Nagar's entire fleet of rukh birds soared over the Panipuri Kingdom to Shahar, carrying a brigade of Marines under the control of Captain Franco and Lieutenant Johnson. In the cabin on the back of the lead bird, Franco's transponder snail went off, and he was informed of the current goings-on in the city by the police.

"Roger, my troops will be there soon," said Franco.

"How soon is soon?!" cried the police chief.

"Uh…" Franco said, looking at Johnson, who was looking at the map.

"Give us about another hour," said Johnson.

"Hurry!" the police chief shouted as he hung up.

"I wonder what their crown prince is doing," said Johnson, putting the map away. "Under normal circumstances, he's the one we'd be talking to."

"He's got his coronation to worry about, I guess," Franco responded.

"But, surely an armed uprising is more important!" Johnson said.

"Maybe he's got something up his sleeve," said Franco.

He paused.

"And don't call me Shirley."

Johnson rolled his eyes, then asked "what do you know about Minus World? The police chief said those assassins were part of that group."

"You mean the revolutionaries?"

"Kinda? They're not part of the Revolutionary Army spearheaded by Dragon, though," said Johnson.

"I know of them. That Fernandez guy we caught a while back was part of that group, but he was really tightlipped about who the boss was," said Franco. "All he talked about was 'Heaven on Earth' and 'utopia'. Constant ranting about how he's one of 'God's chosen'."

"Well, we know these assassins are working for both Minus World and Balthasar von Esens… I guess we know who the boss of Minus World is then," said Johnson.

"Hah!" Franco laughed. "Serves them right for not using a secure transmission."

"We should report our findings to the commodore," said Johnson. "This is a very important discovery."

"After we catch Shaska," Franco responded.

—

Shaska stood in the wreckage of a building, bleeding, and puffing on her cigar. She dropped the support beam she was holding and sat down.

"Phew… only a matter of time before the brat shows up again, but it's good to get a brea-"

Her thought was interrupted by Zeiko Shaving next to her and kicking her through another building.

—

As Schwarz and Princip dueled in the palace foyer, Samudra bolted through the halls looking for his brother, who was due to be crowned as the king soon. He heard the shelling on the city walls, and began to panic.

"Dammit, Ta'Gup! Where are you?! Your citizens are about to be slaughtered! Where's the military?!"

After checking the throne room and Ta'Gup's bedchambers, he found the one room that still had guards in front of it, the royal panic room, designed to be secure from intruders.

The guards crossed their spears in front of him.

"We're sorry, former prince Samudra, but you are not welcome here," said the first guard.

"We have exact orders from the prince to not let you in," said the second. "You should be nowhere near the pal-"

"I don't care about that!" Samudra shouted. "Barabar's forces are attacking the city! And the military is nowhere to be found!"

"That's above our pay grade," said the first guard.

Samudra said nothing, and instead just turned into steam and drifted under the door. The guards tried stabbing the steam, but to no avail.

Samudra entered the room and found his brother… along with their respective wives, Padma and Lakshmi, as well as Ta'Gup's children.

"Uh oh…" he said.

"Samudra!" Padma shouted. She was a beautiful woman in her late 20's standing around nine feet tall, wearing a dark blue dress with a gold sash. She had a red jewel embedded in her forehead.

"How dare you show your face around here again?!"

"Padma, my love, I can-"

"No! I've had it with your constant philandering! I am not your love! My parents were right about you! One affair was one thing, but it's been nothing but affairs from you! And now you're involved with that Shaska the Greedy?! Who destroyed an entire city and murdered twenty thousand people?! Unbelievable! I should-"

"Padma, that is enough," said Lakshmi, calmly.

"Lakshmi! Do not tell me you-" Padma tried to say, but Lakshmi interrupted her again.

"You have every right to be enraged, Padma. And I do insist you seek out a new husband. But we should hear what he has to say."

"Thank… thank you, Lady Lakshmi," said Samudra.

"I am not a fan of yours, either, Samudra," Lakshmi responded coldly, making him wince.

"State your business, Samudra," said Ta'Gup, who heavily resembled his brother, except with a beard. "I'll give you five minutes."

"Brother! Where is the army?!" Samudra cried. "Shahar is about to be overrun by Uncle Barabar's forces! There are assassins in the city right now coming for your head!"

"I am not your brother," said Ta'Gup. "We've discussed this. Your constant-"

"Yes, yes. Fine, Ta'Gup, where is the army?!"

"Gone," Ta'Gup responded.

Samudra stood there in shock.

—

Ren dashed through the alleys of Shahar, trying to find cover from Kandar's fire, which kept piercing through buildings like the buildings weren't even there. Kandar, on the other hand, chased her by hopping from rooftop to rooftop with his grappling hook, evading the police.

"Hm, tricky little snot, ain't ya?" Kandar thought aloud as he loaded another round.

"Think, Ren! How can I beat guy who can see and shoot me from behind cover?!" she thought, stopping for a brief moment to catch her breath. "Think… What does sniper hate more than being seen…?"

She got it. She slung her rifle over her shoulder again and drew her pistols, then started running back the way she came.

"What the heck's she doing?" Kandar asked, lowering his gun.

It was then that she saw him poking his head out from on top of a temple.

"Gotcha! I just need to bring fight to him!"

"I dunno what she thinks she's doing…" said Kandar. "But man… I need a smoke. Wish she hadn't shot my pipe…"

He raised his rifle again, this time aiming at the palace.

"In the meantime… might as well do what I came for. Mr. Balthasar would be mighty cross if he found out I wasted all my ammo on a teenage girl, kanahahahaaaaa…"

He scanned the palace with his Observation Haki, trying to find exactly where the crown prince was. In the foyer were the auras of Schwarz and Princip fighting. There were various people scattered throughout the palace, servants, priests, but what looked like the bedchamber was empty.

Ren threw the doors of the temple open and ran inside, looking for roof access. The priest, understandably concerned about someone bursting in with guns drawn, ran away to call the police.

"Wait! Ah need-" Ren tried to say, but she quickly realized it was fruitless to try and explain when Kandar could zip off at a moment's notice.

"Hmmm…" Kandar thought aloud, scanning the palace. "Shame I can only sense auras and not see what they actually look like. Nobody particularly 'royal' looking…"

He then found the royal family hiding in the panic room.

"Kanahahahaaaa…"

He locked on the tallest figure there, which happened to be Ta'Gup.

Ren found the stairs and slowly crept up, trying not to make too much noise so Kandar wouldn't take off.

"Kanahahaaa… let's see. Stand still, prince… I got your crown right here." Even though Observation Haki allowed for essentially 360 degree vision, Kandar couldn't see Ren coming; the effects of the Happy Happy Grass made it hard for him to focus on more than one thing at a time.

Ren drew closer and closer to the door.

"Alright, princey… let's go… just gotta account for the wind this time…" Kandar thought aloud.

Ren threw the door open and found Kandar about to take the shot. Kandar was too shocked to maintain his Haki, and jumped off the roof in a panic.

"Oh no you don't!" she shouted as she gave chase and shot at him.

She shot six rounds at him… and four missed. But the two that hit were enough to make him miss his grappling hook and fall to the ground, landing with a loud thud.

Rather than run back down and risk him getting up and running away, Ren pulled out a grenade and tossed it down. Thankfully, the people that were nearby fled when they saw a guy with a gun get shot, so bystanders getting hit with shrapnel wasn't an issue. She then made her way back down as the grenade fell.

"Ow… ow…" said Kandar as he pulled himself up. It was then that grenade hit the ground right next to him.

"Kanahahahaaaa… oh dear…"

The grenade exploded right in his face, knocking him out, but not killing him.

A few minutes later, Ren emerged from the temple, and stood over Kandar's unconscious body.

"Alraht, buddy, yer gonna start talkin' and tell me who yer workin' for!" she said, crouching down.

Kandar said nothing.

"Siiiigh… c'mon, let's go," she said, holstering her guns and picking him up, something quite difficult due to their size difference. She was lucky the police were busy dealing with the invaders.

Worldwide Smoke vs. Minus World, battle on the rooftops

Winner: Ren

—

Lulupo and Gabo fought in the streets near the boutique, exchanging blows and numerous "oh come my way!"s. Lulupo tried to grab Gabo with his hair, but Gabo was too fast. However, he wasn't fast enough to avoid a monstrous kick to the gut, knocking him back into the boutique and making him cough up blood. He threw the clothes off and stood up to face Lulupo.

"Lulupo, dear, why don't you say we make things more interesting?" Gabo asked as he wiped the blood from his mouth.

Lulupo's eyes shot open. "Damn, you mean…?"

"I'm sure you remember my Play Play Fruit?" Gabo asked, snapping his fingers.

A wooden stage extended out from Gabo's feet in a fifty foot circle, large enough so that Lulupo was comfortably on it.

"They call me 'the Director' for a reason, hon."

"I'm not your 'hon', Gabo!" Lulupo shouted as he dashed toward Gabo.

Gabo snapped his fingers, and a show curtain appeared and slid out in front of him.

The curtain opened again, revealing Gabo in full Shakespearean garb (blue and red tunic with purple tights, along with a feathered cap), and carrying what looked like a pretend sword.

Lulupo stopped dead. He couldn't help but laugh.

"Luhohohoho! I forgot how ridiculous you looked when you used your power!" Lulupo chortled as he doubled over. "That outfit is simply dreadful, Gabo!"

"Gahaha! Once again, you're one to talk!" Gabo retorted, brandishing the fake sword. "En garde!"

Gabo lunged forward, swinging the pretend sword like a madman. Lulupo simply dodged each slash, then caught Gabo's arm with his hair.

"Gabo, you seem to forget I know how your powers work. Your pretend slashes can't hurt me."

Gabo seethed, until Lulupo called out "Oh come my way Chop!"

Lulupo delivered a karate chop to Gabo's eyes, blinding him for a brief moment. Lulupo then swung Gabo around with his hair and slammed him down into the stage, leaving a noticeable crack.

Gabo stood up and coughed up a little blood. Lulupo was unimpressed.

"Gabo, this cult you're in has made you weak," he said, looking at his nails.

"It's not a cult!" Gabo growled. "We're an organization dedicated to bringing about utopia and world peace!"

"That's exactly what a cultist would say," said Lulupo.

Gabo snapped his fingers. "Lights out!"

The area around the stage became pitch black. Gabo snapped his fingers again, and a spotlight shone down on Lulupo. Gabo lunged forward from the darkness. He swept Lulupo's feet, then performed a rising knee strike to Lulupo's chin, finishing the combo with an elbow strike downward to the back of his head.

"How's that for weak?!" Gabo shouted as he retreated back into the darkness.

Lulupo said nothing, and extended his hair along the stage to grab Gabo and bring him into the light. Gabo noticed this, and snapped his fingers again.

The spotlight came crashing down on Lulupo's head, setting his hair on fire. He howled in pain as his scalp burned, and he retracted his hair immediately to minimize the damage.

As the darkness dissipated, Lulupo attempted to run off the stage, but Gabo snapped his fingers again. A vaudeville hook materialized from the darkness and grabbed Lulupo, forcefully pulling him back to the stage.

"This is my theater, and you will stay for the full performance!" Gabo shouted.

The hook pulled Lulupo right in front of Gabo, who delivered an uppercut to Lulupo's chin, followed by a roundhouse kick, smacking him off the stage. Gabo snapped his fingers again, pulling Lulupo back to the stage with another hook. Gabo repeated this process several times, leaving Lulupo battered and bruised. For the last iteration, Gabo dropped another stage light on his opponent's head.

Lulupo struggled to get to his feet as blood dripped down his face. Gabo walked over and delivered a kick to his gut, sending Lulupo back down to his hands and knees.

"Tell me, hon, who's weak again?" Gabo asked coyly.

"I'm not your hon!" Lulupo shouted.

He shot to his feet, then delivered a massive upward kick to Gabo's jaw, sending him flying straight up. Lulupo jumped to chase him, following up with another kick to Gabo's jaw, and sending him through the roof of the boutique. Lulupo kept following though, jumping off the hole he made in the roof, then giving Gabo another kick upward.

Lulupo kept kicking Gabo upward, spinning as he did. Eventually, they were higher than the tallest building in Shahar. As they floated, Lulupo bounced off the air to get even more height, and delivered a spinning heel drop to Gabo's gut.

"OH COME MY WAY KENPO! MEMOIRS OF SPRING FIELDS!" Lulupo called as his foot made its impact.

Gabo shot straight down as if fired from a cannon, and crashed back down into his stage, shattering it.

Lulupo began to fall back down, but he extended his hair into the form of a parasol, and landed gingerly right next to Gabo as the broken stage vanished.

"Hi, my name's Gabo!" he said, holding out his hand.

"Charles Lulupo, darling. I'm sure this will be the start of something beautiful."

Lulupo stood over Gabo's broken, unconscious body for a few moments, internally debating on whether he should just be left for dead, or if he should be taken and given to the police. He eventually relented, and wrapped Gabo up in his hair.

As he left the boutique, Lulupo turned to the owner, who saw the whole thing.

"I'm sorry for the damages, darling. I'd say 'send the bill to Worldwide Smoke,' but I doubt my boss would actually pay for it."

Worldwide Smoke vs. Minus World, battle of Kapade Boutique

Winner: Charles Lulupo

—

Shaska picked herself up after being kicked through another building by her daughter. After a puff of her cigar, Zeiko Shaved in right next to her.

"What's your endgame, girl?" Shaska asked, blowing smoke. "It's not like you can bring me in with your wrists broken like that."

"My endgame is beating you senseless," Zeiko responded. "Besides, I can always get the police to call the Marines to drag you off. I'll still get the credit."

"Mommy! Zeimaru and I are hungry!" cried a seven-year-old Zeiko.

"Can't you see I'm busy, ya little twerps?" twenty-five-year-old Shaska responded, not looking up from her work.

"M-mommy…? Can we please have money to buy-" Zeimaru peeped.

"You're fishmen. You can swim in the ocean and catch your own dinner," Shaska responded. "Now leave me alone, I got executive shit to do."

"But mommy! There's sea mons-" Zeiko tried to say.

"What part of 'leave me alone' did you little brats not understand?"

Zeiko gritted her teeth, then jumped and tried to kick Shaska in the head. Shaska grabbed her daughter's leg, then slammed her down into the ground.

For a third time, Zeiko struggled to her feet through her broken wrists, only to be punched through a building by Shaska.

"Two Thousand Five Hundred Brick Fist!" Shaska shouted as the attack connected.

Zeiko once again struggled to her feet, then Shaved behind her mother for a Haki-infused kick. Shaska's eyes flashed red, and she expertly dodged as her daughter went for a barrage of kicks.

As Shaska tried to grab her daughter's leg though, she Shaved behind Shaska and slashed her back open with a Tempest Kick. Shaska spat out her cigar from the pain.

"DAMMIT! Why do they always go for my back?!" she cried as she had her back sliced open again.

Zeiko tried to follow up with another kick, but Shaska swiveled around and grabbed her leg. She threw Zeiko over her shoulder and slammed her into the ground yet again, this time leaving a visible crater.

Zeiko once again tried to stand up, but Shaska sat down on top of her and cracked her knuckles. As she looked down at her daughter's bleeding face, she raised her fist for the final blow.

Zeiko looked up at her mother and gritted her teeth, then closed her eyes in acceptance of her fate. Shaska stared down at her daughter with her fist raised, then a memory flashed before her eyes.

The mermaid nurse swam up to eighteen-year-old Shaska as she lay in bed, carrying two bundles.

"Here they are, mommy," the nurse said with a smile.

Young Shaska took the bundles, one in each arm, and cradled them gently. In each one was a baby shark fishman, with light purple skin and tufts of dark purple hair on their heads.

The newborn Zeiko looked up at her mother and gave a toothless smile. Shaska was overcome with a wave of confusing emotions. First, was maternal love… which was soon followed by unyielding rage. The babies looked exactly like their father.

Zeiko lay there, eyes closed, breathing heavily, waiting for her death. But, amid the sound of the revolutionary forces attacking the city on a cloudless day, she started to feel wet drops on her face.

She slowly opened her eyes, to see her mother, fist still raised, with tears streaming down her face.

"I can't do it…" Shaska thought.

She punched the ground next to Zeiko and stood up. She went over to pick up her still-lit cigar, and then wiped the tears from her eyes.

"…you lucked out this time, brat," she said as she walked away. "I'm gonna go to the palace. You… just stay there and try not to get killed by the revolutionaries."

TO BE CONTINUED