The air had shifted. The lighthearted energy was replaced with something heavier—a crackle of tension in the space between steps and breaths. Pirates who once laughed now leaned forward in anticipation.
The beat of the drums paused briefly.
Then—BOOM. The matchups were announced.
Ace stood, arms crossed, flames rising.
"Total squads participating: Eight," he said, loud enough for the others to hear. "Means two matches to reach the finals. First up… we're facing Teach, Thatch, and Epoida."
That name—Teach—hung in the air like a bad omen.
Gunnar's brow furrowed. 'Why is he even participating?'
Ace cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders.
Gunnar murmurred, "Probably to act normal. Pairing with Thatch makes him look clean. Friendly. Loyal."
Gunnar, still watching Teach from across the deck, muttered, "Yeah… a little too clean."
The bulky, shadowy form of Marshall D. Teach laughed from his side of the deck, wrapping an arm around Thatch, who grinned innocently, and Epoida, who rested his spear across his lap.
From a distance, they looked like any other squad—rowdy, relaxed, eager to test themselves.
The three pirates turned to each other.
Ace. Gunnar. Isshin.
No words needed.
They extended fists.
A single thud of knuckles.
"Let's win this fast," Ace grinned, fire coiling around his arm like a snake.
"Let's win this clean," Isshin said, gripping the hilt of his sword calmly.
"Let's win this loud," Gunnar said, steam rising from his fists, eyes cold and unblinking.
Across the deck, **Smoothie** raised her arm in the air.
"Round One—Begin."
***
The wind blew lightly over the island's battle arena—a grand, circular field of cracked earth and scattered boulders. The center stage? A smooth stone pedestal holding a golden-trimmed scroll that shimmered under the sun like it held the secrets of the world.
But all it really held... was bragging rights.
Atop a tall stone, dressed in referee's coat with a neutral-but-deadly look, stood Smoothie.
Her voice rang out, calm and lethal.
"The rules are simple. Your team must hold this scroll for a full minute—consecutively. If the scroll is taken from you, the timer resets. No leaving the field. No outside help. And no crying. If I see tears, I will personally stab you."
She unrolled the scroll an inch for dramatic effect.
"Let the chaos begin."
---
0:00 – Chaos Erupts
Before she could even roll the scroll back, Ace shot forward like a flame-drenched bullet.
"Mine now!" he yelled, grabbing the scroll and doing a victory spin.
"Start the timer," he yelled.
But from behind—
WHACK!
A frying pan hit him square in the back of the head.
"Surprise tool for later!" shouted Thatch, grinning maniacally.
Ace stumbled forward. The scroll tumbled midair… and landed in Epoida's hands.
"I GOT IT!" he screamed, holding it over his head like Simba.
Then a kunai flew out of nowhere and plunked into his shoulder.
"AGH! Who—!?"
Isshin stood coolly, brushing imaginary dust off his shoulder. "Unacceptable grip form. That scroll belongs to someone with taste."
Isshin caught the scroll mid-spin and landed on a rock, cross-legged.
"Start the count," he said.
"Timer started," Smoothie confirmed.
From the bushes—
Teach burst out with a net.
"IT'S FISHIN' TIME!" he roared, tossing the net like a lunatic.
The net caught Isshin, who blinked, unimpressed.
"Did you just... net me?"
"I did!" Teach giggled like a maniac. "It's called creativity, boy!"
Isshin sighed and dropped the scroll.
RESET.
Gunnar walked in slowly, casually picking up the scroll from the dirt.
"Y'all are treating this like hot potato."
Smoothie nodded. "Timer running."
Gunnar calmly sat down on a boulder, scroll in lap, sipping coconut juice from who-knows-where.
Then—
Thatch rode in on Epoida's back, like a knight on a giraffe.
"SCROLL RAID!"
Epoida shouted, "NEIGH!!"
Gunnar blinked. "You what?"
WHAM! They slammed into Gunnar, knocking the scroll skyward again.
It flew end over end… and landed in Teach's pants.
"Oops," he said, eyes wide. "It's... wedged."
Everyone paused.
Ace: "I'm not touching that."
Isshin: "Me neither."
Thatch: "You're on your own, bro."
Teach wiggled violently. The scroll shot out like a cork.
RESET.
Now Ace had the scroll again, surrounded by a ring of fire.
"Come on! Try it! I dare you!"
Epoida ran through the fire screaming, "PAIN IS TEMPORARY! SCROLL IS FOREVER!"
He tripped.
Over his own spear.
Landed face-first in the flames and slammed on ace, whose hand materialised and dropped the scroll.
"WHY AM I LIKE THIS!?"
Ace: "Reset it again, Smoothie."
Smoothie, massaging her temples: "...Timer reset."
***
The golden scroll lay firmly in Gunnar's grip, held tightly.
Around him, Ace and Isshin stood ready, flames flickering on one side, blade steady on the other.
The timer was ticking.
Then, from the haze, Teach and Thatch appeared. Their faces were grim, fury burning in their eyes. This was no longer a game.
"Not so fast," Teach growled, voice cold as steel. "You think you've won?"
Thatch's hands tightened around his dual sabers, stepping forward. "We'll take that scroll back. One way or another."
Without hesitation, the two lunged.
Gunnar dropped into a defensive stance, muscles coiling like a spring. Ace flamed forward, a fiery comet crashing into Thatch's blades.
CLANG! CLANG! Steel rang against steel as fire met cold steel in a flurry of sparks.
Isshin stepped beside Gunnar, slashing through the approaching Teach's sword strikes with deadly precision. Teach snarled, attacking faster and harder, but Isshin's calm control never wavered.
Gunnar, holding the scroll close to his chest, dodged a wild slash from Teach. He twisted, grabbing a fistful of Teach's arm and throwing him hard into the dirt.
Teach spat, wiping blood from his lip. "You'll pay for that."
Thatch pressed harder on Ace, pushing him back with rapid strikes. But Ace's flames blazed brighter, enveloping his fists in roaring fire.
"I'm not done yet!" Ace roared, landing a crushing blow to Thatch's ribs that sent him stumbling.
Gunnar's eyes locked on the scroll.
They had to hold it just a little longer.
But suddenly, Teach recovered, leaping like a shadow behind Gunnar.
"Hand it over."
Before Gunnar could react, Teach's blade sliced through the air, inches from his neck.
Gunnar's muscles tensed. He rolled, barely avoiding the lethal strike, and struck back with a heavy punch to Teach's gut.
The two men collided in a brutal exchange of blows.
"Hold on, Gunnar!" Teach called out menacingly.
With one final burst, Gunnar unleashed a wave of scorching steam from his body, pushing Teach back with explosive force.
Breathing hard, Gunnar seized the moment.
He tightened his grip on the scroll and charged through the chaos, flames lighting his path as Ace covered him.
Thatch swung wildly, but Ace caught his blade with a fiery punch, sending the weapon flying.
Isshin blocked Teach's desperate strike, then slashed through the air, cutting off his advance.
The timer hit the full minute.
Smoothie's voice cut through the tension.
"Time's up. Team Gunnar, Ace, and Isshin—victorious."
Gunnar stood tall, scroll raised high, chest heaving with exhaustion.
Teach and Thatch glared but nodded in grudging respect.
Ace cracked a tired smile. "Not bad for a day's work."
Isshin sheathed his sword, calm and collected.
Smoothie approached, holding the scroll.
"Under Whitebeard's watch, fair and square. Well done."
Gunnar exhaled deeply, the storm of battle finally settling.
---
Gunnar wiped the sweat from his brow and let out a deep breath, feeling the weight of the day settle into his muscles. Turning to Smoothie, he couldn't help but joke, breaking the silence.
"You know," Gunnar said with a grin, "for a referee, you looked way too relaxed back there. I half expected you to jump in and start throwing punches yourself."
Smoothie's lips curled into a smirk. "And ruin my perfect manicure? No way. Watching you three stumble around was entertaining enough."
Gunnar chuckled, shifting on the rock. "Stumble? That was a highly tactical move. I call it the 'accidental trip to confuse the enemy.' You should take notes."
Smoothie laughed softly, shaking her head. "Oh, I took plenty of notes — mostly on how not to hold a scroll without nearly dropping it five times."
He shot her a mock-offended look. "Hey! It's not easy juggling a powerful artifact and dodging flying spears at the same time. Multi-tasking is an art."
She rolled her eyes but smiled warmly. "If this whole pirate thing doesn't work out, you've got a future in the circus."
***
Evening Time,
Two squads stood facing each other across the field, Gunnar's team on one side—Gunnar, Ace, and Isshin—and Jozu's team on the other, with Jozu himself leading and two other division commanders flanking him.
Smoothie stepped forward, her voice calm but carrying across the hushed crowd. "This match is the last before the final round. The rules are simple but unforgiving."
She held up her hand, the referee flag she'd carried so far now rolled up neatly.
"To win this match, your squad must eliminate two members of the opposing team. Elimination happens if a member either surrenders or remains downed on the ground for ten seconds straight. This is a last man standing match."
A ripple of anticipation passed through the fighters.
Smoothie's eyes swept over both teams before settling on Gunnar. "Good luck to both sides."