Disclaimer I do not own the rights to Mario characters or One Piece characters.

A.N.- Hello everyone, I know it's been a while. Due to family and technical issues, this chapter took longer than expected, but now, hopefully, I should be able to keep up with the schedule I set for myself. Thank you for and enjoy.

Had to reupload this chapter because once again technical issues struck and for some reason, this chapter repeated itself halfway through.

Chapter 23: Battle For Alabasta Part 2

At the Resistance Base

Luffy has just acquired his spark, Reflector, and stands beside Nami and Ace, waiting for the four Darkmess puddles to disappear. He wanted to jump into a puddle to help his friends, but Beep-o told him that was a bad idea. The other teams should be more than enough for whatever was in those puddles, plus they couldn't leave the resistance defenseless against Crocodile's Darkmess army. They didn't have any more spark weapons, and no one there was a devil-fruit user, so the resistance had no way to utilize spark power against the Darkmess army. So Luffy begrudgingly accepted to wait for the others to finish.

"Man, this sucks."

Luffy said with a pout.

"I wanna go fight already."

"Well tough. Crocodile's Darkmess Army could attack at any given moment, and they have no way to defend themselves without us. So suck it up, and wait, Luffy!"

Nami ordered. Not wanting to get hit by Nami again, Luffy sat down and waited. Ace chuckled at this before turning back to the capital.

"Where are you, Teach? There's no way you wouldn't want this power for yourself, so where are you hiding?"

Ace said to himself, still wondering where Teach, his former crewmate, was and what he was doing.

Team Edge

Zoro continues his fight with Tashigi, pushing her back with his three swords. Tashigi stuck her sword into the ground to stop herself. Zoro chased her down, but when he got close she opened fire with the guns in her breastplate.

"Damn it, this trick again?"

Zoro grumbled to himself as he tried to block the bullets. He managed to stop most of them, but a few got through and hit him. Luckily they just grazed him and didn't hit any vital points. Zoro was about to rush forward, but Tashigi punched the ground and sent a column of lava spikes at him again. Zoro had to run behind a wall to avoid the attack. He peeked out once the attack passed and saw Tashigi reload her guns.

"Damn it, anytime I gain the advantage she pushes me away with her guns and lava attack. I can't get close enough to cut her."

While Zoro was contemplating how to get close, his spark, Exosphere, came out of his shirt.

"Hey, Zoro, use my power to get close."

"Hmm, oh yeah. You can make me bulletproof, right?"

Exosphere nodded and used his power on Zoro. Zoro then rushed forward while he was glowing. Tashigi aimed and fired her guns at him. The bullets hit Zoro and while they did sting, they did not penetrate his skin. Tashigi was shocked as Zoro got closer.

"Three Sword Style: Onigiri!"

Zoro used one of his signature techniques and cut Tashigi down. Tashigi let out a scream of pain as the Darkmess began to leave her. After a few moments, she fell to the ground, unconscious and free of Darkmess. Zoro went to pick her up but was flustered as she was now naked. Not knowing what to do, Zoro just went to a nearby wall and laid her against it.

"Gah, if only I had something to cover her up with."

Zoro said, regretting leaving his desert clothing back on Beep-o's ship. While this was happening, Smoker was dealing with Bwario and Bwaluigi. He was evading all their attacks, having gotten a read on their fighting styles. He was hitting them with every opening they gave him. Frustrated, Bwario and Bwaluigi backed off to catch their breath.

"Is that all you got you freaks? If you two didn't have the power of Darkmess then you would have stood no chance against me. It seems you have overestimated your abilities and underestimated the strength of the Marines."

Smoker's words ticked off Bwario, and he yelled in frustration.

"That's it! Let's bust out our secret technique bro!"

Bwaluigi grunted in agreement and slammed his pipe into the ground. Bwario then connected his pipe to the side of it and hopped into the larger pipe. Smoker was confused until Bwario came out in a gunner seat and aimed at Smoker. He pulled the trigger on the handle he had and a stream of bullets and rockets shot out at Smoker. Smoker was forced to take to the air to evade the attack, but Bwario followed him. Smoker weaved his way through the stream of bullets and used his jitte to smack away any rockets he couldn't evade. That's when he noticed something.

"Where is the larger one?"

Smoker thought but was broken out of those thoughts when he heard a loud grunt to his right. He turned to see Bwaluigi flying at him with his fist pulled back. Smoker didn't have time to dodge and was decked in the face by Bwaluigi. Bwario took advantage of this and fired upon Smoker with a hail of rockets and bullets. Bwario grinned in victory as he saw Smoker fall to the ground.

"Ha! Eat that loser! Way to go bro!"

Bwaluigi gave a smile and a thumbs up to his brother. But then they heard something moving in the smoke cloud. Smoker forced himself up with his jitte. He was wounded and bleeding, but still standing.

"Gotta give ya credit, you're tougher than you look, marine. But you should call it quits already. There's no way you can beat us now."

"Shut it! I'll die before I surrender to a group of criminals like you!"

Smoker rebutted. Bwario just gave an evil grin back in response.

"That can be arranged. Bro! Let's go! It's time we ended his game already."

Bwaluigi roared in agreement and charged at Smoker. Smoker gritted his teeth in anger, was this how it was going to end? To be killed by two rabbit freaks? To have all his skills and training be useless against them?

"Wait."

That's when it hit Smoker, he hadn't used all his skills against them. Because they were Darkmess powered he had only been using the spark's power, but he still had his devil fruit powers!

"It's not going to be easy, you freaks! Whiteout!"

Smoker's arms became smoke and launched at Bwario and Bwaluigi. Bwaluigi put up a crossguard and Bwario dove into his weapon to avoid the attack. However, the point of this attack was not to hit them, but to fill the area with smoke, making it harder to find and hit Smoker. Bwario came out and was shocked by what he saw.

"Grr, you jerk! Do you think filling the area with smoke will save you? Find him, bro, he can't hide forever!"

Bwaluigi grunted and rushed into the smoke to find Smoker. Bwario manned his weapon and was watching the smoke carefully. Bwaluigi was rushing through the smoke, not being able to see anything. He was stumbling around until he found something on the ground. Bwario was scanning the smoke, seeing if he could find Smoker. That's when he saw a large shadow in the smoke. He was about to open fire but stopped. What if it was his brother? He was debating if he should attack or not until he saw the figure lift something. That strange shape, it was Smoker's jitte!

"Heh, found you."

Bwario opened fire with everything he had at the figure. The bullets and rockets found their mark as Bwario heard a scream of pain. Bwario watched, expecting to see Smoker fall to the ground, but it was Bwaluigi instead, holding onto Smoker's jitte.

"Oh no! Bro! I didn't mean to!"

"As I said, I'm taking you two down!"

Smoker said as he appeared behind Bwario. Bwario tried to turn the weapon, but Smoker grabbed him and shoved him into the pipe. He then grabbed the pipe that fired rockets, ripped it off, and pointed it at Bwario.

"Now let's give you a taste of your own medicine!"

Smoker pulled the trigger and fired a stream of rockets into the pipe. After he was done, he threw the weapon away and looked down. Bwario was still twitching, but he was out.

"Damn, these things are tough. Still, they're defeated. Now... to get... my... jitte."

Smoker tried to walk over to Bwaluigi and retrieve his jitte, but his wounds were catching up to him. He started to fall until someone caught him. He looked up to see Zoro had caught him.

"Damn it, to be helped by a pirate."

Smoker grumbled.

"Hey, I feel the same way, helping a marine, but we're still temporary allies until this is all over. Besides, I need this."

Zoro took Smoker's coat as he laid him against a wall. Smoker was confused until he saw his subordinate, Tashigi. Free of Darkmess and naked.

"You damn pirate! What did you do to her!?"

"Hey, don't look at me! When I beat her and destroyed the Darkmess she was naked. I didn't do anything else to her."

Zoro said to defend himself. Smoker just glared at him as he covered Tashigi with Smoker's coat. Meanwhile, Edge was still fighting the Lava Queen. Zoro watched as Edge easily stopped the Lava Queen's attacks. She was blocking the bullets with her sword, and batting away the lava orbs with the flat of her blade. Zoro had to admit that Edge was a good fighter.

"Is this it? From what Mario and the others said, I thought you were tougher. How disappointing."

Edge mocked the Lava Queen. The Lava Queen got angry and leaped into the air. Then she dove down, trying to hit Edge with her diving punch again. Edge closed her eyes, took a breath, and held her sword in a sheathing position. Then, when the Lava Queen was close enough, she dashed and cut the Lava Queen in the blink of an eye. The Lava Queen crashed to the ground while Edge landed near her. Zoro was impressed by such swordsmanship.

"I'm not done yet!"

The Lava Queen said as she got up. While Edge did hit her, the Lava Queen was just as tough as Bwario and Bwaluigi, perhaps even tougher. But then she looked around to see that she was the only one left.

"Actually, on second thought, I guess I am done."

The Lava Queen's words confused the group.

"Huh, what do you mean? You're just going to give up? Do you think Cursa is going to forgive you for giving up?"

Edge asked, receiving a chuckle from the Lava Queen.

"Oh please, we don't work for Cursa, just with her. I joined up because I thought I was going to see Mario again, but oh well. Maybe another time."

"I'm not gonna let you go!"

Edge rushed forward to stop the Lava Queen, but she created a lava orb and threw it to the ground. It created a small wave of lava that Edge had to block. When Edge looked up, she saw that the Lava Queen was gone.

"Over here."

The three turned to see the Lava Queen at the other end of the arena. Joining her were a beaten and bruised Bwario and Bwaluigi.

"Wow, he really put you two through the wringer."

The Lava Queen commented on Bwario's and Bwaluigi's appearance. They just looked down in shame. The Lava Queen shrugged before she turned back to Edge and the others.

"Now, I'm not one to fight losing battles, so victory is yours today. But we still get a consolation prize."

Bwaluigi held up Smoker's jitte.

"My jitte!"

Smoker yelled as Bwaluigi waved it mockingly.

"So this is Sea Prism Stone? It's a great weapon against devil fruit users, right? Good, we'll be taking it then. Traveling between universes is quite rare after all, and I want to enjoy my time here in this world. So enjoy your victory today and Edge."

Edge looked straight at the Lava Queen.

"We'll settle the score once we meet again. Woman to woman."

"Heh, bring it on."

"Right, farewell."

The Lava Queen, Bwario, and Bwaluigi jumped off the edge and into the void.

"My jitte was stolen, again. Damn it."

Smoker groaned as he rubbed his forehead. That's when the world began to shake.

"What's going on?"

Zoro asked.

"Easy there, mosshead. The commanders are gone so the Darkmess puddle is falling apart."

Edge explained.

"Then why are we still here? We need to leave!"

Smoker exclaimed while Zoro picked up Tashigi in a panic, but Edge just brushed them off with a chuckle.

"Relax you two, just wait and watch."

Smoker and Zoro were about to say something, but the world collapsed in on itself. They both closed their eyes expecting the worst, but nothing happened. They opened their eyes to see that they were back outside. They both looked around in a state of confusion.

"What, how, when?"

Zoro stuttered.

"When a Darkmess puddle is destroyed, and we're still in it, we'll just appear where the Darkmess puddle was."

Edge explained.

"And you couldn't tell us that sooner!?"

Smoker and Zoro yelled. Edge just shrugged.

"I thought it was obvious. Now come on, we need to regroup with the others and you need medical attention."

Edge said as she waved down the ship to come and pick them up.

Team Vivi

With Vivi's group, she continued her battle against her Darkmess-corrupted father. He continued to slash at her while crying out in pain, but Vivi did not fall for any of his traps. She was focused on her goal, saving her father and kingdom. Vivi managed to avoid a downward slash and strike Cobra with her Bworbs. Cobra was knocked down, but he was getting back up.

"How dare you."

Cobra said as he got up. Vivi was confused by his change in tone, but Cobra continued.

"Where were you when we needed you? Instead of informing me when you discovered Crocodile's plan, you ran away and abandoned us. You abandoned your father, your kingdom, your people! You're no princess, you're a deserter, a traitor! Don't you feel any sense of guilt, you ungrateful brat!"

Cobra had changed his tactics. Instead of appealing to Vivi's mercy, he would attack her actions. Vivi did hesitate for a moment, but she recomposed herself. This wasn't her father speaking, it was Cursa and the Darkmess controlling him.

"You're right, Father. I did run, but I didn't abandon my kingdom or its people. I went out to take Crocodile's organization down from the inside. While my original plan didn't work, I did find friends. Allies who will help me in defeating Crocodile and Cursa, and free Alabasta from their clutches! So forgive me, Father, for what I'm about to do, but it will free you from their control!"

Vivi shouted as she spun her Bworbs around. She then fired the energy within them at Cobra. Cobra managed to block the energy projectiles, but the force of them knocked the sword out of his hands. Seeing her chance, Vivi rushed forward and dealt the final blow. She struck Cobra and he let out a pain-filled scream. Vivi turns to see the Darkmess dissipate from her father. Cobra stood for a moment in a daze, before he fell to the ground.

"Father!"

Vivi rushed forward and caught him.

"Father, are you okay?"

"Vivi, is that you?"

Cobra asked as he regained his senses.

"Look at you, when did you become so strong?"

Vivi giggled in relief at this.

"I learned by watching you. Here, let me help you up."

Vivi picked up her father and helped him to a nearby wall so he could rest. As she set him down Cobra saw his bodyguards fighting Rabbid Mario and Rabbid Luigi.

"What, what are those things fighting Pell and Chaka?"

"Oh, don't worry about them, Father. They're friends, they'll free both Pell and Chaka from the Darkmess soon enough."

Vivi explained as Rabbid Mario sent Chaka flying into a wall.

"In one piece I hope."

Vivi said with some concern.

"Darkmess? What is... Wait, that black goop, from, Crocodile, and Cursa. Wait! I remember now!"

Cobra yelled as he stood up.

"Father, you need to rest!"

"Later Vivi, Crocodile, and his cohort Cursa, are after the poneglyph. That's why they captured me so that I could lead them to it."

"Oh no. Did you, Father?"

"I had no choice. Once I was infected by the Darkmess I couldn't disobey Cursa's orders. I showed them the way."

"Does that mean Crocodile knows about the ancient weapon?"

"No, not yet at least. Cursa read the poneglyph but she didn't tell Crocodile, yet. When she read it was when their forces started to scramble. I'm assuming that's due to the arrival of you and your friends."

"I guess so. It's a good thing that Crocodile doesn't know the location of the ancient weapon, but for Cursa to know. Wait, how was she able to read the poneglyph in the first place?"

Vivi pondered on this until she realized that despite everything that's happened she hasn't seen Miss All Sunday once. She figured she would be around, being Crocodile's right-hand agent. And she was the only one who could read the poneglyphs, according to Mario, but she hadn't seen her once. Was she hiding, or was it something else?

"Father, have you seen a tall woman with long black hair? She's Crocodile's most trusted agent."

"Hmm, no. I haven't seen anyone like that. Not when we were captured, not when we were corrupted, and not when I was forced to lead them to the poneglyph. Why do you ask?"

"Well, she's the one who was able to read the poneglyph. It's why Crocodile kept her so close, but where is she now?"

Vivi was perplexed by this. It was strange that she had been missing since Cursa arrived. It is possible that Crocodile gave up on the ancient weapon now that he has Cursa and Darkmess at his command. But if that was the case, then why have Cursa read the poneglyph? And how could she? Vivi has many questions to ask Mario once they meet again. Back with the fight, Rabbid Mario was beating Chaka, quite easily.

"Ha! Come on, is that all you got dog man? I haven't even broken a sweat yet."

Rabbid Mario boasted while flexing. Chaka stared and growled at him, infuriated that he was losing to this thing that was half his size. Chaka then pulled out something from his belt and threw it at Rabbid Mario. Rabbid Mario got ready for an explosion, but the object created a cloud of smoke when it landed in front of him. Rabbid Mario tried to see through the smoke, but couldn't see his opponent anymore. After a minute of not finding Chaka, Rabbid Mario gave up on finding him. He then paused, took a breath, raised his fists in a defensive stance, and waited for Chaka.

"Look out!"

Vivi yelled as Chaka dashed out of the smoke and struck Rabbid Mario with his claws, but that's what Rabbid Mario was waiting for. As soon as he was struck, he launched an uppercut that Chaka couldn't avoid. Chaka was then sent flying while Rabbid Mario rubbed the area that was hit. He then pulled back his fist and struck out when Chaka was in front of him. Chaka then screamed in pain as the Darkmess was destroyed. After the dust settled, Chaka was on the floor, free of Darkmess.

"Chaka!"

Vivi rushed up to see if he was okay. Chaka started to groan as he regained consciousness.

"Uuuhh, huh, what, what happened? And why is my body sore?"

Chaka asked as he got up. Vivi threw her arms around him in relief.

"Oh thank goodness, you're alright."

"Princess? When did you get here? Ow! Seriously, what happened? I feel like I went ten rounds with a warlord."

"About that,"

Vivi turned to Rabbid Mario.

"I asked you not to hurt him."

"What? He's fine. Just a little sore is all."

Rabbid Mario said in his defense, but Vivi was still angry. Chaka just looked at Rabbid Mario in confusion.

"Um, who, or what are you?"

"Rabbid Mario, nice to meet ya."

"What's a rabbid?"

"Don't worry about it, Chaka, I'll explain later. Now, all that's left is Pell."

"Pell?"

Chaka was confused, but then a wave of realization hit him.

"Pell! That's right! We were captured and...! King Cobra! Vivi, your father is,"

"It's okay, Chaka, he's fine. Look."

Vivi pointed to Cobra who was sitting against a wall.

"Your Majesty! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Chaka, thanks to my daughter and her new friends."

"That's good, speaking of which, Princess Vivi, who and what are they?"

"They're allies and have come from the same island Cursa came from. They have weapons that can defeat her and free our people."

"Cursa? Right! Crocodile's new partner, the one who did this to us. Well, now that I'm free, I think it's time for some payback."

Chaka reached for his sword, but Vivi stopped him.

"No, Chaka, let me and my new friends handle it."

What, but Princess, we..."

"I'm sorry, but without Sparks or Spark-powered weapons you can't defeat Cursa or any of her minions."

"Sparks?"

Zephystar then flew out from Vivi's cloak.

"Hello! She's talking about us."

Chaka was taken aback by Zephystar's appearance.

"What are you?"

"I'm a Spark."

"Okay, and what's a spark?"

"From what I understand, they are beings that hold the power of life and light within them. Making them the polar opposite of Cursa, who holds the power of darkness and corruption. Because of this, the Sparks are one of the only things that can harm Cursa or anyone who possesses the power of Darkmess she grants."

"I see, and how did you come across these beings?"

"I was lucky. I happened to meet a friend who knew where to get the Sparks."

"And where is this friend?"

Cobra asked his daughter.

"You'll meet him soon enough."

Vivi answered. Before Cobra or Chaka could say anything, Pell came crashing down in front of them. As they stood in shock the Darkmess began to dissipate and Pell was left on the floor.

"Pell!"

Chaka yelled as he ran to pick up his friend.

"Don't worry, he'll be fine."

Rabbid Luigi said as he walked up to the group. While Rabbid Mario greeted his brother, Pell began to wake up.

"Uh, what, what happened?"

"It's okay, I got you."

"Chaka, what happened? I remember being at the capital, and then Crocodile,"

An expression of shock came over Pell at that moment.

"Crocodile! He unleashed that sludge against us. And then we were captured and...! King Cobra! Quickly Chaka, we need to,"

"Calm down Pell, King Cobra is fine. See for yourself."

Chaka gestured to Vivi helping her father up. He quickly got up, ran to Vivi and Cobra, and kneeled in front of them.

"King Cobra, I am glad to see you safe. I also apologize for not being able to protect you."

"As do I."

Chaka said as he also kneeled in front of them.

"It's alright, Pell and Chaka, none of us were prepared for Crocodile's attack. Hope is not lost though, Vivi has returned with allies that can fight Crocodile and his new power."

"Right, speaking of which, what are they?"

Pell asked as he looked at Rabbid Mario and Rabbid Luigi. Vivi was about to explain, but the world began to shake.

"Huh? What's going on?"

Vivi asked in concern.

"Oh, don't worry princess. The Darkmess puddle is falling apart now that we've defeated its commanders."

Rabbid Mario explained.

"What!? Then we need to get out of here!"

"Yo, don't worry, Vivi. Everything is going to be okay."

Rabbid Luigi said. Vivi was about to ask why, but the world collapsed. The Alabasta citizens closed their eyes expecting the worst, but when they opened them they saw that they were back outside.

"Huh? What? But how?"

"I would like to know as well."

Vivi and Cobra said while Pell and Chaka just stood in astonishment. That's when Beep-O arrived to pick them up.

"Looks like our ride is here. Let's-a go."

Rabbid Mario said as he and Rabbid Luigi hopped on board the ship. Cobra, Pell, and Chaka were shocked by what they were seeing until Vivi snapped them out of their stupor.

"It's a little overwhelming, but they're here to help."

Vivi's words reassured them and they joined her in the ship.

Team Luigi

Luigi, Usopp, and Chopper were trying to fight back against the onslaught of Mister Four and Miss Merry Christmas, but it was difficult thanks to their teamwork. Miss Merry Christmas had dug many holes that were connected thanks to her devil fruit and she and Mister Four were using them to launch a series of hit-and-run attacks on our heroes. Luigi and Usopp tried to snipe them as they came out of the holes to attack, but the constant harassment from Mister Four's dog made that extremely difficult.

"Look out!"

Chopper yelled as he tackled Usopp, avoiding a volley of bombs the dog had fired. They breathed a sigh of relief, but Mister Four popped out of a hole and batted the bombs right back at them. Usopp and Chopper screamed as the bombs approached them.

"Get down!"

Luigi shouted as he aimed his weapon and fired at the bombs, destroying them before they could reach Usopp and Chopper. Usopp turned and gave Luigi a thumbs up when Miss Merry Christmas jumped out of a hole and at Luigi with her claws. Luigi jumped up and avoided the attack Usopp tried to shoot Miss Merry Christmas, but she dove into a hole to avoid the attack.

"Damn it. We need to find a way to stop them from going back underground."

Usopp said. Luigi pondered on this and came up with an idea.

"I got it! Toxicomet, I need you!"

Luigi called out. A green Spark then flew out of his cap.

"You called?"

"Yes, I need your power."

"You got it."

Luigi's weapon glowed green with Spark power.

"Guys!"

Usopp and Chopper turned to Luigi.

"I need-a you two to keep them busy. I'll take care of the holes."

"How?"

"Just trust me Usopp."

Luigi said with a thumbs up. Usopp nodded and decided to follow Luigi's plan.

"Okay, Chopper, you protect Luigi. I'll shoot as much of the bombs as I can and try to get some shots in."

"Okay."

Chopper replied. That is when Miss Merry Christmas popped out from one of the holes.

"Thanks for being stupid enough to blab like that."

She then charged towards Luigi and jumped at him with her claws out.

"Now I know who to take out first!"

"I won't let you!"

Chopper shouted as he punched Miss Merry Christmas away from Luigi.

"Gah! You damn moose!"

"I'm a reindeer!"

Miss Merry Christmas dove back into the ground to avoid an attack from Chopper.

"Thanks, Chopper! Now it's-a my turn."

Luigi said as he focused. That's when Mister Four's dog came out and fired more bombs at him. Luigi shot at the dog, but it went back down before Luigi's shot hit him. The shot hit the hole and left behind a green substance, but the bombs were still flying towards Luigi. Luigi was able to jump over them though, so he was fine. But Mister Four came out to try and hit them back at Luigi.

"Oh no you don't!"

Usopp fired at Mister Four, but he blocked the shots with his bat. He turned back just in time to see the bombs were too close, so he dove back underground to avoid them. The bombs exploded far away from anyone making Miss Merry Christmas angry.

"Grr, damn brats."

She said before she dove down to avoid a shot from Luigi. Luigi continued to fire at the agents as they popped out of the many holes. Soon Toxicomet came out exhausted.

"Whoo, that's all I got for now."

"Thanks for the help. You can rest now."

Luigi said with Toxicomet nodding in agreement. He then flew into Luigi's cap to rest.

"Ha! All that talk and you didn't hit a single one of us."

Miss Merry Christmas gloated, but Luigi just chuckled.

"The goal wasn't to hit you."

"Huh? Then what was your goal?"

"You'll see."

Luigi said as he fired a shot at Miss Merry Christmas. She dove back down to avoid the attack, and that is when Mister Four's dog came back out and fired more bombs at our heroes. They avoided them, but that is when Mister Four came out to send them back, but something was wrong.

"Huh?"

Mister Four was covered in a green substance, and he was stuck in it. He couldn't move his arms to raise his bat, and he couldn't go back down. He was helpless as the bombs flew towards him.

"Oooooooohhhhhhh... nnnoooooooooooo..."

He was struck by the bombs fired by his dog.

"What the hell? Why didn't you duck!?"

Miss Merry Christmas asked her partner, and that's when she noticed it. Most of the holes she made were now covered by that green substance. Including the one she just came out of.

"What!? What is this stuff!?"

She yelled as she struggled to get free.

"That is what my plan was, to stop you from diving down into the ground. Now if you get covered in the slime, you're stuck. Helpless, unable to protect yourself or run."

Luigi explained as he and Usopp aimed at her.

"No! Don't!"

She cried out, but it didn't stop Luigi and Usopp from firing a barrage of bullets at her. Mister Four's dog came out of a hole that wasn't covered in slime to help them, but,

"Got you!"

Chopper yelled as he struck the dog with an overhead fist. With most of the holes covered in slime, he just waited by one that wasn't. And it worked, the dog had come out of the hole like he expected.

Mister Four and Miss Merry were battered, but now free of the slime. Unfortunately, the dog was out for the count thanks to Chopper's attack.

"Grrr, damn brats! That's it! We're pulling out all the stops now! Get ready Mister Four!"

"Oooookaaaaaayyyy!"

Miss Merry Christmas and Mister Four dove back down into the ground. Luigi, Chopper, and Usopp got ready and watched the holes, but to their surprise, Miss Merry Christmas's claws came from the ground under Luigi and grabbed his feet.

"Huh!?"

"Now you're mine green stache!"

Miss Merry Christmas began to pull Luigi away and towards Mister Four who came out of a slime-free hole. He pulled back his bat and was waiting for Luigi to get close enough.

"Now, Molehill Intersection attack!"

Miss Merry Christmas shouted as she sped up. Chopper and Usopp tried to help, but they couldn't catch up to Luigi. But Luigi wasn't frightened.

"Alrighty then."

Instead, he put away his Sharpshooter and pulled out his hammer. He got ready to meet Mister Four's attack with his own. When they got close enough to each other they both swung their weapons. The sound of metal clashing rang through the air until a thud was heard. Everyone turned to see that it was the top half of Mister Four's bat, now broken in half. Mister Four just looked down in horror at his broken weapon. Luigi nodded and used his astounding leg strength to jump free of Miss Merry Christmas's grasp.

"Let's-a go!"

Luigi shouted as he brought his hammer down upon Mister Four's head. While it did hurt him, it didn't defeat him due to the hammer not being a Spark-powered weapon.

"Finish it Chopper!"

"Right!"

Chopper replied to Luigi as he rushed forward in his muscle form and dealt the finishing blow to Mister Four. Miss Merry Christmas just growled at this when she was struck by a Spark bullet.

"Ow! Why you, huh?"

Miss Merry Christmas was horrified to see dozens of spark bullets about to hit her. Usopp just smirked as she was bombarded by Spark bullets.

"Heh, a focused Spark Scattershot, how'd you like that mole woman!"

Usopp shouted in victory as Miss Merry Christmas was defeated. Soon, the world began to shake and crumble. Usopp and Chopper began to panic, but Luigi told them to calm down. Usopp was about to ask why until he found himself back outside.

"See, since we defeated the commanders, the Darkmess puddle was destroyed."

"Ah, I get it now. So we did it!"

Usopp cheered with Chopper joining in, now in his small form.

"Great work everyone!"

Vivi shouted as Beep-o descended in his ship.

"Now all that's left is Mario's team. Come on, we need to get going."

Luigi and the others nodded as they hopped aboard the ship.

Team Mario

While Mario, Peach, and Rabbid Peach are trapped in the wax maze with the Darkmess-infused Mister Three and Miss Golden Week, Sanji is fighting against Mister Two. They had just backed off from each other after matching blow for blow.

"It seems that we're evenly matched pretty boy."

"Yeah, just wait until I get serious."

"Is that so? Then try this!"

Mister Two touched his right cheek and was covered in Darkmess. Sanji was confused until the Darkmess dissipated to reveal Mister Two was now Mario.

"Let's see how you deal with fighting against your friends!"

Mister Two(Mario) shouted as he charged at Sanji. Sanji got ready and avoided an overhead strike from Mister Two. He was about to retaliate, but Mister Two shot fireballs from his hands at Sanji, forcing him to retreat.

"Damn, he really can mimic our abilities and techniques. This is going to be tough."

Sanji said to himself as he landed. But Mister Two was upon him already and threw out a haymaker. Sanji brought up his leg to block and expected his leg to break from the force, but it didn't. He was able to hold back Mister Two's punch even though he was mimicking Mario. Sanji grinned as he came to a realization and pushed Mister Two back.

"Man, I was worried for a second, but now I'm feeling much more confident in my chances of beating you."

"Why?"

Mister Two(Mario) asked.

"Because, even though you can copy our techniques you can't mimic our strength. If you could, my leg would've been broken from trying to block Mario's punch. Believe me, I know how strong he is, and you are nowhere near his level of strength. And if you can't mimic that, then that means,"

Sanji rushed forward and unleashed a barrage of kicks at Mister Two. Mister Two was able to block most, but not all of Sanji's attacks. He backed up, wanting to put some space in between him and Sanji so he could recover.

"Just as I thought."

Sanji said with a confident grin.

"You can't mimic our reaction time either. If you did, then you would have no trouble blocking all my kicks. Seems even with all that Darkmess you're just a cheap knockoff of us, how sad."

"Grr, damn you. I'll pay you back double for this insult!"

"Yeah, try it, you okama freak."

While Sanji and Mister Two began to fight again, Mario was still navigating the wax maze while fighting off wax copies of his friends. He just avoided a kick from a wax Sanji and dove away to escape missiles fired by a wax Rabbid Peach. As he was falling, he fired two shots from his Duel Slingers and destroyed the wax copies. He paused to catch his breath as behind him were piles of wax rubble—proof of how many wax copies he destroyed.

"Mamamia, is there no end to them? Of course not, as long as those two are still around they'll keep making more wax copies to send at us."

Mario said to himself, remembering Mister Three and Miss Golden Week. He prayed the others were having a better time dealing with them than he was as he ran down the corridor. He kept running until he made it to an open area. He looked around and saw Rabbid Peach. Before he could say anything, she fired missiles at him. He jumped and dove to avoid them and fired two shots at her. When they hit, she was knocked down not destroyed.

"Ow."

Rabbid Peach said as she rubbed the area that Mario hit.

"Huh, Rabbid Peach?"

"Yeah, it's me."

She answered as she used her power to heal herself.

"Why did you shoot me?"

"I thought you were a fake, duh."

"And if I wasn't?"

"Then you wouldn't be destroyed. And I could use my power to heal you."

She replied as she snuggled closer to Mario. Mario was about to say something but she was right. These wax copies were very fragile, only taking a single shot to destroy. Mario just shrugged and patted Rabbid Peach on the head. She was giddy with happiness as she took a selfie of them.

"Oh thank goodness you two are alright."

Peach said as she descended from above.

"I'm glad I found you instead of more of those wax copies of us."

"Me too."

"Ditto."

Mario and Rabbid Peach said. Mario then took a look around, trying to figure out a way out of this mess. He then picked up a rock from the ground, confusing the others.

"Mario, what are you doing?"

Peach asked.

"I'm-a going to use this rock to mark the walls as we navigate the maze. With this trick, we should be able to find a way out."

"While that is a good idea, it's not going to work."

"Huh? Why not?"

Rabbid Peach asked.

"Because that wax man won't let us out. He's constantly remaking the maze so we are trapped in here with those wax copies."

"How did you find this out?"

"I saw it when I was above the maze. He's using his powers to reshape the maze and make more wax copies."

Peach said to Mario. Mario pondered on this for a moment and then pulled out his hammer.

"Alrighty then, if they're going to cheat, so will we."

Mario started swinging at the wall, breaking it apart.

"So we're going to break our way out then?"

"Not exactly Peach."

Mario answered. When the dust settled, it revealed that Mario had broken the wall in a way that resembled stairs.

"Going up?"

Mario asked as he held his hands out for the two ladies. They took his hands and the trio made their way to the top of the maze. Once above, they saw Mister Three and Miss Golden Week at the entrance. The two were shocked to see them and Mister Three placed his hands on the wall. Soon the section of the maze Mario and his friends were on began to shift. The walls rose to try and knock them back down, but they were too quick. They jumped out of the way and onto another wall. Mister Three desperately tried to knock them back down but to no avail. Mario, Peach, and Rabbid Peach were jumping and ducking over all his attacks.

"Gotcha."

Rabbid Peach launched a trio of missiles at Mister Three. But Miss Golden Week threw paint at them, causing them to blow up before they reached Mister Three. Seeing that his attacks weren't working, Mister Three thrust one of his arms into the Darkmess puddles to create more clones. Mario and his friends got ready as more wax copies were sent their way, but that's when Mario noticed something. The attacks from Mister Three were slower and he looked like he was under a lot of stress.

"I see, he's straining himself to control the maze and make wax copies. We can take advantage of that.

Mario said to himself before turning to Peach and Rabbid Peach.

"We need to force him to make wax clones."

"Huh? Why?"

Peach asked.

"Trust me, it's our key to victory."

While Peach didn't understand Mario's plan, she trusted him and nodded in agreement.

"Okay, let's-a go!"

The trio began to destroy all the clones coming their way. It looked like Mario's plan wasn't working as the wax clones seemed endless, at first. But soon the wax clones were starting to dwindle. That's when Peach saw it, Mister Three was drenched in sweat and appeared to be in great pain.

"I see, we're burning him out. It's taking a great deal of concentration to maintain control over the maze and make wax clones."

"Exacto-mundo! He seems to be at his limit. This maze should colla-"

Mario started to explain before the wall he was standing on began to shake and crumble.

"Look out below!"

Rabbid Peach shouted as she, Mario, Peach, and the Baroque agents fell to the ground. Back with Sanji, he and Mister Two were still fighting when they heard a rumble. That's when they saw the maze collapse.

"Oh my."

"Ah! Peach-swan!"

Sanji said in fear as he watched the maze turn to rubble.

"Can you afford to be distracted?"

Mister Two asked as he launched a kick at Sanji's back. Sanji evaded and delivered a counterkick to Mister Two's face.

"Hey, okama freak, how about you stay down so I can rescue Peach already?"

Sanji rushed forward to finish Mister Two off. Mister Two was terrified but then had an idea. Sanji seemed to really care for Peach. Mister Two touched his cheek and turned into Peach. Sanji stopped before he landed a kick on Peach's face.

"What's wrong? Can't hurt the one you love?"

Mister Two(Peach) asked, assuming Sanji and Peach were lovers.

"Bastard."

Sanji growled before he dodged a kick from Mister Two.

"How fortunate, I've seemed to have found your Achilles heel."

Sanji continued to avoid kicks until Mister Two struck his gut. Sanji fell to his knees while Mister Two laughed triumphantly.

"Looks like this is the end, pretty boy."

"Like hell it is. Hmm, there's a bug on your cheek."

"Oh." Mister Two touched his cheek, changing back. "Did I get it?"

Sanji delivered a roundhouse kick to Mister Two's face, sending him flying.

"No, but don't worry. I got it for you."

Mister Two growled as he got up.

"You, I'll get you for that."

Mister Two and Sanji resumed their fight. Back with Mario and the others, he, Peach, and Rabbid Peach were dusting themselves off, having survived the fall.

"Good plan Mario."

Peach said. Mario gave a thumbs up when he noticed the Darkmess puddles from earlier. He was about to shoot them when they dashed past him. He and his friends turned to see the puddles fuse with Mister Three and Miss Golden Week. The dark wax began to shape itself into the large armor Mister Three wore in the past, but his partner was now strapped on top as well.

"That's new. But nothing we can't handle."

Mario said as he pulled out his Duel Slingers. That's when Mister Three's wax arms began to change shape. It soon resembled a mish-mash of guns, guns that looked familiar. Mister Three aimed at Mario and his friends and fired a flurry of Darkmess blasts and Missiles. That's when it dawned on them.

"That's my Duel Slingers and Rabbid Peach's Triple Troll!"

Mario shouted in revelation.

"Of course. The dark wax puddles that made our copies fused with him, so now his armor can mimic all of our abilities as well."

Peach explained.

"Hey! No one likes copycats!"

Rabbid Peach shouted in anger. She then fired a trio of missiles at him, but Mister Three's arm changed to Peach's Umbrella and blocked the missiles. Rabbid Peach just yelled in anger as Mister Three grinned at her. That is when his partner, Miss Golden Week, threw down a circle of paint that surrounded our heroes.

"This trick again? It's not going to,"

Mario was saying before he, and the others, began to feel dizzy.

"What the?"

"What's happening?"

"I feel funny."

Mario, Peach, and Rabbid Peach said as the paint began to affect them. As they were dazed, Mister Three changed his arms back into guns and aimed at them. Mario saw this and forced himself to grab the others and jump out of the way. They managed to avoid the attack and were beginning to feel normal now that they were out of the paint circle.

"Oh mamamia, what was that?"

Peach asked.

"It's that girl. Her paint has some mind-altering effects. I was able to resist its effects before, but it's stronger now. Probably due to her Darkmess upgrade."

Mario explained. That is when Mister Three rushed forward. The trio fired their weapons at him, but he formed his hands into umbrellas to block the attacks. Mario and his friends had to jump out of the way. Once they landed, they turned back and fired at Mister Three again. But it was useless, Mister Three blocked the attacks with one arm while firing back with the other. Peach and Rabbid Peach took cover while Mario jumped over the stream of Darkmess shots and missiles. Mister Three continued to chase Mario with his gun arm, meanwhile Peach and Rabbid Peach tried a sneak attack. But Miss Golden Week warned Mister Three and he blocked their shots just in time. He then swung his arm down to try and crush them, but they jumped out of the way.

"Gah! How can we beat this guy when he can block all our attacks while firing his own?"

Rabbid Peach asked in anger.

"Not only that, we can't get the jump on him thanks to the little girl on his back. Plus that paint can drain and disorient us, giving him the chance to strike the finishing blow. How can we beat him?"

Peach said in agreement. That's when Mario landed next to them behind a wall, hiding from Mister Three. Mario began to think about this, that's when he had an idea.

"Girls, I have a plan."

Mario said as he pulled out Stuffwell. Back with Mister Three, he and his partner were still looking around for our heroes. That's when Mario jumped out and fired at him. Mister Three made an umbrella shield to block the attack, and that's when Peach came from the other side. Miss Golden Week warned Mister Three and he made another umbrella shield to block her attack. That is when Rabbid Peach fired missiles at his back, but Miss Golden Week stopped them with her paint. Mister Three swung one of his arms at Rabbid Peach, but Mario managed to tackle her out of the way.

"This way, quickly!"

Peach shouted as she ran down a partially intact hallway. The trio ran as Mister Three was hot on their tails. Soon they found themselves at a dead end. With no other choice, they turned and fired everything they had at Mister Three. But he blocked all their attacks and charged into them, destroying the wall behind them. He and his partner looked around until they saw the injured trio. He triumphantly marched up to them and picked them up. He grinned in victory as he savored his victory over Mario.

Despite losing most of his emotions to the Darkmess infusion, he still remembered his humiliating defeat at Mario's hands. His victory was cut short though when he noticed Mario, Peach, and Rabbid Peach were smiling. Then they poofed out of existence. He and Miss Golden Week looked around frantically for them when two Spark blasts hit Miss Golden Week. Now, while the shots didn't purify her, they did knock her out. That is when Mario revealed himself from the rubble. Mister Three turned to face him but was shot in the back by Peach.

Mister Three tried to defend himself, but he couldn't keep up or sight of the two more nimble adversaries. That was the problem with his armor. While it offered great strength and defense, it was big and clunky and made it hard for Mister Three to look around. That's why Miss Golden Week was so important, she could keep an eye on other enemies while Mister Three focused on the enemy in front of him. Now that she was out cold, she couldn't warn him when someone was attacking from his blind spot.

Mario and Peach kept up the hit-and-run tactics, pushing Mister Three back through the hallway they came from. This continued until Mister Three bumped into something. He turned around and saw a super-sized Triple Troll with Rabbid Peach leaning against the trigger. Mister Three realized that he was against the barrel of the weapon and was frightened by what was about to happen.

"Hi. Bye."

Rabbid Peach said as she pressed down on the trigger. Mister Three was then sent flying on a missile into the air. He soared until the missile exploded with him and his partner on it. Mario and Peach looked around to try and find Mister Three and Miss Golden Week as they were falling while Rabbid Peach just took selfies. That's when Mario spotted the duo falling to the ground. He then ran and jumped towards them. He managed to catch them both before they hit the ground.

"Mario! Are they okay?"

Peach asked as she ran up to him. Mario checked their pulse and was glad to see that they were fine and free of Darkmess. They may have been enemies, but that didn't mean they deserved to die or stay Cursa's slaves. Arlong was a special case because of the suffering he put Nami and her village through.

"Yes, they're fine."

"Oh thank goodness. Good plan by the way. It's a good thing you packed some extra power-ups in Stuffwell."

"Yep, speaking of, how many do I have left Stuffwell?"

"Let's see, you have two uses of the double cherry zero of the mega shroom, but not to worry. E. Gadd programmed me with the same recharge function as your gloves. So you should have full use of the power-ups after a twenty-four-hour rest period.

Stuffwell explained. That is when Rabbid Peach jumped in front of the unconscious villains.

"Hashtag, victory!"

She shouted as she posed while doing the peace sign. Mario and Peach just laughed about her antics. That is when Mario turned back to the theatre.

"Is something wrong, Mario?"

Peach asked.

"I hope Sanji is okay."

"Who? Oh! Mister pervy curly brow, I'm sure he's fine."

Rabbid Peach said dismissively. Mario started to feel bad. Sanji couldn't catch a break with the ladies, even if they were a different species. Back with Sanji, he and Mister Two were still fighting when the explosion went off. They both backed off to look back at the destroyed maze.

"Looks like your pals just lost."

Sanji said with a smile. Mister Two just glared at him, one that Sanji gave back once he was done admiring his friends' victory.

"Now all that's left, is you."

Sanji charged at Mister Two, intent on finishing the fight. Mister Two threw out a kick, but Sanji jumped over it and was about to deliver an axe kick. That's when Mister Two touched his cheek and changed into Peach.

"Just try it pretty boy!"

"Hey, there's a smudge on your cheek."

"Huh?"

Mister Two rubbed his cheek, changing back.

"Did I get it?"

He asked before he realized what he'd just done. He tried to change back, but Sanji was right above him and delivered an axe kick before Mister Two could activate his power.

"Hey."

Pyrogeddon said as he flew out of Sanji's pocket.

"Right, let's cook this crook."

Sanji leaped into the air and Pyrogeddon activated its power. Sanji was then covered in flames and shot down like a meteor. He slammed into Mister Two, delivering a flaming foot dive into his gut. The Darkmess was burned away from Mister Two, and he passed out from the pain. Sanji lit a cigarette and took in a puff. He then let it out and looked down at Mister Two.

"How about that? Looks like it was your requiem instead, you okama freak."

Sanji was about to look for Peach, but the world began to shake.

"What the?"

Sanji looked around wondering what was happening. That's when he remembered something.

"Crap! The Darkmess puddle is destroyed once these guys are beaten. I need to get Peach out of here!"

Sanji was about to rush to find Peach, but the world collapsed.

"PEACH!"

Sanji yelled as he reached out his hand, and found that he was back outside.

"Huh?"

"Yes? What is it Sanji?"

Peach asked as Sanji turned to her. He saw Peach, Mario, and Rabbid Peach dusting themselves off.

"What? But how?"

"What do you mean Sanji?'

Mario asked.

"The world, it collapsed and we were still in it. How are we back out here."

"Oh, let me explain. If the Darkmess puddle is destroyed and we're still in it, we're sent back outside where the puddle was located."

"I see, that's good to know."

Sanji said as he got up. He then looked at Peach.

"Peach-swan!"

Sanji said as he leaped to hug her, but he missed her because she bent down to hug Mario and Rabbid Peach. He unceremoniously crashed into the ground.

"Good job you two."

Peach said as she let them go. She then patted Rabbid Peach on the head and kissed Mario. Sanji just growled at this.

"Damn you Mario."

He said in jealousy, that is when Peach gave him a peck on the cheek.

"And you too. Good job, Sanji."

"Oh, thank you Peach-swan!"

Sanji said as he got up and started to do his noodle dance. Rabbid Peach stuck out her tongue in disgust while Mario just chuckled. That is when he heard something. He turned to the sound and saw Mister Two trying to crawl away.

"So, you're tougher than you look."

Sanji said as he walked up to Mister Two and placed his foot on his back.

"No, let me go! I need to get out of here!"

Mister Two yelled as he struggled against Sanji.

"Huh, why?"

"Please, just let me go pretty boy! I have to get out of here before it's too late!"

"Too late? Too late for what?"

Sanji asked, but Mister Two didn't answer. He just continued to struggle against Sanji's grasp. Sanji sighed in annoyance before he stomped the ground in front of Mister Two.

"Hey! I asked you a question. Too late for what? What's going to happen?"

Sanji asked in an intimidating tone. Mister Two tried to find a way to escape but found himself surrounded by Mario and the others.

"Urgh, fine! I'll tell you, I'm dead anyway. There's a bomb in the clock tower in Alubarna."

"What!?"

Mario and the others said in shock.

"Yes, it was originally meant to destroy both the Rebellion and Royal armies. But Cursa changed it and now it'll cover the whole island in Darkmess when it blows."

"What!? Mamamia, I should've expected something like this from her. How long until it goes off?"

Mario asked.

"I can't remember, but I think two hours after you arrived in the puddles."

"Oh dear, how long has it been since we entered?"

Peach asked, Mario looked at a pocket watch he had.

"Thirty minutes."

"Then we still have time. We need to let the others know, but first."

Sanji kicked Mister Two in the head, knocking him out.

"There, now how do we get back?"

Sanji's question was answered as Beep-o arrived to pick them up.

"Good work everyone. Now all that's left is the puddle guarding the palace."

Beep-o said as the ship descended.

"Yeah, but we have another problem. There's a bomb that's-a going to cover the island in Darkmess."

Mario said as he and the others got onto the ship.

"Oh no! Mario, all the details, please and quickly."

Mario began to explain what they learned as the ship flew to the last puddle.

And that's the end of the chapter. Thank you all so much for reading, I hope you enjoy it. And please feel free to leave a review if you like, thank you, and have a nice day.