After a thorough review of the situation, the Senshi finally began discussing what to do. "Okay," Usagi began, "Captain Turner says we can send six people… so who's going?"

"Well, to start with the obvious, Konatsu apparently has to go, or else we might not even have a chance of finding it," Setsuna said.

"Right… but that means we can send five Senshi in support. So, who's going to be the most helpful on a mission like this?"

"That's easy," Ranma said. "Shampoo can breathe underwater when she's Sailor Pisces, an' right now, the only thing we know for sure about the amulet is that it's underwater. If Naru comes, she can use her Gemini powers ta mimic Pisces, so that's two swimmers. An' I'm pretty sure I can use my powers ta protect Konatsu from the water pressure an' all that stuff."

"That sounds like a plan," Setsuna said. "Do either of you have a problem with it?"

"Why would Shampoo have problem spending more time with Airen?"

The Time Guardian studiously ignored the glares coming from Ranma's other fiancées by switching the conversation's focus to the other Senshi he mentioned. "What about you, Naru? Do you think you're up to it?"

"I… I think so," the redhead replied nervously. "I mean, I want to do whatever I can to help."

"Good—so, that's four. We can take two more."

Haruka responded to this in her typical lackadaisical manner: "We may as well draw straws. I mean, it sounds like Ranma's idea has covered all the bases. I don't see what else needs to be accounted for."

Ami had an answer for that. "Well, there's still the proverbial 800 pound gorilla to deal with: Duplicas. I don't think it would be out of line to assume that she's going to be a problem—if we get the Aries amulet, it means she's lost, after all."

Jade didn't seem to think this would be a problem. "So? We'll just send along some people to beat the everloving crap out of her. And, as I have superhuman strength, I think that makes me the most qualified Senshi for crap-out-of-beating."

"No, Jade."

"But Uncle Jackie…."

"Until your grades get better, you're not going to get involved with any of this unless it's absolutely necessary, and many of your comrades are far more skilled fighters than you are."

"Your uncle's right, Jade," Setsuna concurred, "and what's more, you don't have enough practice using your powers yet, which makes you a liability in close-quarters combat. The Flying Dutchman may be resilient, but I don't think Captain Turner is going to appreciate large holes in his ship."

"But considering how desperate that bitch is getting, she probably won't give a damn about tearing anybody to shreds," Inuyasha pointed out. "You're going to need somebody who can match her firepower—and it ain't gonna be me or Kagome, because we're too busy."

"Inuyasha, could you please stop talking for me?"

"What? It's true."

"Yes, but they don't need to hear that from you."

"Can we please stay on the subject at hand?" Nabiki asked in exasperation.

Fortunately, the next sentence silenced all debate rather quickly: "I'll go."

More than two dozen heads turned in response. "Are you sure about this, Usako?" asked Mamoru.

"You need someone powerful, right? I certainly qualify."

"But what about…"

Usagi didn't give her boyfriend a chance to finish his sentence, because she'd already guessed where his line of reasoning was headed. "Hotaru, do you think you'd be able to pull of one of your moves on a wooden ship without destroying it?"

"Maybe… I'm not certain, though."

"That's why Hotaru can't go. I'm almost as powerful as she is, but my moves are a lot safer for places where we can't risk too much damage."

Here, Setsuna interjected. "To be fair, the chance anyone has of permanently destroying the Flying Dutchman are microscopic; both ship and crew are protected with extremely strong magicks."

"But Konatsu isn't. Until he gets his amulet, I won't allow any unnecessary risks to his safety, and that means making sure the boat stays together. My mind's made up, Setsuna."

The Time Guardian knew this, of course. Usagi was acting more like Neo-Queen Serenity than her usual bubbly personality, which meant that her words were, for all practical purposes, a royal decree. "Yes, my Queen," Setsuna replied.

"Besides, I want to be there for Naru, too," the ponytailed blonde admitted sheepishly. "She is my best friend, after all."

"Thanks, Usagi," the redhead said.

"So, that leaves one more," Michiru said. "I'd consider volunteering myself for that slot, since my powers are specifically based on the ocean, but I really need to prepare for a performance. Though if I'm truly needed, I could try and reschedule it…"

"Oh, you don't have to trouble yourself on my account," Konatsu said. "You guys are already doing so much for me as it is."

"But we want to help you, Konatsu," Kasumi said, causing the kunoichi to blush. "Isn't there anyone else who could help out?"

As it turned out, most of the other Senshi had obligations in their civilian lives to take care of, and even though nearly everyone offered to reschedule, Konatsu's submissive humility would have none of that. It seemed that only Maria wouldn't have to forego any obligations to join the group, but the Italian Digidestined was wary of using her corrosive abilities on the Dutchman, reasoning that they were too dangerous. "Well, we don't have to take six people," Makoto pointed out. "Maybe five will be enough."

"But Duplicas is probably going to be fighting like a banshee," Minako said, her voice so earnest that her mangled idiom went unnoticed. "Can we afford to only take five?"

"But who else is powerful enough to fend off Duplicas without risking damage to the Dutchman?"

The answer came from an unexpected place: "Perhaps I can help out there."

A whole room of heads suddenly turned towards a doorway, where a short brunette stood in a fuku and tiara. Several seconds of stunned silence passed before anyone responded. It was Akane who first found her voice again. "Azusa? What are you doing here?"

"I am here because this is supposed to be a gathering of the Senshi—and you really should refer to me as Capricorn, if only because Azusa is still having problems with multiple personalities."

"So… so you're her other personality, then?"

"Essentially. In case you're wondering, I don't harbor any resentment for not receiving an invitation to this meeting—communicating with Azusa is rather difficult, after all."

"But how did you know about this meeting?"

"While it's true that Azusa couldn't put together your attempts to let her know about the situation, I am a bit more receptive to new information. In any case, we should get back to the reason I spoke up: I believe I can help you with your close-quarter combat problem; my illusions should help distract anyone attempting to attack us without posing any unnecessary risks to the real sailors on the ship."

"But Duplicas isn't human," Ukyo pointed out. "Won't she see through the illusions?"

"Unlikely. I wouldn't be much of a demon fighter if my powers didn't affect demons."

"Good point."

"Besides, she might not be alone," Capricorn added. "After all, she has shown a tendency to trick others into fighting her battles for her, as I'm all too painfully aware. Even if she's unaffected by my abilities, I should be able to handle her allies reasonably well."

"So, that settles it, then," Usagi said definitively. "Konatsu will go to the Marianas Trench on the Flying Dutchman to get his amulet, and Ranma, Shampoo, Naru and me, and… uh, Capricorn."

The Senshi in question smiled wistfully as her leader stumbled over what name to call her by. "Don't worry, Usagi. Over the next week, I intend to make sure Asuka knows about her situation."

"Are you sure you can do it?"

"Well, we are the same person, after all."

"Right. So, I guess the six of us meet up here next week, then, and Setsuna will transport us to the ship."

"And the rest of us?" Nabiki asked.

"Stay on your guard," Setsuna advised. "If Duplicas doesn't get the Aries amulet, she might try to get one of us in a compromising situation."

"Huh?" asked Akane.

"Setsuna thinks Duplicas might try to catch one of us off guard to use as a bargaining chip of some sort," Nabiki explained. "Am I right?"

"More or less," the Time Guardian answered.

"Well, if that's it, then I guess this meeting's adjourned," Usagi said. "So… did anyone bring any snacks?"

There were many perks to being the guidance counselor at a high school, and Setsuna was more than willing to take advantage of every single one of them, whether they were for her personal gratification, or for reasons of more importance in the larger scheme of things. What was going on right now fell squarely in the latter category, as Setsuna (or rather, Sailor Pluto, since she was in uniform at the moment) was facilitating one of her compatriot's desires to get some practice with her powers at Juuban High's swimming pool.

Aquarius gasped for air as she clambered out of the pool. The three hours she'd spent experimenting with her powers had been reasonably productive: she'd found that she could indeed create an air bubble, and more importantly, that she could maintain said air bubble for reasonably long periods of time. Of course, right now, that maintenance required her full concentration, which meant that when Duplicas attacked (by now she fully believed there would be no "if"), she would be depending on her fellow Senshi for her survival.

The prospect of giving up the self-reliance she so treasured, however, was a bit of a moot point at the moment, because she'd come across a much more pressing dilemma. She'd been sitting at the bottom of the pool in a bubble for a while, so she could get practice maintaining said bubble for as long as Konatsu needed it. But as she had just learned, there was a rather serious drawback to air bubbles: if a person stays inside one for too long, he or she will eventually run out of breathable air. Fortunately, Aquarius had noticed the carbon dioxide buildup before it could hurt her, but it was enough to break her concentration, and with it, the bubble (and in the resulting confusion, Aquarius had learned that her ability to control water did not translate into an ability to breathe it).

Still, as she regained her composure by the poolside, Sailor Aquarius was more concerned with Konatsu than herself. "No way… can I give him… enough air… to last him long enough," she said between heaving breaths.

"Hmm…" Pluto thought to herself. "Perhaps your goal of perfect bathysphere was too ambitious—maybe you should just focus on making sure Konatsu can handle the water pressure. If he can survive the pressure, then regular diving equipment should be able to, as well."

"But how's he s'posed ta get 11 kilometers down with one tank? I mean, I ain't no diver, but changin' tanks underwater sounds real risky ta me."

"It is. But I'm sure it will be okay if you have to do that. And who's to say you won't come up with something else?"

"How can ya be so confident? I mean, Aries is s'posed ta be unlucky, right?"

"Ranma, Aries is the Senshi of Fortune, not Misfortune, and while it's true that Konatsu's past self had huge misfortunes, there were times when she was incredibly lucky as well. Besides, Konatsu and the Aries amulet are meant for each other. If Fate is going to do anything, I'm sure it will be to help him out, if only for this particular task."

"If you say so."

Azusa Shiratori sat in her room, surrounded by all of her belongings. Ordinarily, this would translate into a feeling of contentment, since Azusa loved each and every one of her things so much, but today, it seemed that she couldn't shake the vague feeling of unease in her mind, as though there was something important that she should have been doing or getting ready for. She couldn't figure out what that something could be, though. She was pretty sure that it wasn't a Martial Arts Figure Skating match, because if that were true, Mikado would have called and berated her for missing practice. Besides, Figure Skating season didn't start for another six months—at least, that's what Danielle said (Danielle was her wall calendar).

Maybe it had something to do with those huge blocks of time that seemed to pass by without her memory—in fact, one had just happened that afternoon. That was kind of scary, actually. What exactly had she been doing? She hoped she wasn't in trouble. She didn't have many friends, so she didn't really have anyone to turn to. Sure, her things were nice, but they weren't the same….

"Azusa." The voice startled the figure skater out of her thoughts. She looked around nervously for the source.

"Who's there?"

"A friend."

"What?" she was still trying to figure out where the voice was coming from—and why it sounded so much like her own. "Where are you?" She didn't like strangers. Strangers always wanted to take her things away from her. Sure, she knew some martial arts, but in this part of Nerima, that was hardly uncommon. She didn't like the idea of having to fight someone stronger than her.

The voice responded in a reassuring tone: "Why don't you come over to the mirror?"

"What do you want with Guillaume?"

"Nothing… it's just that Guillaume can help me explain what's going on a little better than I can alone."

"Oh… okay…" Azusa carefully inched towards the full-length mirror in the corner of her room.

Capricorn sighed internally as Azusa looked at her reflection. As clichéd as this idea might have been, it was still her best shot at getting Azusa to cooperate. Here goes nothing….

Naru was exceedingly glad that her homework was light that week, because she found herself focusing much of her time on learning all things superhero. There was quite a lot to do; not only did she need to get a handle on her unique powers, but she also needed basic martial arts training as well. Fortunately, she was in a position where she could take care of both of these simultaneously.

"Are you really sure you can get me ready in time, Pisces?" Sailor Castor was currently taking a crash course in the Amazon fighting style, and while she was glad that Pisces thought she had potential, that didn't stop her from feeling a bit overwhelmed by the task in front of her.

"No worry. You not have to be expert martial artist yet. Have extra strength and agility from Senshi form, after all. Just need to learn how to use them."

"If you say so," Castor said as she returned to her practicing. It wasn't really that difficult, actually, but she definitely had something else on her mind. "Are you certain Pollux is alright? She's been down there for a while now." She glanced over at the small pond next to where they were practicing.

"No worry—she double Pisces now," the Amazon replied, having recently managed to get in the habit of referring to herself by her alias while in uniform. "She need practice breathing underwater. Not come naturally to most."

"I know," Castor replied as she went through a series of kicks. "It's just that I'd like to make sure she's okay."

"No problem," came a voice from the lake. The pair turned to see another lavender-haired Senshi rising from the water. She looked exactly like Pisces, right down to the distinctive Amazon haircut, with the exception of her skirt—while it was definitely a shade of lavender, it was also noticeably muted when compared with the original (though the contrast wasn't quite as extreme as the silver and gray of Castor and Pollux). Her voiced also sounded exactly like the Amazon, but it was unlikely that anyone would recognize it: "I'm fine, Castor. Trust me, I'm just as good at breathing underwater as she is. It's the nature of your powers."

Her mind now fully distracted, Castor stopped her activity and turned to her counterpart. "Hey, Pollux, if we're the same person, how do you know more about our powers than I do?"

"I don't know anything you don't know, Castor."

"That's not true. If I knew everything you do, I wouldn't have gotten worried about you."

Pollux laughed amiably as she shifted back to her usual redheaded form. "There's actually a simple explanation for that. You see, I'm controlled by your subconscious."

"Yeah, I get that, I think…"

"Well, it follows that I have access to everything that you know subconsciously, as well as the things you know consciously. That's how I know so much about what we can do—you've always known everything you need to know about being Sailor Gemini. I just know everything you don't know you know."

"Oh… okay, I guess. But… maybe you should be the one in charge, since you seem to know more."

"Can't."

"Why not?"

"No free will, remember? Technically, you're the only one of us who has a soul. I'm more like a golem than a normal human being."

"You don't have a soul?" Castor didn't seem willing to believe it.

"Well, that's a little extreme, I guess. I mean, it's probably more accurate to say that I do have a soul, but it's your soul. Anyway, you're always going to be the one who makes the decisions. That's why I came out of the water, actually. You really wanted to talk to me, so I didn't really have any choice but to come out here."

"Oh… that's… kind of disturbing, actually." Castor wasn't sure that she wanted to be totally responsible for someone else's actions.

"Excuse me?" Pisces interjected. "Castor and Pollux take up conversation later, please. Training now."

"Oh, right," Castor replied. "Sorry, Pisces. Um…" She looked over at her double.

"Yes, I can do the training for you—but in return, you'd better be the one doubling Pisces."

"I can do that?"

The double nodded. "Yes. Just concentrate on being the double instead of creating the double."

"Oh… okay. She closed her eyes and proceeded to repeat the name of her signature move: Gemini Double Pisces!"

"So… so you're me?" Azusa wasn't sure if she was ready to completely trust the reflection in her mirror, though this "Capricorn" person seemed nice enough.

"Yes. Do you remember meeting the Senshi?"

"I… I think so… but I can't remember what was going on."

"Well, somebody had tricked you into doing some very bad things for them, and the Senshi felt that they had to get involved."

"What? Why?"

"Because they were getting blamed for the bad things you were doing."

"They were?"

"Yes. So they came to you to find out what was wrong, and they saw the person that tricked you. She was a very bad person. She was pretending to be your grandmother, in fact."

"But… but Grandma's dead. She died five years ago."

"I know. But this person was very convincing."

Azusa nodded; all of this information seemed vaguely familiar to her, though she was really fuzzy on the details. "Oh. Okay. Was I in trouble?"

"A little bit, but when the Senshi saw that someone else had tricked you, they forgave you, and went after her."

"Did they win?"

"Yes, but in the process, they had to fix your mind, because it was messed up a little. That's why I'm here."

"Oh. Um… I have a question."

"Go ahead."

"Why were the Senshi getting blamed for things I did?"

"Because you were dressed like a Senshi."

"Why was I dressed like one?"

"Because you are one."

"I… I am?!"

"Yes. You are Sailor Capricorn, with the power to create massive illusions to confound your enemies. You were using your powers to steal a lot of things that were very important to other people, and some folks got hurt as a result."

"Oh no!" Azusa didn't see what the problem with stealing was, but hurting people was generally not a good thing. "They're not mad at me, are they?"

"Far from it. In fact, they want your help."

"They do? How?"

"Are you okay, Konatsu?"

The kunoichi looked over his shoulder to see his employer staring at him with a somewhat concerned look on her face. "I'm fine, Ukyo-sama. Why do you ask?"

"Well, it's just that you've been sitting outside here for nearly two hours, and as far as I can tell, all you've done is stare at the skyline." Not that that was anything particularly disturbing—like many major urban hubs, Tokyo's skyline was quite picturesque, particularly at night.

"I'm sorry; was there something you wanted me to do?"

"No, it's not anything like that; it's just… this doesn't seem like the kind of thing you'd normally do, at least not for two hours at a time."

"Oh. Well, to be honest, I was… thinking."

"Thinking?"

"About the new situation I'm in."

"Oh, right. Of course: Aries. How could I have forgotten?" Apparently, the chef had already fully accepted her kunoichi as a Senshi on a subconscious level, and as a result, it didn't occur to her that Konatsu might need more time to fully transition into his new role.

"Are you worried about getting your amulet?"

"A little bit, yeah. I mean, I never thought that I would one day have a reason to go to the bottom of the ocean. How on earth do I prepare for something like that?"

"I… I really don't know," Ukyo said in a somewhat deflated tone. "Have you tried talking to Ranchan about what you're going to be doing underwater?"

"Yeah… he said he ran into some unexpected kinks, and asked me if I knew how to use SCUBA gear."

"Do you?"

"Well, sort of—my stepfamily made me learn so I could retrieve some jewelry that they dropped while at the beach. It was right in the middle of a huge kelp bed, too—it took me forever to find all the pieces, and when I did, they punished me for wasting time diving when I could have been cleaning the tea house."

"But they told you to do it."

"Yes, but they expected me to do the job quickly."

Ukyo paused as this information sank in. "Have I ever mentioned how evil your relatives are?"

"Multiple times, Ukyo-sama."

Surprisingly, Captain Jack Sparrow did not look all that out of place as he strolled through the large shipyard in Panama City. This was mostly because he had decided to forgo wearing his usual effects for this second meeting between himself and his new associate. The sad fact was that fashion trends had long since passed him by, and his preferred eighteenth-century garb now had an annoying tendency to bring him all sorts of unwanted attention whenever he wore it around those unfamiliar with his eccentricities. He still had his effects with him, of course—he'd just stowed them in his luggage for the plane trip down here, that's all.

Instead, Jack walked towards a small building wearing a T-shirt, jeans, and red canvas sneakers, all topped off with his well-worn bandanna. Combined with his backpack, his look just screamed "tourist," except that most tourists tended to look a lot less shabby and have far fewer hair ornaments. The beard was a little strange too, come to think of it, but not terribly so. It seemed that most of the looks he was getting came from sailors and dockworkers who could hardly fathom why a tourist would even want to walk through a shipyard.

Still, when he reached his destination, he was glad to find that it was air conditioned. "Ah, the joys of industrialization," he said to himself in a tone that was equal parts sincerity and sarcasm. He didn't really have any need for artificial cooling systems: after centuries in the tropics, he was more than well acclimatized to heat. But he had to admit that it felt quite good to go from a humid 90° F to a comfortably dry 70°. Jack walked up to an appointment desk to speak with the secretary.

"Excuse me?" he asked in his fluent Spanish. "I'm here for an appointment."

"Ah, Mr. Sparrow. You're expected. Go right down the hall."

"Actually, it's Capt—oh, never mind." I have really got to get my ship back, he thought to himself as he walked down the hall. He stopped at the door the woman had pointed out and knocked.

"Come in, Captain Sparrow."

"Now that's more like it." He pushed the door open and entered.

The woman he'd met at Johnny's was sitting there, looking just as beautiful as she had before, which was a good thing, as it meant that Jack wouldn't have to get drunk just to tolerate her sight (not that he planned on avoiding alcohol at any point in the near future, mind you). "Have a seat, Captain Sparrow."

The pirate flashed a toothy grin as he took her up on the offer. "Don't mind if I do, love. And call me Jack, Ms…."

"Duplicas."

"Duplicas. Right. Sorry about that, I'd forgotten. Now, is that your Christian name, or family name."

"My name," the woman repeated with a slight hint of irritation, "is Duplicas."

Hmm. Must've touched a nerve there. "So, only one name, then."

"You have a problem with that?"

"No, no. It's nothing at all." Truth be told, Jack had a rather… interesting history when it came to single-moniker women, but he was willing to ignore that for a chance to regain the Black Pearl.

"Good. How was the flight from Kingston?"

"Had a bit of a problem getting some of my effects through customs when I changed flights but fortunately I was able to convince the authorities that they were just replicas thanks to my famously winning personality." Being reasonably well-off had its advantages, and Jack Sparrow had yet to meet a customs agent he couldn't bribe.

"Good, good… and the compass?"

"Safe and sound, love."

"And is it working?"

"Naturally."

"Ah, and where exactly is it pointing?"

"You'll find that out once we start this little expedition of yours."

"I see… then we'd better not waste any more time than necessary. I have procured a recovery vessel for our use—several of its features should be of great assistance in recovering my item from the ocean floor."

"And what if it's on land?"

"Believe me, if it was on land, I'd have already found it." The look of irritation on Duplicas' face suggested a fair amount of intense frustration, and Jack didn't feel any need to question this.

"Alright, I'll take your word for it."

"Good. Are there any further questions?"

"Just one: how do I know you can actually give me the Pearl?"

"If I couldn't, wouldn't that mean that your compass wouldn't work properly?"

"Point."

Perhaps the biggest surprise that Jackie Chan faced when he returned from Tokyo with his niece was the fact that Jade apparently didn't intend to follow her fellow Senshi onto the Flying Dutchman. Of course, the fact that Jade had accepted this particular fact of reality didn't keep her from being, well, Jade.

"Where is it?! I've got to find it!"

Jackie opened the door to Jade's room to see a completely disheveled sight before him: a place for everything but not a thing in its place, papers strewn about over every flat surface, with more being tossed around as Jade engaged in a frantic search. "What's wrong, Jade? Are you missing something?"

"Of course I'm missing something! Why would I be searching for it if it wasn't missing?"

"What is it?"

"It's the key to solving the mystery."

"What are you talking about? What mystery?"

"From Canada! Don't you remember? That minotaur, or whatever it was, had El Toro Fuerte's voice! For all we know, it was El Toro Fuerte! He could be in trouble! Heck, the fate of the world could be at stake!"

"You're only just realizing this now?" Jackie said in mild confusion. "Of course he could be in trouble. But there really isn't much we can do right now, so there's no point in panicking."

"But there is," Jade replied. "I only just realized it now. There's one person who would definitely know if something happened to El Toro."

"You mean…"

"Paco! If we can get in touch with him, maybe then we can find out what's going on! I'm sure I wrote down his address or his phone number somewhere."

"So that's why you've turned your room inside-out? To find the piece of paper."

"What? No, I just thought of getting in touch with Paco five minutes ago."

"Then why does your room look like a tornado went through it?"

"Um… localized tropical depression?"

"Jade, did you ever clean your room like you said you would?"

"Not really… but I promise, I'll get on it as soon as I get in touch with Paco."

"How about you do it now?"

"Are you crazy? If El Toro's in trouble, then Paco might be, too! This is no time to sit on our butts!"

"But why are you so determined to get this done now? Surely one more hour won't hurt anything."

"Uh, hello? I'm a superhero now. I should have been on this back when I first got my powers. I mean, saving people is what I'm supposed to do, right?"

Jackie sighed. "You know what? I can't argue with that."

"Really?" Jade said in surprise before quickly regaining her composure. "I mean, of course you can't."

"A superhero needs priorities, after all."

"Exactly!"

"You need to find that information as soon as possible."

"Right!"

"Which means you'll have to conduct an exhaustive search of your room."

"Um, right."

"And fortunately for you, I know a surefire way to make any room easier to search."

"Oh, really? Uh, what is it?"

"Clean it."

Jade slapped her hand to her forehead—she really should have seen that one coming. Especially since it was true.

Duplicas would have preferred to simply take Sparrow's compass from him, but pulling that kind of stunt would have meant that Sparrow would become a thorn in her side within a matter of seconds, and unfortunately, history had shown that it was rather difficult to eradicate the buccaneer through normal means. Still, she was reasonably sure she had the situation under control: Jack Sparrow was, in reality, the only human on the vessel that was currently moving through the waters of the Pacific ocean; with the exception of a few specialized technicians most of the crew were merely more of Duplicas' apparitions. Really, the only reason she had a boat at all was because the compass didn't lend itself well to teleportation (well, that and teleportation would probably raise Jack's suspicions—not a good thing, if his reputation was any indicator).

But Duplicas was quite happy with the vessel she'd found. It was ideal for recovering underwater objects, particularly when augmented with magic. However, within days of setting sail from Panama City, she soon realized that she'd made a slight oversight with regards to the paint job, as it recalled to mind a particularly well-known bit of pop culture.

"We all live in our yellow submarine! Yellow submarine! Yellow submarine!"

The fact that Jack was singing at all was bad enough, but after 157 renditions of "Yellow Submarine" (46 of which had been extended by the performer to fifteen minutes or more), Duplicas was nearing her breaking point. "Must you keep singing that song?"

This caused Jack to go quiet (much to Duplicas' delight). Alas, this silence only lasted a few seconds before the pirate gave his reply: "Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for—"

"Go back to 'Yellow Submarine,' please," Duplicas groaned.

Jack smiled, flashing his gold tooth. "In the town where I was born..."

"Where are the Blue Meanies when you really need them?"

One week had passed by quite quickly, and before any of the Senshi had a chance to register it, there was another gathering of the Planetary and Neriman Senshi in the home of Setsuna to send off the five Senshi (and one Senshi-to-be) to the Flying Dutchman in search of the Aries amulet. The actual departure was pretty uneventful, though it did take a while to convince Azusa that Marcel and Daphne (her roller skates) would not be very useful on the deck of a ship on the high seas—it actually took some direct intervention on the part of her alter ego, Capricorn to convince her to leave them behind. But other than that, there weren't any hiccups, and the six were soon on their merry way.

Naturally, after this, the other began to disperse, and soon enough, Hotaru found herself alone in the building, working on homework while her Haruka and Michiru went out shopping. Of course, at the moment, said homework was about the slow buildup to World War I, and as interesting as all the subtle political nuances might have been in the early twentieth century, trying to learn about it after the fact was boring as hell.

Thus, Hotaru was actually quite grateful when the phone suddenly rang and provided a diversion. As it turned out, however, the diversion ended up being more extensive than she could have possibly imagined.

"Hello?"

"Hotaru? Is that you?"

"Jade?"

"Yup, it's me. Um, I didn't wake you up, did I?"

"No… it's about 9 o'clock here."

"Good—I was worried I'd mess up this whole time zone thing."

That comment caused Hotaru to come to a sudden realization: "Jade, does your uncle know that you're making an international call?" she asked.

"Oh, don't worry about that. Jackie won't need to know about it."

"But when his phone bill comes…"

"Not a problem. You see, I'm not making this call from my home."

"You're not?"

"Nope. I snuck into Section 13 and I'm using one of their phones. But that doesn't matter—right now, we have world-saving to do."

"Jade, Usagi and the others have already left for the Flying Dutchman."

"So?"

"So, it's no use trying to tag along."

"We're not going to be tagging along—last I checked, the Marianas Trench was nowhere near Mexico."

"Mexico?!"

"Yep. We're gonna find out what happened to El Toro Fuerte, and why that demon had his voice, and that means visiting his #1 fan, Paco."

"And how do expect us to get there?"

"Maria's gonna take us."

"I see. So Maria's already agreed to be a part of this?"

"Um… well, not exactly. I haven't had the chance to tell her about this yet, 'cuz I don't know what her phone number is. But I'm sure she won't mind."

"Considering that she spends so much time in the Digital World, you're probably better off e-mailing her."

"But when I do get in touch with her, are you in?"

"I… I don't know. I really should ask Haruka-papa or Michiru-mama first…."

"Oh, come on. They're superheroes just like us. How can they possibly object to us doing some superheroing?"

"I… I guess."

"Great! Say, do you know Chibi-Usa's number? I got a feeling she'll want in on this, too."

"Uh, I think so…."

"Welcome aboard the Flying Dutchman," Will Turner said as seven newcomers materialized on his deck. The coordination with Susannah (or whatever she was calling herself now) had been reasonably good; granted, the girls were a few feet to the right of where he'd intended them to be, but as long as no one was in the water, such details were unimportant. "I hope you found the welcome to be adequate."

"Uh, yeah," the ponytailed leader replied. "That was really… interesting…. Were those real tattoos on that guy's body?"

Will chuckled at the blonde girl's nervousness; tattoos still had a rather unsavory reputation in Japan, after all. "Don't worry about Queequeg. Susannah was the one who introduced him to me, actually."

"Susannah?" Naru asked in confusion.

"Oh, that's right, I forgot. She's going by a different name now, isn't she? Ah, it doesn't matter, she's still Pluto—I do wish she had stayed around a bit longer, though…"

The lone non-Senshi interrupted the captain's musings. "Um, Turner-sama?" Konatsu asked. "You were telling us about the tattooed man?"

"Ah, right. As I was saying, Queequeg's a good man—in fact, he's one of the few members of my crew who isn't trying to pay off a karmic burden. Really, the only reason he's here is because he's sorry for trying to kill off my familiar. Well, that and his little idol apparently told him to stay."

"Familiar?" asked Sailor Moon.

"You know, a magical animal?"

"Oh, right. I've got one of those. She's a talking cat. What's your animal, a parrot?"

"Actually, he's an albino sperm whale that that's twice as big as this ship."

This most certainly did not fit the description of "magical animal" that Sailor Moon was used to: in her experience, such assistants tended to be cute, unobtrusive mascots. "Oh. Uh, does it talk?"

"Not really. Moby-Dick isn't really an advisor; rather, he is the most powerful weapon in my personal arsenal. The previous captain had an oversized kraken, for example."

"Uh, right…"

"So, the six of you need passage to the bottom of the ocean?"

"We know it won't be easy to get down there…." Sailor Moon began before she was interrupted.

"Oh, getting down there won't be a problem at all," Will explained. "You see, the Dutchman can go underwater."

The leader of the Senshi seemed to be caught off-guard by this quick solution. "Really? How?"

"Magic."

"Oh… right. But how will Pisces, Gemini and Konatsu get out?"

"Well, seeing as how I have full control of this ship's very architecture, I can easily create an airlock—though you'll have to provide your own air."

"That not problem," Pisces said. "Pisces breathe underwater."

"And anything she can do, I can do almost as well," Gemini added.

"I see. And what about you, Miss… Konatsu, was it?"

"Uh, well, my name is Konatsu, but…"

"But what?"

"But Konatsu's actually a guy."

"What?!"

"Yep. Best damn cross-dresser I've ever seen, an' I've seen plenty," Aquarius said, causing the kunoichi to blush from her praise.

"I see… so, Konatsu, how do plan on surviving out there? Not only is there no air, but the pressure is tremendous."

"That's where I come in," Aquarius said. "I got the power ta manipulate water, so I can create a pretty strong bubble for him."

"You're certain you can do it at that depth?"

"Um… no. But I figure I can always just try it out on Pisces, since she'll survive if the bubble collapses. If that works, we'll let Konatsu out."

"And if it doesn't?"

"We brought some SCUBA gear. If I can't keep a bubble full of air, I can at least keep the pressure down."

"And if that doesn't work?"

"We cross that bridge when get there," Pisces said.

"Fair enough. Now, what are the rest of you going to be doing?"

"We're here in case Duplicas shows up," Capricorn answered.

"Duplicas?"

"Evil shape-changing demon lady," Pisces explained.

"Oh. Well, I've dealt with my fair share of those before, though I'll gladly accept any help you can offer. So I suppose that leaves us with one question: how exactly are you going to find it?"

"Do ya have a map?" Aquarius asked.

"I have enough maps to fill a dozen atlases."

"Well, then we're just gonna use that," the pigtailed Senshi said as she pointed to Konatsu's hand, which held a pendulum with a scorpion engraved on it.

"Ah. I see. Very well, let me get some maps of the area and we'll chart our course."

"Thanks for getting everyone here, Maria," Jade said as the rest of her party arrived at a computer terminal in Section 13.

The Italian Senshi brushed her hand through her hair as she responded, "Don't mention it. After all, it's going to be a few days before I can meet with the Japanese Digidestined, so I have time to kill. Still, was it necessary for us to meet you here? I had to do some serious hacking to bypass their security—I've never seen anything this tight."

Hotaru looked around the dimly lit office building with mild anxiety. "Are you sure we won't get in trouble?"

"Hey, I've never gotten anything more serious than a grounding for breaking in before. Why would they start now?"

"Is something wrong, Hotaru?" Chibi-Usa asked her best friend.

Hotaru glanced furtively around the dimly-lit state-of-the-art computer lab. "Nothing… it's just… does it have to be so dark in here?"

Jade shrugged. "Well, yeah, unless you want the security guys to know we're here."

"Oh… all right."

"Is something wrong?" Chibi-Usa asked.

"Well, it's just that this place… it reminds me of my father's lab."

"You father's lab?" Maria asked. "What do you mean?"

"It's…"

"It's a very long story," Chibi-Usa finished for her friend.

"Oh. Perhaps later, then."

"Perhaps," Hotaru confirmed halfheartedly.

"Doesn't matter," Jade said. "We're all here, and there's no turning back now."

"Actually, I could still refuse to take you all wherever it is that we're going," Maria corrected, "so we haven't really reached the point of no return."

"Look, must we argue semantics here?"

"So are we going?" Chibi-Usa asked.

"In a minute," Jade replied. "First, I need to take out my usual 'insurance policy.'"

"Why don't I like the sound of that?" Hotaru asked rhetorically.

When the Senshi had first boarded the Flying Dutchman, they'd expected to see some unusual things (it was supposed to be a magical ship, after all), but they'd never expected to see Captain Turner doing what he was doing at that moment: consulting a GPS device.

"Um, excuse me, Captain?" Gemini asked timidly.

"My crew refers to me as 'Captain.' Please, just call me Will."

"Uh, okay… Will. Um, why are you using that?"

Will gestured to the device in his hands. "You mean this? It lets me know my latitude and longitude. You see, there's this satellite that's orbiting the earth—"

"I don't think that's what she meant," Aquarius interrupted. "Why d'ya use that thing instead of some sorta magic?"

"Because this is just as reliable as any of my supernatural methods, and much easier."

"Oh."

"In any case, we're nearing our destination… it hasn't changed, has it Konatsu?"

"No, Turner-sama."

"Please, call me Will."

"If you wish, Will Turner-sama."

Will sighed before returning to the previous subject of conversation. "In any case, at least we know for certain that it isn't moving, which should make finding it much easier."

"Right," Moon said. "So, are we going down now?"

"Yes… but not the whole way."

"Why?"

"I want to test this water pressure plan of yours at a reasonably safe depth before we go all the way into the trench."

Aquarius seemed miffed at the notion that she might not have the situation under control. "Aw, c'mon, I know what I'm doin'."

"Be that as it may, as captain of this ship, I am responsible for the safety of my passengers, and I am going to have to insist that you demonstrate your competence at this task to my satisfaction."

"Arrgh…"

"Do as he says, Aquarius," Moon said, her voice once again taking on an air of authority. "There is nothing unreasonable about his demands."

"Fine. Let's get this over with."

Duplicas knew not how it had happened, but somehow, a miracle had occurred: Captain Jack Sparrow had decided to stop singing. Well, actually, she while she didn't know, per se, she did have a strong suspicion that the 2 empty bottles of rum that lay next to his unconscious body had something to do with it. But that didn't quite add up either; Jack Sparrow was renowned for his capacity for alcohol, and after centuries of practice, his liver was one of the most efficient to ever exist (at least, that was the explanation Jack normally gave). In any case, while 2 bottles of rum would certainly make him more than a little tipsy, it shouldn't have been enough to cause him to pass out.

Not that any of that mattered to her. What was important was that she was enjoying the sound of silence (not to be confused with "The Sounds of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel, which Jack had chosen as an encore to "Yellow Submarine"), and it was wonderful. At last, the shape-shifter thought to herself, a chance to figure out what I'm going to do with those Senshi once I get the Aries amulet. While getting the amulet was an important first step, it would be nothing more than a momentary obstacle in those do-gooders' path if more action was not taken. Fortunately, step two was just as easy to figure out: once the amulet had been claimed for Lady Zodiac, Aries herself had to be brought into the fold. Once Aries was firmly on their side (either through reason or brainwashing), the rest of the Zodiac Senshi could be taken back into their Lady's service, and then—

Duplicas was jolted out of her thoughts by an all-too-familiar voice from behind: "Excuse me, love…"

No, no, no, no, no!! Duplicas turned around to see her anachronistically dressed "navigator" flashing his gold tooth through his mischievous smirk. "I thought you'd passed out?"

The pirate chuckled good-naturedly. "Duplicas, I'm Captain Jack Sparrow! It takes more than two bottles of rum to lay me out on the floor."

"Then what were you doing there?"

"Taking a brief trip to the Land of Nod, love."

"You decided to take a nap?"

"I believe that is what I said."

"On a diamond plate steel floor."

"Yes."

"But… that's… argh…" I hate working with humans. "What do you want?" she finally asked in resignation, half expecting to hear a rendition of "The Song That Doesn't End."

Mercifully, Captain Sparrow actually had useful information to give her. "You know how my compass has been pointing in that direction for several days?" he said as he pointed in the general direction of the bow.

"Yes?"

"Well, I just took a look at my compass, and it is now pointing in that direction," Jack answered, accompanying this with a swing of his arm that stopped when it pointed towards the stern.

"You mean we went past it?"

"Either that, or something moved it."

Duplicas' eyes went wide at this suggestion. She immediately started barking orders at her underlings: "Turn this oversized banana around now!"

As it turned out, when Captain Turner had said that he wanted tests done, he wanted them done thoroughly—he wasn't going to take the Flying Dutchman to the bottom of the Trench until he was certain that Konatsu would be safe. Thus, Aquarius found her water manipulation abilities put to the test again and again, each time at a progressively low depth. At the moment, the supernatural ship was about halfway down, which was more than enough water to block out any sunlight. Fortunately, Captain Turner seemed quite able to provide ample light from the Dutchman, and thus far, Aquarius' abilities were holding up surprisingly well, though she'd had to completely forgo the "air bubble" concept in favor of a simpler depressurized zone. At the moment, she and Sailor Gemini (who was doubling Pisces while the Amazonian Senshi was taking a break) were refining their technique, while the other three Senshi present observed the goings on below the deck. No one was quite certain where Konatsu was—the last time anyone had seen him, he'd said that he was going to take the opportunity practice his concealment techniques in a confined area. Given his skill, this basically meant that he wouldn't be making his presence known to anyone until he had to.

But Moon, Pisces and Capricorn seemed to find plenty of things to occupy their attention, most notably the unusual game that seemed to be taking place between three men nearby.

"Three threes."

"Four threes."

"Five fives."

"Six fives."

"Eight sixes."

"Liar!" At this, the three men lifted their cups to reveal a total of fifteen dice, after which the accused liar grinned broadly, taking a nearby pile of trinkets into his possession.

This had the Senshi feeling quite confused. "What are they playing?"

"The game has many names, but on this ship, it's just called 'dice.'"

The three Senshi turned around to see a blonde woman in her thirties (at least, that's how old she looked) dressed in the same type of eighteenth-century sailing garb that Captain Turner seemed to prefer. Sailor Moon was the first to respond. "Oh… uh, hello."

"How do you do?"

"I'm fine. Um, I haven't seen many other women on board."

"That's because I'm the only woman who's a regular crew member."

"Oh. Must be lonely."

"Not really. I keep very good company." The woman smiled to herself, as if enjoying her own joke, before suddenly refocusing her attention. "Where are my manners? My name is Elizabeth Turner, wife of William Turner and first mate of the Flying Dutchmen, and if you know what's good for you, you'll avoid using any obvious puns in conversation with me."

"Really?" If there was one thing Sailor Moon liked talking about, it was matrimony. "How long have you been together?"

"Oh, we were married right before he became captain of the Dutchman, so that would make it about 250 years."

The Senshi seemed impressed. "You've aged quite well," said Capricorn.

"I've only aged about twenty-five years since then, and that was only because I stayed on land to raise our son until he could take care of himself. Ironically enough, he became a swordsmith."

"Why is that ironic?"

"Because that was the station Will had accepted for himself before Jack came along."

"Jack?"

"Have you ever heard of Captain Jack Sparrow?"

Capricorn's demeanor briefly shifted to the naïve innocence of Azusa as she replied. "No… I don't think so."

"Consider yourself lucky."

Elizabeth didn't seem willing to explain this any further, so the subject of the conversation returned to its original topic. "Dice game look fun. Can Pisces play?"

"Of course," the amiable woman replied. "The rules are easy enough to learn. There's just one condition."

"Condition?"

"Yes. You see, while I'm sure you are a virtuous and morally upright young woman, the regular crew members might take offense if they learned that you had a potentially unfair advantage."

"What do you mean?" asked a somewhat confused Sailor Moon, who wasn't quite certain what the first mate was referring to.

"I mean that if she wants to participate, she needs to make certain that her invisible fish don't do anything to interfere, such as looking at other players' dice from over their shoulder."

"Aw, we wouldn't do that…" said a disappointed male voice, which was soon followed by the materialization of Pisces' connected twin fish, Fin and Fun.

The former of these two slapped her brother on the side of the head. "You mean I wouldn't do that. You'd do it any chance you got if you weren't tethered to me."

"But I am tethered to you, which means that I never get any chances to do that, which means that I never will…."

"Oh, my goodness…" Moon said. "I'd forgotten all about those two."

"Well, duh," Fun said. "There wouldn't be much point in being able to turn invisible if we couldn't keep quiet."

"Frankly, Pisces amazed he manage to go this long."

"Hey, I take my job as a cute talking mascot seriously, and I know how to be professional. I mean, who do you think I am, Sting?"

"Sometimes I wonder…" his sister said sarcastically.

"That not matter," the lavender-haired Senshi, stated unequivocally. "Dice game look fun, and Pisces want to play."

"As I said, you're welcome to join in—but first, what exactly do you have to wager?"

"Wager?"

"Yes. The house rules say that you have to be gambling something, or there's nothing to keep score with."

"What kind of bet you mean?"

"Well, it can be anything, really, though Will frowns quite greatly on the betting of nonmaterial items."

"Huh?"

"It means that you can't bet your time on this ship. Hello, dear," Will said, walking up behind his wife and playfully pecking her on the lips in a greeting. He then continued his explanation. "Most of those on this ship are here to atone for past misdeeds. Some call it purgatory, others call it karmic fire insurance for the next life. In any case, when they agree to join, we ink out a deal for a certain number of years, which varies from person to person. The point is that there's no point in trying to bet, say, ten years of your sentence, which would presumably be transferred to the loser of the game, because I won't acknowledge it."

"You seem pretty resolute about that," Capricorn commented.

"Let's just say it's an effort to distinguish myself from my predecessor. Davy Jones used to use this game to trick his crewmen, basically enslaving them for centuries—some for eternity, actually. A few of them who'd accepted this fate have actually declined my offers to release them from the Dutchman's service and are still on board."

"Well, it's not like Pisces could bet anything like that anyway," Moon observed. "So if they aren't betting years, what do they bet."

"Oh, odds and ends, various trinkets that they've collected over the years. Really, it's more for the sake of scorekeeping than material gain, though Queequeg had a very nice harpoon which is currently a much sought-after item amongst the crew. I think Quint has it right now."

"Quint?"

"American fellow, picked him up around 1975, I believe. He'd had a nasty run-in with a shark. A bit eccentric, but then, most of my crew are."

"Oh, I think I know who you're talking about," Capricorn said. "We were talking earlier. He said he hadn't had much contact with Japanese people since the last time he was in the area. I'm not sure what he meant…"

Will raised his eyes in confusion for a moment or two before realizing what the dusty seaman had meant. "Oh, that. He's referring to World War II."

This didn't clear up Capricorn's confusion. "He said he helped deliver a goodwill present from the United States."

"Did he mention that that particular gift was for the people of Hiroshima?"

It didn't take long for that bit of obliquely dark humor to be fully processed. "Oh," Capricorn replied as she adjusted the pleats of her miniskirt. "I guess you weren't kidding about karmic debt."

"I rarely do."

All in all, the tests had gone reasonably well—after the last deep-water test, Captain Turner was quite convinced that Konatsu would be alright in the Trench, provided that proper precautions were taken. The Flying Dutchman was currently on the surface once again, where Captain Turner intended to take one last reading with Scorpio's Pendulum. Once he was certain that they were directly over the amulet, they'd simply head straight down until they reached the bottom.

And it was indeed the bottom—it came to absolutely no one's surprise that the Aries amulet was sitting in the deepest part of the Marianas Trench. They were going to have to go all the way down to get there, and even for magical ships, that took time.

"Is everything ready?" his first mate asked him.

"Yes, Elizabeth. Have everyone get inside the ship's hull."

"Of course. By the way, you did remember to tell our passengers about this, correct?"

"Why? They were the ones who wanted to do this."

"Not our special passengers, dear—I'm referring to our usual customers."

It took Will a while to figure out what his wife meant, but he soon realized she was referring to his day job. They currently had a family on board who'd been the victims of a tragic boating accident a few days earlier. "Oh… right. Yes, I've told them. The boy seems quite excited to see the bottom of the ocean, actually," he remarked with a smile. It always felt good when one could cheer up someone who'd gone through severe psychological trauma (like death).

"Good. I just wanted to make sure you didn't forget your duties—I like your face the way it is, thank you very much."

The two of them exchanged a brief kiss before breaking off to finish the preparations. "Prepare to descend!"

Duplicas was starting to grow agitated—she had never been the most patient demon in the Negaverse, and the… offbeat behavior of her human passenger wasn't helping things, either. "Damn it, Sparrow—"

"Captain Sparrow," the pirate corrected as he moved about the sub's control room, looking over the shoulders of her (disguised) doubles and generally making a nuisance of himself, as he was wont to do whenever he traveled aboard a vessel not under his command.

Duplicas chose to ignore the interruption and continued: "When are we going to get there."

"Love, all I've got is a compass; and while I will grant you that it is a very special compass, it can still only perform those functions which are essential to compassness."

"Translation?"

"A compass can only tell you whether you're headed in the right direction. If you actually want to know where you're going… well, that takes some effort. As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't matter where we go, as long as we get there."

"Well, I'm a bit pressed for time, so if you would kindly check to make sure that we are still headed in the right direction…"

Jack complied, delicately taking the mystical compass from his pocket and opening the cover ever-so-slightly, taking special care to ensure that he was the only one who view its reading. "Yes," he replied tersely, snapping the lid shut.

"Argh… couldn't you at least try to be helpful?"

"I could… provided a certain condition be met."

"And that is…"

"Well, you see, although my current navigational skills are a trifle rusty I do believe that they could be polished to a brilliant sheen if you would be so kind as to inform me of exactly the means you expect to use to fulfill your part of our little bargain."

"Magic," Duplicas replied laconically.

"Love, I'm holding a compass that points towards whatever the bearer wants most. This implies two things: first, that you're going to need to be a bit more specific than 'magic' in your explanation because quite frankly I've had more contact with the supernatural than I care to remember, and second, that knowing how you'll fulfill your half of the deal will greatly increase the degree to which I will want to fulfill my half."

"And why, pray tell, do you not think magic can restore the Black Pearl to you if you are willing to admit that it exists?"

"Because the last time I saw it, it had been obliterated by magic—not a sight for the ill of constitution."

"And you don't think magic can undo magic?"

"That would depend on the type of magic, my dear. Hence my desire to know how you plan to restore the Pearl."

"Let's just say that 'obliterated' might not be the correct term for what happened to your ship and leave it at that."

"I see…." Jack considered this for a moment or two, bringing his hand to his chin and flicking the two braids of his beard as he considered this bit of information. He then opened his compass again, only this time he turned it 90° so that it was vertical instead of horizontal. This time, when the compass came to rest, it was still pointing towards the front of the submarine, but at a downward angle. "Continue moving forward, descending as you do so, so that your angle of descent is 45°. When you reach the bottom, you'll find your trinket."

This caught Duplicas by surprise, as she'd never expected Captain Sparrow to be so forthcoming with information. "You're not trying to pull something, are you?"

"If I was, would you give me the Pearl when all is said and done?"

"You have a point."

After days of sailing, and hours of descending, Duplicas' yellow submarine had finally arrived at the bottom of the ocean. She should have been relieved; instead, her crew could only give her more bad news.

"What? Someone's already there?!" Of course it was the Senshi—who else would have any reason to be down here? But still, they couldn't have gotten there without help, right?

"I'm not surprised," Jack said, his voice clearly tired. "The obnoxious have a tendency to do that sort of thing."

"You know who that is?"

"Well, I'm not certain, but that looks far too large to be a research vessel, which means that it's another magical ship."

"What the—how did you know this ship was magical?"

"Love, submarines like this one aren't built to withstand the pressures down here. That leads me to believe that either you have access to a large amount of very expensive technology that's not available on the common market, or you've reinforced it with magic. And nobody with the money for the technology would even consider painting a submarine yellow."

"It was painted when I got it."

"And you didn't repaint it because…"

"Why are we talking about this? You still haven't told me who the other ship is."

"I only have a suspicion…"

"Out with it!"

"Let's just say that there are certain people who've had a nasty habit of sticking their noses into my business over the years, and they're not likely to approve of this enterprise, savvy?"

Duplicas seethed for a few seconds before regaining her composure. "Well, it doesn't matter. Down here, it will be child's play to take the amulet. Kill the lights!" she ordered her crew.

"That won't be an easy task if that's who I think it is, love," Jack said, pausing as the lights blackened before being replaced by the dim red glow of the emergency lighting. He waited for a reply… which he didn't receive. The buccaneer looked around and found that his hostess had seemingly vanished from the bridge. "Duplicas? Now where did she get to?"

As it turned out, getting to the bottom of the ocean was actually the easy part for the Senshi. At the moment, Aquarius was inside the ship, using all of her concentration to prevent the kunoichi from being crushed by the depths, and the Senshi had also come with several powerful lights that could function even at the bottom of the ocean (courtesy of the Outers' seemingly endless bank accounts), as well as a strange magical glow from the ship itself. What no one had considered, though, was how bone-chillingly cold it was down at the bottom of the ocean. Thus, even though there was enough air in the tanks for much longer periods of time, Konatsu could only venture out in five-minute spurts before returning to the Dutchman to warm up again. In the meantime, Pisces and Pollux (who was doubling her comrade at the time), kept looking, their Senshi powers protecting them from the cold and allowing limitless breathing time. However, it was still very slow going.

Still, it was only a matter of time before they found what they were looking for, and eventually, Konatsu caught a glint of light reflecting into the corner of his eyes. It wasn't much, but it was better than anything else they'd found thus far. Konatsu dug through the ancient silt, ignoring the bone-chilling temperatures as he cleared away the debris to reveal a brass-colored disc with a heavily stylized ram's head embossed upon it and thirteen diamonds arranged around its edge; it was attached to a golden chain large enough to fit over the head. He'd found the Aries amulet. Beneath his mask, the kunoichi allowed himself a smile; things were finally going his way.

Amulet and Senshi were reunited, and given their reputation, what happened next wasn't that surprising at all.

"He's got it—he's got the Amulet!" Sailor Castor shouted jubilantly as she picked up the telepathic transmission from her double.

"Great," Moon said. "Now all we have to do—" The leader of the Senshi and was cut off as the Dutchman suddenly lurched from a tremendous impact to its side, sending the future Queen of Crystal Tokyo headlong into the meditating form of Aquarius, whose attention was most decidedly jostled.

The implications of this were obvious, as Aquarius' comment demonstrated: "Oh shit—Konatsu!"

Aquarius immediately lowered the pressure around Konatsu once again, of course, but even a genius kunoichi couldn't possibly deal with such a sudden change in pressure without adverse effects. It was thirty agonizing seconds before Sailor Pollux managed to get an unconscious Konatsu back on board the ship, the amulet he'd dropped gripped tightly in her hand. As Elizabeth tended to the young man, Sailor Capricorn asked the obvious question: "What happened out there?"

"Duplicas," Castor's clone replied between labored breaths. "It's like she was everywhere out there."

Thanks to the circumstances, Aquarius managed to get past the incredible strangeness of hearing Pisces' voice without an accent rather quickly. "Of course—she's a shadow demon, an' there ain't no light down here that don't come out of a flashlight. Where's Pisces?"

"She said she'd cover me—she's still out there!"

Fighting underwater was difficult enough to begin with, and it was made even more complicated by massive amounts of pressure and almost total darkness. Pisces had lost her flashlight almost as soon as her struggle began, and was now trying to defend herself using only the dull glow from the Flying Dutchman. Sure, the fact that her powers were designed specifically for underwater use helped, but her opponent thrived in the shadows, and it was taking all of her skills to fend off the attacks, which were basically coming in spurts, as Duplicas attacked, drew back into the darkness, and attacked again from a different direction. Fortunately, she also had two extra pairs of eyes to help her keep abreast of her opponent's whereabouts.

"But I'm too young to die!"

Well, one pair, anyway.

Fin slapped her twin brother on the side of his head. "Get a hold of yourself! Stop being a wimp and start acting like a professional!"

"But it's scary!"

"You knew the job was dangerous when you took it."

"Excuse me? I believe you were the one who took it, and you dragged me along—Pisces, behind you!"

The Amazonian Senshi whirled around and attacked the darkness with her Spinning Fans attack, earning a distorted screech as a reward.

Without missing a beat, the twin fish resumed their argument. "Dragged you along?" Fin retorted indignantly. "You seemed plenty enthusiastic at the prospect of spending so much time with beautiful women in skintight leotards and miniskirts."

"Don't confuse the issue—on your left!" Fun shouted in time for Pisces to turn and fend off another attack. "We need to get back to the ship."

"We're going to need an opening first," Fin replied.

As Pisces repelled another attack, Fun made his assessment of the situation. "If we need an opening, we're going to have to make our own. Pisces! Head for the ship!"

The lavender-haired Senshi responded with a quick thumbs up before making an all-out dash for the Dutchman, her magical fish close behind her. She was less than five meters away from the makeshift airlock on the ship's deck when she was broadsided by an attack from Duplicas' still-indeterminate form. Somehow, the Amazon managed to regain her position and counterattack, leaving the shadow demon stunned long enough for her to make it inside.

As soon as Pisces was relatively safe, Captain Turner gave his next order: "Drop all ballast! We're heading to the surface now!"

The attack at the bottom of the Trench, while not particularly unexpected, was still a surprise to the Senshi and the crew of the Flying Dutchman. It wasn't until they resurfaced that something truly unexpected happened—absolutely nothing.

"Where are they?" Pisces asked as she stared out across the blue expanse.

"I'm not sure," Will replied, scanning the horizon. "Though they're probably still below the surface. After all, those creatures, or whatever they were, were underwater."

"They were Duplicas' doubles," Sailor Moon said definitively. "I'm sure of it."

"Doesn't this mean they could attack us from below?" Capricorn asked.

"It's possible... but the Dutchman is reasonably resilient, and besides, if they want that amulet, it's probably easier for them to try and board and take it by force than to sink the ship and find the amulet all over again."

"Speaking of Ninja Girl, how he doing?" Pisces then asked.

"Konatsu appears to be fine," Elizabeth said as she came up to the deck, "but he's still unconscious."

"Great," Aquarius said. "That means that Duplicas is gonna actually have another chance ta get it when she attacks next."

"Are you ready, Naru?" Sailor Moon quietly asked her best friend, who had once again coalesced into a single being.

"I think so," replied Sailor Gemini. "Though I'm still kind of scared..."

"Wanna know something?"

"What?"

"I get scared on the job all the time."

Gemini paused for a few seconds to process this. "Thanks, Usagi."

"No problem."

Minutes of agonizing silence passed, with only the sounds of the wind and the water. Finally, Will decided to give an order, as much to break up the quiet as to prepare for the expected attack. "Queequeg," he called to the Polynesian sailor, who strode over to his captain.

"Yes?"

"I have a special job for you." Will tossed a recently sharpened harpoon into the Islander's hands. "There may be violence. See that it doesn't reach our customers."

"We can defend ourselves," Aquarius protested.

"I was referring to the family we're ferrying to the afterlife."

"Oh."

Queequeg grunted his affirmation. "I guardee as my own kin."

Will smiled and grabbed his sailor's tattooed shoulder. "Good man."

"The crew's ready for a full assualt, Captain," Elizabeth said as she finished checking the preparations.

"Right. And I've got Moby-Dick in reserve in case things get really out of hand.

"So, why haven't they attacked yet?" asked a somewhat confused Gemini.

Elizabeth simply shrugged her shoulders. "Who knows what they're thinking?"

The yellow submarine was currently just below the surface, several hundred meters away from the wooden ship it had pursued up from the depths. "I know that ship," Jack said evenly as he looked through the periscope.

This certainly piqued Duplicas' interest. "Really? Who is it?"

Jack let out a slow breath, almost in resignation. "That, my dear, is the Flying Dutchman, the oceans' ferryboat to the next life."

"I take it that you've had some run-ins with her in the past?"

"You could say that... So, how exactly am I to get on board?"

"You will be staying on the submarine while I attack the ship... with my crew," the demoness added as an afterthought.

This was clearly not part of Jack's plans, as the buccaneer's eyes suddenly widened in a mild panic. "No! Wait, no, no. I'm not so certain that you want to be doing that, love."

Duplicas rolled her eyes. "And what exactly is it that I don't want to do?"

"Attack the ship."

"On that matter, you are quite mistaken, Captain Sparrow."

"I'm only saying that it doesn't quite make sense to attack a ship when there are more... creative methods to achieve your ends."

"And I take it that you have a specific 'method' in mind?"

"Naturally. If would but allow me to board the Dutchman, I can use my connections with her captain to negotiate the delivery of your prize to you with a minimum of fuss."

"Connections?"

"Me and him, we have a history, savvy?"

"With all due respect, I don't think any amount of negotiation is going to gain you the amulet."

Note to self: the trinket is some sort of amulet, Jack noted silently before responding, "I think you'll find my skills in that regard to be quite sufficient."

"Really? And what exactly to you plan to use to bargain in this negotiation?"

"I'm... actually not too sure about that yet—but it doesn't really matter that much when you really think about it."

Unfortunately for the pirate, Duplicas really thought about it before answering. "Actually, I'm pretty sure it does."

Jack sensed he was losing the argument, and as a result, began to really pour on the charm. "All right, I will grant you that it's generally not a good idea to come into a negotiation without sufficient leverage. But what I've learned over the years is that when you don't have leverage, you can make it."

Duplicas raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Is that so?"

"Unless of course you're willing to risk having your amulet lost amidst all the chaos and insanity. Besides, winning a fight against the crew of the Flying Dutchman is a singularly difficult task."

The shapeshifter sighed. "You're sure about this."

"Never been more positive, love."

"Fine," she said, turning to her crew. "Equip Captain Sparrow with a Zodiac and we'll let him try to 'negotiate.'"