Wolf Family

"Isn't a surname something only the head of a family has the right to bestow on an outsider?" Sairona asked Rono, somewhat puzzled. A surname was very important to a family. This was even more true for large families. If they learned that some nobody shared their surname, they would investigate. If he was an expelled heir, that would be fine, but if he had no connection to them at all, death was the only thing awaiting him.

"Our Wolf Family only has me left. My parents are both dead, so... I'm the head of the family now." Rono looked a little sheepish. It was a family of only two people [Gelu and Rono].

"Want to join? We'll develop the Wolf Family into a major family." Rono grinned, baring his white teeth.

"Then... I shall do my utmost. Wolf Sairona pays his respects to the family head." Sairona rose and spoke solemnly to Rono.

"Call me captain, you bastard!" The moment Rono—the mood breaker—opened his mouth, the solemn atmosphere vanished.

"..." Sairona suddenly felt a little regretful. Nima, won't a family head like this only lead his family into the abyss? However, with him around, that sort of thing could never happen.

"Gelu!" Although Gelu couldn't understand them, that didn't stop him from coming out to make his presence known.

"Then, to celebrate the Wolf Family gaining another member, let's head to the Terror Triangle Sail and go see Moria." Rono was delighted. He waved his hand and grabbed the lever. Next, it was his time to shine.

"Ahhhhhhh!" Gelu screamed as his tiny body was blown around like a flag in the strong wind. Sairona also grabbed the main mast and thought, I definitely need to install some kind of stabilizing device. At this rate, I'll go insane even if I don't die.

Amid Gelu's screams, Rono and the others arrived at the foggy waters near the Terror Triangle Sail. "We're here to capture Ace, Rono." As the ship slowed down, Sairona could finally speak and reminded Rono.

Rono slapped his forehead. Damn, I really did forget. "Um... do you know where he is?"

"No. Let's search slowly. If we can't find him after two days, we'll have Moria help us search." Sairona spoke calmly.

"Gelu Gelu. [I want to go play with Uncle Moria.]" Gelu raised his hand. Rono naturally agreed.

"All right, then. Forward!" Rono didn't pull the lever. Sailing at full speed through fog like this would mean dying without even knowing how.

Although he hadn't pulled the lever, the Red Devil was still three times faster than an ordinary Pirate Ship. Before long, it had plunged deep into the fog. Looking at the abandoned ships around them, Rono smacked his lips. "No matter how many times I see this, it still feels a little strange." Abandoned ships, fog, not a ray of sunlight—the place was completely permeated by an aura of death.

"Let's go. There's nothing worth seeing. Finding Ace is more important. Gelu's fruit still depends on him." Sairona's expression remained calm. Gelu hugged Rono's calf without saying a word.

"Yohohohoho~ Yohohohoho~ Binks Sake..." A melodious song spread through the fog. Rono immediately grew alert. "Who's there?" Sairona silently readied his Sniper Rifle, while Gelu also put on a fierce expression.

A very dilapidated ship, at least fifty years old, gradually appeared before Rono and the others. The singing came from it. "I'll go take a look." Rono was highly skilled and bold, so he leaped onto the ship first. Sairona tacitly prepared to fire. If anyone dared launch a sneak attack, his bullets had eyes. There was no one. There was no one on the ship—only a skeleton sitting beside a table on the deck, with a chipped coffee cup on the table. The skeleton lifted the coffee cup and took a sip of the drink inside. "Hello, travelers from afar. Yohohohoho, it's been a long time since I've seen people. No, wait, I saw some this morning. Yohohohoho, my memory isn't very good, though I don't have a brain." The skeleton was surprisingly familiar.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Rono didn't act like a fool. He asked sternly, his expression serious. A skeleton alone was nothing to worry about, but the fact that this skeleton could speak made things much more interesting.

"Yohohohoho, please don't be nervous. Would you like to hear my story?" Brook set down his coffee cup and spoke to Rono.

"Gelu Gelu. [I want to hear it! I want to hear it!]" Good child Gelu raised his hand to show his support.

"Ah~ Then let's hear it." Rono sensed neither hostility nor the aura of a strong fighter from Brook. He believed that with Sairona's help, they could turn him into a real skeleton in three seconds.

"My name is Brook..." Brook slowly recounted his story. It had to be said that a monster with fifty years of experience was truly gifted at storytelling. Rono and Gelu were completely captivated, and Gelu kept asking questions from time to time. For example: How big was that whale? Was it tasty? Rono nodded with a serious expression. How many meals would that make?

Brook's mouth twitched, though he didn't actually have a mouth. He hurriedly stopped Rono and Gelu from entertaining such thoughts. When he learned from Rono that Laboon was still alive and had remained at Twin Capes all this time, tears began streaming uncontrollably down his face.

Sairona didn't lower his guard. He constantly surveyed their surroundings to see whether anything unusual was happening. "By the way, you said you saw some people today. What did they look like?" Sairona's memory was exceptionally strong. "They might be the people we're looking for."

"Yohohohoho, hmm~ The leader was bare-chested like Mr. Rono and wore a Straw Hat. He also had freckles on his face. That's about it." Brook recalled the sight and spoke to Sairona. "Mr. Rono, I advise you not to go. There's a terrifying presence in these waters called Moria, one of the Shichibukai. If he captures you, you'll end up like me, with your shadow extracted and forced to live in darkness forever." Brook pointed to the empty space beneath his feet under the light. Rono and the other two each had a Black Shadow. Those were their shadows.

"It's fine. I know him, and I've been here several times. Though I've never seen you before." Rono waved casually.

"He really is very strong. Mr. Rono, you shouldn't be reckless." Brook didn't want to see the three of them end up like those other pirates, so he tried to dissuade them again. As for Rono's claims, he honestly didn't believe them.

"Come with us. If you want your shadow back, consider guiding us your payment." Sairona spoke calmly. With the Red Devil's speed, catching up to Ace's ship would be easy. After hearing Ace's description, Sairona had confirmed that it was him. Now they just needed Brook to lead the way.

Sigh. "Since you insist on going, I'll lend you a hand." Brook sighed and spoke.

"Then come aboard our ship. Ours is much faster." Sairona invited him aboard. Rono also leaped back onto the Red Devil and waved at Brook with a smile.

"Then I'll accept your kindness. Sorry for the trouble." Brook jumped aboard, bringing only a cane with him.