Justice

by Black' Victor Cachat

Dealing with villains is all part of being a superhero, the Justice League knows this. So how do they handle the new supervillain gang that can't decide whether they're good or evil? And said gang, the Straw Hat Pirates, are just desperate to get home to fulfil their dreams, whatever it takes. And they have no problems with fighting more believers in 'Justice' along the way

12. Injustice for All, Part 2

I do not own either One Piece or Justice League Unlimited.

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Beta read by the wonderful rose7anne101 and MasterQwertster. Make sure to check out their stories!

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Guest Review answers :-D

BlantonM

Ooooh, I like that idea of Lord Superman improvising weapons on the fly! Indeed, I can see Good!Superman doing the same, albeit less lethally! That also might give Superman the edge he needs to help him fighting Luffy, especially given your own accurate comments about the Gears. Mind you, that requires Superman to realize he has to be more innovative to win. Stamina will indeed be a big part of the fights though, since Luffy's big moves are draining, and honestly DCAU Superman has not really had any prolonged battles where he is going all out, which may end up costing him.

Wait and see with Luthor ;-)

Thanks for your patience with updates :-)

As for Monkey D. Dre's recommendation, no need to worry. Like I told him, I found the idea interesting, but I am putting it aside for now to work on my other big projects. When they are done, I will go to my list of potential story ideas, and see what will be fun to read. Besides, it was fun thinking on how those interactions would go. But yeah, already got sooo much to write. I do still usually appreciate recommendations though, even if I do not use them, since they can be fun to think about, and Monkey D. Dre and I have gotten some interesting ideas together. Plus some people just have trouble putting ideas into stories. I am working to stay strong and not get more involved in writing even more multi-chapter works though ;-)

Also, I super appreciate your words regarding that Guest upset about my supporting another fic :-) And yes, he has been complaining to the other author with as much affect ;-)

Here is the newest chapter, and I hope it was worth it! Looking forward to hearing your newest thoughts! :-D

Thank you for your Review and Support! :-D

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dani1361

I want to make the Justice League work for it ;-) Also, if they figured out they are just dealing with a bunch of people trying to get home, the story would be over before I could show Lord Superman X-P

Glad you liked the rest! :-D

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Kiyaameron

Nice to hear how much you enjoyed it! :-D

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125b

Honestly never cared about word count, or get why that matters all that much. It also just makes more sense to me to put the comments that are responses to the previous chapter, and related to this one, at the top for people to see first. Especially since I know from other Reviews and PMs that the people I am answering back to are not the only ones reading them. How is the actual story itself?

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Guest

Yep, the Justice League is still working to puzzle out about the Straw Hats. Glad you liked the Fantasia and bed scenes so much, I am pretty proud of those. :-) Although for Clayface, it is less that he is concerned about people suffocating, and more that he basically has people burrowing into his semi-solid body. D-:

Agreed, it is a bit disappointing that all that for last chapter only got us a few minutes into the actual show, but hopefully worth it for what is about to come.

I am sure Shining Knight would like a few . . . 'words' with Jason Blood.

Chopper is the scariest herbivore around!

Nice Christmas idea! Definitely considering that.

Unsure about Luffy liking that TV show though, especially such an old one.

For Brook, yeah singing that is embarrassingly overdue, but I have a scene for it. Also thanks for the reminder about skull jokes.

I confess that I clean forgot about Thanksgiving, so thanks to you and someone else for reminding me.

Embarrassed honestly I had not thought of that for Franky. Good idea :-)

Likely not going down to the center of the Earth if only because of how difficult it is to get there, but yeah excellent point about the kryptonite. Especially since it was enough to affect Supergirl at such a distance, so definitely no shielding of any kind.

Sorry, no idea who Titanio is, and Google search is no help.

Hmm, possible upcoming scene for Waller there.

Please keep up the suggestions!

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Guest

1) In terms of the Straw Hats making money by creating a manga of their own adventures, calling it One Piece . . . Frankly, that is absolutely brilliant. And hilarious. Unfortunately it does not quite work here because they are still going through their adventures, so they would only know the 'story' up to a certain point, and then have to speculate about the future, and then frankly the plan breaks down. However, this might very well work for my Sea of Souls fic, where the Straw Hats use this to also help them regain their memories!

2) I do like your idea of Cheetah and Clayface deciding to stay as they are given the acceptance they have received. Not sure if it work though given how both of them do want to return to normal society, and the fact the Straw Hats are planning to go back home. Back into frankly the most dangerous region of the planet. Even if the two supervillains learn the truth, they will have to consider the risks. Staying behind with their old bodies, they will be hunted down by the Justice League. Not denying that your suggestion has potential, but it needs some more work to make it fit in well. Any suggestions?

3) I am going to confess that I have not really seen much of Static Shock. Only a few episodes. That is why there are so few Bang Babies thus far. Makes it harder for me to decide there. To clarify with Livewire and Lobo, you mean Nami will pressure them into joining because of the money they owe her?

4) If Maureen wanted to lose her powers by this point, it would have to be voluntary, and she has people supporting and encouraging her. The overall fate of the Bang Babies is still being decided.

5) Wait and see ;-)

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OtakuHazelEyes

LOL yeah, a lot harder to seduce the rest :-P

Ah, you're overreacting regarding the Joker! I'm sure he's all over that little kerfuffle. Honest! X-P

Thanks for the Review and Support! :-D

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Guest (going to assume you are the same person for two particular Reviews)

Grundy's ultimate fate is still undecided. That is all I will say. I agree though that the Vinsmokes, barring Reiju, should suffer horribly as they die.

I should warn you that having the Justice Lords is a popular request thus far.

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Guest

The Straw Hat's allies (i.e. Maureen, Harley, Volcana, etcetera) are indeed nakama, except they are not 'crew,' so to speak. More akin to Law, Carrot, etcetera, in terms of being people they are close to, but not actual members of the Straw Hat Pirates.

Sorry, I am going to need you to clarify about seeing the Straw Hat's memories. I am missing something for when it happened. But yeah, the Logia-class Devil Fruit powers of One Piece are a level beyond what most in the DCAU are capable of. That said, Maureen's powers while possibly weaker overall than Kuzan's, are still nearly on-par with his. Indeed, even more impressive that she can do so much without any formal training, and so young.

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Evil Reviewer

I have had lots of people argue he should join the Straw Hats for those very reasons ;-) And yeah, hard to hate a guy who helps orphans. Although as we see here, he is also pretty comfortable in prison. Indeed, at the end of the canon version of this episode, he still had all his comforts when back in prison. :-P

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Guest

Jinbe is the 'blue alien' being referred to, given his appearance against Aquaman. There are no hard, confirmed reports of Franky yet that have reached Batman's ears.

That Maureen is a regular metahuman and NOT a Bang Baby is indeed an interesting idea. I confess that I have not watched the last episode of Static Shock (and yes, it is on my to-do list), but it does indeed sound like it may be an interesting twist . . .

Here is the newest chapter, and I hope it was worth it! Looking forward to hearing your newest thoughts! :-D

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Apolios

Yeah, I had to slow down the pace to keep the chapters manageable, as well as to sneak in some seeds of character and plot development. As for the characters, yeah some are getting a lot more face time than others. Personal bias I admit, except for Franky and Zoro. Franky, who I love, has not been active much since he is literally their only scientist and has been stuck at home. As for Zoro, he is a walking-talking weapon of war who can curbstomp basically 99% of people in this universe. Those who he cannot, just fighting them would escalate the plot too early. As for Jinbe, my only excuse is that I am still feeling out the character. No worries though, I have a chapter coming up to help rectify that ;-)

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KaizokuHime23

Nice to hear how much you like this story! :-D Also appreciate how much you have re-read it :-) What are your other two favourite crossovers for this?

Here is the newest chapter, and I hope it was worth it! Looking forward to hearing your newest thoughts! :-D

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JasonIrwing

That is indeed the real Poison Ivy :-)

I am iffy about time travel because that generally means that things are guaranteed to happen, including that Bruce Wayne will survive my story—and yes, there is a chance he will die. So if time travel, then it would have to be an unstable timeline, and frankly the butterfly effect of the Straw Hats being here is growing.

Dead or alive, Harley will have a clean break from the Joker. The rest of the stuff about her I need you to clarify on.

I should warn you that the Justice Lords are a popular request from other readers . . .

Here is the newest chapter, and I hope it was worth it! Looking forward to hearing your newest thoughts! :-D

Thank you for your Review and Support! :-D

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Galvatron

I just could not resist for Brook! :-D

Here is the newest chapter, and I hope it was worth it! Looking forward to hearing your newest thoughts! :-D

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Guest

Franky combining Amazo nanites with Father and Mother Boxes . . . Huh, you know, he probably is Super enough to pull that all off. Still, that would pretty much be his Doomsday Protocol given how even if he survived he probably would not be the same person anymore. Also more overpowered than Luffy with a Lantern Ring :-P

Here is the newest chapter, and I hope it was worth it! Looking forward to hearing your newest thoughts! :-D

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Guest

Wait and see for Ultra-Humanite

Interesting and amusing to learn about Pink Flamingo, and that would indeed be interesting to do! :-D However, I am trying to keep out non-DCAU characters. Indeed, this has actually grown beyond my strong desire to keep the story just within the DCAU to keep it simpler, more predictable, and because if I accept one I will have requests for many, many more. Honestly, the problem now has become that I have too many characters I am juggling as it is with just the DCAU. I honestly had not really noticed it until some recent Reviews, and a crossover I am reading right now, but frankly I am having trouble adequately covering just the characters I have now, never mind the ones I will be introducing later. Heck, the story as is at this rate may very well reach a hundred chapters without adding in more people to introduce and develop!

Still having fun with this story of course, but I do want to move onto other stories eventually :-P

Here is the newest chapter, and I hope it was worth it! Looking forward to hearing your newest thoughts! :-D

Thank you for your Review and Support! :-D

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Guest

Regarding Mera vs. Devil Fruit users, the amount of water she can control is monstrous in the comics. That said, for her to be truly successful she would need to know specifics of their weakness to win. I agree though that she would have no chance at all against Jinbe.

Here is the newest chapter, and I hope it was worth it! Looking forward to hearing your newest thoughts! :-D

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Justice

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Chapter 12: Injustice for All, Part 2

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Previously:

The Justice League managed to expose Lex Luthor as a criminal, and have him thrown into prison. They also began the systematic dismantlement of his criminal empire, while finding his own records on the Straw Hat Pirates. To Superman's genuine dismay however, it was also discovered that Luthor was terminally ill from carrying around a piece of Kryptonite for years. Furious and desperate, the genius mastermind has already begun planning his most important schemes ever . . .

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This chapter is an AU of a DCAU episode by the same name.

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I should probably note that "Injustice for All" and "Fury" have a weird relationship. "Fury" dialogue refers to events in "Injustice for All" in the past tense, except "Fury" was released first (episodes 14 and 15, with "Injustice for All" being 18 and 19). However, for the sake of simplicity, I am sticking with the order of their release.

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November 5th

Lex Luthor was dangerously close to finding someone he hated worse than Superman.

(Alright, maybe not that extreme. Maybe as much as Batman.)

It was not enough that he was imprisoned in some humiliating prison cell—insinuating he was a common criminal! That he had been sent here without a trial, implied that aside from Superman's pressure, the judges had been provided with very incriminating evidence. Not even bail had been accepted. That alien again! If he was free from prison, he could be devoting himself to finding a cure!

Instead, he was locked up here dying! While his empire was being shredded into scraps!

Oh, not all of it. There were too many bank accounts memorized by his photographic memory, except even he needed physical records to refer others to. For blackmail, bribes, or to display to morons to prove something or other. Plus law enforcement might even get lucky and uncover a few more that way.

What was perilously close to pushing Lex over the edge however, was that his neighbour was blaring opera music at 2am!

Futilely he tried wrapping his pillow over his ears, so he could sleep so he could think in the morning!

Why were the guards not doing anything! Were they enjoying his suffering!? They would pay in turn! With interest!

Snarling, he got up to hit the wall the music was coming from. "Hey, keep it down! Can't a guy die in peace around here!?"

No response.

Glaring, he walked over to his own TV set, while pulling out a shiv he had secreted away. Using it, he tinkered with the electronics, barely having to concentrate on his work it was so mundane; repurposing parts for functions they had never been designed for. In a few minutes, he had re-configured the TV to send video feed to his accursed neighbour. Sure enough, his own screen flickered with static before showing the figure lounging on a (decidedly non-prison regulation) green armchair. He resembled a white gorilla, if not for his visibly oversized cranium, containing one of the largest and brightest criminal minds around. Ultra-Humanite.

"Humanite!" snapped Lex. "How can you stand that caterwauling!?"

"Music is one of the meager pleasures I'm allowed in here," returned Ultra-Humanite, his voice oozing with sophistication. He gave no sign of surprise or irritation at the intrusion. "Along with a few other necessities," he added, gesturing off-screen. Doubtless he was well pampered in his cell. One could only wonder who he had bribed or sold-out to earn such privileges.

"You should try the culture channel," Ultra-Humanite smugly added. "It might improve your disposition."

"There's nothing wrong with my disposition that a little freedom wouldn't cure."

Cocking an eyebrow, the other supervillain retorted, "That's not what I hear."

There was a beat as Lex processed that word of his impending fate was spreading fast, as well as forcing himself to acknowledge the reality of his situation. The person he was talking to was a fellow genius after all, who would not only have his own possible solutions, but a lab and resources secreted away. Right now, all of Lex's local ones were suspect until he confirmed they were safe, or were too far away. Since another seizure could strike at any moment, he had no time to waste. "I need your help. And I can make it worth your while."

Spreading his hands questioningly, "What do I need with money?"

"Everyone needs money." Lex narrowed his eyes knowingly, "The only question is—"

BOOM!

The explosion rattled the prison, followed quickly by the unmistakable sound of screaming and laserfire.

"Well now, that's unexpected," allowed Lex, squinting in thought. "I wonder who they're here for?"

"Indeed," acknowledged Ultra-Humanite, also frowning. While supervillains usually did escape before serving their sentence, the frequency of it was decreasing as the Justice League locked up more and more of them. Especially as security became increasingly advanced and restrictive, with time added to your sentences. At some point you had to wonder if it was worth breaking out. Moreover, it was usually one or two at a time who got away. Of course sometimes they figured letting other prisoners free would cover them in the ensuing chaos. A break-in was something rarer. Especially so brazenly. Few had the resources or allies to be rescued from the outside.

Unless of course these invaders were here to kill someone.

!JUSTICE!

Star Sapphire gasped as her cell door swung open.

The information she had provided Batman on the Straw Hats had lowered her sentence to 'only' life imprisonment, but she had no powers here. She was helpless before this man.

Quicker than she could react, he was leaning over her. Jolting back, the massive restraints around her hands and forearms fell away. Gaping in shock, she looked back up to see him handing her a set of keys—one of which he must have just used to release her.

Anything she may have said was brushed aside at the sheer rush caused by the energy of her gem re-connecting with her, coursing through her veins once more.

"Find and free Tsukuri," he ordered her. "I've got a job I rather think you gals will like."

!JUSTICE!

Deadshot lazily looked up from his newspaper, quirking an eyebrow in interest. He had been in here since his failed assassination attempt of Aquaman.

"Got a job for me?" he asked. While he knew this man could likely pay his (exorbitant) fee, it was the principle of the matter. As arguably the world's greatest marksman, killing for free was beneath him.

"Of course."

!JUSTICE!

Copperhead barred his fangs with pleasure as he stepped outside of his cell, elongated tongue flickering out of his mouth.

Word had gotten out that he had tried to join the Straw Hat gang, so Batman had hunted him down for questioning. It had been galling to be forced to talk, even if he really had nothing concrete for the hero. Only that Cheetah had been involved in contacting him.

"Well now," he grinned. "This is nice. 'Suppose you want me for something?"

"How astute."

!JUSTICE!

The eyes of Killer Frost –having only recently been thawed out after being dropped off at a police station—glittered with death as she stomped forward.

With but a gesture and without a word she killed several of the incapacitated guards. Only then did she turn to her rescuer. "I'm in. Don't care what it is, I'm in."

"Don't worry, I'm certain you'll enjoy it."

!JUSTICE!

Lex slipped the shiv up his sleeve, and placed a make-shift hand-taser made from TV parts into a rear pocket.

The sound of resistance from the guards had slackened off—

—While their screams grew ever louder and prolonged.

They move quickly, whoever they are. I still hope they had the sense to jam any calls of distress to the League. Unless they're trying to draw them here of course.

*Knock. Knock.*

An eyebrow quirked at the light rapping to his cell door, before it slowly swung open.

Seeing no one there, he accepted the invitation and stepped out, noting the obviously, generic, heavily armed goons standing to attention along the wall across from him.

Glancing to the right, he took in some familiar faces.

Copperhead, a metahuman very skilled at infiltration and murder.

Deadshot, the master marksman holding two handguns at ease.

The powerhouse Star Sapphire, hovering above the ground.

The swordswoman Tsukuri, with no signs of the scars from being cut down by the Straw Hat, Brook.

Killer Frost, always ready to kill with her ice.

Opening the cell door for Ultra-Humanite was Shade, his Nightstick in hand.

Parasite, a dangerous enemy of Superman's, who Lex had pointedly never tried to recruit.

Scarecrow, the fear master of Gotham.

An impressive assemblage of some of the most dangerous supervillains in the world. Such a team could theoretically defeat even the Justice League if they took them all on at once—and the Justice League rarely had all its own members assembled together.

They were also all looking to Luthor's left.

Turning himself and his full attention that way, he took in the mastermind of all this:

Joker.

Or rather, the man who had once been the Joker.

His face was wrapped in bandages, proving the rumours that Sanji Kuroashi of the Straw Hats had reshaped it.

It's impressive that he can even stand, given the beating he was supposed to have endured only a few days ago. Heh, I'll bet he was forced to use to use those very medicines made by Cherry Blossom Medical.

Mentally reevaluating the other criminals, he started to understand how the dynamics were working here. Normally it'd be difficult to keep someone like Parasite in line, given how in his last team-up, he betrayed Livewire to steal her powers as well. Together they had overwhelmed Superman, except once the power-leech had thought the hero was on the ropes, he had turned on Livewire, planning to keep her captive so he could take her lightning abilities again and again at his leisure. Unfortunately for him, Superman had been too familiar with Livewire's weaknesses, which Parasite had also acquired, leading to his defeat. Afterwards, both the alien and Livewire had spread the word of what Parasite had done, ensuring no one would ever willingly work with him again. Except Fear Toxin is a handy stick to make even someone like that compliant, while Scarecrow is probably ironically afraid of his fellow Gothamite criminal. Or at least Joker would know what to offer him.

As an ex-psychologist, he probably even made up profiles on everyone here to suggest how to keep them in line as well. Know their weaknesses. Not that any of what the crackpot came up with would help against me.

"Well, Joker, it's been a while," Lex courteously said, standing straight and proud.

"Indeed it has," agreed the Clown Prince, hands in his trench-coat pockets. "I'm here to make another deal with you."

Now Lex raised an incredulous eyebrow at that. The last time they had met, Joker had offered to kill Superman for a billion dollar bounty, leading to them working together against the despicable alien, and Batman as he tailed along.

When the damage to his personal property, and risk of a legal investigation into oh so minor details like armed Lexcorp robots trying to kill people, Lex had had enough. It became time to cut his losses before he became connected to it all. He had lured Joker in to get the rest of man's large block of Kryptonite, kill him, and claim that he had come to 'investigate' the factory to find out how his own equipment could be used so criminally. Mercy, his handpicked bodyguard, would kill the perpetrators 'in self-defense.' Not Lex himself of course, as he abhorred violence.

Unfortunately he had misjudged how resourceful the Joker was, as he had anticipated the betrayal, and casually disabled Mercy . . .

!JUSTICE!

[Flashback]

Duct-taped to a chair within his gigantic, and heavily armed Lexwing airship, Lex had to endure the Mad Clown's hysterical laughter over Harley Quinn's paint job to the craft. Now the crescent shape was sporting crude, smiling teeth.

"Very amusing," Lex flatly said, before snapping, "So how much is it going to cost me to get out of this!?"

"I'm not a material guy, Lexy," Joker cheerfully said, somehow frowning while grinning. He got up closer, now showing all his teeth in his smile. A hungry shark would have been more pleasant. "No, what I want now is for you to know what it feels like to lose everything you have. Everything you ever built! Like I lost everything to old Bat-boy!"

Lex could only stare in horror as he realized the enormity of how much he miscalculated. Even the knowledge that the instruments then warned Superman and Batman were approaching the factory did nothing to reassure him.

It only got worse as he realized that 'everything you ever built,' extended to half of Metropolis!

[…]

Joker cackled endlessly as the Lexwing rained down missile after missile on every building with "Lexcorp" labeled on it, while he could only futilely glare in hate at his captor.

There was no sense to it! What had he done to justify such retaliation! Nothing! The man was just insane!

"How's it feel, Lexy-boy!? Everything with your name on it is going to be rubble!"

Even random building were targeted, killing those inside, even as debris fell down on the screaming people below. Even if he survived this, the lawsuits would be a nightmare!

!JUSTICE!

Present

Frankly, that little business transaction had been a bad idea from the start. Never mind all the destruction Joker had caused, he had very nearly incriminated Lex as an accomplice beyond what even his lawyers could have saved him from.

As it was, the fallout of all that had been incredibly costly. Foremost among those expenses were his best robots, a laboratory, hundreds of millions of dollars in repairs, more hundreds of millions in lost income while doing said reconstruction, more money in various bribes to keep the District Attorney off his back, and what should have been a profitable business relationship with Bruce Wayne went down the drain as well!

And to cap it all off, despite the Joker being stuck in his personal Lexwing that had been wracked with internal explosions before even crashing into the ocean below from a high altitude, and then exploding into a massive fireball, the clown still had not had the simple decency to just die!

The final straw was how it was Superman of all people to save Lex from that.

Oh, and Mercy had suffered serious injuries, inconveniencing him for weeks.

Ever since later hearing that Joker was alive and back in Gotham, Lex had kept a loose yet distant eye on the madman, learning what he could about him. The more he found out, the more he was convinced the only reason he had agreed to that deal, was because he had been suffering from some sort of subtle, mind altering substance at the time.

(Early symptom of Kryptonite poisoning perhaps?)

One of the most dramatic examples he had learnt on how insanely dangerous this man could be, was over a bid for a bomb that could have wiped out the entire city of Gotham—Lex had very carefully checked there were no more of those lying around, and ensured those who had misplaced it were charged with gross negligence. Joker had won the bid by walking into a room full of armed, millionaire crime bosses, and left with the super-bomb by threatening them all with a regular bomb.

None of those crime bosses doubted he would cheerfully blow up not just him and everyone else in the room, but risk killing ten million more people, just to get his way. Then after getting the bomb, he had plotted to blow up Gotham City regardless.

Honestly, as much as he despised Batman, Lex was grateful he kept the Gotham criminals both in check, and obsessing over him, so they did not sweep over the nation. Otherwise he would probably be forced to put those mad dogs down to keep them out of his business.

Of course, he had also covertly greased a few legal wheels to help ensure Joker continued to escape the death penalty due to his insanity, because frankly Batman remained the greater threat. Even if the lunatic continued to fail to kill the mental-case in a black facemask, he at least kept him too occupied to get into Lex's business again.

"I do hope you have some guarantees it will not end like last time," he smoothly said.

"I'm sure I can accommodate you," was all Joker said.

It was only at that moment Lex recognized that something was very, very wrong.

The Joker he remembered would have been giving a large shrug of his shoulders at that, getting into his personal space with some over-the-top reassurances, or whatever. The body language of the man in front of him –who was unmistakably the Crown Prince of Crime— was too restrained. Tight. No childish dramatics.

Lex felt a drop of sweat run down his forehead as he realized just what sort of situation he was in now. He knew that if he glanced back at the other supervillains he would see them all openly nervous. Even the just-released Ultra-Humanite would be picking up the signs by now. While the ones who had come with him, or had been broken out to help subdue the guards, would have also been made to understand why they should obey the Joker. Or else.

For this was not the Joker the international underworld knew and feared.

This one . . . was not laughing.

He's lost his identity, Lex noted as a chill ran up his spine, as for the first time he fully contemplated what kind of monster Kuroashi had created by making the man unable to smile.

The Joker had long been a textbook example of why vast majority of the human race were sheep. Here he was, clearly a psychotic clown who made it very clear that he killed for the fun of it, and everyone let him live because it was the law.

Hilarious.

Oh sure, there had been a few attempts by those so rabid with grief at the loss of their loved ones, that they had tried to strike out at a bloodthirsty wolf, but those failures had been as sad as they were inevitable. Like the time an orderly at Arkham Asylum was bribed to poison the 'special' inmate, only to inadvertently provide the Joker with a weapon to ease his next escape.

This inherent meekness and stupidity was not isolated to the 'proper' civilized people either however. Oh no, criminals of all shapes and sizes were willing to work with, or under the man, in hope of petty profit. Dressing themselves up like clowns, while willfully blinding themselves to the fact they were associating with someone who would kill them if it struck him that it would be funny.

Particularly if their deaths were original.

Yet still his raw charisma, sheer presence, and flair had drawn in moths to the flame. A seemingly endless army of gullible henchmen.

But right now I'm dealing with a Joker who's lost his ability to amuse himself with murder. Whatever grounding he once had, whatever restraints, how can I be sure they're still there!?

No. They aren't there.

Rapidly Lex calculated every possible outcome of this meeting, and concluded that trying to kill the Joker right here and now was a death sentence. The only guarantee was that it would not involve destroying everything he had ever built again, and only because that would be 're-using a joke.' Besides, he was dying already anyways, along with his 'extra-curricular' activities exposed, so why go to all this trouble only to hasten it? No, the clown needed him alive for something, so he would play along. For now.

"I presume you're offering me a way to cure myself," Lex said as calmly as possible. "My freedom does indeed go a long way to ensuring that. What do you want in return? Money?"

"No. I need your help with a few things." Now the Joker started stalking forward. "Plastic surgery for one, to help me with my . . . condition."

"Not my specialty, but I can get you in touch with people who are," acknowledged Lex, fighting the urge to back up.

"I also need your expertise to double-check someone else's work." Now Joker was dangerously close.

"Alright."

Now Lex was forced to tip his head back as the Joker pressed his face almost into his own, eyes burning with hatred and madness. "But most of all, to help me kill those bloody Straw Hats!"

!JUSTICE!

A few hours later on a (stolen) military jet, Lex found himself walking into Joker's secret underground base.

It was a large space within a hollowed-out mountain. Given the condition it was in, location (i.e. across the country from Gotham City), and how little time had passed since Joker's sudden Snap, Lex assumed it belonged to some other supervillain. Possibly a dead one.

Right now, various regular goons were setting up additional temporary buildings throughout the place. Living spaces, workshops, and labs at a glance. What caught his eye the most was the large, metallic complex at the center. Waiting for him by the entrance to it was the Joker, who he had not spoken with since that little reveal back in prison. Right afterwards the man had turned around, and silently led them to the waiting jet. Now though it seemed it was time to talk.

So this is all about revenge is it? Not surprising given how the Straw Hats ruined his life. Even if a little sad to be obsessed with matters. Although it's entirely possible they'll never even see it coming.

The Joker's very madness had always been his strongest asset, and not only because it allowed him to escape the death penalty an equally insane number of times. He was far too unpredictable in far too many ways too count, constantly surprising whomever he dealt with. Sometimes he did stupid things like fixate on harmless gags, and other times he demonstrated a genius for chemistry, computer hacking, manipulation, underhanded fighting tactics, you name it. And of course his sheer force of personality that kept drawing in small, disposable armies.

In a way, it made him similar to the Straw Hats. Or rather, had made him like that. Past tense.

From what Lex had uncovered, this Monkey Luffy was also charismatic, with such an open 'zest' for living his life as he chose, that it was compelling for the disenfranchised, ostracized, rebellious, feeble-minded criminals and lunatics he had recruited. Leaving them dazzled and submissive by his flamboyance, power, disregard for any authority but his own, and of course his own genius intellect.

(For how else could he have assembled his own formidable team of supervillains?)

It would almost be a waste really, for the 'pirates' to die. They were too entertaining for one thing.

After all, it was thanks to them and Cherry Blossom Medical, which had set in motion what would in the long-run be the watershed moment inevitably leading to Superman and the Justice League's downfall. One simple mistake by Superman and Batman, leading them to misread the situation and cause the collapse of the world's most popular medical company. A situation that Lex had exploited of course, yet the 'heroes' seemed to fail to recognize the greater truth of the incident.

The people will laud a hero, but a hero who makes mistakes –and thus proving they are Human. Mortal. Fallible— will be cursed and painted in the vilest colours imaginable. That's Human nature. The fear of beings more powerful than them, of the vigilantes who refuse to comply with the laws and accepted customs of the tyranny that is society. For after all, if they make a mistake now, their next ones will obviously be worse, with lives and property lost!

Ah yes, so predictable.

Granted, he was already planning to kill Superman and the rest of the Justice League anyways. It was just the principle of the matter.

That was not to say he was not wary of the Straw Hats and their potential. After all, the group had several powerhouses and bright people that he could definitely find some use for as profitable employees. He would even be willing to let their leader work for him, so long as he dropped that mask of being a childish idiot.

Honestly, he's overplaying it really, especially given all of his more impressive attributes. Only a moron would ever believe that such a fool, no matter how strong he might be, could command the loyalty of such a team without being rather clever himself. Indeed, the charade only damages his reputation. That, or he is a patsy for others, like Miss All-Sunday, or Nico Robin as she also calls herself. Or was there some other purpose to the charade, that he was missing, he pondered.

Although he also had to consider certain reports Batman had given to certain officials regarding his suspicions that they were aliens similar to Superman. Which would explain their bizarre and inhuman powers and actions.

Honestly, was Earth not polluted enough!?

That is not to say I am worried about them—especially not with a team of supervillains like this available. As powerful as they are, they also show signs of being soft and sentimental. Indeed, their main accomplishments are creating a medical company, a hidden financial empire, and escaping from the Justice League. As impressive as it may be to avoid those 'heroes,' the only one they've actually beaten is Flash. I, however, have taken out several of them at once!

No, they would only be an issue if given time to continue growing, so I'd have had to annihilate these aliens as well anyways.

So while there were many points Lex found actually admirable about them, he was quite willing and able to help Joker dispose of them if necessary.

Truthfully, the elusive 'Dr. Chopper' had originally been one of the people Lex had considered approaching for a potential cure. After all, he was a proven medical genius of a caliber that even Lex had to respect. Granted, his attempts at bribing the pirates had failed in the past, yet greed was a fundamental way of life, and it was only a question of how much money it would take. Now of course, plans had changed.

Still, even if the little furball could not be kept alive and coerced into manufacturing a cure, Ultra-Humanite should prove satisfactory.

With a gesture, Joker led him into the building, with the rest of the supervillains hurrying to join them.

The first room was filled with corpses strapped to chairs, faces contorted into smiles like the Joker had once sported, obvious victims of Joker Venom. As well as jagged lacerations all over their bodies.

"They failed to make me laugh," Joker said by way of explanation.

Knowing he had to show he was unintimidated, Lex said, "There's something else I want if I'm going to help you take down the largest crime syndicate, now that mine has been dismantled."

"Well, I've got some ideas in mind." With a brutal tug, he wrenched off the bandages around his face, displaying his perpetual frown. Despite this, he was starting to become increasingly animated once more. "So many, many, many ideas! Of course, I'm still trying to think up something personal for that minx Harley, given how she ran off to join them like that. And especially because she's the one who made that," he broke off into inarticulate gibberish as his rage denied him words to describe Kuroashi, before abruptly calming down.

"Anyway, it's her fault that I'm like this now, so I'd like to kill her hyenas in front of her, but I also want them to eat her limbs a bit." He threw Lex a sadistic look. "Do you think you could make them into zombie cyborg hyenas?"

Lex continued to walk beside him, refusing to dignify that with a response. He was reassured though as they re-entered familiar territory. So long as it is directly about killing the Straw Hats, eh?

"Ah, you're no fun. So I assume you and Ultra-Humanite had plenty of time on the plane ride over to discuss your plans to cure you?"

"Yes we did," he allowed. "He has come up with plans for a containment unit that should stabilize my condition. He just needs to run some tests and build the necessary equipment." The idea he could then use the Kryptonite radiation poisoning to actually power a battle-suit was highly intriguing. "However, I also have something in mind I'm sure we both desire."

"What I desire," the Joker said, "is the heads of all the Straw Hats. Smiling of course. And mutilated pre-mortem." He drew Scarecrow aside, and sotto whispered in his ear while the man shivered. "That's fancy talking implying I tortured them before killing them you see. Preferably after they're begging for me to kill them. And I say no. Just for laughs."

"I see," was Luthor's flat response, stopping in place, arms crossed over his chest. "That's what you want, and you know what I want."

"Blah blah blah," Joker shook his head. "You want Superman dead. Probably the rest of the Justice League too." He tapped his chin. "I really should add Batsy's head to the wall, just to get that out of the way so I can worry about the bigger issue."

Interesting, so he's still obsessed about Batman to a degree. Just as a secondary priority, Luthor assessed, well aware he remained on shaky ground. The Joker's insanity had clearly developed more psychosis than he initially thought—with different degrees of variation between each one. Moreover, he suspected the man was switching back and forth between them from one moment to the next. Alternatively, it was equally possible that he was acting as he remembered how he used to behave; playing a role of insanity he could no longer genuinely do after his mutilation. Suffice to say, it was going to be difficult to find some sort of pattern, or 'rules' to it all, to get by without getting killed.

"So I help you kill the Straw Hats, and then you help me kill the Justice League?" offered the former businessman.

"Lex~, Lex~, Lex~," sang Joker. "You think too small! Straw Hats, Justice League, it doesn't matter." Eyes blazing, "We're killing 'em all!"

Raising an intrigued eyebrow, Lex prompted, "You have a way to do them both at once?"

!JUSTICE!

Harley Quinn giggled as she brushed Lou. Off to the side, Luffy was giving Bud a belly-rub as the hyena cackled with joy.

It was a rare, peaceful moment at home. She could hear Poison Ivy and Usopp discussing plants, while Robin was drawing something, Zoro was napping, and Nami and Volcana were going over clothing fashion. Although Nami was also making a few pointed comments about how Volcana still needed to lose a few pounds, making Harley try and hide her snickers.

"He really likes that," noted a bright-eyed Chopper to her, jerking a hoof at Lou.

"Yeah, I've always made sure to treat my babies right," she grinned. "I gotta say though, I'm positively jealous you can understand them."

The little guy immediately looked away in embarrassment. "Ah! Don't go trying to flatter me you idiot!"

"Oh, don't say that!" She nabbed him in a one-armed hug, nuzzling her cheek against his. "You're not just the cutest guy here, you're also probably the coolest!"

"I mean it! I'm not going be fooled!" he cried out in the most adorable manner possible!

A flash of light, and they both turned to see Cheetah smirking and holding a camera. "Definitely for the album."

"Oooh, I wanna see!" cried Harley.

!JUSTICE!

Smiling, Superman silently floated through the hospital room window.

Seeing the sleeping child in his arms, the doctor put a finger to his lips to confirm they should be silent. With infinite care, they laid him down into bed, and reattached the IV tubes, and made sure he was comfortable.

Outside in the hallway, the doctor let out a long breath. "Thank you Superman. That must've meant the world to him."

His smile a little sadder now, Superman nodded. "He fell asleep as I was coming back across the Atlantic Ocean."

"Still, to fly him around the world like that, as a last wish, it's, well, thank you. Again."

"No problem," the hero softly said, looking back towards the room. "I only wish I could do more."

!JUSTICE!

"So, when I first started thinking of how I'd go about killing the Straw Hats, I knew I'd need some more muscle. Just in case," Joker said, signaling the beginning of a long-winded speech. Although Lex was admittedly curious as to what else the madman had accomplished in such a short period of time. "So first I decided to assemble a team of fellow free-thinkers with a perchance for destruction."

My, my, I'm feeling rather predictable, Lex thought with a dash of self-recrimination. After all, even before he had contacted Ultra-Humanite, he had already been planning to assemble various super-powered mercenaries. Indeed, some of his potential recruits were trailing behind him and Joker right now.

However, bringing together a supervillain team was not as straightforward as most would assume.

At first glance, working together to counter the might of the Justice League with their own team was a logical decision. In practice, it was terribly dangerous. Their line of work encouraged independence, and discouraged trust. Not to mention rampant egos. Altogether, especially given the abilities they all possessed, any examples of alpha posturing would quickly escalate into full-blown violence.

The Rogues in Central City had their own group, yet Luthor considered them a rather sad example of criminals. Even then, it seemed to work via a code of conduct they all swore to.

That witch Aresia had managed it. Although that was due to her Amazonian powers, charisma, and most of all the inability of her male minions to think rationally when a pretty woman talked sweetly to them. In the end, she had betrayed the men all to release an airborne allergen that had come within a hair's breadth of causing global extinction. It's a pity I failed to convince the State Department, or the International Criminal Court, to have her executed. He was not the sort of man to let himself be driven by anything as petty as revenge, but he did take exception to someone nearly wiping out both Humanity and himself. If only she had first managed to successfully kill off five-sevenths of the Justice League . . . Anyways, her treachery served as a warning to anyone else wanting to join a supervillain team; it makes you vulnerable.

Regardless, the only other gang of supervillains that seemed to work was the Straw Hats, and aside from the leadership skills of their boss, the dynamics of that group were still a mystery to Lex. Even then, it seemed a single powerful, charismatic genius was the one holding it all together.

Personally, Lex preferred the intimidation of his mind, along with the promise of cold, hard cash. Greed was so much more predictable.

Now I just have to use that carefully with this lot, without alerting Joker. Because there's no way I'm going to work with him without a way to double-cross him first.

And this time I'll do it right.

Throughout this introspection, Joker had continued blabbing on, showing more and more of his old self.

"Mind you, I didn't think of you Lexy, until I remembered that whole kafuffle where the Justice League fought that giant robot."

The mastermind remained impassive at that little tidbit. He had deliberately taken extensive steps to keep his involvement there secret. Another demonstration of just how unnervingly competent the clown could be when he put his mind to something.

Regardless, he had pitted a massive robot against the entirety of the Justice League at once, and decisively defeated Hawkgirl, Martian Manhunter, and Green Lantern before it was overwhelmed. While regrettable, he had accumulated invaluable data that would make his next attempt be successful.

(Including the importance of ensuring that in future, if whatever he is remotely controlling is destroyed, said destruction would not cause a feedback loop that would literally blow up in his face.)

"With that in mind, I remembered how resourceful you can be, and just knew you would have a thing or two to contribute to the little party I'm planning! Or maybe even properly appreciate what I've got in mind!"

Almost dancing on his tippy-toes now, Joker led them through a door into an observation room, with the window in front of them blackened out. With a press of a button though, they could now all see what was in the neighbouring room.

"First of all, here are the Parasite's batteries," preened Joker.

"Impressive," Lex sincerely praised with an uplifted eyebrow. Indeed, this explains more how he's keeping Parasite in line. A little carrot for him. As well as how he was able to contribute to the prison break-in.

Gazing at the six unresponsive captives with their valuable powers, the 'batteries,' many things were becoming clearer. Parasite can spread out his powers, keeping up the rush by draining a few at a time while the others 'recharge,' or all of them at once for as big a boost as he can manage. For this kind of offer, he'll play along for now, and doubtless Joker can terminate them all if necessary. That'll be difficult to outbid.

More importantly, the identities of most of the captives, made it child's play to deduce the broad strokes of what Joker was planning. Although one he did not recognize.

The next room was full of screens for security cameras, showing the massive weapons stockpile Joker had going, labs that were being furnished, and crates of industrial machinery being unpacked. One place seemed to be manufacturing replacement armaments for Deadshot.

"Parasite's 'battery room' is not covered here," he noted. "Separate security?"

"Ah, Lexy-boy, so sharp! Yes indeed, a few rooms have their own . . . private arrangements, shall we say?"

With a few more twists and turns through the building, they walked through a few other rooms that did not impress Lex, although he was taken aback a little as recognized one particular trophy.

"Is that—?"

"Hmm, oh yes, Gorilla Grodd in the flesh. Although he's a little stuffed these days!" Joker tried to force himself to laugh, except it only came out as a guttural cough. Murder flashing through his eyes, he cleared his throat. "Ahhhh, yeah, when I approached him, he tried messing with my mind. Can't have that now. Pity, because he did know his stuff."

In a blink, Joker was practically wrapped around Lex, as if he had something private to say. "That redheaded battery babe with the pink dress? Used to be an ape he turned into a metahuman woman!" At Lex's incredulous eyebrow, he raised a hand as if swearing an oath. "No joke!"

While Lex would hardly mourn the demise of Gorilla Grodd, it was still disconcerting to witness proof of the first incident of a top-tier supervillain killing another high-classed one.

!JUSTICE!

In the next room was another surprise.

"Dr. Victor Fries," stated Lex with a touch of surprise and regret. He acknowledged fellow –if more limited— genius after all. It was regrettable that—

"Lex Luthor," was the reply, and despite himself, Lex's eyebrows raised in surprise. After all, the man more commonly known as Mister Freeze, was now literally a head in a jar.

"I'm impressed that you're still alive," he admitted.

"Don't be, it's a bitter existence," was the flat, icy response. Somehow the head was still speaking despite being bereft of a respiratory system, encased under a glass dome. Now he could see mechanical, spider legs moving him about. "I will still do my part though," he continued. "I will show the world the cold reality of life as I help strip away their dreams. To make everyone feel my loss."

Clearly the stories about his descent into nihilism after his failure to be reunited with his wife were true.

Ominously behind the Gotham super-criminal was a large exo-suit, coloured black and blue. Even at a glance, the craftsmanship was impeccable. Definitely as resourceful as ever.

Impressive, Lex repeated to himself. While he had his own plans for survival, and had a rather 'intimate' attraction to actual breathing, the fact of the matter was that without a body that would fail on him, and his signature technology to 'freeze' age, the other man was now functionally immortal. Something to be explored later in depth. Even if only as a final contingency for if other, more palatable means of eternal life failed.

After all, as much as it pains me, the truth is that for all my struggles to make my mark in life, for all I've accomplished, in just a few short generations my name will be forgotten. Even the greatest of us can't compete with time . . . and death.

But as these last forty-eight hours have proven once more, as I learn I am dying, but then I'm rescued by Joker of all people, there's no way to really tell how it will end. That's why I stay in the game. To see where it's all going.

And why I will win it all!

!JUSTICE!

They continued down the main hallway towards what he figured to be the center of the building, and indeed the entire base.

"Now this up ahead is my pièce de résistance," Joker exclaimed in a horrific French accent that made Lex internally wince. "Truthfully, not sure if I mentioned this, having you here to . . . fact check, shall we say, is a big reason why I need your help. She knows what happens to the 'batteries' if she tries anything funny that doesn't make me go 'Ha, ha,' but I need you actually tell me if she is doing that."

"Ah yes," Lex mused as he put all the final pieces together. "I see what you mean. Ambitious, except you don't want it exploding in your face." Behind his intrigued facade however, Luthor was deeply concerned. I've got to keep a handle on this, or he'll try and infect everyone with Joker Venom to see if it can make him laugh again, making it all pointless.

Fortunately for the Joker, and no doubt intentionally, the potential of what he was offering remained too great to dismiss. Certainly more than the relief of pre-emptively disposing of the Joker. So far.

Of course, the fact that Lex was surrounded by other supervillains who were currently doing whatever they were told was another reason to restrain himself.

Giving a conspiring wink, Joker followed up by rubbing his hands in anticipation as they reached the last, and heavily fortified, room. Locked from the outside if course. To the side was an open doorway showing what looked like another observation room. Probably the other place for independent security.

Joker squinted as if in concentration while entering the access code, warbled like a demented duck for an audio check, scanned his retina, spat out a saliva sample, and then turned around to moon a final scanner as it read the impression of his buttocks and . . . well, how the skin on it looked.

Ugh.

Grimacing, Luthor bit back a flat denial he would ever do that himself. He was still unsure how Joker would react to being told something was 'not funny.'

Then his face lightened into a self-satisfactory grin as the door opened. "Beautiful," he drawled, knowing how it would rankle the room's sole occupant.

Shackles around her wrists and ankles, giving her only enough slack to reach the chemicals and papers laid out before her, was the woman who had poisoned half the world, and killed nearly the entire League by herself.

Lips pulled back in a snarl, Aresia the rogue Amazon, looked on at her captors with hate.

!JUSTICE!

Author Notes:

The handcuffs that were on Star Sapphire are the same ones we saw her being led away with in the original "Injustice for All" episode, as those were supposed to keep her locked up despite still wearing her signature gem.

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The events referred to with Deadshot, and Luthor's robot, happened in the episodes "The Enemy Below," and "Legends," respectively. The scenes referred to with the Joker are in Batman: The Animated Series, 'Harlequinade,' and Superman: The Animated Series, 'World's Finest.' Also, I imagine Scarecrow in his more classic appearance, and not his later corpse-like look, with a noose around his neck.

.

Yes, Luthor is being a bit oblivious as to how he himself is acting out on something as 'petty' as revenge :-P

Also, yeah the man tends to react to fear by lashing out at the cause –which may say a thing or two about his relationship with Superman— but he is keeping a lid on it here because he figures yelling at the Joker may be counterproductive to his health. Permanently.

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For those of you who caught the shift in Harley's speech, I was inspired by the fic "Pam, Pete, and Harley," by Wiggles-n-stuff. An awesome look at both Harley and Ivy. I am planning to go back and make the changes to earlier chapters as well.

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I confess that I came to regret killing off Grodd after it was suggested to have Sanji offering suggestions on how to cook him up with Luffy drooling. Grodd's reaction would have been priceless, especially given how in some versions of the comics he is a man-eater.

Or a scene like this, inspired by Blackwizard71, where we have parallels to Roger vs. Shiki:

Grodd: Your strength is obvious Straw Hats. Join my Legion of Doom, for we have over 100 at our command already! Together we shall prove to the world we are the superior ones, and rule this world! Become my right-hand man, Luffy!

Luffy: I have no interest in conquering anything, you dumb monkey!

Chopper (whisper): He's an ape.

Luffy: Besides, if we can't be free, your Legion is no better than a prison! If you can't do as you please, there's no point in being a pirate, is there?!

Grodd: I see. So your answer is that you would prefer death. Pity.

Luffy: No, my answer is I'm gonna crush every last one of you!

And thus he did.

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That bit from Luthor about death and his legacy is slightly paraphrased from a future episode, "The Return."

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Truthfully, when I first posted chapter 5, "Fury," I was intending for Aresia to be a one-shot villain as she was in the show. There and done. After all, she was a fairly flat villain, with a hypocritical edge in an episode that was too clumsy in presenting sexism, and then forgave men too easily without actually addressing the issue.

Yet afterwards it occurred to me that while yes her personality is rather underdeveloped overall as a villain, she has a valuable skillset. After all, unlike most other villains, she did nearly kill off the human race (her 'brilliant' plan also overlooked how the human race reproduced, but I get into that next chapter), as well as the male dominated Justice League. Basically I see her as an interesting challenge with overlooked potential.

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Next Chapter: "Injustice for All, Part 3"

(I recommend watching the 'Batman Beyond' episode 'Meltdown.')

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Please Review, and I will get back to you!