In this narrated excerpt from Chapter 15 of the children's fantasy novel How to Be a Pirate, Isaac Letchford recounts the chaotic battle aboard the pirate ship Lucky 13. The scene opens with Alvin the Treacherous confronting Hiccup, but Toothless’ dramatic barrel‑toppling knocks Alvin off balance, giving the Hooligans a crucial opening. Stoick launches a ferocious hand‑to‑hand assault, aided by Baggybum the Beerbelly, while the Hooligans fight back‑to‑back against the Outcast tribe. The battle becomes legendary, with vivid descriptions of individual combat styles—Nobber No‑Brains’ “Dance of the Axes,” the boys from the pirate training program tackling oversized foes, Fishlegs’ berserk frenzy, and Snotlout’s dazzling sword techniques. The conflict results in the awarding of at least twenty Black Stars, a medal for extraordinary bravery, and is portrayed as a saga that will be retold for generations. The passage highlights the characters’ bravery, the ferocity of Viking‑style combat, and the cultural significance of the Black Star award within the Hooligan community.
Chapters
Chapter 15, The Battle on Board the Lucky 13. Alvin advanced towards Hiccup with the Storm Blade raised above his head. Hiccup closed his eyes, waiting for the blow. But at that moment, Toothless finally managed to overturn the barrel he was trapped underneath. He had been throwing his entire body weight at one side for the past 5 minutes. At last he made an extra-strong heave, and the barrel tipped over and rolled at great speed across the deck, with Toothless rumbling around and around inside it, and barreled straight toward the legs of Alvin the Treacherous, who lost his footing and fell over. Alvin gave a huuuuh! of surprise. The outcasts were distracted for one vital second, and Stoick turned round and felled Curly Horns with a good old-fashioned uppercut right under the chin. From that moment on, there was chaos aboard Lucky 13. The hooligans took advantage of their captors' surprise as the swords against their throats were lowered for a moment. This is more the git! I'll teach you to say the hooligans have gone soft! Stoick let out the Viking war cry and launched himself on the enemy completely barehanded. He crushed 2 outcasts' heads together, jabbed another one in the kidney with his foot, and when that one doubled over in pain, leapfrogged over his back to face another couple of the opposition. All might not have gone well for him, however, unarmed as he was, if Baggybum the Beerbelly had not come to his aid. The 2 brothers who had been fighting each other 5 minutes earlier now fought the enemy back to back for the rest of the battle. The battle on board the Lucky 13 would be a saga that the Hooligans would tell their children and grandchildren for many, many years to come. The military prowess of the Outcast tribe was legendary throughout the Viking world, but the Hooligans were desperate and angry. They were battling for their freedom itself, and so fought more wildly, more fiercely than perhaps they had ever done before or since. No fewer than 20 Black Stars were awarded to warriors after the battle was over. No wonder, for the pirate fighting skills on display that occasion Were a joy to watch. They were also a tribute to the old soldiers, Gubba, who had taught most of the warriors all that they knew. There on one corner of the deck was Nobber No-Brains performing the highly skilled maneuver known as the Dance of the Axes, in which the pirate rapidly juggled 2 twirling axes from one hand to the other, hypnotizing and confusing the enemy before the pirate lunges forward for the fatal blow. Up upon the mast were the boys from the pirate training program, valiantly tackling outcasts nearly twice their size, putting into practice all they had learned during those sword fighting at sea lessons. Note: The Black Star was a medal given to hooligan warriors for outstanding bravery in the field of combat. The behavior of Fishlegs was particularly surprising. As soon as the battle began, he completely lost control, throwing himself at the enemy, shrieking furiously, and whirling his sword around his head like a madman. Vikings call this going berserk, and warriors who do this are revered in Viking society. You could not imagine a more unlikely candidate for being a berserk than Fishlegs, but there we are. These things are never predictable. The outcast stayed out of his way, for a berserk is always respected, even if he is only 4 foot 10 with a squint and a limp and no sword fighting skills whatsoever. It has to be admitted, it has to be admitted reluctantly, the Snotlout fought with spectacular brilliance and bravery. His quick wrist made the Flash Cut slip neatly in and out, hither and thither, beautifully performing the Destroyer's Defense, Grimbeard's Grapple, the Final Cut, and many, many more of the Sublet's sword fighting skills. In the space of five minutes, no fewer than three outcasts lay dead around him.
