War Criminals

by Dirty Bit

Chapter 6

Pinkie was known by her friends for her unending randomness, to which they've grown accustomed to for as long as they have known and hung out with each other. But all of them felt as if the hyperactive mare was going overboard with her rambling. Twilight was especially affected by what was said by Pinkie while she stared at her perplexed face.

"Assassins? Pinkie, what in Equestria are you talking about?" Twilight asked, not expecting the random outburst from her friend.

"I'm talking about Fukuro telling me that he and his friends are assassins." Pinkie said, as if it were commonplace "He just brought to my attention half an hour ago while I was restocking the snack table."
_____

Pinkie was humming a cheerful ditty while she was placing more sweets upon the snack table while her party was taking place. She noticed Fukuro approaching and grinned.

"Hi there, Fooky! You getting hungry already?" She asked brightly.

"You bet! Playing with those kids worked up an appetite, chapapa." Fukuro replied as he stretched his arms.

"Tell me about it. I feel the same way whenever I'm babysitting Pumpkin and Pound Cake. They're really energetic for their age." Pinkie said with a mock sigh as she continued placing snacks on the table.

"Chapa? You babysit cake?" Fukuro asked in confusion while blinking.

"CakeS." Pinkie corrected "They're Mr. and Mrs. Cake's foals." She explained, earning an 'oooh' of comprehension from Fukuro, to which Pinkie giggled "You're really funny. And strong, too!" She said as she finished her job and punched at the air with her forehooves "You and your friends were really fast out there with those moves! I'll bet you're superheroes where you're from!"

"Actually, we're assassins, chapapa." Fukuro replied impulsively.

"Really?" It was Pinkie's turn to blink as she tilted her head "You don't seem it to me."

"Well, we are. All of us." Fukuro said, pausing as the two stared in silence "We take care of bad guys, though, chapapa!" He finished while raising a fist.

"Neato!" Pinkie said as she fished out one of the snacks: An oatmeal raisin cookie "Want one?"

With a chapa of glee, Fukuro kindly took Pinkie on her offer as the two bonded further.
_____

"I guess it makes sense, since they beat up those diamond dogs pretty bad. But they seem nice to me." Pinkie finished with a smile.

"But we heard Rob and Kaku say they were sailors." Spike piped up, turning to his friends with a look of bewilderment "Why would they lie to us like that?"

"Well, assassins are stealthy like that, right?" Rainbow Dash said with a nod "It's no different from the kind I read in Daring Do." She instantly perked up "Wait a minute! If they're with Discord, and they're headed back to Canterlot, then what if the princesses are in danger?" Rainbow Dash voiced in concern.

"Ah'm kinda worried myself, actually." Applejack said before she took a deep breath "Then again, knowin' how much of a chatterbox Fukuro is, they probably know, too."

"I can't believe we've shown hospitality to trained killers." Rarity mourned before looking angry "I'll bet it was Discord's idea from the start."

"As much as I'd want to believe you, Rarity, we can't say for certain." Twilight stated, though she herself was lingering with unease "We'll keep this to ourselves until we see them again, and then we'll get our answers." She said in a serious tone, to which her friends shared a mutual nod and went back to their homes.

"I knew that Rob Lucci guy was trouble. Nopony can be that scary without the power to back it up." Spike said anxiously, to which Twilight sighed.

"It's best not to dwell on it, Spike. It wouldn't do good for neither of us, even if this is troubling news. The only thing that alleviates this realization is the fact that Rob fights in the name of justice."

"What if they're lying about that, too?" Spike said while fidgeting his claws, to which Twilight looked down at the purple dragon with a calm face.

"I'm pretty sure they were serious about that, Rob especially. They were pretty passionate in keeping Ponyville safe from those diamond dogs after all." Twilight said before looking ahead "We'll get all we can from them, especially from Fukuro." She then rubbed her chin with a perplexed face "For a skilled assassin, he really is a blabbermouth at times."

"I'll say..." Spike mumbled in agreement. A part of him wondered if the assassins would actually kill something in front of him and his friends. The very thought sent a chill down his spine.

"If the princesses really know about the true nature of those humans, perhaps I can talk with her and see if she knows more about them than we do." Twilight turned to Spike when they reached the door to the library "First order of business is sending her a letter requesting an audience tomorrow."

"This is gonna be fun." Spike muttered sarcastically, thankful that he wasn't chided for his words. He never thought that something so threateningly weird since the Plunder Seed incident would crawl out of the woodwork.
_____

Princess Celestia trotted the halls of her castle, thinking to herself about the sudden occurrence of the humans in Equestria due to Discord's folly, and the consequences that were bound to follow thereafter. She took a deep breath in order to keep herself calm and hummed to herself in thought over how to approach the situation.

'Perhaps it would be wise to send Discord and his...'associates' to Baltimare in order to check on the magic field. We cannot risk anymore surprises that would send Equestria into a panic.' She nodded to herself at the idea. Discord was lucky to even get away with something so chaotic without it becoming noticeable to the rest of Equestria.

As she was about to turn a corner in her halls, a large gap of air bulged in front of her before turning away to reveal a familiar human pushing it out of the way as if opening a door. Celestia gaped at the sight of Blueno's stoic expression as he walked onto the carpeted floor with Discord and the other humans following suit. Celestia had to move back as everyone walked out of the pocket dimension behind them. After Blueno shut the air door, Celestia shook her head and regained her composure.

"This was unexpected. It's nice to see you again, though your method of arrival is very surprising." Celestia said patiently.

"My apologies, your majesty." Blueno said with a curt bow "This was merely my doing. I only wished to travel using my own powers, but Chief Discord assisted me with teleporting to this general area." He could feel Discord's ecstatic grin.

"Celly, can you believe the surprises these humans have kept from us? I'm overjoyed to see that what was once a mistake has turned into something grand!" Discord piped up cheerfully. Celestia closed her eyes placed a hoof to her temples before she regarded the draconequus with a neutral glance.

"Discord, while it's nice to see you bonding with your recent discovery, your 'mistake' should be looked at by tomorrow with you and your associates. Remember that this responsibility falls on you personally, and that these humans are to return without any problems of the sort." Discord waved a dismissive claw.

"Alright, alright. I'll make sure of it. In the meantime..." Discord stretched his body as he levitated in the air "I'm probably gonna go exercise before turning in for the day." Celestia narrowed her eyes.

"Not here." Her glare softened "I'd like for you to release your energy in a barren area, away from innocent ponies." Discord drooped with a pout.

"Fine, I'll go to Ghastly Gorge. At least the quarry eels there are friendly." He said before looking down at the humans "Alright, everyone. Sunbutt's gonna be watching you for the time being while I'm gone." He looked over at a scowling Celestia and smirked "Hey, you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours." He said before snapping his talons and disappearing. Kaku scratched his head with a befuddled glance up at where Discord once was.

"I know he's our superior, but he seems a bit childish at times." Kaku commented dryly. Celestia chuckled at his remark.

"You wouldn't be wrong. I hope you all have been well under his care as of late." She said to the humans.

"If only some of his work would've stayed that way." Jabra said with a disappointed look on his face. Fukuro looked down at him with a brief pause.

"...Are you talking abou-"

"Yes, I'm talking about you!" Jabra snapped up at Fukuro, causing the loud mass to reel back in surprise.

"Yoyoi~! Such bitterness flowing from your being, Jabra~!" Kumadori bellowed "Were you not en-entertained with today's party~?"

"Ah, one of Pinkie's famous 'Welcome to Ponyville' parties, I presume?" Celestia asked with a knowing smile.

"More of a mixture, really." Blueno piped up "Pinkie Pie deemed it necessary to celebrate our efforts of quelling an invasion courtesy of some diamond dogs earlier today. However, we were unable to apprehend them, since they all escaped through burrowing underground." Celestia perked up.

"Diamond dogs? Was anypony hurt?" She asked in concern.

"Thankfully, no." Kalifa said as she placed a hand on her chest "I was more than able to rescue some hostages from their filthy clutches; some children, two of which related to Applejack and Rarity." Celestia nodded.

"I see..." Celestia said before looking over at Lucci, his naturally cold expression still on his face "You have my gratitude for keeping my little ponies safe."

"Your gratitude is appreciated, but otherwise meaningless. It is in our best interest to keep the peace." Lucci narrowed his eyes "Although, I'm disappointed in the lack of security shown in Ponyville before our arrival." Celestia hung her head as she closed her eyes.

"I'll admit that there have been concerns regarding Ponyville's stability and the many abnormalities the citizens face in their daily lives," She opened her eyes to face the assassins "but nothing this extreme has ever happened since the Everfree Forest growing out of proportion."

"Knowing Chief Discord's power, one would consider these dangers to be a trifle." Blueno stated matter-of-factly "Could that be the reason that you do not extend a helping hoof to your subjects?"

"Not entirely." Celestia shook her head before turning and trotting away, beckoning for the humans to follow her "You know that as a ruler, I care for my subjects with all my heart, but there is also the fact that Twilight, my former pupil, has bested many troubles with the help of her friends in the past. In fact, compared to the rest of Equestria, Ponyville is where most of the obscure happenings have taken place in the past. Discord's chaotic field outside of Baltimare was the only notable difference aside from that."

"So what you're saying is that Ponyville is an inherent base for pandemonium, and you trust the Elements of Harmony to take care of it all?" Kaku inquired with an arch eyebrow.

"Not exactly. It's not so much that I rely on them to put a stop to any uprisings as it is that they themselves are sometimes the cause of it." She held a nostalgic smile "There was this one time where Twilight was so afraid of being tardy on sending me a friendship report, that she resorted to creating her own friendship problem. I personally took care of the situation, of course."

"You're saying she was out of line?"

Celestia stopped to look back at Lucci, a killer look seen in his eyes, and frowned "It was nothing too dire. Twilight simply performed a forbidden spell on her old doll that hypnotized most of the town." She stated firmly, wanting to make sure Lucci wasn't planning anything drastic towards Twilight.

"That does not excuse her from disturbing her own citizens over something petty as sending a friendship report." He held up his left hand "Where we're from, she would've been executed for her actions." Hattori gave off a coo of agreement from his right shoulder.

"And I told you that I corrected it myself." Celestia took a deep breath and turned away "I'll spare you another debate on our own personal views if you're willing to let this go." She could hear Lucci scoff from behind her, easily taking it as a gesture of compliance before resuming her walk.

The group of humans were led up a flight of stairs and towards a set of large doors. Celestia faced the assassins once more with a patient smile.

"If you would kindly wait here for a moment. I have to set the sun whilst Luna raises the moon. It won't be long."

"Wait, that's right!" Jabra pointed a finger at Celestia "You two ponies move the sun and moon, I forgot about that." Kumadori instantly bowed to Celestia in reverence.

"Yoyoi~! Your majesty~, would you please grant us the honor of witnessing a grand image of your work, so that we may bask in the glory of your powe-yoyoi!" A fist on top of Kumadori's head silenced his submissive banter.

"Put a sock in it, you dolt! We can watch it from outside." Jabra snarled before he calmed down "But it's gonna be weird to actually see the sun and moon move like this..."

"I'm rather curious myself." Blueno said as he gave a curt bow of his own "Do we have your permission to view your's and your sister's magic for ourselves outdoors?"

"Well, I don't see why not, if you're all so curious." Celestia said warmly.

"This is gonna be great, chapapa!" Fukuro cheered. He looked over at Blueno with a nod, to which he returned before moving towards the nearest wall and placing his hand on it. He pushed the wall as a large gap of it Blueno's size moved aside like a door, starling Celestia. Blueno turned and bowed to the solar princess upon noticing her shock "My apologies, princess. No damage has been done to your wall. This is only my power as a door human."

Fukuro squeezed his way out of the man-made door and jumped outside with a joyous 'chapapa' as he performed his geppou to move downward. Kalifa and Jabra were next to follow, easily stepping through the door themselves. Kumadori scampered onto his legs and struck a kabuki pose before hopping towards the door and seeing himself out. Kaku was about to leave as well before turning to Lucci, who stood by Celestia.

"You're not coming, Lucci? This isn't something we don't get to see everyday, you know." Kaku said encouragingly.

"What you do is your business, just leave me out of it." Lucci responded stonily "I'm not in the mood for sightseeing." Kaku sighed with a shrug.

"Suit yourself, I guess." He turned to Blueno with a smile "We'd better catch up with the others." The long-nose human then dove out of the door and followed the others down outside. Blueno glanced at Lucci before he was the last to leave, making sure to shut the door after hopping outside.

"Discord was right about you humans being full of surprises." Celestia quipped before turning to Lucci "If there's nothing to say between us, can I ask for you to wait here for a moment?"

"Understood." Lucci replied dispassionately.

Celestia and Lucci stared for a brief moment before the former went into her room, shutting the doors behind her. Hattori cooed at Lucci and tilted his head, to which his owner shifted his eyes at him.

"It shocks me that you would stay with me rather than spectate with the others. What compelled you to stay behind?" He asked coldly. All Lucci received was another coo in response, though Hattori looked saddened by his words.
_____

Outside in the royal gardens, the assassins - minus Lucci - were looking up at the sky and witnessing Celestia and Luna move their respective celestial bodies from their balconies. As their horns glowed, both the sun and moon began to move in a pace that intrigued the humans.

"Chapa! It's beautiful!" Fukuro said as he watched the sun set while it was controlled by Celestia.

"Agreed~! We bear witness to a spectacle of peerless beauty that would be told-told for generations to come~!" Kumadori stretched an arm out towards the horizon while watching the moon rise into the sky.

Kalifa pushed her glasses close to her eyes as she watched herself and smiled. Jabra shifted his gaze between the sun and moon.

"I can't believe they're that strong! And the chief said that he's even stronger than them?" He asked, captivated by the fact that two ponies are actually moving celestial bodies with relative ease.

"Lucci's really missing out on this." Kaku said with a smirk. He then rubbed his chin as he looked up towards Luna "It makes you wonder if there exists a devil fruit that could let you control either the sun or the moon back in our world."

"That would be too much power, even for a human." Blueno piped up while watching the moon takes its place in the sky "Besides, we already have several powerful adversaries waiting for us once we leave this world." This led Kaku to frown.

"Of course. It's only been a day here, and I already feel more than comfortable." The long-nosed man sighed to himself before smiling wistfully "You know, I honestly wouldn't mind staying here, what with it being more peaceful compared to our own world."

"You're ignoring those filthy mongrels we've dealt with today?" Kalifa asked with a raised eyebrow. Kaku frowned once more as he crossed his arms.

"Well, I guess there's that, but it was the only danger faced thus far. And looking back at the world we live in, we're enemies to both pirates and the World Government alike. We don't have much to return to other than revenge and keeping a low profile for the rest of our days."

"We are in a pretty rough spot as it is." Blueno nodded in agreement "But we'll have plenty of time to think of our next move by tomorrow, provided we won't be met with any hindrances or obstacles during our stay here."

While the assassins talked amongst themselves, a door-shaped gap revealed itself in the air, to which they all noticed before glancing at Blueno, who looked perplexed for the first time.

"That's not me..." He defended with his hands in a placating gesture. The door opened to reveal a chortling Discord wearing sunglasses and a pink shirt that said 'I caused tons of chaos and all I got was this shirt' with black lettering.

"Boy, what a rush! I think I'll be fine for the next couple of days after those nice changes I made." He slammed the door behind him and raised his sunglasses to look at the humans "Good evening, folks. I hope you've done fine without me?" He then looked around, blinking "Say, where's Rob? Is he hiding outside somewhere?"

"Don't mind the cat, chief." Jabra said while waving his hand dismissively "He thought he was too good to see the sun and moon getting moved." Discord stroked his goatee.

"Yeah, that does sound like him." He perked up and snapped a talon "That reminds me!" A flash covered Discord, and it faded to reveal him in a plaid nightgown with a matching nightcap "I'll have to work out sleeping arrangements for you lot! Let's go find your little fussy feline friend and I'll set you all up with a special room."

"If you're looking for Lucci, he's outside of Princess Celestia's bedroom." Kaku informed.

"Alrighty then." Discord chirped before snapping his talons and teleporting himself and the humans out of the royal garden.
_____

Celestia finished setting her sun with a sigh of content sigh, then looked down and spotted Discord teleporting away with his assassins. No doubt they would gather outside of her doors. She turned away and trotted out of her room, opening her doors and noticing that her prediction had come true. The humans were seen waiting patiently while Discord waved innocently at Celestia, who held a small smile.

"I hope that you all enjoyed our display of magic." Celestia said politely.

"It was a view to be remembered." Kalifa said "And you've done this with your sister for how long?" Celestia closed her eyes upon hearing the blonde's question.

"For more than 1000 years, although I had done so with both the sun and moon around that time." Jabra, Kumadori, and Fukuro were more shocked than the other humans from Celestia's answer.

"1000 years!? How old are you!?" Jabra blurted out incredulously.

"That's sexual harassment." Kalifa said dryly as she straightened her glasses. Jabra sneered at Kalifa while Kaku gazed intently at Celestia.

"You said you controlled both the sun and moon around that 1000 year period, right?" Kaku asked inquisitively, raising his eyebrow "Did something happen between you and Luna that caused you to take so much responsibility?" Celestia opened her eyes to reveal a distant gaze towards the ceiling. Meanwhile, Discord rolled his eyes and laid on his back in the air, waiting for Celestia's story to begin.

"Luna and I had shared our duties responsibly, but back then, there was a time that my sister had grown jealous of me due to our subjects favoring my sun more than Luna's moon." She frowned, showing her discomfort upon reflecting her past "She began to loathe the fact that her own night - the very thing she took pride in - was being ignored by the ponies due to their slumber."

"Well, lots of living things sleep at night, even us humans, chapapa!" Fukuro said.

"Yoyoi~! Does she n-not take comfort in the nocturnal creatures that wander under her moon? Do they not show appreciation towards your dear sister's work~?" Kumadori bellowed.

"Sadly, it wasn't enough for her. And as time went by, her jealousy intermingled with sadness and hatred, and my sister..." Celestia hung her head "She changed."

"Into what?" Lucci finally spoke up, earning Celestia's attention. She noticed the faint curiosity that loomed behind his piercing eyes.

"It was in the past, but she had become an entity known as Nightmare Moon, who wished to bring about eternal night upon Equestria." She turned away with another distant gaze "At that moment, I had no other option than to confront her, which later led me to use the Elements of Harmony and banish her to the moon for a whole millennium." The humans, save for Lucci, murmured amongst themselves before looking back at Celestia.

"How is Princess Luna still here and not Nightmare Moon? Did you defeat her yet again?" Kaku pressed on, growing more intrigued by the story. After his question, Celestia finally smiled once more.

"Actually, she had ambushed me and imprisoned me in darkness upon her return." She said nonchalantly, to which Jabra stared at Celestia as if she grew a second head.

"Then how the hell did you make it out? This doesn't make any sense!" Jabra said.

"The Elements of Harmony..."

Once again, Celestia's eyes rested on Lucci, who had his arms behind his back, tucked in his coat.

"Twilight Sparkle and her friends. They were able to do your work and save you from certain peril, not only getting rid of Nightmare Moon but bringing peace to both your land and your sister." Lucci stated callously "Though what bothers me are that fact that you seem so calm about your own sister ambushing you and how you're still keeping her around after what she had done." Celestia appeared neutral, but Lucci could feel the intensity within her gaze directed towards him.

"I'll admit that my reaction wasn't intended by you all, but it was the same moment that the elements were inherited by Twilight and her friends. They learned about the elements they represented before they used them properly to save my sister. I had faith in them knowing they would do just that, since I had no control over the elements after I used them last time." Her eyes narrowed "As for Luna, I would ask that you refrain from any thoughts of her being evil. You've seen her behavior for yourself."

Lucci remained silent, though was inwardly baffled by how Celestia would even keep her sister around after the story he had heard. Clearly, these ponies were too soft in his eyes if they're willing to forgive even the lowliest of criminals at the drop of a hat. Celestia, noting Lucci's silence as comprehension to her request, turned to the rest of the humans.

"I'll leave you all to your own activities, but remember that you're to make for Baltimare tomorrow and survey the magic field. Make sure that nopony threatening would cross it. No offense to you humans, but I mustn't have any form of panic spreading across Equestria. So far, only Ponyville knows of your existence." She explained. Discord simply make an 'A-Okay' sign with his lion paw.

"You got it. Though I cannot help but wonder who would show up anyhow." Discord said while poking his head with an eagle talon, his face plastered in thought.

"Thankfully not much, since not many people travel along the waters we've sailed." Blueno replied "We understand your orders completely." Celestia nodded to the door human with a smile.

"I appreciate your response. I'll see you all tomorrow." Celestia trotted away "Hopefully, you might learn more about this world." She said kindly. When she was out of view, Discord smirked down at the humans.

"Alright, now that that's out of the way, how about I show you that specially reserved room I was talking about?" Discord asked eagerly.

"We have a special room in the castle?" Kaku asked inquisitively. Discord simply snapped his fingers and a large purple door appeared in front of the humans a few feet away from Celestia's bedroom.

"You do now. Care to take a look?" The humans were hesitant at first, but Discord opened the door for them to walk in and take in their new surroundings. The sight alone nearly surprised Lucci.

Behind Discord's door was a large red room complete with three dressers next to the left wall and seven plush beds in a circle complete with their own nightstands, one for each assassin; there were even two large beds for Fukuro and Kumadori. They were silently taking in their surroundings and how it the feat itself was logically impossible. Discord smirked at their reactions, save for Lucci.

"I'll give you some time alone. Feel free to call me for anything." Discord shut the door before Kaku could ask how such a thing was possible.

"How-...But-...I-..." Jabra sputtered as he looked around with widened eyes "I already like our new chief even more..." He uttered as he dashed towards one bed and felt the mattress and blanket before laying on it and murmuring in comfort.

"There is not much else to do but rest, so I suppose it would be wise to turn in..." Lucci said as he took off his coat and shirt, revealing his bandaged body. After taking off his shoes, he sat on the bed and let off a quiet hum. He had to admit that his bed was indeed comfortable, though did not want to act out like Jabra. Hattori even cooed in delight after gliding off Lucci's shoulder and feeling for himself.

Kalifa grunted as she watched her fellow assassins get ready for bed and balled her hands in a fist.

"This is unacceptable. I need a changing closet!"

"Done!"

Discord's voice rang in the room until a flash revealed a changing closet to the right of the dressers, resting in a corner. Kalifa took a deep breath before smiling contently.

"Much better." She sauntered over to the dresser to see that there was nothing in each drawer, to which she twitched an eyebrow in anger "Was this meant to be a joke?" Kaku looked over at Kalifa from his bed.

"We could always get our clothes from the Marine boat tomorrow, since we're going to Baltimare. There's no need to fuss about it right now." Kaku said.

"Hmph, I suppose you're right, but I'm not exactly comfortable with you all staring at me..." Kalifa said as she walked over to the changing closet. Jabra laughed as he laid in bed.

"In that case, maybe you'd wanna be one of those ponies, since they barely wear anything around here." He awaited an angry or witty retort, but noticed how Kalifa froze in front of the closet with a hand towards the door.

"That is...a tempting idea." Kalifa said quietly before going inside, shutting the door and leaving a befuddled Jabra to stare at the closet. He turned to the others and pointed at the closet.

"I'm not the only one, right? You heard her, too?" Jabra asked hopefully.

"Yeah, maybe she really likes ponies or something, chapapa." Fukuro replied.

"It's idiotic to contemplate such a thing." Lucci said as he laid in bed "Now go to sleep. We have orders to fulfill tomorrow..." Jabra scoffed.

"Who died and made you king?" He snapped before he found himself yawning "Then again, I could use some shuteye..."

The assassins decided to withhold any further conversations until tomorrow and chose to go to sleep. Kalifa soon joined them in her own bed, though was hesitant upon any of them catching a glance of her in her undergarments.
_____

"So Lucci agreed to be more open-minded during his time here?" Celestia asked Discord as herself, the draconequus, and Luna were gathered in the throne room by themselves.

"Well, he gave me his word after our little heart-to-heart. He's really sore about letting the diamond dogs get away like that." Discord said as he shrugged "At least it was the only problem that was faced today."

"If what you're saying is true, then we can only hope that Lucci would see things from our point of view before him and his fellow assassins depart from this land." Luna said in a leveled tone.

"That would be an endeavor, given his background. But at least he is able to comply with our requests." Celestia said as she frowned "He is very cold for somepony who believes in justice, especially if he labels his ideals as dark justice."

"Maybe the poor boy's just misunderstood." Discord said, earning puzzled glances from the royal sisters, to which he waved a paw "Eh, just taking cues from Fluttershy..."

"Perhaps I could try and make out Rob Lucci's character in his dreams. Maybe I'll be lucky to find something we could use to help give him a better outlook on life." Luna offered, to which Celestia looked towards her with a neutral gaze.

"He is better off gaining experience for himself, but are you certain that's best?" She asked, to which her sister smiled confidently and placed a hoof on her chest.

"Sister, it is my duty to view our subjects' dreams and see if we can guide them through any inner conflict. Can we not do the same for Lucci?" She asked. Celestia rubbed her chin with a pensive glance.

"I suppose you're right. He does mean well, despite his unscrupulous lifestyle..." Celestia finally nodded in agreement with a small smile "I trust that you can do your best and guide him."

"Then it's settled." Luna said as she trotted out of the throne room "I'll make for the dream world soon enough." Discord stroked his goatee.

"Now I'm equally curious as to what goes on in Lucci's head other than 'Justice Justice Justice'." He said as he made a comical gesture with his arms, swaying left and right "One would think that he would have hobbies."

"As am I. I just hope that Luna knows what she's doing with that idea of hers." Celestia said as she looked down at the floor in thought. Could there really be hope for Lucci if Luna were to dig deep enough?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a green flame that appeared in front of her, vanishing to reveal a rolled parchment that Celestia reflexively caught with her magic.

"A message so soon? But what is the occasion?" Celestia asked.

"I dunno. I left with the humans around sunset and I never recalled Twilight wanting to send letters." Discord shrugged before he leaned to Celestia's right side with a wide grin "Well? You gonna read it or what?"

Celestia rolled her eyes and unrolled the parchment to read the letter herself. Discord read with her, to which the two developed their own reactions; Celestia's was one of mild dread while Discord's eyes widened slightly in a poker face.

"Oh dear..." Celestia said as she shook her head "I should have anticipated this..."

"Yeah, I kind of forgot how resounding our silent owl can be sometimes." Discord said sheepishly with an embarrassed grin "So, you're gonna fill them in on our little secret, hm?" He asked with a curious glance.

"I just hope they do not want to tag along on your task. Between this and your portal, this may prove to be too chaotic for everypony." Celestia said with a cautious tone.

"Then this looks like a job for..." A drumroll was heard as Discord quickly spun himself before he was seen with a purple bandana mask, a shoddy red cape, and a pair of undergarments on his waist "Da-dadadaaaa~! Discord~!" He proclaimed as he made a heroic flight pose. Celestia stared at the draconequus in his costume before finding the right moment to facehoof.

Tomorrow was going to be rough. There was no doubt about it.
_____

Later that night, Luna was in her room, her eyes closed in complete concentration as she entered the dream world through her own magic. She opened her eyes to a large spacial background that housed several bubbles playing different scenarios that involved her subjects.

As enjoyable as the sight was, she knew her priorities as she soared through the dreamscape in search of the dreams she seeked. After a small amount of travel, Luna came across a set of seven bubbles, to which she could easily deduce were the assassins found by Discord. She glided towards them to get a better view of each one.

'Where could he be?' As easy as she thought it would be to distinguish the dreams of each human, she could not help but realize just how unpredictable they might be despite their respective personalities. If there was anything the dream world taught her, it was that one's true self lied within their dreams, entirely different from what was seen from how they acted. She decided to go into the leftmost dream and look inside...

Proud and triumphant laughter echoed from inside the dream, showing what appeared to be a shirtless Jabra wearing oriental pants being the source. In his right arm, he held a human female in a green dress with beautiful brown hair and a visibly repugnant face who clung to him affectionately; in his left hand was a chain that extended towards the collar of a submissive looking Lucci, who was mewling to himself as he sat down with his legs crossed. Luna noticed how Kaku, Blueno, Kalifa, Fukuro, and Kumadori were bowing in reverence as the boisterous human laughed.

"Tell me, everyone! Who's the alpha male? Come on!" Jabra demanded an answer, to which the five humans sounded off his name. Jabra grinned widely as he held his woman close "Isn't this amazing, Gatherine? No one's better than us!" The woman named Gatherine giggled as she nuzzled her head in Jabra's chest.

"You're the best, Jabra! I'm glad I chose you over that silly little cat, Lucci!" Her response drove Jabra back into his laughing fit. Luna's ears folded back as she watched the dream from a safe distance with a deadpan expression.

'This is definitely Jabra's dream. He does come off as arrogant...' Luna saw fit to depart from the dream and look towards the remaining seven 'Where to next?' She decided to glide towards the nearest one and look there.

"Kalifa~!"

"Kalifa, you're so pretty~!"

"I'm so jealous~!"

From above the sky, Luna saw several humans, male and female fawn over a certain blonde wearing a white dress. Kalifa was seen pushing her dress down as she stood over a vent, a tantalizing smile on her face. Luna could easily make out the hearts that were replaced with the eyes of the males, while other women were admiring her appearance themselves. The rest of the assassins were seen in black suits while keeping the crowd contained.

"I'm glad you're all enjoying yourselves. Clearly, you have good taste in who is the most beautiful woman in the world?" She said in a superior tone, to which the audience went in an uproar. As Kalifa basked in the adoration of her fans, she looked down and noticed what appeared to be a random filly looking up at her with shimmering eyes. At that moment, the vent under Kalifa had vanished as she donned a warm smile "Hello, little one." She said as she knelt down to the filly's level "Is there anything I can help you with?"

The filly gasped with joy and quickly fished out a piece of paper with her mouth while wagging her tail vigorously, showing it to Kalifa and making her chuckle.

"Of course." A pen appeared in Kalifa's right hand as she jotted down her name on the filly's paper, to which she hopped up and down with glee. Kalifa could not stop smiling at the little pony's enthusiasm "Such a cute little child."

'Vain, and yet she shows a certain fondness to ponies.' Luna was intrigued by the dream as she looked on, but decided to leave her alone, as the blonde was clearly enjoying herself. She flew out of the dream and looked towards the remaining six 'Alright, five left...' Like the last dream, Luna flew towards the nearest one, looking inside for herself.

There was brief darkness before a spotlight instantly lit up to reveal Lucci adorned in a black foreign garb while kneeling on a hardwood floor. His head was hung while his face was obscured by a shadow. Luna observed quietly with anticipation.

'Hm...Perhaps there is something that I can find from this particular-' Her eyes widened the moment Lucci brought up his head. His face was pale white with intricate red markings over his eye and mouth.

"I am the captain of the Emperor's army~! Ever vigilant of my duties~!" Lucci bellowed with an uncharacteristic, yet dramatic inflection as he rose to his feet, a certain pigeon flying into the light and landing on his right shoulder "Like a raging gale, I pass through my enemies swiftly, and without pause~!"

A second spotlight revealed Kumadori in a more flamboyant, but intimidating garb kneeling next to Lucci while holding his shakujo horizontally. He rose himself to reveal his face, his left eye closed.

"Yoyoi~! I am the general of the Emperor's army~! Representing the strength of our proud nation~!" A large spotlight flashed behind them to reveal the rest of the humans, each with their own garbs and facial designs to go with their pale skin "Together, with our loyal re-re-retainers to the throne, we act as an impenetrable force that would rival that of an oni~!" All the humans struck a pose on one leg as the darkness and spotlights were instantly replaced with the view of a meadow, a small image of a pagoda behind them in the distance "Together, we shine like that of the rising sun~!"

"My son...I am proud of your dedication..."

The silky feminine voice caused Kumadori to break from his stance and look up at the clouds to see them move and show the glowing silhouette of a short and elderly female with pink hair, wearing a pure white kimono as she smiled down at Kumadori, who's lips trembled as raised a hand to the sky.

"My Dearest mother~! Your smile ever radiant~! I miss your sweet voice~!" He said as his eyes welled up.

"Kumadori, you mustn't cry." Kumadori's mother calmly chided "You're a strong warrior, revered by many for your passion in battle. Won't you grant my wish and carry on?" She asked kindly, to which Kumadori's cheeks were drenched with tears as he sniffled.

"Mother~..." He wiped the tears from his eyes with his free hand before striking another pose, appearing strong "I will g-grant you your wish without you telling me~! This I swear~!" Kumadori's 'army' roared in agreement as they, too, struck another pose.

'Unparalleled loyalty with lingering thoughts of family.' Luna watched from the bushes of the meadow with a touched smile 'How sweet...He's no different from our guards.' She disappeared further into the bushes, fading away from Kumadori's dream.

Peering into another dream, Luna noticed Blueno standing in a blank space before slowly shifting into a black--furred minotaur, giving a mighty bleat. Luna only stared at him with an expression as blank as the dream's background.

'...What?' Nothing else to see here, she thought. Luna quickly moved out of the dream and looked for another one.

The next dream, while just as strange as the last few, appeared extravagant, as the setting appeared to resemble an outdoor festival. The assassins were seen singing and dancing with ponies at the center of the crowd. Luna noticed the genuine smile on Lucci's face and wondered if this was his dream, until she heard him speak.

"This was an excellent idea, Fukuro. I suppose this was all I needed to open up my heart."

"It was my pleasure, chapapa!" Fukuro said as he stood in the epicenter of the dancing group, doing a pirouette while giggling.

'I see that Fukuro is rather like Pinkie when it comes to having a good time.' Luna thought to herself before leaving the dream. Only two more left.

There was a bar full of humans in the next dream, and Luna was able to make out the assassins with their own different attire. Blueno was seen as a bartender; Kumadori and Fukuro as entertainers; and Kaku, Jabra, Kalifa, and Lucci as customers. Sitting to the left of Kaku was a blonde man wearing a blue outfit and red goggles over his head. He had a thin moustache and a cigar in his mouth as he held a mug of what she could only guess was alcohol.

"Business was good as usual, huh, guys? We really gave those pirates a thrashing!" The man boasted with a grin.

"Well, you can't expect pirates to cooperate with the services of Galley-La." Kaku replied with a smirk "By the way, Paulie, you haven't spent all of your money yet, have you? I was looking to borrow some for this little project of mine." Paulie dug into his trouser pockets with his free hand.

"Yeah, I think I got some cash to spare for you." Paulie said as he dug deep. Hattori let off a coo from Lucci's shoulder before pointing a wing.

"Don't do it, Kaku! He probably has spare change and nothing else!" Hattori said in a high-pitched tone. Luna stifled a gasp.

'Hattori can talk? Since when?' She thought. She noticed the look of anger on Paulie's face.

"Shut your trap, Lucci! I don't need any shit from you today." Paulie pulled out a wad of currency and lent it to Kaku "Here you are, buddy. What's this project you're working on? A ship?" He asked inquisitively.

"You could say that. I've been so hard at work that I barely have enough time to invest in my own ambitions. I'll be sure to pay you back later for this." Kaku said politely. Hattori let off another coo.

"Forget the debt! He'll go through it faster than his cigars!" Hattori said again while Lucci kept his mouth shut, his emotionless face unchanged.

'Ah, so Lucci is a ventriloquist...' Luna nodded to herself while she watched Paulie being held back by Kaku while he tried to reach Lucci. She noticed how happy Kaku looked despite him holding back Paulie 'Judging by the look of content on his face, this must be Kaku's dream. His dream seems more akin to a memory intermingled with fantasy. Does he not enjoy his line of work as much as the others?' While Luna could dwell on the thought, she remembered that she was to seek out Lucci's dream, which was her primary focus ever since she went into the dream world.

After exiting Kaku's dream, Luna laid her eyes on the final dream out of the group and slowly advanced towards it, hoping to anticipate whatever lied beyond the blackness that encompassed the bubble. She entered inside, and was unnerved by the darkness surrounding her.

'I'll have to keep moving for Lucci's sake.' Luna glided further into the darkness until she made out a growing shape and faint voices. She advanced even further until she stopped and gasped loudly at the frightening sight before her.

There were hundreds of armored humans seen from the waist up, all worn and wounded as they glowed a malicious purple. They moaned in anguish as they gathered towards the center with their arms stretched out. In the center was none other than Lucci, who was standing shirtless and staring down at the humans that were the closest to him and grabbing at his legs and waist; none of his allies were in sight. He sneered at them weakly clinging towards him.

"What foolishness. No matter the ferocity of your anger or contempt for me, there is nothing you can do to hurt me. You lost that right the moment you surrendered yourselves to evil. All of you deserve no lesser fate than death to atone for your sins." He responded towards the haggard corpses coldly. Luna froze with her jaw dropped as she heard the corpses continue to moan.

'I-...I can actually feel them...They're departed souls; all of them innocent. But-...But how? Why? Why would he do such a thing?' Luna was at her wits end from Lucci's dream alone.

No. This was no dream. It was a night terror; one that Lucci was easily sitting in it unabated and without remorse. Luna had never met a creature with such a twisted background. She instantly dove out of the dream and woke up from her slumber as she hyperventilated in her sheets, her face covered in sweat.

"Never had such a being existed in our world..." Luna said as she regained her breathing, wiping the sweat from her brow as she stared down at her sheets. Finding herself to go back to sleep just yet, she rose from her bed and trotted outside of her room, staring off at the endless horizon from her balcony.

"What does the human world contain to create a mass murderer who claims to act in the name of justice?" She continued to ask herself. Luna could not fathom that Lucci would actually claim hundreds of innocent lives with the reason of them possibly 'surrendering themselves to evil'. It was something that not even she could stand.

"Rob Lucci does not belong here..." She narrowed her eyes "He has to leave!"

As much as she wished to, Luna would consider waking up her sister inappropriate, considering that she told them about their assignment. It would be wise for her to consult with Celestia the moment they had time alone. In the meantime, she continued to stare off into the night, thinking to herself over the grim possibilities of the human world.
_____

"What do you mean you cannot locate them!?"

"E-Exactly what I mean, sir!" A marine soldier said with a shaky salute and a voice to match "The Marine ship stolen by the former CP9 agents has been reported missing! There hasn't been a single update since." He gulped as he stood in the infirmary.

A growl sounded from an elderly man who wore a black suit, his white trenchcoat worn like a cape. He had long black hair, though was grey on top of his head, and a short toothbrush moustache under his nose. He stroked his long black beard as he mumbled to himself.

"This cannot stand. Who knows where those slippery bastards ran off to, if they managed to elude us so swiftly!" The elderly man snarled in contempt "We'll be hounded by our superiors if we tap into our resources with no success of capture."

"But they couldn't possibly have gone far!"

The elderly man and the marine soldier looked down at a man cocooned in casts all over his body with spiked lavender hair,a large bruise that went over his right eye, and swollen lips. The old man gritted his teeth.

"Save your energy, Spandam. We'll follow up with a contingency plan the moment we find some proper leads from their whereabouts. In the meantime, you need your rest, and I need to get back to work."

"But father, you heard what they said, didn't you?" Spandam mewled feebly "They'll return someday, meaning that anything goes! For all we know, they could be under our very noses! We need to-"

"I said save your energy!" The old man snapped "I already told you that we'll follow up with a contingency plan. Trust me, I'm not one to ignore something so abnormal as this sudden turn of events, and I know the World Government would think the same way if they were in our shoes. But right now, we're on a wild goose chase that'll cost us dearly if we rush in blind!" He chided angrily. The man paused before turning to the marine soldier, who flinched upon recognition "You're dismissed. Just get out and let my son rest." The marine instantly saluted, this time with less fear.

"Yes, sir, Spandine!" He said as he left the room in an orderly manner. Spandine groaned to himself as he caressed his temple.

"This'll be a chase to remember if we actually get our hands on those fools." He looked back at Spandam laying on the bed "I'll be sure to check up on you tomorrow once I've tended to my own business."

"O-Of course, father." Spandam replied with a meager nod "Hopefully, we'll receive word of their location by then." Spandine made for the door and left the infirmary after opening it.

'Sometimes, I wonder if I made the right choice letting my son inherit my position as the leader of CP9.' Spandine thought before a sly grin graced his features 'Heh, no matter. What's done is done, and looking back on it, those assassins really are to blame for not stopping those Straw Hat pirates.' He stopped for a moment as his grin instantly vanished '...Especially that bitch Nico Robin...Yeah, they cannot be ignored for this. They've gotta be punished.'

"Sir?"

Spandine looked ahead at a small group of men wearing black suits, fedoras, and sunglasses, one of which stood in front of them all.

"Is there something wrong? Has anything happened to your son?" The leader of the group asked. Spandine scoffed at the questions.

"My son's doing fine, but I'm sure as hell not happy about letting those damned war criminals get away so easily. We're gonna work twice as hard to search for their location and rub them out quickly before they even think to elude us."

"Actually, we wished to bring that to your attention, sir." The leader of the group approached Spandine with a small packet of papers, to which he began to skim through "According to this recent report, the missing ship was last documented sailing out into the East Blue before its disappearance." After he finished reading, Spandine handed back the report and hummed in thought as he stroked his beard.

"East Blue, huh? Then we'll look into it by tomorrow and see if there isn't something we haven't discovered yet." Spandine said as he brought a fist into his left hand "Do you hear me? While my son's in intensive care, I'm gonna step out of retirement and show you guys how we do it here in the CP9! We act in the name of the World Government and we take no prisoners unless stated otherwise! Understand?" He said with an intimidating glare, to which the CP9 members instantly saluted.

"Yes, sir!" The group sounded off. Spandine donned a satisfied grin in response.

"Good to hear. Now let's get back to work. We have reports to file and reinforcements to request." He said as he walked forward, to which the men cleared a path and obediently followed him. Spandine's grin slowly devolved into a scowl.

'I swear, I'm going to have a good amount of heads to cover the Enies Lobby incident once this is over...' Spandine thought darkly. There was no chance whatsoever that he could look the other way from something this mysterious, especially if it involves something so simple as the East Blue.