Warriors of Sky, Part 3: Fun and Games, Thrills and Kills

Free Kingdom; a few hours ago

The Sunny Day calmly passed through the oxygen bubble of one of the floating islands. There were spotlights directing them to a landing pad, where pirates awaited them. It was only natural they wouldn't just let anyone in without a brief checkup. The operatives docked at the landing pad as the pirates, who were dressed in White Lotus uniforms, led them inside. "General Dio, these are all the passengers on the pirate ship. They're Sector V of the Kids Next D-"

"'ang on now, when we're on that baby, we're called the Raccoon Pirates." Sheila corrected. "And Ah'm the captain, Sheila the Sunny Fist!"

"The Raccoon Pirates?" a voice spoke from the darkness. Upon searching for the source, the kids saw a single eye gazing from the ceiling. "Yes, I know of them. They're the ones who destroyed the former Big Mom." The figure opened a black and red cape and glided to the floor. He was a blonde man with a bandaged right eye, yellow overalls, and vampire fangs.

White Lotus General, 18th Sky God Captain

"Rogue Subject" DIO VER-

Sheila PUNCHED the vampire in the jaw with a Light Sphere. "AAAH, IT'S DIO! He's the bloke that worked for the Thirteen Darknesses!"

"NO NO NO!" Dio shouted, waving hands frantically. "My name is Dio Verando! Ugh, I get sick of being compared to that character. And I'll never forgive Vaati for giving me a vampire Devil Fruit! He did it on purpose because he knew it would tick me off!"

"Okay, okay, Sheila's sorry, Dio." Aurora said. "But you're with the White Lotus?"

"I actually remember you!" Vanellope beamed. "I think Dad helped you on one of his missions. You remember Mr. York?"

"Yes, I do remember. And yes, I am a White Lotus officer. Sometime after our battle with the Inferius army, Vaati went missing, and we learned about this band of pirates that were stealing entire islands. Their captain seemed extremely similar to Vaati, so we joined them in the hopes of finding him. If you're here, then I assume you're on a mission?"

"We were hoping to speak to Skaios. He is the captain of this crew, right?" Aurora asked.

"Well, right now a boy named Masaru is captain. But the crew is basically dependent on Skaios." Dio led the operatives outside, viewing a plain of monstrous mutant animals. When the sun touched Dio, he reverted to a human form. "Although the 'rules' of this kingdom are based on our own personal morals, there is a primary requirement that all residents here need: a rebellious spirit."

"Seems rather ambiguous." Chris said.

"Skaios is able to smell a rebellious heart inside anyone and he tends to find kinship with them. Even if you're just visiting, new arrivals have to embrace the freedom of this kingdom by taking part in our games. For instance, in a few hours, we'll be holding a race, starting on this island."

"For real?!" Vanellope exclaimed. "You're gonna have a race?! Hot dog, sign me up! I'm gonna blow everyone away, just you watch me!"

"Are you sure? Skaios himself will be taking part, and believe me, he gets pretty violent."

"Violent, shmiolent." Sheila remarked. "Vanel, you show 'em how it's done. And remember, this is your first mission as a Raccoon Pirate."

"Aye-aye, Captain Sheila!"

"Very well." Dio said. "I'll take you to our garage, so you can-"

"Not necessary, I already have a car."

Present time; after the race began (Play "Mario Kart Stadium" from MK8!)

Upon exiting the wind tunnel, the race resumed through Goldpaw! Statues threw giant die onto the road, but with key timing, Vanellope glitched around the die. Skaios, meanwhile, grabbed the die in his airbending and threw them at two ? Blocks above roofs. His first Power-up was a Piranha Plant, which attached to the front of his car as he sped up toward Vanel. The candy girl glitchwarped to dodge the plant's bites, seizing a ? Block of her own. She earned an Item Swipe and smirked, glitching behind Skaios. "HAH HAR! Ye coward!" the captain taunted. Vanel waited for his Piranha to vanish, eying up at the roofs. She fired the Item Swipe just an instant before it vanished, and stole Skaios' remaining item, the Spring Pad.

With this, Vanellope sprung herself up to the roofs, finding a secret route along the back of a dragon statue. She raced along the winding path with confidence, but that was before a Green Shell hit her. Masaru and Yuta's Monokubs bypassed the Program girl, and was then hit by Kotoko's Tanuki tail. An angry Vanellope glitched to chase them, dodging fire spires as the road became wider. She hit a ? Block and earned a Blooper, sending it to ink the other racers. The dragon road went up a loop that curved sideways, but because of the ink, Yuta and Masaru continuously slipped and bumped before taking the fall. With a smirk, Vanellope went up the loop and took off on a ramp.

She glided across a large chunk of the track, but was on a collision course to Goldpaw's central river. The track continued underwater, but Vanel glitched herself onto the surface path to stay safe. Nagisa used a Bullet Bill to close in on Vanel, the girl glitching behind him with a gasp. "What?!" Nagisa briefly glanced back, shocked that she dodged his direct hit, but he bumped into the corner turn. Vanellope made it over the river and passed him, and she saw Skaios eating ramen at an outdoor restaurant. Vanellope rolled her eyes and zoomed past him, the captain giving nary a hoot.

Vanel hit another ? Block as she flew through the next Sky Tunnel. The roulette landed on Quagmire. "Huh?" When she triggered the item, another kart with Glenn Quagmire poofed beside her. "Giggity-giggity-giggity-giggity-giggity-giggity…" He repeated, shaking in his seat. Vanellope dodged meteors and Quagmire seemed to stay beside her with little trouble. They were exiting the tunnel into Inkopolis, catching up with Kotoko's Monokub. When they neared the female, Quagmire suddenly drove up to her and, "Gooooooo!" swiped her off the kart before driving Who-Knows-Where.

Weird item, Vanellope thought, but it earned her the lead position—she heard a weird "Wah wah WAH WAH" sound before a Blue Shell CRASHED into her! Skaios immediately bumped her aside at breakneck speed, and Vanel hastily got back in the game. Behind her, the Hope Pirates were catching up, each armed with items: Masaru chucked a Bob-omb that Vanel dodged, but with his power, the bomb warped right above her and exploded, causing the crew to pass her. Monaca's Monokub had Peter Griffin selected as an item. When she triggered it, a cockpit appeared on her kart, and Peter laughed "Hehehehehehehehehehehehehehe!" as he rapidly fired a Gatling at all the racers behind her.

Vanellope expertly dodged the bullets with glitchwarps and secured an item: a lightning bolt. Without waiting, she zapped and shrunk the Monokubs, but Jataro had used a Power Star to make himself invincible and abandon his team. Vanellope passed the others, driving over a road covered in colored ink. The tiny Monokubs were shot by sprinklers shooting paintballs. Vanellope saw a secret tunnel that sloped down under one of the buildings, camouflaged with the ink. She drove up and around the slippery tunnel, growing dizzy as it made some turns. She was in 1st place upon exiting, giving her confidence—

Vanellope gasped when she realized an ink cyclone was chasing her, and Skaios was underneath it. Skaios tried to swing the cyclone into her, destroying a few buildings in the process. Vanellope glitchwarped with keen timing, and she snagged a ? Block with a banana. She quickly threw the peel back, causing Skaios to swerve rampantly and crash, demolishing three buildings with bending. Vanellope drove to a road of ink fountains, using some to propel herself to an upper road with a glide ramp. She glided over an area where large tentacles stretched out of pipes, watching as one of them snatched Nagisa's Monokub.

Skaios furiously zoomed across the road, washing his crewmates with waves of paint. He and Vanellope flew through a Sky Tunnel as the captain swirled it. Vanellope screamed, her body glitching as her pixels became distorted in the wind. The Hope Pirates parked their karts for a moment, not wanting to suffer in the torrent. The tunnel spat them out over Strong Island, with Vanel going far off course. She almost hit the earth on her head, but glitched right-side-up and got back on track.

Skaios drove up a green scaly road, which revealed to be a Land Gator, roaring as it tried to eat Vanel, who glitched up and drove on its back. After landing, she chased Skaios through a field of Don Mantises, giant mantises that targeted racers and sliced with scythe hands. Vanellope evaded their scythes and grabbed a ? Block, earning a Super Horn. Skaios used his wind to blow away a swarm of Army Ants, and she used the horn to scatter the ants as well.

"Ugh, this race is terrible." Chris said.

"But Vanellope is doing great!" Artie replied.

"Yeah, but look at all the last-place racers."

An Inkling had gotten ahead of three adults and used a Peter Gatling to shoot them dead. Two adults were forcing their karts into each other, and one behind them used a Piranha Plant to eat their heads off, enabling him to get ahead. Five adults were avoiding meteors in a Sky Tunnel, but a woman behind was secretly targeting them, waiting for them to get perfectly aligned. Then, she fired a Blue Shell and sent them flying out of the tunnel.

Skaios was nearing the finish line, and Vanellope desperately glitchwarped at every possible interval, and was lucky enough to snag a Triple Mushroom. She heard the "wah wah WAH" and barely dodged the Blue Shell, then she spammed her Mushrooms to catch up. The shell rammed Skaios' kart, the captain bouncing haphazardly toward the Finish. In just a single second, Vanellope mixed speed with glitches and got above Skaios, just after he crossed the Finish, and just as Skaios flipped right-side-up, Vanellope SQUISHED his head under her kart. (End song.)

Sector V flinched, averting their eyes. It was at this point, they knew they screwed up. Skaios' kart slowed to a halt, his head flat as a pancake. "Oh, man…" Vanellope fearfully approached him. "Uh… are you dead? If not, I'm really sorry… for squishing your head."

"CAPTAIN SKAIOS!" The six Hope Pirates raced over. "Murderer! You killed our 1st captain!" Masaru yelled.

"Oh, Captain Skaios, if only it had been me." Jataro moaned. "If only my hideous, disgusting head were squished. I bet it would smell like a hundred stink bugs. Well, I better start praying for him." He folded his sleeved hands and spoke, "O Captain Skaios, we wish you safe passage into the afterli-"

"YAHOOOOO! Smash me brain cells and call me Flapjack!" Skaios re-inflated and exuberantly skipped to Vanellope's side. "I never had me neck-n-neck with another racer worth their grit!"

"You've been racing with amateurs!" Vanel retorted, throwing her regret aside. "I was born on a racetrack! And since then, I never knew anything BUT racing! I mean, I did learn how to hack computers and junk, but HOLY COW, I feel like I have actual BLOOD!"

"AYE, ME TOO, MATEY! Eh…" It was only then Skaios noticed something odd about this new racer: "Who are ye?"

"Oh, my name's Vanellope. From Sector V-"

"SHE MEANS THE RACCOON PIRATES!" Sheila outbursted as the rest of her team arrived.

"No she didn't!" Masaru shouted. "I heard Sector V! You're Kids Next Door operatives!"

"Not just any operatives." Nagisa said with a glare. "You're Earth's most famous sector. Captain, they're obviously here to spy on us."

"No doubt about it. Ay say we take 'em to the brig."

"Hold on, the brig is only reserved for government lackeys!" Skaios stated. "The KND are as free as we pirates. Well, a bit less rebellious, but they're as welcome here as anyone else."

"That's good to hear, Captain, because we were hoping we could form a pact." Aurora said.

"'ey, I'm not the captain, he is!"

"Actually, Masaru's time is up." Nagisa said, taking the hat. "I'm the Sky God Captain now."

"All hail 36th Captain Shingetsu," Jataro saluted, "who was also formerly the 22nd captain."

"Ufufufu! We have high expectations of you, Captain!" Monaca teased.

"Um, y-yes." Nagisa flushed. "Anyway, what kind of pact were you thinking?"

"The thing is," Haruka answered, "a lot of our sectors have been getting captured by other Yonko, and our Supreme Leader has been away on extended training. Since you're against the other Yonko too, we were thinking you would be our best chance at saving them."

"True, I can't stand those fake pirates." Skaios replied. "True pirates are supposed to be free, but all they care about is ruling as many worlds as possible, and robbing people of their freedom. Ay wouldn't mind teaching them a lesson! But Skaios accepts no favors from non-pirates."

"Oi, we are real pirates!" Sheila shouted.

"Ay believe you, Lassie, but only when I sees it will I believes it. Skaios only grants favors to those who embrace Sky God Pirate lifestyle! If ye can prove yer grit in our games, THEN I can consider ya true maties!"

"Very well, so be it." Aurora complied. "What kind of games did you have in mind?"

"We have Turf Wars in Inkopolis, Death Gauntlets in Towa City, and we have old fashioned brawls in Orchid City. Oh, and we can't forget Eating Contests; those're up in me flagship. Speakin' o' which, I'm feelin' a wee bit starved. Talk to ya later, laddies! Explore the kingdom to yer heart's content!" Skaios took off toward the Santa Hylia, a gigantic mechanical galleon.

Nagisa sighed in disbelief. "You're lucky that our founder is so open-minded. However, I'll be keeping my eye on you."

"Great, so you mind answering a question?" Chris asked. "Who the hell's going to clean that up?!" He whipped his finger at the racetrack, indicating the crashed cars and corpses. "Do you just casually sacrifice your crewmen on a daily basis?"

"Those aren't our crewmen. They're our prisoners."

"Prisoners?!" Haruka exclaimed.

"Whether they're from one of our islands, or a town that we raided, every place in the universe has awful people. You KND should know it better than anybody: evil adults that abuse children, torture them, leave them out in the woods, sell them for money, or… other things." Nagisa hesitated, and the sectormates could see the distraught looks on the other kids' faces (except Monaca). "Our spies investigate common households and businesses in search of that corruption. Then, we liberate the children oppressed and give them bliss in our Free Kingdom. The evil adults, as you see, are forced to compete in our games. Their survival depends on their victory."

"But prisoners who perform really well climb the class ladder." Monaca explained. "Improved living, improved cooking, and some have the honor of becoming our servants."

"But that completely defeats the purpose of a Free Kingdom!" Aurora stated.

"Ufufu. Don't you know the expression, 'If everyone's special, then no one is special'? The same applies to freedom. That's why we need prisoners to remind citizens how precious their freedom is. Besides, those same adults tried to rob freedom of others, so the only way to help them value freedom is by taking THEIR freedom! It's reverse psychology!"

"It's utter hypocrisy." Mason remarked.

"NO!" An infuriated Monaca began shaking her fists. "It! Is! A perfect! System! Where politics! And anarchy! Coexist! In perfect! Harmony!"

"No, please don't be upset, Monaca!" Kotoko pled. "Your system is flawless! Why, it's downright ingenious! Only someone as smart as you could come up with it."

"Y-Yeah, I guess you're right." Mason replied in shame. "I'm sorry if I offended you."

"Yeah, Mason can be pretty… WAIT, why are we apologizing?!" Haruka shouted.

"Monaca will forgive you, Mason." The handicapped child rolled up and hugged him. "Monaca hopes we can be good friends."

"Yeah… me too." Mason gently patted her back. The others could only watch in confusion.

They released as Monaca said, "Hoo. Racing games sure make Monaca sleepy. Jataro, would you be so kind as to roll Monaca to her private quarters?"

"Of course, Monaca. You're so kind for acting like I have value in this world." On that note, the masked boy rolled his friend away.

"Hey, Captain Nagisa, mind if I give these guys a quick tour?" Yuta offered. "It's gonna be awhile until the next games start."

"If you say so, Yuta. I'll go collect status reports. You two can come help." He, Masaru, and Kotoko left.

"So yeah, my name's Yuta!" the boy grinned. "Mind if I ask your names?"

The 11 teammates took turns introducing their selves. "Ma-son…" Yuta seemed to "write" the names on his palm with his finger. "Ha-ru… Is it spelled with a 'c' or a 'k'?"

"Um, 'k'? What are you doing?" Haruka asked.

"It's easy for me to remember someone's name by pretending to write it a few times. I actually feel a little embarrassed." Yuta blushed. "Not only are you guys KND celebrities, but… you two are the children of Nigel Uno!" With a beaming face, Yuta shook both Chris and Aurora's hands. "Which means you're also related to Eva, the Sea Princess!"

"You're a fan of Aunt Eva?" Chris asked.

"Absolutely! My dad is from Adabat, a tribe that worships the Sea God. He told us about the time Princess Eva visited his home island. My sister and I are super devout followers of Kyogre, and our dream was always to meet his descendants."

"Ah, I see. You just want us to introduce you to Melody?" Chris smirked.

"That's Eva's daughter, right? Hehe, that… would be nice."

"Maybe if your captain agrees to help save our friends, we'll return the favor."

"That would be amazing, thank you! So, shall we begin the tour?"

"Yeh, you blokes 'ave fun with that." Sheila replied. "C'mon, First Mate, let's go exploring!"

"Aye-aye, Captain!" Mason was dragged off, moving his feet as fast as possible to keep up with her.

"Hahaha! It's not a Free Kingdom without freedom!" Yuta laughed.

Saint Rosalina

"Attention, passengews." a seal announced through the intercom. "Due to ouw ship having been commandeewed by space piwates, our cwuise has taken an unexpected detouw. Until we can make a safe weturn home, we have no choice but to assimiwate with said piwates. So, evewybody gwab a gun and a sword and begin adapting to the scurvy lifestyle." The seal picked up a machinegun and cocked it.

Sector MG and Cheadle had been locked in one of the brig's cells, with the exception of Romeo and Kiki. Wendy was curled up in the corner and sobbing, for her natural reaction to such defeat was only despair. "Why do so many bad things happen to me?! Why do I always get my friends into trouble?"

"Geez, lighten up, Cry Mage." Phil remarked. "How is it your fault those crazy kids ruined our cruise?"

"Still, this is an awful place for a princess." Cheadle said. "Why couldn't they take Maria to the medical wing as well?!"

"I'm not a princess!"

"Hush, Maria!"

"Yes, Mommy."

"I'M NOT YOUR MOMMY!" the chancellor flushed.

"Yes, it does seem a tad too cramped in there." a man's voice said.

Wendy gasped, her tears quickly drying at hearing the familiar voice. The cell opened, and in stepped a silver-haired Minish in a dark cape. "D-Dad!"

"Why do we always reunite under such bizarre circumstances, Wendy? My, but I see you've made some new friends. I bet you kids have no idea my precious daughter used to look like this!" He showed them a baby picture of Wendy, the latter reddening. "Look at how small she is! And now she's so big and strong! And what a figure, all the boys will be on her in a year!"

"DAAAAAD, you're embarrassing me!"

Cheadle grabbed Vaati's neck in a Haki hand. "If I recall, you're the man that sent Maria's sister to attack me. How dare you corrupt that poor girl!"

"Ack! At least I was a better father figure than Bowser!" he choked.

"Mr. Vaati, where is Louise, anyway?" Maria asked.

Cheadle decided to release him as he answered, "She actually left on a mission somewhere on the planet; we're still over Mushroom World. Anyway, I didn't mean any harm on you, but as my mission is to rid the worlds of governments, you were not exempt. But seeing as you were a kinder ruler, I planned to show mercy."

"You oughta find something nicer to do." Oliver replied.

"That being said, it seems trying to strip you of your title is no longer necessary. Have you seen Intergalactic News?" Vaati handed her a newspaper.

The Mobian dog's fur seemed to turn pale at the headline: "Th-This…This can't be right! 'Planet Mobius under siege by the Kremling Krew'?! 'King Kroctus soon to be Mobius' new ruler'?! There's no way such a massive attack could happen in the four days I was gone!"

"Evidently, it has. But rest assured, Kroctus is high on our list of targets."

"You will take me back to Mobius RIGHT NOW!"

"In the condition it's in now, you would be destroyed. Besides, the law up here is, once you've been brought to the Free Kingdom, you must embrace our freedom before we do any favors for you. That's why I'm releasing you all; I'll take you to see your injured friends, too."

"Well, I for one have had enough freedom for one lifetime." Wendy said firmly. "And you have no right to take all these passengers away from their homes. Let them go now!"

"Then I must ask a favor of you, Wendy."

"Grrrrr, what?!"

Vaati bent down and whispered directly in her ear, "Help me do something about Skaios!"

"W…What?" Wendy didn't expect such a demand.

"When I came back and realized the White Lotus teamed up with another freedom-obsessed anarchist, I was beyond thrilled. I thought I finally found my soul mate! But Skaios… he…he's freaking nuts! ! With everyone throwing the captain's hat around, there's absolutely no organization. Most of these people have no common sense; letting the mutant animals loose in the towns, setting fires, and all the children are having too much fun killing prisoners. It's… quite disturbing, actually. Honestly, it's making me rethink my entire identity. And Skaios himself can't help but destroy any town he swoops by, and on occasion he'll accidentally kill a crewmate out of excitement."

"Well, then… he certainly seems like a threat, but Skaios is really powerful, right?"

"Yes, he is. Every time we try to read his Power Level, our Scouter breaks. But what I do know is he isn't immortal. …Oh, and you might like to know, Wendy: recently, we added the town of Orchid Bay to our kingdom."

"Orchid Bay? Isn't that…" Wendy's expression lit up in realization, "YOU MEAN JUNE IS HERE?!"

"I thought you'd might like to see her. Believe me, June is really enjoying her newfound freedom."

Skaios' Dining Room

A pond-sized pizza was prepared for the little captain, but the cheese and anchovies flowed into his mouth like a river. "So, I take it the pizza is to your liking?" asked an Italian chef with a mustache, a tad repulsed by his demeanor.

"Onn-hon! Ish guud!" Skaios mumbled.

A pair of eyes appeared on Skaios' shadow, one orange and one white. They, too, were disgusted by his gluttony. The shadow seemed to grow into a solid form with colors: it was Midna, the Twilight Princess. "Captain Skaios."

"WARRGH!" With a start, Skaios blew a gust at the chef, beheading him. They watched as he fell dead. "Arrr… darn it. Don't scare me like that, ya… oh?" Skaios was intrigued by her goth appearance. "Ye certainly are an eye-catcher." Her eyes were especially pretty.

"And that pirate accent is totally fake. Now that I've gotten a good look at you… I know for sure. You really are a god."

"Aye, but I'm a god who don't think himself above mortals. Skaios happily welcomes you as a friend!"

"We're not just friends, Skaios: we're kin."

"K…Kin?"

"I'm a Firstborn. And so are you. Skaios, the Firstborn of Sky… without a doubt, you're one of the Newborn."

"Newborn? I haven't been called that since…" Skaios didn't want to bring up the painful memory. "Wait, does that mean you know about me?"

"All I know is you were born during the New Big Bang. I don't really know your personal history, but there are others like you."

"And what of it?"

"From what I gathered, each of you Newborn are plagued with a strange darkness. You've proven yourselves menaces to mankind."

"I KNOW what you're after!" Skaios spawned a tornado and hovered above Midna imposingly. "You were sent by the gods to come and lock me away! Well, tell your masters to piss off! I'll NEVER be your prisoner!"

"Calm down! I'm not here to lock you away, I just wanted to talk. I think I should try to understand you."

"Hurrr…" Skaios calmly sank to the floor. Down there, he realized Midna was three times his size. "Out with it then."

"Why, exactly, did the gods want to lock you away?"

"It's just as you said, I was dangerous. I had what ya call 'individuality,' something that's frowned upon in the Spirit World."

"Did that individuality involve harming mortals?"

"No!" But it was then they acknowledged the dead chef a few feet away. "Er, n-not intentionally, anyway. But hey, mortals kill one-another all the time, but even when they're killed, they just become spirits—GET YER ARSE AWAY FROM HIM!" He saw a Reaper approaching the dead body and struck him with a wind that blew him off the atmosphere. "That's why mortals should have no fear of death."

"The Number One rule of a god is to have restraint!" Midna argued. "We are required to watch over mortals and watch them grow and struggle, but flaunting our powers as we please will drastically hinder that growth. The fact is, mortals don't stand a chance to our full power."

"Well, Skaios is different! He's equal to mortals and sees them as friends and enemies. If they don't stand a chance, then explain me eye!"

"You mean that fake eyepatch?"

"It's not a fake! Skaios just wanted to spare them the gross imagery! See?" He lifted the patch, exposing the dead black socket.

Midna nearly hurled. "But that…that can't be right." Midna slowly reached and placed a gentle hand over the socket. "I feel… nothing. Your body is brimming with God Chi, but this spot… is completely dead."

"Ye have only the scurvy swordsman to blame, right before I keelhauled him. I have since used this mark to remind me that I am equal to mortals."

"You don't understand! If a god so much as loses an arm, it will grow back. A god can only die if they have children, and even then, they can still self-heal if they aren't completely destroyed, but this eye… it's completely dead. What kind of weapon did this?"

"It was a sword of some kind, I don't know." He put the patch down. "I'm going to get more pizza; either enjoy the festivities or leave, it's a free country." The captain flew away before Midna could get out another word.

"Ugh." Midna placed a hand over her sun eye. "Still, it's not like I'm much different. Our 2nd Age forms are extremely vulnerable. But Skaios seemed to still be in his 1st Age. How strange…"

Flower Island

"Welcome to the first destination of our tour!" Yuta announced as he led Sector V onto an island with a feudal Japanese town. "Flower Island, from the Planet Historia. This place used to live under the oppression of a corrupt shogun. That is, until WE came along, hehe!…" He seemed to laugh awkwardly.

"This place is kinda beautiful." Aurora said as they observed the town of colorful buildings, sakura blossoms in the air, and the lovely yukatas, kimonos, etc. that adorned the historical people. "I bet you can get into this one, Kirie!"

But I don't think I've heard of Historia. Have we ever been there? Kirie Beatles asked in sign language.

"Now that you mention it," Haruka replied, "Historia is one of the New Planets. There's supposed to be some law where we aren't allowed to land on it without going through a travel agency. We're not supposed to bring 'modern' items onto the world to maintain its historical environment."

"Yeah, that's why the pirates decided to attack this world." Yuta replied. "They believe that Historia should be open to the modern universe and vice-versa. This Flower Island is designed to be the representative."

"And how did these people feel about being abducted?" Chris asked.

However, it seemed their question was answered as they passed through a wide street, met with the cold scowls of the native folk. "They aren't entirely used to having visitors. Which is probably to be expected, since the pirates turned this place into a Japanese theme park. Things get pretty noisy. And messy."

They stopped to listen to the pleasant sounds of a guitar-like instrument. There was a purple-haired woman playing a biwa, her purple hair braided with skulls. The woman, Benten wore a light-blue robe with a purple sash and star designs. She was 7 feet tall and rather lean in her knelt position. "Kirie, what kind of instrument is that?" Haruka asked.

What, just because I'm Japanese, I'm supposed to know EVERYTHING about this place?

"Sorry, I was just-"

Well, it's called a biwa. In the old days, they used it for storytelling. Kirie explained with an innocent smile, forsaking her false frustration.

"Ah…hehe, thank you."

"Hey, you said they made this place a theme park, right?" Vanellope asked. "C'mon, Dillon, let's see if they have anything cool!" The Program zipped away giddily.

"Vanellope, wait!" The shadowbender raced after her.

"Well, we are supposed to play games to gain approval with them, right?" Aurora asked. "Would playing games here increase our score?"

"I don't see why not!" Yuta beamed. "In fact, here's a directory right here." He led them over to a poster board beside Benten. The map appeared to be drawn with crayon, written in Japanese. Yuta translated the names.

"Kirie, I bet you'll do great at the Shuriken Dojo!" Haruka said, earning a nod of agreement from the mute.

"Ooo, what about the Samurai Dojo?" Harry asked. "Chris, you kinda know how to use a sword, right?"

"Yeah, I spar with Weiss and Makava sometimes. It's certainly not my forte, but I'll try it!"

"In that case," Aurora said, "let's split up and cover these areas. Afterwards, I want everyone to meet up so we can continue the tour. This is still a Pirate Emperor's territory, so we can't stay apart for too long."

"Got that right." Haylee nodded. "Good luck, team!"

As the teammates went separate directions, Benten narrowed her eyes on the newcomers. Her fellow ninjas, Yazaemon and Kazekage (from One Piece) examined the operatives from the rooftops. "They're separating. Should we try to subdue them?" Yazaemon asked, his red eyes peering through his mummy mask, a veil of straw over his body.

"They are no doubt Kids Next Door." Kazekage spoke while clenching a blue scroll in his teeth. He wore a pink kimono and had wild light-brown hair. "We'll let them roam for now… but remain vigilant."

"I can't understand you with that thing in your mouth, you know."

"Check it out, Dillon!" Vanellope pointed. "It's a photo booth! Let's go make dumb faces!"

"Haha, there's something I can get behind!" Dillon beamed, racing into the wood building.

The photo booth used a film camera set on a tripod, aimed at a white background. There was a 19-year boy, Gen, with monochrome hair dressed in a pink shogun's robe. He smiled charmingly as the camera-girl, Saraba, snapped the camera. The photo printed out an image of Gen standing before a dragon throne room. "So, do you like it?" Saraba asked, her tone and expression melancholy. Her gray hair and blue robe complimented her frail demeanor.

"Ahh, the contrast is splendid, and such fresh detail." Gen praised. "Though, it's so detailed… that I'm starting to make out ripples in the robe. Can I get this ironed out, so we can try again?"

"But we've done this six times…"

"Hello!" Vanellope greeted, startling the camera-girl. "We want our pictures taken!"

"I can't believe feudal Japan had photo booths like this." Dillon said.

Gen seemed to cock a brow at the duo. "Well, it'd be awfully ude-ray of me to hold up the line. I suppose I'll be going now!" He sported a polite smile to the newcomers as he exited, Dillon looking suspiciously.

"Okay, well… pick your uniforms and a background, I guess." Saraba instructed half-heartedly.

First, Dillon and Vanel dressed as samurai, crouched and glaring at each other as they prepared to draw swords against a twilight background. They performed the slash just as the camera snapped. "No, you're supposed to stay still!" Saraba said. "Now we have to take it again."

"Let's pick a different one!" Vanel cheered. Saraba sighed in dismay.

They dressed as classic ninjas, eyes narrowed behind their masks. But when the camera snapped, they pulled off their masks to reveal goofy faces. Vanellope dressed as a geisha dancer with face paint, Dillon bowing humbly. But they switched to rockstar poses when the camera snapped. "Hehe, we look like ghosts in all of these!" Vanellope laughed.

"That's because you keep moving!" Saraba pouted. "And her body keeps flashing blue, for some reason."

"That's an involuntary twitch!" Vanellope glitched. "Though it was 100% voluntary in this context."

"If you guys are just gonna tease me, can you please just go?"

"Okay, okay, we're sorry…" Dillon apologized. "We'll stay still this time."

"Uh, I won't! Nananananana!" Vanel began zipping around the room.

"I need to get more film, anyway…" She halfheartedly walked over to the closet.

"Is something wrong?" Dillon asked, his adopted sister still acting crazy. "You sound a little bummed out."

"Not really. Just another day in the life."

"Dillon, check this out!" Vanellope appeared with an empty black hilt with a wreath of gold flowers around its end. "It's a hilt with no sword!"

"Hey, give me that!" Saraba took the hilt back. "This is an important…who'm I kidding, this thing is useless. No wonder they kicked me out."

"Kicked you out of what?"

"I used to be part of the Yunari Samurais. Well, we're the Red Leaf Samurais now. My specialty was supposed to be illusions, but… this is all I'm good for." Saraba performed some hand motions, and it seemed she had split into three clones, but two of them were notably wavy.

"Yeah, I can… see the flaws in your craft." Dillon said.

"But Commander Uchiha decided I wasn't very good, so now I just do menial jobs. Like this." She got some film and began to install it in the camera.

"Well, that's not fair. I mean, illusions are still cool, what can those other guys do?"

"Well, Uron uses an electric dagger to enhance his speed and power; Maniwa wields a really heavy sword; Akatsuki wields a thousand swords; Kairo has an unbreakable suit of armor…"

"Mmm, that's pretty impressive…" Dillon mumbled. Behind him, his shadow, Mario was scribbling these down on a notebook. "Um, what do these guys look like again?"

"Why do you wanna know that?"

"I just like learning about samurai and… stuff. What about ninjas, any ninjas in this crew? Those are cool."

Saraba sighed once more.

…

Yuta had followed Haruka and Kirie to the Shuriken Dojo, with several of the bladed stars stuck into its signboard. Inside the building was a fence dividing them from a longer, wider room. "So, does anybody run this-" Haruka asked before-

"YOOHOO!" A pink-robed girl pounced over the fence like a rabbit, flowers in her blonde hair. "Here to play the Shuriken Game?"

"They sure are, Chome!" Yuta grinned. "Guys, this is Chome. She's one of the Red Leaf Nin-"

"Shhhhhh! We're supposed to be a secret~" Chome whispered, her 3-shaped smile unchanging. "Who'm I kidding, everyone knows us, don't be silly!"

Are you a shuriken master, Miss Chome?

"I sure am!" Chome signed back.

"Oh, you know sign language!" Haruka perked up.

"Yeah, all ninjas have to learn it. So, who wants to play me?"

ME me!

"Okay, Me-Me! Let's see what you got!" Chome leapt to the right end of the fence and Kirie took the left. Both had a large stack of shuriken to work with. The ninja pulled a rope, signaling several Monokumas to begin running across the room, each with numbers representing their score. Kirie rolled up her sleeves in order to properly grasp and throw the stars, but Chome was swiftly spotting and striking all the high-scored targets.

"Wow, Kirie's a natural at this!" Yuta praised.

"Yeah, shurikens are her specialty." Haruka replied, eying the scoreboard. "But Chome is well-trained herself. I'm a little worried."

"Ah, it's okay. As long as Kirie has fun, that's all that matters. It's not like losing this game would mean dea-"

"Oh, here come the bonus points!" Chome alerted.

Right on cue, a woman ran across the field, being prodded by a Monokuma's electric rod. Chome tossed a shuriken at her hip. "OH MY GOD!" Haruka screamed in horror.

"What?!" Yuta panicked. "Th-This wasn't part of the game! Chome, what…"

"That Monaca girl said she had some extra prisoners and suggested I use them in this game. It's a lot more fun!" Chome cheered as she threw a shuriken at a boy in his late teens.

Her eyes curving in anger, Kirie tossed a shuriken to intercept Chome's and save the boy from injury. The Beatles girl leapt onto the fence and stood over the cute-faced ninja. No! I don't know what these people did, but they don't deserve this! I'm not playing this game!

"Oh. Then I guess I'll just play myself."

No, I challenge you to a different game. This time, you and me will throw at each other! First one to score three cuts wins! And if I win, you have to let these people go!

"Hmmm…okay! But if I win… well, I guess you'll just die instead."

You're on!

"Kirie!" Haruka yelled.

Relax, Haruka, I got this bitch.

"Er…yeah. You can do it." Haruka shook off her worry and nodded. "I'll go treat that woman." She rushed onto the field.

Kirie and Chome assumed stances, the former's narrowed, mismatched eyes meeting Chome's wide, innocent eyes. Both made the first throw, their shurikens bouncing off each other, and they began side-leaping as the stars kept flying. Yuta peeped over the fence- "Ahh!" but ducked before a shuriken hit him. Chome leapt closer, Kirie tossed one at her leg, but Chome brought that leg up and tossed a shuriken at Kirie. Kirie made a silent yelp and fled, holding the cut for a second. Chome maneuvered closer, alternating between left and right throws. Kirie dodged and gestured left, tricking Chome into going right so the Beatles could score a cut.

Kirie ran up the field, tossing shurikens backward, but Chome leapt them like a rabbit and tossed shurikens ahead of Kirie. Kirie stopped before stepping on them, and when Chome performed the next leap, she ran under the ninja. Kirie tossed and was able to cut Chome's right leg, but Kirie accidentally stepped on a star, piercing her shoe. She twirled on the other foot to dodge shurikens, then Chome dashed up for a direct attack. Kirie leapt up and threw, but Chome dodged and threw a cut to Kirie's hip, letting out another silent yelp. "Haha! I win! Looks like I get to kill these prisoners—AAH!" Kirie tossed a shuriken into her right stomach.

No, I win! You only cut me twice! But that one shuriken didn't get to my foot! Kirie pulled off her shoe, revealing her unpunctured sole.

"That's not fair! Clothes should count, too! I win!"

Hey, is that a spooky ghostie? Kirie pointed.

"GHOSTIE?!" Chome whipped around in panic. Kirie ran up and dealt chi-block punches to the ninja's limbs and back, making her numb as she fell on her front.

As Haruka treated Chome's and Kirie's injuries, Yuta freed the prisoners as they were quick to run away. "I'm really sorry about this! Really…"

"Come on, let's go see how the others are doing." Haru said. "Sigh…I'm starting to have second thoughts about these guys."

Samurai Dojo

Chris and Aurora approached a building with swords stabbed into its Japanese signboard. "Well, I reckon this is the place." Aurora said. "I wonder what kind of skilled samurai they have in this place?"

"It's probably one of those games where you have to swing the sword right when the button prompt shows up or something."

"Heh, I suppose! It wouldn't be a fair game if it was too realistic."

The siblings pushed open the door and… found 10 samurai lain defeated on the floor. "Uwaaah…such disgrace." Maniwa grunted. "Er, the dojo is temporarily closed." He said to the new visitors.

The Unos craned their heads up to see who was responsible: a short, blue, round, purple-winged creature in a silver knight's mask. Meta Knight slashed his blade across the air before sheathing it. "Hm?" He then acknowledged the visitors. "Ah, were you here to play the Samurai Game? My apologies, but I got a tad carried away. You may have to come back tomorrow."

"Hey, I recognize that guy!" Chris exclaimed. "He's from our parents' stories… You're Meta Knight!"

"You are familiar with me?" Meta flapped his wings and flew closer, having to look up at the tall teens. "As a matter of fact, I recognize you as well. You are the children of Nigel Uno! Chris and Aurora, correct?"

"Yes!" Aurora beamed. "Hah, wow, I didn't think we would run into an old acquaintance."

"It is our first meeting, and yet I feel a sense of familiarity with you as well. Pray, tell me, what are you doing here? The Kids Next Door would not come here on a mere pleasure cruise."

"We've been having problems with the other Emperors." Chris answered. "So, we're trying to form an alliance with Skaios. But I gotta say, I don't like what they're doing to their prisoners."

"That is understandable. Even if those children claim their actions are justified, their standards on what they define as a terrible parent or adult are questionable. I joined this crew primarily for the luxury and excitement, but it is clear this kingdom requires the input of responsible adults. Perhaps this is why the KND have greatly limited their decommissionings."

"Right about that."

"In any case, I can sense great potential within you two. Yes… especially you." He focused on Aurora.

"Oh, yeah? Like how?"

"We shall speak again. First, I have business to attend to. Farewell, children of Uno." He flew between the teens and away from the island.

"Don't you like his cool way of speaking?" Aurora remarked.

"Yeah, but it looks like we can't play this game. Might as well get back to the others."

The siblings exited the dojo on that note. "Seriously, my own sword is crushing my stomach." Maniwa grunted. "Help me out here…"

Photo Booth

"And finally…" Saraba moaned, on the floor and out of breath from her lengthy explanation, "Sarutobi's specialty is illusions… just like me, except… much better… and bigger, too… And that's all the info about the Red Leaf Ninja-Samurais. All 22 of us…"

"Well, I'm not gonna lie, Sara." Dillon replied, his shadow scribbling the last notes down. "That's a pretty tough crowd to compete with. But don't lose your confidence over it, okay?" He spoke comfortingly. "Everything you do is a big help, even if it's only menial jobs. Just stay on your feet and keep facing forward!"

"Well… thanks." Saraba pressed her hands to the floor and pushed herself back up. "I guess I'll try… but it didn't help that you made me talk about…!" Her eyes shot open in realization, and a wave of worry washed over her heart. "Hey, uh… you wouldn't happen to be enemy spies, would you?" She smiled and sweated shakily and fiddled her fingers. "You're not gonna… share all that with anyone, are ya?"

"What, no!" Dillon exclaimed. "I was just curious about them! But, really sorry to keep you, we'll just be going now. C'mon, Vanel."

"Electro Bunny Style: WINDOW BREAK!" Vanellope zipped through a window. Dillon grinned innocently as he backed up to the door and exited. Despite his claims, Saraba continued to sweat like a waterfall, believing she jeopardized her whole team.

"Sigh…" Dillon walked calmly. "Whether this alliance thing works out or not, it's handy to have info on their crewmen, don't you think?" His shadow nodded. "But man, 21 of these guys besides her. And they're just one portion of the crew. I guess the KND can't afford to make any more enemies…"

The Raccoon Pirates regrouped near the town entrance and recapped their encounters. "Harry, Haylee, and I went to the Riddle House." Artie said. "They weren't too hard. And we won key-chains for all the Hope Pirates." He held up the six chains.

"Haha, I remember making those!" Yuta grinned.

"What're you so happy about?" Chris asked. "It sounds like what happened in that shuriken place was pretty messed up."

"But, I didn't know about it, I swear!"

"No, but you don't have a problem killing adults in that race."

"I never wanted to…!" Yuta bit his lip, glancing around the feudal buildings. "I'll explain later. Listen, how about we go to my hometown next? They could be watching us…"

Sharing a concerned glance, the teammates followed Yuta off the island. Gen, the monochrome-haired boy spied on them. "That's very ascinating-fay. Why has Sector V come here? Dillon was collecting info from the chore girl, and yet he suggested something of an alliance. I should call Kokichi about this…"

Light of Hope; Monaca's Quarters

"Here we are, Monaca." Jataro moaned as he rolled his friend into the green-décor bedroom. "Your nice, cozy room. I suppose you don't need my help any further. If I were me, I would discard me at my earliest opportunity."

"That's very considerate of you, Jataro. Monaca is very conservative with her brain power. That's why she needed you to push her. But Monaca doesn't wish to expend more brain cells talking to a giant dung beetle."

"Okay, Monaca. I'll go away now. A girl as bright as you doesn't need someone like me poisoning their-" Monaca shoved him out the door with psychic and shut it. "Sigh…" Jataro sighed.

"Aww, cheer up, Gas Mask!" Someone plopped a hand on his shoulder. "Your life totally has meaning! Why, you're just burning with potential!"

Jataro faced Kokichi's beaming grin with hopeful eyes. "That's kind of you to say, Kokichi. Your words make me feel like I have… Wait a minute." The hope faded away. "I know what you're doing. You're going to crush my good mood by-"

"It's a lie~!"

"That's exactly what I expected. But your lies make me feel even worse about myself. That's why I like them."

"Just go mop the floor, your presence is unbearable." Kokichi marched into Monaca's room and shut him away.

"Man, now you're telling the truth. My admiration for you, Kokichi, was quickly snuffed out."

"So, Gen called me about some new arrivals." Kokichi said to Monaca, tossing die up in his hand. "KND operatives from a certain sector…"

"Now it seems there are two KND sectors in the kingdom." Monaca replied in her cute, doll-like tone. "This could be just awful for our crew."

"Then we better put a stop to them." Kokichi said in a serious tone. "They're going to ruin our perfect utopia. We need to prove to them that all our people are happy, and being taken from this kingdom would be an absolute nightmare!"

. . . . . This was followed by laughter that mixed, "Ufufufufufu/Neeheeheeheeheehee!"

"But as long as they're here, why don't we play with them?" Kokichi held the die between his fingers. "Perhaps they'll like us so much that they won't want to leave. Having the best KND sector on our side would certainly give us the edge in this war. And wouldn't it break all their hearts to see their best sector devolve to renegade thugs?"

"Ufufufu!" Monaca poked her blushed cheeks and said, "That would be super-duper despair inducing!"

"Yes, it would." Kokichi's skin turned black, and his hair a ghostly white. "That's what makes this so fun."