[Arc] Davy Back Royale - Part I

Quest Details:

Issen Hachiyo stood perched at the bow of a faux pirate ship, surrounded by lies and headed home. Through the familiar, haunting gates of Thriller Bark the ship sailed. Issen pulled tight around his neck the collar of his coat. No particular cold pervaded the boat. His chills ran deep within his bones.

The galleon on which he was poised flew a false Jolly Roger, robbed from some rookie pirates no more than two weeks prior. Nobody aboard had been a member of the Tidepool Pirates, but appearances would tell you otherwise. Every marine grunt was dressed down into ratty, scrappy outfits, wigs, new facial hair and fictitious names.

Every seagull aboard the ship had been delicately prepared by commanding officers for nearly a week leading up to this night. Now that it had come, none of them felt it had been enough. Scanning the false pirates, Issen spotted one nervous young man hastily scanning a small document before he slipped it back into some shredded jeans. It wasn’t fast enough for Issen not to notice it.

The grunt surely thought he and Issen would simply pass by one another, but the cyborg had other plans. His leg swung out and caught the man by the neck. In a single deft maneuver, the grunt was poised to be thrown overboard with a single push.

“What are you doing?!” he shouted, in panic for very clear reasons.

“What’s your name?” Issen asked calmly.

“What?!” Issen’s heel dug deeper into the man’s trachea. It wasn’t deep enough to prevent him from talking. “Crisper!” he managed to squeak out of his mouth, “Crisper Thawne!” Issen recognized it as his false identity.

“Then,” Issen reached into ‘Crisper’s’ pant pocket, pulling out what was clearly a cheat sheet, a reminder of all the details Issen had provided a great deal of the undercover marines. “You won’t be needing this,” crumpled into a small piece of trash, the paper was thrown overboard instead of the marine, the latter of which was left to heave and catch his breath on the deck of the ship.

The fake first mate ventured back to the bow of the ship. In view now were the Jolly Rogers of just some of the other crews present for the Davy Back Royale. The Dojo Pirates, the Loco Pirates, Powder Band and so on and so forth all were docked, and between them was ample space for more ships to join them.

“And what’s my name, Crisper?!”

“First mate Gaultiero, also known as ‘Debonair Gaultiero,’ bounty of three million beri, sir!”  

Issen accepted the answer in silence, watching his homeland draw closer and closer. He could only pray that would be the last critical mistake of the Davy Back Royale.

Anton was probably the only one of the crew who hadn't been asked to put on a pirate disguise. Mainly because Anton didn't really dress like a marine to begin with. That, and it would be hard for anyone to believe that Anton was a marine, judging by his demeanor. Normally, Anton would have been insulted...if it wasn't true.

Still, he had been assigned to this undercover assignment, and had been given an new name. Peter Gatsby. He wasn't given any particular position in the crew. They had figured that keeping him hidden from the pirates would give them an advantage, catch them by surprise when Anton unleashed his full strength. Anton was just hoping that this little mission went as well as they were hoping. They were walking into a gathering of so many pirate crews. And they were expected to take them all on? Were they insane?

Outside, he could hear the gates of Thriller Bark opening. They were here. Anton let out a small groan as he rose up from his cot. Well, he may as well head up on deck. He could at the very least get a glimpse of what they were expecting to see. As he came up on deck, he could see the numerous pirates ships already docked on the island. Just seeing them all made Anton nervous. This was not going to be a good day for him.

He took a look around, trying to see anyone who was supposed to give him orders. Who was the captain of this 'crew' anyway?

The 'captain' of the Tidepool Pirates had yet to even arrive from his cot. Issen was getting a little anxious, but as the docks drew closer, he fought hard to keep his anxieties within himself. The stolen ship, 'Waterspout,' was neatly nestled by their helmsman. A few polite and clearly drunk pirates threw them up some ropes with which to knot the ship to some rickety wooden docks.

Looking over the fearsome island, it was a great deal more lively than when he'd last lived on its strange shores. Extending from each docked pirate ships were stalls and wide tents and open stages. Discordant music played from bands and surprisingly enticing aromas wafted between bewitching trees and rodents underfoot of the wild revelry of pirates.

"Didn't realize we were attending such a party," Crisper Thawne muttered, earning some nods of agreement from distracted marines. For many of them, pirates were just targets or prisoners. They existed in between iron bars and at the end of rifle sightlines. They didn't expect such a gallivanting, joyous dimension to a breed of people they'd been trained to exterminate. Issen did, it made him all the more sad to know they were doing such evil acts. Wouldn't it be easier if all their joy existed above all of their rage?

Issen hopped down from the starboard ridge of the ship, and in an arrogant flourish, he brandished some crumpled bills of money, scattering them like tips to the helpful pirates.
"Thanks for the help my gentlemen!" he announced in an obnoxious, bravado tone that was wholly not his own.

It would be a lot more convenient if their 'captain' would hurry up and make his appearance, but no such luck would befall Issen just yet. "You must be the rookies!"

"Arms" Duster :

"The Tidepool Pirates! I heard you guys got into a pretty nasty scrape recently. We'd considered scratching you from our guest list."

"Oh! So you want to know how we escaped?" Issen, or Gualtiero, asked presumptively, cutting off any opportunity for his subordinates to give a difficult answer.

"I didn't but-"

Issen slunk in close to Duster's ear, leaning towards his head before whispering "I seduced the marines," he then jumped backwards, "You believe me! Do you not?!"

Duster broke out into a short fit of laughter. Punctuating the laugh, he clapped his burly hands together, and the resulting sound nearly threw Issen even further backwards from the man.

"You're alright! Gaultiero right? Come drink! The games don't begin until midnight!"

"Get that ship properly tied down!" Issen ordered his subordinates, sensing a feeling of misdirection and uneasiness with the situation. When Duster had his back turned, Issen grabbed Crisper by the collar of his grimy shirt. "And go wake up our captain! He's supposed to be the one doing this!!!" The marine scrambled off, desperate to follow the intimidating order. "Are there any hotels on this island?" he jokingly asked after Duster, "You know-" Issen leaned close to whisper into the guy's ear again, "I do my best work on my back."

The pirate laughed along with the marine, and the operation was officially underway.

As the ship was docked, and Anton stepped out on the deck of the ship, one of the 'pirates' approached him. "There you are. Come on 'captain', the others are waiting!" Anton paused in place, blinking in confusion. "Wait, captain? Me?" The undercover marine nodded. "Yes! Who did you think was the captain in this crew?" Anton was frozen for a second. HE had been chosen to play the captain? The one person of the crew who was out in the spotlight? His eyes bulged out, and he almost would have screamed if he forget he was undercover and thus SHOULDN't be freaking out. Instead, he clamped his mouth shut, grabbed the marine by the face and pulled him close. "
Why was I not informed that I was the captain!?" he hissed. The marine blinked. "I-I thought you already knew."

But no, of course they wouldn't tell him. They wouldn't want to freak him out. Of course, learning about it this way was even worse! And to make it even worse, Celia wasn't here to help him. Anton let out a defeated sigh, seemingly slumping on his feet. "Ok...let's get this over with." The marine stepped aside as Anton made his way to the gangplank, heading to step off of the ship.

As he stepped down onto the dock, the place was alive with pirate activity. Pirates of all shapes and sizes were all over the place, socializing, bragging, sizing themselves up for the competitions. Anton was nervous. Yeah, he was strong, but his track record hadn't exactly been the best as of late. At least he wasn't alone in this assignment. He had a whole crew backing him. But...would it be enough?

"Well, look who finally decided to show up."

Anton's back went straight as he heard the voice. He knew when someone was talking to him, and it never meant anything good. He slowly turned around, stopping to see who was behind him.

Julia Carmilla:

Anton was quiet for a moment. Great, so not only was he talking to a pirate, and an attractive one at that. "S-Sorry. We had a bit of an issue on the way here. But we got here fine enough." Julia nodded, looking over him as she approached. "Well, guess it just means more competition for us." She glanced past him, taking in his 'crewmates', "Good to see though that someone in your crew decided to make himself look nice for the event."

Her blue eyes went back to him, looking him over as a small, coy smile spread across her face. "And, as an added bonus, it's now giving me something to aim for here." Anton couldn't help but feel like a deer being sized up be a very large predator. "I-I wont make it easy for you," Anton replied, trying to keep his cool. Julia chuckled. "Well, it wouldn't be any fun, otherwise." She turned to walk away, glancing back at him. "I look forward to fighting for you..." She trailed off, realizing she didn't know his name. Anton's politeness kicked in. "Peter Gatsby," he spoke up. Julia nodded and smiled. "Julia Carmilla. See you out there."

As she walked away, Anton felt a pit forming in his stomach. Just what was he getting himself into?

Comfort was the wrong word, but every minute that passed sapped more and more of Issen’s apprehension concerning this whole operation. A lazy scan of his surroundings was even more calming. While his marines had initially felt discomfort trying to blend in with the marines, it was becoming more and more difficult to differentiate them from the true criminals. Issen knew it wasn’t good acting either. Something about the role or the setting had exposed a glaring weakness in these marines. They had never seen pirates as anything beyond frothing savages. Now, they were just people. People sharing stories around one of many fires, people trading plates of food between each ship’s cook and people substantially enjoying themselves.

Issen never had this weakness. For them, a true criminal was completely reprehensible because they were people that made the decision to do evil things, not just heartless monsters. Part of why he was so attracted to this job was because it was an opportunity to weed out the serious villains, the ones with evil in their hearts and no intention to do better. If they could just steal away the viruses, the parts that were infectious, perhaps the riff raff would find themselves again.

“I scrounged another barrel!”

"70 Cal" Sul-Ha:

“Finally!” ‘Arms’ shouted, ripping off the top of it in a show of brute strength. “Your cups, everybody!”

Issen had been brought to an impromptu roundtable of pirate bigshots upon meeting Duster. The atmosphere and cordial nature of each pirate present gave an ominous sense of the calm before the immense hurricane of fighting soon to strike Thriller Bark. A clock somebody had laid out read 11:39 PM, with that long, slender hand incessantly climbing closer and closer to the fated time.

“I should stop, every warrior will need clear senses for later on…

"Bighorn" Ontario Verg:

“But maybe it’s in bad taste to bring this up before the event starts.”

“Don’t be such a prude! I’ll take one, ‘Arms.’ When you join my crew, Mooseman, you’ll be chichichi, Mooseman! Forget it! I crack myself up!”

"White Scarf" Elsa Dall:

“Awfully presumptuous of you, ‘White Scarf,’ bounty isn’t everything,” Ontario said, taking a drink anyways. “I wouldn’t want to sail with such an unlucky lady.”

“If-if-if itsalreadybeing ta-ta-talkedabout thenwhdo you-you-you guyshaveyoureyeson?”

"Unseen" Pike:

“You were supposed to do your own scouting,” Ontario quickly replied. “But personally,” he opted to answer anyways, “The Carmilla Pirates are a powerful threat. I’d like to recruit their captain.”

Pike grew bashful but they tried to retort anyways, “Noneedtoget so-so-so rudemooseman.”

“Mooseman!” Elsa Dallas splashed her drink in a wide spray after laughing so heartily. “It’s catching on already! Chichichi!”

“Your captain, Pike, is my target. I’ve heard he’s quite the gentleman. If you’re polite maybe I’ll take you too.”

"Countess" Sash Assa:

“It would be beneath us, my lady! To take anybody but a pure merfolk!”

"Scupper Trace Henley:

“Pipe down!” The Countess said, striking her subordinate. “You’re so rude!”

Duster laughed along clapping loudly with the antics of the lively pirate band. “You guys are great! I’ll be taking all of you! I’m sure of it!”

Conversation and joking and threats were traded in equal measure over the campfire, until Issen’s eye tracked the long slender hand back around, to just two minutes shy of midnight.

“It’s been so much fun! When this is all over. I hope we can laugh from the bottoms of our hearts some more! But, for now…” Duster trailed off.

“Ye-ye-yesimustreallybego-go-goingtofindmycaptain.”

“We’ll have the opening ceremony by the shore then,” Ontario restated an agreement that had been made much earlier by the pirates.

“Chichichi, I can’t believe you fools,” White Scarf also took off from her seat, “I can’t believe you’re all gonna go through with this!”

The merfolk and the minks and the men and women of all walks of life each departed one way or another. The other campfires took notice of the movement and followed suit, flocking to the Jolly Rogers of their own crews.

Issen did the same, walking off. Nothing about his encounter with the superstars of this competition had changed his mind at all. They were the same level of ‘person’ as they’d always been since he’d studied their wanted posters. He arrived at the ship to find exactly what he’d expected, a crew full of ‘pirates’ now conflicted in their goals and missions.

“If any of you,” he spoke, “show any mercy, in any of your competitions. You won’t be whisked away as a pirate. Don’t worry.” He showed the steel of his sword like a wolf baring teeth. “I’ll kill you first. As a gentle mercy.”

Anton had managed to bring himself over to the gathering of pirates, though unlike the others had kept himself in the back of the crowd, watching the others. Here he was, sitting here, in the midst of numerous pirate crews. And, well, it really wasn't something he was expecting. If he didn't already know that these people were wanted men and women, then this just seemed like a group of colorful characters getting ready for a friendly competition. Still, Anton kept himself in the back. He was still rather nervous about the whole thing, and didn't want to get himself dragged into anything. Fortunately, it seemed like they hadn't noticed him yet.

"Well, somebody's certainly keeping quite about all this." Anton gave a yelp as he looked over to his side, seeing a white haired young man in a suit sitting beside him.

Silent:

Hideo gave a small chuckle at Anton's show of fear. "Hey, relax. If the others see you like that, you're going to get eaten alive. Though, let's be honest. That would just made everything easier for us." Anton took a deep breath. "Sorry. Just a bit nervous. Have been having a fair bit of trouble as of late." Hideo nodded. "I think I heard about that. Well, glad you're here." He looked out over the group of talking pirates. "So, got your sights on anyone?" Anton bit his lip. "Honestly, I'm not sure. I'd be happy just to not lose anyone." Hideo chuckled again. "Eh, that's no fun. Surely there must be someone you have your eye on. I saw you talking with the captain of the Carmilla Pirates earlier. She's quite a looker, isn't she?" Anton's eyes almost bugged out as a blush crossed his face. Hideo noticed and let out a laugh. "I thought so. Hey, I can't blame you. She's a pretty one."

At that point, the clock struck midnight. The pirate's eyes looked at the clock, and then back to Anton. "Well, it's time for us to get ready. See you out there." He gave Anton a pat on the back, before walking off to join his crew. Anton took a deep breath as he stood up, getting ready to walk back to his own peers. He would arrive, just in time to hear Issen threaten the others. "There's no need for that," Anton spoke up, approaching the marine, "They know what they're doing. We'll get through this. Just...everyone be careful out there, ok?" The other marines nodded. Sure, Anton was a coward, but at least he wasn't threatening them with death.

Issen grimaced at the quiet resolve of his superior. Anton La’Croix was an odd marine, but this wasn’t the space for any direct confrontation. “I just don’t want to waste any time winning back loser subordinates.” The words were delivered in the same threatening tone of voice, but his words put the lesser marines at ease.

“Welcome!!!! Criminals all! To the first of its kind! The Davy Back Royale!” Arms shouted into an amplifying transponder snail, making his voice loud and booming to be heard all across the shores infested with criminals. “I know we all love them, so I’ll go over the rules once more!”

The Tidepool Pirates, their fake crew, was situated a little ways away from the brash and loud speaker. Though Duster didn’t have the highest bounty, the influence required to set up a competition required a certain level of charisma and power that Issen saw as intensely dangerous. Ridding the West Blue of such a villainous root would be pivotal.

“Jars marked by dozens of different games are strewn about the shore, as you can see. Each jar contains the names of every pirate participating in the games. Once every game is completed, the round is completed. The Davy Back Royale is a 5 Coin Game, meaning it goes on for 5 rounds.

Games are broken up into three different types.Royale; no official teams, only one victor. The victor gives their captain the right to take half as many crew members as were defeated, rounded down. Split; There are official teams made through sections of the jar. These teams have the chance to be terribly unbalanced. Each victor earns the right for their captain to take one crew member from the losing teams. Duel; only two participants may take part in a Duel game. The victor earns the right for their captain to take one crew member from the losing team.

The crew member taken may only be the one who lost the game, someone of equal rank within their own crew, or someone of lesser rank than the loser. Jolly Rogers may only be taken from crews that have lost their captains.

Stolen crew members are considered to be the rank below officer. Stolen crew members that win games will be winning them for their new captain, not their original captain. If they face their original crew, the new captain can choose to void the match, and give them a substitute.

Each round takes place at noon and midnight. Combat outside of any round is prohibited. The start and end of each round will be signified by a single pyrotechnic from our ship. The end of a round is confirmed when each captain has selected who they will take after the conclusion of each game. Captains can trade crew members for goods or for other crew members but an officer from a third-party ship must be present to witness each deal to ensure there’s no manipulation by you cheeky bastards.

In between each round, the games will be shuffled and the names of each participant will be randomly distributed as well. This will be done by an outside Underworld officiator. Tampering with this officiator is against the rules.

Any game that goes on longer than twelve hours will be considered a draw.”

Duster took a deep breath, and just about every pirate did so as well.

“Now! Let the Davy Back Royale begin!” ‘Arms’ Duster chucked five silver coins into the ocean off of Thriller Bark, and they sailed far further than anybody may have expected. The other pirate captains followed suit, throwing in their five coins to Davy Jones. Issen kept a steady glare on Anton to make sure that he didn’t forget his cue to do so as well.

With the sacrifices made, Duster threw glass bottles to every ship, showcasing his incredible arm strength once more. Issen took the liberty of catching theirs on behalf of their captain, uncorking the message in a bottle. The slip of paper listed out every marine’s alias and their assigned game. Issen searched for “Gaultiero,” extending out his arms so most of the rest of the crowd could do the same.

“I’ve taken the liberty,” Arms announced for the last time, “to list out everybody’s games and setting for the first round. “Please! Try to have fun with this, right! Dahahaha!”

Issen found his ‘name’ quickly, and carelessly tossed it aside for someone else to scramble and catch it.

“‘Debonair Gaultiero - King of the Hill - Royale - Dojo Pirate Ship.”

“You all remember what I said,” he said backwards, before walking off towards his first game.

It was taking everything Anton had to remain calm. This was it. A battle against numerous pirate crews. Sure, it was all supposed to be a game, but it was still nerve wracking. What would happen if he lost? He wasn't sure how he would work in a pirate crew. Plus, he wasn't really a pirate. How did the rules work in this sense? and why was he overthinking this?

As the pirate captains threw their coins into the water, Anton followed suit. It was a tradition after all, and even if he wasn't a real pirate, he was still participating. And then came the settings for the first round. As the rest of the crew tried to peer over Issen's shoulder, Anton waited quietly, silently stewing in his nervousness. As the cyborg tossed the paper away, Anton moved quickly, catching it in the air. His eyes quickly scanned for his name.

"Peter Gatsby - Groggy Ring - Split - Eastern Shore"

Groggy Ring? What was that? He quickly scanned the parchment, finding he was the only one in this game. So...was he being paired up with other pirates then? He would have felt more comfortable with his own crew, but he would have to make do. He looked out to the rest of his crew. "T-Take care of yourselves," he said, before heading to the game sight.


"So, could someone fill me in on the rules here?" Anton asked, taking note of the field. It was a large, grass field, with a large, circular tube on each end. It seems there was six of them in total, three on each time. On the opposing team, he could see the familiar 'face' of Unseen Pike, a giant mammoth of a man, literally, and a strong, dark skinned man.

Stampede Harvey:

Buster Krieg:

Meanwhile, his own team comprised of the familiar Merman, Trace Henly, and a young pirate woman. Anton easily guessed which crew she belonged to.

Siren Cassidy:

"The rules are quite simple," Cassidy explained, "One of us is the 'ball'. The goal is to kick our 'ball' into the opposing goal, while stopping the other team from doing the same." Anton blinked. So...the goal of the game was to kick one of your teammates around? Well, it certainly sounded like a game pirates would come up with. He looked between his two teammates. Who would be the ball? "I nominate Henley for the ball." Cassidy's hand couldn't come up fast enough. "I agree!"

The merman's eyes bugged out. "Wait a minute, why me!?" Clearly he wasn't happy with the idea. "Well, first off, you're not as fast on dry land as we are. Second, I have the strongest kicking power here. And three, I don't feel comfortable hitting a woman." "Aww," Cassidy responded with a touched smile. Trace looked at Anton incredulously. "You? The strongest kicker here?" Well, guess it was time for Anton to show what he was capable of. Taking in a deep breath, his body began to change. The merman pirate's eyes widened as Anton shifted into his hybrid grasshopper form.

"Yes. Me."

Issen had been one of the earlier arrivals to this first round game, but no amount of speed would've meant he'd be the first.

"Welcome aboard, fodder, I mean, challenger."

"Master" Ayame Takenaka:

A young woman's hand pulled Issen up onto the ship. The main deck of the Dojo Pirate's flagship, "Vixen Hall," was wide and sturdy. White chalk had been spread across the main deck, extending to the sides of the ship. It seemed to be the boundaries for the game to come.

"How lucky my first game is on my own ship, huh?!"

"Lucky for us both," Issen said, putting on his best 'Debonair' voice. Leaning in close to perform his character's trademark whisper, Issen quickly felt a finger like steel against his trachea, cutting off the punchline to his joke.

Ayama shoved the marine off her finger playfully, wagging it back and forth like Issen was some silly child. He learned his lesson. The young captain walked a few steps backwards, smiling widely, and waiting patiently for all the pirates to arrive at the match. Climbing the ropes onto the deck of the "Vixen Hall" were a few pirates so unknown that their names hadn't made it onto any bounty posters at all. It was evident they were scared of the fight, but braced themselves bravely.

Eighteen pirates had climbed aboard the deck before more stopped coming, for a total of twenty. Issen recognized a few more names, but Ayame was by far the biggest fish of the school. Regardless, a victory here would be a gargantuan opening success for this operation. To take down a captain and nine other pirates on any evening would be a noteworthy feat for a marine. His victory would have to absolute.

Issen had wondered about bringing his weapon into the ring, but it seemed some pirates had brought their pistols and cutlasses. Ayame seemed unarmed, but none of the pirates in the same situation raised any complaints.

A no-name from Powder Gang, presumably, broke the silence among the twenty pirates, "So like... when do we-?"

A flash rose up from the Loco Pirates' flagship, shining like a second moon against the dark evening sky of the West Blue. It loudly detonated, and the rules Duster had outlined rang out in his head obviously. Looking back down from the pyrotechnic, Ayame had already launched two pirates mercifully from her deck, and seemed intent on doing something more.

Key to this fight would be figuring out her style of fighting before Issen had to face it himself. Unfortunately, there wasn't much of anywhere to hide on the deck, save for a large and sturdy mast built like a tree trunk. Issen strafed around it to get a better look at Ayame's moves, but was stopped in his tracks.

"Captain made a special note to bring you back with me,"

"Creeper" Yuuki Kato:

The overly dressed ninja raised a strange blade, inviting Issen to do the same. "Can't deny his orders after all! Nakyakyakyakya"

Both teams were selected and in position to begin. Trace, as the ball, sat in the middle of Anton and Cassidy, grumbling about his position as the ball. Meanwhile, the other team had selected Pike as their ball. Made sense, considering he was most likely the lightest out of the three of them. Things were tense. Now they were just waiting for the match to begin.

And then the flare went up. Just for the heck of it, the ref watching the match blew a loud horn.

Anton shot towards Trace, still in his hybrid form, and lashing out with a leg. The merman let out a loud yell as he was launched into the air by the kick. Let nobody say that Anton La'croix didn't have a powerful kick. Meanwhile, Buster Krieg was moving in to launch Pike into the air, who was yelling just as loudly as Trace. Harvey was starting to make a run for the flying Trace.

"Cassidy! Go defense!" Anton called out, running towards Trace, "I'll handle the mammoth!" Cassidy nodded, grinning as she lept into the air, ready to intercept Pike as he went through the air.

As the elephant mink charged towards Trace as he was coming down, the merman twisted in the air, lashing out with his tail to catch him right in the face. Harvey, caught by surprise that the ball was attacking him, stumbled back, only to catch a kick in the stomach from Anton, knocking him back. Trace landed on the ground as Anton watched the mink rolling back. The undercover marine gave Trace a small smile. "Nice kick," he said, earning a small 'tch' from Trace, though he could tell that the merman appreciated the words.

Suddenly, a cry caught their attention. Behind them, Pike had managed to somehow tie up Cassidy, and Krieg was getting ready to launch Pike towards the ring. "Dammit!" Trace hissed. "I've got it!" Anton spoke up, quickly falling onto his hands and bringing his legs up. With a quick swipe of his legs, there was a burst of air shooting towards Pike. The compressed burst of air hit the flying pirate, earning a cry of pain before sending him flying over the ring and out of bounds. Trace glanced at the grasshopper and smirked. "Nice thinking."

Anton couldn't help but smile...until the pair of them were tackled by a rather upset Harvey.

Issen Hachiyo was taken aback at the pirate’s information. What had Duster wanted with a pirate worth three million berries? What had he done that had given off such an impression. If the rookie in his way was willing to say this much, how much more could Issen wring out of the strange young woman?

“Even you’re worth more than me, why would your captain want me?”

“You did the one thing all of his subordinates must do… you made him laugh! Nakyakyakya!”

In his surprise, Issen failed to dodge a low swipe of the kunoichi’s leg and was knocked off balance by the strike. ‘Creeper’s’ knife swung towards Issen slow enough for the marine to roll out of its path.

“Weren’t you listening to his rules? If you really want to conscript me to the Loco Pirates, then you need to win this competition, not kill me!”

‘Creeper’cocked her head to the side. “Oh yeah, nakyakyakya! If I need to win this game then…”

Her head turned in the same direction as Issen’s own. Ayame Takenaka grappled with a burly, older pirates and swung the man over her shoulder like some piece of refuse. A short scream punctuated by a pillow of sand receiving a large human body reached Issen and ‘Creeper’s’ ears. The silence that followed confirmed that the three pirates were now the only ones left on the ship. Ayame had dispatched the rest.

“Alright comrade-to-be! You pin her down, then I’ll push you both off this boat!”

“What kind of plan is that?!”

“Kami-e + Rankyaku = Fan Beat!”

Ayame raised a single leg as she announced the name of her technique, and the leg hung like jelly, swinging limply, before being thrashed like a violent whip. The movement came like lightning, and the thunderous sound was accompanied by a blustering wind that hit Issen like a truck like a warship, throwing his spin into the inside wall of the ship with a shudder.

‘Creeper’ was not so lucky, and her body was callously flung off the “Vixen Hall” careening into the pillowy sand.

“Stubborn are we? Don’t worry, I can fix that.”

Near the stern of the ship, the body of some large animal was dropped unceremoniously onto the deck of the ship. Another ninja climbed aboard, following its body. Whatever game had gone on, it was clear it involved some sort of physical confrontation. And there was hardly a mark on the man’s body. His opponent must have been horrendously mismatched.

“My apologies for interrupting, the older man said earnestly, nodding his head carefully. “I had presumed you’d already be finished, daughter.”

"Grandmaster" Ijji Takenaka:

"You should really refer to me as captain in front of other pirates, papa."

A closer examination also revealed the prey which had been secured by the older man, and Issen’s eyes went wide with fear.

"Bighorn" Ontario Verg:

Whatever powers he’d assumed this crew possessed were far from the truth. The father had secured a pirate captain in the first round of battle, and he wasn't even the captain of his own ship!

COMBAT TRACKERS:

Both Anton and Trace were sent rolling back by the charge from the massive mink, knocking them some distance back across the field. Anton was the first to spring back to his feet, having long since gotten used to being hit by something much bigger than himself. Trace was having a little bit more difficulty, due to him lacking legs. Anton quickly braced himself as the elephant mink charged at him again, the pair of them colliding. Anton's feet dug deep, his numerous arms grabbing hold of Harvey's tusks to try and force the mink back. "Not bad...for a little bug!" Harvey grumbled, before suddenly rearing his head back up, lifting Anton off of his feet. The marine let out a cry, hanging onto Harvey for dear life as the mammoth tried to shake him off. This had gone from a game of Groggy Ring, to an all out mink rodeo.

Meanwhile, with Pike knocked out of bounds, the rules dictated that he would be thrown back in from the sidelines. As such, the lean pirate was now being lifted up by a large, muscular pirate several times his size. No doubt the poor pirate was regretting taking part in this game, as he was thrown with all his might onto the field. Buster Krieg lept into the air, ready to intercept and deliver a hard kick towards the goal. Pike curled himself into a ball, ready for the inevitable hit.

And then, all of a sudden, was yanked downwards, causing Krieg to fly over him.

The first mate of the Powder Gang blinked, before looking over, seeing a grinning Cassidy who had managed to untie herself, and was now gripping onto one of the loose bandages attached to Pike. "Sorry, you're going this way!" Before Pike could respond, the female pirate started swinging him around. Around and round he went, before she launched him, screaming into the air.

Right into Trace, who was distracted by the display being put on by Anton and Harvey.

With pirates collided, Pike's bandages getting tangled up in the merman as the pair of them struggled on the ground. "Let go of me!" "No, you let go of me!" "Stupid mummy!" "Stupid fish!" "THAT'S RACIST!" The more the two of them struggled, the more tangled up they got, making it difficult for them to pull eachother apart.

And then, the pair froze, mainly because they realized all eyes were on them. Cassidy, Krieg, and Anton and Harvey, who had paused mid struggle to now stare at the combined ball formed by the two unfortunate pirates. A sinking feeling formed in their stomachs. "Oh..." "No..."

"GET 'EM!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Issen Hachiyo uses MT (Revolution of the Azure Sky) against Ayame
Issen Hachiyo uses LT (Acceleration Beyond Infinity) Self stat morph
Issen Hachiyo uses LT (Ballistic Alpha Shoot) against Ayame
Issen Hachiyo uses UT against Ayame

Ayame Takenaka uses LT against Issen Hachiyo
Ayame Takenaka uses LT against Issen Hachiyo
Ayame Takenaka uses UT against Issen Hachiyo

COMBAT TRACKERS:

The member 'Issen Hachiyo' has done the following action : Dice Roll

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'Reflex Check' : 17, 12, 2, 17, 14, 18

“I’ve already lost to the old man,” Ayame confessed dejectedly. “Can’t you just fall off already?”

“Don’t take your opponent so lightly, daughter!”

“I told you not to call me that in front of other pirates, papa!”

“Didn’t you just call him, ‘papa’?” Issen asked, standing up from the edge of the ship. He wasn’t sure what kind of technique the captain had used against him, but Issen would be on the lookout for these strange movements.

Raising her leg again, she seethed in anger, “I’ll teach you to get in the middle of family matters!” Her leg went like jelly in a way that was unsettlingly familiar, and Issen drew Deviant, preparing for the oncoming attack. “Kami-e + Rankyaku = Fan Beat!” [LT against Issen -9 HP]. The wind struck like a hammer, and Issen’s preparations saved him from narrowly falling off of the ship once more.

“Still using your ‘Cross’ techniques, daughter... You’ll never win without the basics!”

This time the provocation went ignored, and Ayama followed up with a sprint towards Issen. If her wind was unsuccessful, the pirate looked to force Issen over the edge of the boat instead. Her speed was on a level completely shocking for the rookie crew and Issen began to take on a more offensive stance.

“Acceleration Beyond Infinity!” [Self Stat Morph +25% RX]

“Soru + Tekkai = Rampage!” [LT against Issen -9 HP]

Issen threw himself out of the barreling woman, catching only a glancing blow from the powerful attack. But, even that much was enough to make him clutch his side in agony. Even with his speed augmented by his cyborg parts, Issen was hardly able to keep up with such a swift technique.

The speed of Ayame carried her off the edge of ‘Vixen Hall’ and for a moment Issen thought he’d earned himself an incidental victory, before he saw a rope go taut against the main mast of the galleon. Ayame was swinging her velocity right back around, throwing herself towards Issen in unfocused aggression.

Now the marine was able to keep up with her movements, and he swung his sword as the pirate swung her leg, each deflecting off of one another. [UT against Issen -4 HP] [UT against Ayame -5 HP]

Whatever talents imbued Ayame with the power to make such movements took its toll in a single moment, and the young woman began drawing sharp breaths. Issen wasn’t gentle enough to let such a deadly woman take reprieve in the middle of a fight, and he reared back his fist to strike. “Ballistic Alpha Shoot!” [LT against Ayame -11 HP] The hot steam struck the Dojo Pirate and shocked her body, earning an agonized yelp.

“And now,” Issen braced the machinery in his body, ready to feel the heat and steam rise, to summon up another level of power with which to strike his opponent. “Revolution of the Azure Sky!” [MT against Ayame -22 HP]

A single heated exchange concluded, both combatants resized one another. Ayame seemed much worse for the wear, but her techniques were strange, and Issen was confident she had a few tricks that could push him off this ship as easily as the Creeper had fallen.

“The Rokushiki, huh? I didn’t realize such a novie could use these abilities.”

“You sound like papa. I don’t practice the Rokushiki, you three million bounty. I practice the art of these weapons working in harmony, compounding their strength on top of one another. I’ve invented the Juugoshiki!”

“Childish name…” the first mate of the Dojo Pirates chastised.

“I can’t wait to get fifteen new weapons for my captain,” Issen scoffed, readying himself for another exchange of attacks.

“I’ll never be on a crew with the likes of you, three million bounty.”

COMBAT TRACKERS:

Anton La'croix used

Fast Hopping (LT) on self

Hopper Kick (LT) at Buster Krieg

Snap Kick (LT) at Buster Krieg

UT at Buster Krieg

Buster Krieg used

LT at Anton

LT at Anton

UT at Buster Krieg

The member 'Anton La'croix' has done the following action : Dice Roll

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#1 'Reflex Check' : 15, 9, 11, 17

--------------------------------

#2 'Reflex Check' : 10, 2, 1

Things had gone very, VERY bad for Trace and Pike. The pair of them were tangled together, with now everyone trying to get the pair of them into their respective ring. Kicked flying by Harvey, blocked by Cassidy, and kicked into the air to be passed to Anton. The grasshopper lept into the air, ready to kick the pair of them.

Suddenly, a ripple of air shot past him, almost knocking him out of the air. Anton let out a yelp, twisting to the side just in time to avoid the attack. His eyes glanced over, seeing Buster Krieg on the ground, fist pointed at him. Did...he just attack him? Krieg looked over at Harvey. "I'll keep the grasshopper occupied! Just get the ball into the ring!" (Krieg's LT, miss) This was going to be a problem. Against the massive mink, he wasn't sure how well Cassidy would be able to hold on. He would need to deal with Krieg, and fast.

As he landed, Anton put all of his power into his legs, shooting towards him at high speed. (Fast Hopping - Reflex 25%) Krieg lashed out with a kick, another arc of compressed air shooting at Anton. The grasshopper jumped over the attack, closing in and retaliating with a sharp kick, knocking Krieg upwards. (Krieg's LT - miss) (Hopper Kick - hit). As Krieg was up in the air, Anton lept up after him, launching a hard kick towards him. Though the kick itself fell short, the burst of air that followed certainly did. (Snap Kick - hit).

Anton quickly landed on the ground, looking up to see Krieg coming down towards him. The tanned pirate let out a yell of anger, drawing his fist back to swing down at Anton. As he came down, Anton side-stepped the attack, Krieg's fist hitting the ground before Anton responded with another kick to his face.

COMBAT TRACKERS: