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Scoops McGee · (10-23-2025)

Joseph Taylor felt the buzz of alcohol turn into a roar in his systems. A wide grin was stretched along his face, body slumped forward as he forced himself to speak.

“Anotherrr… round. S'il vous plaît…” His French accent had come out in full force, practically having a lump of cotton in his throat as he spoke. His grin soon faded as the bartender instead shook his head in front of him. “What? That’s not… fairrrr…”

A groan of frustration spilled out, but it wasn’t soon to last as he noticed the bartender turn his head. Joseph readied his meanest scowl, ready to get rid of the man who was standing between him and his drink. Instead, what he saw was…

“…Pirate…?”

Before Joseph stood a haggard man, wrinkles lining down his face between the bandana and eyepatch he held. A tight, black cotton t-shirt clung to his body, and that was saying nothing about the striped, loose breeches. He couldn’t properly make out what the pirate was saying. His ears refused to cooperate.

Still, he looked funny. Joseph giggled at him, slicking his greying hair back as he drank the sight in.

The pirate turned to him, an eyebrow raised. As he raised his eyepatch, however, Joseph felt his blood run cold.

“…Terry…?”

“You look like the saddest sack o’ shit in the world right now, boah.”

“Tap to pay?” the cashier looked to Scoops with a befuddled expression as he gazed at his costume. His finger was pointed to the pay terminal.

“Huh? Oh, yeah.” Scoops went into his wallet, taking out a few crinkled bills and tapped them twice on the terminal before handing them over. The cashier’s eyes looked like they were about to bulge out of their skull as Noah’s stifled laugh behind Scoops sounded like a racoon being choked.

As Scoops turned back behind him towards Joseph, he tossed him the bottle that was in his hands. Joseph caught the water, grimacing.

“C’mon, boahs. Let’s walk-’n’-talk.”

Joseph had to admit, helping to fight the dehydration was good while he was sobering up. He looked at Scoops as the three walked out of the store. “So… why exactly are you wearing a pirate costume, mon ami?”

“Gonna be fightin’ in this come Anarchy against King Jackass, so I figured I might as well get nice-’n’-comfy in it while I got the chance.” Joseph let out a small scoff of disbelief, which Scoops ignored. “My turn. What’s got you in Chicago right now?”

“Business trip. Had some free time for fun… had a little too much fun, it seems…”

“Got that right. Yer’ lucky Noah got the call for me to come pick yer’ bum ass up. You musta been braggin’ about me to the barkeep if he got a hold of my number.”

“And you’re lucky that you have me around to hold onto your phone while you’re wearing that…”

“Isn’t Anarchy in Jersey, though?” Joseph furrowed his brow. “Why are you in Chicago, Terry? I mean, Reiner Baumann? Really?”

Scoops paused for a moment, the autumn air chilling him as some people stared at his costume. “I was jus’ retracin’ my steps. Figure I’ve got the treasure hunt to the Universal title, but I’ve got some clues I need to figure out for myself first and foremost. Findin’ Crusher was a coincidence.”

“A coincidence that could get you killed, from what I’ve heard of his nephew. Apparently he’s made waves in the local training circuit here.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Scoops frowned.

Noah could sense the agitation growing in both men as he chimed in. “We could… work together, right? I mean, we can always scope out the other gyms and training areas, right? Just like the Forge!”

Joseph hesitated. “Not… tonight. Reiner’s… something I need to prepare myself for. I’ll be in Chicago for a while though, Terry. We’ll need to meet up again soon and figure out a plan for him.”

“Magnificent Two all over again,” Scoops grinned. “This time, we’re gonna make those little fuckers walk the plank. But first things first, I plan on making King Jackass walk the plank instead come Anarchy.”

“Oh, Lord, here he goes…”

“Kieran’s stayed bein’ a snivellin’ little jackass, and when Savage goes on the air, that ain’t changin’. He’s got his motley fuckin’ crew guardin’ him at all times, he’s usin’ them to his advantage whenever possible, even winnin’ matches with them like a coward. Because Kieran is simple. More than anythin’ else, he craves control. He likes bein’ the man on top, knowin’ everything revolves around him, and knowin’ that things are gonna be at his mercy if he decides to up and leave like he did before. He’s a King, alright… a jackass of a King who needs a reality check.”

“Because Kiki can’t handle the thought of someone being on his level. Kiki can’t handle the thought that someone might be able to knock him off his throne. I pinned him before. He knows I can get the drop on him when I need to. But as much as I need this match to get to the Uni title…”

“He needs this match more. He needs to prove his little shitty superiority by pinning me again. All I need to do is outlast him. Because the more Kieran can’t beat me, the more he ain’t in control. And when that happens, he’s gonna get angry. He’s gonna make mistakes. He’s gonna drop his guard. And that’ll lead to mistakes.”

“But for me? I got one mission during this match.” Scoops scowled darkly, clenching his fist towards the camera. “I’m gonna put the fuckin’ fear of God in that man and make him learn he ain’t the invincible King he thinks he is. No guard to save him this time.”

Joseph frowned as he noticed Scoops’ expression. “Reiner pissed you off, huh?”

“Yep. And now, it’s gonna be Kieran’s problem. Blame it on ‘em bein’ so damn alike.”

Threaded Mode \| Linear Mode Scoops McGee in... “The Sea of Gold”
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