"This place is really freaking weird..."
Watching Queen dancing on the makeshift stage, Drake's face twitched a few times. Even with all he'd seen, he'd never run into anything this ridiculous.
"Yeah, this place is weird as hell. But Drake, I'm gonna have to ask you to make a little sacrifice."
Right next to him, Apoo grabbed a mining pick and swung it at Drake. It's just that his skills were nowhere near Drake's—he not only missed, he got cracked in the shoulder by Drake with a counter–smash of the pick handle.
"What the hell are you trying to do?"
"Ah-baba-baba, obviously I'm putting my plan into action! Just be a good boy and lie there as my stepping stone!"
Even after taking a hit, Apoo didn't lose heart. Winning the fight didn't matter; as long as he caused a ruckus, that was enough.
Seeing the two of them throw down, the surrounding prisoners scattered like startled birds and beasts, terrified of getting dragged in. But before they could all run, a Laser Cannon blast had already roared over.
"Who dares disturb your Lordship? Hm? You're wasting the chance your Lordship gave you!"
The weapon on Queen's arm was still smoking. He was furious about his show being interrupted and didn't even consider the consequences. Luckily, Drake and Apoo were good enough fighters—otherwise that shot would've sent them straight off this mortal coil.
"Cough, cough... *cough*... Lord Queen, I've got a report! This bastard said your dancing looks awful! I argued back and he hit me!"
"I did not!"
Listening to Apoo spew nonsense, a few cold drops of sweat slid down Drake's forehead. Rule number one of going undercover: don't die. Dead men don't do missions. And Apoo clearly planned to climb up over his corpse.
If this spacey-looking guy Queen actually took the bait and went for it...
Drake started to worry, but Queen didn't fall for it.
"You take your Lordship for an idiot? Think you can trick me with this kiddie crap? Trying to borrow a knife to kill someone? Neither of you has any credibility with me. Why the hell should I believe you?"
"..."
The way things turned out blindsided Apoo. This clownish fatso wasn't half as easy to fool as he'd thought.
"Drag them down to the underground mines. Let them learn what happens when you brawl in the pit."
This was the Hundred Beasts' prison, the place where the Hundred Beasts Pirates played by absolutely no rules. Queen had zero interest in why they fought; as far as he was concerned, if you brawled, both sides were getting punished.
Whoever it was, interrupting his dance party was an unforgivable crime—unless it was someone he really couldn't afford to mess with.
"Wait! Lord Queen, your humble servant still has something to say!"
Drake stood off to the side with a look of utter contempt, cold and aloof, clearly trying to project the image of someone who wouldn't bend easily. Apoo was the complete opposite—he dropped to his knees right away and started begging.
Seeing Queen didn't want to pay attention to him and the Prison Guard walking over instead, he hurriedly shouted, "Your dancing is absolutely elegant, and your singing is truly unique—but you're missing a proper partner!"
"A partner?"
"Your men aren't professional enough. They can't hold the rhythm right, the song transitions are terrible, and they don't sync well with you. Let me do it—if I'm your DJ, I guarantee your performance will reach a whole new level."
"Interesting. Someone bring him over here."
Apoo successfully piqued Queen's interest. Queen waved at the lackeys beside him, and they hauled Apoo up to stand in front of Queen.
"Kid, I'll give you one chance to prove yourself. If you pull it off, your Lordship will take you out of here. If you dare trick me, then just sit tight and wait for your execution.
Tell them what equipment you need. All the sound gear your Lordship owns is world-class. You only get one chance, so don't you dare blame the equipment if you fail."
"No need. I'm a Tone-Tone Fruit user—I can be a whole band all by myself. Just take off my Seastone Handcuffs and I'm good."
"Babanuki, bring me the key."
"But Lord Queen..."
"It's fine. Your Lordship is right here. Where's this brat gonna run? And grab a collar while you're at it—saves me the effort of killing him myself."
...
Under Queen's orders, Babanuki promptly brought over the key and the collar, and Queen showed off just how special the collar was.
"See this, kid? Inside this collar are extremely sharp blades. It works on the same principle as the Heavenly Celestial Dragons' Slave Collar. If you try to break it, those blades will cut your neck clean off.
And of course, if you trick me or fail to satisfy me, you'll end up the same way."
"Actually, I think... it'd be better if my crew backed me up..."
A captain's side gig affects what his crew can do. Law's crew can all moonlight as nurses, Hawkins' crew doubles as fortune-tellers, and Apoo's crew can form a small band.
Looking at Queen's temperament, Apoo felt it was safer to play it steady.
"Bring his people over. If your Lordship isn't satisfied, you can all go meet up together in the Netherworld."
"Please rest assured. Give me twenty minutes and I'll prove myself..."
"Fine. Your Lordship guarantees that even if you die, you'll die understanding why. Babanuki, start the countdown—don't you dare miss even a second."
...
At Queen's command, the entire quarry ground to a halt. Countless eyes fixed on the members of the Broadcast Pirates, who circled up, listening to Apoo's pep talk.
"Boys, this is do-or-die. First we do this, then we do that—follow my lead on everything, got it?"
"Mr. Apoo... are you sure this will work?"
"It'll work. I can't win in a fight, but in this field I'm the expert. Lord Queen! We're ready!"
"Then let your Lordship see what you can do."
"Lights! Music!"
Apoo directed his crew into motion, then launched into an improvised rap. The content was simple and straightforward: several solid minutes of nonstop flattery aimed squarely at Queen.
Not just Drake—even Babanuki was stunned. He'd never imagined someone's skin could be this thick. Apoo could rap those lyrics and his tongue didn't even cramp.
But Queen ate it right up. Aside from the improv lyrics, Apoo's command of rhythm was exactly Queen's style. In the end he even did a joint performance on stage with Queen.
"Mwahahaha, not bad, not bad at all. I like you. From now on, you're with your Lordship."
"It's all thanks to Lord Queen's talent. I'm just lucky enough to add a little shine to you."
"Hmph, don't think this is enough to make your Lordship break the rules. You're leaving Ghost Island right now and working under Hawkins first. Once you pass, you can naturally stay by your Lordship's side. Make the most of this chance."
Letting Apoo out was within Queen's authority, but he couldn't skip the assessment. The Hundred Beasts' rules were set by Arceus. If Queen dared lead the way in breaking them, the next day he'd be seeing Shaina's Red Chain resting right on his neck.