Chapter 416: Brook's Promise
"Laboon!!!"
Along with that shout, a thin yet upright figure came treading across the waves, his legs spinning like wheels as he dashed over the surface of the sea.
A black tailcoat fluttered in the wind, and a bony hand gently adjusted a top hat.
The glow of the setting sun reflected off his stark white skull. Within his hollow eye sockets, it seemed as though tears were shimmering.
—It was none other than the musician of the former Rumbar Pirates, Brook.
"Woo... Woooo...?" The whale's massive pupils suddenly trembled.
The "person" before it possessed not a single trace of life, only cold white bones.
But that familiar posture, that gentle tone, and that indescribable aura made its heart instantly skip a beat.
Brook slowly raised his hand, his voice trembling yet incomparably firm: "Laboon... it's me. It's Brook."
The whale's gargantuan body instantly froze. Its tail fin quivered, kicking up monstrous waves.
Confusion, fear, and unease intertwined in its eyes, but that yearning burned like an inextinguishable flame.
Brook slowly took off his hat and bowed deeply. "I'm sorry... I kept you waiting for far too long."
"Because I... have already died once."
He gently touched his skull, a trace of a smile seeming to appear on his hollow face.
"Although I'm left with nothing but this set of bones—my soul is still here."
In an instant—
Laboon's entire body violently jolted, and tears instantly poured down like a waterfall!
It looked up at the sky and let out a thunderous roar that shook the firmament!
"WOOOOOO——————!!!!"
It understood.
No matter how his appearance had changed, these white bones were the very companion it had waited fifty years for.
Brook looked at it, his fingers gently popping open his skull.
"Laboon... I've brought everyone's voices."
Inside his cranial cavity, a yellowed Tone Dial rested quietly.
Click—
The Tone Dial activated, and a melodious tune drifted slowly from the depths of time: "Ah~ Where the sea breeze blows~ We sing together~"
—It was the final chorus of the Rumbar Pirates.
The melody traversed fifty years of darkness, cutting through the sea of fog, and finally reached Laboon's ears.
The whale's massive body trembled violently, tears bursting forth alongside its sorrowful cries.
It closed its eyes, as if seeing the scene of its companions singing and dancing on the deck all those years ago.
Brook stood quietly, the sound of the piano and the singing flowing through his heart.
—Fifty years of a solitary voyage.
—Fifty years of endless waiting.
Today, they finally had their answer.
Beneath the lighthouse, Crocus witnessed this scene with tears streaming down his aged face. Choking up, he took off his glasses and desperately wiped his tears with the back of his hand:
"This is really... so wonderful, Laboon!!!" His voice trembled in the sea breeze, yet it was filled with pure relief and gratification.
—Fifty years of waiting had finally culminated in a reunion.
...
Twin Cape · In Front of the Lighthouse
The sun dipped low, dyeing the sea a golden-red. The sparkling waves looked like scattered gems.
The sea breeze blew past, bringing with it a salty tang and distant memories.
Brook and Crocus stood shoulder-to-shoulder, weathering-beaten stone steps beneath their feet.
Before them, Laboon, as massive as an island, was happily slapping its tail fin. The splashing waves formed rainbows in the setting sun.
It no longer stubbornly slammed its forehead against the indestructible Red Line. Instead, it was peacefully immersed in the joy of their long-awaited reunion, its eyes shining with tears and reliance.
Crocus's eyes were red. He gently wiped his damp eyes, sighing softly, "Ah... in the blink of an eye, fifty-two years have passed."
"To think that back then, you guys actually..."
Brook chuckled softly, his bony fingers leaning on his cane trembling slightly in the wind.
"Yes, the matters of the sea... no one can ever be certain."
"The world is unpredictable. Who can foresee what will happen in the next second? Yohohoho..."
The wind swept past, and the two fell silent for a moment, leaving only the sound of the crashing waves to answer their thoughts.
Crocus turned his head, his tone carrying inquiry and concern: "Brook, what do you... plan to do from now on? The sea today is no longer the same."
A trace of complex depth entered Brook's tone: "I know. After all—I've already met Roy once."
"What?!!"
Crocus spun around, his expression changing drastically as his eyes filled with shock.
"Roy?! You... you met him?!!"
Brook spread his bony hands, striking a somewhat helpless pose, and let out his signature laugh in an attempt to ease the tension:
"Yohohohoho~ Indeed. That man's strength is simply so overwhelming that it prevents even a single thought of resistance from forming.
"Standing before him feels as if... one's entire soul is crushed to the point of immobility."
Hearing this, Crocus frowned deeply. He remained silent for a long time, his gaze fixed on the distant sea.
Brook, however, shook his head slightly and turned to look at Laboon, who was swimming happily.
"However... I've already made up my mind."
"Hm?" Crocus froze slightly.
Brook slowly tipped his hat, his hollow eye sockets seemingly glowing with a gentle light.
"I've decided—I am going to stay here. To guard this Twin Cape with you, and keep Laboon company.
"You won't mind suddenly having a chattering skeleton like me around, will you?"
Crocus was stunned. His nose stung, and he abruptly turned his head away, unwilling to let Brook see the moisture in his eyes.
"You fool... how could I possibly mind!!!"
The two stood side by side watching Laboon. Its massive body rolled on the surface of the sea, the splashing mist refracting into rainbows, like a gift delivered by time itself.
Crocus muttered, "In this world... there aren't many of my companions left alive anymore."
Brook stood quietly beside him. Although his skeletal face had no tears to shed, it radiated a deep, heartfelt smile in the setting sun.
He slowly walked up to Laboon, raising his cane and resting it gently against its massive forehead.
"Laboon..."
His voice trembled slightly, yet it carried an unprecedented resolve.
"The promise we made back then—that once we sailed around the Grand Line, we would come back to see you."
"But..." Brook's hollow eye sockets lowered, "Other than me, everyone else has already passed on..."
Tears welled up in Laboon's giant eyes, splashing ripples across the sea's surface.
It whimpered softly, as if responding to that stranded promise.
Brook, however, suddenly straightened his body and bowed deeply.
"Therefore, it is now up to me to forge a new oath!"
"Laboon! No matter how the seas change, no matter how much time passes—I will stay here and protect you. Until the very last moment of my life!!!"
His voice echoed in the wind, and his skeletal silhouette was stretched long by the setting sun.
"This time, it is no longer a farewell, but a brand-new promise!"
The whale's roar shook the heavens. Tears mingled with the sea waves as it slapped its tail fin in excitement, responding to Brook's words.
Watching this scene, Crocus's eyes grew wet. He whispered with a tremble, "Honestly... the promise of the Rumbar Pirates has finally... been continued here."
The sea breeze carried the lingering echoes of the song. Across the waves, Brook and Laboon gazed at each other.
—A new promise was forged anew beneath the setting sun.
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