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Battle of the Month Award |
Jack Sparrow: The legendary Pirate of the Seven Seas, and Captain of the Black Pearl...
Zorro: A former thief who now fights to protect the weak from the powerful and corrupt...
Both are known for rebelling against the authority figures of their time, both are highly skilled in swordplay and trickery, and both are known for accomplishing the impossible. But today, only one will be victorious!
Jack Sparrow[]
Jack Sparrow was a legendary pirate of the Seven Seas, and the irreverent trickster of the Caribbean. A captain of equally dubious morality and sobriety, a master of self-promotion and self-interest, Jack fought a constant and losing battle with his own best tendencies. Jack's first love was the sea, his second his beloved ship the Black Pearl.
Throughout his years as an infamous pirate of the Caribbean, Jack Sparrow embarked on many adventures, several of which involved gaining items of unique value. Jack was captain of the Black Pearl for two years, during which time he searched for the Shadow Gold. But when he was after the treasure of Isla de Muerta, Jack lost the Pearl in a mutiny led by his first mate, Captain Hector Barbossa. Ten years later, with the help of Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann, Jack retrieved the Black Pearl after having fought and killed the cursed Barbossa, thereby becoming its captain once again. Jack was soon after the Dead Man's Chest, to settle his debt with the fearsome Davy Jones, which ended with him taken to Davy Jones' Locker by the Kraken. After escaping the Locker with the help of his crew, led by the resurrected Hector Barbossa, Jack had joined with the Brethren Court in the battle against Lord Cutler Beckett, who had control over Davy Jones and the Flying Dutchman.
(Pirates of the Caribbean Wiki)
Weapons[]
Hanger (Melee)[]
A hanger is a type of cutlass.
It has a slightly longer blade than a standard cutlass, and has a generally straight or slightly curved edge. The guard is generally curved around the hilt. Soldiers and woodsmen preferred the Hanger. Hangers had light blades and were primarily used for self-defense. Often they had a shell guard to protect the hand. They were less rugged that an cutlass and often carried as a status symbol by gentleman and officers.
Captain Jack Sparrow favored a hanger in combat, preferring a slightly longer blade than ordinary cutlasses for additional reach.
Flintlock Pistols (x2) (Ranged)[]
The flintlock mechanism produced sparks when a piece of flint, held in the jaws of a spring-loaded hammer or "cock" struck the hardened steel face of the "frizzen", knocking the frizzen forward to uncover a small pan of gunpowder underneath. The resulting spark ignited the powder in the pan and this flame was transferred through a small hole to ignite the main powder charge inside the barrel. Under damp or rainy conditions, the gunpowder in the pan could get wet and the gun would be unable to fire.
Flintlock pistols were used as self-defense weapons and as a military arm. Their effective range was short, and they were frequently used as an adjunct to a sword.
(Pirates of the Caribbean Wiki)
Zorro[]
In 1821, Don Diego de la Vega fights against Spain in the Mexican War of Independence as Zorro, a mysterious avenger who defends the Mexican peasants and commoners of Las Californias. Don Rafael Montero, the cruel governor of the region, learns de la Vega's identity. Arresting de la Vega in his home, his beloved wife Esperanza is accidentally killed by one of Montero's soldiers. Montero imprisons de la Vega and takes his infant daughter, Elena, as his own and leaves for Spain.
Twenty years later, Montero returns from exile in Spain with Elena, who has grown into a beautiful woman, by his side. He is planning to turn California into an independent republic. However, his reappearance also awakens a long-dormant de la Vega, who has spent two decades living in anonymity during his imprisonment. He escapes from prison, and as he plans his revenge on Montero, de la Vega encounters a thief, Alejandro Murrieta, who - along with his brother - greatly admired Zorro as a child and even had a small hand in the hero's last great exploit. After a brief period of deliberation, de la Vega decides to take Alejandro as his protégé. Inspired by the wish for revenge upon Captain Harrison Love, his brother's killer and Montero's right hand man, he endures the tough training regimen brilliantly.
(Deadliest Fiction Wiki)
Weapons[]
Rapier (Melee)[]
A rapier is a very thin-bladed sword used in Renaissance Europe. The weapon was typically not carried onto the battlefield, but rather used as a defensive weapon by civilians. The rapier's long, thin blade means that is an effective weapon for thrusting, but is not particularly effective for slashing.
(Deadliest Fiction Wiki)
Bullwhip (Ranged)[]
A bullwhip is a single-tailed whip, usually made of braided leather, which was originally used as a tool for working with livestock. Bullwhips are traditionally used to control livestock in open country. A bullwhip's length, flexibility, and tapered design allows it to be thrown in such a way that, toward the end of the throw, part of the whip exceeds the speed of sound—thereby creating a small sonic boom.
(Wikipedia)
X-Factors[]
Training[]
89/81
Jack Sparrow recieved a great deal of training his entire life, including personal experience, lessons from his father, and even training from an Italian fencing master in exchange for some Chinese silk. Alejandro only recieved a short amount of training as an adult from the previous Zorro before being forced to assume the role.
EDGE: Jack Sparrow.
Experience[]
95/80
Alejandro spent most of his childhood as a common thief, only assuming the title of Zorro as a young adult. Jack Sparrow, on the other hand, has been engaging in highly dangerous adventures his entire life, even before taking command of the Black Pearl. In addition, while Zorro commonly fights against government soldiers, Jack has fought a far larger variety of enemies, including British soldiers, other pirates, alchemists and even the dreaded Davy Jones himself.
EDGE: Jack Sparrow.
Intelligence[]
86/85
Both warriors are highly intelligent and creative, using their enviromnents to their advantage and able to work their way out of almost any situation. However, Jack gets the slight edge due to his greater experience (meaning more opportunities to learn and use new skills), and also his willingness to use any means to win/escape, including taking hostages.
EDGE: Jack Sparrow.
Psychological Health[]
80/90
Throughout his life, Jack has been through a number of experiences that have strained him psychologically, including his chaotic childhood, being marooned by Hector Barbosa, and his constant drinking of rum just to name a few. While these have little, if any, impact on his combat skills, they have nonetheless had some impact on shaping who he is today. Zorro, while being forced to deal with the deaths of his brother and mentor, is, for the most part, mentally sound.
EDGE: Zorro.
Voting conditions[]
Full votes require either detailed edges or 1-2 detailed paragraphs with strong, valid arguments.
1/2 votes are earned with edges that have little detail, or a few sentences describing your vote.
No vote will be given to comments that merely state the name of your chosen warrior, and/or have poor or nonsensical reasoning. (Also, no "vote copying")
Battle[]
The hot sun beat down on the California port as dock workers continued to load and unload cargo from the various ships. All the noise, however, couldn't entirely drown out the sound of crying from the nearby town. In the middle of a dirty alley, a Spanish soldier was yelling at an elderly woman outside her door, demanding she pay the tax. The woman's cries that she barely had enough to feed her family fell on deaf ears. The soldier yelled again, and pointed his gun at the woman, who was forced to hand him a small bag of coins. Satisfied, the soldier turned and began to walk away. As he turned the corner, however, he bumped into a man wearing a triangular hat.
"So sorry, mate, didn't see you there." the man said.
The soldier yelled at him in Spanish, telling him to get lost. The man bowed respectfully, and the soldier turned and walked away, failing to notice that the bag of coins was now missing from his belt. As he began to leave, Jack Sparrow lifted the bag to his ear, shaking it slightly and listening to the money jingle inside. Grinning, he stuffed the bag into his pocket and continued walking, eventually deciding to head to the pub for a drink. He couldn't remember the last time he had savored the taste of rum. As he approached the building, he failed to notice the man in black watching him from the rooftops...
The first thing Jack noticed upon entering the pub was a woman with red hair, wearing a very low cut dress.
"Scarlett!" Jack cried out, smiling as he approached her, "Its been too long! I..."
SMACK!!!
Scarlett responded by slapping Jack across the face.
"Now what did I do to deserve that!?" Jack asked. Scarlett gave him a dirty look.
"Tortuga." She said.
"You already slapped me for that one." Jack replied.
"The other time." Scarlett said.
Jack stood there for a moment, trying to remember what she meant. Suddenly, he laughed to himself as if remembering something funny, which only earned him another slap from Scarlett.
"Ok, THAT one I deserved." Jack said, rubbing his cheek as Scarlett stormed away. Shaking it off, he approached the bar and ordered a bottle of rum. Taking a swig, he casually glanced over at the front door... and almost choked on his drink. Several soldiers had entered the pub, including the man he had stolen the money from, who promptly spotted him.
"Oh, bugger." Jack cursed to himself as the man pointed at him, yelling to his companions, who promptly ran toward him, weapons raised. Thinking quickly, Jack threw his rum bottle at the soldiers, striking one of them in the face. The bottle shattered, scattering glass and rum everywhere. Seizing this opportunity, Jack lept over the bar and ran through the back door into the alley behind the pub.
Moments later, the soldiers burst out of the door, looking wildly around, but Jack was nowhere to be seen. The leader ordered his men to split up, sending half of them down each end of the alley. As soon as they had gone, Jack stuck his head out from behind some nearby crates. Seeing that the coast was clear, he ducked into a nearby doorway.
After making sure the doorway was closed, Jack turned around. He appeared to be in some sort of warehouse; rum barrels, scrap metal, and crates of all sizes were stacked everywhere. Nearby, a ladder led to the second level. Glancing around, Jack saw another door at the other end of the room. He began to walk towards it, but before he had taken ten steps, a noise behind him made him turn around.
A man had dropped from the second level, landing neatly in front of him. He was dressed in all black, with a black cape and hat, and a mask which covered the upper half of his face. A rapier hung from the left side of his belt, a bullwhip on the right. Jack Sparrow simply stared at him.
"Hello." He said, simply.
The man tilted his head in a mock greating, grinning.
"And who might you be, my well-dressed friend?" Jack asked.
"I take it you are not from around here, or you would have heard of me." the man replied, "I, however, know exactly who you are. The famous Jack Sparrow."
"CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow." Jack corrected him.
"My apologies, Captain." the man replied.
"So what is the name that the locals here know you by?" Jack asked.
"The weak and powerful alike know me as... Zorro." The man replied. "And I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you for that money bag in your pocket."
"Is that so? And why, may I ask, would that be?" said Jack.
"It doesn't belong to you," Zorro said, "and the people of this land suffer enough without petty thieves like you swiping what little they have left."
"Oh, I sympathize with the plight of the less fortunate," Jack said, "but I'm sorry to say my profession doesn't allow much opportunity for charity."
"I see..." said Zorro, "most regrettable. I would have liked to avoid violence." In a flash he drew his rapier and pointed it at Jack.
"You think this wise?" Jack said, "Drawing your blade on a pirate?"
"I've fought against far worse than mere pirates." Zorro said, coldly.
"Have you? Then that's one thing the two of us have in common," Jack replied, grinning, "Unfortunately, there's one thing you forgot. I am no mere pirate..." He drew his sword as well.
"I'm Captain Jack Sparrow."
Jack struck out several times with his sword, but Zorro blocked them with ease. He took a step forward, swiping at Jack with his rapier; Jack barely managed to block the blows from striking his face. Jack swung his sword, but Zorro dodged to the side, swinging at Jack, who blocked it.
"Impressive form," Jack said, "you remind me of someone I once knew. Young man by the name of Turner. Skilled swordsman. Beautiful singing voice. Eunuch."
"Sounds like an interesting fellow." Zorro replied, "Sad he was associated with a common crimminal."
"I taught him well." Jack grinned. He and Zorro circled each other for a few moments, swords aimed at each other. Suddenly, Zorro lunged forward, slashing rapidly at Jack, who blocked another pair of blows aimed for his face, and another pair directed at his chest. He attempted to counterattack, but couldn't find an opening; as soon as he tried to move in, Zorro blocked him with his rapier. Jack was slowly forced back as Zorro continued his offensive. Suddenly, Zorro made a stab at Jack, who ducked, causing Zorro's rapier to get stuck in a support beam. Jack took this opportunity to tackle Zorro in the stomach, sending both of them to the ground. Zorro managed to kick Jack off him, drawing his bullwhip as he did so. Jack aimed a flintlock pistol at Zorro, but Zorro lashed out with the whip, which wrapped around the pistol and pulled it out of Jack's hands.
"Oi! My pistol!" Jack yelled as the gun flew across the room.
"Now you have had something of yours stolen." Zorro grinned.
"Already had my ship stolen once." Jack said. He paused. "Or twice."
Zorro laughed. "You must be the worst pirate I've ever heard of."
"But you have heard of me." said Jack, aiming a strike at Zorro's left leg, but Zorro again blocked it with his rapier. He struck at Jack with his bullwhip, but Jack stepped to the side. As soon as the whip struck the ground, Jack pinned it to the ground with his foot. Zorro tugged at the whip, frusturated, but Jack, grinning, sliced clean through it with his sword, causing Zorro to stumble backward into a pile of barrels. As he picked himself up, Jack quickly climbed up the ladder to the second level of the warehouse. Zorro tossed his ruined bullwhip to the side, and turned to a weight-bearing rope next to him. Slicing through it with his rapier, he grabbed it as the large bag it was holding fell, riding the rope upward.
As he reached the top, Zorro let go of the rope and lept down to the upper walkway, where Jack was waiting with his second pistol aimed right at him. He fired, but missed Zorro's head by inches. Zorro replied by slashing with his rapier, knocking the gun out of his hand. Jack lunged forward with his sword, and Zorro lept forward as well. The two men continued to attack; Jack made a vertical slash, but Zorro sidestepped the attack, and made a slash at Jack's back, managing to cut into his clothes. Jack made another lunge at Zorro, but Zorro managed to knock the sword aside, and delivered a strong punch to Jack's face, sending the pirate off the walkway to the ground below.
Jack coughed up dust as he lifted his head. Looking up, he saw Zorro leap from the walkway, landing right in front of him. He attempted to stab Jack, but Jack managed to kick him away. Scrambling to his feet, he drew his sword. Suddenly, his eyes widened; his remaining pistol was lying on the floor about 20 feet behind Zorro, who followed his gaze, and knew what he intended to do. Jack ran at Zorro, who struck out with his rapier. Jack dodged the attack and lashed out with his sword. Zorro blocked the attack and aimed an attack at Jack, who lept to the side, stabbing his sword downward; Zorro suddenly realized his cape was pinned to the ground. He quickly pulled out the blade and turned... only to see Jack pointing his pistol right at his face. There was no hope of him missing at this range.
"Drop them." Jack said. Zorro reluctantly complied, dropping his and Jack's swords and slowly backing up. Jack picked up his own blade.
"No surprise you would resort to dirty tactics." Zorro said.
"I am a pirate..." Jack said, grinning. "I admit, you almost beat me. Almost. But now it is time for me to take my leave." He slowly approached the door, pistol still aimed at Zorro.
"My good man," he said, "you will always remember this as the day you almost caught... Captain Jack Sparrow!"
He fired his pistol, severing another support rope next to Zorro, who was forced to leap away to avoid the falling debris. Quickly getting to his feet, he looked up, but Jack Sparrow had vanished. He let out a frustrated sigh. The sound of approaching footsteps and distant yelling told him that the town soldiers had been attracted to the noise. Climbing up to the upper walkway, he lept out the window to the nearby rooftop, and retreated.
WINNER: Jack Sparrow.