Everyone had been listening so intently to Xie Wen's story, and Brook the skeleton had neither a heartbeat nor the sound of breathing, that no one had noticed his arrival...
Except Xie Wen, who had remembered to keep his Observation Haki active even while telling the story.
As a result, everyone (and every cat) except him got a fright.
"A ghost!"
Shalmeow reacted the most strongly, flinging out a bolt of lightning with a flick of her hand. Brook failed to react in time and fell flat on the ground, smoke rising from his entire body.
Speechless, Xie Wen held back Shalmeow, who wanted to keep attacking. "Did you forget we came here to find this skeleton in the first place?"
"W-well, your story was so scary, Xie Wen dear, meow!"
Shalmeow turned her head aside, a little embarrassed.
Meanwhile, the two little cats huddled in his arms silently put away the bomb and medicine bottle they were holding.
Xie Wen: "..."
"Uh, are you all right?" Xie Wen approached the sprawled-out Brook and poked his afro, muttering in puzzlement, "By rights, you're just a skeleton. A lightning strike of that level shouldn't have hurt you..."
"That's right!" Brook, who had been completely motionless, abruptly sat upright. "I forgot I was nothing but bones now... Yohohoho!"
Brook stood up, straightened his suit, and adjusted the top hat on his head. "Yohohoho! Hello there. Sorry for my rudeness just now. I was drawn in by your ghost story and forgot to say hello."
Then he spotted Robin behind Xie Wen and immediately approached her. "What a beautiful young lady. I do love looking at beautiful women... Though I'm a skeleton, so I have no eyes."
Robin smiled without saying anything, and Brook immediately added, "May I see your panties?"
"There are