Naval Battle Schneider Pirates

[Gambit]

Schneider’s grin widened as Rouge chuckled, feeling a momentary relief wash over the crew. But the sudden shift in Rouge’s gaze towards Gumpy sent a cold chill through the air.

From the crow’s nest, Gumpy’s eyes widened like saucers, his nervous hands gripping the edges of the platform tightly. He glanced down, trembling as he realized Rouge was pointing directly at him.

“W-What? Me?!” Gumpy stammered, his voice cracking. He looked around, desperate for some sort of escape, but there was none.

Schneider gave him an encouraging thumbs-up from below. "C’mon, Gumpy! You’ve got this, mate!"

Gumpy gulped hard. His mind raced. *A joke? My life depends on a joke?!* He wiped the sweat from his brow and took a deep breath, trying to muster up the courage to speak.

“O-Okay, here goes...” Gumpy stammered, his voice barely audible at first. “Why... why did the scarecrow become a pirate?”

There was a pause, the entire crew holding their breath.

“Because... he was outstanding in his field!"

He gave a weak laugh, hoping against hope that it was enough to save his life.

 

[Infinity]

Schneider Pirates #6
@Gambit
“W-What? Me?!” The young man questioned in a panic. Rouge had chosen him to be the next one to tell a joke, and the demonic entity was confident he would fail to deliver.

"Yes, my friend! You're next in line!" Rouge said with his finger still pointed in his direction.

Sensing his crewmate's discomfort, Captain Schneider encouraged him on, having faith in capability to tell a good joke. Afterall, fun is what the Schneider Pirates were good at.

After steeling his will, Gumpy had finally mustered the courage. He would have to, his life depended on his performance.

“O-Okay, here goes..." He said, muttering to himself. Rouge's eyes glinted in anticipation. "Let's see what you've got...Gumpy."

"Why... why did the scarecrow become a pirate?” He asked, setting up the joke non confidently.

The silence was deafening, as Gumpy paused before laying down the punch line. Rouge raised his brow, wondering where he was going with this.

"Why?"

“Because... he was outstanding in his field!" He finished, giving a weak laugh.

Rouge slowly lowered his arm. His red eyes widened in shock as he processed the joke. It was corny, no doubt about it. But that only added to the hilarity for the demon.

"He was outstanding in his field..." He whispered to himself in disbelief. "He was out. Standing. In his field!"

Rouge fell backwards overwhelmed with laughter. "FUFUFUFUFUFUGUFUFUFUFUUU!! That was so stupid! Yet, so funny! Good job Gumpy! FUFUFUFUFUFUFUFUFUFUUUU!!!" He exclaimed, guffawing with glee.

Rising back to his full height, Rouge dusted himself off before finally regaining his composure. After wiping away his tears, he silently cast his gaze at Trim, a bit less sinister than he did Gumpy. "And then there was one."​

 

[Gambit]

Trim’s eyes widened, his grip tightening around the scythe as Rouge's gaze shifted to him. He could feel the weight of the moment pressing down like an anchor. The crew had survived on sheer dumb luck and terrible jokes, but Trim? He wasn’t cut out for this. Jokes weren’t his thing—scythes, maybe, but jokes? Never.

Schneider leaned in, whispering from the side, "C’mon, Trim! You got this. Just... think of something dumb!"

Trim shot him a glare that could pierce steel. “I’m *not* good at this,” he muttered under his breath, his voice barely hiding the panic. Still, Rouge waited, his towering figure eerily calm now, though clearly still amused.

Trim sighed, dragging his free hand across his face. He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Alright, here goes... Why... uh... why don’t skeletons fight each other?"

The crew looked at each other nervously, but no one dared to interrupt.

Trim gave an uncharacteristically awkward pause before finishing. “Because... they don’t have the guts.”

Silence. The crew collectively held their breath, eyes flicking nervously between Trim and Rouge. This was it.

 

[Infinity]

Schneider Pirates #7
@Gambit

"And then there was one."

Trim seemed like the most serious of the bunch. Rouge did not expect much from his sense of humor, though he had assumed Gumpy had a higher chance of failing than he did. However, Rouge decided to let his actions speak for himself. That funny joke from earlier was a humbling experience for him. He won't put anything past this crew and their humorous potential.

Rouge waited calmly and patiently as Trim prepared himself to begin. Awkwardly, he cleared his throat as he began the set-up.

"Alright, here goes... Why... uh... why don’t skeletons fight each other?"

Rouge remained silent during the intermission between now and the punchline, anticipation brimming within his body. "Why?"

“Because... they don’t have the guts.”Trim finished, with an uncomfortable look on his face.

The demon stood still quietly in disbelief, but it wasn't the same kind as before. A single drop of sweat ran comedically down his temple while his eyes filled with sympathy.

"That was...a good try!" Rouge said without a laugh. "However, you just couldnt make the cut. Better luck next time, bud." He raised his finger towards the blonde man and ignited it's tip, causing flames to concentrate into a single point.

"It's time to die."​

 

[Gambit]

Trim's eyes widened in panic as the flames ignited on Rouge’s fingertip, the heat already causing sweat to bead on his forehead. His heart pounded in his chest as he realized the gravity of the situation.

“Wait! Wait, wait, wait!” Trim blurted out, raising his hands defensively. “I... I got another one! Just... gimme one more shot!”

Rouge’s smirk didn’t fade, but his hand paused for a moment, flames still flickering menacingly.

Trim gulped, his mind racing. This was it. His last chance. With every ounce of desperation, he stumbled through his words. “Okay... okay, uh... what... what did the ocean say to the pirate?”

A beat of silence.

“Nothing... it just waved.”

Trim gritted his teeth, inwardly cringing. It was all he had left. The tension on the deck was suffocating, and every crew member watched with bated breath, unsure of what fate would befall him.

 

[Infinity]

Schneider Pirates #8
@Gambit

Trim began to panic as flames seemingly ignited on the man's fingertips, causing him to raise his hands in defense, desperately begging for a second chance.

“Wait! Wait, wait, wait! I... I got another one! Just... gimme one more shot!” He said quickly.

Rouge stood with an amused smirk, intentionally delaying his supposed attack as the flames danced on his fingers.

Trim stuttered through his words, highly distressed by the situation. “Okay... okay, uh... what... what did the ocean say to the pirate?”

Once again silence followed for a few moments before Rouge would finally give his reply, anticipation once again having him in a chokehold as he awaited the pirate's response

"Why?"

“Nothing... it just waved.” The blonde man said, gritting his teeth in disgust at his own terrible nature of his joke. Rouge raised a brow, before shaking his head with a chuckle "That was another bad joke, bud."

Most likely coming as a surprise to the Schneider Pirates, the mysterious man cut through the tension by quickly shifting his fingers, revealing none other than a lit match that's flame licked his finger tips.

"Surprise! I had no intentions of killing you all! Fufufufufufufufufu!" He laughed uncontrollably, holding his stomach. "It's good to be back around people again! KG would probably be proud that I have a sense of humor now." The shadow man said through tears.

Raising his hand, he pinched the surface of his skin with his finger-tips before beginning to slowly peel it off, revealing tan colored skin hidden underneath and a face that the pirate's most likely would have recognized from the newspapers. "This suit was getting hot anyway, no point in putting it on and scaring more people."

Disrobing, he revealed a blood-red colored Changshan that's chinese threading glistened the in the bright sunlight of the North Blue. His white hair spiked forward, fading into yellow at the ends, while his once red eyes were replaced with a golden yellow and a bright grin.

"That's better. There was no way I would have been able to sneak out of that place without that disguise!"​