Chapter 93

Luffy works to destroy the room where Arlong forced Nami to make maps, and he manages to break the fish-man's nose. He then sends Arlong crashing all the way through Arlong Park's tower, demolishing it.

Going Down

As Luffy breaks off part of Arlong's Kiribachi, he asks Arlong what he thinks Nami is. Arlong replies that while she is a human, he at least considers her useful and he will provide for her every want so long as she keeps drawing maps for him. As Johnny and Yosaku worry about what is happening to Luffy inside the tower, Luffy kicks Nami's desk out, and Nami is taken aback as it falls to the ground. Arlong angrily wonders why Luffy is destroying Nami's cartography supplies and sending them flying out of the tower, and as she watches them fall, Nami remembers Arlong showing her her cartography room for the first time when she was a child. Arlong swings Kiribachi at Luffy, but Luffy dodges it and he destroys more of Nami's maps in the process. Arlong is aghast at what is happening to his maps, remembering forcing Nami to work for long hours and abusing her in order to acquire them. Arlong grabs Luffy and shouts that it took Nami eight years to make those maps, and outside, Nami silently thanks Luffy while tears fall from her eyes.

Arlong bites Luffy in the neck, but Luffy grabs the fish-man's nose as he states that while he may not know anything about fish-men or cartography, he now knows how to help Nami. He snaps Arlong's nose out of place, and states that he cannot allow this room to exist. Luffy then kicks into the ceiling, and his leg stretches all the way through the roof. Arlong puts his nose back in place and scoffs at the idea of a human destroying Arlong Park as he spins toward Luffy. He bites Luffy in the chest, but Luffy brings his foot down on top of him, sending him crashing all the way to the ground floor. The impact causes the entire tower to crack, and the Straw Hats and citizens prepare to evacuate, but Nami does not want to leave Luffy inside the tower. However, she cries out to him as it collapses immediately afterwards.

Mission 74

As nighttime falls in the Forger home, Yor calls Eden Academy to ask about Anya, as she has not come home. She is told that the field trip ran long, but Yor still feels unease, and she calls Sharon to ask if her son made it home. Sharon confirms this, saying that he did hours ago, to Yor's concern.

At the bus, the SSS closes in while Vadim plans on exploding it once they arrive, and Anya decides to do something to stop all this. She gets up from her seat and confronts Billy Squire but realizes she should have thought of what to say before getting up. Anya considers telling them about the Secret Police's plan but fears they will explode the bus immediately. Anya thinks about what to say as Henry Henderson tells her to sit back down. Suddenly, Anya gets the idea to ask for more rations, as the police held back when the students were eating. Anya's bold statement shocks everyone, and Billy threatens to detonate her collar bomb. Anya is undeterred because she knows it is fake and says she is not afraid, mirroring Biddy's speech.

This unnerves Billy as he begins to see his daughter in Anya. He begins to think about Biddy's words, and Anya tries to parrot some of them while reading his mind. Billy snaps and removes the bomb from Anya, telling her to leave. However, Anya realizes he does not want to do his misdeeds while she is on the bus, so she refuses, to everyone's shock once again. Billy yells at Anya, saying that the Eden students are selfish elites, but recalls Damian and Emile's courage for their classmates. Anya demands more of the rations, making Billy believe that the children are not eating enough at home. Billy's misunderstanding continues, thinking that even Donovan Desmond has fallen low ever since losing power and that Ostania's economy has collapsed with a food shortage while he was out of the country. He is amazed by Anya's selflessness, embarrassing the little girl.

Billy asks Anya why she is doing this for everyone, and after some thinking, Anya repeats Loid's motivation for becoming a spy, wanting to make a world where kids don't need to cry. A noble goal, although she is a kid herself. Billy's resolve is even more shaken, but Vadim asks if he has forgotten about his daughter and tells him that if he wants equality, he must make their enemies know the pain of losing a child, aiming his gun at Anya. Billy flashes back to the past when Biddy got scratched while trying to equally distribute food amongst the neighborhood cats because she cannot bear to hear anyone cry. Billy is proud of his daughter but realizes she has used their food from the pantry to feed the cats again. Biddy giggles and reminds him that he taught her to "Be a giver, not a taker. Help each other up, don't hold each other down." Because Billy has always been teaching her these ideals, Biddy is proud to be the person she has become.

Back in the present, Billy realizes that he has not forgotten about his daughter but pretended to keep his anger, his reason to live, from melting away. Vadim says there is no time to waver, but Billy takes their guns and bags, then steps outside the bus. Billy knows that the Red Circus's methods are wrong but did nothing to stop them. However, he refuses to let his daughter die again, as he still wants to be able to call himself a dad. Billy puts down the weapons and surrenders, shocking everyone. Vadim yells at him to get back inside, but Billy tells the forces that he is the sole planner of the operation and to be lenient with his comrades as he coerced them into joining him.

Enraged and unwilling to give up, Vadim tries to drive off. However, the police commissioner orders the armored vehicles to block his path. With nowhere to run, Vadim grabs Anya and rushes out of the bus, using her as a hostage. Before the SSS can fire at them, Martha leaps from above and shocks Vadim with a powerful taser, and catches Anya. The police move in to arrest the remaining Red Circus members and evacuate the students from the bus. As he gets taken away, Billy looks back to see a smiling Anya waving to Becky, who rushes to her and Martha in tears. The chapter closes with a breaking news report discussing the recent hijacking.

Aphrodite

There are too few words to describe the radiance, the magnificence, the inequitable glory of Aphrodite, Goddess of Beauty. So wondrous is she to behold that one look can inspire tears, desire, jealousy, and love. Yet, beneath her flawless exterior resides a heart burdened with insecurity.

Inattentive and hideous to look upon, her husband, Hephaestus, unknowingly leaves Aphrodite feeling lonely and worthless. She finds consolation in the arms of other men such as Ares, or validation by competing in any contest of beauty she encounters.

At a wedding attended by all the Gods, a golden apple appeared, inscribed with the words "to the fairest." Immediately Aphrodite, her mother Hera, and sister Athena quarreled over it. Zeus elected Paris, Prince of Troy, to choose a victor. In exchange for being named the fairest, Aphrodite offered any woman in the world as his wife, so Paris agreed. However, he chose Helen as his wife, and their love began the catastrophic Trojan War.

Now, a new war brews, but this one between Gods, not men. While the battlefield is no place for the fairest of all, Aphrodite recalls the destruction between the Greeks and Trojans. Perhaps, this time, her beauty can be used to stop a war instead of start one. Perhaps, this time, she will discover the beauty within.

Survival of the Idiots

SpongeBob and Patrick excitedly race to Sandy's treedome to hang out with her. However, the entire dome has a metal cover over it and a "Keep Out" sign on the front door. In the entryway, they find a TV, which turns on, and plays a video of Sandy dressed for bed, and gobbling on loads of acorns. The recording of Sandy explains that she is hibernating for the winter, and that animals that hibernate do not like to be woken up and asks for no one to disturb her, including SpongeBob as she said so explicitly at the end of the video recording. However, even though prohibited to do so, Patrick opens the door anyway to reveal that the dome's environment is completely covered with snow.

Then SpongeBob and Patrick quickly take delight in the snow, even being able to remove their water helmets because of the snow's moisture. When they hear a strange noise from Sandy's treehouse, they go inside to investigate. They then discover that Sandy is many times her original size from eating loads of acorns, and is sleeping soundly. At first, their gentle prodding, and poking do nothing to wake her from her dreams of catching the outlaws Dirty Dan and Pinhead Larry.

Soon enough, though, their merrymaking takes its toll, and then Sandy suddenly wakes up, assaulting SpongeBob and Patrick in her sleepy stupor. Then she falls back to sleep in her bed. Patrick then makes a pair of earmuffs from his belly button lint, which SpongeBob places over Sandy's ears to prevent her from waking up.

Then, SpongeBob and Patrick leave her room to continue playing in the snow. They pretend to be the outlaws from Sandy's dream, but then they start fighting over which one of them will play the part of being Dirty Dan. Their roughhousing causes Sandy's earmuffs to fall off, allowing her to hear all the noise, and she attacks them in further half-asleep fury. Being battered and bruised, with the winter storm growing more intense, SpongeBob and Patrick try to leave, but then they find that the door's frozen shut, leaving them trapped in the wintery treedome until spring. Some hours later, SpongeBob and Patrick are covered in snow and they start shivering.

Unable to escape or survive in the cold weather, SpongeBob tries to take a piece of bark from the tree, but the sleep talking Sandy, still thinking he is Pinhead Larry, threatens to put him in an iron lung. He takes it as a sign that he should put it back. They go into Sandy's room and, throwing caution to the wind, rip off all her fur. With their new fur-lined winter attire, SpongeBob proclaims that now they are ready for the "longest, coldest winter ever!" However, winter immediately comes to an end, and then Sandy wakes up with her winter pounds shed. Sandy sees SpongeBob and Patrick outside from her window and is excited to see them. She then comes out of her treehouse, and Sandy is initially surprised and confused to see SpongeBob and Patrick wearing her fur, but when she looks down at herself, she finds herself completely fur-less causing her to scream in horror. This shock immediately turns into anger, forcing SpongeBob and Patrick to realize that ripping her fur off wasn’t a good idea anticipate the consequences they'll have to suffer.

As a punishment for what they did, Sandy forbids them from leaving her home and then drinks lemonade with them, while their bodies are tied around her to provide her new spring coat to keep her warm until her fur grows back, much to SpongeBob and Patrick's discomfort and dismay.

Chapter 3

Against the black of night, against the seething cloud, a storm of fire swirled. At its approach, the dark cloud retreated as though frightened to burn, only to redouble and attack from the opposite direction. Endlessly this dance continued; back and forth the forces of darkness and the forces of flame advanced and retreated. Embers dropped from the sky like rain.

Fingers arched, arms straining in arcane gestures, double headed Agni conducted the fiery maelstrom from his watch atop the golden palace dome. Sweat slid from his twin brows as he battled the shadow cloud.

Upon this, did Susano lay eyes when arriving in Aryavarta.

"You have come at an opportune time, Susano, if you wish to slay me," Agni grunted, his attention and effort cast completely upward.

"Not this day," Susano conceded. "I come to combat this black cloud that covers you."

"No cloud is this, wanderer!" Fire flared at Agni's command and a lone silhouette tumbled from above. A tiny corpse, blackened and charred beyond recognition, evident only that the beast had wings. A bird or bat, perhaps. Above, the cloud churned, millions of swooping creatures.

"This is a God's power, sent to curse us all," Agni declared. "If you would truly aid us, Seek the Weaver. She will know from whom this comes."

Ravaged by the ongoing war, the Kingdom of the Sun billowed black smoke from a thousand wounds, but the sky above remained otherwise clear. Susano, for once, arrived before the darkness. Collapsed were the city gates. Crushed were the market stalls. From high windows, the people spied Susano with faces of suspicion and fear.

A hot breeze blew against the back of his neck. Susano spun, blade ringing as it came free.

Before him stood Neith, Weaver of Fate. Lithe of frame, bright of smile, but eyes sad as a funeral. Eyes that peered through skin to expose the soul beneath.

"I heard you were looking for me," her bow gripped in one hand, strung with threads of fate, but not drawn.

"From where did you hear this?" Susano grip tightened on his blade.

"From here," she said placing a delicate finger on his chest. Over his heart.

Susano's guard fell like autumn leaves. "I must know who attacks us with a cloud of beasts."

"Your thread of Fate is worn," she said. "Thin. You cannot defeat this enemy until you strengthen it."

Susano straightened. "How?"

Neith's smile faltered. "You must decide what you fight for."

Silence stood between Susano and Neith like a stone monolith.

"Once," Susano slowly sheathed his massive blade, "I fought for myself. For my own glory. For vanity. My sister, Amaterasu, suffered for this and the world was darker for it."

"And now?" Neith stepped close enough that Susano could hear her whisper.

Eyes downcast, he sighed. "Now, I fight so my sister will forgive me."

Like a wisp in the breeze, Neith circled him. "Your sister has forgiven you, Susano. Your strength does not come from her, but from within. You will always be diminished until you forgive yourself. Until you once again fight for yourself, but without vanity."

In this moment, jackal-headed Anubis appeared from the shadows and bowed regally to Neith. "You called. I answer. What do you require?"

"Susano hunts a God that wields powers of the underworld. Power over death. Though, I cannot tell whom. You are a God of the underworld. Aid him and stop this threat."

"Three there are," Anubis growled. "Hades and Hel to the North. But a new God has surfaced to the West. A bat beast. He shall I flush out if you go North."

Susano nodded and Anubis vanished into darkness.

"Remember," Neith delicately touched his shoulder. "Without vanity. Only then will your strength return."

Diary of Koby-Meppo

Vol.10 : "The Headquarters Vice-Admiral Lets Down His Guard"

コビメッポ奮闘日記vol.10「本部中将の油断」

Oda Eiichiro

"Ota-san, it's raining!!" "Oh heavens, thank you for telling me." Ah, listening to the conversations of the older ladies in the neighborhood. Really warms the heart.

「太田さん、雨よ!!」「あ、どうもすいません」近所のおばちゃんの会話。心暖まる

Chapter 94