Foxy laughs as he stands nearby, "There is no point in cheering for the losers. Our team is unbeatable in the ring!"

"Did you say something, Two-piece Head?" Luffy's innocent question sends the man to his knees in despair.

"Oh boss!" Porche is at her captain's aid in a split second. "You are so low, Straw Hat You're immoral!"

"It seems like Captain Split-Head needs to stop letting every little mean comment get to him," I stick my tongue out at him for a few seconds.

Foxy is on his feet once again, smugly grinning at my friends. "They won't need any support to win this, so I'll just sit here and enjoy the show."

"You can interfere in this game too!?" Nami's eyebrows furrow together.

"Fool! You can disrupt any game! There are teams that will win regardless of the method. Then there are teams that want no less than a clean win. It's all up to personal standards. Though it doesn't matter why you lost. If you complain and whine, then you simply don't have the guts and pride of a true pirate."

"Look who's talking," she huffs.

"You're a pirate, that's right, but pride and guts, I wouldn't use those words to describe you," I shake my head.

"You better drop the attitude before this game ends, princess, or we're going to have a lot of problems," Foxy glances over at me. "By the way, what's with your team? They have no team spirit!" He breaks into laughter.

"It may look that way, but as soon as the games starts, they..."

This whole time I've been watching Zoro and Sanji play Rock, Paper, Scissors to determine who will be the ball, with Zoro winning every single time.

"You came out slower, cheater!" Sanji is fuming.

"Impossible!" Zoro defends. "I won fair and square! I'm just stronger in everything!"

"Shut the hell up! We're talking about Rock, Paper, Scissors!"

"Are you done yet!? Decide already!" Pickles shouts as Hamburg tries to contain his laughter behind his hands.

"Gah, they can't decide on anything," I shake my head. "If only I was there to help settle this."

In the end, Sanji accepts the role of ball somewhat willingly, and Nami can see he isn't going to focus and give it his all in the state he's in. She'll have to encourage him in the only way that will get through his thick skull: sweet talking.

"Sanji, you look so awesome with that hat!" Her swooning is almost too much, but that doesn't matter to Sanji.

"Like I was saying, there is no better man to be the ball in our group!" Sanji declares, having gotten over his pouting.

"You, you look like a prince...of idiots," Zoro taunts, and in the next second the boys are fighting each other.

"Start the game already!" Usopp's face is flooded with anger.

"Hey, you!" a Foxy pirate points at Zoro. "It's against the rules to use weapons. Put them away!"

"That's right," Itomimizu confirms the rule. "This is a competition of skills. No weapons allowed."

Zoro tosses his swords over to Luffy, and then brings his fists up to touch his knuckles together. "Fine, no weapons. Not like it matters at all."

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Sanji asks. "A swordsman without a sword is better than you, sandbag."

The insult sends Zoro at Sanji, and the two are fighting each other. Again.

"Stop messing around! Don't make me go out there!!" Usopp scolds them once again.

"The preparations have been completed," Itomimizu lets out a breath. "The ball of team Straw Hat is finally in position."

"Hey Chef, let us stomp you flat, okay?" Hamburg says.

"Go to hell!" Sanji snaps.

With the game minutes from starting, the crowd around me has started to get loud with their encouragement towards the Groggy Monsters. I shout out as well, but I don't call out anyone by name to mask that I am actually cheering for Zoro and Sanji.

"Big Pan, let's finish this in lightning speed," Pickles stares down my friends with an evil grin.

"Huh?" The giant fish-man can't hear those so far from his ears.

Hamburg laughs, "He didn't hear again!"

Somehow, this sends all three of the Groggy Monsters into a fit of laughter where nothing they say makes any sense.

"The Groggy Monsters are laughing for no apparent reason again," Itomimizu only sounds a tad baffled. "They will win again, with these cheerful attitudes. No time limit, one point wins the game!"

"I see," Zoro begins to do some wide squats to warm up. "If I throw that big guy into the ring on the other side, I win. I lose if the chef's head falls into my buoy. Simple."

My hands come together as if I'm about to say some silent prayer, but my mind is all over the place that I can barely piece together a single word among the muddle.

"Will they be able to win back the strong-will, blue-haired, tough as any guy, Akari lost in the first round?" Itomimizu is back to his hosting ways like he's ending a show. "Or will the Straw Hat's keep losing crewmembers? The intense Groggy Ring is starting right now! Ready...begin!"

Pickles doesn't waste anytime to dive into a barrel roll aimed right at Sanji, "Die!"

"Come! I'll take you all down!" Sanji does not shy away from the attack.

"Will the ball, Sanji, attack furiously, or run away in fear? We shall see," Itomimizu muses. "Dealing the first hit is Pickles, the Tackle Demon!"

"Sling Tackle!" Pickles roars as he gets extremely close to Sanji.

"Out of my way," Sanji easily jumps up to run across the large man, using the height to jump even higher to be even with Big Pan's pecs. "I'm aiming for you! We win if I hit you into the buoy ring, right!?"

"The two ball-men are going head-to-head!" the men around me cheer.

"Collier!"
"Huh?" Big Pan swipes at Sanji like he's a fly, causing the boy to have to land on the giant's arm.

"Whoa!" Even with his agility and litheness on his feet, Sanji is having trouble keeping his balance on the monster's arm. "What the hell!? This guy's arm is all slippery!"

"Sanji, the chef, is unable to move on Big Pan's arm!" Itomimizu explains. "But that can't be helped, Big Pan is a fish giant with mudfish genes, so his skin is extremely slippery!"

"Damn it! Gah, damn!" Sanji is struggling, but he isn't giving up trying to scale the arm.

"What are you doing, idiot!" Zoro angerly screams at him.

"Huh? Who are you calling an idiot, asshole!?" Big Pan unluckily hears that comment just as Sanji is getting stable on the slippery skin.

"Of course he would hear that but nothing else before it," I grumble, throwing my hands up for a few seconds.

"Punk Pass!" Big Pan tosses Sanji off his arm, and then uses his other hand to slap Sanji all the way to the other side of the field.

"Good hit!" Itomimizu praises. "It's Big Pan's ultra-long pass!"

"Sanji!" I scream, hearing Luffy and Usopp do the same thing.

"Hamburg is positioning himself to receive the ball! Zoro is also running to catch it!"

"If you fall, I'll dice you into bits and feed you to the dogs!" Zoro shouts, running at top speed to try and catch Sanji.

"Shut up!" Sanji shouts back. "It's your fault that I wasn't looking!"

"Swipe Tackle!" Pickles knocks Zoro out of the way with his shoulder pad.

"No, Zoro!" I blurt out.

"Pickles sneaked in and eliminated Zoro!" Itomimizu depicts what I am seeing happen live. "Pickles now takes the chance to go further into the enemy ring. On the other hand, Hamburg catches Sanji in the air."

Hamburg chuckles as he flings Sanji forward, "Gorilla Throw!"

"Pickles is already in position! Zoro refuses to give up and attacks Pickles!"

My eyes are darting all over the field as it is almost impossible to keep an eye on both boys.

"Stop right there, fat bean!" Zoro wasn't off his feet for long, getting right back to charging at Pickles.

"Spinning Tackle!" Pickles exclaims as her starts turning faster than should be possible for a man his size, knocking Zoro down once again and also sending Sanji back into the air.

"The falling ball, Sanji, gets hit by Pickles, and flies off again like a lost kite!"

"No, Sanji!" Luffy empties his lungs in anger as Usopp and Chopper cry out in despair.

"From the back court, Big Pan rushes forward, and bounces the falling Hamburg back up into the sky!"

"Ground-Shattering Rebound!" Big Pan says as he dives to spike the smallest of the monsters.

"In mid-air, Hamburg catches Sanji once again. Wait...wait...he's within shooting distance!"

"Come on," I shoot out of my seat. "Come on!"

"Damn it!" Zoro is back on his feet, rushing to keep the goal from happening. "You curly-eyebrowed dumbass!"

"Score Hamburg! Slam dunk!" the crowd around me is jumping around.

"Come on!" I start bouncing around on my tiptoes as the anxiety translates to energy.

Zoro stops right in front of Pickles, grabbing the beast by the ankles.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing!?" Pickles shrieks.

"You're losing! Zoro! Sanji!" Luffy and Usopp shouts as one.

"Could the game end so soon? Itomimizu sadly states.

"Mind your own business!" Zoro grunts, using all his strength to start spinning Pickles around...and around...and around. "I will not let them score! Eat this, you piece of shit!" He chucks Pickles right at Hamburg.

"It's not right to end so soon," Sanji lets out a tiny laugh, grabbing hold of Hamburg's wrists. "I still haven't done anything! That seaweed head stole my snapshot moment!" He twists out of the hold he's in, giving him great leverage to kick Hamburg down to the ground. "But at least I'm not losing to him!"

Hamburg and Pickles lie in a heap next to the goal with bumps on their heads.

"Yes!" I don't even care about the scream that leaves me as I punch the air. My happiness is overflowing now.

"It didn't go in!" Itomimizu shockingly exclaims. "The ball, Sanji, didn't go in like he should! This is the first time that someone has defended against the Groggy Monsters' attack! The game is heating up!"

"I don't need you!" Sanji jabs a finger at Zoro.

"You were the one being tossed around!" Zoro snaps back.

"Boys, for the love of the stars, can you please focus on the task at hand!" I scream.

"What a surprising turn of events!" Itomimizu shouts. "Two members of the legendary Groggy Monsters were thrown out of the ring! The strength of Team Straw Hat is breathtaking!"

"You're a hundred years too early to be of any help to me!" Sanji shoves one hand into his pocket while the other clenches at his side.

"I'm not doing this for you, piece of trash!" Zoro angrily quips back.

"For the love of the seas, I'm going to strangle both of them if they don't stop fighting," I growl.

"Those guys are strong!" the man that I asked to bring me nachos but apparently disregarded the request, speaks up from nearby. "They threw Pickles out of the ring, and they got Hamburg too!"

"I won't forgive you if you lose, Hamburg!" Porche shouts. "Even if I would have preferred the reindeer over this chick!"

"Oh shut up, Miss Goody Two-Shoes," I roll my eyes. "At least I can fight without assistance. You had to have your captain butt in for your team to even win."

"Those boys are fighting with each other!"

I cross my arms, plopping back down in my seat, "They'll cut it out soon. I hope," I whisper the last two words.

"Oh? Members of Team Straw Hat are fighting each other again!" Itomimizu shouts. "Though both balls are still safe. The game continues even if they are not ready!"

Luffy's laugh graces my ears, and I long to be back at his side. "They're so funny!"

"Zoro! Sanji! What the hell are you idiots doing!" Usopp screams. "The enemy team's ball is all alone! Kick him into the ring!"

"Oh," Sanji and Zoro look at Big Pan just as he starts to rush at them, causing them both to break out into sprints.

"It's a surprise attack from Big Pan!" Itomimizu announces.

"Toe Pad Dance!" Big Pan breaks into laughter as he quickly stomps his feet as the two boys run for their lives.

"Why are you running away!?" Usopp angerly screams. "He's the ball!"

A lot of dirt is being kicked up, but I can see that the bottoms of Big Pan's shoes aren't flat. He's modified them to be killing machines with the numerous knifes. Almost like he made his own cleats.

"Open your eyes, idiot!" Zoro snaps. "He has knives under his boots!"

"Hey ref!" Sanji screams at the referee who earlier told Zoro to remove his swords. "I thought weapons weren't allowed!"

The referee whistles and turns his head, letting the cheating continue.

"I knew they would find a way to cheat," I flip my hair over my shoulders.

"What the hell is he doing!?" Usopp cries.

Foxy laughs, "The referee can't see everything."

"You cheap son of a bitch!" Sanji kicks a rock right at the man to send him to the ground.

"Stop it Sanji!" Nami and I are in sync. I'm out of my seat once more to get a better view.

"Calm down, he's the referee!" Usopp groans as he holds Sanji back.

"I know you saw it!" Sanji is fuming. "Stop pretending you didn't, asshole!"

"I did...not see...anything..." the referee chokes out.

"Liar!"

"Sanji of the Straw Hats, yellow care warning!" the referee blows his whistle.

"What!?"

"You're such a baby!" I scream at the referee.

"No you too, Akari!" Nami groans.

"Stop, stop!" Usopp is straining to keep Sanji away from attacking the referee (who at least has moved away) once more.

"Sanji the Chef got a yellow card warning," Itomimizu informs the crowd. "one more and it's equivalent to a red card! That means getting kicked out of the ring!"

"Are you kidding me!?" Sanji is on the last straw with all the bullshit.

"He attacked the referee! What a barbaric thing to do!"

"Shut up or I'll turn you into sashimi!" he turns his focus to the announcer in the sky.

"Truly barbaric indeed!"

"I need to figure out a way to stop those blades..."

"Time out!" Zoro's desperate shouts get me to look back at him, and my eyes widen at the giant axe in Big Pan's hands that he's swinging at the swordsman. "This isn't fair!"

"Yo, ref!" I motion at the clear use of weapons. "Can you use your damn eyes to see what is going on out there!? Or do you need to kiss your captain's ass some more!"

"You tell him Akari!" Luffy laughs.

"I don't see it," the referee continues to whistle. "Too bad."

"That guy is using a freaking axe!" Sanji is the angriest I've ever seen him, and I'm afraid even this yelling could get him another yellow card.

Usopp has the same idea as me, doing all he can to snap Sanji out of his anger. "Stop, Sanji! You'll get kicked out of the game, and then we'll surely lose, and that means Akari won't come back!"

"I can't take this bullshit anymore!" He grinds his teeth together.

"Calm down, you'll fall right into their trap if you don't! Calm down for Akari's sake!"

I giggle, but it comes out a bit eviler than intended. "As much as I'd love for you to kick this cheating referee's ass, we need you in the game, so we win!"

"Fine, I'll beat him up for you!' Luffy clenches his fist and rubs his bicep with the other hand.

"Don't do it!" Usopp cries, holding Luffy back.

"Sanji, don't lose!" Nami demands.

"No problem!" Sanji awkwardly crouches, forming a heart with his hands that he aims at Nami. "Okay, back to the game!" He runs right back to where he left off, being chased by Big Pan and being in extreme danger.

"You don't have to literally start where you left off!" Usopp scolds.

"I wonder about all those boys," I chuckle.

Zoro and Sanji skid to a halt as they face the giant that is trying to kill them.

"This freaking sucks!" Sanji spits.

"If I knew that they hid weapons on them, I wouldn't have given mine up," Zoro grunts.

"Time to take him down!"

"I can take him alone!"

Both boys starting running at Big Pan, throwing all fear of his shoe spikes and giant axe away for the time being.

"The three of them are about to clash!" Itomimizu helps build the tension of the fight that is about to occur.

"Teamwork, you two!" Nami orders.

I begin to nibble on my bottom lip as I wait for the boys to attack the giant fishman. His exposed skin is too slippery for them to run on, so they'll have to attack through the areas of him that have some sort of covering. I'm not sure what kind of strategy that leaves them, but I know right now they aren't communicating to make a plan together.

Big Pan lets out a cry before he jumps forward to slide towards the boys on his stomach. "Loach-Scooping Slide!"

"Damn it!" Sanji easily leaps into the air to avoid landing on the slippery skin while Zoro struggles to run over it.

"Loach-Racing Circus!" Big Pan reaches back to grab his feet, keeping the boys trapped and sliding around his body. Well, Zoro is on his back while Sanji looks to be surfing on the skin.

"There it is!" Itomimizu declares. "The racing circus! It makes the enemy slide along the giant's back!"

"Hah! I won't fall for the same trick twice!" Sanji taunts. "This is like skating!"

"It's an inescapable sliding loop!"

Big Pan is laughing as the boys go around and around while all he does is hold his position.

My hand is rubbing the side of my face in anguish as I watch the boys slip around.

"Dizzy," Zoro groans.

"Hey! Get serious you two!" Usopp screams.

"While the giant is buying some time, the players that got knocked out have returned!" Itomimizu's announcement gets me to look down to see Hamburg and Pickles on their feet looking well and ready to fight once more with lazy grins on their faces. The crowd around me is buzzing with excitement of their team being revived. "Oh? Those two look a little different. The team captain, Hamburg, has put on iron gloves and elbow guards. Pickles has spiked shoulder pads on now. But weapons are not allowed! Luckily, the referee is doing stretching exercises. He's not facing the ring and does not see the illegal moves!"

"You're a disgrace of a referee!" I shout down to the