LW: Bit of a shorter one than usual this time, I blame all the flashbacks/recall scenes in this block. Eh, stuff will probably be happening next time, so hold on till then and enjoy
Rubber King and Mirror Master - The last of the Rumbar, Brook's friend Laboon
"Yohohhohoho, you just don't know when to quit do you?" the zombie samurai chuckles as Brook enters the room
"I won't, not as long as you have what belongs to me I'll never give up, never stop trying to get it back" Brook declares
Ryuma slams his sword sharply against the ground "Don't you remember who I am, as well as what happened last time we did this dance? I am Ryuma of Wano, people feared my very name"
"You are nothing more than my shadow in a puppet" Brook argues back "And once I've put that body to rest we will once more be whole again
Ryuma chuckles "Come and get me you bag of bones, but remember, this body, is stronger than yours" then he lunges
Elsewhere
"Damn it, I can't believe someone other than that humming swordsman knows our weakness" one zombie complains, seeing the heaps of purified brethren as the straw hats run off.
"So these stairs should lead to where they offload deshadowed pirates" Robin explains to the reunited duo as they pick up the pace "Hopefully that means our friends will all be there when we arrive"
"This is the same direction those spider mice dragged Luffy, so I'm going to guess that's right" Usopp nods "We were already heading this way up until Nami got kidnapped"
"I hope she's ok, it doesn't feel right abandoning her like this" Chopper groans
"She'll be fine, there's no point in kidnaping her the way they did, if they were simply going to maim or kill her" Vivi assures him, as a royal she was familiar with ransoms and kidnapings even if just in theory
"The invisible fuckstick said she was his bride correct?" Valentina asks "So that there is proof she'll remain in good health and condition… at least for the moment"
"I doubt someone like that would be willing to wait until the wedding night to satisfy himself" Greed hums, getting a jab to the ribs from the blond "Apologies, thinking out loud"
"I know we're all worried about Nami, but the best thing we can do is regroup at the Sunny, wake the others and then rescue her while seeking out and retrieving the stolen shadows" Franky declares, getting the crew back in focus.
"By the way, how did you manage to fight those zombies back there, by their very nature you shouldn't be able to take them down" Usopp asks
"Turns out the skeleton man knew their secret weakness: Salt" Kaya explains "Get it inside them and it causes the shadow to be ejected. No shadow, no zombie simple as"
"Oh, and seeing as it came from the same direction as you guys, do you know what that roar was earlier, nearly brought some of use to our knees from the shaking the building was doing" Avlida asks
Usopp grimaces "That roar, was Luffy. Or I guess you could say his shadow" at the looks he was getting from the others he sighs "I'll explain later, but you guys aren't going to like it"
"What's another set back in all this bullshit?" Robin asks with a half smile, but it looked more forced than usual
"Well to put things bluntly… Luffy's shadow was put into some kind of giant horned demon zombie and it woke him up" Usopp blurts out
"WHAT!"
BOOM
Elsewhere
"This room is tiny and stupid, I'm going for a walk" Oars growls before punching the wall, causing it to explode outwards with and throw the other zombies back
"Holy, how is he that powerful?" they all scream
"Weird, I thought my arm was gonna stretch for a minute there, oh well" Oars shrugs his overdeveloped shoulders and jumps out of the hole he just made and lands in the forest with a thump "I'm going to be KING OF THE PIRATES!" he roars the sound echoing through the island/ship/thing
'Well shit' Kaos thinks, pinching the bridge of his nose and adjusting his shades 'As if this wasn't enough of a hassle with the shadow thief, now we have an Uberzombie. Guess I should just be glad it's not a Gravemind or Brother Moon' he groans but continues moving through the facility, stopping in confusion when he senses the others leave the castle "Hm, wonder what that's all about"
Back with Brook and Ryuma
"I already know how this will go" Ryuma scoffs as he begins slowly pacing "You talk big, but I'll have you begging for mercy in minutes, screaming 'not the afro, anything but the afro' it's pathetic"
"You're wrong!" Brook shouts, swinging his cane at the samuri "This time it's different, I either leave with my shadow, or I die here and we both pass on" he unsheathes his blade and rushes at the zombie who parried and counters, knowing every move Brook was capable of but with a more sturdy body he had no trouble avoiding the strikes, but being a skeleton made Brook a little faster, and both begin to attack with blinding speed though minimal damage "During these past 5 years I've thought of nothing else but this moment, my second chance. And I've trained to be stronger" he shouts as he locks blades with Ryuma
With the others
"So, that crash must have been the giant you mentioned" Victor presumes, the crew having sped up since the revelation, a sense of urgency increasing within them
"Yeah, same with the yell. Sounds like Luffy's shadow got bored and wanted to explore Thriller Bark Kyahaha" Valentina laughs, finding the statement to oddly enough fit with their captain, even his shadow was crazy strong.
"Doesn't do us much good though, I get the feeling a giant zombie will need more than a fist full of salt to take down" Vivi says with a grimace, Alvida nodding beside her
"We'll worry about that later, reuniting with the others and rescuing Nami are the primary objectives, then we can deal with collecting the shadows" Robin argues
"Hey look, I can see the Sunny from here, we've almost made it!" Kaya cheers, looking forward to a moment of respite after all this, even if they were going to have to go zombie hunting again in the very near future
A few minutes later
"We've been fucking robbed. Damn it we should have seen that coming" Alvida shouts, hand clenching and unclenching on the handle of her mace
"Well they are still pirates, and they want you to drift to your demise so the less resources you have in that situation the better" Robin explains
"Well, add get all our shit back to the list, Nami will make it the number 1 priority once we do rescue her" Valentina hums
"Sad but true" Artemis chuckles
Quack
"Carue!" Vivi screams running over to the duck and hugging it "Where did you run off to girl?"
Quack
"She says she got scared of all the zombies and decided to hide on the ship… then the zombies came to the ship" Chopper translates sadly, then perks up "But she says she knows where the others are"
"Lead the way duckie!" Franky commands, grinning widely as she leads them to the dining room where the 3 had been propped up and adjusted by the zombies (mostly for their own amusement) in 3 chairs
"Should we, you know?" Victor waves his hands in their direction
"Fix them? Probably, though it would be funny to see how they react to their new looks" Valentina chuckles alongside Greed
"So, anyone know how to wake them up?" Kaya asks
Slam!
"Well, that didn't work" Alvida huffs, having decided to hit the trio with a baseball swing, which besides embedding Luffy in the wall did nothing
"Whelp I'm out of ideas, well besides the bazooka" Franky thinks aloud, only for Vivi's wires, Robin's blooms and Kaya's syrup to restrain his arms and keep them pointed down "Hey"
"We're not shooting high explosives at our crewmates" Vivi shouts
"Especially not while in the ship" Robin adds on a more practical level, believing at least Luffy would have walked away from it unharmed
"I may have a pacifist solution to our problem" Usopp says stepping in front of Franky "Time to use my secret technique"
"Run away?" Artemis asks rhetorically
"There's a beautiful swordswoman with a plate full of meat on deck right this minute!" he bellows, the crew watch in silence as the 3 shudder and twitch before rising to their knees robotically
"Lady?"
"With Meat?"
"And swords?"
'That actually worked?' everything thought, shocked that it had been that easy in the end, they really need to stop underestimating Usopp when it came to unorthodox solutions.
Absolom's domain
"Damn it I didn't think he'd notice me, but damn a 95/55/85, talk about a stunner" the ivisoperv swoons, then notices the zombie priest standing outside the doorway he'd just vacated "What are you doing standing around, go get the zombie generals here for the ceremony"
"Yes master" the elderly looking zombie croaks and runs off, slamming into a reptilian looking creature and falling over before getting back up and running off again
'There she is, of course you'd be the one to get kidnapped Nami. Don't know if I should rescue you, or wait for our pervert to save you from this pervert. Eh I'll wait and see, by the sound of things you're not technically in danger right now so I have time to plan, and see if stealth is even an option' A tongue flicks past pointed teeth, which turn to a smirk as it turned out he was right
Back on the Sunny
Luffy blinks awake then leaps to attack, only to be knocked back down by Alvida and Franky "Calm down Luffy, we're on the Sunny, we'll get all your shadows back soon you just need to hold on" the smooth woman assures him
"Ok. Wait a minute who wrecked the place?" Luffy wonders aloud
"Yeah, seems the zombies looted the ship while we were gone, pain in the ass really" Valentina answers with a sigh
"Did they get the food?"
"Probably, there are 4 living humans on the island as well as who knows how many zombies" Kaya agrees
"I let my guard down, and I fucked up big time" Zoro mutters, now sitting in a depressive spiral even without the help of Perona's Hollows.
"Wait a minute, where's Nami? Is she out on the deck or something?" Sanji asks, causing Usopp and Chopper to panic, setting off red flags and getting Sanji right in the sniper's face… until Greed grabs him and pulls him back "Hey, let me go you tar coated freak" the cook yells and flails, the Edo Tensei rolls his eyes and turns to Val who shrugs
"Nami got kidnapped by a guy who can turn invisible, he vanished with her just before we got swarmed by zombies!" Usopp shouts to defend himself
"You didn't try hard enough, you 2 bozo's were meant to protect her with your lives while I wasn't there" Sanji retorts, until getting a slap across the face
"Sanji… calm the fuck down!" Kaya shouts in his face, syrup tendrils wrapping around his throat "Nami's missing, she was even before we ran into Usopp and Chopper. By the sound of things Ivisoperv wants to marry and then fuck her, meaning she's still alive and most likely undamaged. We have time to save her, YOU have time to save her" the medic says flatly, waiting for the gears to turn in Sanji's head and him to relax, even just slightly.
"So, want to fill us in on what's happened since we got shadowsnatched, besides Nami being kidnapped I mean?" Zoro asked, returning to the conversation and reality after a little moping
When the recap was done Luffy started to complain about his shadow getting to do all the fun stuff now it was inside a giant monster, while Chopper and Usopp cried and huddled together, now aware they were facing another Warlord. Zoro was curious as to which zombies his and Sanji's shadows had been put in, as they already knew where Luffy's was, and a few of the others were now wondering how to reattach the shadows to their owners once they had purified their crewmate's zombie counterparts.
"Wait, if these shadows act just like their original owners, then we saw Zoro's shadow already, back before I got captured" Luffy realises
"Really? What did he look like?"
"A bit like you, but with wooden clogs and a toothbrush moustache" Luffy describes unhelpfully, getting a shrug from the swordsman
"So, Mr clogs, a dog penguin and the giant are the vessels for our crewmate's shadows" Robin summarizes
"And the samurai, he has Brook's shadow" Chopper adds
"So we just need to get salt in these fuckers and we're home free, kyahahaha" Valentina laughs
"It's really cool you guys figured out how to beat the zombies… how did you find out by the way?" Luffy asks
"It was actually the skeleton who told us, and demonstrated by using it to kill that massive spidermonkey zombie" Victor answers
"Oh, so you guys ran into Brook again, that's cool"
"Yeah, but I feel like an asshole because of a rather, personal question I asked him" Franky says with a sigh "That guy kept going for over 50 years, just to keep a promise to return to a damn whale" he sniffles, gears turning in the rubber boy's head
"Brook, is the last member of the crew that left Laboon at the base of Reverse Mountain with Crocus, promising to return to him soon enough, only they didn't, because they all died" he says as it all clicks together
"Correct" Kaya nods, having been one of the few to have been there both for the meeting with the whale when they entered the Grand Line, and hearing the story from Brook's side
"Well I'll be damned" Sanji sighs, puffing on his cigarette
"This can't be just a coincidence, can it?" Usopp wonders aloud
"I'm really confused, what's going on?" Chopper asks, about half the crew similarly lost
"When we entered the Grand Line, there was a massive Island Whale hammering the Red Line. His name was Laboon and he's been waiting for his companions to return for 50 years" Luffy chuckles bitterly "We made a similar promise when we left him, meaning we have another reason to bring Brook along with us on this adventure: So we can ALL reunite with Laboon!"
Vivi stayed silent, shame filling her for trying to kill the whale, even if it was to try keep the island she'd been stationed on fed. Sensing the negative aura Luffy pulled her into his arms, letting her whimper against his chest.
"Sorry to ask, but are you sure this is the same Laboon?" Robin asks curiously
"It has to, that old fart Crocus said he'd been left their by a pirate crew that promised they'd come back, made Luffy and Kaos pretty mad that he kept trying to convince the poor thing that his friends had abandoned him, not even that they'd died while on the Grand Line but straight up decided to never come back at all" Alvida confirms "Besides, how many West Blue Island whales do you think there are out there named Laboon, sitting around for 50+ years for a reunion with a bunch of pirates? The answer, is one"
"Fair point" the archaeologist says with a shrug and a light chuckle
"Even now I can't believe those two headcases managed to get him to stop trying to tear down the Red Line with his head like some kind of suicidal idiot" Sanji mutters to himself "But, he's still out there, waiting, just like Brook hoped he was"
"Waiting for his friends at the Cape for over 50 years, that's dedication, and heart" Usopp agrees while he works on something, Kaya nodding alongside him
"And to think, we ran into the last of Laboon's crew, by sheer coincidence and dumb fucking luck" Zoro says with a scoff and a low chuckle, the universe does love fucking with people "Wonder what that bag of bones is up to right now, maybe he's already found his shadow" he muses
Speaking of Brook...
"I'll admit you have gotten stronger since we last fought 5 years ago" Ryuma notes as he clashes with Brook "But so have I" he shouts, swinging and knocking Brook's hat off, then going for a stab "And I know every move you're going to make" he declares as Brook bounces off the wall in pain "Yhohohhohoho, seems even after all these years you're still the same idiot, protecting that afro more than the skull beneath it, even though it's the biggest target on the bony body of yours" he laughs/scolds
"Shut up!" Brook screams before leaping forward swinging as he did and the clashes began again
'Laboon my old friend, I wonder if you still remember me, after all this time. Would you recognise me even if I somehow managed to return to you? When I think about how alone you must have been, stuck waiting for us for so long, my heart shatters like glass in my chest' he thinks, then squeaks as Ryuma's sword slips in what should have been a fatal stab to the chest 'Though… I suppose I don't really have a heart anymore' "Yohohohoho!" escapes his skull like a battle cry as he keeps fighting, knowing this time he wouldn't let Moria keep his shadow any longer 'The Grand Line is so fearsome, believe me I tried everything I could to bring them back to you, but all our friends have passed away. It's just us now' he thinks as Ryuma's sword slices through what should have been his right eye and cheek, leaving a deep crack though that portion of his facial bone as well as removing a tooth, Brook leaping back but slides to his knees, panting deeply 'I've lost my friends, my face, my body, my shadow, everything I was back then fallen through my hands like sand' he dodges a leap from Ryuma and the two lock blades, the shadow causing them to both share the same laugh as they fought to overpower the other 'I have nothing left but the hair still clinging to my head, this afro: Black, round and funny, just like you Laboon. I must protect the last reminder of the man you knew, the friend, the brother. I hope you're still there, because I will find a way to return to you old friend, somehow.' Unfortunately things were not to be, as Ryuma cuts him down
TBC
LW: Poor Brook, poor Laboon, but at least now the crew have a long term goal to work towards, reunite the last 2 members of the Rumbar Pirates.