Sliced into a huge rock wall that divided the central sea from the eastern sea, Serpant's Eye underpass resembled a reptilian eye. As the Whaleboat sailed between it, the crew observed the city that lay inside it. The city of pirates was built on wood, steel and bound together with rope. Shanty buildings lined both sides of the underpass and rapscallions of all shapes and sizes strolled and strutted. Several bridges of rope and wood crossed both sides of the underpass. The whaleboat traveled between them all.

"Behold mateys!" Abacab cried raising his arms. "The golden age of piracy lives on in this shanty town."

Chloe's eyes sparkled as she took it all in. She had read about this place only in books and envisioned it only in her imagination. "Mother puffers!" she exclaimed. "This place is even more shady, smelly and salty than I imagined. As soon as I heard of this place, I always wanted to be a pirate."

"Don't look nows," Vinnie cried. "But I think we gots da welcoming committee."

Pirates on both sides of the underpass drew their muskets, revolvers and swords and pointed them at the whaleboat. Ramone shivered. "Oh mercy me! We're done for!"

"I wouldn't say that!" Abacab answered.

"Why?" Ramone cried.

"Because those swords can't reach us at least!"

Ramone shoved his hoof in his face.

Monica drew her sword and brandished it. "Well, I don't know about you muchachos, but I ain't going down without a fight."

A bullet grazed the deck of the whaleboat right before Monica's foot. Her chocolate brown skin turned a chalk white pale. "Except in this case!"

Several of the pirates tossed grappling hooks and slid their way down to the boat. "interlopers!" One of them hissed with a musket cocked right at Chloe's head. "In the name of Big Joe Rogers, we shall capture you and throw you in our prison."

"Who's Big Joe Rogers?" Chloe exclaimed.

"Our pirate king!" was the answer.

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"Great," Chloe snickered. "I will meet him and dethrone him so I can become the next pirate queen!"

The scurvy scoundrel pointed his gun right at her neck. "An assassin eh? We don't take kindly to threats!"

Rosemary rolled Chloe's demon eye. "I must say, child, it may look small but your mouth is bigger than a crocogaters!"

Chloe sighed. Her big mouth had truly gotten her in big trouble this time.

***

Chloe found herself in the filthiest jail cell she had ever been in. Behind rusted bars of steel, she sat in a cavernous cell filled with barnacles, scum, mildew and mold. Monica moaned. "Adio mios!" she cried. "This place is grodier than that barnacle swordsmen back on Central Commerce."

"Barnacle Barney?" Vinnie answered. "I wonder how he's doing. Probably not well since he pledged himself to a demon of infinite evil."

"I just hope we get outta here soon," Ramone cried. "I can't stand when my bath tub has a bit of mildew so this is absolute murder."

"Hey hey hey," Laura said, "How about we look a little on the sunny side?"

"What sunny side?" Ramone muttered.

"At least none of us have to go to the bathroom!"

"Erg...." Captain Abacab groaned. "i ate way too many flapjacks earlier."

Everyone in the cell moved away from him. Soon, they could hear the loud stomping of feet off in the distance.

"Who is that?" Chloe asked.

"Hopefully not da executioner!" Vinnie cried.

The crew of the whaleboat was met with a hulking man about seven feet tall and almost half as wide. He was barrel chested with an extremely tight brown shirt that stretched over his bulky frame. He wore a bright red bandana and beady eyes observed his prey from beneath it. When he saw Chloe, he flexed his biceps. They were much bigger than her head.

"Well well," he said, his voice a confident and deep baritone. "What do we have here! A buncha minnows in a big scary ocean!"

"Who are you?" Chloe said, marveling at his might. "And who are you calling a minnow, tiny?!"

The pirate gave a deep guffaw. "That is amusing. A child yer size calling me tiny."

"Big explosions come in tiny packages!" Chloe answered.

"I appreciate the metaphor," the big man answered. "But that won't help you escape. My name is Big Joe Rogers and I am the currently reigning King of the Pirates. My might and brawn are unmatched."

"Well then," Chloe chuckled. "You better move out of the way, Tiny because I Chloe Cutlass will soon be the queen of all you rascals, ruffians and rapscallions."

Big Joe cocked an eyebrow. "And how do you plan to do that little girl? You're not exactly inna position to bargain let alone dethrone a king!"

A smirk curled up on Chloe's face. "Howabout I challenge you."

"Oh?!" Big Joe said, his beady eyes widening in his head. "What kind of challenge?"

"A battle of brawn!" Chloe said, puffing out her bony chest. "If I best you...you let us go and let me become queen of the pirates."

"The latter," Big Joe said, rubbing his chin. "Is a tall order. But...perhaps I can free you if you best me. What exactly do you plan to challenge me in? Fist fighting? Anchor tossing?"

Chloe grinned widely. "I challenge you to arm wrestling."