Now that Rave has temporaliy joined the crew, it's time for the next big step: making the song 'Fleeting Lullaby'. How will this play out? What hardships will they face? Read to fine out! I don't own One Piece. Just my OC's.
During her visit in the Kingdom of Caledon, Uta and her gang met Rave, a professional teenage assassin and self taught dancer. After some persuading, Uta has convinced Rave to join her temporarily in order to teach her how to dance. In exchange, Uta will take her to the Sabaody Archipelago for her next concert. Now that the group is sailing back to Elegia, they have plenty of time to fill Rave in on the basic details.
"So, let me get this straight." Rave said, holding up her hand. "Uta was raised on the sea, Abell was a staff member of a trading company, and Pitch was a pirate?"
"Yup, that's pretty much it." Uta confirms.
Naturally, they left out Uta's pirate history and relationship to Shanks and Luffy, but telling Rave that she was raised by the sea was impressive enough already. Still, since Rave's brother is also a pirate, that information would most likely not matter to Rave, but one can't be too cautious. Rave is an assassin after all.
"Also, I didn't know you all had devil fruit powers." Rave said excitedly. "I only met one person who has one."
"I ate the Drain Drain Fruit and became a strength sapping woman." Abell said. "This means I have the power to drain the power of anyone around me and add it to my own."
"I ate an Ancient Zoan devil fruit." Pitch adds. "The Dragon Dragon Fruit, Model: Velociraptor."
"And I ate the Sing Sing fruit." Uta finishes.
"Wha?!" Rave screams in shock. "Uta has devil fruit powers too?! I thought those powers are supposed to be rare!"
"You underestimate how vast the world is." Uta said, sighing at the teens' naivety. "Power users are about as common as the number of islands in the sea."
"That many?!" Rave asks as she goes up to Uta's face with eyes shining. "How many islands are there?"
"Uh, I don't know." Uta said, sweat dropping. "Personal space please?"
"Oh! Sorry." Rave apologizes as she backs off. "I just never heard such tales before! I mean everyone's past here is so amazing!"
"I guess so." Abell said. "I never really thought about it, but since we never really lived as normal citizens, our lives are a lot more rambunctious than normal citizens."
"She's an assassin." Gordon reminded the girls. "I wouldn't call her a 'normal' citizen."
"Well, you say that, but I'm more of a swordswoman than an assassin." Rave said as she pulled out of her scythes. "After landing so many headhunting jobs in three different kingdoms, the title just came to me and I was known as the assassin 'Massacre Dancer'."
"You must be stronger than if you were given that epithet." Pitch said, smiling. "Once we get to the island, we can spar."
"I'm not THAT strong." Rave said, waving her hands. "I'm not at least not strong enough to defeat you three."
Rave looks at Uta, Abell, and Pitch and she can tell from their brief burst of fighting spirit that she has no chance against them.
I know their awesome people, but damn! Rave thought as she sweats a bit. I would hate to face even one of them if they were my enemy.
"Looks like you might get your wish soon." Abell said. "We're home."
Rave ran up front and gazed at Elegia, she was in absolute awe. Abell went ahead and steered to the kingdom's port and set anchor before allowing the group to get on land. Gordon, being pretty homesick, excused himself back to his room and the others decide to show Rave around the island. First off, they let Rave into the house and showed the bare minimum such as the living room, kitchen, meeting room, training room, studio, garden, and where the nearest bathrooms. Since no one really thought of having guests, Abell took the liberty to build a guest bedroom at the last moment which allowed Rave to see her carpeting skills. Finally, while Abell and Pitch assist Gordon for dinner, Uta leads Rave to what's left of downtown Elegia. Rave was speechless.
"I'll keep it simple." Uta said. "A monster came to Elegia about a decade ago and sent the island of music to ruin."
"A monster? No kidding." Rave said as she glanced at the endless carnage. "Just what kind of living thing is capable of this destruction?"
"Unfortunately that information is irrelevant to our next song." Uta said with a heavy sigh.
There's no reason for me to bring my problems onto her. Uta thought as she and Rave headed back. Tot Musica may have been the one who caused the destruction, but the one who summoned it...
Uta shakes her head and rids off her negative thoughts.
"You must be hungry." Uta said, smiling at Rave. "We're having curry udon."
"That's my favorite!" Rave cheers. "I can't wait!"
After giving the tour, Uta walks Rave back to their home base for dinner. The five of them all ate and shared stories with Rave giving off a gleam of excitement every other minute. Eventually, the day ended and Rave went off to the new guest room to sleep and Gordon went off to bed as well.
....
"Rave is a good girl."
"Yeah, but we can't keep her here. We have a promise to keep."
"I know that you have just gotten used to being with her, but Rave has already decided that her stay is temporary."
"I know. That's why I kept things brief."
"Tomorrow, we're going to start on that new song and it'll be all hands on deck."
....
Once dawn came, everyone got up early and decided to work on Uta's latest song after eating breakfast. Uta has sung this song in an aid to fight against Ace, but she has yet to make it into a full song. However, she has at least written the lyrics and has already recorded her voice via tone dial. Now, Uta wants to make the next step which is the greatest obstacle, performing live through a video transponder snail for the world to watch. Something that no singer has pulled off. To add on to that, Uta will also be dancing to it.
"So the question we have to know is, what kind of dance do we want to choose?" Rave said as she and everyone sat around in the meeting room inside their home.
"The song is mostly vocal and so we can't add too much movement." Pitch adds. "That's, unless, Uta is not up to the challenge."
"Who are you and what have you done to Pitch?" Uta laughs. "You think I'm not capable?"
"Rather than capability, the question is more of possibility." Rave said. "We need to come up with a dance that matches the music."
"Well, regardless of whether it works or not, I'm more concerned about how we're going to broadcast this." Abell grumbles. "Need to find a good radio station who can allow us to go live to the four seas. The Grand Line if we're lucky."
After the four talked for a few minutes, they heard some knocking on the door. Since the person was Gordon, Uta didn't hesitate to open it up for the old man.
"You girls are working hard." Gordon comments as he brings a tray of refreshments. "Thought you guys could use a break."
The girls nodded and took a glass which was revealed to have lemonade in it.
"Well, we can rest knowing that the lyrics to the song are finished." Uta said as she sipped her drink. "And the music has been written down."
The diva takes out a tone dial and places it on the table. Uta then pushes the button on top and her voice begins to resonate out of the shell.
I'm sick and tired of being alone
Wanna be connected
Have a bond to hold on to Just gonna lay it all out, how I feel...
There was no music behind Uta's voice as it has not been composed yet, however the power behind Uta's singing was enough to resonate with them. This new song of Uta's, was different from all the others. It was fierce and powerful.
"I can tell that you find this song interesting." Uta said smiling. "I came up with it when I was in battle."
"Battle with whom?" Rave asks.
"Portgas D. Ace." Uta said smiling.
Rave blinks a couple of times to absorb the news.
"You fought 'Fire Fist'?!" Rave yells shocked. "The second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates?!"
"Yup. I'm pretty strong after all." Uta said nonchalantly. "When I sang this song, I had the strength I needed to get the edge on him."
Hold on, her strength increases when she sings? Gordon wonders. That's news to me.
"I call it 'Fleeting Lullaby'." Uta said proudly. "Well? What're your opinions."
"I can come up with some musical score to go along with it." Pitch said as she grabbed some empty music sheets and a pencil. "The sound of brass, keyboard and an electronic beat will fit this song like a glove."
"Coming up with a dance will actually work for a beat like this." Race said, smiling. "I can imagine it now."
"If we're doing a live feed, I'll hurry up with a design for a stage and set up a video transponder snail." Abell said standing up. "I'll take my leave and start."
"That being said, I've decided on what we can do for a dance." Uta said smiling.
"Huh? Really?" Rave asks.
"Abell. Pitch. You guys think you can handle things from here?" Uta asks standing up. "I think me and Rave should get started on our dance for this new song of ours."
"Alright, ladies this will be one of our biggest projects, so let's make this a memorable one." Gordon said, clapping his hands. "If we work hard enough, can you guys finish in two weeks?"
Uta, Abell, and Pitch look at each other and nod while smirking.
"Of course we can."
Pitch looks at the three in awe and couldn't help but be blinded by their confidence. All Rave can think is that those three women before her are on a whole other level. The women begin to have a brief discussion and Rave sat by and let them talk it out.
"Amazing, aren't they?"
Rave turns to see Gordon behind her.
"The trust and confidence those three have was the accumulation of years of working and bonding with one another." Gordon said. "Without each other, they wouldn't be able to get where they are."
"You say it like I don't know that." Rave said with a chuckle. "I'm a fan of all four of you. I can only hope to be as incredible as you all."
"You love to dance, right?"
"I mean, yeah."
"Why not work with us after finding your brother?" Gordon suggests. "Once we know if he's safe, you can join us."
Rave looks at the three women and down at her knees. She smiles, but not very happily.
"That's a kind offer, but..."
"Rave."
Gordon and Rave look up to see Uta, Abell, and Pitch staring at Rave.
"We need your insight." Uta said. "Come help us."
"You need my help?" Rave asks, confused.
The three look at each other, just as confused as Rave.
"Of course we do." Abell said. "Get up here."
Rave smiles and stands up before excitedly running up towards the women to be alongside them. Gordon chuckles at the sight and turns around to give the ladies space to brainstorm as he knows he will get in the way.
This New Genesis is starting to take shape. Gordon thought. The newer generation will soon be the ones to lead.
After discussing the plan, each individual separates to work on their own project. Abell goes off to work on the set and transponder snails in the studio. Pitch goes to her room to work on a musical score and make an instrumental piece. Uta has taken Rave down to the basement where the workout room is.
"What if we dance that goes from mocking to anger? Some hand movements and hip sways!" Uta suggests. "I can think of some motions, let me show you."
Before Uta could move her body, Rave puts her hand up.
"Hold on." the dancer said as she tapped her head with her forefingers. "Let me envision it for a moment."
"Envision?" Uta repeats.
"I'm an assassin." Rave said, smiling. "Knowing the movements before I finish the job is what I do."
"Is everything to you based on assassination?" Uta asks, a bit disturbed.
Rave closes her eyes mentally goes through several stages of possible dances and movements Uta could do. As Rave does this, she repeats Uta's song in her head so she can match up. After a few seconds, Rave lets out a toothy smile and laughs.
"Faf faf faf faf fa!" Rave laughs as her eyes open up. "That'll work! Uta, 'Fleeting Lullaby' will take your singing career to another and as your fan, no, as your dance instructor, I'll make sure to get you there!"
"We have two weeks." Uta said, smirking. "Let's make it happen!"
~About twelve hours later...
Pitch and Abell meet up in the living room later in the evening after doing their part of the project. Due to their excitement, the two missed out on dinner, but Gordon is already asleep since it's so late. Thankfully, they already know how to cook something for themselves if the need arises.
"Where's Uta and Rave?" Pitch asks as she looks around the room. "Did they finish early?"
"I doubt it." Abell said. "If Uta was done early, she would've been eating and Gordon would be up at this hour."
The two look at the stairs which lead to the basement and hear faint noises coming from below.
"Looks like they're still working." Abell said. "Either that or chatting it up and losing track of time."
"I wanna find out!" Pitch said excitedly as she ran down the stairs.
Abell follows behind casually and the two eventually reach the closed door which is brightly lit. Neither one heard any noise as it all stopped upon their approach. Pitch slowly opens the doors and peeks inside. The sight before Pitch makes her eyes widen in shock. Pitch sees Uta, leaning over weakly with beads of sweat dripping from all over her body onto the ground into a puddle. Rave is in front of Uta with her arms folded and eyes glued. The diva begins to stand up from her crouch position, but suddenly collapses on the ground.
"Hey! You bastard!" Pitch roars as she bursts, opens the door and transforms. "What the big idea?!"
Rave looks at Pitch surprised by her presence and sees Abell walking closely behind.
"Drain."
All of the sudden, Pitch falls to her knees seemingly exhausted.
"Calm down, lizard." Abell scolds. "Uta's just tired from overworking."
Pitch growls and looks at Rave who's slightly shaken by her approach. Upon closer look, Pitch notices that Uta wasn't hurt in any way.
"Hey, Pitch."
The woman feels a sudden chill and transforms back as she looks at Uta. Her eyes were glowing red and the veins in her forehead popped out in anger.
"Don't jump to conclusions." Uta scolds as she pushes herself off the ground. "I'm just learning."
"Is dancing really that hard?" Pitch asks.
"Uta can't dance to the beat of her own song." Rave said. "She's too stiff and that makes her lag."
Uta clicks her tongue in annoyance. However, she wasn't mad at Rave, but at herself since all of what Rave said is accurate.
"Getting to the beat and doing the same moves over and over again for eight hours isn't easy." Uta said. "Especially if you can't do it right."
Uta then laughs as she stands up straight. Uta thinks back on the times where she wrote her first song, the stage fright she had for her performance, learning haki for the first time and even more recently beginning to accept what she wants more.
"It's never easy on the first try." Uta said with a chuckle. "C'mon Rave, let's keep on going."
"Fine with me!" the girl said in response. "I'm going to work you to the bone if that's what you want."
Rave then claps her hand to a steady beat and Uta moves her arms to the beat of her clapping. She crouches, kicks, and swivels her head and body. Abell and Pitch look at each other and nod. They both turned and walked back upstairs to go to sleep.
~A week later...
"One, two, three, four, one, two, three, four." Rave yells as she claps her hands. "And done!"
"Yes! I finished the entire dance!" Uta yells.
"Finally! I thought we wouldn't make it in time." Rave cheers. "All we have to do now is for you to sing and dance at the same time."
All of the sudden, Uta and Rave fall to the ground and Rave passes out from exhaustion. Uta, barely conscious, wipes the sweat off her forehead and takes a swig of water. It's been ages since she went through a workout like this. Probably the last time she worked this hard was when she tried to master conqueror haki. It took her years to figure it out since she had no outside help. However, this is different. She has friends who can help her. Uta can't help, but smile at how lucky she is. Things have been so fun.
"Man, I've never been so tired yet so excited."
"Ah, welcome back to the world of the living." Uta greets as Rave picks herself up.
"Man, I hope we can show people how fun this song can be." Rave said. "Like, I don't know, add something flashy."
Flashy? Uta thought.
Uta thinks back to the first time she sang the song. It was when she was fighting Ace and their fight was amazingly fun. Uta thinks back on Ace's flame powers and remembers, when she was singing, compares that to over the top special effects.
"You're a genius!" Uta yells excitedly as she points at Rave. "We're adding special effects!"
BAM!
"What the hell?!" Abell yells as Uta, Pitch, and Rave burst into the recording room.
"Did you hear?" Pitch asks. "We're going to apply special effects!"
"Lights! Illusions! Makeup!" Rave yells enthusiastically.
"Let's do it!" Uta said confidently. "What do we have to lose?"
"Strength Sap."
Abell raises her hand and takes away the women's strength so that they can calm down from their unusual burst of excitement.
"Ok, calm down." Abell said as she walked up to the three. "You guys want me to add special effects to this song? Do you even know what you want."
Uta weakly hands a piece of paper to Abell and the woman grabs it, then reads it. After reading for about a minute, Abell's eyes glisten.
"You're incredibly stupid." Abell chuckles. "Our agreed deadline is in a week and you expect us to do all of this?"
"Well, I doubt you have any complaints." Gordon said as waltz in from behind the weakened trio. "Naturally, we're all going to help you with this since this is a pretty big project."
Abell stares at the old man and she smiles happily.
"If we pull this off, we can add this to all my other songs!" Uta said getting up. "Are you in?"
"Of course I am!" Abell said smiling. "This will be fun. This week will be hell."
~A week later...
Calick!
"Ah, Gordon, we're good on our end." a male voice said from behind the end of the transponder snail. "We can go live to the world whenever you're ready."
"Perfect." Gordon responds. "The world of music, no, entertainment will change forever once this goes live."
"Performing a song worldwide live is unthinkable." the voice said. "People would never expect that."
"However, they want to see 'Diva' Red with their own eyes." Gordon said to the man. "You're excited too."
"Of course I am!" the voice said happily. "Watching history take shape and making bank while doing so will be the greatest feeling."
"Well, keep your eyes peeled." Gordon said smiling. "It'll all be but a fleeting moment."
Calick!
Gordon hangs up and stands before a panel with several buttons and snails. The man clicks the top button of several snails and several screens pop up. On the larger screen, standing in the center of a stage with a light blue, is a female figure that is completely blacked out.
"We're live!"
I'm sick and tired of being alone,
Wanna be connected.
Have a bond to hold on to Just gonna lay it all out, how I feel.
The female figure begins to wave her hands in the air and swing her hips before making a pose.
Loud out!
Ohhhh!
All of the sudden, the stage lights up allowing the figure, Uta, to be revealed. Then, the drum beat picks up.
Listen baby makin' you happy, whether you like it or not.
Gonna be up in your ears, no run-in' away just wait for the beat to drop.
Uta swings her hips and raises her arms up and down to the beat of the song.
Listen for a surprise. Every word will entice.
Reality is overrated.
The camera turns along with Uta and she faces another version of herself who's doing their own dance.
You're not gonna out think me, I thought of everything.
You'll never get it, you can't keep up.
So just stay out of my way. Be my good good good boys & girls.
Uta then runs off and the stage turns red. Uta then stops and turns to see the figure disappear.
You think you're so tough? Well, I had enough of it.
Uta then resumes her own dance as the camera zooms out a bit.
I got something here that's better.
Come on up and we can sing together Fun unfettered.
Get on stage, let's goooo...
All of the sudden the camera swirls and focuses on the double from before and then it splits into multiple versions. Uta stands in the center and the copies mimic her movements.
I wanna make your day, Do my thing loud and proud.
No shame in what I create I got this down.
Everything exactly how we want it, this is a utopia.
Ha ha!
Uta darkens showing only her outline. Then, she slowly lays on the floor ground and raises her arm up and down hypnotizing the camera.
Been a long time comin', now it's here to stay You can't deny...
Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!
Uta's figure then rises up and her doppelgängers back off as she stands.
It's a miracle of mercy, you can't stop it if you try.
I know it's possible, I'm not tryin' to ask too much.
Uta stomps on the ground and the background changes hues revealing the singer who has a mic in her hand.
I wanna know how to give what you want.
Explicate all you got deep inside.
Don't need nothin' in return,
Stay with me or I will Frrrreak out!
The doppelgängers from before begins to surround Uta and dance.
True Heart!
Oh my "F" word.
Wouldn't you rather be floatin' up high,
To your cares sayin' "bye?"
Fanservice flowin' so free you could die.
Just you and I, no ending in sight.
The camera is zoomed in at Uta's face revealing an angry smile as she sings into the mic.
Trust me! It'll be super fun! Hee hee hee that's all!
Don't you now I'm gonna make you a zealot.
In here all logic has got to go,
Please don't go!
Nobody here gets to leave, oh no! No, no, no!
I got the mic, and I'll never say good bye!
The camera zooms out to see Uta now in full body and dancing to the beat of the music.
Just follow the beat.
Let the melody inspire.
Luring you into enchantmen.
Come on up and we can sing together!
Fun unfettered,
Get on stage, let's go...
The camera fuzzes out for effect and changes where Uta is walking down an aisle where several of her darkened figures are lined up dancing.
I wanna make your day, Do my thing loud and proud!
No shame in what I create I got this down!
Everything exactly how we want it, this is a utopia!
Ha! Ha!
Been a long time comin', now it's here to stay You can't deny...
Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!
It's a miracle of mercy, you can't stop it if you try.
I know it's possible, I'm not tryin' to ask too much.
The lights darken and continues to dance in her shaded form. The camera pans upwards as Uta begins to slowly go in a circle with her doppelgängers surrounding her.
Salvation's got to come. This generation's done.
It's tired of never being listened to.
The screams were never heard The suffering endured But no more!
As the music picks up, the figures begin to act strange and acts as if they're in a panic.
Watch me rock this. They got nothin' Up to me. You just need to stay out of my way!
There's no turnin' back now Gonna be singin' jointly for all time...
Uta let's out a burst of conquerors haki which makes the screen shutter and knocking out some of the figures over.
Blowin' your mind with my pace! Drummin' to burst your ear drum!
Uta punches one of the darkened figures which shatters like glass.
Bring in the bass, guitar and keys Macaferri got nothin'!
Uta kicks and destroys another one of her copies.
On me, no Ooo-wah! Oh let me hear you shout!
Doo! Wop! Wop! Waah!
Uta screams into the air as the shadowy figures begin to crack apart one by one.
Banish every gaslight, let clarity shine.
Gotta clean up this brainwash, don't let 'em tell you lies, heads up!
Let my song clear your senses,
All you really need is to hear my true voice.
Uta looks at the camera as it zooms it and the feed cuts off.
"And that's it!"
From where Uta stands is, not the recording studio where she would normally sing her songs, but Elegia's outdoor coast stage. There were stage lights, railway, moving platforms, marionettes, and several video transponder snails attached to mechanical arms. Abell and Pitch were on the side with Abell monitoring the video footage and Pitch playing on a soundboard with a bunch of brass instruments added into it and electric bass. Rave, unlike the other three, is close by and at the foot of the stage where Uta is standing up on. She has the same hairstyle and clothes as Uta. She is also in full on dark make up which hides her face. For some reason, Rave is very weak at her feet and is trying to get up.
"What the hell, Abell!" Rave screams from the stadium.
"Huh? What did I do?" Abell yells back.
"You used your Drain Drain powers on me in the middle of our performance!" Rave yells angrily. "That could've messed everything up!"
"That wasn't me." Abell calls back. "My powers can't work from this distance."
"That was me." Uta said.
"Huh?! You?!" Rave asks in shock.
"I used a large burst of haki on you and it was enough to make you falter." Uta explains.
"Haki?" Rave asks. "Is that some Sing Sing fruit technique?"
"Never mind that." Gordon said through the loud speaker. "Uta's plan was a success and her latest song 'Fleeting Lullaby' has been shown to every corner of the world."
Everyone's mood changes for the better and the ladies smile proudly.
"Whatever happens now, is out of our control." Gordon said.
"Just what I want." Uta said happily. "My New Genesis is beginning to take shape."
Whew, done! Hopefully I can pump out chapters on regular schedule. Making this chapter took a LOT more effort than I thought. Since this song is the only music video where Uta is actively dancing, I planned it where this will make Rave shine as the coach and backup dancer for the song. I wanted to give my version of 'Fleeting Lullaby' a feel of a mix between the music video background and movements along with Uta's dancing in the movie. I was very conflicted with adding several lyrics, such as the laughs and the background words, but I decided to implement them as best as I could. If you have been reading from the beginning, congratulations as this is thirty fifth part of this fic. Thirty three chapters, two Q&A's and with a length of over 120k words. To add to that, over 35k people have at least read this fic and tried it out for themselves. Hard to believe it hasn't even been a year since I started writing this fic. That being said, It's also hard to believe there are people who still manage to find the time to read this story as it's probably way too intimidating as many come and gone. At the very least, I'm not expecting any newbies at this point so I thank all of you veterans for your constant support. That's all for now and enjoy the newest One Piece episode, for Queen vs Sanji! It'll be fire! See you all next time and thank you all.