Ninjago Episode Plots

Pirates vs. Ninja

Synopsis
When Garmadon by accident brings to life the original owners of the Black Bounty - the ruthless Captain Soto and his Pirates - it is up to our ninjas to stop them from plundering Ninjago City.[1]

When Lord Garmadon accidentally brings to life the original owners of the Ninja's ship, the Destiny's Bounty, it's bound to be an epic battle!

Plot
The episode begins with a brief flashback, showing the history of the Destiny's Bounty. Long before the ninja found it, the ship belonged to a group of pirates lead by Captain Soto. They hoped to find the fabled Island of Darkness, but the incompetent piloting of the blind No-Eyed Pete caused them to crash, killing everyone on board.

In the present time, the ninja have begun training Lloyd, but they realize their apartment is too small to train in. They soon relocate to a dojo owned by a confident yet poorly trained martial artist named "Grand Sensei" Dareth. He doubts the ninja truly saved the city and will only allow them to use the dojo if they can defeat him. He demonstrates several animal poses, and afterward, Kai pulls on his hood and defeats Dareth easily with an attack of his Spinjitzu.

Lord Garmadon, who has recently acquired the alliance of Acidicus, Skalidor, and Fangtom, has yet to uncover the Mega Weapon's power. He decides to test it on the Ultra Dragon as it flies by. However, his commands to injure the Ultra Dragon fail, although he says it's because the Serpentine are steering the ship wrong. He soon finds a journal belonging to Captain Soto hidden in his cabin and reads it. Aloud, he wishes that he had a trained crew like the Pirates. The Mega Weapon begins to react, and in the next room, Garmadon overhears the Pirates who have been brought back to existence. Garmadon shortly after walks to the deck.

The Pirates and Serpentine begin arguing over to whom the Bounty truly belongs. Garmadon tries to cut in and tells the Pirates that they now serve him, but the Mega Weapon has drained almost all of Garmadon's power, so he and the Serpentine are easily thrown into the brig by No-Eyed Pete. The Pirates are initially confused about the changes to their ship, but soon figure out how to operate it and make it fly towards Ninjago City.

Back at the Dojo, the ninja are still training Lloyd. When he is told to break boards, he accidentally cracks the floor in the process. Zane comments that the reason he has the potential to be the greatest ninja is that he can master all of the main elemental powers. Dareth, though, is not impressed. He tells the ninja he could chop fifty boards in half and says if he does so, the ninja would have to make him the Brown Ninja, although he fails miserably.

Soon after, the Pirates begin flying the ship through Ninjago City. The ninja are instantly alerted and head after it, telling Lloyd he needs to stay behind since his powers are too uncontrollable. However, Dareth gets on board first, convinced that if he stops the Pirates he'll be allowed to be the Brown Ninja. He is soon captured, and the ninja decide to sneak on dressed up as Pirates.

Onboard, Dareth is forced to walk the plank. He confesses that all his trophies are fake and his brown belt is colored before falling off, only to be caught by the Ultra Dragon, who is being driven by Lloyd. The ninja shed their disguises and fight against the Pirates using their wooden weapons. When Lloyd drops in, they tell him not to fight before Kai puts him in a barrel. In an attempt to get out of the barrel, Lloyd uses his first Spinjitzu, and Garmadon and the Serpentine are freed from the jail cell in time to see Lloyd has become stronger.

After Lloyd accidentally used his elemental powers, the ninja are trapped under the mast. Just before the Pirates could finish them, Nya appears in her Samurai X mech, stops the Pirates, and repairs the ship. The Pirates are soon taken away by the police, but Garmadon takes control of the Black Bounty before the ninja. He tells Lloyd that although he's getting stronger, he will never be able to defeat him and says he should give up. Lloyd instead takes a stand beside the ninja and Nya, and Garmadon flies away. As the team watches, Dareth attempts a sneak attack on Jay, only to have Jay flip him at the last second. The episode concludes with him saying he "Dareths them to forgive him."