The chest of treasure from Ching-Shih was left in the middle of the clearing. The Japanese soldiers surrounded it in a rough semi-circle, hidden in the forests and on a look out for the pirates and theives that were sure to show up. Some had left to go search the small island for any signs of pirates.

One soldier grunted in annoyance and swatted at a mosquito. If it wasn't for this stupid treasure, he would be at a bar having sake with his buddies right about now. 

Suddenly, he heard a rustle in the bushes. He paused, then turned to his partner.

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what? Besides the awful buzzing in my ear?" The soldier responded, waving his hand around his face as a swarm of flies passed by.

"Never mind ..."

The bushes rustled again, louder. This time, both soldiers whipped around, guns at the ready.

To their surprise, a girl stumbled out. She held herself in a well-educated, poised air, despite the scratches and dirt all over herself and her messy hair, where a single leaf was poking out from her tresses. She only had one flip-flop on her filthy feet. This girl was definitely harmless, but this was Tori-shima. Teenage Japanese schoolgirls don't just pop up out of nowhere in a jungle.

"Oh, thank goodness you're here!" She panted, looking terrified. "I was kidnapped by pirates! You have to help me! Call a helicoptor squad! Call in an ambulance! A rescue mobile! Something!"

"W-who are you?" The soldier stammered, lowering his gun. 

"I'm Fukushima Tomoyo, of course!" the girl snapped, straightening herself and raising her chin. She managed to pull off a regal aura, even with the dirt. "Now help me! I managed to escape when the pirates searched for their maps. I only got away just in time!" Her eyes filled up with tears, and her lower lip trembled. "Please, you have to help me, I'm scared ..."

"N-now, it's alright, Fukushima-san," the soldier said in what he hoped was a comforting tone. He felt excitement buzz in his chest. The kidnapped daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Japan! He'd definitely get a raise from this. "You're safe now, come this way ..."

He took a step forward, and Tomoyo backed away in fear, eyes darting to his gun.

The soldier turned to his partner and nodded, and the two of them carefully placed their guns on the floor. "There, see? Harmless. We can protect you, Fukushima-san."

Tomoyo, trembling, made her way towards them. "Is it true? Is there some weird ancient treasure on this island? Those awful pirates kept talking about it."

"There sure is, Fukushima-san," the soldier's partner said. "We have to protect it. Can you tell us where the pirates are?"

Tomoyo nodded frantically, looking like she wanted to desperately help them. "Of course! There's a whole band of them -- at least fifty or sixty or so -- and they're down that way." She pointed off into the distance. "Oh, please, you have to get rid of them! They're strong and powerful ... they have a whole bunch of guns ..."

"Fifty or sixty?" The soldier paled and turned to his partner. They were hoping the pirates would just be a small band of brigands that were easy to take over. They'd have to call reinforcements.

The soldier reached for his walkie talkie. "Admiral, sir, we found Fukushima Tomoyo -- yes, the Fukushima Tomoyo -- and she knows the location of the pirates. Sir, I think we'll need everyone we have on the job. She said fifty or sixty, all heavily armed."

The soldier got Tomoyo to sit nearby out of the way as all the naval soldiers came together. Many looked young and nervous, while others seemed more battle-hardened and wary. The admiral, a middle-aged but intimidating Japanese man, glared at them all. "We set out and, if we find them, we will have no mercy!" He snapped, then turned to a soldier. "You! Sawada! I want you to stay here and guard Fukushima-san. We will report her existence to HQ when we return, bring her back to her father. Now, let's move out!"

The soldiers trampled away, and the soldier called Sawada moved to stand beside Tomoyo.

"Don't be alarmed, Fukushima-san," he said. "They will easily take over those filthy pirate bastards. You'll be returned safely back to your father before you know it."

"Of course," Tomoyo said in a distracted tone. She looked down at her hands as an uncomfortable and awkward silence went on. She idly picked at the grass at her feet, snapping little twigs. 

The soldier inwardly sighed and tried not to look too reluctant. He wanted to go off and fight pirates and bandits with the others, not stay behind to babysit some spoiled rich girl.

"How long have you been in the navy, Sawada-san?" Tomoyo asked, picking up a thick, moss-covered tree branch and examining it in interest.

"Two years, Fukushima-san," Sawada answered, looking off into the direction where everyone had gone.

"That's nice," Tomoyo said, then swung with all her might.

The tree branch connected with the back of Sawada's head with a terrific cracking sound, but the branch was too brittle and didn't fully knock him out. It did force him onto his knees in pain, though.

"What the hell are you --"

Suddenly, there was a flurry of movement, and someone dropped down from the trees. Within seconds, the blur had tackled Sawada before he could get up, and pinned him to the ground. One foot ground its heel into his hand to stop him from reaching for his gun, and Sawada's other arm was forced behind his back. 

"What the f --" 

A knife -- he could feel the blade -- lightly pressed against his neck. The person -- a man -- hissed something in his ear in a different language. Korean, maybe. He couldn't see who his attacker looked like, with his face pressed against the ground.

Tomoyo's voice spoke up. "He said, 'Make a sound and this knife will slide across your throat. Understood?'"

Sawada felt genuine terror. He was caught off guard. He kicked himself for not being more careful ... but how could he have known Tomoyo was on the pirate's side? She was the daughter of a wealthy, respected Japanese man! How could he have known?

"He's expecting you to nod," Tomoyo prompted. Sawada nodded quickly.

The boy said something else, and Tomoyo translated it. "He wants to know if the treasure is exactly where it's hidden, with no surprises or traps of any kind." She paused. "He also said not to bother lying, because he's very good at spotting lies."

Sawada trembled, and realized he was trapped. He finally said, in a quivering voice, "N-no traps. The a-admiral was expecting us to s-shoot or c-capture any pirates who even got c-close."

Tomoyo repeated it in Korean back to his attacker, who said something else. Tomoyo snickered.

The man shifted as he said something else, and Sawada was able to crane his neck to the side a bit so he could make out what was going on.

From the bushes, a couple other pirates appeared. Sawada's eyes widened. It was just a group of kids! They were all young adults or even teenagers, arguing and laughing with each other in Korean. One of them was even a girl, with short hair and a tough expression, despite the slight limp in her walk.

"I'm sorry, Sawada-san," Tomoyo said, bending down to look at him with a smile. "You seem like a very nice person. But, you see, we can't have you spilling that Fukushima Tomoyo was working for pirates. So ..."

"W-wait!" Sawada stammered. "I-I won't say anything! Really! I promise! Don't kill me, p-please! I'll do anything!"

Tomoyo turned to the others and started speaking in Korean again. They began to have an impatient conversation. While that was going on, a few of them went into the clearing to get the treasure. Sawada's heart sunk. Even if they decided not to kill him -- which was highly unlikely -- he would be kicked out of the navy. Handing over the treasure just like that! He would be dishonoured above all reason!

Tomoyo turned back to him. "I won't kill you. I'm not a murderer. But I need to keep a closer eye on you. So as soon as this is over, you're going to become my bodyguard back in Japan. I suppose that's a better option than whatever the army will plan for you when we get out of here. It's no fighting pirates, but it's a pretty good deal, I think. What do you say?"

Sawada mulled it over, not like he hadn't already made his decision. He was the kind of man who did most things solely for his own benefit, and he knew working for the Fukushimas, while it meant more babysitting, would give him a handsome fee. His job in the navy was over anyway, his allegiance to them was gone now that he had no paycheck. "I suppose so," he grumbled, trying not to sound too grateful or relieved.

"Good." She smiled at him and looked back at the others. They appeared, lugging the chest of treasure and talking excitedly. "Well, they've got the treasure. Now what?"

Sawada shrugged uncomfortably. He discovered it was kind of hard to move your shoulders when some guy was pinning you to the ground. "Er -- I don't know. But -- hey! What am I supposed to do now? I might get arrested for letting you guys escape! How are you supposed to help me with that?"

"Oh, true." Tomoyo turned to the boy on top of him with a smile, and said something that sounded like, "B-Bomb?"

Something collided hard with the back of his head, and Sawada was knocked unconscious.

 "Well, he's out cold," P.O said, poking him with a stick. The Japanese soldier's head lolled to the side.

"Stop that," Mai said, slapping his wrist and making him drop the stick. "Let's get out of here. He won't spill, right, money-bags?"

"Nah, I'm gonna make him work for me after this is over," Tomoyo said, sounding pleased she worked it out so well. "I get a kickass bodyguard AND nobody will find out about this little secret."

"As long as nobody knows," Mai said with a shrug. She had listened curiously to Tomoyo and that soldier -- Sawada or something -- having their conversation with confusion. She really should learn Japanese next. "Is this where we'll part, money-bags?"

"I suppose so," Tomoyo sighed. "It'll be too much trouble if I left now." She looked Mai right in the eye, and Mai realized that confident side of Tomoyo sort of grew on her. "Take care, you ."

"Yeah, you too." Mai nodded her head, feeling a little bit awkward at the exchange, but glad all the same. They patiently waited as everyone said their goodbyes to Tomoyo (which ranged from rather friendly to not-even-caring, with the exception of Jaehyo, who flirted with her some more).

"Come on, let's haul ," Zico said, tromping through the forest. He was clutching the chest excitedly as though it was the most precious thing in the world. "Nothing's gonna stop me from taking this baby home. Nothing!"

"Except that?" Kyung sighed, pointing off at their boat in the distance. Which was being searched by several soldiers.

"GOD ING DAMMIT!!!"

One soldier must have heard Zico's scream of rage because he looked up and gave a shout, pointing at the pirates.

"SCATTER!" Zico roared, and they all split up. Mai followed U-Kwon, which was probably a mistake, since U-Kwon now wanted to prove he was cool and show off in front of her.

"Mai Darling, watch this! I'll get rid of the guy on our tail and --"

"NO!" Mai hissed, grabbing his shirt and yanking him back alongside her. "We can't afford to start a fight! Let's go!"

Her ankle wobbled dangerously, but was holding up pretty well as she ran. She couldn't run as fast or as nimble as she used to, but it was getting there.

"But Mai Darling, I can protect you," U-Kwon whined.

"I don't need protecting jackass! What I need is that stupid Ching-Shih chest of treasure on our ship or Zico will throw a fit!"

U-Kwon pouted and fell silent, running ahead. Mai briefly wondered if she hurt his feelings, but quickly brushed it off.

Suddenly, he turned around and his eyes grew wide. "MAI! BEHIND YOU!"

Mai immediately dropped to her stomach just in time, as a gunshot whizzed past her head. The soldier came sprinting at them, shouting in Japanese.

Instantly, there was another gunshot sound, and Mai turned to see the soldier dropp to his knees, clutching his leg and yelling in pain. She looked up at U-Kwon, who had a gun in his hand. 

"Come on, run!" He grabbed her arm and pulled her up, and the two of them ran away.

"T-thanks," Mai panted as they doubled back to the ship. "Didn't even notice ..."

"No problem," U-Kwon said, looking a little bit panicked. "I thought -- I thought he really was going to --"

"Yeah, well ... thanks for warning me," Mai said, feeling a little uncomfortable. "And ... hey! You said my name! Not that stupid thing you call me either. My name."

U-Kwon's cheeks turned pink. "Is that ... is that okay?"

Mai couldn't help but laugh and punched his arm. "That's what I've been trying to get you to do all along, you ."

They made it to the ship, where Taeil, Jaehyo, and P.O were waiting for them.

"I swear to god, if Zico doesn't make it this time, I will seriously leave him, I swear to god," Taeil was muttering to himself, cramming gummy sweets into his mouth in an effort to hide his nervousness. "There's an admiral on this stupid island, and I'm not risking my life over one silly chest of treasure if there's an admiral ..."

"The hyungs will come, don't worry," P.O reassured him, looking a bit nervous too. He was staring at the trees and the gun at his side in anticipation.

"Is that them?" Jaehyo suddenly said, pointing. Three figures emerged from the trees.

"START THAT !" Zico was screaming, and everyone on the boat immediately delved into chaos.

"Stay here, Mai!" U-Kwon said urgently, dashing off to help Taeil. Mai felt a bit irritated that he was pushing her out of the way (she wasn't a damsel in distress, dammit!), but understood why. Her ankle was still healing. She was useless. 

She noticed the box held tightly under Zico's arm. So he didn't lose it this time.

Zico, B-Bomb, and Kyung clambered onto the boat. Or rather, Zico and Kyung did, while B-Bomb smoothly jumped on board, looking cool like he always did.

Taeil was already bringing the boat away from Tori-shima at high speed. The pirates gathered in the control room, whooping and cheering over their victory. Even Mai couldn't help but laugh and holler in delight. She was getting too involved into their victories.

"Bring it here and open it, Zicoyah!" Kyung said excitedly, tapping the table in front of them. Zico dropped the chest on it with a loud clunk. "Anyone here know how to pick a lock?"

B-Bomb was there with his knife. In a few seconds, there was a click, and the rusty lock fell off. U-Kwon muttered once more over the unfairness of it all, and that B-Bomb got all the credit. Jaehyo patted his back in consolation.

"Ready?" Zico said, voice shaking with excitement. "One ... two ... THREE!" He tore open the lid.

Mai gasped.

She couldn't believe her eyes.

This was the most incredible thing she has ever witnessed.

"I don't believe it ..."

It was empty.

"What?" Taeil stammered. "But ... but how?"

Zico gaped, his jaw falling open. P.O lifted up the empty chest and brought it upside down, shaking it. A single piece of paper floated out. He picked it up curiously. It looked new.

"Anybody ... er ... know how to read Cantonese?" He asked nervously.

"I know enough," Jaehyo said, surprising everyone. He shrugged. "You pick up stuff when you hack into government projects for fun, okay?" He cleared his throat and looked at the paper.

"Uh, alright ... To whomever has opened this ... box? Chest? ... I apologize for deceiving you. The leaders -- no, government, sorry -- has been constantly asking us about this chest. I had to do this to get them to leave my family butter. No, wait, sorry, that was 'alone'. Alone. There was no treasure. Ching Shih brought everything with her and buried one fake in case of ... trouble? Emergencies? I'm sorry, signed ... whatever that guy's name was." Jaehyo tossed the paper onto the table.

"You have got to be kidding me," U-Kwon whined. "All that trouble for an old box?"

"I need more candy," Taeil muttered, digging into his pockets.

Mai noticed the look on Zico's face and gulped. "I'm going to make us some lunch," she said quickly, backing out of the room and racing to the kitchen as fast as she could before the leader could explode. 

For once, she was glad to be back in that space.

"This is unacceptable," the Korean general roared, pacing back and forth in his office. "The Japanese army has been disgraced. The treasure has been taken by some unnamed, no-good pirate group of troublemakers. Who knows how rich they are now that they've got their hands on the gold?"

"You're right, sir," the other man said, a bit nervously. "What should we do? One of the soldiers who saw the pirates close up claimed that the man who seemed to be the leader greatly resembled the one they called ZICO, the one who broke into several government buildings right here in South Korea by himself. We'll be a laughingstock if we don't get him and his lackeys under control."

"You're right, Lee," the general snapped, thinking to himself. Suddenly, he gasped.

"I have it. Call the commander."

"Sir?"

"Send in that one naval group -- you know, that new one."

The other man looked shocked. "B-but sir! They're only rookies! They've barely been in the navy for a year!"

"And they're also prodigies amongst the other trainees," the general pointed out. "There's a reason why they were all put into a small group without a senior leader or any other troops to weigh them down. They are the geniuses of the South Korean navy! Call the commander right now, Lee, and tell them to send Naval Group B.A.P out in the open. It's time we waged war on those pesky pirates."