Previously:

"Caught? You mean this?" Sinbad said with a sigh. The twins were surprised when a soft, warm glow spread through the captured king's hands. They weren't the only ones.

"… What's that light!?" Cassim asked. As the glow spread, the black fog broke down and disappeared. 'The black fog… dissolved!?' he thought, alarmed. "How can that… How can that be!?" Squinting, Hope thought she could see s few small, rukh-like shapes in the light.

"Cool..." Faith said appreciatively. She totally wanted to learn how to do that.

"I told you, didn't I?" Ja'far said with a smile. "Sinbad, 'the King of the Seven Seas'… is already used to seeing mysterious powers!" The thieves stared at the king of Sindria in shock and awe.

"A magical item of this level is useless against me." Sinbad declared with a confident smile. Cassim grit his teeth as his eyes widened in fear.

Chapter 44: Alibaba and Sinbad

"Damn!" Cassim cursed.

"What's wrong? No more trump cards?" Sinbad asked. "With this, I've fulfilled my promise to Ahbmad. How's that Ja'far? Didn't I say I'd do it somehow?" he asked his retainer with a smile.

"Yes, you're right." Ja'far conceded.

"Now," said Sinbad, turning his attention back to the thieves, "as long as I hand you over to the military… my job is done." Cassim and Alibaba gasped in alarm. "Isn't that right, 'Wonder Man Alibaba'?" Sinbad asked, looking straight at the blonde.

"!?" Alibaba's eyes widened in surprise. How did he know it was him? In the blink of an eye, Masrur had Cassim restrained using only one hand. Everyone tensed as the monstrously strong Fanalis held his sword out to Sinbad, and the king slowly drew it from its sheath.

"Now, Draw your sword!" Sinbad challenged Alibaba grandly, raising the blade as he faced the young prince. "Let's settle this between us, as leaders. I won't mind if you use it. After all, you're a dungeon capturer, aren't you?"

A cool wind swept over the rooftop as 'Wonder Man Alibaba' nervously stared down 'the King of the Seven Seas.'

'How did it turn out like this… 'Sinbad'!? Isn't he the legendary dungeon capturer!?' Alibaba thought anxiously, furrowing his brow and gritting his teeth. How was he supposed to compete with that?

"Please wait!" Morgiana said, stepping forward "Alibaba-san is…" She was surprised when Ja'far held out an arm to block her path. "Aladdin!" she whispered anxiously.

"…" Aladdin just stood there, watching Sinbad and the movement of his rukh.

"Hey, shouldn't we stop this? You know, for various reasons…" Faith whispered to Hope.

"…" Hope shook her head after a moment when she saw the glance that was exchanged between Aladdin and Sinbad. She could see from the look in his eyes that the king had no intention of actually harming Alibaba. "No, but be ready… just in case something goes wrong." She whispered back. After all, Alibaba had a metal vessel, while Sinbad had none. Who knew what sort of destructive power his Djinn might hold? Actually, judging by the expression on her sister's face, she was pretty sure Faith was looking forward to that. Hope sweat-dropped. Well, it was true that this would be their first time seeing a metal vessel user other than Aladdin in action… They had arrived too late to see how Hakuei used hers. They were both curious about how Alibaba's Djinn was going to manifest itself.

'Why aren't Aladdin and the twins stopping them!?' Morgiana wondered anxiously. 'Alibaba-san is in danger!'

"Alibaba, run! Run away!!" Cassim yelled, unable to escape Masrur's grasp. "Hey, you guys! Take our leader and escape from here!!" he shouted at the rest of the Troupe.

"Ah, prioritizing the leader's life? That's also another way of doing things." Said Sinbad. "What are you going to do, Alibaba? Are you going to fall back for the time being?" he asked. "Either way, the Fog Troupe is already done for. The one controlling the group is this guy, isn't it!?" he said, pointing his sword at Cassim.

"Urgh!" Cassim grunted angrily with a vein throbbing on his forehead.

"It's okay, Alibaba. You can run if you want." Sinbad told the prodigal prince. "Think about it carefully, you aren't like these people."

Alibaba stared at him in confusion, stunned. '… What's this guy trying to say…?' he wondered, dreading the answer.

"They are 'residents of the slums.'" Sinbad continued. "You may look like a comrade on the surface, but, in reality, isn't it the opposite? You're different from them."

'Stop it… Stop, don't say it!!' Alibaba yelled internally.

"That's because you are… a prince…"

"Shut up!!!" Alibaba snapped furiously. "That doesn't mean anything to me!! I'm no different from them!! We're all from the same place, and they are my brothers! I won't let you… I won't allow you… to insult the bonds between us!!" he yelled. Cassim and the other members of the Troupe stared at him in astonishment as he drew his knife. "Spirit of Politeness and Austerity, in the name of my Magoi, and my will to grant me a greater power, I order you and your members..." He raised the blade in front of him as it began to shine. "Come Forth, Amon!!" he commanded in a bellowing voice as he and the knife were enveloped in a swirling torrent of flames. Faith let out a whistle at the impressive display. "Come then, Sinbad… I won't let the Fog Troupe end like this." Alibaba said gravely. 'As long as I have this power!!' he thought.

'So this is Amon… a fire Djinn, huh.' Sinbad thought as he had to raise an arm to shield his face against a blast of flames, which Alibaba tried to use to throw him off-guard as he lunged forth to attack. Alibaba targeted a barrage of sharp thrusts at the king, but Sinbad countered every move. 'So this is Balbadd's royal fencing style… pretty good moves. In combination with the fire attacks…' he thought, calmly analyzing his opponent as they fought.

"Ohh!" Faith gasped excitedly when Alibaba closed in and kicked Sinbad's sword from his hand, sending the blade flying. Alibaba jumped up and swung his fiery blade down at the king, but Sinbad quickly countered by grabbing his wrist. "Ah…!"

'It's over...' Hope thought, as Sinbad's hand started to glow, remembering how he had used that method to dissolve the fog. Sure enough, the flames around Alibaba's blade flickered out in an instant.

"…!?" Alibaba gasped and his eyes widened. 'Why… did the fire disappear?' he wondered, alarmed. But there was no time to think. Before Alibaba could recover from his shock, Sinbad used his free hand to deliver a strong blow to the boy's stomach. The Fog Troupe cried out in dismay as his body hit the ground. Alibaba was still conscious, but he couldn't move. He lay on the ground, stunned. All of the wind had been knocked out of his body.

'Wow, he totally kicked his ass!' Faith thought wryly.

"But, as I expected…" Sinbad said, with an odd mix of disappointment and concern on his face. "Alibaba, you really don't know how to use your Djinn properly!"

'Eh? Then what was that just now…?' Hope wondered, titling her head slightly in confusion. She had thought the flames meant that it was working…

"And that decides it. I'll hand you over to the military." Sinbad said, concluding their duel. "I wonder how… will King Ahbmad destroy the rest of the Fog Troupe…?"

"…!!" Many of the thieves gasped in alarm upon realizing what that would mean for them.

"Of course, no one will be excluded from that fate. Only death awaits those who rebelled!" Sinbad said sternly.

"Whoa! Time out!" Faith said, making a 'T' with her hands. "Who said anything about death? Whatever happened to jail?" she asked dubiously.

"…" Hope's expression as she regarded them was solemn. She frowned. They hadn't realized the death penalty was on the table. She should have asked more about the punishment before agreeing to go along with it. Was Sinbad really serious about this?

"Well, the Fog Troupe aren't normal thieves, after all." Sinbad reminded them. "They've been going directly against the crown as rebels, so they'll be charged with treason. But, of course, all of you should have been prepared for this." He finished, leveling a cool glance at the Fog Troupe.

"…!" many of the thieves gasped, rearing back in fear and panic.

"This is ridiculous… we only joined for the benefits…" many of them began to mutter and try to sneak away. Sinbad made no attempt to stop them.

"Ah, wait for me!" more cried.

"I'm going too!"

"Me too!"

One by one, they started running away in a steady stream, until only a little over forty were left.

"… Only this many people remain?" Sinbad asked.

"… My… Fog Troupe…" Cassim said numbly, staring out at the skeletal remains of his army of thieves in disbelief.

"So, you really are the one who created the Fog Troupe." Said Sinbad. "Revolting with indignation… do you want to die? Without planning, all of this is foolishness."

Cassim grit his teeth in anger. "There was planning!" he snapped. "We've never lost to the military!"

"That was because you could rely on information leaked by that military." Sinbad said.

"!!" Cassim gasped, shocked that he could know that. But then he grit his teeth again and glared up at the king as he continued to speak.

"You don't even know how weak you actually are. You're too foolish!" Sinbad said sternly. He was angry, too. "The Fog Troupe is weak! It's so weak that I alone am enough to destroy it!"

"Ku…" Cassim ground his teeth together. This bastard…!

"You are only involving your friends in a battle you have no hope of winning, and that will only end in mutual destruction!!" Sinbad scolded him.

"!!" Cassim wanted to argue, but he knew Sinbad was right. He was so obviously right that going against him was useless. "Damn it!"

"…" The twins clenched their fists at their side as they watched. It was terrible, but they wouldn't look away. They kept watching. They could at least do that much. Faith frowned, regretting how much of a downer this was turning out to be. Hope furrowed her brow, praying this wasn't the end. They wondered if there wasn't something more that they could do.

"Please, watch carefully. I hate to say this, but… this is the future that awaits all 'virtuous thieves'…" Ja'far said solemnly, addressing all of the children. It was terrible but important lesson they were about to learn. "Their future… holds only death—"

"But!!" Sinbad said loudly, cutting of the end of his sentence.

"… What?" Ja'far said, taken aback, while the twins immediately perked up. There was something in the tone of the king's voice that sounded very promising.

"If you really are determined to rise up against the king… there still remains an option open to you." Sinbad told the remaining thieves.

"… What??" Ja'far said again, starting to get a bad feeling.

"Namely, to borrow the strength of others to make up for what you're lacking now… In short, let me become your comrade by joining your Fog Troupe!!" Sinbad finished boldly.

"Ehh!?" Ja'far exclaimed with wide eyes, paling with shock. What in the world was he thinking!?

"…?" Aladdin and the twins were astonished. Morgiana was confused.

"This will benefit you greatly." Sinbad continued. "As that means your Fog Troupe will be able to receive help from my country, Sindria."

"…!!?" the thieves gasped, shocked and taken aback.

"B… Buwahaha!! That's totally awesome!" Faith cheered, bursting out in laughter.

"I'm being serious, you know…" Sinbad said, a little chagrined.

"She knows. That's why she's praising you." Hope explained with a pleased expression. "She's laughing because she's happy."

"Oh…" he said, sweat-dropping. It was really hard to read these girls sometimes. He could have sworn Faith's laughter meant something else.

"Sin… are you going to fight?" Ja'far asked.

"Yep." Sinbad said candidly without hesitation.

"With Balbadd's military?"

"Yep." Said Sinbad with a nod.

"And are you really joining the Fog Troupe?"

"Yep." Another nod.

"… This is too problematic! We're supposed to capture the Fog Troupe. Didn't we come to an agreement with King Ahbmad that he'll reopen trade if we capture the Fog Troupe!?" Ja'far pointed out anxiously.

"But now I want to help them." Said Sinbad.

"You are contradicting yourself!" Ja'far snapped with a vein throbbing on his forehead. "Didn't you say, 'no matter the reason, thieving is wrong!!?'"

Sinbad lowered his head. He was silent for a moment before letting out a sigh. "Ja'far… How cold-blooded can you be!?!!" he shouted incredulously, striking a dramatic pose as he raised his head and pointed an accusing finger at his retainer and friend.

"W-What!?" Ja'far gasped, so startled he actually flinched.

"Thieving is always wrong!? I was naïve!" Sinbad yelled, angry with himself for the statement he had made in his callous ignorance of the situation. "You know what has happened, don't you? The miserable condition this country is in… starving mothers… young girls armed with weapons… a corrupt nobility… You've already seen it all! Don't you have an compassion!? Are you not human!?" he demanded sternly.

'Ehhhh!?' Ja'far thought, breaking out in a nervous sweat as he gaped at his king in shock. The thieves were all staring at him and Sinbad with equally stunned expressions on their faces. "Of course… Me too…! I feel the same!" he said, wondering how and why he had suddenly become the bad guy here.

"You see!?" Sinbad said hotly as he turned away. "After seeing the state of this country, and that stupid, selfish king I thought this: I would rather help these people who clearly know that they don't stand a chance, but still won't give up fighting for what little they have!" he declared strongly. "Do you want my help?" he asked the Troupe. The thieves gasped. He could see from the looks on most of their faces that they did. "Then let me join your Fog Troupe!!"

The thieves began to talk anxiously amongst themselves. To them his proposal was so incredible, so inconceivable, they had a hard time believing it. They started saying things like "What!? A king join a group of thieves!?", "What's that guy thinking?", and "Did he go crazy!?"

Cassim grit his teeth and furrowed his brow, wearing a bitter expression on his face. 'What kind of joke is this… I will not be fooled,' he thought.

"What is it Aladdin?" Morgiana asked when she heard him laugh softly.

"Mister Sinbad is so interesting," Aladdin said with a smile. The rukh around the unusual king were very bright and clear.

"Yes, that's one word for it," Hope agreed wryly with a smile. She wondered if this had been his intention all along, ever since they encountered that group of desperate civilians the other night.

"He really knows how to steal the show," Faith said with a grin. "I was worried how things were gonna turn out for bit, but that really surprised me! Like something out of a movie!"

"Yes," Aladdin agreed, even though he had never seen one, "although he is a weird person, I know he'll definitely become really famous in the future! I wonder, had he already planned all of this from the start?" He could tell by the look in her eyes that Hope was thinking the same. "Anyway, whenever Sinbad ojii-san speaks, the people around him are unable to ignore him."

While the four friends chatted over the marvelous turn of events, Masrur silently gave a few comforting pats on the back to poor, frazzled Ja'far.