When Zoro saw that Luffy and the others had brought back a living skeleton, his mind completely blanked.
Weren't they just supposed to check things out?
How did this thing end up coming back with them?!
"Yohohoho~!"
Brook laughed cheerfully. "Hello everyone! I'm Brook, the man who's left with nothing but bones! Please take good care of me~!"
"What kind of joke is this?! What the hell is that thing?!" ×3
"Yohohohoho~!"
"Hey, hey, hey—what exactly did you three go do?"
Zoro stared at Jin and the others. "Why did you let Luffy bring something like this back?"
"…Sorry."
"Hahaha, isn't this great?" Jin said with a grin.
"Our crew was already weird to begin with."
"Weird?"
"Reindeer-man, ship spirit, pervert, womanizer—"
"HEY!"
Sanji instantly rushed in front of Jin, shark-teeth bared.
"By 'womanizer,' you're talking about me, aren't you?!"
Why the hell did this bastard look straight at him when he said that?!
"Hmph. Looks like the ero-cook has good self-awareness," Zoro sneered.
"What did you say, moss-head?!"
"I said you're a pervert!"
"Damn you—take this!"
The two immediately started brawling on the deck again, fists flying everywhere, completely stunning Brook.
"Yohohoho~ Is this some kind of special welcome ceremony?"
"…You can think of it that way," Jin replied with a complicated expression.
"How passionate!"
"WHO'S PASSIONATE?!" ×2
The two shouted in perfect sync, glared at each other, then snorted and stepped apart.
"Oh my, oh my~"
Brook suddenly noticed Robin and walked over politely.
"Upon closer inspection, there's another beautiful lady here~ May I please admire your pan—"
"SHUT UP, YOU SKELETON IDIOT!!"
BAM!
Nami's fist smashed into the back of Brook's skull, flattening him onto the floor.
"Yohohoho~ Still just as fierce~"
"Oh? And here we have a lovely little young lady?"
Brook turned toward the slightly frightened Merry and gave what he thought was a "kind" smile.
Merry: ...
Is he… smiling?
"Hey…"
Nami's fist hardened again.
"Yohohoho~ Don't worry, I won't ask that this time," Brook said quickly as he climbed back up.
"Hahaha! Brook's really funny!" Luffy laughed.
"So… you're really not a ghost?"
Usopp, dressed head-to-toe in exorcist gear, cautiously approached, holding a cross straight at Brook.
"Whoa!"
Chopper's eyes sparkled.
"So this is the equipment of a real exorcist master—so cool!"
"I'm definitely not a ghost!" Brook said, shuddering dramatically.
"I'm actually terrified of ghosts! Meeting one while drifting at sea would be absolutely horrifying!"
"So… not a ghost…"
"He has a physical body," Jin said calmly as he walked over and casually patted Brook's bones.
Brook didn't resist at all—he even seemed to enjoy the contact, as if he hadn't felt human warmth in ages.
"So he's really just… a skeleton…"
Usopp's fear dropped noticeably.
At least something with a body could be hit.
"Then… are you a ship spirit?" Merry asked curiously.
"A ship spirit?"
Brook froze, clearly surprised. "Why would you ask that?"
Only then did he notice Merry's pointed ears—unmistakably unlike a normal human's.
Could it be…
A fairy?
"Franky said ship spirits might be born in the Devil's Triangle," Merry said softly, stepping out from behind Robin.
"And those spirits can't leave this place… it's really sad…"
"So I wanted to help them rest."
"I see…" Brook said in surprise.
"I'm very sorry, but I'm not a ship spirit—and in all the decades I've drifted here, I've never seen one either."
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, little lady."
"I understand…"
Merry lowered her head, clearly disappointed.
She'd thought she had finally met someone like herself.
Even if he looked strange… she wouldn't have minded being friends.
Seeing her reaction, Brook gently said,
"But if you think about it—
isn't it better that no ship spirits are trapped here?"
"…That's true," Jin nodded.
"If one were born here, escaping would be nearly impossible."
To gain a body—only to be imprisoned forever in the Devil's Triangle…
That would be far crueler.
"Ship spirits aren't born easily anyway," Franky added.
"So far, I've only ever seen Merry."
"Strictly speaking," Robin said,
"they're more legend than reality."
Merry blinked.
…That was true.
If none were trapped here, then maybe that was a good thing.
Her mood slowly brightened again.
"So this little girl is a ship spirit…"
Brook said in wonder. "What an incredible sight."
"And seeing you is pretty incredible too," Sanji muttered.
"So this guy's officially our crewmate now?" Zoro frowned.
"Yep! I invited him already!" Luffy said proudly.
"…Luffy."
"Hahaha! Everyone's getting along just fine, right?"
Usopp: ...
Where exactly was the "fine" part?!
"I'm terribly sorry," Brook said politely,
"but isn't it already time for dinner?"
He naturally walked toward the galley.
"WHO SAID YOU COULD DECIDE THAT?!"
"But I'm rather hungry, yohohoho~"
Sanji took a drag of his cigarette.
"…Wait there."
No matter how weird the guy was, Sanji couldn't stand seeing someone go hungry.
Even if that someone was a skeleton.
"Yohohoho~ Many thanks, Chef!"
Meanwhile—
High above the Thousand Sunny, a small ghost created by Perona's Devil Fruit hovered silently, observing everything below.
"That skeleton's way of talking… it's just like Ryuma's," she muttered.
"Could Ryuma's shadow have come from him?"
Whatever the reason, her mission came first.
After signaling the zombie steering the massive ship-island to move closer, she guided the little ghost downward.
It slipped into the dining hall, hiding in the corner—
waiting for the Straw Hats' ship to fall into the trap.
"Yohohoho~ Meeting all of you has truly made me happy," Brook said warmly.
"This is the happiest I've been in decades."
"And this meal was wonderful. Thank you, Chef."
"Hehe, glad you liked it," Luffy grinned.
Sanji smiled as well—nothing pleased him more than someone enjoying his cooking.
"By the way," Brook said politely,
"may I ask your name?"
"Me?" Luffy grinned wide.
"I'm Monkey D. Luffy—
the man who's gonna become Pirate King!"
"Pirate King…"
Brook smiled thoughtfully.
"What a magnificent dream. No one has ever achieved it."
"Huh?"
"Brook—you don't know about Roger?!"
"Roger…?"
Brook frowned and thought for a moment.
"Oh… I vaguely recall a rookie by that name."
"So he became Pirate King…
I see. A lot must've happened in these decades."
"A rookie?!"
Zoro stared in disbelief.
"You're saying the Pirate King was a rookie to you?!"
"Your background might be insane," Jin said, equally shocked.
To the world, Gol D. Roger was a legend.
Yet to Brook, he was merely "a newcomer."
Just how far back did this skeleton come from?
"If you were that strong before dying…"
Jin's eyes gleamed.
"We might've picked up something incredible."
"Oh, nothing like that," Brook laughed.
"I was just an ordinary musician."
"Though before becoming a pirate, I was once the captain of a kingdom's guard."
"Then why become a pirate?"
"That's… a long story," Brook said quietly.
"After some time as captain, I chose to sail the sea with my companions."
Seeing he didn't wish to continue, no one pressed further.
Everyone had a past they didn't want to dig into.
Even Luffy understood that.
"Then how did you become a skeleton?" Merry asked.
"Normal people can't do that, right?"
"…Was it because of a Devil Fruit?"
"Yes," Brook nodded.
"You're correct."
"I'm alive because of the Revive-Revive Fruit."
"The Revive-Revive Fruit?"
Jin's expression changed.
Just the name alone sounded terrifying.
A fruit that brought someone back from death…
That explained everything.
"Ah—pardon me."
Brook took out a white napkin and elegantly wiped his face.
"It's… still white?"
Franky stared in disbelief.
"How does he still have something that clean after drifting for decades?!"
"One must maintain a sense of ceremony in life," Brook smiled.
"Otherwise… one goes mad."
The table fell silent.
He had lived alone for decades.
No voices.
No companions.
Only fog and darkness.
The fact that he hadn't lost his sanity was already a miracle.
After neatly folding the napkin, Brook continued.
"Decades ago, my crew and I entered this Devil's Triangle and encountered an extremely powerful enemy."
"We won—but due to poisoning, we all died that day."
"But I never expected that this useless fruit—
which only made me unable to swim—
would reveal its true power then."
"The devil's strength recalled my soul from the underworld."
"As long as I could return to my body… I could revive."
"Then why are you just bones?" Sanji asked.
"Because this sea never sees sunlight," Brook sighed.
"Endless fog, no direction… I drifted for over a year before finding my body."
"By then…"
"I was already a skeleton."
"At that moment, my eyes nearly popped out—
though I don't have eyes! Yohohoho~"
"…That's unbelievable," Franky muttered.
"So that's Devil Fruit power…"
"Even death isn't absolute."
Jin stroked his chin.
"If there's a fruit that revives the dead…
then maybe there's one that grants eternal life?"
"Don't be stupid!" someone shouted.
"Heh, maybe," Jin grinned.
"If revival exists, why not longevity?"
The crew fell silent again.
"…Even if it exists," Robin said softly,
"the World Government would never let it go."
Such a fruit would belong only to the gods of Mary Geoise.
"Longevity doesn't interest me," Sanji suddenly said.
"There's another fruit I want."
"Oh?"
"The Clear-Clear Fruit!"
Nami: !!!
BAM!
"DIE, YOU PERVERT!!"
Sanji was smashed flat into the deck.
"Nami-san's punches are so fast…"
Lying there, Sanji suddenly remembered what Jin had said earlier.
Maybe Nami really did possess some mysterious power.
At least when she hit him—
dodging was impossible.
"You are NEVER allowed to eat that fruit!" Nami roared.
"But… even if it kills me," Sanji said with determination,
"I'll still eat it!"
"…You actually have another reason, don't you?" Nami narrowed her eyes.
Sanji paused.
Then shouted at full volume:
"OF COURSE! I WANT TO USE IT TO GO TO THE WOMEN'S BA—"
BAM!
"GO TO HELL, YOU IDIOT!!"
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