Operation: OCEANA, Part 8: Bikini Bottom

Fun fact, I was planning to introduce Hody in Seven Lights. He would've been in the Davy Back Fight, representing the Dutchman Pirates.

Erin woke early that morning, still ill in the stomach. Madeleine had gotten a new "bed," inside a tub of water. The mermaid looked comfier and happier than ever in her natural habitat.

Erin walked out to the bridge, carrying her half-empty bottle of normal bubble soap. A Fury Mode… she heard only Jason and Rango were able to pull that off, though the latter used a supplement, too. But she had to learn to do it herself. Her mom used Fury on Arlong's men before… She had waved her arms around fluently before punching them to the sides, opening the Chi Gates inside them. Erin waved her own arms around, feeling the flow of the chi inside them… or at least she thought she did. These were the basic motions Mom always taught them before bending lessons. When Erin thought she had a good flow, she punched to the sides. Nothing happened.

"Hmmm…but that's just for normal waterbending. Maybe bubblebending is a different Chi Gate. What if… I blow on myself like a bubble?" She stuck her thumb in her mouth and blew. "Pmffffffffff!" Her cheeks blew up and her face turned blue. "Fuh! No. …What if it's in the snot?" She pinched her nose and blew inward. "Hmmmssssss-SUH!" She thought her nasal bridge would explode just trying it. "Uck, I think it went to my eyes. Oh, here's another idea." She puffed her cheeks up again and slapped them simultaneously, feeling them pop. "Hey, I almost felt something! My mouth was foaming a lot when it happened, so maybe the secret's in the mouth. Like, maybe if I stir the saliva around it," she swished her mouth around with puffed cheeks, then popped them. "PLOO! Ew…" She left a spit puddle on the floor. "No, that doesn't make sense, I'm trying to do Bubble Fury, not Spit Fury. Besides, wouldn't I need a bubble source, anyway? How can I do this without-"

She turned, startled when she saw someone there. "Madeleine! I, uh…did I wake you?"

Madeleine smiled bubbly. She puffed her cheeks and POPPED them. "Hehe…you've been watching for a while, huh? …So, that shark guy… did he really have your voice?" She nodded. "Well, that's good. If we beat him, we can get it back. Then we can really talk to each other."

Madeleine looked down, smiling at the thought. She faced up and started waving her wand at Erin, her eyes curved determinedly. "You wanna practice?" She nodded. "Hehe, okay. Go easy on me though. Can you remember spells by heart now?"

Madeleine waved and cast an Ice Spell at Erin. "Brrrrr! Glad I'm still in my jammies… just wish I could…hoo…" She tried thawing the ice with her own bending, but, "I could never get the hang of this." So, Madeleine cast a Warming Spell. "Thanks. Heh, I said go easy!" Madeleine giggled and waved the next spell. 'What's this d-' Erin tried to speak, but realized no words came out. 'Oh! I'm silent! Now I know "how you feel. Ah! Phew, I'm glad that didn't last long."

"…" Madeleine reacted in a hurt way. "Oh, I mean… I'm sorry." Erin approached and gave her a pat. "…It really must be hard for you. Not being able to voice your feelings, or complaints… I can't imagine how that would feel. I wouldn't be able to tell Nora to shut up, or stand up to bullies, or cry for help… so, it must be terrible. I promise we'll get your voice back."

Madeleine looked up hopefully. Smirking, she wriggled up another spell. "Hah! Hahahahahaha!" Erin keeled back on the floor. "Stop! That ticklllles hehehehehe! Hahaha…hew." The spell faded. "Boy, talk about feeling bubbly. …Wait! You know how when you feel 'bubbly,' you feel that little tingle go up your chest? Maybe if I can bend my chi to that spot and spark that tingly feeling…mmp…mmp…mmp…" She wriggled around trying to do it. "I kind of almost feel-"

"I HEAR LAUGHTER!!" Nora dashed out and snatched Erin in a hug. "Erin, what is it?! What's so funny?! Nothing makes Erin happy without my being there!"

"E-Easy, Nora! Madeleine just tickled me-"

"YOU'RE HAVING A TICKLE FIGHT IN PRIVATE?!"

"Madeleine, can you just cast that spell on her?"

Madeleine nodded and silenced Nora, who continued to rant about regardless. They enjoyed the peace for the few seconds at last.

Later that morning, everyone was wide awake and continuing the voyage. They were visited by an Ocean KND Clam Ship, which opened to reveal a pudgy, opah merman. "Heya Sir Jinbe, akkamanbo! Manboshi here, Numbuh Manbo of the OKA-AND!" He spoke in a sing-song voice.

"Numbuh Manbo?" Mack remarked. "You had no creativity there, buddy. No wonder we never call each other by Numbuh."

"Would you believe he's Fukaboshi's brother?" Massimo asked.

"You mean the Supreme Leader? He's that guy's brother?!"

"I brought the Samba-body Bubbles you akka-asked for!" Manboshi danced, hauling the load of bottles onto the Snapper. "Hope the Bababa-Bubble Princess makes the best of them!"

"Hehe! I'll try my babababa-best!" Erin jigged.

"And when you do, make sambubbles, sambubbles! Samba and bubbles go well together, ya know!"

"They do?"

"Fo la si do, they do!"

"Please leave before you get songs stuck in my head!" Mack shouted.

"What about sambibbit, sambibbit!" Lulu danced.

"I can go for some samba!" Nora danced.

"Hahahaha!" Jinbe laughed. "You're always a delight, Manboshi!"

"Baba by the way, you guys going to Bikini Bo-bottom? I just got a report about it, akkamanbo! Pirates are swarming all its important landmarks, and the Black Manta-manbo is in the center of them!"

"That Black Manta guy again?" Erin asked.

"Yes, we were just on our way." Jinbe said. "Do you know where its Talisman was hidden?"

"I don't know, manbono. Just that it's hidden in a special place that needs seven keys to open-nopen."

"But that's like a whole other side quest!" Mack exclaimed.

"I'm going to help the operatives there, mobere! Can I see you there?"

"Yes-sere!" Jinbe answered. "I mean, yes. Thank you, Manboshi."

"Manbo!" The opah dove out and returned to his Clam Ship.

"Your B.U.B.B.L.E.R.'s all patched up, too, Erin." Mack presented. "But I'm thinking of making a new kind of weapon, after seeing that trident of yours."

"Really?" Erin asked, intrigued. "Hey, this metal feels different."

"I made it with Poseidonite, from Siren's hardware store."

"SIREN CITY HAS A HARDWARE STORE?!" Nora screamed.

"Uh…um…y…yes…" Mack questioned the point of her outburst.

"So, you can work with Poseidonite now!" Massimo grinned. "Make something for me sometime, Macaroni."

"Brainstorm some ideas while we beat up this next band of pirates. They can't really have much left after all we've been through; bet ya Captain Hody's scared in his swim shorts right now!"

Bikini Bottom was based beneath the Marshall Islands, marked by the simple tiny island, Bikini Atoll. The average buildings of the main city were bent, cylinder-shaped metal structures with round windows. Sector L overlooked the city from atop a mountain reef, where a sign marking the town's name was mounted. The sign in question was an orange inner-tube on a wooden post. "I don't believe it!" Nora exclaimed. "It's the town of legends! The home of the great hero, SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS!"

"SpongeBob has always been Oceana's most infamous… nuisance." Jinbe glared. "Though he was innocent at heart, his antics have made havoc for many merfolk. He was reckless with a boatmobile, he once drew this town into a terrible panic over a nonexistent monster, and let's not forget how he injured and incurred the anger of a Fairy Princess."

"Reminds me of when I helped this neighborhood clear out its snail infestation." Zoidberg said. "But suddenly it was, 'You ate my pet' this and 'I spent so much on this snail food' that! Feed your own family with that, why not?"

"But something tells me SpongeBob isn't who's making all those smokestacks." Lulu said. "So, let's quit staring and hop down!" (Play "No Cheese" from SpongeBob Movie Game!)

Stage 6: Bikini Bottom

Mission: Stop the pirate invasion!

Sector L followed the road to a residential area, but dodged when a truck-boatmobile tried to ram them. It crashed into a boulder as a horde of pirates in red ski masks, Slammers, jumped out and sent shockwaves with their large hammers. The operatives KO'ed them in no time, but the next chunk of the road was flooded by an oil spill, leaving a few bare spots to jump. Flingers; pirates floating on airborne inner-tubes, loomed around and spat globs of goo intending to make them slippery. Nora bent up Water Balls to throw back and knock them off their safe perches. Past the oil field, they had to navigate an area of crashed boatmobiles, from which Bullworm Spinners jumped out. They wore admiral hats, eyepatches, and held large, barking worms by the leash. Their Bullworms spun with them in the center, closing in on the kids, but Lulu hopped and squashed them with Ground Pounds!

"Oh my gosh, guys! We're here!" Nora exclaimed.

"Here… where?" Lulu asked.

"Whaddya mean where?!" Massimo asked. "It's SpongeBob's neighborhood!"

There was a pineapple under the sea. Based next to an Easter Island head, home of the famous musician Squidward Tentacles; followed by a large, round rock, holding the underground home of Patrick Star, famous for… sleeping in his home and doing nothing. This simple lineup of three houses was a place of legends.

"Back in the 90's," Jinbe began, "marine scientist Stephen Hillenburg came to Oceana and met SpongeBob. Fascinated and humored by the sponge, who himself was a member of a rare race of sea sponge Fishmen, Stephen went on to create a cartoon based on SpongeBob."

"It feels sort of amazing to be here." Erin said. "How old even is SpongeBob?"

"I don't know, but he is just now entering his elderly phase. He's held onto his youth for decades, despite the fact he's now a grandfather."

"G-Grandfather?! Wait, he has kids?! With who?!"

"Now, that's best left a surprise." Jinbe smiled. "SpongeBob is no stranger to combat either. I wonder if the pirates are wary of getting close to him?"

"Sounds like you actually do respect him a little." Mack smirked.

"In spite of the troubles he's caused, SpongeBob is still the most iconic figure of our culture… and I welcome him."

"I want to be just like him!" Zoidberg proclaimed with tearing eyes.

"And look up there!" Nora pointed up-road. "It's the original Krusty Krab! And the library where the Chum Bucket used to be! And that ring of magic portals over…whuh?" Her pointed finger drooped in confusion. "I don't remember that from the show."

"Then it's worth investigating." Jinbe led the charge. The circle of magic pinkish portals was guarded by three Mervs, pirates floating in metal cannisters with laser turrets. It was safest to K.O. them with their ranged techniques, though they took a fair number of hits. Their bouts wouldn't end there as Bass Bandits leapt out of the portals in random order, so each kid/Zoidberg watched their own portal to ambush whatever pirates came through. Amidst the process, Massimo was about to thrust his spear into a tanned boy with a yellow shirt and red hair in dreads.

"WHOA WHOA WHOA, dude, wait!"

"Hey, you don't look like a pirate." Massimo said. "Or a Fishman!"

"Wait, he's a KND operative!" Mack recognized. "I see him at meetings. Which sector are you again?"

"We're Sector H. The others should be coming through about-"

"WHOOOA!" Three other kids tumbled out of the portal, landing on him. "Ugh, why didn't you move, Otto?!" a purple-haired girl asked.

"Yeah, dude. If we wanted a human cushion, we would've sent Squid first." a hatted boy remarked.

"What?!" exclaimed a spectacled boy, who'd fallen upside-down.

The four operatives were in skating helmets with kneepads. "So yeah, I'm the leader, Otto." The red-haired boy said. "This is my sister Reggie," the purple-haired girl, "Twister," the hatted Latino boy, "and that's the Squid." The glasses boy in the oversized "N" shirt. (All from Rocket Power.)

"Wow, we literally just met another Otto." Mack said. "So, what's yours, Otto Destruct or something?"

"Uh…it's Otto Rocket."

"And you guys are Sector L!" Reggie beamed. "We were wondering if we'd see the princess here!"

"AAAH, WATCH OUT!" Twister panicked. "Two more pirates!"

"What?!" Erin gasped. "No, that's Jinbe and Zoidberg!"

"Who?!"

"He's a Sea Knight, and a great one!" Nora shouted. "Apologize!"

"It's alright, it was an honest mistake." Jinbe complied.

"But if ya wanna treat Zoidberg to some krill later…" Zoidberg smirked.

"We'd like you four to fill us in on the situation here; what are these portals?"

"We don't know." Reggie answered. "But we were on that Sand Mountain when we saw some black mermaid witches setting it up. And I guess they set up others."

"That merman said we needed seven keys to find the Talisman here." Mack remembered. "Maybe these portals link to the spots they're hidden."

"Then we should get them before the pi-ribbits do!" Lulu hopped. "This saves us lots of travel time!"

"Alright, then let's just go clockwise starting from that one." Erin pointed.

"Or we could be a little more efficient." Mack suggested. "Since we got two sectors with us now, we split up in pairs of two and pick a path."

"Split up?!" Nora yelped. "The last time we split up, you got eaten by a pelican!"

"That wasn't because—it wasn't a—bululu!" Mack twisted his tongue. "We split up all the time and work just fine in pairs. Me and Massimo survived the trench, Erin and Lulu beat that Oden guy, or whatever his name was, I'd say we'll be fine."

"But-but splitting up is just…just too sad! Not able to have each other's back right away! Erin, don't you think so?!"

"I, uh…I think Mack makes a good point."

"YOU WANT TO SPLIT UP?!"

"Nora, what's with you today? You didn't drink coffee again, did you?"

"It's just…" Nora thought back to Shyarly's vision, "I wasn't able to help when Arlong was hurting you, 'cause that stupid guy wouldn't stop elbowing me, and you-"

"Nora, take it easy! The two of us can share a portal if you want, just promise to calm down."

"Th-That would be…wait!" Nora spun away and began murmuring, "What if the vision actually meant we would split up here? I'm already pretty sad about this, so if we do this now, it won't happen later!"

"Nora?"

"FINE!!" Nora whipped back, bawling big tears. "If that's how you feel, I'll go with… this guy!" She grabbed Twister.

"ME?!"

"I hope this time apart makes you feel better, Erin!" So, she dragged him through a portal.

"I suppose it's decided." Jinbe figured. "I'll stand guard here and be ready to assist any of you if needed."

"Thanks, Jinbe!" With that, Erin paired with Otto, Lulu with Madeleine, Massimo with Reggie, and Squid with Mack.

"'Guess it's just you and me, Jinbe my man." Zoidberg hugged an arm around Jinbe's back.

"You can be efficient, too!" Jinbe threw him through another portal.

Erin and Otto landed in Goo Lagoon, a beach with its own miniature sea, itself a bottom border of the Bubble Dome. "Hey, dudes!" greeted a blue Fishman in a red shirt. …His body was faced skyward, yet his arms and legs were on the edge sides, so only his right side faced them. "Welcome to Goo Lagoon."

"Hi!" Erin grinned. "You're a… different kind of Fishman."

"Shyah know, right? But like, surfin's a no-go right now, 'cause this gnarly dude is hittin' the beach with cannons, man."

Cannonballs bombarded the beach behind them, splashing up sand geysers. "HEY, KIDS! Here to play volleyball?!" a French voice announced from a floating ship. The pirate was a short, light-blue shrimp with a thin, long mustache, red pirate jacket and hat, purple jumpsuit, and a belt with a gold "P." "Well, how about some volley-CANNONBALL?!"

"He's, like, really annoying, man. He's, like, the supervillain, Admiral Prawn or something."

"Check out that tall sandcastle." Erin pointed. "If we climbed up that, we could fly over to his ship and stop him."

"Dude, if he sees us doing that, he'll blow that castle to smithereens!" Otto argued.

"Can you distract him? I see a route I can take to get there."

"'kay, but if my board gets trashed, you're paying for it." Otto pulled out a surfboard and used his Compowder to switch to swim trunks. "COWABUNGA!" He ran out to sea and leapt on his board, swift on the surface as he dodged Prawn's cannons.

Erin headed left and jumped a lineup of inflatable rafts. Piranha Fishkids swam to her in floaties with dragon heads, which shot fire. "AAH! How is that safe for children?!" She had no choice but to shoot bubbles and knock the kids out. It was sad to think they were also with the pirates. The rafts led to a cave within a long reef, where she jumped her way over available platforms. However, the quakes caused by cannonfire would make stalactites drop, so Erin was quick to act. "DWOH!" She tripped on her sandal, but made a bubble to catch her other foot and stabilize. She kept jumping and used a Bubble Board to surf over a blank area of the cavern river, dodging smaller stalactites. When she landed, another almost fell on her, but she blew up a Foam Hand to grab and drop it aside. "Hehe…I'm getting kinda good at this." She smiled at her own hand. "Better not stop now!"

She found the cave's exit just under the tall sand tower. There were several "bricks" sticking out of it, which she could climb using Bubble Steps. She felt them about to crumble beneath her, so she looked out for the next ones fast and climbed. Finally at the tower's top where the large flagpole sat, she was in surf-gliding range of Prawn's ship. "What's WRONG, boy?!" he yelled down at Otto. "Afraid of getting… BEACH BOMBED?!"

"YOU'RE the only one getting beach bombed now!" Erin landed on the deck and shot two Bath Bombs at the surrounding crewmen. "You're mi—ooooh!" In her attempt to charge Prawn, the shrimp blew a powerful jet from his horn, blowing her across the deck.

"Hohoho! Did that BLOW you away?!" Prawn stepped closer and kept blowing, Erin getting down to root herself to the deck. There was no use shooting bubbles like this, but he would need to breathe eventually. But for only being half her size, Prawn sure had strong lungs. When he finally stopped, Erin immediately blew a cluster of bubbles into his horn. Prawn was still set to blow, the bubbles merging and inflating, but Erin mustered her bending to keep it from popping and keep it over the horn, no matter how much it inflated. The effort exhausted Prawn, who unwarily sucked back through the horn, slurping the bubble right up. "HUEP!" His body puffed up as he floated to the sky.

"NICE ONE, Princess!" Otto cheered. "Hey, I see something shiny on top of that flagpole! What is it?"

Erin had just noticed the glimmer herself. She glid back to the sandcastle and climbed atop the flagpole. "A spatula? …It's really clean, but it's just a normal spatula. Hmmm…"

Zoidberg's portal led him a very dark place at the bottom of a cliff. "Rock Bottom? Wow, I guess my councilor was right! Well, I better get to work." The Crabman stepped forward, viewing the glowing Anglerfishman residents. "Sigh. I'm always the last one to pick a partner… and there's always an odd number of students." He spoke sadly as he walked past a man on a bench. "I don't wanna fight pirates alone."

"Oh? You want someone to fight pirates with?" asked the pickle-skinned Fishman with a mustache and ripped blue vest. "Because, uh, I'm great at fighting pirates." He smirked wickedly. "I'd be glad to help you."

"Really? You would, stranger?"

"Yep! I got your back, Jack!"

"It's John. But thank you! How wonderful!" As Zoidberg proceeded forward, the stranger glanced at a wanted poster on a street pole. WANTED: Tattletale Strangler. It depicted himself, but without a mustache.

"Heh heh heh…" The Strangler approached Zoidberg and GRABBED his neck!

"Vhat? Is this the Neck Hug of Friendship?"

"Uh, yes! We do it all the time down here!" Man, why is his neck so thick?! Strangler thought in frustration.

"Wonderful! Let me try!" Zoidberg reached his claws back and clenched Strangler's neck.

"WAAAAAH! DWAAAAH! G-G-Get off me!"

"Get on with it? Alright, hold your seahorses. Wow, is that a museum?! I love art! Let's go, new friend!"

"WAAAAAAAH!" Strangler was dragged along by the crab's whims.

Massimo and Reggie landed at the top of Sand Mountain. "Geez, it's cold!" Massimo shuttered. "Why's this part of the sea so cold?! It's still warm on the surface!"

"Quit talking and start sledding!" Reggie said, switching into winter gear and bringing out a snowboard.

"Oh, I don't sled." He set up his bike. "I bike! SILENZIO, BRUNO!" And down he went! (Play "Slide" from SpongeBob BFBB!)

Both kids avoided rocks in the road and made tight turns along an elevated path. When the trail grew wide, Weever Racers ambushed them, the duo reacting fast to bash the skiing sand-soaked Fishmen. One of them kicked Reggie to the right as she crashed through a weak wall into a hidden cave. She sledded precariously over a thin ledge, jumping gaps and crossing over a red switch that lit green before reuniting with Massimo. "Where'd you go?"

"A forced detour, but there was a switch in there! Let's look for other ones. Yuh-oh!" They rode onto a giant sandball that rolled forward with their momentum. Before they could roll off the other side, they could jump to another sandball, which would roll toward the next. But while Reggie made the jump, Massimo saw the hole in that third sandball, so he let himself slide into it. It would roll with him inside, the exiting end of the ball lining up with a tunnel in the ground. It led him over a switch, followed by a spring that would shoot him back to Reggie's track. They would immediately ride into a ski lift, its track forking several ways down the mountain. Reggie pressed a button on her ski visor to zoom its vision. "Aha! There's the switch, Maximo! We need to hit those levers on top!"

"It's Massimo!" The Fishboy thrust his spear at the first lever, directing their lift left.

"Maximo's a cool skater name! It's like… MAXIMUS! Don't you think?"

"No?" Flying Fishmen tried to shoot them down, but Reggie could grab a special hockey club and shoot rocket-powered pucks to take them down. Massimo would focus on directing their ski lift the right way, then dropping on the track with the switch. A cage would open at the bottom of the track, granting them a clamshell sled. "Is this it? Why'd we go through all that trouble for this thing?"

"Maybe it's one of the keys we need. Let's take it and ask Jinbe."

"Yyyyyeah… is there a shortcut up?"

"I sure hope so."

Back in Rock Bottom, "AAAAAAAHH!" the Strangler was still trapped in Zoidberg's grip. "WHY WON'T YOU LET GO?!"

"Your neck is so thick that I can't open my claws up enough."

"WHYYYYY?" (Play "Wild West Fields" from Cosmic Shake!)

Mack and Squid landed in Jellyfish Fields. There was a band of anchovy Fishmen gathered around a nerdy cucumber with glasses and a crown. "Jellyspotters! Our target, today, is King Jellyfish! The pirates promised us a bounty of fresh, rip-resistant socks if we deliver him! Today shall be our PARAMOUNT!"

"MIMIMIMIMIIIIII!"

"Cool, are you guys a jellyfishing club?" Mack approached, smiling. "I'm sort of a newbie jellyfisher myself. I've made my good share of catches, in fact."

"Pfft! YOU, a jellyfisher? You look like you couldn't even catch a cup of artificial jelly!"

"I can, too! In fact, I bet I could catch King Jelly with my own handmade net!" Mack presented his mechanical net. "Way faster than you dorks could."

"Do you know who you're talking to?! I am Kevin C. Cucumber, the King of Jellyfishing! That means only I can capture the king! Spotters, advance! Don't let these jellyfrauders get in our way!"

"MIMIMIMIMI!" They charged forth.

"Why'd you have to get them angry like that?" Squid asked.

"Because provoking leads to recklessness, and recklessness leads to live bait." Mack tossed him his own net. "Let's move, Squid!"

"M-My real name is Sam, by the way. 'Squid' is based on a term from Southern California, used for new motorcycle riders who are unpredictable in-"

"Just grab a clarinet and call yourself Squidward." Some anchovies would man turrets to prevent the boys from crossing a path, but Mack saw jellyfish hives hanging above them. He steered his Shock Pinball under the anchovies' vision and found secret holes in the trees, which had tunnels leading up to the hives. Mack had the pinball shock the jellyfish awake, and they would take their anger out on the anchovies beneath them. Once they were all stung beyond recognition, the nerds proceeded. The trail led behind a tall waterfall, which concealed paths and ledges leading up it. The anchovies guarding it lashed electric jellyfish whips; Squid flashed his own stunning camera at them while Mack KO'ed them with his Shock Bowl.

At the top of the falls, there was a circle of statues representing SpongeBob himself. The anchovies were plugging it with jelly. "Good." Kevin said. "I hate listening to those things. Now, keep an eye out for those geeks. I have a king to catch!" The cucumber grabbed a giant net and marched up the mountain.

"Squid, can you take this," Mack handed him the torpedo gun, "and destroy those jelly clogs? There might be something important about these statues. As for me, I've got a pickle to outwit."

"Sure, sure. I'll let you go up to the scary King Jellyfish, hehe."

Mack followed the trail Kevin took, relying on humming wind jets to lift him up tall ledges. Pairs of jellyfish would float beside some of them and link electric charges, so Mack waited for them to depower before going. Near the top of the mountain, he saw Kevin… and his net stuck between some trees. "Grrrr! Stupid nature preserve!"

"Uh, hey, Kevin! Need some help there?"

"Shut up! King Jellyfish will be MINE!"

"Right…?" Mack heard a majestic melody of howling wind. Looking down, he saw it was coming from those SpongeBob statues. Up the mountain, a shower curtain opened, and inside was a giant purple jellyfish in a regal robe and crown. He was in the middle of a bath when he heard the song. Enlightened, King Jellyfish floated toward the statues, but Kevin's net was in the way. Mack extracted the six swords from his Mackpack and climbed the trees to cut the strings. King Jellyfish was able to fly clean through and join the dance with his other jellyfish. "Nice! Now I wonder if anything else is up here?" Mack headed up to the king's giant bath pool. "Really? Not even a throne, just a tub? And there's…" an ordinary jellyfishing net under the tub? Mack swam down to grab it and return.

"Infidel!" Kevin yelled. "Only I may bathe in King Jellyfish's royal bath!"

"Sorry." Mack took out a soaker gun and pumped it up. "How's this?" And he blasted it with high pressure, blasting Kevin down the mountain and crashing into King Jellyfish.

"Uh…uh-oh."

And while Kevin became a lightshow, Mack and Squid returned downhill.

"Ooo, look! Candy!" Zoidberg approached a candy machine. "Perhaps if I eat candy, I'll get fat and widen my claws enough to free you!"

"Fine, fine, however that works, JUST DO IT!" Strangler demanded.

"Do you have a quarter, my good sir?"

"Ugh!" Strangler fished around for a quarter. Zoidberg turned them so he could insert it, but dropped the coin. They squat so Strangler could fumble to pick it up. This time, he was successful. The candy scrolled its way to the front… and got stuck. "AAAAAAAAAGH!"

Nora and Twister landed in the Sulfur Fields, a rocky plain with small, dark, sulfur-shooting volcanoes. "Alright, boys, we're searchin' every hole in this gas hole until we find those bubbles!" commanded Victor, a muscular blue thug Fishman with an eyepatch.

"Eh, hello? Bubbles?" An admiral thug peered in one. "You in he-" Sulfur exploded out and completely charred him. "…At least I still have my personality."

"Bubbles?! Are these thugs trying to copy off Erin?!" Nora exclaimed. "THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE!" She lashed a Water Kick at three thugs, immediately garnering the aggression of all of them.

"And I thought I was twisted!" Twister exclaimed, showing off his signature move by spinning on his skateboard at rapid speed. He mowed down hordes of thugs, knocking them into craters. Nora dealt a combo of kicks to Victor and knocked him into a larger crater. She grabbed the Bullworm Spinners by their worms, swung them around, and hurdled them into sideways-facing craters. There was a two-headed thug and, coincidentally, two parallel craters spaced the same distance apart. Nora and Twister thwacked him simultaneously to clog his heads in the craters.

With all the craters clogged, they all exploded at once and sooted all the thugs. Then a smaller crater gently popped out a bottle of bubbles. Nora picked it up. "Bubbles? Maybe Erin'll like them!"

Lulu and Madeleine landed in the industrial park, full of toxic waste and grimy metal buildings. The two fought their way through scrapped, but still mobile robots; Fodders, Ham-Mers, and Tar-Tars. The girls reached an old ladder with only a few fixed bars. Lulu could make the great hops to reach them, carrying Madeleine on her back. The Monsoon robots sent storm clouds to strike them off, but Madeleine caught their lightning on her wand and used a redirection spell to shoot them down. From the top of the ladder, Lulu carefully balanced over a thin wire, moving quickly to avoid the torpedoes of Chuckbots and spitting saliva back at them. "W-W-Whoa!" Her froggy fins nearly lost balance, so Madeleine held her for balance. "I'm sure glad you can 'fly'!"

The wire would lead to a downhill treadmill where a giant metal cruncher loomed beneath the end. Madeleine swam down ahead and looked into it, seeing a pair of karate gloves. She gestured Lulu to come down. Lulu rode the treadmill down and jumped over the cruncher, Madeleine quickly casting a Levitate Spell on her. She shot her tongue down to grab the gloves out of there before her tongue could be snapped. She then tongue-grappled a sequence of hooks to return to the portal.

Zoidberg and Strangler found a room in the museum with a laser floor and a glass case in the center. The case had a purple belt with an "M." "A belt under high surveillance? We must protect it from the pirates, why don't we? Let's get it out of here and bring it to Jinbe!"

"You think Jinbe can rip your frickin' CLAWS OFF ME?!"

"If only I could jump to those platforms. Wait! This is reminding me how Lulu swings Erin around with her tongue, I guess! Perhaps there is meaning in our circumstances."

"What're you—WAAAAH!" Zoidberg "threw" Strangler and pulled himself with him. They did this to leap the platforms over the laser floor, then could jump along the paintings sticking from the wall. From the highest painting, they leapt the chandeliers and reached a generator. Zoidberg then began to bash him against it. "WHAT'RE YOU DOING?!"

"Don't worry! Children taught me this is what friends do!"

"I HATE FRIENDSHIP!!" One last good thrash destroyed the generator and shook Strangler free of his ironic trap.

With the lasers disabled, Zoidberg dropped down to collect the belt. "Hooray! I'm a hero! I can't wait to introduce you to-"

"HEEEEELP!" Strangler high-tailed out of there the first chance he got. "THERE'S A MAD CRAB STRANGLER ON THE LOOSE!"

"A strangler?!" Zoidberg gasped. "Where?!"

"FREEZE, STRANGLER!" A group of guards dropped from the ceiling.

"Vhat?! Is he behind me?! WHOOP-WHOOP-WHOOP-WHOOP!" Zoidberg scuttled out in a panic. (End song.)

Jinbe was delighted as each pair returned from their portal one after the other. "WHOOP-WHOOP-WHOOP!" Zoidberg flew out last and bumped into him.

"So, what did you all find?"

"Some clamshell." Reggie said.

"Some spatula." Erin said.

"Erin, I found some new bubbles for you!" Nora cheered.

"I found the best gift of all!" Zoidberg beamed. "I now understand the true 'power' of friendship. And this belt, why not?"

"So, none of you found any keys?" Squid asked. "Just these pieces of junk?"

"Wait!" Jinbe gasped. "These are some of SpongeBob's most valued possessions. His Krusty Krab spatula, his jellyfishing net, Mermaid Man's magic belt, his karate gloves…"

"So, what, you're saying these are the keys?" Mack asked. "Does that mean they go in SpongeBob's house or something?"

"Perhaps. But we still must find the last one. Let's search the last portal together."

"Fine by me!" Erin chirped, jumping in first. She hurried ahead to give the others room to land. They were in an alleyway, rushing out to a battle-torn main street. Merkid operatives and Bikini Bottom police were at battle with pirates, with many fallen on both sides. They could hear a citizen cry "MY LEG!" in the distance.

A beam fired from a rooftop, targeted at Jinbe, who dodged.

"Look who's late to the party." Black Manta announced.

"It's the Black Stingray!" Nora pointed.

"And it looks like you've already found SpongeBob's treasures. That makes seven." Manta withdrew what seemed like a guitar case. "Why don't you spare us the trouble?" He threw it down, Otto skating to catch it.

"This dude's just giving it to us?"

"You're collecting the Talismans yourself, aren't you? Then it's only a matter of time before Samiya reappears. That's what Captain Hody wants."

"Manta, there's something you need to know about Hody." Jinbe said. "He was a Sea Knight himself until six years ago. And he killed several human criminals during his time."

"He…He was?"

"I never asked, Manta… but why is it you want revenge on the Sea Knights?"

"My dad was a pirate who invaded Oceanic towns. But seven years ago, he and his crew were killed by Sea Knights. I swore revenge on them and the people they protect, and I vowed to expose their injustice."

"Your justice has been sorely misplaced. You say it was seven years ago, so Hody would've been active at that time. And I knew no other Sea Knights to kill humans besides him and his clique."

"Slaying humans is the job of all Fishmen." (Play "Jaws Theme Song.")

The echo hailed from the edge of town. Another gang of pirates marched the road, their leader a great white shark holding a blood-red trident. He wore an open red jacket and bore the beheaded human symbol on the right of his scarred belly. He had a white scarf made from the pelt of a dog, its head hanging over his left breast. The ninja, Kisame was with him, along with a red-skinned, blue-ringed octopus, a hammerhead, and a giant squid Fishman. The shark twirled his trident, seeming to bend water around it, and threw it through several buildings, looping around to return to his hand as the buildings crumbled.

"THAT JERK!" Nora shouted, already rushing for a confrontation.

"Wait, Nora!" Erin and the others followed.

"That's… him!" Jinbe's pupils creased. "KIDS, COME BACK!"

The shark whipped his arm, shooting a water bullet that blew Nora several yards back. "NORA!" Erin bent down to heal the wound.

"Ow…that was fast…"

Erin looked to the approaching pirate in anger. Once Nora's injury was stable, she bravely approached him with her B.U.B.B.L.E.R. raised. He stopped, eclipsing the child under his 10'10" girth. "What are you pointing at me… puman?"

"Get away from him, Erin!" Jinbe rushed over. "THAT'S HODY!"

"?!" Erin took a startled step back. His cold gaze and grit teeth were suddenly far more terrifying. "Y-You're… Hody?"

"He's huge…" Lulu croaked.

"Mama Mia…" Massimo quivered in the legs.

Jinbe threw a Thousand Tile Punch, but Kisame bent up a Water Shield to block it, with Hody then thrusting his trident as a larger Water Trident blasted the Sea Knight away. The ninja leapt to pursue him, while Hody locked his trident on the small girl. "We were fated to meet, Princess. You are the greatest disgrace to merkind… and the greatest adversary of the progenitor of the Fishmen."

"The progenitor?"

"I speak of Davy Jones, of course. It was his essence, his will, that caused humans to evolve into Fishmen when they came to dwell in Oceana. Those ancestors of ours awakened superior genes… and so, I plan to purify this world and condemn all humans to Davy Jones' Locker. Thus, I have taken the name… Hody Jones."

"So, you're just some Davy Jones fanboy?!" Nora shouted.

Hody spun his trident to brush the kids off their feet with a strong, midair stream. The shark raised it before thrusting at Erin, but Nora flipped and kicked it upward, then throwing a Water Fist at his left knee. His foot scraped back, the same time Mack threw his Shock Bowl at his right leg, toppling the giant over. Erin threw a Sakura Bath Bomb and enveloped his upper half, hardening the foam as her friends pummeled him with attacks. It took a few seconds for Hody to rip free and slap Water Bullets at them all. Zoidberg charged him from behind and clipped his legs, his head fin extracted from his anger and resolve. Though Hody bled from Zoidberg's claws, he could still flatten the crab with a Ground Pound.

Jinbe shot a Water Fist from afar, bending Hody's jaw in as he tumbled several meters. "Davy Jones is your idol?" He lashed a string of karate chops that bashed Hody's head several ways. "No respectable Fishmen would follow that monster!"

"My ambition goes further than that!" Hody returned his own chops, but Jinbe withstood them as he closed the gap between and landed a punch directly to Hody's belly. The shockwave rippled his stomach, Hody reeling up to hurl, but he stabbed his trident into Jinbe's right. The whale-shark grabbed and pulled it out of him, struggling to wrestle it from Hody's grasp.

Mack studied Hody with his Scouter. "His Power Level is… 7,400. He's lower than Jinbe!"

"Really?" Erin asked. "Then… we can really beat him!"

"Yeah, let's just help Jinbe whale on him until he's down!" Nora fist-pumped.

"Hey, uh, dudes?" Otto called. "Shouldn't we do something about those other pirates?"

Hody's Top Bass swallowed a handful of drugs, their auras on fire as they divided to tear down Bikini Bottom. "Crud!" Mack gasped. "Just let Jinbe handle Hody, we need to-"

"Why don't we make the playing ground more even?" Kisame smirked, making hand motions to muster his Water Chi. "Water Prison Shark Dance Jutsu!"

The Bubble Dome directly above their area collapsed, pouring in a great waterfall. Mack quickly put on his helmet as the entire town flooded, enveloped in a giant bubble. "Whoa!!" Nora gasped in her own self-made air bubble. "He turned the whole town into a suspended water zone!"

"Where's Sector H?!" Mack looked around. "Oh, there!" They had been washed up high above the buildings and apart. "I gotta get helmets to—huh?" Madeleine speedily swam up to the humans. She mustered a spell to make their own air bubbles hover over their mouths and noses, though it seemed Squid was about to pull out his own set.

"Wow, thanks! Is this going to last?" Squid asked. Madeleine shook 'no.' "Then I better get these to the others."

"Otto, let's get out of here." Reggie suggested. "This is too nuts!"

"Totally. These guys don't need us here. And sooner they get done, the sooner we'll get to see Manaphy."

"You pumans only survived this far because of the Bubble Domes!" Hody sneered. "But now you're in OUR turf!"

"As are you under MINE!" Jinbe swam around Hody with intense force, stirring a current that spun Hody rapidly before clasping him in the jaw. This position made it possible to grab Jinbe's, both squeezing each other with water pressure before both blasted apart. "You may be strong, but your Fishman Karate is amateur. Your heart is too consumed with hatred and darkness to hone the true spirit of the art."

"My chi exists to drown the humans… and that's what I'll do, no matter how much I must corrupt it!" Hody reached in his pocket for a handful of drugs, crunching them in his jaws. His eyes burned blood-red and his black hair whitened. He swum and bit Jinbe with the speed and grip of a merciless predator, He matched Jinbe's karate chops and kicks too fast for the kids to keep up, exploding countless shockwaves.

"Madeleine, use that tickling spell on me again!" Erin requested. "I have an idea to go into my Fury Mode."

"I'm sorry, how does tickling make you furious?!" Mack questioned.

"It's just an experiment!" Madeleine quickly cast the spell on Erin. "Hehehehehe! O-Okay, here g-goes something…" Erin opened one of her bottles and willed the suds to spin around her. "Hehehehe…right about…" She felt the tingling course up from her gut. "HERE!" She punched a spot in her upper gut. She felt a burst as aura ignited her, the bubbles merging to shape her mermaid tail, tiara, and trident. "Wow, it worked after all! I'm gonna try to soothe the minions first!"

"We'll back you up!" Nora said, the five teammates following.

"Where'd Sector H go, anyway?" Lulu asked.

"I'm starting to think they bailed on us." Mack said. "Frickin' jerks!"

They first swam to the hammerhead shark, Dosun. "T-SHOT!" The shark swung a giant hammer horizontally, Nora countering the force with a Water Kick. Erin stirred a cloud of bubbles over the shark and mustered Soothing, his aura flickering.

"It's working!"

"Yeah, but here come the others!" Mack screamed. The giant squid, Ikaros Much, and the octopus Hyouzou swum for them. Massimo engaged Ikaros in a spear match, but his single spear was quickly overpowered by Ikaros' eight Dried Squid Spears. Massimo was struck in the gut as his squid spear sucked out Massimo's moisture, the squid in question inflating. "Dried squid weapons?!" Mack pulled Massimo away and threw a Shock Bowl at Ikaros.

"Thankfully we're in water, so I can puff back up!" Massimo did so.

"WHOA!" Hyouzou slashed swords from each tentacle, the kids splitting far apart to escape his range. Nora used Water Slices on the tentacles, but Ikaros threw another dried squid into her. She used her own bending to keep the moisture inside her. Hyouzou flew at Erin with a spinning slash, the princess bending bubbles to clog the swords up. Erin puffed her cheeks and POPPED them with claps, blasting bubbles like cannonballs to bash Hyouzou's head. Dosun, still empowered, spun around before slamming his Papara Hammer at Lulu, but she dodged while wrapping her tongue around the hammer. Spinning with its momentum, she flipped down to KICK Dosun in the back of his hammerhead. Erin bent bubbles over both him and Hyouzou, shrinking their auras further.

Hody thrusted his trident at Jinbe's gut. The whale-shark had to struggle more in prying it away. "You may be a master, Jinbe, but there are some arts you never delved into. BLOODBATH TWIST!" Hody twisted his trident. Reeling back from severe pain, several wounds ripped open on Jinbe's body. "JAHAHAHA! You seemed to have a lot of cuts, Jinbe! I decided to reopen them for you!"

"DEMON! Cough!" Jinbe coughed blood.

"I'll let you catch your breath for a minute." Hody spun his trident to channel chi before hurdling it at Sector L. It surfed around them, slicing the currents and cutting parts of their skin.

"OOOOOUCH!" Nora screamed so loud, her air bubble inflated.

"Don't worry, guys!" Erin channeled healing through the currents and sealed their wounds. "I better help Jinbe, too!"

"Jahahaha…" Hody caught the trident and swam to impede her. "Is this the most you can muster, Princess? HUK!" His neck was choked by Zoidberg's claws.

"I will turn this act of friendship into violence to protect my friends!"

Erin blew a storm of bubbles against Hody, slipping the trident out of his grasp and making it float upward. "Thanks, Zoidberg!" Erin swam to Jinbe and mustered healing over him.

"Erin, forget me! You must soothe Hody's Fury!"

"I couldn't just leave you like that!"

"JAH!!" Hody clenched Zoidberg tightly and threw him off, swimming to reclaim his trident. The shark spun and threw his trident right through Zoidberg's chest.

"ZOIDBERG!"

"OH, GOD!" Nora gasped horrifically.

Hody swum down and pulled his trident from the crab's limp, sinking body. A heart was lodged on the tip, which Hody proceeded to chew. "Mmmmm! Princess, do you know what this is? It's the Bloodbath Trident. It used to be clear, but the amount of people I killed have filled it with blood to become stronger."

"YOU MONSTER!" Erin spun her trident to conjure her own barrage of bubble tridents, launching them at an evading Hody. "YOU KILLED ZOIDBERG!"

"Vhat?! I'm dead?!" Zoidberg gasped awake. "Is this the afterlife?!"

"HE'S ALIVE?!"

"HOW?!" Mack screamed. "Your heart got eaten!"

"Which one? I have four of them. COUGH!" He coughed blood. "I could use some stitches though!"

"Mack, watch out!" Lulu screamed. Dosun's hammer flew at him, but Mack raised his Mech Gloves to push it back.

"Huuuurgh…stupid…Poseidonite!" Mack tried to spread his chi into the hammer, trying to feel its composition. Dosun spun his hammer the other way to bash him—Madeleine swam in front and cast Protego, but both were still batted away. Dosun swam to bash Mack's helmet with his own head, shattering it. Lulu and Massimo rammed Dosun together as Madeleine cast an air bubble spell on Mack. "Thanks, Mads. …SHARKS!"

A school of sharks swam for them, Nora swinging Water Kicks to bash them off course. "!" Madeleine heard a familiar voice singing… her voice. She glanced down and saw Kisame performing hand signals and summoning the sharks with jutsu, holding her Voice Pendant. The mermaid shot down and grabbed the pendant, Kisame's grip firm as he shook the small child off. She held her wand to shoot a spell, but Samehada gnashed up and CHOMPED her Angler Wand! "NO!" her pendant screamed.

"SAMEMEMEME! Looks like your use has ended! Not that your magic was worth anything."

To her horror, Mack's air bubble faded, and he couldn't reach for another one before Hyouzou started lashing swords at him. Fortunately, Erin cast her own bubble over him, but would then have to blow bubbles at Kisame's sharks. "GO AWAY, SHARKS!"

The sharks reacted to Madeleine's passionate voice. They swum away from the battle. "What?!" Kisame gasped.

Madeleine lit up. "Sharks, come back and bite Hody!" The sharks immediately returned, swarming the great white, but Hody ripped them to shreds and drank their blood.

"BAH!" Kisame bent the water to force her away. "They're supposed to obey ME!"

A Thousand Tile Fist met Hody's spine, Jinbe's power blasting him several dozen meters. Hody returned, throwing the trident as it zipped around Jinbe, blocking the cutting currents at every possible angle. Hody lunged at Jinbe with a palm thrust, Jinbe catching it in his own. Both compressed each other's internal water, with Hody in the lead. That was until Erin swarmed Hody with bubbles, Soothing and shrinking his aura. "Uh…uh-oh…" Her own aura faded and her bubbles were dissolving. "I-It's wearing off!"

"Hold fast, Erin! We've almost got him!"

Hody gnashed a tooth-shaped shockwave to push Jinbe off. He swam above Erin and shot his trident down too fast to process, forcing Erin into the seafloor as her Fury bubbles popped. Nora furiously swam close and willed the water around Hody to crush him, but he fought out and swam to bite her. Jinbe tackled Hody away, but the white shark clenched him in both hands, twisting Jinbe and reopening his wounds. He punched the shark away, then looked down to Nora swimming to Erin. Hody slashed a current that Nora spun to negate, but she would be yanked away by Hyouzou's tentacle.

"Jahahahaha!" Hody set foot on the seafloor, holding the trident as he knelt over the helpless Erin, stuck between two prongs of the weapon. She was barely able to keep her bubble steady with her weak breathing. "Your efforts were wasted. Your kind were never meant to surpass us."

"Huff…huff…" Erin had no strength left and saw no good way out of this. The best she could do now was ask the only other thing on her mind. "Why…why do you hate humans?"

"Hm?"

"Huff…what…what did we ever do to deserve this? What did they do to you?"

How could she ask such a ridiculous question? What did she hope to gain? What did she hope his answer would give her? "…Nothing."

"…" Erin returned a look that held no understanding.

"Hating humans… and destroying them… is the duty of all Fishmen. For all that they have done to us… all we have suffered… they and all merfolk who support them must die."

Hody removed his trident and squeezed Erin. She squirmed helplessly as her bubble grew smaller. "That includes King Manaphy. When I hang you up at the capital, show all how the princess has fallen… the Sea God will no doubt come down. We will not need the Talismans."

"Captain Hody!" The shark turned to Black Manta. "Is…is it true? That you used to be a Sea Knight? Did you… kill my father?"

"How would I know? All pumans look the same. And any who enter our waters must be drowned. Count yourself lucky that I allowed you to awaken superior genes, Manta." Hody kicked off the ground and swam away.

"HODY!" Jinbe chased, oozing streams of blood from his wounds. "I swear when I catch you, you'll be BEGGING for Jones! Agh!" Black Manta's harpoon grabbed his ankle. "RELEASE ME AT ONCE, MANTA!"

"You're in no shape to be chasing him, fool."

"A true knight would give his life for the princess!"

"You can give your life after we get out of here!" Manta turned and blasted his eye laser at Hyouzou, freeing Nora and Mack. She grabbed her friend and Water Kicked Hyouzou away.

"Manta?!"

"TRAITOR!" Kisame swum and used Water Clone Jutsu, Manta maneuvering to slice and blast them.

"You kids escaping or what?! You have a shortcut outta here, don't you?" Manta shot a laser at Ikaros, freeing Massimo from his arms.

"I say we accept his final wish, amicos!" Massimo exclaimed, grabbing Lulu and swimming for the portal. Madeleine helped support Zoidberg in limping back t

"Jinbe, we can't leave Erin!" Nora cried.

"Grrr…" Jinbe bit his pride and answered, "We must escape and recuperate. I don't believe Hody will kill Erin… but I fear what they'll do to her. We must have faith she can hold true until we can save her."

Nora's tears flowed to the surface of the bubble. Turning her back on Erin was the one thing her instincts commanded her to NEVER do. But if she chased Hody, she might never win… and her other friends were too tired. They would need each other's support to survive… and to help Erin. "Grrrrrr! WAIT FOR US, ERIN!" She carried Mack to the portal.

"Black Manta… you survive as well." Jinbe ordered before following the kids.

"Worry about yourselves." Manta fought back the Top Bass fearlessly. It helped that the KND already softened them up, but he was never going to bend to these pirates again.