The pirate line began to solidify at the front of all of their sailboats. Syrup's eye searched for the coming raiders. Surely they had drunk themselves to a stupor in Rogueport, likely depleted the thuggish town's supplies of liquor. Then, suddenly, all of the raiders appeared, led by Kamens and by Tatanga on top of that. Hundreds of them surrounded what was left of Kitchen Island's finest, hundreds in the line before that and so on. They weren't just coming from Rogueport, now, though, but from behind the pirates, they were lined up all alongside the cliffs. This was indeed the end. Syrup just hoped, she desperately hoped that Dinohattan or Kitchen Island, one would be enough, had started to mobilize to crush this army.
"My compliments and congratulations," said Tatanga as he walked forth over to Syrup, clapping as he bravely made his way through his own ranks. He knew that Anonster would not be so foolish as to attack him this time. Likewise, Anonster knew that he would not get the opportunity to make such an attack this time. "You have surely turned calamity into victory." Tatanga stepped forward, his nose almost touching the pirate shields. "Despite your insufferable arrogance, Wario has come to admire Kitchen Island's valour and fighting skill." Behind Tatanga, his raider columns began to build one after another. Rogueport was fading out of sight behind the true mass of Tatanga's army. Yet it would only take one army, one strong army, Syrup was sure of it, to put an end to Tatanga and Wario. "You will make a mighty ally."
Syrup said nothing. She could say nothing, but her attention was broken when she noticed Wormwould pushing his way through the Kamens until he was once again face to face with the she who he wanted to call captain. "Yield, Syrup," he cried. "Use your reason. Think of your men." There was silence, save the heartbeats of pirates. "I beg of you."
Now carried on the back of alien slaves, Wario and his throne were brought forth for the entire pirate force and even his own to see. Secretive, preferring to let the world think Tatanga was the true leader, very few knew of his existence. Maybe an eighth of his own army had known he even existed until now. What had Syrup done to him to make him come out and face her in their final battle?
"Listen to him," advised Tatanga. "He can attest to my generosity. Despite your several insults. Despite your several blasphemies. Wario is prepared to forgive all… and more, to reward your service." Wario's throne rested completely and he sat knowing that he had the upper hand. "You fight for Kitchen Island…? She will be wealthier and more powerful than ever before." Wario's force continued to build on the horizon. It seemed as if thousands were displayed and the rest all at Wario's command. "You fight for the Kingdom of the Koopahari?" asked Tatanga. "She will be wealthier and more powerful than ever before." Syrup and her pirates stood still, a solid wall of ragged warriors. "You fight for your captaincy? You will be proclaimed warcaptain of all Sarasaland. Answerable only to me." Wario awaited the captain's reply, both leaders remained defiant in their posture. "Syrup, your victory will be complete if you but lay down your arms and bow to me."
The pirates' sailboats were unmoving. Their weapons were tuned towards the raiders' divisions. They waited, their racing hearts, listening for Syrup, her words, the fuel to their will.
From behind the kneeling Anonster, shields parted and in two crushing strides, Syrup leapt from the cover of her pirate brothers. In her hands was the Quartz Charm, unseen for the past nine years. Planting a foot on Anonster's black, she flew towards Tatanga and, still in the air, she thrusted her hand. Ribs were parted and severed. The exiting blood sprayed into the eyes of nearby Kamens as Tatanga withered under the power of the Quartz Charm. Syrup clutched at the Quartz charm and, rising, loaded it for a mighty attack. Wario bared his teeth in anger at the defiant captain. "Slaughter them!"
The air went thick with wood shafts, feathers and steel but by the will of the Quartz Charm, time itself slowed down. Syrup did not see the black banners at the back of Wario's throne fall with the lull in the wind. The only sound was that of countless arrows pounding into bronze shields, like hard rain on a metal roof. Through this barrage, Syrup gathered every ounce of strength the Quartz Charm could spare her. Her helmet was stifling. It narrowed her vision. Yet her eyes were calm, cold and focused on her target, for she had to see far.
Her muscles pulled the Quartz Charm forward as around him, the raiders' spindles cut her brothers down. Her shield was heavy and threw off her balance. Yet, he let the missile beam fly from the Quartz Charm as one after another, arrows settled into her. Her target was far away, but the beam still flew against the current of incoming arrows as the captain cried out in pain for Wario to die. Dozens of arrows struck Syrup at once. Her men fell fighting. She held onto the Quartz Charm, struggling to free it from the grip of her dead hand as arrow after arrow punched through limb and sinew. She fell back upon the body of one of her fallen brothers and pushed herself back to her knees. She cried out in her glory as her missile went silently out, away from the dying pirates.
The beam from the Quartz Charm soared in a straight line. Its shadow snaked up on the ornate carpet of Wario's throne. The industrialist did not move. He could only watch, wide-eyed as the true power of Syrup, launched as her final act, grazed his cheek. A small spray of blood flew from Wario's face as the Quartz Charm pulled each of the six Gold Coins from his body within itself. The missile rebound and holding the Gold Coins within itself, they were returned into the Quartz Charm. The assembled host of Kamens gasped in awe at the sight of the loss of Wario's power, for he was divine no more. All chronal anomalies, all warriors pulled from an alternate past or a possible future, vanished. In a single instant, the bulk of Wario's army was removed from existence itself and his power ultimately crippled.
Yet the unquenchable bloodlust of the Kamens remained and rose to a fevered pitch as they brought to bear their entire arsenal of spears, arrows and swords against the pirates. The legendary pirates of Kitchen Island were destined to fight on as they died. The Wolfenboss charged forward out of ranks. Dozens of arrows found their mark in his back and chest. Yet, he did not fall for he was fueled by love for the woman whom he had known as his captain, a love which he never minded never being returned.
Syrup watched helpless as one of the Kamens plunged a spear into the Wolfenboss' chest. The Wolfenboss took hold of it, dropping shield and spear, pulling it into his own body, moving close to the Kamen who wielded it. As life ebbed from him, the Wolfenboss gripped the Kamen's skull and twisted it. He snapped the general's neck with an audible crunch. The Kamen fell beneath him and the Wolfenboss rolled off, snaping the arrows that protruded from his body. "Shoot," he whispered, exhaled deeply and died, with his son's name still on his lips.
Wario put a hand to his bleeding face. Overcome by the pain in which the Gold Coins were taken from him, he collapsed to his throne. Without the Gold Coins, all of his army, all of his future technology, all of his ancient magic, was gone. Without Tatanga, the Kamens and aliens would only fight for him for so long. In his greed, he had tried to match Syrup at her own primitive game, fighting with swords, spears, devolution guns and fire as a show of strength to Dinohattan. In his greed, he had lost everything. As he lay bleeding and dying from six holes in his stomach and chest, he knew that at least he had won the day.
Syrup struggled to reach Antenor, but she did and so, the two fought on. Side by side with broken blades and useless shields, they hacked away at the relentless Kamens. Through a horn of human bone, the Kamens began to fall back so as to not be cut down by their own archers. Exhausted and mortally wounded, Antenor and Syrup crawled back to the handful of still living pirates. Endless scores of fresh archers took up positions on the hillside and boulders, surrounding on all sides that which remained of the intrepid few. Antenor, through laboured breath, his own blood running into his eyes, called to his captain. "My queen," he told her, each breath causing pain to rise from within him, "it is an honour to die at your side."
"It is an honour to have lived at yours."
Countless archers bent bows as if the very water around the dwindling pirate ranks was not filled with wooden sailboats, but of bent blood, catbat guts and dead hungry for the embrace of their ferryman. Syrup's lips were chapped and splattered with dark blood. A Kamen commander noted to his alien herald at that moment. Syrup inhaled deeply, but she was calm and lowered her voice.
"My God… my fiancée," whispered Syrup. "My love…"
Syrup closed her eyes and let it all go as the arrows were released as one. She had restrained herself during this entire affair with Wario, not out of fear of her true power, but of fear of his. The lethal dark cloud raced across the rugged and bloody river. Now that she had the Gold Coins, now that he was powerless and she was abundant? Antenor narrowed his eyes and with his last breath, stood next to his queen. She let him wound her because she needed to accept the invitation. She was being called away from this place, away from this conflict. So, while it was Syrup who lay dying, it was the Lockjaw Queen of the Koopahari who had awoken within her, the princess who grew up an orphan in Brooklyn.
The arrows stroke with a singularity and there was only blackness. She nodded her head and no blood came out, no more spilled. She clutched the Quartz Charm and she felt it. The invite from… herself, the freedom of the Muus and the purging of the cancer all to try and fix the hole in the timeline. The hole in her.
Now was the time, she knew. With the Gold Coins in her palm and the Quartz Charm in the other hand, she could open the pathway for all of herself to go to the nexus and vote. She dreamed groggily of Luigi and as the life ebbed away in Syrup, it returned into Daisy and she vanished by following the trail of the distant supernova of the New Sun. Though a year could not have passed, this was the day she returned to Luigi and so, it was time to open the doors into the nexus.