An alarm awoke Luigi in his apartment, he turned over to a mirror and could hardly believe just how red his eyes were. They'd never gotten like that before. Hopefully it was just temporary. He didn't want it to be the precursor to him transforming into a crocodile man. Getting up, Luigi staddled over to his apartment mailbox. There was a slip of folded paper inside, with '14:30' written within.

Getting dressed, Luigi headed out down the waterway to an abandoned road between farms. His pocket watch ticked away and then, without explanation, a hog tied man with a sack on his head appeared before Luigi. He shot the man with his Poltergst in the chest without hesitation. After all, this was a Nanbi, not any living man. He pulled the Gold Flowers out of the Poltergust and headed back to the diner.

"Bonjour, Luigi," Goombella greeted him.

"Ravi de te voir, Goombella."

"Ooh la la."

Luigi didn't stay too long at the diner, before long he was in that seedy old shack again. Neville, in his seventies and knarled, sat in the tiny closet that he called his work room. Folllowing a buzz, Luigi was right in front of the deposit slot. "Two, Neville," said Luigi and Neville opened up the slot, taking two Gold Flowers from Luigi. He marked Luigi's name in a notebook. Where Luigi's had '2' written beside it, everyone else had '4'.

Luigi didn't spend long smoothing out the rug that covered his vault in his apartment either. It was as if he still felt the rush of the previous night. Heading to Chauncey's club, Luigi sat with Stuffwell watching a group of Mafioso celebrating at another table. "What's that, the fourth Nanbi destroyed this month?" asked Stuffwell.

"Fourth," agreed Luigi as Stuffwell casually made a fork float above his palm, casually lifting his eyebrow at passing by women. On stage, flinging her legs with a line of can-can dancers, was Hayzee. As her dance ended, Luigi followed her backstage and as she weaved through the dressing room, Luigi easily caught up to her.

"Hey," she greeted.

"You working tonight?" he asked. He didn't know why. The brotherly affection he felt toward her. It was almost like he had to act like Mario to someone and she was the only one he found that was open about breing broken.

"Yeah," she paused. "One of the piantas bought me out for the night."

"Oh."

"Sweetie, I've got to work," she told him, leaving him watching her go. He turned to see Slim Banbkshot smirking in the shadows. The voyeur had probably been watching everything, figured Luigi. The voice in the back of his head told him to drop Bankshot right there and make an example of him.

Luigi didn't leave his apartment for the rest of the day. He often found himself in the bathroom, looking at his eyes and wondering how theyw ere still so red. He wasn't turning into Rool, he hadn't been neglecting his duties. The Nanbi were still undead that needed to be exorcised and shipping souls to the afterlife was just inefficient. Something was wrong. Luigi popped out a hidden drawer next to hid medicine cabinet and inhaled some of a crushed up Gold Flower.

As his thoughts grew murkier, they were interrupted by a harsh pounding at his door. Luigi flopped out of his bathroom, stirring suddenly and then jumped towards the door. He was too shaky on his feet. He went to the door but the security feed showed nobody on the outside. Still too high, Luigi listened with his ear by the door. Another series of pounds… it was the window. Stumbling there, Luigi opened it and Harhall slid inside.

"What the hell, Harhall," sighed Luigi.

"They're going to be here any minute," said Harhall. "Are they here?"

"No, they're not here," said Luigi. "Who?"

"Oh man, Luigi. Oh man," panicked Harhall. Luigi's eyes focused a bit and he tuned in to the situation, turning the apartment lights off. "What are you doing? Right. Smart."

"Harhall, sit down here," Luigi pinted to his kitchen table. Harhall knocked something over in the dark as he went to the table. Luigi opened up the fridge to let loose its pale light.

"Late to my own funeral, mom always said…," whispered Harhall.

"Tell me now," started Luigi.

"Man, Luigi. Late to my own funeral. Can you help me?" pleaded Harhall.

"Harhall, what did you do?"

"You can protect me a little, right? Just so they don't… oh man. Oh man. This is a nightmare. This is a nightmare."

"What did you do?" Luigi asked Harhall, genuine concern in his eyes.

"He was singing," choked Harhall, lifting his eyes to Luigi. "There was a gag and mask, but I could hear the tune. Deep memories, my mom in a dark room, singing. Back warm and safe, when I could astill been good. Once I knew it was him… Luigii, I couldn't. I couldn't. I had to see. Luigi I can't even tell you. Looking in his yees. I had to let him talk, then. I don't even remember the words, but I remember believing every one of them, or not believing, but submitting. I've never felt that small before. I've never felt that happy. He told me. There's a new holly terror boss-man in the future working under Cackletta and he's sending all the Nanbi away. Fawful, they call him. He told me. Then he wanted a cigarette and I untie dhim, and he just gives me this look and he just starts running. I had got my Poltergust so I know he's got about fifteen strides till he's out of my range. THye just come and go and I just watch him until he's gone." Harhall had just let his Nanbi run. Luigi knew for a fact that it was not a good thing. "What do I do? You're the only friend I got, Luigi, you got to help me."

"You idiot, coming here!" said Luigi and he sucker punched Harhall. It wasn't that Luigi feared the Bob-Omb Mafia, they couldn't kill him. Maybe they would get to her and from her, the Dead Krock's Chest… unlikely, though. Yet if the Bob-Omb Mafia turned on Luigi, they could throw him in a vault, lock it up and throw it down the ocean right after they killed Hayzee in front of him. "You can't be here. I'll give you a little money."

"Luigi? A little, where am I going to go?"

"You'll hop a freight train, you'll beat it to the surface and stow away to Rogueport," said Luigi. "From there, go to Dinohattan, Delfino Isle, Mekanos… hell, go to Kitchen Island if you can handle it." There was a pounding on Luigi's door and Harhall made a sound like he was going to die. Luigi closed the fridge and turned to Harhall. "Shut up. Don't move."

"Open up, Luigi!" said Slim Bankshot from outside.

"I can't do anything for you, Harhall," said Luigi, considering Hayzee briefly. She was innocent. Harhall crumpled to his knees and grasped at Luigi's hand.

"No!" he whispered. "You've got to hide me! Luigi, hide me, please hide me. Tell them something to buy time and I'll leave, please!" The pounding on the door increased.

"Hold on!" Luigi yelled at Slim Bankshot through the door. The plumber made a snap decision, he flipped the lights on, briskly pulled back his Dark Land rug and opend his floor safe. It was wide and deeper than could be expected, lined with Gold Flowers. Harhall readily scrambled in. Luigi took one final look at him, closed the safe and smoothed the rug.

The pounding came back and Luigi opened the door, with Slim Bankshot storming in, his Poltergust drawn. He swept throught eh apartment with overeager purpose. One Mafioso stayed outside and the other sat casually at Luigi's kitchen table. Slim Bankshot was quick to get into Luigi's face. "That took awhile," he said.

"You think it's easy fixing a toilet?" asked Luigi.

"Chuckleroot's going to watch your apartment while we go have a talk with Popple," said Slim Bankshot and Luigi grabbed a jacket.

"There's coffee in the tin," he told Chuckleroot, who just nodded.

Slim Bankshot brought Luigi back to Chauncey's nightclub, noticing how high the man appeared to be. In fact, to Luigi, the drive felt like no time at all. It had just been one giant blur. Slim Bankshot led Luigi down the stairs and into the door at the base as Cackletta watched from above. The waiting room was dingy with a few benches and in one wall, three steep stairs led to a high door where it almost surprised Luigi to see Slim Bankshot knocking. Then he remembered how high he was. "Two minutes," came the muffled voice of Popple from within.

Slim Bankshot sat at the bench opposite of Luigi, staring daggers at Luigi before spinning out his devolution gun, pointing it at his rival. Luigi almost smiled, but tried not to engage. Only the Kremling Krew knew that he wouldn't die to something like that and they knew better than to tell anybody about his truth. "You know why the call your gun the Poltergust?" he asked. "Because it's impossible to hit anything farther than fifteen feet and impossible to miss anything closer. A gun for screw up turkeys. Not like a devolution gun. A devolution gun has range. Accuracy."

Bankshot started spinning his devolution gun in fancy ways. Luigi did admit, the devolution gun was meaner looking than the Poltergust. It was long and slim and chrome.

"All right, cut it out Bankshot," Luigi groggily waved away. "You're going to blow off your foot again." Bankshot almost snapped back but grinned instead.

"You're right, it'd be real easy for it to accidentally go off," said Bankshot and he turned the safety off.

"Come on," whispered Luigi. The only thing he was worried about was whether or not the devolution gun would make him look like Rool. He'd managed to avoid that thus far, he didn't want to turn into a giant evil crocodile just because of this moron.

"Don't disrespect me, Luigi," said Slim Bankshot as Luigi stifled a chuckle. In a flash, Bankshot stood up and whipped Luigi with his gun, who felt nothing just because of how high he was. Luigi fell back and Bankshot raised his devolution gun at him. Frozen in that tableau for a moment, Bankshot relished his victory and lowered his gun.

"What the hell is going on?" asked Popple as he emerged from his office, opening his door so fast that it smacked Bankshot hard on the side of the head. The devolution gun went off and fired into the side of the wall. Out of nowhere, three Mafioso burst into the hallway, guns drawn.

"It's all right, it's all right," Bankshot told the Mafioso. Humiliated, Slim Bankshot tried to stand, but fell over again. After a moment, the tension broke and everyone realized what happened.

"You didn't shoot your other foot off, did you Bankshot?" asked Popple as Luigi climbed into the doorway. The door closed as all of the mobsters laughed at Bankshot. Popple's office was cluttered, but his desk was big and covered with work that Cackletta had assigned him. Luigi sat and Popple handed him a handcloth for the ugly gash on his cheek. It would heal just perfectly. Nobody would suspect anything. Except for maybe Cackletta, she seemed to notice everything. "My great grandfather always told my grandfather, men's like spiders," Popple told Luigi. "It's the little ones you've got to be careful about."

"I don't know if I agree with that," said Luigi.

"Oh yeah?" laughed Popple. "What the hell did my great grandfather know?"

Popple was from the future. He had been sent back by the Bob-Omb Mafia with a one way ticket to run the Mafiosos who would take out the Nanbi. Popple had considered it low muscle, especially since everything he did was watched over by Cackletta. That was why he hadn't completely eradicated the presence of the Pianta Syndicate in Buoy Base, instead forming a sort of alliance with them. He enjoyed having the public adore the Bob-Omb Mafia and hat ethe Pianta Syndicate. Luigi wondered if something happened in the future that reversed that dichotomy, maybe something with Don Pianta.

"How can you kids enjoy these chokers? This, the cravats," remarked Popple, motioning to the tie that Luigi had on.

"Ties," corrected Luigi.

"Ridiculous," waved off Popple. "You're aware we don't have a dress code."

"Fashion," shrugged Luigi.

"You know, you don't know, the movies you're copying were copying other movies," sighed Popple, showing his age. Yet, Luigi knew, at the same time, Popple was also a twenty-something pulling off heists in Dinohattan. "Freaking twentieth century affectations, do something new. Put a glowthing thing around your neck… or use a rubberized… be new."

"Okay," nodded Luigi and a moment of silence passed between them. "Well, it was nice chatting with you, Popple."

"I do like you, Luigi," said Popple, "but we're sure Harhall paid you a visit. We're going to have to do something about this.

"Harhall?"

"You're expecting we're going to break your fingers or something awful," sighed Popple, "and I'm going to diffuse that tension right now, that isn't happening. What's going to happen is, we're going to talk for a little, not even that long, and you're going to give up your friend."

"My friend Harhall?" asked Luigi, trying to keep his voice level. "I'm confused."

"Well then I'll talk a little," nodded Popple. "You know you were the strangest mobster I ever hired? You looked freaking ridiculous the doctor said but he made the Poltergust just for you. I remember when he brought you in, even if I forget what it was for." That was when the voice in the back of Luigi's head told him to snap Popple's neck.

"Talk history."

"That's yeah, you and the doctor knew each other, from where he came from," smiled Popple. "And at one point, the Nanbi had you, your arms pinned. Like an animal. But you looked at me. Just your hair was stuck to half your face so just this one eye looking at me and I thought about what you had been through, I guess only Cackletta knows what was taken from you. What you've lost. I could see, like see it happen as clear as seeing it, the bad path in front of you. So the doctor cleaned you up and put a gun in your hand, like you were always supposed to use it to keep from going bad. Now the doctor's gone but he gave you something that was yours."

"You know, I'll always be grateful to him," said Luigi but Popple shook his hands.

"He gave you something that was yours," repeated Popple. "I remember you nine years ago and I think when you ask yourself who you would sacrifice for what's mine, I think Harhall is sitting deep in that circle." Both of their eyes went to the hammer on Popple's desk. "I may not know who you are, where you come from or what you become – but I have my theories and all it'll take is one little talk with Cackletta to verify them and find out who you love. That hammer's there for something else later, that's just a big bad coincidence."

"Okay."

"Show you how much I know your character," smiled Popple. "I'm not even going to break you, just set you back a ways." Luigi held Popple's gaze for a moment but then his eyes dropped and it was over as she came to the forefront of his mind.

"Will you kill him?"

"No," Popple shook his head. "Would be too cataclysmic a change to the future. What we'll do is dangerous in that regard, but not as dangerous as killing him and not by twice as having him run free." He shook his head. "Luigi, I let him run free for more than a few days then the Mafioso in the future might get nervous and then ding, my replacement shows up. With a gun. So we do what we have to do."

"Floor safe, beneath the rug," said Luigi, remembering when he sold out his own brother. "6742."

"It's the little ones that get you," chuckled Popple.