"Come on, Jordan, activate it!!" shouted Luffy, practically bouncing in place, fists clenched, stars in his eyes."I can't wait to see if we run into those card soldiers again—or another crazy queen!"
Nami rolled her eyes with a small amused smile, arms crossed."You're saying that now, but you'll be the first one screaming if another magic tornado hits you."
Koby, on the other hand, smiled shyly, observing the surroundings while I knelt down to draw the portal circle away from prying eyes."Alright, Luffy, just give me a second," I said with a smile, focusing on the magical tracing of my Keyblade.
A shimmering light began to glow softly beneath my feet, taking shape in the air with the upside-down heart symbol of the Realm of Darkness. The portal to Wonderland opened in a swirl of color.
Koby stepped a little closer, his eyes sparkling with curiosity."I hope we'll get to see Alice again this time..." he said thoughtfully, a small smile tugging at his lips.
Nami, never one to miss a chance to tease, walked over with a mischievous glint in her eye."Ooooh? Still thinking about her, Koby?" she said, going slightly cross-eyed for effect."Got a little crush on the blonde in the blue dress? What is she, two years younger than you? Could almost work~"
Koby turned beet red, waving his hands frantically."Wh-what?! N-no, not at all! It's just that... she was nice, that's all! And brave too! I mean—it's not what you think!"
Luffy burst out laughing, throwing an arm around his shoulder."Don't worry, Koby! It's just like Nami and her secret love for treasure chests full of gold—everyone's got their thing!"
"You want a little shock therapy?!" Nami said, already raising her magical staff while sticking out her tongue.
"AAAAH no no no I didn't say anything!!" squeaked Luffy, ducking behind me.
I raised my hands to calm them all down, smiling."Alright... you ready? Wonderland dungeon, hard mode. Once we go through, there's no turning back."
Luffy bounced on the spot again."FINALLY!!! Let's gooooooo!!!"
You are being teleported to Wonderland – Hard Mode – with your team.Objective:
Defeat 600 Shadows, 4 Giga Shadows (optional), 120 Large Bodies, 120 Red Nocturnes, 120 Yellow Operas, 120 Blue Rhapsodies, 120 Air Soldiers, and 4 Trickmasters.
Prevent the execution of Alice by the wicked Queen of Hearts and her court.
Rewards:
Random item/equipment/skill for each party member.
Full acquisition of all defeated Heartless under your command.
Reading those words, a chill ran down my spine. The normally whimsical and disorienting arrival chamber now felt steeped in despair. The colors looked faded, as if the world itself was holding its breath.
Koby immediately turned to me, his face pale but resolute."Jordan, we have to hurry! It's the first time a dungeon message mentions an execution... We need to save Alice, now!" His tone was tense, urgent.
Luffy, who at first had his usual wide grin, lost all traces of lightheartedness when he saw Koby's worried expression… and Nami's as well.
"Let's go," he said simply, voice firm, his hat pulled slightly over his eyes.
Without wasting another second, we ran through the room, charging down the now-familiar corridors of Wonderland. We grabbed the potions, drank them in one gulp, and shrank just like before. No surprises this time, but the sense of urgency made every second feel heavier.
The Heartless were already waiting for us in the corridors of the first room, hard mode version. More aggressive, faster, and this time, they clearly meant to slow us down.
Nami took the lead with surprising coordination. Thanks to our training, she struck with precision, lightning crackling through the air and striking the Red Nocturnes, while ice shards crashed down on the Yellow Operas without hesitation. I covered her by dealing with the airborne enemies up close, my Keyblade carving luminous arcs in the air, repelling anything that came too near.
The toughest foes for me had become the Air Soldiers, thanks to their enhanced aerial agility and pistols.
On the ground, Luffy and Koby carved a path through the writhing mass of Shadows and Soldiers. Their attack sync was impressive. Luffy used his shield like a hammer, smashing through enemy lines, while Koby, more precise and agile, struck down Heartless like a reaper.
But then, the Giga Shadow appeared—emerging from the shadow of a wall. It stole a precious minute from us: darting through the shadows of objects, walls, and ceilings, it fired dark bullets with deadly precision. Luffy was knocked back once, grunting in pain, and Koby narrowly avoided a shot that could have pierced his leg.
"Jordan, I need an opening!" shouted Nami, raising her staff, crackling with electricity.
I spotted the Giga Shadow just as it emerged from the shadow of a chair. "Now!"
Two bolts of lightning flashed at once—one from Nami, the other from me. They struck the creature mid-transition, freezing it in place.
The Giga Shadow exploded in a burst of dark energy.
We barely had time to catch our breath."We have to keep moving!" I said, turning around. "If the Queen gives the execution order before we get there, it'll be too late."
We didn't bother talking to the door this time. One look exchanged, a nod—and Luffy, with a battle cry, sent it flying into splinters with a powerful kick.
The shattered wood had barely hit the ground when we burst through the entrance to the Royal Garden. But the moment we stepped inside, a blinding flash forced us to squint—A glowing barrier snapped shut behind us with a crystalline sound, trapping us in a circular space. A magical circle lit up beneath our feet.
A forced battle.
But there was no time to think.
All our eyes locked on the same spot: the platform in the center of the garden.There was Alice. She looked slightly older, taller than during our last encounter—As if Wonderland was still toying with our perception of time.She was kneeling, bound, her eyes wide with fear.In front of her, a card soldier stood with a massive axe raised high above his head.
Everything happened in a split second.
"NO!" Koby screamed in sheer panic.
I reacted instantly, launching an ice spike with a deadly whistle, but—The axe was already coming down. Too fast.
A red flash lit up Koby's eyes. His body shimmered like a heat wave, vanishing from our sight, only to reappear on the platform.
Clang!Steel rang out.
Koby, standing tall, arms raised, had blocked the axe with his scimitar. Sparks flew from the impact, his legs trembled from the force—but he held his ground.
My ice spike followed a heartbeat later, slamming into the card soldier, sending him flying like a limp puppet, crashing against the garden's fence.
Alice, trembling, looked up at Koby as he untied her. Then, in a tearful sob, she threw herself into his arms, clinging to him as if her life depended on it.
"Koby… Koby! You… you came…" she sobbed.
Koby, still in shock, slowly caught his breath and gently returned the hug, placing a reassuring hand on her hair."Of course I came… I told you we'd see each other again."
A heavy silence settled for a second, then…
"WHO DARES INTERRUPT THIS QUEEN'S JUDGMENT?!"
The thunderous voice of the Queen of Hearts echoed like a clap of thunder. Her face was crimson, twisted with fury. She pointed her scepter at us, trembling with indignation.
"SOLDIERS! OFF WITH ALL THEIR HEADS!"
Dozens of card soldiers sprang into action, emerging from the hedges like a tidal wave. Their weapons gleamed under the dull Wonderland sun.
I didn't hesitate a second.
"Nami, wreck her."
"With pleasure!" she growled, raising her staff, her eyes flashing lightning long before her magic did.
I opened my arms, releasing a wave of Shadows, Air Soldiers, and Blue Rhapsodies that burst forth around me in a halo of controlled darkness.
Luffy, silent, tapped his shield twice with a closed fist, then charged into the fray. He struck the card soldiers with a new ferocity, clearing a path toward the platform.
"Gum-Gum Tornado!" he shouted, spinning like a hurricane, sending three soldiers flying in a single blow.
Meanwhile, Nami made lightning rain down. The cards, though immortal, were slammed to the ground again and again.
"They keep coming back…" she growled between two lightning bolts. "But at least they suffer each time."
"Hang in there, Koby!" I shouted as I joined him. "Alice is your priority—I'll handle anyone who tries to get near her!"
"Thanks, Jordan!" Koby yelled back, catching his breath as two more cards lunged at him.
The fight had erupted into a coordinated massacre, a battle of wills against an army of immortal puppets.
Thunder cracked repeatedly across the artificial sky of Wonderland.
Nami, standing at the top of the magical barrier, her cloak billowing from the magic pressure, slammed her staff down again and again, raining a barrage of lightning directly onto the Queen of Hearts.
"YOU WANT HEADS?! HERE'S YOUR JUSTICE!" she screamed, her face etched with fury.
The bolts struck the Queen square in the chest. She screamed in agony, her figure convulsing under the electrical arcs running through her. Her ragged cries echoed throughout the garden, until she finally collapsed in a cloud of black smoke.
Not just unconscious.This time… she was dead.
And suddenly, as if her very existence had been the source of their power, the card soldiers all collapsed at once—limp, frozen, like simple toys robbed of their magic.
A heavy silence fell over the garden.
I released the tension in my shoulders and turned toward the platform.
Koby.
I sprinted toward him, my Keyblade vanishing in a flash of light. He was on his knees, breathing heavily, trembling all over. Alice, in tears, clung to him as if afraid he might vanish again.
"Koby!" I called out, kneeling beside him. His eyes were bloodshot, his muscles stretched to the limit.
"Jordan… I stopped it. I made it… but… my body… could barely keep up…"
"You did more than that. You saved a life."
I placed a hand on his chest and cast Cure. A soft green light enveloped him, easing the tension, healing the micro-tears in his muscles. He winced, but his breathing steadied.
I cast Cure twice more, just to be sure there'd be no lasting damage.
Alice, still clinging to him, looked up at me.
"Thank you… all of you… Thank you for saving me."
Koby, a bit pale but now on his feet, reassured her in a soft voice. "You're the one who gave me the strength to move that fast. I… felt like I had to do it, no matter what."
Nami joined us, exhausted but triumphant. "You should've seen her face when I started frying her…"
She paused, glancing at Koby. "And you… you gave me quite the scare."
"You think I unlocked a new power…?" he asked, still dazed.
"We'll figure that out later, hero," I said, patting his shoulder.
Suddenly, the ground beneath our feet vibrated slightly. A strange light appeared at the back of the garden, where a black and gold portal slowly opened, rose petals falling around it like a supernatural rain.
Nami squinted. "Another room?"
"Probably… the last one."
Luffy, who had silently rejoined us, clapped his fist into his palm. "Then we finish it. Together."
Koby nodded. Alice, trembling but resolute, looked at us. "I'll wait for you here. I'm safe now."
"Promise we'll be right back," Nami said with a wink.
In front of us stood a massive circus tent, with all the remaining Heartless gathered in one place, surrounding four Trickmasters—each one far more terrifying than the ones we'd faced before.
The Heartless I hadn't recalled from our previous fight emerged from the shadows the moment we entered the boss chamber, throwing themselves into the fray. This was no longer an ordinary battle… it had become complete chaos.
Shadows darted between the Trickmasters' legs, Large Bodies tried to block their fiery blows, while Air Soldiers spun through the skies, gunning down my Heartless with their pistols. The room echoed with screams, fire, and the constant pounding of battle drums.
Without wasting a second, I took to the air, Keyblade in hand, flying straight toward the four Trickmasters waiting at the center of the arena.
Luffy, eyes gleaming with excitement, leapt after me. "Do we each take two? Or is it all-for-all?!"
"As long as we bring them down, I don't care!" I shouted, diving toward the enemies.
But no sooner had we engaged them than the Trickmasters raised their long flaming staffs, hurling them toward us like magical missiles. Flames danced around us, tracing arcs of glowing red light through the air.
"They're controlling them with telekinesis!" I yelled, weaving between the shots as a burst of fire grazed my shoulder.
"Seriously?!" Luffy groaned, raising his shield to block one of the projectiles. "That's cheating!"
The aerial battle became hard to track. The staffs spun wildly, forcing me into sharp dodges to avoid being hit. One strike nearly caught my legs, making me lose altitude.
But then Luffy went on the offensive.
"I'm gonna throw 'em off! GUM-GUM… TORNADOOO!"
A swirling gust suddenly surged as Luffy began to spin at incredible speed, his shield capturing the wind current. The Trickmasters lost control of their staffs for a few seconds, disoriented by the whirlwind—and I took full advantage.
"Perfect. My turn!"
I rained down a barrage of spells: fireballs, icy spears, and orbs of dark energy that smashed straight into one of the Trickmasters. A stalactite pierced its chest, followed by a burst of lightning—BOOM!
It exploded in a shower of magical sparks, collapsing into smoky ashes.
"One down!" I called as I turned toward Luffy.
On the ground, Koby and Nami had just finished pushing back the last wave of minions. Nami, staff raised, was breathing hard but still had fire in her eyes.
"All the small ones are down!" she shouted. "We're coming!"
"Reinforcements incoming!" Koby added, leaping up onto the platform, his scimitar gleaming in the magical light.
"Perfect! Three left—let's crush them together!" I said, rejoining my friends in a surge of shared power.
The three remaining Trickmasters had no idea what was coming for them.
A coordinated lightning strike from Nami, a melee combo between Koby and Luffy, and a charged Keyblade blow from me brought down the final bosses in a perfectly synchronized wave of energy.
When the last Trickmaster fell, the room suddenly lit up with a golden glow before teleporting us back to the Garden, where Alice was waiting.
Alice, her cheeks still slightly flushed with emotion, gave us a sincere smile, full of gratitude. She took a few hesitant steps, then slowly walked toward Koby.
He, confused but attentive, didn't know how to react when she rose up on her tiptoes and, without warning, placed a soft kiss on his lips.
Time seemed to freeze.
Koby's eyes widened like saucers. His face instantly turned beet red as he stammered something incomprehensible, completely frozen in place like a statue.
On my end, my jaw had literally dropped. "I... uh… huh?!"
Nami couldn't help but giggle, a hand covering her mouth, amused as much by the kiss as by Koby's reaction. "Too cute…" she whispered with a smirk.
Luffy, true to himself, didn't react much to the romantic part of the scene. He simply smiled proudly, arms crossed, happy to see the girl they'd helped save now free. "She looks happy. That's all that matters."
Without another word, Alice turned gracefully, her blonde hair swaying as she walked away. A door of light opened in the air at the far end of the garden. She stepped through it, casting one last gentle look our way before vanishing into the glowing mist.
A long silence settled after her departure… at least until Koby let out a small, nervous whimper.
"What… just happened?"
I placed a hand on Koby's shoulder, still a bit stunned myself, a half-amused, half-proud smile on my face.
"You were the hero today, Koby… apparently, it pays off."
The young swordsman, his face still bright red and eyes distant, let out a nearly pained groan.
"J-Jordan…" he whispered, turning toward the rest of the crew, who were all looking at him with teasing grins.
But before I could respond, Luffy raised his fist in the air enthusiastically.
"No heroes, Koby! We're pirates!"
His shout echoed through the quiet garden, light as a breeze after a storm.
I threw my arms up, laughing wholeheartedly.
"Sorry, Captain! Correction: you were one hell of a pirate, Koby."
Nami, taking advantage of the momentary distraction, approached Koby with a mischievous smirk. She leaned toward him and whispered teasingly:
"If you want… I can give you a few tips so you're not so passive next time."
The poor guy turned as red as a pirate flag, completely frozen with embarrassment.
While Koby tried his best to regain his composure, we made our way back through the garden. The magic barrier had vanished, allowing us to return to the entrance without any obstacles.
As we drank the potion on the table, each of us slowly returned to our normal size. I let out a sigh of relief as I stretched, glad to feel my full stature again and the strength back in my legs.
A soft chime rang through the air, followed by a glowing golden message floating above the dungeon door:
• Luffy gains an additional equipment slot.• Nami gains the passive skill Royal Protection (two card soldiers appear in battle to defend their queen — immortal and indestructible, can only be stunned for 5 seconds).• Koby gains the passive skill Alice's Kiss (grants a small HP regeneration).• Jordan gains: 600 Shadows, 4 Giga-Shadows, 120 Large Bodies, 120 Red Nocturnes, 120 Yellow Operas, 120 Blue Rhapsodies, 120 Air Soldiers, and 4 Trickmasters.• Your Air Soldiers and Trickmasters have been upgraded to Hard Mode.
You have unlocked: Wonderland — Expert Mode.
I smiled as the glowing words faded away like stardust.
"Well then…" I said, crossing my arms with a challenging grin. "Who's ready for even more madness?"
Koby took a step back, hands raised. "I vote… for a break. Just a tiny one."
Nami nodded quickly. "For once, I completely agree."
Luffy furrowed his brow in deep thought… then smiled.
"You guys are lucky… I'm hungry."
(Author's Note: I'll explain Koby's burst in the next chapter, so no spamming please ^^ Also, if you're enjoying the story, feel free to leave a review — I'd love to get more visibility. I'm also adding images here for the Hard Mode versions of the Trickmaster and Air Soldiers.)