Between here and Anne Or Beast, Johan is going to be pretty busy before she meets Anne.

"How's the new job coming along?" Johan asked. He and the rest of the gang had managed heal faster than normal thanks to Hopediah's Ripples along with the local doctor (provided he didn't use those leeches that made Johan squirm).

"Pretty slow, actually," said Ram Bamboo. She had taken the job of deputy pretty well. She had learned how to uphold the law thanks to Sheriff Leatherleaf's teachings. Though, to be honest, she took it a little too well and started writing tickets for the most minor of infractions. This caused the people to start complaining about her giving them citations. "Who knew being a cop would be so much fun, though?"

"On this we can disagree," said Johan as he took out his knife and sharpened it. "So, what are you here for? I take it you didn't come to idly chit-chat."

"Well, I did a little digging around Mr. Samandarin's office and found these." She held up a map of Frog Valley and a ring of keys.

"What are those?" he asked.

"Keys to lockboxes hidden all over Frog Valley. They've got everything: money, weapons, deeds..."

"If we're going to get a cash flow going, we'll need a business to funnel us money," Johan pointed out. "The Sundews' tea shoppe is fine, but we need more."

"That'll cause more problems than it's worth. I'm saying we buy one from whatever is left of BOC."

"Pardon?"

"We take the deeds from one of the lockboxes and purchase the store in our name instead."

Johan thought it over and said with a smile, "Beh, se non possono discutere..."

"I don't know what you said, but I think we're in agreement!"

"A clothing store?" asked Ram Bamboo as they exited Passione's newly purchased business.

"What," said Johan with a shrug. "You can't run an investment business without looking good. And besides, being the owner gives you a discount."

"Yeah, I don't know about this," said Hopediah as he let Ram Bamboo and Johan hop on Bessie and drive off. "This whole 'investment business' sound a bit dodgy to me."

"Don't worry too much," Johan said dismissively. "Ooh, this building over here," he pointed to a small inn. "Is mentioned in one of the deeds from the lockbox. Let's purchase it."

"But don't you already have a home?" asked Hopediah.

"The guest bedroom in the Sundews' Tea Shoppe doesn't count! Besides, real estate is pretty cheap around here. We take the money out of the remnants of BOC's pockets and into ours."

"Those inn keepers seemed pretty happy to no longer be paying BOC anymore," said Ram Bamboo.

"Where exactly is this money going," asked Hopediah as they returned to Bessie.

"I told you, I'm going to be making improvements to Wartwood. I need to hire an architect first."

"No need," said the old frog as he got Bessie going. "We frogs are self-reliable. We built our own town from scratch!"

"Well, in that case, we're going to need a new well."

"What?! That old well has worked fine for years!"

Johan gave him a look then held up a canteen. "This is water from that well." He dumped its contents onto the ground. "It's full of parasitic worms."

Hopediah suddenly turned green. "Excuse me for a minute."

The old frog returned from the tree he vomited into, still looking a bit green. "I need another minute."

Johan watched Hopediah with concern as he returned to Bessie. "Uh...do you need a drink?"

"I need another minute."

Johan grabbed him by the arm. "No! No! We're not doing that!"

"Okay, okay!" Hopediah said as he took the snail's reigns and rode her away from the stump. Some animal was definitely not going to be happy findings its stump filled with frog vomit.

"As I was saying," said Johan. "Wartwood is in dire need of improvements here and there. And with me advertising absinthe, a new signature drink, people are going to come far and wide for it. If an architect builds a shop, the landlord can purchase goods there at lower rates. If we invest more money in the shop, we get an even greater discount. As for renovations, well... we'll be bringing the town back to life. Plus when we buy shops and renovations, we'll be increasing the number of people who visit, causing the income to increase."

"And who's 'we'?" asked Hop Pop suspiciously.

Johan shrugged his shoulders. "Well, Passione for one."

"I thought Passione was formed to get rid of BOC."

"No, that was just part of the cause. I also want a vast information network to help me keep an eye on any potential rival gangs, and more importantly, give me any clues as to where to find my human friends." Johan sighed sadly as he looked onward. He had been here for a couple of weeks, but he heard no sign of Anne, Sasha and Marcy. He was starting to worry that maybe they didn't make it. Maybe they died, got lost or eaten, or maybe he was the only one who came to this world and the girls were back at Earth, trying to tell someone what happen. But who would believe them? Those girls were troublemakers back at school, and given their track record...yeah, no one would believe them.

"You okay, JoJo?" asked Ram Bamboo when she noticed the look of slight sadness on his face.

"Mmm? Oh, nothing," Johan said with a smile. "Just thinking."

"Hey, can we get back to that 'rival gang' thing you just mentioned?" asked Hopediah.

"Uh..." The sound of gun shots made Johan forget what he was going to say next.

"FOR MR. SAMANDARIN!" a bunch of frogs wearing BOC uniforms shouted as they fired their guns at the trio.

"Finally, some action," Ram Bamboo exclaimed with glee as she pulled out her pistol and fired back at the remnants of BOC. The thing is, without their leader, BOC was essentially running around like chickens with their heads cut off, which made it easy for Ram Bamboo to shoot them down with her pistol.

"Where was I?" asked Johan as Ram Bamboo blew into her pistol and holstered it. "Oh, yeah. I need absinthe production to begin before I start advertising. Which is where you come in Hopediah."

The old frog did not like where this was going. "I come in where?"

"Despite the fact that you're poorer than dirt, you take pride in your farming abilities, so I need you to grow the ingredients for absinthe: anise, fennel and wormwood."

"Do I look like an absinthe fairy to you? I need the seeds to grow them! Besides, I don't have the time to deal with your ambitions. I've got my own livelihood to worry about!"

Johan held up a bag of money. "I got this from that lockbox. It's yours if you can spare the time."

Hop Pop stared at the money bag then took it. "I can squeeze a little time in my schedule. But, I still need the seeds."

"You can buy plenty of those now. And, if this works out, the Plantar Farm will get a cut of the profit."

"Excuse me," a small voice said. The group looked down to see a small young frog holding a pen and paper. "Can I have your autograph, Ram Bamboo?"

The yellow frog raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Johan. "An autograph? What's that all about, JoJo?"

He smiled. "We more good we do, the more the people support our cause. And having a fan or two wouldn't hurt."

Ram Bamboo hesitated a little, before she relented and signed the paper. "Thanks," said the young frog.

"Would you like mine," asked Johan. "I mean, I did start the crusade against BOC in the first place. Hell, I'm the reason Ram Bamboo here became a cop." The frog took one look at him and ran off. Johan frowned and slumped into his seat. "I don't get it. I killed that washed-up musician, Mr. Samandarin's lieutenant and even Mr. Samandarin himself. And still people don't like me."

"What did you expect?" asked Ram Bamboo. "The people of Wartwood are a close-minded folk. They don't exactly like me either despite the new job."

"Well, maybe if you didn't give people tickets every now and then..." snapped Hopediah.

"Well, maybe if you didn't leave your snail unattended..."

"That wasn't my fault! Sprig and Polly took Bessie on a joy ride behind my back! They practically do it every day!"

"GUYS! FOCUS!" shouted Johan.

The two frogs looked from Johan to each other. Then Hopediah cleared his throat and said, "So how are you going to make the extra money for the renovations?"

Johan scratched his chin and asked, "That depends. Does this town have a newspaper?"

"Of course we do! We keep up with the daily lives of Amphibia! What, you think we don't keep track of the times?"

"I'm not saying that," said Johan as he held up his hands defensively. "I'm just saying that where's there's newspapers, there's odd jobs I can do to get the extra money. Just need to know which one."

Ram Bamboo thought something over. "Well, it may not help, but maybe one of the lockboxes might have a clue as to where your friends might be."

"It's a start."

Johan stepped into Stumpy's and sat down at a table. Sitting in front of him was a newt in a hood. "I'm glad you answered my ad," he said in a gravely voice. "Though I'm honestly surprised a kid is here."

"Okay, what's with the hood and the voice?"

The newt cleared his throat and his voice became a bit squeaky. "I have to sound like a tough guy in this line of work. Now look." He held up a bunch of photos. "It's like this, mammal. You kinda owe me now."

"I owe you?" asked Johan incredulously.

"Here's your dung beetle pie," Stumpy said as he laid the pies on the table.

The newt frowned at him as he left. "The service here is terrible."

"Trust me, I plan on changing that," said Johan. "Now what is it I owe you?"

"Well, I own this...club, you can say, in Bog Bottom that was once owned by BOC, but after you killed their boss, they split and I bought the joint. Made me a lot of money. Before that, I was a nobody, but after I became a somebody, suddenly every Tom, Dick and Harry wants to be my friend and they all want favors. Now, I have no problem helping people so long as they know the consequences. If they meet their end of the deal, no problem, but if they don't...well, that's when I hire people like you to deal with them. If you're as tough as you say they are, go out there and show them why you don't mess with Suave Rico!"

Johan hid a giggle behind his hand. "'Suave Rico'? Your name on the newspaper ad said..."

"Uh, buh!" Rico put a finger on Johan's lips. "Please don't say my real name. It's embarrassing."

"Sorry. Anyway, from the sound of it, YOU owe ME since I'm the one who got you your club in the first place."

Rico smiled. "Not on paper anyway."

Johan sighed. "Fine. As long as your money's good."

Rico placed a small bag of money on the table. "That bag will get bigger the more people you take out."

"Deal."

Rico was shocked. "Wh-What? You're really going to do this? I mean, you're a kid!"

Johan smiled. "You'd be surprised what kids can do."

"Maybe I should have thought this more thoroughly," muttered Johan glumly as he approached the house of an amphibian that was an alleged grave robber and killer. He entered the shack and was met with the stench of a tannery. He was met with a gruesome sight. Bone fragments littered the floor, a chandelier made from bones and skulls hung from the ceiling, furniture had been reupholstered with flesh, mounted heads of amphibians lined a wall, and Johan was pretty sure he saw blood leaking from the ice box. "What have I gotten myself into?"

"So..." A deep growling voice said behind him. The door slammed shut. "You dare step into the lair of... Harold Gore!"

Johan slowly reached for his gun and spun around, pointing at the killer...but saw nothing. "What the..." Then he looked down and saw a small gold frog no bigger than a house cat standing on its hind legs. Johan made a look of disappointment as he looked at the bounty hunting list. "You're Harold Gore," he asked, disappointed. The tiny frog laughed maniacally as he picked up a meat cleaver a bit two big for him. "Questo รจ patetico," he deadpanned.

"Small I may be, but you will soon know fear when I lay waste to all that you-"

"MUDA!"

A single punch from DARE shut him up. Johan sighed in disappointment as he put the Stand away. "Honestly," he muttered as he picked up the dead frog. "Seems I'm still getting the crap jobs."

An hour later...

"Hey, has anyone seen Johan?" asked Ram Bamboo as she entered the tea shoppe.

"He said he was doing some business," said Ivy grumpily.

Johan ran for his life after he killed the last target on the list. "Zio Mista si sbagliava! Non sono soldi facili!" A bunch of bats chased after him out of the cave.

"That was over ages ago! He said he was going to help me set up the tables!"

Ram Bamboo nodded her head. "I see. Well, if you see him, tell him I have something I want to show him."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," grumbled Ivy as she placed napkins and flowers on one of the tables. "Where the heck are you?" She got her answer in the form of a large money bag landing on the table. "Whoa..."

Johan smirked as he sat down. "E hanno detto che non si poteva fare."

"I don't know what you said, but..." Ivy said before she cheered and tried to dive into the money bag only for Johan to snatch it away and she landed right on her face on the table. "Ow."

"Hey! I don't need you spending it all in one place! I need this for my own plans."

"Ahem." Johan turned to see Felicia Sundew leaning against the open door. "I hope these plans don't involved getting my daughter caught up in whatever you've got planned for the town if there's something life threatening."

"Mom!" whined Ivy.

"It's alright," assured Johan. "After the whole BOC incident, I expect things to go back to normal soon."

"Aww..."

"Well, that's assuring," said Felicia. "By the way, Ram Bamboo came in here, she said she found something in one of BOC's lockboxes that you need to see."

"I'll get on it as soon as I'm done filling out Hopediah's order." Felicia nodded and left the room to return to her duties.

"It's about time, JoJo," said Ram Bamboo as Johan stepped into her office. "Another hold up like that and I'll have to arrest you for being late!"

Johan rolled his eyes. "Nice to see you too, Deputy."

"That's Miss Deputy Ram Bamboo to you!" The yellow frog made a shiver. "The power I have makes me afraid of myself!"

"Ricordami di raccontarti la storia di Leone Abbacchio."

"I don't know what you said."

"I said remind me to tell you the story of Leone Abbacchio. Anyway, what was it that you wanted me to show me?"

"Well," Ram Bamboo said as she reached under her desk. "You asked if there were any clues regarding your friends. Well..." She placed a yellow and white sneaker on the desk. It was coming apart at the seams and its laces were missing, but Johan immediately recognized it.

"This...this is Anne's..." he whispered. "Where did you find this?" he asked her.

"I found it in the lockbox. THEY found it in a creek. I don't know why they kept it, though. Maybe they... Johan? What's wrong?"

Johan held the shoe close as he cried with tears of joy. "They're alive! The girls are here!" He looked at Ram Bamboo and smiled before wiping his eyes and hugged her. "Thank you."

"You do know I have to hold onto that shoe for evidence, right?"

"Don't ruin the mood."

Somewhere in the forest, deep in a cave, a shivering figure sat in front of a fire. In one hand she carried a spear that was stained with blood and she was turning a makeshift spit with the other, cooking small bugs and lizard meat. "Stupid, stupid, stupid," the figure cried. "Why did I take that damn music box? Why didn't I just say no to Sasha?"

Anne Boonchuy looked at her backpack where the cursed music box was sitting in. If only she had gotten to her birthday party like her mother asked her to, none of this would have happened. And she wouldn't have been separated from her friends. Well, she knew where JoJo was: in that weird frog town. But, she couldn't. What if he blamed her for what happened? Maybe, she should at least give him a chance before jumping to conclusions, like she always did.

"Meow." Anne smiled and cuddled up to the black feline-like caterpillar. "At least I still have you, Domino 2. Here you go," she said, feeding the caterpillar some of the cooked bugs. Yes, there are breeds of caterpillars that are carnivorous, in case you were curious.

After saving the bug from a pair of giant wasps, the two became inseparable. For Anne, the caterpillar was the closest thing to a reminder of home since coming here. The warmth of Domino 2's fur helped her sleep at night. And she made a good guard bug, as the caterpillar would hiss if some predator was coming near and Anne would arm herself with her spear if anything came close.

"Maybe we should pay JoJo a visit, Domino 2," said Anne as she held the caterpillar close. "I mean, how hard can it be just to apologize to him?"

"Meow."

"Yeah, you're right. Probably not that hard." Anne kissed Domino 2 and curled in a ball next to her. "Good night." Domino 2 crawled under Anne's shirt and slowly drifted off to sleep.

To Be Continued...