Chapter 177When it turned around to face the thousand sunny, a collective gasp instantly rang out across the deck.It was actually a moving skeleton!"Yohohoho!"The skeletal gentleman gave an elegant bow, his mandible clacking as he let out a unique laugh. "Good evening, my living friends! This is truly moving... though I no longer have eyes to shed tears, yohohoho...""Luffy, hurry up and take it out!"Usopp held garlic in one hand and pointed a crucifix at the skull with the other."Even if you say that, I can't move." Luffy was covered in 'hangers-on,' but he had reasonable grounds to suspect Merry was just there for the fun of it. Nami didn't dare lift her head at all, while Merry peeked out her little head from behind his back, staring with great interest."My apologies, my apologies. It has been far too long since I last saw a living person. How rude of me. Allow me to introduce myself; I am Brook.""The skull talked!" Chopper screamed, clinging tightly to Sanji's leg as two lines of pathetic tears streamed down. "Hurry up and drive the skeleton away!""Even if you say that—hey, Luffy's already gone over there." Sanji shook his leg with a look of disgust."Nothing here but ghost ships after ghost ships; it's simply terrifying!" Brook had clearly not seen a living soul in ages, and his chatter wouldn't stop. He even extended a warm invitation: "Come, come, let's go inside and chat.""Interesting, an afro-wearing skull is talking." Luffy's eyes lit up as he brought Nami and Merry, who were still clinging to him, onto the broken ship."Stop talking!" Nami sobbed, squirming on Luffy's back. She regretted coming to Luffy; she should have realized he would be even more dangerous. If she'd known, she would have gone to Robin!At that moment, Robin's voice came from beside Luffy. "A skeleton seems quite interesting too."Nami: "..."Why do all these people like such bizarre things?!At this time, Brook also noticed Nami and Robin. He stepped forward with profound respect. "What two beautiful young ladies. May I ask..."Before the words could leave his mouth, Luffy's fist had already flown out.*Thwack.*Brook's skeletal head slammed heavily against the ship.Nami noticed the sound had stopped and timidly looked up, only to find that Brook had been sent flying."You actually attacked him?" Nami was shocked."Well, I felt like I was about to hear something I didn't want to hear from that skull's mouth,"Luffy said, "Anyway, since he's a skeleton, he probably won't die."Brook's gaze instantly became clear—if he had eyes, that is.Chapter 256: The One Standing Before You Is!Over there, Brook, looking like he had just experienced some major life upheaval, walked over obediently. "Yes, I will not die."Brook didn't dare speak out of turn because Luffy's fist hurt too much—the kind that hits the soul directly.Clearly, as a skeleton, he shouldn't be able to feel pain!But after hitting Brook, Luffy didn't follow the usual script."So, can you poop?" Luffy asked, looking at Brookcuriously."Yes, I can poop."Fortunately, Brook could handle any conversational curveball."You guys have had enough!"Heaven knows what kind of topic this would develop into if it continued.Nami couldn't help but bite Luffy's neck, her voice muffled and intermittent, "Can you guys have a normal conversation?!"Is that a question a human being would even come up with?Although Luffy had become more mature, his hobbies hadn't changed. Without surprise, he invited this interesting skull to the thousand sunny.Faced with Luffy's invitation, Brook agreed. Luffy's tendency to strike without a word was too terrifying; Brook suspected that if he didn't agree, he'd be beaten until his head was covered in bumps.It wasn't that Brook was afraid of being hit, but Luffy's fists were somehow exceptionally painful."Yohohoho,"Brook straightened his top hat. His skeletal frame was still faintly aching, but he still let out his signature laugh. "Though the greeting for our first meeting was a bit unique, I am deeply honored by the invitation."Moreover, having drifted alone for decades, he truly wanted to interact with people. He looked like a skeleton, but his heart was still human!This gentleman who was nothing but bones was invited onto the bright and lively thousand sunny.Compared to his dilapidated and lifeless ghost ship, this place was simply heaven!On the thousand sunny."Yohohoho, I am delighted to meet you all. I am Brook, who is nothing but bones after death. Please take care of me."Brook leaned on his cane with one hand and lightly tipped his small top hat with the other, performing a standard, elegant gentlemanly bow to the Straw Hat crew.He introduced himself formally once again.It was as if the one just punched away by Luffywasn't him.Brook's gaze swept over everyone on the deck, lingering on Vivi in particular.Nami and Robin had followed Luffy up earlier. If he'd get hit just for speaking to them, surely this one would be different?Are all the women on the ship yours?He instinctively wanted to say something, but as he stepped forward, he caught a glimpse of Luffy's 'kind' smile out of the corner of his eye. He immediately swallowed the inappropriate questions at the tip of his tongue and merely bowed slightly toward Vivi. "Beautiful lady, good evening."I won't say it, I won't say it. I won't say it for the rest of my life.Chopper and Usopp were initially so scared they hid behind Zoro and Sanji, only daring to peek out with half their heads at this talking skeleton.But seeing Brook's polished manners and humorous speech, they slowly let down their guard and couldn't help but surround him curiously."Are you really a human?" Chopper summoned his courage and stepped forward, using his hoof to carefully poke Brook's ribs. This sort of thing was simply challenging his medical knowledge!"Ah, yes, I was a human when I was alive." Brookanswered with a smile.Luffy said with experience, "It's a Devil Fruit ability, right?""Correct. I died once, and thanks to the Revive-Revive Fruit, my soul was able to return to this body. Though by the time I returned, my flesh had rotted away until only bones remained, yohohoho~ My apologies for frightening you all.""A Devil Fruit can even achieve resurrection."Sanji slowly blew a smoke ring and remarked, "Life and death are eternal laws followed by all things in the world. A soul returning from the Underworld is exaggerated enough, but for a body that's just a skeleton to exist as a life form is truly incredible."Luffy laughed, holding up Merry as he said, "The sea is inherently miraculous."Resurrection can exist.Legendary things like the Klabautermann exist too.On this sea, any flight of fancy a human has can become reality!Luffy and the others showed great enthusiasm toward this polite skeletal guest.Sanji specially prepared many snacks and black tea.What Nami really wanted to complain about was why a skeleton could eat food.Then, as everyone watched Brook skillfully lift his teacup, take small sips, and pick up a small piece of cake, their expressions became quite subtle.The food fell straight through the gaps in his ribs after going in!"Mr. Sanji's cooking is truly wonderful; I haven't eaten anything this delicious in decades! It's so good I could swallow my tongue—ah, although I no longer have a tongue."Everyone gradually got used to Brook's 'cold jokes' as they listened.This actually brought the group closer together.A skeleton that tells cold jokes!For the trio of Chopper, Usopp, and Franky, this was incredibly appealing.This kind of oddity also hit Luffy's interests perfectly. He was also quite curious about why Brook was here.So he asked, "From what you said, you've been here a long time? Why don't you leave?""Because my shadow was stolen."Brook spoke of his encounter, his voice much lower: "The one who stole my shadow is the master of this sea, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Gekko Moriah. Without a shadow, I cannot leave this dense fog area, nor can I stand in the sunlight. I have drifted on this sea for over forty years, like a lonely ghost."Hearing this, everyone became filled with righteous indignation.That Moriah is far too despicable.One could imagine that Brook certainly wasn't the only victim. Too many people disappeared in this sea every year; perhaps even more had vanished from this world because they were exposed to the sun without shadows.After this exchange, Brook looked at Luffy and the others and remembered his former companions. He gripped his cane, his empty eye sockets gazing into the distance."Thanks to you, Mr. Luffy, I have finally made up my mind. I am going to take back my shadow. I will fulfill our unfulfilled dreams on behalf of my departed companions!" Brook stood up and bowed:"If I may be so bold, could you grant me one last request? Although the chances of reclaiming my shadow are slim, if I succeed, I want to use this ship to return to Twin Cape to see the companion waiting for us. So, before we part, I would like to borrow some tools from you all to repair the rudder...""Twin Cape?" Luffy paused for a moment. Isn't that where Laboon is?"It's Laboon, isn't it!" Usopp and Sanji cried out almost simultaneously, pointing at Brook. "Are you telling me you're from the Rumbar Pirates, the ones who made the promise to that Island Whale?!"Brook was stunned, his skeletal frame trembling slightly. "You know Laboon?"Luffy grinned and replied, "Of course we do. That guy is a companion of our Straw Hat crew now."He wouldn't forget that whale idiot.Luffy had already thought before that he would use his own power to bring Laboon to the Grand Line. With his current strength, he could do it. They would be able to do it after they finished their voyage around the Grand Line.When Brook learned from Luffy and the others that Laboon had been hitting his head against the Red Line for years, bitterly waiting for the Rumbar Pirates to return until they passed by and made a new promise, Brook could no longer suppress his emotions.Though there were no tears, the kettle-like wailing and the trembling skeleton were enough to show the excitement and sorrow in his heart."Waaaah, that's wonderful! Laboon is still alive, he still remembers us." Brook covered his face, his sobbing mixed with his unique laughter, sounding exceptionally heart-wrenching.Luffy and the others finally understood why the Rumbar Pirates hadn't fulfilled their promise to Laboon.As expected, it wasn't that they didn't want to, but that they couldn't.Once his emotions had calmed slightly, Brookformally introduced himself: "I haven't explained formally yet. I am the acting Captain and musician of the Rumbar Pirates, Brook. My bounty when I was alive was 33 million Berries."Brook even pulled out his bounty poster from when he was alive.Zoro crossed his arms and spoke up, "Since you're connected to that whale, then giving you a ride to find Moriah and take back your shadow shouldn't be a problem.""Yeah, since you're Laboon's companion, you're our companion too." Usopp agreed.That being said, everyone instinctively turned their gaze toward Luffy.According to their understanding of this Captain, upon meeting someone like Brook—who was both a skeleton, connected to Laboon, and a musician—Luffy should have long since issued a companion invitation with sparkling eyes.However, the truth was that Luffy looked quite steady.No, looking closely, Luffy's eyes were indeed sparkling; he was certainly tempted.But the little abacus in his heart was clicking away.This Companion Day lasts for two days. If Brookagrees now, wouldn't the rest of the Companion Day be wasted?No, no, I have to find a way to make Brook take the initiative to join, and it has to be right at the end of Companion Day!So, Luffy suppressed the urge to invite him immediately and said to Brook, "Hey, Brook, how about we help you snatch your shadow back from Moriah?"Brook was stunned upon hearing this and waved his hands hurriedly, "No, no, no, that's too dangerous! Gekko Moriah, who took my shadow, is one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea; he's very powerful! I can't involve you all.""Don't worry about it. Although our Captain is an idiot, his strength is still very great!"Nami couldn't help but tug on Luffy's cheek as she said to Brook, "Besides, his original goal was Moriah anyway."Isn't it just one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea? It's not like they haven't fought one before. Luffydidn't mind Nami's hand and grinned:"Don't worry, we've already defeated Crocodile, another of the Seven Warlords. We've also clashed with Eneru, the God of Sky Island, Rob Lucci of CP9, and Admiral Aokiji. Before coming here, even the legendary pirate Golden Lion Shiki was defeated by me. Our crew's total bounty exceeds 1.5 billion Berries!""Eh?""Eh eh eh??!"Chapter 257: Mount, Luffy?"1.5 billion?"
