-Chapter One Hundred and Seventy-Seven-
"Looks like it all worked out" Sanji smiled.
"Seems so" Zoro hummed in agreement as he wrapped an arm around my waist.
"Thank goodness that it did" I sighed in relief as I leaned against the swordsman, glad to know that we wouldn't be permanently losing any crewmembers today.
"Now, it's time to choose your new crewmember—who do you want, Straw Hat Luffy?" Itomimizu asked.
"Come on, Chopper—get over here!" Luffy grinned as he waved the crying reindeer over. Chopper gave a choked sob as he threw off the getup Foxy had forced him to wear before jumping into the captain's arms—tightly clinging to the rubber man as he continued to cry.
"I'll miss you, Choppy!" Porche called out to the reindeer.
"I was so scared! I'm so happy you won!" Chopper wailed.
"Are you kidding? A bunch of suckers like that could never beat my crew!" Luffy proudly grinned.
"We've seen blood, sweat, and plenty of tears today, but the Davy Back Fight has finally drawn to a close with the Straw Hats reclaiming their doctor—Tony Tony Chopper" Itomimizu said as he finally began to wrap up the game and draw everything to a close. "I say this match ends in a draw" he confessed.
"Hold it! Hold it! Hold it!" Foxy yelled. "Any captain worth his salt knows there are no draws in the pirate world! It's plunder or be plunder—you won't let it end like this, will you?!" he angrily asked Luffy.
"Wait, is he saying what I think he is?" Usopp nervously asked.
"That's what it's looking to be" I nodded as I rubbed the back of my neck.
"Come on! How about another three-coin game to decide which one of us is really the best?" Foxy grinned as he tried to encourage the rubber man to take him up on his offer.
"Yeah, like we would agree to that" Usopp scoffed.
"After all that cheating? You'd have to be an idiot to go for another round" Nami rolled her eyes before jolting as a gunshot was heard.
"Spoke too soon..." I heavily sighed.
"Oh no!" Usopp and Nami wailed over and over as they looked over at our captain in despair.
"You're on, Split Head!" Luffy laughed. I sweat dropped before wincing as I watched how Nami and Usopp viciously ganged up on the poor captain—quick to take their anger out on him for his stupid decision. "Okay, this is the last time, I won't do it again...I promise..." he weakly assured them.
"You're kidding! I don't know if I have any tears left to cry!" Chopper cried out in exasperation.
"He's already agreed, so it's not like we can back out now" Zoro shrugged, seeing no point in arguing with the captain's decision to go again.
"Yeah, but was there really even a need to accept another game?" I frowned. "We already got everyone important back, so it seems kind of pointless."
"I doubt he would go through the trouble if he didn't have something in mind" Robin said.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that, well unless he's thinking he can nab us a shipwright from Foxy's crew" Sanji said, attempting to give the captain the benefit of the doubt.
-Later-
"It's time for the second Three Coin Game—the events this time are a team-wide dodgeball showdown, a brutally new twist on a childhood favorite, and a one-on-one boxing beatdown!" Itomimizu announced. "Like the previous games, each crew can only participate twice—in other words, last-minute lineup changes will not be allowed! With their second Davy Back Fight of the day about to start, I'm back in the announcer's seat to explain the rules of our first match" he said. "The name of the game is Hit and Dead Ball! The balls in question are the two you see on the field right now, if the opposing team hits you with one of those babies, you're out of the game!" he explained.
"The teams are divided into on-court and off-court members, they're free to choose which one goes where and whatever number—once you're out of court members you'll lose the match" he continued. "Keep in mind that although the off-court members can throw the ball around just like anyone else, they're not allowed to enter the court under any circumstance" he reminded everyone.
"They make it sound all fancy, but it seems like regular dodgeball to me" Sanji said.
"There are some other details, so be sure to read the rulebook carefully" Itomimizu said as he tossed a rather thick book toward us which Robin caught with ease.
"That's the rulebook?!" Chopper gaped.
"You wouldn't expect it to be so thick" Robin said, now having to hold the book up with the help of an extra set of hands.
"Are you sure we're playing dodgeball?" I asked as I stared down at the thick rulebook the older woman now held, having a hard time believing that the game they were describing was actually dodgeball.
"Of course! Hit and Dead Ball is one of the greatest and most modern time Davy Back Fight games because it has been played so many times over the years!" Itomimzu brightened. "More and more rules have been added to balance and perfect its form, only by strict earnings by these rules can the game truly be enjoyed!" he explained
"What's the point in preaching to us about the rules if you're going to break them all anyway?" Nami frowned. "Did you just give us the rule book so we'll know how bad you're cheating?" she sneered.
"Now, now, now—take a look at the first page, mademoiselle" Itomimizu instructed, quick to try and calm the ginger's temper.
"Referee Regulations: He who makes judgment contrary to the rules written here shall be beheaded on the spot" Robin read.
"Beheaded?! Scary!" Chopper shivered.
"A bit extreme for a children's game, don't you think?" I whistled.
"And there you have it!" Itomimizu announced, pleased to know that we were all now on the same page. "On that topic, this game will be officiated by a team of five referees headed by a man of fifty years of experience—Rokuroshi!" he proclaimed.
"With any luck, we might actually get a fair fight this time around" Zoro grinned.
"Team Foxy has a stupendous set of players, truly a superb spectacle to see! Sadly, the Straw Hats pale in comparison with their diminutive showing" Itomimizu said as Robin, Nami, and I sat off to the side and made up our team's off-court players. Curiously, I couldn't help but peek my head over Robin's shoulder and begin scanning the pages of the rulebook alongside her.
"Would you like to read as well, Miss Swordswoman?" Robin smiled, tilting her head and moving the book so I could see it better.
"If you don't mind" I bashfully smiled. "It probably would be wise for some of us to know the rules" I said, causing her to softly hum.
"Sporting a measly eight members, I must wonder if they're even trying" Itomimizu chuckled.
"Okay, we get it!" Usopp snapped as he, Luffy, Chopper, Zoro, and Sanji took their positions on the court.
"Let's get this show on the road! We'll start the match off with a double opening tip!" Itomimizu announced.
"Each team, bring two players to the center of the field!" Rokuroshi ordered as Jube, Girarin, and Luffy stepped up.
"Hey, do you mind if I do this?" Chopper asked before any of the other guys could step up beside the captain.
"Yeah, be my guest—go jump your heart out, little guy" Zoro said, stepping aside as he motioned for the reindeer to go on ahead.
"Alright" Chopper nodded, eating one of his Rumble Balls as he transformed into one of his other forms.
"Chopper has transformed! It looks like he's not just fluff after all—he could turn out to be a powerful player for the Straw Hats!" Itomimizu noted.
"Oh no! What's that?!" Porche frowned. "Now he's not cute at all!" she angrily pouted.
"Good luck out there, Chopper!" I happily cheered. "Do your best!"
"Hey, Straw Hat, how about you and I make this game a bit more interesting than the others before to really help kick off the fight" Foxy suddenly piped up after having something whispered in his ear by one of his men, a certain gleam now in his eyes as he wore a devilish smirk that made me feel rather uneasy.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Luffy blinked, looking just the slightest bit curious to know what the opposing captain now had to say.
"Instead of giving up one member, how about we give up two instead this round?!" Foxy grinned as he held up two fingers to emphasize his point. "Surely you're not too scared of losing to refuse such a tempting offer?" he seemingly mocked as Luffy now hummed in thought, mulling over this sudden offer like he really needed to think about it
"Okay, you're on!" he eventually grinned, giving a firm nod with a determined glint in his eyes as if the thought of defeat was nowhere in that empty head of his.
"Idiot! Don't go agreeing to something like that!" Nami and Usopp angrily snapped.
"Did you even really think it over?!" I frowned, unsure why he had agreed to easily to such a tempting offer other than the fact that it probably did make the match more exciting knowing that both sides were now risking more than just one crewmember.
"What's this? Straw Hat Luffy and our very own captain have agreed to give up two members this round instead of one?" Itomimizu questioned. "What does our boss have planned up his sleeve this time?" he pondered as the opposing captain laughed, looking rather pleased with himself that he had gotten the other captain to agree to his offer.
"Ready...set...go!" Rokuroshi blew his whistle as two balls were thrown into the air. Instead of jumping for them, Jube and Girarin shot toward Luffy and Chopper as they jumped and grabbed hold of the balls.
"Nice catch! Now, give them a good spike to the face!" Usopp cheered.
"Isn't it normally against the rules to hit someone in the face in dodgeball?" I asked, causing Robin to hum in thought.
"I believe it is" she nodded, still flipping through the pages of the rulebook—stopping every now and again to read what was written as she'd readjust her hold on the book so that I had a clear view of the pages as well.
"Aim straight for Split Head! Come on, Chopper—let's go!" Luffy ordered, throwing his ball with all his might.
"Right!" Chopper nodded, following the captain's lead as he transformed once again before throwing his ball.
"Oh no! Our boss is in trouble!" Itomimizu cried out as the two dodgeballs painfully smashed into Foxy's face. "What? He's already out of the game?!" he gasped.
"Yeah! You really showed their boss who's boss!" Usopp laughed.
"No, he didn't" I shook my head.
"What do you mean, Skylar?" Nami inquired.
"Safe! Safe!" Rokuroshi shouted, blowing his whistle.
"What do you mean safe? That was a clean hit, you old fart!" Usopp scowled.
"Have you never played dodgeball before? You can't hit your opponents in the face!" I groaned, not understanding how the sharpshooter wasn't getting this. "That's practically the number one rule of dodgeball" I said.
"That's right, it's a violation of Article Twenty-Three—blows to the face do not count" Rokuroshi nodded.
"You got to be kidding me!" Usopp frowned. "Now what?" he asked.
"Wow! Boss, that looked like it hurt!" Hamburg laughed.
"Don't laugh, Hamburg, you're going to make the boss cry!" Chiqicheetah scolded as he tried to get the monkey to quiet down.
"You sure he's not going to cry over being hit in the face?" Jacob asked, crossing his arms.