The roar of Racket Ring Island shook the old stadium ruins.
Pirates stomped on broken bleachers, gambling slips exchanged hands in frantic waves, and loudmouth announcers screamed themselves hoarse over the iron-ribbed arena prepared for the second round of the Davy Back Fight.
At the center of the island stood the Groggy Ring Gauntlet.
It was exactly the sort of place pirates would build if someone gave them shipwrecks, rope, and too much free time.
A giant circular ring had been assembled out of warped ship metal, old deck planks, bound-together beams, and thick coiling rope. Rusted railings wrapped around the edge in some places, while others were open enough that one bad step or one good hit could send a fighter straight out of bounds.
Steam pipes ran along the lower sides of the ring.
Panels in the floor were marked in strange ways.
Thick ropes hung overhead like jungle vines.
And around the entire arena, painted crudely in giant red letters, were the words:
NO KILLING. EVERYTHING ELSE IS FAIR.
Giovanni looked up at the sign and grinned.
"This island is growing on me."
Limejuice folded his arms. "That says more about you than the island."
Shanks laughed.
Lucky Roo was eating.
Beckman was smoking.
Building Snake looked around the arena with the expression of a man trying very hard to predict chaos and failing.
And Hongo. Newly won from the last round stood quietly near the back, studying his new crew with measured eyes.
The announcer leapt back up onto his platform, nearly tripping over the cord to his voice amplifier, then caught himself with a flourish like he had meant to do that.
"PIRATES OF THE SEA!" he screamed.
The crowd screamed back louder.
"WELCOME TO ROUND TWO OF TODAY'S DAVY BACK FIGHT!"
He pointed dramatically at the arena.
"THE GROGGY RING GAUNTLET! A THREE-ON-THREE BRUTAL COMBAT SPORT!"
The crowd howled.
He raised one finger.
"WIN BY KNOCKING ALL OPPONENTS OUT!"
A second finger.
"THROWING THEM OUT OF BOUNDS!"
A third finger.
"OR FORCING SURRENDER!"
Then he grinned wide enough to be worrying.
"But remember, this arena has its own moods!"
He pointed at a large brass bell hanging over the ring.
"Every few minutes, that bell will ring, and one random hazard will activate!"
The crowd leaned in.
"Floor panels may tilt!"
A cheer.
"Steam may burst from the pipes!"
Louder.
"Ropes may swing across the ring!"
Whistles.
"Sections may become slippery!"
Laughter.
"And hidden trampolines may launch unlucky fools into the sky!"
At that, even Giovanni blinked.
"…Hidden what?"
Shanks looked delighted.
"Trampolines?!"
Beckman rubbed his temple. "Why are you excited by that?"
"Because it sounds fun."
"Of course it does."
The announcer threw one arm out toward the Marauder Claw Pirates.
"CAPTAIN DORGA! PICK YOUR THREE!"
Dorga Bale stepped forward immediately, a thick grin spread across his scarred face.
"I'll take Garron, Skep, and Mule Heel!"
Three pirates stepped out from the Marauder Claw ranks.
The first. Garron, was a broad-shouldered brute with metal shoulder guards, a shaved head, and fists like ship anchors. He looked like the sort of man who had never solved a problem with less than full-body violence.
The second. Skep, was a wiry, fox-faced pirate with restless eyes and a permanent half-smile that looked fake even when it was still. He wore padded layers under his coat and boots with metal under-soles that clinked faintly when he walked.
The third. Mule Heel, was long-legged, sharp-jawed, and mean-looking, with a pair of reinforced boots and the sort of sneer that only appeared on men who fought dirty and were proud of it.
Giovanni took one look and clicked his tongue.
"They all look annoying."
"They probably are," Limejuice said.
Then the announcer whipped around dramatically.
"AND NOW, RED-HAIRED SHANKS! PICK YOUR THREE!"
Shanks didn't even hesitate.
"Me."
He pointed at Giovanni.
"Him."
Then he looked at Lucky Roo and grinned.
"And Roo."
Lucky Roo swallowed the last bite of meat in his mouth and raised one hand.
"Alright."
Beckman exhaled smoke. "That was predictable."
Giovanni smirked. "It was also the correct choice."
Limejuice looked toward the ring. "You three do realize they're going to fight dirty."
Shanks smiled. "That's okay."
Giovanni's grin sharpened. "So will we."
Roo nodded once. "We'll just be nicer about it."
That sentence should not have sounded as threatening as it did.
Both crews were called to the edge of the ring as the referee, a different one this time, older and somehow even louder stepped between them.
He pointed to the ring floor with a cane.
"Listen carefully, idiots! Ring-out means ring-out! If you leave the marked circle without force protection or active footing, you're out!"
He then pointed skyward.
"When the bell rings, do not complain about arena hazards! Everything activated by the island is legal!"
He stepped away and raised both hands.
"FIGHTERS, ENTER!"
The six pirates entered the ring.
The Groggy Ring Gauntlet groaned beneath their weight.
Shanks stood at the center, loose as ever, one hand resting near his sword but not on it. Giovanni rolled his shoulders and bounced once on the balls of his feet. Lucky Roo cracked his neck and planted himself like a wall with legs.
Across from them, Garron cracked both fists. Mule Heel tapped one boot against the floor with a metallic clang. Skep raised both hands and smiled.
"Friendly competition," he said.
Giovanni pointed at him.
"That one's the worst."
The bell rang.
CLANG!
And the second round began.
The Marauder Claw Pirates moved first.
Not separately.
Together.
Just like Beckman had predicted, they immediately targeted the weakest-looking fighter.
Lucky Roo.
Which was stupid.
But also understandable if one was dumb enough to think "round" meant "fragile."
Garron and Mule Heel came from the front while Skep circled to the side. Garron's first punch came like a cannonball, aimed straight for Roo's face. Mule Heel was lower, trying to take out his legs with a sweeping kick.
Lucky Roo didn't move.
He just took half a step.
Garron's fist missed.
Mule Heel's leg clipped the side of Roo's shin instead of his knee.
And then Roo punched Garron in the chest.
The sound was disgusting.
Just a thick, dense impact that folded the big pirate backward and sent him skidding several meters across the ring before he crashed into one of the side ropes and rebounded forward in a daze.
Skep's fake smile vanished.
Giovanni burst out laughing.
"YOU PICKED THE WRONG FAT GUY!"
Shanks laughed too.
Then Mule Heel came in fast from the side, aiming a heel kick at Roo's head with those reinforced boots of his.
Shanks intercepted casually.
He stepped in, caught the kick under one arm, and looked at the metal sole.
"Oh," Shanks said. "Hidden gear loophole."
Then he yanked Mule Heel off balance and flung him into Skep.
Both men crashed together into the side of the ring.
The crowd erupted.
The Red-Haired Pirates weren't just winning.
They were playing.
The brass bell rang again.
CLANG!
Instantly, one entire section of floor panels tilted.
Giovanni's eyes widened as the ring suddenly slanted beneath him.
"Oh, that's sick!"
He leaned into it and turned the unstable footing into momentum, sliding forward toward Skep like a man surfing on rusted metal.
Skep tried to fake surrender mid-slide.
"Wait, wait! I'm out! I'm ou—"
Giovanni kicked him in the ribs anyway.
"Too slow."
Skep flew into a side rope, bounced awkwardly, and barely kept himself in bounds by grabbing a hanging chain.
The crowd howled with laughter.
The floor leveled again.
Shanks, meanwhile, had somehow turned the hazard into a game. He rode the slope into Garron, ducked under a wild haymaker, and tapped the brute twice in the stomach before spinning away laughing.
"You're swinging too hard!"
Garron roared and charged again.
Shanks sidestepped.
Garron smashed through a rope pillar and nearly stumbled out of bounds on his own.
Lucky Roo caught him before he fully fell.
For one brief moment, Garron looked grateful.
Then Roo shoved him the rest of the way out.
The crowd exploded.
"RING-OUT! GARRON IS OUT!"
Dorga cursed from outside the ring.
Giovanni threw one fist into the air.
"One down!"
Shanks grinned.
"Easy."
The Marauder Claw Pirates adjusted quickly.
Skep threw himself backward with his hands raised.
"Time! Time! I surrender!"
The referee opened his mouth—
Then Mule Heel lunged behind the motion, trying to catch Giovanni while his guard dropped.
It was a clever trick.
Technically legal.
Also obvious.
Giovanni's Observation Haki caught it before the attack fully came.
He slipped sideways, let Mule Heel's kick pass him, then shoved Skep directly into his teammate's path.
The two Marauder Claw fighters collided headfirst.
THUNK.
They staggered apart, both seeing stars.
Giovanni put a hand to his ear and turned toward the crowd.
"Did they just team attack each other?"
The audience roared.
Shanks doubled over laughing.
Then the bell rang again.
CLANG!
Steam burst from the side pipes.
The entire left quarter of the ring was filled with thick white vapor. Visibility vanished.
Lucky Roo sniffed once.
"…I can still smell them."
Then he charged into the steam.
Three impacts sounded from inside.
WHAM. WHAM. WHAM.
When the steam cleared, Roo walked out alone.
Mule Heel came tumbling after him, bouncing once before skidding to the very edge of the ring, fingers scrambling for purchase.
Giovanni stepped on those fingers.
Mule Heel looked up in horror.
Giovanni smiled brightly.
"Sorry."
Then he flicked him off the platform.
The crowd lost its mind again.
"RING-OUT! MULE HEEL IS OUT!"
Now only Skep remained.
And the poor man knew it.
He looked around wildly.
To his left, Shanks, smiling.
To his right, Giovanni, cracking his neck.
Straight ahead, Lucky Roo, breathing calmly like this was all a light exercise before dinner.
Skep pointed desperately.
"This is unfair!"
Giovanni blinked.
"It's three-on-three."
"Not anymore!"
Shanks laughed. "That sounds like your team's problem."
Skep took three steps backward.
Then the bell rang again.
CLANG!
A hidden trampoline activated beneath him.
Skep vanished upward with a scream.
"WAAAAAAAHHH—!"
He shot into the air high over the ring, limbs flailing.
The crowd screamed with joy.
Shanks looked up, delighted.
"No way."
Giovanni pointed. "Get him!"
Lucky Roo bent his knees slightly.
When Skep came back down, Roo punched him in midair.
Hard enough to send him sailing out of the ring and straight into a gambling stand fifty feet away.
Cards, bottles, and pirates exploded everywhere.
The audience stood as one.
"OUT OF BOUNDS! THE RED-HAIRED PIRATES WIN ROUND 2!!!"
The six fighters returned to the center, though on the Marauder Claw side only one was still walking under his own power.
Dorga looked furious.
Shanks looked delighted.
Giovanni looked like he wanted to do that round again immediately.
Lucky Roo asked if there was food before the next one.
The referee raised his cane.
"ROUND TWO GOES TO THE RED-HAIRED PIRATES!"
The crowd erupted again.
"Winning crew. State your prize!"
This time Shanks didn't even hesitate.
"Bonk Punch!"
Giovanni nodded immediately.
"Definitely Bonk Punch!"
Beckman, from the sideline, looked mildly annoyed but not enough to object. There was logic in this one.
A huge man stepped forward from the Marauder Claw ranks.
Tall.
Bald.
Burly.
A scar ran down the left side of his face, neck, and upper torso.
And perched on or near his shoulder line, agitated and expressive, was a relatively large monkey with brown fur, pale face and stomach, and a tied-up topknot of hair.
Bonk Punch.
Monster.
Bonk Punch folded his arms.
"…Tch."
Then he shrugged.
"Fine."
He started walking toward the Red-Haired side.
Monster leapt to follow him naturally—
But Dorga's voice cracked like a whip.
"No."
Everyone looked at him.
Dorga pointed sharply.
"Bonk Punch goes. Monster stays."
Bonk Punch stopped.
Then slowly turned back.
"What?"
Dorga bared his teeth.
"You heard me. The monkey is part of the crew too. If they want him, they win him separately."
Monster screeched in protest and clung tighter to Bonk Punch's shoulder.
Bonk Punch's face darkened.
"He's my partner."
Dorga didn't care.
"Then win him back."
Bonk Punch took one step forward, muscles tensing like he might genuinely start a fight right there in the prize selection phase.
"He stays with me."
Dorga's voice dropped lower.
"No. He doesn't."
The tension between the two crews sharpened for a moment.
Then Shanks stepped in with a grin.
"Hey."
Bonk Punch turned toward him.
Shanks pointed a thumb at himself.
"Don't worry."
He smiled wider.
"Next round. We'll definitely get Monster too."
Giovanni nodded with fierce certainty.
"Absolutely."
Lucky Roo raised a fist with a piece of meat still in his hand.
"No monkey left behind."
Monster blinked.
Bonk Punch looked from Shanks to Giovanni, then down at Monster, whose little hands were still clutching him tightly.
Slowly, his shoulders eased.
"…You better."
Shanks laughed.
"We will."
---
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