That evening, as the sun was setting

The being that Peach observed before the chaos ensued hovered above the wrecked airstrip; less than an hour after landing, Mario's presence was more than felt. Shadow Mario pondered the scene.

"I wonder…" He said to himself as observed the clean up and the attempts to make repairs. "Peach has just been aware of what the Delfino Mafia has been doing as of late, but I have to wonder if she was informed of what the theme of MushroomCon's cosplay contest is this year. It's odd she'd pick this exact time of year to take her vacation." He observed

"Even more odd that Luigi allowed Mario to accompany the Princess in his place, even though she most likely invited him instead." Shadow Mario's pupils constricted as said this, as he started to connect the dots.

"... To a beach resort island where walking around in nothing but trunks, speedos, leotards and bikinis are legal… At the only time ever when Paetar Deltazar or his made men could be tricked into so much as inconveniencing nobility or royalty and not believe that said nobility or royalty is the real thing when it shows up…" Shadow Mario's voice became tiny as he noted the last and most major detail of the situation.

"... And with no one but said Princess who was just accosted and nearly caught by human traffickers to be victimized by the highest bidder… to reign Mario in."

Shadow Mario shuddered at the realization of what Luigi had done by allowing Mario to tag along, likely uninvited. "I expect these kinds of tactics from Dr. Pryor… Or Emperor Vituo… Oh, who am I kidding?" Shadow Mario chuckled to himself.

"Imara and Empress Malkia wouldn't exactly adhere to the Geneva Conventions or the Marquis De Queensbury Rules with child-abusing slave-traders like the Delfino Mafia, either, now would she? The King of the Delfino Islands ought to be ashamed of himself for allowing Paetar and his made men to even operate in his domain like this." At this, Shadow Mario scoffed. "As if King Pintar could feel such emotions as shame…" Shadow Mario couldn't deny that the innocents of the Delfino Islands needed some sort of overt intervention, but as soon as he thought about the innocent citizens who had been murdered in Mario's cross-fire, his sense of justice was piqued.

"But this… Luigi has to know his twin brother a little better than that… Tomorrow, when he's released, I'll have to see what he does next… No more innocents will die… Not if I can help it…" With that, Shadow Mario faded into the wind, disappearing from sight.

The Next Morning, 11:00 A.M., Delfino Plaza Courthouse

"Court is now in session!" The judge declared, beginning the trial. Mario wondered what the point of this entire trial was, and what was Peach's endgame here. The so-called prosecutor began to speak.

"As you are no doubt aware, the accused sits here because of his senseless, vile destruction of our domain. Upon landing on our fair island, the perpetrator instigated a brawl with Delfino citizens, and during that fight caused not only millions of dollars in damages, but also killed quite a few citizens who were not involved in the fight itself. Worse, the carnage he inflicted has caused all of our guardians, the Shine Sprites, to disperse from their gathering spot at the Shine Gate. Though it is normally a beautiful golden color, the Shine Gate is currently purple due to the absence of the Shine Sprites." Mario rolled his eyes at hearing this diatribe, until he heard the next part of the prosecutor's speech.

"And yes, the vandalism, coupled with his more violent and overt crimes, have endangered our very way of life." Even Princess Peach and Toadsworth gaped in disbelief at what he just said. "Of course, there is overwhelming evidence that this vile defacements using paint-like, chalk-like and ink-like substances are part of Mario's attempt to psychologically break down the spirit of the Delfino citizens. Not the least of which is stopping Deltazar Sanitation from cleaning up his handiwork, which was part of the motivation of assaulting his workers." Mario seethed at the blatant lie; he literally only got to these islands yesterday, and had been sitting in prison for most of the time he was here.

"Indeed, how can one not be aware of what is going on? Though it is daytime in Delfino Plaza, our poor residents tremble beneath a veil of both literal and psychological darkness. Expert Shine Scholars, upon seeing the necrofied state of the Shine Gate, have determined that the only way to clear up this current darkness would be to return the Shine Sprites to their rightful place. As long as Mario continues to deface and destroy our home, this will be impossible to do."

At this, the prosecutor produced a sketch. Peach thought it looked quite a bit like the apparition she saw early yesterday morning. In fact, she was convinced that this was the same Mario-doppelganger that she saw in the ad on the plane-ride to this resort. "Behold, this sketch of the perpetrator of not only the defacement of Isle Delfino, but also of more recent and more vile crimes. Not the least of which concerns the disappearance of young women attending this year's MushroomCon." Mario's eye twitched, as his fists clenched.

"The truth is undeniable. The guilty party sits among us. It is none other than Mario Mario." Mario seethed, but now Peach and Toadsworth find their voices as they raise their hands.

"Objection!" They said in unison. And when they did, the Judge made the worst possibly mistake she ever could.

"Overruled!" She said. The judge delivered her verdict, but what that verdict was Mario likely didn't even hear.

"TO HELL WITH THIS BULLSHIT!" Mario's anger burst forward, as he broke out of his cuffs and delivered a powerful Ring of Hatred, evaporating the two guards beside him upon slamming the ground with his fist. The bailiff drew his pistol, but Mario's hand was quicker as he blasted the gun out of his hand. The bailiff had just enough time to gasp in horrific realization before the next fireball roasted him alive. The other guards present drew their weapons, but this time Mario decided to use his physical speed and brutal force to remove their weapons before literally disarming and killing all but one of them. The last one managed to fire his weapon, but Mario had already gotten hold of his arm and gained control of the weapon. Mario promptly forced the officer to aim his weapon at the cowering Prosecutor, and then forced him to empty the weapon into the terrified lawyer before taking the gun out of his hand.

"Mario, enough!" Peach's voice called out. Mario's fist stopped short of the terrified security guard, who let out a confused whimper of terror. Mario glowered angrily at him. "You got lucky." He said, as Peach now turned to the terrified judge and the downed Prosecutor, who was still technically alive despite being a bullet-riddled, moaning mess writhing in agony on the floor.

"Judge Judy…" Peach realized her mistake. "My apologies, Judge Trudy Juniper." She said, her tone genuinely polite and gentle. "I did not wish to allow that, and I had hoped you'd have listened when Toadsworth and I raised our objections." The terrified Judge had her eyes firmly trained on Mario; she well and truly believed that to take her eyes off him would have been death. "Please… Princess Peach, please call him off. All charges will be-" Judge Trudy need not finish her sentence.

"Properly reviewed and assessed, as opposed to what you were previously trying to do. Mario has recently come into possession of the Water Gynoid that his brother Luigi Mario purchased." Peach informed. Trudy couldn't answer due to fear, so the Princess continued. "As such, Mario and FLUDD will happily clean up any mess they come across, as well as address the issue of the Delfino Mafia and their rather… firm… hold on the legal system that I've just witnessed." Judge Trudy shuddered at the confirmation that the Mushroom Kingdom's princess was fully aware of what was going on in the Delfino Islands.

"In exchange, of course, Mario will also show much more restraint than he has so far…" Mario sheepishly smiled, looking as embarrassed as a kid whose mother just caught him stealing from the candy jar. "... And handle the criminal situation and the failing system with a more dextrous hand than a brutish fist, isn't that right Mario?" Peach asked politely. Mario hesitated for just a moment, just long enough to give the impression he might for once defy his Princess.

But instead, he nodded. "Of course, Peach. Wouldn't want to ruin your vacation. Or any potential date nights." He said optimistically. Toadsworth's skin crawled at hearing Mario refer to his goddaughter as lecherously as he was, but he could do nothing about it at this moment.

"Thank you. Oh, and Judge… Do inform King Pintar that I will be calling a diplomatic meeting once my vacation here is over." Peach ended, as she began to walk out of the courtroom. "Mario, we are going now." She said, as she walked by. Mario's eyes lingered on Peach's swaying hips and especially her wiggling, bouncing buttcheeks as she walked by him. However, he wasn't done just yet, for as soon as Peach's back was fully to him, he shoved his hand full-force through the remaining Pianta security guard, ripping his still-beating heart out of his system. He screamed as this happened, and as soon as he dropped, Mario handed the horrified Judge the beating heart.

"That's your head, and your hand is your grandchildren, if I have to come back here." Mario threatened, as he began to follow Peach.