Author's note: Welcome back! For those of you who didn't read the previous chapter, I would recommend it to you, considering it explains what happened after Chapter 50. And as usual, I don't own any of the characters. They belong to their respective owners. Enjoy, and thank you SO much for following my story!


Chapter 52: Among Bandits

In the entrance to the city of Eien, Northern Nipponichi

Revy, Clare, Train and Rikuo were standing by the white gates of Eien, waiting for their comrade Gintoki to show up. However, they also hoped to see the Letter Bee: Lag Seeing coming with him. But there was no guarantee that the young boy would join up with them, considering the dangers of entering a city like Roanapur. The heroes had dressed for the cold weather they would face on their journey, even though their destination was noted for having a less cold climate. Revy was dressed in a black sweater and a red skirt while Train was wearing his black coat. As people were coming in and out of the gates, Revy yawned lazily, growing tired of standing against the wall and waiting for the teal-haired samurai to come.

"Give me a break!" Revy moaned in boredom. "Can't that dim-witted samurai hurry his ass up!?" the brunette exclaimed in anger.

Clare only closed her eyes while she was also leaning against the wall. However, she was patient, unlike her hot-headed friend. "With Gintoki, you never know when exactly he will come" she told her, making Revy scoff in return.

"Whatever" she said. "Journeying from here to Roanapur takes many hours, so we don't have time screwing around!" she expressed her frustration.

Train was sitting against the wall, as he watched the various people pass them. Most of these people were busy with their own stuff, so they were too distracted to even notice him and his comrades standing by the gates.

Rikuo was watching out for their lazy friend to arrive, and his eyes snapped once he could see someone he knew in the midst of the crowd. The Yokai smiled at this. "Hey Revy and Clare, I see him coming towards us, but he's not alone" he called out to them, thus catching his teammates' attentions. As they got a better view, they could see the lazy samurai coming towards them, but he had brought along with him two children.

The first was a young boy dressed in a blue uniform, while wearing a hat that made his silver hair to poke out the top and a white scarf. His hair was also covering his left eye and the colour of his right eye was purple. This young boy was a member of the Letter Bees: Lag Seeing. But he was accompanied by a young girl with long, blonde hair tied into two long pigtails. She was dressed in pink winter clothes and had light blue eyes. But there was a mysterious creature sitting on her head, something which made Gintoki's friends filled with confusion.

Gintoki faced his comrades, while he, to their disgust, began poking his nose. "Hey. I'm back and I brought these two kids with me" he said and motioned for the children to show themselves. "Look, I know you just wanted Lag Seeing but he insisted on bringing this girl and that weird-looking creature with us, saying it would help him with whatever kinds of stuff…." the samurai explained to them in a lazy manner.

Revy fixed a stern glare upon the young boy, who only faced her with his kind-hearted glance in return. "Hey boy, are you Lag Seeing?" she asked him.

The young Letter Bee saluted in return. "Yes ma'am! I am here to accompany you on your mission as a representative of Bee Hive" he said with formality in his voice. "The Head Bee: Largo Lloyd was more than happy to agree to the Nijuu Senshi's request after being told that their representative would be guarded" he further explained to her.

Clare fixed her stern eyes upon the blonde-haired girl, who fixed a similar look in return, as did her pet. "Who is this girl? She does not look like a Letter Bee, based upon her outfit" she noted, making the young girl somewhat offended.

But Lag restrained her anger and stood before the rebels. "This is Niche and her pet Steak. She's my Dingo, someone who helps me with protection against any threats and dangers. I beg of you, she must come with us. Her talents will be of use to us!" he said while trying to convince them to.

Train smirked after hearing this. "Well that's fine by us. If you feel like you need someone to hold onto then I see no reason for declining your request" the brown-haired man said and faced Niche. "Hey girl, you and Gintoki are in charge of this boy's protection, okay?" he said to her.

The young girl and her pet fixed a brief glance on the lazy samurai, who waved at her whimsically, much to their dissatisfaction. Niche sighed before speaking up to him. "Very well, you have our word" she said.

Clare fixed a slight smile on her face by seeing this and faced the Letter Bee and his Dingo. "Listen carefully, children. You two are about to enter a city that's no place for someone like you to be in. The reason me and Revy here has chosen to bring you on this mission, is that we think you can become a valuable asset along the way. Therefore, it is important that you put your trust in us" she explained to the Letter Bee and his Dingo.

Lag nodded his head with a kind smile. "Yes ma'am! We won't disobey any orders you give us" he assured the blonde-haired woman. "In a dangerous world like this, we must put our trust in you heroes" he added, much to the heroes' amusements.

"You are amusing, I must admit" Clare said with a surprisingly supportive look on her face. "Now that we know who you are, it would be best if you knew who we are. I am Clare, a Claymore. I used to be No. 47 in the Organization in my generation" she introduced herself.

"My name is Rikuo Nura, half-human and half-Yokai, as well as the current head of the Nura clan, the strongest of the Yokai clans" Rikuo introduced himself with a smug smile on his face.

"Train Heartnet, a former assassin of Chronos designated as Number XIII, now just a sweeper living by his own rules, as well as helping his allies in the Nijuu Senshi" the brown-haired man with golden eyes introduced himself.

"The name's Revy" the young woman said in a simple manner. "Before I was drawn into politics, I used to be a badass gunwoman working for some legal company in Roanapur" she told quickly about herself.

Gintoki was lazily paying attention while poking his ear, something his teammates was unimpressed about. The teal-haired man noticed this and snapped in anger by seeing them giving him such looks. "What's the big idea? I just told those kids who I am! Gintoki Sakata, a samurai who used to be working as a newspaper delivery boy to pay the monthly rent!" he exclaimed at them.

Revy leaned against Lag and Niche to whisper something to them. "Let's just say that Gintoki is the less enthusiastic amongst us members of the Nijuu Senshi" she told them.

The young boy only laughed nervously, while his Dingo was musing to herself by hearing this. But still, they accepted their protectors for this mission. The Letter Bee was approached by the head of the Nura clan. "You probably remember handing this letter to Chairman Naruto Uzumaki, yes?" Rikuo asked him and handed Lag the letter they had seen in the meeting.

The young boy's right eye immediately snapped in realization. "Yes! We found this letter in a bottle that was lying by the shores of Naminatsu. Since this involved the Pokèmon clan, the Head Bee concluded that we would give it to you" Lag told them.

The teal-haired Yokai raised an eyebrow. "Naminatsu…..then whoever wrote this letter must've thrown it to the ocean by Roanapur, where it eventually drifted to the shores" Rikuo remarked and began facing his comrades. "I believe that there is more to that city than meets the eye" he told them.

"Well, once we're there, we better make contact with my buddies in the Lagoon Company. They must have better understanding of the situation in the city than me, considering that I've been away for a while" Revy suggested to her comrades.

Train began fixing something on his gun and chuckled by hearing this. "Then what are we waiting for? Weren't you the one who wanted to leave for Roanapur so badly?" he quizzed the tough brunette.

Revy rolled her eyes. "That's my line, you cocky smartass!" she exclaimed in annoyance and the group began moving through the gates.

Gintoki walked near Lag and Niche, making sure that they kept up the speed with his comrades. But he decided to share words with them now that they were starting the journey. "Listen up, kids. If I am somewhat unable to protect you from any threats, you will have to take care of yourselves, just so you know it" he said in a lazy manner.

While Lag didn't know what to say in return, Niche smiled smugly by hearing this. "Well that's fine by us. We don't need your protection anyway" she said to him, causing the samurai to snap in outrage.

Anger boiled inside Gintoki, and he was about to grab the young girl by her arms, only for Niche to jump to avoid him, eventually landing a hard kick on his head. The samurai fell on the ground unconscious, eventually being carried by Niche with Steak sitting on his stomach. Gintoki's teammates only sweatdropped by seeing this, while Lag fixed a nervous smile on his face.

Train could see the resemblance between Niche and someone he knew. "Damn. And I thought Eve was the only badass, little girl that existed here" he noted in his head before proceeding walking.

"Hmm, it looks like I won't need any bodyguards in this mission" Rikuo noted while musing to himself.

Revy sighed in annoyance as she continued to move. "I really hope that this group is enough to do some undercover work in Roanapur" she hoped inside her head. But she noticed Clare staring at her with a smile on her face, much to the brunette's confusion. "Did I do something to ya, or what?" she asked her while putting a cigarette in her mouth.

The blonde-haired woman chuckled lightly at this. "Not necessarily. I just wanted to know whether you are the leader of our team" she said.

The brunette shrugged her shoulders. "Considering that we're heading for my "hometown", you could say so" she said, giving Clare the answer she sought. Apparently, she was satisfied of having Revy as her leader.

The group exited the gates and crossed over the bridge that lead them to the narrow path in the mountain. It was snowing here, considering that it was autumn in Northern Nipponichi. Ever since the dark forces seized power in Tokyo, neither Eien nor the Imperial sanctuary of Songen had the luxury of manufacturing vehicles to be used for travelling. After all, all that mattered was to produce food, education and weapons to their citizens.

The group stopped and turned around to be given a magnificent look at the fortress city, lying by the wondrous waterfall of Amehito and being surrounded by mountains. They could see Tengoku and its spires rising up to the skies. To them, it was a marvellous sight. They wondered if their comrades in the Nijuu Senshi could deal with the problems involving the Tora Kaigi.


At the same time, from one of Tengoku's balconies

There was someone watching the heroes disappear in the path between the mountains with the help binoculars. It was two moderate members of the Tora Kaigi: Kira Yamato and Shinji Ikari. They were some of the many congressmen and women to have a favourable opinion on the Nijuu Senshi and their leader. As they watched, the cold winds blew through their hairs, although they had managed to put some clothes suitable for the weather, including scarfs.

"Well, there they go. The heroes are beginning their mission" Kira said and put away his binoculars. "But for some reason, I am uncertain of whether they will make it out of that city alive. That city is where anarchy is the paradise" he added his worries.

Shinji put away his binoculars to face his friend with a gentle smile. "I feel the same way you do, Kira. But something inside me tells me to put my faith in them. And this only means that I have my free will to do so, not under anyone's orders" he said while fixing a slight frown with his mouth.

Kira did the exact same thing with his mouth. "When I spoke with Athrun, he seemed very upset about the way President Lelouch has been leading the Tora Kaigi lately" he told him. "I don't know what you think, but I share some of Athrun's views on him and the vice-president" he suddenly revealed it to his friend.

Although Shinji was surprised to hear it at first, he eventually nodded his head, indicating that he understood his reasons. "It's okay. I won't tell anyone about this" he said while making sure they were not eavesdropped or anything. "In fact, I have also begun to grow suspicious of the president's motives. However, I fear that a conflict between the Tora Kaigi and the Nijuu Senshi could soon escalate" he begun expressing his thoughts.

"That would be disastrous to the free people of Eien. We can't have any domestic problems here!" Kira said to him. "Both of those factions must realize: Yagami's armies are marching across our nation seeking to conquer everything that we hold dear. That is definitely something both factions can agree on" he pointed out to the brown-haired boy.

Shinji nodded in return. "Yes, but so far, the Imperial Army hasn't made a move against us. But they have begun their conquest of the clans of the north" he explained grimly. "It's only a matter of time before the clans are under Yagami's dominion" he added.

The two boys could hear someone approach them on the balcony and they immediately turned to see who was standing there. To their surprises, Oz Vezallius was standing there with a friendly smile on his face, but the two congressmen bowed their heads formally.

"Lord Oz, we didn't except to see you here!" Kira said, trying to be as formal as he could.

Oz raised his palm at them to stop. "There's no need for you to be ashamed, congressmen. I only came here to listen to the chilly winds in the evening" he said to them as he stepped out to survey the city beneath him. "I suppose you are worried about my comrades who just left, am I right?" he asked while he was staring down at the city.

Both Shinji and Kira snapped by hearing this, as they didn't realise how good the blonde-haired man was at guessing their objectives. However, they could see that Oz was someone who wouldn't necessarily hurt them, considering his gentle persona. The councilman fixed his emerald eyes upon the congressmen.

"Are you intending to stay silent just because I am a member of the Nijuu Senshi? Don't enclose yourselves, brothers. You have your own rights to have feelings like everyone else" he explained to them.

"S-So you won't mind if we also express our worries about your comrades who are going to Roanapur?" Shinji finally asked him.

Oz nodded his head as a yes. "Correct. They are choosing to do something dangerous, especially amidst the Imperial Army's offensive against the clans of the north" he said before shifting his focus on the city below them. "Nipponichi is not the same as it used to be any longer. But still, we will endure these hardships and change the future when necessary" the blonde-haired man added.

Both Kira and Shinji were somewhat amazed by Oz's explanation. They had always considered him to be a silent member of the Nijuu Senshi, but this changed their views on him. He was actually a decent person, despite his lack of communications.

"Tell me, do you two enjoy being members of the Tora Kaigi?" Oz suddenly asked the two congressmen, who did not expect him to ask them about something like that. This time, Kira uttered out words to answer.

"Of course we do. It's good that those who assisted in the construction of Eien got a say in the city's politics" Kira said with a slight smile on his face. "Me, along with Shinji and many other congressmen are construction workers, who helped the Council of Yuu in establishing this fortress city" he revealed to the blonde-haired man.

"I see" the blonde-haired man said in return while facing them. "All of you did a wonderful job in building it. But it's not just the city that is admirable. The river, the waterfall beside us, the mountains, the skies and even the winds here, they are all something to appreciate" he expressed his opinion.

Shinji chuckled nervously after hearing this. "Well, when were in the process of setting up the city, I almost managed to fall down from Amehito" he said with embarrassment. "But luckily, Asuka and Rei managed to save me before I could….well, you know" he added, hinting that he was reluctant to tell him this.

Surprisingly, the blonde-haired man didn't seem to give much thought to Shinji's story, as he was more focused on feeling the winds. He soon stood up and faced them with a gentle smile. "Well, I better go to sleep. Being a councilman requires a lot of energy" Oz said and turned around to leave, but not before leaving a few words to the congressmen. "It was nice to stand here with you. Just don't stay out here too long, okay? Catching a cold is the least you want to when feeling these winds" he reminded them before entering.

Realizing that Oz spoke the truth, Shinji and Kira eventually decided to go inside, feeling that the winds were getting colder as the night was descending upon the city. As they entered, they could only wonder what the next day would bring. Hopefully, it would be something not as troubling as the feud that happened today.


In the deep forests of Shiyaki, Northern Nipponichi

Night descended upon these forests as a young afro-haired samurai was hiding in the bushes. He took brief peek in the hole he created and started to sprint out from the bushes and through the forest. This was Huey Freeman, who had previously been involved in working for the Council of Yuu in the past. But since he and his family returned to their town of Woodcrest, he knew that the threat was far from over.

Huey gritted his teeth, as he could hear someone follow him by jumping from the trees' branches. He soon realized that he was being followed by a group of shinobis, but they weren't just normal ones. These were in the service of Emperor Light Yagami. Since he declared himself the emperor, Yagami had ordered all half-anime characters to be rounded up and placed in concentration camps or mining fields to work as slaves. The shinobis that were targeting Huey were only scouts, sent by the Imperial Army's command to locate any pockets of resistance, as well as dwelling of half-anime characters. Fortunately, they had not managed to fully locate Woodcrest, but at this rate, they were so close in doing it. Therefore, the people of Woodcrest knew that they had to confront these challenges by themselves.

Huey stopped once he could see a kunai bomb being thrown in front of him, and he immediately turned around to avoid the explosion. But the shinobis descended on the ground and began surrounding the young samurai in a circle, much to Huey's distress.

The young boy reached for his blade and held it tightly, maintaining a firm glance on his opponents surrounding him. One of the shinobis stepped forward with a smirk on his face. "Give it up, half-bred! You're completely surrounded!" he said and drew a kunai.

"Tell us the location of your village or whatever the hell you call it, and we may spare your miserable life!" another shinobi threatened him, something which made Huey even more defiant in doing that.

Huey gritted his teeth in anger. "You ain't getting an answer from me" he said lowly and drew his sword for his opponents to see. "I would rather die than helping you butchers in torturing my people" he added while fixing a serious glance on his face.

One of the shinobis angrily charged towards him in fast speed. "YOU LITTLE SHIIIITTT!" he cursed and was about to swing his kunai, until Huey swung his word to cut off the shonobi's arm, causing him to scream hysterically. The other shinobis began their move on him.

"KILL THAT FUCKING MONKEY!" another shinobi shouted as he threw shurriken at the young boy, only for Huey to dodge them by jumping in the air. Huey then proceeded to slash that shinobi and cut his throat.

But as he stood on the ground, he noticed two shinobis coming towards him in fast speed. He was about to dodge their attack, until they were shot in their heads. While Huey was surprised by it at first, he soon sighed deeply, as he knew where those shots came from. Riley Freeman, Huey's younger brother was coming out of his hiding place in the nearby bushes, armed with two handguns while laughing so cheeky at his handiwork. Huey expressed his annoyance by seeing him here.

"Yo, you need a hand against these lame-ass scouts?" he smugly asked him while blowing off the smokes from his pistols. "It looks like you could use some good-fashioned backup" he added with confidence.

Huey rolled his eyes. "No thank you" he said, but snapped once he and his brother could see two shinobis jumping up in the air and was about to throw something at them. He held his sword tightly, assuming that they would throw kunais or shurriken at them.

Riley grinned in amusement by seeing them in the air and aimed his handguns at the shinobis. "Back off, Huey, these fools are mine!" he said and shot one bullet each at them, causing them to fall down on the ground. But once they landed on the ground, the Freeman brothers were shocked by what the shinobis were holding in their hands. They each held a kunai bomb! "AWWW SHIT! THOSE ARE MOTHAFUCKIN' SUICIDERS!" he suddenly exclaimed and both brothers immediately ran away as quickly as they could.

The kunai bombs resulted in a large explosion being created, a much stronger than the one Huey avoided earlier. Once it was over, they returned to the place only to find a crater being created by the explosion, plus dead bodies lying around the area. They both looked around to see if there was more shinobis skulking around.

"It looks like these were the last of the scouts" Huey said after he was done searching for them in a bush. He then returned to the crater, where Riley was becoming disgusted by the corpses lying on the ground.

"Dayum, that is ONE ugly-ass skull right there!" Riley expressed his disgust over seeing them, trying not to throw up. His afro-haired brother only shrugged his shoulders before picking up one of the corpses, something which made Riley stare at him questionably. "Man, what the fuck are you doing with that dead fool, yo?" he asked him.

Huey fixed his stern glance at his younger brother. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm getting rid of evidence that enemy scouts were here searching for our home" he told him, as he threw the corpse into the nearby lake in the forests. "If the Imperial Army's high command is notified of dead scouts here, then there is no question that they will suspect something's amiss. Now help me getting rid of these corpses" he explained while ordering Riley to assist him.

Riley groaned in return by hearing this. "Man, don't tell me you keep worryin' about that nigga Light Yagami! He ain't gonna come after us!" he said in return, but suddenly snapped his eyes and glared at Huey in an angered manner. "You snitching mothafucka, you met that red-eyed nigga when we first came to this Konoha shithole, didn't you!?" he suddenly asked him.

Huey didn't feel like talking to his aggressive younger brother any longer and decided to get rid of the corpses without his help. But something was right in what Riley said. Yes, when Huey and his family had reached Konoha, he was able to meet Yagami in the council summit. Therefore, it was without a doubt that the dark emperor would recognize Huey and his family, considering the fact that both brothers had also been involved in the chaotic conflict that happened in Konoha a year ago.

"The sooner I get rid of these corpses, the faster we can return home" he thought in his head while throwing corpses into the water. "However, I fear that Yagami's forces are getting closer in discovering the hidden entrance to Woodcrest. I must inform Tom about this" he added to his thoughts, thinking about the current Mayor of Woodcrest.

Yes, when Huey and his family returned to their rebuilt town, their clumsy, but good-hearted neighbour Tom Dubois became the new mayor, due to their previous mayor Ed Wuncler I being dead and that his son and grandson were deemed…..not suitable for the role. Nevertheless, Tom became a good leader of Woodcrest, despite his stupidity.


In the towering palace of Yami no Hikari, the Imperial capital of Kira, Southern Nipponichi

Darkness was always floating over the capital city, regardless whether it was day or night. The city of Kira had not changed as much since Yagami's takeover, but many new buildings had been constructed, including temples that honoured both the emperor and even the deadly Ancient: Komada. The streets were bustling with activity, but the city life was not as thriving as it used to be before the Toriyama clan was ousted from their place. The citizens were all forced to bow in front of a statue of Yagami whenever they passed by one. Everyone were required to revere him as the Dark God.

The towering Yami no Hikari stood as a symbol to the new ruler in the country, which was now called Yamishi. But the free people of this feudal empire steadfastly refused to address it as such, still referring to it as Nipponichi. At a time when the resistance was forced to seek shelter inside the fortress cities of Eien and Songen, the dark armies of Yamishi were highly confident of their conquests. The various soldiers and minions were having a large gathering in the palace's courtyard, something which was common for them each night. It was around the time when the emperor would go to sleep.

Inside his throne room, the red-eyed emperor sat there, watching as he was surrounded by servants and followers. But right now, an esteemed member of his own senate: the Seinaru Shukai, was kneeling before him while having his eyes shut. It was the white-haired mobster Byakuran. He had approached his ruler to report to him about something good. Byakuran was more than honoured to be standing before his emperor, or perhaps his god to be exact.

"Tell me, Byakuran" Yagami's voice was as normal as he could be. "How were things up with the northern clans?" he asked him

The white-haired man opened his purple eyes to face his leader with his smug smile. "From what Kimblee and Annie told me, things have been going smoothly. They have managed to make landfall upon the island, and are about to launch a full-scale assault on Pokèhomu even as we speak" he told him, as he was pleased to tell his superior of this.

The emperor fixed an evil smile by hearing this. "Excellent, now that they have made landfall, the domino-effect will take shape among the northern clans, starting with the Pokèmon clan" he concluded, based upon what he had been told. "You may return to your personal quarters now, Byakuran. You have done solid work today, so you deserve some sleep" he said and the white-haired man bowed formally in appreciation before walking away.

As Byakuran disappeared, it was now two important associates of Yagami's inner circle who was kneeling before their emperor. It was Raven, who was dressed like a butler, and Mei Misaki, who was dressed like normal high school girl. But they were dangerous adversaries to be reckoned with.

"Light Yagami, our great Messiah…" Raven said with formality in his voice. "We are pleased to announce that the frigate in the Imperial Navy called Shadow Shark has set sail from Kira's harbour" the mysterious man announced before the red-eyed man.

"Very good, then I expect it to reach Roanapur in a couple of days. Wonderful" Yagami said by hearing the news. "Who happens to be in charge of guarding the precious cargo?" he asked both of them.

This time, it was Mei's turn to answer as she faced the young man with her only eye. "The captain of the ship is Kisame Hoshigaki. He is assisted by his four most trusted lieutenants: the Chimera Ant Neferipitou, the Fishman Arlong, the witch Eruka Frog and one more who for some reason remains a mystery to most of us" she replied to her master. "But rest assured, the crew is dedicated in protecting the precious cargo" she assured him.

Yagami smiled in satisfaction. "Thank you for informing me of this, Raven and Mei. You are always part of my family" he said as he rose up from his throne and walked towards his own bedroom. "Now if you excuse me, I am going to sleep. Gathering enough energy is of great importance for an important man like me" he said to his followers before continuing walking. This meant that they were allowed to return to their own personal quarters.

But Raven and Mei were heading to the balcony instead, where they could meet up with their comrades, Sachiko, Sebastian, Kaneki and Alucard. However, they were joined by the Shinigami: Ryuk, who was lying by the balcony relaxing. He was the first to see Raven and Mei enter the balcony.

"Oh, it looks like our young friends are here to join us" he said while referring to the incoming duo. Mei didn't speak up and only stood emotionless, while Raven only glanced at the Shinigami with annoyed eyes.

"Enough with the dry jokes of yours, Ryuk" the young man said sternly before fixing his attention on his comrades. "I take it you all know of what we just reported to Lord Yagami" he said to them.

Alucard smirked by hearing this. "Of course we do. Why, do you suppose that we are negligent in our duties, Raven?" the black-haired man asked him while showing him his sharp grin.

"The only followers of the Dark Messiah who are negligent, are the senators of the Seinaru Shukai. Each member has different levels of intelligence and creativity" Sebastian expressed his opinion of Yagami's own senate.

Kaneki only shrugged his shoulders. "They aren't even strong enough to reach our levels" the white-haired Ghoul said by hearing this. "But still, they are valuable servants to us" he added.

Mei suddenly wanted to ask her comrades about something related to the conversation she and Raven had with Yagami a minute ago. "Tell me something. This precious cargo that the Shadow Shark is carrying…what is that?" she asked them, as she really wanted to know.

All of them just looked at each other, as they were trying to figure out what her question was all about. She could see Sebastian look at her with his gentle smile on his face. "I am sorry, young Mei. But this precious cargo is something only the Dark Messiah himself knows. Even Captain Kisame Hoshigaki and his crew are unaware of what they are carrying to Roanapur" he revealed to them, something which made both surprised.

"Ryuk, do you know anything about it?" Raven suddenly asked the gothic-like Shinigami.

"If I did then I would gladly tell you. Light is very unpredictable" he replied to his question. "My guess, it is a dangerous weapon he plans on using against his foes, or more specifically, the rebel cities of Eien and Songen" he suddenly expressed his thoughts.

The associates of Yagami began watching the view they had in front of them, where they could see the sacred mountain of Fuji, now having a purple ring circling its top. The rest was the city of darkness, built in honour of their emperor, who was also their god. Whatever plans Yagami and his loyalists had was not known to their enemies.

The emperor was actually heading for a room that resembled a laboratory. Why he did that was for a good reason. He opened the tightly-secured doors and entered without a slightest sign of fear in his eyes. In the middle of the lab, a large capsule filled with water stood in the middle of it.

"I am here, friend" Yagami said while facing the capsule. "All you can do is to sleep and listen to what I say. Surely you miss having a real friend standing by your side" the emperor added.

There was someone inside that capsule of water. It was a muscular man with long, black hair. He seemed very familiar. Yagami approached the capsule and put the palm of his hand against the glass, while observing the man floating in the water. He fixed an evil smile on his face.

"Your defeat at the hands of the Usurpers ages ago were a great tragedy for you, my friend. As such, I grieve for you, given that you lost everything, including your love" the young man with red eyes said as if he was speaking to the muscular man, even though his eyes were closed. "But now, I will help you finish what you started. Our holy ritual on Sosuke Aizen has given you back your full body, but it will take long before your true strength can be regained" he added to his explanation. "Soon, you will be reborn anew…Komada" he addressed the man by his name.

That man, floating in the capsule of water was none other than the Ancient himself: Komada of the Nightmares. But this was in his original mortal form, the form he had before he became the dangerous monster that would terrorise Fictiontopia along with other Ancients during the birth of the world. But could Komada return on being a mortal and a human? That question was difficult to answer, because his inner monster had taken control of his mind.


Next day, in the harbour of the city of Songen, Southeast of Nipponichi

Conan was standing by the docks. The young boy had been told by Goku to meet him there and he happily agreed to it. He sat by some containers and watched the people come and go. The harbour was the first place people would enter once they arrived on Songen via ship from the mainland or the archipelagos. At was also there that the city's shipwrights were working on ships or submarines for the forces loyal to Goku to use. Times had changed and the Toriyama clan was no longer in control of Tokyo or the imperial throne. But still, Songen was a worthy sanctuary to the clan and its allies.

"What a beautiful day in times of war" Conan remarked with sarcasm, even though he admitted that the weather was perfect, as he was about to go on a journey. He then looked up towards the imperial palace of Kibo with eyes of worry. "I know that this journey will be hard, but I will go, even if I am uncertain if I will make it out alive" he said to himself while seeing the majestic palace. He was reminded of what Goku said to him the other day and it had bothered him all night.

"Excuse me" a quirky voice suddenly called out to the four-eyed boy, making him turn around his head to see a young man with blonde hair and green eyes. His size was relatively short and was dressed in black and white clothes with a red tie around him. He also carried a sword on his back. Conan was stunned as the blonde-haired man waved his hand at him. "You're Conan Edogawa, right?" he asked him with a smile.

The young boy knew that he had seen him from before, but where. Nevertheless, he decided to confirm his identity to the young man. "Yes I am" he said without mincing his words. "I hate to be rude or disrespectful, but do I know you?" he asked him.

The blonde-haired man chuckled lightly at his and scratched his head. "We briefly met in Konoha a year ago, during the deadly chaos" he told him. "You see, I was part of Crown Prince Gohan's vanguard that had accompanied him to that place. My name is Meliodas" he told a little bit about himself while reaching his hand towards Conan. The young boy shook hands with him.

"So you were contacted by Goku, I guess?" Conan asked him.

"Sure. He's on his way now even as we speak" Meliodas told him. "But I don't know who else he contacted. Maybe someone you know" he guessed.

Conan nodded at him with a smile. "Well, I am thankful for you to join me on this mission. It really means a lot to me" he said.

"No big deal! I'm always up for a challenge. Especially when it involves saving someone who's lost in a sea of thieves and bandits" the blonde-haired man told him in return.

But they were suddenly interrupted by a brown-haired man approaching them. He was dressed in silver armour that resembled that of a Pegasus. Meliodas smiled at him, while Conan adjusted his glasses to get a better look at him.

"Hey there, Seiya, I take it Goku also called for you!" Meliodas exclaimed while addressing the man by his name.

Seiya nodded with a smile on his face. "Yeah, he's here know" he told them and Conan was filled with happiness, as he could see Goku, Chi-Chi and Moka approach them, but they weren't alone. Following them were the Meister from the DWMA: Maka Albarn and her partner Soul Eater Evans, the shaman Yoh Asakura and his Guardian Ghost Amidamaru and the afro-haired nosehair-fighter: Bobobo-bo-Bo-bobo.

"Hey there, Conan!" Goku waved his hand at him as he and Chi-Chi approached him. "You might wanna get introduced to those who will accompany you, even though you already know Maka, Yoh and Bobobo from Team Z" he said while facing the people he had gathered.

Meliodas stood up and faced Conan with his smile once again. "I am Meliodas. Captain of the order of knights called the Seven Deadly Sins. Among them, I am known as the Dragon Sin of Wrath" he introduced himself officially to the young boy.

Seiya did a peculiar pose in front of everyone. "I am one of the eighty-eight mythical warriors in service of Athena, also known as a Saint. I am known to most of my comrades as Pegasus Seiya, but you may call me just Seiya for short" he said while flashing with his confidence.

"Long time no see, Conan. You remember me, right? It's Maka Albarn" the young girl said with a sweet smile on her face. "And of course you remember by weapon partner Soul" she added, while Soul was doing a victory sign with his fingers.

"Yoh Asakura, at your service!" the young shaman said in an easy-going voice. "I think we can skip the "tell me a little bit of yourself" part, as we already know each other" Yoh added with a cheeky smile.

Bobobo began doing a pose that seemed very ridiculous in Conan's eyes. "I am the protector of everyone's hair! You will always find me here and there! The one and only…" he then switched his position and introduced himself. "BOBOBO-BO-BO-BOBO!" he exclaimed with pride, although his comrades only dropped sweats by seeing this. Conan was among them.

"Well, it looks like Bobobo hasn't changed a bit" he noted in his head. "Nevertheless, I am happy for them being here" he added to his thoughts with a smile.

Goku stepped forward while facing the young boy and his allies. "These five will accompany you on your mission to locate this Max you speak of, Conan. They are someone you can rely in times of need, I promise you on that" he said to him cheerfully. But the emperor suddenly fixed a serious glance while facing the entire group. "But remember, Roanapur is a dangerous city, both rebels and imperials alike thrive there because of the anarchy that rules it. Watch your backs while you're in there" he advised them with caution.

"We sure will, Goku" Yoh said in return, agreeing with his statement.

"But I have a question for you" Meliodas said catching the emperor's attention. "How do we get there? Are travelling on foot or…..." he asked him as he was starting to feel puzzled.

Seiya chuckled and patted the young man on his shoulder. "There's no way we're travelling to Roanapur on foot" he said and suddenly pointed his finger towards a silver and white speedboat with red stripes and a roof that was docked nearby. "We're using that beauty floating over there!" he said.

Conan's eyes widened. "Woah…is that speedboat yours?" he asked him while his eyes were focused on the floating vehicle. "It looks amazing!" he remarked and adjusted his glasses.

Seiya smirked with satisfaction on his face. "That's right! I designed it to resemble my armour. Just look at the wings I've added!" he said and pointed his finger to the speedboat's sides.

"How fast do you think it goes?" Maka quizzed him.

The brown-haired man shrugged his shoulders in return. "That's only one way to find out, Maka. Let's get this heap started!" he declared and the group began heading towards the speedboat.

As the group began entering, Seiya took the steering wheel, with Yoh sitting beside him in the front row. The young shaman was amazed by how new and advanced the technology was on the inside. "Now that is cool!" he said while watching the various buttons that existed.

"Just don't touch any of those, Yoh. I am the owner of this speed boat, so I know how things work here" he tried to make Yoh not touch anything.

The young man only rolled his eyes in return. "Gee, I was just looking at them, you know" he said in return.

Soul, who sat in the back row, was getting bored of waiting. "How long are we gonna sit here floating by the docks?" he asked Maka, who sat beside him.

"We're just waiting on Conan. He's only having a few words with Goku and Chi-Chi" Maka answered him.

"Whatever, I just hope for a smooth ride on this boat" he said while his skin suddenly turned into green. "If there are stormy waves out in the ocean, I'm gonna seriously throw up on myself" he complained at this.

Maka sighed in annoyance. "C'mon Soul, it's not like you have motion sickness like Natsu" she scolded him. But Soul only ignored her by looking upwards, forcing Maka to look to the right in disdain. Meliodas sat beside her.

"Conan's almost finished! He just said farewell to Goku, Chi-Chi and Moka!" the blonde-haired man said while seeing the young boy wave his hand at them.

"Goodbye everyone!" the young boy called out to the imperial couple. "I won't let you down!" he said before entering the speedboat, where he took his seat beside Meliodas.

Goku walked by the door and wished everyone the speedboat the best of luck. "Travel safely, friends. And once you've found a place to stay at, let me and Chi-Chi know about it. Few people make it out of that pit of anarchy alive" he said before slamming the door.

Realizing that the time had come, Seiya started the speedboat's engine and it made one heck of a sound. He turned his head to see if everyone was on-board and he fixed his attention back to the steering wheel. The speedboat slowly turned out from the docks.

"Are we gonna speed up while we're in the ocean?" Yoh asked him.

Seiya looked at him with a determined look, indicating that he was serious in doing so. "Of course we are! Just make sure that you're buckled up.

Soul raised an eyebrow at this. "Hold on! What do you mean by…" the white-haired boy was too late, as Seiya was reaching for a lever, which changed the boat's speed.

The speedboat then drove faster on the water, and Soul was immediately pushed against his seat, considering that he hadn't fastened his seatbelt. Bobobo was screaming with happiness while raising his arms up in the air. Meliodas and Conan were trying to hold still as best as they could. Maka, however, had to fasten Soul's seatbelt.

"WHY DO I ALWAYS END UP BABYSITTING YOU!?" she wondered loudly, as the speedboat's engine was making a loud voice.

Seiya could see that they were now exiting the archipelagos and were now out in the open ocean. But he had to steer and held his hand on the steering wheel tightly.

Yoh was pretty much relaxed, although he had to make sure that Seiya was steering the speedboat well. "Hey Seiya, how long does this trip to Roanapur take?" he asked him.

"I don't know, but we might be able to reach the city by midnight. The weather along Nipponichi's western coast is clear, so the waves will be smoothly along the way" he told the shaman with a smile. But Seiya fixed a troubled expression on his face. "But we must take caution. There could be ships from the Imperial Navy of Yamishi patrolling the coast, not to mention that night is the time of the day when the weather above the sea starts to get windy" he said to him.

Conan had decided to butt in. "Once we arrive at the city, we should try finding a place we could stay at. But I wouldn't recommend living in the city's centre, considering the criminal activities there" he suggested to Seiya and Yoh, who listened to his words.

In fact, everyone in the speedboat was thinking about where they were headed to, wondering if they could survive this ordeal. But it was too early for them to conclude, as they had barley begin their journey.


In the bustling city of Roanapur, Northeast of Nipponichi

The group had spent the entire night travelling to the city, and they had now arrived, only to discover a warmer climate. This made them take off their "winterish" clothes, and put on something more suitable for the weather, as it was sunny. Even though they were tired, the bright sun, the bustling streets and the heat had helped them keep themselves awake.

Revy yawned deeply and drank a can of coke to keep her awake. She and her allies now stood outside the building where the Lagoon Company had its office. She stood before the door, eying the building as if returning to it was familiar. "This is it, home sweet home" Revy thought in her head while.

Clare stepped up beside her and studied the building as she did. "Is this it? This is the Lagoon Company's headquarters?" she asked the brunette.

She rested her arms behind her neck "Tch, not necessarily the headquarters, more like…..the place where we hang out, socialize, discuss our schedules and….." she was stopped by her comrade's stern words.

"Yeah, that would consider this place your company's headquarters, wouldn't it?" she pointed out to her sternly, much to Revy's annoyance.

"Are you gonna be this bitchy towards me for the rest of the mission?" she demanded to know an answer, as she was slightly getting pissed.

Clare smirked at this. "Only if I have to" she said and surprisingly winked at her, making Revy less tolerant over her personality. "But rest assured, I will remain focused on our objectives" she assured her, which made Revy change her mind.

Train was getting tired of waiting in the sun so he stepped beside to see what took them so long. "Look, how long are we gonna stand here in the heat? Seriously, this city smells like shit mixed with tobacco!" he complained while fanning with his hand. "All of this kind of makes me wanna go back to the cold climate in Eien" he added.

Revy rolled her eyes in return. "Yeah, well you volunteered to join us, didn't ya?" she suddenly pointed out to him sternly, causing Train to snap in awkward, forcing Revy to grin evilly as a result. "Anyway, quit spewing this bullshit on us! I was about to ring the doorbell before you interrupted!" she said before walking to the door.

Train only crossed his arms and huffed at her. "Douchebag" he muttered lowly, making sure that his aggressive comrade would not hear his insult at her.

Meanwhile, Rikuo, Gintoki, Lag, Niche and Steak were focused on eyeing the people that were passing by in the streets, as well as those who were selling something by the stands. To them, it sounded interesting.

"Despite the fact that this city is in anarchy, its citizens have an intriguing way of doing something in their daily lives" Lag commented with interest as he was facing Niche.

She fixed a confused look on her face, so did Steak. "What do you mean by that? All I see here is nothing but ruffians and bandits. To me, that sounds something twisted to do in your daily life" she pointed out to him.

"That may be true. But still, Roanapur is nothing like other cities in Nipponichi" Rikuo joined in and noticed a car and a tuk-tuk driving on the street before them. "If not for the corruption and civil war, this city could've become a paradise spot for any traveller" he said, much to the kids' interest.

Gintoki yawned lazily as usual, as he was even more tired considering that they had been travelling all night to reach Roanapur. "Get real! I know plenty of places that looks just as stunning and dirty like this city" he said and began poking his nose again. He then began facing Rikuo. "Just look at the place where I come from" he pointed out, causing the half-Yokai to sweatdrop.

"You know, I'm gonna pretend I never heard that" he said in return.

Revy rang the doorbell, as she was getting a bit fed up that no one was answering. "Come on, you lousy snails! Answer this door, damn it!" she thought in her head. The door finally opened and the group could see a young black-haired man dressed like someone who worked in an office standing in the doorway with a surprised look on his face, especially when he saw Revy.

"Revy…is that you?" he asked lowly while rubbing his eyes.

The brunette smirked in return. "Hey there, Rock! It's been a while since we last saw each other, hasn't it?" she quizzed him. "You still look like the same lame-ass dimwit as you've always been!" she suddenly said to him, causing the young man to drop his sweat.

"Yep, that's definitely you, Revy" Rock said, knowing that it was pointless to deny her identity. But he suddenly shifted the expression on his face. "Anyway, where the hell have you been? And who are those guys you've brought with you?" he suddenly began asking questions.

"Revy's been the Lagoon Company's eyes and ears in the city of Eien" the gruff voice came from behind Rock. It was a tall, muscular black-skinned man, who was dressed in a green flak jacket, dark-green camouflage pants and combat boots. In addition, he also wore glasses and had some accessories in his ears. He fixed a smug smile at Revy, who did so in return. "It's good to see you again, Revy. Our days in Roanapur haven't been the same without your trigger-happy shooting" he said to her.

"Cut it out, Dutch! You ain't got a clue what those babies of mine means to me" the brunette said while holding onto her handguns.

The tall man soon noticed the people she had brought with him, and waved his hand in the air. "Oh, you must be Revy's associates in the Nijuu Senshi. Don't worry, I was contacted by your chairman yesterday" he assured them while smiling. "And by the way, you can call my Dutch. I'm the leader of the Lagoon Company" he explained himself to Revy's comrades.

Clare nodded her head in appreciation. "We are thankful for your manners, sir. Also, we have brought along with us a Letter Bee and his so-called Dingo to help us with our mission here. Me and Revy insisted on doing so" she explained, as she and the brunette motioned for Lag and Niche to step forward.

Rock and Dutch were surprised by seeing the children standing there, although Dutch knew what a Letter Bee was, while Rock did not. "Hold on, for what reason have you dragged these children into this mission you're doing?" Rock asked the ladies.

"Chairman Naruto never told me of a Letter Bee accompanying you. This is really unusual for you, not to mention that you hate brats, Revy" Ducth said to the brunette, who only scoffed at their words.

"Look gentlemen, Lag Seeing may be a kid, but at least he is someone who is reliable and can become a valuable asset, unlike some others I could name" she told them smugly.

But the young boy suddenly took his stand by speaking up. "I know that this city is no place for me, but I really want to help this boy in this letter! He is around here somewhere" Lag said while holding the letter he was given by Rikuo in his right hand.

"Oh that's right! You guys had some businesses to take care of here Roanapur, right?" Dutch asked them. "Well, we might be able to help you, but in the meantime, how about you all come inside and see what we're doing at the moment?" he suggested to them, but suddenly fixed his eyes upon Lag and Niche. "You two are also allowed in, but just stay away from our beer cans, okay?" he asked them, and both children only nodded their heads in return. Dutch smiled at this. "Good, we will provide you kids with your own room since you are willing to obey our rules" he said, thus making Revy, Rock and everyone else dropped their jaws.

Revy shrugged her shoulders. "Anyway, about your question to us earlier, we'll be glad to enter, I gotta let my teammates meet Benny as a matter of fact" she remarked. "Speaking of Benny, is he inside poking on his laptop as usual?" she suddenly quizzed her former comrades in the company.

"Actually that's what we wanna show you, because Benny-boy isn't on his laptop right now" he said and motioned for everyone to enter the building and walk up the stairs to their hangout. They did that, as they wanted to know what kind of business the Lagoon Company really was.


Inside the Lagoon Company's hangout

As the team entered the apartment where the Lagoon Company held its office, they were first introduced to Benny, who was a four-eyed man with his blonde hair tied into a ponytail. He also wore an orange Hawaiian t-shirt, something which indicated his laid-back and easy-going attitude. But Revy's comrade was more than happy to have met him, along with Dutch and Rock. They were sitting by the two sofas, where there was a table laid in between them. Revy sat with Rock and her partners from the company on one sofa, while Clare and the others sat on the one in opposite of them.

"So, nice of you bring in some of your comrades in the Nijuu Senshi for us to meet, Revy" Benny said and took a sip from his beer can. "From what I can tell, each of them has talents, even though I have never seen them" he added while facing Revy's comrades with eyes of interest.

Revy was only crossing her arms and puffed smoke as she was looking towards another direction. "Yeah, but some of them can be complete unreliable sometimes" she said with sarcasm.

While Clare silently mused at this, Gintoki, Train and Rikuo all glared at her with irritation, especially Train. "Is that a way of treating your teammates who volunteered to go with you to this pile of dirt? You're such an unbelievable asshole, Revy!" the brown-haired man hit back at her, as he was beginning to grow tired of Revy acting disrespectful towards them.

Revy only fixed a smirk on her face in return. "Well, what do you expect me to do? Cuddle you like a bunch of kittens? Oh that's right, you're such a whiney, tiny kitty-cat!" she began mocking him, only for Train to pull out his handgun. Surprisingly, Revy did the same with hers.

Benny mused at seeing this. "Well, it's great that you've made friends while living in Eien" the four-eyed man noted while seeing Revy confronting Train.

"Alright triggerfingers, you wanted us to help you, right? So shut the fuck up and listen" Dutch told the two and they reluctantly agreed, but still gave each other dirty looks. The muscular man held the letter he got from the group and adjusted his sunglasses. "You're looking for some random guy from the Pokèmon clan, yes? Well, unfortunately for you, we don't know the answer, But we'll be more than happy to help" he explained to them.

Clare smiled while narrowing her eyes. "Excellent. Where in Roanapur should we start searching?" she asked him.

"Sorry lady, but I was kind of thinking of a deal here" he said back and the group became interested. "If you help the Lagoon Company with their business, we can help you Nijuu Senshi with yours. And believe me, you're gonna love what we're about to do" he assured them with a grin.

Rikuo raised an eyebrow at this. "And just what are you planning on, if I may ask?" he said.

Dutch motioned for Benny to show them the big blackboard he had drawn on, and it surprised the group. Revy was particular curious to know. "Okay, what the fuck is that supposed to be? Is it a submarine or a ship?" she quizzed in her foul-mouthed language as usual.

Benny chuckled at this before explaining. "Actually Revy, it is a frigate, but not just any ordinary one. See, this a frigate of the Imperial Navy of Yamishi: the Shadow Shark" he revealed to her and her comrades.

Clare's eyes widened at this. "What? Are you planning on boarding a ship of the enemy?" she asked them lowly.

"Not exactly board it on the open seas, but we will infiltrate it while it's docked in Roanapur" Benny pointed out.

Rikuo fixed his eyes on Dutch. "Why in the world would a ship of Yagami's navy be docking in Roanapur?" he asked him. "Is the Imperial Navy planning to show off its military assets or something?" the half-Yokai added with another question.

"You could say so. But truth is, the Captain of the Shadow Shark and his lieutenants are invited by the city's authorities to dinner. But they won't be alone" Dutch answered. "A party is planned at the city hall. And even Roanapur's meanest and toughest gang-warlords are invited" he further explained to them.

Revy's attention was on him. "So you mean that Hotel Moscow, the Hong Kong Triads, the Columbian Cartel, are they all gonna be there?" she asked him with interest and Dutch nodded in return. She then fixed a gleeful smile on her face. "Tell me that the Rip-Off Church is also invited!" she said to him.

"Sorry, but we're actually requiring their help in this plan of ours" the black-skinned man said in return, forcing Revy to slump angrily. "But anyways, we're not seeking to steal the frigate as a whole, what we're after is what lies inside it, among the cargos" he revealed to them.

Rock was beginning to sound interested in this, considering that he knew little of their plans, even though he was working at the company. "What kind of thing is it?" he quizzed Dutch.

"We don't actually know that, Rock" Benny admitted to him. "But rumours say that this precious cargo that this frigate carries, is a deadly weapon of mass destruction, developed by the scientific division of the Imperial Army of Yamishi" he told everyone grimly. "In other words, Yagami might have plans on using that weapon on someone. Perhaps….." Benny tried to think but he was interrupted by Train.

"Eien and Songen, the last bastions of resistance against Yamishi" the brown-haired man noted. "Obviously they must be targeting those cities. I mean, they have been very soft on our efforts to resist them" he added to his suspicions.

"But remember what we took up in the council summit yesterday? The Imperial Navy of Yamishi began their offensive on the northern clans, starting with the Pokèmon clan" Rikuo stated.

Revy scoffed at what she was hearing. "Quit worrying about some isolationist clans, Rikuo. I told you before, we've got enough shit to worry about" she said while sighing. "And besides, if it's so damn troubling for us, then why don't we just snatch that cargo from those sea dogs?" she quizzed her partners.

"Which is exactly what we're gonna do, Revy" Dutch pointed out to her, making the brunette ignore him as a whole. The muscular man faced her comrades. "Anyway, we plan on infiltrating the Shadow Shark while its captain and lieutenants are at the city hall dining with the crime-warlords. But to do that, we're hiring some new assets to assist us with this" he revealed to them and fixed his gaze on Benny. "Hey Benny-boy, when are those slackers gonna come here? They should've been here an hour ago" he asked the blonde-haired man, who adjusted his glasses.

Before he could answer, the door to the hangout just opened and a group of different people came in. They were wearing different clothes, and didn't as much as make a noise while inside. Dutch turned around and smiled with satisfaction. He faced three of them, or more specifically the man in the middle, who was actually Jet Black.

"Took you long enough, Jet Black" Dutch noted while facing the man with black facial hair, who was smoking.

Jet blew smoke from his mouth. "Watch it! You're lucky that we were available for assistance" he answered in return.

Revy was raising an eyebrow at this, as she was looking at the various people that had been gathered in the room. "Who the hell are they? Before I left this pile of shit, I can't remember ever meeting them" she asked her comrades in the company.

Benny stepped forward to answer. "These three are bounty hunters from the vessel Bebop. There's the leader Jet Black aka Black Dog, Faye Valentine aka Poker Alice and Spike Spiegel aka Swimming Bird" he introduced the trio to her, as she had never seen them before.

While Jet and Faye didn't show any greetings in return, Spike greeted Revy with a wave directed at her. The brunette was confused at this, and saw Spike approaching her and reaching out his hand to her. He smiled.

"So, you must be the legendary Revy aka Two-Hands from the Lagoon Company" he said while facing her. "Woah, you look kinda….different from what I was expecting" he remarked while looking into her face.

But Revy was not in the mood of meeting people, as well as accepting sarcastic jabs directed at her. She then responded by swinging his arm to punch him, only for Spike to dodge her attack by falling backwards. He then stepped back to his comrades.

"Revy, what are you thinking!?" Rock demanded an answer from her. "That guy was reaching out his hand to you, you can't just…" the black-haired man was interrupted by Revy's anger.

"SHUT UP, ROCK! NOBODY PISSES ME OFF AND GET AWAY WITH IT!" she hit back at him, forcing Rock to back down.

Spike smirked in return. "Now that's one hell of a tomboy, no kidding" he thought while musing to himself.

But all eyes were focused on the spikey blonde-haired man with orange sunglasses as he made a coughing sound. He was dressed in a red jacket and black gloves and boots. In addition to that, he was carrying something that resembled a cross. He fixed a happy expression on his face while facing everyone.

"Sorry about that. I just didn't want to be left outside in this spectacular conversation" he explained to them. "Some of you may know my name, but I'll tell you anyway. People call me Vash, Vash the Stampede" he introduced himself while in a cheerful mood.

Benny raised an eyebrow at him. "And you're a gunman, correct?" he asked Vash, who smiled gleefully in return.

"Sure I am! Just look at my gun!" he said and showed everyone his gun. "Isn't it cool?" he asked them in a naïve way, which stunned the majority of everyone else in the room.

"NOW LISTEN HERE, PUNK-ASS MOTHAFUCKAS! I AIN'T HERE FOR SOME TEA PARTY OR SOME SHIT!" the afro-haired man with black skin suddenly expressed his anger, catching everyone's attention. "I WAS TOLD THAT WE WOULD BEAT UP SOME FOOLS ON THE STREETS, BUT ALL I SEE HERE IS NOTHIN' BUT A STUPID GET-TOGETHER!" he cursed in his anger.

All the others dropped sweats at his behaviour and Dutch finally spoke up. "Oh yeah, you're new here. What was your name again?" he asked him.

The black-skinned man with afro closed his eyes for a brief moment, before opening them up again, facing everyone with his serious gaze. "It's Dynamite….Black Dynamite" he said and some chorus from the 70s could be heard chanting the word "dynamite" two times.

Benny stepped in the middle to gain everyone's attention while holding onto his blackboard. "Okay people, break it up!" he called out. "What I have discovered with regards to the plans is that we need a group of gunmen to do the shooting" he revealed to them all. Benny fixed a smirk while facing Revy. "You will be part of that group, Revy. Hell, you will even lead it" he said.

The brunette grinned in return. "Now we're talking! It's good to be back in the game" she mused to herself over this.

Jet stepped forward to speak up. "Hold on. Have you guys even figured out how security on that frigate works? We don't wanna end up walking straight into a mousetrap" he asked the blonde-haired man.

Dutch stepped in. "Take it easy, Jet. The majority of the frigate's strongest fighters will accompany the captain on his dinner. That leaves with nothing but the cannon-fodders to guard the ship" he explained to him.

Clare raised an eyebrow at his words. "But have you commissioned a group to follow under Revy's command?" she asked him and turned her attention towards the tough brunette who gave her a scoff in return.

"Me and Ducth have made the perfect team of gunmen!" Benny exclaimed gleefully and showed it on his blackboard. "From what I've read, I place Spike, Vash and Black Dynamite in your team, Revy" he revealed to her and Revy had to ignore Spike's attempts to flirt at him, Vash's attempts to act dim-witted and Black Dynamite's….foul-mouthed language. "But we still need one more gunman on your team, Revy. How about you add…" Benny quickly avoided a bullet coming from Revy's shooting, as she was pissed about what he was about to say.

"Don't even go there, Benny! There's absolutely no way in hell that I'm gonna enlist Eda into my crew!" she warned him, as the four-eyed man was gulping with shock.

Rock, Rikuo, Gintoki and Train dropped sweats by seeing Revy's brash attitude in action. Clare, Ducth, Spike and Vash on the other hand, were impressed by Revy's skills with her gun. Rock eventually decided to speak up to her.

"But if you don't want Eda, then who is gonna join your team?" the black-haired man asked her, but he could see that Revy's eyes were focused on Train.

The brown-haired man only smirked in return as he fixed similar eyes on her. "So you wanna have me join your gang of thieves?" he asked her before closing his eyes with amusement. "It looks like that you really require my help after all" he remarked to her.

Benny adjusted his glasses as he faced Train. "Hold on. Are you a gunman like….." he was stopped by Train holding his ornate handgun in his right hand. The number XIII was written on both sides of it.

Spike was getting interested by seeing this gun, and so were his comrades, as well as Vash and Black Dynamite. The brown-haired man mused to himself while seeing it. "That's a cool handgun, you have there, kid! Where did you get it?" Spike asked him.

Train closed his eyes to reminiscence of those days of his. "I got this when I was inducted into Chronos as one of its Numbers. I was designated as Number XIII during my time in Chronos and quickly became its best assassin. My codename was Black Cat" he explained a few details of himself, much to everyone's interests.

Jet was facing the young man warily. "Damn. So that's him! This is Black Cat!" he thought in his head. "I always thought that he had perished along with Chronos when the organization fell apart. Turns out the rumours we all heard were nothing but deception" he added to his thoughts.

Dutch mused to himself by hearing this. "So the Nijuu Senshi allowed a former deadly assassin to join their ranks? Now that's pretty tough, considering how times in this country have changed" he noted in his head.

Train finally opened his eyes and faced Revy. "I'll play along with you and your old buddies for now. But don't forget our reason for coming to this town!" he said while reminding her of their objectives.

Revy shrugged her shoulders in return. "I'm glad to see that there is some decency in you, Train. I really like it" she commended him and this time, she was not being sarcastic. She suddenly focused her attention on Clare and Rikuo. "And as for you two, it would be nice to have a couple of fighters like you to take down the more dangerous opponents than the soldiers and shinobis" she suggested to them with a smirk.

Benny liked her suggestion and joined in. "I kinda agree with Revy on that one. After all, the Shadow Shark's leaders are far more dangerous than their underlings" he said and suddenly held up a picture of a human with shark-like skin and spikey, blue hair on the top of his head. He almost resembled a humanoid shark. "This creepy fella here is Kisame Hoshigaki, the Captain of the Shadow Shark. Before joining the Imperial Navy, he was once a notorious rogue-shinobi from a hidden village based out on a chain of islands outside the southern coast. But other than that, we don't possess much information about him" the blonde-haired man explained.

Rock freaked out by studying the picture. "That guy looks like a sea monster in disguise!" he expressed his fear of him.

"Alright, cut the shit!" Ducth told the black-haired man and faced Clare and Rikuo. "But it ain't just Kisame you guys have to worry about. His lieutenants are also monstrosities. That is why these gunmans could have use of some backup" he told them.

Clare held her butt of her blade tightly while facing him with seriousness. "Do not fret. My abilities will make these foul worshippers of Yagami think twice before provoking a Claymore" she told him.

Rikuo was demonstrating his ability by showing everyone his ability called "fear". This ability was something which all Yokai was capable of doing, especially when expressing their emotions and powers. But Rikuo restrained his fear, as he didn't want to intimidate the majority of these people who were humans, even though all of them weren't necessarily normal humans either.

The teal-haired Yokai fixed his red eyes on Dutch and the rest with a smug smile. "My blade and fear…is yours" he said before dispelling his fear out of the blue.

Gintoki was poking his nose, as all this explaining had made him feel sleepy. But he felt somewhat offended by not even being spoken to by Revy and Dutch. "What about me?" the teal-haired samurai asked them. "Can't you place me in charge of something in this operation of yours?" he asked them.

Revy faced him with a disapproving glance on her face. "Get real! The only thing you are good at is to tell us lame-ass jokes that make us wanna blow our heads off! And besides, your only duty, as it was decided back in Eien, was that you would safeguard that Letter Bee and his girlfriend" she reminded him of his duties.

Gintoki felt offended by her tone and pointed his wooden sword towards him. "Lame-ass jokes, huh!? I'll have you know that I was a deadly samurai that once….." Gintoki stopped once everyone in the room, including Rock laughed at his wooden sword. The teal-haired man dropped sweats by seeing this and put his wooden sword away. "I seriously hate every one of you right now!" he said lowly.

But the group didn't have time for any foolishness, as they were about to be lectured about how infiltrating a frigate would work. All of them had to pay attention to what was explained.

To be continued….


Author's note: Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I will be writing on A Game's Legends and the Feature Film Wars, so this story will have a break. But it is always fun to write on it, when I'm bored of writing other stories. Some of these characters we saw in this chapter were from Cowboy Bebop, Trigun and Black Lagoon. And we also have Black Dynamite from namesake series. I won't spoil what will happen next. Until then, take care!