Disclaimer: Godzilla and One Piece are the sole properties of Toho Co. LTD and Eiichiro Oda respectively. KP360 claims no ownership of anything save for any OCs, abilities, and locations.

Thriller Bark Opening: Dead or Lie by TRUSTRICK

Color Spread: Gian wielding Atom Splitter while back to back with BOTW Link as they fight of multiple Bokoblins and Moblins.

The night dragged on, for now Moria can relax. The great task was done, he has just obtained the two strongest forces of his undead army. With the powers of his Kage Kage no Mi alongside that army at his back, he is confident that few could stand against him this side of Paradise.

"Life is good…" he muttered to himself contently as he stretched back on his throne, sipping on a glass of red wine in the process. Perhaps tonight he might actually get a peaceful sleep for once! Closing his eyes, he gave a pleasant smile before letting sleep overtake him.

Then almost immediately opened them up in a fright, letting out small gasps.

It's been decades since that day, almost 20 years in fact, but the images of that day still remained vivid in his mind. The sight of the piles and piles of bodies that composed of his former crew still felt so real, he could still feel the rigidness setting into their deceased bodies, still feel the blood running through his fingers…

"Worororo! Is this the power you wish to present to me?! You are not even worth subjugating! You aren't even significant enough to pose a threat to anyone in the New World!"

But most of the laughter… every time he closes his eyes he could hear the laughter. Cruel, mocking, contemptuous. That day is forever engraved into his mind: how he, the only one that remained, could do nothing as the serpentine shadow rose over him.

"Damn you Kaido…" he gritted, almost letting out a few tears "Damn you to hell…"

The wine glass he held in his hand shattered as it met the floor, with Moria no longer holding it. His face of fear slowly replaced with a mask of rage. That was then, his crew was mortal, vulnerable, too easily damaged. But that's not the case anymore. Before he had a few dozen shipmates, and now? Now he had entire legions of the undead at his beck and call.

Legions that will never perish on the battlefield, legions that will last forever.

Moria hastily dialed into a Transponder Snail, which rang for a while before its face became replaced with that of Dr. Hogback's. Immortal Army or not, he still needs to check up on it.

"Doctor, what is the status of our most recent procurements?"

"Ah, Moria-sama! I can assure you everything is going smoothly!" Hogback hastily answered "There's nothing to-!"

"Tell me! Make sure of it!"

"Very well, I'm sure you know the status of Oars at the moment. He's fitting in well, getting used to his movements, but-"

"MEEEEEEEAAAAAATTTTTTT! WHERE'S MY FOOD?!"

Moria pinched his eyes at the childish sound. The side-effect of the host inheriting the original personality of whoever's shadow was transplanted into it is something that is quite grating. In this case, the once mighty Oars now has the personality of a hyperactive dimwit who loves food as much as adventure. Between that and his monstrous strength, it still remains dangerous combination and a powerful asset. Still, Moria could bet all the beri he owns that the real Oars would be rolling in his grave if he knew the way he was acting right now. Oh wait, he no longer has a grave anymore.

"Are you giving him food as he's requested?"

"Do I have another choice?" the voice of Dr. Hogback responded, understandably a bit irritated "He's eaten almost 10 carts full of our food supply. He's a freaking zombie, he doesn't need sustenance!"

"He's also one of our powerhouses, if it pleases him, then bring whatever is it that he wants to him." Moria dismissed "Oars is just the first of many; if he proves to be successful, then we can have the corpses of many powerful legendary figures of history under our banner!"

"Understood Moria-sama, I will continue to observe."

"Also, how is Project Alpha developing? Has anything else occurred since the last time I called?"

"Project Alpha is still feeding off shadows regularly. It has currently absorbed 8, and with it the skeleton seems to have accumulated some kind of dark matter. I am keeping an eye on it and will be moving to some experiments later."

"Good, report to me the moment the situation changes." And with that, the doctor hung up. Moria rose and gave a content sigh as he made his way to the window and gazing out into the night. By now, he had no more yearning for any sleep; there was simply too much to look forwards to.

"I now have the servitude of both a legendary giant as well as being lost to history under my hand, and the more powerful corpses I obtain, the more my army grows. Soon, the entirety of the Grand Line will be at the mercy of my undead army!" he thought with satisfaction "Just you wait, Kaido, soon will be the day I return to the New World and wreak my vengeance towards the pain you've caused me!"

Meanwhile:

"Urrghhhh…"

"Look, I think he's waking up!"

"Go get the captain!"

He could hear voices and scrabbling around him as consciousness slowly came back to him. Footsteps approaching, and the feeling of himself being touched.

Mustering as much energy as possible, he tried to open his eyes. His vision still blurry, but he could see one thing clearly.

Pink hair, a full head of it.

"Hey, you've been out since we've found you." It's a young woman's voice, gentle and concerning "You had a run with Gecko Moria didn't you? That never ends well."

Could this be? The pink haired woman he sometimes sees in his dreams? She and that other little girl hasn't appeared as much as they've used to, but he still remembers them vividly.

"It's you…" Gian gave a hoarse whisper "It's you again…"

"Hmm? It's actually the first time we've met… You and that other boy have been lying on the ground. Some of Moria's zombies were taking you got back but we took care of them. I guess Moria's done harvesting your shadows already."

"You've appeared in my dreams quite a few times, I have so many questions…!" Gian gave a weak smile "I always wanted to ask who- WHO IN THE MOTHER OF-!"

"Ah, you're fully awake now." there's no doubt about it, this isn't her. Gian may have never fully known who the mystery pink-haired woman from his dreams are, but he is certain about one thing.

That woman never once looked like the way this lady does.

The woman's face was completely disproportionate. Her eyes tiny and beady, yet her lips and mouth seemingly made up half her face. In addition to her portly form, the lady wore a tattered red vest with twin swords strapped to her back, the rest of her clothing in poor condition as well. Gian was never one to care about appearances in the opposite sex, but even he had to wonder what made this woman turn out this way.

"I-It was a mistaken identity…" he muttered glumly. The woman grinned.

"Soooo… you've seen me in your dreams before? That looks like it's meant to be between us!"

"W-What are you talking about?" Gian grimaced.

"Obviously we have a connection, so what do you say? Marry me."

"..."

There was a small beat of silence as he took in the whole magnitude of the situation.

"Lady… what is wrong with you?" Gian was flabbergasted "We've never even talked!"

"Oh… so that's a no then?"

"NO!" Gian facepalmed "I'm also in a committed relationship right now, so I don't think we'd ever get to that point."

"Ah, that's a shame then." The woman shrugged.

"Cheer up, captain! It's only your 4442nd proposal, you'd find the right guy eventually!" Gian turned to see two scarred men reassuring her.

"Ok, I'm confused. Who are you people? And why am I still here?"

"Ah, we forgot to introduce ourselves!" one of the men saluted "The Rumble Pirates are pleased to make your acquaintance, mister! We are the Risky Brothers led by our captain, 'Marriage Proposal' Lola! Welcome to the Thriller Bark Victim's Association!"

"Thriller Bark Victim's Association?" Gian mused.

"Yup, we're a bunch of stranded folk who all ended up here one way or another. That, and we've all had our shadows stolen by Gecko Moria sometime in the past." Lola explained. Gian grimaced at that, remembering his and Luffy's own disastrous encounter with the shadow man.

"I'm guessing somehow you guys got us away from him." Gian nodded "Thank you."

"A few of Moria's zombies were hauling you along, but we made quick work of that! What matters now is that you're ok." Lola smiled "I'm actually really surprised you woke up as fast as you did. Most victims of Moria's powers usually take 2 to 3 days to rouse from their catatonic state. That other kid is still out of it."

"Other kid? LUFFY!" Gian gasped and looked around. The Risky Brothers then ushered him towards the lying form of his captain. The Kaiju-Zoan user hastily got down and shook his captain lightly. But no matter what he did, the rubber boy's eyes remained closed.

"He feels cold!" Gian rasped urgently "What happened to him?"

"It's ok, he's not hurt." Lola reassured him "This is a side effect of what happens when your shadow gets stolen. We all had to go through it, he just needs to sleep it off."

Gian breathed a little sigh of relief; at least Luffy is ok for the most part. He's always been a rather heavy sleeper, as opposed to himself. Gian mused and wondered if it was due to the usual shortened recovery periods caused by his Kaiju-Zoan that made him wake up earlier. He then turned around, now noting that more and more people were coming out of the woods.

"That kid is 'Straw Hat' Luffy isn't he?" Lola asked, then held up her hands as Gian began to question "And you're 'Beast Warrior' Gian? Don't worry, we all know about what you all did through the newspaper? Despite what it looks like here, News Coo still come by every so often, so we know a bit of what's happening out there."

"I see," Gian nodded "So you've all had your shadows stolen as well? How long has he been doing this?"

"I've only arrived here 5 years ago, but from the sound of it Moria's been collecting shadows for much longer. Every shadow he takes eventually falls under his thrall." Lola replied "You must've seen some of his zombie army by this point, he's been taking shadows and putting them into dead bodies, reanimating them to fight for him."

"So that's what he needed our shadows for, I had a feeling about it and this all but confirms it." Gian sighed "Some of my other crewmates have gone missing too, what if Moria's found them as well?"

"If that's the case, then it's a safe bet Moria's obtained their shadows by this point." Lola clenched her fist "Because of this, we've been trapped here. My shadow is out there somewhere stuck in whatever horrendous corpse as well! I can only imagine what grotesque form he put it in!"

While this was happening, somewhere else on the Island Ship, a certain pervert was getting dressed for his big event, his heart was big and his disposition positive.

"ABSALOM-SAMA!" but that was soon crushed when he heard the cursed voice of the one being he did not wish to see.

"What the hell?" Absalom barked to a group of zombies dressing up as priests "I told you all to keep her away from this place!"

"W-we tried!" the zombies protested "You know she wanders the island and goes where she pleases! She's bound to-!"

The walls to the church bust open, revealing a stocky shadow. The dust cleared to reveal a stitched up pink warthog, panting hard and staring straight at the lion-man.

"What is this I hear about you getting married?!" the zombie snarled "Are you being unfaithful to me?!"

"WE NEVER WERE AN ITEM, LOLA!" Absalom yowled "I've told you many times, I don't want to marry you! My bride will be a human girl, not a lowly zombie! "Unfortunately for him, this is not a rare occurance. Ever since Moria gotten a shadow implanted into the warthog, Lola had been steadfast in her attraction to the lecherous lion. Her constant pestering and extreme measures to wed the two of them has caused him much grief in those times.

"That's a lie! She must've seduced you with some dishonorable tactics! I will kill her!"

"NO, GODDAMMIT!"

In the hours before a wedding ceremony, one should always be careful.

"Thus we've been out here, camped out in the forests surrounding the mansion, and trying our best to get our shadows back." the real Lola explained "We've actually had some success, some of the people here actually do have their shadows returned to them. But for ever zombie we purify, Gecko Moria makes 5 more."

"To think you've all been out here for this long…" Gian felt a pang of sympathy for the ragtag group of survivors. He and Luffy had only just lost their shadows, but these people had to deal with it for years. "How have you managed to survive all these years?"

"In the mornings we just find whatever shade we can." Lola mentioned sadly "If a being with no shadow ever meets the sun, then we are vaporized by the dawn."

"So I've heard. A talking skeleton told me about what the situation would be like now if we don't get it back." Gian nodded "We have to find a way to get them back."

"Luckily, during our years here, we've fought enough zombies to find out a major flaw in their design." Lola smiled "It's the reasons we've had as much success as we did."

"A weakness eh? I always do like discovering weaknesses!" Gian grinned "If I knew that earlier maybe we wouldn't have wasted so much energy. Spill it, sis! This feels like important stuff!" Lola nodded before reaching into her shirt pocket and taking out a small white pellet.

"To purify a zombie, all you have to do is to make them ingest salt!" the woman explained "Gecko Moria's Kage Kage no Mi powers is curbed by the sea, so naturally his creations are also neutralized by a byproduct of it! A simple pellet like this is enough to make a zombie cough up the shadow imprisoned in it, freeing it so that it can return to its original body!"

"Salt huh? To think something that could've helped us would've been located right in Sanji's kitchen!" Gian smacked his fist against his palm "I've got to tell-!"

"RRRROOOOOOOOAAAAAAARRRRRR!"

Their eyes snapped up in alarm as they looked into the distance. What they saw made their eyes pop out as something massive burst out of stone walls. Even from this far they could see it clearly, a good indicator on just how big the creature truly is.

"I will become the pirate king!" the horned, red giant bellowed as it stomped around. Now done eating, Oars feels content about exploring what Thriller Bark has to offer, even as scores of zombies ran beneath his feet, begging him to return to his master's command.

"This is bad!" Lola shouted in shock "When did Moria get a shadow strong enough to reanimate Him?!" already the group around them were beginning to scramble in fear, back towards the trees that could conceal them better should the giant decide to come their way.

Gian gritted his teeth; even just by watching the red giant prance around, he realized who the mannerisms extruded by the undead behemoth resembled. The way the giant reacts to its surroundings, the general air-headedness and loud boisterous behavior, there was only one person he knew who acted that way.

"Well, we found one of our shadows…" he mumbled to a still unconscious Luffy.

"EHHHHH?! OARS HAS 'STRAW HAT'S SHADOW?!" Lola gawked.

"There's no mistaking it, judging by its size and what it said, it definitely has Luffy's shadow." He punched the ground "I have to find the others, we have to think of a plan."

"A few of my guys were scouting around and saw that your ship is still docked on the shore, it's just a few steps south of here." Lola nodded.

"We also saw a few zombies carrying things off of it, mostly boxes." One of the Risky Brothers added.

"Damn it!" Gian cursed "That sounds like our treasures! When Nami finds out about that…" he shook his head "Maybe some of them have gathered back there, I'll have to check. Thank you guys again for helping us."

"Please, there's no need to thank us." Lola answered "We only ask that you help us defy Moria, I don't want anyone else to go through what we have."

"Believe me, after everything that he did, Gecko Moria isn't getting away with this!" Gian assured her.

A few moments later:

The trek back to the ship went rather smoothly, Gian didn't have time to waste. Carrying Luffy on his back, he soon saw the outline of the Sunny. Gian felt a pang in his heart as he saw the state the ship was in; clearly the zombies that found it weren't exactly gentle. With all the scratches and scenes of activity, Franky's got some cleaning up to do after they were done.

Stepping on the deck, he heard footsteps coming up from behind him. A moment later, Usopp and Chopper ran up from below deck, each letting out a sound of relief when they saw who it is.

"Gian! We thought you were captured!" The reindeer wept as he ran forwards for a hug. The Kaiju-Zoan user smiled slightly before looking at the sniper.

"Well, they didn't exactly make it easy for us." He sighed "Is anyone else back?"

"Franky and Robin are down there thinking of what to do, we found Zoro and Sanji unresponsive when we got back to the ship and…" the sniper's head dropped and he began to shake.

Gian perked his head at that "What's wrong?"

"B-Back at the mansion… we got attacked by Zombies…" Chopper wept "There were so many! Nami tried to use her weather skills to buy us some time but they got the drop on her before we could do anything!"

"So that's what happened, I wondering how they captured her earlier…" Gian said with a tint of anger towards the denizens of the island "It's alright, that's what we're here for, we'll go back for her, we have to go back any way."

"You're so forgiving…" Usopp smiled through his tears, before his eyes popped out after seeing their unconscious captain.

"AAAHHHH! What happened to Luffy?!"

"That's what I want to talk about, lets head down there I'll explain everything."

The moment he got down below deck, Franky and Robin looked up with a start. The archaeologist gave a small gasp of relief before running over to him.

"You're safe, I almost feared for the worst." She whispered as Franky hastily laid Luffy down.

"I didn't think you'd be that worried about me." Gian smiled softy as the two shared an embrace.

"They got the drop on us, we were completely cut off back there!" the cyborg mentioned "I think we saw you two get dogpiled and taken away but we couldn't do a thing! At least you two aren't badly hurt."

"Yeah well, not exactly…" Gian sighed before pointing at the mirror on the wall. The four looked at the direction and gasped at the reflection shown- or lack thereof.

"Oh no… they got you too…" Usopp moaned.

"They got both of us, Luffy's still out of it."

"But without a shadow, you'll be…!" Chopper whimpered as he realized what it means.

"For our sake I hope it doesn't get to that point, which is why we need everyone here." Gian replied "Where's Zoro and Sanji?" Franky pointed behind him at the two cots laid out, where the two men laid catatonic beside Luffy "Of course… we have to wake them up somehow."

"Don't worry, I've got this." Usopp stated "Now that the three of them are all here this trick can work."

Walking up before him, the sniper cleared his throat once. Facing the 3 boys he opened his mouth and uttered one resounding phrase:

"A BEAUTIFUL LADY SWORDSMAN JUST WALKED IN WITH SOME MEAT!"

For a while nothing happened, but before long the telltale tingle of action began to take place as the three boys slowly got to their feet. Soon, it became more than apparent that they were back to normal.

"Beautiful Lady?" inquired Sanji.

"Meat?" asked Luffy.

"Swordsman?" questioned Zoro.

"THOSE THREE ARE HOPELESS!" Chopper facefaulted. Of course, their one track minds could only be so focused.

After everyone finally got their bearings, the crew finally sat down to discuss their options. Essentially, Gecko Moria did more than just steal their shadows. To their dismay, all of the treasures left over from Mu and Water 7 were ransacked and taken, along with most of their food. Even though the Shichibukai now had nothing to worry about in both regards, it seems that old habits die hard. Or it could've simply been to taunt them, in which if that was the case, then they've succeeded.

"It all happened so fast, I only remember turning a corner and then getting jumped." Zoro scowled "You guys were lagging behind and I couldn't even fight off all of them, this is so shameful!"

"Zoro… You got lost and went the wrong way didn't you?" Gian asked.

"NO I DIDN'T!" The swordsman shouted, his face turning red at the truth.

"And how could you two just let Nami-san take the fall?!" Sanji barked at Usopp and Chopper "Why didn't you guys get her back?!"

"W-We tried to!" The sniper protested "There were too many of them and that ghost girl just made her depressed!"

"Listen to the whole story first!" Franky snapped "Seriously, man!"

"One things for certain, we can't just charge in without a plan anymore." Robin mused "The enemy knows we're here, they have a massive numbers advantage, and they have some of our assets." She pointed at the four men lacking their shadows, a fact that they did not miss.

"Yeah, and at least 3 of them are out there already." Gian nodded before pointing off to the side towards the mansion. It was far enough, but the crew could see something huge climbing the flagpole. Apparently, Oars took his adventure to the very top of Thriller Bark and is having a grand old time. "That one happens to be yours, Luffy."

"Whoa! My zombie is gigantic!" Luffy cried out.

"And that's not all of it, now that it has your shadow, it essentially can do everything you can within the limits of its body." Gian explained "At least, that's what Lola told me."

"Lola?" Robin asked "Who's Lola?"

"It turns out there's a band of survivors out in Thriller Bark." Gian explained "All of them whose shadows now exist in one of the undead under Moria's command. Let's just say he's about to find a fire lit underneath his porch."

"Call me pessimistic, but I don't think just a few broken people with vengeance on their minds can take down a Warlord on their own." Zoro stated.

"With their numbers, probably not. I think they know that, considering the most they've done up to this point has just been purging shadows from some of the zombies." Gian shrugged "Whatever the case, we now know what to do. There's people out there that have pretty nasty beef against our warlord friend, and I say we give them a hand in reclaiming what's theirs."

"By stealing the shadows of others, Moriah essentially steals the dreams of those that come across him." Luffy growled "Those guys can't go back out to sea, can't even stand in the sun! It's unforgivable!"

Straightening his Straw Hat, Luffy gazed towards the mansion with determined eyes.

"We're taking this fight to Moria and getting our shadows back! If we beat him, then all the shadows return to their rightful owners. To think Brook's been doing this for 5 years! He must miss his shadow very much."

"Yeah, poor guy." Franky sniffed "With his shadow gone he's essentially trapped here. He can't leave even if he takes his ship, that Laboon fella is probably wondering where he's been?"

A pause of silence followed right as the cyborg name dropped a certain someone. Upon hearing that Luffy, Gian, Zoro, Sanji and Usopp all raised their heads towards Franky and Robin, their mouths slowly opening as realization sets upon them.

"What? Why are you all looking at us?"

"Hold on a minute…" Gian mumbled "What name did you just say?"

"Brook said he's been trying to get back to a whale named Laboon." Robin replied with concern "He mentioned a promise made 50 years ago to him, but his crew unfortunately perished before they could escape-"

"-The Grand Line!" Usopp gasped "You didn't hear it incorrectly, did you?"

"To think we all thought they had died?" Zoro mused.

"What kind of a coincidence is this?" Sanji whistled "To think that he was here the whole time…"

"I don't understand, how did you guys hear about this?" Franky stammered.

"Franky, I'm gonna have to ask you to confirm this again." Gian ushered "This Laboon, he was left behind by pirate crew who went to the Grand Line, wasn't he?"

"Dude, don't worry I know what I heard!" Franky doubled down "That's exactly what happened, and you're telling me you guys know this story?.

"Then it looks like we'll be getting our musician after all." The Kaiju-Zoan user nodded towards Luffy, who's begun to realize what it means.

"So Brook is in that crew of pirates who left Laboon behind!" the captain gasped "But that can't be the whole story! Franky, tell us the rest!"

"Well, I don't know how long we have, but it was a very emotional story. To think I originally thought of him as just some perverted skeleton weirdo, but it turns out he's got more burdens that I imagined!"

Flashback:

"Hanata Sancho: Yahazu Giri!"

"It's you…!"

Even as they got out of the mansion, Robin and Franky were not out of the woods just yet. While their captain and first mate held their own against the zombies inside, the undead that chased them out into the open were still in hot pursuit. The two fought hard, dislodging multiple zombie soldiers, but as expected the numbers became too great. Eventually, their separation caused them to fall into the mercy of yet another zombie: a horrific amalgamation of human, monkey and spider. The horrific chimera nearly enclosed them within its web, and all would've been over had it not been for the arrival of an unlikely savior.

"C-Curse you 'Dead Bones'!" the spider zombie gurgled "Your attack may be vicious, but you forget that I cannot die!" Brook only gazed in his direction as he clicked his cane sword back into its sheath; his facial expressions may be lacking in his current state, but he'd be giving a smirk of confidence as of right now.

"Yohoho, it seems that my attack wasn't the only thing you failed to notice." The spider zombie's eyes widened as its body began to convulse, it retched violently for a few seconds to the shock of onlookers, before its mouth finally wrenched apart a black mass floated out of it. That was the final movement it did, for soon after the corpse slumped over motionless, no longer being able to animate ever again.

"What did you do?" Franky gasped "We tried forever to even get a normal zombie to stay down and they always get back up!"

"Gecko Moria may be able to steal shadows and grant them to the dead, but he cannot remove the limitations of them. My sword is laced with sea salt, it is their bane and will cause the body to release the shadows it holds captive."

Brook straightened his suit a bit before turning to the duo "It seems you were not able to escape, but you have a chance to now. Unfortunately this is where I leave you again, there is a duel I must attend but you can still make it. Once you gather your friends please get out of here and don't look back."

"Yeah, that's easy for you to say!" the cyborg barked "We're not exactly in the best shape to be going anywhere right now! Why would you care about that? It's not like you're going anywhere!"

"It is never good to be trapped, no matter who you are." The skeleton responded "And contrary to belief, I do have to get my shadow back as well. There is somewhere that I need to go, and it is of utmost importance that I get there."

"Pffft, you? Don't make me laugh!"

"Franky, don't be rude." Robin chided.

"No, it doesn't make any sense! Where could you possibly go that's so important? Look at yourself, you're a walking skeleton! Put that anywhere but here and it would be out of place! People would be avoiding you the moment they see what you look like!" Franky pointed out "And that's not even mentioning how lonely it will get. You think you're alone now? How do you think it will feel when people can see you but never want to get close? You'll be ostracized and judged no matter where you end up! What possible reason could you have for getting out of here?"

Silence for a moment, and even Franky had begun to think he had overstepped. But then they heard Brook gave a soft sigh as he wiped down his cane.

"You seem like a trustworthy person, Franky-san." Brook noted "You also don't seem to be someone who goes back on their word. In any case, the words of a promise made is more important than gold, and that's exactly what I am faced with, and it is not something I can ever break."

"A promise huh? A promise to get back to something? What does a skeleton have to get back to?" Franky pushed.

"Yohohoho… do you really wish to know?" Brook chuckled mirthlessly "Well, we would have to go back to a time further than this, about 50 years ago in fact."

"50 years…?" Robin gasped "You've been trapped in this sea for that long?"

"Ok, he's bullshitting!" Franky pointed "I'm not even that old!"

"I wouldn't be casually telling you this if it was otherwise, and this isn't something I would ever make up." Brook denied "It was 50 years ago, the Rumbar Pirates set sail for the Grand Line to find the thrill of adventure and seek their fortunes. On the way there we stopped at a place called Reverse Mountain, where we met the caretaker of the lighthouse, but not before a chance meeting with a special friend."

"I've heard of Reverse Mountain, there's this-!" Robin suddenly realized something "You're not suggesting that-!"

"Yes, we met a young whale one fine day. We were playing music and he just came out of the water and sang alongside us! He was so cute, our entire crew instantly was charmed by him. We named him Laboon, he had been separated from his pod and was so lonely, it was our music that cheered him up again! From that day forth he began travelling with us, never far behind our ship and even became an honorary nakama to our crew. I'd be lying if I said we didn't get attached to him."

"Then why did you leave him behind?" Robin asked again.

"When we got to Reverse Mountain, we made the hardest decision of our lives. The Grand Line is a dangerous place for anybody, most certainly a whale calf like him." Brook's voice began to get lower upon saying that "Not that we wanted him to leave us, but we couldn't bear the thought of him being hurt due to our adventurousness. So we left him there, under the care of the lighthouse keeper. Before leaving we made a promise that we will most definitely return to him, once we've explore the Grand Line and made our names."

Brook gave another sigh "And that, as you can see, did not work out as we have hoped. All of my nakama have died, I am the only one still able to carry out this promise."

"But if it's been 50 years, then surely that whale must've realized you weren't coming back!" Franky said "No one could possibly wait that long, assuming they even survive for that long in the first place!"

"Perhaps so, and I don't doubt that there's a chance that he would've left. But a part of me still knows that he's waiting for us back at Reverse Mountain! He must've grown so much during this time, we'll probably have to take a while to get reacquainted! To be honest, there have been times during my confinement in this sea where I've considered ending my second life, yet I never got to that point solely because of a promise made so long ago! The thought of returning to Laboon, that is more important to me than anything else in this life! And now that I have a second chance to right that wrong, why should I still remain here?"

And Franky and Robin gasped when Brook raised his voice suddenly.

"When you've made a promise, then even Death isn't an Apology!"

Brook shifted again as the two Straw Hats were rendered speechless at that declaration.

"That is my story, it seems I have taken up quite a bit of your time. I must be off now, it was a pleasure to meet you two again."

The two could only blink as they saw the Skeleton leap up back towards the mansion, unsure of what to say. They have no doubt about it: Brook may be eccentric and carefree, but he bears something more important than anything else.

Flashback end:

"That was what made me realize that he's dealing with a lot more than what we originally thought. That's why he's been here trying to get his shadow back!" Franky finished. Everyone blinked as the cyborg lowered his head to his eyes.

"WRROOOOGGHHHHH! THAT SKELETON IS SUCH A GOOD FRIEND TO THAT WHALE!"

"WE GET THE POINT!" Zoro and Sanji snapped.

"There's no doubt about it." Gian mumbled "That same whale we've met trying to get into the Grand Line, Laboon definitely knew Brook was still out here somewhere! Somehow he knew Brook was still trying to get back to him!"

"This is so sad!" Chopper bawled.

"And here I am finding out you guys have all met this whale?" Franky wondered "It's almost like our meeting with Brook wasn't just by chance!"

"When we first came over Reverse Mountain, Laboon was the first thing we ran into. He actually ate us for a little bit." Gian replied "I never expected him to have waited for someone for 50 years."

"Even back then he was trying so desperately to get into the Grand Line." Luffy added "He was ramming head first into the Red Line, the Old Man said that would've killed him. Gian had to beat him up to get him to stop."

"I didn't beat him up!" the person in question protested "I gave him an outlet to vent!"

"No… I clearly remember there being some hitting from both sides." Usopp mused "Mostly from you."

"Well, you're horrible." Franky snorted.

"You are totally blowing this out of proportion!" Gian gawked "Seriously, he's fine! And he probably hasn't smacked his head into the wall ever since!"

"Lots of blood, ran the sea red with it." Zoro added with a shrug.

"Gian is so scaryyyy!" Chopper wept.

"And this has gone completely off topic!" Gian scoffed "But since we now know Laboon and Brook has that connection then it can only mean one thing now, right Luffy?"

The captain immediately grinned upon hearing that "I had wanted Brook to be our nakama since the moment we met him, and after hearing all that then we have to get him to come with us! We know Old Man Crocus, we know Laboon, and we'll help him keep his promise for sure!"

"So what do you all say? Let's go get our musician!"

"YES! LET'S GET OUR NEW NAKAMA!" Franky, Usopp and Chopper bawled.

"It's not like we have any objections to begin with." Robin chuckled.

"If even a whale has nakama it cares about, then who are we to keep them apart?" Sanji smirked.

"Isn't he missing his shadow too? Then that means the amount of shadows we need to get back just went up quite a bit." Zoro grinned.

"Well, look at that Luffy." Gian grinned "It's a unanimous decision, not that it'll be anything otherwise." His smile dropped as he looked back towards the dark and foreboding presence of Thriller Bark. Even though he can't see it, he can feel his shadow out there and he can't shake the feeling something sinister will be sprung upon them.

"It's time for our counterattack!" Luffy nodded with determination.

"Indeed, get the straps." Gian nodded to Luffy "Let's tear this island ship to the ground!"

As that was happening:

"So you've returned…" Ryuma looked up from his teacup at the figure approaching him before standing up straight, the zombie's white robes flowed around him, himself emitting an air of contempt towards the one facing him "I was starting to think your cowardice really got the best of you."

At the door, Brook clutched the cane he held as he stared at the samurai zombie "You will be coming back with me now, shadow. I cannot wait any longer."

"Yohohoho…" Ryuma gave a scathing laugh "It seems that you've forgotten our last encounter. It has already been 5 years to the day now, hasn't it, my master?" the warrior began to take steps towards his fellow undead, who responded in kind "You came to this island, purified many zombies, but then you ran into your own shadow, me."

"I remember well enough," Brook absentmindedly reached for his forehead, his bony fingers feeling down a jagged crack, a wound inflicted those same 5 years ago on him by the very same zombie that stood before him now "And I remember the lessons from it."

"Yet you've forgotten the defeat all too soon. I left you there, begging in the dust when I should've cut you down. How you groveled and pleaded with me to spare you, to spare that wretched mass of hair to be exact!" Ryuma snarled "It's pathetic, how I once belonged to you. Now I serve Gecko Moria, and I have never been more powerful."

"Yohohoho… most definitely stronger." Brook sighed "Yet you're tethered to a body that doesn't belong to you, stripped of your free will to serve a warlord. I've haven't been idle these 5 years, I've been training and preparing, I must apologize but you will be returning to me!"

"Is that so? Well then how about we pit that to the test?" by this point, both swordsmen have walked past each other, both stopping about 6 steps away.

"One more thing…"

*CLANG!"

Their attacks were so swift, had anyone else been standing there it was as if neither figure moved at all. The next instant, both duelists' blades were locked; Ryuma's black katana straining against Brook's cane sword.

"…So have I!"

With a whirling storm of steel and sparks, both sword wielding undead gave each other no quarter. As Brook pushed back and parried, his mind was a jumble of thoughts, but one kept him focused.

"It's just like how it was back then, since that body has my shadow, it basically has a knowledge of all my moves. It's practically my equal, if not superior…"

"But I have to win this! I have to get back to you!" the skeleton thought as he narrowly sidestepped a downwards slash "We're so sorry we never came back, I'm so sorry for not coming back. The loneliness I've felt trapped in the Florian Triangle, can it even be compared to what you've been dealing with, Laboon?"

Once again, they crossed swords, before parting from each other and sending out a flurry of thrusts each, neither giving an inch. Brook gritted his teeth; even as each strike from Ryuma rattled his bones and threatened to pierce through, he must get that shadow back.

"So just wait for a bit longer, Laboon. I hope you're still there waiting for me."

A/N: So this semester's classes have been going rather weirdly, considering pretty much everything is online. I actually don't have as much motivation to study as I thought considering I have all the notes as well as video lectures, but I somehow can't bring myself to watch them even though these courses are important. I'll have to get on that soon. Meanwhile, this chapter is now finished! A shorter and simpler one; the only thing in particular to note is that Gian met Lola a bit earlier than everyone else, but everything else is still the same. I'm definitely not changing Brook's backstory at all considering how important it is. Next chapter is the official counter attack, and we'll get the action to pick up from there! So there, this chapter may be a bit slow, but I really wanted to give my own interpretation of some events that go through, particularly because I like how Brook is an important call-back to an earlier arc.

Aside from that, I'm thinking about cross-posting this story onto other sites such as AO3. It'll be nice to see what people over there think. That's still being debated at the moment, but if I go through with it I'll probably be doing that around the next chapter or two. Nothing else will change with uploads and everything, I'll just be posting to 2 different places now.

With that, I'll leave you with this and I'll see you next time!

Responses to Reviews:

To shitabrick:

Well, I'll admit I'm not the biggest boxing fan out there so a lot of it will be lost to me. I know some boxers but I don't watch the sport enough to know about it.

G: You literally only know like 4 of them and one of them is dead.

And yeah, writing out Gian beating the tar out of Absalom was very enjoyable.

To MR DOVE:

G: You're gonna have to wait a bit.

I am pretty anticipated for that par, I'll tell you that!

To 52:

G: Lord of the Flies.

I think he means another fanfic, which I will say I haven't- wait, WHY THAT ONE?!

G: what? I get to beat up children! They won't even see it coming!

You have no idea what the theme of that story is about, do you?

Shin Godzilla is currently too much in spoiler territory for me to reveal anything, but if I ever get it to work it'll be an important plot point down the road.

To jaffa3:

You'll be seeing what Project Alpha is in the coming chapters!

To Myqa:

Don't worry, I'm not that sensitive! Nothing's gonna stop me from continuing this story.

G: That being said, if your criticism actually brings up a good and reasonable point, we'll take it to consideration. Many things in the story went the way they did was due to community input to a certain degree!

To Matt:

There will be a blurb about what happens to the shadows next chapter!

To Kaiju Emperor:

Hehe, isn't that usually how it goes in these kinds of events?

G: let's just say the climax for this arc won't be as you expected it to be!

To Hamad AlSuwadi:

Huh, guess I overlooked that. I will keep a note from now on!

G: And he calls himself faithful to canon…

To Gustavo Aldofo Montiel:

G: Hold on, let me get Google Translate.

Even though me no hablo Española, I can feel the love from here!

G: You're just saying that because you have no idea what they said, do you?

Hey, it seems fine.

To heroflow1000:

I do already have a lineage planned for Gian. It's been teased a few times in the story already. Serizawa does have a descendent, however, and he's actually already appeared in canon too!

G: Now he's just adding things as he goes along.

Isn't that how it usually works?

And that's all for now, we'll see you next time!

G: And as usual reviews are always welcome!