In this chapter, we learn that the battle is between the royal androids and the "flanders," a group of Polynesians who live on the coast of Africa. The battle is being fought on the island of Illyria, which is in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Hiro, the mermaid, is on the other side of the island, and she is fighting for the "blood warrior" , who is a member of the royal family. Hiro tells us that he has seen the mermaid before, and that she is a blood warrior. He says that he will leave her to Hiro for a while, but that he wants to know how long the battle will take. Hiro says that it will take them a long time to get there, because the island's cannons are so powerful that they can't be easily destroyed. He also says that Hiro's ship is already in the air, waiting to attack the island again.