"NAMI! CHOPPER!" Usopp yelled as he had witnessed his two crew-mates disappear by the power of the rejuvenate fruit, and then the woman came for Usopp and Brook all tangled up as she screamed. "MINO MINO!" as she hit Brook. But that wasn't enough for her as she put two more purple balls in him, then lifted both her hands and put two balls in him simultaneously, causing Brook to suddenly scream, scream unlike what Usopp had ever heard him scream, ever! It sounded like he was in a lot of pain. "BROOK!" Usopp yelled, but didn't get time to see more as the woman now turned her attention to him. "And now." She whispered.
"NO GET AWAY!" Usopp begged as he closed his eyes, only for the wiens around him to be slashed open by Zoro's sword.
Not much more did Usopp manage to sense as he grabbed his Kabuto and aimed for the man with the big mechanical arm, he sensed Brook falling down, and heart a groan, which probably meant that the musician was all-right.
Then the shock came when Nami and Chopper appeared again, and revealed they hadn't disappeared, merely shrunk into a mere child sieze, Robin became another victim as she transformed from a mature woman into a teen.
The fight exhausted every-body, but finally by usihg Coupe de-burst, did the straw-hat manage to escape.
Wide-eyed the straw-hats had ended up staring at their three rejuvenated crew-mates, the two girls and a tiny little chopper.
"Would you stop staring!?" Nami exclaimed, in her tiny little girls voice.
Tryingly Chopper tried to shift to his walk point and reindeer form, only to end up as a little calf, so unsure on his legs that he tripped over.
"OH MY GOD CHOPPER!" Luffy exclaimed as he ran directly over to the reindeer, then to pick Chopper right up. "You're so cute!" he exclaimed. "AND FLUFFY TO!" he yelled squishing the little reindeer now calf.
"Argh! STOP IT!" Chopper exclaimed turning back to his brain-point, which did very little for him as he was still little and fluffy in that state.
At last Zoro sighed as he looked around. "Every-body else all-right?" he asked.
"Hai." Sanji nodded.
"Super." Franky grinned.
"Fine." Usopp sighed.
"urhmm.." a voice behind them sounded.
"What?" Luffy asked as all turned around, and gasped as a tall, skinny, dark skinned man, with an afro, stood in front of them.
"It seems I have been affected to." The dark skinned man told.
"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!?" Usopp asked pulling his Kabuto aiming it straight at the stranger.
"AH! EASY!" the man exclaimed holding up two slender hands. "It's just me! All bones broke! All though." wondering he flexed his fingers. "I guess I have to change that name, since I am both flesh and bones now! Yoho!" he laughed, then frowned. "No that doesn't work." he observed.
"BROOK!" all of the straw-hats exclaimed in surprise, droping any defensive stands.
"Huh." Luffy frowned as he stepped all the way up to Brook, and then started to poke him.
"Yohoho, stop it! It tickles." Brook laughed trying to push Luffy away.
"What on earth happened to you?" Chopper blinked as he stepped forward, and almost broke his neck looking up at the extremely tall man.
"I guess he rejuvenated same as Nami and Robin." Usopp pointed out in a deep frown. "They became like children, he.. well." He gestured at Brook.
"This is indeed an odd sensation." Brook commented touching his cheeks. "Argh, what's that!?" he exclaimed.
"What? What?" Chopper asked.
"My chest, some-thing is rapidly beating in there." Brook whispered.
"Erh.. I think that's your heart." Usopp commented.
Chopper how-ever transformed to monster point, which more looked like a furry human child than any-thing, so he could feel at Brooks chest, before he nodded. "Yeah.. that's just your heart, and it's beating quiet healthily to." He told before he took Brooks hand and felt his pulls on the wrist. "Your pulls is just fine as well."
"Pulls?" Brook askd, then felt where Chopper had. "how strange." He whispered.
"Don't tell me you don't know what a pulls is." Zoro snorted.
"Of cause I remember!" Brook exclaimed. "It's just… been a while." He told. "I mean, I've been dead for longer than I have been alive now." He pointed out.
"Oh." All looked wide-eyed at him, including the two girls whom had turned younger.
Brook exhaled deeply before he reached up and touched his afro. "Well, as long as my afro is okay, I'm okay." He told in a slight smile.
"You're… you're sure?" Chopper asked doubting.
"Hai Chopper-san." Brook smiled giving Chopper a thumbs up. "Don't worry about me, I'm all-right."
Nami… felt awful.
She hated being stuck in that young body, she was a woman not a child, she needed an adults body.
All Nami wanted, was to be turned back to normal, and yet.. Nami's eyes fell on Brook whom was talking with Usopp and Luffy, then bowed back his neck, and laughed one of his signature laughter, so loudly and so genuinely happy.
Every since Nami, Robin, Chopper and Brook had become rejuvenated.. Brook hadn't said a single word about it, as if it hadn't happened at all, as if it didn't even matter to the musician.
And it made Nami doubt.. was it because Brook actually wanted to stay the way he was? Was he so happy to be alive again? Not having people stop and stare after him?
What did Brook think about all of this!? The fact that he didn't say a thing, and didn't act the least bit different was driving Nami crazy!
She wanted to be normal, but what about Brook!? Or didn't he even care? Was that how he acted so carelessly?
Annoyed Nami grabbed her head as she hissed and ruffled up her own hair.
"Nami-san?"
"Huh?" Nami looked up and saw Brook's black eyes looked questioning down at her.
"Are you Okay?" Brook asked, looking honestly a little worried.
Nami looked up at him, and suddenly realised why no one had recognised him at first when he had rejuvenated, no-body had seen his eyes before, but lacking his sunglasses, every-one could see his black eyes, which looked surprisingly kind amidst his worn out features, even alive Brook still looked worn out and sort of tattered. "Yeah I'm all-right." Nami at last exhaled looking down.
Brook surprised Nami by sitting down beside her, taking a sip of his tea cup, he some-how always had with him. "Nami-san, I'm sure we'll find a way to bring all four of us back to normal in no time." He told. "Don't you worry about it."
"Oh, I know." Nami told. "It's just." She bit her lip.
"Hai, Nami-san." Brook asked looking at her, as if he really listened.
Nami sighed. "Why do you want to return to being a skeleton?" she asked. "Wouldn't you like it better to just stay this way, you know… normal?" she asked. "And.. if me going back means you having to as well.. you shouldn't have to if you don't want to, is what I mean." Nami told as she swallowed.
Amused Brook shook his head as he smiled, exhaling before he talking, in a slightly amused voice. "Nami-san, it really makes no difference to me whether I am a skeleton or a human." Brook told honestly. "I cannot care, but if being like that makes you, Chopper-san and Robin upset, I would think we should do some-thing about it." He told.
"You're sure it doesn't matter?" Nami asked.
Brook sighed. "I may not look it or sound like it, but I am old Nami-san." Brook told. "There are just certain things that doesn't touch me any-more." He told. "And my appearance is one of them, I just like being who I am, having fun with the crew while sailing the seas, if I do that as a skeleton or a human is all the same to me, it changes nothing. Being a living skeleton is even pretty fun in its own way. I can still sleep, still eat and still play my music while I am with friends, and that's all I need to be happy now, after all of this time. It makes no difference to me." He told. "I've all-ready tried it all and seen it all, I don't need to make an impression, I don't feel the need to change or full-fill a dream, I just want to keep an old promise I ones made, I don't even feel bitter over my death. Only thing that makes me sad when I think back on that day, was my brave merry crew, I wont see again. Those people I miss, but that's from another life-time, and I am at peace with that." He told.
"hm." Nami smiled lightly. "Guess being old does come with some quirks after-all."
"When you reach a certain age, you certainly do stop caring about what other people think of you, or how you have to look." Brook chuckled. "It's indeed relaxing, not feeling like you have to answer to any-one." He smiled at her. "Unless you choose to do so." Brook blinked at Nami.
And for the first time ever, talking to Brook, Nami got the sense she was talking to some kind of an wise old grand-father, whom had been around for longer than any-one else in the house, experienced more, and looked out for all the impatient youngsters around him. Nami chuckled.
"Also, it wouldn't be prudent for me to see you pants in this stage, that would just be disgusting." Brook stated. "We need you back so I can see your panties!" he proclaimed surely as if it was the biggest course in the world to him at that moment.
And Nami hissed annoyed.. Pervy old man whom had grown to old to care about decency or what people thought of him.. Then Nami blinked, then she chuckled down in her hand, suddenly the pieces just fell together. Brook was old! Nami had no idea what he had been like as a young man, probably a lot more restrained.. or would he be? It was impossible to tell!
Curiously Brook looked at Nami.
"Oh sorry." Nami shook her head. "I was just sort of wondering.. how were you when you were as young as the rest of us, when you were actually alive."
"Well.." Brook thumbed on his lip. "When I was really really young, I was a part of a sea-core." He told. "Family tradition, every-body in my family were gentlemen and a part of a fine sea-core." He told. "I was raised to be a gentleman, I was raised to finesse and politeness."
"Really?" Nami asked, looking like she didn't believe him one bit.
"Just because you know of finesse rules, doesn't necessarily mean you like to follow them." Brook shrugged. "I personally don't care to much for it, all I wanted was to sail the ocean and play my music to lift peoples spirits. They also had a thing with cutting my afro." He complained. "No, that life didn't fit me at all, so I left in my late twenties, left all of it behind, cut all ties to that life, pursuing to become a travelling musician." He chuckled. "Then the Rumbar pirates and Captain York picked me up, through the years York recognised my capabilities from the time in the core, where I learned to sword-fight and hold a commando, and he accommodated my music, which I had played since I was a little child and my mother taught me the piano, so soon he made me first-mate. And the rest you know." He told turning to Nami. "No big secrets I'm afraid, no dark past, and it's all very long ago. I shouldn't even wonder if the fifty years alone on my ghost-ship did more to this old head than all that happened before combined." He pointed out pointing at his tendril.
"I bet there's a lot more to it than how you put it." Nami told. "That's an entire life! All the people you must have known at that sea-core, your family. You think they could still be out there?" she asked.
"If they are, my sister should be around ninety-three now and my brother eighty-six." Brook pointed out. "Maybe they have children, maybe they don't, but tell me, what would be the point of searching them out?" he asked. "Any remaining family would be as strangers to me by this point, and I would not feel any sort of closure seeing them. No Nami-san." He shook his head. "That's another thing about being old, you start to get those things about the world, the people whom are important are not the people far away you don't know, it's the people you are with right here and now, whom knows you and care for you." He told. "I could spend every-day mourning York, but what good would that do?" he asked. "He would want me to life and have fun, so I spend my day with my current family, and gets the best out of every-day until that ends to. That's just how it is to be alive, you can't stop things from changing, but you can enjoy where you are right now." He smiled. "Can you just imagine, when I was alive there was no pirate king Roger and no one piece!" he told. "At most Roger was a squirt when I died, that golden lion fellow we fought as well, nothing but a rookie. It was an entirely other world back then, that how-ever, is not where I life now, I life here in this world, and I like this world, I like to explore it, it's a grant big new world!"
Nami smiled as she looked at Brook, and liked having eye-contact with him. "You know, for an old pervert, you do have your moments." She told amused.
"I like being an old pervert!" Brook proclaimed. "You should try it some-time, why I wouldn't want to be any-thing else?!"
Nami chuckled as she stood up. "Njah, I'm still to young for that kind of stuff." She told in a blink.
"If any-body on that ship is going to be a pervet when they reach my age, it's going to by you Nami." Brook chuckled.
"WHAAAT!" Nami hissed. "How dare you!? "
"Oh denying now are we?" Brook asked.
"SHUT UP!" Nami yelled hitting Brook over the head.
"How harsh!" Brook cried nursing a new bump on his head. Then he gave Nami and amused smile, before he found his violin, and then silently and softly, began to play.
Nami shook her head as she leaned back, closing her eyes and listened, it was impossible to dislike Brook's playing, his music just had so much soul, some-times, Nami even wondered if his devil fruit had done some-thing to his music or.. Nami closed her eyes as she listened to the soft violin tones, she wasn't sure what this melody was called, she had heard Brook play it a few times, it wasn't Bink's sake, it was some-thing else, some-thing different.
It sounded both so happy and so sad, on the same time. All of Brook's years of being alive, all of his experiences, all of his happiness and all of his sadness, it was right there, in his music.
That was how his Music could be this hypnotic, it was all him, and all he had been through. The joy, the anger, the freedom, the years trapped in a fog without a shadow, the choices, the lessons.
Every single piece of music Brook played, would have all of that in it. It was exactly because of Brook's long life that he was able to play the way he did.
Human or skeleton, it made no difference at all to Brook, he would still play the same way, and he would still be with the same family, and he didn't need any more than to that to be perfectly happy and content. There was nothing else for him to desire.
So when he finally returned to a skeleton again, Brook would not just be saying that he didn't care… he really wouldn't care at all! For Brook knew very well, very well indeed. As long as he had music to play, and friends to play his music for, he would in every sense of the word, be alive.
And what more do you really need?