♩

Sitting on the dressing room table, the jazz musician hand shook violently due to onset stage performing jitters. Noticing the male's uneasiness, the eldest of the Blues Brothers, and newly reformed Songbird, Nico, placed his hands on the youth's shoulder. "Hehe... You nervous?" Nico inquired. "N-N-N-" the male uttered, unable to even finish his sentence. Chiming, "There's like a hundred thousands people... Revolutionaries... Scientists... Lotus natives combined that've come to see Junbei's Concert. It's not everyday a Yonko becomes a famous rockstar. For all the wrong reasons." the middle brother of the quartet commented. Grinning, "Just relax." Nico said. Standing up from his hoisted position above room's floor, "HOW CAN I BE CALM!? IT'S LIKE THIRTY MINUTES BEFORE CALL TIME AND OUR CAPTAIN IS MSSING! WE DON'T HAVE A SHOW WITHOUT JUNBEI!" the youngest brother exclaimed, huffing and puffing heavily after screaming his frustrations out. The other brothers and the accompanying musicians and backup dancers simply laughed, "What's so funny!?" the younger brother said, puffing out his cheeks. "Trust me. When it's showtime... The King always appears to address his subjects." Nico said grinning.


"Seriously Junbei... an amusement park? This is what we're spending the Brokers money on?" Octavia commented, eating a giant cotton candy puff. Standing on the roof's fencing, on-looking the almost multi-arced landscape, digging through his fancy dress shirt pockets for a cigarette. Placing the tobacco stick in his mouth, the man flickered a lighter from underneath his sleeve, igniting the cigarette's stub. With one pull and puff, "Rishi Rishi.... I'm sure if Jade and Mavis saw that I named these rides after them, they'd freak. Besides... I don't see why the woman who eats us out of cotton candy every-time we open the park is currently complaining about my spending as she stuffs her face." Junbei said grinning. Puffing out her cheeks, the seventeen foot tall woman swiped her hand towards Junbei in anger, only to slip through his innards like wind through a fly net. "Meanie! Take your hits like a man!" Octavia exclaimed, puffing her cheeks out so wide until her hazel melanin almost seemingly glowed cherry-red. Reforming his upper torso from it's raw sound state, Junbei free fell off the building's fence. "MAYBE NEXT TIME! I GOT A SHOW TO GET TO!" Junbei exclaimed grinning, tossing the cigarette and grabbing onto his black wizard hat as he free-fell. Walking to the edge of the fence, "You're getting too old for stunts like this old man! You even got beard now! When are you gonna settle down!?" Octavia shouted smiling. "WHEN I BECOME PIRATE KING I GUESS!" Junbei exclaimed, using his Oto Oto No Mi abilities to ride the sound of his descent.

Below the concert hall contained, over 100,000 in attendance, entering from the ceiling, the lights for the show lit. It was a candid setting in the audience, most of the concert hall was designed to accommodate dining and snazzy dressing. The whole hall was laced with state of the art sound system equipment from speakers, to microphones and even the best instruments money could buy. However, with his Funky Jammer pressed against his back, bearing the '66' crest on it, Junbei couldn't help but wonder what Rokuju was up to. As he looked into the crowd and seeing patrons purchasing from the several food trucks plastered inside the concert flooring, he wondered if Jade would've stuffed his face in the audience, instead of playing security detail with the other crew-mates. Entering into his intangibility state fully, Junbei re-appeared on stage, a stage yet to be lit by any form of lighting. As the crowd gave out a loud roar, Nico grabbed the terrified Blues Brother and signalled to the remainder of the orchestra and band. "Looks like he's just on time!" Nico exclaimed, rushing onto the stage.

Picking up the microphone from the stand, the whole stage was lit was 35 Wat LED Lights, "Looks like tonight will be a good one! GOODNIGHT SONGBIRDS!" Junbei shouted. The man's call beckoned an audience of over 100,000 to go wild. "Boy... Do we have a show for you tonight? Rishi Rishi" Junbei stated.

♩

As the band setup on stage, thousands of people watched as Junbei simply stood idle in silence, running through the setlist in his mind. He'd never truly looked anyone in an audience ever directly in their eyes, honestly, going from cheap hotels to performing in his own Concert Hall in itself was a dream. As the drummer sat behind the kit, a small rhythmic beat game into fruition, almost on cue, "This is one is a love song... It's called Swooner's Cadence." Junbei exclaimed grinning. As the man's fingers ran against the strings of his Funky Jammer, the man's song expanded over fifty meters, amplified even louder in the concert hall's speakers. Women began to loose their minds, tossing their hands violently in the air, almost falling head over heels for Junbei in an instant. Closing his eyes, for three minutes, the Songbird's smooth, now slightly robust voice travelled through the microphone, making couples and just ordinary friends draw closer in vicinity with each other. After finishing the song, the Songbird switched to the piano function on his jammer, changing the whole energy of the arena completely, to a smooth melodic lull. The sound of the harps complimented the instruments perfectly as the audience, sung along with every word. From the backroom, via Den Den Mushi Cameras, a familiar face was picked up in the crowd. Noticing the woman's position, several of the new Songbird grunts were dispatched and surrounded Mavis. "Miss.Lockheart... is it? Our boss wants to have a word with you backstage." one of the grunts reported.

"My My... I can't believe my eyes." Charlotte exclaimed, watching from the backstage monitor room. "Mavis Lockheart has reappeared. I can't let Junbei see her... If he does, he'll break concentration. This concert is being broadcasted across Paradise. I can't have the World's newest Yonko crying or even worst on nation television. Tell the camera men be ready to cut on my command!" Charlotte said, barking orders to the grunts at her disposal. "Now... Let's hope she doesn't cause too much of a scene." Charlotte exclaimed sighing.

♩

Watching the situation from backstage, Charlotte bit her lip as Mavis faded into the crowd, placing the hood over her head and losing the grunts. "Ma'am! We lost her!" one of the grunts reported back. "Goddamnit! I swear she and Junbei are the same person, stubborn. Alright pull back... She'll reveal herself soon enough." Charlotte reported sighing. As the concert raged on, hours passed and finally the second segment of the concert began. Grabbing the microphone and abandoning the microphone stand, Junbei tilted his piano guitar to his back, shaking the sweat from his hair and forehead onto the stage floor. Dressed in a white dress shirt with stringed laces by the chest, long flowing black trousers, neatly tucked to give him just enough room to move, black shined shoes, several volcanic beads around his wrists and his left-eye gently tucked behind a white mask with a 'red' cross on it, Junbei's new attire and since of style had showed his maturity over the last few years. "Thank you for coming out to my concert everyone! Now! It's time to start the feast! Rishi Rishi!" Junbei shouted. From the food trucks, platters of food from all cultures, Caribbean, Chinese and Western inspired dishes emerged as Junbei's citizens served the platters at each of the cocktail tables, even to those who took a more earthlier approach, sitting on the ground.

Hopping off the stage into the crowd, Junbei walked over to one of the many barrels of Sake placed around the edges of the arena, grabbing a cup, he dipped into the barrels contents and gulped vigorously, exclaiming 'Ah' at the completion of the jug. Microphone still in hand, the concert transformed almost into a sing-a-long karaoke, Junbei danced around with his newer crew-mates, Charlotte emerged from backstage, walking over to Junbei with urgency. However, before the woman could approach Junbei, a group of ten presented themselves before Junbei. Bowing onto the floor, the leader of the pack spoke on their behalf. "Sir! I throughly enjoyed your concert!" the man shouted. "Rishi Rishi... Thanks. How can I help you gentlemen?" Junbei inquired, dipping his cup into the ale again. "We've travelled all the way from Pirates Den to fly under you bann-" the man's speech was ended by Junbei giving the man his jug of ale. "Get up. If your going to be apart of the Songbirds... Don't ever bow to me again. We're family... From the oldest member to the newest member... Once you understand the gravity of what your stepping into. Being a Songbird means being willing to die for your 'song', whether that be literal like my music or more figurative like your own dream." Junbei stated. Tears filled the mens eyes at the man's statement, a mixture of joy and astonishment after their long journey.

Activating his Kenbunshoku Haki, Junbei sieved through the men's emotions, determining them to truthful in both their words and the emotions they conveyed, however, in activating his Haki, a familiar aura came into scope. Dropping his jug, "Impossible." Junbei declared. "What's wrong Captain!?" one of the men from the newer faction exclaimed in curiosity. "MAVIS!" Junbei shouted at the top of his voice. Smiling slightly, "I guess there's no hiding anything from him nowadays." Charlotte said sighing, finally making it through the crowd to Junbei's side.

♩

Was she a ghost? Was the woman before him really the Mavis that he'd gotten close with on Jaya? The original Vice Captain of the crew, they'd formed after taking down Kipp a little over three years ago. Initially when the woman hugged him, his first reaction was to break away from her. "Ah boy... This is what I was worried about." Charlotte stated. "Mavis. It's nice seeing you again." the man said very coldly. "I don't want you to misunderstand... It's not that I'm not happy to see you but... right now... Isn't the right time for anyone to getting that close to me. When you we're gone... alot happened." Junbei stated. The eye that he had reveal was almost blank, side effects of his final conflicts with Eris, he can't be intimate with women even in the most plutonic of senses. However, Junbei fought through and placed his hand on Charlotte's head, trembling slightly as he attempted to rest his arm on her head. Taking a deep breath, Junbei regained his composure, "I'm very glad to see you again, Mavis. A lot of things about me changed... I might not be the same Junbei you knew back then... but one thing that'll never change... is my love for you guys. If I never met you and Jade, I wouldn't probably be where I am right now." Junbei commented, light returning to his right eye. Junbei wasn't sure how Mavis would take his response, honestly, if anyone understood what Mavis felt, it was Charlotte. Weeks after the conflict, Junbei didn't talk much to anyone and then one day, he'd returned to the Junbei they'd known, however, a few things were different and his natural fear, or what seemed to be anger towards women seemed to be one of them.

♩

Junbei felt so stupid. The trembling in his hand stopped slightly, this was Mavis he was talking to, of course she'd understand him. She wasn't anything like Eris, far from, whether it be her warm smile or happy go-lucky attitude. "Thank you for understanding Mav." Junbei said grinning, showing his teeth, it was an action that most of the Songbird's new that Junbei did when he was showing true affection. A voice penetrated the duo's moment, a small pale skinned girl bearing bright emerald green eyes. It took awhile for him to locate her however, he was looking for someone around his height but when Mavis responded to the woman, dropping his gaze a few feet, there she was. Grinning slightly, "You have beautiful eyes. They say the eyes are the gateway into someone's soul. You're a dancer you say, I'll let you join after a test." Junbei said now smiling, reaching around his back to reveal his Funky Jammer, which bore the Germa 66 mark on it. Adjusting a small dial on the guitar-piano, Junbei fiddled with the strings until the instrument gave off a Spanish guitar feel. Sitting onto the floor, Junbei was now looking up towards the woman who claimed to be a dancer, and with his new position, he'd have to be skeptical who he let close to him. Nonetheless, he wasn't closed off to the concept of new recruits, after about five minutes of tuning his guitar, the man reached up, digging into his hair for two objects, a guitar pick and a cigarette. Lighting the fag and strumming his fair lady, the exotic latin music filled about fifty meters around him, much louder than a normal acoustic guitar but hey, his body was a living amplifier. Junbei began to sing a latin reprieve, the sound caused everyone around him, regardless of if they wanted to or not, feel as if they wanted to burst into dance.

The spotlights in the room now focused on two areas, where the woman was standing and where Junbei was sitting, Mavis and Charlotte looking over the entire scene. What kind of dance would the woman show him? Would her movements be exotic or urban? Maybe the music he'd selected wasn't exactly the right genre? Only time would tell, but as he strummed on, Junbei's ban scrambled to their instruments on the stage, Nico breaking in with his violin, and the Blues Brothers with base and drums, the whole concert hall's vibe transformed again in a live festival.

♩

"I hope this is what you're looking for Junbei." Daisy commented. "Rishi Rishi... Should be perfect." Junbei replied. "Why a giant forgery all of a sudden and it's make is actually quite unusual?" Daisy said, tilting her head to the side in curiosity. Placing his hand on the forges demonic make, "When one of the World's Most Famous Blacksmith's presents you with a business proposition, I'd be best to not start the negotiations empty handed." Junbei stated, walking now to exit the laboratory. "I was meaning to ask you Daisy... Why betray the Cipher Pol to serve a pirate? During the Buster Call you had ample time to switch sides, why me?" Junbei inquired. "When you first came to Tres Iron Lotus two years ago... I thought you we're nuts. Of all of the places you could've gone to made a name for yourself... I thought here would be the last place." Daisy commented. "And then you did it all for Eris, that heartless wench. To summarise, I want to see how far to the sun you can rise before these make shift wings of yours melt, Yonko." Daisy sated, expanding her hands outwards in amusement. Junbei simply grinned exiting the laboratory, winking at Daisy as he exited.


As the latin tune filled the area, the woman's exotic movements mirrored that of dancers he'd encountered from his journey in Alabasta. Smooth, Seductive and Elegant, the woman poured every angle and grace into her motion, swinging her hips from side to side effortlessly, much like a pendulum but less mechanical and more light, like a stray feather. As Junbei watched the woman's movements, scuttling along to the vibrations of his guitar, the crowd bursted into astonishment and merriment at the woman's actions, some started to clap on the beat to encourage her to continue. Continuing to play the tune, the Songbird hopped up from his seated position, after noticing a face he'd seen in the Coo over the last years and the man who'd wrote him a letter two days in advance. Shimming over to the man's current position, the Auburn Songbird pressed his back against the blacksmith's own as he strummed along. "I thought you'd be a few days later with the storms reported in the area. It's the first time I'm seeing your mug in person. Magnus Dayne... I've heard throughout the Black Market of your skill-sets. We'll talk shortly, I just wanted to let you know I saw you, Rishi Rishi." Junbei stated, his hands firmly strapped dancing along agains the strings of the Funky Jammer.

Spinning away from Magnus a few inches, Junbei continued to strum along on his guitar, as the woman's dance and the guitarist solo became the highlight of everyone's attention. Ending the guitar strung abruptly, Junbei in an instant had everyone's attention. "Today is truly an interesting day... SONGBIRDS!" Junbei shouted. "Welcome to the crew our newest dancer!" Junbei exclaimed, his shout caused the thousands in attendance to go wild. Stooping onto one knee, "Your tight. I'd be glad to have you aboard. I think my family just keeps getting bigger." Junbei said grinning. "For those who don't know!" Junbei said, making a blanket statement. "My name is Junbei Von Echo, The Auburn Songbird... and more recently... I've been called The Red King. I'm a lot of things... A pirate... A musician... but above all else, I am an advocate for freedom. If there's a wall I want to climb... I'll climb it. If there's a dream you need to reach, I'll be your wings. One thing you must remember about being a Songbird! We've been locked in our cages for so long! Once you spread your wings, you'll always be free! Isn't that right Mavis!?" Junbei exclaimed shooting a grin towards his trusted nakama. "They'll be a time when I ask some of you to raise up arms and travel with me. But that'll be another time... For now... Let's jam! And What's your name?" Junbei shouted, strumming a more hip hop type rhythm, altering the guitar's smooth Spanish sounds to more grungy 808 type beats, staring the emerald eyed dancer in her irises. As the drummer took cue, the whole party's energy changed once again.