The basic principles of editing

"Dial it back," Batman warned.

"Ahem..." Roland slipped the Jade Penguin into his pocket. "Just making a little extra cash..."

"Batman, this new Robin of yours doesn't seem very obedient," Penguin said pointedly.

"What makes you think I'm Robin? I'm Joker."

"...Don't get sidetracked." Batman seized Penguin by the collar. "Talk. Have you been smuggling RDX explosives into Gotham?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Penguin's eyes flickered almost imperceptibly as he feigned ignorance.

Batman said nothing, but his presence grew menacing.

"Should I give you two some privacy?" Roland turned his back and began admiring the famous paintings hanging in Penguin's office.

After a series of screams, Penguin soon confessed to his crimes and obediently handed over the crates of explosives he had stored.

"All right. We'll leave the rest to the Gotham Police." Once Batman had confirmed that Penguin had divulged everything relevant, he dusted off his hands.

"I don't think that'll work," Roland said after a moment's thought.

"What?" Batman paused.

"For Penguin, isn't going to jail basically a half-day vacation?" Roland said. "Once he posts bail, he'll be out that same day. How is that any different from not handing him over to the police at all?"

"You mean... kill him?" Batman shook his head. "I have no right to decide whether someone lives or dies. Every criminal should stand trial, not die at my hands."

"I know that." Roland had been fully prepared for Batman's answer. "But I have a plan to keep him under control..."

"What are you planning?" Batman's instincts told him Roland was about to stir up trouble.

"Heh heh heh..." Roland gave a sinister chuckle. "Everyone has a weakness, and Penguin is no exception. Once we get a grip on his, we can make him work for me... I mean, mend his ways."

"Y-you'd better not try anything!" Penguin had a bad feeling about this.

"Why would I do that...?" Roland cackled. "Mr. Cobblepot, unless I'm mistaken, you've always wanted to join high society, haven't you?"

Penguin's sense of foreboding deepened at those words. "What are you getting at?"

"But there are some things that, once you've done them, will shut you out of high society forever..." Roland said meaningfully, then turned to Batman. "By the way, I heard you're an expert vocal mimic too. Is that right?"

"Yes, I know a few vocal tricks." Batman nodded. "Why?"

"So you can imitate Penguin's voice?"

"Yes," Batman said in Penguin's voice.

"Then let me write something for you..." Roland grabbed a pen and some paper from the desk and began scribbling furiously. "Read this in Penguin's voice when you're done."

Two minutes later, he handed Batman what he had written.

Batman skimmed the page and recoiled. "This... this is going too far."

"It's not that bad," Roland said. "Once you've read it, I'll edit the audio together with footage of Penguin."

"Have you actually looked at what you wrote?" Batman could barely bring himself to say it.

"I don't even know why there are niggas in Gotham City. There aren't any plantations here with cotton for them to pick. We ought to act like the sheriffs in the old days: beat those niggers senseless, throw them in jail, then drag them out and string them up. Now they're citizens here. What a disgrace to Gotham City!"

Roland began reading his script aloud, and Penguin immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

Although various forms of discrimination existed to varying degrees throughout America, public figures absolutely could not engage in such behavior. Otherwise, utter disgrace and ruin awaited them.

And Roland kept going.

"Those idiots who sliced their little Jewish sausages are even more disgusting. Why don't we learn from advanced Germany and build an organic soap factory? Those naturally greedy Jews would make perfectly good raw materials. Ultimately, such a vile race should be exterminated. Once I rule Gotham City, the first thing I'll do is follow the Führer's policies and lock them all in concentration camps."

"And those rednecks are all simpletons. They weigh more than refrigerators and do nothing but eat and sleep all day. Can stupid creatures like that even be called human? As far as I'm concerned, apart from their appetites, they're no different from livestock."

"The Yakuza are even more laughable. Monkeys from Japan actually came here and formed a gang. Those little monkeys had better behave, or sooner or later we'll drop an atomic bomb on Tokyo too, to make up for missing it last time."

"All right, stop..." Even Batman had started wiping away sweat. "If this gets out, he won't just be excluded from high society. He'll be excluded from human society."

"Isn't that even better?" Roland said. "It gives us more leverage over Penguin. Mr. Cobblepot, tell me, do you want to be a good person? You wouldn't want high society to shut you out completely, would you?"

"Gulp... I want to be a good person." Penguin closed his eyes. Roland's move was so ruthless that he had no choice but to submit.

Against most other criminals, a threat like this would have been a joke. They couldn't care less about public condemnation.

But Penguin had always wanted to enter Gotham City's high society. He even had political ambitions. To him, these things were critically important.

"If we catch you doing anything illegal again, don't blame us for showing no mercy." Roland dusted off his hands. "For now, be a good boy and go to jail."

"All right..." Penguin thought it over. Smuggling explosives would legally constitute a Class D felony, carrying a maximum sentence of six years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for an individual.

But with a good lawyer working the case, he could get the sentence reduced to less than a year. Then, with time off for good behavior, he would only have to spend a few months behind bars. That wasn't unacceptable.

This approach was entirely legal, so presumably Batman couldn't use it as an excuse to target him.

"All right, we're leaving now. Aren't you going to see us out?" Roland asked Penguin.

"...Of course." Penguin opened his office door and signaled to the men outside not to make any rash moves.

He then personally escorted Batman and Roland out of the Iceberg Lounge with great warmth.

"Do you think he's really behaving now, or is he just playing along?" Roland asked after climbing into the Batmobile.

"He's waiting to see what happens... Your method worked. Penguin should lie low for a while."