Crossover Fan Fiction ❯ The Anime Margin: 108 Stars of Destiny ❯ Wrath of God Story part 1: The Bender Rebellion ( Chapter 19 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer:
This fic uses characters, places, themes from franchises that are the property of others. This chapter features Avatar: The Last Airbender, by Nickelodeon. I do not own these franchises.

Special Thanks to:
Charles Xavier, Fanfiction.net author: For writing an awesome crossover with anime and Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Suikosource website: for providing great information that made this fic possible.

The Anime Margin: 108 Stars of Destiny
By: RB3

Wrath of God Story, part 1: The Bender Rebellion

Although the forces of Valiance were successful in shutting down Omnipotence's arms running ring, they were unable to stop them from acquiring an even more powerful weapon, the Eye of God. As a mere terrorist group, Omnipotence's threat was effectively limited and could be routed out eventually. With the acquisition of the Eye of God, Omnipotence now controlled one of the most terrifying weapons ever created in the anime worlds. Now that they have this weapon, their threat had grown exponentially. By now, Omnipotence would have repaired the Eye and upgraded it to be even more threatening.

Though this weight hung deeply over the heroes and champions of Valiance, they still took the time to unwind and relax before the epic battle. Until they knew the location of the Eye, there was nothing they could do. In the meantime, Lina Inverse, genius sorceress, purchased an ice cream cone from a local vendor. "That will be $3."

"Here ya go!" said Lina.

As she ceded her place in line to Zelgadis, the Muldoon priestesses walked by. "This place isn't half bad," remarked Afura. "There are lots of places to shop and many new things we don't have over in El Hazard."

"Yeah, it..." began Shayla, who didn't see Lina cross before her. She bumped into the sorceress, causing the ice cream to land on her clothes. "HEY! Watch where you're going!"

"Why don't you watch where YOU'RE going!" retorted Lina. The two girls glared at each other.

Zelgadis quickly made his way to Miz and Afura. "If I were you, I'd run really far!" he whispered.

The priestesses followed Zel in escaping the metaphorical exploding bomb. True to form, the two girls began to blast each other with jets of flame. Their attacks ignited several explosions before culminating in a final, massive plume of flame. When the smoke cleared, both girls were on the ground in contorted positions. They were heavily charred and their hair mussed. "Why don't we call it a draw," suggested Lina.

"Yeah," replied Shayla, before both fell unconscious.

As Joe came on the scene to check on them, he threw his arms up in exasperation once he saw Lina. "Not you again... Do you have to blow up every little thing that makes you mad?" Since Lina was so hurt, she was in no condition to object. Joe shook his head as he sighed and began to tend to Lina. "I'm doing this too far too often."

Elsewhere, Winry Rockbell was touring the Valiance facilities. The advanced technology was a treat for her eyes. Everywhere she went, she ogled the houses, the vehicles, and the machines used by the workers of Valiance. She entered the mecha hangar and was enthralled by the machines that formed Valiance's mechanized division. In the hangar was a dozen M1 Astrays were lined up in rows of six flanking the central walkway. Work crews zipped from machine to machine and from the central walkway to the raised side walkways.

"So tell me, how does that thing work?" Winry asked Kira Yamato, who was programming one of the Astrays from its cockpit.

"Oh, it's really complicated. There are computers in this suit which regulate power and send electronic signals to servos in the limbs to make it move," replied Kira as he typed away rapidly. "There are sensors for locating enemies and a radio for communication."

"I want to know how this things works. I really want to take it apart," commented Winry.

"No sorry," said Kira. "You can't do that. If you want to see mobile suit parts, ask the guys in the chop shop."

The mechanics in the chop shop gave Winry broken and useless parts for her to fiddle with. She enjoyed looking at how the parts worked, despite them being far more advanced than what she normally found on Alchemic Earth. She looked at the time and rushed down the roads of the Valiance base kicking up clouds of dirt behind her. She burst through the door of a dome into a classroom. There were several people already there, scattered around the room and chatting to each other. Although she didn't know all of the people in the room personally, she had seen many of them about the base.

"Phew, I'm not too late," she thought, still panting between breaths.

"Hi Winry," said Al.

"Oh hi Al," said Winry. "I wonder what they're going to teach us?"

"Yeah, I was wondering the same thing too. I heard rumours that they're going to talk about those strange tablets in the square. If you ask me they're going to a lot of trouble for all this."

"Did you hear anything about our teacher?" asked Winry.

"Word is that our teacher is a powerful wizard. They say he taught some of the people who formed Valiance," replied Al.

Suddenly, a flicker of light filled the room as Clow Reed magically appeared by the desk. "Class is in session, everybody!" The students sat randomly around the room, but grouped themselves along their cliques and circles of friends. "I'm Clow Reed. I'll be your teacher for this class. I'm sure you're all wondering why you are here. As a group, Valiance consists of many different people of all ages and abilities. To work well with each other, you all should get acquainted with each other. I'd like each of you to introduce yourselves."

One by one, each student introduced themselves to Clow Reed and the class with an account of how they came to join Valiance. No two tales were alike. The operatives of NERV described how Omnipotence attacked their headquarters and how Valiance evacuated them. The brothers Elric and Winry described the State's investigation into an Omnipotence attempt to provoke a war in Ishbal. The Outlaw Star crew described how they ferried Valiance agents as they travelled the galaxy arresting members of an arms running ring. Each clique told their own story, revealing their history to the others.

"Very good," commented Reed. "I will say that your experiences were no accident. It was the result of fate. It was the result of a phenomenon that repeats itself again and again throughout generations. This all was the result of the 108 Stars of Destiny coming together." Clow Reed gestured with his hand, causing images of the Tablets of the Stars to appear. "Inscribed here are the names of the Stars. The 108 heroes and those around them who hold the power to affect people's lives for better or for ill."

Many of the students saw their names on the tablets, which prompted them into gossip. Ritsuko raised her hand. "Aren't you being just a little bit overdramatic?"

"Not really," replied Reed. "I'm surprised you'd ask that after you told me about your background at NERV. I got the impression that someone in your position makes decisions that affect people's lives every day. You also made the decision to join Valiance when you didn't have to. You may not be one of the Stars, but you do things similar to what they were chosen to do. It is that not the same responsibility that all of us at Valiance carry?"

"I see," replied Ritsuko.

After half an hour passed, Clow moved onto discussing the nature of superhuman powers across the anime worlds. "Next we'll talk about the superhuman powers that are used in the various worlds. Without them, we'd all be mere cavemen. As you should know by now, some of you possess special gifts, unique abilities that nobody else has. Whatever they may be, they can be classified as one of four categories which are science, psionics, ki, and magic. Everyone can use science to some degree, so I will not explain it, but some people can use the other three. My special abilities are magical in nature, in case any of you are curious."

"So what powers do we have?" asked Ed.

"You powers are magical, like mine. I can sense it within you. Also, you and I are good examples of how two people can have powers that are in the same category, but yet be so different from each other. As a category, magic tends to do things that seem particularly fantastic and unnatural to most people."

"What about our group?" asked Shippo.

"Your group uses ki. It deals with Eastern mysticism and powers that come from the spiritual energy of the body. It's a staple of martial artists, who use it to perform energy attacks and extraordinary feats of strength and speed."

This topic piqued the interest of his class. "So what kind of powers do me and my friends have?" asked Jim.

"Ah, an interesting question. Your group is mixed, unlike the others. Aisha and Suzuka have ki powers whereas the rest of you just have science."

Nanami raised her hand. "What about us?"

"You powers are psionic in nature. Psionic powers allow the mind to affect the world. Some things it is known for include the ability read people's thoughts, sense the future, or move things with just a thought."

Kagome raised her hand. "What about Morty? What kind of powers does he use?"

"He's a shaman so he uses ki like you do," replied Reed. After answering a few more questions, Reed moved onto the final topic, Paradox. "My last topic for the day is Paradox. This phenomenon can be one of the most dangerous things you will ever come across. Since you're now exposed to people who can do fantastic things, you might get the idea to emulate them. Let me tell you now it is a bad idea, because it causes strange and possibly dangerous things to happen to you. That class, is what we call 'Paradox.'"

Reed's warnings caused the class to break out in gossip. Ed raised his hand. "Paradox? If such a thing exists, why haven't I heard about it until now?"

"Many reasons," replied Reed. "Dimensional travel between anime universes is very restricted so there is little contact between anime worlds. Paradox only applies when multiple worlds meet each other like now."

Al raised his hand to speak. "It seems like a lot of trouble for everyone. I think a lot of good can come from learning the powers of another world. What purpose could something like this have in the grand scheme of things?"

"Glad you asked. I don't want to bore you with strange metaphysical stuff that might go over your head, so I'll try to be succinct. While this is only a theory, researchers like myself believe that Paradox acts as a stabilizing force for all worlds. Each world develops rules based on what is possible and how. When you mix powers, you are violating these rules and creating instability within yourself. Something has to give and eventually it does. Paradox resolves the contradictions inherent in using different powers, preserving stability."

---

The Eye of God ominously approached the Great Blue under escort by a fleet of ships. The fleet of warships came to this blue world for but one purpose, conquest. Once the metal eye reached the planet, it entered into orbit above a grand palatial building. It was constructed from cement and decorated with marble statues. At its centre was a grand dome which housed the World Assembly where leaders from each nation would convene. Indeed, this great building was the seat of world power in the Great Blue, the World Government Building.

The Eye of God charged up such great power that it was visible as a sphere of darkness on its pupil. In truth, this sphere of darkness was a miniaturized black hole held within the safety of an electromagnetic field. The Eye of God fired this black hole, which crashed into the dome. It expanded large enough to swallow a city block upon contact. In a single instant, the World Government Building was devoured. Hurricane force winds picked up, threatening to pluck everything from the ground and pull it into the abyss. On the ground, a pair of individuals, one woman and one man, desperately clung to a tree and dear life.

"Ms. Vivi hold on!" cried the man, trying to scream through the noise. Vivi lost her grip and the black hole pulled her into the air. Through quick thinking, she extended a jewelled chain and wrapped it around the tree. She pulled herself back to the tree and to the side of her retainer, Igaram, with every ounce of strength she could muster.

From the Abh ships came dozens and dozens of smaller ships. Like meteors, the drop ships descended on the planet's surface carrying Abh and Omnipotence forces. Within an hour, the major centres of government were under the control of Abh and Omnipotence troops. Caught in the midst of the attack was a group of pirates known as the Straw Hat Pirates. Their captain was a dark haired young man with a scar across the skin beneath his left eye. His name was Monkey D. Luffy, a happy-go-lucky character with an air of innocence. However, this young man was waving to call his crew to him.

"Over here! Chopper, Zolo!" cried Luffy.

Luffy's companion, a cute, orange-haired woman, pointed at an abandoned portal. "Hurry up! We have to warn someone quickly!" she cried.

"I'm running as fast as I can, Nami!" replied Zolo, swordsman of the Straw Hats.

Nami punched in some keys in the console. "Alright Nami, it's time to go!" cheered the cowardly member of the Straw Hats, Usopp.

Without hesitation, the Straw Hat Pirates leapt into the portal. On their way to their destination, they soared through a tunnel of energy where they saw ephemeral visions of all the wonders that made up the anime worlds. Nami could see a huge mountain which dominated a lone island in the middle of the sea. Luffy spotted the Tokyo Tower of one of the countless versions of Tokyo that existed. Usopp noticed a great hourglass-like space station adrift in the void of outer space. At the end of the tunnel, Zolo spotted a divine retreat perched high above the clouds atop a stone stalk before passing out.

When the Straw Hats recovered, they found themselves in a strange land. "Where are we?" asked Luffy.

"Hello there," asked a green-skinned alien in robes as he approached. "My name is Dende. Are you okay? Who are you?"

"We're fine," replied Luffy. "My name's Monkey D. Luffy, soon to be King of the Pirates! This is my crew, Nami, Usopp, Zolo, Chopper, and Sanji. Where is this place?"

"This is Kami's Lookout of Zeta Earth. I take it that you're not from around here..."

"No, we're from the Great Blue," replied Luffy.

"Yeah, aliens invaded our world. We managed to get out before they got us. We're looking for someone that can help us," said Zolo.

"I see," replied Dende. "Actually, I do know someone who can help you. Please come inside and rest while you wait. If you need anything, just ask Mr. Popo."

Dende led the Straw Hat Pirates into his temple and introduced them to a black-skinned genie, Mr. Popo. In about half an hour, a Valiance ship appeared in the sky above Kami's Lookout. It landed with a brief hiss and out walked Trunks and Piccolo. Eddie Valiant, the leader of Valiance, was not far behind them. The Straw Hats ran outside to meet these strange new guests. "Hello Dende," greeted Trunks.

"Hi Trunks," replied Dende. "These are the pirates I was talking about. That's Mr. Valiant is it?"

"That's correct," replied Piccolo.

"Yeah, why did you call me all the way out here?" asked Eddie.

"We're from the Great Blue," replied Nami. "The Abh has invaded our world. We need help!"

"Invaded your world? When did this happen?"

"About a week ago," replied Usopp. "This huge metal eye popped up over the World Government Building and blew it to pieces like a house of cards. That was when the Abh came. They walked out of their ships and started shooting anyone that wouldn't give in to them. I took out over a dozen of them just trying to get here. I wanted to stay and fight but my friends wanted to run so I had to go with them to protect them!"

Nami groaned. "Oh please Usopp, you're the one who suggested that we run away in the first place!"

"It looks like the Eye of God just got an upgrade," remarked Eddie.

"It would seem that way," agreed Trunks.

"Take them back to Folken," said Piccolo. "Thank you Dende. It's a good thing you told us about them." The Valiance heroes led the Straw Hats to their ship, which lifted off with a brief hiss. Trunks waved to his friend below, who mirrored the gesture.

---

In the frontier between the anime worlds and the Tooniverse was a world inspired by the myths and legends of the Far East. This world was the home of strange creatures and four major human civilizations. Each took their name from one of the four classical elements; earth, fire, water, and air. In each civilization was an order of people known as "Benders." Through a combination of martial arts and Eastern mysticism, they could control the namesake element of their civilization. These four nations developed distinct cultures based around these elements.

The Earth Kingdom was the largest of the four nations, situated on a vast super-continent that made up the majority of the landmass in the eastern and northern part of the world. In the Earth Kingdom was the largest city in all of the lands, its capital, Ba Sing Se. True to its land's namesake, this Earth Kingdom city was constructed mostly out of stone. It was surrounded by an impenetrable, heavily guarded wall of stone that towered over the desert underneath. However, it was not Ba Sing Se's guards on those parapets. They were Toon soldiers, armed with energy assault rifles and dressed in camouflage.

The same situation was present in all of the other three nations. Toon soldiers patrolled along the blackened iron parapets of a Fire Nation city. On the streets below, the dark-haired, red robed Fire Nationalists kept their distance apprehensively. In the north, the Inuit-like Water Tribe whispered in hushed tones as an anthropomorphic guard dog passed by the local tannery. In the mountainside temples of the Air Nomads, Toon guards walked freely amongst the bald, orange-robed monks. Though revering calmness and patience as fundamental values, the monks were nevertheless uneasy with strange armed people wandering through their temples.

Among those helping in the occupation of Ba Sing Se was the Superhero known as the Green Arrow. Being a guard was a far cry from the heroics he was used to performing. As a Superhero of the common people, the Justice League insisted that he take this job, despite his reservations. After nearly half a year in Ba Sing Se, his initial reservations were proven correct. The people did not welcome his presence or that of the Toon soldiers. In fact, they absolutely hated the idea that he and the Toon soldiers were there. He felt like a villain and which was a highly demoralizing state of mind.

The events that transpired over these sixth months only served to reinforce his sentiments. The Bender Nations was a world on the fringes of Toon territory in the political sense. The occupation came about as Adam Acme's policy to occupy and defend all Toon worlds. However, the Green Arrow began to wonder if this occupation was really about protection or more about control. Naturally, the people resented the occupation and subsequent restriction of their freedom. These restrictions led to protests over the occupation and clashes between the authorities and the people.

As Green Arrow stood guard on the ramparts of Ba Sing Se, he looked at the crowd down below. He reminisced about the first riot he had even broken up while on duty. It was a violent and dangerous situation to be in. A crowd had advanced on the police, leading to fists and weapons flying. Green Arrow entered the fray and fired smoke arrows to disperse the crowd. Amidst the chaos, he saw two Toon soldiers stomping a young, unarmed man who was down. To save the man, the Green Arrow fired a second smoke arrow into the guards. As they coughed and fled the area, Green Arrow pulled the man to medics waiting in the fringes.

The riot and its aftermath left great doubts in Green Arrow's mind about the morality of the Toon presence here. A few days after the riot, he walked down the street in the market place to find something to eat. The people kept their distance from him, fearing and shunning him like the rest of the occupation forces. He looked on as a woman hid behind the blinds in her window. A young boy threw garbage at him and ran away as he walked by the fruit stand of the boy's family. Green Arrow cleaned his uniform with a handkerchief and continued on his way.

Another day came and with it a new protest. In great numbers, people took to the streets in protest, brandishing their placards high into the air. "Toon soldiers, go away! Time to quit Ba Sing Se!" chanted protestors on the streets of Ba Sing Se.

The protesting of the people of Ba Sing Se reached a climax. The Dai Li guards, elite protectors of Ba Sing Se, prepared themselves for a violent confrontation with the crowd. The people advanced on the Dai Li, throwing whatever objects they could get from rotten fruits and vegetables to discarded cans. The garbage rained on the Dai Li, who maintained their defensive line despite the aggression of the people. The people continued their advance as they yelled their slogans at the Dai Li. One overzealous protestor hurled a bottle at a Dai Li guard.

With a single punch with his stone glove, the Dai Li guard shattered the bottle. The irate guard employed his Earthbending skills to slam a boulder into the protestor. In a rage, the other protestors intensified their assault with more bottles and rotten vegetables. In turn, the Dai Li punted boulders at the protestors, crushing several of them in an avalanche of stone. One protestor put a cloth wick into a bottle, lit it with a match, and hurled it at the Dai Li. The Molotov cocktail shattered upon hitting a Dai Li's helmet, scattering its flames everywhere.

"Very bad," remarked the Green Arrow as he loaded an arrow into his bow.

He released the arrow into the midst of the crowd, where it began to leak smoke. The smoke made it tough for the crowd to breathe so they naturally fled to cleaner air. Despite shooting several smoke arrows to disperse the crowd, the protestors continued their assault. They fashioned more Molotov cocktails to hurl at the Dai Li. Green Arrow narrowly evaded the path of a Molotov cocktail thrown into back ranks of the Dai Li. As he fired more smoke arrows, Green Arrow stopped to look at the carnage. The motionless bodies of protestor and police alike on the ground burned an image in his mind that he would never forget.

However, he would not have to endure these atrocities for long. After one final week at his post, he was transferred back to the Justice League Watchtower. In his absence, an even worse atrocity took place. In the sky above Ba Sing Se, a great metal moon appeared. It seemed that the powers that be were fed up with the situation in the Bender Nations. A great sphere of darkness formed before the iris of the great eye, portending the doom that awaited the unwary people. When the sphere reached critical mass, Ba Sing Se would tremble with fear.

The sphere erupted from the eye's iris and exploded into a massive size upon striking the ground. Now a massive black hole, it dragged everything in the area into its hungry, gaping maw. Nothing was spared; not women, not children, and not the elderly. Those who ran in terror did not make it far, for they too were dragged into the abyss. The fierce winds ripped people, pets, and even trees and houses from the ground and sucked them in. When the black hole had had its fill, the only thing it left behind was a barren crater. Nothing remained but the soil, exposed sewer pipes, and the roots of plants under the ground.

In places far from the Bender Nations, people read of the destruction in Ba Sing Se in newspapers and other media. "Although officials are mum about the reason for this attack, sources have suggested that an anime terrorist group was responsible. Back to you, Mike," said a reported on a TV screen.

"Bah!" said a faceless man watching the TV in a cafeteria. "Pure propaganda."

"Hello Question," said Green Arrow, who had just returned to the Justice League Watchtower. "What was that?"

"Ba Sing Se had just been attacked by a superweapon called the 'Eye of God.'"

The Green Arrow sat down and watched a replay on the news. He was horrified at the destruction he had witnessed. "Oh my God..."

"Yeah, but can you believe who they're blaming for this? They're blaming anime Toons," said the Question. "Hey, weren't you stationed in Ba Sing Se before you came back?"

"Yeah," replied Green Arrow.

"It's Acme that was responsible for this. It's all about control... his control. It's all about keeping everyone afraid. If the people won't obey him, he'll kill them without a second thought."

"You mean Adam Acme, right? I'm not necessarily saying you're wrong, but what makes you think that?" asked Green Arrow.

"Everything," replied the Question. "First the Acme government invades El Hazard. Yesterday, the Eye of God, which is an El Hazardan superweapon, miraculously shows up above Ba Sing Se and blows it up. They say anime Toons did it, but what reason would they have to go after the Bender Nations of all places? Come on... Connect the dots. Anyone can tell what's going on!"

Green Arrow sighed. "Normally, I wouldn't agree with you, but after my tour of duty in Ba Sing Se, I don't know what to believe..."

"Hmm, why don't we talk about this back at my place. I think this place is a little too stuffy," said the Question. The two Superheroes returned to the Question's quarters. "So, what did you want to say about your stay in Ba Sing Se?"

"Yeah, it was horrible. People say we were there to help them but to be honest, I don't believe that anymore, not after what I've been through." Green shook his head in disgust. "They hate us. Every time I pass through the people, they throw garbage at me. They protest the occupation constantly and scream for us to go home."

"I figured that's what they would think. As I said, with Acme, it's all about control," said the Question. "I've been digging into this guy lately. I've heard many rumours about him being involved in some shady things." The Question activated his computer and showed Green Arrow the research he had made into Acme's background.

"Illegal gun running?" asked Green Arrow.

"Yep," replied the Question. "It seems he has links to the Omnipotence terrorist group, which has been attacking anime Toons lately. These guys have been selling weapons on the black market to finance their organization. I keep trying to tell the other Leaguers about this but only the Huntress will believe me."

Green Arrow read over the Question's research. "Hmm, you can count me as a believer too."

"Welcome to the club," said the Question. "We can sit here and talk about it, but that won't make things better for anyone. We have to do something. You've been to Ba Sing Se so you know how bad it is there. Huntress initially wanted to take out Acme, but I warned her that that might not change things for the better."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that the corruption might not end with Acme. It's possible that the corruption runs far deeper than that. No, I'm certain it goes further than him. The only way we can be safe is if we remove the entire Acme government."

"You mean start a revolt, just the three of us?" asked Green Arrow.

"I guess, but I don't think that we can do it alone, despite our abilities. We really should get more people involved to make it legitimate. We need friends. We need to find people who will help us, but we have to be careful of who we trust."

Within the next few weeks, the Question and Green Arrow began to construct a network of sympathizers. Green Arrow began by confiding his experiences in Ba Sing Se to Black Canary, as well as the doubts and suspicions he had developed while there. The Question held a private meeting with the Huntress in her quarters to tell her what he and Green Arrow had decided. With Black Canary's sympathy, they had gained a new ally. Although still small, Green Arrow and the Question's force was growing. Green Arrow approached Batman next, who was reviewing several files in his quarters in the Justice League Watchtower.

"So, what brings you here?" asked Batman.

"Lots of things," replied Green Arrow. "...Suspicions about Adam Acme and shady things he is involved in."

"Shady indeed," replied Batman.

"I take it that you know something about him?" asked Green Arrow.

"Of course. You aren't the only one who has heard those 'rumours.' I been looking into them too. I know about Acme's corruption. I know he's not the only one we have to worry about. I also know that you and the Question have been looking for 'friends' lately..." Batman turned to the Green Arrow and smiled.

"You're starting to sound like the Question..." remarked Green Arrow.

"Am I? I don't know whether to take that as an insult or a compliment. I'm still surprised you didn't come to me sooner."

"Well, you're not the most approachable person," admitted Green Arrow. "If you're coming on board, then welcome to the team!" Batman and Green Arrow shook hands to seal the agreement.

Green Arrow continued his recruiting mission with one of the people who went on his first mission in the Justice League. She was Supergirl, a relative of a Justice League founder, Superman. "Hello, can I talk to you in private for a moment?" asked the Green Arrow.

"Sure," replied Supergirl.

The two returned to Supergirl's quarters to discuss matters in private. "Listen, we go back a long way, right? We've been through a lot. We went on our first mission for the Justice League together and many others like it since then," began Green Arrow.

"Yeah, but could you get to the point?" asked Supergirl.

"After serving in Ba Sing Se, I'm beginning to have major doubts about the Toon government and President Acme."

"Is that why you wanted to see me?"

"Yeah," replied Green Arrow. "I don't know what to think. I've heard many things about him being involved in shady things."

"What do you mean by 'shady things?'" asked Supergirl.

"I heard that he's been involved in illegal gun running and terrorism," replied Green Arrow.

"That's sounds serious, but rumours aren't always true..."

"You haven't seen the things I've seen when I was in Ba Sing Se," said Green Arrow. "The people don't like us. Every time I passed by, they threw garbage at me. They don't love us. The hate us, but when Acme goes on TV, he always insists that we're making protecting them, making them safer. It's not about protection, I know that now... It's all about control. When the people would not listen to him any more, he had them killed."

"Are you saying Acme killed those people?" asked Supergirl.

"That's what I'm beginning to suspect. Think about it... They invaded El Hazard and then an El Hazardan superweapon shows up above Ba Sing Se and kills its people. Would they ever admit to doing something like that? Our boys were occupying that place. They had full access to everything in El Hazard including the Eye of God. It would have been easy for them to take the Eye of God and use it against Ba Sing Se."

"I..." At that moment Superman walked in on the two. "Clark?"

"Kara, stay away from him!" said Superman. "Green Arrow, you're coming with me!"

Knowing he could not overpower or escape the Man of Steel, Green Arrow quietly followed. Along the way, the Question joined them, being led away by the Green Lantern in a similar fashion. As they passed by the cafeteria, many Leaguers came to look. "Acme is a tyrant!" cried Question. "This is how he treats his Superheroes!"

The Question's cries did just what he wanted. It drew attention to them and got the other Leaguers to gossip. At that moment, Zatanna walked in on the incident. "What's going on?" she asked.

By now, a crowd had gathered around, anxiously wondering about the situation. "There is nothing to see. Go back to what you're doing," ordered Superman.

"Yeah, just like that he wants us to forget the crimes we have witnessed," said the Question.

Green Arrow saw this was his cue to speak. "We all saw a terrible crime being committed in Ba Sing Se and it was Acme who was responsible. His government had full access to the Eye of God during the occupation of El Hazard. As the Justice League, we were supposed to protect the people from these kinds of things but we failed. It is our duty to correct this mistake and save the people."

Superman shoved the Green Arrow into the ground. "Argggh!" groaned the Green Arrow.

"Don't you dare try to incite them!" warned Superman.

However, Superman's actions only made the situation worse for him. It made many of the Superheroes even more sympathetic. "We were a part of Acme's crimes each step of the way," admitted Black Canary. "Can you all see what we're becoming?"

This was the moment that forced the Justice League to take sides. The signs of the League's bifurcation became all too apparent. No longer was it a united entity. "I voted for Acme because he would not let anime Toons intimidate us. I don't know how you could listen to a nut like the Question, but I'm backing the man who will protect us. I'm behind Acme 100%," said Captain Atom.

"Well said," echoed Green Lantern.

"I'm with Green Arrow. He is a hero of the common man, the person we should be protecting. You guys have been sitting in an ivory tower for too long. I'm with him," said Fire, who promptly took the side of the rebels.

"Batman showed me evidence of Acme's crimes. It's time we did something about it," said Zatanna, who also joined the rebel faction.

The arguments continued amongst the League members. More and more of their ranks began to take sides in the matter of Acme's rule. Only a handful were unsure of what to think and even fewer decided to opt out. The subject of Acme's crimes as Toon President was an inflammatory subject. Both sides could not reach a consensus on what to do about Acme. Nearly half of the Justice League dismissed the accusations as a fantasy that could only come from a kook like the Question. The rest knew they had allowed a bad situation to go on for too long. They desired to end the crimes being committed in their name.

"All of you who want to stop Acme come with me," said Green Arrow. "Since the Justice League will not do anything about him, we'll make our own team to stop him."

"No," said Superman plainly. "If you go against Acme, you will have to go against all of us too!"

Green Arrow let out a sigh of resignation. "I hope that it didn't have to come to this, but if we are to do the right thing, we have no other choice. Zatanna, please get us out of here."

"Ekat su ot ytefas," chanted Zatanna. In the blink of an eye, all of the anti-Acme League members vanished.

The Green Arrow's Superheroes appeared in a secluded forest somewhere within Europe. "So what's our next move?" asked Zatanna.

"We prepare," said Batman. "We can't use the Watchtower anymore. We'll need a new base of operations."

END OF CHAPTER

New Stars of Heaven/Heavenly Leaders:
None

New Stars of Earth/Earthly Warriors:
#56 Chirei, The Clever Star: Tony Tony Chopper (One Piece)
#60 Chibou, The Barbarous Star: Roronoa Zolo (One Piece)
#70 Chiman, The Full Star: Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece)
#84 Chiyu, The Obscure Star: Usopp (One Piece)
#93 Chizou, The Hoarding Star: Sanji (One Piece)
#106 Chimou, The Rat Star: Nami (One Piece)

Spotlight: One Piece

This anime follows the adventures of the Straw Hat pirate crew led by Monkey D. Luffy. Luffy's dream is to find Gold Roger's fabled treasure, One Piece, and become King of Pirates. Luffy is not the cruel, cold-hearted scoundrel that most pirates are. In fact, he is a kind, compassionate person who helps others. As a result of his journeys, he has helped several people deal with hostile pirates and other criminal elements. Despite having made several friends, he has also made several enemies, including the World Government, which has put extremely large bounty on the heads of his crew.

Origin:
Most of the Straw Hat crew members learned their skills through training from Zolo's swordsmanship to Chopper's medical skills. Chopper could not have learned his medical skills without the humanoid traits he gained from consuming the Human Human Fruit. Luffy, on the other hand, gained his powers by eating the cursed Gum Gum Fruit. Luffy set out to fulfill his dream and befriended his future crew members along the way, helping them with their problems.

Powers:
The Great Blue is a particularly low-technology world when compared to more modern anime worlds, let alone space-faring worlds. The people have developed crude mechanical devices as well as gunpowder and derived weapons like guns and cannons. They have ships strong enough to withstand the trip to other continents over the sea.

The most fantastic powers come from consuming Cursed Fruit. One who eats Cursed Fruit is mutated by it, gaining a special psionic power. Such a power could be anything, from Luffy's rubber body, to Chopper's humanoid characteristics. However, these useful powers come with a terrible cost. Cursed Fruit cause their consumers to be weakened by sea water, effectively rendering them useless in the water. In the high seas adventures of the Great Blue, this is a very big problem.