Inside Shido's palace…
As Keiko, Goro, Morgana, Ann, Ryuji, Yusuke, Aglaia, Makoto, Keith, Futaba, Haru, Jason and Akira stepped foot into Shido's palace, they look around and saw that the room that they just entered is a huge entrance hall room and had dozens of masked men and women wearing very fine business suits, tuxedoes and dresses standing and enjoying themselves in different spots in the room before their own normal clothes suddenly change into their Phantom Thief outfits.
"Huh. That's as fast as when we start infiltrating Okumura's space palace." said Templar as he stared down at his PT black cowboy outfit.
"I understand why he might see us as a threat… but why are even the passengers here wearing masks?" said Panther with a confused look on her face.
"That's a good question, Panther." said Silver as she look at the masked men and women again.
"You guys and girls think they're tryin' to be phantom thieves, like Noir and Blanc with that Beauty and Dashing thieves stuff?" said Skull jokingly to them.
"Th-that's quite enough!" said Noir as she shake her head while Blanc scowled at Skull.
"Whatever the reason, it reflects Shido's mentality. Surely he doesn't view others normally." said Fox.
"Given the insane nature of his distortion, I'm surprised they even look like normal people." said Queen.
"Could it be because of his allies?" said Spade with a grim look on his face.
"It's possible, Spade." said Crow solemnly to Spade.
"Whether it's Shido's view on people or his allies influence that make them look like normal people, it doesn't matter right now so let's do what we came to do and if any Shadows show up and gets in our way, we'll fight them!" said Mona determinedly to them.
"Right! And I'll stay back and provide my aid in your battles, everyone!" said Oracle.
"Well then, let's move out and be on your guards, everyone!" said Joker confidently to her boyfriend and teammates (who nodded back to her) before they make their way up the stairs in front of them and they stopped in their tracks when a single bodyguard shadow showed up in front of them.
"Joker, an enemy!" said Oracle concernly to Joker.
"Urgh, it's showing up and attackin' us with all these people 'round!?" said Skull.
"Seems so, Skull. Get ready!" said Templar as he and the other phantom thieves took out their weapons and got into their fighter positions as the bodyguard shadow standing in front of them start convulsing, burst apart and transform into a huge yellow-eyed white lion with a black scaly tail behind it's back.
"A Cerberus shadow, huh? I know just the right Persona to use on you. Persona change, Ananta, Bufudyne!" said Joker as she change her Arsene Persona (a huge and fearsome-looking black-faced man with glowing red-eyed and a red smirking mouth and wearing a dark grey button-up vest with a long sleeve open red jacket over it, red and black clawed gloves on his hands, thigh high red pants and bladed heels on his feet and a pair of black wings behind his back) into Ananta Persona (a huge seven headed, yellow-eyed, blue-skinned snake wearing a tight golden belt with a long white cloth on it around it's waist), had Ananta cast Bufudyne (fourth level ice magic skill) on the yellow-eyed white lion named Cerberus, which make it roar out in surprise and pain from the ice attack before Cerberus dropped to the floor.
"So it's weakness is ice, huh? Well done, Joker!" said Crow proudly to Joker.
"Thank you and now it's your turn, Crow." said Joker as she glance and smiled at Crow before she walked toward and do a Baton Pass (a skill that increases a person's and Persona's attack, magic and recovery skills) with him.
"Right. Loki, Megidola!" said Crow as his Persona Loki (a huge and fearsome-looking black and white stripe trickster god with glowing yellow-eyes and a smirking mouth full of sharp red teeth on it's face, two red and sharp horns on it's forehead with three dark red long braided hair behind it's head and down it's back and a huge and long glowing orange sword floating above it's head) appear behind Crow, gather and unleash a semi-large dark purple and white-coloured energy sphere at Cerberus, which make Cerberus roar out with more pain from it before Cerberus stood up and cast Maragidyne skill on the closest thieves, which are both Noir and Blanc.
"Ow, that really burns, you damn lion! Castor, Fatal Strikes!" said Blanc as his Persona Castor (a huge white-faced, black-eyed, long blonde-haired man wearing a full black knight-like bodysuit with a white vest over it and sitting/riding a one-legged black mechanical-like horse) appear behind Blanc before Castor began attacking Cerberus until Castor managed to defeat the Cerberus before it dissipated away into black mist and gained 390 yen and 520 EXT points from it.
"Alright, you did really good, Blanc." said Joker as she smiled at Blanc.
"Thanks, Joker…" said Blanc as he nodded at Joker before he and the others heard some of the passengers started talking among themselves.
"Ah, is this a show of sorts? Mr. Shido never fails to keep his guests entertained." said one of the masked men.
"Indeed! Those privileged enough to be on this ship are all on the winning team!" said one of the masked women with the masked man before she and the masked man began laughing.
"What is with these people…? Why do they not feel any danger after what they just witnessed?" said Fox with a concern look on his face.
"Yeah. How could they?" said Silver with a nod of her head.
"It seems they think that no harm will come to them because they're here on Shido's ship." said Queen.
"Humph. What a bunch of naïve fools they are." scoffed Templar.
"They're not even sensin' the danger… C'mon, let's make 'em see what this damn ship really is!" said Skull with an annoy look on his face.
"Yeah, we will, Skull." said Joker as she nodded at Skull before she, her boyfriend and teammates went up the staircases to look and walk around the second and third floors of the entrance hall room, found and took some Brass pocket watch, Tortoise hairpin and Thick parchment items from Daruma doll ornaments and a Black rock from a treasure chest while fighting and defeating some shadow dogs along the way before Joker, her boyfriend and teammates open and went through a red double doors into the next central passage room area before Mona suddenly stopped in his tracks after they entered the room.
"Hmmm… I can sense the Treasure's presence! It's that way. Follow me, guys!" said Mona before he run toward two pairs of gold double doors with the "Representatives Chamber" words hanging above the doors and 5 empty slot holes in between the doors and they stopped in front of the doors.
"Hm, Representatives Chamber…" thought Blanc as he glance up at the 2 words above the doors.
"These 2 huge doors are obviously suspicious. I wonder what's through here." said Skull.
"You think?" thought Crow sarcastically in his mind at Skull.
"There're slots to stick in something like a keycard… Whoa, there's five of them!" said Oracle with a surprise look on her face.
"… Four hundred and seventy-five people in total, zero against." said a familiar male Chairman-esque robotic voice suddenly from a flat-screen TV with a loud speaker above the TV hanging above Joker, her boyfriend and teammates.
"I hear something from it." said Mona.
"That voice…" thought Crow with a cold look on his face.
"Since there is no one against the plan, this bill will be unanimously passed as drafted." said the male Chairman-esque robotic voice again before the voice fell silent.
"Passed? What's goin' on? Was that Shido's voice?" said Skull.
"Is this truly is the Representatives Chamber as written above the doors, beyond those doors must be the main assembly hall." said Queen.
"… The what now?" said Skull as he turned to glance in confusion at Queen.
"It's that large conference room that's usually seen on the news." explained Queen.
"Ohhh, that thing. Gotcha… So, what're they doin' inside?" said Skull with more confusion at Queen.
"Work stuffs or something else?" said Joker.
"Most likely a meaningless vote… one in which whatever Shido proposes will always go unopposed." said Queen grimly to them.
"So he's doing whatever he wants by keeping only his supporters in there." said Noir with a cold look on her face.
"What a selfish asshole…" said Templar.
"What do we do to get in, though? Should we find these key cards?" said Fox.
"But where should we start looking?" said Silver.
"Maybe we need some kind of qualification, one that vows to be his follower or swear loyalty." said Mona.
"So basically, we need to prove that we're on his side." said Panther.
"In that case, let's act like one to prove it, everyone." said Joker.
"Yeah and as expected of my girlfriend, you move quick…" said Crow proudly to Joker.
"Thanks, Crow." said Joker as she glance and smiled at Crow.
"But what's this qualification thing about?" said Skull.
"Why don't we try asking the guests on this ship?" suggested Noir.
"Oh, great idea, Noir." said Joker as she nodded at Noir.
"Great idea indeed, Noir." said Blanc in agreement with Joker.
"That thought never crossed my mind." said Oracle.
"Asking around doesn't sound like a bad idea. The guests here are the cognitive versions of them in Shido's mind. They'll know any secrets he shared." said Mona.
"True. You have a point." said Queen with a nod of her head.
"That said, the ruler here is that evil Shido. It wouldn't surprise me if they did turn hostile." said Fox.
"Right… Yeah, wouldn't they attack us…?" said Panther with a worry look on her face.
"We should prepare for the worst, of course, but I think we'll at least be able to talk to them. This ship is most likely an ark loaded with those that Shido believes are worth keeping alive. It'd explain the luxury cruise ship. I doubt idiots who can't even hold a conversation would be here." said Mona as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"We can at least gather information. It helps that everyone wearing masks. We'll blend in even with our attire." said Queen.
"Yeah, how lucky for us." said Silver as she nodded at Queen.
"Shido must believe that no one shows their true faces to anyone else… just like himself." said Mona.
"Well then, let's split up and ask around." said Noir determinedly to them.
"Right and good luck, everyone." said Joker before she, her boyfriend and teammates split up to ask the masked men and women for information about the qualification thing.