Lara's POV;

The cheering from the audience was extremely loud and I had to dampen the sound for me and Lia. Especially Koala, she was screaming her lungs out. “Go, Sabo, beat him up!”

Yet our crew wasn't watching silently either. Jo was the only one who watched silently. Fiara's robotic arms were holding a large poster with 'Go Yosaku!' written on it. Noa got a speaker, built this morning by Fiara, to shout his own encouragements and Jonny was shouting threats at Yosaku, daring him to lose. Even Nojiko was clapping and cheering. She was able to come because Mrs Chicken Wing is guarding the ship.

The commentator was grinning widely when he stepped forward. Sabo and Yosaku were already ready and inside the arena. “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our next round of this years fighting tournament. The fighters Sabo and Yosaku will fight. Only one of them will have the right to rise into the next round.

 So without further talk, let me start the fight. Go!”

Sabo instantly shot forward, his pipe raised behind his head and ready to swing down at Yosaku. Many normal people would not have seen him at all, so fast was Sabo. A dust cloud followed him and was blown away when he reached Yosaku.

But Yosaku was used to train with Jonny and me, it was easy for him to follow this kind of speed. He raised his sword in the ox position and blocked the attack. Sabo's pipe crashed into Yosaku's large cleaver-like sword. And the ground beneath them cracked. Still, Yosaku's sword was steady and did not shake.

Yosaku deflected the attack to the left side and made a step to the right. He swung his sword and aimed it directly at Sabo's neck. It would have decapitated him if Sabo hadn't ducked under the sword. However, Yosaku wasn't finished. He used the momentum of his swing to turn his body and plant a kick into Sabo's side.

Sabo was still in his crouched position and not able to get away, he could only place his pipe in between himself and Yosaku's kick. 

His body skidded backwards, but his posture wasn't broken. Sabo stood up and inspected his pipe. He then smiled at Yosaku. “You've nicked my pipe, it makes fun to fight you, you are good. Let's pick the pace up one step, shall we?”

“Lara said you'll be good. Maybe I can try some of my newer techniques against you”, grinned Yosaku back. Sabo was again the first to attack, he sprinted at Yosaku in the same way as before, only this time his pipe was blackened from Armament Haki.

Yosaku on the other side inhaled deeply and then let his breath out in a loud shout. “[Demonic Strength]!”His arm muscles suddenly bulged and grew thrice in size. They looked now more gorilla-like than human and I'm sure that an attack of his will now be slower, yet also way more devastating. This will become really strong once he gets Armament Haki.

Sabo wasn't showing any signs of worry, his face still held a large grin when he reached Yosaku. He jumped up and swung his pipe down at Yosaku's right shoulder. It met Yosaku's sword in the middle.

A blast of air shot out from them and a small force blade flew past Sabo. It dissolved a few short meters behind him, but the force blade alone showed the strength behind Yosaku's swing. It was generated by pure strength and not skill.

Sabo's body stopped mid-air, held up by their clash of weapons. Yosaku roared and pushed Sabo away, who did a somersault and started his next attack immediately after landing. His pipe was a blur when it crashed into Yosaku's parry.

Sabo pulled back right after and sent his weapon back down, it got blocked again. They repeated this for a short moment. Sabo's pipe was only a dark blur of one-handed swings. Most viewers were not able to follow his moves at all. Still, Yosaku's cleaver was an impenetrable wall of steel. Each clash rung like a gong and cracked the ground.

Then Sabo did something else. He jumped up again and hammered his pipe down at Yosaku. It was blocked again, but Yosaku showed some visible strain on his face. “[Dragon Claw!]” Sabo's free hand was suddenly formed into a claw and blackened with Armament Haki. He grabbed the end part of Yosaku's sword and clamped down.

Yosaku watched with shock and in some horror how his sword began to crack and then break. A third of his blade got broken off by Sabo's attack. The now lighter sword disrupted Yosaku's stance and Sabo's pipe won the standoff.

It pushed Yosaku's sword down and would have crashed into Yosaku's shoulder, had Yosaku not jumped to the side in the last moment. Sabo's attack carried on and produced a massive crater in the arena. Large enough to fit a house inside and deep enough to stand in it. 

“Holy, and Yosaku blocked that?”, asked Jonny in awe. He, like Noa and many other viewers, was slack awed by this show of strength.

Back in the ring, Yosaku was frowning at his broken sword. “Dude, not nice. I liked that sword, how am I now going to fight Marines?”

Sabo had the decency to look sheepish. He scratched the back of his head and laughed awkwardly. “Sorry, I kinda got caught in the heat of the fight. Few are able to block me so well. I wanted to test my pipe against your sword but fell back into my main fighting style when I saw that it won't work.” 

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

“So you've only played with me?”, asked Yosaku with an angry frown. Most likely more directed at himself for not being taken seriously.

Sabo saw this too, so he hastily waved his hands and shook his head. “No, not the least. You held my pipe back when I was serious.” Yosaku nodded, satisfied. He didn't catch the unspoken slight at him. Sabo was not taking him fully serious, otherwise, he wouldn't have used his pipe at all. If his claim of being better with his hands is true. 

Yosaku looked back down at his sword and frowned, before looking up at Sabo, then over to us and finally to the commentator/referee. “Fine, but without a sword, I can't do much. I know that you are now stronger than me and this isn't a fight worth heavy injuries. So I'm going to surrender.” 

“Contestant Yosaku has surrendered after an epic fight. Sabo will be allowed to rise into the next round. Please give both participants a heavy applause!”, shouted the commentator after realizing that the fight was over.

“A good thing that he surrendered,” said Lia with a nod, I agreed.

“How so?” asked Fiara with a confused expression. “He still has most of his sword left and he hasn't even used what i made for him,” she added.

I explained it to her with a pat on her head. “Sabo's attack broke Yosaku's sword. Another attack will be able to do the same and then his weapon is completely destroyed. He would need Haki to stop that, which he hasn't gotten yet. And an attack that breaks good steel is able to break bones as well. So he surrendered before he gets any wound that needs time to heal. He will still have ripped some of his muscles with his new technique. But they heal faster than a broken bone.”

Fiara nodded in understanding and then cheered for Yosaku. “Well, I'll better get down there. I don't trust quacks that call themselves doctors. Yosaku will need some proteins for his muscles as well as a painkiller and possibly even a sling, depending on the self-inflicted damage”, groused Jo suddenly, he stood up and was about to leave. 

“Wait for us, the next fight will be boring.”, I said and stood up as well. The rest followed and we walked down to the fighters section. There we found Yosaku denying the treatment of said quacks and an amused Sabo.

Sabo didn't look to be wounded or out of breath. But Yosaku's arms were red and blue, as well as shaking. “Ah, Sis Lara and Lia. I'm sorry that I've lost”, apologised Yosaku the moment he saw us. He even bowed.

“Don't be, Sabo is using a technique that specialises in fighting against large weapons. If skilled enough he can break anything. Be it artillery, cannonballs, weapons or armour. It was just bad luck on your side. And you did hold your own against him. He would have lost his pipe after three swings, if not for his Armament Haki. And someone who can use Armament Haki as easily as Sabo is not easy to hold back. You did well.” I said with a grin and patted his bald head. 

“Yes Yosaku, not many can take a swing of my pipe as easily as you. There are Marine Captains that were swatted away by a single hit from me”, agreed Sabo with me, Koala nodded in confirmation.

He looked up and saw the smiling faces of the crew. He got teary eyed from all the support and nodded hastily while swiping the tears away. Jonny was grinning brightly at him. Both still have some self-confidence problems. Constantly worrying if they are better than their old pitifully weak selves. It got better, and they are now confident against normal Marines or pirates, but the self-doubt is coming back up whenever they have to face someone who really is strong. 

“Jo will patch you up and we'll take a look at your sword. Today's tournament rounds will be over after the next fight. We don't have to stay for it.” I then said and allowed Jo to insult and worry about Yosaku. Jo always insults his patients for their stupidity in getting hurt to begin with. And then he patches them up with the utmost care and tenderness.

We didn't stay to see who will fight Sabo tomorrow. Either of them won't pose a threat. So we walked back to the Shadow and I took a look at Yosaku's sword and Sabo's pipe. The later was still good enough to be used, only a single nick was inside the metal.

But Yosaku's sword, it was a lost cause. It can still be used for brutal attacks that cleave the enemy in two, but Yosaku's sword style was more than that. 

The balance was totally fucked up and the reach no longer high enough for Yosaku. And reforging the weapon would be too wasteful. It'll be easier for me to make a completely new weapon, it will be a better one as well.

“Sorry, it would be needed to be reforged. And that would make it weaker than before. A new weapon would be better for you.” I said and Yosaku's hopeful look broke instantly. Sabo, who was also on board and the reason for Yosaku's now destroyed weapon, started to apologise again. He got bonked on the head from Koala for breaking the weapon of a friend. 

Yosaku waved Sabo's apology off. “Nah, it's okay. Our next stop is Water 7 anyway. Lara said she will make new weapons for us there. It would have been replaced then anyway.”

“Yours will be the first, I'll promise”, I said while giving him his sword back. He strapped it on his back and then had to reposition it. The weight seems to not be good enough for its old position. 

“Do you have any idea how you'll fight Mrs Chicken Wing?”, asked Yosaku, trying to change the topic.

“I do have an idea, but am not sure if it will work. I'll have to put my money on her behaviour and personality.” I answered. I know, as much as it annoys me, that Mrs Chicken Wing is stronger than me. If she wants to she can win the fight, maybe not as unscathed as she usually is, but she will win.

“Your hen is strange, why does she has Conqueror Haki, to begin with? It's a chicken, poultry should not be able to knock me out with a single blast of Haki”, complained Sabo, he was still miffed about his loose. And that none of us would tell him anything about Mrs Chicken Wing's history. Only Lia and I know that she has royal blood, to begin with.

The rest thinks of her as one strange hen, a chicken that is stronger than their captain but still somewhat of a chicken.

“I'm sure you were just unprepared”, I laughed, my words were sarcastic and he knows it. “Anyway, Lia will be finished with cooking in a few minutes. Let's get back inside, I am hungry.” I said while ducking under a swing of Sabo's fist.

I then pocked him in the stomach and skipped off into the ship. I found the rest already sitting in the kitchen and sat down next to Koala. Sabo, who came storming after me, stopped in his tracks and was glaring at me. He knew that I am using Koala as a shield. 

“Koala?”, I began, a slightly evil grin on my face. The tone I held was in a slightly sob and hurt. Sabo saw my grin and instantly knew what I am going to do. He was pleading silently for me to stop. 

“Yes, Lara?”, asked Koala while turning around to me. I changed my expression to a wide-eyed, slightly teary and distraught girl. Koala had no chance, she had to hug and pat my head. “Sabo is teasing me.” She shot Sabo a death glare that promises pain and started to pat me, telling me that she will make him stop.

The rest clearly knew what was going on and were snickering.