Last time, if you recall, The Gang's Team A-Fist survived the evil man, who undergone the Temperance card, Parker Andrews, and helped out Farra's old store, Casa de Muñecas, preventing Farra and Asahi from being permanent mannequins, and their souls taken to MIO. In the process, they gained a new ally, Cassandra Martinez, an android daughter to Miss Pollyanna.

Meanwhile, The Gang's Team Nevins sailed in the watery China Seas, after their ocean liner was reduced to a wreck, caused by Dark Blue Moon. They are on lifeboats, heading to their next destination – Singapore. However, shock and awe hits our heroes, as a gigantic ship appears from out of nowhere. What is this ship?

Meanwhile, back in Egypt, Enya was viewing her crystal ball, as she hissed, "I see that Temperance has failed me… And your minion, Yuno Gasai, has failed pick-up, milady."

MIO looked at herself in the mirror, as she asked, "Enya… There's something I like to ask you… What does it mean to live?"

Enya replied, "It's to obtain all that is to desire. If you are to distill life into its essence, that is what it would be: a lust for riches, a desire for fame, food, and fortune, and even love for lovers! That is life's goal."

MIO said, "But one must always fight to get what one wants. Isn't that right, Enya?"

"Indeed." Enya chuckled, with a smirk.

"And if the battle is lost, and one fails to obtain what one desires most, the result is frustration, pain, and suffering." MIO walked away from the mirror, returning to her throne, "One carries the wound into the future… into the next fearful battle…"

She then smirked, "I believe conquering that fear, once and for all, is what it means to live. The one who stands at the pinnacle, is the one who shows no fear."

Enya barked, "I was the one that told you about your past, your powers, and the existence of your Spirit Powers, and how to use it. ALSO, you have an immortal body. Is there anything you could possibly fear?"

MIO hissed, holding herself, "Perhaps, old woman…"

"What burns you inside, my lord?"

"The Nevins Bloodline! Them, and The Gang!" MIO replied.

Enya cried, "HUH? NEVINS?! They worry you? They are mere trash! Those miserable worms are NO MATCH for you, MIO!"

MIO said, "Yes… But I must believe that it's destiny, when the lives of those worms are so firmly untangled with mine. It is a fate that was written for us all, from the very beginning."

She explained, in a malice grin, "Let me be clear… It is not the Nevinses nor The Gang I fear, but the fact that I can never underestimate their bloodline and friendship. In order to obliterate all fear, I have decided to remove The Gang, including the Nevins Family, from the Cogs of Fate."

Enya gasped, "You are to go there, and eliminate them, all alone, simply because you feel that you cannot underestimate them?"

MIO replied, "Yes."

Enya shouted, "FOOLISHNESS! YOU SHOULD NEVER ENGAGE IN SUCH TRIVIAL MANNERS! SEPARATED, THEY ARE STRONGER BY THE DAY, BUT THAT CHANGED FOR THE GANG! I'VE SENT SEVEN SPIRIT USERS TO COMMAND! TEMPERANCE HAS BEEN DEFEATED ALREADY, BUT THERE'S ALSO STRENGTH, THE EMPRESS, THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE, THE HANGED MAN, THE EMPEROR, AND THE DEVIL! ALL OF THEM WILL BE READY TO STRIKE, WHENEVER YOUR CALL! THEY SEPARATED, TOO, AS FEW ARE HEADED TO NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY, TO STOP THOSE WHO HOLD THE MOON, THE SUN, JUSTICE, AND THE HIEROPHANT!"

She cackled, "Thanks to these allies, you need not take any action, yourself, Lord MIO! WAAAAAAAH, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!"

Episode XXVI – Monkeying Around with Chazz Princeton!
Strength!

Meanwhile, in the middle of the ocean, Team Nevins and the girl were in complete shock, as a huge ship appeared from the dense fog.

One sailor shouted, "A FREIGHTER?"

Another sailor gasped, "I didn't see it at all!"

Chazz growled, as Michelle asked him, "Princeton… Something's bothering you, is it? You worry that it could be a Spirit User aboard this ship? It's not ideal, but it's a possibility."

Chazz said, "Not quite. Strange they lowered the stairs. But there's not a soul to be seen around here, anywhere."

The lifeboat sailed to a stairway up. Yamabuki hopped off and called, "This ship came all the way to rescue us! Even if they are Spirit User, they have to be onboard! Either way, I'm done drifting in circles, out to sea! I want someplace dry, thank you!"

They all head up the stairs, leaving the girl, Michelle, and Chazz behind. The two turned to her, and then Chazz said, "Here. Take my hand, kid… I'll help you up."

The girl whispered, "Uh…"

She leapt up into Michelle's arms, and then stuck her tongue at him, "BLEH!"

Chazz sighed, "Good grief…"

XXXXX

Aboard the huge abandoned freighter, the entire crew looked around, looking for life. Heather called out to Rook that the navigation deck is upwards, and could lead to the captain of the ship. But little do they know, the ship's wheel was moving by itself, like it was on autopilot.

Michelle cried, "OI! What's with this ship? There's no captain in the control room, no engineer in the radio room, there's no one, anywhere! And yet, look at this…"

Michelle found a compass. She stated that the machinery is working properly, despite no one aboard.

Yamabuki joked, "Maybe they're in the Poop Deck, since they got the bad case of the runs~!"

Michelle called out, "HEY! ISN'T ANYONE AROUND?"

"You have to see this! Come here, quick!" The girl called.

The others head into another room, where the girl was pointing, as they found a huge monkey in orange fur inside a small cage.

"An ape!" The girl said, "There's an ape in the cage!"

Peter said, "That's no ape…"

Heather replied, "It's an orangutan."

Michelle roared, "WHO THE HELL CARES ABOUT SOME SODDING APE? Let's just split up and find whoever's been feeding this thing!"

They left the huge room, heading back outside. The girl stopped, only to realize that the ape has been staring at her. She ran off, completely in fright. Rook was outside, with the sailors, examining the huge crane on the ship. One sailor said that it doesn't appear to be broken. The others arrive. As soon as they stepped forward, the hook started swinging around, and then started plummeting down. Michelle looked up and gasped.

"ROOK! THAT SAILOR! WATCH OUT!" Michelle cried.

SMASH!
The sailor gets impaled by the hook, by the head, and gets pulled up. The others gasp in horror, as the girl shrieked. Peter covered her eyes and huffed, "Oh, good grief. Is this any way to greet a lady?"

The remaining sailors gasp, as one sailor cried, "But… No one was touching the controls!"

Another called, "I saw that crane move; even if there was no one operating it!"

Another shouted, "I don't believe in ghosts, but what the hell!"

And another cried, "I saw it, too! That crane impaled him, all on its own!"

Michelle stepped back, and then called out, "Keep your guard up! There's someone hostile here! Everyone, do NOT touch the machinery, you got it? If it moves or runs on electricity, don't lay a finger on it! If you want to live, you do as I exactly tell you to do, understand? Get in the cabin below, and stay there, until I tell you, otherwise!"

The sailors and the girl leave, as Michelle said to the others, "Did any of you see a glimpse of the Spirit, Stand, or Jewel user, just now?"

Yamabuki said, "I didn't."

Rook replied, "My apologies. I was with these men, near the crane. I couldn't see anything, since I was closest, through sight of plain."

Heather said, "Alright… Big Guy, your Phantoms and my Ice Mistress will look around the ship."

Peter nodded, "Roger."

Heather's afterimage emerges, showing a snowy spirit, resembling her Snow Storm Queen persona. It, along with Peter's three Phantoms, slink into the ship's interior. As they search the ship, the girl was peeking from a distance. She thought, "I don't know what's going on, but scary things keep happening, whenever you guys are around. Those powers… They are freaks… I've heard about people that cause disasters that effect around everyone… if that's the case, I should make a break for it."

Michelle turned to the girl and said, "I suggest that you not run from us, Anne."

Anne gasped, "Huh? How did you know-?"

Michelle winked, "I'll let you in on one little truth, little bit. Whatever happens, we're on your side."

Anne was relieved, as Michelle petted her head, smiling, "Stay safe. Make sure that you stay with the others. Got it?"

Anne nodded, and left to the cabins, inside. She started to travel around the cabins, the hallways, and heading back to the control room. She even returned to the room, with the orangutan. The monkey called to her, hooting, pointing at the lock, above it.

"Do you want to me to let you out?" She asked, "But I can't. I don't know where the key is… and you're too big to be let out."

The monkey offered a half of an apple. Anne gasped, "You're giving me your apple? But that makes no sense. It's still fresh, since it was cut with a knife… and it doesn't change any color. So, where did he go? If that is true, there really is someone on this boat."

The monkey lit a match and smoked a cigarette. Anne whispered, "Whoa… That is one smart monkey… Who trained you to do that?"

After that, he blew the match out, and grabbed a porno magazine from under some burlap sheets. The girl thought, in complete shock, "I don't believe it… He smokes and reads naughty adult magazines?"

The monkey looked at a pinup section, as Anne stepped back. Two sailors suddenly appear, as the first one shouted, "Hey, kid! Be careful there!"

The second sailor said, "They say that an orangutan has five times the strength of a normal human. So, it can easily rip a human's arms off."

They held Anne, as the first sailor said, "Come on. Stay with us at the other room, on the other side. Don't go off, by yourself."

Anne said, "Oh. Okay." And then she was escorted off, leaving the orangutan to enjoy his "business".

Back in New York, Sena was being prepared, as Asahi was sitting by the counter. Farra opened the ice pop wrapper and said, "Last one… If this doesn't work, nothing will…"

She then placed the apple brooch onto Sena's bare chest. And then, as Sena was coming to life, Farra gave Sena the ice pop. She said, "Here."

Sena took it and said nothing. She then looked at it and said, "I… An ice pop? I do not eat. I am a mannequin."

Farra said, "Hey. First time for everything. Try it."

Sena then placed the ice pop on her lips, smearing a little. Luther said, "She isn't opening her mouth."

Cassandra said, "From that look, it seems erotic…"

Farra shushed her, as Sena licked the ice pop. Her eyes regained color, as she looked at the ice pop, "Huh? This is-? Hmm…"

She started to enjoy her ice pop, as Asahi asked, "Did it work?"

Farra replied, "I don't know…"

Sena finished the ice pop and said, "Hmmm…"

She looked at herself and said, "Huh? Where am I?"

She then saw her underwear, and then gasped. She shrieked, "YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Farra and Luther said, "She's back."

Sena covered herself and cried, "AAGH! WHAT THE FUCK! WHY AM I IN UNDERWEAR?"

Farra said, "You're okay. Tell me… What do you remember last, after you were transformed?"

Sena said, "Well… All I remember was that Mr. Andrews gave me a brooch… and the next moment…"

She continued to explain, as Asahi nodded. She then replied, "So, you should know that Parker Andrews is taken away. He's responsible for harboring innocent girls."

Sena sighed, "Thank goodness… That man is evil, since he's a pervert."

Farra said, "Worse. He's in allegiance with MIO."

Cassandra replied, "That is correct. Mr. Andrews was to deliver your soul, along with Farra's and Asahi's, to Yuno Gasai, one of MIO's henchmen. Thanks to my assistance, your friends were able to stop him. All he can do is look at pinups in Prison Island."

Farra stated, "Anyways, what happens now?"

Sena said, "Well, I wish to stay here, at Casa de Muñecas."

Asahi cringed, "It's… No…"

Sena replied, "Calm down. I'm not staying as a model. The reason I came here was because of a bizarre situation. Miss Stevens… Do you experience ghosts in a mall?"

Farra replied, "Well… not really… But I'm not afraid of ghosts… Fear is beneath me. I enjoy horror magazines, comics, and movies."

Sena said, "Well, here, in Casa de Muñecas, two ghosts are in this store… and are the same mannequins that Parker Andrews have harbored."

"TWO mannequins? That is bizarre!" Farra gasped, "But two girls in the store that you know?"

Sena said, "No… The mannequins are both male and female… however, they were previously dead."

Farra and Asahi gasps in shock, except for Cassandra, who was completely serious. She then said, "Cassandra no believe in ghosts. Los fantasmas no me asustan."

Sena replied, "Indeed. But, do not worry, Miss. They are friendly ghosts…"

Asahi sighed, "What a relief…"

Sena then asked, "Uh, before we continue… Who's she?" referring to Cassandra.

Meanwhile, on a dusky day, Heather and Peter returned from searching the ship.

"Inconceivable…" Heather said, "Big Guy and I searched every area on the ship, and not a shred of human life is aboard. We searched every pipe and crevice, but no one is around!"

Moments later, in the radio room, the sailors were trying to make contact. But the radio wasn't responded. Anne viewed it, as the sailors were furious. She walked off, sensing a smell.

"Ew, gross! I feel sticky from all the saltwater!" She groaned.

She was smelly, after being out to sea, for a day or two. She then realized that there's a shower room, nearby.

Minutes later, she arrived at the shower room and turned on the shower. She then removed her clothes and stepped inside. As she was enjoying her shower, the door opened. A figure appeared from the door, with its hand on the handle. And, from the view, far away, the sailors' bodies were strewn about, bloodied and battered, all over the radio room. The curtain was pulled open, as Anne gasped. She turned around and saw the person who did it. It was the orangutan, the same one in the cage, and is now wearing a white captain's coat. Anne shuddered in fear, covering herself.

Downstairs, however, Chazz was near the cage, as the bars were open, and the lock destroyed. He nodded and said, "So…"

At the shower room, the monkey stared at Anne's body, as she swiped a towel to over herself. The monkey sniffed at her, reaching towards her, in somewhat of a lecherous look.

Suddenly, it roared, and lunged towards the helpless girl, about to gnash at her body.

WHAM!
"HEY!" Chazz appeared, slamming the monkey with a chop to the skull. He boomed, "Take your lock, you fucking ape!"

SLAM!
He threw the lock towards the orangutan, hitting his skull, and sent flying.

"CHAZZ!" Anne cried, as she was happy.

The huge monkey grabbed Chazz's coat, as he said, "Seems that this monkey isn't for bananas. Could it be that he's the one?"

Ojama Star appeared and slammed a right elbow to his skull. But, the ceiling fan broke off, and flew towards Chazz's left shoulder. It impaled into it, as the orangutan laughed. Chazz moaned in pain, "Wait… How the hell did the fan hit me, while it's here? So… You're the Spirit User, but where's your Spirit? I should be able to see the damned thing, but it doesn't make any sense!"

SLAP!
Chazz gets slapped by the ceiling fan's blades, and was getting hurt. He flew off, as the window shattered, with shards of glass flying towards him. Chazz roared, "SON OF A BITCH! What is going on here?"

He yelled out, "OJAMA STAR!"

His Spirit appeared, and caught the entire flying shards with his hand. And then, he punched at the orangutan with his shard-filled fist.

SLAM!
He struck the ape in the heart. However, the monkey had already vanished. It sank into the wall and vanished inside. Chazz called, "HEY! Did you see it? Stay close to me. Something bad is about to go down."

He thought, as he waited, "So… the orangutan is a Spirit User… but when I touched the wall… I felt an energy wave from it. So, we know that the monkey is responsible, but why can't I see the Spirit, like I always do?"

He gasped, "Wait… What if I'm seeing it, already?"

Suddenly, the ship started to make loud noises.

Anne cried, as the ship was shaking, "WHAT'S HAPPENING?

Outside on the deck, Rook's legs were slowly sinking into the ship. Everyone else was being pulled in, as well.

"What… is going… on?" Rook cried.

Peter cried, "HEY, WHAT THE-?"

Yamabuki cried, "This ship! It's swallowing us!"

Michelle called, "This freighter! It's… It's a-! Is the ship trying to-?"

Chazz responded, as he prepared, "So, the ship isn't a Spirit! It's a Stand! The Stand is actually the freighter!"

CLASP! SLAM!
He gets wrapped in pipes and gets slammed into the wall, bounded tight.

Michelle cried, "SO, THAT'S IT! The ship itself, everything in it! It's a Stand!"

Yamabuki groaned, "The entire ship?! You mean that Spirits and Stands are possible to see, like the girl and the crew?!"

Rook moaned, "Nearly unlikely, but this Stand's immense energy can even be seen by the naked eye! All this must demand, a tremendous amount of energy to operate! A Stand as huge as this!"

Heather tried her powers, but was stuck tight, "I'm trying to break free, but this ship, even now, is suffocating me!"

Rook cried, "What? Chazz is down there!"

Yamabuki moaned, "This… is what it means… to face certain death… And now, we're stuck! We fell for a damned trap!"

Heather coughed out blood and groaned, "Ugh… At this rate, with more pressure into us, will be crushed within an instant!"

Michelle groaned, "Damn… We were careless…"

Back downstairs, the ape returned, in a new captain's outfit and held up a dictionary. Since it can only talk in grunts, it showed the page of what he is showing Anne and Chazz. He then pointed the word "Strength"; its definition, it means force, energy, power, or aid, and it is the eighth card in the Tarot deck! It suggests challenge, a strong will and hidden powers. The orangutan puffed smoke from his pipe and played with a Rubik's Cube, while grunting in smiles.

"This entire ship is my Stand, and you've lost! You're outwitted and outmatched, and helpless, and there's nothing you can do!" says the Spirit User, hooting and laughing in his native language.

Chazz needed no explanation. He knew exactly what the ape was saying. He growled, as he broke free, but was ensnared by another pair of pipes from the wall. He snarled, "Damn ape… Thinks he's won, huh?"

The ape crushed the cube, after he solved it, with his bare hands. And then turns his attention to Anne, in a lustful smirk on his face. Staring at her wet body, the orangutan approached the helpless girl. Chazz flung a button onto his head, and the ape turned back to Chazz. The monkey grabbed the button, and was angry.

"Are you angry? I guess that wounded your pride." Chazz said, "No, it's not hurt at all! Is it? I mean, you say that you've beaten us… because apes like you don't HAVE any pride!"

The orangutan hollered, and rushed towards Chazz. He smirked, "You see, that what makes you an ape, and not a man… It hurts your pride!"

Ojama Star held its fingers up and cried, "WHAT'S GOING TO HURT NOW… IS YOUR HEAD!"

The Ojama shot out his fingers, hitting the right hand in the orangutan. The force of the attack shot off Chazz's buttons. And it impaled into his forehead, in a sheer blow. The monkey held its head and cried in complete pain and agony.

Miz-K NOTE: Once again, Miz-K Productions apologizes for the cruelty towards animals; especially if they are evil villains.

The monkey stood up, as Chazz broke free. The ape stepped back in fear, still in pain, and then showed its bare chest, hooting towards him.

"I've heard that, when animals are frightened, they show their stomachs, symbolizing their submission to the enemy. So, you're asking me to forgive you?" Chazz asked, as the monkey pleaded for mercy.

Chazz replied, "Okay… Tell you what… I will show you mercy… but your rules are far beyond the laws of the jungle… So, I'm not giving you mercy… My answer is: I don't think so…"

POW-POW-POW!
"DORA-RA-RA-RA-RA-RA-RA-RA-RA-RA-RA-RA-RA-RA-RA-RA-RA-RAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Ojama Star started to pummel and punch the orangutan with his barrage of punches, taking him down. The ape is sent flying through the door.

As Chazz calms down, the ship started to distort. Anne cried, "OH! The pipes and walls are distorting!"

Chazz said, "Be surprised about it, later. Come on, this ship's about to sink. GET BACK TO THE LIFEBOATS!"

They ran off, heading back to the others. The ship exploded and sank into the sea. The others have escaped through the lifeboat, as Anne said, "Wow… I can't believe that the ship is shrinking…"

Rook said, "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes… I won't believe it! That ape was traveling on his own Stand! What power… That's the first time I've ever seen such energy."

Peter said, "Hate to say it, but… we were completely overwhelmed, this round. If Chazz hadn't figured it out, we'd be done for…"

Heather brushed her hair and said, "So, my only guess is that we just paddle to Singapore…"

Chazz smoked his cigarette, but did not light it. Michelle said, "Are we going to encounter more Spirits and Stands, on the way? We'll have to be ready for anything…"

Yamabuki offered a stick of gum and asked, "Want some gum?"

Heather said, "Looks like we're drifting, until then…"

Chazz moaned, "Good grief… My cigarettes are soaked…"

Yamabuki smiled, "They'll be plenty of sun to dry them off, Chazz."

Rook replied, "Heather's right. We're going to be paddling to Singapore…"

Michelle added, "Either that, or pray that someone rescues us and reach Singapore, safely… … … and soon…"

Heather moaned, "It's been four days since we left New York."

There are 46 days before time runs out for The Gang!

To be continued…