Kept you guys in suspense? Well, wait no more! Let's get back to the action with this super, double-length chapter.

Comet Dragonfly was no stranger to being caught in sticky situations. Throughout his relatively short life, he'd found himself in the middle of scenarios that would be enough to make many consider themselves screwed. From being surrounded by Monsters, what happened at the Football game, and even the Warnincorn Incident, Comet had a knack for getting into trouble. Yet, he also seemed adept at getting himself out of trouble. Or at least ensure that he only got off with a lecture from his family.

That's why, even though he and his friends had been caught red-handed by Diavolo's band of cutthroats, Comet wasn't worried in the slightest. Instead, he was more interested in the fact that, standing next to Diavolo, was the pirate that the group encountered on the beach (That Comet had taken to mentally calling 'Fatbeard')

"That's him, Captain. That's the little shit who beat me up earlier." Fatbeard said while pointing at Comet. Diavolo didn't say anything at first. He just stared at Comet as though his gaze was trying to look deep into the boy's mind in an attempt to discover what was important about him.

I know that you're trying to intimidate me with your silence, you bastard. It's not going to work on me, Comet thought to himself as he returned the Captain's gaze with a defiant glare.

After a few moments, Diavolo spoke. "When my men found you lying on the beach unconscious, I had assumed that one of the locals dared to attack us. However, it seems that I was wrong. You're not from Libertalia, are you?"

Sensing the hostile intentions coming from the Captain, Comet instinctively stepped forward, putting himself between the self-proclaimed Lord of Libertalia and his friends before speaking. "I'm not. But why does that matter to the likes of you?"

Diavolo continued. "Everything that happens on this island matters to its Lord and master. Especially if it happens to be visited by royalty, or would you disagree, Comet Dragonfly?"

"You know who I am?" Comet asked, genuinely surprised.

"I've heard your name mentioned by the townsfolk. How despite being the Crown Prince of Mewni, you choose to frolic with pirates and treasure hunters. And how you seem to fear nothing, not even the mightiest of sea beasts."

Despite the situation they were in, Comet couldn't help but smirk in pride over that. "Looks like my reputation precedes me." As soon as he finished saying that, though, Comet let a mask of seriousness fall onto his face. "Since you know who I am, then I guess you know not to mess with me," he said as he pointed his Wand at the assembled pirates. "Now, I'm going to take the ships and treasure that you stole from the people of this island. Then, I'm going to free my friend from the giant fish tank you're using to hold her prisoner. And when I'm done, I'm going to be taking the Trident of Atlan, and then watch as you guys get on your ship, weigh anchor, and leave these waters, never to return." Comet then stood there in silence, letting his ultimatum sink in.

Then the pirates did something that he never expected: they all laughed.

"Well, that doesn't seem very encouraging," Jonah muttered behind Comet.

"Shush, Jonah. Let's not make this any worse for us," Marcia hissed as she tried to keep herself from panicking. She could handle Ludo and his guys no sweat, but she could tell from a glance that Diavolo wasn't anything like Ludo. He knew what he was doing.

Comet waited for the brigands to stop laughing before speaking again. "You done? Because if you don't think I'm serious, I would like to point out the magic Wand in my hand that says otherwise. Not even that Trident you're carrying around can match it." Comet wasn't bluffing either. With its ability to command the seas and waves, the Trident of Atlan was a dangerous weapon in capable hands. However, having been created using the Dragonfly Kings' magic, its power would pale compared to the Dragonfly Family's Wand. In a straight-up fight, Comet knew he'd win.

Diavolo glared at Comet once more, trying (and failing) to intimidate him. "I do not doubt that you are capable of doing this. But I did not come here without proper leverage." Diavolo then motioned to some of his men. "Bring him in."

Two of Diavolo's crew members rushed out of the Study without another word, as Comet and the others looked on in confusion. They did not have to wait long for an explanation, though, as the pirates returned as swiftly as they had arrived. What they brought with them, though, made Comet's eyes widen in shock, and an audible gasp escape Marcia's mouth. Forced onto his knees, with several cuts and bruises lining his freckled face, and his arms and legs skinned in several locations, was Jackson Lee Thomas.

Jackson looked up at his friends as best as he could. "Hey Comet," he weakly managed to utter. "I did what you said, kept a lookout for anything out of the ordinary. A few minutes after you guys snuck inside, I saw Diavolo coming back with a bunch of his guys. I was going to call you, but the next thing I know, I'm falling to the ground and surrounded by a bunch of people with guns and swords trained on me."

"Yes," Diavolo remarked. "I was returning with my men from a raid when we found our crewmember here passed out on the beach," he said while gesturing to Fatbeard. "I then decided to return to my Mansion so I could order my men to tear this island apart to find whoever was foolish enough to attack us. That was when I saw this little bird flying over my property and dealt with him."

Just a few minutes earlier, Comet had seen that his friend Aqua had bruises covering her body, no doubt inflicted on her by Diavolo and his men. It had taken a considerable amount of willpower to keep his anger in check at that moment. Now that he saw Jackson all beaten and bloody, though, Comet felt his rage begin to resurface. Acting on instinct, he began to channel magic into his Wand, which started to give off an audible hum as it began to charge up.

"Mega nar-"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, your highness," Diavolo interrupted. brandishing a pistol, he then pointed it squarely at Jackson's head. "Make one move, and I'll decorate the floors of my study with your friend's brains."

Marcia gasped. Comet froze up. Even Jonah felt his eyes widen a little at this. Despite every fiber of his being telling him to attack, he knew that not even he was fast enough to stop a gun at point-blank range. Reluctantly, Comet lowered his Wand.

"Excellent," Diavolo smugly replied. "Now, I like to think of myself as a reasonable man. So, I'm willing to strike a bargain with you."

"What do you want, Diavolo?" Comet asked.

"That's Lord Diavolo, your highness. I thought that the Prince of Mewni would have been taught how to address a lord adequately."

"What do you want, Lord Diavolo," Comet hissed through his teeth.

For the first time since he had come into the room, Diavolo smiled ever so slightly. "That's better. Now, I'm willing to let you and your friends go. Hell, I'm willing to give you all the things that you demanded, including the Trident I have strapped to my back. All I'm going to want in return...is that Wand you're holding in your hands."

Comet and the others could feel their breath get caught inside their throats. They had all seen what Comet could do with his Wand, and that was after having it for a few months. If someone like Diavolo got his hands on it, the whole universe would be in danger.

"Well? I'm waiting, Dragonfly." Diavolo tauntingly said as he continued to aim the gun at Jackson's head.

"Comet, don't do it. You can't let that Wand fall into the wrong hands," Jackson yelled out, only to be met with a boot to his chin.

"Be silent, or I will silence you for good, boy," Diavolo growled. "Make your choice, Dragonfly: the Wand or your friend."

Inside his mind, Comet was in full-blown crisis mode. The boy couldn't let Jackson die, but he also couldn't give up the Wand. Even if he did, there would be no guarantee that the ruthless pirate would keep his word and let them go. More likely, he would either have his men shoot them all or test the Wand out on them, making any sacrifice a moot point.

Damn it! If only I had something else that I could use to bargain with, Comet thought as he tried to rack his brain for ideas. Then, it hit him: he did have something else he could use as a bargaining chip.

Diavolo, meanwhile, took Comet's silence as an answer. "Well, I guess the Prince of Mewni cares more about that Wand than he does his friends. Pity." He then moved the hammer to his pistol back as he prepared to pull the trigger.

"Hold it right there," Comet finally replied. "I've got an alternative idea."

Diavolo cocked his eyebrow at this. "Oh? I'm listening."

Comet took a deep breath and prayed to Mewni that he knew what he was doing. "You and me, one on one, no magic. If I win, You set Aqua free, hand over the Trident and ships, and let us leave. If you win, you get the Wand, plain and simple."

"Comet, are you sure that's a good-" Marcia started to say, only for Jonah to interrupt.

"Shut up, Marcia, he's doing a thing."

"And what makes you think that I'll agree to these terms, boy?" Diavolo asked before putting on a carnivorous grin. "I could simply shoot your friend here and then have my men skewer all of you, plus the fish girl in the tank." As if to emphasize this point, the other pirates began to brandish their guns and other weapons, as though daring them to do something stupid.

Comet, though, remained calm. "Because if you do that, you'll never get your hands on the treasure inside my ship." The mention of the treasure inside the Shooting Star was enough to make Diavolo stop what he was doing, and, for the first time since bringing Jackson in, move the pistol away from his head.

Now that he had the Pirate Captain's attention, Comet wasn't going to let up. Turning back to Jonah, he motioned for him to hand over the bottle that contained the Shooting Star. "You know what I'm talking about, don't you? The vault inside this ship that you can't seem to get open, no matter how hard you try. That's because I'm the only one who knows how to do so—the safest way to protect the mountain's worth of gold and treasures inside, after all." Several of the pirates turned to each other at the mention of the vast amounts of treasure, their eyes sparkling with greed.

I've got them now, Comet smirked. "Now, I don't know about you guys, but that loot is something that all of you can enjoy, whereas only a single person can use the Wand. That doesn't sound very fair, now does it?" At this suggestion, some of the pirates began to grumble in discontent, something that Diavolo noticed, as well.

"What do you fools think you're doing? He's only trying to turn us on each other!" The Captain shouted, only for the voices of his men to grow even louder.

Knowing that he got the pirates right where he wanted them, Comet then moved in to deliver the killing. "Also, are your guys going to want to follow you if you're not willing to a fourteen-year-old boy? Unless that means that you're a coward."

"Hey, yeah, he's right. You should fight him, Captain!" Fatbeard shouted from the side. That opened up the floodgates, and soon the entire crew was shouting at their Captain to accept the challenge. Diavolo could only stand and watch as this boy, this intruder, was turning his gang against him. And he was powerless to do anything about it.

Left without any choice, Diavolo turned back to Comet. "Very well, then, Prince Dragonfly. I accept your offer of a duel. But know that when you lose, I'm going to take my time tearing you apart and sending you back to your father as a warning."

"Do your worst, Lord Diavolo. You're not going to scare me," Comet defiantly spat back at him, which only made the Captain growl in response.

"We will duel in one hour on the Mansion grounds. Until then, you're confined to my Study," Diavolo uttered before turning to his assembled crewmembers and began barking orders. "Everyone, begin preparing the fields for the duel. Take the ships out of my Study and move them to the crew quarters...along with one of the Prince's friends."

"What? That wasn't part of the deal!" Comet yelled as he tried to move between the pirates, Aqua's tank, and his friends.

"You never said anything about taking one of your friends as insurance for your good behavior," the pirate captain smugly pointed out. As much as Comet hated to admit it, he had to concede that point. "You're free to choose which will go with us, though. Unless, of course, you'd rather have us do it for you."

"I'll go."

Comet and the others turned their heads in the direction from which the voice came. It was Jonah who had said that, much to everyone's surprise. He even caught Diavolo off-guard.

"Jonah, are you crazy?!" Marcia shouted. "These aren't some run-of-the-mill bullies; these are actual pirates who want to tear us limb from limb!"

"Settle down, wouldya, Diaz? I know what I'm doing."

"Heh, you've got balls. I'll give you that much, kid," Diavolo said, slightly impressed at Jonah's willingness to put himself in harm's way before turning his attention to the two pirates that were currently restraining Jackson. "You two! Escort this boy to join the rest of the crew. I will be in my quarters preparing my weapons."

"Uh, what should we do with this other kid, Captain?" One of the pirates asked as Diavolo made to leave.

He took one look at Jackson, who just glared up at him in response. "Tch. Leave him with the others. We don't need him anymore."

"Well, if you'll excuse me, guys, I'm going to go hang out with a group of bloodthirsty outlaws," Jonah said as he made to leave, only for Comet to grab his hand.

"Hey, Jonah. You be careful, you hear me? I'm not losing any friends." Jonah just stood there, his face expressionless as he looked his friend in the eye.

"Come on, Comet. It's like I told you guys before we came here: I'll fit right in." And with that, Jonah left without another word, with the guards following, then the Captain.

"Someone will be back to retrieve you all in an hour. And if any of you even think of escaping, know that that boy will die." And with that, the door to the Study closed, leaving Comet alone with Marcia, Aqua, and Jackson.


"I came here expecting a nice, relaxing day on the water only to be dragged into a fight with a bunch of pirates. What on Earth did I do in my short life to deserve this?!" Marcia moaned in anguish as she tried to treat Jackson's wounds. Where she got the first-aid kit from was anyone's guess.

"Hey, don't-ow-beat yourself up over this, Marcia. I don't think any of us could have seen this happening. Ow!" Jackson was doing his best not to flinch whenever Marcia applied rubbing alcohol on the cuts and scrapes, but it was tough. He'd gotten hurt while skateboarding before, but the stinging sensation never got any easier.

"Your friend is right, Marcia," Aqua said in a very soothing tone from inside her fish tank. "None of you could have been aware that something like this would happen when you came to this dimension today."

"You sure seem calm for someone who's freedom is on the line, Aqua," Marcia snarked. She didn't mean to come off as rude, but she needed to vent after everything that had happened that day.

"I simply have faith that Comet can beat Diavolo. And as his friends, you should too," Aqua replied in a manner that sounded less like she was giving her opinion and more like she was stating an obvious fact. And despite her fears, Marcia felt inclined to believe her. After all, she had known Comet longer than anyone else in the room. Given how her roommate attracted trouble like a magnet, Aqua must have gotten into her fair share of pickles with the Prince of Mewni and come out none the worse for wear.

"She's right, Marcia. Comet hasn't given us any reason not to believe in him so far, and I don't think he plans on starting now," Jackson was quick to chime in.

"Thanks for the votes of confidence, you guys," Comet answered in gratitude before walking over to Marcia. "Don't you worry about me, Marcia. I may not know karate like you, but I was kicking ass long before I got the Wand. I can take this bastard down with or without it," the boy said, flashing a cocky grin. "Plus, this means I can finally show off what I can do with these hidden blades! OH YEAH!" As if he was performing in front of a large crowd, Comet began posing as he brought out the shock blades mounted onto his wrists, much to his friend's amusement.

"Okay, tough guy, you convinced me," Marcia said as she tried to suppress a giggle. "Even if you do win, though, how do we know those pirates will keep their word? What's to stop them from trying to kill us and take the Wand anyway?" Marcia hadn't wanted to bring up that idea, but she knew that everyone else had to be thinking about it.

Surprisingly, Comet was the first to respond to her concerns. "Don't worry, Marcy. I've already got a backup plan in place. And it's going to require all six of us to work."

The others were a little confused at first, as there were only five of them before Diavolo took Jonah away. Then Jackson remembered something important.

"That's right, you guys! Alfonso's still out there!"

"I was hoping that you'd say, Jackson," Comet remarked before he reached for his earpiece. "Al, it's Comet. You still with us?"

"Oh, thank god, Comet!" Alfonso's voice broke over the radio. "I've been trying to contact you. I saw Jackson get shot down, and then the next thing I know, everyone starts running all over the place. What the hell happened?"

"Long story: we found Aqua and the ships, Diavolo caught us and tried to use Jackson's life as leverage for the Wand. But I challenged him to a duel in one hour for the fate of Libertalia. Now we're trapped in his Study until then while Jonah's kept under guard by a bunch of pirates."

"Wait, they took Jonah as a hostage?" Alfonso asked, clearly in disbelief. "Yeah, they just screwed themselves over. Probably shouldn't have done that."

"True," Comet admitted. "But this is going to work out in our favor. They haven't spotted you yet, have they?"

"Nope. As far as I know, they don't even know I'm-"

"Hold on a second," Comet interjected before turning to Jackson, who was now feeling good enough to stand up. "Jacks, I know it's a longshot, but do you know what happened to your earpiece before you got captured?" It may have sounded paranoid, but Comet didn't want to take any chances. If there was even a remote chance that Diavolo had gotten his hands on one of their communicators, then he could be listening in on their conversation right now. I already got Jackson hurt. I'm not letting Alfonso end up in harm's way, as well.

To his relief, Jackson seemed to have guessed what he thought as he shook his head. "Happy to report that I managed to smash mine before they got ahold of me," the skater said.

"Good," Comet said before going back to talking to Alfonso. "Sorry, Al; just had to make sure this line wasn't compromised. So you're still hiding out on the roof?"

"Yep. I've got a clear view of everything that's going on," Alfonso spoke over the earpiece.

Comet smirked. He wasn't lying when he said he felt confident in his chances of winning. But if there was one thing his escapades had taught him, it's to have at least one backup plan for when things went south. And right now, the gears in his head were whirling at top-speed with an idea. Smiling, he walked over to Aqua's fish tank and then gestured for his two friends to join him.

"Alright, guys. I have every confidence that I can beat this guy, but Marcia's right. They may choose not to keep their word. So, in the likely event that happens, here's what we're going to do."

And with that, Comet began to explain his master plan.


Spongebob Narrator: One hour later...

True to his word, precisely one hour after being locked inside the Study, the teens heard the jiggling of the doorknob, signaling the return of the Pirates. The four of them didn't say a word to each other, not wanting to risk letting the enemy know what they had planned. Instead, Comet gave his friends a silent nod that told them all they needed to know: stick to the plan. Aqua, Marcia, and Jackson nodded back in understanding before turning to look at the door as it opened. Sure enough, standing there were two of Diavolo's crew, a tall, tan one wearing a bandana and had tattoos on his chest, and a shorter, skinnier looking guy who looked like he needed to get some sun and hit the gym.

"Alright, brats. It's time to head out to the killing field," the big guy (Who Comet had already decided to call "Big Time") said in a low, gravelly voice that sounded way too excited for what was about to happen.

"And remember no magic Wand. If you try anything, you're as good as dead," the shorter one pointed out (Comet chose to call him Crane-Man due to his thin frame.)

"That's fine by me," Comet said. "I won't need magic to beat your Captain," he smugly added to rile them up. Given the situation, most people wouldn't want to anger a group of outlaws, but Comet had his reasons. Besides getting the smug satisfaction of seeing a bunch of jerks get pissed off, it sent them a message: I won't be intimidated by the likes of you.

It worked, too. Without even realizing it, Big time began to raise his fist in anger, ready to punch the young royal's face in. Yet he held himself back, deciding that Comet wouldn't be worth getting in trouble with his boss. Instead, he just grunted and motioned for them to follow him.

"Hold up," Comet replied. "We're not going anywhere without Aqua," the boy insisted.

"Don't you worry, boy. We already have transportation for the fish girl." Crane-Man snapped his fingers, and another group of pirates came in carrying a glass sphere on wheels filled with water. Comet, Marcia, and Jackson carefully watched as one of the men used a remote to move Aqua's fish tank enough out of the wall so that someone could reach inside. They didn't say anything when they then roughly yanked Aqua out and, not even bothering to care about causing her injury, simply flung her inside the portable tank before closing the glass door to it. The sight was enough, though, to make Comet grip the handle of his Wand so hard that his knuckles turned white.

"Now, then. If you would be so kind as to follow us, the Captain will be waiting for you on the fields," Big Time said, his eyes narrowed in another attempt to intimidate the Prince of Mewni.

Nice try, jackass. My old man gives off glares scarier than you, Comet thought, but chose not to say anything as he followed them out of the Mansion, along with the others.

When they got outside, the teens were shocked at what Diavolo's crew had done to the grounds. In less than an hour, they managed to turn what was once the gardens into a makeshift arena. In place of flowers and trees now stood rows of bleachers and an open-air luxury box. As they got closer, Comet could see, hanging on the wall of the box and guarded by at least four pirates, was the Trident of Atlan. After seeing that there was a space below, Comet realized that that was where they intended to keep his Wand until the duel was over.

Probably where they'll want to hold Aqua as leverage, now that I think about it. Comet shook those thoughts out of his head, though. He couldn't afford to get worried and slip up now. If he did, he and his friends could die. Instead, he chose to focus on the noise coming from the bleachers.

On either side of the field., Comet saw dozens of cheering pirates made of different species from across the universe. They ranged from ones that resembled Humans and Mewmans to Wooletts, Pixies, Gnomes, Slug-Men, these weird Crab People, and even a few Monsters from Mewni. It was a motley assortment of beings, all united by their Captain, Diavolo. None of the townsfolk were present, though. So Diavolo was either keeping them inside their homes or didn't bother telling them. Out of the corner of his eye, Comet did make out a familiar face near one of the trees: Rayleigh. Hidden from the mass of bloodthirsty pirates, his old mentor had a front-row seat to his student's fight.

Yet another reason why I can't lose here, Comet reminded himself as he and the others finally made it to the field where he would fight for the fate of his friends and Libertalia.

Once they got halfway across the field, Big Time halted. "All right, boy. This is as far as you go. Your little friends can sit with the other one on that bench over there." Big time pointed to a bench near the bleachers, and, sure enough, there was Jonah, looking none the worse for wear. Truthfully, Comet wasn't surprised that they didn't do anything to him in their hour of separation. What did surprise him, though, was the fact that the beanie-wearing boy was casually striking up conversations with Fatbeard and a group of pirates that looked like they were supposed to be guarding him. And they all seemed to be smiling and laughing like they were old friends!

Marcia could feel herself going slack-jawed at the sight in front of her.

Comet turned around to face his friends. "Alright guys, wish me luck. Not that I'll need it, though," he said while flashing one of his trademark grins. Marcia couldn't help but roll her eyes at this, while Aqua giggled at her friend's confidence.

"Hey, man. If you're as great at fighting as you are at magic, then you've got this in the bag," Jackson reassured him as he held out his fist, with Comet eagerly returning the fist bump.

"Hey, less talking, more walking. And hand over that Wand of yours," Crane-Man said as he held out his hand. Without a second of hesitation, Comet gave him his Wand and then watched as his friends were led off the field, leaving him alone.

Well, better get warmed up, Comet thought as he started doing stretches.


As Marcia and the others approached where Jonah was kept under guard, Marcia felt torn. On the one hand, she wanted to hug him out of relief that he was alright, even if it would lead to a lot of teasing later. On the other hand, seeing him cracking jokes with the guys they were fighting made her want to throttle him for taking things so lightly. Fortunately, she didn't have to, as Big time seemed to beat her to it.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, you little shit?!"

Jonah just looked up at the meat-head of a pirate. "I'm telling them the story of how I super-glued everyone in my school to their chairs in Elementary School. Duh," He said like it the most obvious thing in the world.

Marcia groaned. "Please tell me that you're talking about the 'Sticky Chair Incident' again, Jonah." It was bad enough she had to deal with a bunch of pirates. She wasn't in the mood to deal with one of the biggest pranks Jonah ever pulled.

"Oh, come on, Diaz. It wasn't as bad as you remember."

"You're right: it was worse."

"I don't know what the hell you punks are talking about, and I don't care," Big time growled. "Now, the two of you are going to stay here and watch while your friend gets turned in shark food," he said while pointing at Marcia and Jackson. "As for you, fish girl, you're going up in the box with the Wand and Trident," Big time said, pointing at the luxury box. "And if you even think about trying anything, you die. Got it?"

Aqua gulped, trying to hide how nervous she was, but simply nodded her head.

"Good," Big time hissed before turning to Fatbeard and the two other pirates who were guarding the teens. "And as for the rest of you, quit slacking off and do your damn job. I don't need to remind you that your little screw-up earlier this morning means you're on thin ice, fatso," the burly pirate said while pointing at the guy that Comet nicknamed Fatbeard, who could only gulp in fear.

"Y-yes, sir." Fatbeard gulped in fear.

"Good. Now get back to work," Big time said before he took the Wand and Aqua's tank up to the luxury box, never noticing how Marcia and Aqua winked at each other in acknowledgment of their master plan.

As soon as Big time and Crane-Man were out of earshot, Fatbeard let out a groan that he seemed to be holding in. "Oh my god, that guy is such a freaking douchebag. You make one mistake, and the next thing you know, you've got a target on your back."

"I don't know, Henry. It feels like you dropped the ball with that kid earlier," one of the other pirates said to Fatbeard (whose real name was Henry). He looked relatively normal with a short, trimmed haircut and muscular arms. The only bizarre thing about him was that he was walking on cybernetic legs that looked way too small for his body.

"Now don't you start on me, too, Pat," Henry shot back as Jonah looked on with a bucket of popcorn that he seemed to grab out of nowhere.

"Yeah, Pat, give him a break. How was he supposed to know that kid was the damn Prince of Mewni," the third and final guard, a lanky fellow who had a chin that would make Jay Leno jealous, commented.

"You're taking his side, Glenn? In case you forgot, we're not immune to Henry's screw-ups. Now everyone's treating us like crap by association."

"Man, this shit's better than wrestling," Jonah whispered to Marcia and Jackson as they sat down next to him. "Want some popcorn?" He asked, holding the bucket out to either one of them. Marcia just looked at Jonah and then at what she assumed were the pirate equivalent of the Three Stooges, utterly baffled.

"Okay, I'll bite. What the hell's going on?" She finally managed to ask.

"Oh, right. Allow me to introduce you," Jonah said before turning to the three pirates. "Hey guys, wanna meet my friends?"

The three pirates stopped their arguing and walked over to the trio.

"Marcia, Jackson, I'd like you to meet Glenn, Patrick, and you've already met Henry earlier," The beanie-wearing boy pointed at the guy with the chin, the guy with the robot legs, and the fat one, respectively. "They're the ones who spent the last hour trying to babysit me,"

"Hi," "What's up," "Hey there," they each said.

"Okay, and how is it that you're already friends with them, Jonah," Jackson asked.

"Hey, we are not friends with the enemy," Glenn pointed out. "We just happen to like listening to all the cool shit your friend's pulled over the years."

"Yeah. And it has nothing to do with the fact that our Captain or the rest of the crew doesn't respect us or think we can do anything right." Henry added on.

"Henry!" Patrick yelled. "That-that's not true, kids. Diavolo holds us in very high esteem, which is-aw, who am I kidding? They treat us like shit," he then sullenly said.

"And that was before this morning. Now we're one step away from plankton in everyone else's eyes," Glenn added, not even bothering to look them in the eyes.

Marcia and Jackson just looked at each other and then at Jonah, wanting an explanation. Jonah merely shrugged his shoulders. "They've been at this the whole time I was with them. I had to start telling them stories of my exploits to get them to stop,"

The three pirates seemed to perk up at this. "Oh, hell yeah. This kid is awesome," Henry confirmed. "I mean, first he glued everyone to their chairs, then sicced an army of possums on the guy who took his lunch money? That's hardcore!"

"Wait, that was you that did that, Jonah? The school had to call an exterminator to get rid of those things!" Marcia angrily stated.

"Hey, I got my money back from Lars, and we got out of school for a day. Win-win."

"So, while we were busy worrying about you, you went and made friends with a bunch of pirates?" Jackson asked, bringing up the elephant in the room.

"Yeah, pretty much," the one called Glenn confirmed, making Jonah smirk.

"Told you I'd fit right in."

"Yeah, well, I'd rather have this kid be our Captain than Diavolo," Henry made his opinion, much to his compatriot's shock. "What? You know that Diavolo treats us like crap and never gives us our cut of the loot."

"Yeah, yeah, that's right. We work just as hard as everyone else. So how come we don't get to enjoy that treasure?" Glenn added, now getting riled up.

"I'd hate to admit it, but Diavolo does treat us like garbage," Patrick added.

"So," Jonah said, turning to his friends as the others kept talking about how the Captain treated them. "I assume that you've got a plan in case things go south, right?" Marcia and Jackson nodded in assent. "Good. I think I can get some extra hands to help out."

"Jonah-"

"Oh, come on, Marcy. We can trust these guys, and if not, we'll kick their asses like everyone else."

Seeing that there was no way she could talk her friend out of this, Marcia silently relented.

"Smart move, Diaz," Jonah whispered before giving an audible grunt to get their guard's attention.

"Excuse me, gentlemen, but if I were to say that I have a plan to get rid of Diavolo and gain a mountain of treasure in the process, would you be interested."

At this suggestion, Henry, Glenn, and Patrick huddled up and whispered amongst themselves. Finally, Pat turned back to the three teens with a determined look in his eyes. "Let's waste that asshole."

Jonah put on his trademark smirk at this. "Good choice. Marcia, if you would, the plan."

Marcia still wasn't sure if they could trust Jonah's new allies, but she figured that she didn't have anything to lose. Plus, Comet would probably be on board with this, so why not, she mentally noted. Deciding to take a gamble, the Diaz girl brought everyone in close and began to explain everything to them. Though not before, she covertly reached to her ear and turned on the communicator so that Comet and Alfonso would hear everything.


Indeed, Comet did hear what they were talking about. He knew that Marcia and Jackson would have to find a way to explain their plan to Jonah without arousing suspicion, but it seems that Jonah already took care of that. The guy was remarkably creative like that.

And with that, everything's in place. All that's left is for me to beat Diavolo in combat, Comet reminded himself as he finished warming up. No sooner than he had concluded that Comet heard the pirates' cheers grow in volume, and it was clear to see why. Approaching him from the opposite side of the field, still clad in the bizarre clothing he was wearing, was Diavolo. Instead of carrying the Trident of Atlan, his back now held two massive cutlasses that made Comet's Hidden Blades look puny in comparison. They looked intimidating enough to the untrained eye, but Comet remained unfazed thanks to his years of experience in combat.

And that's counting in the fact that I'm only using the blades on my wrists. During the hour that Comet had spent waiting for the duel, he took the liberty of using his magic to alter his hidden blades. Taking further inspiration from the Assassin's Creed games that Alfonso had told him about, Comet chose to swap out the shock blades for a hybrid between the versions used by game protagonists Ezio Auditore and Ratonhnhaké:ton. Possessing the armor and hidden gun of the former and the latter's pivot blade, it made for a pair of deadly weapons. Ones that he would use to their fullest extent to best the Pirate Lord of Libertalia.

Comet began to walk towards his opponent, who towered over him as his face remained a mask that seemed to betray no emotion whatsoever.

"I'm going to give you one last chance, pup. Give me the Wand, and you and your friends may go free," The Captain spoke in a low-enough tone that only Comet could hear him.

Comet frowned. He knew what the Captain meant: give up now, and I promise your deaths will be swift. Comet shot a glance at his friends, then the Trident and the Wand, then the rest of the crew, and he knew what this duel meant. Comet fought for his life, the lives of his friends, and the people of Libertalia. Diavolo did it to cement his status as leader of his crew. With stakes that high, neither side would willingly back down.

"As if I'd trust the word of a pirate," the Prince finally said before assuming a battle pose, his arms raised as he flicked his hidden blades out before retracting them.

Diavolo grunted. "Hmph, guess you're not as dumb as you look, then. It's almost a shame that I have to kill you," he remarked as he drew his cutlasses.

Comet stole a glance back at his friends, giving them the slightest of nods, the silent code for them to begin their parts. His friends pretended not to notice, but he saw the glimmer in their eyes even at this distance. They knew.

The next few seconds were a blur to Comet as he steadied his breathing and tuned out all distractions. He heard someone yelling nearby, an announcer of some sort? It didn't matter. All that matter was that in the next few moments, he heard Diavolo snarl at him like a wild animal before charging.

And thus, the duel between the self-proclaimed Pirate Lord of Liberatalia and the Prince of Mewni began.

Play Assassin's Creed-Access the Animus- Red in the Face watch?v=TL10cCrT6rY

Right away, Comet found himself on the back foot. Since he chose to forgo any weapons besides his hidden blades, Diavolo had the range advantage with his sabers. And he knew how to use them, as well. The pirate would thrust one forward in a stabbing motion, only to use the other to aim for his weak legs should he try to sidestep. Comet refused to let himself fall for such a tactic, though: rather than sidestep, he used his considerable leg muscle to jump into the air, landing several feet away from his opponent. He then took advantage of the momentary confusion to charge right at Diavolo, closing the distance. Deciding to mimic what Diavolo tried to do, Comet then threw a quick roundhouse to his ankles, making him briefly stumble backward.

Comet didn't let up from there. Activating the pivot function on one of his blades, he swung his arm forward, aiming for the pirate's side. The resulting stab wound was shallow; it drew blood, but only in superficial amounts, and none from any vital organs. It was enough, though, to anger the Captain as he stumbled forward, clutching at his side with one hand before drawing it back to reveal to see the red staining his hands and the hilt of his blade. If looks could kill, then the one Diavolo was giving Comet would make the boy drop dead on the spot.

Comet refused to let up, though. All the teaching he got from the Royal Guard, plus his time fighting Monsters and wild beasts in the forests of Mewni, had drilled several lessons into his head. When faced with an opponent of superior size and strength, one of them is don't fight them head-on. Instead, get in close and then strike.

In hindsight, that's a lot like being an Assassin, he thought before converting the blades on his wrist into pivot blades as he rushed forward again.

This time, Diavolo met him before he could get an opening. He swung both his swords down right at the boy, only to be shocked when Comet, instead of dodging, chose to block with his hidden blades. Surprisingly, they did not bend or break like he thought they would, for Comet had enhanced them with magic to increase their durability. As the boy flashed a cocky smile, he pivoted one blade back into its normal position, and, in a flash, he thrust it forward at one of Diavolo's eyes. He missed the eye, but it managed to leave a cut on his right cheek, infuriating the Captain even more. He didn't have time to worry about that, though. Comet followed that up with a knee to the gut.

Diavolo gasped in pain as he felt the air get knocked out of his lungs. Stumbling backward, he resisted the instinctual urge to clutch his stomach in a vain attempt to alleviate the pain. When he looked back up, he saw that, somehow, Comet had managed to grab one of his swords and had turned the blade towards its own master.

"So, had enough yet, or do you want to keep going a few more rounds?"

Diavolo said nothing, just charging forward with his remaining blade as Comet parried it with his own.

"I'll take that as a no, then."

"I wouldn't get so full of yourself if I were you, brat. I've been fighting battles since before you were born."

"And your point being?" Comet asked as each of them stepped back from their sword clashing.

"My point is that I've got learned to keep a few aces up my sleeve," Diavolo said, clearly frustrated at having to explain.

"Sleeves? What sleeves? You don't have sleeves on that thing you call a shirt. I'm not even sure if that even counts as clothing," Comet quipped, only to go silent when he saw Diavolo draw something from behind his back.

Uh-oh. Comet knew right away what he was about to do. And it was happening so fast that there was no way for him to dodge. No choice, then. As Diavolo drew the pistol he had kept hidden on him, Comet held up the cutlass on its flat right as he fired.

*BANG*

Thankfully, the sword was able to take the brunt of the impact. Unfortunately, it then proceeded to break from the stress of the bullet, leaving Comet shocked. And in that moment of shock, he failed to notice Diavolo leaping at him from above until it was almost too late. Fortunately, he managed to move at the last second. Rather than sinking into his chest, the blade cut through the side of his arm.

"Ahhh!" Comet screamed, trying to brush off the pain as his blood spurted onto the grass. He leaped back and away from a now laughing Diavolo.

"Hahaahaha! What's wrong, boy? Where did all that bravado from before go?" The Pirate Lord mockingly shouted. "As I thought: you're just another pampered little brat who doesn't know when to bow his head to his superiors. MAYBE THIS WILL TEACH YOU TO CHOOSE YOUR BATTLES MORE CAREFULLY IN THE FUTURE!" Diavolo bellowed before he rushed forward to deliver the killing blow.

Comet, though, smirked. Yes, the sword strike hurt like hell, but he'd taken worse injuries in the past and come out on top. Besides, he had a secret weapon that he'd been waiting for the right moment to use. Plus, now that Diavolo had used a gun, it wouldn't count as cheating.

Instead of trying to move, Comet got down on one knee and raised his uninjured arm. Taking careful aim, he readied the mechanism embedded in his hidden blade until he was sure he would make the shot. Then, he fired.

*BANG*

A loud bang was heard as Comet's arm became enveloped in sparks and gunpowder. For a few seconds, everyone was silent, until-

"GAHH!" Diavolo cried out in pain as he dropped his sword. He looked down at his hands, only to find the palms to be a blistered and bloody mess. It was like something had ripped through them at high speeds, tearing the skin off and leaving only the inner layers behind. Worse, one of them seemed mangled, with a small, metal ball embedded inside.

One thought was going through the Pirate Lord's head at the moment: where the hell did this little bastard get a gun? Unfortunately for him, he was so lost in thought that he didn't even Comet rush towards him, blades drawn as he leaped into the air. All he knew was that in a single moment, the Prince of Mewni had knocked him flat on his ass. When he tried to move, he felt the cold steel tip of Comet's blades press against his throat. In one swift, stunning move, Comet had the feared pirate captain at his mercy.

Music End

"It's over," Comet said. The arena had gotten so silent that you could hear a pin drop, and everyone could listen to it.

"Go ahead, then. DO IT!" Diavolo said, daring the Prince to finish the job. But Comet wasn't going to play his game. Instead, he wordlessly retracted his hidden blade, stood up, and began to walk towards where his friends were sitting.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, YOU LITTLE BASTARD?!" Diavolo roared, making Comet stop dead in his tracks. He turned back to look at the fallen pirate Captain, his face not betraying any emotion as he spoke.

"I told you, this fight's over; I won. Now let Aqua and everyone else go, give us back our ships, and get the fuck off this island."

Diavolo's rage now reached new heights. Not only had he lost to some upstart Prince, but the boy had the nerve to show him mercy after humiliating him in front of his crew.

"I won't stand for this. I WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS!" Diavolo shouted as he struggled to get up on his legs. "GUARDS! KILL THE BOY, THE MERMAID, AND HIS FRIENDS! AND THEN BRING ME THE WAND!"

To his surprise, though, he was met with silence, much to his confusion.

"Didn't you fools hear me? I SAID KILL THEM AND BRING ME THE WAND!" He shouted again, livid that his men were daring to defy his orders. That's when he noticed something that he hadn't during the fight: the Prince's companions and their guards were nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, tough guy." A familiar voice shouted out from above the bleachers. Everyone in the bleachers craned to see where the voice was coming from until they saw it and collectively gasped. In the luxury box stood a group of seven: Jonah, Marcia, Jackson, Aqua, now freed from her tank prison, and the Pirate Trio. What proved even more shocking was what Jonah and Aqua each had in their hands. Aqua was holding the Trident of Atlan, but Jonah seemed to bear this knotted, wooden staff crisscrossed with runes ending with this giant eyeball at the top. Some people swore they even saw the eye blink.

"You looking for this?" Jonah asked in a sing-song voice as he held out the weird-looking staff.

"Wait, that's what the Wand would look like if you used it, Jonah?" Comet asked. "Ah, well; it suits you, man."

"Thanks, Comet. The plan went off without a hitch."


Spongebob Narrator: One hour earlier...

"Alright, gang, here's what we're going to do," Comet said as he explained to them the plan that he had in mind in case things went south. "When the time comes for us to go out there, Diavolo's going to want to keep you guys under guard and away from me. The same will go for the Trident and my Wand."

"That does seem to be the most likely scenario," Marcia noted.

"Exactly," Comet agreed. "And if the good Captain is the kind of man I think he is, then he'll just tell his flunkies to seize the Wand and Trident and kill us. What he doesn't know is that you guys are going to beat him to the punch."

"What did you have in mind, Comet?" Aqua asked from inside her tank.

"It's simple: when the fight begins, everyone will be too distracted by the fight to pay attention to you guys. So you guys will overpower the guards and then make your way to wherever they're keeping the Wand and Trident. You'll take out any security present, grab the magic artifacts, and then use them in case Diavolo tries anything." Comet said it like it was the most straightforward plan in the world. Only it wasn't.

"But won't everyone notice if we go missing. Or if any of their compatriots go missing?" Jackson questioned.

"Already thought of that, Jackson," Comet said before pressing the button to his earpiece. "Alfonso, you think you can get a clear shot from your vantage point?"

"Roger that, Comet. I've got a clear line of sight where they're setting up for the duel. Just say the word, and I'll start sniping away," Alfonso affirmed over the radio.

"Good. When the time comes for everyone to move, you'll take out anyone who happens to get in the way. Those sleeping bullets will put any of those pirates out cold for hours."

"You got it, Comet. I'll be on standby until then," Alfonso said before ending the call.

"So, anyone got any questions, or are we good?"

"Someone's going to have to tell Jonah about this when the time comes. The last thing we need is for him to do something crazy and start a mutiny or something," Marcia pointed out.

"But other than that?" Comet asked.

"No, we're good." "Yeah, I think this could work." "I am very confident in this plan."

"Good. If all goes well, by the day's end, this island will be free, and we'll be sailing away on the Shooting Star."


Play Giorno's Theme Music watch?v=2MtOpB5LlUA

"Now, if I were you guys, then I'd suggest that you all surrender and give back everything that you've stolen from the townsfolk," Jonah said. "Unless, of course, you wanna get blasted."

The sight of two powerful magical artifacts pointed right at them was enough to make a good deal of Diavolo's pirate crew run for the hills. Diavolo himself, though, refused to move an inch.

"What are you fools waiting for? KILL THEM AND GET THE WAND AND TRIDENT!" He yelled. A few crew members with enough nerve to stick around tried to obey their Captain, only for things to fall apart even further. First, Marcia dropkicked right on top of some schmuck trying to pick up his gun. And then, much to her surprise, Jackson joined in on the action, yelling something about avenging his board.

Jonah, meanwhile, just started blasting at any pirate that came near them. The boy seemed a natural with the Wand, firing off spells that he had read about it in books or on TV. Most of them involved attacking the enemy with bursts of black-looking magic or twisting their features until they looked like deformed, barely humanoid monstrosities. One poor guy even got all the holes on his face rearranged by accident.

Alfonso kept himself busy, as well. As the pirates tried to flee the Mansion grounds, he picked them off from his sniper position, making them panic even further. By the time he ran out of ammo, the villains were all but tripping over themselves trying to escape.

As for the Pirate trio of turncoats, they didn't waste any time getting in on the action. Looking around for the one called Big Time, Henry tackled him to the ground, and then the three proceeded to take turns beating the shit out of him.

Amidst all the chaos, Diavolo tried shaking off the pain from his injuries and limp away from the field. His mind was already racing with ways for him to come back from this, to rebuild his power base. And most importantly, get revenge on the boy who had taken everything from him. A child may have bested Diavolo on this day, but the Lord of Libertalia's plans to conquer the All Blue would not be stopped.

"And where do you think you're going, Lord Diavolo?" Comet asked. Turning around, he saw the boy raising the saber that Diavolo had dropped right at him.

"What are you going to do, you little bitch? You didn't have the guts to kill me before, and I highly doubt you managed to grow a pair in the last few minutes."

"You bring up an excellent point. But, counterpoint: I know someone who's got way more of a right to beat the shit out of you than I do." Comet then stepped to one side, revealing a very pissed-off Aqua in her tank, Trident in hand.

"Payback time, you monster."

Play Giorno's Theme Music; skip to 3:45 if you haven't already gotten there watch?v=2MtOpB5LlUA

Wielding the power of the Trident, the water inside of Aqua's tank began to swirl and bubble, responding to her mental commands. At last, the liquid consolidated into two massive fists of water, which promptly proceeded to beat the shit out of the Captain at speeds so fast, it looked like submachine guns were pounding him.

By the time Aqua finished paying back the Captain for the days of torment, the once-frightening Pirate Lord was laying on the ground in a bloody, semi-conscious heap.

"We win," Comet gloated before breathing a sigh of relief.

End Music


Play One Piece- We did it! Party (Extended Version)- watch?v=LPcNq4rjecU

The next two hours or so were a whirlwind of events for Comet and his friends.

After defeating Diavolo, Jonah gave Comet back his Wand, and the Prince thanked him for not going crazy with power. Marcia insisted that he first use it to heal himself, but not knowing any healing spells made that impossible for him. Fortunately, Aqua had an alternative solution. A lesser-known power of the Trident was its ability to use water to heal people. One quick treatment of magic glowing water later, and it was like she, Comet, and Jackson never got hurt.

Meanwhile, Jackson went looking for his U-Board, which got lost when he crash-landed. Fortunately for the skater, it barely had a scratch on it.

Rayleigh, who had been watching everything from the shadows, came over to congratulate Comet for his victory over Diavolo. Hearing him say his student had gotten so much stronger practically made the boy glow with pride.

After locating the stolen ships and any other valuables that the pirates had taken, Comet and Rayleigh went into town to let everyone know of Diavolo's defeat and that they were free. Everyone began to come out and celebrate the Captain's failure, saying that Comet and his friends were heroes.

No one knew what to do with Diavolo. Everyone agreed that he was too dangerous to be locked up in a normal cell. Since he had stolen Oceanus's national treasure, the group decided to turn him over to Aqua's people to face justice. However, that didn't stop Comet from using his Wand to turn him into a Sea Louse and locking him inside a glass jar.

There was still the matter of Diavolo's crew, though. Most of them got taken out in the chaos following the duel, but a few slipped away into the jungle. The townsfolk agreed to send out parties to capture them and figured that the few who got off the island wouldn't be causing trouble anytime soon. The ones who got arrested got turned over to the townsfolk for punishment.

That is, save for three. The Pirate Trio of Henry, Patrick, and Glenn decided to turn over a new leaf and quit being pirates. The town was hesitant to accept their apology, but Rayleigh stepped forward with an idea. Rather than throw them in prison, the Pirate Trio would perform community service by helping him run the docks. He'd meant to hire new hands to help him out, anyway. The three ex-pirates happily agreed to help out the old Woolett, grateful to be given a second chance.

As for the dockyards, Comet kept his word about the ships. After gathering up all the ships in bottles, he released them into the harbor and used the Wand to undo whatever enchantment Diavolo put on them, restoring them to full size. He was thrilled to see the Shooting Star sail on the ocean again.

Much to his friend's surprise, Comet hadn't been lying about the treasure aboard the Star. Below decks was the mystical safe he'd told them about, and inside was a treasure worth millions. However, Comet decided that the people of Libertalia needed the money more than he did, so he wound up donating about two-thirds of it to help with repairs. He gave his friends a small amount of it, though, plus the Pirate Trio so they could make something of themselves one day. He insisted on keeping the rest as "rainy-day funds," though no one could complain. Marcia kept muttering about how much this would add to her college funds.

Once this was over and done, Comet insisted that everyone get aboard the Shooting Star, saying that he promised them a fun day on the water and wanted to keep it. After waving goodbye to everyone, the group headed out on the open water, and after a short trip, they reached the island where Comet and Aqua met years ago.

End Music

"Well, here we are. Though to be honest, I'm not sure why you'd want to come out here, seeing as how we already met Aqua," Jackson remarked. "Still, it's a nice view of the ocean," he then added. "Clear waters, nice waves, perfect for swimming and surfing."

Comet chuckled at this. "Trust me, Jackson. I've got something that I think you're all going to like. " He then glanced at Aqua, who was resting on the sand, the Trident in one hand, the jar holding Diavolo in another. Comet smiled at her before giving her a quick wink, and Aqua giggled, knowing what he was about to do.

Stepping out in front of his friends, Comet then addressed them all at once. "Alright, guys. I know that we've had a long and, frankly, crazy day-"

"Understatement of the century!" Jonah commented before letting Comet continued.

"-But I've got a surprise for everyone. All I need you to do is sit on the ground, close your eyes, and trust me." His four human friends looked at each other, then at Aqua, then back at Comet. They all nodded and closed their eyes.

"Neon Flash Phantasm Transformation!" The four teens felt a tingling sensation as the magic began to engulf them as...something began to encase their legs.

Silently, Marcia hoped that this wouldn't be a repeat of the Monster Arm. At last, they felt the tingling subside as the magic began to fade.

"Alright, guys, you can open your eyes now," They heard Comet say. Trusting their friend, they slowly opened their eyes to see what Comet did to them...and then had to do a double-take—followed by a triple take, for good measure. From their hips down, their legs were gone. In their place were long, color-coded, scaled fishtails. When they looked back up, they saw that Comet was now sporting one as well, along with a massive grin.

"No, no way," Jackson whispered, his mind working to process what had occurred.

"Comet, did you just..." Marcia asked her friend, looking up to see him nod.

"Of all the cool things we've done today, this may be the coolest," Jonah added on.

"I concur," Alfonso added.

At this point, Jackson finally lost his composure and broke out into a bout of happy laughter before grabbing Comet in a bear-hug. "Dudethankyousomuchyouhavenoideahowmuchthismeanstome!"

"You're welcome, Jackson," Comet replied, smiling at how happy his friend was. He then watched as Jackson, with a powerful kick of his fishtail, jumped into the water. "I'M A MERMAN!"

At this point, Marcia wrapped her head around what happened to her and her friends and, with a squeal of joy, jumped in after Jackson. "THIS IS SO COOL!"

"HEY, WAIT FOR ME, GUYS!" Jonah called out as he dived into the water to join in on the fun.

"Hey, don't get started without me, you guys," Alfonso called out before crawling over to the water and letting the tide carry him out to join his friends.

Comet and Aqua sat on the beach, smiling before they looked at each other and nodded before jumping in to join their friends.

"WE'RE MERPEOPLE! THIS IS SO AWESOME!" Jackson cried.

"Calm down, bro. This is only the first part of the surprise," Comet explained.

"*GASP* YOU MEAN THERE'S MORE?!" Jackson said, not even bothering to contain his joy by now.

"You'd better believe it, man! I brought you all here for one reason and one reason alone: so that we could all see the undersea kingdom of Oceanus in all it's glory!"

"We're going to see an undersea kingdom? Oh my gosh, this is so exciting!" Marcia squealed in joy.

"Well, what are we waiting for, then? Let's get a move on!" Jonah exclaimed.

"Aqua, would you do us the honor of leading the way," Comet said as he gestured to the mermaid.

"I would be delighted to, Comet," the girl said, smiling. "If you would all follow me." Aqua then dove below the water and waited for the others to follow.

"Come on, guys. And don't worry about drowning. As long as we're like this, we can breathe and see underwater," Comet mentioned before diving down to join Aqua. The other four quickly followed them. Once they were all underwater, Aqua pointed in the direction they needed to go and began swimming further into the ocean, with everyone else following suit.


The journey to Oceanus did not take as long as one would expect. Aqua explained that merfolk had evolved to be naturally strong swimmers, letting them travel at close to 40 mph on a casual basis. If they wanted to push themselves, they could clock in at close to 55-60 mph.

Marcia immediately followed this up by asking how they even hear themselves underwater, let alone talk. In response, Aqua shrugged and shoulders and said that it was better not to question it. This made Alfonso start theorizing that merfolk had developed highly-durable vocal cords or something, but after Jonah got tired of his "nerd-talk," he got him to focus on all the kinds of fish and sea plants they passed by.

After about half an hour or so swimming, the group left the islands behind for the open ocean. Above, Marcia could see the rays of sunlight creeping down from the surface a few hundred feet above her. Further down, she could make out the geographic features on the seabed. In her human form, she would be hard-pressed to see anything at all. As Comet had said, however, their mer-forms enhanced their eyesight, allowing them to see in the murky depths of the water correctly. As a result, she could make out all the canyons, valleys, mountains, and hills the lined the seabed. It was a breathtaking sight, one that she doubted anyone else on Earth could boast of seeing. Scuba divers were likely never able to see this well, and submarine crews were restricted to looking through portholes and glass domes.

At last, Aqua called out, saying that they were close to their destination. Sure enough, the group could make out some structures in the water just ahead of them. Located on top of an undersea plateau, surrounded by colorful lights and sounds that lit up the otherwise dim light of the underwater world, stood a sprawling city. At its center stood a towering palace, made from a myriad of coral and rock and decked with fine jewels and precious metals. Even this far down, the structure shimmered as though the sun itself was reflecting off it. Comet had never seen the place before, but he could figure out what it was immediately.

"The Kingdom of Oceanus."

"It's so beautiful, like something out of a fairy tale," Marcia said in awe.

"Where did you guys even get the resources to build this?" Jonah inquired.

"Jonah, do you even know many resources there are to be found in the ocean?" Alfonso clarified. "Gold, iron, copper, plenty of food, and plants to eat. I'd be more surprised if they didn't build something like this."

"Correct. My people can sustain ourselves off the resources of the mother ocean," Aqua said, pleased at the boy's knowledge. "Now then, we must head to the palace without delay. The King will want to know that the Trident has been recovered...and that the thief who took it is in custody." As she looked at the jar holding Diavolo, Comet swore that he could see a dark twinkle in her eyes.

"Are you sure that it's alright for us to walk-er swim- into the royal palace uninvited?" Marcia pointed out. "Comet might be able to because he's royalty, but we're total strangers,"

"Do not worry. I am certain that they will allow you to enter as you are accompanying me," Aqua stated to put the girl's mind at ease. "Now, let us make haste. The people must know that their national treasure is safe." Aqua then swam straight for the palace, with Comet not even hesitating to follow.

"You heard the lady. Let's get a move on," Jonah said before swimming after them, making the others follow in their wake.

As they got closer to the city, Jackson couldn't help but notice that several city sections were covered in large, transparent domes. "Hey Comet, What's with those bubble things? If everyone here can breathe underwater, then why have them?"

"Oh, those are air-bubbles. We create them using a special kind of air-producing coral that grows here in the All-Blue," Aqua said. "We installed them many years ago so that visitors from other dimensions could come and visit our glorious kingdom. We even have smaller versions that will work on a single person."

"If that's true, then why turn us into Mermaids?" Marcia questioned. "It seems kind of pointless."

"Because they only make up a small part of the kingdom, and those portable bubbles are so cumbersome. I want to be able to enjoy this place as the locals do," Comet said, hoping to clarify his reasoning. "Also, because I can, and it's awesome."

They didn't have any more time to continue talking, as they had already arrived at the gates to the palace. Two guards swam at attention, their helmets obscuring their faces while they each carried smaller tridents in one hand.

"Wait here, and hold Diavolo so that he doesn't escape," Aqua said, holding out the jar for Comet to take. Aqua then swam up to the guards and began to converse with them. The others couldn't hear what she said, but given the looks of surprise on their faces, followed by incoherent shouting, it must have been enough to convince them. The two guards then bowed their heads before moving back to push open the gates, while Aqua swam back to the others.

"All right, then. We may go inside and see the King."

"Wha-really?" Marcia asked, finding it hard to believe that it would be that easy. "What did you say to them?"

"Nothing; I simply asked to be let inside, and they agreed," Aqua said in a sweet tone. "Now, let us go. My people will be most happy to have our great treasure back where it belongs."

As the others prepared to follow her, Marcia took Comet to one side. "Hey, Comet, about Aqua..."

"Yeah, what about her?"

"Is there something about her that you're not telling us? Something important?"

"Hmm," Comet pondered that for a few seconds, trying to remember. "I know there's something important I forgot to mention. I can't remember what, though."

Realizing that talking to him any further was pointless, Marcia gave up and swam after the others into the palace.

If the royal family's palace looked impressive on the outside, it was even more so on the inside. In contrast with the blue of the water, the halls of the palace were brightly decorated. The walls contained murals made from polished stones and minerals. There were little garden beds filled with coral and other undersea fauna. The roof had windows that seemed to magnify what sunlight reached that far down to light up the entire palace. Overall, it was bright, colorful, and downright inviting.

At last, the group made it to a grand doorway. If one looked at it closely, they would see it was made from sunken ships' hulls, with reliefs of merfolk and other sea creatures carved into the wood. Two guards stood at attention at the entrance, saluting as the group drew near.

"His highness will meet you in the throne room, milady," one of the guards said.

"Excellent, sir. Thank you." Aqua curtly replied, leaving Marcia further stumped as the great doors opened.

In contrast to the rest of the palace, the throne room was very minimalist in appearance. Blue seemed to be the dominant color once more, though several tapestries were hanging from the walls. In the center of the room, there lay a giant stone throne. One that looked like someone carved it out of the palace itself rather than move it in. And on that throne was the biggest Merman Marcia and the others had seen thus far. He looked close to rivaling Queen Colthead in size, maybe even bigger, given his large and hairy frame. The thick, curly orange beard that lined his face, combined with his small eyes and the large, tulip-shaped crown upon his head, made him look all the more intimidating.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that the giant was none other than King Neptune. He gave off the very air of a king, and one not to be trifled with, at that. Which is why what happened next surprised Marcia and the others all the more.

"HI, DADDY!" Aqua suddenly shouted as she made a beeline towards the King, who seemed to jump off the throne and swim towards her.

"AQUA!" The King shouted, his eyes now practically a waterfall of tears, which didn't even seem possible underwater.

The two crashed into each other right in the center of the throne room, with King Neptune enveloping in a great, big hug. "MY LITTLE GIRL IS HOME SAFE AND SOUND!" The King cried out.

"I MISSED YOU SO MUCH, FATHER. I'M SO SORRY I SCARED YOU LIKE THAT!" Aqua cried back as Comet looked on, smiling.

Marcia, Jackson, Jonah, and Alfonso, though, had all gotten deadpan looks on their faces as they tried to understand what the heck was going on.

"Um, Comet...anything you forgot to tell us about Aqua?" Alfonso finally asked. At first, the boy looked at them, confused as to what he could've neglected to mention. Then, his face lit up with realization.

"Oh, duh. I forgot to mention that Aqua's the Princess of Oceanus. My bad."

Comet's Earth-friends remained quiet for a few moments before they finally responded.

"WHAT?!"

"YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT AQUA'S ROYALTY!?" Alfonso screeched.

"HOW COULD YOU FORGET SOMETHING LIKE THAT? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?" Marcia yelled at her roommate.

"It never came up, and I didn't think it was relevant."

"YOU IDIOT! OF COURSE BEING FRIENDS WITH A PRINCESS IS RELEVANT!" Marcia continued to scream in frustration at her friend's stupidity.

"I don't get why you're all so surprised. I'm a prince, so it makes it a given that I would know other royalty." Comet calmly pointed out this fact, making the others cease their yelling.

"Touche," Jonah replied.

At this point, Aqua and her father had finished their tearful reunion and had come to greet the group.

"Father, these are the people who rescued me and helped me get back the Trident. This is Marcia, Jackson, Alfonso, Jonah, and Comet. Everyone, this is my father, King Neptune of Oceanus."

Marcia and the others gave a hasty bow or curtsy out of respect for the King. Comet, though, simply smiled at waved. "It's nice to finally meet you, your highness."

The King curtsied in response. "It is a pleasure to meet you, as well. You said that your name was Comet, correct?"

"The one and only Comet Dragonfly," the Prince answered.

It was hard to tell underneath his beard, but it looked as though Neptune beamed with a smile. "Aha, then you must be the friend that Aqua tells me so much about!"

Marcia couldn't help but notice that Aqua blushed at her father's words but didn't say anything.

"You told your dad about me, Aqua?" Comet asked.

"Of course. Why would I not tell him about one of the best friends that I've ever had?"

"Yes. Ever since she met you years ago, she wouldn't stop talking about you. Every time she went to see you, she would come back telling all sorts of stories with the biggest smile on her face."

"Father!" Aqua said, her blush only growing even more, making the King chuckle.

"I'm sorry, Aqua. But I've wanted to meet him for some time now so that I may express my gratitude towards him."

"Gratitude for what, exactly?" Comet inquired, now confused.

"For a great many things, Prince Comet," Neptune began to explain. "First, you tended to my daughter when she was alone and injured and may have very well saved her life. And now, you restore her to me after that accursed pirate had captured her. And to top it off, you have restored to us the gift that your ancestors bestowed on us." Neptune then took the Trident out of his daughter's hands and, to everyone's surprise, it magically began growing to match his size.

"I would also like to add that I captured the pirate responsible, turned him into a harmless sea louse trapped in a jar, and brought him to you to punish." To remind everyone, Comet held out the jar containing Diavolo.

"Excellent," The King said as he took the jar in his massive hands. "I will see to it that this filth will be locked behind bars for the rest of his days." After ordering one of the guards in the throne room to see to the jar, Neptune turned back to Comet.

"It is for all these reasons and more that you have my gratitude, Comet Dragonfly. Oceanus will always be open for you and those that you call your friends." The King then gave a bow in respect to the Prince, which Comet returned.

"Thank you, your highness. I am honored."

"If there is anything that you may desire, my boy, then please tell me. If it is within my power, then I will grant it."

Comet thought about this offer for a moment and then looked at his friends, even as Jonah held up a sign that had $$$$ on it. He then looked at Aqua and remembered the promise he gave her months ago.

Finally, he gave his answer.

"There's only one thing I want, your highness. And that's for you to allow your daughter to come to visit my friends and me, be it on Earth or Mewni." When Comet said that, Aqua's face lit up in sheer joy at this.

"Very well. Aqua may do so, Comet," the King said in agreement before his brow furrowed in confusion. "But I do not know how she will be able to move around much. We merfolk are not the most capable of walking on land."

"Do not worry, your highness. Leave everything to me," Comet said as he looked at his Wand, a plan already in place.


Even though it felt like more time had passed since they left, it was only mid-afternoon when Comet and his friends returned to Marcia's house. Everyone else had headed downstairs after using magic to change out of the Assassin robes Comet had made. At Marcia's insistence, he also got rid of the hidden blades, much to Alfonso and Jonah's dismay. Though, Comet chose to keep his Assassin outfit as a souvenir of his adventures, along with something else: the Shooting Star.

Having the ship get stolen by Diavolo made Comet realize that leaving something so valuable by itself for too long was a bad idea. While Rayleigh and the Pirate Trio could look after it, Comet thought it would be better to have his ship someplace where he could look after it 24/7. So, he shrunk back down to bottle size and kept it on a shelf in his room. Whenever he got some free time, he'd work on giving it some upgrades that he'd been thinking about for some time.

She'll be a ship worthy of Comet Dragonfly by the time I'm done, Comet thought as he stood back and admired the vessel on his shelf. He got brought out of his musings, though, when he heard someone calling out to him from the living room and ran downstairs.

"Did I miss anything, guys?" He asked as he practically flung himself over the railing.

"Nah, man. You're just in time to see her take her first steps," Jonah said as he gestured towards the center of the living room. Standing there, wearing a familiar white and gold-star shirt, and now sporting an aqua-blue sarong that hid a pair of black shorts, Aqua held onto Marcia as she tried to balance herself on the ground.

After coming back from Oceanus, Comet explained his plan. If he could use the Wand to turn them all into mermaids, then, in theory, he could use it to give Aqua legs. And thanks to his experience growing limbs during the Monster Arm Incident, he had enough practice to get it right on the first try. And while he put away his stuff, Marcia and the others were nice enough to show her how to walk.

"All right, Aqua. I'm going to let go of you now. Try and stand up on your own. You think you can do that?" Marcia said in as encouraging a tone as possible. Aqua nervously nodded.

"Come on, Aqua. You got this." Comet added, smiling. That smile alone seemed to be enough to give Aqua the confidence she needed. She took a deep breath and then looked at Marcia.

"Alright, I'm ready."

With that, Marcia stepped back and let Aqua stand on her own. At first, she wobbled a little but then found her center of balance. After that, Aqua took slow, deliberate movements, moving her newfound legs forward. At last, she managed to put one foot in front of the other. And then another. And another. Until at least she managed to walk over to Comet. By that point, she lost her balance and fell into his arms, making Jonah whistle, only to be rewarded for that with an elbow to the stomach, courtesy of Marcia.

Aqua, however, didn't notice or even care. Being held in Comet's arms like that felt like pure bliss for her. She looked up at her longtime friend, with his adorable blue eyes, and just smiled.

"Thank you for keeping your promise, Comet."

"No problem," the boy responded. "That's what friends are for."

at last, Aqua managed to steady herself enough to let go of Comet so she could look him face to face. "I only wish that MC and Tammy were here to see this."

"Well, I can always tell MC about it when...that place lets him use the mirror phone. About Tammy, though..." Comet's voice started to trail off when he mentioned her again.

"Okay, I've been hearing that name all day, and you keep avoiding it like the freaking plague, Comet. What's the deal, man? Who the hell's this Tammy?" Jonah made it clear by the tone of his voice that he wasn't going to stop until he got some answers. The fact that the rest of his friends were now staring at him intently didn't help matters any further.

Realizing that he couldn't get out of this, Comet sighed in defeat. "All right, you win. Tammy is...was, my girlfriend."

"You have a girlfriend?!" Alfonso shouted.

"I had a girlfriend. Had." Comet emphasized before continuing. "We used to hang out and do everything together. Between us, MC, and Aqua, it felt like the four of us would always be a team. The problem was, she always had anger issues, and they kept getting worse as she got older. I tried dealing with it at first. But then it became too much to handle. So, a few months before I got the Wand, I broke up with her." Comet then looked down at the floor, trying not to make eye contact with his friends. "It's kind of a sore subject for me, so I don't want to talk about it, okay."

"Oh, Comet. I'm so sorry." Marcia said, her voice filled with sympathy. Even Jonah felt terrible about bringing it up.

"Don't be, Marcy. Should have known what I was getting into when I dated a demon."

"She was that bad, huh?" Alfonso asked.

"That wasn't a figure of speech. Tamara Lucitor is an actual demon and Princess of the Underworld," Aqua said, trying to clarify.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Back up." Jonah interrupted. "You're saying that Mewni has an Underworld?"

"Um, yeah," Comet said, not sure why that would matter.

"Any chance you could get me in there?" Jonah pleaded.

"Jonah!" Marcia hissed.

"Sorry, sorry. Bad timing. But seriously, though, you gotta take me there sometime."

"I am...sorry to hear that you and Tammy broke up, Comet," Aqua said apologetically. "But I am sure that there is still a girl out there that's right for you. In fact, you may already know her." She said, trying to hold his hand.

Even though she did feel sad for Comet, on the inside, Aqua couldn't help but feel a little happy. She didn't know when she started to feel that way, but at some point during her time with the Prince of Mewni, the girl realized that she developed feelings for him that were beyond mere friendship. She kept quiet about them for his sake, but now that she knew he was single, she wasn't going to let this chance slide.

One day, Comet, I will make you see me the same way that I see you. It's a promise.

"Yeah, maybe." Comet agreed, bringing her out of her thoughts. "All right, enough talking about the past. How about we show Aqua around Echo Creek?"

"That sounds like a wonderful idea, Comet."

"You mind if we join in, dude? I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm starving right now." Jonah said, not even caring that it sounded selfish, trying to make things focus on him.

"You know what, I'm in," Marcia said. "Who wants Britta's Taco's?"

"Now you're talking, Marcia!" Jackson said.

"Victory tacos!" Alfonso proclaimed.

"What are...tacos?" Aqua asked.

Comet merely chuckled. "Aqua, you are going to see a lot of amazing things here on Earth, and you are going to love them," he said to his friend as the six of them walked out the front door, ready to give Aqua a taste of what life was like on Earth and dry land.

*We return to the deck of the Vento Aureo, now decked in Christmas lights and holiday decorations, its crew wearing ugly sweaters and Santa hats.*

Jay: Well, guys, it was a little touch and go at times, but we pulled it off. The first, original piece of content for Comet vs. The Forces of Evil. And just in time for Christmas, no less.

Janna: Oh yeah, that's right. Christmas is in, like, six days?

Kermit: Have we really been on this ship for that long?

Jay: You know what? I don't know. Omni, how long have we been using this pirate ship gag?

Omni: According to the calendar, about two weeks. Fifteen days, to be precise.

Spongebob Narrator: Why does it feel like longer, then?

*Jay just shrugs*

Jay: Meh. At this point, every day of this stinking year blends together. Frankly, I just want it to end so we can start fresh.

Ed: 2020 bad for Ed! They canceled Venture Bros!

GIR: I LOVEDED YOU, MR. BOSEMAN! I LOVEDED YOU!

Jay: Okay, but back on topic. What did you guys think of the story?

GIR: I LIKED THE FISH LADY! SHE'S NICE!

Janna: I have to admit, I think you did an excellent job with Aqua's personality. Patient, supportive, caring, and a little bit badass.

Jay: Well, I'm glad you think that. I tried basing her personality on Starfire from the 2000s "Teen Titans" cartoon. And I plan on having her being a recurring character in the story as it progresses. And before you ask, yes. She does have a crush on Comet!

Kermit: I thought the fight between Comet and Diavolo was pretty cool.

Jay: I would hope so. I worked my butt off trying to make it sound cool.

Janna: So, what now? We move on to the next chapter?

Jay: Next chapter? Oh, that reminds me!

*Jay turns to address the readers*

Jay: Hey, guys, RJ Writing Ink here. I hope that you enjoyed this extra-long chapter of Comet vs. the Forces of Evil. As of writing this, it is the longest chapter I've ever written for a fanfic, including the one for the Blood Moon Ball I did for ROTHEM in "The Celestial and the Princess." I had a blast writing this original content for the story, and I hope to add even more as the story continues. But I want to leave you guys with some announcements.

First off, I am going on vacation for the remainder of the year. I want to enjoy the Holidays with my loved ones and count down the end to this rotten year without having to worry about anything. But don't worry. I will be back next year on Friday, January 8th, with more chapters. We'll be going into the "Diaz Family Vacation" that will see us return to Mewni and introduce a few characters who will play a role in the story's far future, among other things.

Another thing is that you haven't already, I'd recommend that you go check this other Star vs. fanfic, "When Two Worlds Collide," by my good friend KPRS4Ever. Taking place after the show's finale, it's an incredibly well-written story that captures the essence of Star vs. The Forces of Evil. It's very faithful to the show's DNA and the characters; one of the closest things we may get to a Season Five right now. You can find her story here on , but I'd recommend using Wattpad because that features drawings that KPRS4Ever drew for the story herself. And they are good!

I'm mentioning all this because she's planning on coming out with a Star vs. Christmas story. It either came out on the 15th or will be out by Christmas Day, so keep an eye out for that. The sequel story, "Ancestral Nightfall," should come out on January 1st, so we got that to look forward to in the New Year.

Now, let's end this chapter by responding to

READER'S REVIEWS

Guest 1-No, it's not the Blood Moon Ball. It's coming, but not for a few months.

Lord of the Storm-Thanks for the vote of confidence again, Lord. And don't you worry. As the story continues, you're going to be seeing more and more original ideas. Plus plenty of references. There are plenty in this chapter.

And like I said for Guest 1, Blood Moon Ball is coming, but it will be a few months, so sit tight. If enough people demand it, though, I may bump it up on the timetable.

And yes, that was a JoJo reference!

Guest 2- Sorry, man! Diaz Family Vacation is up next, but we've got a while until we meet Tammy.

The Wandering Hippie-Bro, your words mean so much to me, man! And while I never intended it to be like that, in hindsight, the All Blue has many Peter Pan vibes to it. Fridge brilliance, I guess. And thanks for catching the Pirates of the Caribbean references with Diavolo, but don't ask me how he could shrink the ships. Also, the Trident was more based on the one from The Little Mermaid.

Yeah, Comet being a fan of video games comes from me. I'm a lifelong gamer, and I wanted to give him part of my personality. Plus, the parkour makes sense with how athletic Star is.

Glad you like the original characters. Aqua's going to be a recurring character, so I'm delighted that you like her. I put a lot of thought into her.

And yeah, Jackson's desire to be a merman comes from the fan theories that Jackie was a mermaid. As for Jonah wanting to be a pirate, that idea's a little more complicated. I got it based on the notion that if Janna never met Star, she'd eventually end up on the FBI's most-wanted list. Ergo, hanging out with outlaws would fit her MO, and thus Jonah's.

Don't be ashamed of looking up the answer, by the way. I would have, too.

Guest 3-Thanks for that! I knew from the start that I wanted Aqua to have Hynden Walch's voice and Starfire's mannerisms. I even tried making her speech pattern match Starfire's. And while Dave Fennoy would be an excellent choice to voice Rayleigh, I'm going with Bruce Carey, the voice of his namesake in the dub for One Piece.

You know what to do: fave and follow this story, and follow me on Twitter (JZ-Gaming), Insta (RJ Writing Ink), and YouTube (Jungoguy)

As before, feel free to guess the pop culture references in this chapter. I wasn't subtle with some of them, but you may recognize the Pirate Trio from a popular Fox cartoon.

And, if you want to see what Aqua looks like, check out my Instagram. I had a friend of mine make me a drawing of her in her mermaid and human forms.

See you guys in 2021! MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HANUKAH, KWANZAA, NEW YEAR, OR WHATEVER YOU CELEBRATE! AND THANKS FOR GIVING MY STORY A CHANCE.