Chapter 259: Davy Back Fight
The native of Long Ring Long Land, old man Tonjit, was quite a character.
Driven by dreams and passion, he challenged himself to master the world's tallest stilts.
But due to his fear of heights, he couldn't get down once he was up, and ended up living on those stilts for ten years.
Even hearing the story again, Ralph found it fascinating.
Fortunately, the arrival of the Straw Hat Pirates broke the old man's deadlock.
Lufia accidentally broke his stilts, finally bringing him back to the ground.
When asked about his tribesmen, Tonjit smiled bitterly.
"We're a nomadic people. Every year, when the sea recedes and land emerges, we migrate between the islands of Long Ring Long Land.
My tribesmen probably didn't notice I was still on the stilts and moved on to another island."
Luckily, the old man wouldn't be left alone on the island.
His beloved white horse, Shelly, was still waiting for him.
As soon as Tonjit came down, he was reunited with his horse.
The white horse trotted over, lowering its head to nuzzle his face.
Tonjit wrapped his arms around the horse's neck, his eyes reddening.
"Shelly... you're still here."
The Straw Hat Crew gathered around, watching the reunion between the old man and his horse.
Usopp sniffled, and Chopper was already crying.
Just then, someone arrived to spoil the moment.
Several pirate ships docked, and dozens of people jumped ashore.
The man leading them had a split hairstyle, a red nose, inverted eyebrows, and triangular eyes.
His appearance was fox-like, with hairstyle resembling fox ears that could easily be mistaken for a buttocks from a distance.
He had thick sideburns, spiky hair, and wore purple fur clothing.
Behind him followed two odd figures—one tall and muscular, resembling a monkey; and a sexy beauty wearing the Foxy Pirates' exclusive mask.
The newcomer was none other than Silver Fox Foxy.
He glanced around the shore, his gaze settling on the white horse.
"What a fine horse!" he exclaimed.
Then he raised his gun and aimed at Shelly.
Whoosh!
A needle bullet flew out.
Ralph moved.
In a flash, he appeared in the bullet's path, catching it lightly between two fingers.
The needle bullet stopped at his fingertips.
Foxy raised an eyebrow.
Lufia frowned at him.
"Why are you shooting the old man's horse?"
Foxy laughed, spreading his hands.
"Since when do pirates need a reason to take what they want?"
Lufia frowned, about to say more, but Foxy had already begun sizing her up.
"Straw Hat Lufia, bounty 120 million."
He then looked at Ralph.
"Nameless Ralph, bounty 70 million."
"A worthy opponent."
As he spoke, he formed his hands into fox gestures, pointing them at Ralph and Lufia.
"I, Captain of the Foxy Pirates, Silver Fox Foxy, challenge you in the name of my pirate crew."
"Davy Back Fight."
Usopp's face paled.
"Wait—"
He rushed forward.
"Lufia, you can't agree—"
But Lufia had already raised her hand.
"Sure! How do we play?"
Usopp covered his face.
Nami grabbed Lufia by the ear.
"Do you even know what that is before agreeing?"
"It's a game where you bet your crewmates!"
"If you lose, you have to hand over your comrades!"
"Huh?"
Lufia was stunned.
"There's a rule like that?"
Foxy smiled even wider.
The cheerleader woman behind him, Porche, stepped forward and began explaining the rules.
Davy Back Fight, the Davy Jones Game.
One of the oldest competitions among pirates, its history may be as long as the profession of piracy itself.
Three rounds decide the outcome, and the loser must swear to "Davy Jones," pledging lifelong loyalty to the winner.
If the winner does not want the loser's crew, they can even take away the pirate flag, considered the "life" of a pirate ship.
The Davy Back Fight has three major rules:
First, anything lost in a Davy Back Fight must be won back through another Davy Back Fight.
Second, the selected crew members from the losing side must immediately pledge loyalty to the winning captain.
Third, a flag that has been taken can never be raised again.
Violators are considered a disgrace among pirates and are cast into Davy Jones' Locker.
Upon hearing this, Usopp's face turned pale.
"Lufia, it's not too late to back out now..."
"Why should I back out?"
Lufia's eyes lit up.
"That sounds so interesting!"
Zoro's lips curled into a smile.
Sanji, with a cigarette in his mouth:
"Indeed, it's quite interesting."
Nami held her forehead:
"Are you all insane? The stakes are our comrades! Putting us on the betting table—aren't you afraid of losing?"
Only then did Lufia realize:
"Oh right, we could actually lose."
She thought for a moment, then smiled.
"It's fine, we'll just win them back!"
Zoro and Sanji laughed simultaneously.
Nami sighed.
Robin patted her shoulder:
"It seems a competitive spirit isn't exclusive to boys."
Then, she looked at Ralph.
"Only certain people remain exceptionally calm at times like these."
Usopp and Chopper both lunged at Ralph, each clinging to one of his legs.
"Ralph! Do something!"
"I don't want to be given away!"
Ralph looked down at the two of them and reached out to pat their heads.
"Don't worry, I'll handle everything."
After saying this, he walked over to Lufia.
"Lufia, I have a question for you."
"Hmm?"
"Do you agree with this kind of crew-stealing? If we win, would you want their crew members?"
Lufia shook her head without hesitation:
"Of course not! Crew members obtained through such means are not the kind of companions I envision!"
"And what if we were taken by them?"
Lufia clenched her fist:
"I would fight with my life before losing a single comrade!"
Foxy, listening nearby, showed a disdainful smile.
A naive little girl.
A bounty of 120 million?
Probably just lucky enough to catch Crocodile during a weak period.
The other reason for mocking Lufia was a disdain for her concept of comradeship.
Pirates are a group driven by self-interest—how could there be fools willing to die for their comrades?
But Ralph knew Lufia truly was willing to risk her life for her companions.
At this moment, he somewhat understood why he couldn't fully embrace the pirate mindset.
On one hand, they were willing to risk their lives for their goals; on the other, they were always ready to gamble away everything they had.
It was thrilling, but too fleeting.
Well, setting aside the ideological differences between agrarian and maritime civilizations for now.
Ralph continued questioning Lufia.
"Lufia, pirates are the freest people on the sea, right?"
"Of course!"
"Then why would free people create such a disgusting set of rules like the Davy Back Fight?"
Foxy interjected:
"Yahahahaha."
"Because this is the oldest game among pirates. Violating its rules is considered a disgrace among pirates, cursed by Davy Jones."
Ralph turned to look at him.
"What if I'm not afraid of Davy Jones?"
Foxy's smile froze.
He had won over nine hundred Davy Back Fights, but he had never heard such words.
Davy Jones—the legendary demon who lived at the bottom of the sea, the nightmare of all Pirates.
Was there a Pirate who wasn't afraid of him?
How utterly arrogant was that?