Manipulator

"Mmph ngh mmph [This is the worst]!" Mimoko cried.

"Ngh? Mmph ngh mmph [Why? We're getting a free ride]," Iori sarcastically replied.

"Ngh [No]."

After being confronted by the mysterious army and Pewler, the girls quickly found themselves gagged and clad in straight jackets on a one-way trip to a maximum security prison.

"Now ladies, no need to show me such nasty looks," Pewler sneered as he sat across from the restrained girls.

Pewler was a stout man with a big belly and menacing goatee. He had shoulder length black hair was tied up in a ponytail, and while he had a calm and soothing voice, the look in his eyes was anything but. While the look appeared to be soothing and welcoming, a closer look would reveal the pure malintent Pewler had planned for the world at large. Iori was able to guess what kind of man Pewler was at a glance, but what surprised her more was that Carol was the most upset about being captured. She hadn't stopped struggling and the look in her eyes suggested she wanted Pewler dead more than anything else.

"Ah, so you too decided to shear yourself in an attempt to hide your identity, Miss Cooke," Pewler sneered as he grabbed Carol's face. "A shame my DESPER's already been used, but sadly it has it's own internal timer so time zone jumping doesn't reset it any faster. A shame, since I'd love to make you conform to my world order."

Iori's eyes narrowed as Pewler made eye contact with her. "You're the one my good friend Tsar Vasilyevich warned me about. Thanks to that, the fact that you're hiding your true strength is taken into account, making it all the more easier to predict your movements. And before you ask, take a guess as to how I knew you'd be hiding in Big Ben."

Iori responded with a muffled grunt as Pewler smiled and nodded towards a well-dressed woman. The woman nodded back and immediately kicked Iori in the face, drawing blood.

"You see, you have no freedom or rights now that you're all captured. As such, roughing you all up is a given to assert dominance. Though you, Miss Inoue are the exception. While your blessing might prevent physical harm, it can't break you out of prison. Speaking of which, it seems you've done me quite the favor by shaving your heads. Since nobody will recognize you, and you all have yet to publicly reveal your new looks, who's to say I can't pass you three off as other people?"

The girls went silent as Pewler smiled malevolently at them. It was now becoming all the more clear why Daria warned about avoiding Pewler at all costs; he was cunning and dangerous.

"Shit! That pony-tailed fuck had everything in control from the start. I shouldn't have subjected Mimo-chan to that clout-grab. Now she's not only captured but bald to boot. Fuck!" Iori thought as she began to struggle.

As soon as the truck came to a halt, the girls were blindfolded and forced to sit and wait for a while before being shoved into what felt like crates.

"Manuel, you are quite predictable in your schemes," a voice growled.

Iori and Mimoko immediately recognized the voice; it was Raymond Redfield, the WWCF president.

"Ah, so you caught wind. A shame, but even with your authority, they committed the crime of murder, and thus, they must face the consequences," Pewler chuckled.

"They aren't murderers, they're chess players that were kidnapped and brought here via your Desperado colleagues."

"This lie again?"

A scowl appeared on Raymond's face as Pewler's smirk began to get more confident. "Pewler, you know damn well that's Mimoko Inoue."

"Have you gone senile? None of these women are who you claim they are, in fact all are American nationals that escaped from Riker's Island and managed to stow away on a ship bound for London. Coincidentally, the crew of said ship just so happened to be murdered by theses fiends. You should know I don't condone murder," Pewler chuckled as he pulled out his phone.

Raymond remained calm as he was shown the article on Pewler's phone. "So you've capitalized on the girl's change in appearance to weave your lie into reality."

"And what are you implying? This article is written by the trusted Blue Hornet-"

"Which is run by one of your sycophants, yes?" Raymond glared as he pulled his gold skeleton key out of his pocket.

Pewler's smirk began to slightly fade as his glare became more menacing. "So you pulled out your trump card. Well, as much as you might think you can solve all your petty problems by beating me, I am merely an American senator and have no such power here in Britain," he sneered as he began walking away.

"Just because you are talented at chess doesn't mean you're above MY law."

"I didn't kill them, nor did this country's law enforcement deal great bodily harm to them. In fact, the captain of the guard is right there, so why don't you play her for the prisoner's right to leave."

"No need, Mimoko Inoue can free herself," Raymond stated as he walked up to one of the bald girls before him and shoved his skeleton key into her breasts.

The guard captain stared in silence for a bit before ordering her men to release the girls. Raymond didn't bother staying and headed out before the girls could even be freed. Once he was out of sight, Pewler approached the girl Raymond had given his key to and immediately grabbed the key out of the girl's breasts.

"Sorry Mr. President, but it seems you failed to see the mate threat," he thought as he twiddled the key in his hands.

The three bald girls then removed their disguises, revealing themselves to be Pewler's goons.

Elsewhere, Mimoko, Carol, and Iori were still trapped in crates.

"Are they shipping us or something? I heard that prez guy, but it sounded like he was outside the truck."

Iori's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her crate being pried open.

"You have potential. Make use of these, though be warned they are limited to a single use only," Raymond's voice rang out as Iori felt something get dropped on top of her.

She attempted to struggle, but then found to her surprise that her restraints had been loosened, allowing her to free herself. She then examined the small box Raymond had left her and opened it to find 9 gold skeleton keys inside.

"Hold up, didn't Oki-kun mention something about these keys being connected to DESPYs? If so, could these allow challengers to forcefully activate a DESPER!?"

A malicious smile began to form on Iori's face. She had found a new toy to play with, though she quickly returned to her senses after hearing Mimoko's and Carol's muffled cries for help. "Ah, better save those two and get out of here."