As for why I used the Jaws theme for Hody's theme, not only was that shark also a great white, but the Japanese pronunciation for "Jones" (Jonzu) is similar to their word for jaws (jozu).
Part 8: The Sea Knights
Hody Jones filled a large cup full of Sharkblood Wine. He flipped some sea beast meat off the stove and onto his plate. His motions were slow and patient as he panted tiredly. After setting them on the table, he placed a disc on the record player. (Play "Fishmen" by haakor.)
"It's beginning to look a lot like Fishmen… eeeeverywheeeeere I go. From the minute I got to town… I started to look around… I thought these ill-bread peoples' gill slits showed~"
The song startled Erin awake. Her arms and legs were tied down with fishing ropes. She surveyed the room around her before facing Hody across the table, tearing off a chunk of meat. "In 1931, an author called Lovecraft wrote a novel about our species. He painted us as mutants who smelled as carcasses from the sea. The creatures of nightmares." He swallowed. Hody then took a drink of his wine to wash it down, still panting. "And that's what we are."
"…" Erin had to find her own breath before speaking. "That's what you wanted."
"But the fact you pumans managed to beat so many of my crewmen shows how soft Oceana has become. We Fishmen are born 10 times stronger than you, and yet our levels of training differ. That's why we created the Gnosis Pills. It was to make up for their lack of training in order to stay above you… how pathetic…"
"Hmm…sometimes, I wonder how my mom pictured me to look. I wondered if she wanted me to look like Nora… and I imagined being tall, having smaller feet, and having a normal face… and it just made me mad. I shouldn't have to look like that for Mom to like me."
Hody stabbed his trident into the meat, Erin jumping in fright. "I don't care about your petty problems."
"B-But… I agree with you. Using drugs just 'cause you wanna be better than us… it's pathetic. You're just admitting that we're strong… and you're insensitive about it… all because of what other Fishmen said. Because of what some humans did… and that's sad. Even if you trained yourself normally, all just to stay better than humans, that's the wrong thing to-"
Hody spat a hunk of chewed meat at her face. "Perhaps you're mistaken… I didn't wake you up to make conversation. I'm telling you what we've had to sacrifice to get back what we've lost. Because of how you and your soft-skinned family wanted us to be. And that's why you'll be the symbol of Oceana's failure. I'll show them all the princess they revere so much. The princess they waited for. You'll look so pathetic that Oceana will writhe in their own weakness."
"They sleep with guttural croaks and to hear them provokes a profound desire to flee! Their eyes never blink and quite frankly they stink, like a carcass washed up from the sea!"
Erin sobbed behind her own glasses and the gunk that blotted them. She couldn't pretend to keep a brave face. She was scared, helpless, wondering when or if she was going to die. Wondering if her friends were still alive. Wondering if Mom… even in this situation, Erin hated the idea of her mom seeing her this way. But she shouldn't care, as long as she gets to survive…
She heard Hody still panting. He was still feeling fatigued from the drugs, paying the price for their power. It wasn't the kind of exhaust Erin felt from fighting or training. Instead of his body growing stronger from the effort… it was weaker. "But let me tell you." Hody resumed. "The strongest creatures are neither you nor Fishmen. Like I said, my ambitions rise higher…"
Hody Jaws was patrolling the Indian Ocean that day. He scoured the surface for ships…pirate ships…anyone that could pass as a human criminal. And he found one: a great, wooden, classical pirate ship with the gold figurehead of a crocodile, flying the colors of a croc's skull. Smirking, Hody swam up and launched himself onto the deck. "PIRATES! What are you doing on these… waters?"
They were reptiles. Humanoid, scaly, thuggish crocodiles. "Strange…" The captain sat up from his throne atop the stern. Well, he looked less like a captain and more of a king, wearing only a small gold crown and red cape. His belly was wide and golden. "Sea Knights aren't supposed to deal with matters above the surface. This jurisdiction belongs to the G.U.N. or the KND."
"Jahaha…you don't fool me. You're sailing right above Snorkland. You filthy pirates are planning to dive down and raid all they own."
"And where's your proof?"
"It's… RIGHT HERE!" Hody raised his trident and hurdled at the king's gut.
The Kremlings loved a good scuffle upon the Gangplank. Their king of 19 years had a thrill, even though most of his Krewmen were ripped up and splinters were everywhere. The skirmish didn't last long. Hody was brought to his back with a broken jaw, and the king had broken off the head of his trident to leave two cuts across Hody's belly. "Do you see why a predator stays in its natural habitat? Even a shark couldn't stand up to a saltwater crocodile."
"Huff…huff…" Was this the end? Was this what his life had built to? …What was his life for, anyway?
"But are you really a Sea Knight? I smell something different on you. It smells like blood… but not the blood spilling from you now. You reek of ambition… The desire to triumph over your enemies. But… who are your enemies? Who do you hate?"
"Huff…I hate… the humans…"
"And you thought we were a human ship, is that it?"
"You could never understand… what pumans did to us… If we accept them… they'll take everything from us… and we'll get nothing…"
"Heh heh heh heh har. Then I wonder where your hatred will take you."
"Huff…" Hody mustered the will to raise his head. "Who are you?"
"I'm sure you've heard of me somewhere. Reality is a hard thing to process sometimes. Even now, I'm not sure that I really see a man in front of me."
"I can see him… quite clearly, boss…" choked a Kremling missing his legs.
"Aren't you… going to finish me?"
"I already did. Today, I killed a shark and returned him to Davy Jones. I'm sure that's a story people will believe." The king picked Hody up by the neck. "And someone can tell Oceana… about the scum humans that did this to him." And he threw Hody into the sea.
Hody disappeared from the Sea Knights after that. From that day, he became a new man with firm ambitions. He gathered his childhood gang and worked in the darkness, making underworld connections and finding other Fishmen who shared their hatred. It would be six years until King K. Rool and who is now Hody Jones to "meet" for the first time.
"Unfortunately, it seems my men failed to kill your puny cohorts, thanks to that traitor. But we'll catch them soon… and we'll kill anyone who comes to save you. And if the previous princesses come… they will share your humility. Now, let's prepare for the presentation. You look lovely for it."
"I'll continue to see a lot of Fishmen… That, I guarantee." Hody sat up and walked to the mirror, licking off the food between his jaws. "For the Fishman I really fear is the one who's in the mirror! And he looooks liiike meeee! He looks juuuust… liiiike… meeeeee."
Snapper Head
"Erin…nnn…Er…ERIN!" Nora shot awake.
"Calm down!" The merman, Aladine was knelt over her. "It's me. Jinbe said you passed out after you returned here."
"Oh yeah…hehe…" Nora had bandages wrapped over some parts. She sighed as the memory of her failure came back. She glanced over at her friends, who were still sleeping. "How long were we out?"
"Nine hours." Jinbe answered. "Aladine says your conditions should be stable for now… but it may not be best to immediately rush into battle."
"We'll put that to a unanimous vote first!" Nora raised her foot above Mack and, "WAKE UP!" stomped his stomach.
"AAAAH DON'T SQUISH… me?" Mack calmed down after his startled awakening, sweating profusely.
"Huh—w-what's going on?" Lulu gasped. Massimo and Madeleine shot awake as well, along with-
"LIES!" Zoidberg yelled. "I didn't eat the bottled ship! Fry did it! Thought it was chocolate, he did!"
"If you guys are done napping, we've got an Erin to rescue! So, who's ready to storm the Fishman Pirates' stronghold and rescue our princess?!"
"We're going already?" Mack asked.
"No, we're going after the morning cartoons—OF COURSE WE'RE GOING ALREADY! You wanna just leave Erin to be sharkbait?!"
"N-No, of course not! I wanna save her, too! But we can't just go now! We just woke up after getting our butts kicked, blood drained, and one of our hearts eaten! And if my brain's not mush from all the water, I seem to recall Madeleine lost her wand." The mermaid bowed sadly. "And if Hody's not an idiot, he'll have broken Erin's B.U.B.B.L.E.R., too!"
"I think my spear's busted, too." The spring of Massimo's weapon was dented and askew. "I can't go into battle like this."
"Then what do you propose we do?! What if Hody kills Erin before you guys feel ready?!"
"We will not allow that to happen." Jinbe affirmed. "We've contacted Fukaboshi, and he's passed the news to the Human KND allies. As we speak, I'm certain they're planning to breach the capital and rescue Erin. Hody and his crewmen may also be recuperating from the drugs, leaving them vulnerable."
"All the more reason we should-"
"But Hody undoubtedly has others in his Top Bass, and even more drugs in his pirates' pockets. We must put Erin's safety in our allies' hands now."
"Maybe you're right," Lulu hopped up on her feet, "but I wouldn't feel right if we leave it all to them! If I had just a little more training and got back in shape… I'm sure we could save Erin and beat them all!"
"You said it, sorella!" Massimo affirmed. "Hey, Mack, I'm callin' in that favor! Make me a better spear!"
Madeleine wrote, Jinbe, can you get Mindy's magic mirror? Maybe she can get me another wand and teach me more magic!
"I think that's what you need, too, Nora." Mack said. "Just take some time to train. Sharpen that sandbending, make stronger Water Kicks, do whatever you need to feel ready."
"B-But… how long should we take?"
"Well… if we get started now and stay focused, maybe one day."
"Mmmm…" Nora still felt that was too long… or maybe it was too short. She desperately wanted to save Erin now, but if she could survive until tomorrow, if they only needed a day to train and be assured victory… "Fine. Then… let's get started now!"
"Lulu, Nora, why don't I bring you two back to the Karate Dojo?" Jinbe suggested. "Perhaps a few lessons would sharpen your own bending. And Mack… Aladine, why don't you take him and Massimo to Tom's shipyard? They can use its materials to make the weapons they need."
"Sounds promising!" Mack beamed.
"Now to call Mindy." Jinbe rushed to find the mirror.
"Pardon me, my good Mobian elephant." Zoidberg said to Aladine. "But you appear to be a doctor yourself, are you not?"
"Well, one of those things is correct!"
"Could I ask your assistance in developing a counter-drug to the pirates'?"
"A… counter drug? Do you have a formula in mind?"
"Given the materials used to create them, we can't completely reverse the drugs' effects… but using some of our leftover Sabaody Bubbles, I do have some ideas."
"Then let's get to work!"
Tom's Shipyard
Mack and Massimo sailed to a ship graveyard deep in a kelp forest. They could see other merman patrons shopping for or leaving with pieces of scrap. "Hey, Massimo… can I tell you a secret?"
"Ooo, I love secrets!"
"I mean, it's not a fun secret, it's something personal. See, my mom… You've heard of shrink rays, right?"
"Sure! They can make ya really small."
"Yeah. My mom actually made one, and… she used it to 'train' me while I was growing up."
"Yo, that's cool! I've always wondered-"
"It WASN'T cool!" Mack's outburst startled Massimo into guilt. "It was terrible! She made me spend the night in bug cages, defending myself; she shrunk me to ant size and got me stuck in a drop of water; I almost drowned and tried to fight my way out, and all she did was watch! She made me explore her hair, her nose, and, other things, always belittling me… it was awful. You have no idea what it's like to be that helpless!"
"Gee, I…I'm sorry. Didn't you tell anyone about this?"
"That part's… kind of complicated. It's just… because of what Mom did to me, I'm scared of everything. I can't go a night without nightmares. Nightmares of my own friends squishing me, my bullies torturing me, or just being under Mom's microscope…"
"Hey, I'd never do that to you, Macaroni." Massimo ruffled his hair. "I better not be in those dreams, too."
"Well, you were… except you would pick me up and keep me safe in your hair."
"Awwwwe!" This earned Mack another hair ruffling. "You can sleep in my hair anytime, Mack!"
"Y-You know what, forget all this. I can't believe I told you this, I feel so lame!"
"Look, if I was ever in your shoes, I'd want you to protect me, too."
"Heh heh…" Mack had only felt safe around Erin, Madeleine, and sometimes Nora until now, but there was something more comforting about having a guy friend to confide in.
The boys swam into the air bubble of a garage. "Howdy, boys!" greeted a bering wolffish merman in a black hat, shirt, and goatee, his grin lively. "What can I do ya for?"
"We'd, uh, like to use the materials in this shop. Sir Jinbe's request." Mack showed him a paper.
"Ah, the ol' Jinster, huh? Well, she's all yours, kids. Name's Den, I'm Tom's brother!"
"Hi, Den! Who is Tom, anyway?"
"He's only the best darn mechanic this side of the blue! He ain't home at the moment, sadly. But what errand's Jinbe got you doing?"
"Making a trident for the princess."
"DON?!"
Fishman Karate Dojo
Nora and Lulu climbed to the dojo gates. Though Lulu's gaze was set on their destination up the stairs, Nora could only hang her head at each little step. Lulu stopped at the top—"Whoa!" Nora bumped into her and went tumbling halfway down.
"Uh! Sorry, Nora!"
"Is that how you will come to the princess's rescue?" Hack asked, walking to the stairs' edge. "Not even looking her in the eye? One who only looks at their own path cannot see the destination."
"Okay, you literally came up with that proverb on the spot, didn't you?" Koala remarked.
"Mmm…" Nora clenched her lips shut and walked more firmly and focused until she reached the top. "Alright, let's get started."
"Hasty, I see." Hack said.
"Well, I wanna rescue Erin as soon as possible, so let's start training!"
"Your journey will have no merit if you only search for the destination." Koala winked. "A reverse proverb! Cool, right?"
"I suppose it's natural you feel this way." Hack said. "The Adabatian blood inside compels you."
"?!" Nora's pupils lit up. "What?"
"The people of Adabat are raised worshipping the Sea King. And any who are lucky enough to meet the royals form a strong attachment. So the rumors go."
"No! No, no, no, that is NOT true! I love Erin because she's the sweetest girl in the world, not because of our religion!"
"Perhaps. Yet, you feel a desperate need to reunite with her."
"Master," Lulu said, "I mean no disrespect, but this feels really… disrespectful."
"I want to reunite with her because she's in horrible danger and SHE NEEDS ME!"
"There are others working to rescue her now, are there not?"
"I need to be there, too, or she'll never forgive me! So, can we just hurry up?!"
"Desperation leads to downfall. If you wish to fight for her, you must be patient for her. If primordial desires are not your motive and that Erin is the core of your heart… then listen to your heart and feel that she lives. And that she hopes for your safety as much as you hope for hers."
"What he's trying to say is calm down, take breaths, and follow the training one step at a time."
"Hmm…" Nora straightened up and took deep breaths. Whether this desire was blood instincts or her own love… she had to calm it down.
"The master will see you now." Hack said.
Nora and Lulu both looked up in shock. As they were led into the dojo, a fluffy brown tail stood high. Its owner was incanting in an elderly voice. Their meditative hands hanging out from around the tail were furred as well. Slowly, the master turned around. She was an old squirrel in a black and yellow jumpsuit and pink flower on her head. "Grandmaster San!" Lulu gasped.
"Awe, shucks." She spoke in a country accent. "No need fer that formal talk, partners. Call me Sandy. Sounds like y'all are in need of a karate crash course. If you wannabe Sea Knights are worth your salt, ya'd better be able to keep up."
Both girls bowed with a firm, "HAI!"
Mindy's carriage
"I brought four of our common wands for you to try out." Mindy said as Madeleine waved around a Lobster Claw wand. "But I was actually wondering something on the way here. Before a mage can use magic, they need to bond with a specific wand. Until they do, they can't use any wand."
What do you mean? What wand?
"It's hard to explain… See, wands have a kind of 'heart' that responds to a mage's soul or nature. Depending on that nature, different mages connect with different wands. Their magic needs to be comfortable with that wand, or it won't be able to flow through any wand. And even though they can use other wands afterward, the magic won't be as strong as with their special wand."
So, there's a special wand that's just for me?
"Yes, but here's what I don't get. When mages find that special wand, there's usually a surge of power. If the first time you used magic was when you held that Angler Wand, there should've been a surge like that, but there wasn't. That means you already bonded with a wand."
Madeleine processed Mindy's words shockingly. She thought back to anything that happened… and remembered.
Madeleine loved watching the seahorses frolic around the prairie. But one stood out among the others: a light-lavender sea-unicorn whose horn glistened against the saltwater. "I wanna wide the seacorn!"
"The seacorn's too big for you, sweetheart." Mama replied to the 3-year-old. "Just ride the seapony."
"I wanna wide the seacorn!!"
"Madeleine, why not ride this instead?" Her older brother handed her a small staff with a seacorn head.
"Keziah, that's the family heirloom!" Mom said.
"Oh, just let her play with it. It's not like anything will happen, right?"
Keziah handed Madeleine the seacorn staff, the child joyed as she swam around pretending to ride it. She felt a rush of excitement as the staff brimmed in her hold. She gasped when the real seacorn stopped in front of her. It sniffed the artificial staff, then Madeleine. It licked the child, who giggled and tried to chase the mythical animal. "Sylvia! Did she just…" Father gasped.
"It responded to her! Our daughter… is a Mermage!"
Madeleine hurriedly wrote Mindy, Take me to my house!
The waters around the Emile Estate felt dead and still. The mansion still stood on the cliffs near the undersea desert, undisturbed after the massacre. Mindy and Madeleine felt dread as they strode to the front gates. There was even the worry that sharks or other predators had moved into the dark, abandoned halls, but they were as still as the sea outside. Madeleine swam to the study on the second floor, with parallel walls of books and a case with that very seacorn staff hung between the windows. She swam to put her hand to the case's scanner: it was a magic scanner that read her DNA. It opened as Madeleine took the staff.
"Wow, it's a Seacorn Staff! This is really rare! …Wait, Madeleine… is this the wand you bonded with?"
Madeleine smiled and demonstrated the basic Lumos spell. The horn shone gorgeously. "That's perfect! You'll make great magic with that!"
She nodded. …She glanced out the window to the prairie where the seahorses roamed, frowning. She used the Unlocking Spell to open the window and swim down to it. The prairie was now a graveyard for her family and servants. It felt like only yesterday when that blue-coated man, golden-haired woman, and that black-haired boy broke into the estate. Keziah hid Madeleine in a closet, but she would be found, captured, and look horrifically at her family's dead bodies as she was dragged to the Sawtooth pirates.
"Madeleine…" Mindy lay a hand on her shoulder. "I know they're very proud of you. They're glad you're home… and proud that you're working so hard for Erin."
Madeleine returned another smile. They shared a moment of silence.
"Nei-ei-ei-ei-eigh!" Their attention whipped up, the silence broken by an animal's call. A source of glistening light came charging toward the graveyard. "WOW!" Mindy gasped. "A REAL seacorn!"
Francette! Madeleine opened her arms, welcoming the family's prized pet home. The seacorn nuzzled and licked her young mistress, Madeleine laughing silent giggles.
"Madeleine, use the [Speak To Me Fishy] spell on her! Maybe she'll have something to tell you!"
Madeleine thought the spell and waved the required wand motion, granting the seacorn temporary speech. "Neigh! I felt the glow of the staff and came neigh-ming back! I'm so glad to see you again, Madeleine! Where have you been?"
"Madeleine can't speak." Mindy said. She began to explain the situation.
"So, we gotta save the princess?! Neigh! Neeeeigh! Follow me!" The seacorn swam off in a hurry, the mermaids following. They were led down the cliffs and alongside the edge of the desert until they went into a secret passage. "!" What awaited them was a hidden field of seahorses, grazing the seaweed peacefully. "I gathered as many as I could! We're ready to help you however we can!"
So… many… PONIES!!
"Well, Madeleine, I think now's a good time as any to teach you Animal Summoning!" Mindy smiled knowledgeably.
Oceana Capital
Hody's Top Bass carried a tall trident pillar to a tall overlook in the center of the capital. The citizens retained their selves to their homes, as they always tried to ever since the occupation. "They're carrying a trident." One man whispered. "And someone's tied to it!"
"Mommy, what is that thing?" a boy asked in a different house.
"It looks like a girl…"
On their way up the stairs, Dosun and Ikaros stumbled on their legs, causing the whole lineup to stop. "Oi! What's the holdup?" Hody asked.
"Eh, sorry, Hody." Dosun said. "Still a little lightheaded… is all."
"Well, don't let it show! We're about to revolutionize Oceana, we must stand strong above the pumans and naysayers!"
The pirates stood the trident up at the edge of the overlook and rooted it in place. "PEOPLE OF OCEANA! Mermen, Fishmen, and unwelcome interlopers alike! For centuries, you worshipped the Sea Kings! You treated the princesses like royalty, in spite that they have forsaken us for soft lives on land! They've done nothing for you, and yet you put them on a pedestal simply for dipping a toe in our ocean! Well, HERE SHE IS! The current princess!"
Hody hadn't bothered to wipe all the chewed meat off her face, Erin's clothes torn to expose lumpy bruised skin with a bloody nose and mouth. The citizens were stunned by mixed feelings of horror and confusion. Was she really the princess? Or some other human the pirates captured and strung up as a martyr? Either way, to do this to a poor child was horrible.
"Look at how the royals have fallen from grace! The surface has robbed them of their beauty and dignity! Who were once considered the strongest waterbenders among us were easily felled by us low-class Fishmen! Do you see? The age of the Sea Gods is over. Those who have chosen to follow them have wound up in this child's likeness. We must regain what we've forgotten. Oceana must become strong again! We must take revenge on humanity for poisoning us and for poisoning the Sea King. And tell me… where is our king now? Why doesn't he come to punish me? Is it because he's a coward? Or perhaps he believes I'm right." Hody spun in the direction the palace would be. "WELL?! TELL ME, KING MANAPHY!"
But there was no answer. The worried citizens were almost hoping he would answer and the great Sea Temple would appear… but there was nothing.
"Then what about our princess? What do you have to say to me? What words do you have for your people? What can you say to win back their admiration?"
Again, there was only silence. Erin hung still and unresponsive. "Awe, did you pass out out of fear? Jahahaha. Is this the princess you follow, Oceana? OI!" Hody kicked the pole. "WAKE UP! ADDRESS YOUR PEOPLE, PRINCESS! What's your name, anyway?! I forget! COME ON! TELL US YOUR NAME! TELL ME!"
"Hey…hello? …Hi! …What's your name?"
Erin awoke. She was sitting on a rubber ducky in a bathtub the size of a lake. The faucet poured and roared like a waterfall and clouds of bubbles were adrift. This place often appeared in her pleasant dreams. A peaceful place where she could swim and float freely. Sometimes, though, her mother would tower over the tub and literally pull the plug on Erin's relaxation. The entire lake would be sucked down a maelstrom as Erin struggled to survive. But she felt more conscientious this time. She remembered she was in Hody's captivity… that she shouldn't be relaxing here… that this was a dream.
"Hi there! What's your name?"
A cheery, squeaky voice called to her. She looked to a giant bubble ducky. A yellow sponge with a face was sitting on it. He had a long nose, big eyes, and square pants. "Sp…SpongeBob?"
"Your name's SpongeBob, too?"
"No! My name is Erin! I…I'm hallucinating. I'm probably bleeding to death for all I know."
"Gee, that's not good. Maybe there's something I can do to help."
"No you can't. This is just a dream."
"Yeah, but I'm not! I'm really me! Well, I mean, this is my dreamself. I had just fallen asleep when I found this new portal close to my dream."
"What… does that mean?"
"I'm a Bubble Dreamer! That means I can go to other peoples' dreams. But if your dream showed up next to mine, it means we know each other somehow."
"How? I mean, we did just collect your treasures. We thought they would lead to a Sea Talisman or something."
"Oh, so that's it? Baiyaiyaiyai! Then you need me to tell you where they go, right?"
"No…no, we need to stop the pirates! I have to find out if my friends are okay! SpongeBob, I've been captured by Captain Hody! It's…it's 'cause I'm the Sea Princess. I think they're gonna humiliate me in front of everyone."
"Your friends? Well, before I jumped in here, I saw a lot of other portals connected to yours. Whoever these friends are, I'm sure they're still alive. Just like you are!"
"Really? Can you check on them, too?"
"I could… but I want to help you first. First, maybe we should find out where you are. I can use my power to wake up your eyes just a tiny bit."
"Um…okay."
SpongeBob blew a pink bubble and bent it over her eyes. Erin's vision grew blurry as her real eyes flickered open. She could barely see past the sludge on her glasses… but she felt her body strung up by fishing rope. She saw worried citizens mixed in with cheering pirates. "WAKE UP, PRINCESS!" Hody kicked the pole. "SAY SOMETHING!"
SpongeBob moved the bubble away to return Erin to sleep. "I think I'm being hung up in the capital! He's showing me to everyone! I…I can't do anything!"
"There is something you can do, Erin. In this world, you can practice your bending. You are a waterbender, right?"
"I am, but I specialize in bubbles. Like bath bubbles."
"Well, that's perfect! Let's practice bubbles together!"
"But I can't-"
"Practicing bending in the dream world can reinvigorate the chi paths of your waking body. They might even turn up a little stronger. I'm not sure how you'll escape, but I'm sure there are people coming for you, right?"
"Y…Yeah. My friends and the other KND… and my mom, too. They'll save me!"
"Then until they do, let's get you ready to fight!"
"But, before we do… is there a way I can say something to everyone? Wake me up a tiny bit again?"
"Sure! Sleeptalking is child's play!" SpongeBob blew some gentle bubbles over Erin's mouth.
"Heh…so, you have nothing to say." Hody smirked. "And your uncle Manaphy has no intention of coming for you. You're just a waste of skin!"
"Uh, Hody, Manaphy's her great-uncle, actually." Hyouzou said.
"Who cares?!"
"Mmmmuuu…" Erin stirred in her bindings.
"Huh? Awake at last, are we? Or are your only words incoherent mumbling?"
"Mmmmm…hi, Oceana." Erin smiled nicely.
"Daruma! Megaphone!" Hody ordered.
"Dadadada!" A short red, cookie-cutter Sharkman clambered up the trident and held a megaphone to Erin. Her words were amplified for all the capital.
"Hi, Oceana! I'm not the princess you're looking for. Sorry. But I am gonna stop these guys, don't worry. They aren't a big deal. I'm just sleeping until the Sea Knights come. After I wake up, we'll stop them together. Until then, just stay safe."
She fell back asleep. Daruma's jaw dropped, being the one to hear it up close. Soon, everyone present shared his expression. Pirates and citizens. Whether she was the princess or not, for a child to say something so bold in her situation was incredible. She had to be the bravest one here. The citizens really wished they could do something for her…
"Jaaaaa." Hody rasped wrathfully. "I'm not a big deal… AM I?" He raised his trident. "We'll see if I'm a big deal after I cut off your LEGS!"
A great waterfall poured from the top of the dome, washing Erin of her filth and washing the pirates down from the overlook. Hody mustered Fishman Karate and forced the water away. A stream stretched out from the front side of the Bubble Dome, looming above the central plaza. The stream opened, unveiling Jinbe… and a tall, proud woman in a blue sarong with designs of the sea.
"It's… the second princess!" Daruma gawked.
"IT'S PRINCESS MELODY!" a merman exclaimed. "With Sir Jinbe! They're here to save us!"
"Hey! If that child is a princess, does that mean she's her daughter?!"
"Is that your daughter, Princess Melody?!"
"Jahahahaha!" Hody laughed. "You've shown yourself at last, Second Princess! Now you can show them all… the disgusting vermin you've brought to Oceana!"
Melody flicked her wrist, shooting a watery trident that stabbed the ground at Hody's feet. "My daughter is no princess. She is Erin Horvitz… the bravest and hardest-working girl I've ever known. The only daughter I would ever ask for! And if you hurt her again…" Melody turned her stream into a bigger trident, "I'll turn you into sushi."
"KISAME!"
"Aye, Captain!" Kisame formed Water Clones to create a large Water Prison around Erin. "Now, stay where you are, Second Princess, if you value your daughter's life."
"What's wrong, Hody?" Jinbe asked. "Too afraid to face Melody's wrath?"
"I'm just being resourceful. But maybe we can work out an arrangement. Surrender yourself to us and admit that your family has abandoned us."
"As if." Melody scoffed. "But don't worry your gray little head about me. I'm just making sure my daughter gets a good sleep. After she wakes up, you guys are in for it. But I invited some friends to help clean up the scraps." She waved her other hand. The citizens heard a sound like a tidal wave. (Play "Sweet Victory" from SpongeBob!)
"LOOK!" a Fishwoman pointed. "The barrier's expanding!"
"Captain, all our sea beasts and outer guards!" Dosun pointed. "They're being caught in the ozone! …AND SO ARE THEY!"
The Kids Next Door charged into the newly-expanded Bubble Dome. "Human Sea Knights, BATTLE STATIOOOONS!" Perry Uno screamed, leading the charge!
"YEAH!" Christina roared. "If we could take them in the water, they don't stand a chance on land!"
"Haha, sure stinks that Spike is missin' out on this!" Jason chortled.
"Tch!" Hody grit. "Don't just stand there, boys! Get out there and drown those pumans! Use every Gnosis at your disposal!"
"You should join the FUN, Hody!" The white shark quickly blocked Jinbe's fist, the whale-shark shooting down like a comet. They engaged in another clash that crackled the moisture around them.
"Your wounds haven't healed much, Jinbe! They look easy to RIP open!" Hody stabbed and twisted his trident, using the Bloodbath Twist make some of Jinbe's wounds spurt blood.
"That means nothing!" Jinbe twisted his fist against Hody's gut, causing it to contort. "Besides, I am only the vanguard. The REAL Sea Knights will soon be here!"
…
Following SpongeBob's motions, Erin surfed her Bubble Board with ease and focus. She positioned her trident in front of her and pictured the bubbles in her mind. She took a calm breath and blew as the shapes came to life. The first two were Nora and Lulu. She willed the bubbles to fight each other in the air.
Master Sandy led Nora and Lulu to an underground waterfall. The former wore chi-blocks around her wrists so she could rely on only her Personal Chi. They stood within the falls and performed steady, repetitive punches. Their breathing was constant and fluent. Focusing their will on the water, desiring it to respond to their power, the water would jut out in bursts.
Massimo twirled his new Mack-crafted spear. The conch head would shoot out, but by flicking switches on the hilt, the head would change direction at tight angles. He tested on a Mackbot and pressed another button that would make the spear's inner spring wrap tightly around it, allowing Massimo to slam it to the ground before retracting the whole thing. Mack, meanwhile, twirled a trident built for Erin. It had a slot where several small vials of soap could go, which could be emitted through the loop-shaped prongs on top. Furthermore, the sides could emit two bubbles, which would help Erin bend and maneuver the trident as she needed. …Mack stared at his fingers, indented and lightly scraped by the Poseidonite tools. He held the trident in focus.
Madeleine cast wave after wave of Ice, Fire, Light, Shrink, or Enlargement Spells as she rode Francette to the capital, their effects stronger than before on the sharks and fish they passed along the way. She raised her Seacorn Staff up-forward as it glimmered, mentally reciting the Summoning Spell to warp her army of seahorses out of thin air.
Zoidberg and Aladine crafted pills mixed with bubble soap, along with dust provided by the Sea Fairies; the same ones Sector L rescued. Along with other ingredients, they were meant to simulate the Bubble Soothing effect and weaken the drug-users.
Erin turned the Nora bubble into a giant sneaker, Massimo into a drilling conch, Mack into two fists, Lulu with a spinning tongue whip, Madeleine with her wand held out, and Zoidberg into giant claws. SpongeBob fought back with his star, squid, squirrel, snail, pufferfish, whale, and crab bubbles. But she had another surprise for the sponge: she spun her Bubble Trident and threw, maneuvering it like her torpedo attack, and as soon as it pierced him, she willed it to BURST with great force!
The battle waged on all around the Oceana outskirts. Sectors JP, MG, SG, and Q fought as many pirates and beasts as they could cover. Perry engaged Hyouzou and his eight swords, Dosun's hammer was knocked back by Christina's punch, while Silica suffered attacks from an unseen enemy.
But finally, the princess's knights reunited, closing in on the Bubble Dome. Rested, reinvigorated, and confident after that day, Sector L were ready to save Erin and Oceana.