A few moments before the ship's arrival.
The Crazy Adventurer Gehrman Sparrow stood a step ahead of Iron Mentor and Trick*Step.
The trio had positioned themselves to the left of the left column of containers, standing on top of another container as a vantage point.
Not only were they covered in thick darkness, but the Astrologer was constantly covering them behind a layer of blackness using the Black Screen Spell.
From behind the curtain, Iwao and Kazuho observed the situation, zooming in and out.
They could clearly see the three main members of the Shie Hassaikai Yakuza organization and several bodyguards, all armed to the teeth.
While doing that, they couldn't help but wonder if Gehrman's glasses were more than glasses, too.
Otherwise, it didn't make sense for him not to piece together the situation with the help of technology that the Apostles of Mr. Fool could afford through Shield.
Gehrman looked over his shoulder, as if sensing their gazes and reading their thoughts.
Cold.
Expressionless.
Still and dark eyes.
There was something truly unnerving about the guy, Iron Mentor noticed. And that was saying something, given the number of unnerving guys he had met in his decades-old Hero and Vigilante career.
If that was his case, then less needed to be said about Kazuho.
Gehrman terrified her so thoroughly that she was left breathless. Every time he looked at her, it was like ants were crawling down her spine. It wasn't… something perverted. No. It was… the absolute lack of any emotion in his eyes as he observed her, as if she were not human.
"Remember the plan," Gehrman said. "Our mission is not to save anyone. It's not to steal all the shipment — incoming or outgoing. It's not to put the Villains behind bars. It's not to do something… heroic."
Kazuho's grip on her baseball bat tightened.
Iwao attempted to decipher Gehrman's nature and reasoning, but utterly failed.
"Our mission is to make sure that Shie Hassaikai doesn't get their hands on Compound Monocle," the Bounty Hunter said. "Also, it's best if we can get a sample of each of these drugs. Dr. Blessed will know how to better put them to use and find an… antidote of some sort. Any questions?"
Iwao's brows instantly furrowed. He didn't address Dr. Blessed as leader…
Kazuho, not so bothered by the use of the leader's name, raised her hand.
Gehrman didn't ask her to put her hand down. "Yes?"
"Mentor… Iron Mentor will go for the Erasure Drug," she said, going over the plan. "I will go for the Compound Monocle. Then, we will focus on running…"
Iwao watched as Gehrman looked at Kazuho.
A deathly silence lingered between the three for a moment.
Suddenly, the Crazy Adventurer lifted his hand, nudged his glasses, and turned around, resuming his watch.
"…" Kazuho.
Iwao sighed inwardly. "Her question is — why?"
Gehrman again turned around, nodding.
"Why not stay and help you dispose of the rest of the drugs?" Iwao continued. "There are three Quirk users on the field, right? The ship will definitely have a powerful figure, too. A Quirk user, at best. At worst… a Monocle. Then there are the armed bodyguards, most probably from both sides. We are not immortals, and bullets fired from those rifles can hurt us as much as any other guy. Working toward one goal makes the most sense, instead of dividing into two groups."
Kazuho looked at Iron Mentor with twinkling eyes. "Yes, yes. That! I meant all that!"
Gehrman looked toward Iwao for a moment. "Exceptional grasp of the situation," he praised, but his face lacked any companion emotion. "But you forgot to take the Heroes into account."
Iwao's eyes suddenly widened under the mask.
The mere mention of Heroes made him decrypt the situation from a brand-new angle, his face paling with every passing thought.
Kazuho, despite not having the ability of a Cryptologist, knew that they had misjudged the difficulty of the mission.
"The Sir Nighteye Agency has outstanding Pros," Gehrman reminded them. "It's difficult for them to know the exact location, unlike us, but… they have much more data on the Shie Hassaikai than we do, too."
"So…" Kazuho asked, "… the Heroes will be coming here, too?"
"No." Iwao shook his head. Then, he looked up at the Crazy Adventurer, finishing his thoughts. "They are already here."
Gehrman nodded. "Comedy Hero: Lemillion. Wonder Hero: Nejire Chan. Omnivore Hero: Suneater," he named them. "They have already stationed themselves on the other side of the right column of containers."
Kazuho and Iwao looked at each other.
Without exchanging a single word, they knew what the other was thinking.
After becoming Beyonders… after joining the Apostles of Mr. Fool… after accepting their new identities… this would be the first time for them to officially go against Pros. Truly.
And that would make them Villains in the eyes of the law instantly.
"Stick to the plan," Gehrman said, returning to look toward the site. "Leave the rest to me."
As if those words were the cue, the three heads snapped together, a ship coming into their vision as it glided through the darkness.
Taking deep breaths, Iwao and Kazuho steeled their hearts, putting their heads back into the game.
They saw the three Yakuza gathering at a spot as the ship docked at the shipyard.
They saw the ship's bow opening as it became a platform, revealing a large mass of blackness.
Then, together, they saw madness taking shape, Iwao's lips twisting into an ugly grimace, Kazuho gagging under a nauseating feeling, and Gehrman Sparrow narrowing his eyes, his pupils stirring at the sight of the black-skinned, head-covered Beyonder.
Loud thumps rang far and wide as the tall, naked figure stepped off the platform and approached the trio of the Shie Hassaikai.
As the Monocle came to a stop, several Yakuza members and the newly arrived robed figures began lining various crates on either side of the ship.
"… What… is that?" Iron Mentor asked, a touch shaken. "Why do I feel so…"
Next to him, Kazuho kept daring herself to look forward, but failed, the sight of that figure making her vomit.
"It doesn't matter…" Gehrman Sparrow said, lifting his hand. "Just… follow the plan."
Then, with no other warning, he snapped his fingers, and an explosion blinding their eyes with a BOOM!
In the next moment, the Crazy Adventurer disappeared into a mass of flames!