35 Chapter 35: Music Function

Third Person's PoV:

The two relatively young men came in as boisterous as one can be. With everyone's attention turned to them, Luffy's eyes brightened even more.

"Josh, You're awake!" Luffy said enthusiastically. The smile on his face couldn't be any wider.

"Yea. Sorry for the worry—" Josh tried to say, however, he was immediately cut off by an annoying voice which made a tick pop up on his forehead.

"NAMI-SWANNN..." Sanji swooned with his patented noodle dance. With his arms raised up and waving back and forth as if they were boneless, there were literal hearts coming out of him.

Sanji rushed over to Nami and took her right hand with his own. As if his earlier state was a lie, a manly voice came out of his mouth, "Your knight, Sanji, is here to protect you, even if it is from the devil himself."

Nami just looked unimpressed, while everyone else deadpanned, except for Luffy who thought it was amusing.

"Shishishi...Sanji has officially joined our pirate crew." Luffy said.

"Well...I'm alive, Zoro isn't dead, 'I hope.', and we've got a new crew mate... do you guys know what this calls for!?" Josh said in a loud voice. His attempt at changing the subject was quickly ridden on by everyone.

*Growl*

A certain captain's stomach growled as if it had sentience of its own.

"A BANQUET!!"

Josh smiled excitedly. A pirate's banquet was something famous and glorious, however, very common. This was different though, this is the banquet of the Strawhat pirates...no way it'd be anything peaceful or calming. It is going to be rowdy, loud, and very tiring, but most importantly, fun!

"Do we have enough food?" Usopp asked. Most of the crew quickly realized Luffy's unending appetite, and Luffy didn't care for other people when on the dinner table so they had to make sure everyone had enough to eat for it to be an actual banquet.

"It'll be fine. If we run out, the restaurant is right outside so we can get more ingredients." Sanji answered. He was also excited about the thought of cooking for his new crew mates, especially Nami.

"Alright then, lover-boy. Let's test your qualifications as the chef of this crew. You'll be cooking everything by yourself." Josh added tacitly. He took the first chance he had to slack off from having to cook.

While his cooking skills were now supposedly 'Advanced', he didn't want to be stuck in the kitchen cooking, while everyone else enjoyed themselves.

"That was the plan anyway." Sanji grumbled and walked into the kitchen.

"Oh right, Mihawk is still here. I'll be back in a sec.." Excusing himself, Josh left the dining room and went out on to the deck.

Once he got on the deck, the sea breeze immediately embraced him, making him sniff the air in comfort. Josh wasn't much of a sea voyager back in his old world, so he didn't know just how inviting mother ocean can be, even though she is extremely dangerous.

"Yo. How you doing?" Leaning over the railing of the Merry, Josh spoke up to a man quietly sitting on a boat.

The man didn't even lift his head up but responded anyway, "You brat, you've kept me waiting long enough." Mihawk's entire face was covered by his shapely hat.

"Don't be like that, ossan. Come up on the Merry Go. We're having a banquet, and you're invited." Josh proposed teasingly. As long as Mihawk called him a "brat", he wasn't going to let him get away without being called an "ossan".

Mihawk was about to refuse and demand his rewards, but he hesitated after hearing Josh's next words.

"I'm feeling generous today, so the High-Tiered wine will be served.." Josh spoke aloofly. He spoke as if the wine was nothing but common juice.

Mihawk begrudgingly agreed. It wasn't so bad as he would get to taste that fine wine again. Also, this was far from the first time Mihawk was forcefully dragged into a party after a fight. The Akagami Pirates did that often so the begrudging feeling he showed was only on the outside.

Soon, the both of them entered the dining area and the already seated crew stared back at them with bewilderment written all over their faces.

Nami, Usopp, Johnny, and Yosaku were tongue tied at this scene. The man who was their enemy previously was coming onto their ship leisurely as if nothing ever happened between them.

While the feeling of bewilderment was strong, even stronger feelings of fear and worry quickly arose within them.

Luffy, on the other hand, couldn't be bothered with them. His face instantly had a smile as he saw Hawkeye walk in.

"You're here too, Hawkeye no ossan. That's great!" He laughed cheerily. This man was someone who knew Shanks personally and he didn't seem like an evil person so Luffy quickly welcomed him.

All of them took a seat, with Luffy, Josh, and Mihawk on one side and the rest on the other side. The atmosphere was strained as nobody spoke up to make conversation.

Luffy was clanking his spoon and fork excitedly while shouting "meshi" over and over again. While Josh tried to make conversation, Mihawk was being rather taciturn. Only replying with a word or two, sometimes not replying at all. This made Josh feel helpless.

The other side of the table was completely soundless. Nobody even dared to move an inch as they all just stared at the table as if something interesting was on it.

'You wouldn't know a way to salvage this situation would you?' Josh asked mentally. The person he was talking to was clearly the system.

[The solution is simple. Remove Dracule Mihawk from the area and the situation will go back to normal.]

Josh wanted to beat up the System after that comment. He specifically invited the guy, so he can't just go back on his words and tell him to leave...where would he put his face if he did that.

'Are you crazy!? No! Anything else?' Josh asked a bit helplessly. He was just talking to the System to temporarily escape from the awkward situation so he didn't really expect it to give a good solution.

[History has shown that Music can bring people closer together. Maybe some songs will liven the place and spark something?]

The reply this time was not something Josh was expecting. It actually sounded logical and it would definitely make everyone focus on something other than the awkward silence.

'Too bad I can't play any instrument. Can't exactly just up and sing a song with my tone-deaf voice...' Josh replied a bit dejectedly.

[There is no need for the Host to sing. The System is equipped with it's own Music Function.]

".....what?" Josh accidentally spoke out loud, but he was just ignored. Some turned their heads his way but that was it.

[The System is fitted with it's own Music Function.]

'....'

'You didn't think to tell me that...because?' Josh said calmly. His inner voice might be calm, but Josh was feeling anything but calm.

'If you say...I didn't ask—'

[The Host didn't ask.]

Josh lost it for a moment and abruptly stood up. Garnering odd looks from everyone. He shamefully sat back down with his head crestfallen.

'If you pull another function like that out of your ass again without telling me, I'm really gonna rage.'

[Gasp! Language, Host! You are talking to a three year old! Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?]

Josh lost it for a second time. After calming his bulging eyes and quivering mouth, he calmly stood up and left the room. After a dull thud, he came back in with the same expressionlessness on his face, confusing everyone.

'I'm sorry. Now, what were you saying about music?'