The sea between the two ships was calm.
On one side sailed the newly formed Red-Haired Pirates, their ship cutting forward with steady confidence. On the other was the much larger vessel of the Marauder Claw Pirates, its heavier hull moving like a floating fortress across the water.
At the front of the enemy ship stood Captain Dorga Bale, broad-shouldered and grinning with all the confidence of a pirate who thought the odds were already in his favor.
His voice projection transponder snail had only just fallen silent.
A Davy Back Fight.
The words still hung in the air.
On the Red-Haired Pirates' deck, the crew had gathered near the bow. Shanks stood at the front with his arms folded, staring across the water at Dorga's ship with a thoughtful look.
Giovanni was the first to break the silence.
"A Davy Back Fight…" he muttered, eyes narrowed with interest. "That's ridiculous."
Limejuice, standing with his arms crossed, snorted. "That's one word for it."
Lucky Roo took another bite of meat and looked over at Shanks.
"So?"
Shanks didn't answer immediately. Instead, he stepped forward slightly and raised his voice toward the other ship.
"Oi! Dorga!"
Across the water, Dorga leaned against the railing and grinned.
"What is it, Red-Hair?!"
Shanks cupped his hands around his mouth.
"If you want a Davy Back Fight, then tell us the conditions first!"
That made several members of the Marauder Claw Pirates laugh.
Dorga's grin widened.
"That information," he shouted back, "will only be revealed if you accept!"
Shanks' eye twitched.
"That sounds shady."
"It's a pirate game!" Dorga barked back. "Of course it's shady!"
That, unfortunately, was a fair point.
Shanks lowered his hands and turned back toward his crew.
"Well?" he asked. "What do you all think?"
Beckman took a drag from his cigarette and exhaled slowly.
"My opinion?" he said. "It's suspicious."
Building Snake nodded immediately. "Very suspicious."
Limejuice pointed toward the enemy ship. "That crew has over three hundred people. Any game that starts with that kind of number difference is probably a bad sign."
Lucky Roo shrugged. "Could still be fun."
Beckman looked at him flatly.
"You would say that."
Lucky Roo took another bite of meat. "I'm usually right."
Shanks scratched the back of his head, still thinking. "A Davy Back Fight…" he muttered. "Could be troublesome. If they're planning dirty tricks, it'll be annoying."
Then Giovanni suddenly stepped forward.
"I think we should accept."
The others looked at him.
Shanks blinked. "Oh?"
Giovanni nodded, now clearly more interested than cautious.
"Think about it," he said. "This is actually a great chance."
Limejuice raised an eyebrow. "A great chance to get cheated?"
Giovanni waved him off.
"No, I mean in general. We need crewmates."
That got Shanks' full attention.
Giovanni pointed toward the enemy ship.
"They've got numbers. We don't. And one of the main points of a Davy Back Fight is taking people, right?"
Shanks' grin began to form.
Giovanni continued, warming to the idea.
"We still need a doctor. We especially need a musician. And if their crew has useful people, then this might actually be the perfect way to get them."
At that, Lucky Roo nodded thoughtfully.
"That's true."
Building Snake rubbed his chin. "That… is actually a very pirate way of solving the problem."
Beckman looked at Giovanni for a moment.
Then he looked back toward the other ship.
"…Not the worst idea."
Limejuice stared at all of them like they had collectively lost their minds.
"You people are insane."
Shanks, however, was already smiling properly now.
A wide, excited smile.
Then he laughed.
"Definitely."
He pointed at Dorga's ship.
"Let's do it!"
Across the water, Dorga burst out laughing the moment he heard the answer.
"BAHAHAHA! That's what I wanted to hear!"
The Marauder Claw Pirates behind him roared with laughter and cheers, banging weapons against the railing and shouting over one another.
Dorga pointed out toward the horizon.
"Then follow us! The location for this Davy Back Fight will be Racket Ring Island!"
The moment he said the name, Shanks' expression shifted to recognition.
"Racket Ring Island…" he murmured.
Giovanni turned to him. "You know it?"
Shanks' grin returned, this time touched with nostalgia.
"That island, huh…"
He looked back at his crew.
"I once participated in a Davy Back Fight there when I was still on Roger's crew."
Giovanni's eyes widened. "Seriously?"
Shanks nodded.
"I forgot it was this close by."
Limejuice folded his arms. "That doesn't reassure me at all."
Shanks laughed.
"It should! It means I've got experience."
Beckman looked at him sideways. "Did you win?"
Shanks paused.
Then he coughed lightly.
"…That's not the point."
Beckman sighed. "So that's a no."
The ships adjusted course.
The Marauder Claw Pirates led the way, and the Red-Haired Pirates followed behind them across the sea.
It didn't take terribly long.
Eventually, a strange island began to rise into view ahead of them.
Racket Ring Island.
Even from a distance, it looked different from ordinary islands. It had an atmosphere to it. Something loud and lawless even before one could hear the voices.
As the ships drew closer, Giovanni stepped forward and stared.
The island's natural bay curved inward in a massive crescent shape, giving the harbor the appearance of a giant open arena. Built all around that bay were broken structures and half-repaired remnants of old pirate competitions.
There were crumbling arenas.
Long race tracks cut into the land.
Rope bridges hanging over gaps and rocky drops.
Caves opening into the sides of the island like mouths.
And what looked like the ruins of an old stadium rising above the surrounding cliffs.
The entire place felt like a carnival held together by pirate stubbornness and bad decisions.
The ships made port.
As the Red-Haired Pirates stepped off their vessel and onto the island proper, the atmosphere hit them all at once.
Noise.
Loud announcers shouting over one another.
Gambling stands lined with shady men holding stacks of betting slips.
Pirates chanting crew names.
Painted boards listing rules.
Banners flapping in the wind.
The whole island was alive.
Alive in the particular way only a pirate island could be. Half celebration, half chaos.
Shanks smiled the moment his boots touched the ground.
"Yep," he said. "This is definitely Racket Ring Island."
Giovanni looked around with wide, excited eyes.
"This place is amazing."
Shanks laughed and spread an arm out like he was introducing a stage.
"Racket Ring Island," he said, "is famous among pirates for hosting old Davy Back traditions."
He pointed around them as he explained.
"That giant natural bay? Perfect for ship games."
He pointed elsewhere.
"The broken arenas, race tracks, rope bridges, marine caves, and those old stadium ruins? All of it gets used."
Lucky Roo looked around and chuckled.
"It really does feel like a festival."
"Exactly," Shanks said. "Locals love pirate games here. They gamble on everything."
As if to prove his point, several men ran past carrying betting boards, yelling odds into the crowd.
Giovanni looked delighted.
"This is incredible."
Limejuice, meanwhile, looked disgusted.
"This is terrible."
Both reactions were appropriate.
Then, just as the Red-Haired Pirates reached the center of the main gathering area, an especially loud voice boomed across the crowd.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, PIRATES AND SCUM OF ALL KINDS, WELCOME!"
A flamboyantly dressed announcer had already taken center stage atop a raised wooden platform. A giant shell-shaped loudspeaker stood beside him, amplifying every word.
The crowd roared.
He spread his arms wide.
"By fortune, violence, and excellent timing, we have ourselves a fresh Davy Back Fight today!"
That made the crowd go even louder.
He turned dramatically toward Dorga and his massive crew.
"On one side, the already well-known terror of these waters!"
He pointed so hard his whole body leaned with it.
"THE MARAUDER CLAW PIRATES!"
The response was immediate. Dorga's crew shouted, laughed, waved weapons, and played up the crowd's reaction with all the arrogance of veterans who had done this before.
Then the announcer turned dramatically toward Shanks and his crew.
"And on the other side…"
He squinted.
There was a beat.
Then he pointed.
"And who exactly are you lot?"
Shanks stepped forward proudly, one hand resting on his sword.
"We're the Red-Haired Pirates."
The name carried across the arena.
For a brief second, the crowd was quiet—
Then erupted.
"Red-Haired?!"
"The new crew?!"
"The one with those massive bounties?!"
"Is that really them?!"
Giovanni folded his arms and tried to look cooler than he felt.
Limejuice muttered, "I still can't believe I'm standing with you people."
Lucky Roo chuckled. "Believe harder."
The announcer's grin widened dangerously.
"Well now! We've got ourselves a real show!"
Then his expression shifted to pure professionalism, or whatever passed for professionalism on Racket Ring Island.
He lifted one hand.
"Captains to the center!"
Shanks blinked.
"…That fast?"
Giovanni looked at him. "You thought there'd be a break first?"
"I was hoping for at least a snack."
Beckman sighed. "Of course you were."
Still, Shanks stepped forward and walked toward the center platform where Dorga was already waiting.
The two captains stood opposite each other, the crowd around them screaming in anticipation.
The announcer stood between them and raised his voice.
"Now then! As tradition demands, the rules!"
He pointed toward a giant painted board behind him.
"There will be four rounds!"
The crowd cheered again.
He continued, voice booming.
"Core Rule! At the end of each round, the winning crew may claim—"
He raised one finger.
"One crewmate!"
A second finger.
"One prized item or symbolic possession!"
A third finger.
"Or one imposed condition agreed upon beforehand!"
He looked between the two captains.
"Do you both accept these rules?"
Dorga grinned wide. "Of course."
Shanks smiled just as easily. "Yeah."
The announcer spun dramatically, nearly tripping over his own coat in the process, then shouted at the top of his lungs:
"WELL THEN!"
He pointed toward the sky.
"LET THE DAVY BACK FIGHT BEGIN!"
---
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