, we got tons! Roller Derby, Dharma has Fallen, Pirate Dodgeball, just to name a few. "Itomimizu said. "If we wanted, we could probably get a second Davy Back Fight. But we're kinda tuckered out from recently defeating the Fanged Toad Pirates, so we're not at our best."
"Did anyone see where Old Man Tonjit went?" Luffy asked.
"He headed off on Shelly to try and find his tribe again. Should take him five years, give or take." Kaya explained.
"So long as he's not stupid enough to try walking on stilts again," Saiko said.
"I don't see why we couldn't have just taken Foxy from the first win and be done with it," Nami said.
"Nami, that's a Peanut Strategy. And while it's technically within the rules, it's also highly frowned upon." Draco pointed out. "While no one questions taking a crew's captain in the last round of a Davy Back Fight, doing so in the first and second is considered unethical even by pirate standards."
"In short, it's against the Pirate Code, lass," Ben added.
Grey and Rozana had hit it off quite well together, and Luna was gladly telling Porche stories of her and Chopper's childhood on Drum Island, much to the little reindeer's embarrassment.
Capote and Gin were having a wrestling contest, Gin needing to use his Devil Fruit to match Capote's Fishman strength. Eddy was dazzling some of the Foxy Pirates in a three-shell game, moving the cups so fast that they were like a blur, and Marianne was doing caricatures with her paintings.
"Let's get ready for the final round!" Itomimizu called out. "Last up is the traditional combat between the crews' captains! The chosen battlefield will be the Sexy Foxy!"
"Did they really call their ship that?" Choi asked before shrugging. "….Eh. I've heard worse."
"As per the rules, all weapons and abilities are allowed! And with both captains being Devil Fruit users, this is sure to be an interesting matchup!" Rosa commented. "Only the competitors are allowed inside the combat zone! Knock your opponent off the ship or knock them out, and you win!"
Everyone was set up in a viewing area with plenty of snacks. Dark clouds were created to project an image of both fighters' wanted posters.
"Wow, that's amazing, I had no idea the Blue Sea had such technology." Conis said as she took a swig of soda, then found herself chugging the whole thing. "What is this nectar?! It's so delicious!"
"It's cola, baby!" Eddy smirked. "A drink that everyone can enjoy!"
"I always liked Spirit. The Lemon-Lime has a pleasing taste, and it leaves no stains on your teeth." N'Doul said.
"I like the Dr. Vega-Pepper, personally." Penny smiled.
"Get ready for the main event!" Itomimizu called out. "In the blue corner, the man who will take on all comers! Boasting a legendary, undefeated record of 920 wins to 0 losses! Weighing in at 24 million Berris, Foxy the Silver Fox!"
Foxy stepped out, decked out like a boxer, with all the required attire and boxing gloves.
"And in the red corner!" Hilda called out. "The rubber girl from the East Blue! The future King of the Pirates! And yes, a girl can be a King! Weighing in at 100 million Berris, Straw Hat Monkey D. Luffy!"
Luffy stepped out wearing a large cloak, but soon ditched it to reveal she was also wearing standard female boxing attire. Along with something other than her normal straw hat that seemed to get everyone fired up.
"I-I don't believe it! Luffy has come out wearing an afro as large as life with a personality to match!" Itomimizu said.
"Holy crap, she's channeling the legendary boxer, Yoko Gushiken!" Kaizo called out.
"Luffy's certainly no stranger to boxing. She's actually taking up the sweet science to improve her punches in live combat." Sonson said. "It's like she said when we were little; her punches are like pistols!"
"Foxy may just give her a run for her money, though," Itomimizu added. "Having actually had a boxing career prior to becoming a pirate."
"Of course, considering the rules of the Combat round, it's unlikely this match will come down to who's the better boxer anyway. But damn if it isn't an awesome way to frame the fight!" Hilda noted.
The bell was rung to start the fight as the two captains lunged at each other.
"GUM-GUM PISTOL!"
"SLOW-SLOW BEAM!"
Foxy managed to dodge and slow down Luffy's punch, only to get blindsided by herother fist.
"I have two arms, dummy!"
Luffy then made use of her slowed down fist to leap at Foxy at high speed, slamming her feet into the rival captain's face. But despite appearances, Foxy was not an easy opponent. He managed to tag Luffy mid-fall, then used a rapid-fire strike to cause actual damage. The fight quickly moved to the deck, where Foxy had set up several slowed cannonballs.
"KAMI-E!"
Luffy let her body go limp as the cannonballs sped up. He then noticed several Foxy faces flying from the deck.
"Are these pins? They're bigger than normal."
"That's because we're actually bombs!"
Luffy quickly punched at the face who talked, since that was clearly the real Foxy. Foxy had just enough time to put up his dukes with a pair of spiked gloves.
"By the way, that thirty seconds is just about up for these bombs!"
"TEKKAI!"
Luffy hardened her skin, letting him tank the explosions.
"What amazing powers! Is this the true power of someone worth 100 million?!" Itomimizu commented.
"That's the true power of the girl destined to be King of the Pirates!" Rosa clarified.
Hilda chuckled. "And don't try pointing out the inconsistencies. Because like she says; A GIRL CAN BE A KING!"
Foxy started using the smoke and decoys to keep Luffy busy, but the Straw Hat girl smirked.
"How am I supposed to tell the real split-head from the decoys?!"
The entire Foxy Pirate crew found their jaws dropping. Indeed, one of the figures in the smoke dropped to its knees, letting Luffy get a sharp right hook on Foxy.
"Whoa, talk about a cheap shot!" Itomimizu said. "But this is a match between pirates, so complaining about cheap shots just makes you a loser!"
"Glad to see we can all be good sports in this." Kong chuckled.
Foxy quickly dashed forward and activated a trap door to drop Luffy into the hold, trying to use a conveyor belt to send her out of the ring. But Luffy was able to stretch her arms to grab the railing and pull herself back up.
"So close there! Luffy's really finding a counter for everything Boss can throw at him." Hamburg said.
Foxy set up a pin near the cabin door to taunt Luffy.
"The inside of the ship is our boss's playground!" Itomimizu commented. "Will Luffy be lured in?!"
"Was Gold Roger the most badass pirate of his age?" Hilda countered. "I think a better question is, will Foxy's tricks actually fool Luffy's buddingObservation Haki?"
"What?"
"You guys don't know what Haki is?" Rosa asked. "How have you survived this long?!"
"Regardless, we're not allowed inside the ship to offer a play-by-play, so we'll just have to wait until one or both of them comes back onto the deck. Good time to refresh whatever concessions you bought beforehand." Hilda said. "I know I'm getting myself some of those fried Oreos!"
Inside the deck of the Sexy Foxy, Foxy was waiting in a room filled with spikes. He had just closed the door, trying to lure Luffy in.
"She'll come running through full charge and hit the spike bed."
He got a big surprise when Luffy actually did the smart thing and aimed a cannon from the previous room at the wall, sending Foxy across the room and into the other wall. Luckily, the cannonball was big enough that Foxy avoided becoming a pincushion himself.
"Who fires cannons inside other people's ships?!"
"You do realize we're supposed to be pirates," Luffy pointed out.
That caused Foxy to pause.
"I mean, that's a fair point... But it's still not very nice..."
He rolled the giant cannonball to try and run Luffy over, but she dodged and caught Foxy with anArmament Haki-charged body blow.
"Thanks for not aiming lower..." Foxy muttered.
"Well ,yeah, that's just not something you do to a man," Luffy noted. "Even though I'm a girl, I have more respect than that."
Foxy quickly ran off and headed to the ship's infirmary. He disguised himself as a nurse to try and trick Luffy. But he got slugged instead.
"How did you know?"
"We're supposed to be the only two people on the ship, dumbass!"
Foxy blinked. "Oh... That's true."
He quickly ran for another section of the ship and activated a powerful wall of fists.
"Go, Gorilla Puncher 13!"
"What happened to the first twelve?" Luffy asked.
"Most of them were proof of concept designs," Foxy explained. "And to be completely honest, this one might not be any better."
Luffy felt residual heat from the punches and noticed a mirror behind her. She quickly aimed her first shot to break the mirror, leaving Foxy gobsmacked.
"That was supposed to reflect mySlow-Slow Beamso you couldn't dodge it..."
"Gotta say, you're a pretty crafty opponent!" Luffy commented before crouching down and placing her fist on the floor. "But I think it's about time I start showing the results of my training!"
She then placed a fist on the ground and kneeled
"Wait….She's doing that HERE?!" Sonson asked in shock,
"GEAR….SECOND!" Luffy called out, as something pumped down her knees to her feet, her skin turned red and steam began to seep from her pours.
"Gear wha….?" Foxy began,
"JET PISTOL!"
A supersonic blow hit the Captain of the Foxy pirates, sending him to the below deck.
"….Ah dangit." Luffy sighed as she returned to normal. "I thought he was stronger."
The crowd got a big shock as Foxy came flying up from below deck.
"Looks like the action has finally reached us once again!" Itomimizu commented. "But what's this?! Foxy is... Unconscious!"
"Take a look at Luffy's body! She's been training with the full scope of her rubber powers for years, and now it looks like he's finally mastered a new level of power!" Hilda said.
Foxy wound up flopping on deck, completely conked out. A ten-count was started and ultimately finished as Luffy raised her fists in the air in victory.
"And it's official! Incredible as it is to believe, Straw Hat Luffy has won the Davy Back Fight!" Itomimizu said.
Despite it all, the Foxy Pirates joined in on the Straw Hats' cheering.
-OP-
As the fairgrounds were packed up, the crew explained their intentions to Foxy.
"We've decided we need to expand drastically if we hope to reach Laugh Tale. Especially since the World Government is going to be throwing everything they have to prevent another like Gold Roger from rising up." Ben said.
"Yeah, those guys are real sore about pirates making names for themselves," Sonson added.
"So in other words, you're selecting me as the one to switch crew members, but you want my crew to become a member of a growing fleet? A little unorthodox, but it's still in the spirit of the Davy Back. I'll gladly accept." Foxy said.
"Boss!" Porche said as she hugged Foxy. "That means we don't have to get separated!"
"But how do we sail under two different flags?" Hamburg wondered.
"Easy; we do it the same way Pops does," Draco explained. "Each division still uses their own logo, but they get tattooed with the logo of the main crew."
"Ah, that makes sense. But who is your father?" Hamburg asked.
"What, you don't know? Everyone knows Draco's father is none other than Whitebeard himself!" Foxy said. "Not to mention, Ben here is the son of the legendary Captain Jack Sparrow!"
The silence that hung among the crew could be cut with a knife.
"WHAT?!"
Tonjit came over with a young man.
"Ah, I see got that all sorted out. Allow me to introduce my grandson Rittonto."
The Straw Hats were surprised.
"I thought your tribe was stuck on one of the other islands," Luffy said.
"I dug my way through using one of the island's moles. Wound up right near Grandpa's house just as he was preparing to leave." Rittonto explained. "I wasn't even looking for him. I was aiming to be a champion digger and reach the other side of the world."
"He's related to Tonjit, alright," Sanji noted.
With the holes created, Tonjit and Rittonto headed back to their tribe. Meanwhile, the Going Merry, Black Pearl, Toho, and Sexy Foxy prepared to sail off.
"One more thing, Foxy, try to improve your bounty a little. You know, fight some strong opponents, get yourself noticed." Draco said.
"It is annoying having such a mighty crew but still being below 100 million," Foxy admitted. "And don't worry. I won't attack any innocent townsfolk or settlements."
"That's the mark of a true Peace Main!" Kong said proudly.
With one more crew added to a now five-ship fleet, the Straw Hats were ready to continue growing, both in numbers and in strength, as they continued their journey across the Grand Line.
Knightmare Lord A/N:
This is a real whopper of a chapter as we meet up with the Foxy Pirates, who end up becoming recruited into the Straw Hat Grand Fleet!
I had a lot of fun with this chapter and did most of the work so Mrotrax isn't overwhelmed. He has plenty of other stories to worry about, after all.
Mrotrax A/N:
Handled some of the funny bits and the Gear Second scene; sorry for it being so short but lets be honest: Foxy's no Blueno or Lucci….yet.