Chapter 20- Act 2
A/N: Brook has a way of encouraging people, including me. What started as a quick concert has become a multi act musical. Hope it is as much fun to read as it was to write.
In case it isn't obvious, the italics are snippets from the songs to give you a taste.
The curtain rose again. A small ship with a sheep's head as the figurehead sat proudly center stage while mechanical waves rolled lazily by. It was an impressive set, but that was no surprise with someone as skilled as Franky building it. Ussop burst into silent manly tears at seeing the representation of their old friend the Going Merry.
A young man wearing a red vest, blue shorts and a straw hat came on stage. "My name is Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm going to be King of the Pirates!" he shouted proudly.
Luffy, from his seat in the front row, jumped to his feet. "No, I'm going to be King of the Pirates!" he shouted. Zoro grabbed the back of his shirt and forced him back in his seat with a muffled curse.
Nami knocked her captain upside the head. "Idiot, he's supposed to be you," she hissed.
The actor, a little wide eyed from the interruption, glanced backstage but when Joker waved for him to continue he had no choice. He cleared his throat and started over. "My name is Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm going to be King of the Pirates!"
He started singing about leaving home with only his hat, a promise and a dream. It was very touching and much deeper than the people who knew Luffy expected. Brook really dug deep into his captain's motivations, revealing that he wasn't just an air head out for adventure, he was a young man out to prove himself and show others what freedom really looked like.
"I'm a rubber man and my treasure is on my head
A straw hat from a great man who I promised to surpass
It's safer to stay at home, but I'd rather live free instead!
Luffy had settled down and was really enjoying the show, nodding along with the music. Around him his crew all sent him understanding and affectionate looks. But when the music changed to a darker rhythm, they all burst out laughing.
On stage a well built young man with dyed green hair was locked in stocks while a fatman with a fake ax for a hand declared his superiority.
Zoro groaned and hid his face. "Brook, you are a dead man, again. How did he even know about that?"
Luffy laughed. "I told him. Oh man, that guy is just like Helmeppo's dad."
The guy with the ax hand threatened to kill "Luffy" who laughed at him and handed the restained Zoro three swords. The stocks popped open and together Zoro and Luffy beat up Ax Hand Morgan. Then the stage Zoro told the crowd that he was going to be the greatest swordsman in the world.
After the thrilling rendition of Zoro deciding to join Luffy, it was Ussop's turn. The battle against the Black Cat pirates to protect his village was exciting. First stage Luffy defeated a pirate who was pretending to be a butler. Batman risked a glance back to Alfred and while the Englishman seemed unflappable, Batman knew he was deeply offended.
Next Ussop's stand-in defeated a hypnotist with wild 70s style to save his love, Kaya, the crowd gave a standing ovation. Luffy was all smiles as he reached all the way down the row to clap his friend on the back.
Next it was Sanji's turn to join the crew. A quick change of clothes had the Black Cat pirates dressed as chefs. They were the chorus as a woman with a deep voice and drawn on beard and curly eyebrow sang about the All Blue.
"North Blue, South Blue, East Blue, West Blue
They all come together to make the chef's dream
North Blue, South Blue, East Blue, West Blue
Every fish in the world swimming together,
Oh the dishes that I could create! Oh the Ladies I could impress!"
A brief verse gave the only glimpse into Sanji's trauma that led him to Zeff, since Brook decided to focus on Sanji's love of cooking, women, and fighting.
The real Sanji chewed on his cigarette, but even he had to admit the woman was pretty good, but he studiously ignored Zoro's attempts at teasing him.
The next musical number started when pirates attacked the chefs. The stage Luffy, Zoro, Ussop, and Sanji fought off a glittery Don Krieg who could barely move under the fake armor.
As the action on stage continued, the real Zoro slipped out of his seat to go backstage and reappear as Mihawk. He wore a cool hat and held a huge cardboard sword painted to look like his teacher's famous black blade. Just as Don Krieg pretended to fall beneath the waves, a victim of Luffy's gum gum pistol, Zoro stepped forward and cut the fake Kreig's ship in half for real. The audience ohhed, making him smile just a little. The stage Zoro challenged him to a duel and after only two attacks Zoro knocked him down in a spray of fake blood.
"My name is Dracule Mihawk! No matter how many years it takes, I will hold this title as the world's greatest swordsman. Grow stronger. Then seek me out and try to surpass me, Roronoa Zoro!" Zoro called out, remembering that day in perfect detail.
The fake Zoro raised his sword and promised Luffy to never lose again.
The curtain fell and silence reigned over the audience before they leapt to their feet, cheering. It took a minute for them to settle down and now the curtain rose on a replica of Along park. Nami reached over to squeeze Luffy's hand. This wasn't going to be easy for her, but she was surprised when Catwoman leaned forward to pat her shoulder comfortingly. Nami smiled at the former thief and kept watching. Brook had offered to let her play a part in this number but she had declined. She wasn't ready to reopen those wounds.
The audience was transfixed as the Fishman Pirates explained their hatred of humans and listed their demands. Then a young woman dressed as Nami promised to join them if they let her buy back her village's freedom. The man representing Arlong with a hastily taped on sawnose, promised to let her buy the village for 100 million bellies. But when Nami offered him a bag of money a sniveling little man dressed as a marine stole it from her.
"Guess you'll have to keep working as our navigator," Arlong laughed.
"No she won't. She's our friend and no one makes Nami cry," the stage Luffy said, coming on stage.
The stage Nami had a short solo asking for help and a fight broke out between the Strawhats and the Fishmen. It concluded with a dramatic collapse of the fake Arlong park. Franky had engineered it that way and it was very impressive.
"Well," Luffy sang. "Now we go after the One Piece on the Grand Line!"
"Do you know how to get there?" Nami sang back.
Luffy shrugged. "It's a mystery!"
The audience laughed and Nami broke into a short but enlightening song about the geography of their world.
"Sandwiched between calm seas full of monsters lays the Pirate's Graveyard and the promise of adventure.
The Grand line, Grand line, every pirates dream and bane
The sea flows up, above the clouds, a gateway to the Grand Line.
Then down the mountain into Paradise, and the unpredictable waters of the Grand Line!"
Stage hands hurried to pull a fake paper mache mountain on stage and with some impressive lighting, and some mechanical magic, made it look like the Going Merry was climbing it.
At the end of Nami's song. Stage Luffy laughed and said "See, it's a mystery. And now on to Grand Line!"
The curtain fell and Brook came out. "That my friends was just the beginning of their journey and the start of their crew. More friends and adventures awaited them but now let's take a moment to catch our breath. Except I can't because I don't have lungs! Yo ho ho. Skull joke!"