'Without music, life would be a mistake.

The woman stormed into the room, with ten men at her accompaniment. Kipp's hideout was an old sawmill factory which was shutdown decades ago by the World Government due to suspicions of illegal activity. Meaning it was the perfect location for his activities, as most, no all townspeople with the right sense of mind never dared to enter this part of town. A smile shone across the pirate Captain's face as the woman entered, the door shut behind them, as sitting in the various lounge chairs across the room was Kipp's core pirate crew, all except Charlotte and another man, who went by the name of Genga.

The men around the room alerted by the small force the woman came with drew their pistols which aimed directly at the woman's temple. "Enough!" Kipp shouted. "Don't you know to never point your pistol at a lady until you find out her fancy..." Kipp said, glaring at his men with blood like red wine tinted iris. The men subsided their hostility, still on alert from the slightest movement. Kipp positioned behind the office table, his sword Otomi pressed against the hind of his chair leg, leaning on the table. The broker began to sweat profusely due to the tension rising within the room's walls. "Wait hold up Mercy! Asher agreed to meet with Kipp directly as per-" the broker's speech was ended instantly with the severing of his head.

"I apologize for this man's rudeness." Kipp stated, sheathing his now blood stained blade, after wiping the blood into the sleeve of his kimono. "I never expected the broker's contact to come to a old run down mill like this. Besides it's better this way... I hate the scent of marines." Kipp exclaimed sighing. "I want to contract your boss under these terms alone. This isn't a partnership or a subordination attempt, put simply, I'll kill of all those who have allegiance to him here in Mock Town, all I ask is that your boss delay Vega Stigan, the proprietor of this turf. My ultimate end goal is this, I want to travel to the Kingdom in the Sky and kill God. According to my reports, this so called Kingdom was rumored to be one-half of Jaya. As it is above, so it shall be below. I want to rule both turfs and I need his help." Kipp concluded.

Junbei's piano playing halted abruptly before he reached the end of the piece. Lucas looked over his shoulder to the stage, spinning around in a drunken haze. "*hiccup* Why'd the music stop brat!?" the man exclaimed angrily. "Could you go and sit in the back... Your scent is repulsive... It's messing with my concentration." Junbei said smugly. "Whatta ya' say you little shit! Ain't you tired of getting your ass handed to you by me..." Lucas exclaimed frustrated, climbing onto the stage. Restarting to play once again, Junbei ignored the man's bellowing shouted, "Sorry everyone, I apologize for my outburst. I should've known better than to expect that a corrupted, self-centered and unsophisticated peon would understand my problems with him ruining all of our good times and stinking up the place." Junbei said, banging his fingers against the notes as means to subside his frustrations. To gauge the man's frustration, the blood creeping from the crevices of his right and left index fingers were more than enough. The man played silently now but beautifully for a moment.

As his fingers danced against the keyboard, his face soon met a slow embrace with the wooden floor from the strength of Lucas's punch to the face. The drunken pirate began to beat the man, halting the music. The townspeople began to spew from the room, as the woman who was attacked and her friend were two ladies Junbei had met earlier in the week. The women from the jump had poor opinions of Junbei, as anyone would. A pirate who murdered ten children in his youth and traveled through the South Blue tying himself to a series of murders and robberies. The women now watched him with concerned eyes as the man dug into the pirates flesh with his leather boots.

"Ugh... Don't look at me like that..." Junbei thought as the women's eyes contained the one attribute he despised, pity. "Eh... I must look pathetic now. In the past I would've killed him in a heartbeat. Now, I just let weaklings like him get away with everything. The last time I let my anger possess me... I became someone I wasn't proud of." Junbei thought to himself as he began to cough up blood from the beating from the leather shoes. Blocking the man's foot, Junbei managed to push the man back, timing the man's kick his own nudge, causing him to fall on his behind.

Standing up, Junbei wiped the blood from his mouth. Clutching his sides, the man grabbed onto his briefcase, spitting any residual blood in his mouth onto the ground. The women who watched his beaten, now three in number, the two patrons and Charlotte never diverted their eyes for a minute. Lucas began to laugh, no longer able to move due to the intoxication. Gingerly stepping down from the stage, the man began to laugh even more uncontrollably. For the umpteenth time for the week, the woman and Junbei's eyes made contact. "Why do you let him beat you like this when you're so much stronger, boy?" Charlotte inquired.

"Him! Stronger! Slaves do say the funniest things!" Lucas exclaimed rolling on the floor in his own sweat. Charlotte's eyes glazed over at the man's statement, frozen from her usual confident aura. "We only let you bark the orders but we all know what you are. Our slave. We bought you back on that island... We liberated you... We shared you... Now our boss has rewarded your loyalty with power but don't forget your place, wench." Lucas said sitting up barely, leaning to his side because in his state, it felt more comfortable as the vomit in his esophagus was soon to erupt. However his speech continued to spew, his abuse freezing the once seemingly confident teenager, into a small object, removing her humanity. "Stop. Enough Lucas." Charlotte said, coupling her body as if she had just been physically violated.

Passing out in the puddle of his own puke, Lucas passed out with a smug smile on his face. This was common among the crew members of Kipp's crew. Whenever they were having a bad day or frustrated about treatment from their Captain, they have a verbal or even a physical swing at Charlotte. 'The Punching Doll', was here nickname among the men of the crew and among the women simply 'Wench'. It was in these moments that Charlotte felt used and she too continued the cycle, taking her anger out on others, beating rivaling crews and enemies of the Kipp pirates as tools for her frustration. It was a sick family but the only 'family' she had.

Finally making it to her position, Junbei uttered the words that placed the final nail in the woman's personal coffin. "I hate people like you." Junbei concluded, walking pass the woman, limping from the swelling of his rib cage. "I don't need to waste my time on those who are insignificant to my cause. You sat here for the last week listening to me play and each night you go 'home' to be abused by people like that idiot. I won't have his blood on these hands... I've killed much more innocent people than that for much less." Junbei concluded. "Heh... So you're a coward too... Running from your pass." Charlotte said scoffing with empty eyes almost in tears. Limping out the door, "I was wrong. Let me reiterate again. I really hate people like you. Instead of finding flaws in my methods, have the courage to fix yours. At least at the end of my path there's a goal." Junbei said, pausing at the door's exit.

Jumping forward, Charlotte almost wanted to run after the man, in this moment it seemed as though she'd never see him again after this. "Then why!? What's the reason for all of this!? Playing weak!? Asking informants about some far fetched Kingom in the Sky! I've been tracking you! You're taking all of this abuse just for a foolish fairy tale! Then tell me why!? How can it be worth all of the pain... All of the abuse and when you have the power to stop it in an instant! How do you not lash out!?" the woman screamed frustrated. Pointing towards the sky with a single finger, with the moonlight illuminating his crimson eyes, the glow almost made him look majestic. "If this much pain made me quit, my guardian angel would laugh at me." Junbei said smiling.

---

Bowing down on one knee, the proud Kipp showed his commitment to this alliance. "Then let's turn this world on it's head. Since a child I only had one dream... Becoming a God. The only way to achieve this is simple. Killing all the Gods of this World. The World Nobles, Kings and even Celestial Dragons... Any God who opposes me... Even Vega shall die. That's what my crew's slogan means by 'To Chase God'." Kipp said grinning.