True Love Beyond Death

Does anyone remember the cryptogram in Seven Lights, Chapter 57? Well, it's finally about to come into play.

Hyrule; Gerudo Town

A walled city stood ten miles from the entrance to Gerudo Desert, one that had remained unseen by the eyes of men for centuries. …At least, that's what the Gerudo wanted to believe. The spear-wielding guards at the gate of town were focused as three travelers approached, sweat visible on their bodies on this scorching day. One was a magenta-haired girl with a white dress and sturdy legs, another was a pink, ponytailed mushroom, and their leader was a beautiful girl with long, sky-blue hair, a see-through blue veil over her mouth, a top covering her flat chest, and a skirt over black shorts along with blue sandals.

"Hi." The blue-clothed girl greeted with a polite wave. "We're travelers. Is this Gerudo Town?"

"Sav'aaq." The left Gerudo greeted. The guards had no doubts concerning the blue-haired and pink-haired girls' genders… but that mushroom creature was very bizarre. "What is that?"

"Who, me?" Goombella asked. "I'm a Goomba. From Mushroom World?"

"An alien? Lord Mandy's ban on interplanetary travel should still be in effect until the war is over."

"Yeah, well my friends and I were visiting before that law was established, so now it's an indefinite vacation, and we figured we might as well see all the sights we can. Can we please go in?"

"I see; that has happened to a lot of people. Well, so long as you three are vai, you may enter."

"Vai?"

"It means 'women.' Just remember our motto, 'Say hi to vai, no to voe.'"

"Heh heh heh." Nagisa gave a girlish laugh. "Will do."

The three operatives passed the guards and beamed at the exotic desert town. All Gerudo shared common characteristics of dark skin, red or pink hair, and tall bodies, so Nagisa and Goombella were remarkably short in comparison. There were shallow canals with sparkling fresh water and palm trees, shops on either side selling clothes, meat, or produce, and buildings made of solidified sand. The water vapor from the canals made the air feel much cooler compared to outside.

"Man, I hate places like this." Nagisa sighed. "Why are there so many cultures that hate men, but none that hate women?"

"Well, those are in the Negaverse." Goombella noted. "And if you don't like it, why didn't you wait on the ship with Killua?"

"You girls need me to protect you in case of enemy ambush!"

"Goombella: Bite." Index ordered.

"Yow!" Nagisa felt Goomba teeth in his left leg.

"Okay, enough goofin' around," Killua called from a separate line, "you stick out like a sore thumb. Just go straight for the palace; Chief Riju is a KND operative, so if you tell the guards who you are, they'll let you in. Afterwards, ask them to bring you to Hange."

"Aye-aye." Nagisa affirmed. "Should be that big building in the center. Simple enough." He calmly walked straight toward the palace, his teammates following.

Though neither of them distracted their selves with any shops, maintaining the casual demeanors of any tourist, Morgiana couldn't help but notice how pleasant and happy this town felt. A Rito visitor was trying to decide the best meat to purchase and Gerudo children were playing Tag and giggling. "Call me pessimistic, but I thought life under Mandy's rule would be a bit more… miserable."

"I guess all those newspapers were true." Goombella recounted. "About Mandy being a benevolent ruler who did a bunch of kind things for her subjects. Even so, it's totally a sham. Do these people know she's enslaving a bunch of KND operatives?"

"Maybe Hange will be able to tell us, since she's an operative, too." Nagisa wondered.

The Gerudo Palace had four divided grounds around its back and sides: a training ground, a gardening ground, a Sand Seal breeding ground, and a Monster Research ground. When the Story Pirates were led onto the latter, what greeted them was the sight of a Molduga tied firmly to the center, 30 Gerudo soldiers training their spears on it. The Molduga was a massive, brown and yellow fish monster with a wide, flat chin and a mouth that could swallow 20 people.

Just as they were wondering what person would be crazy enough to keep such a thing near town, they noticed someone patting the Molduga's stomach. She was 18 years old, wearing a brown jacket, black pants, and brown boots. Her firm clothing matched her thick build, but her chocolate hair set her apart from other Gerudo. Light reflected off the left lens of her glasses, whilst her right eye was half-closed.

"Molduga guts are an amazing medicinal supplement." Hange thought aloud, her tone as dull as her eye. "They can negate all kinds of poisons, thus allowing the beast to consume all manner of meat. The fins can really pump your stamina when boiled into liquid." She walked around to the mouth and stuck her sword in to prop it up. "It typically has no need for its teeth. Most of its prey just flops right in. Still, I wonder if they'd make a decent weapon."

"Um, excuse me?" Hearing a fake feminine tone, Hange turned, seeing three colorful travelers. "You must be Hange, from the Hyrule KND." Nagisa said.

"And you must be a voe."

"Gyup-!" Nagisa flinched, knowing his disguise was all for naught.

"Relax. There are many men who have snuck in here." The Molduga glanced at Hange. "Though I will say you put a lot of effort into your disguise. You are in terrific shape, and your jawline is of a perfect curvature-"

SNAP!! The Molduga's teeth shook the air, but Hange flew over the visitors with a graceful flip. Their hearts almost stopped, thinking for a split second it was the end for her, but with a perfect land on her feet, she faced them with an ecstatic expression. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Now her right lens was glinting, madness in her left eye. "He-almost-got-me, hahahahahahahaha, I almost got eaten by a Molduga! It reminds me of a dream where I became a Minish and got eaten by a rat, there was a whole treasure trove in there, thought it was real and cut open a rat first chance I got, hahahahahahaha!"

The friends were too shock-ridden to respond, but it was clear she was a tad mental. "Ahem." Hange tipped up her glasses, the glint switching back to the left lens. "I'm sorry if you were worried about me." Her toneless voice was a stark contrast. "Rest assured, I've fought greater monsters than this."

"A Level of 3,832 with average Haki." Goombella analyzed. "Not bad."

"Super." Nagisa replied. "Our friend, Killua told us to find you. He thought you could help us with something."

The glint returned to the right lens, her crazy grin returning, "Oh Killua sent you huh, is he finally gonna let me study him? I'm dying to see what mechanisms make that Super Sheikah work, hehehehahaha." Then she shifted to Serious Mode. "I'm glad to hear he's safe. He's one of our best operatives. What do you need help with?"

"The Divine Beasts."

"Hmm… Let's go into the study."

Hange led them into a small library lit by torches and served them tea at a table. As the friends happily relaxed their minds with the warm beverage, Hange opened a blueprint of a robotic camel. "The Divine Beasts were always classified information kept by the Hyrulean royals. Vah Naboris is the Divine Beast entrusted to Chief Riju, so by her request, she was allowed to have this blueprint. Naturally, I've been studying the real thing." When she faced up at them, she shifted to Crazy Mode. "I mean, I'm a monster biologist, not a mechanic, but so long as they have 'Beast' in the title, it's fine by me!"

Goombella hopped onto Hange's shoulder (which was broad enough to serve the purpose), looking over the blueprint. "So, how would we take it down?"

In Serious Mode, Hange answered, "Shooting the hooves with explosives will slow its mobility, and there are weak points inside the beast. However, I cannot condone the destruction of Vah Naboris. It is a sacred relic to the Gerudo."

"And you're fine with it being used for Mandy's purposes?" Killua asked.

"So long as Lady Riju is piloting it, there is no real threat. She and the other pilots have been fighting off the opposing Emperors with their Beasts. I understand your concern. The Beasts give Queen Mandy a great advantage in this war. And Riju's sector are the only ones not imprisoned due to her piloting Naboris."

"About that." Morgiana began. "Everything about Mandy being a kind ruler… it can't be true, right?"

"I'm as confused as you are. One of her officers invaded Gerudo Town and fought Riju. Other towns were met with unpleasant greetings, but then Mandy underwent a dramatic change that everyone went along with. My theory is it involves her fearbending." She switched to Crazy, "In all technicality, sapient creatures like humans are monsters, too, and they're the fiercest monsters of all, so they're my favorites to study, hahahahaha!" To Serious, "What I believe is that Mandy is performing these kind acts to manipulate peoples' emotions and get them to follow her. Based on what we witnessed during the Anti-Fairy Rebellion, Mandy must be utilizing an advanced form of fearbending that goes beyond the single emotion."

"So, like, she can make the people perfectly okay with enslaving operatives or something?" Goombella deduced.

"Come to think of it, I heard a lot of other prisoners saying they were thankful to Mandy for making them stronger." Killua recollected. "Ugh, including me and Gon. Were we seriously brainwashed by that hag?"

"It's basically a running gag with these Yonko." Morgiana remarked. "K. Rool is taking away his peoples' intelligence, Sherry is taking peoples' Life Chi, and Skaios is taking peoples' restraint. In the end, they all think of their subjects as slaves. That's why even the Divine Beasts are under Mandy's control."

"I hate to think Riju is being controlled," Hange said, "but perhaps I shouldn't dismiss it. I suppose our loyalty is to the KND first. We cannot trust Mandy, and so we cannot let her win the war. I will help you take down the Divine Beasts." To Crazy Mode, "And we have the perfect tool for it!"

"Hey!" Goombella yelped when the scientist grabbed her in both hands, holding her directly in front of her face.

"With your Tattle ability, I can dig up a ton of info on all kinds of beasties! Perhaps if I carve out your eyes and make goggles of them, I can use Tattle myself, hahahahaha!"

"WAAAAAH! Somebody help me!" The Goomba squirmed helplessly, earning giggles from her teammates.

Mobius; Sunset Hill

The Orangutrain was composed of cars that looked like they belonged to a circus, with the lead car resembling a purple Rainbow Monkey head. Rainbow Monkeys patrolled each car, armed with guns and swords. Sally Harper was tied to a flagpole on top of the lead car, which flew Specter's Jolly Roger. She watched as Pink Monkey climbed out of a hatch. "Your friends are REALLY mean, y'know that?!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Manky worked really hard to capture and divide them, but they're all breaking free and making a mess of the Kremling Krew! When we arrive at our destination, you better be a good girl and STAY PUT!"

"My friends are all escaping?"

"I didn't say that!"

"Ooo-ooo ah-ah!" A blue Rainbow Monkey climbed on the roof. "(Pink Monkey, we're being followed by another train! It looks like a ship, and there's a giant girl on top of it!)"

"I'll call Uncle Manky, the rest of you start trying to shoot them down! No matter what, I'm not giving up my prisoner!"

…

"Chimney, there it is!" Apis exclaimed, seeing a train twisting around the jungle hill in the distance. "That must be the Kremling train."

"Sorry, croco-sans, but there's only room for ONE train on this hill!" Chimney sped the Rocketship directly to shore, and as soon as it was out of the sea, wheels extracted, carrying the train across the beach and through the jungle. Numerous trees were pummeled until the train connected with the tracks, charging full speed after the Orangutrain. "I'M BLOWING YOU OFF THE TRACK!"

"NO, CHIMNEY!" Apis panicked. "We gotta save Sally and other prisoners first!"

"Nyah, fine. I'll just tear it off from the inside then!" (Play "Sunset Express" from Mario: Color Splash!)

Stage 13: Orangutrain

Mission: Rescue Sally Harper.

Tip: Click the Icon at the bottom of the screen to switch between groups. You'll need this to defend your ship!

Rainbow Monkeys blasted cannons from the back of the train, Chimney shooting down the projectiles with her own cannonballs. She kept shooting until the monkey's cannons were destroyed. She sped the train faster until it was linked up with the back of the enemy train. "Mochan, April, guard the ship! The rest o' you, with me!" She, Apis, April, and Aeincha leapt onto the Orangutrain. Rainbow Monkeys leapt up, and one grabbed Chimney and tried to throw her off, but April painted a red spot on the roof, compelling the ape to slam Chimney onto it. The frantic girl quickly flipped up for a counterattack, punching the ape off the train. Another ape jumped her from behind, but she grabbed it by the wrists and swung it into another ape.

The next car had spikes along the roof, so they climbed down into the car they were on. Immediately, some Rocky Wrenches peeped out of floor holes and shot tiny bullets. The girls winced from the light pain as they jumped on the moles with such force that they were KO'ed. They opened a door to the next car—there was no floor! They had to climb vines along the right wall, lest they splatter on the tracks. Minkeys (white monkeys) clung to the left wall and threw hardened acorns at them. Stop it! Apis ordered through telepathy, so the Minkeys halted. KEEP ATTACKING! A deeper voice bellowed, so the apes resumed. The girls endured the attacks until they could set foot on the other side.

They exited outside onto the next car. "ROOOOAAAARRR!" A thundering roar rang from the top of the hill, the titanic silhouette of Manky Kong pounding his chest. Two badger-moles pulled a cart full of TNT barrels beside him. Manky grasped one of the giant barrels in his hand. "Our patriarch, Donkey Kong Sr., was a professional pitcher, but his throw was nothing compared to MINE!" The orangutan spun around, his arm winding behind him, and with a godly throw, the barrel FLEW, exploding against the Rocketship.

"NYAAAA! MY BABY!" Chimney screamed. "Mochan, what're you doing?! You're supposed to protect the train!"

"Thanks for your concern, Chimney." Mocha remarked sarcastically. "Anthony, help me toss these boulders."

"Gladly." Anthony fixed a sharp glare on the ape. "This is the same jerk that captured us the first time. Time for payback!" Anthony used bending to lift the boulders and threw them to intercept the barrels. Mocha lifted one with her own strength and spun around, throwing it directly at Manky. The orangutan grabbed the boulder and chucked it back with greater force—Anthony sent it back with a powerful thrust of chi, smashing Manky's face in!

"Let's leave it to them, Chimney." Apis said. "Let's hurry." The flat train car they were on had several trampolines at different heights, and Tiggers (spring-tailed tigers) were bouncing on them and laughing, "Hoo hoo hoo hooo!" Even Apis's commands couldn't stop their bouncing. Chimney noticed a tied-up prisoner bobbing on the head of the highest Tigger, so she bounced her way up the trampolines. The Tiggers tried to kick her off, but Chimney was the quicker kicker, and she bounced up ever higher until she could recover the prisoner, a Mobian koala.

"Thank ya, mate! I'll go wait over on your train." The koala bounced up, stretched out a glider, and flew toward the back. The girls crossed to the next car, but it was only composed of its two ends, connected by a tightrope, and a lever on the opposite one. They trusted Aeincha as the best person to cross the rope, the Lilliputian clinging tight to it as she scooted across. Top-Hat Rats rode tiny unicycles across the rope, but Apis shot them down with her G.U.M.Z.O.O.K.A.. Aeincha reached the opposite end and shot her grappling hook around the lever. Her little strength was strong enough to pull it, pulling both ends of the cart together.

The four crossed over to the following cart. They entered the door to a fancy dining room, where lobsters with thin mustaches were playing violins on the tables. A note at the reception desk read, The off-key crab has the key. "Great, it's a music riddle." Chimney complained. "I ain't a music critic, how am I supposed to know?!"

"It shouldn't be that hard." April said, carefully listening to each lobster. Their violins were surprisingly pleasant and each were in sync… and one of them sounded like an electric guitar. She peeked under its table curtain to find a key. (The other tables had Klaptraps that would snap their faces.) They unlocked the door to the next car, but upon stepping outside, Chimney spotted a ladder leading above the restaurant car. There was a chest—"OUAH-OUAH!" the Klobber sprang to life and pushed Chimney off the roof. Angered, Chimney climbed up, jumped the Klobber's initial shove, and bounced on the Kremling to knock it out and take its gold.

"Hey, look at those monkeys!" Apis pointed at two monkeys playing with yo-yos. "You think those are Sally's? She'll probably want them back." She shot the apes with gumballs. The apes screeched in anger and jumped down, extracting the yo-yos' blades as they attacked. Chimney ducked the blades and ran to punch the first monkey, taking its yo-yo and jumping back. The monkey leapt at her, but Chimney tossed the yo-yo to knock it off the train. She threw it again to knock the other monkey off its feet, running to take its yo-yo before stomping its face to KO it.

To cross the next portion of the train, there were parallel rails with tracks carved into the sides. After a quick status report to Anthony, the boy confirmed that Sally's yo-yos could turn into giant tops, designed to be rode on. Chimney volunteered, her friends jumping in the Infi-Cube. The top strapped her feet to it once it was activated, connecting with the rail and rolling across. Chimney thrusted right or left to change rails and avoid gaps. Chimney saw an upper route, jumping to the right rail to go up it, quickly jumping between rail segments before falling off, and once up top, Chimney snagged a floating treasure chest.

She landed on an open train car, her friends jumping out of the cube. There appeared to be a fountain-like device rotating and squirting bombs, which popped into small bursts. "Ya ha ha! Splody splody splody!" That "fountain" was actually Momo Yaoyorozu of Sector U.A., bubbly and innocent as a child. April painted a red mark by her shoes, prompting Momo to shoot bombs in that direction. The mark would be erased by the explosions, but April would paint more so Chimney could run past the hero and jump to kick Momo in the head, KOing her. They stored Momo in the Cube.

The following car was divided into numerous small platforms, and the only way to cross them was by jumping the Neckies that swooped across the car. Apis could order them to float in place to make jumping easier, saying "Sorry!" to the vultures afterward. Near the end of this segment, Apis told the birds to make a stairway for them to go over a tall wall separating them from the next car. They were only a couple cars away from the lead car.

"STOP RIGHT THERE, YOU LITTLE BRATS!" The megaphones on this empty car blew soundwaves so powerful, the girls were forced against the wall. "I won't allow you to take my prisoner! Do you know how angry my Specter would be if I let her get away?! I won't be a failure like those other fools, I'll hold you brats back as long as it takes!"

Pink Monkey kept rambling consistently, creating a continuous soundwave. "Whoever that is, she has a bigger mouth than you, Chimney!" Apis grunted. "We won't be able to get across unless we find her."

"Maybe I can do something!" Aeincha said. "Let me look under the train." Chimney picked her up and carefully held her upside-down to view beneath the car. "Yeah, there's vines I can climb across."

"You kidding, that's way too dangerous!" Apis argued.

"But unless she stops talking, we can't get through!"

"Here, have a dab of Blue Paint." April said, tapping Aeincha with her brush. "That way, you'll have more courage. Please don't fall."

"Aye-aye!" The Lilliputian climbed down and began to clamber across the bottom. Instead of glancing down at the whipping tracks, she kept her eyes up at the vines. She could hear Pink's shouting from here, but so long as the soundbending didn't reach down here, Aein would have a chance. There were yellow, rotten vines that would collapse, so Aein kept her hands on the green vines until she reached the end. She climbed up and entered a small hole to the next car; it was a chicken coop, filled with the happy little cluckers. Based on the picture on the side, they were meant to be delivered to Moge-ko.

All the chickens were in cages, but one of the cages was actually open. Aeincha went in and climbed on the chicken, steering it out. The chicken could jump and glide with its wings, so she had it hop on a single cage, then jump-glide to a two-cage stack, then a three. From here, she noticed a small platform where a tiny, Mobian moth kid was trapped in a cage. Aein had the chicken glide to it, so she could rescue the boy. "Thank you, Miss. I'll go when the noise outside stops."

"Good idea." Aeincha resumed her ascent, gliding to a four-stack of cages, then gliding to an exit hatch near the ceiling. Aein disembarked her steed and sidled along the side. She turned a corner and was facing the front car at last. Pink Monkey's deafening voice rambled ceaselessly as she remained firm on the roof. Aein jumped to the opposite ledge and sidled along the side of the front car. Click-Clacks (blue beetles) skittered along the side when they saw her, but Aeincha kicked each one twice so they would fall off.

The Lilliputian reached a safe point where she could climb up, seeing Sally tied to the flagpole. Pink Monkey had her back facing Sally as she kept yelling, but would glance back at her prisoner every few seconds. Aeincha went up while she wasn't looking, and Sally glanced down when she noticed the Lilliputian climbing her ropes. Aein would cease and hide whenever Pink looked back, using her tiny scissors to cut a single part of the rope. She kept steadily cutting until the rope finally severed, Sally stretching her arms free.

"And if you think I'm letting you take another step, you all must be dumber than-"

Sally tackled Pink Monkey from behind and clamped her mouth shut. "Dumber than a monkey!"

"Finally, she shut it! Let's go!" Chimney ordered, her friends racing across the car and climbing to the roof of the chicken car. "Sally-chan, here's your toys!" She tossed the yo-yos to her.

"Thank you, Chimney! Now, let's get this helmet off-"

"GET OFF MEEEEEE!" An explosion of Sound Chi blew them all off. Pink spotted Aeincha on Sally and grabbed the tiny girl. "Time to play FETCH!"

"WAAAAAH!" She hurdled Aeincha across the cars.

"AEINCHAN!" Chimney and her teammates ran after. Luckily, Aein crashed against the wall by the Necky car, but by the time they found her, they realized Pink had detached the lead car, speeding far ahead of the rest of the train.

Manky gave another mighty throw, his barrel once again intercepted by Anthony's boulder. "Blast it! Pink, I'm coming!" He was about to charge after the train—suddenly, Mocha exploded to an equally gigantic size and grabbed Manky in her arms, falling over with him underneath. "My, you got bigger!" Manky grabbed Mocha by the waist and lifted her, slamming the Amazon into the ground. He leapt into the sky and brought his Haki arms down, but Mocha crossed her arms and used Haki to defend.

Mocha rolled away and pushed herself up, engaging the orangutan in a fist fight. He stayed back to avoid her short arms, while his longer arms could easily go around her and sock her jaw. "When a person unnaturally gigantifies in a sudden fashion, their movements are much slower. That means you must've used some magic or science." Manky leapt and propped his arms up on Mocha's shoulders, swinging overhead and kicking her in the back. She fell on her front, then Manky grabbed her by the ankles and slammed her into the ground.

"Gnnn… You better hang in there, Mocha." Anthony said with hesitation. "I'll help you as soon as I get Sally." Leaving the remaining crewmen to keep the train running, he began crossing the Orangutrain himself.

Pink Monkey grabbed Sally and threw her into the roof hatch. When the girl recovered, she found herself on a dance floor with neon disco tiles and spotlights. "I don't care how badly you wanna be with your friends." Pink stated, landing on a stage. "I promised Manky I wouldn't let you escape. I promised K. Rool. And more importantly, I promised Specter! You filthy humans that took Specter away don't DESERVE to be with each other! Why should you get to when I didn't get a chance to say good-bye?!"

"Are you really certain that your feelings for Specter are real?" Sally asked. "How do you know the helmet isn't just brainwashing you to like Specter?"

"Because these feelings burn in my HEART!! The Pipo Helmet only works on my brain, you dumb Homo sapien!"

"Prove it! Take that helmet off and see if you still love him!"

"SHUT UP! You're not the one giving the orders. Even if it kills me, I won't allow you to escape! I'll show you the extent of my power: THE LOVE THAT BURNS FOR MY SPECTER!" Music played from the stereos, and Music Chi flowed. (Play "Banana Heartbreak" from Ape Escape 3!)

Boss fight: Kremling Jungle Division Singer, PINK MONKEY

"I'll always… feel it… This bond we share!" The ape danced upon the stage, singing with all the passion in her soul, music notes swarming around the room. Sally dodged the notes and tried to run up, but stepping on a red disco tile electrocuted her. She was forced back, taking damage from notes as a result. "You'll always… lo~ove it. This present, from my heart~" Sally flipped to her feet, and when she more closely examined the floor, she noticed the spotlights were shining over safe tiles. "But it's a… se~ecret. Wait for iiiiiit!" Pink Monkey would swiftly dodge Sally's yo-yos when she threw them, so the human thought it best to jump in the spotlights and dance along with the music.

Sally glided from one side of the room to the other repeatedly, trusting in the spotlight's guidance. Sometimes, it would change its mind and go back, causing Sally to slip and get shocked. "I'll always… feel it… This boooond… This bond that we share!" She gave it one more attempt, dancing around the room one more time until she made it up to Pink Monkey's stage. Sally tackled the monkey, bashing her Pipo Helmet against the floor, but Pink bellowed a soundwave and blew her off. Sally got up again and expanded one of her yo-yos to a Top; the tiles were safe at the moment, so she could freely chase Pink around the room.

Pink pushed her away with soundwaves, but Sally tossed the other yo-yo to wrap Pink and pull herself in to ram the ape. The top bounced away and began to bounce around the walls. Pink danced around the room shooting Music Notes, Sally maneuvering on the top. She could throw her yo-yo to pegs around the room to help steer, nimbly evading Pink's attacks and ramming her every chance she got. "But why are you trembling? You can tell me all your troubles."

Before Sally could question that, she was suddenly wrapped in knitting formed by Music Chi. "This suit I knitted for you… and put in your mailbox." She was fully bundled in a sweater and stuffed into a mailbox. "With… a love let~ter… should FIT you perfectly, yeah!" There was an envelop with a :heart:, and a chainsaw stretched out of it. Sally dodged left, then dodged right, and luckily, the saw cut the sweater (along with her own), allowing Sally to kick out of the mailbox. She dodged Pink's soundwave and threw her bladed yo-yo at the helmet, resulting in only a scratch as Pink dodged. The yo-yo did a roundabout, however, and cut Pink's shoulder.

"I hear you… secretly buried… the special… banana lunches… that I make… for you every day!" True to her notes, a banana sandwich fell on Sally's head, and the human was suddenly buried under an avalanche of banana lunch! "Ohhhh say… say it's not truuuue~" Pink conjured a giant hammer of Music Chi and SMASHED the bananas into a giant puddle. Sally groggily rose out of the mush, feeling some bones broken. "I stiiiill… belieeeve… that we have…" Pink was back dancing on the stage, floating mops brushing the mush away. Sally repeated her earlier pattern of dancing in the spotlight, but this time, Music Notes were trying to stab down at her, for they had become more corrupted.

"A spec~ial… bond of love… but I see your back is trembling~" Sally suffered a few cuts, but managed to keep her feet in the spotlight until she got onto Pink's stage. She jumped the monkey and tried to tear the helmet off, but again Pink threw her off and ran. The monkey formed a Song Wave and surfed around the room, and Sally was able to jump on as well. "Throoough… that knitted… suit you're wearing~" Bladed notes flowed out of Pink's throat, Sally carefully jumping each one. Pink remained the same distance away from her, so Sally waited until they surfed along a straight note sheet before tossing her yo-yos. She caught Pink and pulled herself over, forcing the ape to the floor and bashing her helmet.

Pink kicked her off and sang more notes, Sally dodging their blades. "I still believe… that we have… a speciaaaal…a special bond of loooooove!"

"I think you need to quit dreaming!" Sally expertly tossed a yo-yo directly into Pink's mouth during that long note, blocking her vocals. With the other yo-yo, she caught the monkey once more and brought her over. She threw the tied-up monkey against the floor and began forcefully tugging on the helmet. She finally felt it begin to slip off. "It's time to finally complete our mission! The threat of Specter ends now!"

"UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" With a sudden outburst of chi, Sally was blown off, and Pink escaped her bonds. "HOOOOOW DAAAAAARE YOOOOOUUUU…" A pink, flaming aura ignited Pink's body: it was Musical Fury! It was so powerful that it blew the roof and walls off the train! "You BITCH… how DARE you try to take my love!" She withdrew a pocketknife, throwing a merciless slash at Sally's stomach, blood gushing out! "You SCUM… you have NO idea how I feel!" Only now did Sally realize how much she underestimated her opponent: the only thing she could do was run, lest Pink Monkey fills her with holes.

"You BRAT… I'll make you regret the day you were born." Rapid Music Notes flew out and cut Sally, but still she ran. "You UNDERSTAND?! It's time to SHOW YOU MY POWER!"

Pink took to the stage again, and twin Specter statues formed with the highest passion in her voice. "DON'T… YOU SEE? I MISS HIM. DON'T… YOU SEE? I LOVE HIM. I CAN SPEND THE REST OF MY LIFE." The air was flooded by deadly Music Notes, and the song was so loud that their ears would explode. "I CAN SPEND THE REST OF MY LIFE CRYING!" No one had ever seen musicbending this furious. And no one had been more unfortunate than Sally. "SO, I'LL SPEND THE REST OF MY LIFE." Pink rocketed to the sky, and she shot down with the force of a meteor: her knife was aimed directly at Sally's heart. "SO, I'LL SPEND MY ENTIRE LIFE CHASING YOOOOOOOUUUUUU!"

Risking what remained of her eardrums, Sally whirled both yo-yos, extracting their blades. She could barely focus on Pink with her head rattling. "TIME TO MEET YOUR MAKER!!!!" Sally threw the yo-yos: before she could even understand what happened next, the storm of music deafened to absolute silence. (End song.)

The bladed yo-yos carved a hole through Pink Monkey's chest… at the same time the ape's knife punctured Sally's heart. Blood leaked from both of them, and their breath grew weaker by the minute. The force of the Music Chi ruined the engine and slowed the train to a halt, allowing the operatives to catch up. Apis, April, Aeincha, and especially Anthony were completely mortified. In her bedroom, Aisa's Haki immediately reacted to the vanishing aura. A crimson grin spread across Pink Monkey's face. "Well . . . it's time to find out . . . if this Devil Fruit . . is any . . good…" Those were Pink's last words.

"SALLY!!" When the operatives' car finally caught up, Anthony was the first to jump off, pushing Pink's body away and withdrawing the knife from his friend's heart. He covered the wounds with his hands to stop the blood loss. "Sally, say something! S-Say you're okay!"

"I'm sorry… Anthony… it hurts… too much… I can't…" The color was fading from her eyes.

"We'll find Melody, just hold out a little longer!"

"Anthony… make sure the others… aren't too upset… and please… save them…" Sally smiled as the last traces of breath left her. The weak vibrations of her beating heart came to an ultimate standstill.

"HEY, WHERE'S THAT NURSE LADY?! HURRY AND GET HER!"

His comrades immediately brought Tristan onto the car, the squirrel wrapping her in bandages. She checked for a pulse, but her expression was morbid. "…I'm afraid she's no longer with us…"

No one could move for several minutes. They could not comprehend how terribly they failed this mission. And of all people, why did it have to be someone as sweet and gentle as Sally? Sector W, the youngest operatives, would never feel the same.

The earth shook once more, the group whipping up at Manky atop the hill. A dark shadow fell over his massive eyes. "A life for a life… it seems the score is even." The group gasped when the giant suddenly jumped down and swiped Pink Monkey off the train. "I will give my subordinate the burial she deserves. And if you wish to do the same… you had best leave now." And the titan leapt across the hills.

Silence returned as they stared over Sally's body. Twilight had completely set, leaving only a sliver of scarlet as night covered the sky. In the jungle, the Skypian Apple had worn off on Mocha, who shrank down to her normal giant size. She had already been knocked out by Manky before that.

Miles away from the train, Manky gently lay Pink in his palm. "Now then… will it actually work?" (Play Specter's Theme from Ape Escape.)

A dark spiritual flame enveloping Pink's body answered his question. The flame grew taller and wider before bursting, assuming a humanoid form. This form was of a white-furred monkey with an exposed red eye, a black shirt, and red shorts. It looked up at Manky with a smirk. "Well, well… isn't this an unexpected surprise?" the monkey said with a charming voice. "There I was performing in an Underworld circus… when suddenly, this shining pink light sucks me into the world above."

"Then you must be Specter." Manky observed. "It's nice to meet you. I am Manky Kong of the Kremling Krew. My king, Kroctus Rool heard of your exploits and wanted to recruit you three years ago, but you had already been taken. We were lucky enough to find your subordinate, Pink, who possessed a deep affection for you. We fed her a very special fruit called the Phantom-Phantom Fruit. It was designed to activate only when the user perished. If there was a deceased person whom the user cherished above everyone else, their spiritual energy would summon the phantom of that person after death, freeing them from the chains of the afterlife. We had doubts that it would work, but it seems we were wrong."

"Well then…" Specter smiled down at his subordinate. "Your sacrifice shall not be in vain, Pink. It's time to accomplish what I was denied three years ago: revenge against the Adams Family!"

"And it shall be had. Our intel states that Emily Garley is on this very planet, fighting our Kremlings."

"Splendid. Have her brought to me as soon as possible. I'm sure she's eager for a showdown as well after all this time. In return for this golden opportunity, I will happily serve the Kremling Krew."

"Excellent." Manky smirked. "K. Rool has already promised Pink complete dominion over all humans. With our Revert-O-Matic, they will easily become the least intelligent species. …But there is one more thing I want to ask you. You see, according to Dr. Clown, if somebody were to… eat the body of a Devil Fruit user, the fruit's power would be passed on to them. Now that we know Pink's power worked, we would hate for it to go to waste. …So, we would like to feed her to one of our officers."

"I see… I suppose it is how you animals operate. To whom would you feed her?"

"K. Rool's younger brother, Klammy. In the event that he should perish, the Phantom Fruit would summon the spirit of their late brother, Kruckers."

"Hmmm…" Specter faced down at Pink's smile for the last time. "So be it… So long as Pink's dream has been fulfilled, she could not ask for anything else. Ahhhhh… it's so wonderful to have my beautiful voice back once again. Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Te, Oh, Si, Oh! Marvelous…"

…

Somewhere far away, suspended over a mountain range, Aranea Fulbright woke up with a gasp. Her Haki had reacted to something. She wasn't sure what it was… but she knew it was terrible… and she was angry.