~Third~
The crew made in back on the Sunny with the skeleton in toe "It's such a pleasure to meet you, hello and good day to you all as of today i'll be joining you on this ship as the newest crew member, once dead and all bones my name is Brook and i do hope we can get along"Brook said.
Usopp decked out in a full set of anti ghost stuff "Remove yourself from the ship you fiend submit to the holy power that i wield, evil be gone! Evil be gone!"he said making Brook back off Chopper cheered him on "Where is this evil creature i can't see it"Brook said "It's you stupid!" Usopp and Chopper yelled at him.
"Damn it there's no way a walking talking afro sporting skeleton could exist, this must be a dream i just need to wake up"Usopp said "Oh it's a dream? What a relief"Chopper sighed in relief falling back onto the grass only to wake up with Brooks face in his face "That's enough! What is this thing and why is it on our ship?!"Zoro asked.
"That's our new crew member isn't he funny?"Luffy asked a carefree grin on his face "Who cares! It's not joining our crew! This is exactly why i wanted you to go with him! What the hell happened?! Were you just picking your noses while he brought a skeleton back to the ship?!" Zoro asked yelling at Nicole and Sanji.
"Don't you dare blame this on me! It just sorta happened!"Nicole yelled back "Now now let's be civil everyone why don't we go inside? You can treat me to dinner"Brook said "You don't get to decide that!"Sanji, Zoro and Nicole yelled at the skeleton, Luffy just laughed "I love this guy"he said.
The Strawhats went inside to the dining room while Sanji was cooking in the kitchen "What a spacious dining room you've got and such a splendid kitchen a magnificent ship if i've ever seen one, yohohohoho!"Brook said "Yep"Luffy grinned "Of course it is it's the most super ship i've ever made, those sockets are empty but you gotta good eye for quality"Franky said.
"Speaking of quality i can't wait to try out your cooking since i've been stuck on that dreary ghost ship it's been decades since i've eaten a proper meal, i felt my stomach shrink and shrink until i couldn't tell the back of my belly from the front of my back anymore that was the sort of miserable life i've lead and let me tell you that's saying a lot seeing as skeletons don't even have a proper back or stomach, yohohohoho!"Brook laughed.
"Oh by the way skeleton"Luffy said "Sorry but my name is Brook, ah but that reminds me, i know this is rube but i don't believe i ever caught your name"Brook said "Oh me? My name is Luffy, so anyway what are you?"he asked "You invited him to join the crew and you just now ask him that?!"Zoro asked.
"Okay foods ready"Sanji said serving the food and the Strawhats got to eating and Brook explained he's the way he is cause he ate a devil fruit "The revive revive fruit?"Nami asked "So it was a devil fruit after all"Franky said "Really though what else did you expect it to be?"Nicole asked.
"It's a complicated tale the truth of the matter is i actually did die many years ago, the revive revive fruit allows a person to be reanimated after they've died, even among devil fruits the ability to live two lives is indeed quite strange"Brook said "So you're a revive man"Luffy said sparkles in his eyes.
"Then you're not immortal, it's more like you died once and came back to life"Franky said "In short yes, as i said it's complicated but during my first life if you will i was a pirate just like you" Brook said "That explains the ship"Luffy said.
"That it does, a long time ago i was sailing with the rest of my crew through these accursed waters now for the record i had flesh and blood like everyone else back then, at any rate we had the misfortune of running afoul a very powerful enemy, soon the entire crew met it's demise of course that included me as well, when i was alive the revive revive fruit did precious little other then rob me of my ability to swim but on that fateful day it's true power awakened as i laid dead"Brook said.
Nicole lifted a brow it didn't seem the fruit itself had awakened though, all it was doing was keeping this old pile of bones together and keeping the soul Brook bound to them.
"My spirit returned from the netherworld and came to unite with this body of mine once again, now if it had found my body as intended that would be all well and good but as you can see the fog around here can be quite thick so that came a bit complicated in short poor little soul Brook couldn't find his way back home, all in all my spirit wondered through the foggy waters searching for my body for an entire year, then at the end of it's tragic journey the two were reunited once again, much to my souls dismay once it found my body there was nothing left but a miserable pile of bones"Brook said finishing up with a lame skull joke.
"You've got lost huh so you're stupid just like Zoro"Luffy laughed "Like you have any room to talk"Nicole muttered "So a walking talking skeleton was born, man those devil fruit powers can be pretty scary sometimes even though you're just bones it still brought you back to life"Franky said.
"Yeah but it only did it once despite the fact that he still can't swim and he's stuck like this, seems kinda like a crappy deal if you ask me"Sanji said "Skeletons aren't supposed to have hair are they? Especially not so much of it, is that afro a wig or something?"Zoro asked "No my roots are just very strong"Brook said, Nicole sweatdropped "I'll take your word for it"Zoro said.
"Then that means you're not actually a ghost after all? You're just a normal human like us? Well normal is a stretch i suppose, the important thing is you're definitely not a ghost"Usopp said "Oh heavens no i hate ghost if i saw one i'd scream my lungs out if i had any"Brook said.
"You're a skeleton and you're afraid of ghost? Have you tried looking in the mirror lately?"Nami asked holding up a hand mirror "No mirror!"Brook screamed "What's wrong? Hey hold up what's going on here? Why can't we see you? Why don't you show up in the mirror?!"Usopp and Chopper asked freaking out "A vampire!"Nami joined in their freak out hiding out as the others got ready to fight.
"Are you for real?! That's awesome!!"Luffy yelled "Look at his feet, he doesn't even have a shadow!"Usopp said "Yeah you're right! What kind of creature are you?!"Chopper asked freaking out, Brook just calmly sat down sipping tea.
"I suppose i should tell you the rest of the story about what happened while i was drifting this evil sea and the second tragedy i was forced to face, what i told you about becoming a skeleton is true but the reason i don't have a shadow is a different matter entirely, my shadow was stolen someone took it from me several years ago"Brook said.
Nicole again lifted a brow, there was something familiar about someone taking shadows, where had she heard it before "Can something like that really happen?"Zoro asked "Yes i'm afraid it can and in addition to loosing my reflection having my shadow stolen means i can no longer exist in the world of light"Brook said.
"But you're still alive right?"Luffy asked "Yes for now at least but only because i'm able to stay in this place with no sunlight, although you can barely call it living, i am saved by the grace of the thick fog surrounding these seas"Brook said "Then what would happen if you were exposed to sunlight?"Robin asked.
"If even a ray of sunlight touches this body, every inch that it fell upon would be reduced to nought but ash, a single step into sunlight and matter of moments every trace of me would be wiped from this world"Brook said shocking the others "You'd be killed?"they asked "Yes"Brook nodded.
"I saw someone with the same curse as me lose his mind and run into the sunlight and at last as his screams went silent there nothing was left but a pile of dust, it was so frightful i swear my soul practically left my body a second time and just as the sunlight does not cast my shadow my image cannot be reflected in a mirror or captured in a photograph, you must forgive me for startling you but i hope you can understand my reluctance to share this story, for as you see not only have all of my comrades been slain i also live in a world without light"Brook said.
"Well i hate to say it but your life sure does suck"Sanji said "Even so right now i'm so happy to have it, i've got the afro a big smile the cheery gentleman skeleton Brook always a pleasure" Brook said before laughing "What a wonderful day this has been, i met other people! Buried in a thick fog even though i knew deceased had passed i couldn't tell when one day ended and another began"Brook said.
"Unable to navigate or steer the ship my companions long since then dead i could only drift endlessly so i waited and waited as the waves rocked me back and forth, you can't even imagine how lonely i was for all those years, not just lonely but scared wanting to die every single day, even still a long life is a blessing and a curse, you've made me so happy! Meeting such wonderful people gives my life meaning! Yohoho! If i had but the eyes to shed them i would be crying tears of happiness right now! I was happy beyond measure when you asked me to join your crew and i sincerely want to thank you from the bottom of my heart, however i fear that i must decline your offer"Brook said.
"What?! Why would you do that?!"Luffy asked "As i just mention to all of you my shadow has been stolen from me and i am unable to come in contact with any sunlight, lonely though i may be i am able to survive for now thanks to this thick fog covering these seas, however if i were to go on a journey with you it would only be a matter time until i met my unfortunate demise, therefor however unlikely it may be i'll wait for the day until my shadow can be restored"Brook said.
"I don't wanna hear you make excuses like that if you need your shadow back so bad then we'll get it back for you, you said someone stole it from you right? Who was it? Where can we find them?"Luffy asked "Thank you, you truly are a kind person aren't you? But for that reason i'm afraid i cannot tell you, we only just met you see and i cannot ask you to throw your life away attempting something nearly impossible"Brook said.
"I'm sure the guys though and all but give me a brake you've got nothing to lose least you can do is tell us his name"Franky said "No it's best that i don't, besides i doubt i can find him anyway but i've decided that when and if i ever do reach him i will fight him to the death for my shadow, i don't know when my second life will end but i am willing to wait for it for the rest of my days but never mind that why don't i play a song for you?"Brook asked.
The skeleton took out a violin "I am skilled with great many instruments you know, when i sailed the seas with my old crew i was their musician"Brook said "What?! Are you serious?! Our crew needs a musician! Hurry up and join us already i'm begging you!"Luffy said "Yohoho i haven't played music for anyone in years but here goes"Brook said but didn't play anything as he was scared by a ghost that had appeared inside the Sunny.
Then something shook their ship and everyone ran out to see what it was "Everyone look to the front that noise we heard was this gate slamming shut our passage has already been blocked off"Brook said "That thing is a gate?"Luffy asked "It looks like teeth like a giant sea monster is gonna eat us all"Usopp said.
"What's going on here?"Zoro asked, Nicole had a very bad feeling and something was nagging at her in the back of her head "It looks like this is the backside of the gate"Brook said "Is that bad?"Luffy asked "This is very bad"Brook said and ran to the back of the ship, the others following him.
"Did you by any chance pick up a barrel from the waters on your way here?"Brook asked, Luffy recalled that they did and the flare that came out of it "Yeah we did"he said "It was a trap you're all in great danger, simply put your ship's been targeted ever since you came here"Brook said "You mean there's someone out there hunting us down? And how did we run into that gate if our ship's not moving?"Luffy asked.
"Ah!"Nicole said as it clicked "What is it?"Luffy asked "This is Thriller Bark, possibly the biggest ship in the world, it's captain is one of the seven warlords Gecko Moria, he has a devil fruit that let's him steal someone's shadow and plant it into a zombie, ugh! Why didn't i figure it out sooner!"Nicole growled scolding herself "How do you know?"Brook asked "Her father is also one of the seven warlords"Zoro said "I see"Brook simply said.