Saiyans on the Grandline
"Ahh! You mean the booze was a lie, and we just fell for a trap?" Ussop questioned, as the giant red signal flare in the sky died down. "Who knows what kind of horrible people are gonna come after us now?"
"Calm down Ussop." Kaen said, dusting off his suit as Chopper and Ussop went searching the area around them. "We've got some time, before the one responsible for the trap arrives, probably a few minutes. So we've got a chance to strategize and consider our options here."
"I'm looking all over, but I can't find anything." Chopper said, spying through his binoculars on the Sunny's bow.
"Nothing here." Ussop said.
"Something isn't right, I can feel it." Nami said.
"Me too. An' I don't like this feeling." Mina added, Eri holding tight to her, as the sky began to darken, with storm clouds rolling in.
"Everyone get into position. We're going to escape South by Southwest." Nami said, realization coming to her. "A huge storm is coming in five minutes."
"I don't see anything, but if you say it's coming I'll take your word for it, since you're the navigator!" Luffy said, as the rest of the crew, got into position. "By the way, what's our heading?"
"Two o'clock straight ahead." Nami called back.
"Zoro, can Eri hide in the crows nest?" Mina asked getting up to Zoro.
"Be my guest. But be careful. There's a lot of stuff up there that can hurt her." Zoro stated.
"Right." Eri said, before running for the entry to the crows nest.
"Alright, now with Eri safe and sound, let's get ready for this storm." Kaen said, as Mina joined in on helping prepare for the storm.
"Did that barrel summon a storm or what?" Ussop questioned, as he tied the tree swing, to the tree.
The storm continued to rage on as thunder and lightning rolled through the air.
'Green Lightning?' Kaen pondered.
"Eh, that lightning's hitting real close." Chopper said.
"Is no one else concerned with the fact that the lightning, is green, or is that normal on this planet?" Mina questioned.
"No it's not." Nami said.
"If the lightning is green, then there's a chance it's artificially made, and this storm is made by the one who set the signal flare trap." Kaen said, pulling the rope with Zoro.
"Kaen, the lightning kinda reminds me of the electricity that surrounds your body whenever you use your Quirk." Mina said.
"No good. We're getting straight headwind. The ship's gonna overturn." Nami said. "Kaen, is there something you can do, to help us get out of this storm?"
"Well… I do have one idea, but I've never used this move to escape a storm before." Kaen said. "So there's a chance it might not work."
"Don't bother Kaen. The Sunny can handle this. Nami, you know the trick." Franky said.
"Right. I forgot about that." Nami said. "Everyone, raise the sails, it's paddle time."
"Yeah! Okay!" Ussop said, hanging onto the railing for dear life.
"Ha. I like the sound of that. Do it. Go." Luffy said.
Everyone got to work and started raising the sails, securing them nice an tight.
"Everyone ready?" Nami questioned, coming out of the dining cabin.
"The main is good to go Nami." Sanji said.
"The floor mast is up, and ready." Zoro called out.
"Franky, now." Nami called to the Shipwright.
"Sweet." Franky smiled. "Soldier Dock System, channel Zero." He stated, flipping a switch on the controls.
"Cola Engine. Paddle Ship Sunny." Nami called out.
"Did she just say Cola Engine?" Mina asked.
"Yes, yes she did." Kaen nodded.
"You two are in for a real treat." Ussop snickered, as a pair of steamboat paddles, came out of the sides of the Sunny. "Go."
"Full speed." Luffy called out as the Sunny began to pick up speed, zooming through the storm.
Up in the crows nest, looking through the window, Eri saw everything that was going on, and with a determined look in her eyes, she resolved herself to helping the others, and proving to Kaen and Mina, that she could survive a life on the open sea as a member of the Straw Hat crew.
Jumping down from the cushioned seat lining the walls of the nest, Eri ran for the closed floor door on the ground, before she lost her balance as the ship gave a jolt, after going over a large wave, and fell forward, her fanny pack over her shoulder, spilling something out of it, that landed on the ground. Picking herself up, as she rubbed her sore nose, Eri spotted what had fallen out of her fanny pack, and looked at the item curiously.
~Later~
"We made it." Nami sighed in relief as the storm had cleared.
"Yeah, it's nice we got out of the storm and all, but where the hell are we?" Zoro questioned. "It shouldn't be night yet, right? So why's it so dark? An' what's with this fog? Strange huh?"
"Most likely, we're near the source of all this madness." Kaen said.
"This is it." Nami said. "We paddled the Sunny straight into that sea Kokoro was talking about. Jeez, I wasn't ready for this."
"Who?" Mina asked.
"Someone Franky's close with back at Water7 where he came from." Ussop said.
"Oh yeah, Frog Granny." Luffy smiled.
"So we're at Fishman Island already?" Ussop asked.
"Not yet." Luffy said, his hat overshadowing his eyes as he smiled. "Remember? The Sea of Ghosts?"
"That's right." Franky said. "Be careful. You've heard of the Florian Triangle right?"
"No." Mina said, getting spooked.
"You know, it's also called, the Devil's Triangle." Franky stated. "A haunted sea, where ships are swallowed by the darkness without a trace!"
"H-h-haunted?" Mina questioned, hiding behind Kaen.
"Bring on the ghosts. I can't wait." Luffy smiled.
"Shut up. If this is a joke, I'm not laughing." Mina stated.
"Mina, don't tell me you're scared of ghost stories." Kaen said. "You're a Saiyan now, remember?"
"Hey, I've been terrified of them since my grandma, used her Quirk to scare me during a camping trip, an' that's when I was five and still human." Mina said. "So cut me some slack."
"Well if it makes you feel any better, you're not alone in your fears." Nami said, pointing to the terrified Ussop and Chopper.
"Look Mina, if you're really scared, go up into the nest with Eri, she's probably scared now that it's dark out. So she'll need some comforting." Kaen suggested.
"Oh yeah, I didn't think about that." Mina said, before heading for the entrance to the crows nest.
"Zoro." Chopper said, hugging the swordsman's leg in fear.
"Hehehe. Nuh-uh. It's real. An' I hear there's Zombies and Skeletons to." Luffy said.
"Why are you happy about this Luffy?" Ussop questioned, scared out of his mind.
"You're letting your imagination run wild. Stop trying to scare him." Sanji said, lighting a match to change the lighting on his face. "Listen Ussop. The truth of the matter is, every year, over a hundred ships vanish in these waters without any explanation. They say, the sailors souls, stay on those ships, wondering for all eternity."
"No. Why didn't you warn me about this?" Ussop questioned.
"Even if we had, there's nothing you can do." Sanji said.
"Good thing Mina went up to the crows nest, I just got goose bumps." Kaen said.
"Kaen. I need your help up here. Eri's trapped." Mina's voice came over the speaker.
Kaen and Zoro turned to the crows nest, and went running for it, Kaen flew up the tunnel and Zoro climbed the ladder as fast as he could with Luffy and the others following close behind. Entering the crows nest, Kaen and Zoro gasped, when they saw one of Eri's arms, sticking out of a pile of free weights.
"Eri." Kaen called out.
"No. Hang on kid stay with us we'll get you out." Zoro said, as he and Kaen began pulling the weights off of Eri, aiding Mina in what she was already trying to do.
When enough of the weights had been removed, Kaen pulled Eri out of the free weight pile, while Zoro held it stable, before he let them fall with Eri now in the safety of Kaen's arms.
"Her Ki feels different." Mina said.
"Let's get her to Chopper." Zoro said, racing to the entrance, just before opening it, allowing Kaen to jump down, and leave the tunnel, seeing the rest of the crew gathered outside the entrance, with Chopper in heavy point.
"Let me see her." Chopper said, taking Eri into his hands. Looking over her body, and feeling over it, with his tools, the ships doctor sighed in relief before looking at Kaen. "She's fine. Just a few bruises. None of her bones seem broken, or fractured. She should be fine after some ice packs and a lot of rest."
"Still, I would feel a hell of a lot better, if she ate a Senzu Bean." Kaen said.
"Mina's still up in the crows nest." Zoro said, looking up at it. "What is she doing up there?"
"Hey guys, you might wanna take a look on the starboard side of the ship." Mina's voice came from the speakers, her voice unnaturally high.
The crew turned to look at the right side of the ship, and their eyes widened when they saw a practical ghost ship sailing past them, with a gentle tune humming through the air before it turned into gentle, yet eerie singing.
"Yohohoho-yohohoho. Yohohoho-yohohoho." The voice echoed through the air, as the ship sailed past them, revealing the single living soul on the ship, if you could even call him that.
"Is that?" Ussop questioned, as the sailors gaze remained glued on them.
"It's a ghost ship." Everyone cried out in fear, Eri back in Kaen's arms.
"I'm sensing a strange Ki coming from that ship." Kaen glared. 'I'll admit, I am spooked, but I can't lose my cool, not with Eri in this condition.'
"Yohohoho-yohohoho. Yohohoho-yohohoho."
"Is that… a living skeleton with an afro?" Kaen questioned.
"What are you talking about Kaen?" Nami asked.
"Look on the deck. It's the source of the weird Ki I'm feeling." Kaen stated.
"Gather up, all of the crew… it's time to ship out Binks's brew." The skeleton sang, before it sipped from the tea cup in its hand. "Yohohoho." It sang as the ship went past them.
"Did you see that?" Luffy questioned, snapping out of his shock.
"There's a singing skeleton on that ship." Kaen smiled.
"Why the hell do you seem as excited as Luffy?" Mina questioned, grabbing Kaen by the front of his uniform, and pulling him to face her, with a terrified face.
"Whoa, how'd you get down here so fast?" Zoro questioned.
"Oh no way. Skeletons don't sing, they're dead." Ussop stated. "You're just seeing things it's not real." Chopper was frantically nodding his head in agreement.
"It doesn't matter if it was real or not. We're going on that ship." Luffy smirked.
"Hang on Luffy, you're not going alone." Sanji said.
"Mina, you stay here and take care of Eri and the others." Kaen said, putting Eri in Mina's arms.
"We'll draw straws to see who else will be staying behind, and going with Luffy." Zoro said, holding out a fist full of pop sickle sticks for the others to grab.
"What? Why?" Nami questioned.
"We don't wanna go on that ship." Ussop stated.
"Yeah, let us stay." Chopper demanded.
"You sure that's how you wanna do it?" Zoro questioned.
The trio of scared people looked to Zoro then to the starboard side of the ship, to see Robin, Franky, and Sanji, standing on the railing beside Luffy, with Kaen floating in the air above the space between Sanji and Franky.
"Ready to see some ghosts and stuff?" Luffy questioned.
"Yeah." Franky smiled.
The trio deflated, knowing Zoro's method of choosing who stays and goes wouldn't be so bad after all, so long as they didn't go.
"Hey, I like the drawing thing after all." Chopper said, holding onto one of Zoro's swords as the swordsman was walking to the railing.
"Yeah! Please, we're scared!" Ussop said, holding onto Chopper. "You can't leave all the weak people alone, with no one to protect them."
"Hey, what am I, chopped liver?" Mina asked, feeding Eri a Senzu Bean.
"We'll draw, we'll draw. Just don't go." Nami said, showing Zoro was dragging all three of them, as they were holding onto his sword.
"Whatever. I'm fine going there alone. But we gotta hurry, or this ship is gonna get away." Luffy stated.
"Hold your horses." Sanji said.
"Well, are you gonna draw?" Zoro asked as he held out the pop sickle sticks again. "Three will go, and the rest will stay here. Gotta keep a tight leash on him, or Luffy will do something stupid."
~After the Draw~
"Why did it have to be me of all people?" Nami questioned, on her hands and knees of the life boat. "I want, a recount."
"Nami, get up here. It's ghost time." Luffy called to her.
"Give me a second." Nami shouted.
"This is why I said I would go alone." Luffy said.
"Yeah, that'd be great. You'd go sailing off with a bunch of skeletons, and we'd never see you again." Sanji said, revealing he was the second to join Luffy.
"Give her a break Captain, she's scared out of her mind after seeing that singing skeleton." Kaen said, floating in the air, right next to Luffy.
"I should have made Ussop go." Nami sniffed.
"Nami Swan. Don't worry. Your prince is here to protect you." Sanji said.
"Where, I don't see any prince. Just some perverted chef with delusions of harem grandeur." Kaen mocked, looking down at Sanji with a mocking tone in his voice.
"Watch it. I'm not above kicking your ass while in midair." Sanji said, as Kaen blew a raspberry at him.
"Come on Nami. You were all excited about finding a treasure ship before." Luffy said.
"There is no way in hell, that this is a treasure ship. Look at it, it's got singing skeletons." Nami called to him.
"Well, maybe he's the one guarding all the awesome treasure." Luffy suggested.
"Not a bad theory. Actually kinda makes sense if you think about it. Could probably even be just a Devil Fruit user like Luffy and Robin, and being a skeleton is just part of that power." Kaen suggested looking up. "We'll be able to ask him in a minute."
"What makes you say that?" Luffy asked.
"Because he's looking over the edge right at us." Kaen said, pointing upwards.
Luffy looked up, and sure enough, there was the singing skeleton.
"There he is." Luffy gasped.
"Alright, this is taking too long." Kaen said, grabbing Luffy by the vest, and literally throwing him over the edge onto the main deck.
"Don't you even think about it monkey boy." Sanji said.
"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it." Kaen said, before he literally kicked Sanji's ass, sending him flying into the air and onto the deck. "I'd rather kick your ass to save me the trouble." He called to the chef.
"You asshole." Sanji shouted back.
"Kaen, don't you even think about kicking me." Nami said.
"Come on, I'm not that shallow." Kaen said, taking Nami into his arms bridal style, and flying up to the deck, setting her down gently after landing on his feet.
"Now that's how you treat a lady." Nami said, before remembering where they were, and hid behind Kaen quivering as they all looked to the singing skeleton.
"Why good afternoon." The skeleton said, with a cheerful laugh. "Thank you all for stopping by. You must excuse me for not greeting you properly before." He said, removing his hat and taking a bow. "I really was quite surprised! It's been so many years you see, wondering these waters all alone! I'm so used to ghost ships, that humans frightened me. Quite ironic isn't it? Ah, but please come inside and take a seat. I'm sure you have many tales to share."
"I got a question first." Kaen said, stopping Luffy from getting excited. "Your current form, and appearance. You wouldn't happen to have eaten a Devil Fruit, by any chance, would you?"
"Ah yes, I have. When I was still alive, I ate the Revive-Revive Fruit. It was quite bitter as I ate it, but it's the reason why you see a walking talking skeleton before you." He said.
"Thank you." Kaen smiled. "Apologies, where are my manors. My name is Kaen Yagi. This is Sanji the ships chef, Nami the navigator, and this is our Captain, Monkey D. Luffy of the Straw Hat Pirates."
"A pleasure to meet you all. My name, is Brook."
"Well I'll be damned. Guess the monkey was right." Sanji said. "This skeleton is the product of a Devil Fruit, after all."
"Oh my." Brook said, spotting Nami. "What a ravishing visage of beauty." He complimented, walking right up to her, after spiffing himself up a bit. "You are truly stunning to behold."
"Oh no, I'm nothing special." Nami said.
"May haps, could you let me see, your panties?" He questioned.
"Oh hell no." Nami said, kicking Brook in the side of the head, causing swelling and sending him to the ground.
"Oh, a feisty one. I like it." He laughed. "You're strong, that one really hurt me to the bone. Get it, because I'm a skeleton?"
"Yes I get it." Nami fumed, as Luffy began to laugh.
"That kick just caused swelling to his skull." Sanji said in shock.
"Hey, do skeletons poop?" Luffy asked after he stopped laughing.
"We've got a million questions to get answered before that one." Sanji said.
Brook just seemed to get up, as if reversing the motion that caused him to fall, before he grabbed his cane and tea cup again.
"Oh yes. I poop." Brook said.
"Haven't you ever heard of a thing called TMI?" Sanji questioned.
"Guess we're gonna be getting to our questions now." Kaen said.
"I've got one, ya ready?" Luffy asked, stepping up to the front of the group. "Will you join our crew?"
"How did I know he was gonna ask that?" Kaen sighed.
"Yes. Certainly." Brook said.
"Great, I'm down for it." Kaen smiled.
~Later~
"Yohohoho. It's such a pleasure to meet you. Hello and good day to you all. As of today, I will be joining you on this ship, as your newest crewmate." Brook said excitedly. "Once dead and all bones, my name is Brook, and I do hope we can get along."
"Are you kidding me? What the heck is this thing?" Zoro, Franky, and Ussop questioned, while the Sniper, and Doctor both had a crucifix around their necks.
"Yohohoho. Oh my, what a tough crowd you all are." Brook said.
"Kaen, mind explaining to us, what the hell the singing skeleton is doing on board the Sunny?" Mina questioned.
"Please don't haunt me." Chopper pleaded.
"Oh my, what a gorgeous young woman. Would you like to show me your panties?" Brook questioned walking up to Robin.
"That's enough sexual harassment out of you." Nami said, throwing a sandal at Brook.
"Hey, relax. He's not actually the walking dead." Kaen said. "He'll explain over a nice hot meal. Come on, and I'm gonna need my… Ussop, where did you get all that ghost hunting gear?" The Saiyan questioned, looking at Ussop, dumbfounded as the sniper was dressed in a full suit of anti evil-spirit hunting equipment from multiple religions.
"R-remove yourself from this ship, you fiend. Submit to the holy power that I wield. Evil begone. Evil begone." Ussop said.
"Oh my, how frightening." Brook said.
"It's working, keep it up Ussop, you're amazing." Chopper said.
"Of course I'm awesome. I mean, I paid a lot of money for all this stuff, so it darn well better work." Ussop stated.
"Where is this evil? I can't see it?" Brook questioned, looking around the ship.
"It's you stupid." Ussop and Chopper said together, shocking Brook that they meant him, and causing Luffy to laugh.
"Damn it. There's no way a walking, talking, afro-sporting skeleton could exist. This must be a dream, we just need to wake up." Ussop said.
"Oh, it's just a dream? What a relief. That's nice." Chopper smiled, falling back onto the soft grass of the ship with his eyes closed.
"Ah, excuse me? Hello, hello? Good morning." Brook said.
Chopper opened his eyes and screamed in horror, when he saw Brook kneeling over him, mouth wide open.
"That's enough." Zoro shouted before turning to Luffy. "What is this thing, and why is it on our ship?"
"That's our new crew member! Isn't he funny?" Luffy questioned with a smile.
"Who cares? He's not joining our crew!" Zoro said, turning his attention to Nami, Sanji, and Kaen, the former two having looks of regret on their faces. "This is exactly why I wanted you to go with him. What the hell happened?" Zoro questioned, as Eri's swear jar came in front of him and he put two coins in without even looking. "Were you just picking your noses while he brought a skeleton back to the ship?"
"I know. We messed up." Nami and Sanji said.
"I don't see what the big deal is. Brook seems like a great guy." Kaen said.
"Yohohoho. My who's this little feline angel?" Brook questioned.
Kaen looked to Brook, and he saw the skeleton bent over, and petting Eri on the head, making the little girl smile, and purr?
"That's my daughter Eri." Kaen said going to Eri and picking her up. "I wasn't aware she was up already she should still be resting after what happened."
"Papa, I'm fine. See? Nothing wrong with me." Eri smiled.
"Did she break any of her bones? I am an expert at them you know." Brook said, before laughing.
"The skeleton's funny Papa." Eri laughed.
"Why don't you lead him inside with everyone else? Mama and I need to talk for a bit." Kaen said putting Eri down.
"Alright Papa." Eri smiled, grabbing Brook's hand, and leading him to the dining cabin, with the others following.
"Alright mister, unless you wanna be sleeping out here tonight, you'd better explain to me, why the hell there's a walking, talking…"
"Don't forget singing."
"Perverted, skeleton on the ship, and why you didn't stop Luffy from bringing him onto the Sunny." Mina said.
"Brook isn't a bad guy. Come on Mina, he's been alone for I don't know how many years, and he seems like he'd need the company." Kaen said. "Besides, his Ki is a bit weird, but he's still a living being. Just try to get along with him, yeah?"
"Fine, I guess I can try." Mina sighed. "Now what were you saying you needed before you started questioning Ussop?"
"Oh yeah, I'm needing my guitar. Brook seems like a musician, and I think he may enjoy a bit of music." Kaen said.
"I still don't see why you thought you'd need to bring that thing." Mina sighed, reaching into her cleavage, and pulling a guitar case from inside it. "Seriously, it would have gotten damaged boarding the plane if we hadn't been sent here."
"Hey I had planned our vacation to be around the same time as Disney World's music contest. First prize, a free family park pass for life, with a stay in the luxury castle suit, once a year. I was gonna play one of their best songs, on my guitar. Wasn't sure if I was gonna win or not, but there was no way in hell I wouldn't try to win us that pass." Kaen said.
"Well, Eri did seem excited for Disney World." Mina chuckled. "C'mon, let's go see if that skeleton has scared Ussop and Chopper to death yet."
~Meanwhile~
"What a spacious dinning room you've got, and such a spectacular kitchen. A magnificent ship if I've ever seen one." Brook laughed, sitting at the head of the table with Eri by his side.
"Yep." Luffy smiled.
"Of course it is. It's the most super ship I've ever made!" Franky said proudly. "Those sockets look empty, but you got a good eye for quality."
"Franky, don't get friendly with the skeleton." Sanji said.
"Why not? Brook's an official member of the crew." Kaen said, coming into the dining room with Mina.
"Speaking of quality, I can't wait to try your cooking. Since I've been stuck on that ghost ship, it's been decades since I've eaten a proper meal." Brook said, plopping his head down on the table. "I felt my stomach shrink, and shrink until I couldn't tell the back of my belly from the front of my back anymore."
"Poor Mr. Skeleton." Eri said, hugging Brook's arm.
"That was the sort of life I lead. An' let me tell you, that's saying a lot since skeletons don't even have a proper back, or stomach." Brook stated.
"Oh I get it, that was the set up for a joke." Eri smiled with a giggle. "You're funny Mr. Skeleton."
"My you are a curious child, aren't you?" Brook said. "Your Mama and Papa still seems so young themselves, yet they have you in their life."
"Well yeah, they are young. Kaen's sixteen, and Mina's fifteen." Robin said.
"My goodness, and they had a child when they were still children themselves?" Brook questioned.
"Come to think of it, I don't think either of you have told us, how Eri came into your lives." Nami said looking to the two Saiyans, as Kaen put his guitar against the wall.
"Well… that's a bit of a story." Mina said, bringing Eri into her embrace as the child came up to her. "For starters, Eri isn't actually our child, not by blood anyway."
"Oh my, then how is she your child?" Brook asked.
"To be honest, it all kinda happened so fast." Kaen said. "You see, Mina and I are technically still in school, or we were, but we've probably been declared dead by now. Anyways, it was on one of the days off we had, due to an incident that happened at the school, involving a villain attack."
"It was the day right after, actually." Mina said.
"Right, anyways Mina was on her way to my place, she got into a fight with her father, but was brought out of her frustration, when something bumped into her."
"Rather, it was someone." Mina stated, putting a hand on Eri's head. "I'm gonna take Eri out for some air. She doesn't need to hear any of this." She said, getting up from her seat, and leaving with Eri following as they held hands.
Once Eri and Mina were gone, the crew turned to Kaen, who had a dark, and angered look on his face.
"Before Eri came into our lives, she was the lab rat for a psychotic man, who was obsessed with cleanliness." Kaen said. "Back then, Eri's power wasn't what it is now, rather it was a power, known as Rewind, an' it was an uncontrollable ability, he sought to take advantage of. She could rewind anyone to a previous state of their body, all the way back to pre-conception."
The crew's eyes widened and they looked at Kaen, seeing his gaze spoke nothing but the truth. But what came next, is what really cemented the anger they saw in Kaen's eyes.
"Eri was abandoned by her own mother after her powers first awoke. The man, Kai Chisaki, who Eri's grandfather considered as a son, would tear her apart, over and over again, to harvest her cells." Kaen stated.
"Tch, why the hell would the old man agree to that, if he was Eri's biological grandfather?" Zoro questioned.
"He didn't agree to it." Kaen stated. "Eri's grandfather was the head of a Yakuza group, called the Shie Hassaikai, but Chisaki used his powers to put the old man in a coma, and took over the Yakuza himself, so he could do his work, without the old man stopping him from doing it."
"That bastard." Zoro said, gripping his sword tightly.
"When I was doing my examination of Eri after we first found you three, floating adrift yesterday, I did find a ton of scar tissue all along her arms, and legs. There were even some on her torso. They looked like they were made from a scalpel." Chopper said.
"Kai Chisaki, goes by the name, Overhaul, and apparently he was a licensed medical practitioner." Kaen said. "If he needed it, he had access to multiple different tools used by surgeons and other medical professionals."
"So Mina took Eri outside…" Sanji said.
"To keep her from hearing you retell the story. Why?" Robin asked.
"Because she didn't want Eri to suffer from any more night terrors then she already does." Kaen sighed. "I spent half the night, last night, comforting Eri, as she'd continue waking up from night terrors, and have trouble falling asleep again."
"We never heard a thing." Franky said. "No screaming, nothing."
"It's because, Eri has a special little tent she likes to sleep in. My sister made it, and she designed it to be soundproof. Sounds can come in from the outside, but no sounds from inside the tent, can get out, unless they're coming through this, which is connected to the microphone inside the tent." Kaen explained, holding up a pocket-watch from his pocket.
"Looks like a regular old pocket-watch to me." Ussop said.
"It does, but it's not." Kaen said, opening it, and showing the speaker on the inside of the body, and a photo in the lid. "It's actually a locket on one half, and a speaker on the other."
"Who are those other two guys in the photo with you, and what are you all wearing?" Franky asked.
"This photo was taken at a concert. Those other two, are Brendon Urie, also known as the musician, Panic at the Disco, and Jonathan Connor, the lead singer in the music group, Skillet." Kaen explained. "Mina, Eri, and myself, are just dressed for the concert. An' oddly enough, I ended up performing with both of them, with that guitar right there, and it was signed by them both, and all the other members of the band, Skillet."
"So why's the photo important to you?" Ussop asked.
"Before that night, Eri had forgotten how to smile, due to all the trauma she went through, and Mina's uncle had gotten us backstage passes to the concert at the last minute, because Mina had asked him. She thought the concert would get Eri to smile again, and in the end, it did. But not in the way you'd think." Kaen said. "The photo is special, because it's a memento, of the night I saw my daughter smile, for the first time."
"That is sweet." Nami said.
"Aw man, that's so touching. I can't help but cry." Franky said, tears trailing down his cheeks.
"That's so sad, and heartwarming at the same time." Chopper cried.
"You said that the concert did make Eri smile, but not in the way we'd think. What did you mean by that?" Robin inquired.
"That's a story for another time." Kaen sighed, putting the device back in his pocket. "Brook, why don't you tell us about yourself, and more about your Devil Fruit powers?"
"Devil Fruit powers?" Zoro asked.
"Brook ate the Revive-Revive fruit. So he's not an evil spirit possessing a skeleton, he's just a power user like Luffy." Kaen said as Mina and Eri came back to eat.
"It's true. The monkey asked him right there on the ghost ship about his current state, and the skeleton did tell us it was because of a Devil Fruit he ate." Sanji said, bringing the food to the table. "We can finish interrogating the skeleton later, for now let's dig in."
~Afterwards~
"So you died fifty years ago, and your soul was lost in the fog for a year? That's why you were revived as a skeleton instead of a normal human covered in flesh and blood?" Mina questioned, eating the last of her takoyaki.
"That's so sad." Eri said.
"Indeed, my tale was a sad one." Brook said.
"Then that means you're not a ghost after all? You're just a normal human like us. Well normal is a stretch I suppose, but… the important thing is, that you're definitely not a ghost." Ussop said.
"Oh heavens no, I hate ghosts. If I saw one, I'd scream my lungs out, if I had any." Brook stated.
"You're a skeleton, and you're afraid of ghosts? Have you tried looking in the mirror lately?" Nami questioned.
"AH. No mirrors." Brook cried, covering himself.
"What's wrong?" Ussop questioned as he and Chopper got behind Brook in the mirror. "Hey, hold up. What's going on here?"
"No why…"
"Why can't we, see you?" Ussop and Chopper questioned at the same time, as the mirror showed their reflection, but Brook's was nowhere to be seen. "Why don't you show up in the mirror?"
"Hold up, no reflection?" Mina questioned, grabbing Eri and jumping back, as the others got to their feet, getting ready for a fight.
"A vampire." Ussop and Chopper shouted as they screamed.
"Are you for real? That's awesome." Luffy stated, his eyes bugging out.
"Now everyone just calm down. I'm sure Brook has an explanation as to why he doesn't have a reflection, and he's not a vampire." Kaen said. "If he were a vampire, don't you think he'd be more then just a skeleton? He'd have a full body."
"Hold on, Kaen has a point." Robin said. "In all the books of myth and lore I've read, vampires can regenerate their flesh and blood, even if they're nothing more then a dried up skeleton."
"Which means, something else is at play here." Zoro said.
"Thank you Kaen, for being the voice of reason." Brook said.
"But look at his feet. He doesn't even have a shadow." Ussop said.
"Then we give him a chance to explain what's going on. Jumping to random conclusions, is a good way to make enemies, and get killed." Kaen stated.
"Papa's right. We need to think about this." Eri said.
"Alright, let's hear him out." Mina said.
"Well Brook, would you like to explain to us why you don't have a shadow, or a reflection?" Kaen asked.
"I suppose I should tell you the rest of the story, about what was happening while I was drifting in this evil sea, and the second tragedy I was forced to face." Brook said sitting back down, and sipping from his tea cup. "What I told you about becoming a skeleton is true, but the reason I don't have a shadow is a different matter entirely."
There was a pause of suspense as the crew was eagerly listening in on what Brook had to say. But what he said next, wasn't what they were expecting.
"To be continued." The skeleton said.
"How about you tell us now." Sanji said.
"My shadow was stolen! Someone took it from me several years ago." Brook explained.
"Stolen?" Ussop asked.
"But how?" Robin inquired.
"I guess that's not anymore ridiculous then a talking skeleton. But it's still hard to swallow." Zoro stated.
"More then likely, something like this would be caused by a Devil Fruit user. I mean if you think about it logically, if there is a Devil Fruit that can bring a person back from the dead as a walking, talking, singing skeleton, then there's likely one that can steal someone's shadow from them as well." Kaen said.
"Can something like that really happen?" Zoro inquired.
"Yes, I'm afraid it can." Brook continued. "An' in addition to losing my reflection, having my shadow stolen, means I can no longer exist in the world of light."
"But, you're still alive right?" Luffy questioned.
"Yes, for now at least, but only because I'm able to stay in this place with no sunlight." Brook clarified. "Although you can hardly call that living. I am saved by the grace of the thick fog, surrounding these seas."
"Then what would happen if you were exposed to sunlight?" Robin inquired.
"If even a ray of sunlight touched this body, then every inch that it fell upon, would be reduced to naught but ash." Brook stated. "A single step into the sun, and in a matter of moments, every trace of me would be erased from this world."
"You'd be killed?" Everyone questioned, shock filling their voices, and etched to their faces.
"Yes." Brook said. "I saw someone with the same curse as me, lose his mind, and run into the sunlight. An' at last, his screams went silent, when nothing was left but a pile of dust. It was so frightful, I swear my soul practically left my body a second time. An' just as the sunlight cannot cast my shadow, my image cannot be reflected in a mirror, or captured in a photograph. I hope you can forgive me for startling you, but I hope you can understand my reluctance to share this story."
"I'm glad you did though." Kaen said, putting a hand on Brook's shoulder. "If you'd not shared, and come with us on our adventures, then you'd have perished in front of us, and we wouldn't have known why."
"Yeah, now all we gotta do is find the bastard who took you shadow, and kick his ass to get it back." Luffy smirked.
"Swear. Put two swears worth of coins in please." Eri said, standing in front of Luffy, with a swear jar.
"Well I hate to say it, but your life sure does suck." Sanji said, as Luffy put the money in the jar.
"Even so, I still feel so lucky to have it." Brook said. "An' thank you for the offer of finding my shadow's thief. But I know who he is, and I must defeat him, on my own."
"We can help. You don't need to do this by yourself." Kaen said.
"He's right. Kaen and I were heroes in training, before we joined the Straw Hats. If there's a chance we can help, then we will take it, no matter the cost." Mina stated.
"Thank you, that is very kind. But I think for now, I shall serenade you all with a song." Brook said, going to grab his violin. "Kaen, would you be so kind as to join me? It's been too long since I've played alongside another musician."
"Of course. I'd be happy to." Kaen smiled, taking his guitar out of his case.
"My, that is an impressive piece of musical equipment." Brook said, putting his violin on his shoulder. "Well, shall we?"
Right as Brook was about to play, he froze as he looked at the edge of the wall that met with the ceiling, and he began to shake.
"Brook?"
"AAAAHHHHH." Brook screamed in terror before he fell on his ass.
"Hey, what's wrong? You're freaking out." Sanji said.
"Sanji. Look in the direction he's looking." Kaen said, his gaze already on the location.
Sanji the the rest of the crew, looked in the direction Kaen said to, and they nearly freaked out, when they saw a transparent ghost halfway through the wood wall of the dining cabin.
"A g-g-g-ghost." Brook finally managed to say.
"Ah, he's right." Chopper shouted. "Get out, go away."
"It's too cool." Luffy said.
"It's leaving." Zoro pointed out. The moment Zoro mentioned that the ghost was leaving, the ship began to shake and rumble. "What the? Something's happening to the ship." He said, as Brook got to his feet.
"No, it can't be." Brook said, running for the door and leaving the dining cabin, with a few of the others following.
"What's going on Brook?" Kaen questioned.
"What terrible fortune. He must have been watching you all, that's the only thing that makes sense." Brook stated. Out in front of the Sunny, was a giant stone gate, that looked like a set of giant teeth. "Everyone look to the front. That noise we heard was this gate slamming shut. Our passage has already been, blocked off."
"That thing is a gate?" Luffy questioned.
"It looks like teeth. Like a giant sea monster is gonna eat us all." Ussop said.
"What's going on here?" Zoro questioned.
"It seems this is the backside of the gate." Brook said.
"That bad?" Luffy questioned.
"If I had to guess…" Kaen paused. "Brook?"
"This is bad, very, very bad." The skeleton said, running back into the dining cabin, and to the rear exit, passing through Choppers office. "Come to the rear of the ship, hurry."
As everyone followed Brook to the back of the ship, Luffy hopped on the railing, and Kaen was in the air above the rest of the crew.
"What in the world, is that?" Nami questioned.
"If I had to hazard a guess… I'd say we're dealing with a moving island." Kaen said.
"Did you by any chance, pick up a barrel from the waters on your way here?" Brook questioned.
"So this is the source of that trap we triggered?" Ussop asked in fear.
"Yeah, looks like it." Kaen said. "Brook, you seem familiar with what's going on. Mind sharing with the rest of the class?"
"You're already aware that the barrel was a trap. But now that you've been caught, you're all in great danger. Simply put, your ship's been targeted ever since you came here." Brook said.
"You mean there's someone out there that's been hunting us down?" Luffy questioned. "An' by the way, how'd we run into that gate, when our ship's not moving?"
Looking out at the landscape behind the ship, the island looked like a deserted wasteland from plenty of zombie and monster themed movies and shows Mina and Kaen had seen back in Japan. But there were still a few, larger buildings, such as a castle, a mansion, and a church, that looked perfectly in tact. But on either side of the island, were giant pulleys connected to monstrously big chains, covered in green algae, seaweed, and rust.
A large percentage of the island was also covered by tombstones and a graveyard. All in all, the entire place looked creepy, spooky, and frightening. The exact kind of place Mina, Ussop, Nami, and Chopper wanted to keep their distance from. But Luffy, Zoro, Kaen, and Franky, were more then ready to face whatever dangers came their way from the island.
"Where the heck did that creepy island come from?" Luffy asked.
"This is the ghost island, that wonders throughout these seas. They call it, Thriller Bark."
~A/N~
As you can all probably tell, I don't really like Sanji. In fact I'd say, he's one of my least favorite characters in One Piece.
That mainly has to do with the fact, he's a womanizer who acts like a gentleman, and I hate womanizers.