"He's not exactly a friend," Shiro said after a pause, frowning as he chose his words carefully. "But I do know who he is. He's not an enemy… and he's definitely not a ghost."
He knew Brook's story—but telling it outright would sound insane to anyone else.
"Yohohohoho! Someone actually knows me?"
Brook's signature laugh echoed across the misty sea, eerie and strangely cheerful at the same time.
He tilted his skull slightly, the empty sockets of his eyes flickering faintly.
"Wait—did I know you before? I've forgotten… so many things."
Shiro calmed his still-wary crew and turned toward the skeleton musician.
"I know a bit about what happened to you. You had your shadow stolen by Gecko Moria… that's why you're trapped here, right?"
Brook's jaw clacked open in astonishment.
"You know that? Fantastic!" He leapt into the air, bones clattering.
"Such a pity I can't leave this place. Otherwise, I'd take you to see the ladies' panties! Yohohohoho!"
As he struck a ridiculous pose, thrusting out his nonexistent chest, the entire Virtue Crew just stared in stunned silence.
Then—clack!—he jumped aboard the Virtue, landing neatly on the deck.
The crew immediately tensed.
Hachi darted behind Zeff, trembling.
Zeff gripped his kitchen knife tight, ready for anything.
Everyone's eyes shifted toward Shiro, silently asking: Captain… what now?
Shiro's mouth twitched uncontrollably. Yep, he thought with a sigh. No matter how much time passes, Brook's obsession with panties never fades.
Clearing his throat, he asked,
"Brook, tell me… do you want to leave this cursed place?"
"Of course I do!" Brook answered without hesitation, his tone filled with yearning. He stepped closer, lowering his voice.
"But I can't. Without my shadow, sunlight would burn me to ashes! Though, haha, I'm already just bones!"
"I can help you get your shadow back," Shiro said with a knowing smile. Then, his voice took on a captain's weight.
"In return… how about joining my crew?"
Brook froze, then his jaw dropped in joy.
"Join you? Yohohoho—of course I will!"
"Na-Nani?!"
Hawk Eyes, Issho, Jinbe, Zeff, and Hachi all shouted at once, faces full of disbelief.
Zeff was the first to explode.
"You're inviting a skeleton onto the ship? You've gotta be kidding! If that thing pops out at night, someone's going to die of fright!"
"Yeah! I'll never be able to sleep!"
Hachi whimpered from behind Zeff, his eight tentacles shaking like jelly.
Hawk Eyes and Issho exchanged a look. Though they too were surprised, they soon regained their usual composure. Both coughed lightly and sheathed their weapons, though their eyes still held a trace of helpless amusement.
"Hey, don't talk like that!"
Shiro quickly stepped in front of Brook, spreading his arms protectively.
"Brook's a good guy—uh, I mean, a good skeleton! Really!"
He turned back to the others, his tone earnest.
"You just don't know him yet. He's kind-hearted, funny… and he's also one of the world's greatest musicians!
Think about it—when we're out at sea, no matter how rough the waves or dull the days, his music will make every moment brighter!"
Brook's eye flames flickered with emotion. His bony hand reached to his waist, pulling out a well-polished violin.
With a graceful motion, he raised the bow and drew it across the strings.
A clear, fluid melody poured into the air—gentle, elegant, and heartbreakingly beautiful.
It flowed over the deck like rippling water, sinking straight into their hearts.
Everyone fell silent.
Eyelashes trembled. Breaths slowed.
The music carried a strange power—something that bypassed flesh and went straight to the soul.
It sang of solitude and longing, of endless seas and steadfast hearts, of loss and hope intertwined.
When the final note faded, it lingered like mist on the ocean—soft, eternal, impossible to forget.
For a long moment, no one spoke. The deck was wrapped in silence.
Then—
"So? How about it?"
Shiro's voice broke the stillness, a grin tugging at his lips.
"Anyone still object to him joining?"
Hachi was the first to snap out of it. He blinked rapidly, then slapped one tentacle into his palm and stretched it toward Brook.
"Welcome aboard!"
Zeff stroked his beard and smiled faintly. Issho rubbed the corner of his eye. Hawk Eyes gave a small, approving nod.
One by one, they each reached out to clasp Brook's bony hand.
Of course, Shiro's decision wasn't just about music.
He knew there was much more to Brook than a charming tune and a few jokes.
Brook had been born into a noble family, a prodigy obsessed with music since childhood.
His parents had scoured the seas to find him the best tutors. Years of tireless practice made him a true master—unmatched in his art.
But beyond his music, Brook was a fighter.
He had once served as vice-captain of the Rumbar Pirates, an elite crew from an older age of legends.
To hold that rank back then meant strength beyond imagination.
Yet tragedy struck. The Rumbar Pirates encountered the Rocks crew on the Grand Line—and soon after, a deadly plague wiped them all out.
All except Brook.
By some cruel miracle—or fate—he had eaten the Yomi Yomi no Mi, the Revive-Revive Fruit.
It brought him back from death… but at a terrible cost.
Decades passed. Loneliness eroded his memories and dulled his strength. The powerful swordsman he once was had faded into a shadow of his former self.
But Shiro knew a secret whispered across the seas—
If Brook ever regained the memories and resolve of his prime, his power would surge again…
To heights rivaling the Emperors of the Sea themselves.
A potential that great?
No way Shiro would ever let it slip through his fingers.
T/N: If you would like to read up to 20 chapters ahead for all my works, check out my P@treon: patreon.com/GhidorahWriter
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