Chapter 51: The Bounce Lounge
It was a normal day in the Diaz House. Of course part of that normalcy implies a floating unicorn head crying her eyes out.
Luffy and Marco both heard the crying and discovered it was just Pony Head.
"Oh it's just Pony Head." Said Luffy with a shrug.
"Did she run out of rainbow toothpaste again?" asked Marco.
"Probably." Said Star with a shrug.
That was when Marco's phone rang, it was Ace.
"Marco! Portal! Now!" yelled Ace.
"You're going to regret it." Said Marco.
"Yeah.. .don't care…" said Ace.
Marco opened the portal and of course Ace came as flame before reforming into human form.
Then he saw the crying Pony Head.
Of course he knew about her crush on him, it was hard not to.
"Oh! Ace! It's so terrible!" she cried, Hold me Ace! Hold me!"
"I really should get my injuries treated." Said Ace.
"Oh you poor stupid boy." Cried Pony Head, "Get your injuries treated."
Ace sighed, he really didn't like Pony Head.
It didn't help that when they fist met she tried to stab him with her horn.
And then puberty was kind to him, so then she started lusting after him…
"Come on… it's probably nothing." Said Marco.
"Yeah…" said Ace.
Marco began to treat Ace's injuries.
"Come on Pony Head, whatever it is it can't be that bad." Said Star.
"All I'll tell you…" cried Pony Head, "The Bounce Lounge… is closing…"
Then Star started to cry, even louder than Pony Head. So much so that everything glass nearby shattered.
"The Bounce Lounge is closing!" cried Star.
Star and Pony Head both sought comfort with Luffy since Marco and Ace were busy with the injuries.
"I know I haven't been there since I became a pirate, but is it really closing?" asked Ace.
"Yeah, since when has Pony Head been right about anything?" asked Marco.
"You're right." Said Star.
And so they went to the Bounce Lounge. Not only was it dead but there was indeed a sign it was closing.
"Yeah it's closing." Said Marco.
They all looked around the place and saw that it was so dead.
"I can't believe it…" said Star.
"Believe it." Said a voice.
The clouds parted a figured on a lounge couch holding a mask to her face and wearing sunglasses descended from the sky on a couch.
Both Pony Head and Star bowed the figure.
"Don't make Marco bow if he doesn't know who she is." Said Ace.
"Who is she?" asked Marco.
"Milly Sparkles, the owner of the Bounce Lounge. Said Star.
"The Bounce Lounge is indeed closing. The party is over" Said Milly.
"But why, Milly!" cried Star.
"Because no one comes here any more." Said Milly.
They looked at the sad state of the club.
"Fare thee loyal partiers And Maybe the Bounce Lounge be with you with… always." Said Milly disappearing back into the clouds.
They all looked around and Marco saw a wall of photos.
"Wow… you guys came here a lot." Said Marco.
"Oh look it's Ace's 17th Birthday Day Party." Laughed Luffy pointing to a picture of what appeared to be Luffy, Sabo and Star pouting drinks down Ace's throat.
"Let's not bring that up…" said Ace.
And there's mine and Star's junior prom." Said Pony Head showing the two girls with bad acne and Star even had braces.
"I'm… I'm trying to forget that night." Said Star.
That was when they saw a photo of Star, Luffy, Ace, Sabo, Pony Head, Kelly, Tad, a dolphin and a purple flurry-floating thing wearing a scarf and headphones.
"Look it's the old Bounce Crew." Said Pony Head.
"You and Sabo joined in." said Marco.
"We were kind of the responsible older adult toe of the group…" said Ace.
Marco gave him a look.
"Sabo was actually that one…" sighed Ace.
"Where did the time go?" asked Star.
"Actually time doesn't go anywhere." Said Marco, "Sometimes things just end and you have to accept that."
"Please be quiet. Me and Star are like having a life moment." Said Pony Head.
"We haven't been here for so long. I can't help but to feel like this our fault." Said Star.
"And now a part of our life is gone forever." Cried Pony Head.
"Unless we get the whole crew back together." Said Star.
"Oh girl!" said Pony Head.
"But not Tad." Said Luffy.
"Yeah… you and Tad are like those two cats who always circle each other yowling." Said Pony Head.
"Yeah, you're the only person he's ever the annoying condensing Vegan to." Said Star, "But you know unless they broke up again we're going to have to bring them in."
And so they began to find the old crew. The first was Sabo, which was just call away.
"Sure nothing's going on today." Said Sabo with a sigh.
"Slow day huh?" asked Ace.
"not every day can be Sea Kings, Marine Fights or candy falling out of the sky." Said Sabo.
"Is… is that thing that happens in the Grand Line." Said Star.
"It's a thing." Said Sabo.
And so Marco cut open a portal to Sabo to come through so they could get the other members of the old crew.
First off was Kelly.
Who was the laying on the ground, with Goblin Dogs around her.
"Hey Kelly, where Tad?" asked Star.
"We broke up." Cried Kelly.
"don't' worry! It will be fine!" said Luffy reassuring her.
"I guess you have a point." Said Kelly.
"The bounce Lounge is closing and we're getting almost everyone back together." Said Sabo.
"Minds as well." Said Kelly with a shrug.
The next one was Johnny Blowhole AKA the dolphin guy.
He was now a Cabin Boy on a Bunny Rabbit Pirate Ship.
"I'm sorry guys! But I've got plenty of partying to do here." Said Johnny.
However it was clear he was just doing things for the crew and not partying.
"When you're done, grab your mop. Because the commode is heavy due of some partying." Said the captain.
The three brothers looked at the pirates, they knew they were a match for them, but it was always fun to bat up jerky pirates like them no matter the power level.
"Johnny look away… because it's not going to pretty." Said Sabo.
They all watched in horror at the three brothers beat up the pirate, with them scramming from terror and pain.
"Since when can Ace turn into fire!" yelled Johnny.
"He ate a Devil Fruit after becoming a pirate." Said Star.
"Oh…" said Johnny.
"They're doing it for you.,.. so you better come with us." Said Pony Head.
Johnny sighed, he was going to say that this was his life now, to see three friends that he hadn't seen in a very long time come to help him…
"I can't say no to that." Said Johnny.
"How can I pipe be this painful!" yelled one of the bunny pirates.
"The stretchy guy will be in my nightmares!" yelled another.
"Everything is on fire!" yelled a third.
"Let's get out of here." Said Pony Head as they watched the carnage.
"Guys we'll going to get Headphones Jones and Lady Scarfs-A-Lot." Said Star.
"Meet you there!" called out Luffy.
When they got to the location the two were at.
It was on fire, and Star was glaring at Pony Head.
"What happened?" asked Ace.
"Let's just say Pony Head followed your example." Sighed Star.
Ace blushed in embarrassment.
"We both like to set things on fire…" said Pony Head seductively.
"Please don't…" sighed Ace.
With that they got everyone back together…
However Star's plan was just showing up at the Council Lounge and saying they were back together.
"It's not enough, you see the only thing that can save the Bounce Lounge is paying off the mortgage. And I can't do that with." Said Milly counting them, "9 Patrons."
"How much do you owe?" asked Star.
"Like a bajillion dollars." Sad Milly.
"Is that even a real number." Said Star.
"Let it go darlings. Nothing lasts forever. Sometimes you just have to let things go." Said Milly.
"That's so deep. So unique, so new." Gasped Pony Head, "Nobody ever said that before."
"I said that earlier." Said Marco.
"I'd remember if you had so you didn't." said Pony Head.
Milly headed back to into the clouds saying "Good bye and thank you patronage."
"No wonder this place lost money." Said Marco looking around, "It's a dump."
"Our partying gave this place life and it will be our partying that will save it!" said Star.
"You know I thought we were trying to raise money to begin with." Said Sabo.
"So how are going to do that?" asked Luffy.
"Admission." Said Sabo.
The others realized he had a point.
"All right! Hit it!" yelled Star.
And so they started to party in order to draw people in. Although it took a bit (with a guy showing up to use the bathroom) people started to show up in droves.
They got a ton of money and Tad even showed up getting back to together with Kelly.
Luffy glared at Tad.
"Come Luffy you know the guy isn't worth it." Said Ace.
"But I don't like him!" pouted Luffy.
"They'll break up for good evidently… just know that." Said Sabo.
"Yeah…" muttered Luffy.
And so they partied down and soon they presented the money to Milly.
She counted it and saw that they were short.
"Nope we're short 650." Said Milly.
"what but I thought we had it." Cried Star.
"Wait!" cheered Marco showing up with half his monthly royalty princess check money, "I never had more fun in y life!"
"We saved the Bounce Lounge!" cheered Star.
"Star wait…" said Milly.
They all turned to Milly, she removed her sunglasses and fan revealed she was extremely old.
"But I've been partying for 5,000 years." She explained.
"It was never about the mortgage." Said Milly as she turned her lounge chair into a mobile scooter, "I'm closing the Bounce Lounge because I need to stop partying, like right now."
"Then why didn't you try to sell to it someone who still wants to party?" asked Sabo.
"Wait… you can sell a night club?" asked Milly in genuine shock.
"Yeah, people sell business all the time." Said Marco.
"Oh! Oh! Oh!" yelled Pony Head, "Sell it to me!"
"Do you even have the money?" asked Milly.
"Hold on a second!" said Pony Head.
She took out her mirror and called her father.
"Dad! I want money to buy the Bounce Lounge!" yelled Pony Head.
"I don't know…" grumbled her father on the mirror.
"It will teacher her responsibility." Said Ace appeared behind Pony Head.
"Huh… it might work!" said King Pony Head realized he was right.
"Why?" asked Sabo to Ace.
"She'll have less time to send me creepy messages." Said Ace.
Sabo nodded realized that was a good point.
They did the paper work. And Milly was no longer the owner to the Bounce Lounge!
"Who! The Bounce Lounge is under new ownership!" yelled Pony Head.
Almost everyone cheered at the at announcement.
"She's going to run into the ground." Said Marco.
"Polly…" agreed Sabo.
And surprisingly she didn't… she would own the Bounce Lounge for quite a while.
Though unlike what Ace said it didn't teach her responsibility… like at all…
But at least they saved the Bounce Lounge… even if they should have learned the lesson that nothing last forever…
Oh well…
Next Time: Rhombulus, the Jailer of the Magic High Commission gets a gut feeling about Luffy, that one day he will be the greatest criminal of all time and wants to put a stop to it now! Will Luffy be able to fight him off? Find out next time!
A/N: The Bounce Lounge will be a reoccurring hang out spot... but yeah... saved it by a using a suggestion about the episode that was deleted on TV Tropes (though it can still be viewed if you look at the history of the YMMV page for Star) so yeah...