Kalifa narrowed her eyes. She saw the mechanical figures. They were pointing their bow toward them. Without hesitation, she leapt gracefully into the air, her body twisting mid-flight.
"Storm Leg!" she shouted.
Her first kick sliced the air, launching a sharp, compressed blade of wind that tore through a few of the mech figures, cleaving it clean in half. Sparks flew as the metallic frame collapsed in a heap.
"Hey," Maji shouted. He looked shocked.
Kalifa while mid-air sprang forward again, her leg blurring with speed."Storm Leg," she called out once more. Another blade of wind shot out, this time arcing across a few more mechs, cutting through their joints. They stumbled, arms falling off before they exploded in bursts of steam and shrapnel.
"I will," Maji was about to say. His jaw was open.
Unfazed, Kalifa spun once again. "Storm Leg Triple Arc," Kalifa said as she sent three wind blades shot out in quick succession, each one hitting a different target. The remaining mechs figures were sliced apart, their bulky forms falling in pieces.
"Wow," Marianne said.
"Three at once," Maya added.
Ben thought that looked cool.
Kalifa landed on the deck of the Miss Love Deck. She straightened her glasses with a glint of satisfaction. "Obsolete toys," she muttered.
From behind, Mikita whistled. "Remind me not to get on your bad side," she teased.
"We are sisters," Alvida said, looking at Kalifa.
Ben grinned. "Good job," Ben said. Kalifa smiled hearing that from Ben. Her heart skipped a beat. She held her heart.
"You," Maji said in surprise. He looked to see all the mechanical figures destroyed.
Maji had a Den Den Mushi in his pocket. "General Maji, they are more powerful than we thought, however they are on a sailing ship. Deploy the next defence," Ratchet said. Ratchet thought maybe Nipthal was right. The Love Pirates ship was a stunning piece of technology. He thought even though there was sails, there was another power source.
"Don't act smug," Maji said as he pushed a lever. The ground started to shake. From the ground rose a rectangular object. The object was a large fan-like engine. It had large rotating fan blades. At the top sat a golden frog-like ornament with bulging eyes and a round body Four pink streamers were tied to the fan spokes.
Ben looked at the fan. "We need to destroy it," Ben said.
"This used to be our ultimate defence," Maji said. "Until it was built," she said. "The Fan King we call this," Maji laughed.
At that moment, PR flew from the Bridge towards the bow. "Flame Pillar," PR said as she started to gather the flames she created around her body. She shot it straight forward. The flames went towards the fan. It hit the fan and completely destroyed it. There was a large flame pillar.
Maji jumped out of the way. "What," he said in confusion.
"Wow," Conis said. She thought her flames were not that strong.
"That was some flame," Vivi said in amazement.
"Both of your flames are as strong," Nojiko said, looking at PR.
Robin looked at Maji. "Seis Fleur," Robin said as she sprouted six arms on his body. "Clutch," she added as two arms grabbed his legs and made them fall backward. Another two pairs of arms held his back and the last pair grabbed his upper body. The pairs of hands on the upper body and legs pulled, cracking the Maji`s back.
Ben smiled. He thought somethings don't change.
"Was that really necessary?" Vivi asked, her voice soft with concern as she glanced back. A trace of guilt lingered in her eyes.
"He tried to hurt us," Zala replied firmly, arms crossed, showing no remorse. "He made his choice," she added.
On the other side, Maji winced, clutching his side and speaking into his Den Den Mushi through gritted teeth. "Ratchet, sir… should we deploy the BGB against them?" she asked.
"Not yet," Ratchet answered coolly, his voice calm but calculating through the snail. "Let's see how they move first," he added.
"But what if they're after the treasure?" Honki chimed in.
"They're not smart enough to solve it," Ratchet replied flatly. "Let them waste their time," he added.
Back with the Love Pirates, Robin turned to Ben. "Captain, what should we do now?" she asked.
"It's getting dark," Ben said, looking up at the sky as the sun dipped beyond the hills, casting violet hues across the clouds. "Perfect time to work through the riddle," he added.
The group gathered in a loose circle as twilight settled.
"Anyone remember the riddle?" Saphir asked.
"Swaying, sway, sway, sway, swaying," Marianne responded.
"The King of the Sea… the Golden Crown. I think that part is referring to the treasure," Zala said.
Mikita narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. "Then there is the white snake… that's the first part of the hint, I think?" she questioned.
Conis looked puzzled. "What exactly is a white snake supposed to mean?" she asked.
Maya tilted her head, brows furrowed. "Do they mean an actual snake?" she said out loud.
Nojiko crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "What do you think it is, Captain?" Nojiko asked.
Ben stood quietly at the edge of the group. He looked at the island's silhouette, especially the sharp ridges of its mountainous spine. He glanced toward the shoreline where Maji stood, pretending not to listen, but clearly paying close attention. Ben's thought of the quest and dinner.
He slowly turned back to the others. "I think the riddle's referring to the island itself," Ben said. His voice was calm but confident. "In fact… I see it now," he added.
The girls followed his gaze, all heads turning in unison. The jagged mountain peaks traced a winding pattern across the landscape long and sinuous like the body of a snake. With the last rays of sunlight casting pale streaks along the ridges, it really did look white.
Saphir squinted, then gasped softly. "I see it too… it's like a snake coiled along the island," she said.
Kalifa gave a small, impressed smile. "Very clever," she said. She thought he had brains as well.
Alvida wrapped her arm around Ben's and leaned in with a grin. "Amazing, my love. Always a step ahead," she said.
Robin gave a small nod. "That confirms the first part. One clue down," she added.
"This is easier than I thought," Zala remarked confidently, folding her arms.
"Don't get cocky," Mikita added with a smirk. "It's probably going to get harder from here," she said.
Meanwhile on the shoreline. "Ratchet Sir, they figured out the first clue," Maji reported through the Den Den Mushi.
Ratchet picked up the Den Den Mushi. "Even a child can figure out the first one," Ratchet responded as he wrote on a chalkboard. He was trying to calculate the moon position through a complex calculation.
"They will never find the second one out," Ratchet responded. "We have not figured it out," he added, writing a number down. "Honki turn, the model 45 degrees," he said.
"Yes Sir," Honki responded. Ratchet smiled.