Robin moved through the ancient ruins of Bakuvvu like a tigress stalking unseen prey, her every step silent, every movement calculated. She wasn't hunting for food—her target was far more dangerous. Trespassers had invaded her domain, and she would not let them escape. The jungle was her kingdom, and she was its silent queen.
Her sharp eyes scanned the ancient ruins, picking up every faint movement, every rustle in the foliage. The jungle whispered to her—its guardian—telling her that the intruders had already slipped deeper into the temple. She was too late to catch them in the open, but there was still time to stop them before they triggered something they couldn't control.
Robin emerged into the city's square, where she came to bask upon the open clearing. Yet despite the keen sight of the Jungle Queen, there was still no sign of the three intruders. Robin paused, squinting her eyes with a curious gaze.
"Nothing," she said.
Tookie suddenly flew in from behind, squeaking. Robin shook her head.
"I'm not sure, Tookie. But we will never find them at this rate," Robin proclaimed.
"Where could they be?"
The Jungle Queen narrowed her head, pondering. With what she knew of Pirates, she knew that their lust for Treasure showed no bounds. There was no doubt in her mind that they were within the temple chalked full of all the lost city's many riches. Having explored the entire city, Robin had determined that all the treasure within the lost city was housed within the very heart of the ruins.
Robin cocked her head, peering ahead toward the very heart of the city itself. At the Great Temple, which stood at the very center of the city.
The Temple of the Voodoo Hoodoo!
The Jungle Queen was left with a startled look of awe. The temple of Voodoo Hoodoo was where the lost people performed rituals for their great God through tributes. The notion that the Pirates would dare venture into its depths was unsurprising. There, the lost people had hidden away many untold riches, mainly as tributes to their great God, Mangu. Among other things, the Mangu desired to have.
Robin had faced the Mangu once before—a primal force that even the jungle feared. She had only escaped his clutches through a combination of cunning and luck, but the Kuja Pirates wouldn't be so fortunate. They had no idea what they were about to awaken, and if Robin didn't reach them in time, the temple would not be the only thing they would lose.
"Oh no," she said.
"Tookie, Tookie?" Tookie asked curiously.
"Seems the Pirates might have stumbled into some trouble. The Temple of Voodoo Hoodoo," Robin proclaimed.
"Tookie. Tookie?" Tookie said.
"There is no time to explain, Tookie. We must hurry and find them before they stumble upon Mangu's chamber," The jungle Queen proclaimed.
With that, Robin quickly made her way toward the Temple with great haste. With Tookie soon to follow suit after the Jungle Queen.
Meanwhile, back inside the Great Temple of Voodoo Hoodoo, the Jungle Queen's predictions proved true. The Kuja Pirates stood frozen before the altar, mesmerized by the towering golden idol. Its ruby eyes gleamed, catching the faintest flicker of light and casting a haunting red glow over the chamber. It was as if the eyes were alive, watching them and pulling them closer with every passing second. The air thickened, charged with an ancient, unseen power that seemed to wrap around their minds.
"Is that the deed?" Aphelandra asked curiously.
Sweat Pea scratched the side of her head curiously.
"Umm... I don't think so. But it looks shiny," she said.
"It could make for a good tribute for the Empress. What do you think, Marguerite?"
Marguerite did not answer. Instead, she slowly approached, peering up at the statue with a curious glance. She squinted her eyes, directing her stare into the two ruby eyes. A sudden, alluring feeling swept over the young Amazonian as if she was mesmerized by the gold and jewels alone.
She needed it!
She had to have it.
"Marguerite?" Sweat Pea asked.
Sweat Pea was then snapped back to reality. She cocked her head back at Sweat Pea and Aphelandra, who were looking at her curiously.
"We were discussing whether we should take the idol back to Amazon Lilly," Sweat Pea said.
"Oh... uh," Marguerite said, returning to the idol.
The young Amazonian looked at the idol with uncertainty. The sudden feeling of lust she had for this idol still lingered in her mind. It was strange. Something about this peculiar golden relic seemed off.
"I...I'm not so sure about that. There's something off about it," she insisted to her fellow Amazonians.
"What do you mean?" Aphelandra asked curiously
The two ruby eyes over the statue began to glisten a bright red. Suddenly, the tree Kuja Pirates found themselves mesmerized and in awe at its bright red glow. Their eyes reflected the strange red Glow from its red ruby eyes.
"What's happening..." Aphelandra said in a faint voice.
There was a sudden strange voice.
"Come to me, my slaves," a voice hissed, thick and heavy like the weight of a thousand years. The words slithered into their minds, wrapping around their thoughts, until all that was left was the irresistible pull of obedience. Their feet moved as if by an unseen force, their bodies bending to the will of the ancient power, helpless against its call.
"Bow before your place before your new Master."
The three Amazonians came up and bowed before the altar. The eyes of the idol came to glisten brightly at the sight of their supposed new slaves now under their command,
"Good, now let's get down to business."
Robin approached the entrance of the Voodoo Hoodoo Temple. Tookie trembled fearfully at the sight of the two guarding statues at each side of the entrance. He flew back behind Robin, who gave an amused smirk back at her majordomo. It was common for many jungle animals of Bakuvvu to be so fearful of the lost city. There was much superstition among the animals, who still remembered when this was a once thriving city.
Which made it all the more commendable that she could explore these ruins without fear. The animals often considered Robin quite brave because she could step foot in the city when no one would. Not that she believed in the animal's superstitions regarding the ruins. Her thirst for any such knowledge kept her mind from any sense of fear.
The Jungle Queen gazed at the ruins, her hands firmly atop her wide hips. The intruders she sought to find no doubt resided within the temple itself, plundering its many riches. If only they knew just what lay within these ruins—what awaited them.
Right then, the faint sound of trible music could be heard from within. Tookie came to peer from behind Robin.
"Tookie, Tookie?" Tookie shuddered nervously.
"If I had to guess, they stumbled into the Chamber of the Mangu," The Jungle Queen proclaimed.
"Tookie, Tookie?" Her majordomo questioned.
"The Ancient God the people once worshipped here in the city. And it seems he might have found some new slaves," Robin proclaimed.
Robin only peered into the temple, listening to the tribal beat within. There was no doubt in her mind that they had found the Mangu's chamber. By the sounds of it, it seemed that the Great God Of the Bakuvvu had found new slaves to beckon to his every need. For a fleeting moment, Robin considered letting the pirates suffer their fate. The Mangu's power would be a fitting punishment for those who dared to trespass and steal from her jungle. But the thought quickly faded. She knew what it meant to be enslaved by forces beyond her control, and she couldn't leave anyone—pirate or not—to face that darkness alone.
At the same time, she was all too familiar with what happens to those who become the slaves of the Mangu. It was a fate that she nearly had endured. She was all but fortunate that she could avoid the idol's hypnotic glance and persuade the mighty Mangu to go free with some 'convincing.' Though there had only that had ever done so as not many were so lucky.
She doubted that the Kuja Pirates would be able to do the same. Robin clenched her fists, torn between protecting her jungle and saving the intruders from a fate worse than death. She knew letting them fall under the Mangu's control would rid her of their presence for good—but at what cost? She had once escaped the Mangu's gaze, but the memory of his power still chilled her to the bone. No one deserved to be enslaved by that ancient god.
She could not leave them to endure such a fate despite intruding on her jungle. Doing so would undoubtedly bring more of the Kuja Pirates to Bakuvvu. She could only hope to save their lives; they would repay her by leaving the Bakuvvu and never again return.
Robin bowed her head with a small sigh, which earned a curious glance by Tookie.
"Tookie, Tookie?" he asked curiously.
"No, but it wouldn't be right for us to leave them here to be his slaves. I hope that we can convince them to leave," she insisted.
With a deep breath, Robin stepped into the dark maw of the temple, her mind racing with what she knew lay ahead. The oppressive air inside seemed to weigh her down with each step, but she pressed forward. The flicker of torches in the distance and the ominous beat of tribal drums confirmed her worst fears—the Mangu was awake, and the Kuja Pirates were already under his thrall.