Sometimes Varin hated life, and this was definitely one of those times. They had arrived at an island full of the dumbest animals he'd ever encountered, creatures stretched out and elongated in ways that defied logic, twisted versions of normal beasts that looked disturbingly similar to Luffy but in a way that was apparently permanent for them. He did his best to ignore the stupid creatures because the mast of the Merry was hanging on for dear life after another storm had torn through their path, and Varin was currently helping Usopp fix it up by holding the entire thing in place while the sniper worked on securing the joints.
"You're indenting the wood again, Varin," Usopp said, slapping Varin's fingers lightly with the wrench. The act caused the larger man to growl low in his throat, the sound reverberating through his chest in a way that made Usopp flinch slightly.
"You wanna hold this damn thing?" Varin said, his voice rough with frustration. "It's kinda hard to keep it straight when it's five times my size and double my width."
Usopp climbed higher on the mast, testing the joint with careful movements. "Yeah, well, maybe if you didn't have claws sharp enough to cut through steel, we wouldn't have this problem. How about you just not grip it so hard?"
"Then it falls over," Varin said flatly. "And crushes the ship. And kills everyone on board. Take your pick of which outcome you prefer."
One of the strange, stretched creatures wandered past Varins View on the shoreline, its body elongated like someone had taken a normal horse and pulled it in opposite directions. Varin watched it with the kind of disdain usually reserved for people who talked too much at breakfast. The animal seemed completely unbothered by his presence, which probably meant it had the intelligence of a particularly stupid piece of driftwood.
"Just hold it steady," Usopp called down, already positioning the metal braces that would keep the mast from snapping in half if they hit another storm. "And try not to think about how you could probably just eat the wood if you got hungry enough."
"Why would you put that image in my head?" Varin asked, genuinely irritated. "We've got enough problems without you suggesting I develop a splinter habit." He looked around, trying to spot anyone else who might be useful. "Where the hell is the rubber, moron? He could actually hold this without getting nagged at."
"Luffy went off with Chopper to play with the animals or something like that," Usopp answered with a grunt as he positioned the metal sheet against the mast. "You know he can never sit still. The second we arrived, he was gone, probably wrestling one of those stretched out creatures into submission."
Varin cursed under his breath. Of course, the captain had abandoned ship the moment they docked. That was exactly the kind of decision-making he'd come to expect from Luffy over the past weeks. Varin called out across the deck, his voice carrying over the sound of waves and creaking wood. "Robin! You mind giving us a hand here?"
"You would ask a lady to do such work?" Robin called back from somewhere behind him, her voice carrying that particular tone of amusement that meant she was absolutely going to make this difficult. "What if I chipped a nail or got a splinter?"
Varin tried to turn his head to look at her, but one of the perks of his fruit was not 360 vision. His face ended up smashing against the mast instead, which accomplished nothing except confirming that the wood was solid and his nose hurt slightly. He growled in frustration, unable to move without potentially dropping the entire structure on top of Usopp's head. "Really, now you're afraid to get your hands dirty?" Varin said, his voice muffled slightly by the mast. "Where was this side of you when you were trying to kill us? Pretty sure assassins get splinters all the time."
Robin laughed, the sound genuinely warm despite the context of his words. He heard footsteps approaching, the soft kind that suggested she was walking toward them rather than materializing out of thin air like she usually did. When she finally came into his peripheral vision, she was rolling up her sleeves with an expression of theatrical resignation.
"I suppose you have a point," she said, coming to stand on Usopp's other side. "An assassin's hands are hardly delicate instruments. Very well, I shall lend my assistance to your noble cause of preventing the Merry from becoming kindling."
She crossed her arms, and dozens of hands sprouted from the mast itself, materializing out of thin air with the eerie grace that always made Varin's teeth itch slightly. The hands gripped the wood from multiple angles, supporting it from the inside and outside simultaneously, distributing the weight in a way that meant Varin didn't have to press quite so hard to keep everything vertical. The pressure on his claws eased enough that he could finally relax his grip without fear of the entire structure collapsing.
"There, now hurry up before I start using you to put the nails in," Varin said, and there was just enough threat in his voice to suggest he might actually mean it.
Usopp laughed nervously from his position on the higher scaffolding, already working faster now that the mast was more stable. The sniper positioned metal braces with practiced efficiency, hammering them into place with movements that suggested he'd done this repair work more times than he wanted to admit. Robin's hands held everything perfectly steady, adjusting position as needed, providing support that no human could have managed alone.
"You know," Robin said conversationally, "threatening to use my abilities as construction tools is hardly the most creative insult you've managed, Varin. I expected better from someone with your vocabulary."
"My vocabulary is fine, and we both know that was aimed at Ussop, not you, lass," Varin replied flatly. "My patience with this island full of stretched out animals is what's failing. Why did we even stop here? The Log Pose could've pointed us literally anywhere else."
"Nami said we needed supplies," Robin answered, watching as Usopp positioned another brace into place. "And apparently, fresh water is running low. Though I suspect she was more interested in checking if this place had gold than actual survival necessities."
Varin let out a long, suffering sound from somewhere beneath the mast, his voice carrying a weight of exasperation that suggested he'd already had this argument multiple times in his head before actually voicing it. "Why?" he muttered, the word coming out more like a curse than an actual question. "The ship cannea float properly after hauling that gold from Skypiea. Unless she expects Usopp and me to work actual miracles, we shouldn't even be going low on supplies because of her endless greed. We've got enough stores to last weeks if she'd actually check the galley instead of dragging us all across every island looking for treasure."
"I HEARD THAT," Nami's voice came screaming from somewhere inside the ship, her tone sharp enough to cut through the ambient noise of the docks and the strange creatures wandering around. She emerged from the galley with her navigation charts spread across her arms, taking advantage of the moment when Varin and Usopp were occupied with the mast repairs to get her actual work done. Her orange hair was pulled back in a way that suggested she'd been concentrating hard on something, and her eyes were already gleaming with the particular intensity she got when mapping new territory. "And for your information, checking for resources and mapping are two completely different activities. A good navigator needs to understand what supplies are available on every island she visits. That's called being prepared."
"Shite navigator," Varin called back, feeling Usopp hammer in enough of the final braces that the slack loosened completely. He stepped away from the mast as Robin kept it steady with her multiple hands, her Devil Fruit still holding the structure in place while he was free to move. "Didn't even notice the massive ship getting ready to pull up on us, did ya? Means you must be a shite thief as well."
There was a moment of silence where Nami opened her mouth to respond, clearly preparing some cutting remark about how Varin should focus on his own job instead of critiquing hers, but then Usopp's head snapped up from where he'd been working on the scaffolding. The sniper's eyes went wide in that particular way that suggested he'd just caught sight of something significantly worse than any argument between crew members.
"Uh, guys?" Usopp's voice came out small and strained from his perch. "We might have a problem."
Everyone turned to look where he was pointing, and the moment they did, the problem became immediately obvious. A ship was approaching the dock, but calling it a ship felt inadequate for what was bearing down on them. The vessel was enormous, easily three or four times the size of the Merry, possibly more depending on how you measured it. The hull was painted a dark red that looked almost black in the afternoon light, and the wood seemed to be reinforced with materials that suggested whoever had built this ship had serious resources and serious intentions behind the construction.
But the figurehead was what caught everyone's attention immediately. It was the upper half of a fox head, carved with such detail and menace that it seemed to be snarling down at them from the bow. The fangs were bared in a permanent snarl, and the eyes were painted in a way that made it seem like the creature was actively watching everyone on the dock with predatory interest. The craftsmanship was exceptional, the kind of work that only came from someone with both skill and significant time to invest in making their ship memorable.
Robin's hands all retracted back into her body as she straightened up, her eyes fixed on the approaching vessel with the kind of calculating assessment that suggested she was already running through possibilities and outcomes. Nami's expression shifted from irritation to something more focused, her navigator's mind immediately cataloguing details about the ship's construction and capabilities. Usopp was already climbing down from the scaffolding, his movements quick and nervous in the way they always were when danger was approaching and he was too exposed to properly address it.
Sanji emerged from the galley, cigarette still hanging from his lip, but his body language had shifted into something more alert. His eyes tracked the approaching ship with the efficiency of someone who'd been in enough fights to recognize the signs of potential trouble. The way he moved suggested he was already calculating distances and exit routes, his mind working through possibilities in that way fighters always did when a new variable entered the equation.
"Well," Robin said quietly, her voice carrying a note of something that might have been amusement if the situation were any less dire, "it appears we have visitors."
The ship pulled closer, and Varin could see the crew moving around on deck, dozens of them, all moving with the kind of efficiency that suggested they were experienced sailors rather than random pirates who'd stumbled into some semblance of organization. The flag flying from the mast was one none of them immediately recognized, which meant either it was a crew they hadn't heard about yet or it was someone from a part of the world they hadn't traveled through before. Neither possibility filled Varin with confidence.
Before anyone could respond, the massive vessel began to slow, its enormous bulk cutting through the water with a momentum that suggested it would take significant effort to bring it to a complete halt. But then something unexpected happened. The sides of the ship opened up, and mechanical constructs began to deploy from hidden compartments along the hull. They were massive paw-like structures, each one easily the size of a building, forged from some kind of reinforced metal that caught the sunlight in ways that suggested impressive craftsmanship.
The paws drove themselves into the earth on either side of the Merry with brutal efficiency, anchoring the massive vessel in place with a force that made the ground shake. The smaller pirate ship lurched suddenly as the anchors dug deeper, effectively trapping it against the shore and preventing any chance of escape. The wooden hull creaked in protest at the sudden strain, and for a moment, Varin was certain something was going to snap entirely and leave them sinking in shallow water.
"What the hell is happening up here?" Vivi's voice came from below deck, rising up through the companionway with the particular tone of someone who'd been focused on something else and was now thoroughly confused about what had drawn everyone's attention. She emerged onto the main deck, her hair still slightly damp from where she'd been organizing supplies or working on repairs or one of the dozen other tasks that kept the ship functional. Her eyes moved from Nami to Robin to Sanji, searching for some explanation that made sense.
Then she saw the ship. The massive vessel loomed above them now, close enough that you could see individual details on the crew moving around on deck, close enough that the shadow it cast covered nearly the entire Merry in darkness. The fox figurehead was even more imposing up close, its expression twisted into something between a snarl and a grin. Vivi's words died on her lips, her mouth opening and closing without producing any sound as she tried to process what she was looking at.
Varin didn't waste time with deliberation. The shift came fast, bone cracking and muscle surging as his form expanded outward. Fur erupted across his frame in a wave of grey and silver, his body dropping to all fours as the transformation completed itself in seconds. His claws scraped against the wooden deck as he settled into position, and his presence immediately drew the attention of everyone on the larger ship who happened to be looking down at that moment.
"Don't give me away," Varin said, his voice a deep rumble that came from somewhere in his chest. The words were still comprehensible, still carried the weight of command, but they sounded wrong coming from a wolf's mouth. "Right now, I'm just a dumb dog. Nothing worth noting. Keep it that way."
Sanji blinked at him, his cigarette still hanging from his lip, and then a smirk started to spread across his face. "How's that any different than usual?" the cook muttered, clearly thinking his voice was quiet enough that only the immediate group would hear.
The tail came up fast, catching Sanji across the shoulder hard enough to spin him sideways and nearly knock him off his feet. The impact was precise enough not to cause actual damage, but forceful enough to make it clear that Varin had heard him perfectly and had taken offense to the implication. A low growl rumbled from somewhere deep in the wolf's throat, the kind of sound that suggested Sanji would do well to remember that Varin, in any form, was perfectly capable of expressing his displeasure in physical ways. "Im trying to play it smart in case these morons are actually a threat."
"Noted," Sanji said, coughing slightly as he straightened himself out and brushed off his jacket. "Keeping my mouth shut now."
Above them, a horn sounded from the massive ship, the kind of deep, resonant blast that seemed to vibrate through the air itself and settle into the bones of everyone within hearing range. Figures began to line the rails of the enormous vessel, dozens of them, all looking down at the Merry with the casual interest of predators who'd just cornered their prey. The paw anchors dug even deeper into the earth, and the mechanical sound of them locking into place echoed across the docks.
Vivi had moved closer to Varin without seeming to realize it, her hand coming to rest on the thick fur along his neck in a gesture that was probably meant to be comforting to her more than reassuring to him. Her eyes were fixed on the massive ship overhead, tracking the movement of the crew, her mind clearly working through scenarios and possibilities at a rate that suggested her navigator's instincts were already cataloguing details about their situation.
Robin stood perfectly still, her arms crossed in front of her, her expression unreadable in that way it always was when she was processing information. Nami had her hand on the hilt of her staff, not drawing it but ready to move at a moment's notice. Usopp had found himself a position where he could see what was happening without being directly in the line of sight of the ship's crew, his hand already moving toward the bag of tools and projectiles he kept nearby.
The silence stretched between them, heavy and expectant, like the world itself was holding its breath and waiting to see what happened next. The paws of the massive ship settled fully into place, the mechanical systems powering down with a series of hydraulic hisses that suggested the vessel wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.
And then, from somewhere high on the deck of the fox-headed ship, a voice called down, sharp and commanding and carrying the particular tone of someone who was used to being obeyed without question. "Well, well, well. What do we have here?"
The figure that emerged from the crowd of crew members was striking in a way that suggested careful cultivation. Tall enough to be imposing, though whether it was natural size or the angle they were looking from was up for debate, but not so massive that he seemed grotesque, he moved with the easy confidence of a man who'd never once questioned his own importance. His coat was crimson red, a matching shade to the hull of his ship, and it flared behind him as he made his way to the railing. His hair was a shade of black that caught the sunlight like polished metal, and his smile was wide enough to suggest either genuine friendliness or the practiced expression of a predator that had learned to look harmless.
"Captain Foxy," one of his crew called up from below, the voice carrying a note of cautious deference that suggested this was a man worth being careful around, even if he seemed friendly. "The ship's locked down. The small vessel isn't going anywhere."
"Excellent, excellent," Foxy said, his voice carrying the kind of theatrical enthusiasm that only came from someone who genuinely believed the world existed for his personal entertainment. He leaned against the railing, studying the Merry with the focused intensity of someone examining a particularly interesting acquisition. "You lot down there. The little pirate crew with the even littler ship. I'm Captain Silver Fox Foxy of the Foxy Pirates, and I have a proposition for you."
Nami's hand had moved to her staff, her fingers drumming against the shaft in a pattern that suggested rapid calculation. Robin stood perfectly still, her expression unreadable, though her arms were crossed in a way that made it clear she was ready to spring into action at a moment's notice. Sanji had shifted his weight slightly, his posture relaxing in a way that was entirely deceptive because Varin knew from weeks of traveling with him that the cook could move faster than most people could follow when he needed to.
Vivi was still touching Varin's fur, her fingers curled in the thick grey hair like she was holding onto an anchor. Her other hand had moved to the hilt of her rapier, the familiar weight of the weapon apparently comforting even if she probably couldn't do much with it against a ship this size.
"A proposition?" Sanji called back up, his voice carrying that particular tone of cautious interest that suggested he was already running through scenarios in his head. "Or a threat? Because generally when people trap your ship, it's one or the other."
Foxy laughed, and the sound carried across the distance between the two vessels with an ease that suggested his voice had been trained to project. It was the laugh of someone who genuinely found the world amusing, but there was something underneath it, something calculated and sharp that suggested the amusement came from a place of watching others stumble into situations they didn't fully understand.
"A proposition, I assure you," Foxy said, his smile widening even further if such a thing was possible. "You see, I make a habit of encountering pirate crews and offering them the opportunity to prove themselves. A friendly competition, if you will. A test of skill, cunning, and determination. A Davy Back Fight, and it's been a tradition among the greatest pirate crews for generations."
Robin's eyebrow arched slightly at that, a gesture so subtle that only someone paying very close attention would have noticed it. Varin noticed. He also noticed the way her eyes narrowed just fractionally, like she was processing information and filing it away in whatever mental library she maintained for dangerous individuals and situations.
"A Davy Back Fight," Nami repeated, her voice carrying a note of careful interest that suggested she was already thinking about angles and possibilities. "And what exactly are the stakes of this friendly competition?"
"Ah, an excellent question," Foxy said, and he descended the ladder from his elevated position with the casual grace of someone who'd done it a thousand times before. He landed on the deck of his own ship with enough force to suggest it was deliberate, a physical demonstration of his complete confidence in his environment. "The Davy Back Fight is a series of contests, you see. Different challenges that test different skills. The winning team of each contest gets to select a crew member from the losing team. That crew member then becomes part of the winning crew, bound by the ancient oath of the sea itself."
"You're talking about slavery," Vivi said flatly, her voice carrying the tone of someone who'd dealt with systems of forced servitude before and found them universally disgusting.
"Slavery is such an ugly word," Foxy replied, his tone never wavering from cheerful even as he addressed something that most people would have found deeply offensive. "I prefer to think of it as recruitment through competition. The crews participate willingly, after all. If you don't want to participate, you're free to sail away. Assuming, of course, that you can manage it with my paw anchors currently securing your vessel in place."
The implication hung there in the air between them like a physical thing. Participate willingly, or be trapped here indefinitely while Foxy decided what to do with them.
Varin watched the interplay, his wolf's eyes tracking every movement and expression. His tail was still, his body was still, but his mind was running through possibilities at a rate that would have been visible if he'd been in human form. He was, technically, just a dumb dog as far as Foxy's crew was concerned. Which meant he could observe freely, could assess threats, could plan without anyone expecting him to be doing anything beyond existing in the space where he'd been told to stay.
Behind him, Sanji had shifted his stance slightly. Not into anything aggressive, but into the kind of ready position that suggested the cook was already thinking about how to move once things inevitably went wrong. Which they would. Competitions with pirates generally did.
"And if we refuse?" Nami asked, her voice steady even though her knuckles had whitened slightly where they gripped her staff.
Foxy's smile never faltered. "Then I suppose we'll have to renegotiate the terms of your... permanent residence on Long Ring Long Land," he said cheerfully. "But I suspect you'll find that participating is far more entertaining than the alternative."
"I've heard of Davy Back Fight before," Vivi said after a long moment, her voice steady despite the weight of the situation pressing down around them. "But you need to agree with our captain, and he's not here right now, and we can't really accept on his behalf."
Foxy's grin, if possible, grew even wider. He descended from the railing with theatrical grace, his movements exaggerated in a way that suggested he was performing for an audience even though there was none. His black hair caught the light as he moved, and the red nose at the center of his fox-like face made the whole expression seem almost cartoonish if it hadn't been for the sharp calculation visible in his eyes.
"Well then, it's simple," he said, his voice carrying that same cheerful tone that made everything he said sound vaguely threatening. "We shall help you find your precious captain and see if he accepts. What is his name, by the way?"
"Monkey D. Luffy," Vivi answered, her hand still resting on Varin's massive head.
Foxy's expression shifted for just a fraction of a second, something flickering behind his eyes that suggested the name meant something to him. Then the smile returned, wider and sharper than before.
"Ah, Monkey D. Luffy," he repeated, rolling the name around in his mouth like he was tasting it. "Fascinating. The rubber man. Yes, yes, I've heard whispers of him through the grapevine. How delightful that fate has brought us together on this island." He clapped his hands together once, and immediately several of his crew members emerged from below deck. They were a motley collection of individuals, some human, some clearly not, all wearing masks that covered most of their faces. The masks were lazy, so much so that Varin honestly felt offended calling them masks. They were two bits of string, made to form a figure of two pyramids, sideways with the tips touching, still making every detail of the person clear, like a mask, shouldn't do. "You will lead us to your captain, and we shall present our challenge properly."
"That is fine," Vivi said, her voice perfectly calm, almost like she'd been expecting this response all along. She turned slightly, and Varin felt her fingers tighten in his fur just enough for him to understand that this was calculated. "But my pet here has to follow. He doesn't do well when we are separated."
Sanji opened his mouth immediately, clearly ready to launch into an argument about how a massive wolf shouldn't be following anyone anywhere, but Vivi had already committed to the path, and she wasn't backing down now. Nami looked like she wanted to say something, her eyes narrowing as she calculated the implications. Zoro had his hand resting on the hilt of one of his swords, ready to move if things suddenly went south. But it was Vivi's calm that stopped them all from objecting further, that suggestion that she had some kind of plan or at least understood the stakes of what she was proposing.
Foxy studied the massive wolf form beneath Vivi's hand, and for the first time, something like genuine interest crossed his features. He walked to the edge of his ship's deck, leaning over the railing to get a better look at Varin, his head tilting at an angle that reminded Varin of a predator sizing up potential prey.
"A wolf," Foxy said softly. "How unusual. Most pirates don't keep animal companions on the scale this one appears to be." He gestured broadly at Varin's form. "This creature is easily twice the size of a normal horse. Four times, if we're being generous in our measurements. Quite impressive, really. Most people wouldn't even manage to keep something this large fed, let alone trained."
Varin's ears flicked back slightly at the assessment, but he remained completely still. Just a dumb dog. Nothing to see here. Just a really, really large dumb dog.
Sanji cleared his throat. "Now look here, if you think—"
"The arrangement is acceptable," Foxy announced, cutting him off with a gesture of magnanimous approval that suggested he'd just made a generous concession. But his eyes were still locked on Varin, studying him with the kind of focused attention that suggested he was cataloguing information. "The young lady may bring her beast. Though I should mention, if your... pet... attempts anything untoward, my crew is more than capable of handling the situation. Wouldn't want any unfortunate incidents during our journey, would we?"
As if on cue, the masked crew members shifted slightly closer to the railing. There were at least two dozen of them visible, and Varin suspected there were more below deck. Foxy clearly believed in the principle of overwhelming force, even if he wasn't personally capable of delivering it. Smart, in a cowardly sort of way. Bring enough people and most problems became manageable, regardless of individual power levels, though once this farce was over, Varin was going to ask why he didn't just….kill everyone, even if they had a few hundred member, him, luffy, sanji, zoro, he'll even Nami could probably take out a good few, but the the other four probably could have wiped the entire crew solo.
"We understand," Vivi said, her voice not wavering even as the tension on the ship ratcheted up another notch. "We'll leave immediately."
"Excellent, excellent," Foxy said, clapping his hands together again in that sharp, decisive manner. "Hamburg! Porche! Prepare the rowboat. We shall accompany our new friends on a scenic tour of Long Ring Long Land in search of this mysterious Monkey D. Luffy. And do bring some assistance, just in case our new friends decide to become uncooperative."
Two figures emerged from below deck. One was a relatively large man with a face that suggested he'd been on the receiving end of more than a few fights, and the other was a woman with a distinctive appearance and an expression that suggested she found the entire situation vaguely amusing. Both wore the characteristic style of Foxy Pirates, and both had the kind of casual confidence that came from working for a captain they trusted, even if that captain was clearly several degrees off from actually sane.
Varin's wolf eyes tracked them both, noting the way they moved, the positions of any weapons he could see, the way they positioned themselves relative to each other and to Foxy. The man named Hamburg looked like he could probably hit hard if given the chance. The woman named Porche moved with more precision, suggesting training rather than just brute strength.
A small rowboat was lowered from the side of Foxy's massive vessel with surprising efficiency. Foxy descended into it first, followed by Hamburg and Porche, with several of the masked crew members taking positions around them.
Vivi glanced back at her crew, her expression suggesting she was trying to convey confidence while also being fully aware of how precarious their situation had become. "We'll be back," she said simply.
And then she turned toward the path that led inland, her hand still resting on Varin's massive head, trusting him to follow while simultaneously hoping that he understood the delicate balance she'd just managed to create by insisting he come along. Behind them, the sound of Foxy's cheerful humming followed, mixing with the call of the strange, stretched animals that inhabited Long Ring Long Land, creating a soundtrack to what Varin was almost certain was about to become significantly more complicated than anyone had anticipated.