"So, how did Viluysia react after finding out that Amisia tricked her?" Makoto asked.

Setsuna smirked. "Well, I can't say for sure... But I heard that she blamed her spy for everything that happened, as she believed Harukras would have been able to tell her about Amisias plans if she had done her job right. Poor Harukras had to hide from her mistress' wrath in the middle of the new mausoleum... where there are plenty of pillars. So it might have taken Vilyusia some time before finding her in that place."

The others laughed.

By now, Luna had given up checking her history book for any proof of Setsuna's stories. "So, I suppose that's the end of that story. What's next?"

"Well, next I'm gonna tell you about... about..." Setsuna hesitated.

Hotaru looked at the Senshi of Pluto with a puzzled expression. "Setsuna-mama? Is everything all right?"

"Um, yeah, of course... So, now that we finished this story, the only wonder that's left is the seventh one."

"The seventh one?" Rei asked. "Um, what about the sixth one?"

"That's right," Minako nodded. "Logically, six would be the number that comes after five. I learned that much at school."

"Oh, really?" Artemis grinned. "What a surprise..."

Minako stared at him grimly.

"C'mon, Setsuna!" Usagi said impatiently. "Why don't you want to tell us about the sixth wonder?"

"B-but I can't really remember it too well..." Setsuna stuttered.

"I don't believe you," Chibiusa said. "Come now, Puu, I know you and I can see when you are lying."

"Is there a reason why you hesitate from telling us?" Ami asked. "Some sort of secret?"

The green-haired woman sighed. "Fine, fine... I'll tell you. Although I'd rather not... But just because it's you guys."

----

In the Aegean Sea, a part of the Mediterranean Sea, the big and prosperous island called Rhodes was situated.

The queen of Rhodes was an extremely beautiful, skilled, well-endowed...

Um, okay... she was a good-looking woman named Tsuna.

But she was not only beautiful, she was also a skilled politician and popular aristocrat, and it was thanks to her abilities as the ruler of Rhodes that the island kingdom turned into a nation of wealth.

Tsuna herself had a big amount of treasures and rare artifacts that she had gathered during her journeys all around the ancient world.

But this wealth came not without a price: Rhodes had been more than once the target of militant nations like Sparta, or of criminal organizations. Until now, Rhodes had always been able to defend itself against all aggressors.

But now...

Queen Tsuna was sitting within her dining hall, having dinner, when suddenly one of her couriers came running in.

"An urgent message from the mainland, your Majesty!" the swift-footed girl called Ruka said.

"Well, I hope it is important," Tsuna said grimly. "I don't like to be disturbed during my meals, you know that."

Ruka gave her queen a short bow. "Forgive me, my queen, but... this is urgent! The notorious Amazon Quartet has escaped from prison, and they say they are on their way to Rhodes."

"The Amazon Quartet?" Tsuna gasped. "That villainous group of pirate captains..."

Ruka nodded. "Yes, rumors have it that they already succeeded in hiring a new crew of pirates, and that they plan to rob our nation of all its treasures."

"We can't let them do that," Tsuna protested. "I won't let them lay a hand on my... um, on our treasures."

"Well, the weak point will be the harbor, as always," Ruka said with a sigh. "Honestly I do not know how we are going to defend us against them. Most of our battle ships have been destroyed during Sparta's latest assault on our island..."

"I know!" Tsuna suddenly perked up. "Chiru the Genius! She has to help us!"

Ruka couldn't help but blush. She had been attracted to the beautiful, turquoise-haired engineer and inventor for some time now, but her position didn't allow any romances.

"Um, d-do you want me to bring her a message?" the blonde courier asked.

"Never mind, I'll go myself," Tsuna said.

----

In the workshop of Chiru, arguably the most intelligent woman on Rhodes...

"Well, this does present a problem," Chiru said after hearing from the pirates. "And an urgent one at that. But, I think I may have a solution."

"You have?" Tsuna asked hopefully.

Usa and Taru, Chiru's two young assistants, smirked at each other.

"Chiru-mama always has a solution," Taru spoke up.

"Yeah, she's the smartest woman in the world," the pink-haired Usa proclaimed.

"Thanks for the praise, but I fear that this won't be as easy as it might sound," Chiru sighed. "Well... at first I thought about installing an alarm system, with infra-red cameras and motion detectors... but I would have to invent chips and transistors to make it work."

"What's she talking about?" Usa whispered to her violet-haired friend.

Taru shrugged. "Dunno. That's too complex for even me to understand."

Chiru then snapped her fingers. "That's it! I got it! How about a colossus, made from metal?"

"A cross?" Tsuna asked, as she didn't quite get the word.

"Not cross! A colossus! A giant statue, made from metal. We position it at the harbor, where it can protect the island from all invaders."

"A statue?" Tsuna frowned. "How's that going to stop a pirate ship?"

"Well, I can install various mechanical contraptions within the statue, which allows it to defend itself, and the island."

"Sounds pretty cool," Usa spoke up.

Tsuna shrugged. "Well, if that's what it takes to defend the island, do it! But make sure to finish the constructions until the day after tomorrow, at the latest."

"W-wait a second," Chiru stammered as Tsuna was turning around to leave. "To construct the colossus, I'll need at least hundred tons of copper."

"That much? Forget it! Ten tons have to be enough."

"How typically..." Taru sighed. "Tsuna-mama always has to be a cheapskate..."

Chiru frowned. "Okay, I'll reduce the statue's mass and raise my fee. Your decision."

"Fee?" Tsuna was taken aback. "You want to get paid?" She thought about it. "Okay, I'll be generous: You may have the copper trash that remains after the filing."

"WHAT?" Chiru shouted in disbelief. "But... but that's impossible, I need..."

"You have your order, so get to work!" the queen commanded. "If you're not successful, I'm gonna banish you from the island, understood?"

Having said that, Tsuna turned around and left the workshop, leaving behind a distraught Chiru and a pair of confused assistants.

----

When Tsuna walked back to her palace, she bumped into a certain individual she had preferred not to meet.

"Tomeus?" she wondered. "What are you doing here?"

The good-looking, but already white-haired man smiled. "I'm going to fetch my daughter from work, what else? I'm really proud of my Taru, you know? Chiru told me she would be a great help in her workshop."

"Whatever, I don't have much time, so if you would excuse me..."

"Um, w-wait a second," Taru's father said. "Don't leave just yet. C-can I invite you for lunch some day?"

The queen groaned. "How many times do I have to tell you that I can't go out with you. I am the queen, see, and you are just a mere citizen. Besides, I'm not really interested."

"But Queen Tsuna, if you would at least give me a chance..."

"I said NO!" the queen shouted. "And now, leave me alone already! Don't you have a daughter to take care of?"

Tomeus sighed in disappointment. "Of course, my queen..."

Tsuna huffed and walked back home. "The nerve..." she grumbled. "This has been going on for two months now. Can't that man realize I have no time for such an affair? Really, he has no respect at all to his queen..."

----

Amazing enough, Chiru managed the constructions on the colossus in time. And thus, two days after Tsunas visit in her workshop, the colossal statue was standing at the entrance of the harbor of Rhodes, its two copper legs standing on each side of the canal through which the ships were entering the main harbor itself.

Nearly all of the citizens of Rhodes were assembled at the harbor, cheering as the queen and the chief engineer were entering the statue through a small door at its base.

After climbing up a few stairs and ladders, they entered the control room inside of the statue's head. Tsuna took a look at the controls and smiled. "You really did well, Chiru. You can be proud of yourself."

The inventor sighed. "Still, my main concern is the lack of material. With only ten tons of copper, the colossus is somewhat... frail."

"Ah, the pirates won't come close enough to realize that," the queen said confidently.

"I hope they'll come soon," Usa said excitedly. "I can't wait to see how the colossus works."

"Um, let's just wait and see," Tsuna replied nervously.

----

Usa's wish should come true very soon, as on the same day, a big ship with colorful sails and a skull-and-crossbones flag was approaching the island.

"Land!" the man standing in the crow's nest shouted. "I see land!"

"Finally, the island of Rhodes," one of the four female captains smirked, her red hair waving in the ocean's breeze. Vesta was known as one of the most ruthless pirates throughout the Aegean Sea.

"The queen is supposed to own infinite riches," her pink-haired fellow captain Celes gushed.

"Although I'm wishing our ship wouldn't quite stand out like that," Juno, the green-haired member of the Quartet frowned. "Hey, Pallas! Did you have to choose such colorful sails?"

"Pallas is sorry," the ditzy, blue-haired pirate giggled. "But it looks just so pretty, doesn't it?"

Juno sighed. "Whatever..."

Suddenly, they could see a massive shape towering over the harbor of Rhodes.

"Huh?" Celes wondered. "What's that?"

"Dunno," Vesta muttered. "Looks like they put up some sort of scarecrow at the harbor."

"Don't be silly, that's a beacon," Juno said. "Don't you see the torch it is holding?"

Pallas smiled. "How nice of them to light our way."

"Yeah," Vesta chuckled evilly. "We should thank them cordially..." And she slowly drew her curved cutlass.

To their surprise, not even a single war ship was awaiting them. Although they knew that Rhodes had to suffer from Spartas last attack, they expected at least some resistance.

Well, they weren't going to look a gift horse in the mouth, so they steered their ship towards the harbor.

"Attack!" Vesta yelled. "Plunder everything! Show no mercy!"

Juno scratched her head. "Hey, Vesta... is it just me or did that statue just move?"

Is wasn't just her. Indeed, the Colossus of Rhodes started leaning down a bit, and while it couldn't leave his position, its arms and legs were completely mobile and controllable through the 'cockpit' within its head.

The pirates stared in awe when suddenly, the statue lowered its right arm, the one with the torch, until it was aimed directly at the ship.

And then... a massive plume of fire came shooting out of the torch. The Amazon Quartet yelped in fear, and they dove down on their ship's deck, while their men were running around in a panic.

Luckily, the flame only singed the top of their mast. But they could see that the colossus was already preparing to fire anew.

"Turn around the ship!" Vesta screamed. "Let's get out of here!"

"Yeah, the climate of Rhodes seems a bit too hot this time of the year," Celes agreed.

Taru looked out of a small hatch in the statue's right eye and cheered. "They are retreating, hooray!"

"Look at them running!" Usa smirked, as she looked out of the other eye.

"Actually, they are sailing," Taru pointed out. "You couldn't run very well on water, you know?"

"Well, whatever..." Usa grumbled.

"Let's not celebrate just now," Chiru warned them. "They might still come back."

"Well, we'll be prepared for it," Tsuna exclaimed. "The statue is big enough, we will stay here for the night. But we'll need to put up a night watchman... or woman." Her gaze wandered over to her loyal messenger, who had also assisted in 'piloting' the colossus.

Ruka sighed. "I understand, my queen."

----

Meanwhile, the pirates reached their secret hideout on a small, deserted island.

"Well, that was a washout," one of the men complained.

"Yeah, you never told us Rhodes would have a secret weapon like that," another one grumbled. "That's too dangerous for my tastes. I'm outta here!"

"Yeah, me too," several other chorused.

"SHUT UP!!" Vesta bellowed, making the crew cower in fear. "I am the captain, understood? And I'm saying we'll try it again!"

"Easier said than done," Juno pointed out. "Or how do you plan on going past that colossus?"

"Yeah, I suppose Tsuna wouldn't have saved any costs when she built that thing," Celes nodded.

That made the four pirate captains blink and think about it. They were talking about Queen Tsuna of Rhodes here, who was infamous because of her stinginess.

Vesta smirked. "Well, but what if she had saved costs? Wouldn't that be too bad?"

"You have an idea?" Pallas asked curiously.

Vesta nodded. "Listen up, we'll do this..."

----

In the silent of the night, a smaller pirate boat approached the island once again. This time, it was a more inconspicuous vessel, with plain sails and no pirate flag. Only the Amazon Quartet and a small crew of assembled pirates were aboard.

"Careful now," Vesta whispered. "We don't want them to get suspicious."

"Yes, we're just a peaceful, little fishing boat," Pallas grinned as she cast her fishing rod.

They were in luck. No one was paying attention to their small boat, as it landed at the harbor. The four captains left the ship and told their men to wait for their signal.

Then they quietly approached the massive foot of the colossus that was standing in front of them.

----

It had been a quiet night. So quiet that Ruka didn't manage to stay awake. When Queen Tsuna decided to check on her servant, she got angry when she saw how the blonde, short-haired woman was snoozing peacefully.

"WAKE UP!" she shouted. Ruka gasped as jumped to her feet. In confusion, she looked around. "Wh-what? What's going on?"

"You fell asleep, that's what's going on," her queen grumbled. "You lazy bum! What if the pirates suddenly return and you wouldn't notice because you were asleep?"

"Oh, don't worry," Ruka yawned. "It's such a quiet night, I don't believe they'll come. See, everything is peaceful and quiet..."

Tsuna just frowned.

----

Unnoticed to the queen and her servant, the four pirate girls had climbed up the statue in the meantime. Coming from a circus family, that was not such a big feat. And on Vestas command, they all pulled out small, hand-operated drills and started to perforate the statue's hull.

"I was right," Vesta grinned. "Tsuna DID save some costs. The statue isn't massive, it is hollow. And we can easily make many little holes, until it looks like a swiss cheese."

"Strange idea," Pallas murmured. "Cheese with holes?"

----

When the statue started shaking, everyone grasped onto something, so they wouldn't fall.

"Wh-what's going on here?" Tsuna asked in worry.

"Um, I don't really know for sure..." Chiru replied. "But I have a hunch."

"Care to elaborate on that?"

"Well, I think the construction is going through a critical phase," Chiru said.

Tsuna didn't like the tone of that. "Meaning?"

"IT'S GONNA COLLAPSE!"

And in a shower of copper debris and machinery parts, the formerly impressive Colossus of Rhodes collapsed into a giant pile of junk.

After some time, some of the rubble got pushed aside, and the 'pilots' of the statue's control room dug their way out of the colossus' remains.

"What a great plan that was, Chiru," Tsuna coughed. "That statue was a giant waste of time. I should have known... exiling you might be even too merciful…"

The engineer didn't say anything. She just looked at the remains of her masterpiece and whined.

"Hey, Chiru can't be blamed for what happened," Usa protested. "The real reason behind all this is your excessive stinginess and... the Amazon Quartet! Look, over there!"

The pink-haired girl was right. Having jumped off the collapsing statue just in time, the four pirate girls laughed in triumph as they looked at the rubbish in front of them, even giving each other the high-five. Afterwards, they were calling their men and led them into town, to plunder and ravage.

"We have to do something," Taru spoke up. "Isn't there a way to stop them?"

The queen sighed. "Where are they headed?"

"Um, sorry to tell you this, but it seems like they have decided to head for your palace first," Chiru said.

Tsuna groaned and collapsed on the ground. "I'm a bad queen, am I?" she sighed.

"Um, I wouldn't put it that way," Taru commented. "You just have your own ways of caring for your subjects."

"Yeah... and see where it brought us," Tsuna muttered.

Taru wanted to say anything else, to cheer the queen up, but then she looked over to town, and what she saw made her gasp. "Daddy! Oh no! The pirates are heading his way."

----

The pirates under the command of the Amazon Quartet were in good spirits. Laughing and swinging their weapons around, they made their way through the main street of town. They knew the guards of the palace would be no match for them.

"We did it!" Celes cheered. "Now we're gonna be rich!"

"Yeah, we sure showed them, huh?" Juno grinned smugly.

"And all because of my brilliant plan," Vesta laughed.

She frowned, when she saw a lanky man walking in front of them. He had his back turned towards them, so he didn't see the pirates.

"Who's that?" Pallas asked curiously.

"Dunno, but he's in the way," Vesta growled. "Hey skinny, move it!" she shouted and pushed the white-haired man to the ground.

Tomeus fell down with a startled gasp. "Wh-what?"

"You better get out of our way, or you'll be sorry," Juno grumbled and cracked her knuckles. Tomeus gulped.

Suddenly, a booming voice made them all jump in surprise: "YOU GET YOUR SLIMY HANDS OFF MY TOMEUS RIGHT NOW, YOU CROOKS!"

"What the...?" Vesta stuttered and turned around just in time to see a vicious fury with emerald-green hair coming at them, teeth bared and eyes blazing.

And when she saw a fist coming at her face, the only thing she could say was: "Oh sh..."

WHAM! BAM! SOCK! POW! WHACK!

Ruka, Chiru and Taru were watching in awe as their queen, spurred by her feelings, was beating every single pirate down to a pulp.

In the end, she was standing on top of a pile of unconscious or half-unconscious pirates, wiping her hands on her toga.

"Can anyone tell me what happened?" Celes asked dizzily.

"Oooooh, Pallas' head hurts," the blue-haired pirate captain whined.

"Are moves like that even legal?" Juno groaned, trying to get out from under her heavy crew members.

Vesta just grumbled.

"Incredible!" Chiru gasped. "Now that's the true Colossus of Rhodes!"

"Whoo-hoo!" Usa cheered. "Way to go, Tsuna!"

Taru smiled. "I knew it. You were trying to hide it, but I always knew you had some feelings for my Dad."

"Um, I... I don't know what you're talking about..." the queen said in a grumpy voice.

Tomeus got up from the ground and smiled. "Aw, I understand. I can see that you are a little bit grumpy sometimes, my dear, but that's just how you are, right? I still love you, sweetheart."

"Now, l-let's not get too informal here," the queen protested. "See, the guards are coming to take the pirates to prison, and now everyone can go back to work and..."

"Aw, but I can't let you go without having thanked you for my rescue," Taru's father smirked.

"Yeah, and for free at that," Usa giggled. "How unbelievable is that?"

"N-now don't be too hasty here," Tsuna stammered. "I just..."

Tomeus grinned, took her hand and kissed it like a gentleman.

Queen Tsuna felt her resistances melt away like snow in the heat of summer. She coughed nervously.

"T-Tomeus, I, um... I might just feel something for you, something like, I dunno... fondness?"

Tomeus smiled broadly at her. "I knew you would," he said and gave her a big hug.

"H-hey, I didn't say you could... Hey, knock it off! Everyone's watching!"

"Hooray!" Taru cheered. "All's well that ends well!"

----

Setsuna groaned. "And that's the embarrassing tale of my most sentimental incarnation, Queen Tsuna..."

The Inner Senshi, along with Chibiusa and Hotaru, were smiling at her. "The story's end is so beautiful," Ami said. "Don't tell us that's the reason why you wouldn't tell us..."

Hotaru grinned. "You know, I believe Daddy likes you very much as well. What do you say to that?"

Usagi giggled. "Who knows, maybe they end up becoming an item, just like their historical counterparts."

"Um, me and the doctor?" Setsuna asked, taken aback. "Um, that's ridiculous... Uh, could you excuse me for a while? I'll be right back..." In a hurry, she ran over to the restaurant's restroom.

Minako gave her friends a wink. "As the Senshi of Love, let me tell you this: She's totally hooked!"