I sighed again, trudging the streets of this strange village. There was no work for me so far, and I still had no idea where I was. A part of my mind thought that I was somehow transferred to the world of One Piece via that strange fruit, but I highly doubted it.

I mean really. Travelling to other dimensions via weird apples? Puh-lease...

"I told you once, and I won't tell you again, Carlotta! You can't have another raise!"

"I'm a singer! I get paid to sing! And to sing for this dump, I deserve a raise! If not, I'm stepping!"

"No raise or no singer, is it? Then I choose no singer! You're fired!"

My interests were peeked as I heard all this. A singer? Would they accept a replacement?

I casually approached the complex.

"Fine! Come, Walter! We're leaving!"

"Charlie is the waiter, not just your guitarist! He isn't going with you!"

"Fine!"

I was almost knocked off my feet when the door flung open and some woman in a strange garb that clung a bit too much to her figure stepped out. She looked more like a street punk than a singer.

There was a long sigh as I peered in. It was a dark pub-looking place, with a stage bright with lights. There were two men and two women there. The one man, the owner I guessed, was the one rubbing his temples.

I knocked, catching their attention.

"Can I help you?" He asked.

"Ah, yes... um..." I said, fidgeting. "I couldn't help but overhear that your singer quit on you, and well, I'm looking for work, and I can sing, so I was wondering..."

"We won't be able to pay much..." He said.

"That's fine." I said. "Any kind of money right now is fine for me..."

They looked at me, and after a while, I thought it was a silent no, but he stood, nodding slightly.

"Go up there and sing a song for me. Acapella." He said.

I nodded, walking onto the stage, wincing at the light. It's been a while since I was on a stage like this, but I'll wing it...

"Desmond has a barrow in the market place, Molly is the singer in a band. Desmond says to Molly 'girl I like your face'. And Molly says this as she takes him by the hand..." I just kept on singing, swaying here and there to the imaginary music in my head.

Before even entering the second verse, though, I heard a call of "enough!" and thought I totally screwed up. I then saw the owner's smiling face, and the waiter's and waitress' beaming eyes. What took the cake though, was the whispering, awed crowd near the door, and automatically knew otherwise.

"You're hired."

I beamed with happiness as he signaled me down. With discussing costumes and such, all my other worries seemed to fade off into the slowly fading day.

I didn't know where I was, but I just hoped that this place was going to be good to me...