Bob was laid on a bed with poorly bandaged wounds. He barely had a pulse. Nargo and Barbosa entered the tiny room to see the group sitting around Bob, bored.
"How is our loud friend?" Nargo asked.
"What do you think, Nargo? The man is missing limbs." Jimmy replied sarcastically.
"Hold that thought! I'll be back in a second." Nargo quickly rushed out of the room and returned with a bucket full of cold water.
"This should do the trick." He chucked it over Bob.
"W-what happened? Wait, why can't I move my arms? WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK! WHAT DID YOU GUYS DO TO ME?" Bob screamed.
"Now Bob, we're going to ask you a few questions and you're going to answer them as honestly as you can otherwise, your crewmate John will be killed." Jimmy tried intimidating him.
"Isn't Mister John d-" Tim Tim started.
"Delighted to be in captivity. Of course bucket boy. Now let the adults fucking talk." Nargo kicked Tim Tim to hint at him.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY BROTHER?! I SWEAR TO GOD, IF YOU'VE LAID A FING-"
"Question number 1. Why did you need that absurd amount of alcohol?" Jimmy asked.
"I mean that's not really an absurd amount." Nargo cut in with Whatz D Face nodding his head in agreement.
"W-we are having a party tonight. We're celebrating Captain Kozo returning by throwing a huge party and a mass execution in his honour." Bob trembled.
"Oh, I see. So what time is your wonderful captain returning?"
"Sometime in the evening."
"Next question. You're doing really well. Where is Gary's daughter in the mansion?"
"Basement level."
"Ok, who's in charge at the moment?"
"First mate Diaman. He's also in the mansion."
"Final question. Would you like to see your brother?"
"Y-yes!" Bob shouted enthusiastically.
Tim Tim went to fetch John's remains and returned. He dumped them in front of Bob, mortified and in shock.
"No. No, no, no. NOOOOOO! MY BROTHER! YOU BASTARDS!"
"Do you understand how the victims of all those affected by your evil crew feel now? Do you feel their desperation, their infinite sadness? I hope you do because now it's time to repent for your sins." Jimmy thrust his harpoon through Bob's skull.
"That was really extreme for someone like you, are you alright?" Sam asked.
"J-just give me a minute. Meet downstairs and we'll discuss a plan." Jimmy whispered.
The crew allowed Jimmy to contemplate his actions. He'd killed people before but this was the first time in cold blood. It was a horrible feeling despite knowing that the brothers deserved their fates. Many families had been torn apart for the rest of their lives yet Jimmy couldn't shake the guiltiness he felt. Jimmy cleared the mess upstairs and walked downstairs and greeted everyone with a pained smile.
"Right. Before we start, is Vaeg alive?" Jimmy asked.
"He miraculously got catapulted onto our ship which is now docked near a staircase and a river by the docks in this town." Barbosa replied.
"That's alright then. He'll probably entertain himself with Dawn. Anyway, I've had an idea for the infiltration of the mansion."
"Well get a fucking move on then." Nargo said impatiently.
"There are two uniforms, or, so I presume. Barbosa and Tim Tim will wear these and sneak into the base. Whatz D Face will use his ability to blend into shadows to accompany them. Find the mayor and see if he is being forced to help the black dagger pirates or if he is one of them. Also find Gary's daughter. Avoid Diaman, if possible, but in the worst scenario, fight him.
The second squad will be the rest of us here. I'm calling it the fire diversion squad. Yes, you heard that right Belsari. You get to burn empty houses. The rest of us will try to spread the fire to attract the attention of the black daggers. There's a set of houses in the area, when set fire to, won't affect civilians, as long as there's nothing else affecting the fire. Do not try to infiltrate until you see some of the black daggers running out.
Ronin will also come with us, with Tim Tim's permission, so the infiltration squad has a higher rate to succeed." Jimmy explained.
"Ronin, old buddy, Mister Jimmy will take care of you whilst I do a super secret mission. You need to be a good boy and listen to the co-captain." Tim Tim said.
Ronin initially rejected the idea of being separated from his master but eventually caved in and listened to Tim Tim's command.
"Make sure nothing happens to him Mister Jimmy. He was the only friend I had after my island was massacred and I don't want to lose the only thing left of my island." Tim Tim said.
"Don't worry. If anything goes bad, I'll send him straight to the ship." Jimmy reassured him
"I'm so psyched. I finally get permission to burn things!" Belsari jumped in joy.
"Let's go then. Evening is approaching, and we don't have long." Sam hurried the crew.
"The fire diversion squad will head straight to the mansion after we set a few houses on fire." Jimmy added.
"Gary hopes you come back healthy and with Gary's precious daughter." Gary said, still broken.
"We'll try our best fair gentleman." Whatz D Face said whilst walking out the tavern with Tim Tim and Barbosa. They walked for a couple of minutes and then waited for the cue just outside the mansion gates.
Meanwhile, the fire diversion squad had mobilized, using Sam's ability to stay hidden in the shadows via transforming his body into a wall, whenever someone was walking down a street. They arrived at their destination about ten minutes after leaving Gary's tavern. The set of houses seemed to be cordoned off by a fence, but they were still close to other houses. All the houses had thatched roofs, meaning they'd set alight pretty easily.
The crew jumped over the fence and Belsari let out a maniacal cackle. She grabbed her flamethrower and switched it on. Little spews of fire escaped from it, eager to wreak havoc with the surroundings. Everyone quickly checked the houses to make sure no-one was lurking around. Belsari was given the all-clear. She aimed her flamethrower and let loose her pyromaniac side.
Plumes of smoke billowed high into the air. Panicked guards rushed into the mansion. Almost a hundred pirates came out to assist in putting out the fire. They were lined up in rows and the water buckets were handed to the start of it which was then given to the next person in line.
"I guess that is our cue gentleman. I'll switch into my hybrid form now. I'll be in one of your guys' shadow." Whatz D Face said, somehow transforming and vanishing into Barbosa shadow.
The infiltration squad walked through the side gate rather than the main one to reduce attention to themselves. This way was clearly abandoned as nature had stole back its property. Once they'd waded through the overgrown pathway, they slipped into the mansion unnoticed. They walked into a massive main lobby, adorned with decorations, jewelled statues and paintings. Pirates were rushing in and out, refilling water buckets.
There was only one pirate who faced the crew.
"Who the hell are you guys?" he said.
"We're newcomers to the crew, and we're a little lost." Barbosa lied.
"No time for a tour! Basement is down the stairs to the right. Get down there and start supplying the rest of the crew with water barrels."
He shoved a few buckets into Barbosa and Tim Tim's hands and ushered them down the stairs.
"Let's look for the daughter of Gary whilst we're down here." Tim Tim suggested.
The basement was huge as well. It had a long oval shaped table with twelve seats. At the back of the room were barrels, each labelled with what they contained.
"Oi, scallywags, where's the water?" The man shouted down.
"We'll get to it right away, sir!" Tim Tim rushed over to the barrels.
"Quickly switch the oil and water labels and hand him the oil barrels." Whatz D Face said.
Barbosa, with his usual superhuman speed, instantly switched the labels and started rushing them upstairs whilst Whatz D Face and Tim Tim searched for the girl. After moving a book on a bookshelf, they found a beautiful, injured teen in shackles inside a cage.
"Miss Gary's daughter, are you alive?" Tim Tim whispered.
"I won't tell you a thing. Piss off!" the girl shouted.
"You've got us wrong fair lady, we're here to set you free." Whatz D Face replied.
"You think I'll believe your lies. No offence but a midget and a creepy man won't get me out of these Karouseki cuffs."
"What about this key that I just found on the table?" Tim Tim questioned.
"Oh my god. You are here to get me out of this hellhole." She replied excitedly.
"I don't know anymore. I mean, a creepy man and a midget can't possibly do such things." Tim Tim said sarcastically.
"Please! I'll do anything. Just get me out of this place!" She begged.
"Are you a vir-" Whatz D Face was cut off by Barbosa who'd accidentally tripped and whacked him with a pole.
"I want you to call us by our actual names." Tim Tim demanded.
"Really, that's all you want?" She asked in disbelief.
"I just want to establish grounds of mutual trust. I'm Tim Tim, creepy man is Mister Whatz D Face and monkey man is Mister Barbosa. Now what is your name?" Tim Tim asked.
"Veronica."
"Ok, let me get you out then."
Tim Tim slipped through the bars, because the enemy clearly didn't think about having one-metre gaps in the cage, and unlocked the handcuffs.
"Thank you so much, Tim Tim!" Veronica hugged him.
"Sly gentleman. You stole my moment." Whatz D Face cried in frustration.
"Uh... what moment? I only unlocked some handcuffs and she was grateful. That's all Mister Whatz D Face." Tim Tim replied, confused about Whatz D Face's reaction.
"Our little bucket boy is growing up in front of our eyes, how time flies." Barbosa started tearing up.
"Shouldn't we go find the mayor?" Tim Tim aligned their objectives again.
"There's a river that leads to a hidden dock in the mansion's garden. I'm going to fly over it. If you make it out alive, that's also you're best option." Veronica said.
"That river must be linked to where our ship is. Miss Veronica when you see our ship, tell the people on it that you're with us. Just maybe stay away from Mister Doctor Vaeg. Although, he'll probably be playing with his 'toy' so you shouldn't worry too much." Tim Tim said.
"Great! I'll see you on the ship then." Veronica then pressed on a lever and a staircase to the garden appeared.
When she left, Tim Tim and Barbosa comforted Whatz D Face whilst he was sobbing on the floor, wounded from his missed chance. Tim Tim was still oblivious as to why Whatz D Face blamed him for taking something from him.
"Wait a minute. Did she say fly?" Tim Tim paused, puzzled.
A massive explosion sounded in the distance. The oil had been thrown on the fire.
"We should find that mayor." Barbosa hinted.
The squad snuck up the stairs without being noticed. On the top floor, a mayor and a first mate were talking in a spacious room with a long oval table. There were countless windows, illuminating the room as the sun was starting to touch the horizon. Whatz D Face told the other two to wait whilst he listened into the conversation.
"So how was watching your family die Eichar?" Diaman, a huge man in his fifties, said.
"It... It was the most exhilarating experience I've ever witnessed. Their terrified faces made me laugh so much. The looks of betrayal just thrill me to my core. I'm so surprised how easily we took hold of this pansy island. The captain sure knows how to pick them!" Eichar, the mayor, laughed.
"I'm glad we see eye to eye. I've got to admit, watching that did make me laugh as well. The pain was just too much; it was hilarious. I can't wait for Cap'n Kozo to get back, so we can start the mass execution. Come to think of it, is everything prepared?" Diaman replied.
"There was a little fire but it's being dealt with as we speak. There will be no delays."
Observing the two, Whatz D Face was shocked by what he'd heard from the two despicable men. By the looks of it the mayor was a total weakling whose only strength was diplomacy. The other man, however, was someone completely opposite. He had a grin from cheek to cheek, two massive bladed saws and an insane lust for blood. He had an aura of confidence.
Whatz D Face quietly walked back to his comrades to discuss what to do next.
Meanwhile, the fire diversion squad had already got back to the tavern and started to move out again. They weren't caught or followed by anyone luckily, so their mission was a very big success on their end. They checked their gear quickly and set off to back up the infiltration squad. As soon as they set off again, explosions sounded in the distance.
"I don't suppose you added explosions Belsari." Jimmy turned round, ready to give a lecture.
"N-no! I swear, I only used my flamethrower." Belsari stuttered.
"If I find you lying, that's another ban on the flamethrower." Jimmy warned.
"Please not Kotohi!" Belsari pleaded.
"Who the fuck is Kotohi?" Nargo asked.
"My flamethrower dumbass." Belsari replied.
"Don't start disrespecting your captains, otherwise I'll fucking take Kotohi away from you." Nargo said menacingly.
"Captain Jimmy, can I shoot him?" Belsari asked.
"No! For God's sake, you're as bad as Jenkins. All he does is ask to shoot things. We're on the same side so stop arguing, the pair of you." Jimmy shouted.
"You guys should probably be more quiet. We're trying to be stealthy." Sam said stroking Ronin, who was still upset about leaving his master.
They arrived outside the hidden gate of the mansion and entered the overgrown path.
Whilst this was happening, the infiltration squad had decided to attack the first mate and the mayor to end their tyranny before their leader arrived. Whatz D Face used his shadow camouflage to sneak up on Diaman. Barbosa prepared himself to attack whilst Tim Tim prepared himself for a world of struggle and pain.
Whatz D Face sliced the back of Diaman's legs but it didn't faze him. Instead, he carried on his conversation whilst Eichar freaked out about someone just appearing from thin air. Whatz D Face then went to stab Diaman but was stopped by one of the blade saws, effortlessly deflecting Whatz D Face's sabre.
Barbosa then charged in, within a blink of an eye, and started pummelling Diaman with his pole and fists. The force of the attacks caused some visible damage to the first mate but Barbosa and Whatz D Face were flung into Eichar.
"GEHAHAHAHA! Are you next little boy? I've slaughtered hundreds, no, thousands of small children like you. I'm not going to hold back!" Diaman laughed maniacally.
Tim Tim put his hand on the hilt of Zendu.
"Zendu. I will unsheathe you." Tim Tim whispered.
"Are you saying your prayers little boy?" Diaman mocked him.
"When he's dead stop." Tim Tim told his sword which had darkness enveloping its hilt.
Tim Tim closed his eyes.
"ZENDU, SCREAMS OF THE INNOCENT!"