The Jackal Guardian's Ascent

Chapter 25

"And now, the Main Event you've all been waiting for!!"

"Keep your elbows in and show me your golden right hook!" Usopp said, hyping up Luffy for the fight.

"Hurry up and ring the bell!!" Luffy yelled, ready to finally get the match underway.

"Well now! You don't look that bad!" Foxy said as he cracked his neck. "Such a wild style! You may be my opponent, but I'm impressed!"

"Both athletes have set foot on the battlefield!"

"I can't believe he chose Usopp as his cornerman." Zoro said, disappointed in Luffy.

"Wow! his inner soul brother is on fire!" Sanji said, more than impressed with Luffy's new afro.

"I wish they would take this seriously." Nami said to herself, disappointed in everyone.

"Hehe! He's cute!" Robin remarked, finding Luffy's new look more than likable.

"I like it. It makes him look manly and cool." Anu commented, impressed by Luffy's bold decision.

It came time for the cornermen to leave the battlefield so that the fight could finally commence. Usopp was surprised that his job over as fast as it had begun.

"The stage this round just happens to be our ship, the Sexy Foxy! Above deck and below deck is all the battlefield! Who will fall outside the 100-meter ring?! There's no time limit! It's a one-bout challenge! COMBAT! Only the two contestants remain on the battlefield!"

The stands then began to rise, giving the audience a much better view of the battlefield.

"Fehehehe! Well now, Straw Hat Luffy, let's have some fun! The whole ship is our battlefield!" Foxy told his opponent. "Be as rough as you like! We have many excellent carpenters!"

"Lucky." Luffy grumbled.

"Excitement fills the stadium! Will a comrade be lost or gained?! There is no going back! This is the final round of the Davy Back fight! Foxy the Silver Fox vs Straw Hat Luffy! Our very fate depends upon this duel between each crew's main man! And now...the decisive battle begins with the bell!!"

*DING DING*

Luffy began the match by trying to hit Foxy with his signature attack, the Gum-Gum Pistol, but Foxy was too clever as he used his Slow-Slow Beam on the space in front of his glove to grind Luffy's attack to a halt.

"I guess you just LOOK strong!" Foxy taunted.

"What?! Urgh! Come back here, arm!" Luffy pleaded, for some reason. He put so much effort in to bring his arm back that he fell over, arm still outstretched, and left himself wide open for one of Foxy's beams.

"Slow-Slow...just kidding." Foxy said after Luffy leapt into the air to dodge the attack.

"Whah?!" Luffy said, bewildered that he got outsmarted in such a way.

"Slow-Slow Beam!" Foxy froze Luffy in mid-air, making him wide open for whatever attack Foxy desired to launch.

"That's why I told you to watch out for the beam!" Nami yelled, trying to convey her message.

"It's no use." Anu told her.

"What do you mean?!" Nami asked, surprised by Anu's statement.

"Luffy's still expecting this to be a straight-up fight." Anu answered. "He's trying to fight him like a prizefighter, not a pirate."

"I don't follow." Nami commented, now confused.

"When was the last time you saw a pirate NOT fight under-handed, Nami?" Zoro asked. "Luffy is out of his element. Even though Foxy is, by all means, a much weaker fighter, he's a much smarter and much trickier opponent. The Davy Back Fight is perfect for someone like Foxy. Luffy, on the other hand....well, you see how that's going for him."