This story has 10 followers, 9 favorites, and 4 reviews. I think this is enough interest for another chapter. Thanks to all who have taken a liking to this story!
7/19/16
Chapter 2: Ghost City on Crescend Major
Location: Thousand Sunny
Time: Morning
Current Year
Everyone awoke the next morning, bright and early. Brook was still looking over the rail, waiting for his island to come into view and Zoro, now that his shift was done, took a nap. Sanji had made his way to the kitchen to cook breakfast after giving Robin and Nami some tea. Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp were already running around the grass, full of energy while Franky was manning the helm.
Nami approached the skeleton, who was nursing his own cup of tea. She placed a map out beside Brook on the rail.
"Right, we are here." Nami pointed to an island shaped like two shallow-curved Cs with the smaller one resting on the inside of the larger one. "I found Crescent Luna but the map is old, there's no ports marked." She explained.
"It's quite simple, there's only one city on the entire island, specifically on Crescend Major." Brook pointed with a bony finger to the outer and larger crescent shaped land mass drawn on the map.
"The sea and fresh water mixed lake between the land masses is called Soniaee Lake,* from the old language it means golden wisdom. The city, Kisum,** rests at the foot of the mountains, at the shores of Soniaee Lake." Brook explained.
Nami nodded. "I see. The city's cradled on the second island. Judging by the map, there are steep mountains on the outer island and with the other island squashed up against the second… then in between the two land masses was the best defensive choice." She presumed.
"Yohoho! Nami you truly are a bright woman, you are correct, we had a strong footing in military tactics. The New World was even more dangerous back over sixty years ago!" Brook praised. "…This may not be the proper time say this but, may I see you panties?" Brook asked politely, in return he got a punch to the face which laid him out flat.
"Yohoho…" he laughed meekly as Nami stormed away.
Luffy suddenly stopped running and looked out over the sea. His grin widened.
"LAND!" he shouted.
Brook shot up to his feet and practically threw himself to the rail, almost going overboard.
There was a large dark mound in the distance but when water spouted out; Brook knew Luffy had not spotted his island.
Usopp karate chopped Luffy's head. "That's a whale!" he shouted.
"But it looks like an island." Luffy pointed out.
Usopp sighed while Robin smiled.
"Perhaps it's a sign." She offered.
"Oh Robin-swaaan~ you're so smart and mysterious!" Sanji cooed.
"Says the clueless one," Zoro muttered under his breath.
Sanji glared at Zoro. "Directionless bastard."
"Oi, oi, oi, you guys give me bad directions!"
"Our directions are fine! You're just too stupid!"
"NANI!?"
And a fight between them began.
"Stop it!" Chopper cried. Franky held him back.
"Chopper-bro it's alright. Those men are expressing their great gusto! SUPER!" Franky cheered and posed.
"Supah!" Chopper cheered and mimicked Franky.
Nami rolled her eyes, "Bakas."
Brook watched the whale let out low rubble and swam off, away from the Sunny. That's when he noticed something else beyond the whale, a much more massive splotch in the distance. Brook's jaw loosely hung open. Even he could distinguish those mountains after so many years away from them. At the sight of the island in the distance, he recalled a particular description that had been imbedded in his memory.
"Crescent Luna! A small time island! Nothing here but one crappy city that loves to believe it is "refined" and musically talented – it's home!"
"It's…. it's…" Brook stuttered, watching the whale swim towards the island as if to guild them. "There beyond the whale!"
This vague proclamation caught everyone's attention, even Zoro and Sanji stopped fighting. Luffy laughed aloud.
"See I told you!" Luffy exclaimed.
Nami grinned. "Franky!" she called.
"On it sis!" Franky replied and steered the ship. Sanji straightened himself out, sending a glare at Zoro.
"Breakfast is ready everyone," he announced.
Luffy let out a whoop and ran for the dining room. Sanji looked over at Brook, who had not taken his eyes off the island.
"If you want to eat shitty musician then you better head in," the cook warned.
"Yohoho, true indeed, Sanji," Brook said and managed to tear his eyes from Crescent Luna.
He joined his crew in the dining hall and ate as fast as deadly possible as a gentleman could. Nami stilled scolded him about his behavior at the table though his manners were much better than Luffy's. The said captain received several lumps from Sanji for trying to steal Robin's food.
Afterwards, Brook and his captain went back outside to watch the island grow larger as the Thousand Sunny drew near to it. The others soon joined them. Luffy was probably more excited about seeing Brook's island than Brook was himself. While Brook worried that he would be rejected by his old family and be abhorred because of his appearance, Luffy never let that kind of thing bother him. Luffy was not one to let other people's judgement and fears depress or degrade him. It was a shining quality of his captain.
Brook couldn't help but think back to the young girl he had met the other day. She looked a little bit like a young lady he used to know; someone Brook would, without a doubt, call a sister. She was a pearl, an absolute gem, someone who was always by his side and always cheering him up. She had the most exquisite voice Brook had ever heard. A gentle melody that was soft and sweet as sugar. When he became blind, her voice brought him out of the darkness and into a beautiful world of sound.
Brook felt his absent heart sink. He wondered if she would have the same expression that the young girl had, one of pure fear. His sister would have grown well into her eighties by now, perhaps she was dead. Those thoughts made Brook all the more sadden deep within, wishing to hear her say…. No, he wouldn't think about it. Brook watched the island blotch draw closer. He would have to wait and find out if he could once again hear her voice.
Once they were nearly to Crescent Luna, Brook found Nami on the upper deck. The navigator had immersed herself in studying the old map of Crescent Luna she had, muttering to herself about how they would reach the city. Brook sat beside her.
"I think that you should know, Nami, there is an opening between the two points of the crests; you can enter into the middle of the island from there." He explained.
"And you didn't mention that sooner?" Nami scowled but didn't hit him.
"My apologies, it slipped my mind."
Nami waved her hand. "Alright, go tell Franky before we crash his 'baby.'"
The Thousand Sunny was soon surrounded by a cliff on one side and a steep incline covered in thick bushy trees on the other. Franky carefully navigated his ship through the shallow passage with Usopp's help. The sniper shouted out if he spied a ragged rock threatening to scratch the ship from his place in the crow's nest.
The passage itself was short and the Strawhats found themselves in a sharp banana shaped lake. To their right was land that rose up into a mound, completely covered in lush green trees; to their other side were tall menacing mountains.
"Beautiful just like Nami-swan and Robin-chawn!" Sanji awed in wonder.
"I never would have thought that you lived in such a geological beauty." Robin mused. "Those mountains are quite large; imagine the destructive force that must have created them. There even may have been a civilization before you that was completely wiped out."
"A little bit depressing, Robin." Usopp said which caused Robin to giggle.
Brook wished that he could have skin to stretch to show his nakama how happy he was with a wide smile. Brook turned towards the tall mountains. On a clear morning, like this, was a wonderful time to watch the sunlight spread over the city at the base of the mountain. Brook's mouth dropped open in shock, his cane sword clattered to the lawn as he stepped back.
"Brook?" Chopper urged his friend to speak but when the skeleton didn't, the reindeer followed his gaze.
Dusty white structures peaked out from the trees, decorating the mountain's base with rubble. The city was in ruins, abandoned a long time ago. The crew were shocked into silence, the musician most of all.
Brook let out a deep sigh. "So the worst has come to my dear home." He murmured.
"It looks like a ghost city." Robin commented casually.
"Ghosts?!" Ack! I think I'm coming down with I-can't-go-to-the-haunted-island disease again!" Usopp coughed.
"WHAT!? Again!? When did the symptoms start!?" Chopper demanded.
"He'll be fine, right brave warrior of the sea?" Zoro teased.
"I don't wanna see any more ghosts!" Usopp shuddered.
Luffy was staring intently at Brook now; he patiently waited as Brook straightened himself out. "Taichou, permission to go ashore?"
"Granted!" Luffy replied without hesitation,
Usopp grumbled but didn't protest. Franky was able to steer the Thousand Sunny right up to the port of the city for the lake was quite deep.
Once the ship was anchored, the whole crew departed and wandered into the city. Quietly, the crew made their way through the stone streets with Brook as their guide. Robin studied every nook and cranny as they passed. She observed the rubble and theorized why certain parts had crumbled while other parts were missing pieces but yet there were no debris. Brook stopped in front of building. A sign was angled downward since the wooden had rotted through the nails on one side that once held it up. There was some sort of writing done on the sign but it was incomprehensible, the only distinguishable mark looked like a drawing of a turtle.
"This is where we would get bosner*** after training." He recalled.
"Meat?" Luffy asked excitedly but was quickly shushed by many of his crewmates.
Brook paid his captain no heed, turned around, and walked to the stone wall across the street. On a normal person it would come to about their waist, but for Brook, it was more like a tripping hazard. Brook did not feel like tumbling over the edge and down to the streets below. He remembered when he struggled to climb up onto the wall. He had seriously grown over the years.
The wall had once been eloquently designed; Brook could still see the wonderful patterns carved into the stone. Even the natural weathering had made no effect on the craftsmanship. Brook's hand brushed against the wall, briefly feeling a moment of weakness.
"We would sit here and eat. Just look and admire the view of our home." Brook said before coughing.
"Yahahaha! What a day! Myrtle! Send another bosner mah way!" Brook sudden exclaimed in a poor imitation of a deep gruff voice, clutching his mid-drift as if he had a round belly. The crew watched Brook with expectancy, wondering what in the four blues he was doing.
Brook put his bony hand on his hip and faced the other way.
"You disgusting man! I should ban you from my shop, per-man-ent-ly ! Oh holly-winks!" he screeched in a higher tone, stomping around a bit as if he had stubbed his toe. Brook once again switched positions, this time he talked with his own voice.
"Sir, it's a gentlemen's duty to help a lady. Those pails look awfully heavy. Ow!" he shouted and clutched his afro before switching back to hold his stomach.
"Gentlemen, mah foot! Myrtle's a strong woman! If she wants mah help, I may be willing to assist for a certain price."
"I'd rather swim to the blues." Brook said in his 'Myrtle' character.
Brook turned around as he was ignoring 'Myrtle.'
"Boy, if yur gonna be worthy of carrying an afro upon yur head then learn to toughen up, yah have tah be strongly rooted in yur beliefs, like yur hair roots!" Brook exclaimed pulling on several of strands of his curly afro before his voice dwindled to silence; his hands fell to his sides.
None of the Strawhats could really comment on what they just saw. They seemed to have lost Brook to his memories. Though he had been quiet about it until now, the destruction of his city was a hard pill to swallow.
A small giggle escaped Luffy's lips before he was fully laughing aloud. His laughter seemed to break Brook out of his thoughts, for the skeleton gazed upon his captain with his empty sockets.
"Phew! That sounds pretty funny! Shishishi!" Luffy laughed even harder.
"Yes indeed, Angus made everything interesting around here." Brook remarked. "Come along my friends, I will show you the remains of my home. I know this place like the back of my hands, though these bones are a bit unfamiliar. Yohoho!"
"Skull Joke!" Usopp and Chopper cheered.
Robin smiled silently as the volume increased amongst her nakama. It seemed that Brook was beginning to act like his normal self. That was certainly a positive note. Robin couldn't help but wonder who this Angus person was. Though Brook merely said a name, Robin could still remember how Brook said it. With a strong voice, one in which held high regard to the name, a name worth remembering. When he acted as 'Angus,' Brook had tried to imitate an air of confidence and carefreeness but Robin felt like there was something more. This really did pique the archeologist's interests. She wanted to learn more about the relationship between Brook and Angus
Their expedition continued on until Brook stopped once more. This time, he had brought them to an open square. In the middle of this square was a tall fountain; water still trickled down the layers and into the basin of the fountain. Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper sprinted to the edge and gazed into the sparkling water.
"Pretty!" They awed.
Brook chuckled and moved to a stone bench that was lined against the circumference of the fountain's base. The stone bench was worn at the edges from the weather but there were define cuts on the seat and back rest. It was as if someone had taken a knife and idly cut into the stone like it was a cake.
"This place is very dear to me." Brook remarked offhandedly.
"Why is that?" Nami asked curiously. This particular place was very public and common, so she found it a bit random and odd that it meant do much to him.
"This was where I was recruited into the Royal Guard by Angus." Brook explained.
~~BINK~*~SAKE~~
Location: Kisum, Crescend Major
Time: Afternoon
82 years ago
A group of young boys laughed and snickered at the latest prank they just pulled. Young Brook walked by the group, his head hung low to avoid eye contact. One of the boys in the group nudged his friends, indicating silently towards young Brook with a smug smile. The boy that was nudged gained an identical smile. He made his way over to Brook and slung his arm around the latter. Brook recoiled from the touch but when he realized that it was a boy shorter than him, he relaxed slightly.
"Crawly, good day." Brook managed to say before trying to get away from the boy's hold but Crawly's hand clamped harder on his shoulder
"Woah, woah, woah, where are you going in such a rush?" Crawly asked. Brook hunched his shoulders more and didn't reply so Crawly continued to talk. "You know Brook, we've reconsidered, you can play with us."
Brook raised his head slightly at this. "Really? That's so kind of you…."
"But! On one condition!" The other boy interrupted and directed Brook towards the fountain. Brook obligated and followed Crawly's finger.
The boy was pointing at one of the stone benches that only had one occupant, as usual. The occupant that solely "owned" the public bench was a bald middle aged man. The man's arms were folded across his broad chest, resting on his large belly. He wore a long sleeve button up shirt with a purple vest over it along with tan slacks and black boots. Though his large sunglasses blocked his eyes, his loud snoring was a sure sign that the man was asleep. At his side was a polished stick.
"You have to steal the Unsavory sword." Crawly revealed in a whisper; a wicked smile was growing on his face.
Brook gulped. "The Unsavory, but… i..it…it's not right to steal!" He squeaked.
Crawly gripped a handful of Brook's hair to shut him up. "If you're a chicken than we can't accept you into our group."
"Okay, okay… I'll do it." Brook replied. Satisfied, Crawly let go of Brook.
"We'll meet you at the north bridge, good luck Brook!" Crawly laughed with unkindly and condescending tone before running off. Brook stood alone as people continued to pass through the plaza without a second thought. The man on the bench snored louder after each snore.
Brook turned his attention back to the man. "He is asleep; maybe I could just borrow it. I could return it before he wakes up!"
This seemed like a good plan to the young boy so Brook hesitantly approached the sleeping man. Brook didn't really have to be quiet as he walked closer to the bench for the man's snores were much louder, they even roared over the sound of the rushing water from the fountain. Brook wrinkled his nose, he was downwind and, oh Kami, the man smelled awful, or, at least his breath stunk. Brook took a deep breath and reached out to grab the stick, silently pleading for the man not wake up.
Pressure encompassed his thin wrist and squeezed so hard that Brook yelped from the pain. The pressure from his wrist vanished but another appendage found its way to Brook's mess of curly black hair and yanked hard. It took Brook a moment to register that he was off the ground. The man was standing now, holding Brook up by his hair. Brook bit his lip; the delayed pain was finally hitting him. His skull burned as gravity pulled at the roots of his hair. Brook was shocked that everything had happened so fast. Frantically, Brook grabbed the offending hand on his head in attempt to relieve pain from his skull. He flung his legs out.
"Please sir! Let go! Pulling on someone else's hair is painful!" Brook cried out.
A thick white eyebrow rose on the man's enraged face.
"YAH HAVE NO RIGHT TAH COMPLAIN!" he shouted into Brook's ear causing the boy to whimper.
"YAH SHOULD'A KNOWN THAT YAH COULDN'T HAVE STOLEN MAH SWORD! NOW FACE YUR PUNISHMENT LIKE A MAN!"
The man shouted and shook Brook back and forth as if that would help his message sink in. Brook cried out from the pain that ripped through his head. The man with the sunglasses stopped shaking Brook; his anger drained from his expression and was replaced by a look of curiosity. The man raised his hand a bit higher before shaking Brook a couple of times, Brook let out more whimpering.
"please…."
Tear-stained cheeks rose upward to look at its captor. The man scrunched his face when he realized the child's unruly mop of hair covered his teary eyes. The man's eyebrow's furrowed as he studied the boy.
"Oi, boy, yah have strong roots yah know." The pot belly man said randomly.
"Can you let go, sir? It hurts a lot." Brook whimpered. The man frowned before yanking on the boy's hair more. The boy whined from the new waves of pain.
"I tell yah, strong roots, a normal person would be scream'n bloody murder yet yur just mewing like kitten. Yur hair is destined to be a great afro." The man said with a sagely nodded.
"It still hurts." Brook refuted.
"MAN UP!" The man shouted. "FROM THIS MOMENT ON, BOY, YUR A TRAINEE OF THE ROYAL GUARD! YAH ARE NOW MAH PUPIL!" He announced.
Brook forgot decorum for the briefest moment and allowed his mouth to hang open.
"Eh?"
"YAHAHAHAHA!"
"B..bu..but sir – ow" Brook stopped talking when the man tugged on his hair again.
"There is no sir." The man stated and let go of Brook.
The boy barely managed to stay on his feet when he hit the ground. The man jerked the butt of his 'stick' towards his own chest. Brook's mouth once again was hanging open from the sheer powerful force of the man's confidence and warm aura.
"Mah name is Angus! Use it, boy!"
~~BINK~*~SAKE~~
Location: Kisum, Crescend Major
Time: Morning
Current Year
Brook leaned back to look up at the sky. What a day that had been. Brook had thought he was going to die by the hands of Angus. Before that day and many months after, Brook did not believe that he could ever be part of the Royal Guard. Brook remembered that all he wanted to do that day was to go back to Miss Luan's house and practice JS Bach's Chaconne.****
Brook gripped his fingers into a tight ball, his bones grinded against each other. Everything was gone, the Queen, the prince, Myrtle, Myrtle's daughter, Crawly, the pretty girls, the guards, Sir Dov, Jean, Sir Mulberry, Angus, and even his little moon. They were all dead; he was probably the last native person of this island. All the traditions, culture, music, and joy lied hidden in his bones and memories. He was alone just like when he was in the Florian Triangle.
A hand touched his shoulder, snapping Brook out of his thoughts. Brook looked down and met the black wondrous eyes of his captain.
"This place is awesome!" Luffy said with a grin. "There are so many cool things to run on and hiding places for hide-and go seek! And I bet you had really good meat!"
Brook nodded, "Yes, Myrtle's bosners were to die for! I'm surprised that wasn't what killed me! Yohoho!"
"Shishishishi,"
Brook fell silent and took in what was around him. For sure, his destroyed home surround him; all that he had grown up with was gone. Yet standing on the rubble, right beside the old skeleton, was his new nakama.
"I was worried if my family was going to accept me for what my appearance has become. Now I cannot help but feel a bit bitter knowing that I can never talk to my little moon again."
Brook placed his hand over his heart. "In the end, I guess it was in inevitable, that everyone would slowly grow old and die away. I never expected that our legacy to become non-existent in such a short time. Did our island mean so little that no one has noticed our pathetic fall from power?"
"Brook," Nami murmured.
Brook scanned the faces of his nakama. "If I'm to find any kind of closure I want you all to be with me."
"Of course!" Luffy exclaimed. "We'll always be there!"
"We're your SUPER buddies!"
"You shitty skeleton, what kind of jerks do you think we are?" Sanji asked, blowing out a puff of smoke from his cigarette.
Chopper jumped at Brook, forcing the skeleton to hug the young pirate. "We love you Brook!"
Nami sighed. "Geeze, you're perverted but we're not going to ditch you."
Robin smiled mysteriously, "Always."
"You're our friend! That's the truth!"
"Thank you mina!" Brook shouted. Everyone was smiling now, the cloud of gloom that had been surrounding the crew from this morning lifted from their shoulders entirely.
Chopper's ears twitched and he looked out over the lake that lied before them. It was a strange whizzing sound of a projectile, Chopper didn't doubt that. He ran to the edge of the court yard, hopped up, and hooked his arms onto the stone brick wall that instantly dropped off to another level of the city. The crew noticed the reindeer's movement but made no move to join him.
"What is it, Chopper?" Nami asked.
"It sounds like a missile but I can't see it." Chopper replied, squinting his eyes.
"EH!? We're under fire!" Nami exclaimed.
"I DON'T WAIT TO DIE!... Ah but I already –"
Usopp punched Brook over the head. "Not funny Brook!"
Though he had sun glasses on his head, Franky lifted his hand to block the sun from his eyes. The sky seemed clear, nothing out of the ordinary, just a peaceful island. Franky didn't doubt Chopper's enhanced senses but there simply was nothing.
"If I can get a target I can shoot it." Franky offered.
Chopper shook his head. "No, it doesn't sound like it's coming closer, it's…"
Chopper trailed off when a burst of glittering blue sparks formed a multi-array star which slowly rained down on the slimmer and more forested part of the kingdom, Crescend Minor.
"Fireworks?" Nami questioned with a frowned.
"There are other people here?" Sanji remarked with a hint of surprise.
"Perhaps other pirates," Robin theorized.
"FIGHT!" Luffy cheered.
"Down boy!" Franky teased as several more blue colored fireworks followed after the first one. These ones were not as grand and as big as the first one.
Brook's jaw dropped open. "Oh dear…"
"What is it Brook? Nami asked.
Brook grinded his teeth together in his own way as a grimace, "It's a military tactic that one of the Royal Guards, the Explosive Gentlemen, created. The fireworks are small and compacted, not easily detected until they explode. The different colors that are released in the sparks send different messages to allow regiments to communicate with each other."
Brook fell silent before speaking again. "Blue always meant some kind of distress or compromised position…. never anything good."
"So maybe some of the natives survived." Chopper said hopefully.
Luffy's blank poker face remained as he grabbed his straw hat and placed it on his head.
An infectious grin broke out.
"Let's go help the firework guys!" Luffy ordered as his eyes sparkled with glee.
"I think he wants to see more fireworks." Usopp accused.
"But how are we going to get over to that island? It's really far away." Chopper asked.
Luffy folded his arms and held a strained expression. In less than a minute, his face was reddening and beads of sweat were rolling down his face.
"Hey, don't fry your brain," Sanji muttered before looking around with a frown.
Luffy smiled. "Got it! Brook! Zoro! Come over here!" He called, sniggering. At this moment a thought came over all of the Strawhats.
"Where's Zoro?" Chopper asked.
"Stupid moss for brain must have gotten lost. Damn him." Sanji guessed.
Nami brought her hands to her temple as if she had a migraine. "What a headache." She sighed.
"It's okay, he'll find us later." Luffy stated confidently.
"Doubt it." Nami and Sanji deadpanned.
Luffy paid them no heed. "Chopper, Usopp, come over here." He demanded.
Brook and his two other crewmates walked over to their captain. Luffy grabbed onto the wall's edge and pulled back to make his stretchy arms taunt.
"Grab on!" Luffy said gleefully.
Chopper's eyes widened in terror as tears formed in his eyes. "NO! Not this again! I don't wanna!"
Chopper wailed about his ultimate demise but he listened to his captain and latched himself onto Luffy's leg for dear life. Dread filled Brook as he grabbed Luffy's shoulder while Usopp wrapped his arms around Luffy's waist. The sniper's legs were shaking.
"We're going die, aren't we?" He moaned.
"Shishihshi! Hold on tight! See you guys over!" Luffy said to his other nakama.
"Gum Gum no Rocket!" He shouted as he sent himself and the other three of his crew members flying into the air.
Everyone left in the plaza (besides Robin) ran to the edge with gapping mouths to watch their nakama scream in terror as they flew over Soniaee Lake. Luffy's laughs could be heard over his nakama's shrieks. The laughter and screams only stopped when the four pirates disappeared near the top of the forest of Crescend Minor.
Sanji blew out a puff of smoke. "What an idiot."
"What did you expect? I'm surprised Luffy was still and quiet for this long." Nami sighed.
"That was a super entrance." Franky laughed.
Robin merely smiled. "He is our captain."
~~BINK~*~SAKE~~
Location: Forest, Crescend Minor
Time: Mid-late morning
Current Year
The landing… crash…. had been quite spectacular. Broken branches littered the forest floor where a new hole in the canopy was, allowing late morning light to shine through to the dark and damp forest below. For Brook, the poor skeleton hadn't technically "landed" yet; he was hanging on a tree limb, his back split over the branch. Usopp's face was buried in the ground; his fingers were twitching from the harsh pain of the landing. Chopper was laid out flat next to him. Luffy's head was stuck in a rotting log. He had his hands and feet were braced against the log and were desperately trying to get his head free.
Brook chuckled weakly. "I think I broke my spine." He coughed and slid off the branch, hitting the ground with a thud.
Usopp pushed his head out of the dirt. He rubbed his aching head and brushed the dirt off his battered nose.
"I thought we were gonna die." Usopp gasped.
Tears were rolling down Chopper's furry cheeks. "It's Alabasta all over again."
"Usopp, Chopper, Brook? Is that you!? My head's stuck! Help me!" Luffy moaned. His voice had a bit of an echo from the hollow space in the log.
Reluctantly, the three strawhats collected themselves and grabbed their captain. With several firm yanks and assisted pushes from Luffy, they managed to pull the teen out but the force knocked them all down. Finally when they were all standing, Usopp and Chopper had berated Luffy for nearly killing them, Brook had cracked a skull joke, and several more blue fireworks exploded did they remember that they were trying to help those people who apparently sending off a distress signal.
Their little group raced off, running through the woods, Luffy shouting how he was going to save Brook's people. Chopper thought about different injuries that these mystery people will have substained, and Usopp pleaded silently that the danger would be gone when they arrived. Brook hoped beyond all hope that there was someone who could tell him what had happened to the kingdom.
Light shined from between the trunks of the trees, implying that they were near the edge of the forest.
"Forward!" Luffy roared out at the top of his lungs.
"Taichou, wait!" Brook called.
Luffy payed no heed and ran right out of the forest, grinning from ear to ear. He only took a few steps out before Luffy felt no ground under his next step. Luffy cried out in surprise as his body began its descent downwards. A bony hand grabbed the back of Luffy's shirt and pulled him back to the safety of solid ground. Luffy looked over his shoulder and smiled.
"Shishi, thanks Brook!"
"You're welcome, taichou." Brook replied.
Usopp and Chopper stopped at the edge before the land dropped off. Their mouths and eyes widened in admiration and surprise.
"Woah," They awed.
Luffy and Brook looked over the cliff.
Luffy let out a happy sound of "Ooooh!" his eyes glittered with excitement.
Brook's jaw fell loose giving him the most flabbergasted expression and Brook felt that a bit.
A large town was laid out before them. Streamers and confetti floated in the air, raining down on the town. Banners hung from homes and across streets. Even from here, Brook could hear the bustling and laughter of the residents down below. More blue fireworks exploded above the obviously safe, joyful, and prosperous town. Familiar music filled Brook's nonexistent ears as it blasted from the town at the bottom of the deep rocky slope. Chimes of bells rung through the air. Luffy threw his arms up into the air and cheered.
"PARTY!"
Since in the Q&A Oda mentions that Brook's nationality is Austrian I decided to use Austrian words and influences for the Island, Crescent Luna.
A/Notes
* "The sea and fresh water mixed lake between the land masses is called Soniaee Lake"= I created the name, Soniaee lake from the name Sona which is a feminine given name meaning gold. It can also be related to the name Sonia, which means "wisdom". Variants include accented Soňa and Soná. I looked at a list of Austrian lakes and I noticed that a lot of lakes ended with "ee."
** "The city, Kisum,** rests at the foot of the mountains, at the shores of Soniaee Lake"= Musik is German for music
*** "This is where we would get bosner*** after training" = Bosner, according to lovely Wikipedia, is apparently a Austrian snack which is a spiced bratwurst in a hot dog roll.
**** "Brook remembered that all he wanted to do that day was to go back to Miss Luan's house and practice JS Bach's Chaconne" = I'm quite sure it is a song meant for the piano. I looked it up so long ago and I don't know where I actually found it.
- DigitalGuardian
