Brook really was hopeless. No matter when or where, he always circled back to panties.
"Yohohoho... a skeleton joke."
Seeing the sweat on Amon and Crocus's faces, Brook laughed smugly to himself. He had been alone for too many years. At some point, he had clearly mastered the skill of laughing awkwardly on his own.
Then he quickly straightened up again.
"Oh, right, Crocus. How did you make this giant screen? It's incredible."
A screen like this was far beyond anything he had seen before.
Crocus shook his head and pointed at Amon.
"This wasn't my doing. Mr. Amon made it happen. And the reason we contacted you this time is because of Laboo..."
"Laboon? What happened to Laboon?!"
The moment he heard the name, Brook cut him off, all traces of joking gone. His whole body tensed.
Crocus looked at him and felt a surge of relief on Laboon's behalf. His companion had never forgotten him.
So he told Brook everything. About the waiting. About the years. About the way Laboon had stayed at Twin Cape for more than forty years, refusing to give up on that promise.
"You're saying... Laboon really waited for us all this time? More than forty years?"
Brook's body trembled. Tears already shimmered in his eye sockets. He had never imagined Laboon had truly waited for them for so long. That kind of devotion was enough to break anyone's heart.
"Yes," Crocus said quietly. "He kept waiting for you to return. Year after year. When no one came back, he grew restless. In recent years, he started smashing his head against the Red Line, trying to force his way back to the West Blue to find you."
"We contacted you because of that. We need you to talk to him. If this continues, he'll die."
"All right. Let me speak to him." Brook wiped at his tears in a hurried, clumsy motion. "Tell him to live well and wait for me a little longer. Once I reclaim my shadow, I'll come back to see him."
He wanted to speak to Laboon at once. More than that, he wanted to see him with his own eyes.
Amon nodded and turned the screen toward the whale.
"Laboon... is that really you? You've grown so big."
Even after all these years, Brook recognized him at a glance.
Laboon recognized him just as quickly.
Though Brook had become nothing but a skeleton, Laboon still knew him instantly. The huge whale's body began to tremble, and then tears poured from his eyes in rushing streams, like waterfalls finally breaking loose after decades of pressure.
The sedative's effect had already begun to wear off, and he had been growing restless again. But the moment he saw Brook, everything changed.
"Laboon... you've suffered all these years."
"Wait for me a little longer. Once I get my shadow back, I'll come to you."
"Until then, stay here with Crocus. Don't do anything foolish again."
"Laaa... boooon!"
Laboon let out a tremendous cry, as if pouring out all the longing and pain he had held inside for decades.
Amon, Crocus, and Lily watched the two of them in silence, all deeply moved.
This was part of what made One Piece what it was. The emotions in it ran so deep and struck so hard that once they surfaced, they could leave a person defenseless.
Amon quietly led the others back into the cabin, leaving Brook and Laboon space to speak freely after so many lost years.
In the end, Brook drew in a shaking breath and began to play Binks' Sake for Laboon once more, tears glinting in his empty sockets.
"Yohohoho, yohohoho..."
The violin sang, and Brook's voice followed, bright and sorrowful all at once.
As the song drifted across the sea, Laboon slowly calmed. The grief in him softened, and before long, the great whale even began to move with the music, swaying like he was dancing.
That sight broke Lily completely. Tears streamed down her face without stopping, and she cried openly, no longer able to hold it back.
Even Amon and Crocus could not keep their eyes dry.
Brook's song continued, carrying across the waves with warmth and melancholy, until at last it came to an end.
When the final note faded, Laboon stopped moving.
The old agitation was gone from him. In its place was something lighter, almost joyful. Even his cry sounded different now, no longer sad and hollow, but full of life.
At the same moment, the video call card reached its limit and the screen vanished.
Brook had been too overwhelmed by seeing Laboon again to properly thank Amon, but far away near Thriller Bark, he had already engraved Amon's face into memory. Deep down, he made a vow. Once he recovered his shadow, he would return to Twin Cape, see Laboon in person, and repay this kindness properly.
On the deck, Crocus looked at the now-peaceful Laboon and let out a long breath. His face was full of relief.
"Mr. Amon, I truly have to thank you. If you hadn't appeared today, Laboon would have..."
He did not finish the sentence.
If Amon had not come, Crocus had no idea how long Laboon would have kept crashing into the Red Line. Perhaps until the whale died there in confusion and sorrow, still waiting for an answer that never came.
Amon shook his head.
"You're being too polite, Uncle. I was moved by Laboon too, so I wanted to help."
"And I'm just an ordinary Jar merchant. Calling me mister like that feels a bit too formal."
Being addressed that way by an old man like Crocus made him uncomfortable.
More than that, he truly had wanted to help.
The bond between Laboon and Brook had always been one of the most moving parts of One Piece. Being able to do something for them left Amon glad.