The troupe put on the performance of their lives. Not a single member messed up. Flawless in every sense of the word.
Each member did their same act but unveiled something special.
Even Kimagure Joka went above and beyond, performing an elegant display of knife juggling.
Using different talents that he stole by watching his fellow troupe members practice their acts, Kimagure Joka juggled knives using a wide variety of twists.
"There he is!" Jinzo cried as Kimagure Joka took the stage.
"Tch. He's a creepy bastard, really.." Grit let known.
Kimagure Joka, the tall slim handsome man that he is, his pale skin and spiked back dark green hair, his sharp golden eyes..
Before he even did anything, the entire audience was already subconsciously rooting for him. They viewed his sly smile with endearment.
With nothing but a blank stage and a lone spotlight, Kimagure Joka materialized dozens of knives from his sleeves (even though he doesn't have any sleeves?!)
What followed was nothing short of ridiculous.
He juggled flaming knives. He threw knives and hit targets dead in the center. He would balance on tightropes and swing on the trapeze.
All the while, hitting the bullseye every time.
"!" The crowd would gasp.
"Oooo! That's my boi!" Swiss cheered from backstage.
"Wow ho ho!" Saint Lazlo said in awe through the polycarbonate of his astronaut helmet.
Saint Lauren kept ruinously eating her chocolate bars.
"…"
James Shelby simply sipped on his whiskey and puffed on his cigarettes, the crowd eagerly awaiting the rare moment he shows some kind of reaction.
'Kukuku, so that's how you want to play it? +' Kimagure Joka thought to himself as he observed James Shelby through the corner of his eye.
'In that case.. 3'
Kimagure Joka threw all his knives in the air and one by one he caught them.
They all seemed to disappear into the single knife that remained in his hands. Kinda like magic?
"Wooooo!" The crowd erupted.
Then Kimagure Joka took that small throwing knife and started dancing with it.
His movements were liquid perfection. Everyone in the arena got entranced as if watching the lullabied head bobs of a weaving snake.
The whole dance crescendoed into a glorious final pose in front of the imperial box where James Shelby sat.
…Well, that was the plan.
Instead of finishing on that pose, the arms of Kimagure Joka bulged, revealing his already visible veins more boldly.
He planted himself firmly and summoned all his strength.
At that moment, Swiss thought he was watching a baseball pitcher throwing the ball of his life in the championship series.
The knife flew out of Kimagure Joka's hands like the blade of Uriel.
It arrowed its way up to the imperial box as if magnetically charged by the sin of its inhabitants.
"BAKA! Those are world nobles up there!"
Swiss tried to cry out to Kimagure Joka.
Alas, his voice could not carry that great of a distance through the sonic fog of the crowd.
"Ah?" Saint Lazlo watched the throwing knife approach at a great speed with worried eyes.
"What's wrong honey?" Saint Lauren said to her husband, completely unaware of what was happening.
James Shelby closed his green eyes and went to take a sip of his whiskey…
*ZING!*
*SMASH!*
"!"
The crowd fell silent and for a moment everyone held their breath.
All with aghast faces- all were looking in one direction.
All but one man; James Shelby. Who gazed out of his imperial box with those same bored eyes. Only…
In his hands was no longer his whiskey glass.
It had been destroyed when Kimagure Joka's knife pierced through it.
"…" James Shelby watched the whiskey drip from his hands. Some waitresses hurried with a towel to clean everything up.
"WOOOOO!" The crowd burst into a fervor after confirming their benevolent king of Jam Land was okay.
"Kukuku. *" Kimagure Joka laughed as he seductively winked in the direction of the imperial box.
James Shelby blankly stared back at Kimagure Joka, his expression revealing nothing.
"Should we take care of him, sir?" A Shelby henchman whispered as he leaned over the back of James Shelby's chair.
Saint Lazlo and Saint Lauren pretended not to listen.
Even they, the celestial dragons that they are, would be interested in witnessing how the infamous James Shelby handled his enemies.
"No need," James Shelby waved his man off, "There was never any danger."
Kimagure Joka scoffed in disappointment. He didn't know what his goal was when he threw the knife, but he wanted something more than this.
As always, he felt the same old nothing.
Kimagure Joka bowed with bored disinterest. Red roses were thrown on stage as the crowd praised his name.
"Yoooooo! Great job, Joka! That shit was popping!" Swiss patted Kimagure Joka on the back with great camaraderie as he arrived backstage.
"You idiots!" Vivienne Tara smacked Swiss and Kimagure Joka on the back of their heads, "Do you want to get killed?! Why would you pull a stunt like that!"
"Chill the fuck out, Tara-chan! This is show business!"
*WHAM!*
Swiss laid on the ground, nurturing the second infliction of pain that Vivienne Tara gave him. "I-I'm S-sowwy" he deliriously said, watching the stars spin.
Vivienne Tara looked up at the tall Kimagure Joka with tears in her eyes, her lips quivering.
"I'm sorry, Tara-chan. 3" Kimagure Joka vacantly apologized.
"Ho! It's okay, Joka. You did great." Hugh Antonio approached regally and placed a hand on Vivienne Tara's shoulder, "It's your cue, my darling."
"*Sniff..* I know." Vivienne Tara said as she wiped the tears and grabbed her unicycle, exiting backstage.
"Go get 'em, Tara-chan!" Swiss cheered.
Vivienne Tara held back the tears and the nervous vomit in her throat as she climbed a tall ladder.
"Ooo!"
"Aaah!"
Jinzo watched Vivienne Tara ascend that ladder. If the night was not so clear, Jinzo was certain that she would be above the clouds by now.
Vivienne Tara's grand performance for the Royal Jam was the same as her usual act; riding her unicycle along a tightrope high above.
Only this time, that tight rope was way, way, waaaaay above.
"She's crazy!" Jinzo decreed, watching the scene unfold through his opera glasses.
"Looking up like this is hurting my neck." Grit complained.
"If only she wore a skirt…" said Raito, his priorities rooted in deviance.
Despite Vivienne Tara's nervousness, she rode along that tightrope with poise, amazing the entire crowd.
"Incredible! Oi, find out who she is. I might take myself another wife!" Saint Lazlo barked at one of his government dogs.
"Right away, sir."
"…" James Shelby watched the government dog wearing black sunglasses slither his way out of the imperial box.
With an eye contact so subtle that only James Shelby's gang members could understand, the King of Jam Land motioned his men to follow the government dog.
If James Shelby could help it, he will use all his power to ensure nothing happens in his country that he does not know of.
It is for this reason that the crafty 'Richard Roe' was his greatest pest. He did not doubt in his mind that somewhere out there, Richard Roe was sitting in the crowd.
Watching and waiting.
But this was not the time to worry about that. Tonight was James Shelby's special Royal Jam.
For now, he decided to live in the present.
["LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE ONE, THE ONLY… HUGHHHHH ANTONIO!"]
As soon as Jinx spoke those words, the single spotlight shone on Hugh Antonio.
"There he is!" The crowd began to murmur.
"He's THAT magician from the Alexandria!"
"…"
Raito heard the gossip of the crowd with peaked curiosity, "It appears the ringmaster is quite popular."
Jinzo agreed, "Mmm. Let's see what he has in store for us."
Hugh Antonio's show began as it always did.
A charming introduction that lead to him using the numerous cliche magic tricks he had mastered over his life.
Everything from pulling a rabbit out of his hat to making coins appear in the pockets of audience members.
"How does he do that?!" Raito blurted.
Jinzo and Grit were wondering also, yet around them, none of the audience seemed to care.
"Boooo!" They cried.
"Get off the stage!"
"We've seen these tricks millions of times!"
The abuse continued.
All the while, Hugh Antonio acted surprised, confused even… He looked like a mime who didn't know how to play charades.
"Grrrr! How can they be so awful?" Vivienne Tara said from backstage.
"He's certainly making an impression…" Swiss added.
"It will all be part of Antonio-san's 'pledge'. *" Kimagure Joka told them.
"Pledge?" wondered Swiss.
"Kukuku, it's a magic thing. Just watch. +"
Hugh Antonio spread his arms wide, opening himself to the hostile crowd.
"Do these tricks not delight you?" Hugh Antonio asked.
*"NO!"*
"Do you want to see something spectacular?"
*"YES!"*
"Ho! Very well…"
Hugh Antonio had the crowd right where he wanted them.
"You are right, ladies and gentlemen… These tricks are too boring and overused! How about I show you something you have never seen before?"
*"YES! YES!"*
"In fact, 'tis not I who even deserves the praise! For my foolishness, I hope you can forgive me. This next trick will need a volunteer. Come! I will make one of you a star!"
The hate directed at Hugh Antonio had now been translated into joyful anticipation.
Hugh Antonio peered through the crowd.
"You there! Yes, you! The one with the muscles!"
Hugh Antonio pointed to a beefcake of a man sitting in the front row. He had no shirt on, exposing his gym bro physique.
"Me?"
"Yes, you! Come down here and become the star of the Royal Jam!"
After some moments of the beefcake maneuvering, he eventually made it down onto the stage.
"What's your name, good sir?" Hugh Antonio charmingly asked.
"Larry." He replied. Larry was tall, tanned, muscular, and not-so-intelligent looking.
"I see, Mister Larry. And what do you like to do during your free time?"
"Uhh, I like to gym!"
"Fantastic! How would you like to close out the show for us? I would need you to personally receive the final applause."
"Okay?"
"Excellent!" Hugh Antonio exclaimed as snaps his fingers.
A spotlight beamed down and revealed a chair with a small table next to it.
On the table were barbershop supplies. The set was as if they were inside a hairdresser's salon.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I call this here next trick 'The Revived Man'. Mister Larry, if you would be so kind to take a seat." Said Hugh Antonio.
"If you say so…"
…
"The fuck? Is he going to revive him by giving him a fresh haircut?" Swiss mused.
"…~" Kimagure Joka ignored Swiss and observed Hugh Antonio closely.
Larry the beefcake sat down on the chair and Hugh Antonio wrapped the black barber cape around him.
"There you are. Get comfortable." Hugh Antonio told him as he patted Larry on his shoulders.
Larry the beefcake had given up questioning what was happening. He shrugged and allowed himself to sink comfortably into the chair.
Hugh Antonio then briskly walked to the small table behind them.
But it was not a pair of scissors he picked up.
Not a comb or a handheld mirror.
Nor a bottle of water to spray into Larry's hair.
Hugh Antonio picked up the one and only item not related to hairdressing; a loaded pistol.
He took that pistol and with that same smile he wore all his life, he walked behind Larry the beefcake with a comical pep in his step.
"Nani?!" Swiss blinked hard and rubbed his eyes. By the time he opened them again…
"…*" Kimagure Joka squinted and watched closely.
*BANG!*
Larry the beefcake's brains splattered out a bullet hole on his head like gloppy confetti.
"GASP!" the entire audience had been rendered speechless. For a moment that felt like forever, they watched, frozen.
The one to finally break the tension was none other than Hugh Antonio, who looked around with a concerned look on his face.
"BAHAHAHAHA!" Saint Lauren laughed so hard that she spat chocolate all over the inside of her space helmet.
"Bravo! Bravo!" Saint Lazlo got out of his seat and gave standing applause.
…
"Oh no!"
"He killed him!"
The crowd had been brought back to life upon witnessing the worried movements of the famed ringmaster.
Hugh Antonio looked left and right as if trying to find someone to help him.
"Holy shit! That was a colossal fuck up!" Swiss said in disbelief.
Then a curtain descended via the stadium's wire system, forming a circular dome to block the crowd's view of the body.
"This is bad, boss. The fucking lunatic pulled a DeLinksy on us." A Shelby henchman voiced his concerns to his boss.
"Calm yourself. The show isn't over yet." James Shelby replied.
…
Hugh Antonio, in an attempt to hide from the embarrassment, joined the body of Larry the beefcake in the makeshift room created by the descended curtains.
Leaving everyone in suspense.
"What is going on?!"
"They got to do something about this!"
That's when suddenly, the curtain dropped.
Revealing a lone figure standing tall and proud.
It was Larry the beefcake, alive and well.
"Huh? Wha-..?" Larry the beefcake felt himself all over, "I'm alive? I'm alive!"
"He's alive!" the crowd cried.
"It's a miracle!"
"WOOOO!"
Larry the beefcake stood in the middle of the largest stage in the world and received an applause only a rare few ever experienced.
It was so over the top that Larry felt awkward. He sheepishly looked around and made his way to the exit backstage.
"Bring out Hugh Antonio!" They would cheer.
"How noble! To give the applause to someone else!"
"Hugh Antonio is a great man!"
"And humble too!"
"Hugh Antonio!"
"Hugh Antonio!"
They called his name in a quaking roar that was amplified by the structure of the mega amphitheater.
Their voices carried their way up into the heavens. Swiss wondered if there was a sky island above Jam Land and if its inhabitants could hear this.
Finally, the man of honor emerged.
"Ho!"
Hugh Antonio sprung through the curtains as if he was being born for the second time.
"There he is!"
"Hugh Antonio-samaaaa!"
They showered him in thousands of flowers. They even threw the odd pair of used women's underwear..
'This is it! This is all I've been working towards!' Hugh Antonio thought as he gazed out to all the amazed expressions coming his way.
It was a moment Hugh Antonio would remember for the rest of his life.
And that was before the unexpected happened.
For suddenly, all eyes had averted themselves from Hugh Antonio and looked in another direction.
Toward the imperial box, where James Shelby was giving a standing ovation.
A small grin curved in the corner of his lips.
"Holy-."
But before Swiss could even finish his sentence-
"OH MY GOD! HE DID IT!" Vivienne Tara cried as she slung her arms around the necks of Kimagure Joka and Swiss, pulling them in for a group hug.
Swiss felt Vivienne Tara's tears of joy against his cheek.
"Well, I'll be damned." Grit said.
"That sure was impressive," Jinzo added.
"Are you two serious right now? That beefcake got killed for sure, I know it!" Raito chastised his companions for their lack of concern.
"Relax, it's just a magic show." Grit told him.
"Yeah, Raito-san. I'm sure it was some kind of illusion- a good one at that." Jinzo said.
"…" Raito remained unconvinced as Jinx returned to the stage.
["That concludes this year's Royal Jam! Thank you all for coming. And as always, thank you, Mr. Shelby!"]
After Jinx had finished concluding the show, Saint Lauren and Saint Lazlo sat in their pompous chairs with an unsatisfied thirst.
"Is that it?" Saint Lauren asked.
"It can't be! It was only now just starting to get good!" Saint Lazlo fiendishly stated.
"Mmm. Not satisfied?" James Shelby asked as he exhaled a puff of his cigarette.
The celestial dragons did not respond. All they could do was give James Shelby a face he knew all too well.
He was the king of show business, after all.
"Well, you're correct." James Shelby said. He then snapped his fingers.
Despite being in the middle of the stage, Jinx somehow heard that snap.
["But wait! There's more, ladies and gentlemen!"]
Jinx glamorously pointed up into the sky.
What slowly came down, tied to a string, was something that Swiss did not expect to see so soon.
It was Valentine red, a color so vibrant that one could not help but feel warm and fuzzy inside looking at it.
It could have passed for an exotic fruit were it not for the spiral patterns on it.
A fruit with the same shape as a pear and twice its size.
["Behold! Hanging above me is a Devil Fruit! For the small price of giving up your ability to swim, you gain unimaginable power! Step right up! Who wants to be the one to own this rare and valuable item?"]
That's when a pack of stagehands came out holding a variety of long step ladders and scattered them around the stage.
["It's a death match! Whoever can climb a ladder and take the Devil Fruit, wins it! Feel free to use any means necessary!
But be warned, ladies and gentlemen.. If you step foot in this ring, you are consenting to the rules of the engagement!"]
Swiss listened to the explanation of Jinx and chuckled to himself, "Trololol, it's essentially a 'money in the bank' match, but with killing."
["Now, who wants in? Step right up!"]
"Yaaaay! Very impressive, Mr. Shelby!" Saint Lauren said as she clapped along with the eager crowd.
"Incredible! You had this planned all along, didn't you Mr. Shelby?" Saint Lazlo asked with an impressed tone.
"Perhaps."
James Shelby sat back in his leather chair, an attractive waitress refilling his whiskey glass.
His all-knowing sapphire gaze revealed a hint of self-satisfaction.