Immediately following,
accompanied by the 'clack-clack' of bone friction, a complete skeleton, dressed in a tattered tuxedo and sporting an afro, as if controlled by invisible strings, suddenly shot out of the thick fog, completely out of control, and instantly appeared right in front of everyone!
Its empty eye sockets were practically shoved into Usopp's nose!
"!!!!!!!"
A deathly silence!
The next second!
"Gah—!!!"
"Ghosts!!!!!"
"A skeleton!! A real skeleton!!!"
"Usopp, help!!!!!"
After a brief moment of extreme shock, there was a collective, heart-wrenching scream that almost tore through the darkness!
Chopper and Nami's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, their hair stood on end, and they were so scared they almost fainted on the spot!
Even Zoro and Sanji instantly entered combat stances, cold sweat streaming down their faces!
And 'Ghostbuster' Usopp, looking at the skeleton almost face-to-face with him, still emitting a 'Yohohoho' laugh, his pupils had completely lost focus, his mouth was wide enough to fit a watermelon, his body was stiff, and then—
"Uh..." After a short gasp, he fell straight backward, actually fainting from fright!
His boasting... indeed met with immediate retribution!
Amidst the chaos of pandemonium, screams, and fainting, a few individuals reacted very differently.
"Wow!!! A skeleton!!!"
Luffy's eyes instantly turned into shining stars, his rubber jaw comically dropped to his chest, and far from being scared, he excitedly waved his arms and legs, lunging towards Brook.
"Amazing! So interesting! It's a living skeleton! And it can talk! Hey, hey, what's your name?!"
Zoro's expression, however, turned extremely grim. He placed one hand on his sword hilt, his brow furrowed, staring intently at the eerie skeleton, squeezing out a low murmur through clenched teeth:
"What a joke... What kind of monster is this now..."
As a swordsman who firmly believed in the way of the sword, such an absurd existence made him instinctively feel wary and uncomfortable.
The cigarette in Sanji's mouth almost fell out. He widened his eyes, scrutinizing Brook from head to toe, muttering, "A skeleton...? This... This defies biology, doesn't it?! Wait... That tuxedo... Was he a gentleman in life?"
And Ron, after his initial surprise, immediately burst into a knowing laugh:
"Yohohoho? So that's the laugh! I should have known!"
He watched Brook, who was trying to avoid Luffy's 'enthusiastic embrace,' with great interest, his tone filled with delight,
"It seems another interesting companion is about to appear! Then this place is undoubtedly—the Florian Triangle, shrouded in thick fog where ships frequently disappear!"
Just then,
Brook seemed to finally calm down a bit from the sudden 'face-to-face' scare and the chaotic enthusiastic treatment from Luffy.
He adjusted his tattered cravat, his hollow eye sockets 'looked' at the living people before him, and he offered a standard greeting:
"Pardon me, ladies and gentlemen of the living."
He bowed slightly, his movements possessing an ancient elegance, "I am Brook, formerly a captain of a certain country's guard, and later a musician and pirate... Yohohoho..."
After introducing himself, he seemed to belatedly realize the most crucial question, his voice suddenly rising, filled with incredible excitement:
"Living people?! Are they actually living people?! It's been so, so long since I last saw living people! Yohohoho!"
He excitedly waved his arms and legs, his skeleton clattering, "I apologize for earlier! A mysterious and irresistible force suddenly controlled me and brought me before you all!
Although I startled everyone, I must thank it!
Thank you so much! It actually let me meet you! Yohohoho!"
His laughter echoed in the thick fog, carrying a complex emotion that was both poignant and ecstatic.
Just as Brook elegantly bowed and introduced himself, and was excitedly waving his arms and legs at the prospect of meeting living people,
the Straw Hat crew, with the exception of Ron, who already knew, and the overly excited Luffy, began to recover slightly from their extreme shock and fear, their brains starting to process the information contained in this surreal scene before them.
"A... A talking skeleton?!!!"
Nami's voice still trembled. She clung tightly to Sanji's arm, as if only then could she find some sense of security, "This... How is this possible?! How can a skeleton talk? And with an afro?!"
"A ske... skeleton... is talking..."
Chopper hid behind Zoro, his little hooves covering his eyes, but he couldn't resist peeking through his fingers. His medical knowledge was being challenged as never before, "This completely defies all medical principles! Is it some kind of Ghost-Ghost Fruit ability?!"
Usopp had just been revived by Chopper pinching his philtrum, and as soon as he opened his eyes, he saw the skeleton clattering and moving again. He let out a strange cry, almost passing out again, shouting incoherently, "I told you it was a ghost! Ghostbusting! Where are my salt bullets?!"
Robin also covered her mouth, chuckling. This skeleton seemed quite interesting.
Even Zoro and Sanji remained highly vigilant, their brows furrowed, unable to immediately accept this existence that defied all their understanding.
However, in stark contrast to everyone's shock and wariness, was Ron's hearty and unsurprised laughter.
"Hahaha! That's right! It's a talking skeleton!"
Ron was laughing so hard that tears were almost coming out of his eyes. He pointed at the newly awakened, pale-faced Usopp,
"And, if I'm not mistaken, this new companion, I'm afraid, was actually 'boasted' into existence by our great 'Ghostbuster' Usopp!"
"Huh?!" Everyone heard this, paused in unison, their gazes instantly shifting from Brook to the limp Usopp on the ground.
Boasted... into existence?
After Ron's 'reminder,' they suddenly recalled Usopp's grand declaration earlier about 'not being afraid even if a skeleton jumped out in front of me,' as well as that eerie laughter and the sudden appearance of the skeleton... Could there... really be a connection?!
"Co... companion?!" Nami's voice rose an octave, filled with disbelief, "Ron, you're saying... this skeleton... is our new companion?! Are you kidding me?!"
This concept was even more shocking to them than the talking skeleton itself!
Ron stopped laughing, but his face still held a joyful expression. He looked at Brook, who was somewhat bewildered but seemed to bear no ill will, and nodded affirmatively:
"Although his entrance was a bit special, it seems to be right. Meeting in a place like this is a kind of destiny in itself."
....
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