The intense red flash of light from the Ghost Ship in Shinigami's the Unforgiven text, Chapter 69, darkened the sky, seemingly foreshadowing something ominous.
Nami sensed something was wrong with the weather and, without thinking about the implications of the flashbang, shouted, "A storm is coming! Head straight towards two o'clock!"
The Straw Hat Pirates crew got busy.
Crackle, crackle.
Rumble.
Lightning flashed and thunder roared, and the waves surged to the sky.
The storm arrived as expected, leaving Franky immediately impressed by Nami's seafaring abilities.
"This is bad, the wind direction is very unfavorable for us!"
"Hey, boss, how can this ship be so weak?"
Franky pushed his sunglasses up to his forehead and gestured to Usopp beside him, "Fold down the sails and release that."
"This..."
Meeting Nami's questioning gaze, Luffy grinned and said, "I'll listen to Franky!"
Although he had no idea what Franky was planning, he still chose to trust his partner.
"Okay, furl the sails."
As the sails were lowered, Usopp went down into the cabin, his voice booming across the deck through the loudspeaker. " Channel Zero: Paddle Wheel, start!"
"Ohh...
Under Luffy and Chopper's excited gaze, two rapidly spinning paddle wheels appeared on either side of the Thousand Sunny, and the powerful engine immediately propelled the ship beneath their feet against the wind.
Soon, the ship broke free of the storm and entered a fog.
"It was already pitch black before nightfall..."
Zoro crossed his arms and looked around. "Have we stumbled into that sea area?"
"Hey, hey, we've arrived at Fish-Man Island so quickly?"
"No, it's the rumored place that devours everything," Franky pushed up his sunglasses, his face grim, " the Florian Triangle!"
"Hey! What... what... a ghost?!"
In an instant, Usopp and Chopper broke out in a cold sweat, while Luffy remained oblivious.
"Hehehe, the thought of ghosts gets me excited!"
"Mr. Shiraishi,"
Nami crept closer to Shiraishi and asked, "You're Shinigami, so do zombies, skeletons, and ghosts really exist in this world?"
Yes, there are.
Shiraishi nodded without hesitation, which surprised Sanji and the others who were playing with Usopp and Chopper.
Hey, hey, we were just joking, why are you suddenly saying it's all true...?
"Don't panic,"
Shiraishi waved his hand, "Those so-called zombies in this world are probably Devil Fruit abilities."
"You'll see if you don't believe me."
He grabbed Luffy and pulled hard on his rubber neck.
"Ah~~ I died so tragically~~~"
Luffy cooperated perfectly, and his flying head, with its snake-like neck, made a dazzling appearance.
"And Robin."
As Shiraishi snapped his fingers, Robin smiled and closed his eyes. Immediately, countless waving arms appeared out of thin air on the deck, swaying like seaweed.
At the same time, eyes opened and rotated on the ship's sides, instantly transitioning into a K-pop style.
Hehehe~ Hahaha~
The human head, with its long neck dangling in the air, emitted a chilling or rather, silly laugh.
Sway, sway, open and close~
Arms were flailing and grabbing everywhere, like demonic claws from Hell, and between the opening and closing of those eyes, who knows what expression each eye could hold?
In an instant, demons danced wildly on the ship, heads, arms, eyes, and the candles Sanji nearby made it look eerie and ghostly, like a demon realm.
"Aaaaaaahhhhh!! No!!!"
Usopp and Chopper hugged each other tightly, only then realizing that, if we're talking about horror, their own ship was practically a group of living horror movie protagonists!
It's just that their usual joking and serious faces mask the fact that these guys don't need makeup at all when they're performing as ghosts or monsters.
"Haha, what's there to be afraid of about ghosts?"
Luffy, his head Luffy through the air in "S" and "B" shapes, jokingly circled Usopp once.
"I'd like to catch a few more to raise."
"Awoo!!"
Franky tossed his pompadour and put his hands on his hips!
"A Halloween party? That's... super... terrifying! --Watch this!"
After saying that, Franky spread his arms as if he were flying.
" Franky Centaur!"
Click-clack
With a metallic clang, Franky split into a four-legged centaur-like posture, but unlike a normal centaur, his legs were extended, making him appear as if he were upside down.
this...
Even Shiraishi's brow twitched. Franky was truly ruthless to dare perform modification surgery near his own brother!
However, this only made Usopp more devastated. He hadn't noticed before, but upon closer inspection, his friends were no longer human...
Just then, something suddenly swelled up in his arms—it was Chopper, who had abruptly transformed into a the Roar!
"Oh, oh, oh, the reindeer herders are fearless!!"
Chopper! Have you lost all humanity?
Usopp, kneeling on the ground, was dismayed to discover that he was the only normal person who felt afraid.
"Okay, okay,"
Nami patted Usopp on the shoulder, her face full of best friend affection, "Don't mind those crazy guys, I understand how you feel."
" Nami ~"
Usopp was touched; he still had a close friend on the ship.
"Yohohoho~~Yohohoho~~"
A solitary song interrupted the merriment. When the Straw Hat Pirates turned around, they saw a dilapidated ship and a figure standing on the ship's side, holding a cane and a teacup.
Skull.
Or, to put it another way, an afro, a suit, and a skull.
A deathly silence fell over both sides!
Then, they all shouted in unison.
"A ghost!!!"
"A ghost!!!"
?!
The skeleton opposite them also looked surprised, almost dropping its teacup in fright. This brought the Straw Hat Pirates back to their senses, and they looked at each other.
A long neck, arms and eyes scattered all over the ground, four split legs...
Ah, maybe we're even more terrifying.
Seeing that the two ships were about to pass each other, Luffy couldn't wait any longer and shouted, "Quick, quick, let's get over there!!"
A Gum-Gum Rocket flew straight over.
Shiraishi shrugged, waved his hand, and immediately a Reishi was erected in mid-air between the two ships with a whooshing sound.
"Let's go."
Usopp immediately cried out, "Hey, hey, hey, Shiraishi, wait a minute!"
"What if we're cursed...?"
"That Luffy guy."
"Don't panic, it's not a big problem."
Shiraishi waved his hand, understanding that the people on the ship were not bad people, and went up the steps to the large, dilapidated ship next to him.
The skeleton opposite, having recovered from its shock, elegantly removed its top hat and bowed, saying, "Oh ho ho, my apologies."
"I was so surprised just now, I didn't have time to say hello."
Amidst Luffy's cheers of "Look, the afro-haired skull is talking!", the other party gracefully turned around and pointed behind him.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please come in. Please allow me, as your host, to entertain you..."
"Stop talking nonsense!"
Sanji pointed at the other person seriously.
"Who are you? Why is only a skeleton still moving? What happened to this ship? And what's going on in this sea area!?"
Faced with a barrage of questions, before the skeleton could even answer...
"Never mind those things,"
Luffy interrupted him abruptly, stepping forward and extending an invitation, "Join us!"
??!
The skull with the afro on the other side paused for a moment, then answered without hesitation.
"OK."
Sanji's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
The Straw Hat Pirates getting on the ship so quickly... yeah right.
Shiraishi's gaze fell on the feet of the afro-haired skull opposite him. Although it was always dark here, there wasn't a single trace of the color darkening under the skull's feet.
The shadow was taken away.
You have to beat Moria up before you can board the ship.
"Yo ho ho ho, how are you all? Please forgive my intrusion, but I'm Brook, who's just bones after death. Nice to meet you!"
After Brook boarded the ship, he politely removed his top hat and greeted them, just like a gentleman.
What are you guys doing? Why did you bring back a skeleton?
Zoro and Franky were both shocked.
"Hehehe, that's not very friendly!"
"It's a skeleton..." Chopper exclaimed in fear, clutching the cross Usopp had given him.
"How can a skeleton talk and move, and even have an afro?! This must be a dream! It's absolutely a dream!"
Fully armed and sporting a ring of garlic around his neck, Usopp couldn't believe it and shouted.
Chopper breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Really? That's great, it was a dream!"
"Evil spirits, begone! Evil spirits, begone!" Usopp shouted at Brook, picking up his prayer beads.
Brook walked up to Robin and said, "Oh, beautiful girl, may I see your panties?"
Nami smacked Brook in the face with her shoe and yelled angrily, "Stop being a pervert, you dead skeleton!"
Zoro pointed at Brook and said, "Hey, Luffy! What's wrong with this guy?"
"Fun, right? I recruited him!" Luffy said, laughing loudly.
"What?"
Zoro was horrified. Luffy's "joining the crew" meant getting on the ship. "I won't allow that!"
The Straw Hat Pirates's friendship was forged in blood and fire throughout their journey.
Even Franky, who just joined, only joined because Franky enlightened and saved Robin on Enies Lobby and also built the Thousand Sunny. Now, just anyone can want to join the crew? That's just not right!
" Shiraishi, why aren't you keeping an Luffy?"
"Don't panic,"
Seeing Zoro's dissatisfaction, Shiraishi waved his hand and said, "You have to trust Luffy's judgment. Besides, do you think Luffy would listen to others in this kind of matter?"
Luffy never pulls people randomly; it's because he hears Brook's inner thoughts.
Simply put, it was Luffy's Observation Haki, which he didn't realize, that allowed him to read Brook's decades of "loneliness" and his longing for his comrades, which is why Luffy so decisively invited him.
"This restaurant is beautiful, and so is the kitchen!"
Once seated in the dining room of the Going Merry with the others, Brook talked incessantly, as if nothing else could express his excitement.
"This ship is amazing, wow!"
"Certainly,"
Franky's face lit up with pride when he heard someone praise his masterpiece.
"You have a good eye; after all, I built this amazing ship."
"Hey, Franky, don't fall for his flattery."
Sanji maintains a high level of vigilance towards strangers of unknown origin, provided that the other person is not a beautiful woman.
"Ho ho ho, I haven't eaten in decades, I'm so hungry my stomach is practically sticking to my back."
Brook said with a laugh, "Even though I'm just bones now, I don't even have the skin left on my chest and back~"
"Hahaha, this is hilarious!"
Only Luffy could laugh so brightly at a skeleton's lame joke.
At least everyone else looked like they "didn't know what expression to use, so they could only smile."
Shiraishi, however, somewhat understood the other person. All his companions had died in front of him, and he was now trapped here alone for decades.
Brook's unwavering will is commendable for not going insane, but even so, he still wastes his time lost in memories...
Without pressure, it's impossible for someone to become strong simply by being passive and complacent.
It's actually a good thing that Moria took away Moria's shadow; at least it gives Brook something to do and distracts him.
"By the way, Kroob."
"My name is Brook..."
"Then, may I ask your name?"
"I'm Luffy, this is Shiraishi, Zoro..."
"You don't even know each other's names?"
Zoro is enraged!
So you're taking people on board like this? How are we old folks supposed to feel?!
"Don't panic," Shiraishi calmly stopped Zoro. Luffy's innate Observation Haki allows him to distinguish between enemies, friends, and allies.
"Let's talk about it after we finish eating."
"Hey, hey, hey, it's one thing for a skeleton to be able to eat," Sanji glanced at Brook on the table with displeasure, "But why are you eating so messily?"
This is simple, because Brook really hasn't eaten for decades.
Although he drinks tea from an empty cup every day, eating is a very distant memory for Brook, so distant that he gets food all over himself like a child.
"I'm sorry, I haven't met anyone in so long. Although I was a human before, I was resurrected after dying because of the Revive-Revive Fruit)."
Brook picked up a towel and wiped his mouth, so excited that his words were a little incoherent, as if he wanted to blurt everything out at once, "I used to be a pirate too, hiccup, ah, sorry."
My companions and I boarded that same ship and arrived at this Florian Triangle. Oh, sorry...
Can't you have any manners?
Sanji looked speechless.
"Unfortunately... we encountered extremely powerful pirates, and our entire crew was wiped out. Of course, I died too. While I was alive, the power of the Revive-Revive Fruit ) only prevented me from swimming."
Brook continued, "But on that day, the fruit's power finally came into play, and my soul returned from the underworld to the mortal realm."
I could have been resurrected immediately by attaching myself to my own corpse, but as you can see, the sea area where I died is shrouded in thick fog year-round, so I got lost...
My soul wandered in the thick fog for a whole year, and by the time I found my own body, he had turned into bones.
I was so shocked I stared in disbelief, even though I don't have eyeballs! Wow!
"Ha, how come you're just as bad at directions as Zoro!"
Luffy pointed at Zoro and laughed loudly.
Who are you talking about?!
Zoro's forehead veins were bulging, and he still refused to admit that he had no sense of direction.