Sakura Empire Imperial Palace
June 21, 1942
11:00 AM
Arizona, Sheffield, and AZ-1 Team navigated through the hallways of the Imperial Palace, their boots muffled with each hasty step to avoid making any noise that could attract attention or alert the Guards. They hid in the shadows of the dark corners of the Palace Walls, the Manjuus with their smaller frames and silent movements concealed themselves among the pillars in the corridors.
Imperial Maids and Servants hurried around the hallway as they packed luggage along with other materials bearing imperial regalia. Military Personnel carrying important documents were followed by Imperial Guards. The palace shook from an explosion outside, the shockwave reaching the walls and causing the tremor.
"The whole palace is in chaos," Arizona commented, as he watched the hasty movement of the Imperial Staff.
"The whole world of the Sakurans is falling apart, and saving valuable documents related to the Imperial Family is their priority," Sheffield said.
Arizona muttered under his breath, "I can imagine the chaos in D.C if WW3 kicks off in the Pacific."
"What??" Sheffield asked.
"Forget it, it's just my assumption of what could be the fallout in D.C.," Arizona said.
Sheffield simply nodded, aware that Eagle Union's D.C. was likely in chaos as they conducted a strike against the Sakura Empire.
The Eagle Union Government was afraid of sending troops to the Sakura Empire, fearing the thousands of deaths that could damage FDR's Presidential Campaign in the upcoming election.
Skipper radioed after the Imperial Staff and Servants fled the hallway, "The coast is clear, ready to move."
"Copy that, Skipper," Arizona replied. He nudged his head to signal their advance. Sheffield understood, and they both hastily left their cover and ran to cross the hallway.
At the hallway leading to the entrance of the throne room, two Imperial Guards stood watch at the door, others pacing nearby back and forth. The Imperial Guards were oblivious to the phantom figures hidden in the shadows of the corners of the hallway.
Arizona slowly switched his M4A1 Carbine with an MK23 Suppressed Pistol, pointing it at the two Imperial Guards guarding the entrance.
Sheffield also pulled out her cleaning tools from her pocket; she was going to clean the blood on the floor after Arizona shot the two Imperial Guards.
AZ-Team positioned themselves in the shadows of the pillars, preparing to pounce on the other Imperial Guards. The execution should be silent. KA-BAR Knives were unsheathed, their blades glistening with sharpness.
"AZ-1 Lead, we're positioned and ready," Skipper radioed.
"Copy that, AZ-1 Lead, on my order."
The Clean-up Crew was here to party. These two had just been promoted as Imperial Guards, and now they were about to be demoted to 'House Chores' by these two.
Two Imperial Guards stood at the door leading to the Imperial Throne Room. The two guards seemed tired and scared by the explosion in the background.
"This is boring. I wish I could see some action on the front lines," the other Imperial Guard exclaimed.
The other Imperial Guard on the right side responded, not amused by what he had just heard. "We are lucky; we only guard the Imperial Palace and are not getting blown to pieces."
"What do you mean... getting blown to pieces?"
The other Imperial Guard on the right side faced him with a serious expression and spoke in a grim voice, "There is only a rumor from the Imperial Army. The other unit that was assigned to the Coastal Defense is... being bombed to oblivion by those Angular Aircraft."
"I guess we're lucky." After he said those words, he collapsed, blood spilling from the back of his head, and his vision went blurry as he slowly fell to the floor.
"Hey! What's wrong?!" As soon as he saw the blood on his friend's head, he was shot in the forehead, meeting the same fate as his friend. He died.
The other pacing Imperial Guards noticed the two collapse. "Hey! Stop sleeping on your post—"
Those would be his last words as AZ-1 Team lunged in with the cold steel of their KA-BAR Knives, slicing their necks. Out of their sights, their lives were cut off so easily. Blood poured from the sliced necks, drenching the floor red.
"Guards terminated," Skipper and the others radioed after clearing the remaining Imperial Guards.
"Let's go. We need to hide their bodies and clean the blood first," Arizona radioed and hastily sprinted to the location of the two dead Imperial Guards. He and the Manjuus carried the corpses of the dead Imperial Guards back to their position and hid them in a storage room.
"You go hide the bodies, I'll go clean the mess..." Sheffield said, as her Maid instinct kicked in. She started wiping the blood on the floor without leaving any trace of cleaning. She cleaned the mess as if it were Tuesday to her.
Arizona, along with the Manjuus, hid the corpses in the storage room, and he locked the door so that no one would know. He returned to where Sheffield was and saw her kneeling on the floor, cleaning the mess they had left.
Arizona was amazed at her Maid skills in cleaning any evidence of blood; the floor was shiny and devoid of what had just transpired. His attention focused on her rear as she cleaned off the blood on the floor.
He broke his daze and spoke, "Sometimes you scare me for some reasons; you're too good to be a maid... or an assassin," he commented, as their eyes met.
"What do you mean... by assassin...?" She asked, quickly turning her eyes to him without breaking the stare.
It was an awkward moment for the two; the sudden explosion in the background brought them back to the real world. Arizona broke the stare as he blinked first and spoke.
"I knew you were a spy in a maid outfit the first time we met. You managed to keep up with me and the others in espionage, even though you're in a maid outfit. Your expression is too cold when we assassinated some people in a gruesome way. Gotta admit... that outfit looks quite nice on you."
Sheffield then spoke, "Same as I thought about you. Your personality is as stoic as ice... but since the mission got tense, you changed from a composed individual to a professional Agent... and most of all, your true self was coming out."
Arizona let out a chuckle that could send shivers down even a numb person's spine. "This is only the surface of my true self. I once dreamed of avenging my predecessor... now here I am... doing that, and I'm not satisfied yet."
Sheffield's brow furrowed; she had never thought that he was this sadistic, intent on making his enemies pay with vengeance in mind.
Skipper spoke, breaking the forming tension, "Ahem, the Emperor... is waiting."
"Augh, you ruined the fun, Skipper," Private said begrudgingly.
"Okay, that's enough compliments and chit-chat. We still have a jerk to be eliminated and an Emperor to capture," Arizona said, diverting their attention to the mission at hand.
Skipper and his team searched through the walls for possible hidden doorways in the Imperial Throne Room. Hidden levers and buttons were sought at the corners, and the throne was also examined for possibilities.
"Understood." Sheffield then hid her cleaning tools in her apron pocket. She grabbed her M4A1 Carbine and moved closer to him, providing cover at his back.
"There you are..." Arizona said, as he pulled a lever that looked like a lamp on the wall. A hidden door appeared in the wall, revealing a downward stone staircase.
He turned around and asked her, "You ready?"
Sheffield nodded slightly. "Okay, let's go then..."
"Why is it always placed in a higher place?" Skipper said, scorning the placement of the hidden lever.
"I guess our heights have cons too, Skipper," Private said.
"Everyone has pros and cons, Sir," Kowalski said.
Sheffield and Arizona glanced at one another and then back at the grumbling Manjuus. Without wasting any time, they walked toward the hidden door. The hidden passage revealed stairs going down into a dark dungeon.
"Prepare your NVGs (Night Vision Goggles)." Everyone followed his order and lowered their NVGs to eye level.
Arizona headed first, weapon at the ready, his NGV showing the way in a totally green vision. Behind him, Sheffield's Rifle was pointed forward, giving him cover.
The Manjuus covered their rear as they stepped down the spiral stairs made of stone slabs. The dim light and their steps echoed in the closed space of the dungeon.
Then, the hidden door in the Throne Room suddenly closed slowly, their attention shifting to the closing door.
"The fuck!" Private exclaimed at the sudden closing of the hidden door, his finger tightening on the trigger.
"Calm down, Private; you're too trigger-happy," Skipper said, lowering his Rifle.
"The hidden door closed exactly 10 seconds after I predicted..." Arizona said as he looked at his inverted wristwatch, exactly 10 seconds since they had passed through the hidden door.
"Seems like it," Kowalski said, checking his own inverted watch.
"Let's continue..." Arizona said, waving his hand to signal them to continue their descent down the stairs of the Imperial Palace Hidden Dungeon.
They then reached the bottom of the Dungeon, their guards now on high alert for any potential threats and ambushes in the dark corners of the Dungeon.
Arizona, sneaking in the corner, motioned with his hands for Kowalski to launch a recon drone ahead of their advance.
Kowalski reached into his backpack to grab a Black Hornet Drone and its controller. He held the Hornet Drone in his fingers as the rotors spun, then released it as it gained lift on its own.
The Black Hornet Drone hovered and navigated through the corridors of the Dungeon. It stopped in the middle as its camera detected 20 armed Guards protecting a giant door behind them and another 15 Kempeitai agents with rifles.
"Found it. The place looks heavily guarded, as expected for the Emperor's safety..." Kowalski reported.
"Number of hostiles?" Arizona asked.
"20 Imperial Guards and 15 Kempeitai Agents; they were all armed with Arisaka Rifles," he replied.
Arizona then quickly gave an order to the rest. "Skipper, Private, Rico – you guys will take on the Imperial Guard." The Manjuus nodded their heads.
He pointed at Sheffield, "You and I will take care of the Agents in front."
Sheffield nodded; she couldn't complain to the man who knew his stuff. "Understood."
"Okay, I'm about to throw this Flashbang Grenade... so I want you all to be ready..." He grabbed a Flashbang from his vest pocket and pulled the pin.
"3...2...1..."
He slowly tossed the Flashbang Grenade into the middle of the 20 Guards and Kempeitai Agents. The Sakurans all looked at it with curiosity and confusion as a cylindrical tube slowly rolled to their position. One of the Imperial Guards kneeled down to grab the rolling Flashbang Grenade, but before his hands could reach it, it exploded right in his face, disorienting them all.
"Go!" He yelled, as they all emerged from their cover and started dropping lead on the enemies at the ends of their barrels. Skipper and Private, with their M4A1s, spewed lead, and Rico with his AA-12
Shotgun literally trimmed the Imperial Guards like a lawn that needed mowing.
Sheffield and Arizona also sprayed lead at the Kempeitai Agents who were caught off guard by the disorienting flash and bang, their ears still ringing. Some managed to recompose themselves and fought back, but their efforts were all quelled as the storm of lead pierced them.
The amount of bullets the two sprayed at the 20 Imperial Guards and 15 Kempeitai Agents cut them down in seconds, as soon as the firefight started.
Arizona held up a fist and yelled, "Cease fire!"
Sheffield drew down her M4A1 as she reloaded. She remembered all the intricate buttons she had to push to reload the next magazine.
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"Whoa! Remember this shit on Christmas!" Rico shouted after the ringing of the falling bullet casings subsided, and smoke from the barrels trailed off.
As the gunfire subsided, one of the Kempeitai Agents was still alive and currently lying on the ground, blood all over his body as he saw all of his comrades getting shot in quick succession.
"H-How? How did this h-happen..." he said, while catching his breath.
Arizona saw him still breathing, went to his position, pointed his M4A1 Carbine at his face, and asked him, "Where... is the... Emperor?"
He spat blood on Arizona's boots, "Die, scum! You will never get the Empe—" Before the Kempeitai Agent could finish his word, Arizona pulled the trigger of his M4A1 Carbine, ending his life.
Sheffield was startled by his move; she had never thought he would kill a dying Kempeitai Agent at point-blank range. She shivered at his non-hesitation in pulling the trigger at the man's face.
"Rico, prepare to breach the door," Arizona ordered as he reloaded his M4A1 Carbine.
Rico grinned like a psycho maniac, reloading his AA-12 Shotgun and pointing it at the lock of the door.
"Sheffield, Grenades," Arizona ordered her to toss the Fragmentation Grenades as he kicked the door open.
Sheffield broke her daze and nodded. "Understood..." She then brought out her own Fragmentation Grenades.
Rico proceeded to blow a chunk of the door open along with the lock. After that, bullets sprayed from the other side of the room. A silenced weapon followed, along with the clang of expended bullet shells.
Arizona kicked the door open in a flash; Sheffield followed as she threw 2 Grenades.
The 20 Imperial Guards who were anticipating them at the entrance door all started firing in the direction of the door as it was kicked open. They were all busy spraying the open door with bullets and forgot to notice the two Fragmentation Grenades that were thrown in their direction.
"Grenade!" one of the Imperial Guards shouted, but it was too late as the two Grenades exploded underneath them.
Arizona, Sheffield, and AZ-1 Team used the moment to open fire inside the Dungeon. The 20 Imperial Guards could not fire back at them as they were hit by multiple bullets.
Sheffield fired at a flipped table inside the room. One Imperial Guard thought the flipped table would save his life, but he was wrong. The 5.56 NATO Rounds punched through the flattened board of the table surface.
Arizona fired his rifle at one of the Imperial Guards hiding behind the walls with his buddies.
Skipper grabbed a Fragmentation Grenade and threw it at the opposite wall, bouncing it like a Baseball. The grenade bounced and exploded in the faces of the Imperial Guards hiding behind the wall.
Those who were left and survived the fragmentation grenade were shot to shreds by Rico with his AA-12 Shotgun.
Along the way to the chamber, there were far more Imperial Guards waiting for them. This place was literally a set-up for a trap, as there were many more Imperial Guards on standby.
Sheffield, remembering that switching to her secondary was faster than reloading, grabbed her slung Benelli M4 and started spewing buckshot at the surging numbers of Imperial Guards. Like Brits on steroids and tradition, she spewed 9 buckshot pellets in any general direction.
Then, the other remaining Imperial Guards had a genius idea to Banzai Charge at the two with fixed bayonets. Sheffield just unloaded 9 ball bearings into the body of one guy as he charged.
Arizona saw the Banzai Charge and unloaded his remaining ammo into the body of the same man.
The firefight stopped as 20 or more dead bodies lay in a pool of blood and scattered bullet casings on the room floor. Bullet holes littered the walls and furniture, if you could call it that.
"Situation Clear, search the area for the Imperial Family and the Imperial Advisor," Arizona ordered after the firefight settled down.
AZ-1 Team, along with Sheffield, searched for their intended targets. They swept through room after room, corner after corner, but couldn't find their two targets.
AZ-1 Team and Sheffield met up in the center after they searched the entire room. They both gave their own reports.
"Report?"
"All the rooms are clear. Looks like the target isn't here," Skipper reported, as he glanced at the dead bodies.
"Same here. All the rooms are clear. It feels like the target knew we were coming..." Sheffield said.
"This feels like a set-up. I mean, there are a lot of Imperial Guards around here, and the Emperor, along with the Imperial Family and Imperial Advisor, were nowhere to be found. It's a tarp," Kowalski analyzed.
"Seems like it," Arizona said, agreeing. He looked around for any hidden doorways.
"We've been blasting here for nothing!" Private exclaimed.
After assessing the situation, he radioed Edinburgh, "Edinburgh, have you seen anyone leave the Imperial Palace grounds?"
The comms crackled with static noise. "T-This is E-Edinburgh. I didn't see anyone leave the Imperial Palace grounds." Edinburgh was still traumatized by the assassination she had witnessed.
Arizona cursed, "Damn it! That bastard changed plans." He then kicked one of the dead bodies in frustration. "Damn it!"
"What now?" Sheffield asked, as she anticipated Arizona's next move.
Arizona calmed down, then held his chin and murmured, "If the target knew we were coming for them... If I'm being hunted, then... where am I going to hide without being noticed and safe from falling bombs?"
"Do you think they are hiding in a place where Miss Enterprise is not allowed to bomb?" Sheffield chimed in.
Their comms crackled with static sound, breaking their deep thoughts.
"This is AZ-2 Lead. I have found the target." AZ-2 Lead Alex radioed, his sights fixed on the target they had been looking for.
AZ-2 Team had been left to hold position at Nagato's Mansion, as Nagato and those under her roof were considered allies.
Arizona held the mic, "AZ-2 lead, hold your position, we're coming in."
Nagato's Mansion
Nagato, Mutsu, and Mikasa were sipping their teas as they sat at the table in the living room of the Mansion. They were not alone; they were surrounded by Kempeitai Agents, and alongside them were the Emperor and the Imperial Family, sipping their own tea at the other side of the table.
Nagato spoke first to break the awkward silence floating in the living room, "Are you sure the Emperor and the Imperial Family are safe staying at my house... Shendo?"
Shendo was standing next to the sliding doors, staring at the Garden of the Mansion. "Hai. According to one of my Kempeitai Agents, you are too important for Azur Lane to lose, thus they will avoid bombing your mansion entirely."
As soon as he said those words, a bomb dropped on one of the valuable buildings containing a makeshift base for the Imperial Army.
"How can you be so sure they won't bomb this mansion?" Mikasa asked with a slight disdain in her voice.
Shendo turned around to face her. "Simple... Adm. Nimitz trusted you more than any Sakura Empire Kansen, and I know he couldn't order someone in Azur Lane to destroy or eliminate you... Lady Nagato and Lady Mikasa."
"He still trusted me... hah," Nagato murmured.
Mutsu was not paying any attention as she played with the Prince and their imperial Maids to keep the two younglings away from the heated discussion known as political mess. Kawakaze was there to stand guard for the Imperial Family.
She was currently facing the two Female Kempeitai Agents who acted as House Servants at Nagato's Mansion. Their stand-off between them was unnoticeable to the Children playing, but the Imperial Maids and the Empress noticed the tension emanating from them.
"Are you really sure that he wouldn't just order someone like... that Kansen?" Emperor Hirohito asked with uncertainty in his voice.
"Hai. I am sure. He's the kind of man who will not betray his old friends behind their backs," Shendo said.
Nagato interjected, "He's also the kind of man who will kill someone who threatens Eagle Union, even if it was his friend."
Nagato then locked her gaze on Shendo's eyes, as they both had a stare-down. "I know him more than you do. You only hear about him from your agents and don't see him do his job as an Admiral," Nagato said those words with a force behind them.
Mikasa just smiled; Shendo's expression was full of anger as veins popped in his head. The Emperor saw his murderous expression and spoke, "Shendo, that's enough. Can you please tell us about this one who was sent to assassinate me?"
Shendo's expression turned normal as his anger subsided. "Hai. Your Imperial Highness. I believe they sent a Modern Kansen to assassinate and eliminate you from the Imperial Throne. According to the Agent that I dispatched to investigate, all the politicians who were close to the Emperor are dead as of now."
Mikasa thought, 'He might be referring to the Kansen who kept an eye on the Diplomats a while ago?'
"Are you sure the Emperor is being assassinated and it is not... you? ..." Mikasa spoke, surprising Hirohito and Shendo with her statement.
"Me? Don't be silly; I'm just an advisor," Shendo exclaimed, as sweat dripped from his forehead.
"Hai. You're maybe an advisor, but you're close to the Emperor too," Nagato interjected.
Shendo thought, 'Maybe Azur Lane knew my plan of assassinating the Emperor and the rest of the Imperial Family and blaming them for his death.'
"Don't be silly, Lady Nagato. Even if I'm being targeted, they wouldn't dare destroy this place because you are here," Shendo waved off Nagato's words.
"You think using me as leverage to hide from them is going to work? I don't think so," Nagato said as she put down her tea.
"Why you little—" Before he could say those words, Nagato continued.
"I can see in Lucas's eyes he's more human than you... I read his movements without him knowing. He is the kind of person who would follow any kind of order that was given to him."
"You mean that Eagle Union Destroyer?" Emperor Hirohito asked.
"Hai. He is a Destroyer with firepower comparable to a Battleship and has the capability of a Flagship.
He's not from Eagle Union but the Eagle Union's counterpart, the United States of America. He said Eagle Union is more conservative than theirs. So, in the eye of conflict, they won't hesitate to pull the trigger without a moment of hesitation," Mikasa said to the Emperor.
Mikasa then looked at Shendo. "I don't know who's hunting you down, but... I have a feeling he's more dangerous than Lucas. You should be careful who you want to mess with... Shendo."
Shendo just laughed. "You think some Kansen from another world is something to be afraid of? Don't be silly; we have Orochi on our side. So there's nothing to be worried about. Orochi will eliminate all that's in the way of the Sakura Empire's goal."
Mikasa and Nagato looked at him, not amazed; rather, their expression was pity for this guy. Emperor Hirohito nodded as he held his Yunomi (Japanese tea cup).
Nagato thought, 'I don't know what kind of person you were, Enterprise. I knew you wouldn't let this guy live for very long.'
Mikasa thought, 'His arrogance is all over him, again. Will you shut up for once.'
"If they want to eliminate me that badly... they have to fight my Kempeitai Agents to even get near me."
After Shendo said those words, his head exploded like a watermelon. Blood, flesh, and gore were all over the place; everyone was surprised at the scene unfolding before their eyes. Blood spurted onto their faces like ketchup.
Before everyone could fully react to what had just transpired, Shendo's headless body collapsed on the wooden floor with a resounding thud. Nagato, Mikasa, and Emperor Hirohito, along with the Kempeitai Agents, were dumbfounded and frozen in place as they saw how Shendo lost his head in front of them.
Kawakaze, quick to react to the stunned people, yelled, "Get down!"
The Imperial Family, alongside the Imperial Maids and Mutsu, ducked down to the floor as Kawakaze ordered. Kawakaze dove over the Emperor before the Imperial Guards could.
"Everyone stay down!" Kawakaze gave another order as she prepared her Katana.
"What was that?" Emperor Hirohito asked, his voice quivering in total shock.
"I don't know, Miss Mutsu," Kawakaze replied.
Then, a sudden explosion reverberated outside the gate walls. This jolted Nagato, Mikasa, and Emperor Hirohito out of their frozen state. The Kempeitai Agents were gunned down by a .50cal. round, as a simultaneous explosion happened outside the gate walls, reverberating through the mansion.
~5 Minutes Ago~
SSN-803 USS Arizona
A Nuclear Submarine lay in wait for orders on the seafloor off the coast of the Sakura Empire. In the control room, Manjuus and Meowfficers were fiddling with the various control panels and sonar screen. Then, a sudden transmission from Arizona lifting their boredom. Everyone went to their Battle Stations as they relayed the targets into the onboard Tomahawks. Then, the Submarine's VPM (Vertical Payload Module) opened its cylindrical door.
Seven Tomahawk Cruise Missiles popped off in one of the VPMs, and the Missiles shot out of the ocean's surface. Five fishermen saw this and were scared by what they had just witnessed. As the Cruise Missiles broke the surface of the ocean, their boosters lit up and flew toward the Imperial Capital.
Sheffield and Edinburgh were in the bushes with their Ghillie suits. They were tasked with taking down the first target.
"Why am I the spotter? This is supposed to be your job," Edinburgh complained as she held the spotter's scope.
"Shut up, will you? Arizona is going to take care of the Emperor, and we are tasked with eliminating that bastard," Sheffield said as she aimed her M82 Barrett at her target. The scope's crosshairs were aligned with the target's head. She was just waiting for Arizona's order, her finger itching to pull the trigger.
Arizona was in the bushes closer to the Mansion walls; he looked at his inverted watch. "5 seconds before the missile strikes." He then pushed a button on his radio set in his helmet and spoke, "This is Arizona, you're clear to open fire."
Sheffield pulled the trigger of her M82 Barrett, blowing Shendo's head off instantly. Edinburgh covered her mouth, ran behind the bushes, and started vomiting at the scene that she saw would haunt her forever.
After she fired the first shot, a seconds passed, and 5 Tomahawk Cruise Missiles slammed into the Imperial Guards and Kempeitai Agents guarding the entrance of the mansion. The 5 Tomahawk Cruise Missiles wiped them all out in one single large explosion. Cars and Trucks that belonged to the Imperial Guards flew into the air in the explosion.
AZ-2 Team came out of hiding and started firing their Rifles at the Imperial Guards who survived the initial explosion. A firefight ensued between Bolt Action Rifles and Automatic Gunfire.
Arizona and the rest of AZ Teams used the commotion outside the mansion walls. They jumped over the high walls of Nagato's Mansion; he used his Kansen ability to jump high.
Arizona and AZ-1 Team landed in the garden, weapons ready. He pointed his rifle at the Imperial Guards, who stared at him in surprise for a second. One Imperial Guard pointed his Arisaka type 99 Rifle at him.
He quickly gunned him down with his M4A1 Carbine. Arizona then started spraying the other Imperial Guards guarding the mansion with bullets.
"Yeepie Kayeey, Imperial Scum!" Skipper greeted as he spewed bullets at the Imperial Guards.
Sheffield provided fire support with her M82 Barrett as she started sniping the Imperial Guards hiding at the windows of the mansion.
The Imperial Guard hiding behind the walls of the mansion thought that the walls would save him, but it was useless as the .50 caliber round penetrated through the walls without any effort. The other Imperial Guards hiding behind the wall were suddenly jolted back. They then noticed a hole in his chest; blood gushed out nonstop as he collapsed from blood loss.
Grass and small trees were torn to shreds as Rico mowed the Garden with his AA-12 Shotgun in automatic fire, leaving everything at the end of its smoking hot barrel torn and mangled.
Arizona gunned down all the Imperial Guards in the garden and his M4 magazine went empty. He quickly drew his sidearm as another wave of Imperial Guards rushed into the Garden. After finishing his reload, he started giving the Imperial Guards a long-range lobotomy as he targeted their heads with precision.
He dashed toward the mansion, shooting the remaining Imperial Guards who tried to reach for their weapons. He entered along with the Manjuus at the mansion, passing through the torn and open sliding doors.
Inside, they glanced at the headless body of Shendo. "There you are, you bastard," Skipper exclaimed as he kicked the corpse with his chicken feet. He then shifted his gaze to the Emperor.
"Koninichi-Fucky-wa, Emperor-sama, you should sit there and shut up. Don't even think of running away... My finger might slip, and shoot you... dead," Skipper said in a playful yet threatening undertone.
Emperor Hirohito was frozen in front of the presence of this unknown person with unknown gear; his words were more worrying than reassuring.
"Who might you be...?" Mikasa asked as if it were all normal, ignoring the dead bodies surrounding them.
Arizona maintained his cold and stern demeanor. "The name is Arizona, USS Arizona of the United States Navy."
The sliding door inside the living room opened, and the Empress and Prince ran toward the Emperor, shielding him from Arizona.
"Are you here to kill me and my family?"
Arizona lifted a hand, reassuring him. "No. Your survival and safety, as well as the stability of the Empire, are of utmost concern. You being alive has far more meaning than being dead," he said calmly, but his gaze betrayed that calmness.
"A-And the Imperial Advisor?"
"He's on the naughty list; he's better off dead than facing whatever punishment may lay ahead of him if he stays alive," he said, glancing over the headless corpse of Shendo.
Emperor Hirohito nodded while still trembling at the sudden events that had flashed before his eyes. The quick execution of Shendo and the battle in the Garden, or whatever someone might call it in the future, left him and his family in shock.
Nagato stayed calm even after the attack and spoke, "Are you the one who keeps an eye on the Diplomats?" she asked, ignoring the dead bodies surrounding her.
"No. The other team under my command does," Arizona affirmed.
"I see..." Her attention shifted toward the Manjuus equipped with American Taxpayers Dollars. "So what are your next plans, now?"
Nagato asked as everyone, even the Manjuus, was seen helping the Imperial Maids pack up things that were needed and held importance for the Imperial Family.
"For now, we will take the Emperor and The Imperial Family into custody," he said.
He then looked at the Emperor. "Your Highness, you have to cooperate with us to stop this nonsense violence."
"What if I don't?" Hirohito asked with fear in his voice.
"I would love to still have my ten fingers accountable," he said in a menacing undertone, as if he was not playing around.
Emperor Hirohito yelped as he didn't want to lose any of his ten fingers. "Ha-Ha-Hai! I'll cooperate with you," he said, shaken by the threat of cutting off his fingers.
Arizona smiled. "Good dealing with you, Mr. Emperor."
Skipper chimed in, "Good decision, Emperor-sama... a very good decision."
Arizona looked at his inverted watch. "This place is compromised; we need to leave now. Gather your things; we're evacuating."
He then radioed, "Sheffield, watch our rears."
"Copy that."
Sheffield fixed her scopes at the nearby roads leading to the Mansion, she watched over as everyone hastily evacuated the area.